jedimaster1227

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/new-drayton-manor-hotel-plan-4864424?tabPane=Comments

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-07-04/business/os-theme-parks-cutting-hours-20130704_1_theme-parks-cost-cuts-universal-orlando

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-28/ahmedabad/40254475_1_kankaria-balvatika-roller-coaster

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/deal-struck-to-build-steel-pier-s--foot-observation/article_6a014106-e33a-11e2-acda-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/07/more-tests-needed-before-maglev-rail.html

http://walibiconnect.be

http://www.channel3000.com/news/man-died-after-losing-control-of-gokart-in-dells-officials-said/-/1648/20839954/-/sv0cpa/-/index.html

^Theme Park Review has been to Linnanmaki several times over the last ten years. Here are some photo reports from their more recent visits: http://www.themeparkreview.com/uk2006/linnanmaki/linnanmaki1.htm http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=173&linkid=6791 You can also see footage from that first trip on the Coaster Expedition Volume 8, with info on that DVD here: http://www.themeparkreview.com/videos/volume8.htm

They are there for safety purposes. You can't even imagine just how often people drop things off of rides (both intentionally and unintentionally) and how many of them end up at guest relations to complain about the ride stealing their things, or at lost and found praying that their items aren't gone forever. The amount of additional labor and time that is needed to walk underneath an entire ride path or to go look for lost items for the 10+ guests that lost something that day on that ride (out of the many rides in the park on which people also lose their belongings) and then return those items, or deal with guests constantly coming back or calling back to get a status report is huge. They may seem like a nuisance to you (heck, I don't like using them myself) but they are there for a reason. The alternative simply isn't worth it. And the general public (for whom the lockers are targeted, not for coaster enthusiasts like yourself) are far more likely to need them than you or I. For the sake of the park and for the general guest, they are a necessary [evil to some] precaution.

^I meant that it wouldn't make sense to invest that kind of money, whether it was $4.2 million or $21 million just to latter shut it all down. I guess my major counter to the notion of an eventual transition to water park only would be that if that was the direction the park really wanted to head in, why bother refurbishing the rides at all or even reopening that side of the park as a dry section. If they really wanted to make it only a water park, wouldn't they just invest that money into additional water park expansion?

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Roller_Coaster_Planned_in_South_Iceland_0_401085.news.aspx

Today Theme Park Review was invited out to Legoland Florida for the media preview of The World of Chima expansion opening tomorrow to the public. The new land is the first of its kind as it is the first ever LEGO property to launch and have a Legoland attraction or land launch with it in the same year. It is also the first LEGO property to have a TV show launching concurrently with the new land. In fact, if you're a local you've probably already seen advertising for the Legends of Chima show on Cartoon Network, with a special ad on the back end that promotes the new land at Legoland Florida. The World of Chima expansion consists of "The Quest for CHI" splash battle, Cragger's Swamp water play area, the Speedorz Arena, Razar's Bazaar and the addition of a LEGO Chima 4D Movie Xperience in the Wells Fargo 4-D Theater. Time to enter The World of Chima! Our morning started out with a few words from Park GM Adrian Jones... Soon after Laval and Cragger came out from Chima, with Cragger holding a source Chi, the power that keeps the balance in the world of Chima. After some coaxing, he gave it up. It's just like the ending of The Phantom Menace! "Weesun being friends!" Pyro! Funfetti! After the opening ceremony we were given the chance to conduct interviews with Adrian Jones. He was extremely passionate about the park and its latest expansion (he always is) and offered us his personal favorite thing to look out for in the ride. We also had the chance to speak with Scott Thomas, Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Cartoon Network. In addition to supporting this new expansion, the partnership between Legoland Florida and Cartoon Network means that Cartoon Network will be providing additional content throughout the park (including in ride queues) from their other shows including Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gumball (those were the examples he gave). Time to take "The Quest for CHI" for a spin! The ride is extremely family friendly in its speed and design. You can stand throughout the entire ride experience but there are seats for those not comfortable enough or perhaps those wanting to be less of a target for others' guns. I'll say this now: There is no shortage of water on this attraction! And like other Splash Battles, you would be hard pressed to escape fully dry. The bulk of the ride takes place outdoors, meandering through the home terrains of the varying residents of Chima. Those brown circular shields are actually water-triggered targets that set off effects (or water jets) throughout the ride path. I was wearing a poncho and I was still considerably drenched by the end of the ride. Awesome and dangerous at the same time is the ability for non-riders to grab a water gun and shoot back at you while you shoot at them. As if the ride's automatic water jets weren't enough, this is just icing on the cake. Another scene from along the ride path... Into the mouth of the Crocosaurus... Okay, it isn't actually Crocosaurus, but it is awesome. Lightsaber battle?!?! The final scene sees Cragger strung up for his crimes. The things I subject myself to for Theme Park Review. Time to look at the ride from the outside view. Now I just need to find 98 more... Soakage ensues... Like other attractions at Legoland Florida, there is a building station in the queue for kids to keep them occupied during their wait. Cartoon Network will also be providing content from the show to play in the queue. The interior portion of the queue is pretty neat! Awesome details! The CHI Pool is actually Adrian Jones' favorite element of the new land. More cool details. Cragger's Swamp is a water play area for the kids, including triggered effects and jumping fountains. The Speedorz Arena allows guests to race Chima Speedorz vehicles along obstacle courses. In case you were wondering what a Speedorz is... Back to The Quest for CHI! Chima's floating island is definitely the "weenie" of the land. Seconds later, the girl in the red soaked me with her gun. They have a LEGO play wall at the exit of the ride. Here I was stopping to admire the LEGO-built details when someone goes and sprays me with their gun. This new expansion is phenom-nom-nominal! I was clearly standing in the wrong place. Even the adults love it! Look everybody! It's Banks from Orlando Attractions Magazine: The Show! And JeniLynn's here too! Razar's Bazaar is off to the side of the exit path for the ride. Need Chima merch? They've got you covered! Another resident of The World of Chima hangs out by the ladies restroom. There is also more Chima merchandise to be had. Another look at The Quest for CHI's fortress. For the love of Larry. One more for the Index. Thanks again to Legoland Florida for hosting us today for the preview of the awesome World of Chima expansion! And thank you for the sweet Chima goody bag!

I just can't imagine them putting up the capital not only for the new coaster but in bringing Thunder Run, T2 and Twisted Twins all back online just to retire them down the road. I have to imagine they've got some form of master planning in place with their lease being so lengthy, I would be very surprised to see them waste money on things they don't plan to keep long term.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=533875&type=National

As promised, I've got a follow-up[date] focusing entirely on Universal Studios Florida's Springfield Fast Food Boulevard. That means I've got lots of food photos to share, so if you're a foodie like me, you'll want to get here ASAP! Outside of Fast Food Boulevard, themed facades present an idea of what you'll find inside. It appears that one of my Tapped Out friends decided to graffiti my Moe's Tavern. As you'll see inside, Moe's Tavern is a faithful recreation of the iconic hangout from the show. Cletus' Chicken Shack is an original dining concept developed specifically for Universal Orlando, not previously found in the show. Inside of Moe's Tavern you'll find an authentic representation of the bar, modified to include additional seating for dining patrons. Notice the pool table dining table is an actual pool table with a glass top! There is a free Love Tester in the corner of the venue that works! I was apparently Love Lorn. Moe's Tavern serves all of the speciality drinks from Fast Food Boulevard and no other beverages. That means that you can get all three kinds of Duff beer (Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry) along with the Flaming Moe and other non-alcoholic specialty beverages. They even have custom taps for the Flaming Moe! There's an out of order jukebox, that I assume is also from the show. Like in the queue for The Simpsons Ride, the Fast Food Boulevard food court features a special collection of food-related clips from the show. The main seating area features a huge mural showing off the many zany citizens of Springfield. The Krusty Burger dining area features an odd "evolution of the Simpsons" mural. Anyone remember Project Fish? Lisa's Teahouse of Horror is the first stop in the food court booths, although you can pick and choose from any of the locations and check out in the central location. The new venue feels totally different than the former International Food & Film Festival quick service location that was here previously. The full menu from Lisa's Teahouse [of Horror]. Luigi's features several different types of pizza for the less adventurous eater. If you like meat, there's a pizza for you. And I have to say, for quick service pizza this was pretty good. The sauce pretty much made it for me! The Frying Dutchman (my favorite of all of the food booths) offers up a great collection of fried seafood. Fans of the show will recognize this sign! For those looking to try everything, there is the Basket O' Bait, but I strongly recommend skipping everything else by going directly with the Basket O' Calamari. A look at the seafood spread... Cletus' Chicken Shack offers a wide variety of poultry items. Care to try some "chicken thumbs?" Krusty Burger offers the most unique takes on quick service hamburgers and hot dogs I've seen. See what I mean? Moving on... Flaming Moe's is a booth made specifically for specialty beverages. I've now tried all of the specialty drinks on the menu except for Duff Lite and Duff Dry. A look at the setup behind the counter. Yay Flaming Moe's! A Flaming Moe in the making... At the checkout counter you have the option to get freshly baked specialty cupcakes or the killer Lard Lad "The Big Pink Donut." My first meal in Springfield consisted of the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich (from Cletus' Chicken Shack), a Buzz Cola and a Flaming Moe. This is delicious! I suspect Buzz Cola is a mix between Coke Zero and cherry syrup... And it is very good! Here is the Mt. Swatzwelder Apple Drink... I'm not a fan of anything with tea in it, but this was great! On the left is the Groovy Grove Juice and the right is the Mr. Teeny. The Basket O' Bait is served as an extremely generous portion! The Krusty Burger was pretty solid too! I haven't had the chance to try the Double Batter Chicken Platter yet but it looks pretty good. They have Elissa-friendly food here too! Universal Executive Chef Steven Jayson is behind all of the amazing food and beverage options that have been added to Springfield. Enjoying a Flaming Moe... And some cupcakes. And "The Big Pink Donut" to send me into a food coma... I think I'm done.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/06/a-magical-delivery-project-team-members-receive-key-piece-of-a-new-disney-parks-attraction/

^^Maybe it isn't leaving... Only getting an iron rebirth?

[vine]https://vine.co/v/hat05ItiMw9[/vine]

^It totally depends on the day of the week and the time of the season. On a peak day, Express can surely sell out (despite the fact that the price for Express increases on peak days), so if that's your main angle, see about calling guest services again to make sure you can't upgrade your ticket over the phone.

I just love how the rock work hugs the Disko's track!

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cypresscreek/news/earthquest-developers-believe-dinosaur-park-not-extinct/article_ea430b68-e102-11e2-af57-0019bb2963f4.html

(Continued) Alright, here we go! Dance, Dreamfinder! Dance! The show does amazing things with guests' drawings, putting them right into some of the best dancing scenes from Disney's many animation classics. Look at Dreamfinder, being all fancy, dancing with Donald! He does the luau quite beautifully. Characters dancing out a scene from Pinocchio! They even have shadows! They've got no strings on them! And like any good show, there are credits to all involved. I got off of the ship briefly to get some authentic Mexican cuisine at La Choza... Authentic fajitas for the win! Hit up La Choza the next time you're in Cozumel. It is worth it! Back at sea for the evening... Tonight is Pirates Night! The entire event is known as Pirates in the Caribbean. The night starts with a rousing pirate party with Mickey and the gang... Always one to make an entrance! Mickey's Pirate Academy teaches the crowd the basics of being a pirate. The show is then hijacked by Captain Hook and his band of pirates. But after Mickey and his pirate crew (that includes you) prove they have what it takes to be a pirate, he is forced to leave. Moving back to food... There was this awesome crab cake! And this delicious pork! And another dessert trio for good measure. Back over at Pirates in the Caribbean, it is time for the main show. The show features Captain Jack Sparrow and an enchanted gauntlet. Along the way we see a rowdy group of pirates attempt to steal the gauntlet for themselves. But in the end, Jack wins and gets the gauntlet. He points to the sky to see what it does... What does it do? Find out next time!

Since the crew quarters are in a "backstage area" I wasn't allowed to take any photos there. But to be honest, they were very similar to the guest rooms, minus the magic portholes. Glad you guys are enjoying this so far! I've got plenty more to share... When we last checked in, I was in a strange port... It turns out that this was all planned. And I was in Costa Maya. Apparently in Costa Maya they have a really big tiger problem... Apparently CrocoSaurus moved here after the end of his battle with Mega Shark. The port of Costa Maya features a neat resort area that gives way to a transportation hub to get to any of your excursions. Though I decided to skip out on the excursions myself... Here is what I did instead. See those pools? That's where the swim-with-the-dolphins experience is. Seriously folks, save up and visit Discovery Cove during your next trip to Orlando. There really is no better way to swim with the dolphins! One whole yard of relaxation juice... Rock Shrimp Ceviche for the win! Shrimp tacos for the double win! I am now a resident of the nation of Disney Cruise Line. I wave my flag proudly. Okay, so the ship didn't leave me in Costa Maya. Luckily I didn't see this as it sailed away. Next up was a Key Lime Margarita at La Piazza! After the port I had time to try out the Midship Detective Agency. This is easily, the most awesome interactive game Disney has made yet! I was told that the Muppets game alone has 6 different endings! The Enchanted Art frames are also host to many of the Midship Detective Agency game stations. The story goes that the Muppets' props have gone missing, and you as the detective must scour the ship to find out who took them. Some of the clues are found physically on the ship as opposed to being found digitally in the frames. My favorite Enchanted Art. Steamboat Willie starts steering and whistling for a brief moment... Back to hunting for clues! Here you use your Midship Detective Agency card to collect all of the meeps. No joke! Gonzo! A most elegant hidden Mickey! Another hidden Mickey! Pepe has his own room on the ship, and his door is plastered with clues. Two things: I'm on my Wave Phone. Wave Phones are the working (free--two per room) phones to be used while on the ship to keep in touch with other guests in your party. I'd never seen or heard of this on any other cruise line, so I was definitely impressed, especially because you can both text and call while on the ship (and on Castaway Cay). The other thing: I'm calling Pepe from my Wave Phone to get more clues. Animal! Not only is there a hidden Muppet Vision shout out but... BearQuil. Hiya Bryan! Bork! Bork! Bork! You get to interrogate Muppets that you think might have stolen the props. This one was innocent. Once you've found the culprit and the props, you get to set off fireworks. As George from Rush Hour 3 said, "Case closed." Over in The Tube I was able to see the night's variety act, a juggler who had previously been on America's Got Talent. He juggled on a unicycle... Then he juggled on a very tall unicycle! Time for dinner in Animator's Palate... I've been waiting for this experience for far too long! Part of what makes the second meal at Animator's Palate so incredible is Animation Magic, an interactive show featuring guests' drawings, like this. Can you guess who I attempted to draw? This should be a clue. Time for more food photos! Prosciutto with melon... And some perfectly cooked ahi tuna with seaweed salad. The infamous popcorn soup was really good! This veal was great! It is almost time for Animation Magic to begin! Notice the restaurant has taken on a new, colorful look. A dessert trio to try the best of everything... And per Robb's adamant recommendations, I got a Mickey Bar, which was definitely better than the ones in the parks!

If Vekoma were to build a hyper that looks as smooth as this, I'd be totally fine with it.