jedimaster1227

Disney Cruise Line has announced new itineraries from Galveston which now include stops in Falmouth, Jamaica! Notice the name of the sailing ship in the background...

Unicorp National Developments, which recently received the green light to move forward with the construction of I-Drive Live and the I-Shops has released its slideshow presentation given to legislators before their approval in order to convince them of the benefits that are associated with this huge project. Included in the presentation was some new concept art and details for the area that give us a better look at the project as we will see it next year when it nears completion. http://www.slideshare.net/godog7/i-drive-live-unicorp-circle-entertainment-merlin-entertainments-orlando-florida

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/11/mad-t-party-gets-merrier-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Yas_Project_Update_3pte[/coastertube] [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=dawama_mxd4[/coastertube] Additional photos sourced from: http://www.facebook.com/yaswaterworld

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/11/first-look-pirates-of-the-caribbean-the-legend-of-captain-jack-sparrow-opens-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/attractions/terminator-2-3d/ http://blog.pe.com/theme-parks/2012/11/06/universal-studios-terminator-2-3d-will-close-dec-31/

I know what I'll be bringing aboard...

I have to agree with Chuck on this one, although my opinion is based on ride experiences from years ago. Vortex wasn't that bad for me when I rode it but Anaconda beat me in ways I didn't expect. I'm pretty sure it was those wonky turns that nearly bruised my skull.

^While there is no set date for the release of any new photos or video of the new vehicles, it can be expected that we'll see a new Webisode within the next month or so, which promises to shed a little more light on the cars.

Holiday World has sent us a press release regarding their latest honor, this time given to them in title by US Airways Magazine.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/11/mermaids-make-a-splashing-debut-at-pirates-of-the-caribbean-at-walt-disney-world-resort/ And here is some footage I shot of the ride's newest residents (along with the rest of the ride) taken earlier last week! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_Full_Ride_POV_with_Mermaids_Online_fc4s[/coastertube] And a second look! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Mermaids_attempt_1_online_8kkv[/coastertube] And for those of you who were wondering what the new Country Bear Jamboree is like now, take a look at the full show below! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=CBJ_Online_y5re[/coastertube]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/11/creating-holiday-traditions-on-buena-vista-street-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

(Continued) Goliath was the new ride during my last visit, and I loved every second of it. The ride is still spectacular and holds its place as one of my favorite B&M Hypers I have been on. So much raw airtime! And it is so incredibly smooth! I wish the ride could be a little longer, but I'd totally be satisfied with a clone of this closer to home. Ednör L'attaque is the newest credit to join La Ronde's lineup. The ride's restraints are the old style SLC football pads, so be prepared to pin yourself to survive. Thanks to Matt Damon for the tip on how to survive SLCs all those years ago! Notice the gap between the wheels and the track? The queue and station setup give some great closeup views of the coaster in motion. I'll be honest. This ride had its moments of pain, but no worse than some of the better SLC's I've ridden. I'd rank it up there with Darien Lake's in terms of ride ability. Not anywhere near as awful as Six Flags New England's Mind Eraser. At least the ride looks great! I just wish I could experience a Vekoma SLC that is Kumali-soft-as-a-baby's-bottom-smooth! Imported from Six Flags Astroworld, this model sadly lacks the bonus helix. The ride has a decent thematic treatment that ties into the marketing and story behind the attraction. The story is that Ednör is a monster similar to the one found in Lake Loch Ness, recently surfacing at La Ronde. I love this imagery! It isn't easy to photograph but this angle but Ednör has become a focal point of the lagoon. I do like how the ride looks over water. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! I totally didn't realize Dragon was in the park during my last visit, and I honestly forgot about it again this time around. Here's another for Larry. Oh, and there's a ferris wheel here too! Glorious! There was an insanely long line for one of the houses at Fright Fest. I had to skip it sadly. The Halloween entertainment here confuses me. Would this be considered a scare zone? The park's sky tower... It is sponsored by Pizza Pizza. And is labeled so even at the top. Seriously, poutine is a major thing here in Quebec. I stopped by the beignet shack to get some mini donuts topped with warm nutella and marshmallows. It was amazing! Le Monstre towers over the back section of the park. Where else would there be a mini hockey rink redemption game? I really love this monorail! This wasn't at the top of my priority list since last time I had waited nearly an hour only to have it break down the train before mine. But that doesn't stop me from taking a photo! So remember that insane line at the back of the park by the McDonalds? That ran all the way to the front of the park into a huge row of switchbacks. This ridiculous line is for processing of new Annual Passports so people could get vouchers to get free guests in. And yes, there were scalpers outside selling the free guest tickets for a price. I'm pretty sure this sculpture has been at the park since Expo 67. Couldn't have done it without you! Come to Orlando soon please! There's a platinum option now that lets you re-ride once after your first scan. Canadian SkyScreamer! I'll get to ride one of these eventually. And now its time to say goodbye to all our company... Love the entrance! Au Revoir! Time to go have a Molson Ex!

This past Sunday I had the chance to revisit La Ronde for the first time in six years. The park looks great as I remembered it with a good selection of rides to choose from. The park itself was packed thanks to it being the last day of the season, the last day of Fright Fest and a day eligible for Annual Passport holders (and purchasers) to get up to three guests in free with a valid pass. Thankfully the invaluable Flash Pass is available at the park, and with the Gold level purchased, I was able to maximize my limited time to allow for me to visit almost every attraction I had hoped to experience during my short stay. Welcome to La Ronde! The added decor gave away the notion that it was still Fright Fest here. Domo NOOOOO!!!! Our day started out with a ride on Cobra, the Intamin stand up coaster that had left a painful image behind from my last visit. Thankfully, for one reason or another, the ride was significantly better than I remembered with no pain to be had! From this angle ride really looks like a twisted mess of steel... Airtime! Time for Batman... I mean Le Vampire! It is your standard Six Flags Batman clone, but it still packs a punch! I'll never get tired of these intense B&M models! Whee! So picturesque! Need some Bouchee? Try the Poutine! Cobra looks a little more spread out from this angle. My hero! Hello you! For Larry. The newest addition to the park's skyline... Sadly the line was too long (even with the Q-Bot) to justify waiting for. So this is what Fright Fest looks like? Having never seen the Six Flags event before, I didn't know what level of quality to expect. Yeah... I love Quebec for so many reasons. Impostor! Um...? Um...?!?! Did I just find an abandoned coaster to explore? Nope! But this is the most intense looking kiddie coaster I've seen in a while. I'm curious to know how long this has been here... Theming! It turns out you could actually pay $7 to get on this party bus to get a drink! For Larry. Um... 0-0 I do love the idea of filling all of the park's water attractions' lagoons with food coloring though. I mean, this just looks neat. This on the other hand... Is this one of those Jersey Shore sharks? Let me ask Joey Fantone! Oh wait... Yay recycling! Super Manege is a Vekoma traveling model that has been at La Ronde for a while, and I honestly expected it to break me in half. I might have just gotten really lucky, but my ride was insanely smooth throughout and really just outright fun. Sign of quality? In this case, I'd say so! Franglais humor! There... Was... Blood on the Saddle... Operations on Le Monstre had significantly improved since my last visit with the ride actually running two trains on each side. It wasn't overly rough either which was great. I really love the idea that the park has kept its historical monorail in operation, I just wonder for how much longer it will be here. Sorry Cedar Point... Jamaica has a bobsled team! Somehow I ended up here for lunch. I still have never had Poutine in the many years I've been traveling to Quebec. I honestly don't think I could handle it. For Elissa! The park is advertising next year's addition, Aqua Twist, the Mack tea-cups-on-water-ride that should be a hit with families here. I really can't believe how much I enjoyed Super Manege! NOOOO!!!! The line for McDonalds?!?!

From everything that has been said in the press releases, interviews and the shareholders call today, it sounds like the sole motivator behind this purchase was to exploit Star Wars. They seemed to acknowledge the back catalog, namely Indiana Jones, but it was expressed that the primary focus would be on Star Wars. It was also noted that a good deal of the existing portfolio has existing red tape to deal with with the distributors (Paramount for Indiana Jones, Fox for the first six Star Wars movies, etc...).

^^In the videos added to the first post you can hear from George himself that he has had a direct hand in the story and characters not only of the new trilogy but of the stories beyond. He is essentially handing over the remainder of his Star Wars work to Kathleen Kennedy and to Disney for them to oversee, execute and caretake for the rest of time. It was clear from the conference call that Disney plans on putting Star Wars in every outlet it has access to including movies, TV, merchandising, theme parks and other synergistic efforts to maximize their return. Most interestingly, while the deal does include certain access to Indiana Jones (despite there being some existing agreements in place with Paramount), the valuation for the deal was determined almost exclusively based on the calculated return value to be drawn from Star Wars in the coming years.

I'm dizzy... This is an insane move, not only for the theme parks, but for every aspect of Disney. Bob Iger is my hero!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/10/earl-of-sandwich-grand-opening-set-for-november-2-in-the-downtown-disney-district-at-the-disneyland-resort/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/10/test-tracks-new-look-will-be-unveiled-at-epcot-this-week/

^^^I'd imagine it just depends on the operating agreement with Panda Express. The Panda Express in CityWalk at Universal Orlando serves Pepsi in an otherwise Coke-filled resort. The location is a part of a food court with the Whopper Bar and Moe's, both of which serve Coke products despite Panda Express still serving Pepsi.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-quassy-amusement-park-20121025,0,7167661.story

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2012/10/unicorp-inks-red-robin-kings.html

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/disney-375568-hanks-movie.html

Well that looks promising!

Jake turned 21?!?! I had no idea!