jedimaster1227

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2012/09/13/Aviation%2Bpark%2Bset%2Bto%2Bbe%2Bbuilt%2Bat%2BExpo%2Bsite/

http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/ferrari-world-abu-dhabi-442218

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Kennywood-Park-starts-selling-beer/-/10927008/15603254/-/bg2okwz/-/index.html?absolute=true

http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/north-west/76951-/

Canobie Lake Park has sent us their official announcement regarding their latest addition, Equinox, scheduled to open later this year!

(Cone'pleted) What's not to love about the Storytellers statue? I love the under-lit pavement along Buena Vista Street! I really don't know why my photo of the Matterhorn came out like this during the evening, but I really like the look of the photo! I hadn't seen these guys in a while... What a great addition to the park! I sadly didn't have a chance to try out the Carnation Cafe, but that at least leaves room to try something new next year! Quite a different view from what I'm used to. A complete two-park resort! I had to revisit this at least once before I left... California still has my favorite version of Captain EO running! Why am I back here you ask? For one more ride on Space Mountain of course! Honestly didn't even get to ride Star Tours once on this trip. I'm a terrible Star Wars fan. We were truly fortunate that the weather was spectacular throughout our visit! Continuing my annual photographic tradition. Stand back! I really do love the Tiki Garden at Disneyland. WANT! For I am Tropic Standard Time? Can't see this anymore in Florida. I want this sign! On one of my last rides on California Screamin', I was seated next to the non-existant seat. It isn't a wheelchair seat, but it will do. Riding by myself, oh ho ho... Still one of my favorite things to do at the park. And so photogenic too! Intamin air time! I really love how the ride looks from the ground. A little gift from Florida's former Ariel's Grotto. LIMPET! Finally had a chance to try this and it was GOOD! The Karl Strauss Beer Truck selection was great! Some beer back story, mainly for Derek. I'll definitely be revisiting this next year! I ventured down into the Grizzly State Park to find a great photo location for Grizzly River Run's signature drop. Mind you, my torso and below were soaked from the splash... The sacrifices I make to bring you these photos! You are with Sigourney Weaver aboard the Space-Ship NO-STRO-MOH! With the rotating Condor Flats sign removed, a new sign was needed to let people know which land in the park they had entered. This works perfectly! I miss you too! Pacific Wharf really is a favorite of mine, not only because of the atmosphere, but because of the hidden gem, the Boudin Bakery! There were some great little details overhead in the Buena Vista Street shops that I noticed on the way out... Take for example this Star Wars reference! I guess I'm too easily entertained! Which one is your favorite? Big Rock Candy Mountain, the concept that preceded the development of the Matterhorn for Disneyland lives on in the window of the window of Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street. Some more Disney details... We saved room for one more amazing sandwich at the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe. You can even hear Walt being instructed during a lesson here! You Disney fans should recognize many of these names! I found a little Orange Bird in Trader Sam's! Apparently this doll (Slappy) came from the Adventurer's Club too. Trader Sam's really has become one of my favorite offerings at the Disneyland Resort and I'll definitely continue to come back here during future visits! Towards the end of the trip we won a little contest with the @DCAToday Twitter account where we received free Glow with the Show Ears, so we had a chance to try them out in the field before we left for home. They add a great extra layer of detail to the park, not only in World of Color (and now Fantasmic!) but in Radiator Springs Racers, Cars Land itself and even the Mad T Party. Here's hoping the technology makes its way to Florida soon! Thanks to all of you for reading this long-winded trip report! I hope you all enjoyed it!

(Cone'tinued) [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Radiator_Springs_Racers_Night_POV_xgtc[/coastertube] [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=All_American_College_Band_2012_s8tx[/coastertube] [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Matterhorn_Fantasyland_8o4t[/coastertube] Being that this was my second time seeing Magical in the last three years, I figured it would be alright to take some photos... But I only ended up taking one. Still didn't get a chance to try one of these beauties... I decided to give the Hot Angus Roast Beef on Toasted Onion Roll with Caramelized Onions, Horseradish Aioli and White Cheddar a try for dinner that night. It was great! Time to be a little artsy... Mater's Junkyard Jamboree really is a fun little attraction! And here's Mater's Jukebox! Clearly not that popular... I'm quite a catch, right? LIMPET!!!! Time for some Grape Tonic from the Cozy Cone! Flo's V8 Cafe really has a fantastic interior! One of the dining rooms also offers a spectacular view of Radiator Springs Racers... Love the rearview mirror! Details! Haha! That's right ladies... For you Hidden Mickey lovers! Ramone's might be my favorite building in Cars Land. Buena Vista Street has some amazing details hidden in the storefronts... Window shopping for detail hunters is totally an extra activity at Disney California Adventure now! I love how they tied in Davy Crockett with Grizzly Peak! You don't see this very often in Orlando! I'm always happy to patronize Shrunken Ned, the jungle's only doctor! For many years I had seen photos and videos of Maynard, the character cast member who has worked in virtually every greeter role in the park during his tenure at Disneyland. I couldn't resist the temptation to take a photo with this park celebrity! The lobby for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln has some neat displays regarding Americana attractions at the Disney parks... This one shows all of the Pioneers Statues as seen (in scale) along the sides of the American Adventure theater. The Voices of Liberty were recently imported from Epcot for a limited run at Disneyland. They truly are a fantastic vocal troupe, and even in the Lincoln theater where the acoustics aren't as amazing as the American Adventure Rotunda, they sound spectacular. And good news if you haven't seen them yet. Their limited run has been extended through the holidays, so go see them while you can! It wouldn't be a trip to Disneyland without a stop at my favorite, the Blue Bayou for some Monte Cristos, scalloped potatoes and all you can drink mint juleps! Someday... Since Robb and Andrew officially requested it... The Buena Vista Bugle is really an awesome read! Time to finally ride the Red Car Trolleys! Authentic interiors! And of course, tons of Disney details! Remember how I mentioned that Ramones was my favorite building in Cars Land? This is why. Simply stunning! Love the race track lights! It's totally unreal how real this looks! I finally figured out how to take an even larger panoramic photo on my camera, and this is result. How'd it come out? Corn Dog Castle never gets old! I really do love Paradise Pier! I'd probably rank it up there with the American Waterfront at Tokyo DisneySea in terms of my favorite lands at the parks I have been to. This sign takes on a whole new character at night! It may be many years until it happens, but eventually, the FastPass distribution for Radiator Springs Racers will be in the back section of Ramones directly to the right of the entrance for the attraction. It was late and I was getting a little tired... There have always been these places of beauty in California Adventure. The park's overhaul has just made those areas far easier to see and appreciate! Goodnight Carthay!

I honestly had no idea that the National Roller Coaster Museum was actually offering a traveling exhibit! I'm curious to see where it might go next (I'd love to see it come to Orlando at some point)... This might be the best picture of the suspended corkscrew I've ever seen. I'd seen a blurry one not too long ago, but this clearly shows that crazy element as it was laid out. Thanks for sharing these with us Eric!

I think what I find most interesting out of this whole ordeal is how protective of International Drive the tenants are when it comes to signage, building design and advertising. As kitschy as I-Drive can be it has been maintained a much better image than the neighboring 192 or similar setups like you have in Pigeon Forge. It is nice to see the old Mercado plot finally being put to use. I have plenty of memories from that former complex and it was a shame to see the place demolished with nothing to replace it for so many years. Provided the project can prove to be self sustaining once it is built, I truly look forward to seeing this section of International Drive come back to life... Plus with the list of rumored tenants for the new development (BJ's Brewhouse, Red Robin, Sea Life, Madame Tussaud's, etc...), this could be a great new place to hang out while in Orlando!

^^^^I still think you are overestimating who the audience really is for these announcements. Yes, the Facebook followers might be pissed. But at the end of the day, was the announcement meant primarily for them? No. People get pissed about Facebook announcements all the time. Look at Universal Orlando's announcement on Facebook from when they announced that Jaws would be closing. The benefit and detriment of Facebook is that followers can openly express their opinions in a collective space, lending more of a voice to a positive or negative opinion, but they do not represent the majority, nor do they represent a large number when you scale it to the actual reach of the park's audience including those that don't follow them on Facebook or any other social media site. In a few months, maybe even weeks, the negativity will have mostly blown over and people will go back to clamoring over the idea of an 800 foot hypercoaster to come to the park in 2014. This announcement hasn't created the ill will you make it out to be to the point where people wouldn't go back. If they follow Kings Dominion on Facebook, it is likely that they have been there before (if not multiple times) and were happy with how the park is now. An announcement over something to make the park better shouldn't prevent them from liking the park as it is now, because at the end of the day, barring that one area that will be better, it will be the same park it was this season with a modified children's area next season.

^I really don't think it is ego. The man operated the park for seven seasons after rescuing it from its initial bankruptcy season (look at Hard Rock Park as an example of a place with a change in hands that didn't work anywhere near as well). He's submitted two bids already for the park and is insistent on submitting a third. Yes, businessmen are in business to make money, but I think Hart deserves the benefit of the doubt that his persistence is less driven by his wallet and more driven by his personal interest (and history) with the park. I could be totally wrong, but I see all that he has tried to do for this park from the beginning of his involvement back in 1989 to now, I like to believe that if it was really about the money, he would've moved on to a more profitable, easily recoverable project than this one.

^^Andrew Stanton recently acknowledged that he's working on the Nemo sequel now. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-john-carter-director-20120908,0,4090564,full.story As for Nemo in Disney's Hollywood Studios, I wouldn't expect anything to make it to that park except for a possible meet & greet to rotate into The Magic of Disney Animation (where characters from Wreck-It Ralph are rumored to begin meeting guests soon).

I know it is a minor point, but for those of you that have been following the game's development or collect Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards, there's a special card being given out this year at the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The card is distributed nightly during the party at the Firehouse (you cannot get it at the Liberty Square Sorcerers desk) and a valid event admission ticket must be presented to get the card. An Elissa friendly card!

^Totally forgot about Tokyo Dining and I couldn't agree more. The food (and atmosphere) is spectacular and if you are near a window closest to the water, you should have a really nice view. Much like with the other table service restaurants with windows facing the water, try to plan to get there early (or get a reservation with a special request) for a window seat.

^I had never heard of the offering before this, but it is neat to know that there's a safe haven for families to take younger kids without having to worry about aggravating the audience around them.

And now with the iPhone 5 announced and the iPhone 4 becoming an essentially free phone (along with the 4S dropping to just $99), I think we'll see iPhone numbers grow even more... I can't imagine this not being an incredibly smart move for the Cedar Fair parks, and I'm especially curious to see which other chains follow suit.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120911/NEWS01/309110120/1003/rsslink?nclick_check=1

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-11/business/os-i-drive-live-wheel-signs-20120911_1_giant-wheel-chuck-whittall-observation-wheel Rendering of the giant observation wheel proposed for I-Drive Live, with large circular sponsor/advertiser logo in middle of structure. (Unicorp National Developments / Sep 11, 2012) http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2012/09/commissioners-approve-i-drive-live.html Courtesy of Antunovich Associates Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday finally approved the observation wheel project proposed for International Drive after Unicorp National Developments dropped its plans for a large advertising sign. Notice in the concept art you can clearly see Madam Tussaud's and Sea Life still included next to the Orlando Eye.

^^^^I think people took the word "thrilling" too seriously, yes. But at the same time, press releases aren't meant primarily for the fans, rather for the media and the general public who the media delivers the news to. While it isn't an 800 foot tall hypercoaster, people (not just the enthusiasts) need to realize that investments in parks are exciting prospects, even if they aren't always coasters. To better the overall quality of a park by refurbishing old attractions and areas, as well as adding new ones is a good thing. At the end of the day, how many people would go out of their way to return to a park that the only change each year is that the same attractions continue to operate until they wear out? And one more reason to not complain... This park has added Intimidator 305, Windseeker and Dinosaurs Alive! all in the span on two years. There are parks like Canobie Lake and Knoebels that take years to add one major attraction at a time, and there are some that take even longer. No one who goes to this park should feel like Kings Dominion has been neglected.

This is such an awesome look at the impact of the fall on the cabin. I'm still surprised they didn't save the ride to send to another park, but considering the spectacle we received with its demolition, I'm totally ok with the loss.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/8670-cherokee-plans-massive-family-adventure-park

It looks like they've made some quick progress in the last five days... Thanks for sharing these photos with us John!

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/cruise-371075-jungle-state.html

Knott's Berry Farm has released a spectacular ad for Knott's Halloween Haunt! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygNPNAN-JeQ