jedimaster1227

Universal Orlando has sent us a press advisory about their recent visit by Shaquille O'Neal and his stop at Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.

Holiday World has sent us a press release regarding tonight's airing of Insane Coaster Wars, which includes a segment about The Voyage.

^Who're we kidding? Everyone knows this will be called Flight Deck.

^^Considering the amount of press, and Travel Channel documentaries we had for Expedition Everest, I'd say that hardly spoils the ride by comparison.

Yesterday Robb and I were invited back to Discovery Cove to check out the recently opened Freshwater Oasis, the latest in an expansion effort for SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando. Replacing the park's original saltwater reef (which closed on the same day its replacement, The Grand Reef opened last year), the Freshwater Oasis is a very different offering that those found in the rest of the park. Designed mostly for wading, the "sunken trails" of the Freshwater Oasis are numerous, each leading to another corner of the new environment while each still leads the guest to the centrally located Primate Island, home to the park's new resident marmosets. Another nook in the Freshwater Oasis leads to a partially submerged habitat for Asian small-clawed otters, where guests are separated only by plexiglass and can swim alongside these active creatures. Freshwater Oasis also marks the addition of a very unique leisure pool complete with submerged loungers. While this wouldn't seem like a big deal on its own, the nearby snack bar and Discovery Cove's allowance for drinks to be brought into this pool makes this a perfect relaxation spot that I found myself coming back to several times throughout my visit. As always, I was thoroughly impressed with Discovery Cove. The park has a certain intimacy that, despite its large size, continues to be maintained by the lack of crowds, the unlimited access to food and beverages, the extremely friendly team members who work there, and of course, the insanely immersive environments available throughout the park. Wind-Away River, the park's lazy river of sorts is huge, and doesn't feature the normal flow that other parks' lazy rivers have. You really have to walk, wade and swim to get yourself through the river, so while it isn't so lazy, it feels much like an exploratory adventure (almost akin to "climbing" the Dunns River Falls in Jamaica actually). The river also runs through the park's expansive aviary, and allows you some very up close encounters with some beautiful birds (both on land and in the water). The Grand Reef still amazes a year later and the park continues to perform very well from what we've been told. Discovery Cove is an insanely great value when you consider that (even if you don't do the Dolphin Encounter) you get unlimited food and beverages (non-alcoholic and alcoholic), access to The Grand Reef, the Aviary, the Wind-Away River, the Freshwater Oasis and the park's many nooks in which to relax. You're almost forced to stop and enjoy each aspect several times, but that is a good thing, as you'll notice at least one thing new each time you visit. Video introduction of Freshwater Oasis at Discovery Cove: [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Freshwater_Oasis_Web_tz18[/coastertube] We were greeted by this view at the beginning of our visit. Welcome to the new Freshwater Oasis! Hey! Look who we found!!! Adam tried doing a little networking with Renee... It didn't work. Discovery Cove brought out a ton of animal ambassadors for us to see... And so our TPR Turtle Fancy was once again FULFILLED! One of Discovery Cove's newest residents, this marmoset was very friendly. And this one was very curious, going as far as to latch onto my camera lens seconds after this photo to see what my camera was all about. He likes my camera... I approve! Then there was this beauty! He also liked sniffing my camera! The Laughing Kookaburra couldn't help but laugh at my attempt to network with Renee. The park also had an Asian small-clawed otter out for guests to see. It wouldn't be a visit to Discovery Cove without lemon slushies! I even got Robb in on my addiction! Our first stop? Loungers! Who couldn't get used to this? Okay, enough lounging (for now)! Time to go explore the Freshwater Oasis! In through one of the many entrances, we wade towards Primate Island. Oooh! Looks so much like paradise! The inner island is Primate Island, home to the marmosets. Speaking of which... Y U Nooo bring me lemon slushie? I just saw marmosets, in the water, after lounging with a beer... MIND BLOWN! The making of a TPR photo report! Another entrance to the Freshwater Oasis ducks under a fallen tree. On the far right side of the Freshwater Oasis is a special nook... I gotta go Julia, we got otters. So awesome! A look at the submerged viewing area for the Asian small-clawed otters. Another window in the viewing area for the otters, in case they travel to this side of the habitat. What are we doing back at this entrance of the Freshwater Oasis you ask? Lounging with lemon slushies of course! After some more lounging, we ventured off to go explore the rest of the park. Here is a look at the huge complex for the Dolphin Encounter experience. I guess you can also encounter Renee here too. You're welcome. Oh yeah! They serve Coke products here! We definitely approve! Robb hadn't yet visited The Grand Reef since its opening, so we did some exploring. It looks so empty from up here... But there's a ton of awesome sea life beneath the surface! Shark! Shark! Shark! (Sadly, no Sharktopuses here.) Discovery Cove has sharks. TPR approves! The Grand Reef also has huge stingrays that swim in the same water as you. It's definitely a unique experience! This SeaVenture group was forevermore known as the Fellowship of the Ring. The middle one, Frodo, agreed to swim the One Ring to the mythical Mount Doom to free all of Middle Earth. Or something like that. They might've just been touring the shark enclosure. More stingrays! One ray woke from its sandy slumber to lunge at my camera... I definitely freaked out. We moved into the park's Aviary and got close to some gorgeous looking birds! Wind-Away River, the park's lazy river is filled with tons of underwater photo ops. Yes, it is this big. The Wind-Away River was definitely Robb's favorite part of the park! And being so close to the aviary (actually winding through it), it isn't uncommon to get very close to some of the avian residents while in the water. More underwater photo ops... Look who we ran into again! (I swear we weren't stalking her...really...we weren't!) Typical reaction from woman when Adam tries to touch them! Renee: You're welcome? Robb and I really loved Discovery Cove and the new Freshwater Oasis! Special thanks to Discovery Cove for inviting us to come check out this awesome park once again! And many thanks to Matt Roseboom from Orlando Attractions Magazine for supplying that final awesome photo for us!

^Both the slide seen above as well as the one on top of Mystic Mountain are made by Wiegand, the same company that made the alpine coasters for both locations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/nyregion/dreamworks-announces-plans-for-meadowlands-amusement-park.html

Today Robb and I had the chance to attend a special media event promoting the upcoming launch of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's first annual Christmas Town extra-ticket event. Derived from the popular event started a few years ago at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, this new holiday option will feature special entertainment, shopping, dining, and decor that will transform the park into a winter wonderland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights running from November 30th to December 23rd, 2012. General admission for guests is $39.99 on the night of the event (with a $10 discount for advance purchase and an additional $5 off for pass members). Let's dive into some photos while we explain what Christmas Town is really all about... This is what we're here for! Ushered in through the Nairobi Gate, we were led to the Moroccan Palace Theatre for the presentation. Along the way, we were stopped by a caravan serving hot chocolate-flavored iced coffee... I don't even like coffee, but this stuff was GOOD! At the start of the presentation Park President Jim Dean opened to officially announce the arrival of Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! The projector-friendly stage from Iceploration served as a canvas to help paint the images of what Christmas Town will look like when it debuts this November. This wasn't your standard presentation. Entertainment helped set the mood along the way. Concept art gave us a good idea of what existing park structures will look like when the event begins. The main entrance along with much of the park will take on a festive feel adorned with colorful lights and holiday music. The iconic fountain across from the Moroccan Palace Theatre isn't being forgotten for this event. Christmas on Ice, a new ice skating show developed specifically for this event will debut, produced by the same people behind Iceploration. The Crossroads (the realm surrounding Cheetah Hunt) will receive some holiday touches. Now Cheetah Hunt will jump a Christmas tree! The Crown Colony House will be covered in thousands of lights for the Carol of the Bells light show, as the lights will dance to various holiday tunes throughout the night. It looks like much of the park will receive additional lighting to help set the mood. It wouldn't be a Christmas event without a nativity scene! Speaking of a nativity scene... Christmas Town will feature a play area with real snow banks (prime for snowball fights) and will have roaming snow men also present. Speaking of which... If this is that awesome pumpkin cheesecake from Howl-O-Scream... *drools* Poinsettia Parkway will feature some very unique Christmas trees along with some holiday treats. Jingle Bell Junction will feature the Jingle Bell Express, a small train ride catering to the younger guests. The Christmas Town Express (the park's regular train ride) will be lit at night and will feature a sing along on rails for guests to enjoy. Jimmy Osmond's Christmas Jukebox show features him and his family singing Christmas songs and sharing holiday memories each night at Christmas Town. Busch Gardens will join with Jimmy Osmond in supporting the Children's Miracle Network by making a donation to children in need in Tampa. Christian rock band Jars of Clay will close the evenings with an exclusive concert each night in Gwazi Park. You know the penguins from SeaWorld Orlando's Penguin Encounter had to go somewhere, right? "I'll be seeing you in November. Bring fish." Christmas Town wouldn't be complete without a visit to Santa Claus' house. And of course, you'll get to see Santa himself! Time to unwrap one last performance! What's going on? They made it snow! Based on everything we saw here, I'm very excited to check out Christmas Town later this year! Five Wise Men? It looks like the Christmas Town caravan has one more surprise for us... Christmas fudge! Over in Timbuktu, the park has opened the Christmas Town Preview Center to let guests know about this new event. I'm already looking forward to it. You should too! Oh yeah, the still sell Coca-Cola products here too! Christmas truly has come early! 50 tons of real snow! Busch Gardens is taking creative liberties with the Florida flamingos. Even the Sesame Street characters will have a place to celebrate in Christmas Town! Christmas Town prices as set as seen here. That being said, Pass Members may currently buy their tickets for $10 per person (one per pass member) between July 10th and July 17th while visiting the Christmas Town Preview Center. Park President Jim Dean is just as excited as we are to experience Christmas Town later this year at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! See you there this November! In other news, a new Quick Queue automated kiosk has appeared near the entrance to Cheetah Hunt. Guests (and pass members) can buy Quick Queue or the All Day Dining Deal from this kiosk, bypassing the normal guest relations line to purchase them inside of the park. TPR likes turtles. TPR Turtle Fancy FULFILLED!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seven-peaks-acquires-water-park-in-porter-indiana-161862715.html

^I'd love to see this complexity simplified... Because frankly, I'm just not seeing it.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2012/07/seaworld-orlando-dine-with-shamu-returns.html

^Having also attended several of the shoots, I can say that there were times that more of the "enthusiasts" as opposed to "general public" were interviewed, but based on the segment I saw tonight that I was also present for the production of, those interviews were left on the cutting room floor. The sheer amount of cameras that they had during the two shoots I attended, as well as the many takes they filmed lends reason to believe that they whittled the footage down quite a lot to make the 4-5 minute segments for each ride. On Kraken alone we rode over 25 times over the course of the 3 hour shoot, and every single one of those rides had at least one camera filming a different angle than before. The show is off to an interesting start, and it is great to see Robb as the coaster expert of the series. I look forward to seeing the next episodes (especially the one with Kraken) and hope that the next week's voting doesn't blow my expectations away... I have to admit, I wasn't expecting either of the two winning coasters to be crowned today, so right now I'm 0 for 2.

^But by that logic should they not have kept a few of the dry rides open for those that didn't want something wet? Let's face it. They are calling the park a water park. All bets are off that there is anybody willingly paying for admission now with the intention of rising dry attractions. If they were really serious about making the transition properly they would have kept the regular park open one more year while they buffed up the water park lineup, or at least closed the entire park for the season so they could open a year later with a full lineup. What people seem to be paying for this year is a half finished, half baked attempt at marketing this park as something entirely different and from what I can tell it is simply Alabama Adventure sans all of the attractions it had outside of the water park.

Actually, I think neither of these additions look good. The water maze looks like it was assembled with plastic, and the zipline looks like something you'd see at Camp Anawanna with Zeke the Plumber at the helm. I understand that the new owners think that a water park may be the only way to keep this park afloat (like Geauga Lake), but if these two additions are supposed to give us an idea of the direction they are heading in, I think we've got a grim prediction set for Splash Adventure. There is simply no way that a water maze or a cheap zipline is enough to change the attendance of a park that just gave up a ton of thrill rides that had their own appeal. I'm just glad I got to visit the park when I did, and was able to ride Rampage as much as I could. I wish the park owners the best of luck (especially since they seem to be needing it right now), but man, what a shame this situation is.

http://www.canada.com/Worker+dies+Montreal+amusement+park/6895619/story.html

http://www.ldnews.com/latestnews/ci_21012079/fire-reported-at-old-hersheypark-arena Fire shoots out of the roof of the Hershey Park Arena as fire crews battle a multi-alarm blaze Thursday, July 5, 2012. In the background people continue to ride Skyrush, Hershey Park's newest rollercoaster. LEBANON DAILY NEWS - JEREMY LONG

^Whatever it is they are putting there, they are definitely working on it VERY quickly. They aren't waiting for trucks to access the lot in the evening, rather shuttling them through the park throughout the day. And a few days before the building was completely gone, I was able to see full TVs and light fixtures that weren't being stripped from the building before they tore it down. Very little from inside of the studio was salvaged as far as I could tell. And then you've got the issue of Horror Nights... This building was supposed to host a house, with construction reported to have already started in there before the axe came down on it. Why couldn't they wait until November to start demolition unless they were really, really in a hurry to get things going?

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/06/47b-cultural-theme-park-planned-in-tibetan-city/

Last week I had the chance to stop by Disney's Animal Kingdom Park for the first time in a while, this time to check out the Sundowner Celebration, a seasonal event for the month of June that added food and beverage, entertainment and culture options throughout the park that really made for an awesome experience. It has been rumored that this event and the Taste of Africa event it evolved from were tests for an eventual evening offering to be held at the park down the road for longer operational days. This seems to go hand in hand with recent rumors that Kilimanjaro Safaris is slowly being modified (with the animals being acclimated to evening tours) to allow for later operation (possibly with a different storyline to be run during evening rides), plus the expectation that whatever comes with the Avatar expansion will be suited for evening operations. Regardless of what this test may mean for the future of the park, I can happily say that there was much to love for the offering as it was when I visited. I could best liken it to the Glowfest/elecTRONica/Mad T Party offerings at Disney California Adventure, except with a splash of culture and a much more spread out, naturally blended approach to its delivery. I really enjoyed everything that I experienced, and only wish I had known about this quietly run offering sooner, because I would have gone back at least a few more times before its run ended. Here's hoping the Sundowner Celebration will come back soon! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Sundowner_Celebration_Street_Party_f3k7[/coastertube] Parked at the front of the park's entrance is a truck advertising the Sundowner Celebration with a guide of the many offerings added throughout the park. Harambe, Discovery Island and Asia each received additional food and beverage options, a street party and several "culture stops." For the index... The one thing that the Sundowner Celebration almost forces you to do is to stare at the Tree of Life from different sections of the park... How dare they force me to look at something so cool? How Beastly of me to include this photo from a long forgotten Kingdomme. Harambe Village played host to a Wine Walk, allowing you to pay for the amount of tastings you wanted, and they even had a non-alcoholic option for the younglings. This booth was made solely for Renee. My favorite part of the Sundowner Celebration, but we'll get back to this later... Imported beers! One of the culture stops included a look at Mancala. There were several "The Art of Henna" booths added in the park for the celebration. Didn't get to try them during my visit but... They sure looked good! The Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery had some other awesome looking desserts added for the event... Like this beauty! Like I mentioned earlier, the walk between Sundowner Celebration areas forces you to stop and admire... Along the walk, I found this musical culture credit! The Angklung may look like it is easy to play, but I couldn't quite get the hang of it... (The cast member's expression gives away his thoughts on my musical prowess.) I guess I'll just stick to the violin and piano. One cart sold a lychee fruit salad (in a pineapple bowl) as well as edamame. Another neat culture booth was the Summer Roll demonstration where we were taught how to make summer rolls. He made it look very easy! After describing and demonstrating the entire process, we were told where we could find the needed ingredients, and were also offered recipe cards so we could make our own summer rolls at home. Moving towards Asia, one booth had new margaritas, a frozen non-alcoholic drink and ginger beer added. They also sold wasabi peas! Another cart along the way sold "Asian Hot Dogs." This musician was stationed in front of the Flights of Wonder theater and was quite talented! As opposed to "In my Jedi Language." Yak & Yeti had a cool (and free) fried rice demo! The Bhangra DJ Dance Party was an awesome little addition to the Yak & Yeti/Kali River Rapids area that really blended in perfectly and added some great music to the atmosphere! There wasn't a single tune I recognized, but it was all enjoyable to hear regardless. A temporary bar was set up across from the dance party featuring some additional custom drinks. I decided to try the Ming Wild Berry Lemonade, which was delicious. It was pretty much an unfrozen version of the Cheshire Cafe's (Magic Kingdom) frozen raspberry lemonade. We took a brief break from the Sundowner Celebration to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris. Now gone is the story about poaching and Little Red, as well Wilson and Mrs. Jobson. The finale has been torn out to make way for the new zebra watering hole to open later this year. By the time we got off of the ride, it was time to see the Harambe Village Street Party featuring Burudika and the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe! Another culture stop in Harambe focused on African cooking... It included a look at the common spices used in the local cuisine. The Harambe Street Party drew a large crowd throughout the day with a mix of African songs and some unique renditions of more popular songs such as Waka Waka by Shakira and You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon. The Dawa Bar was advertising a few of its featured drinks as well. A booth advertising the Wild Africa Trek has been added near the Dawa Bar. Another food stand had some unique popcorn, dried fruit and plantain chips... Oh, and that heavenly drink I normally can only get at Boma? They've got Jungle Juice!!! It's the Burudika Epic Sax Man! Found a path I'd never seen before in the park... Well done Mr. Rohde! Not too long ago it was reported that a branch fell from the Tree of Life, and in response, Disney had covered some of the pathways closest to the tree with netting structures. A lot of fans have been vocally against the structures, claiming they ruin the ambiance... I'm here to say that having walked through them myself, they aren't as bad as they are being made out to be. They blend into the scenery pretty well and really only bother the people who had seen these paths sans nets before. And better yet, their presence overhead in no way prevents you from still getting awesome photos of the Tree of Life. Taken right under one of the nets... Case and point. One final lap through the Sundowner Celebration allowed us to find another culture booth, this one being a Joffrey's Hot Tea Brewing demonstration. Hadn't visited the Yeti in a while... I have a strong feeling that this view of Disney's Animal Kingdom will begin to change very soon...

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62394 Legoland Billund Polar X-Plorer is a Zierer drop coaster.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/06/30/2916122/myrtle-beach-area-land-that-would.html

All video has been added to the original post, including interviews from the yellow carpet, a full video of the opening festivities, as well as footage from the two pre-shows and the post show Minion dance party!

^For the record Zierer has two drop coasters to Intamin's one, so you can't say that they haven't done this before either. People are acting like these technical problems are the end of the world and that these kind of additions should work without hitch from day one. It isn't just a couple of cogs and wheels that make this coaster work. It is a very large and sophisticated piece of working machinery... Let's cut Busch Gardens some slack. Like they did with Mach Tower, I'm sure they'll get everything in working order soon enough. It still baffles me that people find reason to complain so quickly over a brand new coaster...

So this week I had the opportunity to take part in a media preview leading up to today's Grand Opening of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios Florida. Both events gave me a great chance to see the care and detail that has gone into creating this new attraction, taking it beyond the experiences in attractions previously occupying this studio. Despicable Me is the perfect family attraction for Universal Studios, plain and simple. There's something about this attraction for everyone. If you loved the Despicable Me movie, or even chuckled during the trailers for the film(s), then I have no doubt that in the least, the minions will give you reason to enjoy the attraction. Unlike its predecessors, the ride and its connective experiences (queue, pre-shows, post show and exit gift shop) all share a certain heart that can't be found in any of the other attractions in the resort. The tone of the film is perfectly extended to this attraction and it really amplifies the enjoyment you'll have for the franchise as a whole. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem stands alone as a unique story in the realm of the films. While it retains the characters from the first movie (and the upcoming second feature), it is not anchored by any story elements from either work, rather playing off of the story to give guests a unique adventure they can only experience by visiting the attraction. On the anniversary of the day in which Gru adopted Margo, Edith, Agnes, you as guests are to be transformed into minions and trained in an elaborate obstacle course of mayhem. When the girls decide to get involved in the training process, you accidentally fall into a restricted zone within Gru's evil lab, in a wildly amusing sequence of visual and motion acrobats that end on a high note. As the ride experience ends, the minions greet you at the exit with a Boogie Fever dance party that dumps into the Super Silly Stuff store, home to an insanely large and elaborate collection of infectiously irresistible merchandise. The franchise's cute factor definitely has something to do with it. As I mentioned before, the genius behind this attraction is the obvious care that went into the development of this new story, and the addition of the smallest details to give the story greater depth. The outside queue is lined with real banana trees, a not so subtle nod to the minions' love for the yellow fruit. Animators of the second pre-show sequence went as far as to animate the reflection of Gru's symbolic logo as it is seen on the opposite wall, so as to appear as it is reflecting off of the lab's glass from behind which Gru addresses you. In every scene that minions appear (which is every single one), each minion has its own personality, and if you were to ride a hundred times, looking at a different minion each time, you'd find a different expression or visual gag in play each time. Guests even appear on the ride's main screen as they are transformed into minions (think rebel spy from Star Tours) in a seamless integration with the main film. Today's grand opening ceremonies capped off a huge buildup for this attraction since the original announcement earlier this year. Universal Orlando has clearly shown its pride for the attraction, and they have much to be proud of. We've been told that guest satisfaction with the experience has been through the roof and the ride is drawing consistent wait times upwards of one hour. Special thanks to the Universal Orlando Resort for hosting us twice this week. I can truly say how much I enjoy this new experience. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem has so many layers of detail, such a heartfelt story and a ton of wacky antics that all rope me in, and I can only imagine that I'm not alone. Come by and check out Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and see for yourself why I can't help but rave. This is a fantastic addition to a resort that continues to get better and better with each new experience added! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Despicable_Me_Minion_Mayhem_Interviews_Web_g8wb[/coastertube] [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=DM_MM_Grand_Opening_Web_kozx[/coastertube] [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Minion_Mayhem_Preshows_o62e[/coastertube] Mike West, Executive Producer for Universal Creative Studio gave us a tour of the attraction and answered our questions earlier this week. Flash forward to today, we were at Despicable Me Minion Mayhem along the "yellow carpet" to witness the attraction's grand opening! Mike West was out and about talking to media while waiting for the festivities to begin. Chris Bailey, Director of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem was entrusted with leading the development of the attraction after the original film's director had to shift his focus to production of the second film. He too was out meeting guests during the pre-opening ceremonies! Gru is almost ready to welcome you to his home! Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher, the voices of Edith and Agnes in the films and ride walked the yellow carpet stopping for brief interviews along the way! Wait?!?! I get to walk the yellow carpet too??? Miranda Cosgrove, the voice of Margo in the films and ride, also known for her Nickelodeon show iCarly was also here for the grand opening. Following the grand opening ceremonies, Gru, the girls and the minions all held a little dance party in front of the attraction's entrance. A future press photo in the making! The Despicable Me float from the Universal Superstar Parade also played a role in the grand opening ceremony. Now that the attraction was really open, it was time for us to ride (again)! Mike West told us that this was one of his favorite gags from the attraction's story development. If you saw Despicable Me, then you'll definitely recognize this... The queue is filled with little details that are presented with a humorous twist. Propaganda! This button as it is is better than the movie Watchmen in every way. The Gru family tree. Elevation changes included, you really are transported into Gru's home as it was seen in the film. Can you see the Minions in the pottery art? The attraction has two pre-show rooms, each with a very funny set of gags. The explanation given for your use of the "minion goggles" is fantastic! Again. If you love the minions, you will love this attraction! For such an evil villain, Gru does seem to have a soft spot for Margo, Edith and Agnes. The second pre-show continues the story in a humorous way. If you're a Halloween Horror Nights, you might recognize the guest on the right from a few of the last few years' event commercials. Minion transformation isn't always a uniformly successful process... Gru really loves this guy! He sure knows how to party! Time to scan for contaminants... Gru picks out some individuals who haven't showered in a week. I'm not making this up, I promise. Fart gun? How about a banana smellitzer! "You are so doomed." Despicable Me Minion Mayhem sports new 4K digital projectors (the same ones used on the recently updated Spiderman attraction at Islands of Adventure). The screen was also replaced by a larger, curved screen. These may be most familiar aspect of the attraction when compared to its predecessors, but just about everything else is different now! The whole fleet of Minion transformation pods. The attraction continues into the post show with a Minion dance party set to "Boogie Fever." Infectious and awesome! Without ruining the attraction's full story, the Super Silly Stuff store continues the story as seen in the attraction film. And it works really, really well! "IT'S SOOO FLUFFY!!!" TPDave??? Another awesome shirt! I think this is a pretty accurate representation of myself as a minion. WOAH. WANT. ALL. MUST. BUY! They have a Build A Minion toy! The attraction has so many awesome details, like these banana trees lining the queue. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a fantastic addition to Universal Studios Florida and to the Universal Orlando Resort! Come check it out! You definitely won't regret it!

Earlier last week I was able to stop by Magic Kingdom once again to check out the latest happenings throughout the park. New Fantasyland continues to emerge from behind construction walls as minor projects continue to spring up throughout the rest of the park. Let's take a look! Framework for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster continues to rise. Minor additions to the frame continue to outline the ride track. Gray is facade structure and brown is track supports. Smaller sections of framing have begun to appear on the outskirts of the ride's layout as well. A section that looks like the beginning of a show building has taken form. This section, which was the first to go vertical, has remained virtually unchanged. Dumbo, now open on both sides, also launched its own Fastpass earlier last week. It can be assumed that this slanted structure will support the eventually rolling hills of the coaster's landscaping. But it still has quite a ways to go until we see rolling green. Additional rock work on the Storybook Circus side of The Little Mermaid continues to be added. The Big Top Souvenirs tent is fully wrapped. Now all work to be done for this one is inside. It'll take a little getting used to seeing double Dumbos. Timothy Mouse sits atop the attraction's new main marquee, and rotates just as he did at the crown of the original single spinner. Work on the show building seems to be the primary concern here currently. This is new! It's like the world has been mirrored! Unfortunately during my visit, the interactive queue wasn't open. Double vision! Motivational! Really can't help but stare... The Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station also opened very recently. Coming down the track? Each of the train cars sports a number referencing the opening year of each of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. There is no way to escape the inner ring of this play area completely dry. Water, water everywhere... But not a drop you'd want to drink. The area now sports a small merchandise cart as well. Here you can see the other three park tributes. No detail left unnoticed. What have we here? Somebody stole Mickey's glove! Details, details! This reference can also be found in the Town Square Theater! So wet! Wocka! Wocka! Tigger's Bouncy Place has been replaced by a new Winnie the Pooh meet and greet next to the attraction. Work on the castle retaining walls has also picked up speed once again. Stone work should begin soon. Minor work continues in the original Fantasyland. Snow White's Scary Adventures has closed for good to make way for the Princess Fairytale Hall in 2013. According to D23, 54 items from the former attraction have been salvaged to either be repurposed or sent to the Disney Archives. The Philharmagic Fastpass area now hosts distribution for both The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo. And check out the digital screens! Work on the new development in the old Fantasyland Skyway building plot. This looks like a tower... Might a Tangled experience be coming to Fantasyland soon?