jedimaster1227

http://www.thesunnews.com/business/story/1205858.html I really don't know how much more can be said with this one... I hope this park can stay open because it really is pretty decent, but with all of these problems continually accumulating and now the lack of investors, I can't see them operating successfully past this season.

I had the chance to revisit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter this past Friday with Renee and Andrew, and quite a bit has changed since my last visit... Magic? More of the Potter tarp... Hogwarts sits atop the Potter Box we've grown to love... A new tarp has sprung up behind the supposed queue for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The base of the old Oak has been brought out and re-themed to match its new environment. Another look at the new restaurant under scaffolding... Hogwarts Castle looks pretty nice! The Flight of the Hippogriff has received some new theming in the middle of its course. An overview of Potterville from the temporary bridge between the Lost Continent and Jurassic Park. Even the remnant of the old Tavern has received some work to become integrated into the new Wizarding World. The former location of the Enchanted Oak Tavern has been built up to an externally near-complete state. Curvy chimneys ahoy! Notice the Hogsmeade sign? And the Hogwarts Express has made its way into Platform 9 3/4. Ice has appeared at the entrance of Hogsmeade... The Sinbad side of Potter has taken on much shape since the last time I was here.

You could go with a real spaghetti bowl design/color scheme and use The Sauce as your inspiration... Just call up Delgrosso's and they'll tell you all about The Sauce and their Sauce Park. In all seriousness, I would probably go with option #2, just because the colors seem to blend quite well with a tropical look, but then again, I do have Aquatica on the brain. I think it is truly a unique and exciting opportunity you've been presented with Tomi! Congrats on being given the chance to work so closely in a market you so clearly enjoy--keep up the great work!

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=353572&FS=F1 It seems a little speculative considering how many times we've seen various cities claim that parks would make their way to their cities (i.e. Disney in Texas, Freestyle parks in Moscow, etc...), but it does seem plausible that this city qualifies for a park with such a theme, especially considering their existing connection to the racing circuit.

http://www.cocokeywaterresort.com/locations/orlando/water-park/water-park-information.aspx The resort is scheduled to open this Spring and based on its predecessors, it looks like it has the potential to do quite well.

http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2009/12/11/disney-testing-new-meet-and-greet-queueing-procedures-may-point-to-upcoming-fantasyland-changes/ I think this is an interesting concept but I can only imagine a parent leaving the queue to find their child running around the new area, only to return past the point of their intended meet and greet time without being able to get back into their place. To me the idea seems a little messy, with some room for error, but if it works, it could make queuing for the family far more enjoyable.

^I was simply implying with the photo that the gimmick of placing a coaster, no matter the length or intensity, atop a high location can give the owner a marketing point to name it one of the tallest coasters around. I was merely illustrating the point, not stating that Stratosphere (or the defunct High Roller) was taller than Everest.

^^I remember something about guests having to recite some "enchanted phrase" to get The Flying Unicorn moving... It may have just been the ride ops trying to pump up the guests, but whatever the case, the bowing seems to be another gimmick to make the re-theme seem to be more than what it really is.

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2009/12/changes-at-pleasure-island-wont-be-finished-until-2012/ It seems that we'll have to walk through the deserted Pleasure Island for at least another few years... Joy.

From what I understand, the show building was built for the Meet the World (Carousel of Progress-style) show in Japan. The Sherman Brothers composed the music for the Epcot show, but the attraction was never constructed in Walt Disney World. Oddly enough, the show (existing audio and all) was picked up by the Tokyo Disneyland Resort to be placed in Tomorrowland. Unlike the Carousel of Progress, this show featured an inverted configuration with the guests sitting on the inside of the rotating wheel and the show scenes on the outside of the circle, allowing for larger sets but a smaller attraction capacity. It played up until 2002, where the show building sat dormant until it was demolished to make way for the Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek! attraction.

In an effort to keep its clientele (and fans) closer than ever to the latest Disney news, the Walt Disney Company is preparing to launch a new offering known as the "Disney Vacation Connection." Similar in design to the Disney Link that has been available for quite some time, this new program will offer the following exciting perks: When released, the software will be compatible with both Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4 and higher. Keep an eye on this page for the eventual download and even subscribe to a reminder service to let you know when the system is available to the public... http://test.dmldevelopment.com/download/disney/download_460.aspx

More details on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter have surfaced with the release of the special edition DVD and Blu-Ray copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Orlando Attractions Magazine has summed up the latest details... http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2009/12/08/new-details-for-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0712801420091207 Management at Six Flags' corporate office seems to have earned a sigh of (temporary) relief as they've at least been assured their own rights to reorganize in the way they choose. It seems the note holders didn't win out after all.

I'd take it all with a grain of salt, but Screamscape is reporting that Michael Roddy of Halloween Horror Nights Orlando fame (also the original face of Jack Schmidt, the original icon from several years of the event) may have parted ways with Universal... http://www.screamscape.com/html/universal_orlando.htm

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8233sYUDn8

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2009/12/disney-begins-signing-up-contractors-for-fantasyland-redo/ And so it begins...

^^^Some of us are just desperate for credits...

http://www.amusementtoday.com/

^^The Barnstormer can run two trains (and it actually works pretty well for such a small layout) with one train in the station while another train is going through the short course of the ride. In the slowest of circumstances, the second train sits behind the station until the first train dispatches, but typically the crews are very good at keeping both trains moving as consistantly as possible.

^^Knowing that I am not a show person (except when considering Voyage of the Little Mermaid or Sha-Kon-Oh-Hey!), I can strangely say that in many ways, I enjoyed Finding Nemo: The Musical more than I did the broadway version of The Lion King. I was wholly impressed with the show, and my expectations were completely blown out of the water (no pun intended). I myself was never really a fan of the Toy Story franchise, but I am interested to see how this show performs, considering that it will be another significant addition to California Adventure.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/12/comcast-chief-sees-growth-potential-in-universals-theme-parks.html Although it does sound like Roberts is praising the benefits more than the business, I do think that this is a more positive sign that they intend to keep the parks' ongoing development in motion.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/ I've heard nothing but great things about the Aladdin show at DCA, so it seems like a shame that it will be replaced, but anything new at the park should be a good thing. I'll be sure to catch Aladdin in July before it closes...

http://www.buschgardensnews.com/WebObjects/BuschGardensNews.woa/Contents/WebServerResources/CMSResources/New_hours_for_Christmas_Town.pdf The park has also released official video and photos from the event. [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=XmasTownOpen_qm4k[/coastertube] Please note that all of the above captions were quoted from the press photos... A 45-foot Christmas tree lights up the Germany section of Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Another canopy of stars hangs over head as guest walk through Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. A canopy of stars hangs over head as guest walk through Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Carolers sing to the crowd at Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Guests enter Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration for the first time. Throughout the theme park, more than a million twinkling lights were used to decorate the holiday-themed event which debuted Friday, Nov. 27 at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. Decorations like toy elves turn a theme park into Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Lollipops and many other sweet treats can be found at Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Performers of Rejoice! sing to the audience at Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration. Santa Claus waits for the next child to join him at Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration.

http://www.parkworld-online.com/news/fu ... _Rome.html The new park already features a teaser site (in English), found here: http://www.cinecittaworld.it/home-1.asp.htm I think it is good to see that more expansion is to be done in the Italian entertainment industry, and I find the information regarding to additional parks to be exciting, though for all we know, this could end up being as real as Disneyland's proposed third gate...