jedimaster1227

This was my favorite part of the report. Hi Adam! How are those trash can photos doing!?!? I came back from our last Asia trip with 17,000 photos... So at least 35% of those were trash can photos!

^I'm pretty sure when I went in January that there were limited days of operation, but that might have been related to the unexpected winter weather too...

The queues for all of the houses and attractions open during HHN stay open until the official event closing time.

I miss Japan so much... This takes away a little of the sting of not being there as I live vicariously through this report. Thanks for sharing!

Last night TPR was invited to attend the opening night of Howl-O-Scream 2019 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. This year's theme is Twenty Years of Fear as the event celebrates its 20th season in Tampa. This year's event features six houses (five returning and one new), eight scare zones, one show plus the added benefit of having eight of the park's rides open to experience in the dark! Howl-O-Scream has always been a unique favorite of mine when it comes to the Central Florida haunt scene. While Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando has built a reputation of scares based on immersive, movie-quality sets in their houses (many of which are based on popular horror properties), Busch Gardens has focus most specifically on making the most effective scares with what they have. Unlike some of the other haunts, the houses are not replaced annually, rather rotated in and out every few years, with the returning houses being regularly plussed year over year to make sure it isn't a straight repeat of the year prior's experience. Time for a break down of the year's lineup: The Residence: The one new house at Howl-O-Scream 2019, this one is built upon the former Demented Dimensions house and this was one of my favorites for the evening. As you roam this haunted home, you'll find that things are more than out of the ordinary... I really was impressed with how effective the scares were for this one! The Black Spot - Bloodshed: Over in the back corner of Stanleyville by Tigris, this pirate-themed house returns for the second most well-themed house of the event (behind my personal favorite, Death Water Bayou). Taking advantage of the cavernous former queue of the African Queen Boat Ride, this house is filled with wrecked pirate ships and the maddened pirates who suffer from the Black Spot. Simon's Slaughterhouse: This house debuted during last year's event, borrowing a bit of the former Zombie Containment Unit 15's concept of splitting groups up down different paths. Guests are herded into three different corrals at the entrance of the Slaughterhouse like cattle for the kill, sent down close but separate paths with individual scares along the way before regrouping parties roughly a third of the way through the house. From here it becomes a more traditional house, with scares at every turn. The wooden barriers the funnel you forward don't lend to overly detailed set pieces but once you exit the corral, you start to see the horrors of Simon's Slaughterhouse come to life... And take some away. Motel Hell - Infestation: Always a solid house. This one leverages the phobias people have with hotels, so you know the inside won't be the cleanest... But what this house does well too is give you an experience of the insanity that fills the inside and the outside of a twisted motel. Death Water Bayou - Wrath of the Queen: Consistently my favorite house year over year. This house is filled with detail starting with its outside, leading you into the bayous of New Orleans, where a decrepit house marks your entrance into the world of voodoo. You come in close contact with one of this year's icons, the voodoo queen early in the house and the scares consistently catch you off guard here. This is the house that features the annually-present spinning tunnel effect but other than that, there's little that you could find predictable in this house. Bungee jumping scare actors lunge at you from dark corners of the house and before you can respond they've already disappeared. The horror extends to the forested waters of the bayou, a haunted cemetery and to the backstreets of New Orleans. The detail in this house is rich--probably the closest house you'll find to Halloween Horror Nights-quality set design. There's nothing not to love about this one, and you'll likely find yourself convinced to revisit at least once more while at the event... I did. Insomnia: Another new house from last year's event, this shocked me by how strong a concept Insomnia could be, considering the "Deconstruction" house that has been hosted in this location for many, many years before was so tired. Insomnia places you in the middle of a sleep therapy clinic where the patients have been overcome by their nightmare demons and lashed out at their doctors to run the clinic into madness. Mayhem ensues. The house teeters on true insanity as layers peel away from the clinic facade to reveal nightmarish hellscapes, monsters, a rabid sheep and patients who have gone off the rails. This house is peak Howl-O-Scream alongside Death Water Bayou. As an aside, while all of Busch Gardens coasters are amazing, this was my first chance to experience Tigris... And man, did it thrill me. Admittedly this wasn't something I rushed over to the park to experience, but the triple launch, the unexpected airtime and the crazy hang time made this so much more fun than I expected. Operations were also on point, with an average dispatch time of 1 minute and 35 seconds from unload to dispatch. Howl-O-Scream is worth the drive to Tampa, year over year. The houses continue to thrill, the already world-class lineup of rides are incredibly fun to ride at night and with scare zones filling the park, the scares don't end until you get to your car. Howl-O-Scream runs on select nights at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay between now and November 2nd. Do yourself a favor if you're a haunt fan... Check it out! Tonight we’re at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the opening night of Howl-o-Scream! Work on the station and queue for Iron Gwazi is under way. This year marks Twenty Years of Fear at Howl-O-Scream, and with that many of the event's past icons have a presence during this year's event. Guests can enjoy liquor tastings throughout the park during Howl-O-Scream. Scares can be found everywhere throughout the event. Ran into some friends of TPR here tonight! Be sure to follow Super Enthused and Expedition Theme Park on Youtube. Great seeing you guys! I love that they consistently update the scare zone themes year over year. Death Water Bayou returns for another voodoo-filled run at Howl-O-Scream! Iron Gwazi is looking amazing already! Just look at this turn! I made a friend over at Death Water Bayou. Beware of the infected souls in the “Hell on Wheels” scare zone! I'm might be swooning a lot over this coaster. This certainly looks different than a few years ago. Excited to see what comes of this. Simon’s Slaughterhouse separates guests as they move through corrals towards their doom! I can't stop staring... Looks like we have an inversion incoming! Motel Hell returns for another great year. Cheetah Hunt is even more fun at night! These scare actors startle guests by sliding across the grounds of the park! Shots, anyone? Insomnia is the strongest maze to fill this space in years and it is great to see it return. Wait times for the coasters of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are short during Howl-O-Scream so there is plenty of time for night rides! You never know when you could be caught off guard at Howl-O-Scream... Opportunities for scares are everywhere! Falcon's Fury is amazing, especially at night! Tigris is way bigger in person than I imagined... And this thing really flies! Time to take a ride on Tigris! Fiends, a @howloscream tradition returns... The show wouldn't be complete without its signature Naughty Nurses. Wanna play? Cheetah Hunt in the dark... I can't rave about it enough! It is never a bad idea to take another night ride on Cobra’s Curse! Just so much fun! Dia de los Muertos is a new scare zone for the year. There are some really cool projections running at the entrance of the park. The Voodoo Queen from Death Water Bayou roams the entrance of the park. This was a nice, new touch. Time for some photos from inside of the houses and scare zones! Meat Market is a perfect lead up scare zone to Simon's Slaughterhouse. Here is the point at which you get separated from into different corrals in Simon's Slaughterhouse. Leaving so soon from Hotel Hell? I ran into a few of the infected in Hell on Wheels... Hell on Wheels has lots of kinetic energy. Dia de los Muertos has some neat elements to it... Over by Cheetah Hunt you can find a zombie dance party. Insomnia features some fantastic practical effects. This demonic sheep is one of my favorite elements of the house! And some great scares too! Little Nightmares sees demonic toys come to life... The horror is real. Drop in for a ride or two while you're here... What a perfect moment captured inside of The Residence. The Black Spot is filled with fun details. Up close and personal... That wraps up our awesome time experiencing the opening night of Howl-O-Scream! Be sure to check out the event between now and November 2nd to experience what 20 Years of Fear has brought to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay!

1. Steel Vengeance 2. Maverick 3. GateKeeper 4. Raptor 5. Top Thrill Dragster 6. Millennium Force 7. Valravn 8. Wicked Twister 9. Gemini 10. Iron Dragon 11. Blue Streak 12. Magnum XL-200 13. Corkscrew 14. Rougarou 15. Cedar Creek Mine Ride I'm not ranking Wilderness Run or Woodstock Express because they're kiddie coasters... How are you even supposed to rank those?

In a surprising piece of news late today, it was announced that Gustavo Antorcha, the CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment for the last seven months has resigned. Marc Swanson, Chief Financial Officer will serve as Interim CEO effctive immediately with Gus assisting the company for a smooth transition of leadership. The following news was released shortly after the news of CEO Gus Antorcha's resignation... https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2019/09/16/seaworld-lays-off-orlando-call-center-employees

This looks like a solid addition to the park! I'm still amused that the Gwazi Millennium Flyers are managing to live on beyond that former set of coasters.

Morimoto Asia has sent us a press release announcing their new event inspired by Oktoberfest called MorimotoFest which will take place on October 6th, 2019! Check out the details below!

RWS Entertainment Group has sent us a press release detailing their upcoming audition tour in partnership with Europa Park!

I'm excited to hear what details are revealed... These parks have struggled for a while, but I appreciate how much corporate is shifting their investment strategy to drive new business while adding new additions to parks that traditionally saw more sizable investments only every 3-7 years.

Quite the vivid imagination you've got there Larry... Thanks for sharing this interesting story!

Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show & Adventure Park in Pigeon Forge has sent us a press release announcing the opening of their first-of-its-kind cable-to-rail zipline roller coaster, the Flying Ox. [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] These videos released by the park give a little more insight into what the ride experience is like! [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] Pulled from the above video, you can see that the zipline actually switches from a rail to a cable for a section of the layout, which is where the "first-of-its-kind" title seems to be coming from.

Wacky theming aside, I really do appreciate just how much Walibi has invested in its parks to make them their own thing compared to feeling like Six Flags' old European parks. Their recent investments really show that they're serious about keeping these parks vibrant and revisit-friendly! Thank you for sharing all of these great photos! I'm living vicariously through all of these TPR Europe reports!

Universal Studios Hollywood has sent us a press release with details about the specialty tickets and R.I.P. Tours that will be available during this year's Halloween Horror Nights.

(Continued) An expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the new restaurant Space 220 will open this winter as an out-of-this-world culinary experience with the celestial panorama of a space station, including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up. The restaurant will be operated by the Patina Group, the same company that is behind Via Napoli, Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto and Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs. PLAY! pavilion at World Discovery is opening in time for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. In this interactive metropolis, guests will discover a city bursting with games, activities, and experiences that connect them with friends, family, and beloved Disney characters! Guests will be able to help Edna Mode design new fashions at the Play! pavilion. They will also have the chance to participate in a water balloon fight with Huey, Duey, Louie and Webby from DuckTales. The Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends and the new Journey of Water attraction will all be a part of the World Nature neighborhood. Awesome Planet is a new film coming to the Symbiosis Theater in The Land. In World Nature, the reinvention of Epcot will include Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana.” This first-ever experience inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting. In the China pavilion, the new “Wondrous China” seamless Circlevision film will take guests on a spectacular journey across the country! “Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” will debut in January 2020. The Beauty and the Beast Sing Along will be shown opposite Impressions de France and will debut in early 2020. The France pavilion is being expanded heavily with the addition of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The popular Walt Disney Studios Park Paris attraction is coming to Epcot and will open in early 2020! An authentic creperie will be coming to the France pavilion with table service and quick service selections available. Chimney sweeps stormed the stage... Then miraculously, Dick van Dyke appeared! And with that, a new Mary Poppins attraction was announced for Epcot! The United Kingdom pavilion at Epcot will feature Cherry Tree Lane as the entrance of the new Mary Poppins attraction! Here’s one more piece of concept art for the new Mary Poppins attraction coming to the UK pavilion at Epcot. Epcot Forever is the limited run fireworks spectacular that will be shown at the park after Illuminations: Reflections of Earth concludes its run next month. Following the limited time run of Epcot Forever at #Epcot, a new nighttime spectacular called HarmonioUS will be the largest ever created for a Disney park. It will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people the world over. So much announced for Epcot! Composer Pinar Toprak has created a new theme for Epcot (she also composed the music for Captain Marvel)... We were treated to a live performance of the new theme and it was breathtaking. Walt Disney World will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2021, and the celebration will span all four parks! Special food, merchandise and entertainment is already in the works for this celebration. Disney Genie is a new digital offering coming to Walt Disney World... It will intuitively assist guests in making selections for dining, Fastpasses and more... And the tool will be flexible and customizable based on your party. Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge, a unique hotel and proposed Disney Vacation Club resort inspired by the wonders of nature and artistry of Walt Disney. Lakeside a-frames will be available to stay in... As well as new treehouse villas! A new lakeside Tiana-inspired restaurant will open with the resort as well. A look at the new restaurant... Time for more details about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser! Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort will be a new, first-of-its-kind vacation experience where guests will check-in for a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship called the Halcyon. Upon arrival to the resort, guests will be transported to the Halcyon in a themed experience. Activities will be included onboard. This two night adventure is an experience with guests living their own Star Wars story within. Guests will stay in highly themed cabins, each with their personal window into space. There will be plenty to experience onboard! Guests will be able to train with a lightsaber... And even visit the bridge for a training exercise... That may or may not turn into a space battle. #DisneyCruise Line guests can look forward to a signature island experience that celebrates the spirit & culture of The Bahamas & the natural environment at a new Disney port of call. This new destination will be located on the breathtaking island of Eleuthera at a place called Lighthouse Point. Here is some concept art for Lighthouse Point! The Disney Wish was officially named! The fifth of seven ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The Disney Cruise Line Disney Wish will feature a grand three story atrium and will begin sailing in January 2022! Rapunzel and Pascal will be the featured stern characters for this ship! The Disney characters came out to send us off after an amazing presentation! Back at the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products pavilion, the two new posters were unveiled... The first being for World Celebration... The second being for Mary Poppins. Another look at the Halcyon. Outside of the convention center, the Amazon Treasure Truck was selling D23-exclusives! The mural is complete!

Yesterday was the big day for the D23 Expo as far as Disney Parks, Experiences and Products fans are concerned... The big Hall D23 presentation where news about the future of Disney Parks would be announced, and there year it was announced in droves! For the individual announcement posts, please visit the links below for the park-respective threads, and read beyond that to see our photos from the presentation! "Magic Happens" parade coming to Disneyland Park in Spring 2020 Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway - Disneyland Park details Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway - Disney's Hollywood Studios details Epcot transformation announcement summary Hong Kong Disneyland castle transformation and Frozen expansion details released! Disney California Adventure - Avengers Campus, Spider-Man and Avengers attraction details released! Walt Disney Studios Park Paris - Avengers Campus attraction details released! "Disney Genie" digital offering announced for 2020! Disney Wish is named as the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship, Lighthouse Point details released Spitfire announcements one after another and endless concept art made this one of the most exciting Parks presentations I'd experienced. And as an Epcot fan, this was the year to be here. Epcot is undergoing its largest transformation ever, and based on all that was announced (and there's plenty that wasn't that concept art and models in the Parks pavilion at the Expo hinted at), the park is going to be reinvigorated in a way that honors what came before and builds upon that creativity to deliver a more timeless, family-friendly park with the integration of new Disney properties and some creative design to elevate this World's Fair-style park into something more. Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Shanghai Disneyland were all given announcements (everything in the works for Tokyo Disney has already been announced) as well. The presentation even shared new details about the first of the three new Disney Cruise Line ships, announcing the first as the Disney Wish while revealing it would feature a grand, three story atrium. Disney Cruise Line has also purchase a new section of land in Eleuthera, Bahamas known as Lighthouse Point where it will make its second private island destination for Bahamian sailings available to cruising guests. Overall, it was a presentation for the books thanks to the sheer volume of announcements and concepts shared... Guests were lined up and ready for the final day of the D23 Expo 2019! Check out this amazing custom Figment puppet we found! We’re ready for the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! Bob Chapek, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products is here to kick off today’s presentation! Coming this spring at Disneyland Resort – an all-new parade called Magic Happens. The parade will feature floats inspired by films like Coco and Moana! Todrick Hall has worked with Disney on the music for Magic Happens! Jordan Fisher performed the new parade's theme song on stage during the presentation. Here’s a new look at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming to Mickey’s Toontown in 2022 at Disneyland. A look inside of the Disneyland version of the queue for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. This interior shot from the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway gives you an idea of the feel of the experience you'll find inside. We can't wait for this ride to debut! Here’s a new look at the entrance of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2020. The “Zootopia”-themed land coming to Shanghai Disney Resort will feature new entertainment, merchandise and dining options that can only be found in the land along with a new major attraction. At Hong Kong Disneyland, we’re celebrating some of the greatest animated stories of all time as the castle transforms into the Castle of Magical Dreams. A new Frozen-inspired roller coaster is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland! The popular “Frozen Ever After” attraction at Epcot is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland! Concept art for the new Cirque show coming to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World... The new show is inspired by Disney's rich history in animation. Some more concept pieces from the show... The new Cirque du Soleil show Disney Springs will begin previews on March 20th, 2020 and officially open on April 17th, 2020! Target will be opening Disney Stores within select locations throughout the United States. Target will also host a Disney Store section on its website. Bullseye, the Target dog came by to celebrate the announcement! We were able to get an in-depth look at the new Avengers Campus coming to Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park Paris! There will a Doctor Strange experience at Avengers Campus in both parks. Avengers Campus will include attractions, shops and dining. Disney California Adventure will get a Phase 2 attraction at Avengers Campus... This E-Ticket attraction will put riders on a Quinjet headed to Wakanda... Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel is coming to the Disneyland Paris Resort. Pym Test Kitchen will be the primary F&B location at Avengers Campus. Here is the ride vehicle for the new Spider-Man attraction at Avengers Campus. Check out this new concept art from the Spider-Man attraction coming to Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park Paris! The ride on the Quinjet will be derailed by a battle... That leads to riders being put right in the middle of the battleground with the Avengers. Time for Epcot! Four districts will make up the new Epcot including World Showcase, World Discovery, World Nature and World Celebration! At World Celebration in Epcot, Spaceship Earth will remain the grand icon but the journey will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience. A new guide and all new narration will focus on the storytelling that brings people together. Classic scenes from the ride will remain as a new guide leads guests through the journey of storytelling... Something new coming to the World Celebration section of the park. This statue of Walt Disney will be featured inside of Epcot as a tribute to the man behind the original concept that inspired the park’s creation. A new pavilion at World Celebration will be the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals, providing a stunning view of World Showcase and an ideal spot to witness the park’s nighttime spectacular. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot will feature the first reverse launch into space! This thrilling, family-friendly attraction will feature a never-before-seen storytelling coaster that rotates to focus on the action – wherever it may be. A look at the ride's logo. The new restaurant at Mission: Space will be called Space 2020. Guests will ride up a space elevator to get to the space station at 220 miles above the Earth's surface.

New details about the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship, name the Disney Wish and Disney Cruise Line's new private island destination, Lighthouse Point were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation!

New details about the new "Disney Genie" digital offering that will debut at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2020 were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/revolutionary-new-digital-offering-disney-genie-coming-to-walt-disney-world-resort/

New details about the Avengers Campus and its attractions at Walt Disney Studios Park Paris were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/super-heroes-preparing-to-assemble-at-disney-parks-around-the-world/

New details about the Avengers Campus and its attractions at Disney California Adventure were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/super-heroes-preparing-to-assemble-at-disney-parks-around-the-world/

New details about the transformed castle at Hong Kong Disneyland along with the Frozen expansion were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/hong-kong-disneyland-transformation-includes-castle-of-magical-dreams-new-frozen-area-with-coaster-frozen-ever-after-attraction/

New details about Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/new-details-unveiled-for-mickey-minnies-runaway-railway-coming-to-disneyland-park-and-disneys-hollywood-studios/

New details about Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway were released today at the D23 Expo Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/08/new-details-unveiled-for-mickey-minnies-runaway-railway-coming-to-disneyland-park-and-disneys-hollywood-studios/