jedimaster1227

Walt Disney World has sent us a press release announcing details for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom!

This and the remains of Opryland are examples of a neat way to make a positive out of the negative situation that is the closure and decay of former attractions. I love that the local government managed to turn this into a public space without taking much away from the history of the space (to the point of leaving much of former ride path intact). This is something that I would definitely go out of my way to visit when in Ontario! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

^Everything I’ve read is that this is an overlay of the existing coaster with the added restoration of the mid-ride stops that had previously been turned off.

https://www.thorpepark.com/rides/the-walking-dead-the-ride http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thorpe-park-walking-dead-roller-coaster-theme-parks-zombies-days-out-a8219266.html

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/toy-story-land-to-open-at-walt-disney-world-resort-june-30/

Tonight Theme Park Review was invited to visit SeaWorld Orlando for a preview of this year's Seven Seas Food Festival! The event returns for its second year at the park with new and returning food options available to enjoy throughout the park during weekends from February 17th through April 15th. Like with the previous year (and the festivals that preceded this) the event also features additional entertainment in the festival area near Bayside Stadium including a lineup of artists that will perform for guests during the event weekends. With other parks seemingly dominating the food and wine festival market, it is feels like SeaWorld's Seven Seas Food Festival carves its own path with reasonable portion sizes, moderate prices and a combination of adventurous and more conservative menu items to appeal to guests of all tastes. The event menu will expand towards the tail end of the season with Latin flavors being offered in tandem with a series of concerts with Latin artists. Overall, I continue to be impressed by this event year over year in that the standout food offerings and reasonable prices combined with the existing value of a day in the park make this well worth the visit! The event guide provides a full listing of all food and beverage items offered during the event along with the locations where you can get them. SeaWorld offers Food & Beverage Sampler lanyards for guests planning to try multiple items. These lanyards are a great deal in that they standardize the price of all items (including alcoholic beverages) to the point that you can save a little bit of money on each item. Over in the backside of the festival area are two themed booths where were able to start our sampling. The presentation of some of these food options were awesome! Here is the Pineapple Tofu Poke Bowl from the Polynesian Market! Just let the glorious sight of this pork belly sink in... The Key Lime Martini is a must try for any key lime lovers! And a look at the finished product! Cinnamon slow roaster pork belly with a sweet plantain mash! Shrimp Mac and Cheese! A delicious lobster roll and a seafood ceviche. The Sea Scallops Provencal were among our favorites we sampled tonight! The Guinness Chocolate Mousse is delicious too! Lamb being prepped... So many great items to choose from! Even more choices! There's no shortage of beverage choices during the event either! Caramel Corn and Ice Cream? A match made in culinary heaven! A look at the Asian Market in the festival area of the park. The Brazilian Market's items were all highlights of our evening. Pricing for the different Food & Beverage Sampling Lanyards. Some great local breweries get in on the festival action with many unique beers available on tap throughout the park. The event markets are set up throughout the park in convenient locations so that guests can enjoy these offerings as a part of their total park visit. Fresh crab cakes being prepared... The candied papaya looked delicious! Conch Fritters! The Wild Boar Smoked Cheddar Sausage at the Florida Market. The Bananas Foster Cheesecake Cone is definitely a unique offering. Fresh calamari coming up! If you'd believe it, SeaWorld has introduced the chocolate covered soft pretzel for consumption during the event! The Hawaiian Pineapple Dream Cake was a favorite of mine last year, so I was happy to see it return this year. Over at the Flamecraft Bar you can find lots of local brews on tap!

I give Europa Park credit for reworking "Universum der Energie" with such a cute theme in a way that I'd imagine will cost little to accomplish while making it more interesting and approachable for the younger guests.

As a lover of all things tiki, I absolutely approve of this new addition!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-disney-california-adventure/

^There were previously some small additional show scenes with static sets that you'd pass by. Honestly not a huge loss compared to what was there before.

https://d23.com/breaking-news-about-disney-parks-and-resorts-from-d23-expo-japan-2018/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-star-wars-hotel/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-mickey-and-minnies-runaway-railway/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-guardians-of-the-galaxy-at-epcot/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-star-wars-galaxys-edge/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/d23j-update-star-wars-galaxys-edge/

Walt Disney World has sent us a press release announcing new offerings coming in the Summer of 2018 to all four parks including the opening of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios! Starting Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, Walt Disney World Resort will launch an incredible summer for 2018 with guests being immersed in their favorite Disney films, entering the worlds of their beloved characters and experiencing exciting new attractions and entertainment. The experiences will span across the four Walt Disney World theme parks Ð plus Disney Springs. (Jacqueline Nell, photographer)

Walt Disney World has sent us a press release announcing the extension of the final Spring Training season for the Atlanta Braves at ESPN Wide World of Sports before they move to their new training facilities. Disney Vacation Club has also sent us a press release announcing the new survey results showing that Disney Vacation Club members are more likely that most Americans to plan vacation time and to actually take annual vacations!

(Continued) We found the Sorting Hat! More cosplayers! Even more cosplayers! Don’t miss this nod to Jaws outside of the entrance to Diagon Alley! No shortage of cosplayers to be found in Diagon Alley! Enjoying the beautiful weekend weather in Diagon Alley! A guest cosplaying as Hagrid gave guests a unique photo opportunity near Gringotts! Listen closely when wandering through Knockturn Alley... You may hear “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” a song sung during the classic film Jaws. Jaws inspired an attraction at Universal that was later replaced by Diagon Alley. You may run into some dark wizards and witches while roaming Knockturn Alley... Cosplayers were meeting up throughout the day at Carkitt Market within Diagon Alley! You might even experience a duel or two throughout the weekend! The Toon Lagoon Amphitheater in Islands of Adventure is host to a series of panels and demonstrations during the weekend! Guests have the chance to meet students of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute while in Hogsmeade. There were a lot of guests in Hogsmeade today! Pumpkin Fizz! There’s magic at work where Dragon Challenge used to be in Hogsmeade... The viewing area for the first showing of The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle has filled and guests are being held in Hogsmeade for the next showing. “The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle” features fireworks during its finale. Back for the last day of the event! Looks like a regular chair... But it magically transforms into Adam! [twitter] [/twitter] Yesterday's chalk art of Luna Lovegood has been completed and is on display in the Harry Potter Expo! Guests competed in the Audible Recall challenge at the Pottermore exhibit in the Harry Potter Expo! Guests could experience an exhibit about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Harry Potter Expo. The other of two sound stages hosting the Harry Potter Expo was significantly larger! One of last year's Fantastic Beasts returned for more guest visits at the Fantastic Beasts Virtual Reality Experience. Another guest getting sorted into a Hogwarts house by the Sorting Hat. Guests can visit the Scholastic exhibit at the Harry Potter Expo to share what Harry Potter means to them on the Muggle Wall. This year’s event merchandise included a commemorative coin featuring the event’s key art. Guests can even purchase Hermione’s Yule Ball dress from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! Time to visit Diagon Alley! Down into the vaults of Gringotts Bank we go! Catching a ride on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts! Over in Carkitt Market guests can witness a live performance of The Tales of Beedle the Bard - The Fountain of Fair Fortune! A full Quidditch player cosplay found in Carkitt Market in Diagon Alley! Which treat from Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop in Diagon Alley are you craving? The last day of the event brought more cosplayers into the parks! Care for a Butterbeer Ice Cream? Even more cosplayers inside of Diagon Alley! More custom cosplays in Diagon Alley! FIRE!!! Guests can meet the Knight Bus conductor in front of the entrance to Diagon Alley! Time to catch our train! Heading back to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter area from London... We're Hogsmeade-bound! Dark wizards and witches may choose to take the train too! We had a close encounter with a dementor on our way to Hogsmeade. The last time I took this photo, there was a certain dragon flying in the background... That wraps up our coverage of "A Celebration of Harry Potter" 2018 at the Universal Orlando Resort! We had an excellent time and loved the opportunity to experience the new exhibits, panels and stars of this year's event!

This weekend Theme Park Review had the opportunity to experience "A Celebration of Harry Potter" once again at the Universal Orlando Resort. This three day event features celebrity talent from the Harry Potter film series along with a variety of companies involved with the Wizarding World franchise presenting panels, demonstrations and exhibits throughout the parks including two different sound stages hosting the Harry Potter Expo. Much like in previous years, the event allows Potter fans to cosplay and to indulge in their fandom in the two Wizarding World of Harry Potter realms. This year the event featured several new stars, new exhibits and the public debut of a new projection show, The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle! Standouts of the event included this year's presentation from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter attraction, the Fantastic Beasts Virtual Reality Experience and the debut of the before-mentioned projection show. The Universal Orlando Resort already has so much to offer Harry Potter fans year round, but this annual event ups the ante for the fans, casual and less-so. The most invested of fans will undoubtedly be most sold on the event, but the exhibits and panels offer a little extra for everyone, whether they be fans of the books, films, audiobooks, artwork or simply the theme park lands that have brought so many guests to the Universal Orlando resort over since Hogsmeade in 2010! Vacation packages are definitely the most heavily recommended way to experience the event with dedicated viewing space for panels and demonstrations, expedited access to the two Harry Potter Expo sound stages and exclusive time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands including food and beverages (unlimited Butterbeer) during this time. We look forward to seeing what next year's event brings, with a new Harry Potter attraction on the horizon at the Universal Orlando Resort set to open in the future and new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films on the way--the event can only grow with these new injections into the already insanely-popular fandom surrounding this intellectual property! This weekend TPR was at Universal Orlando this year's "A Celebration of Harry Potter" event! We started the event with a media Q&A session with the stars of the Harry Potter film series. This year Minalima returned to share a look at their work on the new Fantastic Beasts film! A live Harry Potter in Concert performance by the Orlando Philarhomonic was accompanied by fireworks at the opening ceremony on Friday night. Friday also brought the first Florida performance of "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle." This new projection show features segments dedicated to each of the four Hogwarts houses. Hogwarts Castle really glows during the Slytherin segment of the show. Fire engulfs the castle in the Gyffindor section of the show. And of course, there are fireworks! And we're back for the second day of "A Celebration of Harry Potter" 2018! Time to head into the Harry Potter Expo! "The Making of Harry Potter" exhibit from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London has returned to the Harry Potter Expo with this year’s exhibit focused on the practical effects of the Harry Potter Film series! This year guests could order custom phone cases with Harry Potter-inspired designs. This year’s Minalima exhibit at the Harry Potter Expo featured a wide variety of pieces designed by the team for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films! We had a chance to speak with Mina of Minalima this morning! Her favorite piece they worked on for the Harry Potter film series is the Marauder’s Map! More fantastic work from Minalima! The Minalima booth also has the official event posters for sale including designs from the previous years! This year’s design features Weaselys’ Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley! This year’s event merchandise is available for purchase in both of the sound stages hosting the Harry Potter Expo. The Scholastic exhibit at the Harry Potter Expo features the many Harry Potter books include the new illustrated series! The screen-used Goblet of Fire from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is and it actually spits out a burnt paper with Harry Potter’s name on it! Dolores Umbridge’s outfit from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix actually smokes from inside! This was a practical effect designed for one scene in the film! The practical effect from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone where the Dursley’s House is inundated with Hogwarts acceptance letters could be seen up close at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London exhibit at the Harry Potter Expo! Look out! The fans are anxiously awaiting the opening of the Harry Potter Expo! The first guest sorted in a Hogwarts House for the day! We checked out the updates to the Fantastic Beasts Virtual Reality Experience featuring two new beasts... And with this you don’t have to go far to find them! One of two new Fantastic Beasts interactions... The Fantastic Beasts Virtual Reality Experience now includes a close encounter with the Niffler! Keep your shiny belongings close! We had the chance to try out the new Hogwarts Mystery game from Portkey Games and Jam City. The new RPG for mobile devices will be released this Spring! Lots of props from the Harry Potter films can be found throughout the Harry Potter Expo. Over the course of the weekend chalk artists are creating this art live in person at Universal Studios Florida! The Pottermore exhibit at the Harry Potter Expo is featuring a gallery of art that is available to order. We ran into Dolores Umbridge at the Harry Potter Expo.... She reminded us that we shouldn't tell lies! There was an exclusive wand available only for "A Celebration of Harry Potter" this past weekend. During the event chococolate frog boxes are marked to indicate a guaranteed Bertie Bott collectible wizard card included in the box! Throughout the day Music Plaza Stage is hosting a series of panels and demonstrations for A Celebration of Harry Potter! Hashtag the Panda is watching guests by Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon! More Harry Potter chalk art in the park. Cosplayers can be found throughout Universal Orlando thank's to the weekend's events!

Back when I rode DarKastle (and walked the track) on the East Coast trip, the ride was one a handful of its kind (along with Spider-Man) so I think I was more impressed with it than I would have been if I rode it more recently. I do wish Antarctica at SeaWorld Orlando had been more like DarKastle in its length and theming because the bar was seemingly missed from where DarKastle had set it, by a lot. It is a shame that the park opted to go the route of closure as opposed to re-purposing the ride system and structure for a new attraction. I get that they'll find great use for it during the park's seasonal offerings but when you have a purpose-built venue of that size meant for an attraction, it feels like the "easy" way out to convert it to a venue for horror mazes and holiday meet & greets.

There's aspiring to having money to build nice amenities like a home theater or a huge pool... And then there's this! My envy has taken on a new shade!

The New York-New York Hotel & Casino has announced that The Big Apple Coaster (formerly known as Manhattan Express) will launch a new virtual reality experience next month!

Universal Orlando has officially confirmed that Voodoo Doughnut will be coming to Universal CityWalk in 2018!

(Continued) The way the Western River Railroad weaves through the park is very different than the railroads found in the other Disney parks. But it was a pleasant surprise to find the Primeval World Diorama recreated here just like it is found in Disneyland. Shades of Ellen's Energy Adventure. We loved Tokyo's Jungle Cruise! We went back and rode Big Thunder Mountain several more times before the end of the day. The new Camp Woodchuck Kitchen features waffle sandwiches and this one didn't disappoint! Did I mention I love this castle? Tokyo's Tomorrowland featured the vintage Star Jets. The closed permanently only a few months after our visit to make way for an expanded Fantasyland, Toontown and Tomorrowland. An alternate universe Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. In case you were wondering what the menu at a standard Tokyo Disneyland quick service venue is like. No Sonny Eclipse here. Sadly we didn't get to ride during our visit but it was neat to see. I don't remember the Star Jets when they operated in Florida, so it was nice to see something so differently themed when compared to the modern Astro Orbiter. And we're moving on... The walls were already up along a portion of Tomorrowland and Toontown to allow for the ongoing expansion work to continue. Sadly Space Mountain was not open during our visit. More unique performers throughout the park! The classic Tomorrowland aesthetic is completed by the more modern paint job. I'd be totally ok with this setup being brought back to Florida. Time to see Dreamlights one more time! The floats are insanely impressive... And they can do cool things like this! You can tell which floats have been refreshed recently. I love this Pete's Dragon float way more than the one that ran with the original Main Street Electrical Parade. The Genie still has the most impressive float of the parade. So many forms. So many characters. Even a nod to the original character design concept when the Genie was green instead of blue. A newer float... Another newer float. The finale of Dreamlights is overwhelmingly beautiful. The river boat float starts in black & white and transforms into full color along the parade route. Gorgeous. Inspired by the classic Disney ride "it's a small world." And now its time to say goodbye... To all our company... MIC---See ya real soon! I ended up using the parkhopper access to go back into Tokyo DisneySea one more time for some merchandise and photos. Saying goodbye wasn't easy. The resort is so beautiful at any time of day. A look at the construction of the new Beauty and the Beast-inspired expansion coming to Tokyo DisneySea. Even more construction. For our final Disney day of the trip we stopped into Ikspiarai for lunch... Ikspiriari Kitchen provided us another incredible meal. Coca Cola Plus sounds like a unique concept, though I don't see it coming stateside. The (awesome) view from our hotel room at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay. A look at the entry plaza for the Disney Store location at Ikspiari. The Maihama Theater used to house the Cirque du Soleil show Zed. The show closed permanently shortly after the earthqueak as attendance/ticket sales had reportedly declined. Ikspiriari has a really unique corridor near the movie theater with these indoor facades. A nice touch! One more sushi bundle before we move on. The monorail was themed to Nemo & Friends SeaRider during our visit. Time to say... Goodbye Tokyo Disney!