jedimaster1227

Our final day at the Tokyo Disney Resort was spent at Tokyo Disneyland... The Tokyo Disney Resort Monorail line is incredibly convenient and a great way to start off our final Disney day! I tried the Shrimp & Egg Spring Roll... Not my favorite snack of the trip but not bad either. Just as fun here! Goofy's Paint 'n' Play House is kind of like a cross between Toy Story Mania and Colortopia (at Epcot). You use a Toy Story Mania-style gun to spray paint at the walls... One more polite morning stampede! I made it a point to check out Splash Mountain thanks to its unique queue... The inside is pretty much the same as the one in Florida... Which isn't a bad thing. Everything is satisfactual! I got a little wet. I absolutely adore this castle. Toontown is just as awesome in Tokyo as it is in California! The entire house transforms by the end of the experience! It was neat to see Mickey's house since Florida's ToonTown has long since been gone. I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to experience another Haunted Mansion! It looks very familiar! Fanta Melon is on tap throughout the resort and I love it! I'd dreamed of this moment for so long. And the curry did not disappoint! It was one of my favorite quick service meals of the trip! Mochi bites! We absolutely loved this version of Big Thunder Mountain! And the close call with the Western River Railroad is a nice touch! It is very neat that they actually give you a map to use when exploring Tom Sawyer Island that you can take with you after your visit. And in English! The extra thematic elements along the Rivers of America are definitely appreciated! Fort Sam Clemens is open in Tokyo... It doesn't exist in Florida and it hasn't been open in California for decades. This was surreal to actually be able to walk into... They even have a Canteen open with snacks available to purchase! They even have the Indian Village! The Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes were another great experience! We had to see Happiness is Here one more time during our trip... Such a fun parade! So many options! MELON BREAD!!! More unique entertainment in the parks! I love this. The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is grand as can be. This atrium is gorgeous! The Tokyo Disneyland/Tokyo Disneyland Hotel monorail station. Bon Voyage gifts... We visited during the Tanabata Days Festival, where all guests are given the opportunity to write their wish on a card... That wish can then be tied to one of the park's Tanabata posts. I love that the Japanese love Disney parks music so much that these CDs are still sold en masse. More redemption games that even if you lose, you win a pin. So awesome seeing this while on the Western River Railroad. The traditional Frontierland cabin and it isn't on fire... Another Indian village...

A new attraction is coming to Pigeon Forge from the mind of Stan Checketts. The concept art and description makes its final design and the attractions included a little questionable, but it looks like a combo tower with several elements! http://mountainmilepigeonforge.com/mountain-monster-coming/

^I’d tell you to get out to these parks as soon as you can! If you’re going to be living as close as you are, it makes sense to go as much as possible thanks to all of the different events throughout the year... Waiting just means less time to experience it all!

It was difficult to document inside as the cast try to keep photography and videography to a minimum but I do believe I remember seeing the silhouette of the ocean sunfish on the back wall (I'm not 100% but I believe I pointed it out when we were there). It isn't pictured here but there are silhouettes on both sides of the queue. I also vaguely remember seeing the animated silhouette of one in the preshow... I don't want to promise anything since it has been so many months since I saw it first hand but I do believe she'd be pleasantly surprised one way or another at least in the queue. I don't remember seeing anything like it during the ride though.

Disney has sent us a press release announcing the arrival of a new set of background audio loops that set a new tone for several of the park's unique areas. This is an exciting change for the future of the park and one that frequent guests of the park may recognize as they walk around!

Universal Orlando just announced the addition of "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle" projection mapping show presented in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade.

RWS Entertainment Group has sent us a press release announcing the development of new entertainment offerings for the 2018 season at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari!

https://blog.universalorlando.com/visiting-us/more-in-store-for-2018/

Shanghai Disneyland has put out a press release showing off the installation of Rex and Trixie in front of the RC Racer coaster in Toy Story Land! Rex and Trixie were installed at Rex’s Racer at Disney•Pixar Toy Story Land in Shanghai Disneyland Rex and Trixie were installed at Rex’s Racer at Disney•Pixar Toy Story Land in Shanghai Disneyland With Rex at the controls, RC Racer zips forward and backward at ever increasing heights and exhilarating speed

(Continued) There's nothing about Mermaid Lagoon that I don't love! I spent some more time over by Raging Spirits between my Fastpasses... I really do think they did a great job taking a very standard coaster and making it fit into this superbly themed park. About as themed as this kind of coaster could be. I really liked it! The Yucatan Sausage Roll lived up to the hype! ShellieMay has quite the following in Tokyo! Hiya! StellaLou was just introduced to the parks before our visit, so a set of daily greeting parades were being run to share her with the public. Disney details... The Teddy Roosevelt lounge was a neat nook in the park to relax and take in a good drink. Taking in the view from the SS Columbia. One of the few parts of the park that you can see the border between the park, the road and the ocean beyond. You can some of the Tokyo bay hotels along the park's skyline. Still unreal. Extremely realistic and astoundingly surreal all at once. A look back towards the Mediterranean Harbor. You can see a giant ferris wheel located near the JR Maihama Station from inside of the park. Cruella de Vil had quite the entourage when we saw her in the American Waterfront. She was looking for the puppies... And she found them! I ate at the New York Deli during my first visit to the park and it was a highlight of my visit (oddly enough). For some reason, I've always been attracted to the romanticized versions of real-life locales that Disney has designed (much for the same reason that I always appreciated Paradise Pier). Punny. Believe it or not, this is my favorite land in the park. The Priority Seating system for table service restaurants works really well! We decided to give Restaurant Sakura in the American Waterfront a try for lunch. Go big or go home. Such a great value! The seafood lover in me was loving every bite! I wished I had time to experience the Venetian Gondolas during my last visit to Tokyo DisneySea so I wasn't going to pass up the chance to do it this time. Super clever. The canals are authentic and provide a real atmosphere to the area that evoke the feeling of being back in Venice. Such an awesome extra experience! For Larry... This is real. I had to keep telling myself this is real. The gondoliers even sing! A look at the future location of Soarin' Around the World in Tokyo DisneySea. The inside of Magellan's is stunning! We didn't get to dine here this time but definitely next time! Time to take in some SEA lore. I always wondered where this was after seeing Robb play with it in the Coaster Expedition videos... I found it all these years later! "Come let us sing the sailor song..." Quite the view! I can't get enough of it! Another look at the site of Soarin' Around the World. This room was super neat! Back to Mysterious Island. One of my favorite rides ever sponsored by one of my favorite companies. I'm still in love with this structure. The Arabian Coast is another land I fell in love with on this trip. I'm snake charming in rain, snake charming in the rain! Can't get enough! A lasting remnant of the former Stormrider attraction. OFF! OFF! OFF! Aquatopia is still the best ride of its kind. The lighthouse at Cape Cod is a nice touch. Did you know Cape Cod is the home of Duffy the Disney Bear? Authentic. The best. The absolute best. I wasn't ready to say goodbye... Time to make my way out. In 2006 I took a photo in front of the park's entry icon... 11 years later I did the same. I drowned out my DisneySea farewell sorrows with some delicious sushi at Iskpiari... And a few of these! Up next, photos from our final day at Tokyo Disneyland!

Our trip continued with our second day at Tokyo DisneySea... Still my favorite theme park on the planet! On this day we spent more time focusing on the smaller attractions and taking in the theming, entertainment, shopping and dining of the park. Another morning rush at rope drop and still the most polite rope drop rush I've experienced. So many neat little nooks the ride paths can take you to! I absolutely love Aquatopia! With the arrival of SeaRider in Port Discovery, the land has seen some subtle but adorable added touches. So freaking cute! Like too freaking cute! Hello beautiful! It still astounds me that this is a theme park. With as popular as SeaRider is at the park we avoided experiencing it during our first day at DisneySea but I'm especially glad that we revisited it during our second day. Stormrider was an odd attraction, one that I couldn't really explain or describe in 2006, so I wasn't overly disappointed to see it replaced. The preshow experience for Searider is much more impressive... As is the Searider experience in the ride vehicle. The ride sequences are fully animated to the same level as the Finding Nemo films and the randomization eclipses that found in Star Tours with seamless transitions between several different ride paths. We rode three times thanks to our Fastpass usage and each time we had entirely unique set of sequences. We absolutely loved Searider! And I wasn't going pass up the chance to try more themed treats like this orange creme churro or the pineapple jelly slushie! I'd waited over a decade to ride Aquatopia once again! And it was just as fun as I remembered! I fell in love with the American Waterfront all those years ago and I was overjoyed to revisit it years later. Fans of the Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Magic will recognize this statue in the Cape Cod area of the park. Not a corner or side left unthemed. The chicken roll was quite tasty! This was new since the last time I was here. I love the Palisades Park/Coney Island inspirations that went into integrating Toy Story Mania into the American Waterfront. I can dig it! And my favorite... Still the best Tower of Terror story out there. The preshow is an experience in and of itself. The stained glass effect is incredible. And Shiriki Utundu is the best. Unfortunately the Shiriki Utundu merchandise is much less plentiful than it was the last time I was here. I still stocked up on what I could! It still blows my mind that there's a life-size steamliner parked inside of Tokyo DisneySea. The SS Columbia is another example of the park's above-and-beyond design. The Pork Roll (definitely bacon wrapped) was awesome too! We found a hidden Hank from Finding Dory in Port Discovery! And more impromptu performances throughout the park to be found! Seriously, Tokyo's entertainment game is unrivaled! Thank goodness for Fastpasses! I want the Lost River Delta closer to home! Still love this nod to Indiana Jones and Star Wars' film connection. Out of Shadowland was a unique show not featuring any Disney characters telling the coming-of-age story of a young girl in the woods. The story was a little odd but the projection mapping nature of the sets was a neat approach. Raging Spirits was a fun coaster that had been entirely retracked since my last visit. For a pretty standard layout, the theming and fog effects make it a step above. The way the coaster cuts through the fog is a pretty neat effect in person. Another new addition since my last visit. Something neat that is unique to the Tokyo Disney Resort is the games of skill that they offer... It isn't the fact that the games exist that is unique, rather that if you win you get the normal prize but if you lose, you still walk away a winner... If you lose you're able to choose a pin to take away. So in this sense, either way you're a winner. There's no bad angle when it comes to looking out Mount Prometheus. Mermaid Lagoon is still one of the coolest environs here. So cool! The Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka was unique and really delicious! I want this tateside. Neat to see this as a walkthrough scene as opposed to something passed in a ride. I could stay here all day!

I went to Freestyle Music Park the weekend after Michael Jackson passed away when they ran a promotion for $5 admission (as opposed to the normal $39.95 ticket price) and even with such a significantly reduced cost, the park couldn't have had more than 100 guests present throughout the day. It wasn't the brand or the ride lineup... It was the location, the cost of admission, the cost to operate the park and the lack of marketing that led to the park failing, twice. Six Flags would've been in the same boat, as Cedar Fair, Parques Reunidos or any other operator would have had.

WICKER MAN ANNOUNCED AS LATEST GROUNDBREAKING ROLLERCOASTER EXPERIENCE FROM ALTON TOWERS RESORT Following years in development, work is nearly complete on the globally unique rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire – due to open in Spring 2018 Wicker Man is the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire -incorporating a giant, flaming Wicker Man who stands six-stories high Wooden track will race through the flaming structure of the Wicker Man three times Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years, reconnecting riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters 8th January 2018: Alton Towers Resort has announced its latest ground-breaking thrill attraction set to open in Spring 2018 – Wicker Man. Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years and comes with a globally unique twist – bringing together wood and fire for the very first time. A Wicker Man structure standing at 57.57ft (17.55m) tall – the height of a six-storey building – will dominate the very centre of Alton Towers Resort, appearing to burst into flames as the wooden track races three separate times through the structure. The project, previously known as ‘SW8’*, is the latest in a series of mould-breaking ride launches from the Staffordshire theme park that have helped define the industry. A world class team of experts continue to work on the new attraction, led by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters. The safety of guests has been paramount in the design and build of Wicker Man, incorporating the latest in proven safety technology, rigorous testing and hundreds of training hours for ride operators. Bradley Wynne, Creative Lead at Alton Towers Resort commented: “We are delighted to finally be announcing Wicker Man as the latest ground-breaking thrill attraction from Alton Towers Resort for 2018. Guests will be ‘chosen’ to take part in a celebratory ‘rite of passage’ as they race through the flaming Wicker Man. “We hope visitors will be blown away by Wicker Man’s breath-taking scale whilst the primal essence of the wooden coaster and astonishing effects will leave them delighted, exhilarated and eager to ride again.” Visitors to Alton Towers Resort in 2018 will embark on a multi-sensory rite of passage, in which they’ll be drawn into the mysterious world of The Beornen, a shadowy group living in the woods surrounding the theme park. The first publicity pictures hinting at the nature of the forthcoming attraction include artwork created by globally-celebrated illustrator Kyle Lambert – known across the world as the artist behind the imagery for award-winning show Stranger Things, alongside other Hollywood movie work including Jurassic Park, Super 8 and Jumanji. Andy Hine MBE, Chairman of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain commented on the announcement saying: “We’ve been hoping that Alton Towers would invest in a wooden coaster for a long time, and we’re so pleased it’s finally coming with Wicker Man. GCI are known for building really exciting, smooth coasters, and this will be a great complement to the ‘Big Six’ steel rides already at the park. It’s a big investment which is great for thrill-seekers everywhere, and I for one can’t wait to ride it.” And new for 2018, guests can purchase their Alton Towers 2018 Season Pass for just £55 by visiting altontowers.com meaning customers can pay for a day, and come back all year. (Exclusions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found online.) Keep up to date on the latest Wicker Man details by visiting altontowers.com/wickerman or searching #WickerManRide across social media. Key Information Wicker Man is the latest ground-breaking rollercoaster experience from Alton Towers Resort The world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire Due to launch at the Staffordshire theme park in Spring 2018 The UK’s first new wooden coaster experience in 21 years, reconnecting riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters Riders must be at least 1.2m tall, the track is 2,028 ft. (618m) long Giant, flaming Wicker Man structure stands at six-storeys high (57.57ft / 17.55m) Wicker Man has been in development for more than four years World-class team constructing the ride lead by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters Alton Towers Resort has invested £16m into the creation of Wicker Man Launched with teaser artwork created by world-famous illustrator Kyle Lambert The latest in proven safety technology has been used, and rigorous testing is now taking place before launch Ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence By launch, more than 1,000 people will have worked on the unique project, the majority coming from the local area

https://www.worldsoffun.com/play/rides/timber-wolf

Check out these new photos of the Breakers Edge Water Coaster now under construction at Hersheypark!

^Such a shame... I can't think of many other coasters that have a comparable view. Nothing like covering it up with a VR headset.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/12/12-days-of-disney-parks-christmas-hong-kong-disneyland-castle-will-reach-new-heights-with-upcoming-transformation/

There aren't really any buildings that are Standing But Not Operating in Future World year round at the moment... Wonders of Life and Odyssey are both used regularly during the park's festivals (Food and Wine, Flower and Garden, Festival of the Arts and Festival of the Holidays) and they are often used as private event spaces. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (the Magic Eye Theater) is now operating daily as the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival (after its extended run of Captain EO concluded a few years ago).

^They are purchasing the entertainment elements of the company, save for a few sports broadcasting segments, so everything Fox licensed for this park would be under the Disney domain when the deal is done. I'd imagine they'll let this park run pretty loosely though because the deal was set up long before the Disney purchase, much like was done for IMG Worlds of Adventure with the Marvel section.

The Dr. Phillips Center has sent us a notice of the opening of the lottery ticket option for The Book of Mormon which will be performing this week in Orlando!

^^You don’t realize how many photos I accumulate between trips that have to be pared down for these reports... 7000 from the Shanghai/Tokyo honeymoon, close to 700 between the dessert party and closing night of Great Movie Ride and another couple hundred from this day that I was at Epcot... Plus a ton of other little visits and trips that I haven’t posted yet (like my Disneyland photos from the D23 Expo trip). Needless to say it takes some time while still juggling all of my other obligations to get these together but I’m glad to see you are enjoying the end result!

Thank you for sharing so much excellent photos of all of these parks throughout this fantastic thread! Seriously Chuck, I continue to live vicariously through your travels!

August 13th, 2017 saw the closure of Epcot's Universe of Energy (alongside the closure of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios) along with the opening of the new Mission: Space. The park is currently undergoing a multi-year transformation that will update the park with significant new attractions featuring popular characters in family-friendly experiences. The Universe of Energy opened with Epcot on October 1st, 1982 with the first-of-its kind traveling theater technology, one that was used only once more for The Great Movie Ride. The original version of the show (featuring a more educational approach) ran from 1982 until 1996 before Ellen's Energy Adventure took over the pavilion from 1996 to 2017. Ellen's Energy Adventure was another one of those often under-appreciated attractions. Many considered it to be unpopular due to the fact that it rarely had a wait time but that was attributed to the ride's insanely high capacity. The ride has since closed to be replaced by a new Guardians of the Galaxy-themed coaster but I figured I'd compile a few photos I took from the ride's last day of operation (as well as including a look at the new version of Mission: Space's Green Mission that opened that same day). The mirrored tile and solar panels of the Universe of Energy pavilion were always a notable statement for the building's design. Time's almost up... Vehicles moved in the rotating theaters in unison but dispatched in trains of two through the dinosaur portion of the ride. These two along with many other dinosaur animatronics throughout the ride were originally designed for the Ford Magic Skyway attraction at the 1964 World's Fair. Those animatronics were later relocated to Disneyland as a part of the Primeval World portion of the Disneyland Railroad. These same dinosaurs were built again for the Universe of Energy and the Primeval World portion of the Western River Railroad in Tokyo Disneyland. Jar Jar Binks? Dive! Bill! Dive! Bill! Dive! BILL! Einstein is nowhere, relatively speaking. The answer for Final Jeopardy. Just needed to figure out how to use this clicker-thingy. Alex Trebek: "Once again, the answer is: This is the one source of power that will never run out. Time's up, players. Let's see how well you did. Judy, we'll start with you. You wrote down ... nothing." Judy: "That's correct, Alex, because there is no answer." Alex Trebek: "Well, actually, you're wrong. Let's take a look at your wager. Oh, that's too bad. You risked everything you had, and that means you lose $17,800, and you wind up with nothing. Let's go down to Ellen now, and see what she came up with as the response to our Final Jeopardy clue. Ellen?" Ellen: "Uh, what is brain power, Alex?" Alex Trebek: "You are correct, and your wager? You too risked everything, but you double your score to $35,600. That makes you, Ellen, our new Jeopardy! champion. Congratulations." The pre-show carried the same multi-screen format as the ride films. I was always a fan of the writing and wit of the show. A dream sequence! Definitely old school Jeopardy! Alex Trebek, Stupid Judy, Albert Einstein and Stupid Ellen. (All character names from the ride's story.) The piggy bank? No, the BIG BANG! The reveal of the dinosaurs with the dramatic lighting against the mural walls of the pavilion's ride path were pretty excellent. Sunrise came quickly in this scene... Jeopardy! Announcer: "Be sure to join us tomorrow, as Jeopardy! dream sequence week continues." Ellen: "So, that's how I became an energy expert. Again, expert may not be the exact right word. More expertish. Anyway, I've gotta go. LOOK OUT FOR THE DINOSAUR! Ha ha ha, kidding. I'm a kidder. Bye bye now." One final look at the Universe of Energy building... It will look considerably different when the pavilion opens with the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Over at Mission: Space the attraction reopened from a brief refurbishment with a new Green Mission film, a reanimated Orange Mission film and an entirely new set of pre-shows. Here is the new logo for the Green Mission that includes an orbit of Earth. Here is the Orange Mission logo, with this mission still sending guests to Mars. The queue has been updated slightly with some new imagery... As well as updated entrances for each of the missions. A look at the Green Mission entrance. There's a new Capcom which sadly means, no more Gary Sinese... Or rather, almost no more Gary Sinese. There is still a reference to lunar orbital insertion. The new Green Mission, less-intense ride experience has been designed to be more accessible to younger guests and new booster seats have been designed to allow the youngest guests reaching the new minimum height restriction to ride. In a few moments of the pre-show experiences some of the original animation from the attraction can be seen (along with a watermark in the bottom right hand corner of the archived video that features the Horizons logo). There's a new Flight Commander too. As well as a new pre-boarding video for the Green Mission side, now instructing guests on how to use the new booster seats on the ride. During your flight around Earth you see the Aurora Borealis. And as you approach your return to Florida, you can see a hurricane in the gulf. Still not as smooth a landing as intended... But congratulations, you made it!

Glad you enjoyed this update! And good catch! I meant to say that the grotto is found in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland but not the Magic Kingdom in Florida!

This park really looks incredible! I've always wondered why an indoor park of this size hasn't been attempted in the states (especially in a market that the elements can be a problem, like Florida). It looks like they've done incredible things with the Marvel brand and it is so cool to see a Falcon's Treehouse CircuMotion Theater actually installed in a park with a such a great IP! Thank you for such an excellent report on this place--I'm not sure when or if I'll ever get out to the UAE myself, so I live vicariously through these reports. I'm eager to see IMG Worlds succeed, especially knowing they plan to expand with a second adjacent park.