jedimaster1227

Legoland California has sent us a press release announcing two new additions for 2015 at the park!

The track definitely does cut through the pretzel loop.

Looks like a fun ride! I was genuinely surprised that there weren't any major theme parks in Ireland... I'm glad to see that this is being built--a step in the right direction.

Here are the menus (with the exception of dessert) for the restaurant, pricing included. Cowfish Food Menu Cowfish Beverage Menu This is the last phase of the originally announced expansion to CityWalk but it is expected that a second batch of projects are to begin soon. NASCAR Grille ceased operation on November 1st, and NBA City is expected to follow soon. It has also been rumored in the past that The Groove, Big Kahuna Pizza (which is rarely open anyways) and possibly Red Coconut and Rising Star may see changes in the near future.

Yesterday I had the chance to visit The Cowfish at CityWalk for its first night of soft openings. I've been anticipating this moment since the day the CityWalk expansion was first announced back in 2012! For those of you not familiar with the concept (I wasn't when it was first announced), The Cowfish is an up-and-coming chain of restaurants focused on high quality burgers, sushi and a unique combination of the two foods known as Burgushi. Seeing as both types of foods are some of my favorites, I knew that it was likely that this unique marriage would appeal to me, as it will with many guests. Yesterday's dinner certainly proved my theory and solidified The Cowfish as my new favorite eatery among tough competition from Universal's recently opened concepts, Antojitos and Vivo, along with my longtime favorites, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Margaritaville. Cowfish Food Menu Cowfish Beverage Menu The restaurant has three floors and on the third floor in the glass room seen from outside is a set of small tables with an amazing view. We were lucky enough to get one of them! I am so freaking stoked! How good is the view you ask? Pretty amazing considering you can see most of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure from the table! Is this real life? We started with the highly-recommended Crab Rangoon Dip. This dish is basically a deconstructed presentation of a traditional Crab Rangoon, with the filling being served as a dip, the wonton wrappers being served as light wonton chips and the sweet Thai chili sauce being drizzled over the wontons instead of being served in a dipping bowl. We really loved this one! We tried two burgers on the recommendation of our server. The first was The Texas Longhorn, a more traditional burger with cheddar cheese, jalapeño bacon, barbecue sauce and onion strings. It was really a fantastic burger! Always one to try more unique burgers when I have the chance, I opted for the Black Truffle Cheeseburger. This thing was INDULGENT! It is served with black truffle cheese, sautéed mushrooms, roasted garlic aioli and sliced shallots. I very highly recommend this if you're going for a rich, heavy burger! The side of seaweed salad was great too--one of the best I've ever had outside of Japan! I had to try at least one Burgushi item on the menu for my first visit so I decided to go big and order The Prime Time Roll. This is a lobster-filled sushi roll with thin slices of seared rare filet mignon wrapped around the sticky rice, drizzled with spicy mayo, topped with pan-fried portobello mushroom slices tossed in truffle oil and green onions and served with a side of pounded ginger sauce. This thing was incredible and easily one of the best (and most unique) rolls I've ever had in my life! Another signature offering at The Cowfish is their list of "Spiked Shakes." We tried the "Chocolate "To Dive For"", which featured amaretto liqueur, Godiva liqueur, vanilla ice cream, malt and shaved chocolate. This thing was KILLER! To wrap up our meal we had the "East West," described as key lime and mandarin cheesecake jumbo size with an Oreo cookie crust and vanilla ice cream. This was probably the most mild (read: ordinary) thing we had the entire night. It wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't wow us like everything else we tried this evening. Time to take a look around the restaurant... Presented without comment. The bar on the second floor... Really neat decor inside! The outside bar on the second floor (opposite the Red Coconut Club) features for hole for those in the mood. The moment is finally here! Getting closer! CLOSER! I seriously loved our meal at The Cowfish and will be returning frequently to try as many new menu items as I possibly can! Thanks to everyone at The Cowfish for making this such a great first experience! The Cowfish has taken its rightful place among a growing list of fantastic dining venues at Universal Orlando's CityWalk. Come check it out ASAP and get your Burgushi on!

Fixed.

Gröna Lund has sent us a press release announcing their newest attraction, billed as their scariest attraction ever!

'Frozen' attraction to open at Tokyo Disney Resort New "Port" added to Tokyo DisneySea Fantasyland to be expanded to double the size The press releases below are a little vague. Here is what we know so far: - New Frozen ride that will be added to one of the two parks. It's not been announced, but its suggested it may be going to DisneySea in a whole new area with the look at feel of Arendelle. Given Tokyo DisneySea's "water" theme, this might make a lot of sense. - Tomorrowland attractions Autopia & Sky jets will close to make room for New Fantasyland expansion. - There appears to be some sort of Alice in Wonderland attraction or expanded area near the current restaurant. - Small World is to be moved, perhaps in the area currently occupied by Autopia. (I can't imagine them removing this attraction entirely.) - Dumbo will be moved and the new version looks more like the current Walt Disney World version. - There appears to be an emphasis on Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty based on the artwork. (Again, nothing has been officially announced.) - The press release mentions "development of hardware that will enhance the Guest experience in the Parks." Could this be something similar to MyMagic+ or FastPass+? http://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Frozen-attraction-to-open-at-Tokyo-Disney-Resort http://www.olc.co.jp/en/news/olcgroup/20141030_05e.pdf

Dubai Parks and Resorts LLC has sent us a press release about one of the resort's themed hotels, the Lapita Hotel.

^^I've done the World of Color dinner package at all three locations (though the Ariel's Grotto package has changed significantly since I first experienced it) and I find their value to be significant. I typically do lunch or dinner at Carthay Circle Restaurant, with the benefit there being that it is not a prix fixe menu, meaning that you can order as much from the amazing menu as you want (i.e. duck wings, house biscuits, etc...). You simply have to order an appetizer and an entree or an entree and a dessert to qualify. I do love Wine Country Trattoria's prix fixe menu though. The salad and the lamb shank are both top notch (though be advised, these items are semi-prepared before you order. The viewing locations are all top notch--I highly recommend the absolute front of the Paradise Bay viewing area if you don't mind getting soaked. There's nothing quite like standing underneath a towering wall of color and water, even if seconds later it falls almost entirely on top of you.

^I wasn't kidding about them being better off closing if Six Flags were to buy them.

^The parks would be better off closing.

Sounds like an interesting ride in the making! I'll be curious to see just what it looks like when track construction begins.

Honestly, that concept art looks pretty awesome. I love when parks go the extra mile for storytelling, and having new artwork commissioned for this Halloween event, purely for the sake of the story. I love the steampunk theme, but I could totally see that clown concept being built just the same.

Silver Dollar City has sent us a press release regarding this year's holiday offerings! Silver Dollar City also sent us a press release for the holiday showings aboad The Showboat Branson Belle!

http://www.theboathouseorlando.com

^^I wouldn't hold my breath on it going to Darien Lake. You'd be holding your breath for a very long time...

Dubai Parks and Resorts had sent us a press release regarding the inclusion of Bollywood ParksTM Dubai in their overall resort complex.

I love the giant Golden Horse Rides banner on top of the knockoff S&S combo tower!

http://investors.sixflags.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61629&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1979998 http://investors.sixflags.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61629&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1979989

It is always a possibility for a new company to be formed to run the park (like with Kentucky Kingdom), but it seems more likely that a chain with growth potential like Herschend Family Entertainment would pick up the more developed parks with Elitch Gardens, Magic Springs and Darien Lake coming to mind. Some of the smaller waterparks are definitely a possibility for independent operation. But I think a lot will depend on the desirability of the business' acquisition. Does a park make enough money to not only take on (with whatever baggage it might have, be it financial, staffing, maintenance, etc) but to invest in with the significant chance of financial return? Even the largest chains undergo major developments to prep for changing of ownership/management. The SeaWorld Parks got rid of their free beer, shuttered their Clydesdale Barns and had to renegotiate the rights to continue using the name Busch Gardens, selling Busch beers and continuing to offer the established Military/Veteran ticket programs that had been staples for the parks for years. The parks also changed many of their facilities' names and uses to maximize profitability and reduce the need for licensed trademarks in the parks (Seafire Pizza is a great example of this at SeaWorld Orlando). All of these motions were made in an effort to maximize profitability and reduce the workload that prospective buyers for the chain (there were several interested parties) would have to assume were they to buy the parks and operate them.

^That's what I figured. Likely in the Sesame Street theater, right?