jedimaster1227

Last night Theme Park Review was invited to a media preview for Halloween Horror Nights 24, including a great overview of this year's event, a look at new costumes and decor and a full experience of the event's Halloween maze. Building on the success of past years, Halloween Horror Nights 24 will feature five IP-based houses, three original concept houses and four scare zones--two original concepts and two intellectual properties used as a base for these. There was no word given yet on if the Legendary Truth interactive game will return for the event. Thanks to the promotional tie-ins between Face Off and Halloween Horror Nights this year including a new scare zone, two former contestants from the show were present for the media preview. The night's event concluded with a full experience of Halloween, a live re-telling of Michael Myers' original assault on the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Living up to previous years' houses, there are plenty of scares in this true-to-film recreation of John Carpenter's essential horror flick. There's even some hidden tributes to the franchises' lore, including a quick commercial for Silver Shamrock masks, the catalyst for some messed up happenings in Halloween III: Season of the Witch! And we're back for another look into this year's latest horrors at Halloween Horror Nights 24! Always fun to see this marquee for us! It wouldn't be Halloween Horror Nights without Michael Aiello on stage to share exciting details about the event! Halloween Horror Nights turns out to be Michael Aiello's favorite time of year--go figure! Universal created a great lineup of displays showing off the year's houses and scare zones. Dollhouse of the Damned looks like it'll be especially creepy! Maskerade Unstitched will be one of four new scare zones found during the event. Hello! They had to censor the bar's full name, but fans of the films or show will know what this is meant to be called. The Alien vs. Predator setup teased Alien puppets but nothing was shown during our visit. Banks & Robb fully approve of the costumes for the From Dusk To Dawn maze! Face Off from SyFy will be featured at Halloween Horror Nights with designed by the contestants (and one winner) from several of these show 4. More displays too ogle over! Ready to get "Gore-ified!" Going under the knife! The finished product! I fit right in... Looks so awesome! Here are Doc and Eric, former Face Off contestants from Season 7 and Season 3 (respectively) with their work-in-progress character that will be seen in the Face Off scare zone. An inside look at Halloween, with Michael Myers in action! Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. Beware the moon! What happened after we visited Michael Myers. What a tense night! In all seriousness, this was another great event from the Universal Orlando Resort and a great look at what is still to come for Halloween Horror Nights 24. We can't wait to see what comes next for Halloween Horror Nights and with the event starting in less than two weeks, the wait is almost over. Special thanks to the Universal Orlando Resort for hosting us once again! A peek at the detail going in to Giggles & Gore, Inc. This puppet from Dollhouse of the Damned looks quite familiar... I believe he's from Dead Silence!

Hersheypark has sent us a press release about their latest honor, this time from USA Today!

Polin has sent us a press release regarding the success of Aqua Magica, also providing a good look at the completed property.

Canobie Lake Park has sent us a press release regarding their offerings for the Fall season.

It looks like a pretty ambitious plan given the region's history with getting entertainment complexes of this scope off of the ground. It'll be interesting to see if this one pans out...

Holiday World has sent us a press release about their latest honors at this year's Golden Ticket Awards.

You can check anytime you like but you can never leave. Looks like another fun event at Busch Gardens Chuck! I really miss this park and your awesome reports aren't helping me in dealing with my six year withdrawal!

(Continued) Such a fun ride! The Three-Cheese Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans is a winner! Time to see Fantasmic! again! Still so awesome! Nothing like the original thing. It's huge! Some close ups from my special viewing location... Here's another . Love this! It was also a great view for the fireworks! I love that they still feature local bands on the Tomorrowland Terrace stage after all these years! I told you, I rode Space Mountain a lot during this trip! And Buzz Lightyear too... A hidden gem location behind Sleeping Beauty Castle! So beautiful at night! Just wish I could have seen Light Magic run down this street. There's something very beautiful about this. Ever burning... Classic. Such a fantastic queue and exit line for Radiator Springs Racers. They really did an incredible job bringing Cars Land to life! Seriously unreal. It just looks so grand! This cracks me up... I'm so easily amused! I used to love the look of the Sun Wheel... California Screamin' is still silky smooth! Launch time! Here we go!!! Twisty!!! Here we go! I love this motion over the Boardwalk. The money shot. Seriously my favorite view of the ride... Hiya Donald! I love the new look of the Pacific Wharf! Went back for more... Always have to visit the original Enchanted Tiki Room while in town. Time for more All-American College Band fun! And more Space Mountain! It is a little know fact that at the end of the ASIMO presentation in Innoventions, Nick Fury appears from out of the shadows to recruit him for the Avengers Initiative. Wrapping up the Disneyland portion of the trip in the perfect way... Uh-Oa!!! FIRE!!! Such a neat effect! This flatbread was awesome! The shrimp tacos were pretty solid too! It's raining! Pay no attention to the man holding a squirt bottle! The fried long beans are incredible! Navy Grog is the best drink you can order from the "hidden menu" at Trader Sam's... It gets the job done. And one last Krakatoa Punch for the road before heading home to Florida... To catch a cruise on the Disney Dream! Photos from that coming up soon!

(Continued) Still cool after all these years! Love this ride! The Pixar Play Parade still rocks the route at California Adventure! Love this! Disney detail. Still fun after all these years. FIRE! Fans of Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park will recognize the design of most of the characters in the Pixar Play Parade as they are copies of the ones used in the show in Florida, though some are mounted to floats, like Crush here. That Tinker Toy is still the most evily-awesome parade contraption ever! Back again... Stopped by the Mad T Party for old time's sake. I still miss Flynn's Arcade. Went to Wine Country Trattoria for the World of Color Dinner Package and got my favorite lamb shank again! The dessers here are great too! Sure, we got soaked for it, but standing at the absolute front of the lowest tier on the water for the Paradise Bay viewing area was worth it. The view is killer! Seriously perfect! So much for me to gush over with this show! Still one of my favorite effects! The giddy fan in me flips out every time I see The Old Mill segment. Still my favorite. And I got soaked for it, but I have no regrets! Annual tradition photo! Hiya Squirt! Because I love my camera... Time to ogle over Cars Land at night... Such awe. So wow. Many awesome! So much neon! Still a fun little gag! I love this park so much! So perfect! Rock Candy Moutain tribute! Guess who's coming here soon? Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is coming to Disnet California Adventure! Frozen Pre-Parade before Soundsational... I stare at this a lot. Time to enjoy the splendor that is ASIMO! He's peer into your soul thru the internet. He's the latest in a long line of robotic beings that will eventually lead to humanity's downfall. He can stand on one foot. And annihilate humanity. Just kidding! So... New Orleans Square. Everyone's been up in arms over the Club 33 expansion visibly altering the place too much. But I'll be honest... I barely noticed a difference as a fan. I doubt the general public would even know at this point that anything ever changed. The Court of Angels is now a part of the main entrance of the new Club 33. This is the new entryway to the club. Here's the buzzer. Here's some glasses. You can now see into the club along this pathway, but I think it is still pretty subtle. The old entrance remains for historic value. Pirate Red has been retained! I love this version of Big Thunder Mountain! Neat new shout outs to the other parks!

(Continued) I never get tired of seeing this! Autopia... Not my favorite attraction but still unique. A tribute to Midget Autopia... Off-road! Yes. I have a mild obsession with the Rocket Rods track. Heaven. I love this place so much! The pupu platter is always a winner in my book! Radiator Springs Racers continues to hold a spot as one of my favorite Disney attractions anywhere. A new interactive game has been added to Mickey's Fun Wheel as a preshow for World of Color... It is like a giant game of "Simon" played on mobile phones and the winner of each set of rounds gets to control the lighting on the wheel for sixty seconds! Pretty awesome if you ask me! I'd trade much of Walt Disney World just to have Paradise Pier in Florida. Prepare for my fandom... Fandom... I love this show. So freaking much! Subtle sorcerer's hat! So neat! FIRE!!! Still my favorite thing ever. Always worth a visit to see Mickey and the Magical Map! Air Louie comin' at ya! Avenger-ventions. Iron Man's Hall of Armor still looks awesome! Disneyland's oldest cast member. ...Yeah. I never get tired of seeing the Disneyland All-American College Band perform! Time for more foodgasms at the Carthay Circle Restaurant! Let's start with the sriracha-lime glazed duck wings! And the Carthay House Biscuits never fail to impress! The Miso Salmon is still one of the best I've ever had. This lamb was SUPERB! This atrium. So incredible! Love this! Tried the Fantasmic! Dessert Package for the first time and really enjoyed it! It gave a great view too! I'm finally going to admit it... I think I finally like Disneyland's Fantasmic! better than the version at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Still a cool effect. This wins it all. Love this! I went on Space Mountain a lot during this trip! Really, a lot! Noticed this window for the first time when walkin' right down the middle of Mainstreet USA. Love this little story detail at the exit of Toy Story Mania... Mickey's Fun Wheel is another favorite of mine! The BEST! Hilarious! Another hidden gem in this park. Boiler man makes me smile. I forgot how much I enjoy California Adventure's Tower of Terror. It isn't Tokyo's or Florida's but it is still VERY fun!

Six Flags has teased each RMC project as if they were total removals of the ride that was there before, and each time, in theory they were removed, but rather updated. There's nothing saying that Cedar Point couldn't be doing the same thing with this announcement. Mantis as we know it may be going away, but there's nothing saying that the structure and track may not remain for whatever comes next. Let's wait until official details are released before we rule out anything.

It's been up for discussion for a while but that listing and photo is believed to be of Twist and Shout from Loudoun Castle, a clone of Scorpion but definitely not Scorpion. Notice in the photo that there is shrubbery and trees throughout the layout, something that Scorpion distinctly lacks.

The Cannery Row Caper will close on September 1st, 2014 to make way for a new Clyde and Seamore show in 2015!

^I'm guessing no one will hear about 2015 at least until after Howl-O-Scream is over, if not until after the New Year.

B&M had a reputation for building popular, reliable coasters that last a long time without needing major offseason work. Islands of Adventure along with all of the other Central Florida parks operate year round, so the park needed signature coasters that could run for years without major track maintenance required (these parks refurbish one train at a time throughout the year so as to not impact the overall operation). B&M was also willing to let Universal design their launch system in-house and install it in the hollow sections of the launch track that B&M produced. Some other ride manufacturers have had issues with arrangements like these, where the park modifies the ride beyond the delivered specifications of the manufacturer and accidents happen (i.e. Intamin and California Screamin'). I'd also imagine that cost played a major factor in determining which manufacturer would deliver the ride. Universal was already buying two custom inverted coasters from B&M for Dueling Dragons, so it was probable that there was some kind of benefit to buying a third coaster from the manufacturer.

I've never been a huge fan of Old Town. To me it felt dated during the day, and almost unsafe in the evening. Here's hoping the new developments clean up the place and give it a more modern purpose. Fun Spot has the attractions covered next door, so Old Town should really focus on food and entertainment at this point. Rebranding might not hurt either...

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure of experience the one time only (reportedly) extra ticket Villains Unleashed event at Disney's Hollywood Studios. For just one night (supposedly), the park was taken over by fifty Disney villains (Star Wars included), with lots of meet and greets, special entertainment and an overall villainous atmosphere that certainly made it a memorable event... I'm here! These credentials taste delicious! And they're more of a keepsake than the typical extra ticket event wristbands... Hmm... Where could this frog be? The main event stage was dressed up for Villains Unleashed. [vine] [/vine] There was no shortage of fire during the event's kickoff show. Something else that's hot... ... The kickoff show actually counted down the attendance of all fifty villains at the night's event. The Evil Queen arrived, before transforming with a neat effect... This ridiculously awesome effect to be exact. Bowler Hat Guy! Dr. Hamsterviel and Gantu made their debut in the United States for Villains Unleashed. These characters had only previously been found at Hong Kong Disneyland. No villain's as great as Gaston. STROMBOLI!!! The hyena trio from The Lion King. The Queen of Hearts made an awesome entrance with falling heart confetti. Shan Yu from Mulan appeared on stage, bringing falling snow with him. Oogie Boogie is here!!! Time for some synergistic efforts. And more fire! Maleficent had a special message to share with guests that she would be hosting the Villainy in the Sky fireworks later that evening. Speaking of Maleficent... She's transformed into a cupcake! And in other news, I devoured that cupcake. Throughout the night, villains roamed the park. He's Claude Frollo en route to his next appointment of evil. So I spent much of my evening waiting to meet Constantine. For those of you that don't know, Constantine is the World's Most Wanted Frog, featured most recently in The Muppets Most Wanted. I was really excited for this meet and greet for a few reasons... 1.) This is the first to-scale Muppet meet and greet done in the parks, as far as I know. 2.) Mike Vogel, the voice and puppeteer of Constantine from the film was actually puppeteering and voicing behind the scenes of this meet and greet. In other words, I was meeting THE REAL Constantine! Time to check out the Gulag! Seriously worth every minute I waited... All 180 of them. SO WORTH IT!!! [vine]https://vine.co/v/ML27KravM6p[/vine] Over in the Theater of the Stars (normally home to Beauty and the Beast), was Oogie Boogie's Freaky Funhouse Show, a collection of variety acts with a spooky twist... There was this wacky guy... He liked to scratch his insides with metal implements. Oogie seemed amused by my beating around the bush on that explanation of what went on above. Any crossbow fans reading this? Pierce your heart and hope to die? There's fire. You've got my attention. Fire dancers! Also fire eaters. Dance routines too! Interestingly enough, there was the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Tape Dance Party... [vine] [/vine] Which was really a chance to let Disney flex their Marvel muscles with the first ever live-character appearances of Star-Lord and Gamora from the film Guardians of the Galaxy. That's right folks! Marvel characters in a Disney park... In Florida! It's just awesome! Before the fireworks began, Hades took to the stage to rock his face off! But enough about that... It's time for more fire! Or fireworks... Lots of red in the sky, considering this is a villains-inspired show. This was neat to see as well! Hades said "peace" and the night was over... But not before we were given lots of goodies, including autograph cards for all of the villains, Ghirardelli chocolates, Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent buttons and a free download of Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles! I really had a fantastic time at Villains Unleashed! I waited for the things I wanted to and felt thst everything I waited for was more than worth it! I saw some fantastic entertainment, met THE Constantine (in every sense), had great snacks and drinks and enjoyed another memorable event in the park. Needless to say, I feel like I got my value out of my admission! Here's hoping the event comes back next year in an even bigger, better form!

Today I had the chance to experience Falcon's Fury during a soft opening at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! Needless to say, this ride delivers all the Intamin "good feelies" you'd expect and more. The total ride experience is extremely quick paced and the 90-degrees-face-down element adds an extra thrill to make this the best drop tower I've ever ridden. Pantopia has really livened up the former Timbuktu area and the new food and beverage options really bring it up to the standard of the rest of the park's recently-updated realms. And we're back! Falcon's Fury looks great while testing... No water dummies means there's a chance I'll get to ride... LENS FLARE!!! The money shot. For you drop tower enthusiasts. And one more. Looks awesome from the ground! Me: "I'm gonna be one of the first guests to ride today!" Everyone else: "Why does this guy keep taking wacky-thumbs-up photos?" For the Park Index... The true hallmark of progress! A very nice marquee! The hand-painted elements on the drop tower look fantastic! Up they go! Pure glimpses of fun in the making... Mission Accomplished! Park executives like Mark Rose, VP of Engineering took a moment to ride the ride. Lots of great expressions! Hold on tight! Many smiles here! So many photogenic views of this ride. I was practically speechless after my first ride. Time to go again! Here I am holding on for dear life... And holding... And falling... And landing. Such a winner! The rest of Pantopia is now complete. Here's the other reason I visited the park today... Getting warmer... These neat souvenir cups feature a ride vehicle look-alike that you can slide up and down the tower. This is why I was really here. The Bacon Pretzel Fury is a winner of a food option in the park. Remember Akbar from Akbar's Adventure Tours? He now owns this shop in Pantopia. So many things are new to Pantopia since my last visit. They've got Dippin' Dots! Dragon Fire has been added to the side of the Pantopia Grill. Looks great! Good 'ol Scorpion is still here! The new cover design on the carousel is finished. The games area has been revamped as well. I sense a unifying theme here... The Pantopia Theater hosts a new live-action show... Opening Night Critters! An old game stand has been converted into a kettle corn station. Several additional food and beverage items have been added to this side of Pantopia. All the ICEES! All the things! Added layers of detail... The Phoenix received a new paint job to blend in better with Pantopia. Akbar's shop! Must resist the urge to buy! Very nice! Falcon's Fury has been integrated into the design... There's a Spice & Tea Exchange in this shop now. Souvenir! And we close with a sneak peek at one of the new Howl-O-Scream houses coming to the event next month...

Hey everybody! This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Legoland New York, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy! --Robb _____________________________________________________ 2014 August 20th, 2014 - Merlin considering a New York-based LEGOLAND park (see below) 2018 August 22nd, 2018 - Eight themed lands announced, park opens in 2020! 2019 October 22nd, 2019 - Grand opening date set for Fourth of July 2020! 2020 November 2nd, 2020 - Construction update posted! 2024 February 15th, 2024 - The "Minifigure Skyflyer" attraction announced! _____________________________________________________ Original Post: http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/haverstraw/2014/08/16/legoland-may-com-thiells/14138605/

In keeping up with my annual tradition, I made a short trip out to the Disneyland Resort this year, but took it a step further with a back-to-back vacation on the Disney Dream as soon as I returned from California! As I'm sure you've expected, I geeked out on both legs of the trip, ate lots of food and took a ton of photos (over 3000 actually). I'm happy to say I whittled those photos down for you quite a bit, but I'll start up this year's report with a look at our first day and a half of fun at Disneyland... Isn't it funny how Paradise Pier has become the place that I always go to first when I get to the Disneyland Resort? Maybe this is why... Lobster Nachos! It's great to be back! Still finding new details to love in Cars Land. Luigi's Flying Tires continues to be one of my favorite attractions at the resort. It is simple and fun but it really gets me each time. It's no Captain EO, but I seriously loved the Guardians of the Galaxy extended preview in the Magic Eye Theater. Neat to see a Frankenweenie tie-in added to the Haunted Mansion queue... This. This gets me. The monster in me has returned. Yes, I am that addicted to Mint Juleps. The Conquest of the Planet of the Mint Juleps has begun! He's probably just getting gorgeously tanned in Summer... Still doesn't make any sense to me. Hunny is one strong hallucinogen. Do you wanna eat a snowman? HOME!!! Stand back! Well, this is new. Man, I love this place. First Space Mountain ride of the trip! This portion of Paradise Pier really isn't any worse off without the Maliboomer... You might even say it is better. I love the Golden Zephyr. Seriously, seriously love this ride. I always forget that the monorail passes through the main entrance of Soarin' over California. Very different from Florida's inside. Well, this is new... Thankfully, this is virtually the same. "You are with Sigourney Weaver aboard the Spaceship NOSTROMO." Yeah, these are brilliant too. I can stare at this mountain range all day long. Much detail. So water. Many wow. I can never get enough of Radiator Springs Racers! Love this ride! LOVE IT! Where could I be now? This always amuses me at the Boudin Bakery Tour. What have we here? OMG YES!!!! Since we were already here... That is the best looking Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich I've ever seen! The Jolly Holiday Combo for the win at the Jolly Holiday Bakery! Cone you believe I'm here AGAIN? This is also known as a "Handwich." I had to try this. I was so eager to try it that I didn't wait to eat half before I realized I hadn't grabbed a photo. It was pretty solid. Not Corn Dog Castle-level, but solid. So then this happened... Take the Tunnel!!! It feels so awesome to still be able to sit in the front cab of the monorail here. The views are incredible! It was a real bummer that the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was closed for refurbishment during this visit, but I'm glad to know it will be re-opening later this year, contrary to popular rumors. Progress! Look at this! If only a train had passed by... An awesome start to an incredible set of trips!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-seaworld-ceo-jim-atchison-20140819,0,373725.story

^^The four floats in the Festival of the Lion King were actually brought in from Disneyland, as they were previously used in The Lion King Celebration Parade.