Thursday, January 12, 2012

CoasterRadio.com #615 - The Mysteries of Universal Orlando

Among theme park fans, one of the most talked about locations over the past several years has been Universal Orlando.

Year after year, they blow people away with their incredibly detailed and truly scary (and fun) "Halloween Horror Nights."

They really turned people's heads when they unleashed the incredibly awesome "Spiderman" attraction on the world.  Some people claim that ride hasn't been topped yet.

Then, they shocked the world when they announced plans to build "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter."  What was even more amazing is that the new land and it's attractions actually lived up to the anticipation and the hype.

Most recently, they closed "Jaws", one of their original opening day rides and perhaps their most iconic attraction.  That lead to speculation and some controversial reporting on what might possibly replace the gigantic Amity area.

To make sense of all of this, we welcome Seth Kubersky back to the show. He is the author of "Universal Studios 2012: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park."

We'll talk about the recent closure of "Jaws" and what the attraction has meant to the park's history.  We'll also talk about what it was like to be at the attraction on it's closing night.

We'll also discuss its rumored replacement.

Seth will give us a breakdown about the possibility of a new Harry Potter themed area in Universal Studios Florida and a new thrill attraction that would be unlike anything we have ever seen at a park before.

Fascinating stuff! 

Plus, EB and Mike announce a fun new project for all you romantics out there.

The Valentine's Day Charity Song Auction gives listeners an opportunity to bid on an original love song that will be written especially for that special someone in your life.

And, the best part is that all of the money raised will go to the winner's favorite charity.

Check out our link on the CoasterRadio.com Blog for more info on how to bid!


LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Direct Podcast Link
Or you can listen online by using the podcast player on the right hand side of this page. 

Talk about this episode by leaving a comment here on the blog.

2 comments:

BJ Wanlund said...

Here are my thoughts on this week's show, in order of appearance:

1) How did you manage to NOT make a seriously easy Ghostbusters reference when talking about love being in the air?? (I'm specifically thinking about the "cats and dogs living together... it's mass hysteria!" line)

2) I can't wait to read Universal Orlando 2012 (and it's now in the iTunes book store, so I'm in good shape there).

3) Harsh words from Seth Kubersky on the handling of the Jaws closure, but he hit the nail squarely on the head.

4) BTW, I was intrigued by the discussion of what would go in to replace Jaws. Not sure I believe it, but I'm squarely in the "I'll give Universal and J.K. Rowling the benefit of the doubt" camp.

BJ

Seth Kubersky said...

Big thank you to Mike & EB for having me on, hope they'll have me back for more speculation and rumor-mongering ;-)

For anyone who wants to read for themselves the patents referred to during the interview, look up US Patent #7484460 here:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=39qzAAAAEBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=7484460&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3GwQT6O8OY_XtweEpa2MAg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA

When you're done reading that, check out the other patents that Scott Trowbridge filed for Universal just before moving to Disney's Imagineering:
http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=pts&hl=en&q=ininventor:%22Scott+R.+Trowbridge%22

PS BJ, I'm so embarrassed I missed an opportunity to quote Ghostbusters, my inner Egon is terribly ashamed...






All Original Content Copyright 2005-2016 - Lift Hill Media, LLC