CoasterRadio.com #519 - The Best Money You've Spent

After you add up the price of admission, parking, food, drink and souvenirs, the cost of going to a theme park can be substantial.

Especially, if you're a family!

But there are some things that we buy at the parks that are totally worth the price.

On this week's show, we hear from listeners all over the world who tell us about the best money they've spent at the parks.

We'll talk about VIP Experiences, Front of the Line Passes, Disney Trading Pins, Upcharge Attractions and a lot more.

We also have news about our Listener Question Show which we will record on Tuesday, March 8th at 9:30pm est.  We'll have all the details about how you can call in to the show with your questions LIVE!

We'll also have an update on the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest and an update on the NPH Project!

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Walt Disney World should get "Lost"

I just finished watching a new episode of "Lost" on ABC and it got me thinking....

If Disney can shell out the big bucks to create an "American Idol" attraction (which airs on a rival network), why not take one of the biggest hits from its own network and turn it into something HUGE for their theme parks.

Then it hit me... the perfect idea!

Years ago, Disney was talking with the creators of the MYST video game series about creating an immersive and interactive environment for guests to explore. They even had a location picked out.

They were planning to create this MYST universe on Discovery Island, which is an 11½-acre island in Bay Lake at Walt Disney World. It originally opened as "Treasure Island" in 1974, and was a place where guests could observe different kids of animals. It was closed in 1999, when all of the wildlife were moved to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Today, this island sits unused just waiting for an idea to bring it back to life. How awesome would it be to take the myth, storyline and legend of "Lost" and set it loose on Discovery Island?

Guests could be brought onto the island in groups of 10 to 15. They could start off on the beach, where the wreckage of Oceanic 815 would still be sitting there. Clues would lead the group to The Hatch, where they might find a cast member frantically entering the code 4 8 15 16 23 42 into a 1980's computer.

The adventure might take a dangerous turn, when the group comes across the camp of "The Others". The ideas could go on and on.

Technically, this would be more of a show than a traditional attraction... so the capacity would have to be capped at a certain number each day. That would mean the admission fee would be close to what you'd pay to enter the Magic Kingdom.

A good model to go by would be The Tomb at 5-Wits. Check out the FAQ for this attraction to get an idea of how the Lost Island could work.

I know that there are a lot of problems with this idea... especially the fact that the show ends in three years. But I really like the idea of an "adventure island" where a group of strangers need to work as a team to solve a mystery.

Do you think an idea like this could work? Join the discussion in the CoasterRadio.com forums!