CoasterRadio.com #646 - Disney Super-Stereo On-Ride Audio

When you're riding a really good theme park attraction, it's a true treat for the senses.

You're being bombarded with visual imagery, scents, tactile sensations and immersive soundtracks.

On this week's episode of the Original Theme Park Podcast, we're going isolate one of those senses and focus on what you hear when riding some of the world's best theme park attractions.

You'll want to grab a pair of stereo headphones, because we're going to put you right in the middle of four of the most popular rides at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Once you don your headsets, you'll feel like you're in the creaky old elevator at the Hollywood Tower Hotel aboard "Tower of Terror."

Then, we'll strap you into a handglider as you fly over some of  California's greatest landmarks in "Soarin'"

Next, we'll travel with C-3PO and R2-D2 aboard "Star Tours" Flight 1401 as we are persued by Darth Vader and Jango Fett.

Finally, we'll take a ride on "Pirates of the Caribbean" at the Magic Kingdom and hear how the Imagineers seamless blended music and sound effects as we travel from scene to scene.

We'll also have a "Live Trip Report" from Knotts Berry Farm, plus a whole lot more!

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CoasterRadio.com #640 - Denise, Stacey and the Orange Shirt Girl

A favorite spot for a solo traveler.

Last summer, we sponsored a contest here at CoasterRadio.com where we would give the lucky winner a chance to produce an entire episode of the show.

We were so excited about everyone's ideas... we chose four winners!

Back in February, Tom from Louisville did a great job producing his episode... "The Live Trip Report Show."

This week, the second of those winners is stepping up to the plate to see if she has what it takes to live up to the pressure of producing a crazy podcast like this.

Stacey and Walt

This week, Mike and EB are joined by Denise from Virginia along with Stacey from Michigan.  The two will give the female perspective on going to Walt Disney World alone.

The girls will talk about everything from dining and riding alone to possibly getting hit on by the International Cast Members at EPCOT.

They'll also talk about some of the hidden gems in the Disney Parks that you can usually only find if you are there alone.

We also have a Live Trip Report from Kings Dominion and Intimidator 305, an update on The CoasterRadio.com Olympics AND we have the World Premiere of C-Pain's Summertime Hit for 2012 - Orange Shirt Girl!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

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CoasterRadio.com #625 - Our Visit to Disney California Adventure!

The Original Theme Park Podcast returns with Part II of our California Trilogy of shows!

This week, we talk about all of the stories and details from our trip to Disney California Adventure.

This park has been on people's minds a lot lately as Disney wraps up its major construction projects including Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.

But will EB and Mike enjoy the park after visiting Disneyland just a few days before?

What will they think of attractions like Tower of Terror, Soarin', California Screamin' and Toy Story Midway Mania?

Plus, for the first time ever, CoasterRadio.com will present Binaural Audio from several points in the park... including audio from EB's first-ever ride on Tower of Terror.  You'll want to make sure that you have headphones handy so you can close your eyes and pretend you're there!

Next week, we want to hear from you with your questions about our California trip! Send them via e-mail, on Facebook and Twitter or by calling our Voicemail Line at 206-339-3360!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

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

Interactive Experiences and Games at the Parks

One of my favorite things to do at EPCOT these days is to play the "Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure."

Sure, I feel a little self-conscious playing a game that was essentially designed for kids, but I am noticing that more and more adults are playing too.

Basically, you get a device called a "Kimmunicator" (which is essentially a Verizon Flip-Phone) so that Kim and her friends can guide you around the different EPCOT countries to help them fight crime.

The best part of the adventure is that your actions actually case things to happen all around World Showcase.

For instance, Molly and I were playing in Germany and were told to activate our "Kimmunicator" when we reached the giant glockenspiel.  Once we pressed the button, the clock came alive to reveal the next clue for the game.

It was a lot of fun to play a game where we had control over giant EPCOT icons.

Imagineers also did an excellent job blending the interactive props into the existing World Showcase architecture.

Disney is currently testing a similar experience over at the Magic Kingdom that looks even more exciting. 

The Orlando Sentinel has an excellent article about "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom," which is the next generation of this type of interactive experience.  It looks to be more involved and have more interactive options than Kim Possible at EPCOT.

My question is, why haven't we seen these types of experiences at other locations around the country?

To me, this seems like a slam dunk for museums.  One of the best ways to educate people is to tick them into learning while they're playing a game.  Imagine if there was an interactive treasure hunt that took you all over the American History Museum.

I could even see this working at a shopping mall.  The game could take players to strategic places in the mall where they where would find clues for the game (and undoubtedly spend money too!)  It might even provide a return on the investment within a year.

Anyway, I'm excited to get down to Orlando and play "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom."  Hopefully we'll see similar experiences at entertainment venues outside of Florida as well!

CoasterRadio.com #444 - The Best and Worst of the Magic Kingdom

On this week's show, we're joined by Stacey Lantz. Stacey has been writing a lot of great articles for the Coaster Radio blog lately.

On this week's show, we'll talk about several of her articles including her top picks for the best and worst attractions at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

You won't believe what classic attraction she put in her bottom three!

As part of the patented "Off Topic" segment, EB interviews Michael Buckley, the creator of the popular web comic "60 Ways to Leave Your Mother Alone."

Michael has come up with a unique way to raise money for a special project related to the web series. You'll hear all about it during EB's interview.

Plus, we'll hear a Live Trip Report from Six Flags St. Louis!

It's all this week on CoasterRadio.com!

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CoasterRadio.com #436 - Live from the Magic Kingdom

The Original Theme Park Podcast is back..... With a Live Remote!

OK, OK... it's a podcast, so it's not technically live.

BUT, this week EB mans the show from our studios in Indiana while Mike checks in from right outside Space Mountain at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Mike is joined by longtime Coaster Radio host Greg K. and the two brothers talk about their "Brothers Reunion" trip to Orlando.

They'll talk about their visit to EPCOT, Magic Kingdom and even drop a few hints about what happened at The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

EB also plays a live trip report from "El Toro" at Six Flags Great Adventure and he even poses a question to C-Pain.

Make sure to join us next week as we unveil what happened when Mike auditioned for The American Idol Experience at Disney. It's a great story!

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Talk about this episode in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.

CoasterRadio.com #408

Mike is back from Walt Disney World and has stories from all over the resort.

He also has a full review of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at The Magic Kingdom.

There are also stories from the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival and tons of audio clips from all four Disney theme parks.

Also, EB has new Spring vacation plans and the guys continue their discussion about Backyard Imagineering for Halloween.

Plus, more info about the progress of The David Arquette Project!

If you haven't subscribed to the podcast, now's the time to sign up!

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Live Updates from Walt Disney World!

We're going to take a break from the regular podcast this week to bring you live updates from The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida!

Starting Wednesday night and going all the way through Sunday, we'll be updating the Twitter feed and our blog with images and audio from the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and the rest of WDW.

If you're not following us on Twitter yet, now's the time to start! The majority of the content this week will be there.

Twitter is also the preferred way to contact us with any picture requests, but you can also e-mail us too. (The e-mail address is over there on the right!)

We'll be back with a new podcast on Thursday, October 15th!

Until then, enjoy the updates from Orlando!

Live from Walt Disney World - Day 1

I've been working pretty hard lately, so I decided to become Clark W. Grizwald and take the "whole tribe across country" for a little Walt Disney World vacation.

It's past 1am here in Orlando and we just finished a FULL day where we visited three parks.

We started off at Disney's Hollywood studios where we tried out the new Toy Story Mania. This is by far the best Disney "shooter" ride. It blows away Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Eating at the 50's Sci-Fi Drive in Theater was a blast too.

We then moved on to Disney's Animal Kingdom, where we took a spin on Expedition Everest. Sadly, I can report that the Yeti was not functioning, so I did not get to yell "It's HUGE! It's HUGE!" Bummer, man.

After that, we moved on to Magic Kingdom where we rode Pirates and Haunted Mansion. The new effects on both attractions are stunning. Speaking of stunning, the Wishes fireworks show was really amazing.

On the way back to our car, we got to ride with the driver on Monorail Red. I even got to take a picture of me in the pilot's seat. Very cool stuff.

Over the next few days, I'll update the blog with photos "as they happen". So you can see what the Collins Clan is seeing.

If you have any specific things you want to see pictures of, let me know by commenting in the forum.

OK, I'm beat! I'm off to bed.

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The numbers are in....

Last week, the Themed Entertainment Association and Economics Research Associates released their Attraction Attendance Report.

If you're interested in the business side of the amusement industry, it's a pretty interesting read. It's also fun to read if you're only interested in why the lines were longer at your favorite park.

There are a couple of interesting items in the report, but one that has my head spinning....

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is #1 in attendance for 2007 with 17,060,000 guests.

Wait a second.... if you divide that by 365 days, that means that the Magic Kingdom averaged 46, 739 guests per day. Is that even possible? I always thought that a crowded day at the park was when 25,000 people were in attendance.

I was also surprised to see Busch Gardens Europe beat out Cedar Point in pure attendance numbers. Although, BGE's attendance did jump 12.5% with the addition of Griffon. But Maverick wasn't too shabby of an addition either.

In the world of waterparks, I was also surprised that Disney's Typhoon Lagoon beat out Blizzard Beach in guest numbers. I suppose it could be because of the addition of Crush N' Gusher, but I always thought that Blizzard Beach was the more popular of the two.

Did anything in the report surprise you? Talk about it in the CoasterRadio.com forums!