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

Click here to subscribe through iTunes.

Click here for our podcast RSS Feed.

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.

CoasterRadio.com #610 - The 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

With the holidays right around the corner, you might be scrambling to find the perfect gift.

But if you're looking for something for a theme park fan, the local mall might not have exactly what you need.

Never fear!

Here at Coaster Radio, we're bring back our annual tradition - The Holiday Gift Guide!

The 2011 version has a ton of great ideas, sure to impress the theme park fan in your life.  Hey, you might even want to check out some of these items for yourself.

Plus, EB and Mike get into a great debate/rant about the latest announcements from Universal Studios.

This week, we found out that Hogwarts (and the incredible Forbodden Journey attraction) are coming to Universal Studios Hollywood.  In addition, there were confirmed plans to expand the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.

However, another recent annoucement had to do with the closure of the classic "JAWS" attraction at Universal Studios Florida.  The latest hot rumor is that Amity Island will make way for Harry Potter's London and Phase Two of the Potterverse.

Mike and EB will disect the rumors and give you their opinion on the current state of things.

Hey! As you listen to the show, here is a list of all of the gift items that the guys discuss!

Coaster Dynamix Kits
    - Full Coaster Kits
    - Train Models - Statix
Knex Kits
Quercetti Skyrail Rollercoaster with Elevator
Disney Monorail
Park Season Passes
Online stores - Holiday World, Busch Gardens, Cedar Point, WWOHP
Millennium Force Replica 
Space Mountain Seat at Mouse Surplus
Jungle Cruise Gallery of Light by Olszewski
Kinect Disneyland Adventures for XBox360
Imagineering Blueprints
Walt Disney Autograph
Touring Plans Subscription
Skee-Ball Game
Cotton Candy Machine
Sno Cone Machine
Rollercoaster DVD - Watch it with Our Unofficial DVD Commentary!
Vintage items from your home park on EBay (70s, 80s, 90s)

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Direct Podcast Link

Click here to subscribe through iTunes.

Click here for our podcast RSS Feed.

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.

I Needed A Warning From The Institute of Future Technology

Being a fan of all things "Hill Valley," I bought the Back to the Future DVD set as soon as it was released a few years ago.

I know that series like the back of my hand, so I was more interested in all of the bonus features that came with each disc. There were a few glaring things that were missing. Features like a Robert Zemeckis commentary and some clips from Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly would have made it a "must have" part of my media library.

I expected those things to be included, but there was one thing I thought they would never release as part of the DVD package.... the original footage from Back to the Future: The Ride.

Of course, as you can see below, they have released the trilogy once again and this time, they've included every second of footage from the landmark Universal Studios Ride.



I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to NOT BUY the discs the first time around.

Anyone want to buy a slightly used Back to the Future DVD set?

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.

Three Cheers for Universal Orlando!

Just make sure the cheer you give isn't "Bloody Mary". If you say that there times, there's no telling what will happen.

I have to say, I was totally sucked in my Universal Orlando's brilliant web marketing scheme for this year's Halloween Horror Nights.

Over the past few weeks, they slowly gave away clues about the identity of the main icon for the event. They even had live events at the park where curious people could show up and receive mysterious information.

That's dedication to an art form.... or dedication to electronic marketing.... probably both.

As you can see by the billboard, "Bloody Mary" will be haunting the event this year.

I haven't been to a Halloween Horror Nights event since 1995 when the very lame "Crypt Keeper" was running around cracking non-funny jokes. I think I'll have to make a return trip this year to see what Bloody Mary has in store for us.

Is there any better halloween event in the country?

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com forums.

Featured Blog - Arthur's Theme Park Blog

You'll notice that one of the new features of this site is a list of our favorite blog links. It can be found on the right-hand sidebar of this page. One thing we'll do every now and then is highlight a particular blog or website that we think you'd enjoy.

Today's selected blog is Arthur's Theme Park Blog.

The blog is a part of About.com, which is owned by The New York Times Company. It's filled with hundreds of helpful experts who write articles about their particular area of expertise. The section on theme parks is written and edited by veteran writer Arthur Levine.

I like reading Arthur's blog because he reports on the amusement industry in a straight-forward, no nonsense manner. He also travels around the country to give first-hand reports on new attractions, whereas many other sites rely on press releases and ridethrough videos.

He also manages to secure some excellent interviews with amusement industry personalities. Arthur has brought us interesting conversations with people like Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro, and most recently Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter. The Baxter interview was particularly interesting because he admitted to Arthur that Disney has been "experimenting" with something that will be the answer to Universal's Spiderman. Baxter said that Imagineering has created "something that goes beyond that."

Arthur has also always been a good friend to CoasterRadio.com. We had him as a guest on one of our podcasts and he recently wrote a nice article about our return to the web. So check out Arthur's blog!