I know this has NOTHING to do with theme parks... but I was there and thought it would be nice to share this video with you/ ENJOY!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama Oath of Office from the National Mall
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The American Idol Concept Might Be Winning Me Over
When Walt Disney World first announced "The American Idol Experience" last year, I wasn't entirely sold on the concept.
The idea sounded like a "Karaoke Bar on Steroids" and a place where teenage guests could gather to scream.
But this week, the people over at MouseSteps posted pictures and details about the new attraction while it is in soft-opening.
Admittedly, I haven't seen the attraction with my own eyes. But the pictures make it look like it's the same type of fun as in the old "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire - PLAY IT!" attraction.
To me, the whole fun of Millionaire was that you were actually experiencing what it would be like to go to New York and attend a taping of the mega-popular show. It was really getting back to what the whole purpose of the Disney-MGM studios was all about in the first place.... to let people experience the magic of television and movie production.
Since most of us will never be in the audience for one of the American Idol live broadcasts (thankfully), this attraction gives us the chance to see what it would be like. We get to experience the drama of the competition while watching the interesting nature of the television production process.
The early reviews seem to all agree that the attraction needs a little tweaking. Supposedly there are a lot of video segments to watch during the actual show and not enough emphasis on the live performances. But I'm sure it's getting worked out during the soft-open process.
If any of you guys out there have a chance to see the show either during the soft-open or after the grand opening, let us know what you think in the CoasterRadio.com forums.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Free Beer Is a Thing of the Past
One of the most fun (albeit obscure) things you could do at the Anheuser-Busch theme parks was to take part in their free "Beer School".
In most cases, you'd get together in a bar-inspired classroom and learn about the beer making process while sampling some of Busch's finest brews.
It was actually an interesting experience and provided a nice break from the theme park day.
Today the brewer announced that they will stop giving free samples at the SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego and its Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Va.
An Anheuser-Busch Parks spokesman says that the free samples had a "narrow appeal among park customers."
Bummer, man. But at least it gives me an opportunity to post that fun Octoberfest picture.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
What will be the story in 2009?
Happy New Year to everyone!
I hope you guys had a great holiday season and a very successful 2008.
When a new year begins, it's always interesting to look ahead and try to figure out what the next 365 days will be like. For our purposes here, let's focus on the theme park biz.
Just as it was in 2008, the biggest story in 2009 is going to be the economy. Sure, gas prices have dropped, but in this unstable time, will people still want to travel to theme parks?
We have a bunch of new rides and attractions premiering this year. Kings Island's Diamondback (pictured) looks like it will be a winner. Manta at Sea World Florida seems to be getting a lot of attention and rightly so.... the theming and layout looks very interesting.
Speaking of theming, we'll find out whether a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain can be successfully themed to The Terminator series. We'll also see if the Saw movies will make a good theme for a roller coaster at Thorpe Park in England.
I also wonder if 2009 will be a good year for "coaster enthusiasm" in general. One thing that I've noticed over the past several years is that interest in roller coasters and theme parks seems to be waning. Back in the late 90's (during the "coaster boom") the community was engaged, excited and growing. These days, it seems like there isn't the same level of enthusiasm as there was back then. I could be wrong, but I'm curious to hear what you think.
So what does 2009 have in store? What will be the big story in 2009?
Let's talk about it in the CoasterRadio.com forums.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide - Creating Magic
I had the opportunity to interview a lot of great people through the CoasterRadio.com podcast.
One of my favorites was Lee Cockerell, who just retired as Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World Resort.
I got to interview Lee during the Grand Opening of Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom and was totally impressed by his candor, knowledge and passion for the resort.
Lee has written a book called Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney
The book focuses on the magic ingredients that Disney uses to provide great customer service. Even if we don't work at a theme park, we can apply the same methods to whatever line of work we are in.
The best parts of this book, and the reason I think you'd like it, are the many behind the scenes stories from the Walt Disney World Resort.
So if you're looking for a good Disney World read that just might teach you something too, check out this book!
Monday, December 08, 2008
A "Monster" Deal!
The ride is currently being renovated and some of the old monsters are "moving out" to make room for new tennants.
Six Flags Over Georgia has come up with a great idea to raise money for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They are auctioning off one of the monsters to the highest bidder! That means YOU can own one of these classic creations!
The monster's name is "Scout," and he is one of the members of the "Little Monster Club." He was designed and created by Gary Goddard Productions for the ride opening in 1981. Scout is approximately 42" tall, 33" wide and 35" in depth. The animatronic figure used air compression for movement, and Scout comes with the air valves still in tact inside of him.
All proceeds from the sale of Scout will go towards Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. An adoption certificate will accompany Scout.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Give it up for Screamscape
There are literally hundreds of websites devoted to theme parks and roller coasters. Because any "geek with a computer" (including this geek) can start a website, the quality between the sites varies greatly.
Since I've been a theme park enthusiast, I've probably visited most of the major theme park sites at least once. But it takes a special site to make me come back again and again.
I can say honestly, that the only site I have continued to visit repeatedly year after year is Screamscape. In fact, I probably visit the site once a day.
I've never met Lance Hart, the man behind the site, but he strikes me as a guy who loves visiting the parks and most importantly as a man with connections.
The amount of news and rumors that Lance obtains each week amazes me. The lame-ass CoasterBoys out there love to harp on how some of those rumors turn out to be false. But throughout my years of reading ScreamScape, I've noticed how Lance's rumors turn out to be true most of the time.
The best thing about ScreamScape, and the one thing the CoasterBoys fail to understand, is that it's supposed to be fun to read. Who cares if some of the rumors are far-fetched? Isn't it more fun to read something crazy and wonder if it could be true? Plus, there's no better place to go for amusement industry news. Screamscape is updated often, sometimes multiple times in the same day.
And from what I've seen and heard, Lance is a really nice guy...which I've found is somewhat of a rarity amongst theme park webmasters. He is always quick to give shout-outs and promotion to others in our enthusiast community.
So please raise a glass to Lance Hart and ScreamScape....and visit his site often.
Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums
Friday, November 28, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide - Duck Shoot
Back in the old days, carnival barkers used to set up elaborate shooting galleries where patrons could try their hand a knocking over wooden ducks with real guns.
It was like that scene in Back to the Future: Part III where Marty McFly is back in the Old West and gets challenged to shoot at the gallery with the Colt Peacemaker.
Now we have a chance to use modern technology to return to the golden age of carnivals with the Duck Shoot!
A midway barker's voice guides you through the game as you take aim with the wireless infrared pistol and pull the "trigger." The Ducks moving along on conveyor topple over with every successful "hit" which registers on an LCD display. There are different skill levels available and you can play with or without the sound effects, just in case you want to play this in your office.
Talk about this gift in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Trip Report - Dave and Busters
A tradition in my family is to spend the night before the Thanksgiving holiday at our local Dave and Busters Restaurant.
For those of you who don't know, Dave and Busters is a chain of restaurants that offers food, drinks and some of the most interactive games around. Their Million Dollar Midway has the latest video and ticket redemption games.
All of the cousins in my family spend the night before Thanksgiving there because it generally isn't too crowded. We usually have all of the games to ourselves because everyone is on the roads traveling to their out-of-town destination.
The reason I love going to Dave and Busters during late-November is because it's right about that time when I'm most in need of a theme-park fix. None of my local parks are open, so the closest thing to the true park experience is visiting this "adult arcade".
My first step after getting to the arcade is to visit the prize room, where they have hundreds of things you can "buy" with the tickets you receive when winning the games. Last night, all of the cousins set their sights on Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock. We figured we could enjoy playing that on Thanksgiving night with the entire family around.
So, we went to work gathering the necessary 12,500 tickets that were necessary. With nine cousins running the floor, it wasn't too difficult.
We played traditional games like Skee Ball, Pop A Shot and those wacky games were you try to make a stack of coins fall off the ledge.
But Dave and Busters also has some new games, such as Deal or No Deal. In this game, the suitcases aren't filled with money, but instead, they are filled with tickets. You can win anywhere from 1 to 600 tickets by choosing and eliminating certain cases.
I always figured I'd do pretty well on the real game show and I proved that point when I elimitaed all of the cases except the 200 and the 600. The dealer offered me 450 tickets, but I said "NO DEAL" and opened my case which did indeed have the 600 tickets. BOOYA!
Walking the floor of the Million Dollar Midway is pretty overwhelming. There is a constant wall of sound from the games and the shrieking people who are winning tickets. But that's what I love about it. It gives you a taste of the theme park experience, without being outdoors or having actual rides.
Well, there is one ride. They have a motion simulation theater which shows many of the same ride-films that you have probably seen in your local parks. But if you've seen them once, there's really no need to see it here. The theater is rather small and only has a few seats.
Anyway, the trip was great! We easily had enough tickets for the Guitar Hero and even have some tickets left over for next year. It also means that the holiday season is finally here!
Talk about this trip report in the CoasterRadio.com forums.
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