View: https://youtu.be/asmd0jGpg9o?si=-mhLgdS1rPPlG9sQ
Absolutely no screens for the Donkey Kong attraction.
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Theme Parks & Roller Coasters |OT| Imagineering 101
- Thread starter 7threst
- Start date
View: https://youtu.be/asmd0jGpg9o?si=-mhLgdS1rPPlG9sQ
Well sounds like the Fast & Furious roller coaster at Hollywood will be set for 2026. Kind of don't feel that surprised given the amount of rain that's been occurring in SoCal. And this was been pretty much been a rumored name apparently, but seems Universal has formally announced it as Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
Universal Studios Hollywood’s First High-Speed Outdoor Roller Coaster, “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,” Set to Launch in 2026, Based on Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious Blockbuster Film Franchise | Universal Destinations & Experiences
Universal City, California, May 3, 2024 – Universal Studios Hollywood announces its first-ever, high-speed outdoor roller coaster, “Fast & Furious:
corporate.universaldestinationsandexperiences.com
Well another vote to approve the Disneyland Forward project has occurred and city leaders have unanimously voted in favor of it.
View: https://youtu.be/9K8q7w9GfIs?si=_Jig8V-kZgZj0XgK
View: https://youtu.be/9K8q7w9GfIs?si=_Jig8V-kZgZj0XgK
The silliest thing that I'm excited about for DisneylandForward is that they might actually get the Eastern Gateway built.
Europa-Park in Germany has opened their new launch coaster Voltron Nevera.
It is the centerpeice of the new Croatian area and themed as an Nikola Tesla lab.
It offers some pretty neat theming and great track elements.
Youtube off and on ride
Can't wait to visit it this summer.
Could become my new favorite coaster.
It is the centerpeice of the new Croatian area and themed as an Nikola Tesla lab.
It offers some pretty neat theming and great track elements.
Youtube off and on ride
Can't wait to visit it this summer.
Could become my new favorite coaster.
Europa-Park in Germany has opened their new launch coaster Voltron Nevera.
It is the centerpeice of the new Croatian area and themed as an Nikola Tesla lab.
It offers some pretty neat theming and great track elements.
Youtube off and on ride
Can't wait to visit it this summer.
Could become my new favorite coaster.
I've seen reports that it's a bit rough
Zamperla is doing something to the trains. Speculation online is the tires being changed from wear or adding weight to them but we don't know yet. There were reports of the silver train shuffling a bit during launch weekend where the other ones were smoother so maybe they're looking into that as well, it's all hearsay. I'll bet you it's open again in a week or two tops. This is a prototype.
Edit: ElToroRyan says it's likely to re-open in June rather than May and he says "I have heard there's something they're re-engineering and I won't say exactly what because it's not confirmed" while showing b-roll footage of its tires on the screen. And he commented that there was premature wear on the part that maintenance staff at the park were noticing it so I would say Zamperla redoing the wheel assembly is the cause here. Not a great start but at the same time, these are new trains and by all accounts well made so once they get it right, it will certainly be a more reliable ride at the end of it.
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It was stated that 2 of the 7 trains are still missing the latest version of the suspension.
On top of that there are the outer seats mounted on extensions, which might multiply any vibrations.
I hope those things get sorted out.
The track elements are pretty compact in track length and offer a fast paced change in g-force, which surely can be described as rough.
Most of the time i'm a fan of that roughness.
In time for Coastermania or will it just be another down year for the event?
I could only guess, but I would assume there are people working 100 hour weeks at Zamperla right now to make sure of that.
Screamscape's rumor on Top Thrill doesn't sound good. Apparently the problem with the trains was severe.
Best case - July reopening. Worst case - closed till next season.
Best case - July reopening. Worst case - closed till next season.
The same guy who said Darien Lake's Ride of Steel is definitely closing in 2022? Yeah, the going rumour is definitely the vehicle wheels but it's not going to take them a full season to fix it.
Annual Pass Member Park Takeover confirmed for June 5 with RSVPs starting on may 22 at 11:15 am.
www.insideuniversal.net
Event will be active for 8-12 after park closure, but it's on a Wednesday and Mario Kart will close at 10. That's a bummer.
Universal Studios Hollywood announces Pass Member Park Takeover on June 5, 2024
Universal Studios Hollywood has announced an exclusive after-hours Pass Member Park Takeover, presented by Coca-Cola featuring Sprite Chill, will take place on June 5, 2024. Pass Member can enjoy their favorite rides and attractions, character meet-and-greets, photo ops, outdoor Sprite Chill Loun
www.insideuniversal.net
Event will be active for 8-12 after park closure, but it's on a Wednesday and Mario Kart will close at 10. That's a bummer.
Hmm, might be a good little thing to do before my birthday that month!Annual Pass Member Park Takeover confirmed for June 5 with RSVPs starting on may 22 at 11:15 am.
Universal Studios Hollywood announces Pass Member Park Takeover on June 5, 2024
Universal Studios Hollywood has announced an exclusive after-hours Pass Member Park Takeover, presented by Coca-Cola featuring Sprite Chill, will take place on June 5, 2024. Pass Member can enjoy their favorite rides and attractions, character meet-and-greets, photo ops, outdoor Sprite Chill Loun
Event will be active for 8-12 after park closure, but it's on a Wednesday for me and Mario Kart will close at 10. So meh.
And just to update this - ElToroRyan just today said the ride may even open this weekend or next. That they'll keep using the wheels with the lower lifecycle than anticipated and replace them more frequently (likely with the bill being footed by Zamperla) until a more permanent solution is found, such as a new compound or whatever. Or maybe they run with 2 trains and do nightly train cycles or whatever. Anything to get the ride going sooner for now. Personally I wish they'd take more time so they can better figure out lockers on the ride, but sunk cost + people want to get on it so I get it.
Does anyone know of a way to get notified when Disneyland Magic Keys become available? Specifically the Imagine Key (the cheapest one for California Residents).
It sells out within a day after becoming available, so if there's any sites (a good theme park or Disney blog or something) or Twitter accounts I can sign up to get notified I'd love to know.
It sells out within a day after becoming available, so if there's any sites (a good theme park or Disney blog or something) or Twitter accounts I can sign up to get notified I'd love to know.
One week until our Disney World trip. Staying at Wilderness Lodge with 5 park days.
This will be the first trip that my kids will be able to remember (they were 3 and an infant the last time - 7 and 10 now) so I am very, very excited. But also incredibly stressed with planning. I realize we're not going to be able to do and see everything with only 5 park days.
Looking for some feedback on my current plan.
5/24 Friday - Arrival day. Will get there mid afternoon. Check in, swim, checkout resort amenities.
5/25 Saturday - Animal Kingdom - probably no Genie+ and just ILLs for Avatar
5/26 Sunday - Hollywood Studios (reservation for Oga's Cantina in the evening) - Genie+ and ILLs for Rise of the Resistance
5/27 Monday (Memorial Day) - Resort/rest day. Swim, relax. I might go on a monorail tour of the MK area resorts. Have a Storybook Dining reservation in the evening
5/28 Tuesday - EPCOT Genie + and ILLs for GOTG
5/29 Wednesday - Magic Kingdom - Genie+
5/30 Thursday - Magic Kingdom - Genie +
Our son has milk/peanut allergies so we're going to take a very cautious approach to dining and only go with what he's comfortable doing. I know Disney is amazing for food allergies, but he's extremely nervous about trying new things.
Main questions:
1. Does the park order sound like a good approach? AK seems like a good first proper theme park for the kids since it probably won't be nearly as crazy as MK or HS.
2. Has anyone used Touring Plans before? I subscribed and am enjoying the trip planner feature. I like having everything step by step laid out and that it spells out exactly how long you will be walking from point to point as well as what the expected wait times are.
3. How much of a disadvantage will we be at if we don't rope drop any of the parks? My wife is very much against the idea of rushing the kids around on vacation, but the worrier in me is stressed about not being able to hit the big things they want to do.
This will be the first trip that my kids will be able to remember (they were 3 and an infant the last time - 7 and 10 now) so I am very, very excited. But also incredibly stressed with planning. I realize we're not going to be able to do and see everything with only 5 park days.
Looking for some feedback on my current plan.
5/24 Friday - Arrival day. Will get there mid afternoon. Check in, swim, checkout resort amenities.
5/25 Saturday - Animal Kingdom - probably no Genie+ and just ILLs for Avatar
5/26 Sunday - Hollywood Studios (reservation for Oga's Cantina in the evening) - Genie+ and ILLs for Rise of the Resistance
5/27 Monday (Memorial Day) - Resort/rest day. Swim, relax. I might go on a monorail tour of the MK area resorts. Have a Storybook Dining reservation in the evening
5/28 Tuesday - EPCOT Genie + and ILLs for GOTG
5/29 Wednesday - Magic Kingdom - Genie+
5/30 Thursday - Magic Kingdom - Genie +
Our son has milk/peanut allergies so we're going to take a very cautious approach to dining and only go with what he's comfortable doing. I know Disney is amazing for food allergies, but he's extremely nervous about trying new things.
Main questions:
1. Does the park order sound like a good approach? AK seems like a good first proper theme park for the kids since it probably won't be nearly as crazy as MK or HS.
2. Has anyone used Touring Plans before? I subscribed and am enjoying the trip planner feature. I like having everything step by step laid out and that it spells out exactly how long you will be walking from point to point as well as what the expected wait times are.
3. How much of a disadvantage will we be at if we don't rope drop any of the parks? My wife is very much against the idea of rushing the kids around on vacation, but the worrier in me is stressed about not being able to hit the big things they want to do.
1. I checked Touring Plans projected crowd calendar and planned around that. I think AK was actually my favourite park by the end of the holiday. If you go on Kilamanjaro Safaris (and you should) sit on the left side of the jeep facing forwards. Cross your fingers the baby elephant is awake.
2. Got back last week from a WDW and Universal trip where I used Touring Plans throughout. It was great and I'll do it again. For Universal I stuck rigidly to the touring plan and basically completed USO by 12PM. I was less strict with Disney but it was still very helpful.
3. At no point did I get in the park for opening or early opening and we had no issues. Massive caveat though is I was strategically using Genie + almost every day, getting up at 7AM to book the first genie+ from my hotel room.
I'd say things that become harder to do if you don't rope drop are: Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Slinky Dog, Frozen/Remy, Avatar boat ride. If you are open to buying ILL's those rides that have it tend to be readily available in my experience. So for Genie+ I would prioritize those rides above that don't (and your return times aren't going to be super early most likely either).
If you try at 7AM to get genie+ reservations for Slinky Dog and Peter Pan, expect afternoon slots. It's madness.
How did you find balancing Genie+ w/ Touring Plans? Was it easy while in the park to adjust things on the fly with Touring Plans based on what time you're able to get LLs?
I will be honest, we rode Peter Pan when the kids were younger and while it was neat and understandably a classic, I don't think it's worth the high wait times it yields. In fact with my infant son my lap with a barely restrictive lap bar I was stressed out the whole ride lol.
By open to buying ILLs you mean that those that have individual purchases don't typically sell out? So if I purchase right at 7AM I should be good? Same for VQs for Guardians and Tron?
ILLs tend to have decent availability throughout the day on days we've been. I'll actually watch the return times offered throughout the morning and wait until I get one I like.
The thing I would caution about though is Rise of the Resistance - I would get an ILL as early as possible as the ride WILL break down and it is better to get it out of the way early, and if it does go down in your time you get a pass that lets you come back at any time during the rest of the day, which maximizes your opportunities to ride it.
Virtual Queues are a whole other ball game and sell out in seconds. Best to not bank on getting one. But those rides have ILLs as a (expensive) backup. The afternoon drops last longer but we often are park hopping or not in the park we want to end the day in at 1pm so those don't work out for us as much.
Yeah no issues. The app will tell you what genie+ to book when and give an estimated time frame for what the return slot will be. You add the reservation time in the app when you get it and it will reoptimise the plan if needed.
For all coaster fans, I was wondering what your top 5 is?
Mine is probably:
Velocicoaster (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Iron Gwazi (Bush Gardens Tampa)
Ride to Happiness (Plopsaland De Panne)
Kondaa (Walibi Belgium)
Untamed (Walibi Holland)
Rounding of the top ten:
Toutatis (Parc Asterix)
Taron (Phantasialand)
F.L.Y. front row (Phantasialand)
Mako (Sea World Orlando)
Hagrid's (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Coasters I hope to do before the end of next year that could crack my top ten:
Steel Vengeance (Cedar Point)
Maverick (Cedar Point)
Top Thrill 2 (Cedar Point)
Voltron (Europa Park)
Gotham City Escape (Parque Warner Madrid)
Shambhala (Port Aventura)
Starfall Racers (Epic Universe)
Mine is probably:
Velocicoaster (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Iron Gwazi (Bush Gardens Tampa)
Ride to Happiness (Plopsaland De Panne)
Kondaa (Walibi Belgium)
Untamed (Walibi Holland)
Rounding of the top ten:
Toutatis (Parc Asterix)
Taron (Phantasialand)
F.L.Y. front row (Phantasialand)
Mako (Sea World Orlando)
Hagrid's (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Coasters I hope to do before the end of next year that could crack my top ten:
Steel Vengeance (Cedar Point)
Maverick (Cedar Point)
Top Thrill 2 (Cedar Point)
Voltron (Europa Park)
Gotham City Escape (Parque Warner Madrid)
Shambhala (Port Aventura)
Starfall Racers (Epic Universe)
Got it, thanks. I was a little concerned because the LLs it suggested to grab first are not the ones that I would expect to have to do first when I had it optimize the plan. But it seems like it knows what it's talking about so I'll give it a shot.
I'm curious what the suggestions are?
I've not had Touring Plans since the regular FP days, I wasn't aware they were so integrated with Genie+ but I guess it isn't surprising.
So I've only gotten up to planning out our AK and HS days, but for AK it has us rope dropping the two Pandora rides then:
Safari as the first LL for a morning return time
Kali River Rapids next
Expedition Everest
The Finding Nemo show
AK is kind of a wash because of the lack of big ticket attractions.
HS is a little weirder:
Toy Story Mania first
Alien Swirling Saucers
Star Tours
Slinky Dog - it put this as the last step of the day, too.
I'd expect it to suggest to grab Slinky Dog first, no matter the time.
Most likely what I need to do is fill things out a bit more in terms of breaks, food stops etc so it has a fuller itinerary.
AK makes sense, I've seen Everest have reasonable waits even later in the day.
HS is a little odd, I would probably try Slinky Dog or Mickey Railway early, but I'm always trying to squeeze things into half a day there. Toy Story still can get crazy that's true.
It tries to maximise the amount of Genie+ revs you can get in a day. I also ignored it for Slinky and just got that first.
What I found with Animal Kingdom when I was there is hardly anyone was using genie+ so I was booking a genie + immediately, walking straight on the rides and immediately booking another.
Yeah there seems to be a lot of advice online around how you don't even need Genie+ for AK which means that you can hopefully take full advantage of it if you do get it.
I think the approach I'll take is similar to yours - go for what my family absolutely wants to do first in G+ so that we're guaranteed that and then let Touring Plans handle the optimization from there.
There is also a Standby Skipper (paid) app that does the G+ booking for you. But I don't think it does any sort of analysis of how you'll be traversing the parks so while it may take the stress out of being on the phone constantly it may be at the expense of booking it across the park in a non optimal manner.
What I tried to do was use Genie+ once at each park only but then the 45min+ queues made me miserable and we started using it again.
The parks are pretty miserable when you don't have Genie+ imo. It's what keeps me from buying an AP as a local. They gotta figure that stuff out (and dump virtual queue, it's a total joke if you can access it or not even if you tap right on the dot).
And even if you win the virtual queue lottery that still means you will be waiting in a 45+ min line anyway. They call way too many groups at one time.
I was much happier with Universal's express pass system. Unlimited use, no reservations and they're an additional perk of staying at a deluxe hotel.
I'm really curious what is going to happen with that system once Epic Universe opens.
Express Pass is way better since it's expensive as heck (either ala carte or through a deluxe resort) so way less people will have it, and it seems to have a much smaller effect on standby lines compared to lightning lane. Even posted shortish wait times at WDW, like 20-30 minutes, can feel fucking glacial as long as guests keep entering the LL.
If you do have express, there's no need to schedule your day, tap for your life at 7 am or stress over playing the LL slots over and over to try and get a better time. And if the standby times are somehow still a little high for you, no worries because Universal offers a single rider line for most of their big attractions. Universal Orlando and WDW are light years apart in convenience imo. Just baffling that WDW has become so awful to navigate. The parks are still very fun when you're actually on a ride, but everything in between is highly unpleasant.
So is avatar land going to be in that land on Harbor and Karelia? To the SE?
I wish they could bring the new Rapnzuel ride from Japan to Disney
I wish they could bring the new Rapnzuel ride from Japan to Disney
Haven't been to a park other than Canada's wonderland in over a decade but...
Kingda Ka
Leviathan
X
Hulk
El Toro
