Hyde recaps his trip to Europe where he visited Phantasialand, Efteling, Walibi Belgium & Holland, Toverland and more.
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Posts By: Drew
The Winjas Code
On this very long episode pretty much every theme park and roller coaster topic is covered from how do two trains get on a lift hill at once to why is there a code around the ride Winjas. And of course updates from checking out the new coaster at SeaWorld and updates on Six Flags/Cedar Fair.
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200ft Is Not A Magnum Stat
New coasters, new remodeled coasters, and Six Flags doing cool stuff. More importantly are theme park shirts cool to wear or not? We tackle that debate.
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Disney Puts Christmas Behind A Paywall
Despite the title we don’t really talk much about Disney but instead try to figure out what is going on with retracking of coasters, lots of Waldameer love and some Kennywood & Phoenix shade, plus tons of questions answered.
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Face/Off vs Two-Face
The guys review ArieForce One, complain about traffic in Orlando, deep dive random movies rides were themed to and cover off the news including Dragster predictions.
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Universal: From Epic To Europe
Parkscope Joe joins the show to catch up on cocktails, tiki bars, and shows before diving into a lot of Universal content. From new coasters and trains to the rumor that seems to be warming up: does Universal buy PortAdventura?
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Construction Update
Animal Kingdoom has been under construction for a while with two major projects, The first being Rivers of Light, a new night time show spectacular coming into the Asia section of the park. The second Pandora the world of Avatar is coming to life in a all new land for the park. In this update we show off new preferred parking, the construction walls being removed at Rivers of Light, and the latest progress of Avatarland
Mako is testing at SeaWorld Orlando
Mako has completed its first of many test runs yesterday at SeaWorld Orlando. This is a monumental achievement for the park and designers of this B&M hyper coaster. Mako is named for a species of shark, the fastest in the world. Check out some of these photos the park has sent over, as well as a POV video.
Orlando, Fla. (April 15, 2016) – Mako made its debut run along its 4,760-foot steal track at SeaWorld Orlando this week. During its inaugural test ride, Mako plunged 200-feet down from its initial lift hill, surged through nine air-time hills and reached topped speeds of 73 mph.
Mako’s tight turns and speed are inspired by reality. Mako sharks are known for their top speed, making extreme jumps and the ability to quickly change course as they pursue their prey. Riders will become submerged into the world of the mako shark and feel the power of the predator as they experience the thrill of the hunt starting June 10.
Mako Quick Facts:
Opening June 10, 2016, Mako will be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in Orlando.
Mako will be a hypercoaster, designed for speed and relentless “air time”
Orlando’s only hypercoaster lures guests to brave tight turns, stomach steep drops and endure shark-attack speeds.
Riders will soar up to 200 feet high and reach speeds up to 73 mph.
Mako will be the centerpiece of the new two-acre shark-themed realm which also includes Shark Encounter®, Sharks Underwater Grill®, gift shops, and shark- and shipwreck-themed educational experiences.Follow the Mako frenzy using the hashtag #NothingFaster. Visit SeaWorld.com/Mako for more information and updates on the new ride.
Starbucks Coffee coming to Knott’s
New for 2016 Knott’s Berry Farm has announced a Starbucks location will open in the marketplace. The facility will be 935 square feet and be the forth Cedar Fair park with a Starbucks on property. according to the press release “Knott’s has partnered with Starbucks to design a welcoming gathering place that evokes themes of the Knott family’s original roadside stand with the familiar, contemporary aesthetic of Starbucks stores.” You can read this press release below
KNOTT’S BERRY FARM TO OPEN A STARBUCKS STORE IN MARCH
Buena Park, Calif. (January 6, 2016) – Knott’s Berry Farm announced today that it will open its first Starbucks location. The 935 square foot Starbucks store will open in March 2016 in the California MarketPlace, just outside the Park’s main entrance, and will offer Starbuck’s world class coffee drinks and entrees.
Knott’s follows Cedar Point, King’s Island and Canada’s Wonderland as the fourth Cedar Fair Park to open a Starbucks location at its theme park. As a themed entertainment destination, Knott’s has partnered with Starbucks to design a welcoming gathering place that evokes themes of the Knott family’s original roadside stand with the familiar, contemporary aesthetic of Starbucks stores.
“At a theme park rooted in rich culinary traditions, Starbucks brings a level of quality and service to Knott’s Berry Farm that our guests have come to expect,” said Russ Knibbs, vice president of Food and Beverage Service at Knott’s Berry Farm. “The partnership with Starbucks will help us continue to bring great refreshments and dining, while delivering the very best experiences to our guests.”
Just south of the new Starbucks construction site is the ongoing restoration project of Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The restaurant and the quick service option Chicken-To-Go closed on Monday, January 4 as construction continues in preparation for a spring 2016 reopening. To ensure Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken is still available during construction, a temporary Chicken-To-Go counter service dining location opened today in the retail space where Cable Car Kitchen restaurant formerly operated. Even while the restaurant’s main kitchen is being renovated, the famous fried chicken with all the fixings will continue to be prepared using Mrs. Knott’s legendary recipe at Chicken-To-Go.
Rodolph The Red Noes Reindeer is back at Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
Dollywood has announced that Rodolph the Red Nose Reindeer is back for another season of family fun at their award winning Christmas event Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas. Rodolph was a meet and greet character last year where guests of all ages could meet Santa’s famous friend. Furthermore Dollywood announced that it is the final season of their technological masterpiece of a show Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol. This show features a holographic Dolly Parton to star among its cast. You can read more in the press release below.
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (November 4, 2015) — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer leads Santa’s sleigh back to Pigeon Forge for Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana (Nov. 7 – Jan. 3). Rudolph and his special friends enjoyed visiting Dollywood guests so much last year that they’ve decided to pack up all of the fun from the North Pole and bring it to Dollywood for this year’s festival!
Throw in the park’s four million dazzling lights, award-winning entertainment and delicious food options and it is easy to understand why Dollywood earned this year’s Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event, its eighth consecutive honor. In fact, Dollywood is the only theme park in the world to ever win the award.
“I’m so proud of the work everyone puts in to making Christmas such a special time for families at my Dollywood,” said Dolly Parton. “They start putting up Christmas lights in July! It’s so beautiful and truly is the most special time of year to visit. Our entertainment team does an amazing job with all of the great shows they perform at Christmas. Why I hear they’re even going to bring back the hologram version of me one more time so you can see ‘the other Dolly’ remind ol’ Scrooge what Christmas is all about!”
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, the beloved Christmas television special, comes to life at Dollywood this season. Guests can meet Rudolph and his friends, including Clarice, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster and Yukon Cornelius in Rudolph’s Holly Jolly ™ Junction, a magical area where festive fun awaits. After meeting Rudolph and his friends, families can head to Clarice’s kitchen to decorate custom Christmas cookies or even take part in a few reindeer games!
With a number of family-favorite shows throughout Dollywood, entertainment certainly takes center stage during Smoky Mountain Christmas. The groundbreaking Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol returns to for its final season in 2015. The show uses holographic technology to bring Dolly Parton to the stage as the Ghost of Christmas Past. The lifelike appearance of Parton and the other holograms featured in the show leave amazed audiences mesmerized. This heartwarming tale about the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge features a 16-member cast, fully orchestrated musical tracks and period costuming.
Dollywood’s entertainment, which in 2015 earned its seventh consecutive Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows, features several other beloved shows this season, including Christmas in the Smokies, An Appalachian Christmas, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, O’ Holy Night, and Christmas with The Kingdom Heirs. Guests also can experience the nightly Parade of Lights, a festive procession of larger-than-life toys and characters, as well as Santa’s Workshop, where the smallest guests can share their wish list with Kris Kringle.
Families can finish their visit with a traditional Christmas meal as several of Dollywood’s menus feature holiday-themed items. Among the favorites are turkey and dressing, hot flavored drinks like hot chocolate and wassail, and much more. Holiday desserts available throughout the park include pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin spice funnel cakes and a make-your-own s’mores pit.
Smoky Mountain Christmas guests can upgrade a paid one-day admission ticket to a regular 2016 season pass for as low as $28 (plus tax when buying four or more). Ticket purchasers receive credit for the value of a regular one-day ticket ($62) toward the purchase of a 2016 season pass. A season pass purchased during Smoky Mountain Christmas provides unlimited admission to this year’s Christmas festival along with Dollywood’s entire 2016 season. (A one-day ticket is valid for upgrade on the day of visit only.) Also, guests who purchase a Dollywood one-day ticket after 6 p.m. receive free admission to the park’s next operating day.
