Thursday December 24, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the new indoor water park coming to Orlando. It turns out I was half-right. There will be a new CoCo Key Water Park Resort opening this March in Florida. But, unlike the rest of the resorts in the chain, it won't be an indoor water park. I spoke with folks at CoCo Key/Sage Hospitality (the parent company of CoCo Key), and they gave me the wrong information. Along with their mea culpa, they now tell me that the new resort will feature similar slides and attractions found at other properties in the chain, but the entire park will be outdoors under a huge canopy to provide some protection from the elements. I guess that makes it a semi-indoor park, so maybe I was 75% right with my first report. For the record, I still think an indoor water park, perhaps one with a retractable roof, would be a great idea for Florida.
Wednesday December 23, 2009
I've shared my list of the top 10 rides of the decade. Now it's your turn. What theme park attractions blew you away? Caused your jaw to drop? Made you say, "Wow?" There are three ways you can join the conversation. (Don't be shy. Consider participating in all three forms of feedback.)
Take the poll to the right, which lists the ten attractions on my list, and indicate the one ride that gets your nod for the best of the decade. Is your favorite not listed? Do you want to list more than one attraction? You can also weigh in on the Share Your Picks page. Note that your picks should focus on themed attractions, not roller coasters--unless the coasters are highly themed. (My list includes Revenge of the Mummy and Expedition Everest, for example.) And if you really want to ramble, click on "Comments" below and go for it.
Photo: Soarin' Over California is one of my picks for best rides of the decade. Is it one of yours?
Tuesday December 22, 2009
The first ten years of the Millennium have been prolific for North American theme parks. Between 2000 and 2009, ride designers capitalized on advances in technology and bold innovation, and combined it with plenty of creativity and solid storytelling to produce some terrific attractions. Parks took us soarin', blasted us into space, sent us under the sea and up a mountain, and even gave us a 60s acid flashback. At this end-of-the-year/end-of-the-decade time of reflection, I've come up with my list of the top 10 rides of the decade.
Photo: Expedition Everest is one of the best rides of the decade. © Arthur Levine 2006. Licensed to About.com.
Monday December 21, 2009
Jacko is officially backo at Disneyland. After months of rumors, Disney has confirmed that Captain EO, the pioneering 4-D sci-fi film that stars Michael Jackson, will return to Disneyland in February for a limited engagement. The popular attraction, which features Jackson as a space-age troubadour, was produced by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. While Magic Journeys debuted at Epcot in 1982 as the Mouse's first 3-D park attraction, it was mostly a gimmick-stuffed pastiche of scenes designed to showcase the comin'-at-ya effects. The 17-minute Captain EO, however, is a mini-movie/oversized music video, complete with an original Jackson song, "We Are Here To Change The World." It replaced Magic Journeys at Walt Disney World and also debuted at Disneyland in 1986. 23 years later, it may seem a bit dated, but it should offer a fascinating peek at the King of Pop in his prime as well as an innovative Imagineering milestone.
Photo: Captain EO returns to Disneyland. Disney, 2009.