It continues to be a vacationer's market as theme parks attempt to beckon visitors with deep discounts and all kinds of deals. If you're thinking of taking a theme park trip to the Sunshine State, you'll want to see which parks are offering five-night packages for the price of three, weeklong two-park passes, length-of-stay passes for less than the cost of a regular-priced, one-day ticket, and other eye (and wallet?) -opening offers. They are all compiled in my updated, handy-dandy Florida Theme Park Discounts and Travel Deals page.

• Walt Disney World Hotels Guide- If you're thinking of staying on property at the WDW resort, check out this overview.
• Give a Day, Get a Disney Day- How to score free WDW tickets in 2010.

After years of often bitter wrangling among factions with differing agendas and plans, it appears that there may be some real momentum to finally redevelop Coney Island. According to the New York Times, the City of New York will pay $95.6 million for a seven-acre parcel of land along the fabled boardwalk. Developer Joseph Sitt, who has been sitting on prime Coney Island real estate and had his own restoration plans, agreed to sell the property. Sitt will retain an adjacent parcel and hopes to build hotels and other venues to capitalize on a resurrected Coney Island.

The city wants a temporary amusement vendor (perhaps reopening the door to the former owners of Astroland?) to keep the Island hopping for the next few years while it seeks a developer, or perhaps a number of developers, to help remake the landmark seaside amusement area. It's unclear what impact the redevelopment would have on Deno's Wonder Wheel Park or other existing attractions.

• Coney Island Photo Gallery
• Wonder Wheel at Coney Island Ride Review

Photo: Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, home of the landmark Ferris wheel, is located near the Cyclone roller coaster.

It's been some time since I last updated my list of the best wooden coasters in North America. I expanded the list to include ten woodies, and I made some changes at the top.

For years, Boulder Dash at Connecticut's Lake Compounce has held my number-one position. In fact, the ride and my best coasters list was mentioned on the series finale of the television show, The Gilmore Girls. Sorry Lorelei, but Boulder Dash moves down to number three on the list. Want to see what coaster took its place at the top of the heap? And what new ride to the list snuck in at number two? Well, head over to my updated Best Roller Coasters feature. And if you want to join in the list making, you can share your own picks for the best coasters or click on "Comments" below to voice your thoughts.

• The World's 10 Tallest Roller Coasters
• Coaster Wimps: How to Conquer Your Coaster Fears

Photo: The Cyclone at Coney Island is one of my picks for the top 10 best wooden roller coasters. © Arthur Levine, 2007. Licensed to About.com

Altruism is great, but it's always nice to get a little something in return for making a donation, right? A red poppy pin, a sticker, or a public TV station logo-emblazoned tote bag are all great, but how about a ride aboard the world's tallest roller coaster? Folks in the New Jersey area who bring a donation of an unwrapped toy, a non-perishable food item, blankets, shoes, or winter clothing to Six Flags Great Adventure on Friday, November 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. will get free admission to the park and complimentary rides aboard the record-breaking thrill machine, Kingda Ka. Six Flags says it will also offer boardwalk games, appearances by celebrities, and free snacks as part of its Hope for the Holidays to benefit the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots. Don't have an item to donate? The park will also accept a $5 donation to enter the event.

• Superman Ultimate Flight- Review of the Six Flags Great Adventure flying coaster.
• Six Flags Great Adventure Photo Gallery

Photo: Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. ©Arthur Levine, 2006. Licensed to About.com.

Already lauded as on of the world's best wooden coasters, the Thanksgiving-themed The Voyage at Indiana's Holiday World should be even better next season. According to the park, new trains will allow the ride to better navigate its extreme banks and curves and deliver a smoother ride. The newly designed trains will also feature wider, suspension-aided seats for a more comfortable experience. By reducing onboard friction, the folks at Holiday World are hopeful that the rolling stock will result in a faster--or at least, a faster feeling--ride. For the 2010 season, Holiday World is also adding Wildebeest, the world's longest water coaster.

Photo: The Voyage features a total of eight underground dives--a wood coaster world record. ©Arthur Levine, 2009. Licensed to About.com.

The Three Little Pigs may not be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, but some folks are raising concerns about contracting swine flu at destination theme parks such as Walt Disney World. A recent New York Times article cited parks' large crowds, guests from around the world, and high-touch encounters between visitors and costumed characters as "the perfect petri dishes for the H1N1 virus." Most parks, including Disney World, are taking precautions such as installing hand sanitizers and offering employees free flu shots. What do you think? Would you steer clear of theme parks to avoid the risks of flu transmission? Or is the threat overblown? Take the poll. And please share any additional thoughts on the matter by clicking on "Comments" below.

Photo: Mickey and Minnie get into holiday gear at Walt Disney World. Disney. Used with permission.

There's a (very) little bit more news coming from Six Flags Magic Mountain about its new coaster. According to Brady MacDonald at the Los Angeles Times, the 2010 ride will be a family coaster. And, apparently that's all the California park is saying for now. A few months back, Six Flags CEO, Mark Shapiro, let slip that Magic Mountain would be getting its 17th coaster in 2010. With the addition of the family coaster, the park will reclaim its status as having the most coasters of any park in the world--a bragging point it will share with the 17-coaster haven, Cedar Point. Six Flags says it will reveal details about the new ride later this month. My guess is that a spinning coaster, a staple at many other Six Flags parks, is on its way to Magic Mountain.

• Goliath - Review of the Magic Mountain hypercoaster
• Scream-Ride Out Loud- Review of the Magic Mountain floorless coaster

Its four theme parks are crammed with one over-the-top experience after another. Narrowing down the choices to a top-ten list of the best that Walt Disney World has to offer is no easy task. My pick for number ten may surprise you. And you may also be surprised--or ticked off--by what I left off of the list. Chill out! First take a look at my picks for the ten best rides and shows at Walt Disney World's theme parks. Then weigh in with your own Disney World picks. That way, the rest of us will have a chance to get ticked off at you.

• Mission: SPACE Ride Review- One of my top-ten best WDW attractions.
• Soarin' Ride Review- Another top-ten best WDW attraction (according to me, anyways).

Photo: At night, Expedition Everest, one of the top-ten rides at WDW, has dramatic lighting. ©Arthur Levine, 2006. Licensed to About.com.

The heck with The Great Recession! The economy may have taken on a lot of water, and consumers may have taken it on the chin, but SeaWorld Orlando nonetheless raised its one-day, one-park ticket to a staggering $78.95--a $4 increase. Busch Entertainment's other Florida parks, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove, also increased their admission fees. It now costs $5 more, $74.95, to visit Busch Gardens. Florida residents, however, can take advantage of Busch's recession-buster deal: a SeaWorld Orlando season pass (that extends through the end of 2010) for $69.95--less than the gate price for a one-day ticket. Busch is also offering Florida residents a one-day SeaWorld pass at the regular price and throwing in a free ticket to Aquatica or Busch Gardens.

• Aquatica Photo Gallery
• Discovery Cove Photo Gallery

Other cruise lines have included water park slides aboard their ships. But when the Disney Dream launches in 2011, it will feature AquaDuck, the industry's first floating water coaster. The ride's 756-foot long see-through tube will extend beyond the side of the ship, sending passengers zooming high above the ocean. AquaDuck will use jets of water to propel riders' rafts up and along the route as it circles the ship.

Disney Imagineers will incorporate other goodies into the Dream, including "virtual portholes" for inside cabins. High-definition screens will mimic windows by relaying real-time footage shot outside the ship. Taking whimsy to the high seas, animated characters such as Mickey Mouse and some of Nemo's pals will occasionally float past the virtual windows. Disney has posted a computer-generated video of the AquaDuck water coaster.

• Give a Day, Get a Disney Day- How to score free Disney park tickets in 2010.
• Putting the Disney into Disney's California Adventure