2008 preview: Florida amusement & theme parks

Third in a series: 2008 amusement and theme park preview

Californians might want to think twice — or make that five times — before traveling to Florida’s amusement parks this summer.

Outside of SeaWorld Orlando’s much-hyped Aquatica water park, the Sunshine State offers almost nothing new in 2008 that you can’t find in the Golden State.

Like Disneyland, Disney World plans to roll out a second “Year of Million Dreams” marketing promotion — a.k.a. Year of No New Attractions.

Down the road at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios), you’ll find a ride (Toy Story Mania) and a show (Playhouse Disney) also planned for Disney’s California Adventure plus a parade (Block Party Bash) heading from Anaheim to Orlando.

And across town, Universal Studios Florida will debut a “Simpsons” simulator ride identical to the one opening at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The only non-California carbon copy showing up in Orlando is a renovation of Spaceship Earth at Epcot — which adds a new score, sets and story line with narration by Judi Dench.

The one original addition to Florida amusement parks in 2008 takes place in Tampa at Busch Gardens Africa. The new jungle-themed Jungala land features a multilevel playground, live entertainment and rides — including a zip line with three flight paths.

You can find all the blog entries in the 2008 Preview Series on the theme park page.

Is there really any reason to travel to Florida this year?

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Image: Busch Gardens Africa]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 at 10:04 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epcot at Walt Disney World, Family & Kids, Southern States, Theme Parks, Universal Studios Florida. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.