Archive for the 'Islands of Adventure' Category
Poll results: Fans pick favorite wooden and steel roller coasters
February 17, 2010 11:34am
The votes are in, and the fans have spoken.
A few weeks ago, we posted our twin lists of the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters in the U.S, as judged by our panel of experts.
Photo galleries: View the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters.
Then we invited readers to pick their favorites. The response was overwhelming.
More than 60,000 votes were cast in the pair of unscientific polls, with the steel coaster ballot garnering the lion’s share of the tallies. (And yes, we know the parks goosed the voting through Facebook, Twitter and with various incentives.)
Poll results: See how fans voted in the wooden and steel coaster polls.
Vote for your favorite wooden and steel roller coasters
February 6, 2010 6:58am
The polls remain open for fans to vote for their favorite wooden and steel roller coasters in the United States. We’ll declare a winner of the unscientific survey at the conclusion of voting.
Poll: Vote for your favorite wooden and steel roller coasters.
With the help of our expert panel, we selected our top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters in the U.S.
Photo galleries: View the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters.
With more than 1,000 votes tallied so far, The Voyage at Holiday World holds a commanding lead in the top wooden coaster poll, with The Beast at Kings Island running second and Dollywood’s Thunderhead in third. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure hovers in the middle of the pack.
In the top steel coaster poll, two rides at Busch Gardens Europe are battling for the lead: Apollo’s Chariot and Griffon. Cedar Point’s Millennium Force and Six Flags New England’s Bizarro trail close behind the leaders.
Recent theme park stories
> Six Flags Magic Mountain adding Mr. Six coaster for 2010
> Michael Jackson returns to Disneyland in ‘Captain EO‘
> ‘Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln‘ at Disneyland weds nostalgia and technology
> ‘Toy Story‘ musical replacing ‘Aladdin’ show at Disney’s California Adventure
> Six Flags Magic Mountain to reclaim ‘Coaster Capital of the World‘ title in 2010
> Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open at Universal Studios Orlando in spring 2010
> Fantasyland to get extreme makeover at Disney World by 2013
> Star Tours reboot coming to Disneyland and Disney World in 2011
> When, where and how: Marvel characters in Disney theme parks
> Director Peter Jackson spills details on new King Kong attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood
> Sneak peek: Scene-by-scene preview of World of Color water show at Disney’s California Adventure
Photo galleries
> Top 10 wooden roller coasters in the U.S.
> Top 10 steel roller coasters in the U.S.
> Top 10 most anticipated U.S. theme park rides and attractions for 2010
> Top 10 most anticipated California theme park rides and attractions for 2010
> Top 10 rides and attractions at each of the Disney World theme parks
> Top 10 rides and attractions at both Universal Studios Orlando theme parks
Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland. Follow Funland on Twitter and Facebook.
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Photo: Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure. Credit: Six Flags Great Adventure
Top 10 steel roller coasters in the U.S.
January 29, 2010 8:57am
For our Top 10 list of the best steel coasters in the United States, we turned to a panel of experts from the top roller coaster and amusement park websites.
Photo Gallery: View the Top 10 steel roller coasters in the U.S.
Poll: Vote for your favorite among the Top 10 steel coasters
The Top 10 is dominated by Six Flags and Busch Gardens coasters along the East Coast — stretching from Massachusetts to Florida. The list includes eight coasters from one manufacturer (Bolliger & Mabillard), but the top two spots belong to its chief iron rival (Intamin AG).
Top 10 rides and attractions at both Universal Studios Orlando theme parks
December 31, 2009 5:58am
In compiling my Top 10 lists for the Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure theme parks, I tried to combine the must-see attractions with the one-of-a-kind rides you can’t find anywhere else.
Below, you’ll find links to photo galleries of the best rides and attractions at both parks.
As with any guide, my picks are subjective. If you disagree with the choices, add your opinions in the comments section below.
Top 10 most anticipated U.S. theme park rides and attractions for 2010
December 29, 2009 9:00am
With the dire economic climate ebbing and corporate purse strings loosening, 2010 is shaping up as a good year for amusement and theme park visitors in the United States.
Here are the rides and attractions I’m most looking forward to this summer:
1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter coming to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Fla. is the 800-pound gorilla on the 2010 calendar.
Visitors will step into a realistic re-creation of Hogsmeade village complete with a towering Hogwarts Castle. The marquee ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which remains a closely guarded secret.
The Michael Jackson theme park that never was, but still could be
November 5, 2009 12:29pm
Michael Jackson dreamed of a theme park based on the J.M. Barrie story of “Peter Pan,” complete with looping roller coasters, 3-D flight simulators, water rides, stunt shows, dinner theater, nighttime spectaculars and hotels.
The Disney and More blog has the full story of how the dream nearly became reality, including blueprints and concept art from the envisioned project.
In the late 1990s, the King of Pop partnered with Burbank-based Landmark Entertainment Group — the creators of the Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure and the Jurassic Park water ride at Universal Studios Orlando — to draft a plan for Peter Pan’s Neverland theme park.
The concept looks remarkably similar to Disneyland past and present, with all the Peter Pan parts of the park (pirate ship, dark ride, skull rock) amplified and embellished with plenty of pixie dust.
Peter Pan’s Neverland envisioned a grand entrance into Victorian London with replicas of Kensington Gardens, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament.
On Neverland Island, reached by boat, there were six themed lands:
Read the rest of this entry »
Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open at Universal Studios Orlando in spring 2010
September 15, 2009 11:19am
Visitors to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will step into a realistic re-creation of Hogsmeade village complete with a steam-billowing Hogswarts Express train, a towering Hogwarts Castle as well as rides, shops and restaurants based on the blockbuster book and film series.
Universal Studios Orlando announced today that the much-anticipated themed land at the Islands of Adventure theme park will open in spring 2010.
“I know that I would come out of films when I was younger and absolutely just wish that world could be real and I could be a part of it,” said Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry in the movies. “It’s fantastic that people will get to actually realize everything they’ve seen on screen.”
A closer look at the locations in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
Theme park news: Legoland water park, Real Madrid theme park, Wizarding World DVD extras, Neverland negotiations
September 12, 2009 5:58am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Legoland California to open a separate-admission, 5.5-acre water park by summer 2010. (L.A. Times)
* Built in 1927 and rebuilt in 1948 and 1994, Comet coaster at Great Escape in New York gets American Coaster Enthusiasts landmark designation. (Screamscape)
* DVD extras on “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” movie to include short feature on Wizarding World themed land at Universal Studios Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel)
* Report: Michael Jackson’s family negotiating to open Neverland as a Graceland-like amusement park by Christmas. (New York Post)
* Disney: No plans to use Marvel characters in Orlando parks, no concerns about brand confusion with Universal Studios. (Orlando Sentinel)
When, where and how: Marvel characters in Disney theme parks
September 9, 2009 9:13am
I’ve heard the same refrain for the last week or so: How will Disney ever incorporate the dark and edgy Marvel comic book characters into its family-friendly fairy tale theme parks?
While at first glance the task seems daunting, upon further reflection the opportunities appear endless. It’s certainly not a question of “if” but rather “when, where and how.”
It’s been fun to imagine the juxtaposition of Marvel’s assassins, terrorists, serial killers and vigilantes mixing on Main Street USA with Disney’s princesses, fairies and army of anthropomorphic animals. But Marvel also has a deep bench of heroes and villains in its 5,000-character catalog that would blend seamlessly into Disney’s theme parks.
The early contenders will almost certainly come from the ranks of Marvel’s past films (”Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Hulk,” “Iron Man,” “Fantastic Four”) and upcoming releases (”Thor,” “Captain America,” “Avengers,” “Silver Surfer,” “Ant Man”). There’s even a few minor characters that would fit perfectly in specific Disney attractions and themed lands.
Disney’s done it before with “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Muppets,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and even Aerosmith.
And while Disneyland might not be the ideal match for Marvel characters, the superheroes fit like a skin-tight spandex suit in Disney’s “studio” theme parks.
So, keeping in mind that Mickey and Spidey have only been in-laws for less than a fortnight, lets take an unofficial and speculative look at how the marriage of Marvel and Disney might play out in the company’s theme parks around the world:
How the Disney-Marvel deal affects Universal Studios theme parks
August 31, 2009 4:08pm
Disney’s acquisition of Marvel is expected to have no effect on Universal Studios Florida, where visitors ride on attractions themed to Spider-Man and pose for photos with the Incredible Hulk at the Islands of Adventure theme park.
“Our agreement with Marvel stands for as long as we follow the terms of our existing contract and for as long as we want there to be a Marvel Super Hero Island,” said Universal Studios Florida spokesman Tom Schroder.
Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, across town from Walt Disney World in Orlando, includes the Incredible Hulk roller-coaster and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man simulator ride as well walk-around characters such as Wolverine and Captain America.
