Archive for the 'Water Parks' Category
New water park to replace Wild Rivers in Irvine
October 19, 2009 6:42pm
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Wild Rivers water park in Irvine will close forever after next summer.
The off-again, on-again water park nestled next to the old Irvine Meadows Amphitheater claims 2010 will be the final season. Of course, it has said that the last few summers. But this time it just may be the truth.
The business partners behind the 23-year-old Wild Rivers have formed a new venture that’s in the process of raising money for three planned water parks in Temecula, Bakersfield and Irvine under the name Splash Canyon.
The $24-million Temecula and $14-million Bakersfield water parks, set to open in 2010 and 2011, respectively, have already gotten green lights from city officials, according to Waterpark Ventures partner Evan Gentry.
The $28-million Irvine water park, planned for a 25-acre parcel at the Great Park on the former El Toro Marine Base, would open in 2011 pending approval from city officials.
Tentative plans for the Irvine water park include:
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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)
Golden Ticket awards honor top amusement park rides of 2009
September 10, 2009 5:43pm
Amusement Today magazine awarded the Golden Ticket today to the Prowler wooden coaster at Worlds of Fun in Missouri as the best new amusement park ride of 2009 in the United States.
The Voyage at Holiday World in Indiana remained the all-time favorite wooden coaster, with Prowler claiming the eighth spot in the Top 10 wooden coaster list.
Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio was named the best new steel coaster for 2009, moving into the seventh spot on Amusement Today’s all-time Top 10 steel coasters list. Bizarro (formerly Superman – Ride of Steel) at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts maintained the all-time top spot in the steel coaster category.
Schlitterbahn water park in Texas snagged best new water ride of 2009 honors for Congo River Expedition.
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:
Theme park news: Cedar Point water ride, Fantasmic dragon debuts, Rihanna at Magic Mountain
September 5, 2009 7:16am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Cedar Point in Ohio unveils the $10.5-million Shoot the Rapids water ride for 2010 set amid an illegal moonshine still.
* Report: Shanghai Disneyland to open in 2013 on a site four times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland.
* Video: New fire-breathing Fantasmic dragon at Disneyland looks stunning and pleases crowd in debut but seems a bit stiff and fails to “breath” fire.
Theme park news: Wildebeest water coaster, Kennywood launch coaster, Epcot tequila bar, water park Speedo ban
August 15, 2009 9:34am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Holiday World announces the $5.5 million Wildebeest, the world’s longest water coaster, for May 2010 at Splashin’ Safari water park in Indiana. Photos. (Coaster Warriors)
* Kennywood in Pennsylvania announces an as-yet-unnamed $5.5 million launch coaster with a 90-degree drop and three inversions for 2010. Video. (News Plus Notes)
* D23 Expo announces dates and times for keynote speakers Iger (CEO), Cook (Studio), Rasulo (Parks) and Lasseter (Pixar).
* Photos: “Princess and the Frog“ movie exhibit opens in Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Laughing Place)
* Princess Tiana (”Princess and the Frog”) to join finale float in Once Upon a Dream parade at Disneyland Paris. (DLRP Magic)
Fastest water-slide racers win free hotel stays
June 28, 2009 8:10am
Master the “hydro-blade” technique for water-sliding, and “your speed times may break the sound barrier,” according to the Sliders Cup Speed Challenge website. This method involves keeping only shoulder blades and heels on the slide in order to achieve more “hydroplaning speed.”
Sound too amateur? Try combining it with the more traditional “Mummy” technique (arms crossed over chest) for a really fast descent.
Water-sliding is serious business at two KSL Resorts this summer. At Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs and La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, the first annual Sliders Cup race series is drawing schools of folks of all ages and sizes to the water for fun and good booty.
Twice weekly at each resort, racers vie for best times as they take on Rancho Las Palmas’ 100-foot water slide or La Costa’s 120-foot slide. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. water park updates for summer 2009
June 17, 2009 3:00pm
Here’s a look at some of the new water parks, water park slides and water park attractions debuting this summer across the United States:
New Water Parks
* The 40-acre Schlitterbahn Vacation Village water park in Kansas City, Kan., features the world’s largest tidal wave river, an uphill Master Blaster water coaster and a hot tub with swim-up bar.
* The $30-million Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix water park in Arizona features dueling water coasters.
* The 80,000-square-foot Fort Mackenzie indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C.
* The 30,000-square-foot Castle Rock Resort indoor water park in Branson, Mo.
New Water Slides
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Theme Park news: interactive Space Mountain queue; Witch Mountain motion simulator; Dino Mountain returns
June 13, 2009 7:02am
A round-up of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week (I sense a mountain theme):
* Dream job: Get paid $25,000 to ride 67 rides in Orlando. (Coaster Critic)
* Construction permits call for addition of an “interactive queue” as part of $12.3 million Space Mountain rehab at Walt Disney World. (Orlando Sentinel)
* Tightrope-walker Nik Wallenda to walk a high wire 80 feet in the air without a net or safety line at Knott’s Berry Farm on Sunday, June 21 at 2:30 p.m. The King of the High Wire will pull a similar stunt at Worlds of Fun in Missouri on Sunday, June 14. (Amusement Today)
Base-jumper leaps from top of thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain
May 29, 2009 7:25am
A stunt man base-jumped from the top of the 415-foot-tall Superman: The Escape thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain this week as part of an upcoming extreme sports stunt show.
The jump will be featured in the season opener of MTV’s Nitro Circus, starring action sports athlete Travis Pastrana and his reckless band of daredevils.
In the top photo, the stuntman can be seen leaping from the top of the reverse freefall shuttle roller coaster with Hurricane Harbor water park and the I-5 Freeway in the distance.
See the landing after the jump.
