Parker Reviews Mean Streak at Cedar Point

Hello Nerds,
Cedar Point is known for its many amazing coasters.  Unfortunately, some aren't as amazing as others.  In this outtake from the Cedar Point episode, Parker gives his expert opinion on what riding Mean Streak, one of the park's wooden coasters, is like.

Enjoy!

Cedar Point Update

Hey there nerds,
It's time for another Ohio theme park update.  This time, I went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH, on a very windy, rainy day.  Most everything in the park was closed for most of the day, but it still made for a coaster filled afternoon.  Check out the Theme Park Nerds' video blog covering the trip.  In it, we talk about the park, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Magnum, Maverick, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and all sorts of other fun coasters at the park.  Parker even goes into some operating secrets from his years of being a operator at Corkscrew.

Check it out!

See you in the parks nerds!
Mike

Kings Island

Hey there nerds,
So Parker got married a few weeks ago.  It was a beautiful event that afforded me the opportunity to run to theme parks afterwards :)

First up, Kings Island in Mason, OH.  A very nice, well rounded coaster park owned by Cedar Fair.

Check out our review of Kings Island in our latest Theme Park Nerds episode.

See you at the parks nerds,
Mike

Iron Man Poster!

Hey Nerds,

Have you always wanted your very own FREE Iron Man poster?  Me too!  And thanks to Disney and Limited Time Magic, we both can get our very own FREE poster (all we have to do is buy plane ticket, fly to Anaheim, purchase entrance to Disneyland, head to Innoventions, partake in the Iron Man experience, and POOF, poster).

Of course, there is a chance they may run out of Iron Man posters.  If that's the case, you would get an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. poster instead, which isn't as awesome.

Or, if you have a poster printer or live next to a Kinko's, Disney has provided a handy PDF of the posters together so you print them yourselves and avoid that pesky Disneyland vacation all together.  Of course, then you also wouldn't be able to get your spooky Mickey ears or your Jack Skellington cup cake, but those cost more money anyway.

If you want the PDF of the poster, it can be found at
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/media/disneyparks_v0100/media/let-the-memories-begin/limited-time-magic/tactics/Iron-Man-3-Agents-of-SHIELD-poster.pdf

In the mean time, I am going to find a recipe for skeleton cup cakes and pretend I am at Disneyland.

Later Nerds,
Mike

Thoughts on Avatar Land

Hey There Nerds,
Last week was the Tokyo D23, Disney's own fan club convention where Disney nerds from all around gather to listen to the company hype whatever they have decided we need to be excited about.  Anaheim had their own D23 earlier in the year and nothing of note really came from it on the theme park front.  In Tokyo, however, they finally had something to announce.

While we've know it was coming for a while, Imagineering finally released more information about Avatar Land, the huge expansion coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom sometime in the next 5 year (possibly 2017).  At Tokyo's D23, WDI released some beautiful concept art and shots of their scale model to give an impression on what the land may look like.  As expected, the concept shows lots of glowing plants and weird, alien flora and fauna, just like the first Avatar film.  While everything about the land continues to look beautiful, I am still waiting for the wow factor that will convince me this will be an amazing land.

from http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

What we know so far is the land will include at least two major attractions.  A boat ride through the forest of Pandora (pictured above) and a simulator ride flying through the skies of Pandora.  In addition to the attractions, you can expect your normal assortment of restaurants, snack bars, shops, and character meet and greet locations to round out the land.  The land itself looks to be backed by a GIGANTIC floating mountain, towering above the visitors to Pandora, as seen in a shot from the announcement below.

from http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

While I am excited Animal Kingdom is getting a major expansion (it needs it) and I do agree the land will be beautiful and the attractions will be very well done, I am still not excited about this, and I WANT to be excited about this, but I'm not.  I have seen the Avatar film and, while I thought it was beautiful and very well done, it didn't leave a lasting impression for me.  It was weak on story and high on visuals and that is exactly how I feel this land will be.  Beautiful, but not lasting.  This is reported to be a $500 million project, which is around what Animal Kingdom cost to originally build (more or less).  I expect more. 

The boat ride I am actually OK with.  It looks like it will be a minor C or D ticket ride that will be nice on a hot Florida day.  It looks like portions of it will be inside and it will have lots of colors and bright lights that will amuse kids for 5 to 10 minutes, which is exactly what Animal Kingdom needs.  The park does not have a good children's ride in the classic Disney style, and this feels like it will be much simpler version of Small World...on an alien planet.

What REALLY worries me is the E ticket simulator that I am sure will be the anchor of the land.  Aside from the fact that Disney is touch and go with simulators, they're either amazing (Star Tours, Sorin') or horrible (Body Wars, Mission Space), they don't have the shelf life or grander that Disney does best.  I am sure it will be a good enough ride, but what I am not sure about is that it will continue to pack in the crowds for years to come.  Attractions like Radiator Springs Racers and Expedition Everest will continue to be exciting for years to come because they combine mild thrills with epic Disney art and story telling.  Simulators become stale and have to be continually refreshed to remain relevant.  Sims are great as side attractions, in support of other major attractions to round out a land.  As THE major attraction, I'm not sold.

Only making the situation worse is the fact that up I-4, Universal Studios Florida IS making grand, epic attractions that focus on art and story telling (not Transformers, Harry Potter).  They are trying to beat Disney at their own game, and if WDW keeps on the path they're on, Universal will win.

So what do you think?  Are you excited to walk through the world of Pandora, or is your next trip to Orlando going to center around Harry Potter, with WDW being a side trip?

--Mike

Walt Disney World Thoughts

It had been years since I was last there and there were maybe only a few new experiences.  Disney needs to get their butts in gear and build something new quick.  Hopefully the rumblings of Avatar for Animal Kingdom, Star Wars Land, and Cars for Hollywood Studios come to fruition.  Avatar, for all its thematic inappropriateness of being in a Disney park, is now desperately needed.  The makeover of the Hollywood Studios has me the most excited.  Meanwhile Epcot just sits there.  A giant mall with some decades old attractions that need some love.    It’s weird but I found myself most of the time wondering if Transformers at Universal Studios was having technical rehearsals on the days I visited and how I might have been able to sneak away for a day.  It’s not a good thing for a theme park when a guest is thinking about shaving off a day to visit a competitor.  
That’s all the ranting I can handle for one day.  
Thanks for reading and I hope to contribute more in the future.
-Brian

New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Review

Before I go too much into New Fantasyland, let me say that the Magic Kingdom has not looked this polished and nice in a very long time.  I frequented this park most during my visits.  After the requisite rides on The Carousel of Progress and the TTA Peoplemover, my all-time favorites at the Magic Kingdom, our group sauntered over to New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus to check out the new stuff.  Let’s go through the positives first.  

The area looks very nice and very picturesque.  Some of the finest theming since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The train station, Carolwood Park, in Storybook Circus is a great homage to Walt’s love of the railroad.  I also appreciate the way Disney opened up the space behind the carousel.  There was never a huge backup of foot traffic like there used to be.  

Even though Butterbeer is certainly the better drink, Le Fou’s Brew from Gaston’s Tavern is still very good and refreshing on a hot day.  And finally, my lunch at Be Our Guest was quite spectacular, even if I had to contend with a tropical storm.  

For the attractions, I rode Dumbo and The Little Mermaid.  Didn’t bother with Enchanted Tales with Belle because I am not a 9-year-old girl.  I have always had a soft spot for Dumbo and riding it at night is just a delight.  

The Little Mermaid is certainly a ride.  It just sort of ends, doesn’t it?  I found more entertainment in the queue to be honest. 

Like cotton candy, I found most of New Fantasyland to be pretty but hollow.  An excuse to install more shops and eateries without putting much thought into the attractions themselves.  When your anchor for an entire new land is a restaurant, there’s an issue.  I know that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is set to be open sometime this decade and that was a big mistake on Disney not to fast track that thing.  Maybe my opinion of this new area would be different had it been open, but it wasn’t.  

I can’t go on without mentioning the new Tangled “E-ticket toilets”.  Once again, a very pretty area, but it’s a place to drop a deuce, nothing more.  The charging station area will come in handy for those “iPad photographers”.

I did really enjoy my time in Disney but I can’t see myself going there any time in the near future.  

Thanks for reading,

- Brian

Test Track 2.0

The first visit I had to the parks in quite some time, occurred over the past month.  My dad and I visited for a couple of days as part of a graduation gift and some friends from school and I visited for about five days a couple of weeks later.  This roundup/review/recollection thing will pull from both experiences.  This first post will discuss some of the new and refurbished attractions.  

Firstly, Test Track in Epcot has always been very enjoyable for me.  The experience itself is fun and I have always appreciated riding with people who have never experienced it before.  In the past year, it went under a sorely needed refurbishment and redesign.  As much as I had liked the ride, crash test dummy warehouse is not futurey(?) enough for Future World.  

The new look of Test Track definitely fits well within that future theme.  The music is much better and no longer gives me a pounding headache.  Everything is much cleaner, as in no thematic clutter, than what it used to be.  

The best addition, I believe, is the design room where you and your party can custom build a car to then “take” with you during the attraction.  A cast member hands your party a card implanted with an RFID chip and you take it to a station where you can customize the look and elements of your digital vehicle, which affect capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power.  I want to emphasize digital because the ride experience is the same every time no matter what alterations you make to your design.  The design process is very fun and there seem to be limitless ways you can design the perfect automobile.  

The ride experience itself may look different, think Tron, but feels the same as Test Track 1.0.  This is because the track layout did not change at all which I feel is a missed opportunity.  I could still predict every ride beat due to my experiences.  

Overall, Test Track 2.0 is a solid upgrade.  Pre and post show areas are fun and engaging, but I wish they did more with the ride experience itself.  The addition of a model of Progress City during the ride does get a nod of approval from me. 

Thanks for reading,

-Brian

Meet Brian

Hello there!  I’m Brian.  I’m from Virginia.  I love theme parks.  Parker was kind enough to ask me to write a blog post for Theme Park Nerds, so here I am.  Let me give you bit of background on myself in the industry so that you can get a better picture of where I’m coming from with this, and also to feed my ego monster.  I’m kidding, I’m the most modest person I know that’s ever existed for all time.  Anyway.  As said earlier, I’m Brian from Virginia.  A place that is not without access to some pretty spectacular theme parks.  Going to school in Norfolk for my undergrad and graduate degrees allowed me to visit my favorite park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the Most Beautiful Theme Park in the World, on a regular basis.  My working experiences in the theme park industry include two stints in Walt Disney World’s College Program.  In the spring of 2006, I worked Quick Service at Walt Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort in the food court.  Two years later, I wanted to do the program again and was placed this time in Merchandise at Mouse Gear in Epcot.  I met Parker when I transferred to Attractions during the summer and worked arguably the best attraction on property, Splash Mountain.  Enough about me though, you want to hear about theme parks, right?  This first post will be mostly a review of the new stuff I had yet to do at the resort and some thoughts on the parks in general.  I may ramble.  You have been warned.

Full Throttle HAS TRAINS!

Got your hands on the Throttle?

As Six Flags Magic Mountain creeps closer to the completion of their next mega coaster, Full Throttle, a big step has been taken that shows that ride testing is just around the corner.  TRAINS ARE ON THE TRACK!  Two to be exact.  One near the station on what appears to be a transfer track and one just outside of the launch tunnel near Superman.

Here's a shot of the train that's outside of the launch tunnel.  You can see riders will sit two by two, with two cars making up a train for a total of 12 riders.

From the sky tower, you can see the second train on the transfer track.  This is going to be a VERY tight turn around from breaks, to station, to launch.  To the left of the train is the break run coming of the top hat over the 160 foot loop.  The platform to the left appears to be where the station will be constructed.

Through the trees near the old Log Jammer station, you can see what the restraints look like.  No over the shoulder harnesses for this record breaking loop.

From the tower, you can see the entire layout of the new coaster.  It starts in the center of the picture, behind the orange track of Tatsu, launches into the loop, goes over the bridge to Superman to the left, then under the bridge into the launch tunnel, then launches again up and over the loop and back into the station.

A look at the station area from above.  That's a very short launch to get you over a very tall loop.

I have some additional photos and video of Full Throttle's construction you can see here.

So what do you think?  Is Full Throttle going to be another Jewel in Magic Mountain's coaster crown?

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Hey there visitors to Isla Nublar,

The Jurassic Park River Adventure in Universal Studios Hollywood has been a hit since it's opening in 1996.  Two duplicates of the ride have been made in Japan and Florida, and while I have yet to venture to the land of the rising sun, I much prefer the original to the Orlando copy.

Take a look at the full ride through of the attraction I recently filmed.

Those of you familiar with the version at Universal's Islands of Adventure, here are a few of the differences.

- Only one hadrosaur in Hadrosaur Cove
- A crashed boat is in the entrance to the cove
- An animatronic Dilophosaurus is in the crashed boat across from the Velociraptor pen (replacing the two small dinosaurs fighting over the popcorn box, who appear earlier in the ride in Hollywood)
- A car falls off the side of the wall on the approach to the chain lift, much like in the movie (this was replaced by the falling raptor box in Orlando, which isn't nearly as good)
- More raptors in the chain lift
- A fully animatronic GIANT T-Rex head coming from the ceiling just after you leave the chain lift (this was replaced by the scratches on the wall in Orlando, which just doesn't compare.

Take a virtual ride and see for yourself, and please let me know, if there is anyone else out there that has rode another version of the ride, what you think.

Until then, WATCH OUT FOR THAT DINOSAUR!  Just kidding, I'm a kidder.

Universal Construction Update

Hey there lovers of construction,

Universal Studios Hollywood has a lot going on in the upper lot in the way of improvements and new attractions.  I was recently in the park and took a few pictures of what's going on.

First, lets start with what's NOT under construction yet: Harry Potter.  It was announced not too long ago that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be coming to Hollywood and the Gibson Amphitheater would be cleared to make way for Hogwarts. 

 The Gibson is still very much in one piece and shows no signs of being under siege by wizards

The entire center of the upper lot is a large construction site.  Universal has removed the old Wild West Stunt Show theater and is replacing it with...something.  It looks like it will be a series of shops or food stands.  Here is the framework for a building that will be going in the front corner of the area.

 The back of the metal framework.  The House of Horrors maze is the building behind it on the left.

A side view of the framework above.  It looks like there will be some sort of roundish entrance-y thing on the front corner.

Moving around the block, to the left of the framework is the beginnings of some wooden beam structures.  You can see it peaking over the wall on the center left.

Continuing around the walls, this small wooden building is visible.

 In the back of the area, near the Animal Actors Stage, this wooden structor is being assembled.

Moving on, over by The Simpsons' Ride, work continues behind the restrooms. 

 They have dug a very particular, very layered hole.  Not sure why.

On to the good stuff.  Universal just officially announced that Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem will be replacing Terminator 2: 3D.  Construction has already been underway at the former T23D site for a few months now

 The store in the front has been re-enclosed after it got all ripped apart.

Further down, scaffolding is still up on what appears to be the new entrance.

Behind the tarps, you can see the metal frame of what appears to be Gru's house.  If they use this for the entrance like they did in Orlando, this make the entrance on the opposite side of the building from where you entered Terminator.

If you want to see more construction shots and videos I took of the different areas, check it out on the Theme Park Nerds YouTube channel.

Have a Tram-tastic Day Nerds!

Autobots: Roll Out!

Hey there nerds,
If you haven't had the chance to experience the new Transformers: The Ride: 3D: Fighting Robots! ride in Universal Studios Hollywood or Orlando, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!  If you like 3D, or fighting robots, or action, or crazy motion ride vehicles, or run, you should have already ridden it by now.

What I want to talk about this time around is the new character meet & greet location Universal Studios Hollywood has put up in front of their Transformers ride.  Since opening, the Hollywood park has had a location near the Transformers gift shop where you can meet Optimus or Bumble Bee for pictures.  If you haven't seen the character costumes for the Transformers, they're AMAZING.  Its a head to toe costume, requiring the actor inside to walk on stilts to pull off the hight of the robots.

The Transformers characters have always been a huge hit with park guests, regularly attracting long lines for a picture.  Recently, Universal upgraded their photo location to include large, armory style metal looking doors to provide each robot a dramatic entrance and exit.  They also added dialogue for each robot (music for Bumble Bee), including the name of the child our adult they are posing with.  Most importantly, Megatron is now in the rotation of Transformers you can meet with.

Check out my video of the Transformers in action in Hollywood.

Nerds, ROLL OUT!

Hanging at the Berry Farm

How's it hanging nerds?

I have been going to Southern California theme parks since I was born.  I have been to Disneyland, Universal, Magic Mountain, and SeaWorld so many times, I lost count years ago.  Dispite my being born in SoCal and frequent family and school trips to the area, I have never once stepped foot inside Knott's Berry Farm.

For years, the park had no draw for me.  Everyone said it was run down, the rides sucked, and it was attended by gangs and undesireables.  I had driven past it on many occasions and never made the turn towards the park, and never thought twice about it.

Over the last few years, I have been watching the park's developement online through various sites.  I watched as Windjammer (or whatever their old racing looping coaster was called) was demolished for Silver Bullet, I followed the progress of Pony Express' and Xcelerator's construction, and even studied the history and renovations to Ghost Town.  Finally, after years of watching from afar, I felt the urge to buy a ticket and set foot inside the park.

I really like Knott's Berry Farm!  I like it a lot, and far more than I ever expected to.  It's definately a local's park.  Sure, tourists from around the country go there, but by and large, you can tell that most of the park's attendance was from around town.  As such, it is filled with thirll rides.  Unlike most thrill parks, however, it also has a select few attractions that have a bit more thought and creativity behind them to make the park unique.

The farm's collection of roller coasters is impressive.  Ghost Rider is one of the longest, and many say, one of the best wooden coasters in the country and it was a favorite of mine.  Pony Express, through exceptionally short, was fun and different than your average coaster in the way that you sat on the trains.  Even Jaguar, a family coaster, was a bit unique in that it had a layout that took you over the top of a good portion of the park.

The two rides that I didn't expect to like as much as I did were the Calico Mine Co. and the Timber Mountain Log Ride.  They are two of the park's oldest attractions, and they manage to withstand the test of time even with their very outdated animatronic characters within.  Calico Mine is a train dark ride with a Jungle Cruise style guide making corny jokes along the way.  While the scenes inside don't hold a candle to the dark ride work of Disney or Universal, for a near 50 year old ride, it's still good fun.  The log ride was also a nice suprise.  The show scenes you float past as you quickly navigate the flume within the mountain are fun and, unlike Splash Mountain at Disneyland, the ride doesn't get you overly wet.  Both attractions are ancient by today's standards but still had lines throughout the day while I was in the park.

All in all, I am very happy I finally made the decision to check out Knott's Berry Farm and look forward to making it a regular stop on my sothern California theme park excursions.

I took lots of video during my day in the park.  Look for them to appear on the Theme Park Nerds YouTube channel soon.

Until Then, 

Later Nerds!

Top 5 Rides Opening in 2013

Yo Nerds,
To begin, if you haven't already done so, make sure you watch our video listing our top 5 new rides for 2013.  

Here's the thing.  We all like rides.  That's why we're here.  This year, however, while there are some looking to be excellent coasters coming out and a few well put together dark rides, there isn't really any OMG MUST GO RIDE THAT RIGHT NOW attractions coming out this year.  Especially after 2012 brought us Transformers in USH, Manta at SeaWorld San Diego, and the mega Cars Land in California Adventure, 2013 kinda pales in comparison.

None the less, there are still several excellent attractions opening soon around the country.  Here is our top 5.

5. Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags loves their "firsts," and while this is not the first ever steel coaster being supported by a wooden structure, it is the first to do a barrel roll.  Iron Rattler is a renovated and enhanced new version of The Rattler coaster, which opened in Fiesta Texas in 1992.  Aside from the new track, they added the inversion and made changes to many of the existing drops and maneuvers.  Should make for a good time.

4. Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Another thing Six Flags loves is record holders, and they are claiming another record with Full Throttle.  At opening this will be the tallest, fastest looping coaster in the US.  Yes, there are taller and faster coasters (Kingda Ka is currently #1 in both) but with its launch into a 160 foot loop, Full Throttle stakes the claim that no other coaster will go fast AND high AND upside-down.  Aside from that, the ride also features a backwards launch, into a forward launch over the top of the super tall loop.  It's going to be hella short, but hopefully sweet.

3. Transformers at Universal Orlando
Last year, Transformers in Hollywood was one of the marquee attractions of the year and it did not disappoint.  This 3D robot fighting adventure to save the all spark continues to pack in the crowds in the lower lot of the park.  It's huge California success led to the ride being cloned for the third time (the first is in Universal Singapore) in Orlando.  While the ride itself will stand as a long term draw for the park and will have fans for many years to come, we can't get over the fact it feels like an appetizer for the HIGHLY anticipated Harry Potter's London area currently under construction on the other side of the park.  It will be the #1 draw in the park for a little over a year, which is just fine.

2. Gatekeeper at Cedar Point
Not only does this look to be an exciting and fun ride, but Gatekeeper as also dramatically changed the entrance of Cedar Point.  This B&M Wing Coaster dramatically soars over a redesigned park entrance, including near misses through keyholes in towers that now flank the turnstiles.  It also features a 170 foot first drop which is just awesome.  It's going to be a good time

1. Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at Sea World Orlando
Three words: TRACKLESS PENGUIN RIDE!  Need we say any more?  When Sea World began tearing out the old Penguin Encounter in Orlando, we were intrigued.  When they announced they would be creating a penguin ride, we were excited.  When we finally found out this would be a trackless penguin ride featuring dark ride portions and a trip through the actual penguin habitat without glass blocking all the penguin sights and sounds (and smells), how could we not be nerding out on its awesomeness?

So there you go nerds.  Our top new rides for the year.  What do you think?  Would you have placed them in the same order?  Did we miss anything?

Let us know your thoughts.

Later Nerds,
Mike

Glowing and Showing

What up Nerds,
Blinking Mickey Mouse ears may be one of the coolest things ever.  Mickey Mouse Ears that blink with your favorite nighttime show at your favorite Disney park, supermegaawesomecool!  Of course, that only counts if your favorite Disney nighttime show is Wold of Color, Wishes, Remember, or Magical.  (F off Illuminations and Fanstasmic!)

For the few of you that haven't already seen them, Glow with the Show is the newest in park expenditure that every young child and nerdy adult needs to feel apart of the magic.  They are Mickey Mouse ears that have LED lights that blink and change color in time with the show.  It sounds very simple, but when you get a crowd of people together waring the ears, the effect is pretty amazing.

The ears get signals off transmitters hidden in the show viewing areas that tell the ears what to do.  Disney has been experimenting with secret signals to your toys for quite some time now.  In 2001, for the 100 Years of Magic celebration, they tried to make everyone buy pins that would blink along with your favorite rides.   Later, they had Pal Mickey, that would say crazy and annoying things whenever you got close to certain locations in the parks.  Both failed to really take off and faded into Disney marketing oblivion.

The Glow with the Show ears make for an amazing effect when you are at the park with a crowd of people wearing the same ears, but once you take them home, they are nothing more than a memory of the awesomeness you are no longer taking part in.  Sure, if you live close to a Disney park, they are a sound investment towards continued nighttime amusement, but if you don't, it's a one time blink fest that has little additional use at home.

Check out our latest video on Glow with the Show.  We have included some shots from World of Color and Disney Dreams in Paris (both from the Disney Parks YouTube channel) so you can get a feel for what the ears add to the shows if you haven't seen it for yourself.

Glow on Nerds,
Mike

Monstrous Summer

Boo Nerds!

Did I scare you? Didn't think so.  

It's unfortunate because Disney is beginning their Monstrous Summer campaign on May 24th and they will need your screams to power all the projectors they are using to make Spaceship Earth look like Mike Wazowski.  The big kick off party involves Disneyland and Magic Kingdom staying open for 24 hours (much like they did for last year's leap day celebration).  Naturally, to celebrate the kingdom parks being the center of the party, they are advertising it on Epcot's icon....because....it's round.

While I understand the point of Monstrous Summer, it seems it's execution is a little half hearted.  Aside from the 24 hour parties and the projections on Spaceship Earth, there isn't really much else going on to make this event special.  If you miss the craziness on the 24th, then the celebration consists of meet n' greets with Mike and Sully, a Mono-rail wrap to promote Monsters U (much like they did  for Avengers, Iron Man, and Tron) and a new joke or two in Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (M.I.L.F.)

Since Disney obviously doesn't have the time to find ways to do this celebration properly, I have taken the liberty of coming up with some ideas for them :)

Monstrous Splash Mountain

Replacing all the Brer Rabbit Animatronics with Boo, Brer Fox with Mike, and Brer Bear with Sully, join Mike and Sully on a fun filled adventure to save Boo from becoming a tar baby.

Space Mountain: Monster Galaxy

Replace all the space nebula projections with Mike Wazowski dancing a jig to a rockin' Randy Newman soundtrack

Monsters of the Caribbean

A swashbuckling adventure ensues when Boo is let loose on the Caribbean island town of TorBOOga.

It's a Small Monster

Sail the scariest cruise in the world as you float through scenes of monsters scaring children all over the world, all to the most annoying soundtrack ever created

Monsterhorn

A high speed bobsled adventure with Sully trying to increase his scare quotient at every turn

Big Thunder Monster

Monsters in the west.  What more do you need?

Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Monster

Don't look into the one giant eye of the green idol

Buz Lightyears Monster Spin

How many Pixar movies can you cram into one ride?  Lets find out as you simultaneously shoot targets for points and scream as loud as you can to power the ride.

Sorin' Over Monstropolous

Take in the breath taking views and smells of the inhabitants of the city.  Just make sure your hang glider can fit through the door so you can get home.

Monster Tours

The preferred method of transport for monsters everywhere.  Travel to all the exciting destinations that have yet to be seen in any Monsters movies in stunning HD3D

 And I'm spent.  What this video where Parker and I go into more detail about the Monstrous Summer.

See you in the M.I.L.F.

Mike

Theme Park Nerds Episode 5

Theme Park Nerds Facebook Page

Hey there nerds,

Theme Park Nerds Video Blog episode 5 is on the air.  This week, we talk about a few of the parks we are looking forward to visiting during the summer season, speculate and fantasize about a possible Star Wars mini land coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios, and nerd out on what the opening of Harry Potter 2 at Universal Studios Florida means to that resort.

Check it out!

Theme Park Nerds Episode 5

See ya nerds!

Mike

Fastpass+

Hey there Nerds,
So if you hadn't already heard, Disney has been working on a massive kinda secret project generally referred to as "Next Gen." Their hope seems to be centered around attempting to personalize your experience in a Disney park so that characters, animatronics, and attractions recognize who you are, as opposed to the cattle like herd mentality that currently prevails.

Central to this system seems to be electronic wristbands loaded with RFID tags that will store your personal information, including your name, the people you are traveling with, your dining reservations, your theme park tickets, your fastpasses, and any other information Disney can use to catalog you and differentiate you from the herd.  An early test of the wristband system is underway at Walt Disney World, as well as some of it's RFID enabled systems.

One of the other major components of the Next Gen push is an upgrade to the Fastpass system dubbed "Fastpass Plus" or Fastpass+.  The idea is to move away from the current, ticket based Fastpass ride reservation system and instead store your ride times on your wristbands.  Also rumored to be a component of Fastpasss+ is the ability to book your Fastpasses online in advance of your trip to the park, in addition to booking times at kiosks at each individual attraction.

It's the addition of the book in advance Fastpass feature that has many regular Disney park visitors more than a little concern.  In theory, tourists that plan their vacations months or years in advance will have the ability to schedule every aspect of their vacation.  From dining reservations to ride times, to seating at shows and parades, every part of your Disney experience will be practically perfect in every way.  It's an over-scheduled mom's dream.

For the casual theme park goer, it is a little more worrisome.  Attraction capacity will not change.  There will still be around the same number of Fastpasses available each day as there are now, only in this possible future, more of those Fastpasses will be taken early by those who have pre-planned their vacations, leaving less for the casual visitor who pops into their favorite park for the day on a whim.  In addition, vacation tourists who don't know the wonders of Fastpass, let alone that you can book them in advance, will arrive to a busy park shocked that they spent thousands of dollars only to find there are no more Fastpasses for Space Mountain when the park opens.

There are a lot of passionate opinions about the possibilities of the new Fastpass+ system.  Parker and I get into a bit of a heated discussion about it.  Watch us lose our minds a bit.

What are your thoughts?  Is Fastpass the best thing ever invented or the end of theme parks as we know it?

--Mike

Adventure Dome and El Loco Construction

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Hello nerds,

Today I took a little trip to the other side of town to check out the Circus, Circus Adventure Dome, and indoor amusement park on The Strip.  They are currently in the process of adding a new coaster, called "El Loco" in the former lagoon of their old tidal wave boat ride.  Let's take a look, shall we?

If you have never been to the Adventure Dome, the ceiling is made up of pink glass, so everything in the park has a bit of a pink tint to it.

You gotta love a construction sign! 

 This fence is outside the edge of the old lagoon for the old tidal wave ride.  It looks like this will eventually be the entrance for El Loco.

 A view from the bridge over old tidal wave lagoon.  As you can see, this portion of the flume has been removed and the lagoon has been cleared to make way for the coaster.

 There isn't really any signs of construction for the new coaster yet.

 Given how small and packed the dome is, this is actually a fairly large chunk of real estate being devoted to this little coaster.

 Looking up into the top of the canyons, you can see that portions of the boat flume are still present.  This was actually a pretty cool boat ride that took you through a few caves at the top of the dome before the big splash down.

 The removed waterfall from a different angle.

 The cleared site with the splashdown viewing bridge in the background.

 Onto a few shots from the rest of the park.  Here is the Canyon Blaster roller coaster in mid loop.  This is one of the opening day attractions.  A short, but good coaster.

 It travels through the center of the park, with two loops, two corkscrews, and a double helix before reentering the station.

The helix goes in and out of the caves above the laser tag arena and near the 3D theaters.

 Not sure how long this has been there, but they turned a few pathways in the park into a mini-golf course.  

 It was a very creative way to cram another attraction into a very small area.

 Here's their Inverter, a standard ride that is at many carnivals.

 Their Farris Wheel, with gondolas shaped like hot air balloons.

I actually liked Sponge Bob 4D more than I thought I would.  A cute show with excellent use of bubbles.

 Wanna see a move?  They gots movies!

Sea World isn't the only ones with a penguin ride!  The Happy Feet simulator is a very...interesting... concept.  I am not sure how someone decided to make a ride film out of CGI penguins, but it is fun.  I also like that this attraction reuses the motion theaters from the old Luxor ride.

 For everyone in Orlando, this is NOT like the Garden Grill in Epcot.  This one does not rotate and is not all you can eat, however, it is not infested with rodents trying to take pictures with your children.

That's it from Las Vegas for today.  As soon as El Loco starts to make some visible construction progress, I'll be sure to let you know.

Until then, Later Nerds!

--Mike

Six Flags Magic Mountain, May 2013

Full Throttle Construction Update

Good morning Nerds,

Last week, I was hanging out in California and decided to hit Magic Mountain to see the progress being made on Full Throttle, and ride some coasters (of course).

It was a nice and sunny May day in Valencia.  I went on a Tuesday, so the parking lot was mostly empty along with the park.

Just after passing through the turnstiles, you are hit with the construction for Full Throttle.  This sign was in front of the entrance fountains.

 It's not a huge detour, but getting to the lower section of the park takes a bit longer than normal.

 The path to High Sierra Territory is blocked off by construction walls.  Don't worry, you can still get your fill of super hero capes if you don't already have one.

 As luck would have it, they had the construction walls open to allow for large trucks to enter the site.  Here is a shot of Full Throttle's loop.  As you can see, there is also track going on top of the loop.

 Construction at one of the nearby buildings.

 Parker joked about this in one of the Theme Park Nerds videos, but here is indeed brakes coming down off the loop. This will be a VERY short ride and the loop is right next to the station.  

Just to give you an impression of how tightly squeezed this ride will be, this is where I believe the station will eventually be built  As you can see, trains will come off the top hat into a break run, make a U turn, then be ready to launch into the loop for the next riders.  I am not entirely sure how they are going to squeeze a station into this area and still have room to get enough speed to clear the 160ft loop, but I'm sure they have it figured out.

One more shot of the loop before heading into construction wall land.

Construction walls around the site advertise the new coaster, and of course urge you to get a season pass.

 Somehow, given the short length of this ride, I don't think we'll see too many times when two  trains are on the loop at once.  If it does happen, though, it will be quite impressive.

Meanwhile, over near Superman, that portion of the track looks pretty much complete.  After launching out of the station, into the loop, the trains will next zoom over the Superman plaza.

A look at the track coming into the Superman Plaza.

 After passing over the plaza, you'll dive under it via this track going into once of the old monorail tunnels.  That's where the second launch is located that will get you up and over the top hat element.

If you would like to see some video of the construction, check out my construction update on the Theme Park Nerds YouTube channel or click the link below.

Full Throttle Construction Update

 Moving on from Full Throttle, here are some shots from around the park.  This is from Goliath's queue.  As you can see, I pretty much had the park to myself for most of the morning.

 Empty seats during a one train operation.  Something you won't see once the summer goes full swing in a few weeks.

 Over in DC Universe, they were preparing for Grad Nights.

 Apparently, graduates HATE flower beds!  Actually, it looked like they were building a temporary stage for the festivities.

 Love this ride, though it's not fun being stuck in the block brakes at the top for extended periods of time.  Just sayin'.

The Batman queue has some of the nicer landscaped areas of the park

 Deja Vu, may you rest in peace.

 Flashback, may you burn for all eternity.  This thing was a torture machine and I'm glad it's dead!

That does it for Magic Mountain.  Be sure to check out videos from the park on the Theme Park Nerds YouTube channel where we also have updates from other parks and news on what's happening in the amusement industry.

Until next time,
Later Nerds!
--Mike