Holy crap it’s a busy week. I still have a big ole pile of Star Wars Weekends pics to get through, and it’s almost the weekend again! We have rides opening all over the place this weekend, and most seasonal parks are going to full time status. Good news is I’m like your old pal Jack Burton at times like these, when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky,theme park news coming pouring in like a broken dam and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.”
So if you have any of your trip reports or pics you’d like to share with us shoot us an email to staff@behindthethrills.com
Now, I’m gonna tell ya about some theme park news, and I don’t wanna hear “Acts of God.”
Disney
Walt Disney World is named as one of the top honeymoon spots according to The Knot. It seems most newlyweds would rather spend their honeymoons trudging through the crowds and facing the likes of Pirates, Grim Grinning Ghosts and one big mouse than lay half naked on a beach somewhere. Can’t say I blame them, both of my honeymoons have been at Disney.
According to Orlando Sentinel, the Disney Store in the Florida Mall in Orlando will close this week. When it reopens in September, it will have received an interactive make-over complete with magic mirrors, Ridemakerz and an interactive theater. More details.
Universal
Last summer with the unveiling of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando unveiled several new pins for Passholders only. Those were snapped up in a matter of minutes. Now, if you’re a Universal Orlando Passholder, you’ll get a chance to snap up a brand new pin. According to this article, the new passholder newsletter is out and features a picture of a Hogwarts Express pin. Get yours before nerds swoop them up!
Speaking of AP newsletters, it was advertised that Halloween Horror Nights XXI is coming soon. Permits have been filed, and work has begun, but other than that, nothing new is known…oh, except the website for the offshoot that had so much going on right up until the event, Legendary Truth once again redirects you to the HHN website. Looks as if we won’t get secret messages and people screwing with our heads this year. Damn.
According to Vin Diesel’s Facebook they are moving forward on a new Riddick movie. Not a surprise since Vin Diesel’s last two films Fast And Furious, and Fast Five were huge successes for Universal. Well, Diesel has gone on record and said that he will pretty much do this film for free to get a hard R rating. That’s great, and I hope they get to make a Riddick film that showcases the character, but to just have an R because you want to swear or have guts and gore…eh..Make it worth it Mr. Diesel. Show your support and read all the details for yourself.
Other
Kings Island’s all new attraction that was supposed to be open on Thursday has been reported to have caught fire. Full story from Fox 19 says that the fire started early Tuesday evening. They also have pics of the smoke visible from the highway. It seems like a safe bet that this attraction will not open as planned. UPDATE-Though no damage is known as of yet, THIS article suggests the park will open the attraction as planned on Thursday.
Kings Dominion will once again offer Free Admission to the park for members of the active military and armed forces. More info.
Efteling park has unveiled their newest attraction, a huge medieval town called Raveljin. The centerpiece of the new area is a new show featuring a massive steampunk dragon. This thing looks cool as hell, check it out.
Ride of the Day
You are the Egyptian God of War, and an archaeological dig has disturbed you from your slumber. Now you unleash your wrath as a massive inverted coaster with seven massive, heart pounding inversions. Ancient Ruins, underground caverns and once upon a time there were even Nile Crocodiles just outside of the station. Of course they became irritated as the God of War often does, and threatened to bite the legs of passersby. This makes Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa your ride of the Day.
