Happy New Year! Wait…am I too late for that? Welcome to a new year of news. Truth be told, we had let the news column go for quite some time simply because we were too damn busy. It takes a bit of time to gather all the theme park news of the day. Honestly, we were going to just forget about the news, but then a few people spoke up, and we asked via our Facebook Page(really you should like us..we want your attention) and almost unanimously you said “I WANT MY THRILL DAILY!”. Well, in the words of Jack Skellington…might as well give em what they want!
My theme park news drinks your milkshake! DRINK IT UP!
First and foremost, I’m going to turn the direction in on me. That’s right little ole lovable me! Next week is the 3rd annual Polar Plunge at Aquatica in Orlando. Us brave (and stupid) souls will jump into the wave pool of said water park, which has been iced down, and freeze. The reason? For the Special Olympics. It’s a great cause. Now here’s where you come in. I’m jumping from some high place into cold water one way or another…if it’s at Aquatica you’ll get video and reactions and all that fun stuff. If it’s from a bridge…well the best you’ll get is an obit (KIDDING!)...so save us both the trouble and donate to my page. 100% of your donation goes to helping the Special Olympics which is an amazing cause. Seriously, it would be very much appreciated.
Disney
Remember the old standard Mickey Mouse watches? I never had one. I had a Goofy watch that would go backwards. Completely awesome, especially when you’re letting someone else read your watch, or drunk. I would just sit there and giggle. Well, Disney is revisiting the idea and coming out with some special Artisan watches that will be available only at the Disney parks. They range from a special “Rock Band Mickey” to the different faces of Mickey. Jump over to the Disney Parks blog for more info.
You might have seen all the high profile fansites tweeting their asses off, and bragging about the new “Exotic Driving Experience” at the Richard Petty site at Walt Disney World. Yeah yeah…bite me. If you’re like me, and didn’t get to go test drive the cars for free, you can go later this month and test drive cars that cost more than the houses that most of us live in. It’s about $400 bucks for six laps, but it’s still cheaper than renting it for the day(try around $3,000 for the Ferrari). Of course, you won’t be able to go screaming over a hill, airborne for a few seconds, to the Star Wars theme a la Ferris Bueller. But at least you’ll know what it’s like to have that raw power at your fingertips. Jump to Disney Parks Blog for more info.
The 5th annual Disney Mom’s Panel has been unveiled, and for the first time ever, panelists can answer questions in Spanish. A huge deal for the International market. Jump over to Mouse Info for the whole story.
Universal
A few months ago we reported that Universal is going to try and revive Woody Woodpecker for the big screen. The first step seems to come recently as the red headed woodpecker has gotten his own iPhone game
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jygYVKRsM54
If you’ve ever been to Islands of Adventure you might have noticed a colony of feral cats running around. My kids have affectionately dubbed them “Jurassic Kitties”, but apparently they are a pretty big problem. While cats are cute, left feral they will make more cats, which make more cats…and you see the problem. It wreaks havoc on the entire park operation. Universal and Loews Hotels (which operate Universal’s 3 onsite hotels) has ended their policy for caring for the cats. They used to feed and spay/neuter the cats, then release them back into their colonies. They have stopped due to liability reasons. More information.
Legoland
Legoland California will host the annual “Childrens Marathon Mile Run” Jan. 22nd. The marathon will be a non-competitive run geared for kids ages 2-12. The run will lead runners through Legoland California before park opening. There will also be a “diaper dash” for Toddlers. More info.
Legoland Windsor will host a contest for Jr. Concierges at their new hotel later this year. The position will be open for all “Lego minded” job seekers ages 8-12. The winners will get the chance to help children plan their stays and will get a free weekend stay at the hotel. More info
Other
Travel Supermarket has named the top tourist destinations in the world, and some of the top spots belong to theme parks…more specifically, Disney theme parks. No surprise there, right? Full story
K’nex has announced two new computer controlled interface for some of their sets. The most interesting is the Discovery Control which will allow students to program controls for many of the Amusement park ride sets. Full details
Carowinds plans on hiring 2,100 workers before March 31st this year. This marks one of the most aggressive hiring campaigns in the parks history, which will provide a great boost for the local economy. More details
An Orlando firm will be responsible for construction of the huge Fun Spot renovation coming in 2013. The Orlando, International Drive location will be expanding to include an all new wooden coaster, a new steel coaster and much more. Full story
One of the first Florida attractions has been destroyed. The Senator, a 3,500 year old Cypress tree caught fire and collapsed earlier today. Foul play is not expected. Full story
Ride of the Day
It’s been a long time..let’s see if we can kick this puppy off right. Ah, Captain Jake. People have been talking about him a lot the past few days. From the amazing boat tours, to poor old Gordon on Amity 3, this is one water ride that will be missed, and that’s why JAWS is your first Ride of the Day of 2012.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5scBv735cBo
If you have a special tidbit of news, drop us a line!
