Tampa, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2015) – Christmas Town™transforms Busch Gardens® into a holiday wonderland of Christmastime entertainment, and the best way to unwrap the cheer is with all-new exclusive experiences that you and your family will treasure forever.
NEW!Holly Jolly Christmas Party
‘Tis the season for a Holly Jolly Christmas Party where spectacular Yuletide celebrations await. Mrs. Claus and her elves join you for dinner with a delicious all-you-care-to-eat pizza and salad buffet at the Garden Gate Café. The party keeps going with fun holiday activities, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.
NEW!Christmas Town™ VIP Experience
Unwrap all the magic of the holidays during the Christmas Town VIP Experience, a three-hour-long guided tour that is sure to make your Christmastime memories even more merry and bright. This ultimate experience is complete with:
Front-of-the-line access to Santa’s House presented by Coca-Cola®,where the Claus family invites you into their North Pole home as the elves prepare for Christmas. There, Santa will take a break from his busy holiday schedule to meet and take photos with in his private study.
An exclusive up-close encounter with Busch Gardens’African penguins.
Fun holiday activities at the Holly Jolly Christmas Party, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.
Delicious pizza and salad buffet hosted by Mrs. Claus and her elves at Garden Gate Café, or a holiday feast at the Crown Colony Restaurantfor an additional fee.
VIP seating to Christmas On Ice, where Yuletide melodies, deadline-driven elves and the big man himself come together to celebrate the many wonders of Christmas during this holiday spectacular.
Commemorative photo with Santa Claus and refillable hot chocolate mug.
For more information about these exclusive experiences, visit ChristmasTown.com for pricing and reservations. Christmas Town is included with any annual pass, Fun Card or daily admission to the park. The 2016 Fun Card is available for purchase now. With the 2016 Fun Card, guests pay for one day and get all of 2016 free. Plus, guests who purchase their 2016 Fun Card now can also visit Busch Gardens for the remainder of 2015 for no additional cost, including the popular Christmas Town™ event.
Last week, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions held their annual expo in Orlando. At the convention, ride manufacturers showed off their latest creations and parks revealed even more details of their new attractions!
Here’s some links to some of the news that we covered in other articles:
The first news we’re going to talk about is out of the RMC booth. Our friend Brent from Pixels at the Parks sent us pictures of the booth.
The two models the company offered until recently are the I-Box steel track and the topper track. They are pictured in the above image with I-Box on the left and Topper Track on the right.
I-Box track is used on roller coasters like Twisted Colossus and Wicked Cyclone. Instead of a wood layer underneath a thin steel top, it uses a purely steel track. This steel track requires minimal maintenance compared to the wooden track featured on the original versions of these rides.
On the right is the RMC topper track. With layers of wood and a piece of steel on top of the track, this is what allows rides like Outlaw Run to be called wooden coasters. It uses a system that allows for smooth, versatile, and fun rides!
In addition to their two track types that revolutionized the wooden coaster, it appears that Rocky Mountain construction is venturing into the steel coaster market with their latest two offerings.
The first of the two new offerings is this wild looking track, the T-Rex track! On a first impression, it looks as if it’s just a giant steel table, but this is a one-rail steel track!
This is a video of the new concept, which has been a hot topic in the community since preliminary images were released. The ride looks like another wacky and incredible Rocky Mountain Construction design!
Although it seemed to be a “sleeper” announcement at the conference, Rocky Mountain Construction also revealed a new family roller coaster track. The green track looks very similar to that of the I-Box track, but it is of a larger size. From the looks of it, I think it is for another one rail coaster. It will definitely be interesting to see what a Rocky Mountain Construction family coaster will be like.
With a launch, a backwards section, and a drop on it, the new Zamperla Family Coaster will be one of the company’s most unique and innovative attractions to date. Similar to Verbolten (although Verbolten was a Zierer coaster), this will be another product from the company suitable for guests of all ages.
Extreme Engineering Zipline Coaster:
One of the strangest and most interesting new attractions offered at the expo was the Extreme Engineering zipline Coaster. Although some may not be excited by this, I certainly am. I heard good things about it from a couple of riders and I’d love to see
A few months ago, Playland Castaway Cove revealed details on their next roller coaster, Gale Force. As the first S&S Launched El Loco, the company revealed the above new trains for the new product at the expo! They look like very nice trains similar to those on Cannibal at Lagoon.
Quassy Announces New Ride:
The SBF Visa Group and Quassy Amusement Park announced their newest attraction, Reverse Time, at the IAAPA Expo. It will be the first installation of this flat ride in the United States.
Yes, that’s right, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company still exists, and they now offer roller coaster trains that can go upside-down! They revealed their brand new “PTCI 360” trains with the interesting design shown above. I’m not sure what to think about them.
The company also revealed a new device to help those who are handicapped to enter roller coaster cars. The lift will hopefully make roller coasters more accessible to those who have a hard time riding.
Fun Spot – Crazy Couch and VR Testing:
Very early in the IAAPA conference, it was rumored that Fun Spot bought a Skyline Attractions Crazy Couch. Shortly thereafter, the park confirmed this, and as of Wednesday, November 25th, the attraction is operating at the park!
In addition to this, the park’s Freedom Flyer coaster was also used to showcase virtual reality technology on roller coasters. According to those who rode, the technology brought a fantastic new element to the ride and was perfectly synchronized to the actual ride.
Phobia Phear Coaster Trains Revealed:
Premier Rides and Lake Compounce showcased the trains for the latest Sky Rocket II clone coming to the park this year. Luckily, these will not have the dreaded “comfort” collars found on Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Tempesto.
Maurer Sohne revealed their newest products at the IAAPA Expo, which included a wing coaster and a bike coaster! It’s interesting to see more manufacturers offering these relatively new ride concepts.
New Skyplex Renderings:
Finally, in addition to all of the above news, the developers of Skyplex and Intamin released the latest renderings for the wild polercoaster! The ride is going to break even more world records as it will feature the world’s tallest vertical launch, which will take riders from 24 feet below the ground and up to over 500 feet in the air, straight into the world’s highest inversion!
Also, with this new rendering, images of the world’s tallest drop tower, Skyfall, were shown for the first time. Another notable feature is an example of a US Thrill Rides “Unicoaster,” which appears to be a modern version of Knoebels’s Looper flat ride, is located near the final inversion of the roller coaster.
What do you think of these IAAPA announcements? Let us know by commenting below! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter,Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr! Also, TP&T is now available on Apple News! Just search “Theme Parks and Travels” in the app, and hit the subscribe button!
In 2016, Busch Gardens Tampa will add yet another incredible roller coaster to their lineup, Cobra’s Curse. Now, we have even more details of the ride!
Today, at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo (IAAPA) in Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa and the manufacturer Mack Rides revealed a model of the attraction along with some new concept art. Lucky enough, we’ve got pictures of both for you to enjoy!
For the first time, we were given a look at the full layout of the ride. With a large elevator lift, a giant king cobra, and a curving layout that will interact with plants and themed buildings, this attraction is set to become a great new family ride for the thrill heavy park. Two more noteworthy features are the awesome looking outward banked turn early in the ride, and a second lift hill!
Cobra’s Curse construction has rapidly increased in pace recently. Although we can’t provide construction updates from Busch Gardens Tampa, our friends over at Pixels at the Parks certainly can! They’ve got some great updates for this project and others including SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako! You can view their Cobra’s Curse updates here!
What do you think about the Cobra’s Curse layout? Let us know by commenting below! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr! Last, but not least, TP&T is now available on Apple News! Just search “Theme Parks and Travels” in the app, and hit the subscribe button!
After a third quarter performance that underwhelmed investors (although there were several positives in the report), SeaWorld announced major changes for the philosophy of the company in an entirely new presentation. In the presentation, they highlighted a new focus for the company, announced new attractions, and announced major changes in the San Diego park.
The following images are slides from the presentation:
These first two slides give a nice overview of information about the company’s parks. All of the parks are great experiences worth visiting if you’ve never been!
The new strategy for Sea World’s parks is to create “experiences that matter.” Essentially, this is using thrills to show guests more about the natural world. Major changes will involve “turning the parks inside out,” or as I would say, allowing the guests to see more of the park’s behind the scenes operations in caring for animals. Another change is renaming the park’s employee titles from team member to ambassador. In addition to these changes to the park’s mission, they will also have a renewed focus on bringing popular characters to the parks and incredible new attractions.
SeaWorld Orlando will be getting some major investments in the coming years. With Mako coming in 2016 already, the company confirmed even more will come to the park in the coming years! For the next five years, the park will get major investments. There will also be an emphasis on the park’s events and further use of the park’s indoor facilities.
Perhaps the most interesting development at the park is that they will attempt to buy surrounding land for further expansion. The company expressed interest in creating on-site hotels at all of their parks, and Orlando is definitely a candidate for it. With already owned land, and more opening up nearby, it will be interesting to see what SeaWorld Orlando creates in the coming years.
The most interesting announcement from SeaWorld came from the San Diego park, they announced that they will phase out shows with their killer whales in 2016. It is expected to bring more guests from the region into the park, which has experienced major attendance drops recently due to a general public that does not agree with the use of killer whales in shows. Although several news outlets reported otherwise, this only affects the San Diego park and at this time no changes will be made in the chain’s other parks.
Although San Diego has very little land to develop, SeaWorld expressed interest in expansion for the park with new rides and possibly a hotel. Unfortunately, any further developments would have to go through the California Coastal Commission, who recently banned the breeding of orcas in their park if they expand through the Blue World Project. The CEO of SeaWorld Joel Manby told investors that the company plans to challenge the CCC’s decision, but they still may not go through with the expansion at the park. Instead, they may create a smaller version of the expansion and focus more on attractions in the park.
With Discovery Point coming next year, SeaWorld will take advantage of their Texas market and expand SeaWorld San Antonio in the next few years. In 2017, the park will bring new attractions for the entire family to enjoy!
Although they did not say which park it will be coming to, SeaWorld did announce that a new family roller coaster themed to the SeaWorld rescue team would be coming to a SeaWorld park soon! It is expected that it will come to either SeaWorld San Antonio or SeaWorld San Diego. The ride will start with a queue featuring clips of the SeaWorld rescue team’s television show. Afterwards, the guests will board the wave runner themed cars and enter a journey through twists and turns, eventually finding out which animal they rescued. The manufacturer was not announced, but I expect it to be Intamin. Intamin has build a wave-runner themed roller coaster similar to this before, although it could be someone else such as Vekoma or Zamperla.
In addition to the roller coaster, SeaWorld also displayed concept art for other attractions intended to combine actual marine life with a ride experience. The Submarine and Jeep rides both look like interesting dark ride concepts that could bring guests up close to marine life.
Not much was announced for the Busch Gardens parks. They did release this image of possibly expansion for Busch Gardens Tampa, but nothing was announced for the Williamsburg park. I expect them to continue building an attraction every couple of years to maintain the success of these two parks. I would like to note, although it was not shown in the presentation, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has vast amounts of land surrounding it just waiting to be developed.
The presentation also featured this awesome Cobra’s Curse artwork:
Another focus for the SeaWorld parks will be events. In recent years, the SeaWorld parks have added new festivals including Food and Wine festivals at the Busch Gardens Parks, and they are going to continue expanding these successful events. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer will become the headline character at the park’s Christmas events next year (this is interesting, because Dollywood already features this character) and the company is going to continue expanding their popular Halloween events.
To drive more guests into the parks, SeaWorld is going to emphasize the value of their parks. With the Orlando park’s admission being $21 less than the competitor’s averages, this should help bring more local visitors to the theme park. A re-designed website will also feature more deals (including an early buyers discount) and easier navigation to make it easier for guests to get online tickets to the parks.
Above is the new focuses for the business. Although it was expected, the international partnerships for the company that were recently announced were not discussed in the call. They are currently not as big of a priority for the company as solving the domestic issues.
The company also announced a new technology partnership with Panasonic today.
I have to say, I like this new focus for SeaWorld. An emphasis on the rides rather than the shows is a smart decision for the parks. I am definitely interested in how similar this new strategy is to the CEO’s previous company, Herschend Family Entertainment. They built incredible thrills at Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, focused also on the guest’s experience, built hotels, and partnered with the owners of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The good news is that this strategy worked well for them, and I see it working for SeaWorld too. SeaWorld’s future is definitely exciting after today’s announcements!
What do you think about SeaWorld’s new investment strategy? Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
Today, SeaWorld reported their earnings for the third quarter of 2015. Although it may not completely look like it, the numbers are good news for the company, which has struggled recently due to recent negative publicity from organizations such as PETA and the documentary Blackfish (Speaking of Blackfish, we’ve got a great article from a guest writer about how it’s inaccurate).
The numbers for the quarter were pretty good overall. Third quarter revenue increased from $495.8 million last year to $496.9 million this year. The EBITDA for the third quarter also increased from $209.1 million last year to $217.5 million this year. The net income increased for the third quarter from $87.2 million in 2014 to $98 million in 2015.
Attendance decreased 0.4% in the third quarter due to declines in attendance at SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio. To counteract these declines, SeaWorld’s other parks saw increases in attendance. The third quarter attendance this year was 8.371 million compared to 8.405 million last year. Although some made this out to be a drastic change, it is a normal level of change for a park. It’s nothing to worry about.
For the first nine months of the year, attendance was slightly higher than it was last year. It increased from 18.034 million visitors last year to 18.063 million this year. Again, this is a great sign for the company as a whole.
Although there were several positives in the earnings report, the largest negative was the projected EBITDA for the year. It was decreased to $360-370 million from about $370 million.
Overall, the report shows positive growth from the company this quarter. Attendance is up in the majority of the parks and revenue is up for the third quarter. The stock for the company has been shaky recently, but hopefully this signals positive growth in the future. You can view the full report here.
Although it was interesting to hear the company’s third quarter numbers, what truly interests me is what will be announced on Monday. On November 9th, the company will announce their new long term plan. It will definitely be interesting to hear what the company announces.
Disney also reported their earnings today. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to write an article about them, but you can view one here.
Do you think SeaWorld’s numbers this quarter signal growth in the coming years? Let us know by commenting below! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! You can also find us on Periscope, YouTube, Google+, and Tumblr!
I know this is a little bit late, but I thought I’d share the Busch Gardens Tampa news today! They’ve revealed an awesome events lineup today and they have an awesome Cobra’s Curse video! Here’s the press release:
Tampa, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2015) – From world-class rollercoasters and Broadway-style entertainment to one-of-a-kind, up-close animal encounters, Busch Gardens® Tampa continues to deliver some of the biggest thrills anywhere. Next year will be no exception. Busch Gardens announces a line-up of exciting events scheduled to run now through 2016, along with a special offer that expands the value of the popular Florida Fun Card.
The 2016 Fun Card now is available for purchase. With the 2016 Fun Card, guests pay for one day and get all of 2016 free. Plus, as a special offer commemorating the Fun Card launch, guests who purchase their 2016 Fun Card now also can visit Busch Gardens for the remainder of 2015 for no additional cost, including the popular Christmas Town™ event.
Some of the great special events included with Fun Card admission:
2015
Christmas Town: Select dates Nov. 27-Dec. 31
Unwrap a beautiful family tradition at Christmas Town™, where Busch Gardens transforms into a holiday wonderland of Christmastime entertainment and attractions, holiday shopping, treats and more than a million twinkling lights. This family event occurs on 20 select dates from Nov. 27 to Dec. 31.
2016
NEW!Cobra’s Curse
Busch Gardens puts a spin on family thrills in 2016 with Cobra’s Curse. This one-of-a-kind spin coaster features a 70-foot vertical lift and takes riders on a whirlwind adventure of exciting explorations. Come face-to-face with an 80-foot snake icon, trek over the park’s Serengeti Plain and discover the mysteries of an Egyptian archeological excavation.
Construction on Cobra’s Curse is underway at Busch Gardens. Fans can check out this video for the latest construction updates and an exciting Cobra’s Curse logo reveal.
Real Music:Jan. 4-March 5
Busch Gardens’ longest-running concert series returns Mondays through Fridays from Jan. 4 to March 5 with live music that spans six decades, from the 1950s to today. Musical fare includes swing, blues, pop, jazz and rock ‘n roll.
January 4-9 Ricky Nelson Remembered featuring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson
January 11-16 Jay and The Americans
January 18-23 Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
January 25-30 The Drifters
February 1-6 Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals
February 8-13 The Diamonds
February 15-20 Strawberry Fields
February 22-27 The Glenn Miller Orchestra
February 29 – March 5 Chubby Checker
Food & Wine Festival: Saturdays and Sundays March 5-April 24
Next spring, Busch Gardens’ Food & Wine Festival returns with wild flavors and concerts for every taste. The park will be tempting guests with a variety of cuisine, wine, craft beer and live entertainment on Saturdays and Sundays from March 5 through April 24. Food and beverage is not included, but is available for an extra fee. Guests must be 21 or older to purchase alcoholic beverages.
Summer Nights: Select dates June – Aug.
Summer Nights at Busch Gardens is returns with more heat, featuring an end-of-night show packed with live musicians, singers, dancers and artists from around the world. Their thrilling performance – along with modern music and fire effects – will pump up the crowd every night. Plus, summer nights are a great time to cool off with the rush ofBusch Gardens’ world-class thrill rides, including Falcon’s Fury™, North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower.
Jack Hanna Weekend:Sept. 10 & 11(dates subject to change)
Join “Jungle Jack” Hanna for two days of wild animal shows, autograph signings and special meet-and-greets when he visits Busch Gardens. The internationally-known animal expert will share animal facts and his travel tales during animal shows at the Stanleyville Theater.
Busch Gardens will offer guests additional events and festivals throughout 2016, so stay tuned for more details.
The 2016 Busch Gardens Fun Card is $99 and is valid from the date of purchase through Dec. 31, 2016. Fun Cards, annual passes and single-day tickets are available online at buschgardens.com, at the Busch Gardens’ front gate or by calling (888) 800-5447.
Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at BuschGardensTampaBlog.com, or “Like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page, and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram.
The last couple days brought big announcements for Central Florida’s theme parks. With two MAJOR Sea World parks announcements and a HUGE Universal announcement, the excitement is building up for central Florida’s next few years. In the next two years alone, we already knew of a King Kong ride, the world’s tallest roller coaster, Avatarland, the world’s tallest drop tower, a new Universal hotel, and even more! Now, after all of these amazing attractions, we get three more! Without further to do, here they are:
Sea World Orlando’s Mako Roller Coaster!
In case you haven’t checked Social Media, Sea World Orlando announced what they’d been teasing for a while, the tallest* and fastest roller coaster in Orlando, Mako. Mako is going to be a B&M hypercoaster. It will be 200ft tall and will have a speed of 73mph. Along with Mako, Sea World is also re-designing their Shark themed area of the park to go along with the new roller coaster. The press release is below with more details:
*Until the World’s Tallest roller coaster, Skyscraper, opens at Skyplex on I-Drive
SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako ™ quick facts:
Opening summer 2016, Mako will be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in Orlando
Mako will be a hypercoaster, designed for speed and relentless “air time”
SeaWorld Orlando will now have a portfolio of five thrill rides: three distinctly different coasters, plus two family coasters.
The 2-acre realm of the park will now be fully themed around sharks: including Mako, Shark Encounter®, Sharks Underwater Grill®, themed gift shops, shark and shipwreck theming and educational experiences.
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 27, 2015) – Surfacing summer 2016 at SeaWorld Orlando will be Mako, a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster that will reach 73 mph along 4,760 feet of steel track — nearly a mile long — and leave riders feeling both breathless and weightless. Named for one of the ocean’s fastest known sharks, Mako will be Orlando’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster.
“On Mako, you’ll experience what it’s like to be this apex predator, surging through the water at top speed and chasing prey throughout a massive reef,” said Brian Morrow, SeaWorld’s attraction creative director. “It will be a wild mix of fear, thrills and fun.”
Mako’s tight turns and speed are inspired by reality. Mako sharks — also called “blue pointers” — are known for their top speed, making extreme jumps and the ability to quickly change course as they pursue their prey.
The new coaster will become one of the world’s few true hypercoasters, a group of roller coasters known for high speeds and steep drops and hills that create a feeling of weightlessness or “air time.” As the sleek coaster cars crest each hill, riders float, nearly weightless.
Mako is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, a company renowned among coaster enthusiasts. B&M has built many of the world’s top roller coasters, including SeaWorld’s Manta and Kraken, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s SheiKra.
SeaWorld’s new hypercoaster will be the centerpiece of the newly themed surrounding realm. The two-acre plaza now will be fully shark themed including Mako, Shark Encounter, Sharks Underwater Grill, shops, shark and shipwreck theming and educational experiences featuring sharks.
The entire realm is created to make guests feel they’re underwater, part of the group of sharks and toothy animals that have taken over a shipwrecked reef.
In the plaza, guests will learn about the impact humans are having on sharks and why these animals are critical to the environment. Sharks are hunted for their fins — considered a delicacy in certain countries — and thousands are caught accidentally in nets. Several species of sharks are on the verge of extinction.
“It’s this blend of education and thrills, immersing guests in an underwater world, that sets a SeaWorld ride apart from others,” said Morrow.
“Our fans will love how Mako complements our other rides. Kraken is big, monstrous and twisty. Manta is massive and glides smoothly, taking you on a flight like a huge ray. Mako is entirely different. It’s streamlined and fast, just like a mako shark. There’s no wasted motion, it’s all speed and dives.”
Mako uses a unique sound system to enhance the experience, and not just for those on the ride. The full score of Mako can be heard and follows riders out of the station and up the lift hill. Custom surround effects and musical scores fill the realm, changing as the coaster dives through the area.
At night, specialty lights will accent the coaster trains, realm and track, flickering and shimmering, simulating fish being scattered by a mako on the hunt.
Follow the Mako frenzy using the hashtag #NothingFaster. Visit SeaWorldOrlando.com for more information and updates on the new ride.
So, what do you think about Mako? We think this ride will be a great fit for Sea World Orlando and we’re excited for the newest member of the Orlando skyline! Here’s some images of Mako (Courtesy of Sea World):
The new “Shark” area of the park!
The Entrance for Mako.
The 200 foot hypercoaster will travel over the lake!
This concept art is beautiful, this is such a great entrance plaza!
Busch GardEns Tampa’s Cobra’s Curse!
Yes, that’s correct, Sea World Parks is building TWO new roller coasters at their central Florida parks. Busch Gardens Tampa announced Cobra’s Curse, a Mack Rides spinning coaster! Cobra’s Curse will feature an elevator lift and great theming! The press release is below:
Tampa, Fla. (May 28, 2015) – Busch Gardens® Tampa puts a spin on family thrills in 2016 with a brand new family thrill ride – Cobra’s Curse. This spin coaster is the only one of its kind in the world, featuring a vertical lift and taking riders on a whirlwind adventure of exciting explorations.
Located in the Egypt area of the park, explorers will come face-to-face with an 80-foot snake icon, trek over the park’s Serengeti Plain® and discover the mysteries of an Egyptian archeological excavation.
“This isn’t your ordinary spin coaster. In true Busch Gardens style, we’re putting a twist on this attraction and taking riders on an unforgettable and exciting journey,” said Busch Gardens Park President Jim Dean. “
“The addition of a family spin coaster complements the selection of thrill rides Busch Gardens offers, and we know it’s an attraction that guests from across the globe will enjoy,” Dean added. “We continue to find new and exciting ways to offer thrills for the entire family, and we know Cobra’s Curse will even further solidify Busch Gardens as Florida’s Thrill Leader.”
Get a sneak peek of Florida’s newest and most exciting family thrill ride on the Busch GardensYouTube channel.
Visit CobrasCurse.com for more information. Or, be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at buschgardenstampablog.com, or “Like” the Busch GardensFacebook page and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram.
What do you think of Cobra’s Curse? This seems like a great addition to Busch Gardens Tampa that will provide family thrills to all!
Here’s the overall image of the ride! Doesn’t it look great?
This giant snake is a large element of theming.
Even the station will be heavily themed!
Here’s a closeup of the Cobra’s Curse elevator lift.
Universal Orlando Resort’s Volcano Bay Waterpark!
Yes, the best of all was saved for last. The waterpark that has been rumored for years is finally coming to Universal Orlando Resort! Universal sent out a surprise tweet this morning with this video in it:
Instantly the “twitterverse” exploded as all of us theme park nerds cheered on Universal! At 11am they finally announced Volcano bay, which will be a revolutionary and innovative waterpark. Here’s the press release:
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 28, 2015) – Universal Orlando Resort today announced a project of remarkable vision: to bring to life an entirely new water theme park experience. Called Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando Resort, it will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure and become the resort’s third incredibly immersive park.
Universal’s Volcano Bay will be a place for the entire family. It will be a whole new generation of experience that reimagines what it means to be a water park.
Imagine a place that offers radically innovative, thrilling attractions, peaceful moments of relaxation and an inspired guest experience that will forever change the perception of water theme parks. It will be set in a highly themed, completely immersive environment inspired by postcard-perfect tropical islands. And it will be the kind of special place that only the Universal team – the same team that has changed the face of Universal Orlando Resort in recent years – can envision and create.
Universal’s Volcano Bay will be located within Universal Orlando Resort, just south of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Work is already underway and more details will be released in the future.
Universal’s Volcano Bay is the next in a series of boldly creative experiences that have opened and will continue to open at Universal Orlando. It began with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in 2010 and quickly moved to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Springfield, hometown to America’s favorite animated family, The Simpsons, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, eight new venues at Universal CityWalk, the breathtaking Cabana Bay Beach Resort and more. It will include Skull Island: Reign of Kong and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in 2016.
And then – in 2017 – will come Universal’s Volcano Bay.
About Universal Orlando Resort
For 25 years, Universal Orlando Resort has been creating epic vacations for the entire family – incredible experiences that place guests in the heart of powerful stories and adventures. Guests can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, grab a Krusty burger in Springfield, join the ranks of the Minions and so much more.
Universal Orlando’s two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, are home to some of the world’s most exciting and innovative attractions. Its on-site resort hotels, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort are destinations unto themselves. Its entertainment complex, Universal CityWalk, offers dining and entertainment for every member of the family. And just minutes away is Wet ‘n Wild, a family water park.
Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled 18 new guest experiences in the past five years – powerful attractions, incredible dining opportunities and a dramatically themed hotel. And more is on the way. Coming in 2016 is Universal Orlando’s fifth on-site hotel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort; and Skull Island: Reign of Kong, a groundbreaking attraction in Islands of Adventure. And in 2017 will come Universal’s Volcano Bay, an entirely new water theme park experience.
WOW, This is awesome! Universal just keeps announcing more and more! This park is going to be a great addition to the Universal lineup! Here’s what we can see from the pictures:
Here’s the Overview of the Volcano themed waterpark!
Based on the concept art, there will be a large wave pool at the base of the Volcano and in the background, you can see a slide tower.
Here’s the ending of a speedy looking slide.
At the top of the volcano, which is according to permits going to be over 200ft tall, will have a HUGE waterslide, which could easily become the world’s tallest!
Also, there appears to be Polynesian themed bungalows in the back.
It’s been an AMAZING week for the Orlando (and Tampa) parks! Two coasters and a Waterpark! How could this get better? What do you think of these new additions to Orlando?Let us know on Social Media! Thanks for reading the blog! Be sure to follow us here on WordPress and share with the buttons below! Also, you can find us on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Tumblr!
Six Flags Great Adventure is by far the best Six Flags park that I’ve been to! It has some great coasters such as El Toro, the airtime filled INTAMIN woodie as seen above, and Nitro, an amazing B&M hypercoaster. They are also home to Kingda Ka (the giant green roller coaster in the background), the world’s tallest roller coaster (until Skyplex comes in 2017) and Zumanjaro, the world’s tallest drop tower (on the front of Kingda Ka, it isn’t in this picture). It’s a great park, but the theming isn’t as good as other parks! I strongly recommend visiting this park!
Universal Studios Orlando is home to rides from The Simpsons, Despicable Me, Harry Potter, and so much more! This is one of my favorite parks! It provides thrills through what has become a decent amount of thrill rides, but I like some other parks just a little bit more. If you are in Orlando, you have to go to Universal!
#8-Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is home to some amazing B&Ms! The one in the video (Scroll Down for Subscription Link) above is The Griffon, their B&M Dive Machine! The park also has Apollo’s Chariot, an awesome B&M hypercoaster, and Verbolten, not a B&M, but a great Zierer ride for the whole family with the only vertical drop on a roller coaster in the United States. This park is a hybrid on theming and thrills, which is what I love in a park. It has some of the best theme park landscaping around!
Busch Gardens loves B&Ms! This park is home to Sheikra, Kumba, and Montu, three amazing and powerful B&Ms! On top of that, they have some INTAMIN glory in the Flying Drop tower Falcon’s Fury, and the ride for everyone to enjoy, Cheetah Hunt! This park has a great Safari, some great coasters, and some good landscaping. The theming is relatively good, like its sister park in Williamsburg. Definitely head over to this park from next time you are in Florida!
#6-Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia
Kings Dominion gets points for being my home park! I love I-305 and Volcano, Oh the INTAMIN glory of this park! You can’t forget a ride on Dominator, the B&M floorless coaster, and of course the classic, Premier Rides built, Flight of Fear. Kings Dominion is not the best park by any means, but it is a great local park, it definitely is the best in the region!
#5-EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
EPCOT, or the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow was Walt Disney’s biggest dream. Unfortunately, it was nothing like he planned it to be. He planned it as the sprawling city of the future, with what was actually built as its centerpiece. EPCOT is a permanent world’s fair, not the city of tomorrow. Fortunately for us, EPCOT has some great thrill rides, like Test Track, and some awesome family rides like SOARIN! This park has beautiful theming throughout, and delicious food, especially in the world showcase!
#4-Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
The Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park on earth for a reason. It is one of the most well themed parks on Earth, with a wide array of classic and modern attractions such as Space Mountain, the Jungle Cruise, It’s a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and countless others! The Magic Kingdom is great for every age, from 1 to 100, the headline park of Walt Disney World is fantastic!
#3-Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the last Disney park on the list, but I want to give an honorable mention to the Animal Kingdom, it needs some more rides to be great. Hollywood Studios is a park in transition, there are so many rides closed in this park. I can’t wait to see what the transition will bring to this park. Even with the closures, this is my favorite Disney park, because it has theming and thrills! From The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the best drop tower that I’ve been on, to Rock n’ Roller Coaster, which has some awesome Aerosmith music, to Toy Story Midway Mania, the fun family shooter, Hollywood Studios is jam packed with some of the best rides in the country! This park is worth your time while you are in Orlando!
#2-Islands of Adventure at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida
I love Islands of Adventure, they have a bit of everything! It is the best place to find thrills and theming combined together! From the Marvel Universe, to Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter, this park has it all! It has some great dark rides like Spiderman and The Forbidden Journey, it has the family friendly Dr. Seuss and Toon Lagoon areas of the park, and three amazing B&M coasters (Dragon Challenge is two roller coasters)! This is by far the best mix of theming and amazing thrills that I know!
The Thrill Capital of the world is home to Millennium Force, the number one roller coaster on earth, Maverick, the insane INTAMIN Blitz, Gatekeeper, an awesome B&M WingRider, and so many more insane coasters! This park pushes the boundaries of roller coasters, they were the ones who started the Coaster Wars! It may not have too much theming, but this is by far my favorite park because of the insane thrills of this glorious park!
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