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By: Dennis L. Speigel
As I write about the leisure attraction industry, I like to be topical about issues of interest that are either already affecting or are certain to be impactful in the global industry.
Disney never fails to deliver when it comes to setting the attraction experience bar for both their park operators and guests. It appears that there will be no shortage of Disney products being spread around the world for the next 10 years!
From the announcement of Marvel themed lands being introduced in Paris, Hong Kong, and Disney’s California Adventure, one of their most popular recent IP brands, Marvel has been both a hit at the box office and parks where Marvel has been presented. The new areas will showcase the announced Worldwide Engineering Brigade (WEB), which will work with the Avengers to introduce a whole new cast of superheroes utilized around the world.
The widely successful animated film, Moana, released in 2016, about an adventurous girl who “sails out” to save her people, will be introduced to Epcot with an incredible water operated experience called “Journey With Water,” leaking out to be an incredible walkthrough maze full of nature and natural surprises, all child and family friendly!
The most amazing enlightenment may well be the new Star Wars hotel we have been hearing about for 3 years. It takes the shape of the Halcyon Starship from the Chandrila Starline. This luxury starship hotel will offer interaction with the famous Star Wars characters. It has always been reported to be a totally immersive adventure experience.
It is rumored that rooms at the Star Wars hotel will cost upwards of $1,600 USD per night and cost over $3,200 USD for a two-night, 3 day stay! Look for Wookies, Keshiris, Storm Troopers, and even Han Solo and Princess Leia roaming around and interacting with guests.
The guest cabins are designed to portray space journeys with views of interstellar space projected on ceilings along with holographic experiences located in the support area of the starship. Visit the Star Wars bar and experience the famous intergalactic band. Hey, Jabba the Hutt may even be in appearance, we are told!
Disney has always and continues to set the bar for our industry as it relates to highly unique, unusual, quality guest experiences. From luxury dining, to immersive guest costumed participation, Disney delivers what they conceive and design. From the parks to their hotels, they never disappoint the guest or our industry with out of this world entertainment… and do I mean out of this world!
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The new 2020 All-Season Dining Pass at SeaWorld theme parks in the United States costs $120 per year. To sweeten the pot, SeaWorld will throw in free meals for the rest of 2019 for annual passholders who buy the dining season pass now.
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There's no denying that Disney (NYSE:DIS) is at its best when the global economy is humming along. Snapping up tickets to catch the next Marvel flick at your local premium-priced multiplex, hitting up one of its industry leading theme parks during a holiday weekend, and even an advertiser's ability to pay top dollar to reach an ESPN viewer is easier when disposable income is as disposable as possible.
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Martin Scorsese sparked a furore recently with his answer to a question from Empire magazine about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The director compared the movie franchise to theme parks.. In his answer, Scorsese said, “…that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
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Following the success of Alton Towers’ ‘Scarefest’ and Thorpe Park’s ‘Fright Nights,’ Merlin Entertainments is set to reap the rewards of being at the forefront of providing Halloween-themed experiences across the UK.
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As one of the largest malls in the US, the project had a drawn-out and often delayed evolution. At long last, the first phase of the complex — the Nickelodeon Universe theme park and an ice-skating rink — opened on Friday. Friends and family of some of the mall owners and employees were invited to experience the theme park on opening day.
Related: Already? Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream hikes its prices
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No one wants to think about the West Coast’s most popular theme park becoming America’s petri dish — the germiest place on Earth. But any location that welcomes tens of thousands of visitors a day can become a hub for the distribution of germs and viruses. Like those kids whose parents didn’t get them vaccinated, theme parks are not immune.
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UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — A jury has awarded $800,000 to a Maryland man who says security guards beat him at a Six Flags America park on Father's Day in 2018.
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Toverland looks back on the most visited Halloween time in the history of the park. During the autumn holidays, the amusement park organized eight "Halloween Nights", in which nearly 100 mourners in five Scare zones, two haunted houses, a labyrinth and a walktrough experience were up to mischief.
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CHENNAI: Amusement park operator Wonderla Holidays Ltd on Tuesday said the company's board has given the nod to set up a new amusement park in Odisha.
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A white-knuckle ride which is the first of its kind in the world is set to replace a popular caterpillar-themed attraction at Pleasure Beach. Last week it was announced the Mulan, which has entertained families at the Great Yarmouth theme park for more than 20 years, would be closing.
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WINTER HAVEN, Fla., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is inviting brick fans to #VacationLikeAPirate in 2020 with the announcement of the "Year of the Pirate" including the grand opening of LEGOLAND® Pirate Island Hotel, a jam-packed event season plus pirate-themed event days, more time to swashbuckle at LEGOLAND Water Park and a brand-new pirate water ski show.
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With the holiday season officially kicking off next week at Walt Disney World, some new discounts and deals have been released for guests looking to make a trip to the resort this winter!
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Starting from November 1, 2019, a $3.00 fee will be applied to swap a FuelRod portable charger for a fresh, fully charged battery at all FuelRod kiosks at Walt Disney World Resort. This pricing adjustment is in line with FuelRod kiosks in most other locations like theme parks (including Universal Orlando), airports, and malls, and is due to "increased machine maintenance and - at times - even replacement."
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If you're planning a trip to Southern California's theme parks and you're going to be flying to the Los Angeles International Airport, you should be aware of some big changes coming to way that you exit LAX, starting Tuesday, October 29.
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The Gold Pass has been a subject of controversy for some park fans who blamed the bargain season pass option for causing overcrowding during HalloWeekends.
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The museum’s framework, comprising 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members, was completed in November 2018; the facade panels now are being lifted into place. The museum is due to open in a year – a momentous time for Dubai as it will be hosting the World Expo from 20 October 2020.
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Lion Farm Oldbury off the M5 motorway in the West Midlands has been proposed, on a 200,000sq.ft site that is currently playing fields. The development proposes more than 90 shops, F&B outlets, cinema and a 100,000sq.ft entertainment complex operated by UK firm, Everyone Entertained offering Clip ’n Climb, a high ropes course, adventure golf, soft play, laser tag, escape rooms and a Sega “interactive zone”. An installation of Frontgrid’s location-based virtual reality attraction, Paradrop VR, is also thought to be pencilled in.
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Hudson Yards has announced that its Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed observation deck Edge will open in March next year at a height of 1,131ft (345m) and will extend 80ft (24m) out from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards.
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A special recreational education center named the “Career Development Center” has opened in Doha where children will be introduced to the concept of career planning while exploring various career options in an educational and entertaining way. The new Career Development Center comes as a result of a partnership between Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, and KidZania Doha, and will be affiliated to QCDC.
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KidZania makes access to its interactive children's city more efficient, in Guadalajara, thanks to Panasonic kiosks, which offer solutions to speed up the process of buying access tickets and the delivery of identification bracelets for children and their companions over age.
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DALLAS, TX – October 28, 2019 – Urban Air, the premier indoor family entertainment company, announced today it is expanding to include a new Urban Air Adventure Park in Latham. Urban Air Adventure Parks usher-in a new dimension of active entertainment including wall-to-wall trampolines and aerial sports offering a wide range of activities that appeal to all ages and skill sets. The new park will open at 579 Troy Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110 in the Summer of 2020.
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A new indoor family theme park is coming to the old Kmart building on Tom Hill Sr. Boulevard in Macon after being approved Monday. Construction on Urban Air Adventure Park is set to begin soon with a planned opening in April 2020 The company's site currently lists a Macon location as 'Coming Soon' and renderings show space for go-karts, indoor skydiving, an indoor coaster, rock climbing, laser tag, a ropes course, bumper cars, dodgeball, arcade games, and trampolines.
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One exciting new attraction, also due to open this week, is EKart Zabeel, an adrenaline-pumping electric karting experience located in the new expansion. EKart Zabeel will offer ‘a challenging course with the latest generation of electric go-karts’.
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Executive director Shannon Fitzgerald says there is one driving idea behind a dramatic $20 million expansion of the Mennello Museum of American Art: “Do we want to stay the same, or do we want to grow up?” The Mennello, owned by the City of Orlando, will turn 21 years old in November. Established by Michael A. and Marilyn Logsdon Mennello, the museum has been housed at Loch Haven Park in what was once the private home of Howard Phillips, son of noted philanthropist Dr. Philip Phillips.
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On Monday, an even larger fire that bears the museum's name—the Getty Fire—was burning near its campus and forced thousands to evacuate the area. But the museum, home to 1,000-year-old manuscripts, multimillion-dollar paintings and the world's largest art library, has no plans to evacuate its treasures. The museum holds 125,000 objects of art and 1.4 million volumes in its library.
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A final redevelopment agreement for the Mall of America’s new water park could be up for approval by the end of the year. That’s the goal of the many public and private entities involved in the complex deal to finance and operate the new 250,000-square-foot attraction. On Tuesday, the project is expected take another step forward as the Bloomington Port Authority adopts a nonprofit agreement spelling out the responsibilities of the city, mall owners Triple Five Group, and Louisiana nonprofit Provident Resources Group in the $260 million project.
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EL PASO, Texas - The plan to bring a world-class indoor water park and convention facility to El Paso went through a big change on Monday. The City Council approved a new incentive agreement with Great Wolf Lodge in a 7-1 vote, in which city Rep. Alexsandra Annello was the lone dissenter.
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A man from the Hudson Valley is going to help reveal shocking truths about an infamous water park that’s just miles away from the area."Class Action Park" will be the first-ever feature-length documentary about Action Park. The amusement park was open from 1978 until 1996 in Vernon, N.J. The park, which is now Mountain Creek, was infamous for its very dangerous rides, leading many to call it “Class Action Park,” “Accident Park,” or “Traction Park.”
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Not everyone is meant for the water. Certain people should just stay far away from a public pool- they're already germy and full of screaming children. The best solution would just be to get their own pool. Or a kiddie pool. Or just a bathtub. Whatever it is, stay away from the community pool.
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Denver Zoo has announced an innovative and inspiring new habitat for its African penguins. The African penguin colony will get a 15,000-gallon pool for swimming, multiple burrows and nest boxes.
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Attendance at the Florida Aquarium rose 5 percent over the past 12 months, topping 841,000, the most in more than two decades. Some changes have driven that growth, aquarium president and chief executive officer Roger Germann said Monday.
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Reggie the two-toed sloth has finally moved into his new pad at Dudley Zoo. The three-year-old joined the Castle Hill attraction from Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight in the summer, but was kept in a mixed small-primate exhibit until work was complete on his new purpose-built enclosure.
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A Southern California man has been sentenced to 90 days for stealing North America’s oldest ring-tailed lemur in captivity from a zoo. Aquinas Kasbar, 19, of Newport Beach, was also ordered to pay $8,486 in restitution to the Santa Ana Zoo in Orange County for the July 27, 2018, break-in, which occurred after the zoo had closed for the night, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said Monday in a statement.
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Forces will be marshaling soon at the David Traylor Zoo as major renovations are set to begin. On KVOE's Newsmaker segment Monday, Director Lisa Keith said work on the kookaburra exhibit could begin within the next couple weeks.
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Kroger’s partnership with the Memphis Zoo to reduce the use of plastic bags is paying off. Kroger presented the zoo with an $8,000 check Monday. The money came from the sale of special reusable bags that were designed with the faces of some of the most favorite animals at the zoo.
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The Calgary Zoo’s two panda cubs will continue to call Panda Passage home for a little bit longer, the zoo announced Monday. Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue are now expected to depart for the giant panda research base in Chengdu, China, in early 2020.
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The first male elephant in Blackpool Zoo's 47-year history has arrived to join a new breeding programme. The 28-year-old, named Emmett, was moved 200 miles from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. It will now join the zoo's existing herd of five female Asian elephants, Kate, Minbu, Noorjahan, Tara and Esha.
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Clearwater Marine Aquarium named Darryl Connors as its first chief business officer Monday. In his new role, Connors will be responsible for leading the aquarium's corporate partnership strategy and helping it meet key financial priorities. He brings over 30 years of experience in building strategic partnerships.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - An interactive aquarium is set to open at a metro mall next summer! Blue Zoo OKC is set to open in 2020 with a mission to "educate and inspire in a fun, hands-on environment."
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This could be the most exhilarating swing in the world. Workers in China have built a gigantic 'super swing', which equals to the height of a 30-storey-tall building, on the edge of a cliff 2,300 feet above the ground.
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HURON — The city of Huron is working to save the Firelands Festival of Lights after Cedar Fair decided the event would not occur at Sawmill Creek Resort this year. Cedar Fair, the parent company of Cedar Point, recently announced it planned to close the Cleveland Road resort for several months for renovations.
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ASTM International's committee on amusement rides and devices (known as F24) has developed a standard for requirements for hayride attractions. The new voluntary standard (soon to be published as F3168) will apply to hayrides meant for entertainment, recreation, or agritourism.
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Advertisers have almost doubled the amount they’re spending on Instagram influencer campaigns in the US and Canada since 2018. However in the past three months alone, $65m has been wasted reaching fake followers – with household names like P&G and Disneyland among the top spenders duped.
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