Sum Kind of New Ride at Epcot
Thursday October 15, 2009
Walt Disney World beat Universal Orlando to the rock'em sock'em punch in the robotic arm wars by unveiling the new attraction, Sum of all Thrills, at Epcot yesterday. The ride allows guests to create their own virtual coaster, toboggan, or airplane using interactive touch tables, and then take their design on a test run with a video simulator that uses a robotic arm. While details about the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction coming to Islands of Adventure is being kept under wraps, it's widely rumored that the highly anticipated ride will incorporate Kuka robotic arms.
The attraction sounds like a next-generation CyberSpace Mountain, the nifty coaster simulator attraction at Walt Disney World's Disney Quest. Sum of all Thrills, however, uses Kuka robotic arms equipped with immersive video screen hoods to deliver the ride facsimile. To learn more about robotic arm attractions, see my review of the Knight's Tournament Robocoaster at Legoland California. Orlando Attractions magazine put together a nice Sum of all Thrills video.
A Haunting We will Go
Tuesday October 13, 2009
Roller coasters get most of the glory, carousels get plenty of PR spin, and whirling rides get lots of...dizzy passengers and the occasional visit from a clean-up crew. But haunted attractions, also known as spooky rides or by the industry term, dark rides, have been, and continue to be, an integral part of the theme park and amusement park experience as well. In honor of the Halloween season, I've pulled together a list of the Best Haunted Attractions. These classic and modern-day rides keep the Halloween spirit alive (or is that dead?) and well throughout the year.
Photo: Another happy customer at Coney Island's Spook-A-Rama. Arthur Levine, 2004. Licensed to About.com.
The Holidays--and Holiday Shopping--at Six Flags
Monday October 12, 2009
Most Six Flags theme parks used to lower their flags for the season soon after Labor Day. Now, however, all of them are filled with zombies and pumpkins for the annual Fright Fest Halloween events. And some of them will remain open through the end of the year with Holiday in the Park festivals. This year, The Great Escape in New York joins Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California, Six Flags Over Texas, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in offering bazillions of twinkling lights, visits from Santa Claus, holiday-themed stage shows, and other seasonal fun.
If you're thinking of going to Holiday in the Park, you might want to consider getting a 2010 Six Flags season pass. It will get you into this year's Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park and give you unlimited visits to all Six Flags parks for 2010. Six Flags is offering some discount deals with 2010 season passes going for as low as $49.99. Perhaps you could think of the passes as early holiday presents.
Photo: I tawt I taw a Santa cap. Sylvester the Cat gets in the spirit at Six Flags Christmas event, Holiday in the Park. Six Flags.
Parks Still in Let's-Make-a-Deal Mode
Friday October 9, 2009
Amid the protracted economic woes, it continues to be a buyer's market for theme park vacationers. For example, Disneyland is offering rates as low as $154 per night for 2-night minimum stays at its on-property resorts. And both Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando recently brought back deals that reward visitors who book hotel packages with extra hotel nights and freebie park tickets. If you're planning a getaway, check out the latest park vacation deals in California and Florida.
