It's February 2016! One month of 2016 already gone!! It's time for this week's Theme Park Nut News Update!
It's a generally quiet period for theme parks this time of year, however we do have a few little titbits of news that have rolled out over the last week. Firstly, two bits of news about Universal Hollywood. This week they have sweetened the deal on their Annual Passes, by adding up to 9 days in February that will no longer be blackout days. This push has been as an attempt to build up a little moment pre-Harry Potter's opening. Speaking of which, this week we also got confirmation that the popular Interactive Wands from Universal Orlando will be in effect when the West coast WWoHP opens in April. This isn't really surprising though, to be honest, it would have been bigger news it if wasn't going to be a feature of the new WWoHP.
At Dollywood, we have seen the reveal for the trains for the Lightening Rod coaster, which do look pretty cool. In fact this coaster itself looks like a lot of fun! We've also see a little bit more about the new flat ride Fatamorgana at Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, which is also looking pretty cool.
Going outside the U.S. for Disney news, and we got a little bit of sneak peak this week at what the Downtown Disney area of Shanghai Disney is going to be like. Sounds like it will be an interesting mix of original stores and large chains, hopefully to cater to the tastes of local visitors. This week we also saw the Walt Disney Studios Paris stage show Animagique performed for the last time. It is being replaced by a new show Mickey and the Magician, which is due to open in July this year.
We also had some drama at Disneyland Paris resort, where a man was arrested for possession of two guns. The man has not been linked to any terrorist or militant group but was allegedly carrying the weapons for personal protection.
In Australia, the big news this week is construction fences at Movie World! The suggestion is that the fences, in the much maligned Western Area of the park is related to the World Class ride that was eluded to at the end of last year. We believe from the planning submissions that this will be a rollercoaster, and the strongest rumours at this point to some kind of Mack coaster replacing (or bypassing) the Show Stage. Only time will tell on this! But I expect we will know more in the next month!
Australia day (Tuesday last week) saw the return of one of the original stream trains back to Dreamworld. Dreamworld previously had two engines that worked in rotation, however they were replaced in 2013 with the more economical diesel engine. Dreamworld subsequently announced that the engine would now be making monthly outings at the park, which is sure to please steam train enthusiasts.
For more Theme Park coverage, follow me on Twitter @themeparknut. Until next time, Cheers!
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