News in a Minute - 12th Oct 2018

This week's Theme Park News in a Minute:
- Hurricane Michael has battered the south east of America including the Orlando area, over the last few days. Hopefully everyone there is staying safe and dry!
- There is a rumour going around that Spaceship Earth at Epcot is going to have a multi-year refurbishment. The rumours differ as to when it will start, some end of 2019. Some say post the WDW 50th anniversary in 2021.
- Efteling in the Netherlands has announced a new Mack rides dual-track family coaster to open in 2020 based on German story of Max and Moritz. They also announced their 20-acre expansion will be delayed til 2021.
- Disneyland Resort has officially cancelled it's fourth on-site hotel after the stoush with Anaheim City Council.
- Universal Orlando have added a sweetener to their Annual Passes, with 3 or 6 month extensions for those buying or renewing now.
- The first phase of the Moomin Theme Park in Japan is going to open next month.
- Sea World San Diego will be adding a new coaster called Tidal Twister in 2019.
- At WDW, Disney Springs it going to get a Sports Bar, next summer. They also opened their new "Old Port Royale" hub at the Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.
- Lightning Rod at Dollywood has re-opened this week.
- Disneyland is going to retire the Jedi Training Academy on November 3rd.
- There has been new concept art released for the rebuilt Pirates in Batavia dark ride in Europa Park.

News in a Minute - 5th October 2018

This week's news:
- Universal Orlando has given us the first promo shot of the upcoming Forbidden Forrest coaster, which is under construction at Island's of Adventure.
- SeaWorld Orlando officially opened Infinity Falls their vertical-lift rapids ride, yesterday. It had soft opened earlier in the week.
- Hersheypark is getting a new entry plaza, with a new coaster and a Kiss shaped fountain, as part of a $150 million dollar expansion.
- Walibi Belguim has announced their 2019 interactive Dark Ride will be called Popcorn Revenge.
- Also in Belgium, Plopsaland de Panne has revealed concept art for their Log Flume, which is to be renamed Dino Splash.
- And lastly in Belgium, Bobbejaanland has started charging using an App based system, for the time that you are in the park, instead of an entry fee. The cost starts at around 7 euros an hour, and maxes out at 35 Euros 50.
- Walt Disney World has add alcohol to the Breakfast and Lunch meals at Be Our Guest restaurant. They have also increased the price of snacks around the resort.
- Disney has brought in Food trucks next to the newly re-opened Earl of Sandwich at Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney.

News in a Minute - 28th September 2018

This week's Theme Park News:
-  Efteling in the Netherlands is adding the 30th story to the Fairy Tale Forest, or Sprookjesbos in 2019, with kids boat ride and walk through for De Zes Zwanen, the Six Swans. They'll also be added a new interactive tree called Kneisoor.
- Walt Disney World has confirmed that it will be closing Rafiki's Plant Watch in Animal Kingdom on October 20th.
- Tokyo DisneySea is set to open Soarin' Fantastic Flight in Summer 2019, with some original scenes being added to the ride.
- Universal Hollywood announced that there would be nightly snowfall as part of it's Chirstmas in the WWoHP event this year. It will also feature the return of the "Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle" light show.
- Walt Disney World is moving to Date-Based multi-day tickets in October.
- Kings Island have anounced they are removing one of their Big coasters this winter, but have not announced which one.
- Evermore, the live-action role-playing theme park, has soft-opened this week ahead of it's full opening this weekend.
- The Blu-ray release of Solo in the US has included a featurette on the Millenium Falcon dark ride coming as part of Galaxy's Edge.
- Magic Kingdom briefly had an unauthoized giant Trump banner on the Train station at the end of Main Street. It took Disney Security just over a minute to remove the banner.

News in a Minute - 21st Sept. 2018

This week's Theme Park News:
- Walt Disney World has announced that Illuminations: Reflections of Earth show at Epcot will finish at the end of Summer 2019.
- Halloween Horror Nights has opened on both coasts, with Orlando in particular having a massive first night. Their biggest house of the year, Stranger Things, had a massive queue before it opened, and had to turn people who had queued for more than hour away after the park closed.
- Hong Kong Disneyland this week was hit by Super Typhoon Mangkhut, but thankfully only had landscaping issues. A few attractions remained closed for a few days while debris was cleared.
- Europa Park has announced details for it's Horror Nights - Traumatica. Tune in Sunday to see use visit 2010's Terenzi Horror Nights at Europa Park.
- Earl of Sandwich is coming back to Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney, in it's original location for a limited time. This follows the cancellation of the hotel project on that spot, due to City of Anahiem cancelling their tax incentive.
- A wild rumour this week about a new Epcot pavillion for India, and a dark ride based on the Jungle Book, using the technology from Shanghai Disneyland's Pirates ride.

News in a Minute - 31st August 2018

Sorry about the terrible video quality.




The News in a Minute for Theme Parks this week:
- Disney has released details of the restaurant at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, known as Oga's Cantina. Controversially this will be the first place inside Disneyland park where Alcohol will be served.
-  Disneyland has also release part of the menu for the new Tropical Hideway eatery, including Bao and Sweet Pineapple Lumpia, a favourite from WDW's Pandora.
- Universal Orlando are having social media meet-up on September 1st to celebrate Back to School, called "Back to Hogwarts".
- Six Flags Magic Mountain is adding a new multi-launch racing coaster called West Coast Racers for 2019.
- Carrorwinds have also announced a new coaster for 2019, a Mack Launch coaster called Copperhead strike.
- There was a rumour this week that Shanghai Disneyland are looking at adding copy of Pandora in the next 5 years.
- A video appeared on line this week of a number of Shanghai Disneyland guests swarming a cast member, and stealing the balloons they were selling.
- Walt Disney World is adding a new Snow White character dining at Fort Wilderness. Snow White will be joined by the evil queen and 2 of the seven dwarfs.
- Hersheypark in the US has reportedly sought approval to build a new coaster up to 220 feet tall in 2020.
- the First major maintenance of the DC Rivals hyper coaster has included the remove of track at the top of the hill after the first drop.
- Details have been released about Canada's Wonderlands upcoming hotel. It will be a Hyatt Place/Hyatt House branded hotel with 203 rooms, set to open in 2020.

News in a Minute - 24th August 2018

Here is this week's news in a minute:




- Universal Orlando will be permanently closing the Eighth Voyage of Sindbad at IOA, one of the few remain parts of the Lost Continent land.
- Legoland Florida has reportedly submitted plans to build another 150-room hotel at the resort.
- Europa Park had a mixed week, with a minor Monorail crash, as well as the soft opening of Madame Freudenreich Curiosities, which is a revamp of the previous Universe of Energy dark ride. Check out the POV of that ride, as it is genuinely hilarious to me!
- Merlin have released details of the up coming Legoland Park in New York, including the 8 lands that will be part of the park.
- Sad news from Engerylandia in Poland, where it appears an employee was killed by the new Hyperion Hyper coaster, while attempting to retrieve a lost cell phone.
-  Disneyland Resort and Anahiem city council have continued their civil war, which this week Disney pulling a PR stunt to essentially refuse millions of dollars of tax concessions from the Council.
- We've got complete lineups for Halloween Horror nights, with multiple announcements this week including Blumhouse houses, Universal Monster Mazes and Wicked Witch themed house.
- Disneyland Resort lifted it's summer block outs, and the parks were crammed with Annual Passholders as a result.
- Tivoli in Denmark has opened a new spinner ride Tik Tak, to celebrate its 175th birthday.
- In Malaysia the Movie Animation Park Studios had it's IP deal with Dreamworks cancel just before their new land opened, previously called Dream Zone, meaning in just over two weeks they have had to untheme an entire land.

News in a Minute - 17th August 2018

This week's news:

-  Sweden's Liseberg last Friday opened Europe's tallest and longest dive coaster — Valkyria.
- Tivoli in Copenhagen turned 175 this week celebrating its opening in 1843
- The Walt Disney World Railroad and Tomorrowland speedway in MK will close temporarily next year while the Tron lightcycle coaster is constructed.
- Universal Orlandos new hotel, the Aventuras had its preopening media preview this week. It looks like good views with small but high tech rooms.
- Canadas wonderland announced it's new coaster for 2019, Yukon Striker. Which will be the world's tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster!
- Cedar points new steel vengeance coaster has had another malfunction this week as a drive wheel snapped and fell from the ride. It was back up and running by the end of the day.
- Hong Kong Disneyland will have a new Nightmare before Christmas walk through for their halloween event this year.
- Europa parks new Eurosat CanCan coaster will have a untethered VR set up that will start in the queue before boarding the ride.
- Michael Myers is back for Halloween Horror Nights in both Universal Orlando and Hollywood!
- Six Flags is adding a loyalty program to it's parks, where you'll be able to get points for visiting parks, riding rides and spending money in the parks.
- Fighting between Disney and the Anaheim city council may stop development on Disneyland Resorts 4th hotel.