News in a Minute - 7th Dec 2018

This week's Theme Park News:
- Tokyo Disney have shown the first glimpses of their 2020 Beauty and the Beast ride, which is to be called the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.
- Legoland Windsor have confirmed they are going to open a "Haunted House Monster Party" attraction in Spring of 2019.
-  Disneyland Resort have announced the dates for the Luna New Year and Food and Wine Festivals at DCA for 2019.
- Disneyland has also held their super exclusive Candelight event this week with Chris Pratt guest starring.
- Universal Orlando has introduced new lockers, with a mixture of small free, and larger paid lockers, which has upset some guests.
- Universal Studios Hollywood is bringing back their New Year's Eve Party for the end of 2018.
- Animal Kingdom at WDW has started selling a $30 Tasting Sampler pack online, which will give you a $35 gift card to use at the Food Carts as well as reserved seating for Rivers of Light.
- White Water have shown off concept art for a mixed use Water park, which by day will be a normal water park, and by night tranform in to multiple venues for small Cirque du Soleil performances.
- Napolini has re-opened with a new menu at Downtown Disney at Disenyland Resort.
- Dutch theme park Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is demolishing one of it's oldest attractions, Casa Magnetica to make way for an expanded pirate themed area.

News in a Minute - 16th Nov 2018

I am genuinely terrible at keeping this blog up to date with my YouTube videos. But here is this weeks!!

The news:
- The IAAPA Attractions Expo has been on in Orlando this week, and highlights included:
- Sansei technologies Car that can transform into a robot.
- Sally Corp unveiled a big Bird Animatronic for PortAventura's upcoming Sesame Street dark ride.
- Dynamic Attractions showed a Duel Power Coaster, as weel as Batman themed Robot-arm Dark ride.
- S&S showed off their design for the Steel Curtain coaster at Kennywood.
- Disney announced that their SkyLiner gondolas will launch in Fall 2019, and showed of graphics for their Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Epcot.
- In other news: Knott's Berry Farm has announced that the Calico River Rapids will replace the Bigfoot Rapids in 2019 with new animatronics, show scenes and effects.
- Sea World on the Gold Coast has officially announced it's constructing at 33m tall Star Flyer, which will open in December.
- A door has fallen off an operating monorail at Walt Disney World.
- We saw plans for one floor of the Star Wars immersive hotel at WDW.
- Universal Orlando released concept art for their Endless Summer Resorts.
- Six flags has signed a deal to bring their 4th park to china.

News in a Minute - 2nd Nov 2018

This week's Theme Park News:

-  The Luxo Jr lamp has finally appeared at Pixar Pier.
- We got the first tiny clues about what Universal is going to do with the land that it acquired near the Orlando Convention centre, with the first planning documents submitted to council. We know there will be a big carpark.
- Walt Disney World added a desert party inside their existing Christmas party, for those that want to be double up charged.
- Legoland California is celebrating it's 20th birthday in 2019 by allowing kids under 12 to enter the park free on their birthday.
- Walibi Holland announced their RMC converted robin hood coasted, is going to be named Untamed.
- Universal Orlando has officially launched it's in mobile ordering for in park restaurants. They have also opened their Stranger Things maze to day guests, as Hollywood did last week.
- A strong rumour this week that Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway might be coming to Toontown in Disneyland.
- Ralph and Vanellope from Wreck it Ralph are going to be meeting quests in the Imagination pavillion, starting next month.
- Rosita the parrot is coming to Disneyland resort, answering the age old question of what ever happened to rosita.

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.