Mitchada04

Poseidons is interesting. It's got some clever stuff in it and is a different type of attraction for sure, but it is quite dated now and will be on Creative's hit list without a doubt. Creative are aware of the issues with Studios and Islands. Studios needs new stuff to replace the hugely dated areas, but the park needs capacity too so they can't close too much. Twister and Disaster is okay as they never got huge queues anyway and their replacements will help. KidZone is a big plot of land, something they don't want to lose just yet. And then there's Shrek... and the whole entrance where you are like straight into the park with no build up. Plus DM is there... so SLOP might go there too so they have an Illumination themed area kinda. Although that's rumoured to be Toon Lagoons replacement but it doesn't seem logical with DM in Studios. With $500 million being invested into both Hollywood and Orlando each year they can basically build and build. Space then becomes an issue, so hello 3rd gate. Taking it Kong is costing possibly more than Gringotts did, plus rebuilding a B&M in the same year, money won't really be an issue.

That looks so cheap.

From the access gate area by Air that's used as another exit as busy fireworks? As they're building a path from the hotels through car park G to that bit for Rollercoaster restaurant access at night.

NO MORE SCAFFOLDING!!!!!

The parks in the states are receiving cuts! Due to Paris being down money wise as per, and Shanghai being well over budget and delay after delay with phased opening planned now, the State side parks are receiving cuts from reduced hours, less Cast Members in shops, shops and restaraunts open less and Epcot basically closing everything in the Soarin Pavillion and stuff early by like 2 hours. Haven't read into it much but its happening. I want to talk Animal Kingdom though. The park is in its final preparations for night time openings from having a night time safari to an evening show called Rivers of Light (no fireworks of course, more like world of colour at DCA) with multiple shows likely! So for the first time, AK will have to be open past dark each night! And with many concepts of Avatar Land being at night, this is a good way to start the night time openings in preparation. So when will all this happen? Earth Day (22nd April) is the rumour as that's when AK opens a lot of stuff, plus there's cast blockouts on the 19th April. Exciting times for this park! Rivers of Light Tree of Life will be involved too. And apparently it will have at least 2 showings a night! For the night time safari, how about a sunset created in the background with the wonders of screens? So the next two years are definitely AK with this and then Avatar. Hollywood Studios is beginning its huge makeover (which seems to involve closing more of the park than the new things replace but I guess the new things will be higher quality) with Toy Story Land and Star Wars. No dates on either yet. Magic Kingdom is pretty set. So Epcot? The park is looking dated, attractions old and nothing amazing. Oh but Frozen is coming this year, as you can tell everyone is hyped. And a new Soarin film to sleep to So the next big project has got to be for Epcot.

TowersStreet FB.

Great reports, really hyping me for my trip in August! Islands is my favourite park ever. Yeah it's had 17 rides (or there about) for the 18 years its been open, but it doesn't need loads of rides. You can wonder around the areas (especially Hogwarts and JP) for ages! It's amazing what they do sometimes, especially when you consider when most of those rides were conceived! Didn't realise the re-ride thing was still around on Dragon Challenge didn't see it in 2013, will have to keep an eye out this time! Did you get to see Sinbad and Poseidons Fury? Studios is a park that still needs some major work. It got hit pretty badly in the 2000-2009 era with rides just overlayed (BTTF becoming Simpsons) and some needing updates that never happened (KidZone being one of the most dated areas ever). Good thing Nintendo will replace Kidzone by 2018/19. And they are working hard on Studios, and fast. Whereas Islands can just sorta sit there because it was a quality product from day one.

Merlin are offering a yearly digi pass this year for all your onride photos digitally. £50 and you can use it for 12 months from date of issue and at the 4 theme parks for your ORP. You also get 50% off the hard copy! As a special deal, at the AP days it will be £40

I'll be there! Will probably do waterpark and golf too! An Adamiles scheme will be provided nearer the time for lifts etc. Anyone with me will need to sort out their own room though as me and Celia will have our own (just to have some rest from you maniacs )

Glad you enjoyed the park! Time Machine is bonkers, like totally. Can't ride it more than twice a visit OTH I believe always has two trains out, just the way it is the riding at the front thing is to do with stalling I think as Green Scream etc. Have quite long trains so all the weight at the back wouldn't be great so they load from the front. Dodgems is interesting. They've always been a pay extra and it may be because they're by the sea so treat it more like a funfair as obviously you can buy tokens for just one ride (Rage is like 2 or 3 pounds). But I do get your point.

I'll hit the triangle once a minute on the minute if needed!

Now I know the signs on motorways are stupid etc, especially during traffic. But yesterday was ridiculous in my eyes. So I was going jct 11-15 on the M25. Huge delays, 30 minutes to go jct 12-14 (like 8 miles or something). The 40 speed limit signs annoy me because I'm never going to hit 40. There was a sign at jct14 saying "jct12-14: 30 minutes delay" like yeah know that already having just done it. Thanks for telling me at the end. There was also a stranded car in the outside lane. No owner to be seen. No lights in the car or anything. Almost like they were using it as free airport parking. Anyway, seeing a sign saying "stranded vehicle slow down" just really annoyed me when I was basically parked under the sign for 5 minutes not able to move. That slow enough for you government?

So the third and possibly final Hogwarts (depends if Beijing ever happens etc) has begun soft opening. Hopefully this means opening on the 7th April will be smooth and faultless. Some differences to the others: A Mack Youngstar for the Flight Of The Hippogriff 3D 4K FJ with more dementors (reviews of the 3D aren't great though due to the darkness of the physical scenes so Florida will probably just see a 4K upgrade now) Their is a large external queue prior to the lockers for FJ, to presumably hold people back in to ease the bottleneck that room involves in Florida. Oh, but EVERYONE has to queue through the outside bit, even single riders with no bags. It also has fastpass on it. You can have your photo taken in the HE... for $25 Olivanders has two show rooms and a larger shop, and some other shops have moved about. Other than that, it's pretty similar. Similarly busy. Photo op Broomsticks New cred for Hollywood. Still looks lovely at night. 6 years since the Orlando version, that's how long Potter has been storming the parks. In other rumours, Diagon Alley will break ground very soon apparently to compete with Star Wars Land opening in Disneyland. It is also meant to include the HE, don't ask how as DA will be on lower lot and Hogwarts is on upper. Oh, and a second park is now rumoured/in talks/in progress.

Old rumour mill is churning out stuff about this being a Mack spinner like Cobra's Curse but on a larger scale.

Here comes Hulk...

The killer whales aren't being removed anytime soon. They aren't breeding anymore and will stop the theatrical shows (note: they'll still have the shows, they'll just be purely educational with the whales swimming about instead of doing flips). SeaWorld is one of the better places for looking after animals.

Talocan is a fun show, ride not great

It probably isn't a coincidence. Towers would just say there was a delay in confirming it. Now they've started showing all the nice things they're doing on TLC they'll probably announce it as they'll be able to counteract it with "but hey look at what we've done, and the rides we've closed will get the same treatment" etc. We all know what 6 rides are closing, all I want to know is when Smiler will reopen and the actual closing times.

Apparently the trains for this get revealed soon, I've heard talk of tomorrow. They wanted to do Mako first for some reason. One of the pulleys for the tower with the logo in it which is a cool touch. Egypt reopens a few days as well. Montu has had a little repaint apparently the lift is now up. Snake structure is going up too Bioreconstruct on twitter. Busch also posted this on their FB. True love right there

With SW8 still rumoured to be going here, and the eventual moving of the entrance here (getting more and more likely now with the new path for the restaurant etc) and still rumours for a long way off but wanted CityWalk style thing between the golf and park so basically car park G sprucing it up now is a good move when it could be the forefront of the park for a few years. And as the TLC page has said, it is a work in progress. The station is in phases, phase one this week being the base coat. Scenic painting starts next week.

TLC on Twitter stating it is still a work in progress.

So, me and Celia Mae will be studying at the same uni as of September (she is already there and I'm on a gap year). We thought of applying for a studio flat on campus which basically means we get a fully equipped flat for 2, with all utilities paid for and the luxury of living in London basically all for £206 a week. Which when split in half is really cheap compared to what we'd find off campus or for an en-suite single with communal kitchen (they're like £135 a week). So it's a win with money, comfort etc. The only problem with it was that priority for the studio flats goes to postgrads, final year students then down the line to freshers. Also, we were told we wouldn't hear if we were successful till August. Now as we'd start in September that's a bit late to sort something out, especially as we're out the country for the later part of August. We really weren't sure if we'd get one, expectations quite low and I was preparing for a stressful August trying to find something else. Anyway... Celia got an email Tuesday saying that we've got a studio flat for the 2016/17 term

Not sure where this has come from. Universal has always stated on their site Hulk is a 2:15 ride. Never 1:30. Admittedly, the ride is only like 90 seconds and you are stacked on the block brakes for 30 ish seconds at times. Not because of bad operations, just because the ride launches instead of slowly rises like traditional coasters. The tunnel always had quite a nice story in it and it worked well, obviously, that will change in some way but from what I've seen posted elsewhere I'd go with there being something at the end of the ride before going into the station. Maybe a tunnel with a screen or something. Eh, all very exciting that's for sure, and I want to know about the queue but that isn't being talked about anywhere More track is going up though. Not much more to go now till they're building around the launch tube. This area also seems a lot cleaner now Will probably go vertical here very soon! Lots of foliage going on at Kong. Misty mountain painting is cool! Sign is also really cool, not much of the rock work left to paint now either! Volcano Bay wise, this will apparently be the main ride. http://www.proslide.com/rides/behemothbowl-40/ And apparently proslide are providing all the slides! Will be interesting to see how Universal make this into a water theme park, instead of the standard water park. Apparently, 2017 will see Fallon early in the year, it's literally gut the building and put in the hardware which is being made off site, then VB for before summer and F&F for later, maybe late summer? Or later.