Parks are quietly adding opening dates.

Amusement parks are quietly adding opening dates and times online.  

While most amusement parks don't rate the attention Disney and Universal collect, you would still expect some kind of notice about them reopening after COVID19. However, you'd be wrong.

 It seems amusement and theme parks across the east coast are quietly updating their websites to show opening dates and hours without a big to-do. We've been keeping an eye on things and it seems this week, dates and times are appearing on websites with little or no fanfare.

Just today we discovered the following have opening dates:

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: June 25th.
Kennywood: July 1st.
Idlewild Park: July 3rd.
Waldameer Park: June 22nd.
Dollywood: June 15th
Knoebels: July 3rd.


Ceder Fair parks still show no opening dates, but it has been discussed about Carowinds reopening soon (July 27th) according to various news articles. This would put Cedar Fair behind the eight ball of collecting what is left of the 2020 season.

Seaworld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa have also dropped opening dates in the last few days, with both parks set to open to the public again on June 11th.

Please note, all these parks will have limited capacity and various ticket rules. Plan accordingly by seeing what rules each park has and if they require a reservation system, ticket sales rules and modified hours.

New coaster trains for Busch Gardens Parks shown at the IAAPA

 IAAPA Shows Off New Coaster Cars for Busch Gardens.

 It's that time of year again, the IAAPA is in full swing and images are coming down hard and fast. Showing off the latest and greatest, the soon to open and the future news- a lot is going to drop this week with the expo going on!

 SeaWorld Parks is offering some of the first showings here with the two new coasters coming to the Busch Gardens parks.

Image from Theme Park Insider

 Up first, we've got the new coaster train design going in to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the coaster Pantheon.  Intamin showed off the design, which to be honest, I'm not thrilled with.

Allow me to explain..

 The same harness design is used at Hershey Park for the coaster 'Sky Rush' which has the unloving nickname 'Thigh Crush' for a reason.
 Rather than going with the slightly older design, they've opted to use this model for the new coaster.

 Although considering it's not a wing coaster, there could be some saving grace to our poor thighs in the future. At least, if your not short? I'll have to wait and see with this one.

Image from Theme Park Insider 

 Busch Gardens Tampa isn't to be left out of the fun either, showing off the new trains for the redesign of Gwazi.  Created by Rocky Mountain Coasters, it's now called 'Iron Gwazi'. The coaster will be a complete re-track of the original ride with many of the old elements removed and new added, combining it into a single track coaster.

 Taking away the dueling element does allow more room to work and design, but seems like it's somehow taking away a key element of an original design. Dueling coasters are becoming a rarity these days, but let me digress once more..



 Let me confess something to you, the trains confuses me.

 Gwazi was (supposedly) named after the legend of a creature which had both the head of a lion and the head of a tiger, thus why each side was designated 'lion' or 'tiger'. However, in this new coaster train theme, seem to share nothing more than the name with the original coaster. Rather this is now 'crocodile inspired thrills'!

 Perhaps it's just me, but I liked the 'big cat' theme as it fell in nicely with the education programs the park runs regarding their big cats. Although I do suppose it's time to branch out as they have 'Kumba',  'Cheetah Chase' and 'Tigris' now.


Anyway, I've digressed enough for one afternoon.

We're looking forward to more news from the IAAPA's 2019 show.

We'll cover the SeaWorld Parks in tomorrows update- There is PLENTY more to come!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Pantheon News 11/2

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Pantheon News 

 For those who haven't been following along, Pantheon is the newest coaster coming to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2020.  Themed to the Roman Gods, with various elements of the coaster being named after them, the ride is an Intamin steel, sit-down coaster. Slated to be the fastest, multi-launch coaster in North America.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- New Coaster for 2020

Busch Gardens Williamsburg to build a new coaster for the 2020 season.

Image from Screamscape

New plans came out involving Busch Gardens Williamsburg and a new coaster coming to the park for the 2020 season.

Not that many details have gone out yet but the slide seen to the left gives us some basics.

Opening in May of 2020.

Rider height of 54 inches.

Fastest Launch in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

A multi-launch coaster that will top speed around 76 MPH. Going into the Italy section of the park. The final drop will be seen from the Italy bridge.

Image from BGWFans

Our friends over at BGWFans also released this teasing image at an internal conference on March 19th. Teasing the roman numerals for '2020' and confirmed the location to be Italy. Along with this, it was strongly hinted at this ride having a 95 degree drop!

Multiple elements will be involved with this coaster, including a long drop into the Rhine River Valley, over-banked turns and multiple launches. New pathways, lockers and even a bridge going over the Festa train station will also be included with the construction process.

Finally, we now know why Busch Gardens was doing all those height servery's in the 2017 season!

What's New in 2019- Coasters and More!

 Welcome to 2019 and the Construction List!
Every year we try to do a comprehensive list of 'Who's Building What' so folks can plan and know what is coming to an amusement park near you. Mostly, we focus on roller coasters but also one the expansions and updates that seem enticing to us, as park visitors.

The list is divided by 'company' which owns the park, for simple searching. It is also, by no means, a complete list of everything.


Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Finnegan's Fliers. FlySwatter Ride.
Busch Gardens Tampa: Tigris. Looping Launch Coaster.





Cedar Fair

Canada's Wonderland: Yukon Striker. Steel Dive Coaster.
Carowinds: Copperhead Strike. Steel Sit-down Coaster.




Disney Parks

Walt Disney World- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Land Expansion with multiple rides.
Disneyland California- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Land Expansion with multiple rides.




Dollywood 

Wildwood Grove: Land Expansion. Multiple flat rides.  Inverted, Steel Family Coaster.






Kennywood

Kennywood Park:  Steel Curtain. Steel Sit-down Coaster. Themed after local football team. Small land expansion.








Six Flags

Six Flags Darien Lake: Sky Screamer. Swing Ride.
Six Flags America: Firebird. Steel Floorless Coaster (converted from Stand-up). Relocation from Six Flags Great America.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Batman, The Ride. 4th Dimension Wing Coaster.
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom:  Kentucky Flier. Wooden, Out-and-back coaster.
Six Flags Great America: Maxx Force. Launch Coaster.
Six Flags Great Adventure: Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags Magic Mountain: West Coast Racers. Dueling Launch Coaster.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas: The Joker, Wild Card. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags Over Texas: Lone Star Revolution. Single Loop Coaster.
Six Flags New England:  Cyborg. Indoor Spinning Ride.
Six Flags Over Georgia: Pandemonium. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags La Ronde: Chaos. Single Loop Coaster.
Six Flags St. Louis: Supergirl. Whirling Wheel Ride.


SeaWorld

Seaworld San Diego: Tidal Twister.  Steel, Dueling Coaster.
Seaworld Orlando: Sesame Street Land. Expansion. Multiple flat rides and family rides.
Seaworld San Antonio: Sesame Street Party Parade. Interactive Parade for Families.

2015 Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food & Wine Festival Preview and Menu Details!

Well, not too long after announcing the new countries for this year's Food & Wine Festival, Busch Gardens Williamsburg released the menus for this year's event that runs on weekends (Friday-Sunday) from May 22nd thru June 28th. However, we don't quite have everything, as East Asia and The French Quarter haven't been updated with their offerings as of this writing, so stay tuned for those.

As said before, pretty much the same line up is returning from last year, with the exception of Belgium, since that's been axed. From what I can gather, the menu really hasn't changed up that much from the returning countries either. Not that it's a bad thing, you can check out what we thought of things from last year, and if feeling frisky, our 2013 review. Now there are some differences and some things that look really interesting to try, but so far it's looking par for the course.

We've had nearly everything that they've offered since we've been attending the event since it's innagural year back in 2013. Some of the things surprised and some met our expectations perfectly. It's always an interesting experience no matter how you slice it. So, again, since not much has changed, we can give a little more insight to the offerings and hope that you find them helpful if you go before our official review is out later this year. 

So, that all said, let's get on with looking at what the park will be offering for the 2015 Food & Wine Festival. This year has a total of 14 countries, but two still a mystery, here's the 12 that we do know of! First up? The American Southwest.

March Concert Lineup Announced for Busch Gardens Tampa's First Food & Wine Festival

It looks like more and more things are getting in order for Busch Gardens Tampa's first Food & Wine Festival that's coming to the park starting on March 7th and runs through April 26th.

While we don't have any details on the menu that will be featured, they have just released the list of musical performances that will be held on weekend nights during the run of the event.

Right now we only know of who will be performing during the month of March, but stay tuned as I'm sure more will be announced in the next few weeks. So, who's going to be there? Look no further!

• Saturday, March 7 - Gavin DeGraw
• Sunday, March 8 - Fifth Harmony
• Saturday, March 14 - Kool & The Gang
• Sunday, March 15 - Boys Like Girls
• Saturday, March 21 - Kenny Rogers
• Sunday, March 22 - Pentatonix
• Saturday, March 28 - Steven Curtis Chapman
• Sunday, March 29 - El Gran Combo

Definitely an interesting and eclectic mix of great performers and gives a little something for everyone at the same time. Going to have to keep an eye out to see who they add for the April dates of the events. As soon as we know we'll give you all the details!

Stay tuned for more info out of Busch Gardens Tampa, right here or follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest and be sure to keep an eye out for our live coverage and review of the event when we visit in March!

Busch Gardens Tampa- Gwazi Closing, Official Announcement

 Gwazi Closing for Good, Says Busch Gardens Tampa.

 Honestly, I'm not even the smallest bit surprised when I woke up to read this news. Gwazi has been a long-standing issue for Busch Gardens Tampa in recent years.

 Now, I could go into detail but I'm sure you've all read my opinions on the matter before, so I won't bore you with a litany of complaints in regards to theme parks not up-keeping their attractions. If you do want to know- Please see "This Link About Gwazi".

 Sunday, February 1st will be the final day and Gwazi will close for good. A sad ending for what was once the pride of Busch Gardens Tampa and an amazing roller coaster. The parks are citing 'budget cuts' which is likely true but at the same time this leads back to the checkered history of maintenance on the wooden coaster as well as an endless series of constant upkeep to maintain a wooden roller coaster in the environment of Central Florida.

 The proof for this lays in the fact Busch Gardens Tampa will not be demolishing the ride anytime soon. While no reason has been given for this, it's likely due to not having anything to fill the space in addition to the cited budget cuts. While the parks may be going through rough times right now, I doubt they have any hope of somehow saving this ride (not with how little they've done to keep it running in recent years). It's simply the final death blow for a coaster which has been unwanted since the Busch Family sold the parks.

 It's a sad day, what was once the show piece of a theme park is falling into a silent wooden shadow.

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Now Open

Busch Gardens Tampa Officially Opens "Falcon's Fury".

 Good News, Busch Gardens Tampa did make their "Summer 2014" deadline with Falcon's Fury.

 The new and unique drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa has been deemed officially open to the public. While the park seems to have opted not to reschedule the rides media day event, guests can experience the new ride during the parks normal operating hours.

 The ride has been is 'soft open' for a little over three weeks, allowing the park to work out any problems.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- New Coaster Track On Site!

Image from Screamscape

 Busch Gardens Williamsburg- New Coaster Track Spotted!

 While it's common knowledge that Busch Gardens is up to something, not everyone knows what.

 We know they are getting a new roller coaster, which seemed to have a hotly contested name. Folks can't seem to decide if it's going to be the "Diavolo" or "Tempesto" at the moment, either way this new 'teal' colored track has been spotted coming into the park.  Seeing as we spent this past weekend at the park, we can confirm two pieces of track are on site.. but very hard to spot.

 The only way to spot them is from the very top of Griffon, before the drop if you peer far into the distance of employee parking (to the left of the coaster's drop) you can see them hidden back near the old trolley. The physical damage is more obvious, it can be spotted in the clear cutting directly beside "Apollo's Chariot".

 We expect to hear the announcement of this new coaster during the 'Pass-holders Appreciation Weekend" which is September 6th and 7th, 2014.

 More News when it becomes available! 

Falcon's Fury at Busch Gardens Tampa Surprises Guests with a Soft Open Today!

Image courtesy of BGTfans.com

It looks like the wait is finally coming to end for Busch Gardens Tampa fans. There's been a series of delays for their newest drop tower, but it looks like all the kinks have finally been worked out. It might be National Roller Coaster Day, but that's not stopping the park from doing a soft open for it's latest mad creation, Falcon's Fury.

First GP riders! Image via @mist3rm4tt on Twitter

Guests at the park today have spotted Falcon's Fury taking it's first general public riders on it's death defying plunge. Earlier this week there were reports of increased employee testing going on and it looks like the official full opening won't be too much more of a wait.

So, for all you drop tower adrenaline junkies out there, keep an eye out as it seems you could get lucky and score a ride before the ride officially opens what's likely to be the within the next week or so. Of course, with any soft open, the ride will open and close at random, so you'll have to be quick!

Curious as to what those lucky riders are experiencing? Here's the official POV!

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Testing with Employees

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Finally Testing, with Employees!

 Good News for fans of Busch Gardens Tampa and Drop Towers!

 It appears from reports from BGTFans that 'Falcon's Fury' is finally doing some employee testing. While right now the testing appears to only involve senior park members and not the general staff but this could be a good sign that the drop tower may finally have it's issues sorted out.

 The ride still has no official opening date, just an estimation, but the park did tell BGTFans “We are ride testing with specific safety and operations team members, but we do not have any updates on when park employees, or the general public, will be able to ride.”. Which we can hope is good news and may allow the park to open the ride before the current estimated "Late Summer 2014". 

 Stay Tuned for more updates!

(Top Image also from BGTFans)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Site Plans for Festa Italia Expansion

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Site Plans and Specs for Festa Italia Expansion.

 Well, the folks at BGW Fans have done it again. Finding the decoding the plans for the 2015 Busch Gardens Williamsburg expansion to the Festa Italia area. 

 It's pretty obvious that the fears of a stock Premier Rides coaster had come to pass, with nothing original about it. A stock ride which is often found in Six Flags Parks will soon be raising into the sky for the Festa Italia expansion. While myself and many others have been attempting to deny this, it's getting harder and harder to stand when so many plans are being found then released. 

 While it's still impossible to say if the ride builder is Premier Rides, it's seeming more obvious due to past relationships with other ride builders and the parks. So it's very likely an announcement will be coming soon from Busch Gardens, which will either confirm or deny the facts we've uncovered for ourselves. 

 If the plans are accurate and all guesses to the ride manufacturer are correct, we can easily know the stats for this new coaster.  While some folks who've ridden this style of ride assure me it's more fun then it appears, I think it's likely a mistake. You don't get people coming back to the park for a stock ride, that privileged is often reserved for new, original design coasters. People will come but I doubt they'll get the turn-out they seem to be hoping for with this move. 

  Either way, the stats are as follows for this style coaster from premier rides:
150 Feet Tall
863 Feet Long
1 Inversion
62 MPH Launch Speed  
50 Seconds Ride Time
 






All images are from BGW Fans

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Possible Premier Rides Coaster for 2015?

Image from BGW Fans

 Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Possible 'Primer Rides' Coaster coming for 2015?

Well, it's no real secret that fans of Busch Gardens Williamsburg have been in an uproar for months over the possible 2015 'Festa Italia' expansion.  For months the speculation has run wild over a project which we know will be roughly at a height of 156 feet.

Image from BGW Fans

Now, while it can't be confirmed, the great folks at BGW Fans have been posting up blue-prints of what looks like a stock (off the shelf) Premier Rides coaster. This also has fans in a complete tizzy, with many feeling that the park is going cheap with using a stock design and not something custom built.

While the 'Festa' area has never had a well set theme, being that more of a carnival feeling, this addition could cement the area of the park. The project name (or the working name) seems to be that of "Diavolo' who was a big name bicycle stunt rider in the 1880s.

So, while we're speculating, could this coaster have the 'moto-seats'? Meaning, your coaster train would be designed off the old 'steeple chase' idea. 

Honestly, these seats are hard to explain, so I've liberated a picture from Coasters and More. This photo is from "Booster Bike" which is in Towerland, The Netherlands.  Very similar to 'Pony Express' at Knott's Berry Farm and Steeple Chase at Coney Island.

However, Premier Rides has never used this system of seat before...but it's also not entirely unknown to have another company design the coaster trains while someone else does the track, it's just very rare in steel coasters.

Now, with that said, I can't say if this restraint system will work with a coaster that has inversions involved since nothing using them has any. Most coasters which have inversions have the normal 'over-the-shoulder' style restraint system, leaving us with a stock Premier Rides coaster with little to no themeing involved but that doesn't fit with the way Busch Gardens normally does business.

Which, in the end, leads us right back to the fact that we simply don't have enough information on this ride yet. So, until such a point, I shall resume my 'fence sitting' position and hoping against hope that Busch Gardens isn't falling into any bad habits.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food & Wine Preview

Well, this is something that I do over on my own site, but I figured that this year's Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Williamsburg was deserving of one as well! Not only does this year's event feature a couple of new areas of the world to sample food from, but the folks at Busch Gardens have decided to make it last a couple of weekends longer too. This year's event starts May 23rd and runs every Friday-Sunday through June 29th. That's a win for everyone right there.

The event features some amazing food and drinks from around the world, but also things like the Art of Food, Wine on the Rhine cruises and other special events throughout the run that make it truly something that nearly everyone that enjoys food can have fun with. If you can't, then there's probably something wrong with you. There's even insider tours that take you behind the scenes to show off how it's all put together and even more intimate wine tasting sessions as well.

Now, last year we attended the first annual Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens and have to say that we were extremely surprised and loved everything that we got a chance to try over the course of a weekend. Check out our review from last year if you want some suggestions for this year too, but the fact that they've added even more for this year is really great to see and definitely hoping this one sticks around for a long time.

So, without further ado, here's the list of everything that's new and everything that's coming for 2014. First up? Let's see what the new areas have in store for everyone.

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Update and Rumors

 Falcon's Fury Updates and Rumors from Busch Gardens Tampa.

 While we're still waiting on final word about an opening day regarding Falcon's Fury, the newest attraction to Busch Gardens Tampa, we do have some good news as well as a few rumors to pass around.

 The ride is testing again and has been for the last several days. From all accounts (including the great folks at BGT Fans) the ride is working and testing normally and any problems seem to have been sorted out in recent time.

 An interesting rumor, which I also heard for chatting with BGT Fans on Twitter, the ride wasn't the main delay. Most of the delays regarding Falcon's Fury are construction related outside of the ride, such as the Pantopia are and Queue Line involved in the direct vicinity of the ride. Since I consider BGT Fans to be a pretty damn reliable source, I'm inclined to believe that they have, in fact, been behind on construction since December. This is what's causing the majority of the delays and not problems with the ride.

 However, there is still no hint or rumor of a possible opening date for Falcon's Fury. I'm sure it will open sometime in Summer of 2014 but we have nothing about a date yet.

 More updates when available!

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Still Having Issues

 Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Still Having Technical Issues.

 The opening of the newest attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa, Falcon's Fury, is still delayed and currently doesn't have a projected "opening date".

 The problems, with any such a complex and original ride generally tend to be many. They also do take some time to sort out and correct. Things that work great on paper don't always prove to be excellent in testing, so parks make adjustments all the time. This isn't unusual, it's much more common than you think!

 Falcon's Fury is the first of it's kind when it comes to drop towers, with those rotating seats it was bound to encounter some issues in testing. Again, not really unusual for any new ride.

 It seems the park is having issues with the hydraulics of the attraction. These are the parks which control the seat movement and rotation, which it's the rides key element and the park which makes it unique among drop towers. They seem to be coming loose and shearing off, likely do to the forces and speed which they have to work under. This is the item which is likely causing the ride delay as the park works to correct the issue and replace the broken items.

 Again, not entirely unusual. However, we found some great video which shows the problem that Falcon's Fury is currently having from Journey though Coasters. You can clearly see the hydraulic actuators which control the seat rotation coming loose from the ride.  Don't worry though, Busch Gardens has an excellent safety record and great mechanics, they'll get the problem solved soon!

*Rumor Alert* Busch Gardens Williamsburg- 2015 Expansion A Coaster?

Image from BGWFans

 Busch Gardens Williamsburg- The 2015 'Festa' Expansion A Coaster?

 The great folks at BGWFans thinks they've found the answer that's been lingering in all our minds.

 We've all known an expansion is coming to the 'Festa Italia' area of the park in 2015 and we know it was suppose to be decently sized, based alone on the permit submissions.  However, what I don't think anyone expected what BGWFans has possibly figured out.

Image from BGWFans

 Based on Size and Footprint someone put two-and-two together can game up with Primer Rides.  One of their smaller, single train coasters which would match the height and generalized footprint which we believe Busch Gardens is currently working with.  Their fairly small, have a low rider capacity and are what fans call "Off the Shelf" coasters. Their not original and have a stock footprint any park can buy. The example to the left is "Superman" from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Which has a low rider capacity and low through-put time. All these will create long times and general headache type situations.

 Please keep in mind, all of this is speculation. Nothing has been confirmed.

 Now, here is when I begin to speculate on my own. While many are having fits over this, I think there are a few things their not considering. A several different types of coasters can and will fit into this small space, things much better than a stock ride. Several of these aren't my favorite type of ride.

Image from RCDB

 For Example-
 In that small small footprint you can fit in an Intamin AG 4th Dimension 'Ball Roller' style of roller coaster. One good example of these is to the right- Green Lantern- First Flight.

 These are small, compact and rather damn fun. They also have the benefit of being fairly unique styles of rides with a much higher rider/capacity rate overall.  Sure they get lines and can't chew through the lines the way a giant 'steel monster' can, but their better that the original proposal of a Primer stock Coaster.

 This could easily fit into the general parameters which people smarter then I can read on the permit sheets filed by Busch Gardens. 

 This is just one example.
 Other rides like this exist, which fit in small areas. Busch Gardens also has ZERO history with Primer Rides and these parks are creatures of habit. I've gone through   We should be looking outside to someone which Seaworld Parks has worked with in the past- B&M, Zierer, Intamin AG and Mack Rides. I'd look to them first. If I've learned anything about these parks, they go with what they know.

 I'd bet my money on Intamin AG to build the new attraction. I'd like to see it be a 4th Dimension coaster but I'm not even going to speculate on the type! Just know that Seaworld Company Parks have a relationship established with this company already in the form of 'Cheetah Hunt' found down at Busch Gardens Tampa.

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Delayed

 Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Opening Day Delayed.


 For unknown reasons, today Busch Gardens Tampa announced that the opening of their new drop tower attraction, Falcon's Fury, will be delayed.

 This is currently no word or timeline on when the ride will be opened. The park is currently saying the delay is due to construction issues. However, the ride was seen testing just days ago doing "slow drops". Rumors are flying all over the place, the most current one states that the ride wasn't dropping correctly and was making some form of "screeching" noise.

 The new attraction was suppose to open on May1st. Fans are in an uproar of the sudden announcement and even more since there hasn't been another date given yet.  We will update with more news when it comes.

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Opening Date

Busch Gardens Tampa- Falcon's Fury Opening Date Announced!

 The opening day for the much anticipated drop tower attraction coming to Busch Gardens Tampa, Falcon's Fury, will open on May 1st, 2014. The ride will open just in time for the beginnings of the summer rush in the Tampa area theme park.  Just to spice things up, Busch Gardens has released a great little video which features some really nice construction footage of the ride.