Universal Hollywood's Fast & Furious Supercharged Opening Date Announced!

Well, it would appear that the date for the opening of the new tram experience, Fast & Furious Supercharged, at Universal Hollywood has been announced. The source? Yahoo Movies of all of places, it's also listed on the Universal Hollywood website now too. That's not all though, Yahoo Movies and Universal have also posted up a behind the scenes look with the cast and crew of the Fast & Furious movies as well.

So, just when does the newest addition to the Universal Hollywood Studio Tour Tram Ride open? June 25th, 2015. We've also gotten some more details about just what the addition to the tour will entail as well. Fast & Furious Supercharged will be the all new finale and feature world’s longest, most expansive 360-degree screen, spanning nearly 400 feet, inside a new 65,000-square-foot structure on the studio’s backlot. To make this happen, they're using 34, 4K projectors to make this as immersive as possible.

For more, check out the video below with the cast and crew of the Fast & Furious series!


Stay tuned for more out of Universal Hollywood and everywhere else right here or follow along with us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

Fire in Disneyland Resort

So I've got some news out of Disneyland in California (for those of you who forget which park is where, lol). Apparently there was a fire on Saturday evening in Fantasyland.  First reports were saying that Small World was on fire, but now it looks like it was a malfunction with a fireworks show, although they are still investigating. 

Pulled from The OC Register

The fire began around 9:20 p.m. on a tree near the "It's a Small World" attraction, said Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown.

The fire was handled by Disney staff, probably the in-park FD, and the Anaheim FD was not needed on site. No one was injured and there was no damage to Small World.

Pulled from YouTube- SoCal Attractions 360 page

The Small World ride reopened later that night with no issues.

We are happy that no one was hurt and the ride was okay.

As always: If you're nice to us than we'll be nice to you. You can find us in the usual places, just go to the "Where to Follow" tab on the home page and follow!!!

Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain Contruction Update

Well, Rocky Mountain Construction sure is keeping itself busy. Not only with the redesign of Wicked Cyclone out at Six Flags New England, but also with the monster project of converting what was once Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain into Twisted Colossus.

Despite a couple of small issues earlier on during their construction, things seem to be taking shape pretty well. Also, thanks to the awesome folks at RMC, we've got quite a few pictures to share with you too. Some of these shots are from some really insane angles that show off just how steep the new first drop will be. You can probably also see where the rails have been removed from other sections in advance as well.

One of the more interesting things that we've learned here at ISI is that some of the old Colossus structure will remain intact. The reason for this is that they're needed to support the structure, so taking them down is not an option to be had. Definitely going to make for some interesting looking sections to say the least.

Anyway, enough of me going on and on, let's get down to the latest pictures!

Knott's Berry Farm Announces All New 4-D Interactive Ride for 2015 - Voyage to the Iron Reef

Last week Knott's Berry Farm announced an all new dark ride will be coming to the park for the 2015 season. Voyage to the Iron Reef will be a 4-D interactive experience that pits you up against some truly bizarre and dangerous underwater foes.

For those curious, this ride is similar in design to Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland and there's good reason for that, it's being built by the same company, Triotech.

Gotta say, that I'm definitely loving the addition of more dark rides lately and Wonder Mountain's Guardian was a lot of fun, so definitely a great addition for Knott's here as well.

So, what can you expect as part of the experience? Well, for starters this is a 3-D experience and will feature other elements as you travel over 600ft of track and try to survive 11 scenes of mayhem.

This one definitely sounds fun and the concept is a bit reminiscent of the video game Bioshoc, which is never a bad thing to try and emulate.

You can't have a ride like this without a story and thanks to the folks at Knott's Berry Farm, we've got that for you in it's entirety:

Twisted Colossus Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2015!

One of two major Rocky Mountain Coasters conversions, the classic Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain is set to become a whole lot more insane. From the remains, RMC will work it's magic and by doing so create the world's longest hybrid coaster, Twisted Colossus. Featuring over 5,000ft of track and two lift hills, this one looks to be a great tribute to the original while making huge upgrades.

So, what can riders expect? Here's a breakdown of all the elements!

Top Gun Stall – an inversion where the train slows down upside down, the Western Hemisphere’s first “High Five” – where both trains pass through an overbanked turn facing each other with the illusion that you can reach out and “high five” other riders, a Zero G Roll, a 128-foot drop at 80-degrees, 18 airtime hills, two lift hills and four minutes long and nearly 5,000 feet of track!

Yeah, that's a lot to take in right there. “At Six Flags, innovation is in our DNA and with Twisted Colossus, innovation will go to an extreme level with record-breaking elements, faster speeds and steeper banks.  This cutting-edge technology marries the best of both classic and modern coaster designs. It is definitely a twist on a traditional wooden coaster experience,” said park president Bonnie Rabjohn.

You can say that again, but like Six Flags Fiesta Texas' announcement, there's more to this one as it seems the whole area of the park will be getting a bit of a make over as well. Twisted Colossus will be the focal point of the newly themed area, Back Alley, where guests can expect the unexpected through whimsical experiences in entertainment, food and retail.

No clue what that means exactly, but I'm sure we won't have too long to wait. Definitely seems like an interesting move, but that area of the park wasn't themed much at all so it should be an upgrade.

In the meantime, check out the rendered video of what to expect from Twisted Colossus!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags Magic Mountain and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Six Flags Magic Mountain Reopens Ninja

Officials from Six Flags Magic Mountain have announced that the suspended swinging coaster, Ninja, has reopened following an accident that took place about two weeks ago.

According to Six Flags spokeswoman, Sue Carpenter, on Friday; "After a thorough inspection by Cal/OSHA, Ninja has been cleared to reopen for operation."

The official investigation of the accident by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, has also revealed the actual events that took place as well.

“A tree had fallen against the ride track and a train had struck the tree, severing its right front wheel and causing the front axle to derail. The train continued approximately 30 feet further, stopped, and then rolled backward 20 feet before coming to a final rest with the front coach hanging on an angle,” said Peter Melton, a spokesman for California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

As a result, a total of 6 riders were injured in the accident. Four of them were treated at the park for minor injuries while two others were taken to hospital for further evaluation. None of the injuries were considered severe or life threatening.

Ninja received it's final inspection on Saturday, July 19th and opened later that day for guests, sans the train that was damaged. This is likely to mean the coaster will remain on one train operation for quite some time until it can be repaired.

Of course, considering the rarity of these types of coasters, it may never be and continue with one train for the rest of its life within the park.

Park Review- Six Flags Magic Mountain

Hello peoples! So, yes this review is months behind BUT there are reasons for that. Most of which have to do with that no one wanted to write it, but since it was decided that I'm "good with the bad" here I am. 

Let me start with the obvious: we were not invited by Six Flags nor given passes so my opinions are my own. We did ask for media passes, but according to the park you need a certain type of credential that is given to TV and Newspaper reporters and the City of Pittsburgh does not require nor issue.

DATE: March 9, 2014

STAFF: +Carrie H.C., +Kitsune Hazard, and myself.

RATING: Broken heart

RECOMMENDATION: Until the MANY issues are taken of; it's a pass.

We started off our morning super excited for the park, we all wanted to do was ride X2 and Colossus.  As you pull into the parking lot you can see the coasters just laid out for the picking and see the fire effects on X2 going off.  We park, grab the cameras (no filming of ANY type is allowed on rides, so no need for the Go-Pro, or so we thought), and head for the tram.
We get into the park, set our plan for the day, and start out.

The first order of business is riding Revolution, the first looping coaster in the world.  As we walked up to the entrance you can clearly see that this ride needs a good cleaning, it is very very rusted.  The ride itself also needs some help because one of the ride cars didn't even line up with the station queues.  In summing up the ride: "Ow Ow Ow pain Ow."

After dropping some pain killers, and cracking joints back into place, we headed to Tatsu.  

This coaster is a B&M flying coaster with a dual load station and a queue that included TVs playing classic Looney Tunes. At the entrance everyone is given a numbered ticket so you can't line jump and if you leave and reenter then new ticket for you. So the wait was a hour and a half, but since we wouldn't be back out to California for a while, it would not be skipped. We played phone charades to pass the time when it finally kicked into our consciousness that we hadn't moved in a while nor had we heard a train move either. It had now been two hours when the ride ops finally decided to mention that Tatsu went down about 45 minutes ago and there was no ETA on reopen. We made the decision to continue on with our day.

Next came the "Big Hill of Death" so we could ride Ninja*. I think Kitsune got the biggest laugh watching Carrie and I walk up this hill, you really have to work for the ride. The theming that was left was wonderful; it was supposed to be a temple. But unfortunately this was also left to deteriorate, you could see where tapestries had once hung from the ceiling and the ones hanging on the walls weren't in great condition. The ride was fun and probably would've been cooler if the water effect was working.

We worked our way down the "Big Hill of Death" and over to their mine ride called Goldrusher.  While this surprising little ride was fun and very fast, the ride ops were distracted and not doing their jobs, one ride op was on their cell phone and didn't notice the couple in front of me that pulled out their cell phone, IN THE STATION RIGHT IN FRONT OF OPS! (trust me a few looked right at his big ass phone and waved), and commenced taping the ride. I spent much of the ride praying that the guy didn't let go and that I wouldn't get a face full of phone. When we got back to the station there were many, many unhappy words.

Finally it was lunch time and it was recommended to us to try JB's BBQ; which we did and it was really really good. Almost surprisingly so, which was a bit funny since most people seem to complain about the food, at least that's what some regulars to the park told us afterwards. While eating we adjusted our plans for the rest of the day.

Apocalypse: Down.

So we headed into DC land because Batman was running backwards...for season pass holders only.  You had to walk up the to ride line to find this out from the park employee; it wasn't posted at the park entrance and since the coaster is in the back of the park it's unfair to guests to not have that out there.  Apparently their stores here also only cater to the main four: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.  With only the Joker as the only villain making a major appearance.  FYI Six Flags: DC Comics has a huge variety of heroes and villains...take your pick. 

I will give them some credit here because the theming was straight out of a comic book and with a little knowledge you could find Dick Tracy's office and other little tidbits mixed throughout the area. Definitely a nice touch to see.

After walking past Scream and vetoing it (we've ridden these types before so why wait and ride it again?) we came to Colossus. This where Carrie and I said "To hell with this" in regards to our day at the park. 

Now understand that it is a great woodie and was a fun ride, but there was epic line jumping going on and as people were leaving the ride station and even going up the ride hill there were cameras, cell phones, and we think a DS out filming. 

Kitsune pulled out his camera and got photo proof of the passengers going up the ride hill holding camera.  There was no way in hell that the main ride operator could miss it because there are cameras filming you as you go up the hill.  They just didn't care about it and trust me there was epic bitching in line about us being told no filming of any kind and yet this is going on.

This led us to go to share our grievances with Guest Services.  It was here we learned that X2, Tatsu, and Apocalypse had been down pretty much all day; Superman was off and on all day; and here was where we found the sign saying that Batman was closed to the general public.  The woman working was very nice and understanding, but she did try to brush us off regarding her employees actions until it was mentioned that we had photographic evidence from Colossus, which we gladly showed to her.  You could see the poor woman go pale looking at the photos, once of which you can see to the right.


She gave us exit passes, three for rides of our choosing (except Batman), one for Tatsu, and one for X2 (should they come back up).  We chose Goliath, Superman, and Green Lantern.

We headed toward the park's people mover: Orient Express instead of walking up the big damn hill again. Since Superman is on it's own platform the overlook is a hell of a view, but that's all we got to enjoy since right when we got to the ride, mind you again we had to walk all up to the queue line, before the employee standing there decided to tell us that Superman went down again. 

As we were walking away we at least told others so that they knew what was going on.

Since we were already in DC land we headed for Green Lantern, which is a weird little 4D coaster.  Seriously, look this ride up sometime and watch it because riding it is even weirder. The cars only seat four and we are three, I choose to ride with the group of three already in a car because it made life a little on the ride ops.  Lucky me I sat on the side the went down first and I screamed bloody murder, suddenly I'm facefirst looking at the ground.  Kitsune and Carrie have said they were in the station waiting to go (it runs only one car at a time) and I was so loud that they knew when I went over. This was a surprisingly fun little coaster and we are glad we picked it for a freebie.

We used our last exit pass and went straight to Goliath. I loved the ride entrance signage and theming and this was a wondrous coaster and we thoroughly enjoyed our night ride. 

I think the funnest bit with this ride was the kid that bullshited his way on with us, no Flashpass or exit pass just straight bullshit. It was very impressive to be honest but not something we endorse, get on a ride honestly.

 
At this point the park was closing down for the night and as we were heading out we had to walk past Full Throttle; Magic Mountain's new coaster.  Since most park close lines at the end of the day and cycle the riders left we didn't think we'd get on especially because there were fences up and security standing there but nope..we walked right past them and into the line. This was probably the most entertaining line of the day and none of us will ever look at Power Rangers the same again.

But, here again were ride ops and security issues because when riders would get off the ride they would just get right back into the now closed line. And it's not like they couldn't see it happening because the area in front of Full Throttle is wide open and people were running to get back in line with security standing right there. This was a great closer to a really crappy day because the coaster has a loop that it goes through, a part where you get launched backwards, and for the finish it travels on top of the world's largest loop too.

By the end of day we were disappointment all around and except for the bare minimum which we used for food we spent no money. None. We just wanted to put the day behind us and move on.

FINAL COUNT: Over the whole day a total of 7 coasters went down and stayed down or went down and came back up repeatedly. This is nearly half of Magic Mountain's coasters breaking IN ONE DAY!

PROS: The good was stated above where it needed to be.

CONS: Horrible ride ops, dirty bathrooms, dirty walkways, signs for stores that no longer exist, general employees who don't know their own park when asked for directions, foliage WAY too close to rides, general unsafety all around.

To close, we do not recommend this park until they get their shit together and clean up the rides, staff, and the environment for the safety of all involved.

As usual we try to find the bright side of things but Magic Mountain made this rather difficult.

You can find us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr reporting on the latest news and updates from amusement and theme parks around the world!

*Yes, we at  ISI have heard about the accident at SFMM and that's one of the reasons to get this out there so that people can see how much this park needs work. Please read about the Ninja accident here: Article 1 and Article 2.

*Updated* Six Flags Magic Mountain- More Info about "Ninja" Coaster Accident

Image from Reddit User Ohkaythxbi

*Updated* Six Flags Magic Mountain- More Information about "Ninja" Coaster Accident.

 Well, I've managed to dig up some more information about yesterdays 'Ninja" roller coaster derailment which happened at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

 I try to tell people the power of the internet but often they discount it. Well, the Reddit community was on top of this accident due to an unfortunate problem- one users sister was on the ride.  Thankfully she wasn't injured but doesn't wish to speak about the accident at this time. OhkayThxBi also gave me permission to use the photos which where posted up to the forum which give us a much better idea of what really happened.

 From this photo, taken by his sister while on the ride. You can clearly see the front car is nearly completely off the tracks. It appears to be hanging from the back wheel set, which is keeping it attached to the track. You can also see the rest of the cars are left at an odd angle.

 This image also showed up but I haven't been able to re-trace it back but it shows that a massive tree fell onto track. While Six Flags and the News Stations are attempting to play this off as "a tree branch or tree limb" we can clearly see, that is NOT the case.

 It's a tree, a complete tree which fell onto the empty track. Which when the ride was dispatched, struck the tree and caused the derailment. This goes a long way to show just how much negligence is really found at Magic Mountain, which we saw with our own eyes back in March. The park was not well kept, especially on the mountian which houses both the Ninja Roller Coaster and Superman: Great Escape.

 The mountain was highly overgrown, with tree limb nearly touching the track of Nina to begin with.. and this was back in March. It was fairly clear that Horticulture isn't high on their priority list, this accident which likely could have been avoided, shouldn't have happened. Add into this completely disinterred ride operations employees and your looking at a disaster.  Honestly, we saw ride operators ignoring their jobs and the park rules. People with camera's and cell phones on the rides (not GoPro Units, Hand-held cameras and call phones) being allowed to ride. Ride Operators ignoring questions, chatting with each other and ignoring riders, eating and talking on their own cell phones.

  Although due to this accident, I'm concerned for the fate of Ninja. Six Flags doesn't have a great track record and Suspended-Swinging coasters are 'out of fashion'. Their also hard to maintain and keep in running order, with one train likely totaled the fate of the ride could be grim.

 I also wouldn't be surprised if many other parks suddenly scramble today to trim back trees and brushes around roller coasters.

As always, more information when we find out about it..

Colossus ERT for Honda Owners This Friday!

With the close of Colossus coming up fast on August 26th, that's in less than two months, the folks from SoCal Honda have teamed up with Six Flags Magic Mountain to get some ERT in starting at 9:30am this Friday, June 27th. Apparently this is part of the much wider "Helpful Fridays" campaign that they've been doing at the park as well.

In addition to the ERT on Colossus, Scream will also be open earlier as well for Honda owners. Yeah, that's right, have to own a Honda to get on the deal. So if ya do, or you know a friend that does, might wanna look into it. Not to mention the first 50 Honda owners get free parking and lockers for the day too. Really can't go wrong with that one there.

They will also be in the park with helpfulness for all thrill-seekers with helpful essentials like misters to help beat the heat, Bugs Bunny Bucks to help guests save money in the park, and more. Who doesn't like saving money, right? 

Need help finding the restrooms or directions on how to get to Colossus, taking a family photo, or have a dead cell phone that needs a charge from one of the Helpful Honda charging stations?  The Guys in Blue have you covered; just look out for the blue shirts!  Six Flags guests will be able to enjoy helpfulness from the SoCal Honda Dealers every Friday all summer until August 29th, for both Honda drivers and all thrill-seekers.

Reminds me a little of the stuff that Six Flags has done with Discover Card, letting folks into the park early and the like as well, but on a much grander scale. Definitely a fun thing and pretty cool if you or someone you know happens to own a Honda.

Either way, if you're so inclined, you can find out more at Six Flags or by following @HelpfulHonda on Twitter and via their Facebook page as well.

Universal Hollywood to Host Transformers Fan Event

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that it will be holding a Transformers Fan Experience on Friday, June 20th.

Interestingly enough, and not by coincidence, BotCon will also be going on in Pasadena over the weekend as well. So, for Transformers fans, it's definitely a full weekend of events to hit up!

Universal's event will run from 3pm until 11pm on the 20th and costs $75, which includes park admission for the full day. Not a bad deal since park tickets are normally $87 and up, but remember the tickets are only good for the 20th.

So, just what do they have planned for the event? According to the event's website, here's the breakdown:

Join fellow Transformers fans for a special evening to celebrate everything Transformers. Enjoy EXCLUSIVE AFTER HOURS access to experience park attractions including:

• TransformersTM: The Ride – 3D
• Meet & Greet with Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee and Megatron
• Props from the latest Transformers movie
• Panel discussions with Transformers experts
• Hasbro Artist performances
• Music performance by Stan Bush, featuring the song “The Touch,” from Transformers: The Movie
• Commemorative event lanyard
• 10% off select merchandise
• FREE, individually numbered, limited edition commemorative poster exclusive to this event
(while supplies last)

Not a bad rundown and definitely might be something that fans may want to check out, or avoid, depending on how much they liked the movies. Though, the up close look at props from the newest movie is a pretty cool deal regardless.

Tickets are available here and again are only $75. So, if you're in town for BotCon already and want a little something extra, could be worth the trip. Even if you're not a huge fan, could be a cool experience either way!

Rumor Alert- New Darkride at Knott's Berry Farm?

Rumor Alert- New Darkride at Knott's Berry Farm?

 Interesting new rumor coming from Knott's Berry Farm this week, could they be planning to add a new darkride in the park for 2015/2016?

 Well, According to Screamscape that's exactly what the rumor mill is saying. With the work nearly complete on Calico Mine Ride and the restoration of the Log Ride last season, they seem to be focusing on building the parks flat rides and dark rides back up. Not a bad thing considering many parks are missing the classic 'dark ride' style attractions in recent years.

  Rumor has it that workers have been seen in the area of the old "Kingdom of the Dinosaurs" building doing clean-up. During our recent visit to Knott's we didn't notice anything going on as they where still highly focused on Calico Mine Ride at the time, so this rumor must be very recent.

 However, it's still just a rumor until some more confirmation comes around!

Dinner Show Review- Pirates Dinner Adventure in Buena Park

Dinner Show Review- Pirates Dinner Adventure in Buena Park, Califonria.

 Another in our series of Dinner Show Reviews. It has been a long while since any of the team indulged in the simple fun of Dinner Shows, so on our recent trip to California we decided it was time once again to check them out.

Pirates Dinner Adventure only has one other location, in Orlando, Florida, where we had seen the show in the past. The Buena Park location is the original and so much is different from the Orlando location, plus it seems to show has received some new upgrades (again, compared to the previous version we saw in Orlando).

Location: Buena Park, California
When: March 13th, 2014
Price: $59.95 for Adults and $36.95 for Children
Special Coupon Deal: See Below!
Overall Rating: Very Good
Food Rating: Good
Entertainment Rating: Very Good
Recommendation:  Worth a Visit (mostly aimed at families and kids)
Website: Pirates Dinner Adventure

(Continue Reading for Full Review)

Park Review - Knott's Berry Farm

Well, I don't normally do the park reviews, just take the pictures and all, but +Carrie H.C. is down and out with pneumonia at the moment and asked if I would step in and get this one out there for you all. Apologies in the delay getting this out and I hope that you enjoy the ride!

Day: Monday
Date: March 10th, 2014
Weather: Perfect
Overall Rating: Excellent
Coaster Rating: Excellent
Overall Opinion: Lived up to the hype!
Wesbite: Knotts.com
Review Team: +Carrie H.C., +Alexandra F, +Kitsune Hazard

Yet another park that we visited during our huge Southern California Tour a couple of weeks ago, Knott's Berry Farm has been one of those "holy grail" type of things for us. We've always heard so many good things about the park, but being on the East Coast, it was never something that was easy for us to get to. So, with us staying only a mile away, it was a no brainer that we had to visit. We weren't disappointed at all either, from friendly staff that went well out of their way to be helpful to some amazing rides and theming, Knott's has it all.

History:

From the humble beginnings of a working berry farm, then growing into a thriving roadside business and later a restaurant, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant, surrounded by shops and attractions, Walter Knott started the real work on this Southern California icon in 1940. This latest project would turn into the foundation of what we know of Knott's Berry Farm today, the "living ghost town" and included free entertainment into the mix. It was from this that more and more attractions and rides were added turning Knott's Berry Farm into the theme park we know today.

Since 1997, the park has been run as part of the Cedar Fair chain and thankfully, they've kept the park and it's history alive and well, along with adding new rides, attractions and other features. 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of Camp Snoopy as well. While many may think the iconic kid themed area is a Cedar Fair entity, the original was opened up at Knott's Berry Farm back in 1983!

So, what did we think of what Walter Knott's creation has turned into? Keep reading for our review!

Dinner Show Review- Medieval Times in Buena Park

Dinner Show Review of Medieval Times in Buena Park, California.

It has been a long while since any of us had visited a dinner show, longer still since we had visited a Medieval Times Castle for a show. On a whim we decided that this would be a great time to check out this dinner show. We where pleased and happy to find something new with more excitement and a changed show from our previous visit many years before! Show: Medieval Times

Location: Buena Park, California
When: March 10th, 2014
Price: $59.95 for Adults and $36.95 for Children
Special Coupon Code: Available below for reading out review!
Overall Rating: Very Good
Food Rating: Good
Entertainment Rating: Very Good
Recommendation: If your looking for a new experience and good entertainment, Visit!
Website: Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

(Continue Reading for Full Review)

Park Review- Seaworld San Diego

Park Review- Seaworld San Diego

Day: Wednesday
Date: March 12, 2014
Overall Rating: Very Good
Exhibit Rating: Excellent
Opinion: Beautiful Park.
Staff: Carrie, Kitsune and Alex


  During our "Grand California Tour" we simply had to visit Seaworld San Diego. Not only had we heard it's one of the prettiest of the many Seaworld Parks but also their newest addition, Explorers Reef, was set to open very close to our visit.

History:
  Seaworld San Diego is located in San Diego California, in the Mission Park area. It's about an hour and a half south of Anaheim in the far southern reaches of California. It's far enough out to be separate from other area theme parks but fully stands on it's own as one of the loveliest parks we've had the pleasure of visiting. Seaworld San Diego is the original "SeaWorld" park, founded in 1964 by four UCLA graduates. The park opened originally with only Sealions and Dolphins as their marine mammal attractions, the parks iconic"Shamu" Killer Whales didn't come to the park until 1965. "Shamu" wasn't originally captured for Seaworld but was purchased from a Seattle Aquarium.

  Seaworld later added additional parks in Ohio, Florida and Texas over the coming years. They changed ownership several times over it's 50 year history, the most noted and longest owner being Anheuser-Busch who grew Seaworld into a household name.

  2014 will celebrate Seaworld's 50th Anniversary which will be celebrated in all the current Seaworld parks, called "A Sea of Surprises".

(Keep reading for Full Review)

Travel Notice- Out of Town Next Week!

!!TRAVEL NOTICE!!

The InSanity lurks Inside Team will be out of town beginning on Friday March 7th.

Image from Clever Magizine

 Hey Folks! 

 Spring break is upon the ISI team and we've got something special in the works! On Friday, March 7th the entire team is heading to sunny Southern California! 

 We'll be exploring a bunch of the California theme parks, and hauling you great folks with us along the way! However, it's rather hard to write up blog posts from a cellphone. So, we're asking everyone who's interested in following along or advising us to catch us on our various social media networks! We'll have full trip and park reports up following out visit, so it's going to be a very busy two weeks to the team here. We hope you'll follow us along in our crazy adventure to the west coast! 

What's on our Agenda? As much as we can stuff in, naturally! The following list is what we plan to visit, although anything could pop up randomly.

Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure

Seaworld SanDiego

Knott's Berry Farm

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Medieval Times

InSanity lurks Inside Team

Follow the entire team online!

InSanity lurks Inside Facebook Page
InSanity lurks Inside Tumblr Page

 Other Social Media Info!

 Carrie- 

Head Creator and Lunatic behind "InSanity lurks Inside".

Twitter: @ISIParksBlog

Google+:  Carrie HC

 Kitsune Hazard-

Lunatic who married Carrie. In charge of expensive goodies like cameras, rental cars and anything Carrie and Alex aren't allowed to play with (it's a long list).

Twitter: @KitsuneHazard

Google+: Kitsune Hazard

 Alex

Head #1 Minion and Best Friend. Generally found plotting and/or getting into trouble with Carrie while Kitsune just sighs.

Twitter: @PiercedHeart114

Google+: Alex F

Rumor Alert- Universal Hollywood Building Largest Resort Hotel in US?!

 Rumor Alert- Universal Hollywood Building Largest Resort Hotel in the US?!

 Yup, you did read that correctly.

 The newest rumor coming from Universal Hollywood was reported on Screamscape and nearly slipped past my notice.

 Apparently CEO of Comcast, Steve Burke, made an interesting comment to the staff of Universal Hollywood with his holiday message. The mention was made of "The largest hotel project in U.S. is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood".

 Rumor has it that the newest version of "Universals Evolution" project (the long term plans for the park including rides and improvements) has included the ability to build up to three on-site hotels for the Hollywood property.

 Details are currently unknown and this is classed only as "rumor" until some form of confirmation or visible proof is found. Until then, speculation abounds!

Six Flags Magic Mountain- X2 Down Through 2013

 Well Folks, It appears Six Flags Magic Mountain and S&S Power are having issues repairing the the X2 Roller Coaster.

 Six Flags Magic Mountain has again delayed the re-opening of X2, it will be closed through the busy Christmas Break and Holiday Season of 2013. The ride has been down since September and went through it's yearly maintenance where rumor has it they encountered massive problems with the rides lift hill chain, causing an extended closure.

 According to Screamscape, a rumored inside source has said the ride may not re-open again until sometime in March of 2014.

Six Flags Magian Mountain- X2 Still Down

X2 is Still Down...

 It appears X2 is still having issues. Screamscape reports the ride is still down from earlier in the season. It was believed the ride would open for Thanksgiving and the following Holiday rush at the park. However, as of right now the ride is still down and did not open at all over the weekend.

 According to the Six Flags Magic Mountain website, pictured above, X2 is still down "temporarily" for maintenance. The ride went down (to my knowledge) in the beginning of September of this year, it has not reopened since.

 Rumors from various forums online report it's a rather large problem, requiring manufacturer help. Many seem to believe this is all linked to the lift chain replacement. Others are now suspecting the ride may not open again until January at the earliest.  Again, these are rumors from around the internet and have no been confirmed by the park.


 More News or Rumors as they come to light- Stay Tuned!

Knott's Berry Farm- Major 2014 Announcements

Big News today from Knott's Berry Farm.

The 2014 plans have been announced and some of them are pretty impressive.

 While no new coaster is the works, Knott's has announced that the classic dark ride attraction "Calico Mine Ride" will undergo a complete refurbishment.  Opened in 1960's and designed by the legendary Bud Hurlbut  it's one of the most immersive and impressive dark ride attractions It carries riders through an impressive series of dark 'mine tunnels' of an active gold mine.

 Knott's stated the following about the refurbishment- "It is our company's top priority to preserve and enhance the original story of a working gold mine deep in the heart of the Old West," said Garner Holt, GHP's founder and president. "The Calico Mine Ride will be filled with lifelike sounds and motion, while maintaining the uniquely authentic feel of the attraction as designed by Knott's and industry legend Bud Hurlbut." The renovation of the iconic attraction includes the addition of over 50 new state-of-the-art animatronic figures, all new audio and theme lighting system, and special effects that will capture the imagination of would-be miners as they journey deep into the winding caverns of the attraction. 

  Also on the list for 2014 is the 30th anniversary of Camp Snoopy, Home to the famous beagle and his gang of friends since 1983.

 To celebrate this event Knott's is giving the entire land a new polish including adding in new attractions plus updating and restoring the entire area.  They also state the entire theme of the area will be enhanced and brought out to shine.