Parks and Coronavirus- Too Soon or Not Soon Enough?

Coronavirus is on the rise for the Summer 2020 season. 

Many of us have been waiting, with a mix of concern, fear and hope, that the summer 2020 season would somehow happen. Hoping for life to get back to normal now that we all understood how to protect ourselves against COVID19 which devastated the world the first half of 2020.

Along with this, many of the things we enjoy have closed or been delayed in reopening. From shopping, to restaurants.. the world ground to a screeching, smoking halt. We've waited, followed the rules and kept ourselves safe in hopes that we could return to our favorite past-times. For us, it was one goal: amusement and theme parks.

Which drives the major question: Is it safe to reopen?

Honestly, we are of two minds here.

On one hand, it doesn't seem like it's yet safe to reopen the amusement parks and theme parks we all love. Not while people are still fighting about wearing masks and washing their hands. With the rise in cases, it's obvious many give no care for the welfare of others and in such a public area? It's going to be even more difficult to be safe with the blatant disregard of some.

On the other hand, we want our parks. We want to enjoy the summer season, explore beloved areas and ride all the new additions. We've gone stir-crazy and want out just as much as the next person in line. The parks themselves have worked out ways to try and keep things as safe as possible. From limited attendance, mobile applications for lines and heavy sanitizing routines. They are trying to reopen for us.

In the end, it boils down to one thing... we don't know.

We can't tell you it's going to be fine and that you'll be fine. 

We can't tell you it's safe, because we don't know. 

None here can speak if the parks are reopening too soon or not soon enough. We'd like to believe they mean well and want guests safe. Because without guests, they have no business. That said, I'd like to urge people to take their own initiative to be safe. Worry about yourself and take precautions. Don't simply throw yourself into the merriment and forget everything we've had to re-learn the hard way!

Follow the rules. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Sanitize often.

Yes, it's inconvenient.  Yes, it's annoying.
But it's still far better to be inconvenienced and annoyed now than it is to possibly die, alone, in a hospital bed from something you could have prevented.

So Please, Stay Safe.

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at Disney World- Opening Date Announcement

Image from CBS10

Opening Date Announced for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at Walt Disney World.

August 29th, 2019. 

However, with this news comes more questions. How much of the new land will be operational by this August date? How are they planning to regulate the crowds in the land? 

More information as it becomes available. 

Disney Announces Toy Story Land for Disney Hollywood Studios at Disney World

This is another one of those things that's been long since rumored to be coming to Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Well, today, those rumors can be put to rest as during the Parks & Resorts Panel at the annual D23 Expo, Disney finally unveiled their plans for Toy Story Land. This, along with the earlier announcement of the all new Star Wars Land also coming to Hollywood Studios means that a lot of the park will be changing over the next few years.

As you can, from the concept art, there's a ton of things going on in there. Some rides are going to get improved, such as a third track being added to Toy Story Mania to improve capacity and also a few new rides and experiences as well.

One of those being, The Little Green Men Flying Saucers. It's a spinner ride, but with a little extra twist as "The Claw" will decide who stays and who goes. Sounds pretty interesting there, but without seeing anything specific, can't be sure what that means.

Slinky Dog Coaster Concept Art

The larger, and dominating feature of the concept art is what will be the Slinky Dog Coaster. Yep, that's right, you get to take a ride on on Slink. Not really sure just what exactly they have planned for this one but it appears that riders will be inside Slinky Dog as they twist and turn through various sections of the park.

Again, we're going to have to wait for more details on this one, but adding a slightly more kid friendly coaster to Hollywood Studios isn't entirely a bad idea at first glance.

So far, that's all that was told about new Toy Story Land expansion project at Disney Hollywood Studios, but you can be sure there's going to be a ton of info coming as we get closer to an opening date. Speaking of that, no clue when that is either. So, stay tuned as more details come out from Disney at this year's D23 Expo and beyond!

Dollywood Announces Lightning Rod - World's Fastest and First Launching Wooden Coaster for 2016!

Well, it looks like the folks at Dollywood have announced yet another unique spin on things for the coaster world, this time with the all new Rocky Mountain Construction coaster, Lightning Rod! Not long ago, all the details were released on this all new groundbreaking wooden coaster. Not only will it be the fastest wooden coaster in the world, but also the world's first launched coaster. Yeah, that's a little crazy. Let's let that sink in for a minute.

Okay, ready? Well, before getting into the specifics, here's the announcement trailer for this insane creation that's coming to the park for the 2016 season.


Not a full POV, but there's a ton of things in there to talk about regardless. So, just what can we expect from this $23million dollar monster?

First off is the launch, with 1,500 Horsepower trains will be sent up a 20 story hill at 45mph. Then, the drop comes, plummeting 165ft at 73 degrees and hitting a top speed of 73mph. From here, it's a race to the finish that features 12 airtime moments spread across the 3/4 of a mile long twisting journey through the hills and woods of Dollywood.

That's not all though, here's a few other elements that will be in the ride:

• 90+ degree banked "Breaking Wave" turn
• 90+ degree outside banked "Top Hat"
• Non-inverting Half Loop
• Quadruple Down

That's a lot to take in on this one! A few elements I definitely haven't heard of and there's some interesting takes on a few classics as well.

Here's a what Dolly Parton had to say about things as well;

“Lightning Rod reminds me so much of those colorful cars cruisin’ up and down Main Street in downtown Sevierville back when I was in high school. I remember all those souped up cars; but what I remember most were those good lookin’ boys behind the wheel with those flat top and ducktail haircuts,” Dolly Parton said.

“Even better, it’s the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, so I think we’re going to see a lot of people coming from all over to peel out on the Lightning Rod.”

Now, wanna see some rendering shots? Sure ya do!

Skull Island - Reign of Kong Coming to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure!

Time to put to rest all the speculation, King Kong is finally coming back to Universal Orlando after a 14 year hiatus. It's been fairly well known this was coming, but today it's all official, and what better way to celebrate the park's 25 anniversary than with one of the most iconic Universal characters of all time?

The new ride, being built between the Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon sections of Islands of Adventure, is being touted as a "multi-experiential" experience that will feature a variety of elements and effects that immerse riders into the world of Skull Island.

So, what else can we expect? The Orlando Business Journal sat down with Universal Creative Executive Producer, Mike West, and he had these tidbits to share on just what we'll see with this massive new addition to the parks.

"We will take guests to Skull Island and to Kong. It's a combination experience of walking through the queue and then the ride. You enter through Skull Island and go through dense jungles, meandering temple ruins and mazes, and along the way, you run into hostile natives and other unimaginable giant creatures on this journey."

That's not all though, West went into a bit more detail on some actual ride elements and the experience as a whole as well;

"A lot of tension and excitement. When you get on the expedition trucks, the first part is outdoors approaching the 72-foot-tall great wall. There are beautiful wooden doors and flames shooting on each side. You then drive up through the doors and you enter a dark cavernous cave with deep chasms with other creatures within. You'll take another turn where you are submerged further into this island where it becomes a fight for survival meeting small and large prehistoric creatures face-to-face."

Definitely sounds like an intriguing mix of things going on, and by the looks of the concept art for the attraction, the ride vehicles should be pretty intersting as well. I'm getting some some flash backs to Indiana Jones at Disneyland with this one, or the long since abandoned Jurassic Park trucks that Universal had planned many moons ago. Toss in this tidbit from West and it seems even more likely that these are going to be some rather large vehicles, "The ride vehicle is one of the biggest we have built. But the scale, while big unto itself, seems to fit the environment."

Some out there are thinking that it may be very similar to Kong 360 at Universal Hollywood, but the feeling from West is that this one is going to be unique in a lot of ways. His comment about 3-D and how their use of it varies leads us to think that differences will be there without question as well, "We have 3-D imagery. But, in the context of Hollywood, it was used out there as part of the film. Ours isn't film. It's about creating an environment with great 3-D imagery, but with a whole new facet to it."

Add it all together and mix in the fact that it possibly has the longest run time of any attraction at Universal in it's history and that's something right there for sure! Skull Island - Reign of Kong will open sometime in 2016.

Stay tuned right here for more news and updates out of Universal Orlando and be sure to follow us on on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

SeaWorld Orlando Announces Plans for Florida's Tallest, Fastest and Longest Coaster in 2016

Earlier today, in a presentation to ticket sales partners, Sea World Orlando announced that they would be building a new roller coaster for the 2016 season.

There's really not much else in the details department, but we do know that the ride will be the tallest, fastest and longest in all of Florida.

So, what does does that mean for coaster junkies? Glad ya asked, here's a few things we can speculate on.

In order to be the tallest coaster in Florida, the new coaster will have to be taller and faster than the 200ft height and 70mph speeds of SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa. To be the longest coaster, it will have to beat out the 4,429ft that Cheetah Hunt, also at Busch Gardens Tampa, traverses.

A full announcement is scheduled for later in May, so until then we can only make some guesses at what's going to happen here. Considering the park's other two coasters already, I'm thinking this one could be a B&M hyper, something similar to Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Anything is possible at this stage though and we'll just have to wait a little longer to see just what their up to.

In the mean time, stay tuned for more info on what SeaWorld Orlando has planned as we'll bring you all the latest as we get it!

POV of Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Tempesto Released!

Tempesto, Busch Gardens Williamsburg's newest coaster, still has about a week and half before it opens to the pubic on April 25th, but the park has released the first official POV footage from the ride this week.

As you'll see, there really isn't much to this one and yes, the ride does actually only last for 53 seconds. Not much when you think about Apollo's Chariot, which is right next door.

Not really much else to say on this one other than to point you to the video below and we'll probably have our own at some point this year when we visit.

So, without further ado, let's take a ride on Tempesto!


As always, you can follow along with us right here for all the latest out of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and beyond or on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

The Hatbox Ghost to Rematerialize at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion!

Original Hatbox Ghost Animatronic

Yep, that's right, one of the most iconic characters within Disneyland's The Haunted Mansion will be coming back for a hopefully longer stay than his first stint. It's been long rumored that this very mysterious member of the 999 happy haunts would return, but now it's official.

The Hatbox Ghost is returning to the ride, this May!

Let's just let that sink in for a few there. Okay, we good? How about now? Alright, moving forward then! Some of you may be wondering why this is such a big deal, it's just another in the cast of hundreds within the confines of the Haunted Mansion ride and that's true.

However, the Hatbox Ghost was originally a failure. To put it simply, the effect just didn't work and after months of tinkering, they finally removed him from the ride.

Now, it's been hinted that he never actually left the ride at all, just somewhere else where you couldn't see him. Certainly possible with all the dark nooks and corners within the ride itself and there is the matter that one of the heads that pop up in the cemetery scene being identical to the legendary Hatbox Ghost's as well. So, maybe...just maybe, he's been there all along.

There's no word on when the official date for his reappearance will be or where he'll be implimented within the ride. It would be fitting if he were to return to the attic that he once occupied, but only time will tell on how Disney decides to do this one. We also don't know if he'll be making an appearance at Disney World in Orlando, FL but one can hope, right? For now, here's a little concept art!

As always, you can follow along with us right here or on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

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!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Leaks Tempesto Info!

Well, it's not exactly news that Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been building a new roller coaster for 2015. It's finished and sitting there visible to just about anyone that drives by. The name has also been pretty much a known thing as well, with only a little doubt that it would be in fact, Tempesto.

However, earlier today there was a goof on the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website where the info was posted up to the live site. Along with it came a bunch of other information regarding just what folks can expect from their newest coaster as well.

Speaking of that, Tempesto will feature three different launch elements, as well as reach speeds of 63mph as it takes riders through their daredevil run. The highlight? A "high speed inversion" at 154ft in the air. Also mentioned is a "high speed station experience", which is just talk for a station fly through.

As for the proof? Well here ya go, taken straight from the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website...before it was taken down rather quickly at that.

The best is, that wasn't all, there was another place on the site that the folks over at BGWFans.com were able to snag as well. So, for the matter of due dilligence, here's their screenshot that they managed to grab!

Universal Orlando Raises Ticket Prices

It's that time of year and it seems that once Disney raises their prices in Central Florida, everyone else follows suit not too long after. It happens ever year and that means Universal Orlando has announced their new pricing changes as well.

Again, it's not a surprise at all, but it's interesting to not that both parks are now over $100 mark. One has to wonder just how much higher they can go before they end up pricing people out or getting a bad reaction.

So, if you're heading to Universal Orlando and haven't bought your tickets, here's what you can expect to pay with the new rates:

One day - One park ticket: $102 (up $6) for adults and $97 for children (up $7).
One Day - 2park ticket:  $147 for adults (up $11) and $142 for children (up $12)

Right now the park is advertising buy 2 days, get the 3rd free, so at least that can help mitigate some of the cost a little as it drops the daily cost down quite a bit with that extra time tacked on. Though, if they keep this up, it'll make more sense to just buy a season pass if you plan to be at the park for any length of time.

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.

Universal Orlando Lifts Ban on Outside Bottle Liquids

Yep, that's right. Just a few days ago we reported that Universal Orlando had mysteriously, and quite suddenly, put a ban on all outside bottled water. This caused a lot of confusion for guests coming to the park and longer lines than usual at security checkpoints to get in from the parking garages.

However, that's all over now. Just as quickly as the ban came, it's now been lifted. In a statement made by the park last night, the ban is over and things are back as they once were.

What was the reason for this? No clue, other than the "review of procedures" reason given earlier in the week. Either way, it's good to see that once again people can bring their own water and other such drinks back into the park once more. I'm still kind of confused about this whole thing, but that's how things go sometimes with these things.

via the Orlando Sentinel

Universal Orlando Places Temporary Ban on Outside Bottled Water, Other Liquids Too

Earlier today Universal Orlando placed a ban on all outside liquids to the parks which caused quite a bit of confusion at security for guests as it seemingly came out of nowhere.

As far as we know, this is a temporary ban, but for anyone traveling to the park in the immediate future, keep this one in mind. The ban on water and other outside liquids includes not only Universal Studios, but also IOA and City Walk as well. It includes factory sealed items apparently as well, so leave the water and other items in the car to be safe.

UPDATE: Universal Orlando has lifted the ban on outside bottled water and other drinks. 

Whether or not this is a reaction to something that happened somewhere on park property or not is still not known. Maybe too many people sneaking in alcohol disguised as water? Mardi Gras is going on at the park right now and it's not exactly a secret that people do such things regularly, even more so during special events such as that.

It's just strange that they're turning away sealed bottles that haven't been tampered with. According to the Orlando Sentinel article, trash cans were filling up with unopened bottles of water. Seems like quite a waste to me on that one and very confusing. I'd understand it if it was open bottles, but originally sealed? Very strange business there.

Either way, prepared for longer lines as this news may or may not be getting to guests coming to visit and the security check points could wind up getting a little jammed because of it. Just how long will the ban last? No one is certain, but the Orlando Sentinel spoke with Spokesman Tom Schroder in an email and got this in response, "this is the result of a review of our procedures and is not permanent."

Typically Universal has allowed people to bring in bottles of water and snacks as needed for guests, and this is a little concerning for folks. It will be interesting to see how they deal with special needs guests during this ban as well. Of course, bottled water and other drinks are available for purchase within City Walk, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

Stay tuned as we follow this one. As soon as we get more information we'll pass it along to you here and of course on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook.

h/t to ThrillGeek.com for first reporting on this.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Announces Two New Countries for 2015 Food & Wine Festival

With only 94 days until the start of the third annual Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the park has announced that two new countries will be joining the line up for 2015. Each new addition to the park's line up has been met with a good bit of enthusiasm so far but as always, this sadly means the departure of a one other locations for this year as well. The new additions, despite the subtraction, mean that there will be 14 countries included in this year's event.

So, just what are the newest additions and what got cut? Well, look no further as Eastern Asia and The French Quarter have been added to the roster.

There hasn't been a menu for either of the two new countries just yet, but it's bound to be just a matter of time before the park releases them to clue us in to just what we'll be offered at each. Have to say that we're all really looking forward to these two and seeing just what they cook and mix up for us this year!

However, as I said earlier, one country got the axe and that would unfortunately be Belgium While we'll miss the waffles and beers, maybe they'll show up somewhere else in the park like some of Austria's offerings in the past. Only time will tell on that one so, stay tuned as we'll have the full menu coming to you very soon from the other countries returning to this year's event!

For all the latest from Busch Gardens Williamsburg and this year's Food & Wine Festival be sure to watch the site and to follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook.

Baron 1898 Goes Vertical at Efteling

Well, it hasn't been too long since our last update, but the folks at Efteling are moving ahead and things are starting to get really interesting with the construction of Baron 1898. We've already covered what the ride is all about before, but now the question of just how close to the concept art the ride will look has been answered.

Holy crap.

Yep, that deserves it's own special little line there. Why? Well, the work has been progressing well and so far it looks like things will be extremely close to the concept art shown above. This is gonna be one helluva coaster to see once it's complete. Okay, enough rambling, let's get on the most recent set of pictures straight from the folks at PlarkPlanet.nl!

First up, a look at the queue and station building, gotta say, coming along really nicely here and definitely gonna be the nicest station house out there by a long shot.

Track Completed for Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Newest Coaster

Well, the folks at Busch Gardens Williamsburg have been quietly building something new for 2015. It's been known for a while just what this new piece of their coaster landscape would be, but the fact that they've been building, guests had been noticing during Christmas Town, and you can see it from the main road without any official word? That's weird.

It's really only a matter of time until they do spill the beans, but it's not like anyone in the area or visiting hasn't seen what's going on at this point. They already know what's coming and sites like BGWFans and others have been watching and putting information out there, so why the wait? I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that.

What we do know is that thanks to those intrepid folks at BGWFans.com, particularly user netdvn, we have pictures taken at the end of January which show the track completed and some theming being placed on the structure. Whether they go with the Tempesto or Diavolo name, no one knows, it's definitely an interesting choice for the park. We've talked a good bit about that as our coverage of the ride's construction has gone on, so we'll just leave that there for you to check out.

In the meantime, here's the latest set of photos.

As you can see, pretty hard to miss this one out there and it sands out rather starkly against Apollo's Chariot there in front. And, just what is hanging from the structure? Well, those appear to some kind of banner or some such but it's hard to see what's going on with them as we're looking at the backside. One can hope they add some that face outward as well, but who knows what'll happen there.

Here's a couple of more photos showing things a little more closely.

Busch Gardens Tampa Announces Menu for their Inaugural Food & Wine Festival

With just a little over a month to go, the folks at Busch Gardens Tampa have announced not only the menu for their first ever Food & Wine Festival, but also a few more details about the event as a whole.

Interestingly enough, from what I can tell anyway, this isn't like the event that takes place at their sister park in Virginia and is set up very differently. While I thought they would've gone with dishes from Africa, they've chosen to keep things relatively safe and made this more of a local affair it would seem.

The food cabins will not be spread out throughout the park either, instead located with Gwazi Park and feature 9 cabins, and over 50 wines and 50 craft brews.

In addition to the food, there will be the concerts, which we've already talked about and tons of other events going on too. Like what, you ask? Well, here's a little rundown of a few other things you can expect to see:

Wine Glass performers (music with wine glasses!), Wine and Beer experts on hand to help educate on the libations on hand, Professional Foodies to help talk about flavors of the food and other good stuff, Harp and Cellists providing music throughout the day, up close time with various animals in the park at the Conservation Cabin and of course some Festival games like wine cork tossing, corn-hole and others.

It's an interesting departure from things, that we're used to at least, and our whole crew is looking forward to experiencing just what they'll bring to the table. So, what can you expect in the way of food from this year's inaugural event? Look no further, we've got the full menu right here for you to look over and see what's what and where to find it.

First stop? The Gourmet Lodge.

Gourmet Lodge:

Deconstructed Duck Confit
with Crispy Fried Wontons, Orange Salsa & Microgreens

Smoked Beef Brisket
with Cheddar & Smoked Gouda Potato Au Gratin

Venison Chili
with Roasted Corn, Black Beans & Lime Sour Cream

Wine
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley Zinfandel

Beer
Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Cigar City Cubano Style Espresso

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!

Efteling's Baron 1898 Dive Coaster Construction Update

It occurred to me while I was about to start on this update that we hadn't covered this ride at all from it's announcement through now. Sure, there was some speculation quite awhile ago when we were still figuring out where all the track at B&M's fabrication plant in the state of Ohio was going, but the announcement for this one came and went.

image via Screamscape.com

Good news is, that according to Screamscape.com, track for the new coaster has appeared on the lot and should soon be making its way across the pond. Either way, we missed it, so now to make up for lost time because that concept art is just way too awesome not to talk about.

I'm not a huge steampunk aficionado, but that design is probably one of these coolest and well thought out stations and opening lifts for a coaster I've seen out there. Really, if it even looks remotely close, just viewing this one from a distance is gonna be pretty awesome. Judging by the videos below, it seems they're going to nail this one too.

Anyway, Baron 1989 was announced way back in October so we're a little late. Let's get back up to speed some here. This dive machine, built by famed Bolliger-Mabillard, will feature a 37.5m (127ft) vertical drop down into a mine shaft element. Seating on the trains will be arranged six across, similar to Krake at Heide Park. Other than that? Not a clue. So far the folks at Efteling have been mum on the other elements that ride will include.

image of Witte Wieven via Wikipedia

However, we do have a bit of back story for the ride, which is definitely interesting. Riders will "play the part" of miners that work for, Gustave Hooghmoed, the greedy and vile owner of the mine. Why are you there? Well it seems that Gustave has a little problem with Witte Wieven, the ghostly "Wise Women" of Dutch Mythology. They've sent warning to the workers and Gustave that they should not take gold from the caverns of the mine.

Turns out the works ran away scared, and likely for good reason. However, you're in luck, and have now been volunteered to go down there.