Hosts Banks Lee and Elisa Goldman bring you this week’s theme park and attraction news. On this week’s episode: [Read more…]
First wing attached to the Diagon Alley dragon at Universal Orlando – Photos/Video
by Don Gworek
A fire-breathing dragon is being assembled on the roof of Gringott’s Bank in Diagon Alley. The dragon is well hidden, but Universal Orlando guests got a quick view today of one of the dragon’s wing flying overhead. It was a stunning sight. The dragon’s wing is huge!
Out of the Loop: Cedar Point’s record-breaking GateKeeper debuts
By Andy Guinigundo
Sandusky, Ohio – “Orlando Attractions Magazine” debuted in 2007. That same year, Cedar Point’s 17th roller coaster debuted, the wild-as-the-wild-west Maverick. The Intamin linear synchronous motor launched coaster features a steeper than vertical initial decent and is the first coaster to integrate a “twisted horseshoe roll”. It was the first coaster debut we covered. Fast-forward to 2013 and we are (finally) talking about another incredible coaster debut by Cedar Point. GateKeeper is Cedar Point’s 16th roller coaster. [Read more…]
Out of the Loop: The rise of the wing rider coasters
Column by Andy Guinigundo
This week, Six Flags Great America near Chicago announced that the X Flight roller coaster would be built with an expected debut date of 2012. This announcement marked the third major announcement of a wing rider coaster being constructed for next year. With the opening of Furius Baco (Intamin) at PortAventura in Catalonia, Spain in 2007 and Raptor (Bollinger & Mabillard – B&M) at Gardaland in Lake Garda, Italy this year, and now these three, I am going to take it upon myself to “officially” announce a new coaster craze. [Read more…]