TTD-120-420 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 2013 has been a year full of theme park news, both good and bad. I'd like to see what your top ten news stories of the year are. Here are mine: 1. Harry Potter Diagon Alley - Universal Studios Orlando: http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/harry-potter-expansion/ There isn't just one instance about the attraction that stands out. The new official renderings, construction updates and constant leaks from insiders has made this a year long news story, and very deserving of the number one spot. 2. Gatekeeper Opens - Cedar Point: The self-proclaimed Roller Coaster Capital of the World finally added a new coaster after a 7 year long hiatus. The ride also brought new atmosphere to the front of the park, bringing a new front gate and beach front pavilions. 3. Texas Giant Death - Six Flags Over Texas: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Person-Dies-on-Texas-Giant-216240581.html The death brought questions of theme park safety and grabbed national news attention. It also brought questions of uncertainty to Rocky Mountain Construction and Gerstlauer for completely redoing the original coaster and suppling new trains. 4. Outlaw Run Opens - Silver Dollar City: Rocky Mountain Construction's first newly made coaster stunned riders when it was announced, and continued to wow when it opened. New elements and silky smooth inversions showed enthusiasts what the future could be with these new wood/steel hybrid coasters. 5. Banshee Announcement - Kings Island: One of the most hyped up rides I have ever witnessed was finally released to the public by Mr. Helbig, Mr. Scheid, and the rest of the Kings Island team. The name, the color, the theming, the ride type, and every other little detail was questioned and debated for months. The questions were finally answered on August 8th. 6. Blackfish - SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment: http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/12/24/the-blackstone-blackfish-connection/ The "documentary" grew in popularity through social media and caused mass chaos for the SeaWorld PR department. The insanity is ongoing, and will continue for probably quite a while longer. 7. Disney Magic Band - Walt Disney World: http://www.fodors.com/news/mymagic-debuts-at-disney-7353.html The estimated $1.5 billion cost of the new ticketing, hotel check-ins, fastpass, and God only knows what else system was a huge investment for Disney. With many delays, the new system was slowly rolled out over the last few months of the year. Whether the investment was worth it will probably be a story in next year's top ten list. 8. New Fantasyland - Walt Disney World: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/disney-opens-fantasyland-theme-park-17893209 Disney is opening the area in waves, but the majority was opened in 2013. No major E-ticket attraction opened this year, which left many wanting more. 9. Antarctica - SeaWorld Orlando: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/seaworld-antarctica-opens-trackless-ride-close-penguins-6C10126947 SeaWorld tried their best to keep up with Universal and Disney by opening an Antarctica themed, immersive area. The area includes a new trackless dark ride that travels through a penguin exhibit. The area is beautiful, but the attraction was sub-par to a lot of people. 10. Koch Family - Holiday World: http://www.ibj.com/holiday-world-family-takes-dispute-to-indiana-appeals-court/PARAMS/article/42864 The Koch family had a rough time in 2013, which will continue into the new year. The fight for ownership of the park has left many wondering what will happen to our beloved family park. So, there is my list of news and events that shook the theme park world in 2013. I realize that all of these are U.S. theme park stories. I do not follow parks outside of the U.S. very closely. This took a lot of time, so I do not blame you if you just do your top 5 or even top three stories. Thanks for reading! *List is ranked 1 through 10; 1 being the most important story. They are organized by my opinion of them being significant to the theme park industry. News like the Disney purchase of Star Wars was not included, because it has yet to directly impact the parks. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Ed Hart wouldn't like that list! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 In no explicit order....... 1. Outlaw Run, hey, you used the exact video I am going to use! 2. Kentucky Kingdom, this is the opening of a new park! It is a great park because it has the tallest water slide in the region! 3. Gatekeeper, it is an iconic attraction at Cedar Point, and truly is a magnificent piece of machinery! 4. Six Flags/Cedar Point accidents, these were both very tragic and I had them both as my hopes for a good outcome. 5. Banshee, well, it's Banshee. 6. Goliath, this is going to be huge! 7. Viking Park, well, this is interesting http://coaster-net.com/news/2274-viking-sized-fun-to-hit-norway/ 8. Polercoaster, whee all the way up, whee all the way down! http://coaster-net.com/news/2272-tallest-coaster-to-hit-florida-in-2016/ 9. FanastyLand, a major revamp on all of the classics I remember 10. Seaworld Blackfish, this was just a odd movie about a odd subject. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 8. Polercoaster, whee all the way up, whee all the way down! http://coaster-net.com/news/2272-tallest-coaster-to-hit-florida-in-2016/ 9. FanastyLand, a major revamp on all of the classics I remember 10. Seaworld Blackfish, this was just a odd movie about a odd subject. 8. Fire Chaser Express, this is what Dollywood needs, and I am glad to see it come! I'm attempting to understand your numbering here without success. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 perhaps he's using the dewey decimal system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoraX Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Perhaps it's a tie for 8th place. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 8. Polercoaster, whee all the way up, whee all the way down! http://coaster-net.com/news/2272-tallest-coaster-to-hit-florida-in-2016/ 9. FanastyLand, a major revamp on all of the classics I remember 10. Seaworld Blackfish, this was just a odd movie about a odd subject. 8. Fire Chaser Express, this is what Dollywood needs, and I am glad to see it come! I'm attempting to understand your numbering here without success. I was tired, trying to post a few things at once, typo it was, and it is fixed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.