(This is part 1 in an occasional series.)
When people start talking about theme parks, there are usually mixed thoughts going on inside–the mostly positive experiences of having gone to a theme park but also the downer of the high prices of not only admission but also extra perks, food, merchandise, hotels, parking, etc. Theme park costs, especially admission tickets, have continued to rise over and above the cost of inflation for most years since Walt Disney World opened. This article from Travel and Leisure Magazine summarizes the admission costs adjusted to 2017 dollars: https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/disney-vacations/disney-world-ticket-costs-over-time. The $3.50 admission in 1971 would be $20.95 in 2017 but by then, the cost had risen to $115 (regular day). The most recent price hikes (effective December 8, 2022) created price tiers based not only on the time of year but also the park. The most expensive 1-day 1-park ticket is $189 (approximately $154 in 2017) to get into the Magic Kingdom during the high peak season. Park Hopper tickets run even more expensive. Universal Parks ticket prices have seen a similar trajectory. Disney has also come out with some elite experiences, such as the Star Wars Galactic Cruiser hotel. It basically runs as a cruise ship that doesn’t actually move. The cheapest price room during the off-peak season will run a person $749 per day. Some families are willing to pay whatever price to have their Walt Disney World experience. But there are also many families that are priced out of the market. Disney and Universal parks are increasingly becoming places for the rich and upper middle class and consequently not for the lower middle class or the poor. Fortunately for families that are on a budget, there are other options. Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are what I would call Tier 2 theme parks–relatively high on theming and thrill. In terms of cost, a 1-day ticket at Dollywood is $89 per person, but a 3-day ticket only runs $119. Six Flags parks are known for its thrills. A 1-day ticket for Six Flags Great America will run as cheap as $45 although a Gold Pass Annual Pass is $75 and includes free parking. Although right now Universal and Disney can meet their demand by keeping their prices high, the ability to do so will depend significantly on whether the offerings at the parks continue to rise. Disney parks have stalled over the last few years, in part, due to fewer resources dedicated to the theme park division. Universal has capitalized on recent additions and is currently building what I would call its 3rd theme park (sorry, a water park doesn’t really count as a 4th)--Epic Universe. The theme park market looks to continue to be stratified for years to come, but perhaps some of the more economical parks will take a greater market share as families are forced to re-evaluate their vacation plans.
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Prophet Land focuses on all those messengers of God recorded in the Old Testament. The prophets called the people of the Covenant back to having a right relationship with God. Moses was believed to be the greatest of the Prophets. His early prophesying to Pharaoh is highlighted in the signature attraction The Haunted Palace (note: the rest of the story of Moses and the Israelites is found in Exodus Land). The overview of the land (numbers indicate where they are on the Miracle Kingdom Map): Attractions 30 The Hall of Prophets the-hall-of-prophets.html 31 Ancient Israel Riverboat–resembling a warship from Athens and the newly constructed Olympias, the Ancient Israel Riverboat takes guests on a historical journey of the waters near Israel. The ship has been retrofitted with railings on top so that guests can safely stand there. Guests can sit by the oars (which actually move in rowing fashion) but are just used for the visual effect; the boat rides on a track while guests take in views of the Promised isLand. 32 The Haunted Palace (The Plagues of Egypt) ten-plagues-of-egypt-dark-ride-bible-world.html Dining 33 Green Olive Tree–based on Jeremiah 11:16-17, where Israel is referred to as an olive tree, this restaurant serves Mediterranean meals in a stately wooden setting. 34 The Diamond Harp–the prophet Nathan was the one who would speak God’s messages to King David. Many of these pronouncements may have occurred while the musician David would be seated at his harp–perhaps furnished with diamonds due to his royal office. Enjoy a royal feast while sitting in the ostentation of King David’s sitting room. 35 ‘Fish of the Sea’ House–many Bible verses speak about how God created fish and other marine life. Guests can eat their favorite seafood here. 36 Prophet Land Market–snacks such as chips, granola bars, Kosher hot dogs, and beverages are located here. 37 Zarephath Cakes–when the prophet Elijah went to Zarephath, he promised the widow that her flour and oil would not run out. Her faith was tested as she used the last of her food to make a cake for Elijah. Those cakes of faith are now available for the masses! Shopping
38 Ye Olde Sukkot Shoppe–Sukkot is one of the 3 Jewish pilgrimage holidays commanded in the Torah. Jews would build a tent-like structure called sukkah and live in it for the 7 days. At this shop, guests can buy all sorts of ancient Israel inspired gifts, including clothing, toys, and holiday decorations. 39 Memento Mori–keeping the name (meaning “Remember that you will die” in Latin) from the Magic Kingdom store, this version serves as the souvenir shop for The Haunted Palace. Get the exclusive “The Plagues of Egypt” board game here plus toys and clothing showcasing the ride. For those who really want to always be mindful that they will die one day, skeleton heads (including in the Day of the Dead style) are available here. Exodus Land is Miracle Kingdom’s version of Frontierland. Most of Exodus Land has already been described, but this post fills in the missing details. The overview of the land (numbers indicate where they are on the Miracle Kingdom Map): Attractions 14 Golden Calf spinner ride–the walkways around the former Magic Carpets ride have been re-configured (i.e. access from near the river) so that it properly belongs to Exodus Land 23 Jonah Splash 24 Big Thunder on Mount Sinai 25 Red Sea (and Promised isLand)--taking the place of Tom Sawyer’s Island is the Promised isLand. Moses only got to see the Promised Land but he could not go into it due to an earlier act of disobedience. Guests get to the isLand by walking through the “Red Sea.” On the island, guests will get to experience the “land flowing with milk and honey.” For the kids, there are plenty of trails to explore and things to touch. Statues of Moses and Joshua signify the leadership that led the Israelites to the Promised Land. 26 Bible Donkey Jamboree
Dining 27 Food in Flight 28 Meal of Freedom 29 Joppa Outpost–located near Jonah Splash and marked by a statue of a large fish (like the one found in modern Joppa), this is where the prophet Jonah had his final meal before booking passage on a ship that was to take him away from Nineveh…and into the large fish! Like its predecessor (Golden Oak Outpost), this quick service serves sandwiches and fries. I am in another Imagineering competition called “So You Want to Be an Imagineer? Season 20 All-Star Edition.” This competition is a lot like Survivor so there is some strategy involved. I played in Season 19 (about 1.5 years ago) and finished in 7th place. I hope to do better this season, but it is a great cast of others who are passionate about Imagineering. So every elimination I survive is a gift. The two teams in the competition have had two challenges so far. The first was to design a Frontierland with some elements of aliens in it. My team went with a land we called “Tundraland” set in Antarctica (to access the website for the project, go to https://sites.google.com/view/tundraland). My main task was to develop a show based on the Southern Lights as well as some other entertainment options. Our team won that challenge, so we did not have to worry about elimination. In the second challenge, we were tasked with creating an overlay featuring Weird Al Yankovich in some capacity for a Disney ride. Through a development in the game, our team had to design a ride for Living with the Land at Epcot. My team went all-in on Weird Al even depicting him as a broccoli. My main task was writing and recording songs in the style of Weird Al (for my songs, go to Weird). To see the write-up of the ride, go to Living with the Land Rocks. We ended up losing this prompt (although the judges had a hard time deciding that). I was one of the three players considered for elimination, but the judges chose to eliminate a player named basketbuddy.
This week, the teams are tasked with creating a Pandora land based on the Avatar series for Tomorrowland in Disneyland. It’s a double elimination week so both teams will lose a player. Periodically on the WDWMagic.com Imagineering Forum, there is a "One Sentence Competition." The most recent once happened in the days leading up to Christmas. There were 5 rounds. Each submission can be 1-2 sentences (not strictly "1 sentence," and each "sentence" is more like a run-on sentence from Saint Paul) and can include an image. My submissions are shown below in the order in which the prompts came up. Going into the final prompt, I was tied for 2nd (out of 20 people who have had at least 1 submission). Holiday Ride: Gran Fiesta Tour--Feliz Navidad! Join The Three Caballeros as they explore Mexico at Christmas time. Enjoy Christmas songs (like Feliz Navidad and Las Pasadas) as you witness the San Angel Inn Restaurante and the Mayan temple adorned with Christmas lights, stockings for The Three Caballeros, little figures dressed up like Mary and Joseph for Las Posadas in the Fiesta scene, and Christmas trees and garlands accenting the video scenes. Holiday Show: Buddy the Elf’s Christmas Sing-a-Long (2nd Place) For the first time at “Six Flags Holiday in the Park” at Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari, join your favorite characters Buddy and Jovie in spreading Christmas cheer in “Buddy the Elf’s Christmas Sing-a-Long”! The happiest Christmas show outside of the North Pole (which includes all of the best Christmas carols like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”) is located in Buddy’s beloved Candy Lane Forest–a holiday re-theming of Fantasy Forest. [IP note: The movie Elf is owned by New Line Cinema, which is under the umbrella company Warner Bros. Discovery, which in the U.S. has theme park rights at Six Flags parks.] New Restaurant for CityWalk: Boston to Beijing--Asian Fusion (2nd Place) Filling the unmet need for table service Asian food at CityWalk Orlando, Boston to Beijing takes everyone’s favorite Asian dishes and gives them an American twist—try the Korean Bulgogi Burger (with fries), Mac and Cheese with Hibachi Chicken and Veggies, or the Tempura Shrimp Tacos. The decor of the restaurant also brings together the diverse cultures with some parts American (including the dining tables as well as pictures of American inventions in Asian markets) and some parts Asian (including the lighting as wells as pictures of people in Boston’s Chinatown, Asian neighborhoods in Queens, and Los Angeles’ Koreatown). Dessert (winner received a bonus point): No need for food coloring in the restaurant’s special Christmas dessert—Red Bean Cheesecake, which is the perfect fusion of nutritious and sweet. For your listening pleasure, see the video below. New Christmas Special: The Wise Men Who Found Christmas “The Wise Men Who Found Christmas” is the animated version of the children’s book by Raymond Arroyo, which brings together the true meaning of Christmas with the latest historical discoveries (including the probability that the wise men were from Arabia and not Persia). Learn the true identities of the mystery men–Balthasaar, Melchoir, and Caspar–who followed the royal Christmas star from their homeland all the way to Bethlehem, the town of King David in Israel, to bring special gifts to the baby Jesus. New Holiday Land: North Pole Land at Six Flags Over Texas
Guests to Six Flags Over Texas during “Holiday in the Park” can travel the North Pole by riding on The Polar Express (normally the Six Flags and Texas Railroad steam locomotives; the only original ride from the 1961 opening of the park) from the Texas Depot to the North Pole Depot with narration by the movie’s Conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks). At the North Pole (which is an overlay of Boomtown land), guests can joyfully experience the following: a ride on Santa’s Sleigh (a re-theme of the Runaway Mine Train), Elves’ Sled (a re-theme of the Mini Mine Train), The Christmas Tree (a re-theme of Gunslinger swings ride), and a Santa Meet and Greet. [IP note: The movie The Polar Express is owned by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is under the umbrella company Warner Bros. Discovery, which in the U.S. has theme park rights at Six Flags parks.] With Argentina winning the World Cup, I thought it would be important to finish this series with a look at Argentina.
Argentina (Parque de la Costa): This park in Tigre has at least 30 rides including two roller coasters. El Desafío is a Vekoma SLC Standard floorless coaster that reaches speeds of 50 mph. England (Alton Towers): There is some debate as to the best theme park in England, but a strong argument could be made for Alton Towers. It is the most proper theme park in the country, and it also has 9 roller coasters for adults. "Th13teen" is "the world's first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall approximately 15 feet in darkness. The park also has dark rides including Gangsta Granny (seen below) and Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back. Germany (Europa-Park): Typically ranked #2 in annual attendance for European theme parks, Europa-Park has over 100 attractions. Much of its theming is country-specific, which makes it similar to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with some nods to Epcot, especially with its own geodesic dome. The park is known for its coasters, but it also has some dark rides. Most notable of these is ARTHUR (2014), which, along with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom, 2014), set the benchmark for story-telling coasters. France (Disneyland Paris): Disneyland Paris is a bit different than the the three Disney castle parks that preceded it. It is a beautiful park, especially in winter (which is when I was able to visit). It is full of details including walk-through exhibits including the dragon beneath the castle. Its Frontierland and Discoveryland (essentially its Tomorrowland, but based more on Jules Vernes' vision of the future). Big Thunder Mountain, which whisks people under the river to an island, is probably the best version in the world. Phantom Manor takes more of a western feel compared with the similar Haunted Mansion rides throughout the world. And Space Mountain includes an outdoor launch and indoor inversions, which makes it rather thrilling, especially for a Disney park. South Korea (Lotte World): Ahnyeong haseo! When I spent a month in Korea in summer 2012, it was prior to theme parks becoming a huge passion for me. Needless to say, I did not visit any theme parks while I was over there. Anyways, Lotte World has both an indoor section ("Adventure," which was the world's largest indoor theme park until Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi surpassed it in 2019) and an outdoor section ("Magic Island"). It even contains a castle that is reminiscent of Disney parks. As I understand, many people wear school uniforms (even buying them) to go to the park. The park has a mix of family rides as well as roller coasters. Pharaoh's Fury is a dark ride similar to Indiana Jones. Denmark (Tivoli Gardens): Walt Disney was partially inspired by Tivoli Gardens when he was designing Disneyland. From what I understand, the beauty of the park rivals most other parks worldwide. The park boasts of a 1914 coaster called Rutschebanen that relies on an operator to provide the braking on it. Demon, which opened in 2004, is a floorless coaster that includes an Immelmann loop, a vertical loop, and a zero-G roll and provides a VR experience as an option.
The title of Jesus as King is alluded to in various passages in the Bible. In the Catholic Church, a feast of Jesus King of the Universe is celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year in late November or early December. King Jesus rules from Heaven. Sometimes Heaven is thought of as a castle or a mansion, so it’s fitting that the main park icon would be associated with Heaven.
Cinderella’s Castle would be transformed at Miracle Kingdom in several ways. The blue accents on the Castle would become gold–a main color associated with Christ and His Kingship. The rest of the stonework would take on an Ivory color, which is sometimes associated with natural light. The 6 mosaics in the Castle would be re-themed to key moments in Jesus’ ministry: His Birth, the start of His Public Ministry, His Death, His Resurrection, His Ascension, and His Heavenly Coronation. I love soccer, but I also love theme parks. Some of the countries represented in the World Cup are known for their theme parks, but others aren't really. As time allows, I'll focus on the most creative theme park in the countries represented in the World Cup. USA (Disneyland): The USA is where things really got rolling for the theme park industry. I will be using the best, unique theme park for each country. Although something could be said for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot (joke: World Showcase is generally into soccer, but Future World is more about golf), Animal Kingdom, or Universal Studios Florida being the top park in the US, Disneyland gets the nod for its history, annual attendance, and attraction make-up. It's latest attraction is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It also boasts the Imagineering Forum's favorite rides (albeit ranked for WDW) of Haunted Mansion (#1) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (tied for #2). Indiana Jones Adventure and the Matterhorn are a couple of rides that you'll find at Disneyland but not at WDW. Qatar (Lusail Winter Wonderland): The host country for the World Cup is getting a new theme park this month. Over 50 attractions are located there. The location and the colors make it look like it would be rather photogenic. Netherlands (Efteling): One of the best theme parks in the world is Efteling. It features great dark rides including Symbolica (which won Theme Park Insider's best new dark ride award) as well as coasters like the Baron 1898 dive coaster. For an Imagineering take on Efteling, check out @TheSorcerersApprentice project: Thread 'Efteling ~ World of Wonders' https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/efteling-world-of-wonders.973990/ Wales (Oakwood Theme Park): I was tempted to go with the theme park that has a people-powered coaster and a solar-powered coaster, but Oakwood is going to be your best bet for thrills. The roller coaster Bounce goes beyond vertical and tops out at 95 mph. Drenched is not your typical shoot-the-chute as it’s drop is 100 feet. Japan (Tokyo DisneySea): many consider DisneySea to be the top theme park in the world with its many nautically-based lands (although ironically, Sindbad's Storybook Voyage is the only proper water ride) that are rich with details. The Fortress Explorations is a great walk-through attraction. The Nemo & Friends SeaRider is a unique motion simulator style ride. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea uses submarines to take the guests "under water" (although not really under water unlike the earlier attempts at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom). But the highlight of the park is the Journey to the Center of the Earth thrill ride.
Come face-to-face with the Himalayan Snow Ghost with Scooby-Doo and the Gang in this ride based on “That’s Snow Ghost” from season 1! Although the show takes place in the U.S. near the Canada border (perhaps in the White Mountains of New Hampshire), the ride is set in the actual Himalayas–home of the Snow Ghost (before his death, he was the Yeti). The queue is the Wolf’s End Lodge lobby complete with a stuffed white timber wolf and props that build the suspense of what is to come. Although it is peak skiing season in the region, there are no other guests in the hotel. At one point, guests watch the proprietor Mr. Greenway explains to the gang (in skiing attire) that they better lock their doors or else the Snow Ghost will get them and turn them into ghosts. An occasional wolf howl is heard, too. Close to the loading station, guests hear Fred instruct the gang to hop on the snowmobile train and head up to the top of the mountain to see if they can find the Snow Ghost.
Guests board a snowmobile train to begin their climb up the mountain. On the first lift hill, the gang hears the roar of Snow Ghost. As they climb the second lift hill, they see the Snow Ghost near the top of the mountain. As the guests near the top, they see what remains of a rope bridge that the Snow Ghost has seemingly dismantled. Fred is overheard saying, “Uhoh, we’re losing traction. Hold on tight!” The train now goes down the mountain backwards. At one point, the train stops and they see the Snow Ghost on a screen with dynamite. “Dynamite?!” the gang shouts in unison. The train continues down the mountain forwards now with increased speed. It now approaches a large animatronic of the Snow Ghost holding Scooby-Doo over his head and then letting out a muffled cry as they begin to roll down the mountain. At the base of the mountain, guests see the unmasked Snow Ghost–it’s Mr. Greenway! |
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