Archive - Park Journey

Published on

September 17, 2015

New Ninjago Land coming to Legoland California

YEAR OF THE NINJA! LEGOLAND® CALIFORNIA RESORT SPINS OUT
A NEW NINJAGO™ LAND FEATURING NINJAGO™- THE RIDE, OPENING 2016!!!

World’s First Ride to Feature New Interactive Technology!

CARLSBAD, Calif. (September 17, 2015) – Taiko drummers, ninja warriors and a Spinjitzu Master filled the theater with energy as LEGOLAND® California Resort announced the addition of a new NINJAGO™ land coming in 2016 introducing, NINJAGO™- The Ride. After sharing the successes of 2015, General Manager Peter Ronchetti offered details of the exciting new land and unmasked the new ride which features technology guests have never experienced at any other theme park in the world.

Guests will enter the new NINJAGO land through a giant archway behind Imagination Zone leading them into a courtyard where they begin their ninja training. The new land features LEGO® building stations, a game to test reflexes, spinners to test balance, Asian cuisine and a new shopping venue. Interactive experiences will test guests’ physical skills, balance and agility before they can prep for their ultimate training session: NINJAGO – The Ride.

NINJAGO - The Ride is manufactured by Triotech, world leader in media based interactive attractions, and features cutting-edge technology that enables guests to control the outcome of their adventure through the power of their hand gestures. Through 3D imagery, high-tech sensors and the use of hand movements in a striking motion, up to four riders per car, representing the four main NINJAGO characters, can blast animated fireballs, lightning, shockwaves and ice as they travel through dojos to master their skills before heading into battle. Riders collect points for their training and battle efforts throughout the ride and scores are displayed when their quest is completed. 4D effects such as heat, smoke and wind are also incorporated throughout the adventure, giving guests the ultimate interactive experience.

“I am proud and thrilled to say that this is our eleventh straight year of continuous attendance growth and we attribute much of this to our winning formula of providing our guests a family environment filled with fun, interactive experiences that create lasting memories. NINJAGO –The Ride will be the ultimate experience providing interactive fun for all,” said Ronchetti.

Based on the popular property LEGO® NINJAGO™, which is brought to life by The LEGO Group®through a line of construction toys and a TV series on Cartoon Network, guests will enjoy interactive elements and this new ride featuring key characters. For the first time, immersed into the NINJAGO universe, guests can train like a Spinjitzu Master, learn to harness the power of the four elements and use teamwork to battle the Great Devourer.

LEGO NINJAGO tells the story of four young ninja heroes – Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane – who train under the watchful eye of Master Wu to master an ancient martial art – Spinjitzu. LEGO NINJAGO is one of the most successful LEGO properties. This year, brand new episodes of the popular series, NINJAGO: Masters of Spinjitzu, aired on Cartoon Network and 22 new building sets loaded with features and functions were released.

The ninja excitement will be felt around the globe as NINJAGO – The Ride is being unveiled at both LEGOLAND® California Resort and LEGOLAND® Billund Resort in 2016.

NINJAGO - The Ride will be included in the cost of admission to LEGOLAND California Resort. For ticket prices, operating schedule and additional information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call 760-918-LEGO (5346).

LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND® California, SEA LIFE® Aquarium, LEGOLAND® Water Park and LEGOLAND®Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display, Pirate Reef and Dino Island. SEA LIFE Aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living creatures and incorporates LEGO® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. LEGOLAND Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River. LEGO Legends of Chima Water Park presented by Cartoon Network offers guests a chance to splash about in a Lion Temple Wave Pool, slide out of a crocodile’s mouth and race LEGO boats. The nation’s first LEGOLAND Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, or kingdom plus more than 3,500 LEGO models throughout the three-story hotel. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s number one and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 111 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and approximately 26,000 employees (peak season).

Merlin has twenty five attractions and two hotels in North America - including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts – LEGOLAND Florida Resort with its theme park, water park and hotel; and LEGOLAND California Resort with its theme park, two water parks, SEA LIFE Aquarium and themed hotel; The Orlando Eye; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, NV; Hollywood, CA; Orlando, FL and San Francisco, CA; LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago, IL; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Westchester, NY; Toronto, Canada; a Dungeon in San Francisco; and SEA LIFE Aquariums in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Auburn Hills, MI; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN; Orlando, FL and Charlotte/Concord, NC - underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.

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Published on

September 17, 2015

HHN25 Opening Night at Universal Studios Orlando

Halloween Horror Nights Universal Orlando

Today we have an amazing report from opening night of HHN25 at Universal Studios Florida.

Renée and friends were at the event last night and were live tweeting all night. Below is a wrap up of their amazing night.

Thanks again to Renée for another amazing update!!

Written by Renée Girard

(click on any of the pictures below to see a larger version)

At Universal Studios in Orlando tonight for the 25th Halloween Horror Nights!

Scare actors greet guests as they enter #HHN25

Pumpkins and fog!

The wait times are short... For now. The rainy weather is keeping crowd levels low.

The bars are just as popular as the houses and scare zones

Insidious is our first house of the night, and we loved it!

We hit the first Bill and Ted show of the year. No photos are allowed inside, so here's Tyler instead.

Freddy Vs Jason seems like it'll be one of the more popular houses this year

Our next house is The Purge, which was an awesome scare zone last year

The All Night Die-In scare zone had some familiar faces

Asylum in Wonderland is this year's 3-D house and is a lot of fun!

The gift shop by Twister has all the souvenirs, as well as props from the past

More throwbacks from the gift shop displays

The Psycho-Scarapy scare zone has interactive scenes and fire!

There is special lighting and projections all throughout the park

Jack Presents 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem is a tribute to past houses and it's one of the best!

The Freddy Vs Jason house is a huge hit! Definitely plan on making that your first stop

The lines for the bars also grow as the night goes on. And this year they offer a HHN pumpkin ale!

Taking a walk through the Evil's Roots scare zone now that it's darker outside

The Icons scare zone is a great look at the past of HHN

The Rat Lady returns once again, always a crowd favorite.

An American Werewolf in London is back, and makes great use of the sound stage and puppetry

Body Collectors is also a sound stage house, and has an awesome throwback scene from a previous year

Run: Blood, Sweat and Fears makes use of the Disaster queue, the final year for that area.

Fans of the AMC series The Walking Dead will be sure to enjoy this year's house

We didn't get a chance to catch the Carnage Returns stage show, but it is hosted by Jack

The Scary Tales scare zone features storybook favorites in a "scream" punk setting

Halloween Horror Nights looks terrific for their 25th year! Hope you enjoyed, goodnight! #HHN25

Thanks again Renée for yet another amazing report from Orlando.

Who's going to HHN25? It looks pretty amazing to us!!!

Shameless Plug:
If you are in SoCal and looking to do Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain this year be sure to join us on October 2 for Mountain Madness. A full day and night of fun at the park including ERT on Twisted Colossus and Scream, Maze Tours, Dinner, Front of the line passes to all Fright Fest mazes and more. Click here to see all the info!!

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Published on

September 16, 2015
Strategy Guide: Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2015

Halloween Horror Nights Studio Tour Universal Studios Hollywood
Updated: September 23, 2015
Every year Halloween Horror Nights seems to get bigger and bigger, and so do the crowds.

Below you will find some of our tips for making the most out of your Halloween Horror Nights experience.

Some do's and don'ts and most importantly, what should be your "plan of attack" for the night.

You can also check out the HHN site for more information on tickets, hours, etc.

BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!!! The event sells out. Tickets will not be available at the ticket booths.
GET A FRONT OF THE LINE PASS!!! We can't stress this enough. If your budget can swing it this is truly the best way to have an enjoyable and relaxing night at the event. Click here for Front of the Line Pass info and prices. Front of the Line passes sell out so your best bet is to get them online. (We are already hearing that Front of the Line Passes are sold out some nights, so if you want them, better do it quick!!!)
DON'T GO ON A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT!!! If you cannot swing the cost of the Front of the Line Pass then you should try to go on a slower night.
DON'T BE LATE!!! You are paying a LOT of $$ to go to HHN. Don't show up at 9:00pm and expect to do everything or expect there to be no lines. The event starts at 7:00pm, you should be lined up by 6:00pm AT THE LATEST. Earlier on Friday and Saturday nights.
USE EARLY ENTRY!!! Last year they had early Entry and First Stab for AP's. This year it's only Early Entry. Basically this is your best way to get into the event easily. You must arrive between 5:00 and 6:15 to get early entry.
IGNORE THE RIDES!!! (Unless you have a Front of the Line Pass). You are there for Halloween Horror Nights. You can come back on most days and ride Despicable Me, The Simpsons or Transformers: 3D all you want. Especially if you have an Annual Pass. Ride lines are typically longer during HHN than they are during the day. If you have visitors from out of town, consider the Day/Night Combo Pass so you can ride during the day and get scared at night. Day/Night Combo passes are available on the HHN site when you buy tickets.
WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!! This should pretty much be a no brainer but you'd be surprised. You will be walking on trails on the Terror Tram. You will be taking escalators up and down to the lower lot. Do yourself a favor and be comfortable.

Update: Per @HorrorNights on Twitter, the two mazes open for Early Entry will be Insidious and The Walking Dead. To reflect this, we've modified our Maze Order Below.

Maze Order

Lower Lot Mazes:

Most people assume that you should head to the Terror Tram first. And if you don't show up when the event starts then this is probably your best bet. But if you have followed the instructions above and are at the event at opening or for Early Entry, first thing you should do is head down to the Lower Lot and go through Insidious and The Walking Dead during the Early Entry period. And then right at 7:00 do This is The End.

Update: The Early Entry is for Insidious and The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead was the most popular maze the entire night for opening weekend. DO THE WALKING DEAD FIRST DURING EARLY ENTRY!!!

Front of the Line tip: If the lines are not long (if you are there for Early Entry DO NOT use your Front of the Line Pass then), go through once with the General Public and then use your FOTL pass later in the evening. Getting back down to the lower lot mazes is easy to do later in the night.

If you don't have a Front of the Line Pass, don't be tempted by "Jurassic Park: In The Dark". It's just "Jurassic Park: At Night". But if it's hot and there isn't a line, by all means go for it.

Metro Set Mazes:

Once you have completed the Lower Lot mazes head over near Transformers to take the tram down to the Metro Sets and do Crimson Peak and Alien vs Predator.

Front of the Line tip: If lines are still short when you get to the Metro Sets go through once with the GP and use your FOTL pass later in the evening when it's busier. If you don't want to take the tram back to the Metro sets later in the night, go through them once with the GP and then use your FOTL privilege right after to get two trips through each maze.

Update: Last week we had listed the Terror Tram as next up on the "to-do" list. Halloween, being the only maze on the upper lot has varying wait times through the night, from 15-20 minutes to 2 hours. So when you come back up top check the wait times. It's entirely possible you can see this amazing maze with a very minimal wait.

The Terror Tram was consistently around 30-45 minutes on opening night and that line moves VERY quickly.

Halloween:

If you've followed the strategy at this point you'll only have one maze left and plenty of time to do it. We've heard that Halloween was amazing at Employee Preview night so you may want to leave time to do this one twice.

You are probably going to need to rest by now, feel free to stop by Springfield or Gru's and get a snack, a meal, etc. Sit around Corpz or Dark Christmas and watch the talent in action.

Terror Tram:

At this point you've already completed 5 of the 6 mazes so it's time to head up to the Terror Tram.

Depending on the night, you may have a bit of a wait if you don't have a Front of the Line pass, so be sure to use the restroom and get a snack/drink before getting in line. Even if the line seems long it's always moving unlike maze lines.

Front of the Line tip: If it's an unexpectedly slow night and there isn't much of a line, feel free to go in with the GP and go again with your FOTL pass. But more likely than not you are only going to be able to do one trip on the Terror Tram.

Update: They will be opening Fast and Furious Supercharged for Horror Nights this weekend. This will probably be done after The Terror Tram but we are trying to confirm.

Jabbawockeez

Unlike last year, there is a show at HHN this year. If this is a priority for you then you may want to flip this with Halloween or even the Terror Tram. Once we get showtimes we'll update this with recommended times to go.

Update: We saw this show at about 11:00pm on opening night and it was about 3/4 full. So you can likely save this for later and still get in to see the show.

Once you have completed all the mazes you can hang around the scare zones and watch the talent, check the wait board to see if there are any short maze or ride lines or if you have a Front of the Line Pass use up any trips you haven't already.

Do some shopping, grab a t-shirt, hang out in the scare zones and drive home safely.

Shameless Plug:
If you are a fan of Scary events and are planning on doing Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain this year, be sure to check out the info for our event on October 2. It's a full day of fun with Exclusive Ride Time on Twisted Colossus and Scream in the morning, tours of a couple of the mazes, dinner and front of the line passes for all of the Fright Fest Mazes.

We hope to see you there.

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Published on

September 15, 2015

Renée takes us on a tour of I Drive Orlando

Today we have another great update from Renée as she takes us on a tour of the I-Drive Orlando attractions including Sea Life Orlando, Madame Tussaud's and The Orlando Eye.

Oh, and Shake Shack too. Enjoy ...

(Click any of the pictures below to see a larger version)

Tonight we are checking out the attractions at the I-Drive 360 complex. @idrive_orlando

When visiting the I-Drive 360 complex be sure to check out their retail shops and restaurants, especially @shakeshack

First up is Sea Life, an awesome interactive aquarium.

Fun with some creepy eels and fishy friends. @SEALIFEOrlando

Loved the color changing jellyfish tank! @SEALIFEOrlando

Getting up close and personal with some more fishys.

The theming in the aquariums are top notch!

Stingrays, sharks and more are all found at @SEALIFEOrlando

There is even a pool to touch sea creatures such as star fish.

On to Madame Tussaud's wax museum!

At Madame Tussaud's, you can hang out with all sorts of celebrities, from Walt Disney to Neil Patrick Harris.

ET phone home

One final stop at Madame Tussaud's was the wax hand making.

It's a short process of dipping your hand back and forth between ice water and hot wax.

The awesome employees made it a lot of fun, and you can shape your hand however you want.

The final product of our wax hands, which you can also make any color you want, too. @MadameTussauds is a blast!

Ryan Reynolds, Will Smith and more say goodnight as we head out of Madame Tussaud's in Orlando.

Weather delays with frequent lightning make it tricky, but we made it on the Orlando Eye. @theorlandoeye

The pods in the Orlando Eye are nice and spacious with air conditioning.

To be honest, there isn't a whole lot to view in the Orlando area from the Eye, but we did see some disney fireworks.

Thanks again to Renée for the amazing update. We'll definitely be putting the I-Drive Orlando attractions on our to-do list for our next Orlando vacation.

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Published on

September 13, 2015

Six Flags Magic Mountain - The New Revolution Update #1

2016 Attractions Fright Fest Mountain Madness Six Flags Six Flags Magic Mountain The New Revolution

Welcome to our first New Revolution Update. Over the next 6-9 months we'll be covering the return of the classic Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

For those who never got to ride the original Revolution you are in for a treat when it reopens next year.

Written by Gregg Condon

Before we get started on the update, be sure to set your calendar to join in on another live chat Monday night (Sept 14) at 8pm Pacific. The Coaster Guy and I will be talking about Fright Fest, Haunt, Halloween Horror Nights, our Magic Mountain event on Oct 2 and pretty much anything else you could want to discuss. The event and live chat are open for all.

For all the info click the link here.

My day actually started off in Ventura at about 6:00am and the Ventura Half Marathon. Because you know, where else would you want to do after running 13.1 miles other than go to a theme park. =)

After the race on the left, and about 90 minutes later at Hurricane Harbor.

We actually had a nice relaxing afternoon at the park and hope to get back up there at least once more before it closes for the season. It's been so hot I'm sure we can pull it off.

After enjoying the cool waters of Hurricane Harbor it was time to head over to SFMM to take a look at Revolution.

The gate means don't go here (although we did see somebody in the smoking section over there). So expect a larger wall here soon.

A look at the front, not much has been done yet. (forgive the pics, these were all taken on a cell phone)

In our walk around the ride, it appears that one train is gone. We were doing a live Periscope and somebody mentioned that one of the trains was backward. It's not. We could have been had and I'm too tired to look for the source. =)

Heading up the Orient Express (because I wasn't about to walk up the hill). Again, not much to see ... yet.

Over on the other side, a wall is blocking the exit, but nothing much has been done ... again ... yet. =)

No train in the station, one on the brake run.

Moving on from Revolution, let's take a look at Fright Fest Prep. Be sure to get tickets for our Fright Fest/ERT event on October 2. It's only a couple of weeks away now!!

Willougby's Facade is up.

Lighting is being added to Exile Hill.

Signs for the Express Pass Entrance for Fright Fest has been added to Willoughby's Garden (which you can use during our event on Oct 2 ;) )

Wasteands is looking great as always!!!

Zombie Xing is also looking great.

Less than 2 weeks until Fright Fest begins!!!

Alright, that's gonna wrap it up for this update. Not sure when we'll have another one but if we end up going back up to Hurricane Harbor over the next two weeks I'll sneak away to grab an update. =)

Thanks again for all the support and we hope to see you all on October 2!!!

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Published on

September 11, 2015

Magic Mountain looking for Twisted Colossus riders!!

2015 Attractions Fright Fest Six Flags Six Flags Magic Mountain Twisted Colossus

Update: Sept 14 ... All Spots have been filled. Congrats to those who made the cut!!!

Six Flags Magic Mountain is looking for people to film a Fright Fest commercial on Twisted Colossus NEXT THURSDAY (September 17). See below for all the details.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is looking to fill the Twisted Colossus trains while they film the ride for upcoming promotions. If you are available September 17 from 5:30pm – 11pm, age 18 or over (ID required), and are able to ride multiple times, they want you. All riders must be within safety guidelines.

Send a photo of yourself to sfmmsocialmedia@gmail.com with your contact information (name, age, email address). Their talent supervisor will contact you with confirmation and details. SAG/AFTRA members are not eligible.

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