Archive - Park Journey

Published on

March 31, 2015

Springfield soft opens at Universal Studios Hollywood

2015 Attractions 2016 Attractions Fast And Furious: Supercharged Harry Potter Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey Hogwarts Simpsons Springfield Universal Studios Hollywood Wizarding World

Springfield at Universal Studios Hollywood had some soft openings beginning last Friday with one side of the new area being open and the Duff Brewery Side coming out from behind walls just in time for Spring Break Crowds in the park.

Even though it was the first day of the area being open for guests (it had opened on Wednesday for park employees) it seemed like they had everything down to a science as far as serving, seating and keeping lines shorts is concerned.

Androids Dungeon!!

So much food, it's going to take a whole lot of visits to try it all. I think we're up to the challenge. =)

Think this kid is upset because he can't get his Military Antiques.

Krusty Burger was definitely the most popular location, and since I was short on time I had to skip eating here this time.

Inside Moe's Tavern.

There are so many little touches I can't wait to go back and find them all.

I tried the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich. It was really good, and huge. I was unable to finish it all. So I'd certainly suggest sharing.

All of the dining locations are connected on the lower and upper levels, and there is plenty of seating upstairs.

Sign is kind of in a weird spot, but guessing it's used to block Potter.

The Duff Brewery side wasn't open on Friday but I saw that it did open yesterday (Monday).

Can't wait to try a Bumblebee Man Taco!!

Luigi's is back!!! =)

Mmmm, Ice Cream.

We have no idea when Springfield "officially" opens, but I'd guess as of now it's pretty much open for good. We haven't heard anything about it closing after Spring Break or anything. But we'll let you know if it does.

Moving on, the new extended queue for Shrek 4-D is open and it looks awesome.

Really well done

I love the Shrek characters, so if this attraction is going to stay around, maybe they should try and get a new Shrek movie in here at some point?

Moving on to Potter, more scaffolding has come down revealing much more of Hogsmeade.

Looks amazing.

Love the windows.

Moving over to Forbidden Journey, more of the Great Hall is going up and inside, vehicles are moving along the track.

Lastly, as of last Thursday, Universal AP prices have gone up and the "Premium" option has been replaced by the "No Black-Out Season Pass". This means that there are currently no AP options at the park that offer parking. If you have the premium pass you can still obviously use the parking until your pass expires.

We get that the expansion the park is receiving is absolutely unprecidented. It's unbelievable, and it's amazing. But you are pretty much alienating your most loyal guests here. Hopefully they'll reverse this trend that seems to be the norm at many parks of giving AP's the shaft. Having an AP doesn't (and shouldn't) give us any extra benefit, we just like to go and enjoy the park. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Also, you'll notice they are no longer "Annual" passes, but "Season" passes, and employees have been instructed to use this new term. Even year long passes purchased at Costco have an expiration date of March 18, 2016.

Now this doesn't mean that Potter is opening on March 19, 2016 or even that there will be no AP's next year. Remember when DCA tried to cut out AP's when they first opened? Granted, DCA had no Potter, but it didn't work out. We fully expect AP prices to go up next year it will just be interesting to see the true impact Potter has.

For those of you visiting the park, we suggest taking the Metro Red Line and then the shuttle up to the park. Of course, finding parking at the metro lots is another article in itself.

$80 for a full year, even with Blackout Days is still a great deal.

Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this update. Spring Break has descended on the park and it will be a very busy week at all parks, not just Universal. So bring your patience with you if you'll be heading to a park the next few weeks.

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Published on

March 30, 2015

Knott's Boysenberry Festival Fun

Berry Bloom Boysenberry Festival Cedar Fair Knott's Berry Farm

Over the weekend we were invited out to Knott's Berry Farm to partake in this years Boysenberry Festival. This year the event has gotten even bigger and if the first day of the event is any indication, much more popular, which is great to see.
We also took some time to check out the Boysenberry Pie eating competition which was great fun.

Pictures and Words by Gregg Condon

Welcome to the Boysenberry Festival!!

Lots of great decorations all around Ghost Town and all of the locations that have Boysenberry Festival items are marked with a Boysenberry.

Kristi and Josh are sure enjoying the festival.

One of the biggest treats for me personally was the Beary Tales Pie Kitchen, although it did make me miss the ride even more.

And seeing how fast the Beary Tales merchandise was flying off the shelves it makes you realize a lot of people have a fondness for the ride.

Really nice decorations

Moo

As you can see, the festival is VERY popular, which is absolutely great to see. Please support these kinds of things so they will come back!!!

Even with the crowds, the lines for the food items were no more than 10 minutes or so. The employees were great all day.

Of course the Wine and Craft Brew Tasting was back in the Wilderness Dance Hall.

We tried some great wines and my favorites were a nice Cabernet and the Boysenberry Wine. While most preferred the Boysenberry Cider to the Boysenberry Beer, I enjoyed the beer a bit more.

The Wine Tasting is such a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the park and we enjoyed catching up with some of our favorite theme park site friends from Theme Park Adventure and The Coaster Guy.

Oh yeah, there was food ... lots and lots of food. So much food that we really didn't even have enough room in our belly's to try it all and all really feel we need another visit to try everything else.

The Fun Bun!!! We actually brought one of these home, and it was just as good the following morning.

Basically, the Fun Bun is a Cinnamon Roll, fried in Funnel Cake Batter and topped with a Boysenberry topping. It's amazing.

Boysenberry Wings (sorry, we ate some before we took a picture) and Boysenberry Trifle.

Alligator Bites and Cheese Curds. One thing I would suggest on these, have a non-fries option. We got two of each for our group which meant we had a plethora of fries left over.

Finally this year you can take home your own bottle(s) of the Boysenberry BBQ sauce. At only $5.99 a bottle it's a great deal, and with a Season pass Discount it's even better. =)

The Beary Tales shirts were flying off the shelf. It was hard to find the black shirt below in my size by 1:00pm.

Other things included Boysenberry Cotton Candy, Boysenberry Honey, Coffee Mugs, Hats, Berry Festival Shirts, Magnets, Key Chains and much more.

Knott's also held their first Boysenberry Pie Eating Contest.

The always entertaining Mayor and his lovely wife. We actually got some one-on-one time with them in the Wine Tasting and they invited us over for dinner and Boysenberry Wine. Well, we had to have our people's, people's, people call their people's, people's, people.
Since we have no people, I guess we'll just have to be happy to see them around town. =)

While the MC from Major League Eating may have gone on a bit (a lot) too long given the 90 degree temperatures, it was still great fun.

Having some fun introducing the competitors

After about a 45 minute pre-show, it's time to get to eating.

It was honestly quite entertaining seeing the different strategies and how these people get so much food consumed in such a short time.

Joey Chestnut who held 35 world records prior to this competition

Now 36

And with that another day at the Knott's Boysenberry Festival comes to an end.

Thanks so much to Knott's for having us out and for the tremendous hospitality. We truly appreciate it. And as always it was really nice seeing such great friends as Jim from Westcoaster, Tim from Knott's Network, Kolby from Kolby Konnection, Rick and Johanna from TPA and Kurt and his lovely wife from The Coaster Guy.

We'll have a general park update later this week. Thanks for reading.

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Published on

March 27, 2015

Twisted Colossus Tour #3

2015 Attractions Colossus Six Flags Six Flags Magic Mountain Twisted Colossus

Today we were once again honored to be invited up to Six Flags Magic Mountain to get another close-up look at Twisted Colossus.

I know we've said this before, but it bears repeating ... WE ARE SO UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED FOR THIS RIDE. We seriously want to pull an Eric Cartman and freeze ourselves until the ride opens. But we also really do like seeing the progress of the ride. =)

Pictures and Words by Gregg Condon

Click on any of the pictures below to see a larger version.

We've got a LOT of pictures to get to, so let's just cut right to the good stuff today.

Our first look at the purple train. It's really awesome.

The detail on the trains is amazing.

Look Ma, Comfortable restraints!!!

For those that like to see how things work.

Moving down into the ride itself

LOTS of track waiting to be placed

Not sure if it's all here, but it looked to be very close to all from what we could tell.

Supports are starting to go up on the final turnarounds.

And for the next elements to be done.

Close up of the two new lift motors, each is 200hp.

The new trains are about 500lb heavier than the Morgan Trains Colossus was using when it closed.

Safety first!

This is all new wood, and obviously new steel.

More stuff ready to be installed.

For those that were worried, they are painting the structure. Although anything that is in direct contact with track will remain unpainted. This is to give it that "steel" look, and also for track inspection.

Oh yeah, there are some new elements up on the ride to show you. =)

Don't cross the streams!!!!

And how do they get to the top gun stall? Like this.

Insane!!

Airtime!

Nerd shot

Moving further down into the structure

Exiting the High Five

Another interesting tidbit, RMC only is responsible for the track and any replacement of wood 10 feet below the track. So anything under that 10 foot mark has to be done by the park, which they are doing now, as you can see.

More twistyness

HIGH FIVE!!

The High Five and first turn-around

More of the Top Gun stall

No caption necessary ...

Watch out for that Train!!

There's not one piece of straight track in this entire picture

Coming down the drop

Moving over to the station

All of the bushes that were here are gone

Not sure what's going here, we suggested a beer garden. =)

New fence around station exit. So don't go in there!! =)

Ride Control panel!!!

New exit bridge

Moving over to Scream, it's re-paint is pretty much done.

New fence installed around parts of the ride.

And last but not least, a look at the progress of the Steampunk District.

Really like the way this turned out. And the trees are nice and trimmed down. We also asked what was replacing the Cool Zone, not sure. We did suggest another Beer Garden. =)

Very nice

Sandwich place, won't be "Subway" which is a good thing.

Lots of landscaping and new concrete going down

They were pouring concrete so we couldn't get to the other side. Also really do like the colors on the theater. Wasn't sure about it from the concept art, but that's very nice looking.

Alright, that's going to wrap it up for our tour. Thanks again to the park for having us out, we are so glad they are doing these and they did say there would be another one next month.

We are also a few weeks away from any kind of opening date announcement, so as soon as we know anything, you will too.

Thanks again for all of the support. We all appreciate it.

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Published on

March 26, 2015

New WDW Polynesian Villas and Bungalows

Disney Parks DVC Walt Disney World

Renée sent us some great pictures of the new Polynesian Villas and Bungalows that will be opening at the Polynesian at WDW very soon.

The new DVC property looks simply amazing. Enjoy!!

Here are some photos from the new DVC area of the Polynesian Resort at WDW. It is still under construction but phase one is scheduled to open April 1.

The porch or balcony of the new DVC rooms overlook the bungalows.

We viewed deluxe studio rooms in the Moorea wing. They feature one queen size bed, one queen size sleeper sofa and one pull down bunk-size bed.

Each Bungalow has flat panel TV, private porch or balcony, wet bar, small fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee maker

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bathroom is separated by two areas - one with shower and sink and one with toilet and tub/shower combo.

Over the water bora bora bungalows feature one king size bed, one queen size bed, one queen size sleeper, and two pull down bunk size beds.

Master bathroom has in-mirror TV, whirlpool tub and walk in shower with rain shower head.

Full kitchen with fridge, dishwasher, oven, microwave, and laundry area with stacked washer and dryer.

Private deck of each Bungalow features a plunge pool, lounge furniture and hanging chairs overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom.

Second bathroom is two sections - tub/shower and vanity, and toilet and vanity.

Once completed, there will be 360 deluxe studio villas and 20 Bora Bora Bungalows.

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Published on

March 24, 2015
Batman Backwards coming to Six Flags Great Adventure this Summer
Intense, Limited Run BATMAN™ Coaster Experience
Coming to Six Flags Great Adventure

BATMAN™: The Ride Backwards and El Diablo
Headline 2015 Spring/Summer Season

JACKSON, NJ — March 24, 2015 — Six Flags Great Adventure, the world’s largest theme park, unveils a second thrilling roller coaster experience for 2015 as it flips one of its most innovative and adrenaline-charged coasters backwards for a limited time. The park also debuts its 13th roller coaster – El Diablo – during its 2015 season, which kicks off April 3.

BATMAN™: The Ride becomes even more intense as it undergoes a gravity-defying role reversal from July 4th weekend to Labor Day weekend. Guests can dare to take on an all-new experience on the world-famous suspended, looping coaster when its chair lift-style train is flipped 180 degrees on the track.

BATMAN™: The Ride Backwards Fast Facts:

Soar backwards, chair-lift style (beneath the track)
50-mph juggernaut
Five gut-wrenching inversions guests never see coming
2,700 feet of twisted track
Since opening in 1993, BATMAN™: The Ride has given more than 27 million thrilling rides and reigns as one of the most popular roller coasters in the world.

“The ride’s intensity is ratcheted way up,” said John Fitzgerald, Six Flags Great Adventure president. “Thrill seekers will not want to miss this limited-time opportunity to put their inner ‘super hero’ to the test.”

41st Season Kicks off April 3 featuring PEEPS® and Safari Babies

Six Flags Great Adventure was voted America’s second best theme park by USA TODAY readers in 2014. Its 41st season begins April 3 with Easter Weekend presented by PEEPS®.On Saturday, April 4, Six Flags will host a special Easter Celebration giving guests the chance to search for eggs filled with PEEPS®. The morning event will also include onsite entertainment, games and giveaways. The first 100 guests (toddlers to age 12) to arrive by 9:30 a.m. will receive a PEEPS® Egg Hunt Participant Wristband and up to three spectator wristbands for friends and family members to join in the celebration. All participants and spectators must have valid park admission to receive a wristband. The event will take place at 10 a.m., prior to park opening.

Spring is a time for babies, and Safari’s animal experts showcase the adorable, new additions including European brown bear cubs through two popular education programs. Safari Off Road Education offers students K-6 a journey in learning with 1,200 animals from six continents in the 350-acre wildlife preserve. Biology Day targets high school students with a special focus on land and marine biology. These programs, reserved for schools, operate when the theme park is closed. Schools can contact njspecialevents@sixflags.com for more information.

El Diablo Scorches 2015 Season

Guests can feel the wrath of the devil on El Diablo, the park's 13th coaster, beginning this spring. Inspired by Jersey Devil folklore with a Mexican twist, El Diablo features riders sitting in “face-off” (face-to-face) seats rocketing forward and backward pendulum style until the train gains enough momentum to complete a full revolution seven stories in the air. The fiery red coaster then kicks into high gear, completing full revolutions until it stops momentarily with riders suspended upside down, and then reverses direction.

"El Diablo is the perfect addition to Plaza del Carnaval, as it appeals to both thrill seekers and families alike. Rides like El Toro and Tango attract a wide audience to this area, which also provides ample opportunities for dining, shopping and relaxation from the excitement of the world’s largest theme park," Fitzgerald added.

El Diablo is expected to open this May, and will have a 48 inch height requirement to ride.

New Outdoor Grill and Upgraded Cabana Cove at Hurricane Harbor

Beginning May 23, Guests can enjoy the delicious smell and taste of freshly-grilled food when Six Flags Hurricane Harbor debuts its new, outdoor grill. This open-air kitchen will feature giant turkey legs, hot dogs, hamburgers and Mexican-style steak. The park will also introduce an upgraded Cabana Cove, with new, luxury cabanas surrounded by a lush, tropical landscape.

Tickets, operating hours, park information and special events can be found at www.sixflags.com/greatadventure

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with $1.1 billion in revenue and 18 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For 53 years, Six Flags has entertained millions of families with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks and unique attractions including up-close animal encounters, Fright Fest® and Holiday in the Park®. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com.

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Published on

March 24, 2015

42 ways to get a food coma at Dollywood

2016 Attractions Dollywood

Some of the Park Journey extended family made their annual trek to Dollywood's opening weekend festivities and awesomely shared some of their pics over the weekend.
It became very clear very quickly that they were enjoying all of the amazing food that the park has to offer, so we figured we'd buzzfeed the hell out of this article, because we can. =)

Special thanks to Stephen, Cliff, RD and JoAnna for all of the awesome texts and messages over the weekend, that made us all who weren't there very hungry.

#42 ... Free ... Moonshine ... Samples. Even though this isn't technically at Dollywood, it's definitely worth mentioning.

Awesome fountain in Pigeon Forge. Looks even more amazing after all the moonshine.

Now that we've got water and moonshine out of the way, let's head into Dollywood

Dolly's bus, wonder if it's available for rental? Would be an amazing road trip.

Great, now everybody knows how we pay people who write for the site. Oh wait, pay people? LOL!!!

RD and Stephen, ready for an amazing weekend at Dollywood

How many coasters can you see in this picture?

Twisty coaster. And this is the parks "family" coaster. Amazing.

How about a look at Wild Eagle

RD looks absolutely thrilled to be on a B&M

Looks awesome!!

Jesus shirts if you are so inclined.

I think Cliff is trying to do \m/ but he might just love us. We love you too buddy. =)

Makes me want to take a nap. Zzzzzzz

RD paying his respects to one of the great country singers ever.

Please God, allow me to eat more of the awesome food.

This reminds me of the Ferris Wheel they had at Disneyland during the County Fair. Anybody remember that?

Awesome looking kiddie coaster

You're a shooting star

Need to head up high to see where your next food is coming from?

How about some more coaster shots?

Oh yeah, we're supposed to be telling you how to get a food coma. Well, there's really not 42, but well, 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. =)

#15, after stuffing your face it's time for a train ride, or eat on the train, or nap on the train.

#14 ... well, this has nothing to do with food, but could possibly be where the 2016 attraction is going?

#13 ... the chance to see a Bear in his natural habitat can sure get you in the mood for some awesome food.

#12 ... if you've had too much food and need to wash off, what's better than an awesome rapids ride!!

Ok, we'll get into the actual food stuff.

#11 ... As if Pork Rinds by themselves weren't enough, how about a Souvenir bottle full of Pork Rinds? And then how about getting refills on said Pork Rinds? Sold!!!

#8-10 ... Cinnamon Bread. I think we'll all agree it deserves more than one spot, plus, you probably will want to eat 3 of them anyway.

#7 Apple Freaking Butter.

# 6 ... Skillets, Skillets, Skillets, Skillets, Skillets. Did we mention the Skillets?

#5, because one spot isn't enough for the Skillets.

#4 - The Chicken Ranch, err, Chicken House. =)

#3 ... what could get you more comatose than a 25lb apple pie? Time to get about 30 friends and go to town.

#2 ... Miss Lillian. You can just see the sweetness in these pictures. Even though she's gotta be gritting her teeth given Stephen's choice of sweatshirt and cap. =)

#1 is of course, Miss Dolly Parton herself. She absolutely loves her fans and well, I'm guessing RD fainted when he saw her.

Dolly says thank you Park Journey for coming out to my park. I can't wait for you to see what is coming in 2016!!!

Thanks for checking out our Dollywood update. It's possible that once everybody is home and has some time to decompress we'll have some more Dollywood pictures to share with you all.

We'll also have some pictures of other Pigeon Forge attractions for you in a few days, so stay tuned for that!!!

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Springfield soft opens at Universal Studios Hollywood

Knott's Boysenberry Festival Fun

Twisted Colossus Tour #3

New WDW Polynesian Villas and Bungalows

Batman Backwards coming to Six Flags Great Adventure this Summer

42 ways to get a food coma at Dollywood