Theme parks rolling out a flurry of new attractions
If you’re planning ahead to spring and summer trips, and your family loves theme parks, you’ll want to know about some of the new rides and attractions debuting in the new year.
DISNEY’S TOY STORY LAND
One of the most anticipated openings for 2018 is Toy Story Land, expected to open early this summer at Walt Disney World Resort’s Hollywood Studios just outside Orlando, Fla.
Attractions and restaurants in the 11-acre (4.5-hectare) land will be themed on toys from the Toy Story movie series, like the Slinky Dog Dash roller-coaster and Woody’s Lunch Box, a quickservice window serving soda floats and more. Another ride will be Alien Swirling Saucers, where aliens circling in flying saucers pull along rocket ships full of guests. An existing attraction, Toy Story Mania, will get a third track.
“We have booked hundreds of trips for early summer 2018 specifically for families that want to be one of the first to experience Toy Story Land,” said Greg Antonelle, an authorized Disney vacation planner at MickeyTravels.
Universal Orlando Resort opens a new attraction in the spring featuring characters, cars and music from the Fast & Furious movies. The Fast & Furious — Supercharged attraction will immerse guests in a story involving a high-speed race as they take a bus to an after-race party. Universal also is opening its sixth on-site hotel, Aventura, in August, with a 16-storey glass tower, 600 guest rooms including 13 kids’ suites and the first rooftop bar and grill on Universal property.
At Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, DreamWorks Theatre will immerse guests in a multisensory adventure featuring Kung Fu Panda. The attraction uses LED lighting and projection mapping, a type of augmented reality that can turn 3D objects into interactive displays.
PIXAR PIER AT DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, Calif., is transforming Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier for a summer opening. Rides will include the new Incredicoaster in one of four neighbourhoods themed on Pixar stories and characters. The Incredicoaster neighbourhood is inspired by The Incredibles film. The ride will include character moments, scenes, music and special effects connected to the movie The Incredibles 2, which opens in theatres in June.
THRILLS, COASTERS AND MORE
The Time Traveler ride debuts in the spring at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. Billed as the industry’s fastest, steepest and tallest spinning roller-coaster, Time Traveler drops riders at a 90-degree vertical angle followed by three inversions at speeds up to around 80 km/h, all while spinning.
New in 2018 at SeaWorld in Orlando is Infinity Falls, a twisting raft ride. The ride starts with an elevator lift that launches eight passengers in a river and eventually sends them to a 12-metre drop, then on to an adventure through a rainforest with interactive stations that teach guests about conservation.
Battle For Eire Action VR Ride will make news for Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia in the spring. It’s the park’s first motion-based theatre simulator with state-of-the-art, 360-degree virtual reality headsets. The attraction’s storyline involves a fairy warrior named Addie taking guests on an adventure through her Irish homeland. The attraction is located in the park’s Ireland village.
SeaWorld San Diego’s new Electric Eel will be the tallest and fastest roller-coaster in San Diego when it debuts in the summer. The triple-launch coaster will thrust riders forward and backward, accelerate to more than 96 km/h in seconds and go nearly 46 metres up, offering an upside-down view of Mission Bay. The Associated Press