Theme parks
in Central Florida report ride injuries.
At least two people were injured when they fell entering rides at Disney World and were hospitalized with fractures, according to a state report released this week.
The most serious incident in the latest report was a 58-year-old Georgia man who drowned July 16 at Roa’s Rapids at the Aquatica water park.
The third-quarter report, which covers July through September, detailed a dozen other incidents, including:
A 58-year-old woman fell while boarding a raft at Teamboat Springs, a raft ride at Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, and fractured her back Sept. 26.
The next day at Magic Kingdom, a 48-year-old woman fell while climbing into a Space Mountain car, lost consciousness and fractured her leg.
A 45-year-old woman fractured her arm July 27 on the Downhill Double Dipper, a water slide at Blizzard Beach.
A 53-year-old woman went into cardiac arrest Aug. 15 at TeAwa The Fearless River, a rapids ride at Universal Studios’ Volcano Bay.
A 4-year-old boy fractured his leg on the Walkabout Waters attraction, a children’s play area, at Aquatica.
Every quarter, theme parks disclose to the state any ride-related injuries or illnesses that required an immediate hospital stay of at least 24 hours.
The parks report the incidents as part of a deal they made to avoid state inspections.
Legoland and Busch Gardens did not report any incidents during the third quarter.
The skyline of Disney Springs is changing again. Demolition of the DisneyQuest building has begun, making room for a new attraction called the NBA Experience.
The structure has been being prepped for removal since DisneyQuest closed in early July. This week, heavy machinery started tearing down the building. By the end of the day Thursday, cranes smashed through the Lake Buena Vista Drive side of the five-story building.
DisneyQuest, which opened on the west end of Downtown Disney in 1998, featured themed interactive games and activities such as the Virtual Jungle Cruise and the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam.
Plans for the contents included shipping to charitable organizations, other Disney World properties and the archives of Walt Disney Imagineering. Company workers were allowed to bid online for more than 100 of the games.
On Thursday, Disney released images of the exterior of NBA Experience, which is “Inspired by the modern architecture of new NBA arenas around the country,” according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. Once complete, it will feature interactive games, “immersive experiences” and a restaurant.
The renderings show a giant screen — showing an Orlando Magic game — over the entrance, a curved roofline with images of players incorporated. NBA Experience, near the Cirque du Soleil theater, is scheduled to open in the summer of 2019.
Sequences inspired by the upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” film will be incorporated into the Star Tours attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park as of Nov. 17, the company has announced.
The new action will take place on the planet of Crait during an “epic battle,” according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog.
The 3-D simulator attrac-tion uses a variety scenes that change from ride to ride. It features such “Star Wars” locations as Hoth, Kashyyyk and Naboo alongside characters such as Darth Vader, Yoda and Boba Fett.
The addition was originally announced last fall. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” comes to theaters Dec. 15.
The Star Tours change is part of several “Star Wars”related activities coming to Hollywood Studios. Chief among them is expected to be Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a 14-acre dedicated land to all things “Star Wars.” It is scheduled to open to the public in 2019.
The park also has scheduled a special, after-hours event called Star Wars: Galactic Nights set for Dec. 15.
The segments on Crait will also be in the Star Tours in California on Nov. 17, followed by Disneyland Paris on Nov. 22 and Tokyo Disneyland on Dec. 15.
Will falling airfares bounce back again?
The average domestic airfare in the United States dropped for the Aprilthrough-June period to $356, the lowest level for that period since 2009, according to federal statistics.
The drop came at a time when fuel costs were falling and airlines were generating hefty revenue from passenger fees. But for the last four months, fuel costs have risen 19 percent, a sign that airfares could rise in the near future, analysts said.
Airfares have been on the decline for two years. Passenger fees such as charges to check bags and change reservations have helped boost revenue.