How to see what other fans miss
It's Theme Park Insider's week in review and look at the week ahead.
One of my favorite things to do on Theme Park Insider is to bring you new attraction reviews. You can find plenty of sources online that tell you whether or not a bunch of people like or dislike anything new. But the best reviews provide much more than that.
Criticism, when written well, offers context that helps you understand something new. It helps connect people with the stuff that they want, while steering them away from the stuff they don’t. Whether you end up experiencing the thing reviewed or not, reviews should get you thinking. Maybe they even entertain you, too.
On Thursday this week, we brought you two new attraction reviews - coincidentally, each for an interactive attraction. (That’s the fancy industry term for what we once just called “shoot-’em-ups.”) First up, the wonderful Jim Koehl and Jeff Elliott took us for a ride on Kings Island’s Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare. Sally Dark Rides revamped the old Boo Blasters show building at the Cincinnati-area park, creating an engaging new dark ride experience that rewards visitors even without its gameplay.
I love the music theory Easter egg here, with the mission to find and illuminate the “ghost notes” in the attraction. Sally and Six Flags came together here to craft something that offers multiple levels of rewards to fans. That’s what great design does, and a review can help people see all those additional tricks and tales and subtext that they might otherwise miss. You can read their review here: Kings Island’s Phantom Theater hits all the right notes
Next up, in California, I drove over to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood in Burbank for the studio’s new attraction, Superman Experience: Defenders Unite. It’s a separately ticketed, walk-through, 3D screen, gesture-driven interactive attraction. But that’s a clinical way of explaining that you get to be on a small team that flies and fights alongside Superman in a battle to save the world.
As with the Kings Island attraction, there is more on offer here than a casual visitor might process. Warner Bros. did not need to set up a philosophical debate about the corrupting nature of power when creating an excuse for us to fly and punch like a superhero. But it did. And I appreciate that. Here is my review: Warner Bros. invites fans to fly with Superman
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In the news this week, Six Flags reversed course and decided to bring back the park president job that it eliminated last year in favor of regional directors. But the park president position is coming back at just 10 Six Flags parks in the United States. Of course, that raises the question of what will be happening at the other parks, including Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Kings Dominion. See Six Flags flip-flops, will bring back park presidents
Disney this week announced the opening date and set list for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Walt Disney World. It also revealed the name for the new “Up”-themed waveswinger at Disneyland Paris.
Over on the Discussion Forum, we are looking for your advice for visiting Dollywood. We also are sharing which ride we have ridden the most.
The week ahead
Happy birthday next week to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which celebrates its 28th anniversary on April 22.
Epic Universe visitors will want to note that Yoshi’s Adventure will close for a brief refurbishment next week, from April 21 to April 23.
Next week will see the return of Universal Fan Fest Nights on Thursday, April 23. The event continues on 11 more select nights through May 16. I will be at the debut on Thursday, so look for my coverage on Friday morning. New this year is the Scooby Doo x Universal Monsters on the backlot and the Forbidden Forest: Search for the Hippogriff experience in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Other highlights include the One Piece Grand Pirate Show in the Waterworld theater and a Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon movie in the DreamWorks Theatre. Get your tickets here, from our partner.
The Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food & Wine Festival also returns on Thursday. This year’s event continues Thursdays through Sundays through June 21, plus on Memorial Day. You can find the menus and map on Busch Gardens’ website.
On Friday, April 24 Worlds of Fun reopens for the season - its first under Enchanted Parks management. Its Enchanted Parks sibling, Six Flags St. Louis, opens on Saturday, April 25. Also reopening for the season that day are Six Flags Great America and Knoebels.
Finally, one week from Sunday, on April 26, it’s TikiLand Day at Disneyland. Get ready for tropical shirts and dresses, plus longer than usual queues for Dole Whips.
Refurbishment schedule
February 17: Jungle Cruise closed at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
February 23: Conservation Station and the Wildlife Express Train closed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Reopens as Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station on May 26.
February 27: Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind closed at Disney California Adventure. No reopening date yet.
March 30: Disneyland Monorail and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin closed at Disneyland. No reopening dates yet.
April 13: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters closed at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
April 21 - April 23: Yoshi’s Adventure closes at Epic Universe.
April 27: Silly Symphony Swings closes at Disney California Adventure. No reopening date yet.
May 3: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.
May 3: Mine-Cart Madness closes for the day at Epic Universe.
May 4: Pirates of the Caribbean closes at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
May 4 - May 22: Viking Training Camp closes at Universal Epic Universe.
May 10: Impressions de France and Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along reopen at EPCOT.
May 14: Soarin’ Around the World closes at EPCOT. Soarin’ Across America opens May 26.
May 15: Pteranodon Flyers reopens at Universal Islands of Adventure.
May 26: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
May 26 - June 9: Me Ship, The Olive closes at Islands of Adventure.
June 1 - 16: Men in Black Alien Attack closes at Universal Studios Florida.
June 2: Toy Story Midway Mania! reopens at Disney California Adventure.
November 20: Jurassic Park River Adventure reopens at Islands of Adventure.
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Thank you for reading!
Robert Niles