Most major theme parks roll out the entertainment for Halloween and offer extended opening hours together with a variety of scary and spooky attractions. These special nights have proved to be enormously popular bringing in visitors from far and wide. It should be no surprise that other businesses have cottoned on to the money making potential and are turning themselves into mini theme parks for the season of ghosts and ghouls. Continue reading
When it comes to rides I am definitely a person who loves the more severe and intense variety but even I can appreciate an attraction which is great fun rather than thrilling, especially when it is unique. Whenever I go to Blackpool Pleasure Beach I have to ride Steeplechase, a ridiculous contraption which is simply hilarious. Continue reading
Disney are legendary for the grand finales they lay on to crown your day at one of their parks. Until recently, however, Disneyland Paris was rather a poor relation of the American Parks with a low key firework display ending the day. I was pleased to hear that Dreams was to come to the Paris and last year I set off with eager anticipation to see what the new show had to offer. Continue reading
No one does Christmas quite like Disney and if you haven’t experienced the festive season at one of their parks you have really missed something! Not only do you get the brilliant decorations and a unique atmosphere, there are also special festive attractions to enjoy. The best news of all is that Christmas is an extended season at Disney so you can experience all the fun and cheer in the build-up to the big day and take advantage of some great deals at the park. Continue reading
I first visited this park in 1996 and boy have things changed since then! Six flags have been engaged in a long running battle with Cedar Point for the title of roller coaster capital of the world and so the intervening years have seen the addition of several new rides and the demise of a few older attractions. I liked this park very much the first time I visited and it is a great place but if you have been to Cedar Point you will know which park is king of the coasters and it isn’t Six Flags! Continue reading
When working at a theme park you see many people trying to do the craziest things on roller coasters and attempting to smuggle amazing items onto the rides. Mad antics on coasters are becoming competitive and are proving to be a great means of getting publicity or making money for charity. Take “Scream If You Know the Answer”, a television quiz show where the celebrity competitors were filmed trying answer questions whilst riding the coasters. Adding a roller coaster to the mix makes for a good story and some great pictures. Continue reading
Major theme parks are generally very safe places for people to visit with serious incidents being comparatively rare. From time to time, however, a nasty event will occur and whilst there is nothing you can do to avoid being caught up in a mechanical failure there are ways of keeping yourself safe from other forms of disaster. Roller Coasters and thrill rides are huge chunks of metal travelling at high speed and so present all sorts of potential hazards. These machines should be treated with great respect as should the rules of the park. Continue reading
Hollywood conjures up all sorts of glamorous visions of movie stars and elegant neighbourhoods. Sadly this famous district of Los Angeles is not the most attractive of places in reality and is probably best ignored in favour of a visit to the Universal Studios Park which, whilst not the most beautiful place on the planet, is certainly a cut above the rest of the area. Continue reading
OK I admit it! I was always going to smile favourably on Wodan because I love Europa Park and I adore the wooden coasters off Great Coasters International. Having said that, even I was surprised by how good this attraction is. This is a ride that impresses as soon as you clap eyes on it and is a great adventure from the moment you enter the Plaza. Continue reading
In most theme parks around the world you will signs as you approach the thrill rides requesting that you do not take bags and loose items onto the ride with you. Lockers and bag rooms are provided to store your things before you ride and these are often free of very low cost options. Sadly many guests ignore these instructions because they do not understand the implications of what they are doing and the results can be rather unfortunate. Having worked in a theme park for several years I know exactly what can happen when loose items are taken onto rides and it is not funny! Continue reading