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SPECTRUM
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Travel Continued from previous page called Rosita’s Djembe Fly-Away. Sesame Street’s anchor is Elmo’s Treehouse, which got a makeover from its dragon days. At its feet are Bert & Ernie’s Watering Hole and Oscar’s Swamp Stomp, two splash playgrounds for toddlers, while netted canopy bridges overhead connect the treehouse to other play areas. New is “A Is for Africa,” a show in which the characters have an adventure in Africa; upgrades to a dining pavilion and the park’s first regular character breakfasts and lunches. The highlight is Air Grover, a 42-second coaster ride with mini-dives and two horizontal loops — a starter coaster for kids within view of two of Busch Gardens’ heart-stopping adult coasters. With Grover in helmet and aviator glasses at the controls, the coaster flies over the Sahara. Busch Gardens is also building a thrill ride, set to open next year, but has not released details about it.
Disney
Most of Disney’s attention is focused on its biggest expansion ever, one that will double the size of Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. The Fantasyland — which opens in two parts, in 2012 and 2013 — will play heavily on interactive attractions, including “homes” for three princesses with whom guests can chat, along with Journey of the Little Mermaid and a renovated and expanded Dumbo’s Flying Circus. This year, Disney World’s newest ride is an undisguised math and science lesson where guests design their thrill ride. Sum of All Thrills is part of Epcot’s Innoventions attraction, a complex of quasi-educational interactive exhibits, and is sponsored by Raytheon. Guests use a touch- screen work table to design their choice of ride — a bobsled, roller coaster or jet — and a customized series of corkscrews, inversions and steep hills. If a hill is too high or speed too fast, a “virtual test dummy” lets the designer know that section needs to be reworked. (Tip: Take too long with your design and the computer will take over and finish it for you.) Two guests take seats in a robotic simulator, capsules are lowered over their heads, and they experience the ride they designed. The simulator doesn’t go anywhere, but it turns and shakes, and high-definition video, sound and air motion create a not-quite 100 percent sensation of speeding through space with dips, dives and twists. If a simulated thrill ride feels odd inside the capsule, it’s an even odder sight for those outside: An array of robotic capsules moving in place at helter skelter angles, two pairs of legs sticking out of each, tracing the arc of the ride in the air. Fans can get back in line and re-engineer their ride, or come back with their design card for up to six months and experience the same ride. Elsewhere at Disney: At Epcot, guests can play an interactive high-tech game inspired by the animated TV series “Disney’s Kim Possible” as they walk through the park. Armed with a “Kimmunicator” — a specially programmed cellphone that they can pick up at kiosks for free — guests become secret agents trying to save the world. Players connect with Kim Possible characters, learn about villains and their dastardly plans and are assigned a mission. When a player arrives at a designated pavilion, he receives instructions to stop the bad guys from taking over the world. Each player’s Kimmunicator sets off special effects at the pavilion — perhaps a wall or piece of decor will light up — that are key to accomplishing the mission. The Main Street Electrical Parade returns to the Magic Kingdom this summer for the first time since 2001. Tinker Bell will lead the parade on a new float; Snow White and Pinocchio also have new floats. The parade is part of Summer Nightastic!, which runs June 6 through Aug. 14. Other summer events include a daily dance party for tweens in the courtyard of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios and a series of tribute concerts at Epcot. Mobile Magic, a new Disney app for smart phones, combines GPS technology with real-time information about rides, attractions, events and characters. Guests can use their Verizon phone to find out which rides are closest to their location; the wait times and Fastpass return times; daily events (including the schedule for Disney characters); park maps and information about park restaurants. The app is available only to Verizon customers and costs $9.99 for six months. Guests who are not Verizon customers can get a limited amount of information on browser-enabled phones, but they can’t get any of the features that are tied to the GPS. Inspired by the popularity of dressing up like a princess, Magic Kingdom has introduced The Pirates League, an opportunity for boys and girls to become pirates. The basic package —
The CoCo Key Water resort is shown sans water in Orlando, Florida. bandana, scars, tattoos, fake teeth, earring and eye patch for boys; bandana, shimmering makeup, face gem, tattoos, nail polish, earring and eye patch for girls — runs about $30. The new pirates can also take part in the daily Pirates Parade through Adventureland. While the kids are on a ride, adults can slip away to the new La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. La Cava offers shots of more than 70 tequilas, with prices ranging from $8 to as much as $55 for a rare tequila, plus exotic margaritas and a small menu of snacks. At Downtown Disney, Paradiso 37, featuring 37 varieties of tequila and cuisine of the Americas (Chilean salmon, Argentinian skirt steak, tacos, enchiladas, cheeseburgers and chili d o g s ) , o p e n e d l a s t f a l l a t Pa r a d i s e I s l a n d . Entrees $8.99-$26.99. Disney”s two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, have added cabanas that, for an extra fee, provide a roof or umbrella, locker and cooler, plus an attendant to take food orders. The cabanas were part of Disney”s Year of a Million Dreams and were so popular that the park decided to add them permanently.
Seaworld aquatica
Omaka Rocka opened at Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, this spring. It consists of two closed slides that widen into funnel shapes that spin tube riders and rock them so that they might end up facing front, back or sideways when the ride spits them out. The addition of two slides brings to 38 the number of slides at Aquatica. Aquatica, which already had cabanas, converted some to premium cabanas with more privacy, including one “ultimate cabana,” with two tents, a dining table for six and a daily rental fee of $600. At SeaWorld, the killer whale show continues with some temporary changes after one of the orcas killed its trainer Feb 24. Whale trainers are still doing everything from the deck, says Jill Revelle, park spokeswoman, but eventually will return to the water after the park finishes reviewing its practices. Tilikum, the 12,000-pound orca who grabbed his trainer in his mouth and held her underwater, is expected to return to the show as well, but the date has not been set.
Going to the theme parks • Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: One-day Florida resident admission — adult or child — is $64.95; an annual pass for Florida residents is $69.95, good for unlimited admission through Dec 31. To celebrate the opening of Sesame Street Safari of Fun, kids ages 5 and under who are Florida residents get in free all year; young guests must register online before visit. See website for deals on multi-park passes (including SeaWorld), www.buschgardens.com ; 888-800-5447. Busch Gardens also operates a water park, Adventure Island (www.adventureisland.com). • Disney: A one-day, one-park pass for Florida residents, purchased online in advance, is $71.10 for adults, $61.20 ages 3 to 9. A variety of multi-day, multi-park passes is also available. In addition to the four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios — Disney has Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks, DisneyQuest, Oak Trail golf course and Disney’s Wide World of Sports. www.disneyworld.com ; 407-W-DISNEY (407-9347639). • SeaWorld Orlando: One-day Florida resident admission — adult or child — is $68.95; an annual pass for Florida residents is $69.95, good for unlimited admission through Dec. 31. Special deal: With certain adult tickets purchased online, children 12 and under are admitted for $5; the $5 goes to wildlife conservation. Details at www.SeaWorldCares.com (offer not good with the Florida resident rate). See website for deals and multi-park passes (including Busch Gardens), www.seaworldorlando.com ; 888-800- 5447. SeaWorld also operates the Aquatica water park and Discovery Cove. • Universal: One-day Florida resident admission is $70.99 for adults, $60.99 ages 3-9 (not available July 1-31, Dec 23-Jan 1) for one park, Universal Studios or Universal Islands of Adventure. Multi-day and multi-park deals available online. Universal also operates the Wet ‘n Wild water park. www.universalorlando.com ; 407-363-8000. • Orlando Magicard: This free card, which can be downloaded at the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau website (www.VisitOrlando.com/deals), offers discounts at certain hotels, restaurants and attractions. For information on lodgings, www.VisitOrlando.com. — MCT
Elmo’s Treehouse is an attraction at the Sesame Street.
The Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, features the world’s largest non-inversion loop. The track twists around the loop so riders are never completely upside down.
Air Grover is the new junior roller coaster at the Sesame Street of Fun Safari at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.
Kids cool off at Bert & Ernie’s Watering Hole at the Sesame Street of Fun Safari.