Author: Theme Park Wizard

I am a huge fan of theme parks!

New Concept Art Revealed For Magic Happens Parade at Disneyland Park!

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Disney today released some new concept art for some of the floats in the Magic Happens Parade debuting February 28th. Disney revealed the images for the Sword and The Stone, Cinderella, and The Princess and the Frog floats along with a new video offering a sneak peek at the behind the scenes action of the making of the parade.

Sneak Peek of the Awe-Inspiring ‘Magic Happens’ Parade
Cinderella

Here is a look at the all new Cinderella float as she is going to the ball and undergoes her magical transformation into a princess.

The Sword in the Stone float
The Sword and the Stone

Next we have The Sword and the Stone as Arthur pulls out the stone for the first time on his way to become king!

The Princess and the Frog float
The Princess and the Frog

Lastly, we have the magical moment that Tiana and her prince transform from being frogs to the beautiful couple they are meant to be.

That is all the new concept art Disney has given out, if you want to see the concept art for the other floats click right here! What do you think of the new floats? Are you excited for this new parade to come to Disneyland next month? Let me know in the comments below!

Last Day To Ride Wild Arctic At Sea World San Diego Was January 10th

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Last Friday was your last opportunity to ride Wild Arctic at Sea World San Diego. The simulator ride was 25 years old and is rumored to be replaced by a family multi launch coaster. The Wild Arctic exhibits are staying though and will hopefully even get a refresh.

This new coaster is rumored to open in 2021 and be a family launch coaster similar to Wavebreaker at Sea World San Antonio. This coaster will have a max height of 30 feet and have a speed around 42 mph. Below are the proposed plans for the coaster.

Image result for emperor construction sea world
Image courtesy of Behind The Thrills

We should see construction start sometime in the Spring right after Emperor opens as this coaster will be built in the current staging area for Emperor. So I would expect demo to occur on the former ride for the next few months until Emperor opens sometime in April or May.

What do you think of Sea World’s aggressive coaster expansion in all of its parks? Are you happy they are focusing more on rides than animal shows? Let me know in the comments below!

Universal Studios Hollywood Lunar New Year Celebration!

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Lunar New Year starts January 23rd and goes through February 9th. It will be located in the main plaza where all of the events at the park are held and for the most part seems like a repeat of the offerings from last year.

This year Universal will be offering:

  • Character Meet and Greets featuring characters from Kung Fu Panda, Minions, and Transformers
  • Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop with savory Asian dishes
  • Wishing Trees where you can make a wish and hope it comes true
  • Feng The Place Artist’s Stand where you can draw your favorite characters from the Kung Fu Panda movies
  • Special Food Offerings
  • Cultural Entertainment

Will you be going to this year’s Lunar New Year festival? What of the above offerings are you looking forward to the most? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and follow this blog for constant theme park updates!

Disney Announces Resident and Hotel Discounts For 2020 and With Me You Can Get Them Cheaper!!

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Welcome to 2020! Disney is giving everyone who lives in Southern California a great ticket deal for this off season! There are two discounts I have here for all of you and I am going to break them down for you right now.

The first is the 3 Day one park per day or parkhopper ticket. For $199 you can get a 3 Day non consecutive one park per day ticket to the Disneyland Resort and for $254 you can get a 3 Day parkhopper non consecutive ticket to the resort. Both tickets must be used by May 21, 2020 and have a one week blockout period during Spring Break. Now if you combine the tickets with a two night hotel stay you can save an extra $10 off your package. You may purchase those tickets here!

For the next special it is the same one as above, but without the hotel and is only for Southern California residents. You may purchase those right here!

During these next few months the Disneyland Resort will welcome Rise of the Resistance in ten days, Lunar New Year in a few weeks, Califronia Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival as well as a brand new daytime parade, so go ahead and buy those tickets so you can enjoy the plethora of new entertainment and attractions coming to the resort!

Will Disney Raise Ticket Prices Soon?

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Today marks exactly one year since the last price increase for the Disneyland Resort. Many people are wondering if Disney will raise their ticket prices again soon especially considering Rise of the Resistance opens in two weeks.

Disney usually gives little to no warning on when they are going to raise prices, but the most tell-tell sign is when the website is going down for maintenance which usually happens for a few hours overnight.

My question is how high can Disney raise the already expensive prices? This summer crowds were non-existent due to fear or Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, but come this past holidays the resort was bursting at the seams. My guess is that since I am sure the low crowds this past summer hurt Disney’s bottom line, I do not think there will be a price increase at least until closer to the Avengers Campus opening this summer.

What do you think will happen? Will Disney raise prices and when? Let me know your thoughts down below!

Asian Streets Eats Now Open at Downtown Disney

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized
Photo Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

At long last Asian Streets Eats has opened in front of the former Rainforest Cafe restaurant in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. This location looks like a glorified food truck and that tells me that this is temporary until they figure out what they want to do with the Rainforest Cafe building.

The menu for this establishment will of course be Asian dishes such as Scallion Pancake Wraps and Pot stickers.

Scallion Pancake Wrap from Asian Street Eats
All Photos courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Pot stickers from Asian Street Eats

Will you be trying out this new restaurant? What do you think of the food choices? Let me know down below!

Possible Fire at WDW PeopleMover

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Photos have been circulating on social media of smoke billowing out of the People Mover at the Magic Kingdom. There have been reports of at least fifteen firefighters going towards the attraction. The My Disney Experience App shows that the People Mover and Buzz Lightyear are temporarily closed. This story will be updated as it develops, but comment below what you see and provide any updates on the situation if you have any! Happy New Year and check back here for more stories weekly!

Photo courtesy of WDWNT

UPDATE: This photo provided by Blog Mickey shows that the People Mover is back open and the moving walkways are stopped which means guests just have to walk up and down the ramps.

Final Day To Ride Wild Arctic At Sea World San Diego January 10th

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Sea World has told everyone that the last day to ride Wild Arctic will be on January 10th.

Then they will quickly start prepping for their 2021 addition which will be a family quadruple multi launch coaster. The Wild Arctic exhibits will be safe and perhaps even refurbished to go along with the new coaster. Sea World works very quickly on their new rides with each opening usually in May so to see work start on their 2021 addition so early is not surprising at all.

Coaster Site Plans
Coaster Layout

Here is the proposed coaster layout Sea World filed with the California Coastal Commission and City of San Diego thanks to Behind The Thrills. The coaster height will be a maximum of 30 feet due to a height limit in the area. The max speed will most likely be in the 40mph range. The Wild Arctic simulator is over 25 years old and very rough and is last on guest satisfaction lists which is a major reason why it is being demolished.

What do you think of this forthcoming coaster? Are you excited? Are you glad Sea World continues to switch area from animals to more rides? Let me know in the comments below!

Avengers Campus Opens Summer 2020!

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized
Image result for avengers campus

Disney yesterday confirmed the opening season of Avengers Campus coming to California Adventure in Summer 2020. In the theme park industry, summer usually means May-August. Disney has been opening new attractions and lands anywhere from Memorial Day until June so I would expect that Disney is shooting for a Memorial Day 2020 opening for Avengers Campus.

The land will include an interactive Spider-man ride, Hank Pym Restaurant, a doctor strange show, and two gift shops. Lots of live entertainment seems to be planned for this land (Hopefully it does not get cut like Galaxy’s Edge) including a Spider-man stunt show using a stuntmotronic and an Avengers stunt show on top of the Avengers HQ building.

Image result for avengers campus
Avengers HQ

Are you excited for Avengers Campus? Will you be visting right away or waiting until the Avengers E Ticket opens in a few years? Let me know in the comments below!

Universal Studios Hollywood Significantly Drops Prices on Annual Passes

by Theme Park Wizard, posted in Uncategorized

Universal quietly dropped their annual pass prices and did so pretty significantly some time in the past couple of weeks. According to an insider Universal is pretty happy with the amount of tourists and VIP’s visiting the park, but is underwhelmed by the amount of local traffic. Repeat visitors are what drives in park spending the most so Universal really relies on passholders during the slow and busy seasons to keep up the bottom line.

The new amounts are listed as follows:

Platinum (Includes no blackout dates and Universal Express): $629 now $449

Gold: $329 now $249

Silver: $179 now $174

I expect once Secret Life of Pets opens next year and when Nintendo opens in 2021 those prices will shoot back up so I would purchase a pass and enjoy the reduction while you can. Another great option, which is what I always purchase, is the season pass which for $149 ($10 more than a one day ticket) grants you 9 months or 275 days of access to the park. It does not include parking, but I always just park at the nearby Metro stop which is only three dollars and take the tram to the entrance.

Will these new price reductions encourage you to purchase a pass? Do you think Universal still does not have enough to do to get a pass? Let me know in the comments below!