June - Park World Online - theme park, amusement park and leisure industry news

With a strong education programme, networking events and tours to several leading local attractions, next month's Asian Attractions Expo in Kuala Lumpur promises a packed schedule

A new walk-through attraction has arrived at Morey's Piers, Wildwood, New Jersey. The Ghost Ship, until now shrouded in mystery, is a frightfully haunting dark walk-through following in the tradition of attractions popular along the Jersey shore.

Based inside a 150ft-long, 14,000 sq ft fake cargo ship that has apparently crash-landed into Morey's former miniature golf course, the storyline involves a “Philadelphia Experiment” that has gone horribly wrong.

The $3-million immersive experience features costumed actors and animatronics spread across multiple interconnecting decks and ramps. The walk-through lasts nearly half an hour.

A full profile of Ghost Ship will follow in a future issue of Park World.

Animalive, the British developer of live interactive theatres, is to roll out its Chatterbox Mini product to three more Sea Life centres in the UK following a successful trial in Brighton.

Visitors to a theme park in China can discover King Kong rubbing shoulders with the dinosaurs. The hairy beast can be found in a brand new area of Changzhou Dinosaur Park, about two hours’ west of Shanghai, together with a raft of other attractions.

King Kong is the third ride of its kind produced by Huss Park Attractions in partnership with the German animatronic specialist Heimo, following installations last year in Belgium and France.

Passengers take their places inside the 24-seater tramcar, strap themselves in tight, and prepare for a face-to-face encounter with the fearsome gorilla. The car is lifted 12 metres high and shook from side to side as Kong’s eyes light up and smoke effects circle the scene.

The King Kong films are a big hit in China apparently, and the new ride in Changzhou has already made the front page of a local newspaper. Also appearing at the park as part of the new themed area, which opened on April 27, are a Zamperla Windshear (Top Spin-type attraction) and a giant Sky Chaser by the same manufacturer.

Other new attractions include an S&S tower ride and a themed Zamperla coaster due to open this summer. A Huss Sky Tower is also due as part of a new development taking place outside the park.

The launch of Ednör – L'attaque at La Ronde signals the start of the Montreal amusement park’s transition into a theme park. This, the park’s first totally themed rollercoaster, features a pre-ride show that immerses riders into a world of sea monsters.

Ednör is a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster that once operated as Serial Thriller at the now defunct Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas. It is 689 metres long, 33 metres tall and carries more than 1,000 guests per hour at a top speed of 90 km/h. The course, half of which is over water, includes five complete inversions and added special effects.

Las Vegas’ Stratosphere Hotel & Casino has opened one of the world’s tallest SkyJump attractions. Located 855ft above the Vegas Strip, the attraction is best described as a controlled freefall.

Wearing jump suits, riders throw themselves of the tower while attached to a “descender machine” that regulates their speed to 40mph. Just before hitting the landing pad at the bottom, the jumper is slowed down for a controlled landing.

“SkyJump is a must-do for anyone looking to experience the ultimate adrenaline rush,” says Frank Riolo, CEO of American Casino & Entertainment Properties, which owns and operates the Stratosphere Tower. “It’s really not about the speed. The speed is actually nice because you get a chance to look around but you still feel like you are falling.”

SkyJump Las Vegas costs $99.99 per person and riders must be 14 years old to jump. Riolo has done so six times. Guinness World Records has declared the attraction the world’s highest commercial decelerator descent, breaking the previous record set by SkyJump at Macau Tower in China, which descends 764.4ft.

The 1,149-ft. Stratosphere Tower is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the United States, featuring the Top of the World restaurant and highest view of the Las Vegas Strip from its observation deck. As well as SkyJump, it is also home to three other exhilarating attractions, Big Shot (an S&S tower ride) and X-Scream and Insanity by Intercative Rides. All three exploit the tower’s height and play with riders’ emotions. A notice on the elevator doors, for example, asks riders if they have brought spare underwear.

IAAPA to open Asian office

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) is to open an office in either Hong Kong or Singapore to service its members in the Asia-Pacific region. The search has already begun for a regional executive director to staff the office.

"The attractions industry is growing and evolving at a rapid rate in the Asia-Pacific region," notes IAAPA chairman Chip Cleary. "We expect that growth will continue, and we want to further develop the services we provide to our members where they conduct their business."

The executive director will work closely with IAAPA’s Asian advisory board and represent the association and the industry at meetings and events around the world. A job description and application form can be found on the IAAPA website. The new

Omaka Rocka, ProSlide’s innovative new two-man ”surprise adventure” tubing ride (marketed by the manufacturer as Topsy Turvy), has opened at Aquatica in Orlando. High-speed tubes and half-pipe funnels await every rider as they splash and slide from side to side.

Riders speed down flumes into massive funnels, sliding high up one side and then the other, rocking back and forth, feeling a sensation of near weightlessness. Coming out of the funnel, they skim into a drenching splashdown.

Over successive April weekends I rode the two new rollercoasters at different Cedar Fair properties in the United States, the similarly-named Intimidator at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia. Intimidator is 232ft tall, while Intimidator 305 (see page 28) towers 305ft. Was I intimidated by Intimidator? Nah, it's my job.

Both rides takes their title from the nickname of NASCAR stock car racing legend Dale Earnhardt. On the track, Dale was the Intimidator. In both these parks, Intimidator quickly established itself as their signature ride. But they are not the same ride. Is one better? It depends on your tastes.

Both have entry plazas paying tribute to Earnhardt's accomplishments. Both coaster's trains are themed to resemble this race car. But at the bottom of each first drop the coasters veer right. Dale Earnhardt always turned left around typically oval shaped NASCAR tracks. But who wants to ride a predictable four-left-turn coaster? This is a road race, not a classic stock car race. So much for theming.

Carowinds' Intimidator features Bolliger and Mabillard's new staggered stadium-seating trains with very comfortable lap restraints. Kings Dominion's version is from IntaRide, Intamin's North American affiliate, and seats riders two abreast with over-the-shoulder restraints.

Carowinds' Intimidator begins with a first drop of 211ft at a 74-degree angle. Riders race their way around 5,316ft of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. There are eight big drops before finishing with a final spiral dip and curve. That's more than a minute of high-speed butter-smooth fast-paced coasting with eight seat-lifting moments. I love air, and this is big air.

At Kings Dominion, the 5,100ft-long (almost a mile!) Intimidator 305 drops 300ft at an 85 degree-angle, reaching a top speed of 93 mph. In 45 seconds it thunders through the “thrill zone” at an average speed of 68 mph. Simply breathtaking. Good thing park security weren't carrying radar guns. Last time I checked, travelling 68mph is illegal in Virginia. There are six moments of air and three very aggressive high speed turns. IntaRide placed the eddy-current brakes right at the very end of the run. If you need to stop (I didn't want to), this is the perfect placement for mid-course brakes.

I love high speed, long rides, non-stop action, airtime and comfort while riding. Both deliver these attributes in generous amounts. Both are destined to become top 10 coasters. But how cool would it have been if either coaster had a double-down? You know. A steep drop from the top of the lift for 30ft, flatten the track a bit for 30 ft, then resume the steep drop to the ground. There was space. Riders would scream with delight. Surely it’s not too intimidating?

Risto Räikkönen, Linnanmäki, Finland: For a city amusement park like us in Helsinki money is not always the first thing we think about when planning a new attraction. The most important issue is always the space; where we could find a space for a new attraction? If we did not have any limits I'd like to have an attraction similar to Fata Morgana at Efteling in the Netherlands. It’s a boat trip through the forbidden city from the tales of 1,001 nights; a wonderful, very well themed and breathtaking attraction. Pure perfection! As we don't have any space and we don't have the money, we'd rather put the focus on this season and try to make it as good as possible. We have got a kiddie ride coming soon from Italy (by Technical Park) and then next year we are going to have a major ride (Sky Loop) from Maurer Söhne. For the season of 2012 we will need something for families and adults again.

Apps and maps

Users of iPhones and Blackberry devices enjoy access to a particularly rich range of interactive applications – or “apps” – and it should come as no surprise that several are now available targeting theme park users.

Just released in version 2.0, Thrill Seeker allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to make the most out of their park visit by providing information on rides, attractions and facilities – and directions to help you find them.

"Having maps within the app is a very useful feature,” says developer Mark Locker of Theme Park Nerd, UK. “Google's satellite imagery is 100% accurate, so we can highlight your exact position, allowing you to see everything around you in a glance. We're even working on our own hand-drawn maps, which will be available as a free update this summer.”

Information supplied includes ride descriptions, specifications and height restriction, plus details of available on-ride photos or property storage facilities. A new feature is a collection of over 1,500 photos, which can also be used as wallpapers.

Thrill Seeker can be used at 19 parks in the UK and USA including Alton Towers and Alton Towers Waterpark, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island Waterpark, Chessington World of Adventures, Discovery Cove, Drayton Manor, Oakwood, SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove, Thorpe Park, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, EPCOT, Magic Kingdom and Wet ’n Wild Orlando.

Thrill Seeker is available worldwide exclusively through the Apple App Store. Download prices include $2.99 (US), £2.99 (UK), €3.99 (Central Europe) and ¥600 (Japan).

Undercover Tourist, developed by the Florida travel agent of the same name in association with Phunware Inc, helps Walt Disney World (WDW) guests navigate the long waiting lines at the Orlando resort.

The app features accurate wait-times integrated in real-time with park maps, information about rides, attractions and restaurants. Users can also purchase attraction tickets. Maps and wait times are available for all four WDW parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

“The Undercover Tourist app is a unique new experience for guests of Walt Disney World," says Phunware CEO, Alan S Knitowski. "They no longer need bulky maps and papers to find their way around the parks or search for others in their party."

Undercover Tourist is available via Apple’s App Store or iTunes Store for $3.99 and at the time of writing was the number one paid-for travel app on iTunes.

Disney fans in the US without an iPhone may find the Mobile Magic application of interest. Real-time updates about ride wait times, FastPass distribution, character locations and events at all six of the parks at both WDW and Disneyland Resort in California. The app is available to users on the Verizon network and costs $9.99 for 180 days, available direct from Disney.

www.thrillseekerapp.com

http://tinyurl.com/y972csx

http://tinyurl.com/ygx7oum

What apps are you guests using? Let us know! parkworld@datateam.com