Theme Park News
by Candyce H. Stapen
For guaranteed family fun, theme parks never go out
of style. One reason: constant new rides and attractions that up
the thrills and add to the fantasy. As always, coasters are among
the big, bold, dare-you-to-do-it debuts. The new season's models
not only zip the fearless down tracks at dizzying speeds, but also
twist riders in new ways. Both Dollywood's Mystery Mine and
Busch Gardens' Griffon add Immelman loops, a heart-pounding
combo of a loop and a roll. The Disney parks take wish fulfillment
to a new level and Hersheypark adds the nostalgia of a seaside getaway
with its new water-themed boardwalk.
Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL and Disneyland, Anaheim, CA
The Disney theme parks have always been in the business of selling
dreams and never more so than through December 2007. During the
15-month celebration "Year of a Million Dreams," which began October
2006, the parks add special experiences designed to maximize the
magic.
The wishes-come-true items include being guest of honor in a parade,
becoming a pirate of the Caribbean, and sleeping overnight in the
new Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim (begins
December 1, 2006) or bedding down in the Cinderella Castle Suite
in Walt Disney World, Orlando (beginning late January 2007).
Other possibilities: winning a 15-day, 14-night tour of the worldwide
Disney parks or a ten-day Disney Cruise Line Mediterranean cruise.
The lucky are either chosen at the parks or by entering www.disneyparks.com/rules.
New attractions at the Orlando park include The Seas with Nemo
and Friends, a ride through a coral reef in Epcot (fall 2006)
and "Finding Nemo-The Musical," (opening late 2006 in the Animal
Kingdom). California's Disneyland debuts Finding Nemo Submarine
Voyage, in (Tomorrowland, summer 2007 (www.disneyparks.com).
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, VA
Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a pastiche of faux European villages
with thousands of flowers and beautiful landscaping, frequently
wins the "Most Beautiful Theme Park" title. The park combines roller
coasters and other fun rides with German, French, Italian, and Irish
villages.
For spring 2007, the park unleashes Griffon, billed as the
world's tallest-205 feet high-and only floorless dive coaster. This
monster plunges riders 90 degrees straight down at more than 75
miles per hour. The gut-wrenching thrills also include loops, rolls,
twists, and turns. Griffon joins such other park coasters
as Apollo's Chariot, which hurls riders down nine drops totaling
nearly 1,000 feet at speeds up to 73 miles per hour and Alpengeist,
which flips the fearless six times, dropping them a dizzying 95
feet.
Little kids especially like the child-friendly Land of the Dragons
play area and the kid-sized rides. The park's shows provide welcome
breaks from all the walking, especially for little feet. At Jack
Hanna's Wild Reserve see gray wolves and hand-feed lorikeets, colorful,
tiny birds. Don't forget to visit the Clydesdales and board the
Rhine River boat for a scenic ten-minute cruise (800-343-7946; www.buschgardens.com).
Cedar Point Amusement Park Sandusky, OH
Cedar Point, a frequent winner of best amusement
park, also takes the title of home to the world's largest collection
of roller coasters-17 with the debut in 2007 of Maverick.
The steel scream machine features two launches-one in the dark-plus
a 400-foot tunnel, a 95-degree drop and a top speed of 70 mph. Among
the park's other coasters are Top Thrill Dragster, a 420-foot-high
monster that propels riders at speeds of up 125 miles per hour;
Magnum XL200, which rises 205 feet tall and races along at
up to 72 miles per hour, as well as Mean Streak, a 161-foot-tall
wooden wonder with dips and drops calculated to make you shriek.
For little ones, there's Camp Snoopy whose highlight is the Woodland
Express, a 38-foot-tall family coaster. At Castaway Bay, an
indoor waterpark attached to a hotel operated by the park, splash
in the 100,000-gallon wave pool, slither down slides, get propelled
upstream on the water coaster, and get doused by a giant tipping
bucket and interactive sprays at the family funhouse (419-627-2350;
www.cedarpoint.com).
Hersheypark, Hershey, PA
There's an old-fashioned sweetness to Hersheypark, from Chocolate
World's ride through look-at-the-candy factory to real hugs from
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and the rest of the characters. The 110-acre
theme park celebrates its 100th birthday by debuting the Boardwalk
at Hersheypark on Memorial Day. Along with eateries, arcades and
shops, the new 4.6-acre site pays tribute to a day at the beach
with five new get-wet attractions.
With East Coast Waterworks, the centerpiece, kids can slip down
seven slides, crawl through two tunnels, cross 225 feet of bridges
and play with nearly 200 interactive water toys. Families can zoom
down Coastline Plunge, a slide complex that will bring the
board game Chutes and Ladders to life, swim at Bayside Pier, the
new pool, and try hanging ten on Waverider. Tots can splash
at Sandcastle Cove, a new wading area.
The park's Midway America, a nostalgic nod to traditional amusement
parks, features a 100-foot Ferris wheel. Other park favorites: Lightning
Racer, a wooden roller coaster that shimmies and shakes as it
zooms down the track, and Storm Runner, a high-speed coaster
that zips riders at speeds of up to 72 miles per hour, dropping
them 150 feet (800-HERSHEY; www.hersheypark.com).
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
Dollywood, the theme park begun by megastar Dolly
Parton in the hills of her hometown just five miles north of the
Gatlinburg entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
debuts a mega-coaster for the spring/summer 2007 season. Mystery
Mine, set in an abandoned coalmine, plunges riders into the
dark, then drops them a stomach-churning 85 feet at 95 degrees.
Along with half-loops, rollovers and other gut-wrenching twists,
the ride features special effects. The coaster joins the popular
Thunderhead, a wooden coaster with 100-foot drops and speeds
of up to 55 miles per hour and the Tennessee Tornado, with
drops of 128 feet at speeds up to 65 miles per hour.
Mountain heritage--crafts and music--is as important in Dollywood
as monster rides. The park offers daily demonstrations of blacksmithing,
hand-blown glass making and other skills.
There's plenty of music at Dollywood. All the sounds aren't country,
although the "Kinfolks Show," a tribute to Dolly, has plenty of
twang. "Dreamland Drive-In" is a toe-tapping fifties and sixties
rock n' roll revival and Naomi and the Wood Brothers put on a lively
bluegrass show (800-DOLLYWOOD; www.dollywood.com).
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Great Places, Great Deals
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New York City: Discover the charms of
Manhattan in winter with Apple Core Hotels' Super
8 Hotel Times Square's Picture Perfect in the
Park package. Along with lodging, enjoy a complimentary
20 minute ride in a horse-drawn carriage through
Central Park, get $10 worth of free digital prints
from the Kodak Picture Maker in the lobby, and
complimentary daily breakfast and in-room coffee.
Rates from $159 per night, available through February
28, 2007 excluding December 31, 2006 (800-567-7720;
www.applecorehotels.com).
-Caribbean: Wyndham Getaways by Request. Shake
off the cold by taking to the beaches at three
popular Wyndham all-inclusive resorts with complimentary
children's programs. At Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort
& Spa, St. Thomas, rooms start at $201 per night;
at Viva Wyndham Maya, Playa del Carmen, Mexico,
from $218 and at Viva Wyndham Tangerine, Cabarete,
Dominican Republic, from $153. With some exceptions,
rates are valid through April 30, 2007 (800-WYNDHAM;
www.wyndhamgetaways.com).
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*****
– Candyce H. Stapen is the author of
27 books, including National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family
Vacations.
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