Monday, June 16, 2008
Busch Gardens Safari
"The safari was great. We got to see a baby rhino- just three weeks old.It was playing and looked remarkably like a puppy. Feeding the giraffes was real nice too. Yes, I already knew they were big but it was striking to feed & touch an animal that big." ~Keith
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Golf Event
Keith surrounded by fellow CFVRMA board members"Disney World invited us to golf on The Palm Course, the one the PGA Tour is on - beautiful!" ~Keith
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
"Sounds Like Summer" Concert Series
This summer from June 9, 2008 - August 10, 2008 Epcot will be hosting the "Sounds Like Summer" series at the America Gardens Theater. The series will include bands covering the songs of U2, The Eagles, Bon Jovi and more! These concerts are included with your Epcot admission and are the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy the summer evenings. The America Gardens Theater is an outdoor pavillion located in the World Showcase. There will be 3 shows nightly at 5:15pm, 6:30pm and 7:45pm.
Scheduled Performers Include:
June 9-15: 2U, The U2 Tribute Band
June 16-22: Stayin' Alive, A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 23-29: Hotel California, A Salute to the Eagles
June 30- July 10: Bjorn Again, A Tribute to ABBA
July 11-20: Slippery When Wet, The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
July 21-27: 52nd Street, A Tribute to Billy Joel
July 28-August 3: Captain Fantastic, A Tribute to Elton John
August 4-10: The Sounds of The Supremes
Be sure to take a break, rest those tired feet and check out these rockin' bands during your visit!
Scheduled Performers Include:
June 9-15: 2U, The U2 Tribute Band
June 16-22: Stayin' Alive, A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 23-29: Hotel California, A Salute to the Eagles
June 30- July 10: Bjorn Again, A Tribute to ABBA
July 11-20: Slippery When Wet, The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
July 21-27: 52nd Street, A Tribute to Billy Joel
July 28-August 3: Captain Fantastic, A Tribute to Elton John
August 4-10: The Sounds of The Supremes
Be sure to take a break, rest those tired feet and check out these rockin' bands during your visit!
Monday, June 2, 2008
SeaWorld Orlando Announces New Mega-Attraction Coming In 2009 - Manta, Ride The Flying Ray
ORLANDO Fla. (May 29, 2008) -- SeaWorld Orlando announced today the next generation of SeaWorld thrills with Manta -- a new mega-attraction which will seamlessly transition guests from the awe of encountering rays in underwater flight… into the sensation of actually being one. Swooping over sea and sky, Manta will inspire riders with amazing underwater animal habitats, then soar them face-down, in a horizontal position, aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster. Manta opens summer 2009.
The Manta flying coaster will create a new level of immersion into the animal world -- in a way only SeaWorld can do -- enveloping riders in a sensation of oneness with the ocean’s most powerful and graceful creature as they soar, dive and plummet through the air.. and at times within inches of the sea.
The journey begins the second guests enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. No ordinary queue line – the attraction starts with the first step inside. Anticipation builds as guests wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created and left behind by artists who were moved to pay tribute to the beauty, grace and intrigue of these animals.
Whether guests choose to ride or not, the attraction is a world unto itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows create mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and mysterious creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays, cownose rays, and oscillate river rays float past guests with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld. Enhancing the feeling of awe, elaborate lighting, sound and rushing waterfalls further submerge guests into this underwater universe.
The experience then evolves from seeing ... to being.
Inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures, guests will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta. With a wing span of 12 feet, the giant manta will soar over sea and sky in the most graceful flying coaster ever created.
Gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,359 feet of track, riders will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea -- so close at times that the Manta’s wings skim the waves.
“This ride is uniquely SeaWorld,” said Dan Brown, Vice President and General Manager of SeaWorld Orlando. “SeaWorld is famous for connecting guests with the sea and its amazing creatures, and Manta does this in a way that has never been done before, creating a true sense of oneness between human and animal.
“The sensation of Manta also will be like none other in the world – guests will be inspired by the grace and power of live rays, then feel as if they, themselves, are gliding through air and water,” said Joseph Couceiro, Chief Marketing Officer for SeaWorld’s parent company, Busch Entertainment Corporation. “No one but SeaWorld can unite thrills and ocean animals into such a unique experience.”
The 7-acre, 140-ft tall attraction will be located inside the main entrance to SeaWorld, and become an icon in the park with its unique design. Towering over SeaWorld’s 200-acres, the manta-themed coaster – cloaked in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue, and cobalt – will lure guests into the world of the mysterious ray.
SeaWorld is working with the renowned Swiss coaster design company, Bolliger & Mabillard for the design of Manta.
Source: http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=44
The Manta flying coaster will create a new level of immersion into the animal world -- in a way only SeaWorld can do -- enveloping riders in a sensation of oneness with the ocean’s most powerful and graceful creature as they soar, dive and plummet through the air.. and at times within inches of the sea.
The journey begins the second guests enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. No ordinary queue line – the attraction starts with the first step inside. Anticipation builds as guests wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created and left behind by artists who were moved to pay tribute to the beauty, grace and intrigue of these animals.
Whether guests choose to ride or not, the attraction is a world unto itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows create mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and mysterious creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays, cownose rays, and oscillate river rays float past guests with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld. Enhancing the feeling of awe, elaborate lighting, sound and rushing waterfalls further submerge guests into this underwater universe.
The experience then evolves from seeing ... to being.
Inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures, guests will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta. With a wing span of 12 feet, the giant manta will soar over sea and sky in the most graceful flying coaster ever created.
Gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,359 feet of track, riders will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea -- so close at times that the Manta’s wings skim the waves.
“This ride is uniquely SeaWorld,” said Dan Brown, Vice President and General Manager of SeaWorld Orlando. “SeaWorld is famous for connecting guests with the sea and its amazing creatures, and Manta does this in a way that has never been done before, creating a true sense of oneness between human and animal.
“The sensation of Manta also will be like none other in the world – guests will be inspired by the grace and power of live rays, then feel as if they, themselves, are gliding through air and water,” said Joseph Couceiro, Chief Marketing Officer for SeaWorld’s parent company, Busch Entertainment Corporation. “No one but SeaWorld can unite thrills and ocean animals into such a unique experience.”
The 7-acre, 140-ft tall attraction will be located inside the main entrance to SeaWorld, and become an icon in the park with its unique design. Towering over SeaWorld’s 200-acres, the manta-themed coaster – cloaked in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue, and cobalt – will lure guests into the world of the mysterious ray.
SeaWorld is working with the renowned Swiss coaster design company, Bolliger & Mabillard for the design of Manta.
Source: http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=44
Monday, May 12, 2008
New 'Rockit' high-tech roller coaster coming to Universal Studios Orlando in 2009
Universal Studios is about to build a new signature ride: a high-tech roller coaster full of lights, music, loops, twists and turns -- and a quick trip over the heads of people walking through the nearby CityWalk entertainment district.
The Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit is planned to be big, bright and brash enough to become the new visual symbol for the theme park when the coaster opens in about a year. Universal Orlando officials said Tuesday that it also will feature enough digital technology to appeal directly to what they refer to as the "YouTube culture.
"The coaster will rise 167 feet into the air and feature numerous loops and corkscrew turns. Rockit -- the first big, outdoor thrill ride for Universal Studios -- is set to open in spring 2009.
Although it will be the tallest coaster in Central Florida and one of the fastest in the state, the Rockit will be nowhere near the tallest or fastest in the amusement-park business. But like the Incredible Hulk in Islands of Adventure and several other Florida coasters, it aims to use innovation and novelty to make up for any lack of record-setting height or speed.
Rockit will offer high-energy video displays in the waiting line; high-intensity, color-changing LED lighting and digital audio and video effects during the ride; and various engineering innovations.
And unlike any of the other big roller coasters in Central Florida, Rockit will loom over its park's entrance and beyond. Universal plans to squeeze its track between the Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride and the Sharp Aquos Theatre, which houses the Blue Man Group show. From there the track would run along the boundary between Universal Studios and Universal's sound stages, then rise over the fence to twist over the sidewalks of CityWalk, outside the theme park -- a brightly lit, scream-filled advertisement for the park.
A digital-age feature will allow riders to select their own music and create a music video of the ride. Afterward, a rider could download the video and use it on personal Web pages or video-sharing sites.
But the ride -- which Universal officials had referred to for months by the code name "Project Rumble" -- still draws principally on the basic thrills of a roller coaster: speed, height, loops, corkscrews, twists, turns and drops. Universal officials said Rockit would have several signature moves and a record-breaking loop, though they would not elaborate. The artist's rendering that they released shows the track climbing a 167-foot-tall peak, then corkscrewing downward, twisting eight times.
Source: Orlando Sentinal
The Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit is planned to be big, bright and brash enough to become the new visual symbol for the theme park when the coaster opens in about a year. Universal Orlando officials said Tuesday that it also will feature enough digital technology to appeal directly to what they refer to as the "YouTube culture.
"The coaster will rise 167 feet into the air and feature numerous loops and corkscrew turns. Rockit -- the first big, outdoor thrill ride for Universal Studios -- is set to open in spring 2009.
Although it will be the tallest coaster in Central Florida and one of the fastest in the state, the Rockit will be nowhere near the tallest or fastest in the amusement-park business. But like the Incredible Hulk in Islands of Adventure and several other Florida coasters, it aims to use innovation and novelty to make up for any lack of record-setting height or speed.
Rockit will offer high-energy video displays in the waiting line; high-intensity, color-changing LED lighting and digital audio and video effects during the ride; and various engineering innovations.
And unlike any of the other big roller coasters in Central Florida, Rockit will loom over its park's entrance and beyond. Universal plans to squeeze its track between the Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride and the Sharp Aquos Theatre, which houses the Blue Man Group show. From there the track would run along the boundary between Universal Studios and Universal's sound stages, then rise over the fence to twist over the sidewalks of CityWalk, outside the theme park -- a brightly lit, scream-filled advertisement for the park.
A digital-age feature will allow riders to select their own music and create a music video of the ride. Afterward, a rider could download the video and use it on personal Web pages or video-sharing sites.
But the ride -- which Universal officials had referred to for months by the code name "Project Rumble" -- still draws principally on the basic thrills of a roller coaster: speed, height, loops, corkscrews, twists, turns and drops. Universal officials said Rockit would have several signature moves and a record-breaking loop, though they would not elaborate. The artist's rendering that they released shows the track climbing a 167-foot-tall peak, then corkscrewing downward, twisting eight times.
Source: Orlando Sentinal
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Toy Story Mania
‘Toy Story’ Characters Challenge Guests to Ride and Play Toy Story Mania!
New Interactive Attraction Comes to Disney Parks in Florida and California in Time for Summer 2008
Disney Parks guests will don 3-D glasses and enter a wild and wooly 4-D world of Woody, Buzz and other favorite "Toy Story" characters when Toy Story Mania! a new attraction, makes its grand premiere as part of Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams." The attraction will debut on both coasts: scheduled to open in late May at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and scheduled for a late June debut in Disney's California Adventure at Disneyland Resort in California.
Inspired by the Disney-Pixar films "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. It's a high-energy, immersive adventure that puts guests right in the action as their game play triggers fun surprises that provide a fourth dimension of fun. Toy Story Mania! engages guests in a whole new way with the delightful characters of the films.
In the timeless tradition of Disney storytelling, Toy Story Mania! takes its inspiration from the fact that Andy’s toys spring to life whenever he is away. Soon after Andy got a “Midway Games Play Set” for his latest birthday, the toys jumped at their first chance to open the box and set up the game booths and carnival trams so everyone could ride and play. That means “no assembly required” for their game-playing guests – just nonstop fun. (That is, until Andy gets home!)
Upon entering the attraction, guests will be welcomed by Mr. Potato Head, more than five feet tall and looking like he stepped right down from the movie screen. The state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics Mr. Potato Head makes a perfect carnival barker, capable of engaging guests in two-way conversation and encouraging them to "step right up" for the immersive Toy Story Mania! experience.
Everyone gets a front row seat when guests put on their 3-D glasses, "shrink" to the size of a toy and board Toy Story Mania! carnival tram ride vehicles which add a huge amount of fun to the interactive experience. The exciting and colorful route takes guests through "Andy's Bedroom" filled with oversized murals and toys. The vehicles angle to face Toy Story Mania! game booths -- high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill -- and guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters. Players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises.
As they play, guests can actually see the "virtual" objects they've launched leave their spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes.
The Toy Story Mania! games -- five of them, plus an introductory practice round -- are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to experienced gamers. Play is energized by the spirit of the "Toy Story" characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.
First comes the "Pie Throw Practice" round in which guests can try splattering targets with virtual pies.
Next, Hamm hosts a "Hamm & Eggs" booth in which players launch plastic virtual eggs at various barnyard targets.
"Bo Peep's Baaa-loon Pop" presents a landscape full of balloon sheep, trees and other objects at which guests can launch virtual darts. But players had better be careful! A popped virtual water balloon might add an additional 4-D wet dimension to the game.
From there it's on to "Green Army Men Shoot Camp" where the challenge is to break plates with virtual baseballs.
Next up is "Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers," a ring-toss game hosted by everyone's favorite space ranger, with Little Green Aliens as the targets.
For the grand finale game, Toy Story Mania! players ride through Wild West scenes launching virtual suction-cup darts at targets in "Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery." A final "Woody's Bonus Roundup" encourages guests to fire their spring-action shooters as rapidly as possible at one last super-target for extra points. When scores are tallied, players' skill levels are identified and they can see how they've done compared to the high scores.
The game play of Toy Story Mania! is accompanied by creative musical variations of Randy Newman's "You've Got A Friend in Me," arranged by veteran music editor Bruno Coon, a frequent Newman collaborator, to complement the games -- for example, a military brass band version for "Green Army Men Shoot Camp."
No matter how many times guests return to ride and play, they can be sure every ride-through will seem different.
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