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ParkHoppin’ with Paul Ruben
Counting Coasters
Ever since I was five years old I have enjoyed riding rollercoasters. Over the years I rode more and more, until around 30 years ago when I decided to make a list of those I had ridden. It began as a handwritten list in a small notebook before moving on to a succession of personal computers. As the number of coasters on my list grew, I found myself seeking new ones out, not that I'm compulsive. This Park World job has helped, getting me to parks I might not have otherwise visited. The grandkids think I ride coasters for a living. They want my job. But riding new coasters isn't always easy. Oh, the big ones are
easy. Just get in line, take a seat and be thrilled. But the little ones are sometimes problematic. Yes, I ride small coasters, too. Kiddie coasters. You know why? Because they count! If it's a coaster, it counts. As of the time of writing I'm up to 796 different coasters ridden, and expect to top 800 this year. My goal is not 800. My goal is to ride whatever new coaster I encounter. But I digress. Kiddie coasters are often difficult to ride. The seats are small. Also, at some parks adults can only ride a kiddie coaster if accompanied by a child. I've had to rent a kid. That is, I have to ask the parents if I can ride with their child, explaining that I've never been on this particular kiddie coaster and really want to. Need to. How pathetic is that? Don't ask what the kid thinks. Most parks have signs by the coaster entrance that says you must be this tall to ride. But some kiddie coasters have signs that say you must be this short to ride. Most recently I was at Mt Olympus Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, talking to owner Nick Laskaris, saying how much I enjoyed five of his six coasters, explaining I was barred from riding Little Titans, a 16-foot-tall Miler Coaster because I was too tall. Nick's my friend. He said he would talk to the ride operator to allow me to ride. He did. I ignored the stares of derision. I have no shame. See me enjoying my ride on Little Titans? On the same trip that took me to Mt Olympus for the first time I also visited Little Amerricka and rode four new coasters. Little Amerricka was the 321st different park I've visited. Yes, I count parks, too. Little Titans isn't the smallest coaster I've ridden. That honour goes to the single-seat ground-hugging Milagro Mine Ride that was in Park World contributor Gary Kyriazi's front yard. The 456ft-tall Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure is the tallest. But the Giant Coaster at defunct Crystal Beach Park was the best, because it was the first for a five-year-old.
Merlin Eyes Orland Observation wheel for I-Drive
Merlin Entertainments has confirmed that it is working with Circle Entertainment and the developer Unicorp to bring at least three of its attraction brands to Orlando – including an ‘Eye’-branded observation wheel. As part of its plans to become a partner at the new I-Walk Orlando development on International Drive, Merlin also wants to open Florida’s first Madame Tussauds waxwork attraction. “I-Walk Orlando will be a very exciting addition to International Drive (“I- Drive”), providing a unique mix of leisure and retail activities,” notes Circle Entertainment president Paul Kanavos. “Merlin has a unique portfolio of visitor attractions with global reputations; but most importantly they are the owner and operator of the world famous London Eye. Circle Entertainment is committed to building and owning the Orlando Eye at I-Walk Orlando and is seeking other pre-eminent domestic and international locations for observation wheels under an exclusive worldwide license agreement with US Thrill Rides and founder Bill Kitchen." “I-Walk Orlando is destined to be a ‘must visit’ destination for Orlando’s millions of visitors,” adds Merlin CEO Nick Varney. “More than that, in October we are opening Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, our second Legoland theme
How the Orlando Eye might look on I-Drive
park in the USA, underlining the importance of North America, and Florida in particular, as key development areas for Merlin.” Scheduled to open in 2013, I-Walk Orlando will be located in the centre of International Drive on the former Mercado site. Talks with Merlin Entertainment are believed to be at an advanced stage. If built, the Orlando Eye would stand 425ft (130-metres) tall.
Animal Kingdom and EPCOT
mooted for Shanghai Disney’s first Animal Kingdom and EPCOT theme parks outside America could be built in Shanghai, according to a statement issued last month by the local government.
The eagerly awaited Disneyland project will open in the city’s Pudong district by 2015 and the company’s arrival into mainland China is described by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs as, “the most exciting opportunity we've had since Walt first bought land in Florida in 1964.”
In common with Walt Disney World near Orlando, it appears the 7-
square-kilometre site in Shanghai will also be a multi-park resort. “Shanghai Disneyland will feature three theme parks – Magic Kingdom, details of which have been made public, and possibly Epcot and Animal Kingdom,” says the government statement.
Disney will not comment, “until the regulatory approval process is complete,” according to a spokesperson quoted in an article by Bloomberg. The first phase of the government-backed project will cover 3.9 square kilometres and construction could start as early as this May.
6 APRIL 2011
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