SeaWorld is fighting what will probably be a losing battle to keep the video of the whale grabbing the trainer private. Unfortunately, once it was given to the police, it became a public document and as such is subject to the freedom of information act and will inevitably end up on the internet for everyone to see.
You can tell it’s slow newsday, but I’m amazed that this worker managed to steal 25,000 from them by voiding transactions and pocketing the cash. You’d think their systems would notice that a ticket was sold and used to enter the park, but the money wasn’t ever deposited.
Ever wonder what goes into putting those topiaries up in Epcot? Wonder no more, here’s a time lapse video of them being set up overnight.
The coast critic has posted a short article about Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. I’m really looking forward to this one since it’s essentially Millenium Force without having to drive all the way to Ohio. That, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg is near that too, so I can hit multiple parks in one relatively short trip. The most interesting photo to me was the shot of it next to rebel yell. It makes that coaster look like a childs’ toy by comparison.
Carowinds connection has posted a photo of Intimidator running with people riding it. This is a good sign that the testing with water dummies went well.
Also… Carowinds.com was updated this week with an all new design. I haven’t really browsed it much, but it looks cleaner than the old one and the rides seem organized better.
Seaworld Orlando had their first Believe show since Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by the orca Tilikum. None of the people were allowed into the water with the whales as SeaWorld is still reviewing their policies and procedures related to the handling of the whales. The females all had their hair pulled up into buns, which is to be expected since Dawn was grabbed by her hair and pulled under the water.
The attitude of the crowd was respectful with most people thinking it is a good thing that they get back to the shows. PETA, of course, had a small protest at the park entrance, but only about a dozen people showed for that.
Park officials haven’t released any information yet, but a witness said they saw the whale thrash the trainer from a view area.
Intimidator gets it’s first trial run. Video courtesy of youtube user Wormy2010
Disney has released a short video of various opening day celebrations hosted by Walt himself.
This is from the Disney official blog
Busch Gardens Tampa has received the Google Street View treatment, so you can now explore the park virtually.
It’s not the same as being there, but it’s as close as you’re going to get on the computer.
It looks like Merlin Entertainment Group, the owner of LegoLand in California, will be turning the recently purchased Cypress Gardens Theme park into another Lego Land. The may of Winter Haven said that it is a two year plan to turn the park into Lego Land, and more details will be released at a press conference on Thursday.
The orlando Sentinel was invidted to preview the construction of the new Sesame Street Safari in Busch Gardens and posted pictures of it’s progress. While I will miss the land of the dragons, which this section replaces, it looks like they are giving the kids something to look forward to with their own kiddie coaster and lots of things to do in a space more than twice as large as the previous land of the dragons.
Carowinds is having a charity auction to be among the first members of the public to ride the new Intimidator coaster. Bids start at $50 and the highest bid gets choice of seat with the next choice going to the second highest, and so on and so forth. This auction will run through March 24th, so you have plenty of time to get your bid in.
Ever wonder what would happen if a park were just left in place? That’s exactly what happened to River Country along Bay Lake. Someone recently visited this water park that was closed in 2001 and posted side by side photos of what it looks like now compared to then.
It’s really interesting to see how little has changed in some ways. Here’s the second from this series.
In a move to profit from the popularity of the Harry Potter section being added, Universal is raising the price of a 7 day ticket from $99 to $170. While that price is high, the reality is that there isn’t enough at the two parks to support 7 days in the park, so most people will be purchasing the two or the three day tickets. The three day ticket is $125, so for most people the price increase isn’t that bad, although I do worry that Universal is building up expectations too much for Harry potter by their advertising it as a park within a park.