http://www.themeparkoutsider.com A connoisseur's view of theme parks Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:30:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/03/10/busch-gardens-arrests-employee/ 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. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/03/08/topiary-construction/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/03/02/intimidator-305-shaping-up-nicely/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/02/28/intimidator-now-running-with-riders/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/02/27/believe-show-returns-to-seaworld-orlando/ Park officials haven't released any information yet, but a witness said they saw the whale thrash the trainer from a view area. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/02/24/animal-trainer-killed-at-seaworld/ Intimidator gets it's first trial run.  Video courtesy of youtube user Wormy2010 http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/02/06/carowinds-intimitador-first-test-run/ Disney has released a short video of various opening day celebrations hosted by Walt himself. This is from the Disney official blog http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/28/disneyland-opening-day-videos/ 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. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/27/busch-gardens-tampa-gets-googled/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/19/legoland-florida/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/16/sesame-street-safari-takes-shape/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/15/auction-to-be-first-to-ride-intimidator/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/15/abandoned-disney/ 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 ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/13/universal-studios-florida-raises-prices/ Carowinds has announced that Intimidator will open with the park on March 27, 2010. They also have received the first of three cars for it and will be putting them on the tracks as they come in. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/12/intimidator-opens-march-27-2010/ I don't know how I missed this when it was  first posted on Disney Parks Blog, but it's really cool to see. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/10/tilt-shift-video-of-epcot/ I'm glad I knew better than plan a Christmas trip to any of the theme parks in Orlando.  Universal had lines up to three hours long for the new Rip Ride Rockit coaster, and the Magic Kingdom had to close their gates to new guests after hitting capacity several times ... http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/08/orlando-parks-end-year-with-huge-crowds/ An 18 year old killer whaled named Takara at SeaWorld San Antonio had a baby this morning at 7:15 AM. Both mother and baby are doing well. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/07/new-killer-whale-at-sea-world/ Sully is the newest addition to the Sea World San Diego animal park. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/07/seaworld-san-diego-adds-pilot-whale/ Disney was fined 44,000 in penalties for violations that resulted in the death of a park employee caused by two monorails colliding. http://www.themeparkoutsider.com/2010/01/06/disney-cited-in-death-of-park-employee/