Monday General News Update

In U.S. News:

Busch Gardens Tampa -

The first round of testing on Cheetah Hunt began last

weekend at the first launch. They plan to test each

launch individually with water dummies. Photos and

video at BGTNation.

Hersheypark -

More preparations for the park's 2012 addition is

underway. The park is currently working around the

lagoon area. More photos at Keystone Thrills.

Kentucky Kingdom -

After being denied both a $50M bond and then a

$20Mbond by the state, Ed Hart plans to seek a

$17.5M bondfrom the city, which would benefit

the local government as well. More details at

Screamscape.

Kings Dominion -

Intimidator 305 2.0 seems to be a hit, with no trim

brakes on the drop and reports of fewer trims on

the third airtime hill as well. Great trip report at

Theme Park Review.

Sea World San Diego -

Preparations for Manta are flying along (pun

intended),as construction walls are going up

and the site is being cleared for construction.

See more at Screamscape.

Six Flags New England -

Six Flags New England opened this past Saturday,

with a full trip report posted at SFNE Online.

In International News:

Heide Park -

Heide Park's new Dive Machine, Krake, opened

for its Media Day was on Saturday. The ride looks

like a lot of fun. Check out the full report over at

Theme Park Review.

Hong Kong Disneyland -

Disney Rep. Tom Staggs has confirmed that Toy

Story Land is slated to open in Fall of 2011, Grizzly

Gulch in 2012, and Mystic Point by 2013.

Tokyo Disney Resort -

Tokyo Disneyland opened on Friday. See photos and

videos at Disney and More.

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Impression: Hong Kong Disneyland

I've always told myself that I didn't like Disney that much because their parks didn't have very many thrill rides. I'm a thrill seeker myself, however, lately I've been in the mood to give Disney another chance. Being in Hong Kong for Spring Break was the perfect opportunity. The reviews that I read were generally positive, with the only complaint being that it hadn't quite "filled in" yet, as it's only 5 years old. My opinion after the day at the park was pretty much the same.

We rode the MTR train to Hong Kong Disneyland. The train station at Disneyland was really new, and the Disney trains were much nicer than the normal trains - bronze busts of various characters, Mickey-shaped windows, and blue cushioned seats. The entranceway to the park was wonderful as well. The landscaping was great, and the fountains were nice. We were already off to a good start.

Main Street, U.S.A. was amazing.

Everything was flawlessly detailed and very authentic. I play a lot of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, and Main Street is one of the most popular recreations among RCT3 players. It was like seeing one of my parks come to life. The atmosphere in Main Street was a lot of fun - they even had vintage cars driving around.

Adventureland was nice, but definitely the emptiest land in the park. The best part about Adventureland was that I could see the construction from the top of Tarzan's Treehouse. After we did Tarzan's Treehouse, we grabbed some lunch at the Riverview Café. We passed on the Jungle River Cruise, the line was insane.

Fantasyland was my favorite land, if

a bit lacking. Philharmagic was a surprise hit, and we also loved the Mad Hatter Tea Cups. We did it's a small world, which was a walk-on, and was always a favorite when we were younger. We got Fastpasses for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which turned out to be a great ride as well.

Tomorrowland was next. We skipped Stitch Encounter, as it had quite a wait and it didn't seem very exciting. We did Space Mountain three times, as it was a walk-on all night. Autopia, however, was a 30 minute wait that in retrospect, was not worth it. Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and Orbitron were also a lot of fun!

After we left Tomorrowland, we headed to the castle to check it out. Not much to see, but it was nice despite its size. The park closed early, so we headed out after that. Overall, a great Disney experience!

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