Theme Park Podcasts

Although podcasts have been around for a while now, they’re still a relatively unknown media source for many.  Interest in podcasts has increased recently, due largely in part to the buzz surrounding the popular crime series Serial, and the platform only seems to be growing.  So whether you’re new to podcasting, or just looking for some new shows to check out, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite theme park related podcasts.

When it comes to podcasts about the amusement industry, they usually fall into one of two categories:  Disney or Other.  We’ll break it down a little further than that by adding a third category for Universal Studios, but for most shows this is the way they pan out.  The Disney centric shows focus primarily on, you guessed it, the Disney parks, while the general shows cover topics from the entire industry.  Alright, now here are some of our favorites:

General Theme Park Shows

CoasterRadio
With an intro from none other than Neil Patrick Harris, this weekly podcast covers news and topics from theme parks across the globe.  Hosts Mike Collins and EB bring a light hearted, self-deprecating approach to their show that is really a lot of fun to listen to.  From interviews and trip reports to characters and the occasional game show segment, you never quite know what to expect when you tune in for a listen.

The Season Pass Podcast
Billing themselves as “the essential theme park podcast”, if you’re looking for discussions about your favorite theme park attractions straight from the people who design and create them, then this podcast is well worth your time.  Doug Barnes, Brent Young, and Robert Coker bring you in depth interviews from industry professionals that you’re not likely to hear anywhere else.  If you’re interested in the behind the scenes ins and outs of the theme park industry, this show is for you.

In the Loop
Although this show does feature the occasional interview, the main draw of this podcast is the free-flowing (and uncensored) dialogue between the hosts Clink Novak, The Legend, Drew the Intern, and recent additions Braedon, Dan, and Toronto Josh.  Every week they offer opinions on the latest industry news and rumors, and they also have a very active YouTube page.

Disney Shows

Inside the Magic
To be fair, this show hosted by Ricky Brigante is not completely focused on Disney, but the majority of the content is geared towards the Walt Huggers out there.  This is a very well-produced podcast with great transitions between segments and nice touches of background music throughout.  Ricky covers a lot of the special events in the parks and often has interviews that all theme park fans would enjoy.

The Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish with Jim Hill
What this podcast lacks in production value, it more than makes up for with content.  For what amounts to not much more than a conversation between the hosts Jim Hill and Len Testa, the history and rumors that are discussed are remarkably fascinating.  Jim may not be the most reliable of sources, but he does seem to have an insider’s perspective and there’s no denying he’s a great story teller.  Len also does a great job of guiding the conversations.

Communicore Weekly
With quite possibly the best theme song of all the amusement park related podcasts, Communicore Weekly covers not just the parks but all things Disney.  From book and movie reviews to interesting things hidden throughout the parks (i.e. five legged goats), George Taylor and Jeff Heimbuch provide a fun and quirky show that Disney fans are sure to enjoy.  And as crazy as it sounds, they also wrote a musical.

Universal Studios Shows

Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast
It’s hard to believe that with the sheer volume of Disney related podcasts out there that it wasn’t until 2011 that a Universal podcast emerged on the scene.  It took a married couple from the United Kingdom, Lee and Tracey Mallaby, to create the first show focused solely on Universal Studios.  Joined by co-hosts Darren and Hunter, this weekly show explores news and rumors about the Universal Studios theme parks from around the world.

Parkscope Unprofessional Podcast Hour
Comprised of a group of guys and occasionally a cat, hosts Joe, Mike, Nick, Sean (and Baloo) cover theme park news from the entire industry but devote a large portion of their episodes to the Universal Orlando Resort.  These guys are usually the first ones to break news related to building and construction permits, so they have a good pulse on rumors and activities from around the resort. 

Orlando United Radio
Drew, BriMan, and hatetofly from the Orlando United forums come together on this podcast and discuss random topics related to Universal Studios.  Fans of rumors and speculation will enjoy this show since hatetofly has proven himself as a reliable source for insider information. 

Other Honorable Mentions

Pardon the Pixie Dust
The E Ticket Report
Inside Universal
WDW Today

So there’s the list of our favorite podcasts.  Feel free to chime in with your suggestions of new shows we should check out.  Thanks for reading!

IAAPA 2014 Spotlight: Switchback

The annual trade show for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (a.k.a. IAAPA) is underway in Orlando, FL.  This event is a chance for companies to show off their latest and greatest offerings and for parks to shop for future installations.  Many announcements are made throughout the four day event, and while a lot of them never come to fruition, it’s always exciting to get a view of the future of the amusement industry.

While we are not in Orlando to cover the event in person, we’ll be showcasing some of the big announcements and highlights right here on the blog.  First up we have a new style of coaster from The Gravity Group.  Touted as the first modern wooden shuttle coaster, Switchback was announced for ZDT's Amusement Park for 2015.  Take a look:

Great Coasters International made waves at IAAPA in 2012 when they showed off a simulation of a wooden shuttle coaster, but it looks like The Gravity Group beat them to the punch with the first real installation.

This announcement is surprising for a few reasons:

1. I had no idea The Gravity Group was working on a shuttle coaster concept
2. I have never heard ZDT's Amusement Park before

All surprises aside, this looks like a great ride.  I love the throwback name and theme, and the layout is fantastic. There's a lot going on for such a small footprint. From the overbanked turns and the pops of airtime to the big twisting spire, there's a lot to like about this ride.  You can see more concept art on The Gravity Group's website.

While this alone isn't enough for me to make a trip to Texas, it's exciting to think about what effect this announcement might have on the amusement industry.  This seems like a perfect fit for local Family Entertainment Centers looking to add a major attraction without breaking the bank or taking up too much space.  It will be interesting to see if more of these wooden shuttle coasters pop up over time.

Still Kickin'

Hey guys!

As you've probably noticed, things here have slowed down a bit after the Holiday World announcement.  As it often does, life tends to get in the way and priorities have to be shuffled around, and that's why the blog has been put on the back burner for now.

But fear not!  I have a lot of things planned for your off-season reading such as 2015 attraction previews, plenty of news, and maybe even a trip report or two that I never got around to posting.  If you have any topics you'd like be to write about, feel free to leave a comment here or send an email to amusementparksblog@gmail.com.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter as well @ParksBlog.

Thanks for reading!

Thunderbird: My Thoughts

On the night of July 24, 2014, Holiday World announced their first major steel coaster Thunderbird for the 2015 season.  I'll give my thoughts about the build up to the announcement, the announcement itself, and then finally the ride.

The Build Up
Holiday World has a tradition of under-promising and over-delivering when it comes their announcements, so when news of the 66 Days At Sea teaser campaign emerged, I knew we were in store for something special.  If a 66 day long journey building up to the big announcement was their idea of under-promising, then I could only imagine what the final outcome would be.

The Announcement
A few technical difficulties at the beginning of the online broadcast had me worried for a second, but all of the issues were worked out just in time.  The host of the broadcast did a great job of working the crowd and keeping everyone entertained until it was time for the big reveal.  President Matt Eckert and the Koch sisters, Leah and Lauren, then took the stage to setup the introduction and give us one last moment of hype before finally revealing the wonderfully produced ride announcement video.  The entire announcement was fantastic, and I especially enjoyed the playful rapport between Leah and her sister.  A lot of parks can learn a thing or two from Holiday World, and how to announce a big time attraction is certainly one of them.

The Ride
Thunderbird looks fantastic.  The launch, the layout, the theme - it all looks like a ton of fun.  You can't go wrong with anything from B&M in my opinion, and the wingriders are a thrilling option without being overtly intimidating.  As long as the vests are "unlocked" like they are on Gatekeeper, Thunderbird will be very re-rideable.  I love the launch straight into the immelmann, followed by the large vertical loop, but I have a hunch that by favorite element will be the barrel roll coming out of the keyhole element towards the end of the ride. The tribute to the late Will Koch is also a wonderful touch with referring to the flywheel technology used for the launch as Will Power.  I'm sure Will would have loved it being the electrical engineer that he was.  Overall, this will be an amazing addition to the park and I can't wait to try it out.

Holiday World 2015: Thunderbird

As I'm sure you know by now, last night Holiday World concluded their 66 Days At Sea campaign by announcing the nation's first launched wingrider coaster Thunderbird!

I'll post my thoughts about the ride at a later time, but I will say that I'm very excited about it!  You can learn all about Thunderbird here, and in case you missed it, here's the animation that was played during the announcement:

As a side note, did anyone else see the pre-announcement quotes from various websites and forums during the webcast?  It was so incredibly cool to see them include a quote from our analysis of Day 46.  I almost felt like a real blogger at that point!

Holiday World 2015: 66 Days At Sea - Day 66

On May 19, 2014, Holiday World began releasing information about their 2015 expansion plans. They launched the teaser site 66DaysAtSea.com to give clues over the course of 66 days as to what the big announcement may be.  You can read more about the site here. We'll be highlighting each day's entry as well as providing our analysis of what we think the clues may be hinting at.

Day 66

Analysis

Well, we made it.  Day 66, or as I'm calling it, the calm before The Storm. It's been a long journey, but I hope you've had as much fun following along as I have. Whatever it is that Holiday World decides to add for the 2015 season, I'm sure it will be something great. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I really do appreciate it. I'll be posting recaps of the journey in the days following tomorrow's announcement, so make sure to stop by and see how closely my analysis stacked up against the actual clues, as well as my thoughts on the new attraction.  But seeing as this is the day before the big announcement, I think it's only right that I make my final predictions.  So without further ado, here's what I think Holiday World will be adding in 2015:

• Ride type:  Steel roller coaster
• Manufacturer:  B&M
• Type of coaster:  Wingflyer (wingrider with seats in the flying position)
• Name:  The Storm
• Speed:  66 mph
• Length:  5500 ft.
• Other elements:  Tunnels, inversions, launch section, splashdown feature, on board audio

It will be a miracle if anything I've said over the past 66 days turns out to be true, but we'll know for sure tomorrow night.

Thank you again for reading and following along.

Previous entries:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33, Day 34, Day 35, Day 36, Day 37, Day 38, Day 39, Day 40, Day 41,Day 42, Day 43, Day 44, Day 45, Day 46, Day 47, Day 48, Day 49, Day 50, Day 51, Day 52,Day 53, Day 54, Day 55, Day 56, Day 57, Day 58, Day 59, Day 60, Day 61, Day 62, Day 63,Day 64, Day 65

Holiday World 2015: 66 Days At Sea - Day 65

On May 19, 2014, Holiday World began releasing information about their 2015 expansion plans. They launched the teaser site 66DaysAtSea.com to give clues over the course of 66 days as to what the big announcement may be.  You can read more about the site here. We'll be highlighting each day's entry as well as providing our analysis of what we think the clues may be hinting at.

Day 65

(insert screenshot here)

Analysis

Let's take a look at today's entry:

• Since today's entry hasn't been posted yet I'll go ahead and throw out a few ideas as to what ground breaking, first of its kind, coaster this may be.  There seems to be a lot of speculation that the ride will be built by B&M based upon the shape of the footers that have already been poured, so for the sake of discussion I'll assume that is correct.  That leaves me with the question of what type of coaster or technology has B&M, or anyone else for that matter, not built?  Here's a few thoughts:
• Even though I think this ride will feature a launched section, I don't think that's the groundbreaking technology here since Leah Koch mentioned that this coaster will have moved past technology that was available in 2009, and launches have been around prior to that.  Even though B&M has not featured LIM or LSM technology, The Incredible Hulk does have a launch so I wouldn't count a new launched B&M coaster to be the first of its kind.
• That leaves me wondering about possible train configurations. The 66 Days journal has featured hints about flying, but also about being below deck. To me, the flying coaster, inverted coaster, and wingrider coaster are the three most likely candidates based on these clues, but to do something truly unique, I'm guessing it will be some combination of these configurations merged together in a single train. How about a wingrider with seats that rotate into the flying position? Or how about a coaster that starts out as an inverted coaster then lifts the riders into a flying position at the mid-course break run to finish the course as a flying coaster? Whatever it is, I'm expecting the ground breaking technology of this ride to be in the train configuration.     

That's it for today.  Check back tomorrow for our analysis of Day 66.

Previous entries:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33, Day 34, Day 35, Day 36, Day 37, Day 38, Day 39, Day 40, Day 41,Day 42, Day 43, Day 44, Day 45, Day 46, Day 47, Day 48, Day 49, Day 50, Day 51, Day 52,Day 53, Day 54, Day 55, Day 56, Day 57, Day 58, Day 59, Day 60, Day 61, Day 62, Day 63, Day 64

Holiday World 2015: 66 Days At Sea - Day 64

On May 19, 2014, Holiday World began releasing information about their 2015 expansion plans. They launched the teaser site 66DaysAtSea.com to give clues over the course of 66 days as to what the big announcement may be.  You can read more about the site here. We'll be highlighting each day's entry as well as providing our analysis of what we think the clues may be hinting at.

Day 64

Analysis

Let's take a look at today's entry:

• "Fearing the worst was near, the children and I crept onto deck for a last look at the sky.  We clung to each other, yet through our fear marveled at the strength and power of the storm, which has carried us so far astray."
• We're getting close to the big announcement, and I think today's entry may have revealed the ride's name.  I'm calling it right now.  I think it will be "The Storm".  It will be a long coaster that will carry the passengers "so far astray."  I think it will have a launch of some sort (i.e. "strength and power") and inversions (i.e. "a last look at the sky").  The name fits with multiple journal entries and mimics the Pilgrim's journal perfectly.

That's it for today.  Check back tomorrow for our analysis of Day 65.

Previous entries:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33, Day 34, Day 35, Day 36, Day 37, Day 38, Day 39, Day 40, Day 41,Day 42, Day 43, Day 44, Day 45, Day 46, Day 47, Day 48, Day 49, Day 50, Day 51, Day 52,Day 53, Day 54, Day 55, Day 56, Day 57, Day 58, Day 59, Day 60, Day 61, Day 62, Day 63

Holiday World 2015: 66 Days At Sea - Day 63

On May 19, 2014, Holiday World began releasing information about their 2015 expansion plans. They launched the teaser site 66DaysAtSea.com to give clues over the course of 66 days as to what the big announcement may be.  You can read more about the site here. We'll be highlighting each day's entry as well as providing our analysis of what we think the clues may be hinting at.

Day 63

(insert screenshot here)

Analysis

Let's take a look at today's entry:

• Sorry guys, but I don't have time to wait for today's journal entry to be posted. That's okay though, since the information just keeps on coming from other sources. The park revealed the new ride comes with a price tag of $22 million, which is significantly higher than the $12-15 million range I was expecting. Depending on the manufacturer and ride type, this could be one significant ride.  

That's it for today.  Check back tomorrow for our analysis of Day 64.

Previous entries:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33, Day 34, Day 35, Day 36, Day 37, Day 38, Day 39, Day 40, Day 41,Day 42, Day 43, Day 44, Day 45, Day 46, Day 47, Day 48, Day 49, Day 50, Day 51, Day 52,Day 53, Day 54, Day 55, Day 56, Day 57, Day 58, Day 59, Day 60, Day 61, Day 62