Busch Gardens Update 09/14/10

Fall is definitely upon us which means lighter crowds, Halloween decorations sprouting up, and construction for new attractions beginning. We spotted all of those familiar autumnal sights at Busch Gardens Tampa recently. Let's get started, shall we?



This year's theme of Howl-O-Scream is "My X" a rock n' roll band whose lead singer has a bit of an edge.  

This "collage" at the park entrance includes real working televisions, sound equipment, and musical instruments.



What would a punk band theme be without a little grafitti?





Howl-O-Scream has its own dedicated gift shop, with lots of event-exclusive merchandise. The shop interior is meant to look like an underground club where "My X" has a gig.


"Alone" may be one of the most unique mazes in the theme park industry. You literally journey through the entire maze ALONE. For an upcharge of $24.95 if you purchase in advance ($34.95 at the park), you get the chance to go through the maze with up to three friends. If you make it through completely alone and without leaving through any of the "chicken exits" you get a fancy t-shirt to wear as proof that you're not a wuss and, of course, bragging rights. Expect very long lines on busier nights!



 In "Trapped," you explore the house of a family that met a gruesome fate.  Much like the Ghost Hunters TV show, you join paranormal activity "experts" as they try to figure out what exactly is "Trapped" in the walls of this house.



"Crazed Love" is a scare zone with a chip on its shoulder. We all enjoy love stories where a guy meets a girl, they fall in love and tie the knot.  But what happens when the bride is left at the alter or the guy cheats and the scorned wants sweet, bloody revenge?


The pathway is flanked by oversized wedding cake toppers.

Beyond the condemned gates of Grey Echo Penitentiary are prisoners about to receive their death sentence. Methods of execution used here include the electric chair and lethal injection.





This old abandoned toy factory will be like walking through Sid's room from "Toy Story" with demented toys aplenty!

 One of the newest additions to Busch Gardens this summer is Walkabout Way. Adjacent to the existing Kookaburra exhibit, this new area is worth a look. It might seem like a small addition to the park, but who can pass up the chance to feed and pet a kangaroo?



The new exhibit is home to dozens of kangaroos of all ages. There's even an albino kangaroo. (He was too shy for us to get a photo).

  

 

You can even take home a 'roo of your own! Busch Gardens Tampa has added several "Mold-A-Rama" machines to the park over the last year, including this new one that molds a plastic kangaroo while you watch. 



Never seen a Mold-A-Rama machine in action? Our YouTube Channel  features a video of BGT's rhino machine.

 

Construction has reached a fever pitch now that Labor Day weekend is over and the crowds have slowed down. While Busch Gardens is very tight lipped about details on their new coaster, we do know one thing, this sucker is going to be HUGE!!



Here is a view from the Crown Colony Restaurant. The old monorail/skyway building and the old stable for the clydesdale horses are being absorbed into the new attraction.

They have created a walkway that goes around the construction and serves as an artery to the Epypt area.  Technically the walkway goes outside of the berm of the park by a few feet and can be seen from the parking lot.    

It's not just new rides that are in the works in this section of the park. The Moroccan Palace Theater shows signs of new developments as well.

  

The much-loved "Katonga" show has closed in the Moroccan Palace Theater and will be replaced with Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy. This show actually ran on Broadway and has toured the country.  A scaled down version will be used at Busch Gardens with many of the original costumes and sets. This is not the first time SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has presented a Cirque du Soleil-style show at one of its parks. Blue Horizons and A Lure have both been successful at SeaWorld for a few years now. The difference is that unlike those shows, this one is not a custom production designed for the park. This show will be a direct lift from Broadway. We will look forward to December 1, 2010 to see the finished product!

Halloween Horror Nights Update 9/11/2010

Even though the folks at Universal Studios Florida have been busy getting the park ready for this weekend's Rock the Universe event, they've still made quite a bit of progress on the Halloween Horror Nights XX Installation. Let's see what's new this week.

The most notable change over the last week has been the return of the jack-o-lanterns that line the "Central Park" pathway between Hollywood and Woody Woodpecker's KidZone.

At first glance, this appears to be the same general assortment of carved pumpkins we've seen for years, but wait...

This year, the folks in charge of Halloween Horror Nights have revealed that all of the past event icons were merely henchmen for this year's icon, Fear himself. Since the big boss is hosting this year's event, his minions from years past are sure to join in the fun.

Is that Jack, the evil clown who debuted as the event's host character back in 2000?

And here's Dr. Albert Caine, aka The Caretaker from HHN XII.

Would you like to hear a story? Elsa Strict, "The Storyteller" from HHN XV surely has some tales to tell.

We're pretty sure this carving represents Paulo Ravinski, "The Director" from HHN XIII.

Julian Browning, "The Usher" from last year's event, is also represented in pumpkin form.

Meanwhile, over in San Francisco, those recycled Mardi Gras decorations we saw last week have been added to. It looks like the HHN team has created a new hybrid seasonal event for Universal Studios Florida: Zombi Gras!

For more information or to buy tickets, visit the official Halloween Horror Nights XX website at http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/.


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Universal Orlando 9/11/2010

This is the first of two updates today. This one is going to focus on a few changes that have taken place at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. We'll be posting a separate update of Halloween Horror Nights preparations a bit later. We're also working on a few different stories focusing on lesser-known details. All of these changes are based on feedback. We're working to make this blog as great as it can be. If this is your first visit, welcome. If you've visited us before, welcome back! Either way, we're glad you're here. Now, on to the parks!

Universal Studios Florida is in the midst of their annual Rock the Universe event.

A temporary check-in location for the brave adults who will be chaperoning all of the youth groups attending Rock the Universe.

The skeletons we showed you last week have been temporarily covered up, so as not to distract from the more wholesome atmosphere of Rock the Universe.

The same thing has happend to the "Prop Warehouse" on Hollywood Blvd.

Projectors (top left) and large screens (right) provide a better view for guests in the back of the crowd for RTU concert performances.

A closer view of one of the projectors mounted atop Mel's Drive In.

The stage between Mel's and Central Park.

Jesus loves you, and he also loves intellectual property rights.

Another feature of Rock the Universe is the "mycokerewards.com Live" karaoke stage. 

The Music Plaza stage is now flanked by LED screens playing promotional videos for the event.

Another projector set-up on the edge of the Music Plaza facing New York (this photo was taken last week before the screen was installed).

This is also the last week of "Family Feud" tapings, featuring the show's new host Steve Harvey.

Guests line up for tickets to "Family Feud" at the Studio Audience Center.

A "production assistant" was inviting guests to experience the Feud near the park's main entrance. A longer video of the spiel is available on our YouTube channel.

Of course, there's more to being a studio audience member than just sitting in an air-conditioned soundstage. (We got this instruction sheet with our tickets last week, when the "families" were groups of TNA wrestlers.)

Speaking of sitting down in air-conditioning, there have been some minor changes to Universal's Horror Makeup Show. References to "Van Helsing," the 2004 Universal release that pitted Hugh Jackman against an army of monsters, have been removed. In their place are references to "The Wolf Man," last year's Universal release that pitted Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins against the moviegoing public.

Some things never get old.

At CityWalk, Hard Rock Live's LED marquee is being refurbished. In its place are a banner and a smaller LED screen.

Over at Islands of Adventure, it looks like the bridge that was built to bypass construction for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has been converted to a backstage area that can be opened up for guest traffic during peak attendance days. It will be used the next time park officials need to limit the flow of guests into the land.

Signage directing crowds to the left at Fire Eaters Grill has been removed...

...because turning left at Fire Eaters Grill will result in bumping into a closed gate.

"Team Members Only."

The new gate by the JP Discovery Center doing its job.

That's all for now. We'll be posting new photos of preparations for Halloween Horror Nights XX later today. As always your feedback is appreciated, so feel free to drop us a line at pulluponyourlapbar@gmail.com.