The terrorist group ISIS (or ISIL) is in the headlines on a daily basis, and the group uses films and displays of their captives’ and opponents’ heads and bodies as a potent weapon. How potent? Complaints from guests led the theme park Busch Gardens to change a Halloween display that features (fake, rubber) severed heads. [More]
theme parks
Family Of 5 Claims They Were Stranded At The Top Of Ferris Wheel While Theme Park Shut Down
By 8.6.14
The whole reason to hitch a ride on a Ferris wheel is to catch the view from the top — but even that delight would surely pale after say, the lights turn out and you’ve been up there for a while. A family of five claims they’re “traumatized” after getting stranded at the top of a Ferris wheel after an amusement park in the UK closed for the night. [More]
Disney To “Significantly” Increase Star Wars Presence At Theme Parks
By 8.6.14
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, it wasn’t just doing us all a favor by wresting the Star Wars films from the tinkering hands of George Lucas, nor was Disney merely thinking about box-office revenues from the eventual Star Wars sequels it would produce. Disney also has a few theme parks you might have heard of, and it thinks people might be interested in checking out a Star Wars attraction or two at these parks. [More]
12 Passengers Rescued From Universal Orlando Ride After Being Stuck Vertically For Three Hours
By 10.10.13
It’s not that thrill-seekers don’t expect they’ll be elevated to great heights on roller coasters like the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Orlando, but even the person with nary a shred of fear might get restless when stuck vertically at 150 feet in the air for three hours. Twelve passengers on that ride were rescued last night after an apparent technical glitch froze the ride in place near its summit. [More]
Disney Parks: Mickey Mouse Ain’t Your Babysitter, Unaccompanied Kids Must Be At Least 14
By 3.19.13
For those of us who didn’t grow up near Disneyland, it sounds like we were missing out of a heck of a fun time: while parents used to be able to drop kids off at a Disney park for the day and have Mickey Mouse and friends babysit their offspring, a new admission policy requires that kids be at least 14 if they’re not with adults. [More]
Disneyland Hikes Ticket Prices As Much As 30%
By 5.22.12
Prepare to pay even more to stand in line waiting to enjoy rides. For the second time in less than a year, Disney is hiking prices at its California theme parks. The cost of tickets will increase 9% (from $80 to $87) for the humble one-day pass for guests over 10, and 30% (from $499 to $649) for annual passes that include the cost of parking. [More]
How To Beat Theme Park Prices And Still Get In Some Rides
By 7.11.11
Theme parks and resorts know how badly you want to be having fun, and send admission prices sky-high in the summer because they know they can. But you can still have a blast this summer, without resorting to fishing deep into your pockets. [More]
Disney World Deploys Massive Underground Lair To Combat Lines
By 12.28.10
Disney has developed a new subterranean nerve center to combat lines as they happen. Pirates of the Caribbean too slow? Launch more boats and deploy a Jack Sparrow actor to distract customers. Fantasyland overflowing but Tomorrowland bare? Send out a mini-parade to lure guests over. Sounds like the basis for a fun new real-time strategy game. [More]
Harry Potter Theme Park Modifies Ride To Accommodate Larger Visitors
By 9.20.10
The “Forbidden Journey” ride at Universal Studios’ Harry Potter park just got a little less forbidden, at least for some obese tourists. The park has added new larger sized seats to the ride, so at least some of those who were turned away in previous months might have better luck now. [More]
Disneyland Partners With Feral Cat Colony To Control Rodents
By 9.16.10
When you have a theme park as large as Disneyland, you run into some unique challenges. Among them, the gobs of melted Mickey bars and popcorn boxes attract hordes of rodents, and those rodents have attracted an estimated 200-strong feral cat colony that has been going strong for the past 25 years. [More]
Woman Says Donald Duck Groped Her
By 8.16.10
Did Disney’s eternally overreacting duck mascot put the moves on a woman visiting Epcot Center a couple of years ago? That’s what the woman claims happened; in her lawsuit, she says a park employee dressed as Donald Duck grabbed her breast and molested her, “then made gestures making a joke indicating he had done something wrong.” She’s asking for $50,000. [More]
Hagrid-Sized Humans Can't Ride New Harry Potter Attraction
By 6.28.10
If you visit the Harry Potter theme park this summer and happen to see a relatively large person poking himself with his brand new wand and muttering reduccio!, don’t be confused. He was probably just told he can’t ride the Forbidden Journey dark ride at the park. [More]
Harry Potter Theme Park Casts Parental Shakedown Spell In Orlando
By 6.21.10
Harry Potter’s greatest magic trick is his ability to take money from people in infinite ways. The boy wizard’s latest venture is the Universal-owned theme park-within-a-themepark The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in Orlando this weekend. [More]
Beware Fake Theme Park Passes
By 9.11.09
Everyone knows that you should never purchase gift cards on eBay or Craigslist, but it turns out that theme park passes in the form of gift cards are just as likely to be fake.
At Six Flags, You Have To Pay A Fee To Print Your Own Tickets
By 4.22.09
We know Six Flags is desperately trying to avoid bankruptcy, but that’s no reason to go all Ticketmaster on the people who want to have a good time at Magic Mountain in Los Angeles.
Disney Mistake Means Super Cheap Annual Passes For Some Lucky Customers
By 4.22.09
Disneyland mistakenly extended a special annual pass program to ineligible customers last December, but only realized it recently. At the time of the sale, residents of certain Southern California zip codes could buy an annual ticket on a 12-month installment plan, free from any interest rates or other fees. When they discovered that some customers weren’t in valid zip codes, they ended the payment agreement with them—but they’re letting them keep the annual passes.
By 9.19.08
../../../..//2008/09/19/throughout-2009-if-you-show/
Throughout 2009, if you show up on your birthday to any Disney theme park in the U.S., you’ll get in free. Imagine how much money you can save on an awesome birthday, provided you go alone! [Orlando Sentinel] (Thanks to RL!)
Disney Reneges On Ride Injury Payment Promise, Reader Wins With EECB
By 9.3.08
Disney, inventors of childhood itself, told Daniel they would foot the bill after he got injured on their California Adventure ride. Then when Daniel and his wife Jane tried to collect, they got strung along for months by Garth Steever in guest claims. When they finally locked him down 11 months after the incident, Garth told them Disney changed its mind. By this time, the medical bills had already been sent to collections. Then Jane read about how to send an EECB on The Consumerist, and stormed the ramparts of Cinderella Castle. Here’s her letter, and success story…
