Rapids Ride

The Studio Tour at Movie Park Germany

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Studio Tour

For more than 30 years now, Bottrop-Kirchhellen has stood for Hollywood made in Germany. The first local studio was Bavaria Film, which wanted to offer a look behind the scenes with the Bavaria Filmpark. Only a few years later Warner Bros. came to the Ruhr area and with it a best off of the popular theme parks of the Village Roadshow (Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World) on the Gold Coast in Australia. In addition, several sound stages were built that visitors could visit during the Film Studio Tour. In the beginning, these were actually used for film and TV productions and today serve mainly as storage space for the park.

To tie in with the old days, Movie Park Germany is now also offering a Studio Tour. However, this one is set in the fictional MPG Studios, which are mainly known for their B-movies by director Steven Thrillberg. We are accompanied on our tour by assistant Andy and the animated clapperboard S.A.M., which is strongly reminiscent of the Microsoft Office Assistant of the late 90s (and unfortunately is also animated in the same way). The story was created by IMAmotion, who have already created media content for the water ride Excalibur – Secrets of the Dark Forest and have been working with the park for a long time with their soundtracks. The attraction’s hardware, meanwhile, comes from Liechtenstein roller coaster specialists Intamin Amusement Rides. The multi-dimensional coaster features an entertaining ride that is perfectly geared towards the park’s family audience.

After a short drive through the archive, S.A.M. takes us straight up to the first set. The quiet-looking living room immediately finds itself in the middle of a storm. As the roof is torn away, we are accelerated by friction wheels. We then drive backwards along a short stretch of track before we find ourselves in the next scene. Steven Thrillberg has chosen us as extras on the set, and we now travel through the set of a large American city, where we have a race with a sports car. After a bend and a small climb, the track leads us out of the hall, where we then cross the forecourt of MPG Studios. A few swerves later we enter the studio again, where the most visually impressive set of the studio tour awaits us after a short while. Passing King Kong, we unfortunately race right into the final brake accompanied by the local film orchestra.

The Studio Tour is a really nice family coaster with a great attention to detail. The three main scenes are not overloaded, which makes the ride very coherent overall. The additional details along the way that bear witness to the past 25 years of Movie Park Germany are a nice Easter Egg for every fan of the theme park.  

Horrorwood Studios Version

For Halloween, there is an adult version of the media content available in the evening, where the story about the fictional Horrorwood Studios is taken up. This version is quite nice as a seasonal overlay, but comes across as a little half-hearted. A ride on this version of the Studio Tour is a can, but not a must.

Bilder Movie Park Germany

 

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Movie Park Germany

Christmas at SeaWorld

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SeaWorld Orlando

Sometimes a visit to an amusement park starts with a bit of a bummer. In my case, the reopening of the Manta flying coaster was scheduled within a few days after an extensive overhaul and the Kraken floorless coaster was due to close on that very day. As I had already experienced a copy of Manta at Nagashima Spa Land, I was keen to try Kraken. In the end, Kraken didn’t open on the day of my visit and so I missed out on two of SeaWorld Orlando’s major attractions at the same time.

Manta

The ride on Manta starts with the ride’s lift, which takes the riders up to a height of 43m. Once at the top, the train plunges into a steep curve to the right. In a wide radius the train then floats through the valley and immediately climb a hill, which turns out to be the starting position for the Pretzel Loop. Without mercy it then plunges down and send its riders overhead for a short time and before doing the same in reverse order. Once again at high altitude, a left turn follows. Before the riders know it, they are spun around their own axis in an inline twist and hurtling towards the ground in a right turn. In a corkscrew the train then crosses the Pretzel Loop once more to reach the middle block section.

In a right-hand bend, accompanied by synchronised water fountains, the train then goes across a lake. Similar to a Bavarian curve, hill follows dale and at the end of the curve there is even another inline twist waiting for the passengers. Still in this great flow, it then goes in a left turn, which unfortunately leads the riders straight into the final brake.

Dolphin Adventures

The Dolphin Adventures presentation at SeaWorld Orlando was a delight. The show was visually impressive, but also had a very high educational character. It was probably the most beloved show on my day of visit, taking me quite a few trials before I could finally see the presentation.

Manatee & Turtle Rescue, SeaWorld Coral Rescue

SeaWorld Orlando is home to a large Manatee Rehabilitation Area adjacent to five-acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating wildlife that has been ill, injured or orphaned – including manatees, sea turtles, birds and other marine animals. It is a very quiet and interesting area of the park, where you can easily spend a few hours, if interested.

Journey to Atlantis

Journey to Atlantis is the first water coaster by Mack Rides. It is a very elaborate themed ride featuring a large indoor section before the ride’s first lift hill. Once outdoors, the music changes dramatically. Once at the top, we take a short bend before going down a large straight drop, which barely soaks us. After a turn, there is a small lift serving as a block section of the ride, after which we experience a tiny chute, which – due to the rock works and a very mean S-Bend – completely drenches the front row. We then climb another lift hill back into the ride’s main building. Here, we go through another well themed dark ride section before we suddenly rush down a steep bend. Within a nice flow, we then change the direction of travel, take a short ascent, and then plunge down into the water once more. The middle-sized drop sure does not disappoint and gets the remaining passengers well moistened.

When exiting the ride, the paths lead directly into the Jewel of Sea Aquarium – a nice gem to an overall nice water ride.

Kraken

As I mentioned earlier, I did not have the chance to ride Kraken. This coaster is one of the first B&M floorless coasters to open and features one of the finest layouts to be found on any B&M looping coaster. After the first drop, guests experience a total of seven intense inversions starting off with a loop, a dive loop, a Zero-G roll and a Cobra Roll before hitting the elevated block brake section. After that, another loop and a corkscrew follow.

Antartica: Empire of the Penguin

SeaWorld Orlando used to be home to the very short-lived dark ride Antartica Empire of the Penguin. It was a trackless ride in a cool chamber with some screens and a few light effects for storytelling. The exit of the ride led directly to the penguin enclosures which you can still experience today. In 2024, the old show building will be the home base of the Penguin Trek roller coaster.

Sky Tower

SeaWorld is home to a very elaborate themed observation tower. Unfortunately, as it is with many of the SeaWorld parks and resorts, Observation rides like the Sky Tower are not included in the park’s admission, which is a pity.

Seaport Theater

Right next to the Sky Tower is the Seaport Theater, where they showed the Sesame Street Christmas Special Elmo’s Christmas Wish. This musical show is quite fun to watch, especially if you have younger children with you.

Pacific Point Preserve and the Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight

Located at a very calm corner of the park is the Pacific Point Preserve, home to Californian sea lions and harbor seals. Here you can easily waste some time observing the animals, before heading over to the Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight presentation. Although the show mainly consists of cheap jokes, it is a real treat and a must-do when visiting the park.

Shark Encounter

Right next to the park’s central lake, where you can rent flamingo shaped paddle boats, there is the entrance to Shark Encounter. The animal experience is home to very large aquariums and displays. The main attraction is a large underwater tunnel through the shark tank.

Mako

Apart of the final turns, you don’t see much of the park’s B&M hyper coaster Mako. Immediately after we left the station and went through a small turn, we are climbing the lift hill up to a height of 61 m. Once we reach the top, we are already descending toward the ground. With a speed of 117 km/h, we then take the first hill, guiding us along the boarder of the lake in a heavily inclined curve. This is followed by a very fine airtime hill after which we immediately change direction in an elevated turn. A series of airtime hills parallel to the already experienced path joins in, before hitting a block section right next to the lift hill. We then dive under the lift hill and hit another airtime hill right next to the station. A heavily inclined turn then leads us to the final turns on the park’s central lake, which we saw when entering the ride. Soon after, we hit the brakes and our very fine and highly repeatable roller coaster journey on Mako comes to an end.

Nautilus Theater

During my visit to SeaWorld Orlando, I had the opportunity to experience a concert of O-Town Motown featured in the Sounds of the Season performance series in the Nautilus Theater. The show was very entertaining.

Infinity Falls

One of the most exciting water rides at SeaWorld Orlando is Infinity Falls. This big rapids ride from Intamin begins with a very fast and furious rapids section before reaching the lift hill over which the final descent of the ride takes us. Another section of rapids follows on the top level, taking us to the ride’s elevator. As soon as the boat enters the lift, the tension rises in proportion to the increase in height. Finally, we leave the lift and shoot down the slide. Well soaked, we then take the last bend towards the station.

Sesame Street Land

The Sesame Street Land at SeaWorld Orlando is probably the largest Sesame Street area outside of the Sesame Street theme parks. While the recreation of modern Sesame Street with its interactive play and photo possibilities certainly has a certain aesthetic for American kids, this area falls short in terms of rides, especially compared to Port Aventura’s Sesamo Avontura with its awesome dark ride Sesame Street: Street Mission.

Super Grover’s Box Car Derby

The biggest ride it the Sesame Street Land is Super Grover’s Box Car Derby. It is the only Force Three Coaster by Zierer and hence a rather impressive family coaster. After climbing the lift hill, the ride goes down a steep curve to the left. Passing the lift hill, we then take a long turn along the ride’s station. Back to the ground, we then take a fast left turn over hill and dale before we hit the brakes and our ride soon comes to an end.

Orca Encounter

Since a few years, the focus of the large Orca shows at SeaWorld shifted more towards edutainment. As a result, they are now more of an opportunity to see an orca in action than pure entertainment. Of course, the Orcas still splash you, when sitting in the soak zone, but that’s more or less it. The Orca Encounter still is an worthwhile experience if you keep your expectations low. 

Wild Arctic

Wild Arctic used to be home of an old-style flight simulator, which like Antartica: Empire of the Penguins served as a preshow to the animal enclosure you would experience immediately after. This area is home to beluga whales and walruses and is overall very well themed and worthwhile.  

Ice Breaker

While the Ice Breaker roller coaster was still in construction, no shows were shown in the Bayside Stadium. The Premier Rides roller coaster with the world’s only quadruple launch features a nice launch section with double-up elements on both ends. The train then goes over a top hat and into a curvy low to the ground section offering a bunch of rapid transitions, a few airtime hills and a remarkable turnaround.

Pictures SeaWorld Orlando

Conclusion SeaWorld Orlando

Albeit I did not experience the park to its fullest potential, I had a very good time at SeaWorld Orlando. With soon to be five more roller coasters for me to experience, I’m pretty sure to come back sooner then later.

What is your opinion about the marine animal park SeaWorld Orlando?  Just write it in the comment field below the report!

Click here to get to the overview page of SeaWorld Orlando.

SeaWorld Orlando

On Expedition Everest

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park famous for its entrance sign meme, is one of the more visual stunning theme parks in Orlando. Opened in 1998, the park focuses on a limited number of wildlife experiences, an elaborated selection of rides and outstanding shows.

Tree of Life and It’s Tough to be a Bug!

Once you entered the park through the Oasis, you will find yourself in front of the Tree of Life, a large artificial Baobab tree featuring all kinds of animals modelled into its trunk and branches. The Tree of Life is also home to a theatre showing It’s Tough to be a Bug, a 9-minute-long 3D film starring the characters of A Bug’s Life. Interestingly, the attraction premiered first. Like the animated feature film, the attraction nowadays is a bit dated. In its heydays, the attraction was a visual stunning experience featuring top of the notch animatronics and never to be seen animations. The edutainment aspect of the movie makes it interesting, yet partly boring. The big musical finale is nice to see.

In the evening, the Tree of Life awakes. It then becomes an impressive backdrop of a projection mapping show showing various animals, which the guest might have encountered on their day at Disney´s Animal Kingdom. Unlike other evening spectacles, Tree of Life Awakening is not based on a Disney IP.

Pandora – The World of Avatar

Pandora – The World of Avatar might be the most ambitious themed area so far ever created in a theme park. The area features a bunch of floating rocks and a vegetation never to be found in a place before. It’s just astonishing! The overall theme fits in perfectly with the trilogy of movies, where two still needs to be published. It was a weird IP choice back in the days, as the first movie just had an impact due to its 3D effects in a time when 3D movies where actually popular.  

Avatar Flight of Passage

The main attraction of Pandora – The World of Avatar is the flight simulator Avatar Flight of Passage: An attraction unlike anything else. Where most flying theatres just simulate a flight using a machine of some sorts, Avatar Flight of Passage simulates the flight on a living being. Storywise, the guests are experiencing a flight on a banshee – a keystone species for the planet Pandora – using their avatars. The flight sequence itself is fast paced and full of surprises. Additional effects increase the immersion.

During the flight, I was sensory overloaded and just wanted to leave the attraction. The simulated breathing of the banshee is a nice feature for sure, yet a very unpleasant one for me. I understand, why many people love this attraction, as the quality of the attraction is top notch, and the overall experience is great; it was just a little bit too much for me. I might give the ride another chance in the future, but if the waiting time is high, I will for sure give it a miss.     

Na’vi River Journey

The dark ride Na’vi River Journey is the second ride in the realm of Pandora – The World of Avatar. The ride itself is a rather calm, but very impressive one. The boat ride guides us through a series of caves and into a bioluminescent rainforest – which is quite impressive. The main draw of the ride is the Na’vi Shaman of Songs – probably the most interesting animatronic figure by Disney so far. Na’vi River Journey for sure is a dark ride, which you should not miss when visiting Walt Disney World.

Africa

The African themed section of the park is probably the most immersive one. The port village of Harambe serves as the starting point for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and is home to the Festival of the Lion King show.

Festival of the Lion King

One of the biggest attractions in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the Festival of the Lion King. The show features a central stage visible from all sides. Here, various actors sing, dance and perform circus acts. During the show, floats featuring puppets of Pumbaa, Simba and other animals are driving into the arena. The meerkat Timon is the only character of the Lion King, who plays along on the main stage.

Festival of the Lion King is a great variety show offering a colourful experience for all park guests. The floats are a great idea to bring Simba and Pumbaa to the action, the singing and dancing is just fine, and the circus acts are an impressive sight. I just expected the show to be a bit closer to the musical and was therefore a bit surprised. It’s a very fine show, don’t get me wrong, yet it could be even better.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

The guided Safari Kilimanjaro Safaris is the highlight at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. During the 18-minute (or longer) expedition, we explore the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to 34 species. As we drive through the 110 hectares of picturesque open plains, shady woodlands and rocky wetlands, an expert guide tells us all sorts of fascinating facts about the African wildlife and helps us to identify the animals. Due to the nature of this attraction, it is not easy to spot all animals, which is why the Kilimanjaro Safaris is best to be experiences multiple times.

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

Just after you exit Kilimanjaro Safaris, you immediately find yourself on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. This trail is probably one of the highlights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as you can take a glimpse on some African animals, e.g., your favourite meerkat and warthog.

Wildness Express Train

I don’t fully understand the reason why the Wildness Express Train is still in operation today. The train ride leads you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and back. It is the only mode of transport available to this area of the park. Here you can inform yourself a little bit about conservation, learn to draw some characters and/or visit a small-scale petting zoo. For a normal day visit at the park, there is no real reason to visit this corner of the park and therefore no reason to take the train.

Asia

The Asian themed section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is dominated by the artificial Himalayas of the Expedition Everest roller coaster and many temples. The area has a great atmosphere and is home to two of the parks main attractions.

Feathered Friends in Flight!

Feathered Friends in Flight! is probably the most impressive bird show I’ve seen outside of the one at Parc LePal in France. It starts with a very fun running gag before the edutainment part of the show takes over. During the show, you learn a lot about the different birds and their behaviour.

Kali River Rapids

Unfortunately, I could not test the large scale Intamin rapids ride Kali River Rapids during my visit, as the ride was currently scheduled for maintenance. The atmospheric immersion of the ride speaks for itself, and I really wanted to experience the large drop during the ride for myself.

Maharajah Jungle Trek

The trail Maharajah Jungle Trek focuses on the presentation of Asian animals. Next to the graceful Asian tigers, you can find gibbons, Komodo dragons and many more species in a very immersive area of the park.

Expedition Everest

When the roller coaster Expedition Everest was built, it was the most expensive roller coaster ever created – a fact many websites are still stating even after all these years. Truth is, the ride is pretty impressive with its massive mountain structure, its steel bridge lift hill and the large drop going down the mountain.

The ride on Expedition Everests starts with a small lift hill after a right-hand curve directing towards the artificial Himalaya. A wide left-hand bend, we now move over hill and dale before approaching the main lift hill. Once on top of the mountain, we follow the path through a hole till we encounter a dead end at the other side. Without having any other chance, we now travel backwards. After passing a switch track element, we then run through a curve in pitch darkness. After an encounter with the Yeti, our journey continues straight forwards. With momentum, we now take the large drop out of the mountain. Close to the ground we then pass through a left turn before we climb upwards and continue our way through the mountain for another time. On the other side of the mountain, we then race though a tapering helix before entering the mountain once more. Here, we have another encounter with the Yeti. Shortly after, we reach the brakes, and our wild ride soon comes to an end.

Expedition Everest is probably the most impressive of all roller coasters at Walt Disney World. The scale of the coaster itself speaks for itself. The large drop and the tapering helix are my highlight of the ride. You cannot do anything wrong with a ride on Expedition Everest, especially when the waiting times are low.  

Disney KiteTails

I love a good musical and of course the updated version of the Finding Nemo musical should not open before summer 2022. In the meantime, Disney’s Animal Kingdom presented Disney KiteTails, which of course was suspended due to high winds on the day of my visit.  

DinoLand U.S.A.

DinoLand U.S.A. is often criticked as Walt Disney World’s less ambitious themed area. The main areal of the land resembles a typical fun fair with a bunch of gaming booths and seemingly transportable rides. As always in Disney parks, a Telecombat style of ride shall not be missing, which in this case is the Tricera Top Spin. The area used to be home to the two Primeval Whirl roller coasters, which have not yet found a replacement.

DINOSAUR

The main attraction of DinoLand U.S.A. is the dark ride DINOSAUR. This Intamin enhanced motion vehicle ride is one of the best dark rides in existence. To fit the theme with the long-forgotten Disney movie Dinosaur, we are in a time travel rescue mission. Our goal is to bring an Iguanadon to our present time before a fatal meteor will hit earth. On our way, we encounter many other dinosaurs and some aggressive ones as well.

DINOSAUR is a very impressive dark ride. The use of the enhanced motion vehicles makes our ride a rather wild one. In combination with the immersive surroundings and impressive animatronics, DINOSAUR for sure is a ride which should not be missed. 

Pictures Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Conclusion Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is indeed a very immersive theme park. The atmosphere at the different sections of the park is just great. Unfortunately, the park lacks a bit in its number of attractions. During my visit, many of the park’s signature attractions could not be experienced, as they were either currently upgraded, under maintenance or just got suspended. The park could easily benefit by focusing a bit more on the animal exhibits such as similar parks in Europe do. The attractions on their own are a good reason to visit the park, yet currently there is something missing. 

What is your opinion about the Disney’s Animal Kingdom?  Just write it in the comment field below the report!

Click here to get to the overview page of Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom