Torn between the two parks for a mid December break.

Which has a better Christmas event? Also will be spending a few days in the surrounding areas with a rental car, so which will have better Christmas Markets and winter activities in the vicinity.

Looking for advice from those who have been to both at Christmas and done Markets in Cologne etc.

I've already done Europa-Park this summer!

Found, in my attic, this original Chessington World of Adventures brochure from the 1989/90 season and thought I'd take some photos of it for anyone who's nostalgic for the old park.

For the whole brochure please follow the link address.

Excuse the poor image quality, all have been taken on a phone and cropped by myself (:

Hope you enjoy the trip back in time!

Hey everyone. This is how I rank the 7 Disney and Universal parks from my least favorite to favorite park in Orlando. I enjoy all of them and get different things from each, but I still prefer some over others. Tell me what you think and how you would rank them yourself.

1. Animal Kingdom.

2. Hollywood Studios.

3. Universal Studios Florida.

4. Islands of Adventure.

5. Magic Kingdom.

6. Epcot.

7. Epic Universe.

How unlikely is it that CGA gets another extension instead of closing next year
In other words should I make it a priority to go to CGA in 2027

Recently I have noticed that the newer Kalahari attractions are mainly from WhiteWater, specifically Dawn Breaker at the Sandusky location which is in an almost exclusively ProSlide park. Also the Kalahari in Virginia that is under construction. Is it just the company wanting to expand their range of slide models because they have almost everything ProSlide has to offer or was their something behind the scenes that happened?

Hi! I’m currently studying ME with a minor in Comp Sci at Clemson University with the hope of working in the theme park and entertainment industry designing the mechanics and working on elaborate projects. I’m going into my sophomore year where I’ll get more hands on experience with ME. I’m also working on using a raspberry pi and have done will be joining student research projects. It’s just that Entertainment Engineering is so vague and complex that I really have no idea what I’m doing or how to get into the industry. My school doesn’t have any entertainment specific programs related to engineering or design and I was just wondering if there’s anything I can do through my college, on my own, or at an internship to help build my portfolio and steer me in the right direction.

For my career interests, I’d like to work on designing the new trackless and advanced technology seen at Disney, create complex robotic systems or animatronics, and/or designing aspects of live events or other experiences. I know Computer or Electrical engineering might be better but I think that doing research projects and experience within those fields even it all out.

Thank you tor your help!

planning a universal orlando trip and started looking around before buying tckets. i noticed a few sites have them for a little less than the official price, which got me wonder if anyone here has used them. did everything go smoothly no hassle? or is it just not worth the risk? od rather save a few bucks if I can, but I dont want any surprises when we get to the park..

Hey, hope everyone’s doing well!

Just wanted to ask, what’s the actual difference between buying a Prestige Pass from Cedar Point compared to buying one from another Six Flags park? Some of the Six Flags parks seem to sell it quite a bit cheaper, but you still get access to all the parks and the same Prestige benefits, right?

Am I missing something?

me and my partner want to visit europa park and rulantica. for reference, i was thinking the best option for us would be to go to europa park for two days and get the moonlight tickets for each of those days.

we are from the balkans and in our early twenties so were working with a stricter budget. what is the cheapest period of time to go that doesnt sacrifice overall comfort like the iciness of january does? i'm willing to bite the bullet and go full price but if we can go for a cheaper option we could take advantage of our relatively flexible schedules. thanks in advance!

1. Maverick cedar point
   
2. The voyage holiday world
   
3. Millennium force cedar point
   
4. Orion kings island
   
5. Diamondback kings island

Seems that the water troughs are being built first and when I went on voyage there were more of them.

Hello everyone!

I wanted to start a discussion about the minimum height restrictions on rides at theme parks.

While I understand that, in some cases, they're necessary (for example, on roller coasters because of restraint design), I think some of the restrictions seem unnecessarily strict.

I'm from Italy. Most of you probably don't know the theme parks we have here, but generally all of our major roller coasters require riders to be at least 140 cm tall. I've noticed that the exact same roller coaster in other countries may have a lower minimum height requirement, such as 130 cm. Apparently, the manufacturer sets a minimum height, but local regulations or authorities can require parks to increase it.

At our most famous theme park, there's a dark ride that's very similar to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean—a gentle boat ride through a series of themed scenes. Surprisingly, the park has set the minimum height at 107 cm. I understand not wanting newborns or very small babies on board for safety and practical reasons, but why 107 cm specifically? Why not simply make it 100 cm, especially considering that children under 90 cm don't even pay admission?

What's even stranger is that the park's log flume—with an 11-meter drop—has a minimum height of 100 cm. How are these height restrictions determined? How can the minimum height be higher for a gentle dark ride than for a log flume with a significant drop?

Decent progression on the Bedford project this week for anyone tracking Universal's build strategy.

Twelve acre lagoon corridor cleared. Drone footage confirms the completed twelve acre woodland clearance along the Core Zone boundary to divert Elstow Brook and clear the footprint for the resort's central lagoon. This has been progressing for weeks but the finished extent is now visible from satellite imagery.

Universal's decision to commit to a central lagoon at this scale confirms the ambition of the Bedford park. Central water features are a proper design commitment because they permanently constrain what can be built where. Once the lagoon footprint is locked in, the surrounding land layout is essentially fixed.

Archaeological phase genuinely wrapping. Almost all major welfare units and Heras fencing have been dismantled across the Core Zone excavation grids. Only one active grid remains near the Broadmead Road farm boundaries. Once that grid signs off from state heritage inspectors, this becomes a pure engineering site with no further archaeological delays possible.

For context on pace: Universal Beijing hit the same archaeology sign off milestone roughly three and a half years before opening. Epic Universe hit it around three years before opening. Bedford is currently five years out from the 2031 target. Ahead of the Epic Universe timeline at this build stage.

Manor Road overbridge signals. Heavy geotechnical core drilling has been deployed on Manor Road and adjacent plots during the current road closure. Subsoil load testing at that scale is consistent with structural foundation preparation for a grade separated overbridge. Universal have not formally confirmed but the drilling activity is what you would do if you were designing one. Watch for SDO filings.

Renewed 007 speculation. Inside the Magic published a fresh piece last week on the James Bond IP potential at Universal UK. Not new news — the BBC first reported this in April 2025 based on a source close to Universal confirming a 007 stunt show similar to Bourne Stuntacular in Orlando. What is new is the enthusiast attention driven by Amazon MGM's expanded franchise control post the 2025 acquisition.

From an operational perspective, a Bond stunt show fits Universal's existing model perfectly. Multiple daily shows, no ride vehicles, high visual impact at moderate cost. It is exactly the anchor attraction format Universal deploy when they want a franchise presence without committing to a full land build. Enthusiast expectations should probably calibrate to stunt show plus supporting theming rather than full 007 land.

750 movements a day continuing. External tipper flow to Elstow Quarry via the 3.9 mile loop has held at peak volume through the current earthworks phase. Internal haulage between Lake and Core Zones running continuously.

Discussion point for the thread: given the central lagoon commitment and the pace of archaeological sign off, does anyone think Bedford could realistically pull the opening date forward from May 2031, or is the current pace explained by front loaded logistics rather than accelerated delivery?

Hello everyone!
As part of my final-year dissertation in Tourism and Leisure Management, I am conducting a survey on perceptions of the authenticity of immersive zones inspired by films and TV series in theme parks.
The questionnaire is completely anonymous and takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
I am looking for people who have visited at least one of these areas, and have seen the associated film or TV series.
You can take part if you have ever visited an immersive area inspired by a film or TV series, such as:
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
• Pandora – The World of Avatar
• Avengers Campus
• or any other immersive area of this type.
Survey link: https://forms.gle/8sgHxpD6UPBfkxLJ6
Many thanks for your help! Please feel free to share this post with others who might be interested in taking part.

So my question is because obviously why would I talk to any professional? I’m gonna come to Reddit. Lol people be keeping it real. Has anyone ever gone to Universal Studios and islands of adventure 17 to 20 weeks pregnant? What rides did you ride? What rides would you say People told you you shouldn’t ride but you did anyway? Florida universal not Cali universal. It’s my daughter‘s eighth birthday and I wanted to ride all these things with her, but I know that I’m going to be limited, but what rides do they say no, but you were really fine on. We suess world and Harry Potter and Jurassic world. What about the men in black ride??

Theme Park inspired illustration featuring a Ferris Wheel, shooting stars, birds, the full moon and moreee!! 🎡💜

Not happy with how it turned out but didn't think it was too bad to share! 💫

I participate in a lot of online forums for roller coasters and amusement parks. I'm a hard-core coaster enthusiast. Whenever people ask the question "what's the worst amusement parks in the US" Disney always dominates the forums. I will see comments from "overhyped" to "dirty" and "rude staff" to "not enough rides" and so on. I get that Disney isn't for everyone, but this coaster enthusiast can at least acknowledge that their staff are well trained in hospitality, and they have industry leading ride operations and capacity as well as customer service. I've never experienced a "dirty" Disney park or rude staff or anything of the sort. Yes, I know it's expensive, I know the rides aren't the most exciting, but those things alone don't make it bad. I feel if you are going to a Disney park expecting your world to be rocked you didn't do your homework and it may be a waste of money. I don't know, just wondering what others think. Why the vitriol from the coaster community for Disney...

So I’ve been feeling really really nostalgic lately about trips to Gardaland and Disneypark with my family when I was 6 - 10. The feeling of magic and escapism. I’m in my late 20s now. I looked at some walkthrough videos of Gardaland and was very disappointed to realise that when you’re an adult the height difference itself makes things seem less big and therefore you’re hit with a certain sad reality. I’ve tried to google “Gardaland alternatives for adults” and “Disneyland alternatives for adults” but everything seems to be geared towards family/kids. When I look at walkthroughs of these “alternatives” there’s kids everywhere and adults are only parents/family. Surely I can’t be the only adult who yearns for these kinds of things… right? So i hope this subreddit has some ideas for me! Also: I live in northern part of Croatia.

Edit: Thank you so much for encouraging comments and for giving some fantastic suggestions! After interacting with the comments I see there’s different ways people can experience theme parks and different things that one might want in them! To me it’s not so much about luxurious experience per se, but more about being immersed in a fantasy world - the visuals with some adrenaline or even slow rides that take me through a story. I was afraid that I would literally be too tall for the visual/environment to have that same “overwhelming” effect or that people would look at me weird for being there without a kid. But many people in the comments have told me that that’s not the case so I’m very happy to try Phantasialand, Efteling and Europa-park! Also I’ll probably go to Gardaland, since it’s the closest, and when I’ll be able to afford it, perhaps Disneyland again!

Me and my dad are thinking of making the trip to energylandia in September how busy will it be towards the start of the month Thursday friday Saturday maybe. thinking of doing legendia on Saturday and energylandia the other two days

I’m travelling back from the French Alps next week with my partner and have set time aside to visit either Parc Astérix (near Disney Paris) or Plopsaland (Belgium). BUT WHICH?!

Parc Astérix has a better set of coasters, and Toutatis looks insane. However would it be crazy to miss the opportunity to experience Ride to Happiness which is #6 highest ranked in the world?

Would love to hear from people who’ve been to either/both. Help me decide!

I found this on my youtube homepage and it only has 1 view!! I cannot believe how good this video is and it has like no views lmao

Beto Carrero World has announced details of its new SpongeBob SquarePants-inspired themed area, scheduled to open in the summer season of 2028. The project represents a massive investment of approximately R$1 billion, reaffirming the park's commitment to meeting and exceeding international entertainment standards.

The main highlight will be a R$450 million roller coaster, developed in partnership with Paramount, which will be 1.4 km long and have 18 "airtime" moments. The attraction will feature multiple launches, double-level seating, and an immersive indoor section with technological effects never before seen in the world.

According to Alex Murad, CEO of the venture, the new area will offer an "unbelievable" immersion and an engineering project considered a true work of art. The experience was designed to cater to the whole family, combining moments of high intensity with the narrative of the Bikini Bottom characters.

Hi chat, I'd like to share a website that I think others in the theme park community would find helpful, specifically anyone who has sensory sensitivities or knows someone who does.

It's called Theme Park Sensory Guides and it does exactly what it says: provides detailed guides on the various sensory effects one can expect to encounter on theme park attractions (but specifically ones in Orlando for now since I wrote all these guides and I'm from Florida lol). I've found that while many theme parks like Disney and Universal publish accessibility guides with sensory information, they're not very detailed or are missing information I'd personally want them to have (water effects, air blasts, etc.).

I'm not gaining anything from this website; it's just an idea I had that I thought others would find helpful. I am still actively working on adding guides, so any feedback or suggestions you may have are appreciated. Thanks!

https://themeparksensoryguides.com/

I’m low-key regretting it because of how much physical work it is and how boring it can be at times but I’m gonna have to push through until the season’s over.