Shanghai Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is a new take on the beloved, classic boat ride. It uses a combination of physical sets, audio-animatronic (AA) figures, and giant projection screens to help bring the story to life. What makes the technology behind the ride system so incredible is the engineers have complete control over the speed, position, and orientation of the boats.
I recently created and released two Android Apps for roller coaster enthusiasts and Disney theme park fans.
Guess the Coaster - This app is intended for hard core roller coaster fanatics. Try to guess the identity of each mystery coaster.
Disney Park Picture Quiz - How well do you know your Disney Theme Parks? Scratch off the picture of a Disney theme park attraction, guess what it is and choose the right answer. The less you reveal, the more points you score! Each quiz is composed of ten randomly selected images. Play multiple times and get different pictures.
You can download both for free from Google Play. Please let me know what you think. Do you like this style of app? Would you like to see more? How could they be improved?
There are countless books out there about the history and development of Walt Disney World and Disneyland (such as Project Future and the Disneyland Story just to name a few of the more recent ones I've read) but what about Universal Orlando? You would have been hard pressed to find a book about it until now. Universal Orlando: The Unofficial Story is the only book currently available that covers the complete history and creation of the resort, from the onset to the present day. I was a bit skeptical because it is a self-published book but I was blown away with how good it was. I learned many interesting tidbits I never knew before, like how the Jaws attraction was essentially built twice! The author does a great job of explaining how the park transition from "see how movies are made" to "ride the movies." If you're a Universal fan I highly recommend you check out Universal Orlando: The Unofficial Story.
I've just released the new edition of my book, Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. If you purchased the Kindle version previously you get free updates. If you purchased the paperback version, you can get the latest digital version for free now too! The latest edition (third) has pictures, diagrams, new content, a better layout, and other general improvements. My goal is to make this book simply the best, most complete, most detailed guide to designing roller coasters you can find. A few of the most recent reviews tend to agree:
“Very impressive! What a great resource to have..for anyone.” - John S.
“Thanks for writing a very good book. I could not put it down. Lot's of great information. I am a technology and engineering teacher and the information I found here is very helpful in trying to get students more excited about engineering.” Amazon reviewer
Rotation about the track spine
Some of the questions about roller coaster design you will have answered after reading include:
What software do roller coaster engineers use?
What college major is best to become a coaster designer?
How many engineers does it take to design a coaster?
How do roller coasters reach their highest point?
Why don’t coaster cars roll backwards down the lift hill?
Why do wheels on steel coasters come in pairs?
Why do we see so many clones of the exact same ride built at multiple parks?
How does a 4D coaster work?
How much does a roller coaster cost?
How much time does it take to design a roller coaster?
What is the difference between LIM and LSM propulsion?
What sort of background is necessary to get into the roller coaster engineering field?
How do you calculate the amount of power needed for the lift hill?
This
past April my wife and I sailed on a three night cruise to the Bahamas.
It was our first cruise experience. So how did I come to choose going
on a cruise over visiting a theme park for my precious vacation time? To
be honest, I had never really even considered going on a cruise until
recently when a few friends went on a Disney cruise and highly
recommended it. There are other reasons why we decided to go on a
cruise.
First,
why did I choose to go on a Disney ship versus other cruise lines like
Carnival or Royal Caribbean or Norweigan? To be honest, I never really
even seriously considered any other cruise line. I knew for sure I
definitely did NOT want to go on a Carnival ship or affiliate after all
the recent problems they’ve been having (and in fact the Ecstasy did
experience a 12 minute power outage at sea on the day we sailed!).
I
expected the same level of quality, customer service, and cleanliness
on a Disney boat that I have experienced at Disney parks and resorts.
Not to mention that extra touch of magic. To our delight, the customer service on the boat was even BETTER than in the parks!
Our
recent coaster trips have involved lots of driving so one of the
appealing factors of going on a cruise for me was I wouldn’t have to do
any driving or even rent a car! Disney transportation all the way!
Our
last visit to Walt Disney World was very hectic and we crammed a lot
into a short period of time. While still very fun, it was not very
relaxing. The cruise looked to be a lot less stressful.
In
the end, I’m so glad we went on a cruise and glad we choose Disney! The
Carnival ships we were docked next to just looked like crap while the
Disney Dream was totally awesome and the crew was unbelievable. The only
segment of the population I would recommend NOT going on a Disney
cruise are those going purely to hook with someone. Probably not the
cruise for you. Everyone else can find plenty of things to do. Below is a
montage video I shot on our Disney cruise and largely features our day
adventure at the incredible Atlantis Resort:
I recently launched a brand new website called Observation Wheel Directory, that features a comprehensive list of the world’s largest observation wheels. The site contains numerous information and statistics on Ferris wheels around the globe including an interactive map to find an observation wheel near you.
One thing the site is currently lacking is pictures, and that’s where you come in! If you have a picture of an observation (and it is a picture you took and hold the copyright for) please submit it to the site. We will of course give you credit for the picture and link back to your website or blog if you have one. At this time we are only accepting large Ferris wheels, those over 150 feet in diameter ( we may make exceptions in the future). Or we will also accept pictures of unique Ferris wheels, like the Big O centerless Ferris wheel or the eccentric wheels like the ones at Coney Island and Disney California Adventure.
My
wife and I visited the Walt Disney World resort for a long weekend.
Although I’d been to the Magic Kingdom many times, this was only my
second time staying overnight on Disney property. Disney ranks their
hotel resorts by different categories from cheapest to most expensive:
value, moderate, deluxe, deluxe villas. The first time we stayed at one
of the All-Star hotels, a value resort not directly connected to
anything. This time we opted for a moderate resort, Port Orleans
Riverside, connected to Downtown Disney via a half hour boat ride down a
winding river (relaxing but feels like it takes forever).
I
thought the moderate hotel was a huge step up from the value resort.
The interior of the room was wonderfully themed. The pool and lobby
areas were also well done. I recommend staying in a Disney resort,
especially if you have kids, for all the little things they do that you
don’t expect that add up to make your stay more memorable, such as
arranging the towels in the shapes of Mickey or other animals, giving
you pins to wear that say “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Anniversary”, and so on.
The
biggest complaint about staying on property is the buses. It’s really
hit or miss - sometimes you get right on and go and other times you may
wait up to a half an hour only to have to stand the entire trip next to some sweaty, over-weight tourist who keeps bumping into you. I guess it does beat having to drive a car around
yourself though. Oh, and they should have more or larger hot tubs!
Next
time I think I would much prefer to stay at the Yacht or Beach Club
resort, not because it is a deluxe resort, but mostly because of its
superb location: Epcot is walking distance, you can take a short boat
ride to the Studios, a monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom, and you’ve got Boardwalk and Fantasia golf in
walking distance for nighttime entertainment (meaning you only would
have to take a bus to get to Animal Kingdom or Downtown Disney).
We
also did the dining plan for the first time. Price wise it was probably
a wash but it was really awesome not to have to take out my credit card
once during the trip (everything was paid for before we left) we just
used our hotel room keys to use the meal plan. You also get a refillable
mug to get unlimited free drinks in the food court at the hotel.
The
holiday season is officially here and it’s time to go shopping for your
fellow theme park fan! Listed below are some ideas I came up of what to
buy a theme park fan for Christmas. Some of these items I personally
own and others are on my wishlist as well.
Amusement Park Books
Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design:
Shameless self plug here. The most in-depth look at how modern roller
coasters are designed from concept to creation, including some of the
physics and engineering equations used.
Theme Park (Nintendo DS): Control everything, from the speed of your rides to the amount of ice in your drinks Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum:
Let’s face it, it’s going to be awhile before RollerCoaster Tycoon 4
comes out (if ever) so this is the next best thing, especially with RCT3D being so disappointing. RCT3 Platinum combines the excitement and roller coaster, theme park fun of the Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
with included expansion packs Soaked! and Wild! Now enjoy more options
than ever. Build your own water slide or create your own safari with
real animals. Watch guest reactions to your ultimate theme park!
Theme Park Toys
K'NEX Thrill Rides - Hot Shot! Video Coaster: Featuring
a coaster car with on-board digital video camera, builders can now see
what it would be like to ride their own creations, can share their
building achievements with family and friends, and can even edit their
own personalized movies.
A
new website has popped up called RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 release date. While
there isn’t really a whole lot of new information, they do list out a timeline
of known events and information about the upcoming roller coaster simulation
game. They also promise to be the first website to post any updates on the
RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 release date as soon as it becomes available, although I
don’t expect to hear anything until after RCT3D hits the market.
What is RCT3D you ask? It’s
the next installment of the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. However, this latest
game is only available on the Nintendo 3DS handheld system. After being delayed
several times, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D is still set for a release date of
August 28th (which you can pre-order here).
I also encourage you to
sign up for the RCT newsletter to be the first to know about a new giveaway
contest I will be hosting coming up soon with some prizes geared toward theme
park nerds.
If you haven’t noticed, I
added a link above to a new page on this blog called Ride Layouts. Here I plan
on including links to all my posts where I’ve displayed ride layouts,
blueprints, and diagrams, especially those classic Disney attractions.
Today,
we look back on another classic attraction of Disney World's Magic
Kingdom which is no longer with us. The Skyway was removed from the
Magic Kingdom in 1999 after a maintenance worker was killed from falling off a gondola while
working on the ride. One unique aspect of this particular ride was the fact that it
wasn’t laid out in a straight line like the majority of other similar sky ride type transportation rides. Magic Kingdom’s Skyway had more of a
L-shape with a bend in the middle.
Overview and Layout
The
Disney Skyway was an aerial tramway providing a scenic overview of the
park and stretched from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland in the center of
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Guests boarded at either end for a
one-way trip to the opposite station, traveling in gondolas (cabins)
suspended from a moving cable. Each cabin could accommodate up to four
adult guests. For guests boarding at the Tension Station in
Tomorrowland, the cabins traveled along the moving cable across the
Grand Prix Raceway, came down at the Transfer Station and made a 116
degree left-hand turn, then climbed and crossed Fantasyland ending their
journey at the Drive Station. The Skyway ride system consisted of 50
cabins, which traveled on 3600 feet of steel wire rope.
How it worked
Like
all Disney theme park attractions, the ride was closely monitored and
controlled by a Ride Control System (RCS). Emergency Stops were provided
at each station, and the RCS could also stop the ride based on certain
fault conditions. The
Skyway actually was designed with an auxiliary backup diesel motor.
This was only used to cycle out the ride if the main drive motor became
inoperable. The motor powered a hydraulic pump which provided hydraulic
pressure to one of two motors: one located at the gear box to be used if
the main drive motor was inoperative, and a second one located upstairs
at the bullwheel to be used if the gearbox was inoperative. The second
motor turned a ring gear mounted on the bullwheel to drive the wheel
directly when the gear box was disconnected from the torque tube
connecting it to the bull wheel.The
main motor drive shaft had a double action brake actuated by weights
which clamped the shaft after the motor had stopped to dampen out reactive
force from the stop and hold the shaft stationary. When the motor was
started, a relay energized a coil which lifted the brake thus releasing
it. Electrical power was supplied into the Skyway attraction from Reedy
Creek Energy Services and the transformers were located inside the west end of the
It's a Small World ride building.
End of an Era
The station in Tomorrowland was destroyed in
2009. Even
after the ride closed the Skyway station in Fantasyland stood for many
years, but has recently been dismantled as part of the New Fantasyland
expansion project (which saw the closure of Snow White's Scary Adventures).
Snow White's Scary Adventures was an attraction located in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The ride was recently closed forever (May 2012) as part of the New Fantasyland expansion and renovation project. Let's take a look back at this classic dark ride as it lives on in our hearts and memories.
Snow White’s Adventure was based on the Walt Disney film classic of 1937. The attraction brought to life the well known fairy tale of Snow White and her adventures with her little friends, the Seven Dwarfs, and the wicked Queen. Guests were transported via a six-passenger vehicle - themed like a mine car - on a three-minute ride along a 617 foot track. During the ride guests passed through scenes depicting the Castle Courtyard, Queen’s Chamber, Dungeon,Threatening Forest, Frightening Forest, Friendly Forest, Dwarfs' Cottage, Chase Begins, Dwarfs' Mine, the Cliff, Loves First Kiss, and finally They Lived Happily Everafter with Snow White and the Prince. The scenes used effects such as animated props, animated figures, projectors and lighting to create the correct illusions.
How it worked - Disney Magic Unveiled
The Snow White’s Adventure ride consisted of 17 six-seat vehicles. The vehicle consisted of a fiberglass body attached to a chassis. The vehicle rode along a steel track which contained a bus bar. The vehicle was connected to the bus bar through contacts located on the front bogie assembly. These contacts collect the electrical power from the bus bar and transfer it to the motor located on the rear bogie assembly.The mine car themed vehicles were electrically operated and traveled along a guide rail with a bus bar. Safety lap bars automatically engaged as the vehicles left the Load Area. The bus bar was supplied by the attraction main electrical feed at 240 VAC. There were two isolated conductors of the bus bar which are parallel and horizontal to the exterior of the track surface. A third isolated conductor was mounted on the opposite of the track and acted as the ground for the system. The bus bar ran the entire length of the ride track.
Audio-Animatronics(AA) figures
The Snow White ride featured a few Audio-Animatronincs figures. The Animated Figures are mechanical actors (person or animal) designed to perform an action or actions in a show scene. A steel skeletal framework, jointed as required, makes up the figure. The figure is covered with a body form and costume for the character that it portrays. The activity of the figure is controlled by electrical signals. These signals are sent from the show control system (SCS). A combination of components are used to control the movement of the figure. These components include and are not limited to pneumatic valves, mechanical feedback actuators, solenoid valves and first stage valves. Each figure will contain a combination of these components. The actuators and electric motors are contained within the AA figure or the base frame under the figure.
Snow White Ride Blueprint and Overhead Layout
Embedded below is the best official looking layout I could find of the Snow White attraction on the internet.
What's better than looking up Disney ride layouts online? Going to Disney World and actually riding them! Disney World Vacation And Savings Travel Guide is a new book where an ex-Disney employee reveals insider secrets on how to have the best and most cost effective vacation to Walt Disney World resort. This book proves you don't have to be ultra-rich to have an excellent time at Disney World. Instead of spending $5,500 on the trip you could have just as much fun for only $2,700! The book is laid out very professionally and even includes worksheets to help keep your vacation organized. The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide is updated on a monthly basis to keep up with the constant change around the resort.
Attention theme park fans! What Would Walt Do? is a new eBook about the team members, construction workers, and engineers left with the task of building the Walt Disney World resort after Walt Disney's death in December of 1966. The book was written by project manage D. M. Miller and the question "what would Walt do" came up every time a decision had to be made. In the end it was determined that Walt would want to do the right thing. He would've selected the highest quality option available regardless of the cost. Download this fantastic eBook as a PDF file right to your computer today. A must read for all fans of Walt Disney and the Walt Disney World resort.
The Discovery River Boats was an attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom. They were diesel powered boats which made a circuit around the Tree of Life. One scene along the route was called "the Dragon's Cave" and was located on the riverbank of Discovery River adjacent to the Beastly Kingdom Bridge. When riverbank sensors detected an oncomming Discovery River Boat, an audio roar and fire stream simulate the approach of a fire breathing dragon just inside riverbank cave structure.
The Discovery Rive Boats opened in 1998 and closed in 1999 due to the number of disappointed guests who did not realize the nature of the attraction. Below is an overhead layout diagram of the original ride. Click on the image for a larger picture.
This is your last chance to buy this very rare, limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" which is said to be the best book ever done on a
Disney theme park! It's a bit pricey at 115 euros (including shipping anywhere in the world) but that is a lot less than the $1200 it was going for on eBay! If you're a true Disney theme park fan then this book is a must have. There are over 700 high quality photographs from all areas and phases of the design of the Disneyland Paris theme park.
A new take on the theme park ride online games is called Ride Sims which puts you in control of all your favorite theme park rides & attractions. Bascially, you are put in the control room of one of nine attractions and must learn to operate the attraction by dispatching the trains in a safe and efficient manner. If you want to work in the amusement park industry this game offers some nice insight into the workings of major thrill ride.
The other neat aspect of this game is all of the attractions are real rides and include and overhead layout diagram of each one. This is great for people like me who are always trying to figure out a ride's layout or blueprint.
Here's the layout for Hong Kong Disney's Space Mountain
Here's a few overhead pictures of the layout for Dinosaur at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I believe the layout is the exact same as the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.
Can
anybody here explain how a Zamperla Demolition Derby ride works? From
my understanding there are two turn tables which spin in opposite
directions and the cars, which are free to spin in their own independent
circles, are transferred from one turn table to another. It's the "hand
off" between turn tables that specifically interests me. How do they do
it? This ride system is used at the Disney studios park in Paris as
Cars Race Rally. A new twist on the design is being built at California
Adventure as Mater's Junkyard.
On our recent vacation at Universal Orlando Resort, we waited over an hour in line for Rip Ride Rocket and they closed the ride right before we were about to get on. At that point, the park was closed and we didn't get to do anything else and had essentially wasted the last hour or two of our time in the park. There was no compensation for us or any others waiting in line. We left the park very disappointed and frustrated, along with countless other guests- not a good lasting impression for first time visitors. I understand there are mechanical problems, no big deal, especially if they are early in the day. My issue is that it was the end of the day and there was no attempt at correcting the feeling that our time and money had just been wasted- the two most important issues for me as a park guest. At Disney, they give you fast passes good at any park for x number of days. Thus their customer service will always be better in my eyes.
There are countless books out there about the history and development of Walt Disney World and Disneyland (such as Project Future and the Disneyland Story just to name a few of the more recent ones I've read) but what about Universal Orlando? You would have been hard pressed to find a book about it until now. Universal Orlando: The Unofficial Story is the only book currently available that covers the complete history and creation of the resort, from the onset to the present day. I was a bit skeptical because it is a self-published book but I was blown away with how good it was. I learned many interesting tidbits I never knew before, like how the Jaws attraction was essentially built twice! The author does a great job of explaining how the park transition from "see how movies are made" to "ride the movies." If you're a Universal fan I highly recommend you check out Universal Orlando: The Unofficial Story.
My
wife and I visited the Walt Disney World resort for a long weekend.
Although I’d been to the Magic Kingdom many times, this was only my
second time staying overnight on Disney property. Disney ranks their
hotel resorts by different categories from cheapest to most expensive:
value, moderate, deluxe, deluxe villas. The first time we stayed at one
of the All-Star hotels, a value resort not directly connected to
anything. This time we opted for a moderate resort, Port Orleans
Riverside, connected to Downtown Disney via a half hour boat ride down a
winding river (relaxing but feels like it takes forever).
