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Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
Prepare Yourself for 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' With These Detailed Videos
Why can't we just wave a wand and say some magic words and have Universal Studios' new theme park The Wizarding World of Harry Potter be open already? The 20-acre amusement park within the Islands of Adventure area keeps leaking little teasers—like details on Ollivander's wand shop and the Hogwarts Express—but thus far, they've steered clear of releasing an opening date.
All we know is that the world's first and only Harry Potter theme park will be opening this spring, and that it'll happen before their vacation packages kick in, which happens on May 28. Since they're all about hyping the place, they did just announce what day and time they'll reveal the opening date: noon on March 25 at universalorlando.com/harrypotter.
Until then however, we do have the detailed video look at the theme park...see it after the jump!
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Travel Contests / → All Tags
How Your Child Can Win a Trip to Opening Day at the Harry Potter Theme Park
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Although we still don't have an official opening date for Universal Studios Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, we do now have the first contest to attend the opening bash. Thanks to the TODAY show this morning, we have a live glimpse of the Hogwarts Express train, some of snowy Hogsmeade, and peeks at Honeyduke's and more. All of this while the TODAY show correspondent detailed the contest that will send one class of schoolchildren down to Orlando for the park's opening yet this spring.
So how do you get your child and their class down to Florida for a 3-day, 2-night Harry Potter extravaganza? Well, the class's teacher has to submit a video entry answering this question: "Why is my class extraordinary?" The contest runs until March 26, so hurry up!
The jury is still out on whether or not the kids will have to bring lots of pocket money though, since the preview on the TODAY show makes it sound like the theme park is one big ad to sell Harry Potter products, which it is. But jeez—there's more to the creation of the place than just places to buy Bertie Bots and Gryffindor scarves. Or let's hope there is.
Related Stories:
· Want To Be at the Opening of Harry Potter's World? [TODAY Show]
· Universal Studios Announces First Harry Potter Theme Park Package [Jaunted]
· Harry Potter theme park news [Jaunted]
[Photo: Universal Studios]
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
The Hogwarts Express Arrives to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Continuing our peek-by-peek look at the goodies inside the soon-to-open Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios Orlando, we finally get details on the much-beloved Hogwarts Express train.
It's won't be the real Platform 9 3/4 at London's King's Cross station, but the Wizarding World will have its very own Hogwarts Express train, complete with smoke and sound effects. It's unclear right now if the train moves at all, although we doubt it. It's more like an exhibit, which sits at the Hogsmeade village entrance and greets visitors. Here's the official explanation of the train's function:
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Shamu Stadium at SeaWorld Orlando Remains Closed While Rest of Park Reopens
The death of a whale trainer at the hands of one of SeaWorld Orlando's killer whales yesterday affected more than just the one amusement park. The fatal accident occurred in the middle of a public performance at the Florida SeaWorld location, resulting in the closure of that whole park for the day but also the closing of the Shamu attractions at other SeaWorld parks around the country.
The killer whale attractions at SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio—but not the whole parks—were shut down just in case as SeaWorld as a whole takes a closer look at the safety procedures and the details behind the Orlando incident.
Although SeaWorld Orlando reopened today, Shamu Stadium remains closed and the whale at the center of the investigation—Tikikum, who's been in captivity for 30 years after being captured off Iceland—sits in a holding tank. We think it's time for a another sequel to "Free Willy."
Related Stories:
· Killer whale Tilikum drowned trainer by her ponytail [Guardian UK]
· Cars line up as SeaWorld Orlando reopens a day after trainer's death; Shamu Stadium closed [Newser]
· Animal Travel [Jaunted]
[Photo: Kids Family Vacations]
Tags: Tragedies / SeaWorld / Shamu / Orlando Travel / Travel News / Amusement Parks / → All Tags
Death Reported at Shamu Stadium Inside SeaWorld Orlando
UPDATE 2.26.10: SeaWorld Orlando's website has only updated on the show schedule page to say that the Believe shows at Shamu Stadium will resume again tomorrow, February 27. The Dine with Shamu experience, which enables guests to have lunch while observing the whales and was the scene of the horrifying incident, has been suspended until further notice.
Park authorities say the killer whale, Tillikum, will not be transferred, released or destroyed but whether he will perform is still not certain.
UPDATE: 5:26pm EST: A Twitterer in the audience, SapphicKitty, snapped a couple of Twitpics just before the show and Tweeted, "The killer whales are have a "moment" They don't feel like performing right now...." Later, the Twitterer found out it was because of all the action that happened just before the show started. Sad.
UPDATE 4:10pm EST: It has been confirmed that a trainer was attacked by a whale at the start of the show. Alarms went off and the stadium was evacuated. The park is still open but the whale stadium is closed.
However, it looks like the whale, Tillikum, has a history of doing this as he was the reason a trainer drowned in 1991 at Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia. Another man was found dead laying on Tillikum's back in 1999 at SeaWorld. The man had snuck into the park and was later believe to have drowned but Tillikum had torn his shorts and bit him as well.
It's a tragic day for SeaWorld to lose one of its trainers doing the job they loved. But also, animals in captivity: still not a good idea.
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
Universal Studios Announces First Harry Potter Theme Park Vacation Package
So, in case you haven't seen our exhaustive coverage on the subject, Universal Studios is planning to open a Harry Potter theme park this spring. They haven't yet released an official opening date for "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," which will be located within Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, but they have announced the first vacation package specifically aimed at visitors to the Harry Potter park.
The packages at UniversalOrlando.com, which start at $285 per person or $829 for a family of four, promise early access and all sorts of goodies. Of course they're really pimping the expensive four-night plan at $645 per person or $1,548 for a family of four, which includes four nights at one of Universal’s three on-site AAA Four Diamond hotels, three days of admission to Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme parks, express access to rides and attractions to bypass the regular lines, early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, and a commemorative ticket for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
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Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees is Going to Disney World...Today!
We learned something during this year's Super Bowl, after the win of the New Orleans Saints against the Indianapolis Colts. We learned that if we ever actually get to attend the Super Bowl in the future and it's back in Florida, that we should book a side-trip to Orlando's Disney World for the next day, because of the tradition for the Super Bowl MVP to go on a ticker tape parade through the park.
Saint's QB Drew Brees isn't going to mess up the tradition by turning down the offer to ride around with Mickey Mouse either; last night, at the end of the game, he was asked the traditional question—one dating back to 1987—that goes a little something like this: "You've just won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?" And of course he answered: "I'm going to Disney World."
The official @DisneyParks twitter confirms this, saying that Brees and a few teammates are scheduled to do the Magic Kingdom parade at 11:55am today. That gives you three hours—you Orlando-area football fans—to get to the park, but we'd hope that you had today off work first. And since a New Orleans ticker tape parade is inevitable, stay tuned to us here at Jaunted for news on that once the city has the official news out.
Related Stories:
· @DisneyParks [Twitter]
· Drew Brees: 'I'm Going to Disney World' [Disney Parks Blog]
· Football travel [Jaunted]
[Steelers 2009 parade photo: lifthill]
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
Revealed: The First Commercial for the Harry Potter Theme Park at Universal Studios
More, more, MORE new information leaks out from Universal Studios as they get ever closer to the spring opening of their new theme park: "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter."
Fresh from post-production, we have the commercial for the place, which isn't due to air on television until during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Watch it above—before most of the rest of the world gets even a glimpse of it—and start trying to decide whether you're don a Gryffindor or Slytherin scarf for Sunday.
Okay so we've watched it a few times now, and it keeps giving us goosebumps. There's something about the look of the place that appeals to us so much, and you know—we wouldn't mind throwing on a cape and pretending we were in old-timey England for a day (although the theme park is in Orlando, so it'll be like 80 degrees). Who's ready for Harry Potter fever to hit South Florida?
Related Stories:
· More News On Universal Studio's Harry Potter Theme Park: Ollivander's! [Jaunted]
· Revealed: First Images of Hogwarts at 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' Theme Park [Jaunted]
· The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Open at Universal Orlando in Spring 2010 [Jaunted]
· Universal Studios news [Jaunted]
[Photo: care of Universal Studios]
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
More News On Universal Studio's Harry Potter Theme Park: Ollivander's!
As we get closer and closer to the projected opening season of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park within Orlando's Universal Studios, we're receiving updates on the construction and features pretty quickly. Just earlier this week, we revealed the first official photograph of the huge Hogwarts castle, which is making finishing touches.
Today, we've found out details of a few interactive experiences that'll be around the base of Hogwarts, down in the park. Want to know more about Ollivander's Wand Shop and more? We've got all the details after the jump, but also pick up today's USA Today for a code to use with your phone's camera or laptop camera to see an augmented reality map of the park.
More! After the jump
Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
Revealed: First Images of Hogwarts at 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' Theme Park
Look what just landed in our inbox just a moment ago. It's the first official real image of Hogwarts, within "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park at Universal Studios Orlando. Muggles, rejoice!
Seriously though, this is one work of crazy construction. Granted we don't have any idea of its actual size from the picture, but it does look impressive and we can't wait for more news to trickle out before the 20-acre "fully immersive" theme park officially opens sometimes later this spring. Oh wait, we remember the CEO of Universal Studios saying something about how "everything will be scaled to size with an incredible level of detail." We're far too old to be freaking out about this, but the thought of donning a cape and entering a life-size great room at Hogwarts is pretty appealing, you have to admit.
After the jump, a full update on construction
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Disney Installs 200,000 Hand Sanitizers To Preempt Spread Of Swine Flu
The holidays are a big time for Walt Disney World. The parks are transformed into a winter wonderland—well, a fake one as they are in Florida after all—and the guests pour in through the turnstiles. Some days the park has to limit guest access because there are just too many tourists dreaming of a holiday photo with Mickey and friends. All these people are starting to worry some, especially if these people are coughing, sneezing, and leaving their germs all over Space Mountain.
Thankfully, Disney is ready to combat the spread of germs, and is hoping that their efforts will be enough to convince people that their park is safe. After all, the threat of catching that pesky H1N1 flu is kind of a downer and not the stuff dreams are made of. Thus, Disney World has ordered about 200,000 hand sanitizers—although we're wondering why they haven’t always had some.
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2009 Halloween Theme Park Scare Guide: Halloween Horror Nights
At this year’s event you will be trapped by “SAW’s” maniacal serial killer Jigsaw, come face-to-fangs with “The Wolfman” and be chased by the twisted “Chucky” doll.
And that’s just the beginning: All eight haunted houses, six scarezones and two live shows are inspired by blockbuster horror films. Until now, you’ve only been able to watch the action in horror films like “SAW,” “The Wolfman,” and “Chucky.” But at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, these films and more have been transformed into live experiences that put you in the middle of your worst cinematic nightmares.
