Traveling the Globe for the Best Coasters and Theme Parks
Sean and Alex disect the 2024 D23 announcements in detail. Reactions, Details, Analysis, and Questions – 90 minutes of Disney Horizons talk that covers all the bases.
** Please note this was recorded prior to Walt Disney World releasing plans to place the Magic Kingdom Cars attractions where Rivers of America are.
Continue reading “D23 Announcements – Answers and Questions!”
Diverting to Hong Kong and taking a nine-week-old to Disneyland? You bet, bébé. How’s this stepchild of Disney parks holding up? Join us on yet another asian theme park adventure with can’t-miss rides like Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, Mystic Manor, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, Frozen Ever After, Iron Man Experience, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, Hyperspace Mountain, and more!
Continue reading “Hong Kong Disneyland Bébé”
Rattle your way around the track of Phoenix Rising at Busch Gardens Tampa, travel down to the Bayou with Tiana and her many musician animal friends at Magic Kingdom, and join us on SeaWorld Orlando’s second 2-seater B&M coaster, Penguin Trek! How do these three major new attractions in Central Florida measure up? Do they live up to the hype?
Continue reading “NEW In Central Florida: Tiana’s Penguin Rising!”
Although Disneyland Paris announced in February that the Walt Disney Studios Park’s Vekoma launched looping coaster would receive upgraded effects, they were not implemented until July 2023.
Continue reading “Finally, Walt Disney Studios added effects to Avengers Assemble: Flight Force”
It’s that time of year again! Welcome to our 4th Annual “Twenty-Year Top 20”, where we rank the top coasters that turn 20 years old this year! 2002 was an extremely strong year, with the “Coaster Wars” at their peak – our favorite coasters in several countries, respectively, made their debut twenty years ago. Let’s get started!
Continue reading “Twenty-Year Top 20: The Best Coasters of 2002”
This evening, the brand-new TRON Lightcycle Run roller coaster at Magic Kingdom reached another testing milestone. The ride’s massive canopy, light effects, and on-board audio were all synchronized for testing during park hours. Some trains even carried passengers. In addition, we’ve gotten a closer look at the accessible car at the end of select TRON Lightcycle Run trains, which allows those unable to ride the lightcycle while lying down to do so while sitting upright.
Continue reading “TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom Tests with Light Effects and Human Riders!”
TRON: Lightcycle Run, a highly anticipated new attraction at Magic Kingdom, has been testing practically nonstop for weeks. The new Vekoma coaster has undergone numerous test cycles, but so far we have only observed empty vehicles and those with test dummies. Nonetheless, we now have footage of actual riders. Hopefully this signifies that the ride will open sooner rather than later.
Continue reading “Human Riders on TRON: Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom”
Beginning with resort-saving Space Mountain de la Terre a la Lune in 1995, Disney was the unlikely champion of the modern launch coaster. Before Premier Rides, Intamin, and other industry juggernauts had their hand at next-generation launchers, Disney partnered with Vekoma to create the first new catapult-propelled coaster in over a decade (one that, unlike its predecessors, would run multiple trains on a full circuit).
Continue reading “The 5 Best Disney Launch Coasters”
It’s only been a couple months since Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, but Disney Imagineering has already unveiled their next Marvel-themed attraction: Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. Though expectations were (probably) modest, the “new” coaster didn’t perform as desired for some folks – what went wrong?
Continue reading “In Defense of Avengers Assemble: Flight Force”
UPDATED – August 2022
We didn’t plan on riding Rex’s Racer on our 2019 visit to Shanghai Disneyland . The new credit was tempting, but we assumed the line would be too long to be a good use of time – after all, we already had the Paris and Hong Kong ones.
On Shanghai Disneyland day the crowds were light, and when we checked out the new Toy Story Land, we noticed Rex’s Racer going out with empty seats. “Eh, why not” we said. After riding, it occurred to us that we’d now ridden every coaster Disney has ever built – but not for long. Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleds will open at Hong Kong Disneyland before we know it, and with no plans for a Hong Kong Disney visit in our near future, we know our every-Disney-coaster-ridden claim had an expiration date.
Naturally we decided to write an article ranking all operating Disney coasters – it may have taken years for us to get around to it, but we’ve finally put it together. We’re also pleased to include both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force in our latest revision!
Continue reading “All Disney Coasters – Ranked”
About this time in 2017, we dropped a Disney Rides Top 20 to celebrate the opening of Shanghai Disneyland. Five years and two revisions later, we’re back with the 3rd Edition of our Global Disney Top 20. We’re proud to bring an increasingly comprehensive countdown of Disney’s top rides from around the world – each one pushing the limits of storytelling entertainment and illustrating for the visionary artwork of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Continue reading “20 Best Disney Rides in the World – 2022 Edition”
Tremendous buzz and rave reviews surround EPCOT’s new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster. Meanwhile, Magic Kingdom’s TRON Lightcycle Run is testing, and opening details are imminent. With these two gargantuan, futuristic, resort-defining Vekoma launched coasters making their landfall at Walt Disney World within a year of each other (after no major, high profile coaster since Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest since 2006), it begs the question: How are these coasters unique to each other, and which one is “better?”
Continue reading “TRON vs Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind: Which Coaster is Better?”
There’s no better thing than a brand-new Disney park themed land opening up. This is particularly true for Disneyland Paris’ neighboring park Walt Disney Studios that has always struggled with a smaller-than-usual attraction lineup. As part of a large expansion to the theme park, Avenger Campus will be home to several rides, restaurants, shopping and entertainment attractions. Let’s take a look at all that Avenger Campus will have to offer!
Continue reading “What to Expect at Marvel Avenger Campus at Walt Disney Studios in Paris”
Happy 30th anniversary for Disneyland Paris! The celebration started at Europe’s biggest theme park resort. We go through some of the festivities, including a review of the 30th anniversary Passholder Night. Plus, we also give you an update on Avengers Campus at the Walt Disney Studios!
Continue reading “30th Anniversary at Disneyland Paris”
It’s been quite some time since we performed a proper TRON Lightcycle Run update, so for our first update of 2022 we decided to brave the Magic Kingdom holiday hysteria for some photos.
Continue reading “Magic Kingdom / TRON Update – January 2022”
Paris’ Indiana Jones gets a bad rap. For pretty much its entire existence, the ride has been overlooked because of bigger coasters and better Indy-themed rides – but we think this odd little ride deserves more credit.
Continue reading “In Defense of Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril”
The year is 1860. Thunder Mesa has been virtually wiped off the map by an earthquake, with its infrastructure largely destroyed. Big Thunder Mining Co. is now shuttered, but indigenous spirits still possess the mine trains to this day.
Continue reading “The Best Big Thunder Mountain”
While we’ve ranked all of Disney’s Space Mountains before, such an article can only spend so much time showcasing the pure brilliance of Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain. After another recent trip to our french Disney home park across the pond, we decided to highlight this dazzling masterpiece of a roller coaster in a dedicated article.
Continue reading “The Best Space Mountain”
There’s considerable carnage over at Animal Kingdom’s Dino-Land U.S.A.! Let’s see how Primeval Whirl is looking:
Continue reading “Primeval Whirl Demolition”
It’s that time a year again! Welcome to Coaster Kings’ 3rd annual Twenty Year Top 20, where we count down our picks for the twenty best coasters turning 20 in 2021!
Continue reading “Twenty-Year Top 20: The Best Coasters of 2001”