Weird to write this as it currently doesn't feel real after years of not being able to travel to the states but...I'M GOING TO ORLANDO NEXT WEEK!!! Throughout my life I've been lucky enough to head to the glorious state of Florida every 3/4 years or so, and as it happens pandemic or no, next week's visit will mark three years since I was last in Orlando and four years since my last 'proper' theme park trip there. And as we are all very aware, they have been BUSY. As they always are, that's the delight of Orlando, no matter how many times you visit there will always be something new to experience. But it feels like this trip there's a buttload of exciting things awaiting, new tech, bigger, better coasters, etc. So I thought I'd take some time today to chat through what my most anticipated 'new for me' attractions are!
Kicking off with what is likely an odd one given all the other gloriousness that awaits but we will get to that, be patient. But year, Infinity Falls was under construction when I last visited Sea World in 2018 but I distinctly remember being enthralled by the concept art, the gimmick of an elevator lift hill and that now iconic Sea World styling they do with their rides. Plus, I just bloody love a rapids, especially in the hot Orlando climate so looking forward to splashing into this one for sure.
'Anticipated' is the optimal word here - I can't say I am excited for this, more intrigued. And, no spoilers please. I haven't seen anything about what actually happens in The Bourne Stuntacular but I do know it has some BLOODY big shoes to fill following T2:3D aka the best 3D theme park movie ever created. And which I was a HUGE fangirl of, FYI. So Bourne has a lot of expectation to live up to, but from what I've heard it's got a few tricks up its sleeve. Issue is I've never seen any of the Bourne films and therefore don't have that nostalgic tie with them like I did with Terminator. Will report back.
As a HUGE fan of The Great Movie Ride I was low-key devastated when it was announced this was closing. However, as a fan of theme park development and innovation I'm all for change, so I can move past it. I've seen the shorts this ride is based on and they're...chaotic to say the least. Once again, I've been very good at avoiding spoilers (a theme you'll notice throughout this post) but if they manage to capture even 10% of the chaos of the toons then I think we're onto a winner here. Also, amazing neon signage for me to drool over.
This is going to be a weird one for me as it's a bit of an EPCOT ritual of mine to end a day of drinking around the world with a pint at the Rose & Crown to settle in the watch Illuminations. Yes it was cheesy. Yes it was outdated. Yes it had weird sponsorship. But for me that added into the whole weird EPCOT vibe that I adore (MORE carpeted pavilions, thanks.) I'm intrigued by Harmonious - I know it will be good but I really hope it's not too polished. I know it will be, because modern Disney just is, but I am a little sad at the idea of losing all the mad shit.
I felt a little sorry for Iron Gwazi as given the pandemic it felt a little like the wind was taken out of its sails a bit in terms of hype - to the point where I was kind of over it. BUT, now that the trip is imminent and I'm close to riding it, it has returned with a vengeance and I'm just so excited to see where it ranks in my RMC list. I don't like to go in with too many expectations but from what I've heard from others I don't think this is going to beat Steel Vengeance for me but I will be interested to see where I place it over all. Plus, I'm soooo excited to take my parents on this. They've never been on an RMC and I'm so excited I get to be with them for their first.
I'm a little jaded when it comes to the big boi Disney dark rides - mostly because of PotC: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland and Flight of Passage. I think it takes a LOT to impress me these days, and my nostalgic heart lays with The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman and Tower of Terror in terms of dark rides I really rate. That said, I truly haven't heard a bad word about this and am prepared to stand by for two hours if we fail with Lightning Lane. I'm not a Star Wars fan at all, but I DO adore Star Tours (again, I think because of Disney nostalgia vibes more than anything) so I don't usually let that get in the way of things!
By far and away my most anticipated attraction of the trip - I followed every step of construction of this thing and still somehow managed to avoid spoilers. I haven't watched a POV, I don't know what happens in the pre-launch section, I've kept it all under wraps for myself so I can have the biggest first ride impact as possible. We all know how much I adore Taron at Phantasialand, and from what I've seen Velocicoaster seems to be that, on crack, plus Jurassic Park IP, one of my favourite film franchises of all time. I know when I hear the music I'm going to cry, and I can't bloody wait.
This one is more of an honourable mention as it technically opens the day we fly home. Of course we're going to attempt to get on it, but I'm hoping for some kind of soft opening during our visit before that. It's so weird to me that the massive building containing this coaster was literally built when I last visited in 2018, four whole years ago, and it's only now opening. Again, not a huge Marvel fan, I haven't seen the films (not for lack of trying, I fell asleep twice watching them...) but the teaser video for this got me so pumped and I'm ALWAYS intrigued to see what Disney do with a rollercoaster concept.
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I'm soooo excited to share all my thoughts, opinions and updates with you as I go on my trip. Hope nothing on this list lets me down! Have you ridden any of these rides? Which are your favourites? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to have a chat!
Talk later xoxo,
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