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Amusement Today Golden Tickets Awarded

The 11th annual Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards, which are very coveted in the amusements and attractions industry, were awarded on Wednesday during a ceremony set at Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, FL. Give Kids The World Village is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. This was their first time hosting the ceremony.

The Amusement Today newspaper covers international amusement and water park news and trends and in its 12-year history is a five-time winner of various awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Over the years, the awards have become the subject of much discussion by park aficionados the world over.

Some of the big winners were:

  • Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio for Best Amusement Park
  • The Voyage at Holiday World won for best Wooden Roller Coaster
  • SeaWorld Orlando for best Marine Life Park

Disney’s only award was for IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth at Epcot. While Universal won 4 separate awards.

Congrats to all the winners and all the nominees. The full list of winners is below the cut:
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The Huge Size of Harry Potter World at Universal IOA

The other day I had the opportunity to see exactly how big the show building Universal is building to house the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. It’s huge! I’m trying to think of an equivilant so you get the idea. It’s about the… Read More »The Huge Size of Harry Potter World at Universal IOA

Disney World claims exemption to Florida’s Right to Self Defense At Work Law, Guns Still Banned

Despite Florida becoming the winter headquarters for much of the north’s population and the migratory destination for countless others, it still remains firmly planted in the traditions of the south. One of those traditions is a strong protectionist argument for the right to bear arms.… Read More »Disney World claims exemption to Florida’s Right to Self Defense At Work Law, Guns Still Banned

Magnetic Brakes Attract Lawsuit

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Phil Milford of Bloomberg News writes that Disney and other theme park companies are being sued over mangnetic roller coaster brakes.  The other companies include Universal, Busch, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair. Safety Braking holds exclusive licenses to the patents, one from Magnetar Technologies Corp., based in Seal Beach, California, and the other from G&T… Read More »Magnetic Brakes Attract Lawsuit

SeaWorld Orlando Water Park given go-ahead

I meant to post about this the other day, but it just slid off my radar. SeaWorld has been given permission by the county to go ahead with construction on its, as yet un-named, Water Park. Nearby residents were upset at the plans to build on a piece of property a relatively short distance away.… Read More »SeaWorld Orlando Water Park given go-ahead

Response to Emergency Questioned

Note: Typepad, the host for this blog, is undergoing some upgrades right now. Please pardon the appearance of the Disney Blog until their work is done. The recent sad incident that involved the death of a 4-year old while experiencing Epcot’s Mission: Space put the spotlight on the theme park’s emergency reaction plans. General consensus… Read More »Response to Emergency Questioned

New Pirates Movie Info

LaughingPlace.com’s Latest includes info on the next Pirates film (titled: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest) direct from Dick Cook’s mouth. Reports of work on the backlot at Universal Hollywood and sightings across the Bahamas have already begun. [ ttags: potc, pirates, depp, film, disney, orlando, bloom, knightly ]

Dream On, Animation Funereal Dirge

The Orlando Sentinal considers the documentary film "Dream on, Silly Dreamer" that captured the final days of hand drawn animation at the Walt Disney Studios. The article also has a look at some of the personal stories that arose from the closing of the Disney Animation Studios in Orlando. For instance, Project Firefly Animation Studios… Read More »Dream On, Animation Funereal Dirge