By Robert Niles: Dorney Park's new Dive Coaster is ready for the public. The Allentown, Pennsylvania amusement park hosted a media preview for Iron Menace today, in advance of its first public rides later this week. Iron Menace is a 160-foot-tall Bolliger & Mabillard Dive Coaster, with four inversions and a top speed of 64 mph. I wasn't at the event today, but the park did provide a front row POV so that we can sample the on-ride experience. Dorney Park opens for its 2024 season on May 10, but park season passholders will get their first chances to ride Iron Menace during Preview Days on ..read more

By Robert Niles: Kennywood's The Steel Curtain will remain closed for the 2024 season, the park announced today. The S & S coaster has been plagued with downtimes since its 2019 debut, so the park has opted for "an extensive modification project" this year, in hopes that the coaster can operate more reliably in the future. "We understand the frustration many of you have felt not being able to experience Steel Curtain. On behalf of our entire team, we absolutely share that frustration with you," Kennywood Assistant General Manager Ricky Spicuzza said. "Over the past several months, we have ..read more

By Robert Niles: Here's an update on a story I shared with you in February. The Actors' Equity Association had launched a labor organizing campaign with Disneyland character and parade performers. Today, Equity announced that it has secured enough union authorization cards from Disneyland cast members to trigger a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. "The Cast Members who bring the Characters and Parades to life have been non-union since Disneyland Resort opened in the 1950s and have watched other workers in the park unionize all around them," Equity President Kate Shindle s ..read more

By Robert Niles: The Anaheim City Council early Wednesday morning gave preliminary approval to the DisneylandForward proposal. The 7-0 vote brings Disneyland one step closer to being able to expand attractions and hotels on current parking lots at the resort. The council still must give final approval for the proposal, which is expected at its meeting next month. "We've been on a nearly 70-year journey to get here tonight and the future is indeed a bright one for both the Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim," Disneyland President Ken Potrock said to the council. "Through this collaborati ..read more

By Robert Niles: Classic film fans now have a new way to celebrate some of their favorite films - right where they were made. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has redesigned its classic films tour in partnership with Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The new TCM Classic Films Tour focuses on the studio's early days, with new stops that allow fans to explore iconic locations on Warner Bros.' Burbank lot. "The TCM Classic Films Tour is a natural fit for the Studio Tour," Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Vice President & General Manager Danny Kahn said. "TCM showcases and preserves beloved cla ..read more

By Robert Niles: Intamin is showing off the newly installed trains for Europe's first installation of its single-rail coaster model. Mahuka will open later this month at Walibi Rh�ne-Alpes in France. The Intamin Hot Racer is the second installation of the model, following Big Dipper at Sydney's Luna Park, in Australia. Mahuka will use a tire-propelled launch to reach a top speed of nearly 42 miles per hour, along 1,969 feet of track. Along the way, riders will experience three inversions: an inside top hat, corkscrew, and heartline roll. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Walibi R ..read more

By Robert Niles: Happy 41st birthday today to Tokyo Disneyland. The first Disney theme park outside the United States opened officially April 15, 1983. With Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, the Tokyo Disney Resort remains a bucket list dream destination for countless Disney fans around the world. These are beautiful theme parks, exquisitely maintained and offering perhaps the best operations in the industry. And, by the way, if you think you're an expert at navigating Disney theme parks, prepare to feel like an amateur when visiting Tokyo Disney. These fans don't play. You'd better arrive ..read more

By Robert Niles: One of the world's leading teams for designing sports-themed attractions is now at work at one of the world's most popular and enduring sports venues. The team at JRA, part of RWS Global, today shared a behind-the-scenes look at the construction for the renovated Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The Speedway is the home to the Indianapolis 500, which first ran in 1911 and today remains the most attended single-day annual sporting event in the world. Designers at JRA, part of RWS Global, in the past have worked on sports-themed projects include Steelers Country at Kennywood ..read more

By Robert Niles: A piece of Walt Disney World came to Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall this weekend. The Los Angeles Philharmonic this weekend offered three performances of Camille Saint-Sa�ns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor ("Organ"), which is well known to Walt Disney World fans as the finale music for the long-running Impressions de France movie at EPCOT. French conductor Louis Langr�e led the orchestra, which featured Joanne Pearce Martin performing on Disney Hall's iconic "French fries" organ for the symphony. Violinist.com's Laurie Niles with Robert... and the Walt Disney Concert Hall o ..read more

By Natalie Niles: Step into a world where rustic charm meets contemporary comfort at Knott's Berry Farm's recently renovated and renamed Knott's Hotel. The transformation includes 322 reimagined guest rooms and suites, refreshed courtyard and outdoor spaces, and a new lobby, restaurant + bar, and coffee bar. The newly designed lobby features a large lounge, double sided wrap-around bar, gift shop, and an upper lobby decorated with an array of photos and concept drawings of the park. The reimagining of the hotel was inspired by Walter and Cordelia Knott's love story and seeks to pay homage to t ..read more