Radar is a weekly digest of theme park news and notions. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Mrs. Claus stirs things up

SeaWorld Orlando has sprinkled some new elements into its Christmas celebration, which is now underway on select evenings. Among the additions is “Mrs. Claus’ Magic Kitchen,” a stage show in Seaport Theater.

“You get a sneak peek into the culinary habits of the Clauses,” said John Minneci, manager for entertainment. In the story, “Mrs. Claus is getting all into social media. She wants to be the next TikTok trend.”

The plot involves her doing a video shoot on how to make the cookies that Santa loves most, he said.

“At the end, we learned a little lesson about how Mrs. Claus does her magic,” Minneci said.

It’s SeaWorld’s first holiday season with Pipeline, the roller coaster that opened this spring. The park is divided into “seas,” and the area around the ride has been designated Sea of Memories. The pathway is lined with trees decorated to represent different decades of holiday traditions, Minneci said.

“We took a lot of inspiration just from the ride itself,” he said. “The ride has a kind of retro vintage kind of vibe.”

Orlando theme parks: 10 things we’re thankful for in 2023

Among the holiday holdovers at SeaWorld are “O Wondrous Night,” “Elmo’s Christmas Wish Show,” a Christmas parade in Sesame Street Land, “Winter Wonderland On Ice,” the Sea of Trees display and the “Holiday Reflections” fireworks show.

The Christmas Market has moved into the Wild Arctic area.

“One thing that we really wanted to do this year was kind of elevate the theming of the seas that you see in the park. … Each one [sea] has a different theme based on the different holiday feeling, and it’s been like that for years,” Minneci said.

“What we wanted to do is really find ways that we could still enhance that and make sure that our guests know what those feelings are. So you’ll see a little bit more, you’ll see some signage, you’ll see some decor that kind of really helps tell the story of each land,” he said.

For dates and showtimes, go to SeaWorldOrlando.com or use the park’s official app.

Getting Very Merry

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is back in full swing at Magic Kingdom. It’s a hot ticket again: 17 of the 29 nights have sold out already. And beware, every night was a sell-out in 2023.

Here are notes taken from opening night.

• Among the new offerings: A boy band called the Collective 5ive performs pop holiday songs on the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. A three-piece country-western group called Reindeer Wranglers was in the streets of Frontierland. Most visibly, “Frozen Holiday Surprise” (Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, castle projections) kicks off the event at the base of Cinderella Castle.

• Some attractions have mild holiday makeovers. A surprise: From the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, you get a red-and-green lit glance of Space Mountain and its rockin’ soundtrack. As we passed by, we got a look at the whole attraction in moody blue/black lighting.

• If you thought you’d be the only one there in pajamas, you’d be wrong headed. Folks have shifted into holiday dressing mode for the event, although we can probably agree that flannel in Florida is pushing the season.

• Things I had forgotten about in “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration”: Clarabelle cow doing her best Mariah Carey and making a cowbell joke, Daisy Duck’s song about texting, Mickey Mouse breaking into a version of the Carlton.

• Very Merry begins at 7 p.m., although ticketholders can enter at 4 p.m. There can be a rush at the turnstiles for the event and to get the required wristband. A workaround for annual passholders: Go in through “regular” gates (you’ll need reservations on Saturdays or Sundays still) and get banded inside.

Mr. Gold standard

Mr. Gold has moved into Legoland Florida. He’s a sought-after minifig that the Winter Haven theme park uses to encourage interaction between visitors and employees (a k a model citizens or MCs.)

“Every day, some of our team will have a Mr. Gold,” said Kelly Hornick, head of marketing and communication. “Some days, there’ll be multiples, you don’t know who has it. It could be me, it could be the park president, it could be the ride operator.

Mr. Gold has been a staple at Legoland California and is popular with annual passholders. But anyone can just ask a worker if they have Mr. Gold.

“If we have Mr. Gold, which is a pop badge with Mr. Gold on it, we’ll give it to the kid and then the family gets to go up to guest services and get some really awesome prizes,” Hornick said. “The prizes, honestly, will change throughout the days. … But they’ll always be something really fun and new for the kids and for the families to do.”

There are consolation prizes too.

“For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to be Mr. Gold for the day – even though we’ll get asked about 40 times a day now when we are around the park – we have more pot badges and fun things just to give the kids for being brave enough to talk to the grown-ups and take the time to chat with us,” Hornick said.

First look: Disney Jollywood Nights debuts at Hollywood Studios

Weekend outlook

• Island H2O Water Park’s new Holiday Nights show, featuring light presentations, live entertainment, family activities and a holiday market, starts Nov. 15 and continues on select nights through Dec. 31.

• The Dinos in Lights holiday show is now playing at Orlando Science Center through Jan. 9.

• The Santa Workshop Experience is now open at Icon Park. St. Nick is scheduled for appearances through Dec. 24.

• Gaylord Palms’ “ICE” exhibit based on “A Charlie Brown Christmas” begins Friday and runs daily through Jan. 3.

• Universal Orlando’s holiday celebration, including a parade and Grinchmas festivities, launches Friday and goes through Dec. 31.

• The movie for Saturday’s Beach Nights event at Aquatica water park is 2018’s “The Grinch.”

• At Walt Disney World, the new Disney Jollywood Nights event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is sold out for Saturday but tickets are available for Nov. 20. At Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is sold out through Nov. 22 and at least seven other dates.

• The final day of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is Saturday.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.

Sea Life Florida will be the second such operation from Merlin Entertainments Group in Central Florida. Sea Life Orlando opened on International Drive in 2015.

“We’re going to celebrate, of course, the animals of Florida and a lot of the things that make us really important to the Winter Haven area,” said Kelly Hornick, head of marketing and communications.

“But our final exhibit is going to culminate in this beautiful tank, which is going to the theme park under the sea. So you’ll see these beautiful coral seascapes celebrating what makes Central Florida special in the theme park world,” she said. “It’s going to be the world’s first theme park under the sea for the fish.”

Sea Life and Legoland attractions are both operated by Merlin Entertainments Group, a British company. The aquarium, scheduled to debut in fall 2024, will open near the entrance of the Winter Haven theme park, but it will not be Lego-themed.

“We really want to be our own destination, and we’ve done a lot of work to get us there,” Hornick said.

Legoland Florida opened on the former grounds of the Cypress Gardens attraction in 2011. Since then, the resort has revamped an existing water park and opened three kid-centric hotels. In 2020, it opened Peppa Pig Theme Park, an attraction based on an animated series and geared to preschoolers and their families.

The Sea Life addition “really extends all of the reasons to stay on-site at our resort,” Hornick said.

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“For preschoolers to have their own theme park and an aquarium just builds out the resort destination for that specific age demographic, which is really important to us – those that might not be ready for the bigger roller coasters and water rides and slides,” she said.

Meanwhile, a new racecar-themed exhibit is under construction inside Legoland Florida theme park. The Lego Ferrari Build and Race is expected to open in spring 2024.

“When you first come into the garage and the experience, there will be a life-size Ferrari model completely made of Lego,” Hornick said. The park is not saying which model it will be yet.

“That model will be exclusive to our park,” she said. “Then the experience is several rooms where you’re building and testing and looking at how you can create your own Ferrari or car experience through different tracks.”

The Ferrari area will be in a building that has been used for model building near Lake Eloise and the Pirate River Quest attraction that opened in January. The company has similar Ferrari experiences at Legoland California and Legoland Windsor in England.

Madame Tussauds adds Awkwafina figures in Orlando, New York

Merlin Entertainments operates 140 attractions in 24 countries, including Madame Tussauds Orlando, a neighbor of Sea Life Orlando Aquarium at Icon Park. The Winter Haven aquarium will be the company’s 50th Sea Life attraction.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account is @dbevil; X account is @themeparks.  You can subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

The global list salutes 50 leaders for innovation and creativity, and it singles out a group known as the Power 10.

Scott O’Neil, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group, and Fiona Eastwood, chief operating officer of the company, made the Power 10 list. Kirsty Burkill, vice president of marketing for Merlin; Jonathan Lewis, global intellectual property licensing director; and John Burton, creative lead, resort theme parks division of Merlin Magic Making, are on the Blooloop 50 list.

Merlin operates Legoland Florida theme park in Winter Haven as well as Madame Tussauds Orlando, Sea Life Orlando Aquarium and dozens of other attractions.

Luc Mayrand, vice president and creative portfolio executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, was selected among the Power 10. Other WDI representatives among the 50 include executive creative director Scott Mallwitz, senior creative director Dustin J. Schofield, media designer Joe Herrington and creative executive Zsolt Hormay.

Page Thompson, president of new ventures for Universal Destinations & Experiences, was selected for the Blooloop 50, and Universal Creative is represented by executive producer Shelby Honea, senior show writer Patrick Braillard and art director Brandon Kleyla.

Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions, and Alice Mathu, its vice president for business development and partnership, are on the 2023 list.

Tom Acomb and Mike Ostendorf, chief creative executive and CEO, respectively, of Winter Park-based AOA, were selected as members of the Power 10. AOA creates immersive experience design and themed entertainment projects.

Daryl White, executive vice president of global licensing and business development for Orlando-based Falcon’s Beyond, which develops resorts, theme parks, animation, gaming and movies.

Blooloop is a news website that covers the attractions industry. Readers nominate attraction professionals for the influencer list, and a panel of judges makes the final selection.

The entire list is available at blooloop.com.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

Radar is a weekly roundup of notes and nibbles from Orlando’s attractions. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Believe it book

The latest “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” book is on shelves, its 20th annual collection of oddities. Of course, Floridians are in the mix as well as shout-outs to new attractions from Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment.

The theme of the publication is “Level Up,” and the idea is to “gamify” the book and make a little bit more modern, said Sabrina Sieck, director of creative solutions at Ripley.

“We added a feature where users can kind of level up their reading experience,” she said. They “scan to play different challenges and many games and interactives throughout the book, pushing themselves to read those stories, understand those stories, dive a bit deeper in them and kind of earn their own level-up badge.”

The hardback version remains true to its format with hundreds of items that range from a sentence to a two-page spread. The Ripley books typically have between 1,700 and 3,000 stores, Sieck said.

Among the items in the latest 256-page edition are cakes that look like cartoon drawings by Australian baker Tegan “Tigga Mac” MacCormack; “pinkest person in the world” Kitten Kay Sera; and blind professional skateboarder Justin Bishop.

And then there’s Allen Pan, who invented an apparatus that enables snakes to walk. (Think long, clear tube with short, robotic, lizard-like legs.)

“It just felt so Ripley’s that we invited him to Ripley’s warehouse here in Orlando to check everything out, meet our art department,” Sieck said. “And he was really into our medieval torture devices, because he wanted to see if he could create one himself.”

Central Floridians in the new book include Orlando’s Christina Wong, who makes crowns out of bones; Kristin Lammert of Oviedo, whose three daughters were all born in Aug. 25, but in different years; Wave Asian Bistro of Mount Dora, which creates sushi in unexpected shapes (like tacos, doughnuts and “Mandalorian” character Grogu); the longstanding 50-foot-tall Monument of States in Kissimmee; and Orlando’s Rod Price, who was part of a four-person team that rowed the length of the Mississippi River in less than 18 days.

The book also features a spread about the new Out of This World gallery at the Ripley’s attraction on Orlando’s International Drive. The space includes Buzz Aldrin’s jumpsuit, Apollo 11 moonwalk tapes and a meteorite found in Nantan, China. Also spotlighted are new attractions including Selfie Studios in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Mirror Maze on I-Drive plus Kieran Castano, the latest Ripley cartoonist and a Central Floridian.

The book itself is produced out of Ripley’s Orlando headquarters and is a yearlong endeavor.

“It is a continuous process,” Sieck said. “Once it goes to the printer, we breathe for about a week and then jump right back into research.”

Who’s the boss, man?

Gatorland has some Easter eggs this Halloween. The first room inside the Monster Museum portion of Gatorland’s Gators, Ghosts and Goblins event is a take-off on pop-up Halloween stores. Among the items are prepackaged costumes for the masses.

Among the options for “purchase” is the Boss Man costume, but isn’t that a photo of Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, on the packaging? Of course it is. McHugh is frequently referred to as “Boss Man” on the attraction’s online videos.

The bag says it comes with hat, adventure gear and “forehead vein prosthetic.” A sense of humor helps when working at Gatorland. Several other employees were featured this way (including crazy cat lady) as well as on wanted posters in the ghost town section of the park.

2-sentence updates

• We have a name for Universal’s unnerving year-round Las Vegas project that was announced in January. It shall be called Universal Horror Unleashed.

• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has unveiled the Kennedy Entry Experience. It features six-minute video on a 3,000-square-foot video display that tells the story of NASA.

• Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, plans to open the Dolly Parton Experience next year. It will be a multi-building exhibit about the singer/songwriter/theme park operator’s career.

Weekend outlook

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival continues, and upcoming Eat to the Beat concerts will feature Taylor Dayne (Friday, Saturday) and Billy Ocean (Sunday, Monday).

• Science Night Dead, the Halloween-y adults-only event at Orlando Science Center is Saturday.

• Admission to Orange County Regional History Center is free between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday in conjunction with Come Out With Pride festivities.

• Nelly performs at Mango’s Live on International Drive on Friday.

• Halloween events roll on at Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld Orlando, Gatorland, Legoland Florida, Fun Spot, Pirates Dinner Adventure and elsewhere.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.

Radar is a weekly presentation of attractions news, notes and nibbles. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Bugging out

We shouldn’t call it a farewell tour just yet, but news out of the recent Destination D23 gathering prompted a visit to “It’s Tough to Be a Bug,” the show subtly tucked inside the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

At the D23 event, it was indicated that a new show based on “Zootopia” characters was in the works for that spot. No details, including a timeframe, were shared. (Imagineers are “finalizing the concept,” according to D23.com.) That event also prompted a return to the Dinosaur ride last week and on the same visit I checked out “Bug,” which I had not seen in years.

My most accurate foggy memory was about the effects built into the seats. Some of them are pretty horrifying and simulate a rush of insects. I could have put this on my Most Scary Disney Moments, judging by the squeals of audience members.

Another unnerving moment was the descent of black widow spiders from the ceiling. They had been tucked away nicely, and their appearance was dramatic.

The show, which debuted in 1998, is a 3-D presentation featuring Flik (the ant from “A Bug’s Life”), a soldier termite and a stink bug. You could consider parts of it educational if icky.

My audience, armed with “bug eye” glasses, was populated with plenty of kids, and folks were extremely chatty during the show. Some of it was stating the obvious to young people. “Do you see the spider?” one mom asked her kid, though the on-screen spider was taking up a huge portion of the screen.

The show has held up pretty well with few outdated references. And one of my favorite parts is the digital curtain made from a butterfly pattern.

Art, big-time

We’ve got murals on the mind now that Disney World has shared fresh images.

First, at Disney Springs Art Walk, a panel called “El Nido” is now complete. It’s by Cuban-American husband-wife team Juan Travieso and Katerina Santos, who create under the merged name TRATOS, a blending of their surnames. The focus of the piece is their young son Luka, surrounded by colorful birds, plants and other bits of nature.

The Art Walk is found near the bus stop adjacent to the Town Center neighborhood of Disney Springs.

Disney has shared glimpses of the work-in-progress mural that will be part of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride. An Instagram account tied to Walt Disney Imagineering says the mural will be along the exterior of Tiana’s business, which is housed in a repurposed barn.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which takes the spot held by Splash Mountain, is scheduled to open in late 2024.

Spotted and noted

Three things I had not seen or noticed before on the theme-park front:

• Projections have been added to a segment of MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now on the side walls: even more images of Waldo, the so-called living 3D effect. The vacuum cleaner effect applies to this as well.

• The piano stool’s covering outside Casey’s Corner at Magic Kingdom matches the striped vest of the pianist. It’s the little things.

• There’s such a thing as “year-round” Quick Queue sold at SeaWorld Orlando. It’s $299 for unlimited front-of-line access at rides such as Mako, Manta, Kraken and Infinity Falls for 12 months. This price, naturally, is atop the usual admission fee to SeaWorld.

Weekend outlook

• Museum of Illusions Orlando’s Bark-O-Ween Bash, a Halloween puppy party, is set for Friday evening.

• Island H2O Water Park holding adults-only Monster Mash with themed drinks, glow foam, DJ with Halloween classic tunes on Friday evening. Costumes permitted, with restrictions.

• Orlando Science Center will host programming tied to Saturday’s annular solar eclipse. Tickets are limited, and admission must be purchased in advance.

• Gatorland’s Gators, Ghosts & Goblins, a Halloween event, marks its first weekend Saturday and Sunday.

• Halloween festivities continue at SeaWorld Orlando (Howl-O-Scream at night, Spooktacular by day), Universal Studios (Halloween Horror Nights), Legoland Florida (Brick or Treat) and Magic Kingdom (Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party).

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival continues daily. Eat to the Beat concert series will feature Hoobastank on Friday and Saturday, followed by Air Supply on Sunday and Monday.

• The official grand opening of the Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana attraction at Epcot is set for Monday, although it has been in soft-opening/preview mode for several days. The area also will feature a meet-and-greet with the Moana character.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.

Radar is a weekly roundup of theme park news and nuggets. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Nearby nature calls

The “Backyard Adventures” exhibit brings the great outdoors to the indoors of Orlando Science Center. The displays, which debuted Oct. 1, concentrate on close-to-home nature. We’re looking at plants, insects, vegetables and an enclosure that concentrates on nocturnal animals.

“I think that the best exhibits use technology as a tool that feed the experience, and I think this exhibit does a really nice job of that,” said Jeff Stanford, vice president of marketing at the science center..

Kids make a beeline for the bee exhibit, which gives a bee’s POV flying through a garden. It’s next to a treadmill that allows folks to virtually walk through the four seasons.

The “Digging in the Dirt” display uses projections to colorful illuminate some (faux) soil, which gives it that Zen garden vibe. Spread out your hand to make it rain, the instructions say. A digital “food web pond” shows off a food chain that goes from algae through koi to kookaburra.

There’s a garden-inspired miniature-golf area that encourages togetherness.

“This company does a really great job of exhibit design to develop opportunities that can engage the entire family, and then they kind of integrate that science learning,” Stanford said.

The exhibit is a product of Scitech, a company based in Australia, which could explain the reference to kookaburra and, elsewhere, to the common cocklebur.

“Backyard Adventures” will be at the Loch Haven Park museum through Jan. 9. It’s helping fill a void after its NatureWorks exhibit was closed to make way for an expanded offering called Life.

“There was a conscious decision to find something outdoors-specific while our nature exhibit is under construction to kind of that need,” Stanford said. There are also regular animal encounter on the museum’s fourth floor.

Life is scheduled to open in spring of 2024.

Dark days at Dinosaur

When Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, announced there will be changes to DinoLand, a section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, he didn’t shout “Death to Dinosaur!”

But a lot of people were thinking it.

DinoLand, D’Amaro said at a Destination D23 gathering, will be reimaged into an area themed to the “tropical Americas.” And that could include “Encanto” attractions and “Indiana Jones” themes, and since Dinosaur famously has the same track layout as the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland in California, it was easy to speculate.

It got me thinking how long it had been since I’d been on Dinosaur. It was certainly pre-pandemic times, so I was overdue to return and confirm some longstanding impressions.

• Before: I correctly remembered a pre-show with Phylicia Rashad in charge and Wallace Langham going behind her back to mess with time travel. I still liked the skeletons on display and felt like it might actually be Epcot-level educational in there, but the line was short and there little time to fact check.

• During: The seat in the ride vehicle was firm and surprisingly comfortable. But that didn’t matter after we started moving through the bumpy 3-minute course, much of it in pitch black darkness and being chased by dinosaurs. (Later fact check: Sure enough, an Iguanodon was a real thing.)

• After: I watched a kid lift a dino-toy from the gift-shop exit, but the aghast mom intercepted. I’ve always liked the long patio exit there, good for sitting and waiting if holding the purses. And also I’m not a giant DinoLand carnival fan – just too Gatlinburg for me – I do like Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, a shop with loads of decor and side aisles.

Next week: Return to “It’s Tough to be a Bug,” also endangered at Animal Kingdom.

Three two-sentence updates

• The long-standing, ever-spinning globe outside Universal Studios hasn’t been broken. It has been undergoing regular maintenance, the resort says.

• SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream was voted the top theme park Halloween event by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. A panel of experts sets the nominations, then readers can vote once a day in each current category.

• Walt Disney World has reinstated watercraft service between the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness campground. The blue route travels on Bay Lake during the afternoons and evenings.

Weekend outlook

• On the intense fright-fest front, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights continues nightly Wednesday through Sunday, and SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream runs Friday through Sunday.

• On the family-friendly side in the parks, SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is Friday through Sunday; Legoland Florida’s Brick-or-Treat is Saturday and Sunday; and Fun Spot’s Orlando and Kissimmee locations have Halloween festivities on Saturday and Sunday. (Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom is sold out for the rest of the season.)

•  At Pirates Dinner Adventure, the “Vampirates” version of the show is running Thursday, Saturday and select nights through Oct. 31.

• The Outta Control Spooktacular Magic Dinner Show returns to WonderWorks Orlando on Friday, running through Oct. 31.

• Mermaids are making return appearances at Sea Life Orlando Aquarium – in the tank and on dry land – on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday in October.

• At Orange County Regional History Center, Friday’s Lunch & Learn topic is “For Filmmaker by Filmmakers: The Orlando Film Festival Story.” The museum’s Sam Rivers 100 event is Saturday and includes a panel discussion at 2 p.m. and a concert by the Sam Rivers Rejuvenation Orchestra at the Social in downtown Orlando at 7 p.m.

• The Eat to the Beat concert series, part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, features Mark Wills on Friday and Saturday, then Sugar Ray on Sunday and Monday.

• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is holding Taste of Space: Fall Bites through Nov. 5. Its Marstini Shake-Off is Friday.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.

Radar is a weekly collection of to-dos and developments at Orlando’s theme parks and attractions. It publishes at OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

How to Rockit now

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster is playing new tunes at Universal Studios theme park. The ride’s onboard playlist recently was thinned to five songs, which represent the five genres originally featured on the ride.

The operation – and the actual ride – is the same. If you never rode before, you probably won’t be confused. And confusion was what Universal was trying to reduce. The change would “simplify the selection process” was the official stance.

But let’s back up into the queue, which, in the old days, blared information about possible song selections. There were six choices per genre, so 30 pieces were showcased along with the steps to pick the music that each rider could hear during Rockit’s rounds, courtesy of on-board speakers.

The animation in the queue is an edited version of the original that debuted with the coaster in 2009. The characters and messaging are the same. Loading issues are addressed, and we see still the woman in boots carefully step over the ledge to get to the ride vehicle seats. (There’s also a repeated warning – emphasized with special effects – about keeping your head back against the seat during the ride.)

But queued-up folks do not hear or see a list of the songs. There are visuals showing how to select the genre and then the song, but they feel like old-school Rockit instructions. We are warned there are 30 seconds to make the choice.

Full disclosure: It took five trips to Universal for me to get on the ride since the changeover. I had bad luck with weather, mechanical delays and my unwillingness to linger at the park.

On the fourth trip, there was a long delay, but I could hear the video instructions clearly. The crowd was quiet, which was odd because no one had their phones, which must be stowed in lockers before entering the queue. But on the fifth trip, it was so loud there I couldn’t hear the instructions at all.

Full disclosure, too: I really just wanted to know if the word “Hasta!” remained in the script. Historically, it annoyed me, but if it were gone, I might be sad and annoyed by that too.

On trip five, as I rounded the corner to the stairs, I heard “Hasta!” even though it was not heard during the quiet trip four. At the top of the stairs, the safety spiel was on again, complete with claim that we’re about to make rock ‘n’ roll history, and the on-screen captioning reads “Awesome!” not “Hasta!”

Next, I’m headed for the seat and the curved lap bar with small, embedded touch screen for song selection. Five genres are listed. Touch one and then you see a choice of … one song from that genre. That’s your selection. You can hit a “back” button to see the genres again to browse, but that’s a little clunky too.

In my dreams, the five songs are the only things you see and you touch the one you want to hear. And you’ve seen the list in the queue. I ended up, somewhat blindly, with ABBA’s “Waterloo,” from the pop/disco genre.

As a reminder, here is a clip-and-save / screenshot version of the current songs on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit:

• “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain (country)
• “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar (rap/hip-hop)
• “Sandstorm” by Darude (club/electronica)
• “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance
• “Waterloo” by ABBA (pop/disco)

Hasta! Or Awesome!

Ambassador advice

Walt Disney World recently named ambassadors who will serve a two-year term representing the company and its 75,000 employees. Shannon Smith-Conrad and Serena Arvizu will make many appearances and speeches in the coming months.

On the day of the announcement, I asked current ambassadors Ali Manion and Raevon Redding what they wished someone had told them on the day they got the job. As it turns out, they’re good life lessons overall.

“Be as flexible as possible,” Redding said. “You come into this role and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m gonna do all of these …’ and it’s like … well, it’s more than just you. We have public affairs, and we have public relations. And we have communications. We have our cast members and the community, and then you have your resorts and you have your water parks and Disney Springs.”

Redding and Manion previously had roles with Disney Live Entertainment.

“You have to remain flexible. Entertainment is subject to change,” he said.

They were named the 79th and 80th ambassadors in WDW history more than two years ago.

“I was so excited. I felt like, my gosh, this dream came true. But I still had that nudge of ‘Is this really real? Do I really deserve to be here?’” Manion said. “I think I would tell myself to have that confidence that you earned this and that you’re going to grow so much over the next two and a half years. … And it’s going to be amazing.”

Orange Garage alert

A few changes and options are coming to parking at Disney Springs, particularly in the morning.

Starting Oct. 1, the Orange and Lime garages, plus the Watermelon and Mango surface lots will open at 9 a.m. for visitors.

But wait, there’s more, Orange Garage lovers. The secondary access from Orange Garage into the shopping area is reopening. Springs people call this the Orange Node, and it leads to the West Side walkway between Splitsville and Everglazed.

It will be like pre-pandemic times but with security checks.

Orange is the garage that westbound Interstate 4 drivers can access by using the ramp that’s built into Exit 67. Lime is farther up Lake Buena Vista Drive. Grapefruit Garage, on the opposite side of the street from Disney Springs, opens to guests at 3:30 p.m. and connects via pedestrian bridge to the entertainment complex.

Weekend outlook

• Boyz II Men begins a four-day run, starting Friday, in the Eat to the Beat concert series, part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

• Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is now in its Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule (plus Tuesday, Oct. 31) through Nov. 4. SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream is Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the next two weekends.

• SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29, plus Oct. 30-31. Legoland Florida’s Brick-or-Treat is set for this Saturday, then a Saturday-Sunday schedule starting Oct. 7. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom is down to availability only on Nov. 1.

• Orange County Regional History Center presents Sam Rivers 100, an event marking the 100th anniversary of the jazz musician’s birth, on Saturday. There’s a panel discussion at 2 p.m. at the museum and a 7 p.m. concert at the Social in downtown Orlando.

• “Backyard Adventures,” a nature exhibit, opens at Orlando Science Center on Sunday.

• Icon Park’s Community Day Celebration, spotlighting local nonprofits, is Saturday.

• Museum of Illusions’ Noche de Sabor, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, will be Saturday evening.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. 

Radar is a weekly roundup of things to see, do and punctuate at Central Florida’s theme parks and attractions. It is published weekly at OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Pause for punctuation

Attraction names have featured all manner of punctuation. We went through a colon phase (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) and a pinch of dashes (Pandora – the World of Avatar). And let’s not get started on exclamation points (!).

Now, coming to Epcot, the comma, as in Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, which officially opens Oct. 16.

I could only find one other comma-infested name in Walt Disney World history: “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!,” a 4-D film attraction at Epcot. (Update: I overlooked Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom. Pesky commas!)

Back in the day, names were less complicated. Jungle Cruise, Mission to Mars, Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer Island are early, pretty straightforward Magic Kingdom attractions. But there also was “it’s a small world,” with its quotation marks and teacher-taunting lower-case styling. There was no Flight, Inspired by Peter Pan.

Things started getting more exciting in the ‘80s with Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! at Disney-MGM Studios. We still have Donald’s Dino-Bash! and It’s Tough to be a Bug! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as Toy Story Mania! and Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios.

Some former WDW attractions wear the exclamation point well: Tarzan Rocks! (an Animal Kingdom show), Stitch’s Great Escape! (Magic Kingdom) plus Who Wants to be a Millionaire? – Play It!, Sounds Dangerous! and Lights, Motors, Action!: Extreme Stunt Show at Hollywood Studios. Danger merits exclamation.

And there was the overachieving and demanding Magic Kingdom parade/street party: Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!

Among the current colon crowd: Finding Nemo: The Big Blue … and Beyond! (Animal Kingdom); Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Mission: Space (Epcot); For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios).

And there are strays, like the slash in Tron: Lightcycle / Run and the tilde in A Pirate’s Adventure ~ Treasures of the Seven Seas (Magic Kingdom) and the stylized asterisk in Muppet*Vision 3D at Hollywood Studios.

Some attractions have had signs with subheadings to explain, but Disney didn’t bother to give it the long official bulky title. Otherwise we might have seen Maelstrom: A High Seas Norwegian Adventure!

Orlando’s other parks are less excitable with their nomenclature.

Universal Studios has “iVamos! – Bailalo,” a street show, plus Animal Actors On Location! You might expect Universal to use exclamation points – or even commas — with Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, but it doesn’t.

Islands of Adventure doubles-up with Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear! and its Seuss Landing neighbor The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! IOA also features the rare comma-tose attraction: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

And SeaWorld Orlando this year introduced a colon contender with Pipeline: The Surf Coaster. The park’s single exclamation point attraction is in Sesame Street Land: Cookie Drop!

That does sound like an emergency.

Sun salutations

Don’t look now, but Orlando Science Center is throwing a solar eclipse viewing party on Oct. 14.

Actually, don’t look directly at the sun that day, the museum warns. (It’s a retina damage thing.) It will be making eye protection available for the occasion as well as special programming.

The science center is anticipating a lot of ticket demand for that day and is only selling advance tickets. They will not be sold on-site.

The eclipse will travel between Oregon and Texas, so about a 60% eclipse will be observed in Orlando. Here the eclipse will start at 11:52 a.m., be at its peak at 1:26 p.m. and conclude at 3:02 p.m.

Visitors that day will have access to all science center exhibits, including the traveling exhibition “Backyard Adventures,” which opens Oct. 1.

For tickets and more information, go to OSC.org.

Three two-sentence updates

Disney World says Imagineers are refreshing the Fab 50 statues in all four theme parks and they are staying in place. They were installed as part of the 50th anniversary celebration that wrapped up early this year … Island H2O Water Park in Kissimmee is throwing an adults-only Monster Mash party on Oct. 13. There will be glow foam, a DJ with Halloween classic songs and some costume restrictions. … Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions reports that the indoor exhibit space for the upcoming IAAPA Expo is sold out for the first time since 2019, the last year before the pandemic era. There will be more than 1,100 exhibitors at the event, which runs at Orange County Convention Center Nov. 13-17.

Weekend outlook

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival continues with four new marketplaces tied to the Disney100 celebration opening Friday. Eat to the Beat concert lineup includes Los Amigos Invisibles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, followed by 98 Degrees on Monday and Tuesday.

• On the milder side of Halloween, SeaWorld’s Spooktacular (trick-or-treating during the day) is set for Saturday and Sunday. At Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, an after-hours event, is sold out for Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. Next available date: Oct. 3. Legoland Florida’s Brick-or-Treat is included with Saturday’s park festivities.

• SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream, an after-hours fright fest, is underway Friday and Saturday. (The park is running a “slash sale” with $44.99 tickets available through Sunday, as is Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for its Howl. )

• Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, an extra-ticket event, is in nightly mode through Sunday. (Attention, Rush of Fear passholders: Saturday is the last valid day with your ticket.)

• Orange County Regional History Center hosts a Celebration of Latin American Arts & Culture on Saturday with music and dance performances at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and art displays through 3 p.m. UCF professor Fernando I. Rivera will speak on “Beyond Rice: The Cultural, Social and Economic Practices of Latin American Food” at 2 p.m. Admission to the museum is free on Saturday.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.

The Monster-to-Merry Season Ticket is now on sale for $119 per person. It covers a time period that includes Legoland’s Brick or Treat Halloween festivities, which launch Saturday, and its holiday celebration, which begins Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving.

The park’s regular annual passes, valid for a full year, range in price from $149.99 to $299.99 with a range of benefits and blockout-day restrictions.

Sea Life aquarium will host mermaids again

The Monster-to-Merry deal carries no blockout dates, but it does not include parking fees. It does not include access to Legoland’s water park or to the adjacent Peppa Pig Theme Park.

For tickets, purchases and more information, go to legolandflorida.com.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. My Threads account is @dbevil. You can subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

Golden Ticket Awards: SeaWorld lands ‘legend’ status; Disney, Universal, Fun Spot take titles

• Sept. 1: Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights launches, featuring 10 haunted houses (“Stranger Things,” “Chucky,” more) and five scare zones.

• Sept. 4: Final day of “Dogs: A Science Tail” exhibit at Orlando Science Center, as well as the last day of SeaWorld’s Summer Spectacular event and its Craft Beer Festival.

• Sept. 8: SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream opens, with five haunted houses (D3LER1UM666 Laboratories, Beneath the Ice, more) and seven scare zones.

• Sept. 8-10: Orange County Regional History Center presents Figurehead Encore Weekend with a panel discussion, concert, walking tour options, plus morning-after brunch that includes a performance by Orlando Americana artist Terri Binion.

• Sept. 16: The horrifying factor decreases as trick-or-treat-heavy SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular and Legoland Florida’s Brick-or-Treat festivities begin.

• Sept. 8-10: Destination D23, which includes an audio-animatronic exhibit, an array of Disney-centric panels and a presentation by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro, is held at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

• Sept. 15: Mirabel, one of the “Encanto” sisters, begins doing meet-and-greets at Magic Kingdom. Her elusive Uncle Bruno joins the park’s Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade that day, too.

• Sept. 16: Island H2O Water Park throws an after-dark, adults-only glow-foam party.

• Sept. 19: Pirates Dinner Adventure will host “Vampirates: When the Blood Moon Rises” dinner show on multiple nights, and its Teatro Martini will be home to a Vegas-inspired Halloween Revue starting Sept. 29.

• Sept. 22: The celebration of the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Co. amps up at Epcot with a new light show on Spaceship Earth, a character mural and four outdoor kitchens added to Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

• Sept. 23: Orange County Regional History Center hosts Celebration of Latin American Arts & Culture with artists, artwork, dance performances, heritage music and family-friendly crafts.

• Sept. 28: The final experiences aboard Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser begin at Disney World.

• Oct. 6: Taste of Space: Fall Bites food festival begins at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Activities include celebrity chefs and astronauts.

• Oct. 7: Orange County Regional History Center presents Sam Rivers 100, a salute to the jazz musician with a panel discussion, pop-up photo exhibit and evening concert by the Sam Rivers Rejuvenation Orchestra.

• Oct. 14: The Gators, Ghosts & Goblins event — featuring Swamp Ghost’s Monster Museum, Creepy Creature Carnival and more — begins at Gatorland.

• Oct. 21: Science Night Live, the adults-only event, returns to Orlando Science Center.

• Nov. 8: Holiday Nights, an after-hours light presentation, debuts at Island H2O Water Park.

• Nov. 9: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party starts up again at Magic Kingdom.

• Nov. 10: SeaWorld Christmas Celebration begins.

• Nov. 11: The new Disney Jollywood Nights, an after-hours event with musical shows and themed lounges, debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

• Nov. 13-17: IAAPA Expo sets up shop at Orange County Convention Center.

• Nov. 17: ICE, featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” begins at Gaylord Palms. Other holiday activities at the Kissimmee resort include a Cirque show, lights in the atrium, snowball throwing, ice tubing, gingerbread decorating and a holiday escape room.

• Nov. 24: Legoland Florida’s Christmas programming begins.

• Nov. 25-26: Guy Harvey Weekend returns to SeaWorld Orlando.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. My Threads account is @dbevil. You can subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.