Hi Thrill Seekers,
As we’re all aware 2014 is very much the year of Potter (again). The launch of Diagon Alley is taking up the majority of posts you’ll see, not only on this blog but across the internet and rightfully so, if the buzz around the original Wizarding World was loud then this new buzz is deafening… but after all this noise what’s next?
In todays post we’re going to look at what comes after The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley and if it can compete.
Disney
Avatar Land – We’ve written about this a few times, most recently here where Disney confirmed a few details of the brand new land being built at Disney’s Animal Kingdom based solely on James Cameron’s hit movie Avatar.
Disney have stated previously that the idea behind adding Avatar was to help change Animal Kingdom into a full day park and from what we’ve seen it looks like a real contender.
Star Wars – Ever since Disney purchased the rights to Star Wars we’ve waited with baited breath for them to announce some kind of Star Wars Land. This hasn’t happened yet but we all think its inevitable that they’ll want to take advantage of all the great intellectual property they own.
Disney do run Star Wars weekends which are very popular so surely its only a matter of time. Back in 2012 I wrote this piece about what we could expect from a Star Wars Land.
Universal
Universal have promised to build one new attraction every year! Quite a statement and outlay but they do seem to be sticking to this. Although nothing has been confirmed we’re expecting;
Jurassic Park – What we do know is that a new film called Jurassic World is set to hit cinemas this year. We also know that the Jurassic area at Islands of Adventure could do with a lick of paint. I’ve repeatedly asked Universal about the prospect of an update but they tend to keep this type of stuff close to their chest.
King Kong – Rumour has it that King Kong will be returning to Universal, the same rumours believe that it could well be positioned right next to Jurassic Park. Details are sketchy but more information can be found here. Think we could be looking at some kind of dark ride.
Busch Gardens
Replacing Gwazi – The last time I went to Busch Gardens Gwazi was closed, the bone rattling wooden roller coaster hated by most has been rumoured to be on the chopping block for quite a while now. Replacing Gwazi does seem like a good idea the coaster is massive and takes up a huge part of Busch Gardens.
Rumour has it that its replacement may well be a Giga Coaster, A giga roller coaster is a non-inverting sit-down complete circuit roller coaster that is built for height, speed, and airtime. These coasters are between 300 and 399 feet (91.4 and 121.6 meters) in height. The last one to be built (2012) is pictured below and is called Leviathan. It reaches speeds of 92 mph and a peeks at 306 feet high!
So although we’re all looking forward to Diagon Alley the future after Potter looks bright.
Smiles included…
Jamie
