Newsletter: In the Loop: Trespassers capture the flag atop a 200-foot-tall thrill ride
Welcome to another edition of In the Loop, the Los Angeles Times’ theme park newsletter. I’m Funland theme park blogger Brady MacDonald, and this week we take a ride on a new Schlitterbahn water coaster, rescue a hungry baby sea lion, scour the globe for vintage thrill rides, buy tickets for Shanghai Disneyland and wonder what Universal plans to do with 475 acres in Orlando.
Universal Studios
Comcast is spending $130 million to acquire 475 acres of undeveloped land in Orlando, Fla., adjacent to its Universal Studios theme park property.
Water coaster
The Schlitterbahn water park in Galveston, Texas, plans to build the world’s tallest water coaster with four uphill sections powered by water-blasting jets.
O.C. tourism
Anaheim, home to the most popular U.S. theme park outside Florida, drew 22.5 million visitors, up 3.5% from 2014, according to the nonprofit organization that promotes tourism for Orange County.
The Activision Blizzard fan convention and tournament championships at the Anaheim Convention Center helped Orange County break its annual tourism record for 2015.
Ride pickers
A team of scavengers scouring the globe for vintage thrill rides to bring back to Cedar Fair amusement parks in the United States hit the mother lode in Europe and plans to continue the search in Japan.
Super Bowl
Disneyland honored quarterback Peyton Manning with a parade down Main Street USA after the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50.
Baby sea lion
SeaWorld San Diego rescued a malnourished and emaciated baby sea lion that sneaked into a La Jolla restaurant in search of food.
Shanghai Disneyland
Shanghai Disneyland plans to vary admission prices based on demand, with tickets as high as $76 when the park opens this summer and as low as $56 after the peak season passes.
‘Lego Movie 4-D’
The new “Lego Movie 4-D: A New Adventure” debuts at Legoland theme parks in Florida and California along with the addition of meet-and-greet characters from the film.
Crime report
A 9-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after she was shot in the face with a BB gun pellet while riding a roller coaster at a Sacramento amusement park.
In Pennsylvania, police released security camera images showing four people climbing to the top of the 200-foot-tall Dominator drop tower to steal the Dorney Park flag.
Still need more theme park news? Check out the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram. Also feel free to email me with any feedback on the newsletter.
MORE:
32 best new theme park additions of 2016
8 unanswered questions about Disneyland’s Star Wars Land
Disneyland 2055: What the future may hold for the original Disney park
Disneyland 1955: ‘Walt’s Folly’ got off to a nightmare start
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