Coaster Radio: The Original Theme Park Podcast

It's the FASTEST 20 minutes in Theme Park Podcasting! We'll tackle eight hot topics in the amusement industry while trying to get in all of our hot takes before being cut off by the buzzer.

A helicopter sees something weird at Cedar Point, Knott's Mystery Lodge might give way to a major attraction, an ICON rises in Orlando and the drones have their day at Valleyfair. We talk about it all on this week's show!

We're in that weird two or three week period where the parks close down after Halloween to get ready to reopen for Christmas. So it's the off-season… but not really the off season? We'll try to make sense of it all… while having some great theme park talk.

Halloween is here and we have an epic show! We start off by talking with Tarah Chieffi, a theme park journalist who became a ghost hunter...at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. She attempted to count all of the ghosts in the attraction to see if there were really 999 Happy Haunts. We also talk with Tony Turner, the man responsible for the terrifying attractions at Kings Dominion's 20th Halloween Haunt. He'll talk about what it takes to create world class scares that also make you laugh. Plus, the guys visit "The Curse of CoasterBoy" scare maze! Be prepared. This will give you nightmares.

We talk with the owner and creator of "The Terrortorium," a Halloween attraction in the southeast. What makes this attraction unique is that it features "The Haunted Castle," the original Bill Tracey dark ride from the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach! We'll hear the story of how the famous ride was saved and brought back to life for a new generation.

We've been on a six-week vacation and we're back with an EXTRA LONG show! This week, we'll catch up on the news...including an article that broke down how much parks across the world cost "per-ride." We'll find out what parks make the "most expensive" and "least expensive" lists. We'll also take you behind-the-scenes of our show and let you know what we found out from the 2021 Listener Survey. You'll hear all of the demographics, but more importantly, EB will read all of the super-mean comments too.

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

While the CoasterRadio.com podcast is on hiatus, check out the "Weekend Edition" of Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! We'll be back with all-new episodes in October!

We've reached the end of the 15th Season of our podcast! As they say at your favorite bar… it's time for LAST CALL! We'll take care of all your last-second requests on the season finale of CoasterRadio.com!

This week hasn't been a great one for the amusement industry. There are a bunch of stories that are difficult to discuss. But we'll do our best and also bring you some of the good stuff too! We have in-park trip reports, ride reviews and fun discussion.

New rides are being announced… and old rides are being removed! We'll tell you all about it. Plus, we have your Live Trip Reports, an interactive topic and the official schedule of events for the Listener Meet-Up in Las Vegas!

The guys have news from all over the industry, including details on Disneyland's new "Dream Key" pass. Plus, one of our listeners attempts to win a bunch of prizes by beating our latest game show. Whether he wins or not depends on how well he listened to last week's interview with Universal Creative's Shelby Honea.

We'll go in-depth about one of the best new attractions of the year. We're talking with Shelby Honea, Show Producer for the Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. She'll tell us all about the development and construction of this innovative and highly-themed roller coaster. We'll also hear some behind-the-scenes stories about how this attraction came to life.

There is a TON of news to cover this week... including a story about a guy climbing to the top of a 325 foot ride... to dance. We are living in weird times. We also have your in-park trip reports and lots more!

As we get ready for our 2021 Meet-Up in Las Vegas, we'll talk all about the thousands of things to do at America's Playground! We'll talk rides, attractions, food and yes… even gambling tips! All to get you ready for the Meet-Up in October.

A major theme park company is changing how they are offering "front of the line" access at one of their parks... and it could mean changes at a lot of other places. We'll talk all about it. We also have the latest news, your amazing trip reports AND news about the 2021 Listener Meetup! We'll announce where and when it will be!

Our 4th of July Tradition LIVES ON! Join us as EB risks life and limb by setting off fireworks and getting the microphone as close as he can without hurting himself. Plus, EB's trip report from Kings Island!

EB recently hit a coaster milestone while visiting a park he had never visited before! Mike went to his home park and rode 12 rides he had never had the opportunity to ride! We'll tell you all about it! Plus, the guys will talk about all of the latest amusement industry news... including a story about a cucumber. These are Strange Days.

It takes a lot to go out on a limb, especially with opinions. This week, we'll hear from our listeners as they tell us their unpopular hot takes about Cedar Fair parks. We'll also hear the first reviews of Jersey Devil at Six Flags Great Adventure and take a look at the latest news from around the industry.

EB is joined by Brian and Tim from "The Civil Gore" Podcast! They give their takes on all the attractions at Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure. They also talk about the best horror films set in theme parks.

This week, Mike and EB tell the stories of the return to their home parks after a long pandemic. EB visited Holiday World and Mike visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg. They also take a look at the top headlines from around the amusement industry.

Parks across the country are starting to open... and their opening days are having mixed success. We'll talk about how some parks are dealing with reopening after the pandemic. We'll also hear from our listeners as they report from inside parks all over the country.

We did a fun Listener Questions show a few months ago, but didn't get to answer all of the e-mails that came in. So this week, we'll do our best to get through some more of them! We discuss the parks, pop culture, the podcast and our own lives.

The guys use this episode to catch up on the latest news, including Gerstlauer's new roller coaster, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and MORE! Plus, we have Live Trip Reports from Disneyland, Islands of Adventure and Six Flags Over Texas.

This week, we start off with a live call from Islands of Adventure, where one of our listeners has ridden VelociCoaster! He'll have a full review! Then, we'll talk with Julie Tremaine of the SFGate to talk about Disneyland reopening this weekend. We'll discuss what guests can expect and what she thinks the future will hold for Walt's original park.

The 2021 Summer Season is just about ready to begin. But how much do you REALLY know about all of the new attractions that are set to open. We've designed a new game show that seeks to find the biggest "KNOW IT ALL" out there.

We're joined by the author of a new book about the history behind one of America's most famous amusement parks. Kings Island: A Ride Through Time tells the entire story of the park directly from the various general managers, engineers and planners who designed it.

There are some weeks where we really have to work hard to find news stories to discuss. This week though, we have more stories than we can handle. We'll talk about big news happening at Universal, Disney, Cedar Fair, Six Flags and a lot of other places near you. We're also joined by Arthur Levine to talk about the announced opening date for Universal Orlando's VelociCoaster!

The Disney Podcast Guys are at it again! This week, we break down one of the biggest stories to ever come out of Walt's original park - Disneyland Forward! Then, we hear from YOU about what you think is the greatest special effect created for a Disney attraction. All that, plus a bunch of other surprises!

This week, Mike and EB interview Zamperla CEO Antonio Zamperla and Prototyping Engineer Tim Jacobi. They learn about the history of this legendary amusement ride manufacturer and talk about the innovations that are being developed for the future. They also get a behind the scenes look at "Big WaveZ," an amazing interactive drop ride/water ride. Plus, you'll find out how Mike and EB are actually a part of the ride!

This week, the guys attempt to get through HUNDREDS of questions that have been sent in from listeners for this annual show. They answer questions about parks, pop culture, the podcast and their personal lives.

On this week's show, we'll cover some great news for theme park fans on both coasts of the U.S. Plus, we'll talk about some upgrades that need to happen at our local parks. Then, we'll go undercover to expose a theme park conspiracy cult that has been meeting secretly for years!

We take a look at 10 Disney attractions that used to be good... but need a little love to become great once again.

There is a TON of news to cover this week, including a popular park changing operators and a former guest of the podcast working in SPACE! We also take a look at many of the new rides and attractions coming to Europe in 2021!

Throughout this 15th season of the podcast, we're going to take a look at certain topics and find out how our opinions on them have changed over the years. This week, we'll listen to part of a show recorded in January of 2006 about the emergence of "Cut the Line" passes. We made a lot of strong statements then. Do we feel differently now?

To celebrate the 600th Episode of our podcast, we played our most ambitious game show EVER! We had 100 listeners take part in a trivia competition LIVE on our show!

It's our annual HOT or NOT episode! We gave listeners the chance to vote on whether specific rides, parks and amusement industry fads are trending upwards or downwards in 2021. You'll hear the results in real-time!

Mike and EB are joined by Theme Park Journalist Arthur Levine to discuss all of the new attractions coming to US parks in 2021. A live audience interacted with the show by voting on the "hype-level" for each new ride.

There's a lot of news to cover this week, including our thoughts on what is happening at Disneyland. But after that, we talk with Deno from Deno's Wonderwheel Park about their 100th Anniversary Season, some behind-the-scenes stories and their TWO new roller coasters for 2021!

A new year gives us a chance to reflect on the past and look towards the future. This week, we take a cue from that gnarly, old prognosticator Nostradamus and see if we can predict what will happen at the parks in 2021.

The first show of 2021 starts off with some BIG NEWS. We have details on the proposed tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the world! We'll also take a look at USA Today's 10Best list of the Best New Amusement Attractions for 2020. Did they get it right?

It has been a tough year. We decided to use our final show of 2020 to kick back and have a good time. We asked our listeners to program the show! They had a lot of great ideas on how to finish the year! Happy Holidays from everyone here at CoasterRadio.com!

As we get to the end of 2020, there's a lot to talk about. On this week's show, we have news from around the country and details about next week's holiday spectacular!

A park is letting you set up their office inside one of their attractions. Will Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser be our first step towards "Westworld?" We learn more about the Ride Warrior's Choice Award and how YOU can be a part.

Join Mike and EB as they talk about one of the most anticipated theme park lands ever and the retirement of a Disney Imagineering legend. Plus, the audience suggests rides from their home park that they think need to be removed for good.

Join us as we kick off the gift-giving season with our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide! Check it out as you listen to the show at http://giftguide.coasterradio.com!