The Parkscope Podcast

This week Joe, Lane, and Mike are joined by theme park and travel journalist Carlye Wisel! This podcast is jam-packed with news: Josh D'Amaro the new chairman of Disney Parks, Experience, and Products; Disney Springs and CityWalk reopening; SeaWorld aims to reopen in late June; Universal Orlando laying out plans; and Gatorland's Social Distancing Skunk Ape!Plus Mike's disdain for Disney Springs, Carlye's shock to Mike's revelation, a kinship over the love of Gelatoni, what we miss from theme parks, and more!You can find Carlye on her website, Twitter, Insta, and SyFy.

Alex and Alan talk mostly about the world of tomorrow, and we don't mean EPCOT. We literally mean the world...and tomorrow. Also some stuff about Indiana Beach and Alan's poor choices of YouTube viewing.

It's a full house with Joe, Lane, Mike, Nick, and Sean! This week we welcome back to the podcast Len Testa of The Unofficial Guide and Touring Plans to discuss all the craziest happening in the world of theme parks. Topics include The Bobs, the future of the Disney Cruise Line, how the parks could reopen with COVID-19, hotel deals, writing the Unofficial Guide, and the guest ratings for the latest additions to the parks. You can find Len at TouringPlans.com, The Unofficial Guide, and Disney Disney with Jim Hill.

Joe and Sean are cooped up in their homes, dodging cabin fever, and longing to visit the parks again. So we invited fellow theme park fan and comedy legend Justin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother & Me to the podcast! We talk about all our favorite things from the Disney parks, what a path towards reopening them would look like, our favorite restaurants at WDW, and more.Visit TheMcElroy.family to check out Justin and his family's universe of podcasts, videos, and books.

We are back baby! With nearly every park in the world currently closed, Joe, Alan, and Alex decide to discuss another park that closed in 2005: the odd duck Astroworld. Opened in 1968 and designed by the same man who brought us Six Flags over Texas, Kings Island, and Hersheypark; Astroworld offered an assortment of prototype and innovative attractions to the Houston area for nearly 40 years. We talk about its opening, our experiences at the park, the reasons for its closure, and cover some of the noteworthy rides inside the park.

Alex talks about his Disneyland Paris trip and the world falls apart. Recorded March 11, 2020, for context.

Time to self-quarantine folks. Joe is joined again by Brian from Inside Universal to discuss all the COVID-19 news. We discuss flattening the curve, preventative measures, the impact on the parks, and have a period of self-reflection on the last decade of theme park coverage. Also, don't be an asshole.House Passes Coronavirus Relief After Democrats Strike Deal With White HouseTrump’s False Claims About His Response to the CoronavirusTrump Disbanded NSC Pandemic Unit That Experts Had PraisedFlattening the CurveCDC Site on COVDI-19

The world is crumbling and we all we can do is talk about theme parks. Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal and Banks Lee from Attractions the Show! They preview Universal's Endless Summer Resort - Dockside opening March 17. Then they close out the show covering Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disney's Hollywood Studios and their impressions on this new family ride.All of this while the world collapses around them.

There is so much news this week Joe has teamed up with Andrew Hyde from In The Loop to create a two-episode EP of a podcast! The first half, available here, covers Endless Summer Dockside's food and drinks, Coronavirus closures and concerns, Six Flag's woes, Kings Dominion, South Dakota's new coaster, and the rash of incidents at the Magic Kingdom this past week.On the second podcast available at In The Loop, Joe and Andrew cover Bob Chapek as Disney's CEO, Disney's cost-cutting, Dollywood's expansion, the massive growth of the theme park fandom, and finally your questions!

Alan and Alex confront their own mortality in the demise of Apex's amusement park division and decide to dance around it for a long period of time trying to find joy, before embracing the void. Plus the folly of virtual queues, Rise's woes, and more!

Joe, Alan, and Alex join forces to survive the crazy random snowstorm to discuss the latest news! Disney's price increases, Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Hollywood updates, Mission Ferrari ever opening?, and our yearly Owa Update. Finally Alan spills the beans on his long weekend trip to Orlando! He talks about FunSpot, the brutalist MCO airport, and his first time to Universal Orlando in four and a half years. Hot takes on Hagrid, Fast & Furious, Kong, and more!

Talking about coaster construction from sea to shining sea. And we've got some trip reports too! Alan rides his 1000th coaster, Alex skis, Japan theme park woes, China's shut downs, and more!

The dead speak!Joe is joined by guest Kyle to discuss their long weekend trips over Marathon Weekend. Kyle talks about his first visit to Universal in 23 years, including The Wizarding World and reuniting with ET. Then Joe talks a little about his experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios and riding Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.

In the last episode of the decade, Alan and Alex begin by discussing Alan's trip to Philadelphia as Alex obsesses over the cheesesteak details. Alan talks about his Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Netherlands and nerd out on the perfection of Efteling. Alex discusses his recent trip to Orlando with in-depth details about his first experience with Hollywood studios in nearly 20 years. The current state of operations on Hagrids Motorbike are also given. We wrap up the decade talking about all the different areas of the industry and predict what the upcoming decade will hold.

Merry Christmas! This week Joe is joined by Ashley from Parks & Wreked to discuss the Hallmark Christmas Movie 'Christmas at Dollywood'! We give our hot takes, all the feels, and what things made us ask what the hallmark? Ok we didn't steal that blatantly from another podcast. But we do talk about how they made the streets of Pidgeon Forge look great, line dancing, creating a parade in three days, bad green screens, and more!

Joe and Nick are joined by Alex and Danny to discuss the biggest opening in Orlando in years... plus Rise of the Resistance! We go into SPOILERS as we discuss the queue, pre-shows, and ride experience of Rise of the Experience.

We've reached the end of Alex's European vacation! Thanks to all of you who've listened and thanks to Alan and Alex for putting these in the bag so Joe can recharge.

Alex. Europe. Part 3.

Bathe in the immersion as Alan and Alex return to discuss the next part of Alex's massive European trip.

We're not letting Halloween go without a fight as Joe is joined by Alex and Dan to discuss Halloween Horror Nights 29. We will cover their second opinions of the event, including Dan's thoughts on attending the event for the first time. Plus some discussion on the Kings Dominion coaster leak.

Another massive Parkscope trip is in the books and Joe, Mike, and Nick cover all the non-Horror Nights things they did this trip. We cover the final showing of Illuminations, the Japanese signature dining experince Takumi-Tei, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, the Skyliner, and more at Disney. Over at Unviersal we talk about our stay at Endless Summer Resort, Hagrid, Bigfire, and more. Plus news from the past few weeks including The Bourne Stuntacular, Cookie-Ann, and the Epcot re-do.IntrosJoeNickMikeNEWS!Bourne StuntacularEpcot re-doCookie AnnRe-doing entrancesTrip Report!Resort!Endless SummerUniversal StuffDark ArtsHagrideBigfireToday CafeDisney StuffFrozen Ever AfterTakumi-TeiFinal IlluminationsSWGE

In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the latest news including the closing of Vortex at Kings Island. Then Alex discusses his European trip in the first part of his trip report. First he discusses... the let downs from the trip.

Yup, it's that time of the year again. Mike, Nick, and Joe give our thoughts, impressions, and final review of Halloween Horror Nights 29. We discuss the houses, scare zones, shows, merch, and food of this years event. Overall we would consider this a weak year, but one made fun thanks to the peopel we attended the event with.

In this episode Joe and Jeff are joined by Justin Stone from the WDW Tales podcast to discuss the 20th anniversary of the Millennium Celebration! Held from October 1, 1999 till December 31, 2000, the Millennium Celebration featured new attractions around the resort, a refresh of Epcot as the global hub of the celebration, new programs, and even a Super Bowl Halftime show.In this commemorative podcast we discuss the history of the celebration, the new attractions around the resort, Epcot's new look, Justin's time as a drummer for Tapestry of Nations, and much more. Includes our thoughts on Epcot as a whole, how this was the last major project from Disney Parks before Paul Pressler got his hands on everything, and the time Justin was on GUTS.

Alan, Joe, and Mike hunker down for a long episode covering Six Flag's announcements of The Jersey Devil and Aquaman, Busch and SeaWorld announcements, and SeaWorld's ongoing power struggle and layoffs. Then we discuss Alan's first trip to Japan where he discusses the culture, the health of the amusement industry in the country, and his thoughts on Tokyo Disney Resort.

Alan and Alex clear out trip reports because PHEW FAM JUST WAIT.

Joe and Mike are joined by Brian from Inside Universal! We discuss all the D23 announcements, hand wringing over Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and then diving into a preview of Halloween Horror Nights 29.

Alan and Alex have OPINIONZ 4 U about Epic Universe and a host of trip reports ranging from immersive art experiences like Otherworld to good 'ol fashioned coaster riding.

It's an emergency podcast time! Universal announced their new theme park, Universal's Epic Universe. The crack reporting staff of Nick, Joe, Jeff, and Banks Lee from Attractions talk about the press conference, concept art, rumored lands, and more!

Joe, Alan, and Alex discuss all the upcoming coaster announcements around North America, Ghostbusters at Halloween Horror Nights 29, and our time at ACE's KennyKon at Kennywood!

Impromptu episode this week with Joe, Alex (@coasterspotting), and In The Loop's Andrew Hyde (@onlinehyde) to discuss some news, talk about Steel Curtain opening at Kennywood, and Disneyland's summer 2019 attendance issues.

Part 2 trip reports continue as Alex goes to a couple of Jersey Shore park and Alan goes to Cedar Point & Denver. Deep detailed discussion is had about the sad state of Lakeside Park

Hagrid opens, Alex goes to the Toronto area and a bunch of parks, Alan goes to New England to ride stuff, HoliWood Nights report, and a live epilogue from In The Loop's FreERT event.

Joe and Jeff are joined by Danny Bogue of the Average Disney Nerd podcast to discuss Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure! We talk about our experiences in line, technical issues, the queue theming, the ride experience, and our final impressions. We also discuss the news of the day including Liberty Inn being replaced in Epcot, Endless Summer opening, Halloween Horror Nights, and Big Fire American Fare opening.

Joe is joined by David Daut to discuss Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge! We walk through the land's experiences, offerings, interactive segments, Smuggler's Run impressions, and the hype versus reality of the land. We also touch on Hagrid, HHN29 tickets, and SeaWorld Orlando coaster news. 'Til the spire! Read David's write up of the land on his website.

We're talking about the hottest topic in all of themed entertainment this week: Cedar Point! Step aside Star Wars. This week it's Joe and Jeff as they talk about their annual Memorial Day Weekend Cedar Point trip. We discuss the new BackbeatQ restaurant, enhancements to Magnum and Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Melt, Steel Vengeance, what Cedar Point needs in the future, and more!

Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal this week to talk about his visit behind the walls at Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure. We also discuss chicken "corn dog" nuggets, HHN29's Depths of Fear, Jurassic Park construction, horitcultre, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge pricing, and more!

It's Alex and Joe this time to talk about news, rumors, and trip reports! We cover the Kings Island giga coaster, Dollywood's newest addition, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, more Hagrid, and more! Then we discuss Alex's trip through the south, including his first ever visit to Animal Kingdom, before Joe talks about Kennywood's pass holder preview day and a quick stop at Hersheypark.

Everybody rock your body right, Banks Lee's back, alright. Joe, Mike, and Banks talk about Universal Classic Monsters house, HHN29's leaked rumored lineup, the Today Cafe, avocado toast, Disney Hollywood Studios' 30th Anniversary, the bad new DHS logo, and Banks' tour of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!

Great Adventure, Long island Adventureland, and Coney Island trip reports! Regional Park news! Pinball! White Castle! White Castle?

News Team Assemble! Joe, Lane, Mike, and Nick talk about Duffy's friends, Rock'n'Rollercoaster overlays, trains, Magical Creatures, LargeFlames, Halloween Horror Nights, Endless Summers, Cars, Disney+, and more!

Joe and Mike are joined by special guest Banks Lee of Attractions the Show! On this episode we talk about Busch Gardens Tampa's newest coaster, Tigris, and next year's RMC'ing of Gwazi. Star Wars Galaxy's Edge is opening earlier than we though but Mickey's Runaway Railway might be opening in 2020? Universal announced Stranger Things at HHN29 while also showing off more of their new Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster. Lastly we discuss our trips into the parks with Banks visiting Lego Movie World at Legoland, Sesame Street at SeaWorld Orlando, Knotts, and 90's Nite at Disneyland followed by Joe giving the highlights of his recent Disneyland Resort trip.

Regional park news, trip reports sans rides, and Alex has been meaning to tell us all something for 3 months. BUT WHAT?

Joe. Mike. Tokyo. Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo DisneySea. Tune in. Turn up.

Joe is joined by David Daut to talk about Stranger Things at Halloween Horror Nights(?), Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge news and rumors, David's report from Nevermore in Utah, Disney's acquisition of Fox and the theme park implications including Simpsons and Spider-Man at DCA, and then finally closing out with talk about theme park preservation with an eye towards Muppet-vision 3-D.

Joe, Nick, and Sean talk about Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Epcot's new entrance, and Wonders of Life's 'Play Pavilion' replacement. Then we dive into Sean's bachelory party to talk about the "3 great rides" theory, Magic Kingdom, Homecomin', Trader Sam's, Universal, and more.

Alan and Alex talk about ski trips, defunct coasters, and other nerditry. Also we lost part of the episode, sorry for the abrupt ending.

Alan and Joe talk about Cedar Fair's earnings call, their plans for their parks, mistakes with smaller parks, and the removal of Volcano: The Blast Coaster. Then we dive into our recent trips to Orlando! Joe talks about his adventure to SeaWorld, Jiko, Animal Kingdom After Hours, and Universal. Alan discusses his long weekend at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Then we give our final reviews of Pandora - World of Avatar, the price of theming, the importance of good rides, and more random thoughts.

Joe, Alan, and Alex are freezing their asses off! This week's topics: Jurassic Park coaster update Gwazi RMC rumors Hersheypark's Chocolate Town updates Kings Island's International Street Updates Kings Dominion and Volcano Complain about Disneyland's Tomorrowland SeaWorld San Diego and Orlando rumors Alex goes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Dominion, Six Flags Over America, and then some alpine coasters Alan visits Graceland and Dollywood

OG crew time with Joe, Nick, and Mike this week. We talk the latest rumors at Universal Orlando, Polercoaster, and The Google Assistant Ride. Then we close it up with Mike's long thoughts on the future of Walt Disney World, the long term aspects of aiming for an upper upper middle class customer, the possible declining registrations of runDisney, and more Voodoo Donuts love. Stay to the end for positive takes!