Are you visiting Walt Disney World? Universal Orlando? Are you coming to Southern California for Disneyland's 60th anniversary? Or are you visiting a regional amusement park? ("All of the above," of course, is a perfectly acceptable answer!)
No matter your intended destination, are you planning to do more on your vacation than you did last year? America's theme parks are hoping to lure you (and your money) with a line-up of new rides and shows this summer. This year's a little unusual in that none of the Central Florida theme parks are offering any major new attractions. That's left the top of the market clear for smaller, regional parks to step up and make a claim for your business.
Of course, a visit to a regional park typically costs less than a full-fledged Orlando theme park vacation. So that raises the question, "will you be spending more in your vacation this year than you did last year?"
It's not like people won't be visiting Orlando, of course. Many Harry Potter fans who stayed home during last summer's opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, fearing big, opening-season crowds, will be making their trip to Universal Orlando this year. And many devoted Walt Disney World fans wouldn't miss a summer visiting their "home away from home," whether Disney offers anything new or not.
If Orlando's not on your agenda this year, though, you will find much to enjoy at other parks around the country and around the world. We mentioned the 60th anniversary at Disneyland, with its new parade, fireworks and World of Color show. Rival Universal Studios Hollywood just opened its tricked-out Springfield land, and will debut a new Fast & Furious 4D encounter on its Studio Tour this summer. Six Flags Magic Mountain is building Southern California's first steel retracked wooden coaster, and is locked in a tight battle with Six Flags New England's new retracked coaster for our "most anticipated new coaster of the year" honor. And the Six Flags parks in Arlington, Texas and St. Louis are getting into the dark ride business is a big way, with the highly anticipated new DC Comics-themed "Justice League" shooter ride.
Is any of this enough to get you to open your wallet any wider than you did for your vacation last year? That's our Vote of the Week.
Tell us in the comments what you're doing differently this year, and why. And, as always, thank you for making Theme Park Insider part of your vacation planning!
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If anything, the hype doesn't do those parks justice. Enjoy! (But arrive *very* early and be prepared to *run* at rope drop. S--t gets real at rope drop in Tokyo.)
Fun Fact: Based on my estimation, the whole three week trip I did last year was only slightly more expensive than a 10 day Disney/Universal Florida trip would be. This is why I'm waiting until at least 2017 to go to Florida, despite having never visited and it topping my list of future theme park destinations. I anticipate Florida will be a once or twice a decade thing for me, and I really don't want to miss something major if I can help it.
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We're probably going to wait until 2017 before going to Central Florida again, primarily because of the cost and lack of new things to do at those parks.