Like many others, I was saddened to find out back in 2002 that Kongfrontation would no longer run its skyway trams. Although the ride was replaced with a pretty awesome attraction — Revenge of The Mummy — in 2004, Kongfrontation still holds a special part in the hearts of fans that will never be replaced.

When I was younger, the first thing out of my mouth upon arriving at Universal Studios would be “Mommy, Daddy I wanna go see King Kong!” And of course back then, Universal Express was long to be thought of! So, if we were lucky enough and happened to get to the ride when it was in operation — it was down quite often — we would wait in the grueling lines just to get a ride on an aerial tram and get a glimpse of Mr. Kong.

For me, one distinct memory from Kongfrontation was loving the smell throughout the queue — I’m weird, so what!? I’m sure Kong fans alike would know what I’m talking about It could be described as the smell of  fog, mechanics and artificial train station. For example the ET ride has had a distinct smell in the forest queue as well that I just can’t wait to engulf my nostrils when I get back to Disney!

Unfortunately, Universal never gave a concrete reason for its decision to close Kong, but one can assume that it had to do with high maintenance costs. That poor ride was down several times throughout the day, as I recall.

That said, Kongfrontation — along with Back to the Future — was one of my favorite rides at Universal Studios as a youngin that cease to exist now.

King Kong, I sure will miss your banana breath… literally! You’ll live on in my theme park lovin’ heart forever!

Here’s an on-ride video of Kongfrontation on the last day before Kong tried to destroy his last tram forever. Enjoy!

And even though it’s better than staring at a blank wall in 90-degree heat, the interactive queues are no substitute for the rides and attractions themselves. Luckily, Debra Peterson, writing for Examiner.com, has put together a list of ten tips that will help us avoid lines at Disney Parks. They include:

1. Travel during Disney’s off-season… if you can
2. Visit the least-crowded park on its least-crowded day
3. Arrive before a park’s opening
4. Avoid Walt Disney World parks offering Disney’s Extra Magic Hours
5. Do the FASTPASS
6. Pay attention to Disney’s wait times
7. Enter the single rider lines
8. Use the Child Swap (a.k.a. Rider Switch)
9. Take advantage of poor weather
10. Criss-Cross the parks to visit the E-ticket attractions first

As you can tell, most — if not all — of these tips are highly contingent on planning — something most theme park mongrels (such as ourselves) don’t like to do while on vacation. However, a little planning before the trip to the parks can make your time off that much more enjoyable! The choice is yours… grasshopper!

Full article (highly recommended): Examiner.com | Image Courtesy of KidsMomo.com

Coming in at 7.5 feet tall and 12 feet wide, Ursula is one of the biggest animated characters Disney Imagineering has ever created. At the beginning of the month, the infamous evil sea witch moved into her lair inside The Little Mermaid — Ariel’s Undersea Adventure attraction that’s set to open June 3 at Disney California Adventure.

What’s most interesting about Ursula’s character is her dexterity — giving the figure  human-like motions. Check the video to see exactly what we’re talking about.

You may’ve heard that LEGOLAND California will soon unveil Star Wars Miniland — an area containing a series of seven scenes from the six action films plus the Clone Wars animated movie. The Miniland isn’t complete just yet, but lucky Dave Banks, with Wired.com, was able to score a first look at the area’s models and layouts.

“We begin walking up a hill perched above the rest of Miniland, toward the Star Wars scenes. Landscape workers are busy creating the desolate ice planet of Hoth. They’re spreading white sand to simulate snow around a couple of AT-ATs, while the rebel base and the all-important generators sit nearby,” writes Dave Banks for Wired.com.

According to early reports, the display will contain more than 2,000 models constructed from 1.5 million bricks. But master builder Ryan Ziegelbauer says that that number may be too conservative: “I think that number is low. We’ll need to count again — there are 750 battle droids alone.”

The seven scenes in the Star Wars Miniland will include:

• Episode I: The Theed Royal Palace, hangar on Naboo, and the invasion of Naboo
• Episode II: The Geonosian execution arena and a battle scene between Dooku’s droid army and the Republic
• Episode III: Order 66 on Kashyyyk and the duel on Mustafar
• Episode IV: Mos Eisley spaceport, complete with a humongous 19,000-brick Falcon, the cantina and the moisture farm
• Episode V: The Battle of Hoth
• Episode VI: The forests and landing platform at Endor
• Clone Wars: A battle scene from Christophsis between Separatist battle droids and Republic clone troopers

Read more (highly recommended, with pictures galore): Wired.com

SeaWorld San Diego has announced that it will resume its Dine With Shamu program on April 23 on a year-round basis.

The event, available only by reservation, offers visitors the opportunity to dine at tables located next to the park’s whale pools as trainers show whale training techniques. The program concludes with a unique performance by the whales.

Dine With Shamu was suspended last year by parent company SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment following the death of whale trainer Dawn Brancheau in SeaWorld Orlando. This time around, however, trainers will be located poolside — a departure from the past — when they were present in the water with the whales. The change has been a policy for all SeaWorld whale shows since 2010.

Source: San Diego Business Journal

In a statement on Thursday, the company stated that “it has temporarily suspended all its administrative and store operations in Tokyo.” Disney has closed 28 of its 47 stores in the country due to damage.

In a blog post last Friday, Disney Parks spokesman Thomas Smith said that the Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea parks both suffered minimal property damage. The company will keep its two Tokyo-based theme parks closed until March 21. Employees were offered an opt-out and many workers have already left the country.

We’d imagine that right about now, many Japanese residents aren’t in much of a theme park mood anyway.

Read more: Baltimore Sun

Blackstone’s plan was disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Universal City Development Partners Ltd. – an entity created by Blackstone for the transaction. NBCUniversal — which itself was acquired by Comcast Corporation from General Electric in January for $13.45 billion in cash and assets — has until June 12 to accept Blackstone’s offer.

Blackstone purchased the 50 percent stake in Universal Orlando back in 2000 from Rank Group PLC for a total of $2.07 billion.

“We are studying the proposal and considering our options,” said NBCUniversal spokesperson Cindy Gardner.

A Blackstone spokesperson didn’t return the Wall Street Journal’s messages seeking comment.

Read more: Online WSJ (sub. req’d.)

“Six Flags Over Georgia is proud to partner with MUST Ministries to collect food for needy families,” said Park President Melinda Ashcraft. “This special price of $20.11 is a great way to kick off the 2011 season while giving back to the community.”

The offer is only valid for the weekend of  March 19-20. Tuna, jelly, beans, rice, and canned vegetables are among a few suggested donations.

Read more: Atlanta Bargain Hunter Blog

The new Richard Petty Driving Experience Shop Tour is a 30 minute program that provides guests with a behind-the-scenes look at the track’s design, maintenance shops, history, and a ride around the one-mile tri-oval course in a van (not in a NASCAR vehicle).

Last spring, Disney World passholders were offered a complimentary opportunity to do a “Ride Along” from Richard Petty Driving Experience with a professional driving instructor for three laps in a NASCAR-style race car capable of reaching speeds up to 140 MPH. Normally, that program costs more than $100 a person. The Richard Petty Driving Experience Shop Tour seems like the perfect way to acquaint unfamiliar guests with the track and the program.

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is located at the WDW Speedway outside of the Transportation and Ticket center. The tour is scheduled for 8:30 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and is usually priced at $15. You can book reservations for the tour by calling 800-237-3889 for tours beginning March 16. Annual pass holders can bring up to four guests with a maximum group size of 20.

Read more: Orlando Sentinel Blog

While the initial the design consisted strictly of a seasonal water park, numerous requests for additional entertainment resulted in a redesign that will include indoor features. The revised park design includes a bundle of attractions by waterslide and waterpark attractions design firm SpashTacular, along with a car parking lot that will be capable of converting into a drive-in movie theater. It will complement the other year-round activities and is expected to increase the amount of visitor draw to the park’s other attractions, including indoor batting cages, blacklight miniature golf, and a high-end arcade.

The park’s masterminds don’t foresee weather being much of a problem: “Many people in other areas of the country have questioned us regarding an outdoor waterpark in Washington State,” says Shark Reef co-founder Mike Hillman. “What they often don’t realize is that we are perfectly located on the desert side of the state with an ideal dry climate that typically enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine a year.”

With groundbreaking set for this July, who’s in for some indoor goodness come 2012?

Read more: Park World Online