Theme Park Insider

Universal details new radar system for guest safety

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:20:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Universal has plans for using a new tool to detect when guests go someplace that they shouldn't in a theme park.

Theme parks long have used a variety of ways to keep guests out of restricted areas. Walls and fences provide hard barriers to backstage and secured locations. For especially sensitive areas, such as ride tracks and equipment rooms, parks also use monitoring devices to restrict guests access.

Some of those devices include intrusion mats, IR beams and camera monitoring systems. Now, Universal is proposing a way to use radar to monitor and restrict guest access to designated areas.

Universal describes its plans in a new patent application published today, System and Method for Detecting Guests in Restricted Areas. In its application, Universal notes the problems with many existing intrusion detection systems.

"These systems often do not provide sufficient early detection or warning, potentially resulting in the guest disembarking from the ride vehicle before the systems can take action to stop the ride vehicle or otherwise protect the guest's safety. Therefore, an inexpensive and simple system and a method which can detect if a guest is attempting to engage in unsafe activities or disembark a ride vehicle before the guest does so would be useful."

Universal's system uses one or more radar devices to monitor ride vehicles and restricted areas.

In one example, "the computing system is programmed to detect whether there is a breach in at least the first radar field or the second radar field and adjust an operation of the ride vehicle when the breach is detected," Universal's patent application states.

You can read the entire application on the US Patent and Trademark Office's website.

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Processing the Six Flags Goliath tragedy

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:16:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: This week on the Theme Park Insider Podcast, Jake and I talk about what Six Flags needs to do to respect the memory of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, by finding out what led to his death on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and sharing the results of that investigation with the public.

Following this week's incident, I have revived Theme Park Insider's Accident Watch page. This is no longer a crowd-sourced list of accident reports, as the emergence of bots and automated agents made policing that a task I was no longer willing to handle. The page now lists our coverage of fatal injury accidents at U.S. theme parks since the site began in 2000.

It's an ongoing project as I backfill links onto the page, so please let me know about incidents that I have missed. I am including only fatalities due to injury incidents at this time and not deaths that are wholly the result of pre-existing health conditions.

To keep up with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter, or upgrade to a paid subscription for exclusive monthly content.

Dollywood sets 2027 calendar, opening date

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 18:03:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Dollywood will open for the 2027 season on March 11, the park announced today.

Next year will be the first full season for the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee park's new NightFlight Expedition ride. It also will be the first season opening at the park since the passing of co-founder and "Dreamer in Chief" Dolly Parton.

The park will honor Dolly next year with the debut of a new character, the Dream Maker, in the Wildwood Grove area.

"The Dream Maker and her Dream Wagon will give children an opportunity to share their own dreams, hear stories inspired by Dolly and discover that dreams can become even more meaningful when they are shared with others," the park said of this addition.

Also honoring Dolly, the park kicks of its 2027 season with the return of the I Will Always Love You Music Festival, which runs through April 11. "From the Heart � The Life & Music of Dolly Parton" show will return this year for the festival, running in Celebrity Theater through the end of the Flower & Food Festival in June.

Here are other announced events on Dollywood's 2027 calendar:

April 23-25: Run Dollywood spring event
May 7 - June 20: Dollywood's Flower & Food Festival
June 26 - Aug. 8: Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration
Sept. 3-6: Dollywood's Barbeque & Bluegrass
Sept. 11 - Oct. 31: Dollywood's Harvest Festival
Sept. 24-26: Run Dollywood fall event
Oct. 1, 15, 22, 23, 29 and 30: Harvey's Boo Bash at Dollywood
Nov. 5 - Jan. 2, 2028: Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas
Nov. 12-14: Run Dollywood Christmas event

Dollywood's season concludes with the end of the Smoky Mountain Christmas event.

Season passes for 2027 will go on sale Monday, Nov. 2 on Dollywood's website.

Disney reveals name for its final Wish-class ship, in Japan

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:46:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: We now know the name of Disney's final Wish-class cruise ship.

Last week, Disney Cruise Line revealed details about Disney Believe, the fourth Wish-class ship, which is set to sail from Fort Lauderdale beginning in December 2027. After that, Disney had planned a fifth and final Wish-class ship, to be owned and operated by Oriental Land Co., the company behind the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Today, Disney and OLC announced that ship will be named Disney Imagination. It will begin sailing from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in spring 2029.

The Little Mermaid, Ariel, will be the stern character for the ship, which will operate under the OLC's new Disney Cruise Line Japan business.

Image courtesy Oriental Land Co.

Like the other Wish-class ships, Disney Imagination will include three main dining restaurants and a 1,300-seat main theater, as well as bars, cafes, deck shows, children's programs, and character meets. However, OLC did not confirm any specific themes or programs for its ship.

So I guess that Disney Cruise fans can hold hope that maybe this ship won't include a Worlds of Marvel?

Of course, with OLC running the show, it is not yet clear whether Castaway Club will be a thing on Disney Imagination, or whether OLC will have its own loyalty program. That would affect booking priority and access to programs and locations on the ship, which are often determined by Castaway Club status on DCL ships.

Those details, as well as information about specific itineraries and sail dates, will be coming at some future date.

After the completion of the Wish class, Disney Cruise Line has announced plans for three more ships in a new, smaller class, to set sail between 2029 and 2030.

What really happened on Six Flags' Goliath coaster?

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:51:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: It's hard for me to think about much other than yesterday's terrible accident at Six Flags Over Georgia. So let's get into what we know - and need to know - about the death of a rider on the park's Goliath roller coaster.

Multiple reports have identified the victim as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, an Atlanta school IT worker. I can't imagine what his family or others who were on the ride are going through right now. But I am certain that the entire coaster fan community is grieving along with them. Moving forward, I hope that the family finds the peace that they need.

For the rest of us, we need answers. What, exactly, happened here and what caused that to happen? Local authorities are investigating, joined by representative from the coaster's manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard. As a fan and coaster rider, I want to know if something failed here, and if so, how and why.

Knowing what I know about roller coaster design and physics, it seems incomprehensible to me that a restraint would fail at an ejector airtime moment and that the ride's momentum design would allow that failure to result in a rider being ejected from their seat with enough force to strike and injure others on the train before falling clear of the train. Yet that is what witnesses on the train have described, according to multiple professional news media reports.

Only a well-investigated, detailed explanation of the incident can provide the guidance that the industry will confirm what happened and to help prevent the result of this incident from happening again. But that information will not help reassure an anxious public if those findings are not shared with them.

Transparency is essential. On that point, Six Flags' short-term and long-term business interests diverge.

Obviously, any news stories or announcements about the investigation should respect the victim's family and their loss. But the public will need to hear the results of this investigation, as painful as those results might be to hear for those closest to the incident.

In the near term, I imagine that Six Flags would be happy for this story to fade from public attention and for it to be able to reopen its B & M hyper coasters for fans who do not care about what happened in Georgia. But Six Flags - and the industry - over the long term needs the public to believe that all of its thrill rides are safe. We need to know that what happened on Goliath does not represent some flaw or malpractice that could result in a similar failure on another coaster, whether it be a B & M hyper or other model.

That means Six Flags needs to get out in front of the news and provide updates about the investigation, rather than waiting until the outcry of questions becomes so loud than no answers will be heard.

Six Flags waited way too long to address concerns about its X2 coaster at Magic Mountain. That reticence spent Six Flags' goodwill down to zero. The company cannot afford to mishandle its response to the Georgia death.

Some within the company might argue that silence is the appropriate response. For the moment, perhaps. But very soon, we should hear from the company about its plans for this investigation and the release of its findings.

Six Flags' stock price dropped 14% today. This story should not be about money, but money matters. Six Flags was already straining under pandemic-era debt. Litigation over X2 could mean additional financial burden for the company. Now, Six Flags is facing whatever costs and lost income that might result from the Georgia incident.

This is a dark moment for Six Flags. The company needs leadership that can light a path forward through all of the company's challenges.

Accident claims rider on Six Flags roller coaster

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:12:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: An incident on Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia today appears to have claimed the life of a rider.

Multiple reports state that a rider on the Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster fell from the ride. Ride operators stopped the coaster and evacuated riders from other trains after the incident. Several reports claim that there were additional injuries, however it is unclear if those were the result of the initial incident or the evacuation.

Six Flags Over Georgia issued this statement:

"We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest�s family, friends, and loved ones. We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected.

"The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation. Out of respect for the family�s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time."

I can't recall any previous examples of a rider falling from a B & M roller coaster. Goliath is a 2006 hyper coaster with a height 200 mph, a 175-foot drop and a top speed of 70 mph. It has no inversions.

This is one of the theme park industry's most popular and reliable roller coaster models. Other installations include Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Candymonium at Hersheypark, Diamondback at Kings Island, Mako at SeaWorld Orlando, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and - at larger scale - Orion at Kings Island and Fury 325 at Carowinds.

Get ready to rank the world's best theme park attractions

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 21:35:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: What are the best theme park attractions in the world?

Every year, I ask Theme Park Insider readers that question. As we move through October, it's almost time again for our year-end attraction-ranking survey, so I would like to ask you to start putting together your list.

For our survey this year, I will ask readers to rank up to 50 of your favorite theme park attractions, worldwide. These can be dark rides, roller coasters, flume rides, parades, live musicals, animatronic shows, flat rides, playgrounds, walk throughs, interactive attractions, character meets, or nighttime spectaculars. Whatever attractions keep you coming back to the parks - put 'em on your list.

Please keep in mind new attractions that have opened around the world this year and include them, if they have earned a place on your list. Also, please remember that some rides have closed this year, so please do not include them on your list. (RIP to X2 and ArieForce One, among others.)

Order is important, as that will help determine the overall ranking for attractions on Theme Park Insider in 2027. If you have registered on the website, you will be able to use a submission form on the site to send in your ranking. If not, I will invite you to email me your list. Either way, I ask that there be just one ranking list per person, please.

Here is our current best attractions list, for your reference. The annual ranking survey also determines which rides and attractions get recommendations on our theme park visitors guides.

Look for voting to open later this month. But I would love to invite you to start the conversation about the world's best theme park attractions now. If there's a ride or show that you hope makes it - or places higher - on this year's list, please let us know about it in the comments.

To get the link to our ranking page as soon as it goes live, please subscribe to our free weekly newsletter. If you would like, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for exclusive monthly content, but that's not necessary to vote.

Rope Drop: Universal extends Jurassic Park downtime

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 21:46:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: As the "rope drop" starts a day at theme parks, the Sunday "Rope Drop" post kicks off the week here at Theme Park Insider. Here is what lies ahead for fans at the parks this week.

Universal Orlando has extended the refurbishment downtime for Islands of Adventure's Jurassic Park River Adventure. The flume ride now will be reopening on December 17, as shown in our updated refurb calendar, below.

Planning a trip?

Here are the current refurbishment schedules from Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

October 26: Volcano Bay closes for the season, with a planned return on or before April 1, 2027.
October 30: Walt Disney World Railroad reopens shuttle service.
October 30 - November 12: It�s a Small World closes at Disneyland for its holiday overlay installation.
November 1-12: Redwood Creek Challenge Trail closes at Disney California Adventure.
November 2: Tiana�s Bayou Adventure closes at Walt Disney World�s Magic Kingdom, with no reopening date.
November 3: Animal Actors on Location closes permanently at Universal Studios Florida.
November 4: Hogwarts Express is closed at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
December 17: Jurassic Park River Adventure reopens at Islands of Adventure.
January 4 - February 2, 2027: Popeye & Bluto�s Bilge-Rat Barges closes at Islands of Adventure.
January 25 - February 4, 2027: Fyre Drill closes at Universal Epic Universe.
February 8-19, 2027: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey closes at Islands of Adventure.
Indiana Jones Adventure and Mad Tea Party are closed at Disneyland, with no reopening date.
Universal�s Horror Make-Up Show is closed at Universal Studios Florida. Estimated reopening in winter 2026.
Carousel of Progress is closed at Walt Disney World�s Magic Kingdom. New show debuts in 2027.

You can find our one-page visitors guides to dozens of top theme parks around the world, including Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the Universal parks at www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews.

If you would like to get out there and support Theme Park Insider at the same time, please contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote or shop our international and U.S. attraction ticket partners.

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