Theme Park Insider

Walk Time: The end of an era

Sat, 09 May 2026 06:34:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Let us begin the week in review this week with a moment of Internet silence for Theme Park Insider's favorite place to eat - Mythos Restaurant.

[ ... ]

Thank you. Universal Orlando announced this week that it would close the Islands of Adventure table service restaurant next year. Universal is closing the remaining portion of its The Lost Continent land to make way for what is expected to be a new Pokemon-themed area.

For years, Mythos has displayed a banner touting its Theme Park Insider Awards for Best Restaurant - honors that started back to the days when Theme Park Insider was one of the few websites covering Universal Orlando on a regular basis. I thank Universal for their many years of promoting Theme Park Insider for promoting them, and it'll be shame to walk into IOA and not see Mythos anymore.

And, in response to the many questions... no, I have no idea what Universal will do with the banner. Universal has hung several versions of that banner over the years and I do not know what have happened to any of them. Universal never has contacted me about the banner, and I would not have a place to store or display one of them if they did.

Now, if Walt Disney World wants to send me a sign from Tom Sawyer Island, that's a different story.

To replace Mythos, Universal will be closing Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park to convert that into a new table-service restaurant. I wonder if that will be our first U.S. installation of Hammond's, the Jurassic Park-themed table service restaurant from Universal Studios Beijing?

My thank you to my supporters

Universal Orlando is not the only one I want to thank today for their support. To thank my email newsletter subscribers who have supported me with a paid subscription, I published my first bonus, "thank you" column this week: Why Disney should raise prices to become more affordable.

"Say what?," I can imagine many of you asking. How can that possibly make sense? Buckle in, because the post is a ride through Disney�s pricing policies to see how the company�s efforts to maintain affordability are actually driving away many would-be Disney visitors. If you want to read it, you can upgrade to a paid subscription here: https://themeparkinsider.substack.com/subscribe.

Again, thank you to everyone who has. It's nice to be able to write without any consideration for advertising or affiliate links or any of the other ways that writers make a living online these days. But that is possible only with your direct support.

Openings

It's opening day for the 2026 season at Cedar Point today. The Ohio park on Lake Erie offers five of our top-rated coasters in the world, earning its adopted "America's Roller Coast" nickname. Here is a flashback to our Jeff Elliott and Jim Koehl riding the latest, Siren's Curse, during its media preview last year.

In the United Kingdom, World of PAW Patrol opened last Sunday at Chessington World of Adventures, just outside London. The land offers two themed playscapes and four new rides plus, including a new Zierer Force family roller coaster, Chase's Mountain Mission.

Chase's Mountain Mission. Photo courtesy Merlin Entertainments

Heads up for theme park fans visiting Hersheypark anytime soon. Union employees of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company have voted against the company's latest contract proposal and have set a strike authorization vote next week. If approved, maintenance workers at the park could walk off the job, potentially disrupting or closing park operations, as well as concerts and other special events at Giant Center and Hersheypark Stadium.

Earnings calls

Segueing into the financial side of the beat, both Disney and Six Flags released quarterly earnings reports this week. Disney reported record second-quarter revenue and operating income [Disney shows strong financial results, despite oil prices], while Six Flags reported higher attendance this year, mostly due to a bad start to 2025 [Six Flags shows improvement to start 2026].

Disney's CFO also commented on the company's approach to AI [Disney just revealed its AI strategy, and I love it]. Earlier in the week, Six Flags announced that it will bring "Holiday in the Park" events back to two of its theme parks in 2026 [Six Flags looks to add more holidays to its parks], which should help reverse the holiday attendance dip that the company felt at the start of the year.

As always, thank you for reading, and I wish everyone a great weekend.

Paging Tony Stark: Your cruise ship needs help

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:47:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: It's not been smooth sailing this month for Disney's newest cruise ship.

Disney Adventure canceled its May 7 sailing after passengers came aboard on the ship. The Adventure was unable to sail away from its Singapore home port yesterday, due to what many guests have reported on social media as engine problems. After an evening in port, Disney Cruise Line canceled the cruise, sending passengers to area hotels.

Disney is giving passengers full refunds for the cruise that they did not get to take, plus 50% off any Disney cruise sailing before May 31, 2027. Disney is covering the cost of the hotels and breakfast, along with a $200 room credit. Disney also is providing up to $500 per stateroom for incidentals and helping with flight rebookings.

Guests sailing back to back on the Adventure are having their hotel nights covered until the next cruise's planned departure on May 11. As of now, that sailing is good to go, as repairs continue on the ship.

Disney Adventure debuted in March, sailing exclusively from Singapore. The cruise's maiden voyage had been delayed from its originally announced December 2025 debut.

The only ship of its design in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Adventure was commissioned as Genting Hong Kong's Global Dream. After that cruise business collapsed during the pandemic, Disney bought the ship in 2022 for a tiny fraction of its estimated value, transforming it into Disney Adventure.

The best comment I have read about this surely frustrating experience? "So when does Tony Stark show up to fix this?"

Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark from the Marvel Avengers films - is the Godparent of the Disney Adventure.

Critter characters could be riding with you at Universal

Thu, 07 May 2026 23:44:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Do you want a giant frog to crawl onto your car in a theme park dark ride?

Who wouldn't? In a patent application published today, Universal has detailed plans for frogs, snakes and other practically animated creatures to crawl over its ride vehicles.

In "System and Method for an On-Board Animated Figure in a Ride Environment," Universal described its concept for this effect. Imagine riding along and then a giant frog appears from under the vehicle, crawling onto your car, just a foot or so in front of you.

Image from Universal's patent application

The patent explanation explains how Universal would make that happen, using magnets or vacuum pumps to maintain points of contact that could disengage as the creature crawls. The mechanism also could be used on show action equipment in addition to ride vehicles, to add more visual action to the attraction.

In other patent applications published this week, Universal has updated proposals to use drones to test the ride envelope on attractions. Despite that "head chopper" effect you might feel on some rides, every theme park attraction is tested to ensure that riders cannot reach show or track elements while properly seated and restrained in their vehicles. Or, at least, they are supposed to be. Universal offers a new method for doing that testing in its patent application.

Universal also updated an application for a system for managing NFTs in its theme parks. (Are those still a thing?) Universal's proposal would create a system for assigning and allowing guests to manage Non-Fungible Tokens. Patent applications almost never mention specific applications for the described technology, but I could see this as a way to plus Universal's scoreboards for its Super Nintendo Worlds.

For my weekly update of Universal and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter.

Universal Orlando to close Mythos Restaurant

Thu, 07 May 2026 15:06:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Theme Park Insider readers' favorite restaurant is closing. Universal Orlando Resort delivered the sad news this morning, announcing that Mythos Restaurant will close next year.

The closure is part of the ongoing closure of The Lost Continent land in Islands of Adventure. At this point, Mythos is pretty much the last major thing standing in the land, with Poseidon's Fury closing in 2023 and The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad closing in 2018.

Mythos Restaurant and its sign

Mythos won our Theme Park Insider Award for Best Restaurant 10 times. The restaurant won praise for bringing an elevated dining experience inside a theme park while not elevating the prices beyond the reach of those theme park guests. The restaurant was so popular that Universal once offered a dining pass that allowed people free admission into the park if all they wanted to do was eat there. (You had to put down a deposit, which was returned if you presented a Mythos receipt and exited the park within two hours.)

And, of course, Mythos introduced many Universal Orlando visitors to Theme Park Insider by hanging above its door a banner honoring its Theme Park Insider Awards. At one point, the TPI Awards were noted on Universal Orlando's printed park map, too.

In other news today, Universal Orlando announced that Thunder Falls Terrace in IOA's Jurassic Park land will close this summer to transition into a new concept that will become the "new signature full-service restaurant in Universal Islands of Adventure," presumably replacing Mythos. That location will open next year, as well.

Over at Universal Studios Florida, Horror Make-Up Show will close next week, on May 12, for a rewrite.

"Opening later this year, the updated show will showcase a mix of classic and modern horror properties along with shockingly fun surprises � all while staying true to the comedic and irreverent spirit that guests know and love," Universal said.

Finally, at CityWalk, Hot Dog Hall of Fame will close in July to make way for Fat One's Hot Dogs & Italian Ice.

For my weekly update of Universal and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter.

Six Flags shows improvement to start 2026

Thu, 07 May 2026 14:22:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Attendance and revenue were up for the first three months of 2026 at Six Flags' theme parks, the company reported this morning.

Six Flags parks welcomed 2.9 million guests in the three month period ending March 29, 2026, up four percent from the same period one year ago. Net revenues increased 12% to $225.6 million, helped by a 6% increase in per capita spending, to $69.26.

Most Six Flags theme parks are closed during the first three months of the year. The notable exception is Knott's Berry Farm - Six Flags' most-attended theme park - which operates year-round. Last year, Knott's attendance suffered in the first quarter, as did all Los Angeles-area attractions, due to the disruptions of the Eaton and Palisades fires.

This year, Six Flags parks were open for 24 fewer days than the were in the first quarter last year, due to the elimination of holiday events at four parks. Six Flags announced earlier this week that it will restore Holiday in the Park events this year in Georgia and New Jersey.

"We delivered meaningful year-over-year improvement in the first quarter driven by higher attendance, increased guest spending, and disciplined execution," Six Flags President and CEO John Reilly said. "Although it is still early in the season, demand trends in the second quarter are encouraging. We are seeing positive early response to changes in our season pass and membership offerings, including expanded regional access to more parks on certain products, which we believe are supporting increased guest engagement and a more favorable product mix."

Six Flags reported that its active pass was approximately 5 million units, up 6% on a same-park basis compared to the same time last year. Net debt totaled $5.27 billion, with a total liquidity of $462 million.

The company's net loss for the quarter increased 22%, to $268.6 million. Six Flags typically loses money in the first quarter, due to the low number of operating days.

In other news, Six Flags today announced the appointment of Amy Martin Ziegenfuss as Chief Marketing Officer and Christopher Bennett as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, effective by June 3. The company also announced that Brian Witherow will step down as Chief Financial Officer, effective May 8, with Dave Hoffman named as Interim Finance Lead.

For my weekly update of theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter.

Disney just revealed its AI strategy, and I love it

Thu, 07 May 2026 03:03:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: What are Disney's plans for AI? A Wall Street analysts that question in Disney's quarterly earnings call this morning. And I loved the response.

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston both responded to the question. D'Amaro talked about Disney's long-time use of technology in its business.

Disney has been automating the production of entertainment long before "AI" became a Wall Street buzzword. Heck, Disney was creating mechanical automation projections long before many of today's Wall Street analysts were born. Just think about the automated animals that have been entertaining guests on the Jungle Cruise since 1955.

Disney has been using digital automation for years, too. From the original TRON to staffing management in its theme parks, Disney's IT teams have been writing programs to replace pencil pushing in everything from animation to accounting. Automated pattern matching and replication is nothing new for Disney.

"We've got a lot of work going on to develop a hyper-personalized recommendation engine across Disney+ and ESPN, and then we're implementing AI to enhance our ad-targeting capabilities, letting our partners develop and execute truly dynamic brand messaging," D'Amaro said, to further feed Wall Street's desire for companies to jump on the AI bandwagon.

Let's acknowledge that many Wall Street analysts are vultures, and much of what passes for analysis in the stock market is just "pump and dump." Analysts love to hear companies commit to slashing workforces and automating work, because that boosts short-term profits and allows investment firms to issue "buy" recommendations on companies whose stock they soon will be selling at a peak, just before the job cuts and slopping automation cause revenue to crash.

Johnston then jumped in, concluding with this gem:

"We do see our Experiences business as well positioned structurally in a world of rising AI driven content. We think it may end up increasing even more the values consumers place on authentic, real-life experiences with those that they are close to, like we deliver across the parks and resorts every day."

Brilliant. In a world ever more filled with AI slop, Disney's business strategy is to deliver authentic, human-driven experiences as an alternative.

The problem with generative AI is that it enables the creation of so much mediocre content that people simply quit reading, watching, and listening as a result. That is an existential threat to entertainment companies (and news websites). The industry needs to find ways to cut through the slop and connect with the public before more people turn away from their products.

Disney is wise to remain, as D'Amaro said, "committed to implementing AI in a way that keeps human creativity at the center of everything that we do, and of course, respects creators and the tremendous value of our own intellectual property."

Disney beat analysts' expectations today, and the company's stock price soared. So long as Disney continues to make the money that Wall Street wants, the company can keep thumbing its nose to analysts over the way that it makes that cash.

For my weekly update of Disney and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter.

Did Disney just hedge its plans for Abu Dhabi?

Thu, 07 May 2026 03:02:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Disney's stock prices surged today following its second quarter earnings report this morning.

The company's stock price jumped more than 7.5% in trading today, leading the Dow, after the company reported a 7% increase in revenue and 4% rise in operating income for the quarter. The stock price increase was the largest one-day jump for Disney since last May, when the company announced its deal for Disney Abu Dhabi.

Today was Josh D'Amaro's first earnings call since taking over as Disney's CEO in March. He did not face any analysts' questions about the Abu Dhabi project, but he did mention it in passing.

"We also have a few exciting expansions underway using what we're calling a 'capital light' model," he said. "So we've got a new cruise ship with the Oriental Land Co. in Japan, and a new theme park in Abu Dhabi with our partner Miral."

Disney's earnings report letter offered more insight.

"The strategic logic of our Abu Dhabi plans is unchanged," Disney's letter said. That statement has been interpreted, uh, generously in many news reports today.

Look, I hated diagramming sentences in seventh grade English class. But I remember enough of those grammar lessons to parse that the subject in that sentence is not "our Abu Dhabi plans."

It's "logic."

In other words, Disney said that its rationale for pursuing a new theme park in a new market remains unchanged. It did not say that its specific plans for Abu Dhabi remain as they were before the Iran's attacks on the United Arab Emirates in response to the United States' and Israel's attacks on Iran.

Granted, there might not be much to Disney's plans to change, at this point. The statement continues, "Major new theme parks are necessarily longterm in nature given the lead time of these projects, and this investment approach has consistently benefited our business."

In Disney's latest annual report, the company noted its Abu Dhabi plans with Miral, concluding that "the development of the resort is subject to finalizing agreements among the parties."

To date, I have seen no filing or statement from Disney that such finalizing agreements have been made.

I am a big fan of Miral's attractions and think that the marriage of Disney's creative teams and Miral's development leadership is a match made in heaven for theme park fans. I also have written before that Disney has no incentive to walk away from this deal, unless Miral is unable to make payments for the design and development of the park. Given that Miral is backed by the Abu Dhabi government, it is hard to imagine that Miral would fail to do make those payments, so long as the UAE remains solvent. And if that happens, a lot of the world is gonna have bigger problems than whether or not Disney builds another theme park.

Given the severity of what is happening in the Middle East, perhaps it is wise for Disney to lie low and not make its Yas Island project a metaphorical or literal target. So for now, theme park fans waiting for some tangible news about Disney Abu Dhabi will have to keep waiting.

For my weekly update of Disney and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter.

Disney shows strong financial results, despite oil prices

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:59:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Disney this morning reported record revenue and operating income for its theme park segment in the most recent fiscal quarter.

In his first investors call since taking over as Disney CEO, Josh D'Amaro hailed the performance of his former segment.

"At Disney Experiences, we continue to demonstrate strength in the core business and make progress against our growth initiatives, with strong revenue growth of 7% and segment operating income growth of 5% in the quarter, revenue and segment operating income were ahead of our prior expectations and represent second quarter records," D'Amaro said. "Over the past few quarters, the team has successfully navigated known attendance headwinds. We are now starting to lap these headwinds and expect attendance trends at our domestic parks to improve in Q3 when compared to the results were reported for Q2."

Disney Experiences reported revenue of $9.487 billion for the three-month period ending March 28, 2026. Operating income was $2.615 billion. Theme park admissions worldwide hit $3.092 billion for the quarter, up 6% from the prior year.

"Global guests - which aggregates domestic and international parks attendance along with passenger cruise days � grew 2% compared to the prior-year quarter. Attendance at our domestic parks declined 1% when compared to the prior-year quarter, reflecting, in part, continued softness in international visitation."

Nevertheless, Disney reported that per capita spending at its domestic parks was up 5% in the quarter, driven by growth in admissions, food and beverage, and merchandise.

Disney also addressed plans for its new theme park in Abu Dhabi, a location that has felt substantial disruption in tourism and daily life following America's attack on Iran earlier this year.

"The strategic logic of our Abu Dhabi plans is unchanged," Disney's investors report letter said. "Major new theme parks are necessarily longterm in nature given the lead time of these projects, and this investment approach has consistently benefited our business."

CFO Hugh Johnston addresses questions about the war's resulting sharp increase in gas and fuel prices and its affect on Disney.

"We haven't seen any change in consumer behavior from elevated gas prices thus far, and aren't currently seeing a material impact on the remainder of the fiscal year. Based on forward bookings, Disney World bookings are pacing up strongly, and even with our 40% increase in cruise capacity booked occupancy remains in line with the prior year. However, we're mindful of the macro uncertainty consumers are facing, and we're not immune to the impacts, including how a significant further rise in fuel prices from current levels could eventually lead to changes in consumer behavior. If that possibility were to occur each business has levers in place to make adjustments in order to help offset those kinds of macro pressures."