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<title>Theme Park Insider</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com</link>
<description>News, features, reviews and commentary on the world's most popular theme and amusement parks.</description>
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<title>Shanghai Disneyland celebrates its 10th anniversary</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12504/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: Shanghai Disneyland celebrated its 10th anniversary tonight by honoring former Disney CEO Bob Iger and announcing the name of the resort's third hotel. &lt;P&gt;Though officials including Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro hinted at new expansion plans for the park, none were announced at the press event at the park's Walt Disney Theater this evening. Speaking privately with insiders, a second gate in Shanghai is happening, though it was not announced tonight. &lt;P&gt;As for officially announced projects, Shanghai Disney is building a new Spider-Man-themed land, for which the resort recently completed track work on its centerpiece roller coaster. Other current projects at the resort include a third theater expansion for its Soarin' Across the Horizon show and two new hotels.&lt;P&gt;The first of those hotels, the resort's third to open, will debut this winter and be called Disney Enchanted Star Hotel, Shanghai Disney Resort officials revealed. &lt;P&gt;The fourth hotel will be the closest to the park and completed as part of an expansion of the Disneytown shopping district. We got no new details tonight about that project, however. &lt;P&gt;In the end, as the resort celebrated its first decade, it honored the person who did the most to make that happen. D'Amaro and partner Shendi Group Chairman Guan Taoping presented Iger will a statue miniature of one of the adornments atop the park's Enchanted Storybook Castle.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align=center&gt;&lt;img src=https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/IMG_1641.jpeg width=640 height=360 alt="presentation"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Stay tuned later today for more coverage from the park's anniversary. </description>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:49:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Rope Drop: On the road again</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12503/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: We have a couple of big anniversaries this week in the theme park world.&lt;P&gt;First, on Tuesday, Shanghai Disneyland celebrates its 10th anniversary. Disney is throwing an international press event for this one, so I am on a plane now, flying across the Pacific, for my first-ever visit to the park. This completes the set of all 12 Disney theme parks for me, so look for plenty of analysis of the 12 parks in the weeks to come on Theme Park Insider.&lt;P&gt;In addition to all the news from Shanghai this week, of course.&lt;P&gt;On Thursday, June 18, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure celebrates its 16th birthday. This was the development that elevated Universal to another level, enabling it to add and improve attractions at the scale it is today. If you would like to look back at that historic day, allow me to link again to one of my all-time favorite stories on Theme Park Insider: &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202006/7528/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Harry Potter and the Day That Changed Theme Parks Forever&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;In more Universal news this week, the company is hosting a big press preview for its upcoming Universal Kids Resort in suburban Dallas. Jacob Sundstrom will be covering for us in Texas as I am flying back from Japan. Watch the site and listen to our podcast this week for his complete report.&lt;P&gt;Finally, on Friday, June 19, it's time for the return of Disney on the Yard at Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort in California. This event celebrates HBCUs with a reunion event for alumni across Southern California. Look for Drum Major Mickey Mouse to return for the event this year, as well.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Attraction closings and openings&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;Here are the current refurbishment schedules from Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.&lt;P&gt;Pirates of the Caribbean is closed at Disneyland with no reopening date yet.&lt;BR&gt;Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and Silly Symphony Swings are closed at Disney California Adventure with no reopening dates yet.&lt;BR&gt;Universal's Horror Make-Up Show is closed at Universal Studios Florida. Estimated reopening in winter 2026.&lt;BR&gt;June 17: Men in Black Alien Attack reopens at Universal Studios Florida.&lt;BR&gt;July 2: Soarin' Around the World opens at Disney California Adventure.&lt;BR&gt;July 3: Pteranodon Flyers reopens at Islands of Adventure. &lt;BR&gt;July 4: Po�s Kung Fu Training Camp and Po Live! reopen at Universal Studios Florida.&lt;BR&gt;July 6: Carousel of Progress closes at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. New show debuts in 2027.&lt;BR&gt;July 6-16: King Arthur Carrousel closes at Disneyland.&lt;BR&gt;July 20-23: Matterhorn Bobsleds closes at Disneyland.&lt;BR&gt;October 26: Volcano Bay closes for the season, with a planned return on or before April 1, 2027.&lt;BR&gt;November 20: Jurassic Park River Adventure reopens at Islands of Adventure.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Planning a trip?&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;If you would like to get out there and support Theme Park Insider at the same time, please &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/travel/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote&lt;/a&gt; or shop our &lt;a href="https://www.klook.com/en-US/attractions/theme-water-parks/cate3/?sort=participants &amp;amp; frontend_id_list=3 &amp;amp; size=24 &amp;amp; aid=14326" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;international&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://reservations.arestravel.com/site/welcome/12252/discount-attractions-tickets-hotels-packages" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;U.S. attraction&lt;/a&gt; ticket partners.&lt;P&gt;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 &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;Finally, for my weekly update of travel and theme park news, please sign up for &lt;a href="https://themeparkinsider.substack.com/subscribe" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 05:22:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Walk time: Tell a story, or else</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12502/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: If there is a single theme to the past week's theme park news, it's the value of storytelling. Jacob Sundstrom and I dive into that in this week's episode of the Theme Park Insider Podcast, which is live now on all major podcast platforms. Or you can watch it here:&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center" class="video-responsive"&gt;&lt;iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AfEnjaO5fWQ" title="Theme Park Insider podcast" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Another longtime member of the Theme Park Insider community, Russell Meyer, visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg this week for the park's media day for its refreshed Verbolten: Forbidden Turn roller coaster. (Let's hear it for the "Los Angeles Angels" of theme park attraction names.) Busch Gardens has plussed the story and decoration for this Zierer launch coaster, showing that it's never too late (or too early) to invest in better storytelling on theme park attractions: &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12498/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Busch Gardens makes the right turn with new Verbolten&lt;/a&gt; [with &lt;a href="https://youtu.be/moXhU53JCKA"&gt;on-ride video&lt;/a&gt;].&lt;P&gt;Down the road at Carowinds, the Six Flags park this week revealed its plans for its new-for-2027 attraction, Rip Roarin' Falls. The new WhiteWater flume ride will set several records, but I was taken in more by the cute lil raccoons that have seen their way to take over this abandoned sawmill. Carowinds did not have to create backstory for its new flume ride, but it did, and that has me - and many other TPI readers - excited to see what the park will deliver: &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12492/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Carowinds plans record-setting log flume ride for 2027&lt;/a&gt; [with &lt;a href="https://youtu.be/QMNO3YbNm7s"&gt;concept video&lt;/a&gt;].&lt;P&gt;The theme park wizards giveth and they taketh away. Also this week, Hersheypark confirmed that this will be the final season for its Tidal Force shoot the chute ride. So an un-themed, un-decorated, no-story flume ride goes away the same week that another park announces a well-themed and decorated flume? There's a lesson there... and that is our podcast title for the week! &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12494/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Last call for Tidal Force at Hersheypark&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;Miral this week officially announced its next two attractions for Warner Bros. World on Yas Island. A new spinner ride called Kryptonite Collider will open in the park next month. But the big news is the next-generation flying roller coaster now under construction both inside and outside of the Sbu Dhabi theme park. Superman Up and Away is set to debut in 2028, as Yas Island adds new attractions in advance of the opening of Disney Abu Dhabi sometime in the next decade: &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12499/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Miral sets two new Superman rides for Warner Bros World&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;In addition to the new DC Comics rides, Warner Bros. World is building its new Wizarding World of Harry Potter land, which I expect to open as early as 2029.&lt;P&gt;This week I also published two new FAQ articles for readers planning visits to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12497/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;How to use Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12501/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;The single solution to shorter waits at Walt Disney World&lt;/a&gt; [How to use Single Rider queues]&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;We have a new trip report on the Discussion Forum this week, too: &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=4053" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;I went to two Enchanted Parks&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;Finally, if you would like to help the site by helping to make us more visible in Google search results, please select Theme Park Insider as one of your preferred sources in Google. Just click the image here and select us:&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;a href="https://google.com/preferences/source?q=themeparkinsider.com"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/google_preferred_source.jpg" width=338 height=107 alt="Add us as a preferred source on Google" border=0&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thank you, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:04:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>The single solution to shorter waits at Walt Disney World</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12501/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: If you are visiting Walt Disney World by yourself, you will not need to pay for &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12497/"&gt;Lightning Lane&lt;/a&gt; to skip some of the longest lines in the parks.&lt;P&gt;Disney offers a single rider queue on six of its rides in Florida. If you have not used a single rider queue at a theme or amusement park before, that�s the queue that load operators use to fill in empty seats so that they can keep ride vehicles running at full capacity.&lt;P&gt;For example, on rides such as Test Track that use three-person rows, a loader will call for a person from the single rider queue to fill the third seat next to a party of two. That way, cars go out fully loaded without having to slow down load while loaders ask for single riders in the main queue. Full loads and quick dispatch times mean shorter waits for everyone.&lt;P&gt;If you are visiting by yourself, it almost always makes sense to use the single rider queue when waiting for a Walt Disney World attraction. Single rider queues often have wait times similar to the Lightning Lane for their rides, which means you can save money and still get a quicker wait time by using them.&lt;P&gt;Some families and large groups try to game the system by using their single rider queue instead of paying for Lightning Lane access. That won�t work for people in the group who do not meet the boarding restrictions to ride alone. It also will force the group to split up as everyone will be assigned seats alone when they get to load.&lt;P&gt;I have seen too many guests complain about this when they get to the end of the single rider line. If you can�t accept the rules for the single rider queue, don�t use it. Get in the regular standby queue or buy Lightning Lanes for your group or family. &lt;P&gt;The more people who use the single rider queue, the less of a time advantage it offers. So I cannot recommend this option to anyone who is not visiting alone or who is not cool with splitting from their group for a bit.&lt;P&gt;Oh, and I can imagine a few readers caught me saying earlier that �it almost always makes sense� to use single rider queues. What�s that �almost?� I�ll get to the exceptions in a bit.&lt;P&gt;First, here are the four single rider queues at the Walt Disney World Resort that I always recommend that individual visitors try:&lt;P&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Expedition Everest&lt;/b&gt; at Disney�s Animal Kingdom&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Remy�s Ratatouille Adventure&lt;/b&gt; at EPCOT&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rock �n� Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets&lt;/b&gt; at Disney�s Hollywood Studios&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Test Track&lt;/b&gt; at EPCOT&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;Look for the �Single Rider� sign next to the Standby and Lightning Lane signs at the queue�s entrance. If you do not see it, as a cast member for help.&lt;P&gt;Note that the single rider queue might not be open at certain times of the day, such as early in the morning, or on less crowded days. You cannot request a special seat when using the single rider queue, either so if you really need to be front or back row on a coaster, it�s the standby or Lightning Lane queue for you.&lt;P&gt;Each of these queues can save you substantial time over the standby queue and on Test Track sometimes ever over the Lightning Lane queue. Definitely check them every time you visit as a single rider.&lt;P&gt;So what are the other two attractions where I don�t always recommend using single rider? &lt;P&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Millennium Falcon Smuggler�s Run&lt;/b&gt; at Disney�s Hollywood Studios&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;The problem with single rider on the Falcon is that it inevitably results in you being assigned the Engineer position in the cabin, which is not nearly as cool as being the pilot. That said, it�s tough to get the pilot assignment as a single rider in the standby or Lightning Lane queues, as load ops typically send single riders from there to the Engineer slot anyway. But at least in the standby or Lightning Lane you can request a pilot slot and hope for the best. There�s no asking for specific seats in single rider.&lt;P&gt;Some people have had success negotiating a change in roles with the other people in your Falcon cabin. That�s not limited to single riders, of course. Experienced Disney visitors often try to dissuade families with little kids or apathetic adults from taking the pilot spots. The pilots really do influence the motion of the cabin on the ride, and bad pilots can make the Falcon experience literally uncomfortable for everyone.&lt;P&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Star Wars Rise of the Resistance&lt;/b&gt; at Disney�s Hollywood Studios&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;Using single rider on Rise of the Resistance means skipping several show scenes that help set up the ride�s narrative. You also miss an absolutely jaw-dropping visual experience during those scenes. I cannot in good conscience recommend that any first-time visitor to Star Wars Galaxy�s Edge use the single rider queue for Rise of the Resistance.&lt;P&gt;Now, if you have been on the ride before and are happy with a quick return visit to the trackless dark ride portion of the adventure, go ahead. Use the single rider queue and enjoy. Ask a cast member at the ride�s entrance for directions to the single rider queue. &lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Planning a Disney visit?&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;For more assistance in planning a Walt Disney World vacation, please &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/travel/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;To see what is available at the Walt Disney World theme parks, please check out our one-page visitors guides, which include our reader rankings as well as on-ride videos and links to reviews:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/magic-kingdom/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Magic Kingdom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/epcot/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;EPCOT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disneys-hollywood-studios/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Disney's Hollywood Studios&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disneys-animal-kingdom/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Disney's Animal Kingdom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;Finally, to keep up with more Disney and theme park news, please sign up for &lt;a href="https://themeparkinsider.substack.com/subscribe" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. </description>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:57:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>What is Holiday World's new ride for 2027?</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12500/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: Holiday World  &amp;amp;  Splashin' Safari is promising its "largest single-attraction investment in park history" for next year. But what will its new ride for 2027 be?&lt;P&gt;We know that the new attraction will replace the former Raging Rapids attraction that closed in 2023. A construction fence has surrounded that site for some time now, with painted images of flip-flop sandals decorating it recently.&lt;P&gt;That's the first of many clues that Holiday World has been dropping about its plans, which it has code named "Project Flip Flop." The park officially detailed its recent stealth hype campaign today with a post on its website, &lt;a href="https://holidayworld.com/2026/06/11/fencewatch-2027-what-the-flip-flop/"&gt;Fencewatch 2027: What the Flip Flop?!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;P&gt;Remember that the old Raging Rapids stood in the park's Fourth of July section. And that the ride flowed through the fictional town of Boulder Canyon. The town returns for whatever this new attraction will be, and Holiday World has &lt;a href="https://www.townofbouldercanyon.com/"&gt;created a website&lt;/a&gt; and social media accounts for it.&lt;P&gt;Reading the clues, and it sure feels like there is a Fourth of July cookout theme in play here. The cynic in me wants "Project Flip Flop" to be a spinning coaster where you are the meat flipping on the grill. But that seems a bit too dark for the very family friendly Holiday World. &lt;P&gt;Admission to the Splashin' Safari water park is included with Holiday World admission, so it's not like Holiday World visitors are suffering from a lack of access to water rides. But Raging Rapids was a popular attraction on the Holiday World side of the park. I suspect that a new water ride likely would be welcomed by the fine folks of Boulder Canyon next year. If the "Flip Flop" reference really is just to those plastic sandals, perhaps another water ride is in the works.&lt;P&gt;Whatever the new ride is, Holiday World clearly is working to develop a backstory for it. I am partial to theories that there's some connection to the Good Gravy family here. There are duck and swan clues, too, so throw those into the mix.&lt;P&gt;At some point soon, construction will go vertical to the point where the type of new attraction that this ride will be will become obvious. Until there, Holiday World welcomes your best guesses.</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Miral sets two new Superman rides for Warner Bros World</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12499/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: Warner Bros. World will open two new Superman themed attractions in the next two years, including a next-generation flying coaster.&lt;P&gt;Miral CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi announced the additions this morning. These were two of the new attraction announcements that I had anticipated earlier this year, when Miral had planned a big press event around the inaugural IAAPA Expo Middle East in Abu Dhabi in March.&lt;P&gt;The war in the Middle East thwarted those announcement plans, but at least we are getting some of that news now.&lt;P&gt;First up, next month Warner Bros. World will open a new Nebulaz ride called &lt;b&gt;Kryptonite Collider&lt;/b&gt;. That attraction will open on July 26.&lt;P&gt;In 2028, the big expansion of the park begins with the debut of &lt;b&gt;Superman Up and Away&lt;/b&gt;. Al Zaabi called it "a next-generation flying roller coaster."&lt;P&gt;I have not yet heard confirmation of a manufacturer for that coaster. Both Bolliger  &amp;amp;  Mabillard and Vekoma have fan-favorite flying coaster models out there, but Miral has contracted with Intamin for all the major coasters at the Yas Island resort. &lt;P&gt;Intamin does not currently list a flying coaster among its models. Could a new model of that type be the "next generation" flyer promised for WBW? Miral certainly has the budget to commission a first-of-its-kind coaster model.&lt;P&gt;Not mentioned today was Warner Bros. World's Harry Potter land, which is expected to open sometime after the Superman coaster. For a good source of continuing updates on the park expansion project, I am following Desert Thrills on YouTube.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center" class="video-responsive"&gt;&lt;iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e-EznImg_r4?si=wUDbjisvPlUr91hp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:51:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Busch Gardens makes the right turn with new Verbolten</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12498/</link>
<description>By Russell Meyer: �Don�t turn right!  Don�t turn right!�&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb1.jpg" width=640 height=425 alt="Verbolten Forbidden Turn"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;That�s what guests hear and see on warning signs just as the car-inspired train they�ve just boarded veers to the right and launches into the Black Forest on Verbolten Forbidden Turn. &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/busch-gardens-williamsburg/"&gt;Busch Gardens Williamsburg&lt;/a&gt; has punched up the theming on one of its most popular roller coasters for 2026 and has revitalized the 14-year-old ride.  Last week, I was invited by the park to a media day and VIP event to experience the renovated attraction, but unfortunately the coaster was having technical issues.  However, invited guests were given a rare opportunity to see what the park had done to the attraction�s queue, station, and show building.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb2.jpg" width=386 height=640 alt="Don�t Turn Right"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;I had a chance to see some of the new set pieces along the indoor section of the track and even got to see the train cycle from inside the building. I returned to the park today to finally ride the rethemed attraction and experience all the new elements firsthand.&lt;P&gt;Busch Gardens has completely revamped the backstory of Verbolten, and that�s clearly evident in the queue.  The park has added two new animatronic figures in the queue.  Frau Hexel, a foreboding which-like character has taken over the old tour office and reminds guests about the dangers of visiting the Black Forest.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb3.jpg" width=640 height=425 alt="Frau Hexel"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Br�m is appropriately positioned in the janitor�s office (converted from the former greenhouse room just before the ramp up to the station),&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb4.jpg" width=410 height=640 alt="Closet"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;and clearly proud of his achievements, having earned Employee of the Month.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb5.jpg" width=432 height=640 alt="Employee of the Month awards"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Additional signs and props have been added throughout the queue area and station to enhance the theming, and new video monitors can be seen on the far side of the load platform that act like windows, reminiscent of similar monitors in the queue of &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202409/10445/"&gt;Voltron at Europa Park&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb6.jpg" width=640 height=425 alt="Windows at load"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Once on board, the trains and track are unchanged, and despite being 14 years old, the coaster still feels modern with brisk LSM launches and the signature drop track element.  Along the course, new signs and props can be seen as the train leaves the station and makes that dreaded right turn (the park even utilized an extra piece of left-curved track to represent the path that should have been taken).  Inside the show building, enhancements were made to the lighting and props as the train enters the building, and a giant tree has been added that the train plunges through before reaching the drop track.  In speaking with some of the people responsible in retheming the coaster, this tree element was incredibly complicated to erect because it was built in three separate piece that had to be assembled inside a building, around the already bolted-to-the-floor track, and with just a few inches clearance between the top of the tree and the building�s ceiling.  Guests who have ridden Verbolten before this retheme will instantly spot the orange VW Beetle on the left at the base of the giant tree the used to be staged near the station.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2026/bgw-verb8.jpg" width=640 height=425 alt="Orange VW Beetle"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;The drop track element is where the biggest on-ride changes have been made.  What was a rotating sequence that gave guests three different shows (wolves, spirits, and storm) has been replaced by a single show program.  However, that show now features an animatronic of Frau Hexel and Br�m who provide a distraction before the train drops into a room filled with creepy glowing eyes.  The remainer of the ride is unchanged as the train is launched up a hill overlooking the Rhine River and then plunging towards the water and back to the station.&lt;P&gt;&lt;div align="center" class="video-responsive"&gt;&lt;iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/moXhU53JCKA?si=zaNp1Fuqt953j65f" title=" Verbolten Forbidden Turn on ride" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;P&gt;Much like what the park did two years ago &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202405/10214/"&gt;with Loch Ness Monster&lt;/a&gt;, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has breathed new life onto an already well-themed coaster.  Unfortunately, this renovation doesn�t include on-ride audio, which could probably have been used to enhance the store even further, and the new drop track sequence is difficult to see or hear near the back of the train.  However, for a coaster that was perhaps showing some age and declining in popularity, Verbolten Forbidden Turn is poised to be incredibly popular this summer and for years to come, as long as trains keep making that right turn.</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 04:08:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>How to use Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World</title>
<link>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202606/12497/</link>
<description>By Robert Niles: Want to skip the lines at Disney World? The old, free Fastpass system is gone, but Disney has replaced it with a system called Lightning Lane. Here is my updated advice on how to use this system.&lt;P&gt;There is no free option for Lightning Lane. Disney sells three types of Lightning Lane access that guests can buy when they visit a Walt Disney World theme park. Based on my experience, and the experience of other Theme Park Insider readers, here are the best ways to get the most from Disney�s Lightning Lane system.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;What is a Lightning Lane?&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;A Lightning Lane is just the old Fastpass queue, with a new name. It�s a way to bypass the regular standby queue on popular Walt Disney World attractions. There will be some wait, given the large number of people who buy Lightning Lane access each day. But attractions operators are trained to prefer the Lightning Lane queue to keep its wait time much shorter than the standby queue.&lt;P&gt;Sometimes people visiting Disney get confused because �Lightning Lane� can mean two things. &lt;BR&gt;1) It�s the name of the physical queue that people use to access an attraction as well as &lt;BR&gt;2) It�s the name of the upcharge pass that people have to buy to use that queue. &lt;P&gt;So which Lightning Lane package should you buy, if any? Let�s look at the options.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Lightning Lane Premier Pass&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;The most expensive version of Lightning Lane is Lightning Lane Premier Pass. But if you can afford it, this is the pass to buy. A Premier Pass gets you one-time access to the Lightning Lane at each of attractions that offer it, in one of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. You can use the Premier Pass whenever you want, so there�s no need to plan anything in advance.&lt;P&gt;A Premier Pass is good for one theme park on one day, and the price varies by date and park. Prices range from over $400 a day at the Magic Kingdom to as low as about $130 a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. &lt;P&gt;You can use Premier Pass to access the attractions listed in the Single Pass and Multi Pass sections below.&lt;P&gt;If you have a Park Hopper ticket and want to use Premier Pass in multiple parks, you must buy a separate Premier Pass for each park. You can book all versions of Lightning Lane through Walt Disney World�s official My Disney Experience mobile app.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Lightning Lane Single Pass&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;The most popular attractions at each park offer Lightning Lane Single Pass. This is a one-time access to the Lightning Lane at a specific attraction. When you buy the pass, you will select an arrival window to use the pass and ride the ride. Prices will vary by date and by attraction.&lt;P&gt;Single Passes often sell out, so if you want one, book as early as you can. Guests at Walt Disney World Resort hotels can book starting at 7am Eastern Time seven days before their check-in day. Everyone else can book starting at 7am three days before the ticket date.&lt;P&gt;Here are the attractions that offer Lightning Lane Single Pass and their recent price ranges:&lt;P&gt;Star Wars Rise of the Resistance: $20-24&lt;BR&gt;TRON Lightcycle Run: $19-21&lt;BR&gt;Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: $18-20&lt;BR&gt;Avatar Flight of Passage: $15-17&lt;BR&gt;Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $11-15&lt;P&gt;You can buy up to two Lighting Lane Single Passes per day of your visit, but only one for each eligible attraction. &lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Lightning Lane Multi Pass&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;A Multi Pass allows you one-time access to Disney�s other Lightning Lane attractions. Again, the price varies by park and by date.&lt;P&gt;Magic Kingdom: $29-40&lt;BR&gt;EPCOT: $18-35&lt;BR&gt;Disney�s Hollywood Studios: $24-37&lt;BR&gt;Disney�s Animal Kingdom: $16-22&lt;P&gt;Using a Multi Pass well requires planning. Like with Single Pass, on-site hotel guests can book up to seven days in advance of check-in, while everyone else can book up to three days in advance of their ticket date. When you book, you can select arrival times for three attractions at the park for which you bought the Multi Pass.&lt;P&gt;Here the eligible attractions at each park. I�ll get to the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 in a minute.&lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;Magic Kingdom&lt;/b&gt;&lt;P&gt;Tier 1&lt;BR&gt;Big Thunder Mountain Railroad&lt;BR&gt;Jungle Cruise&lt;BR&gt;Peter Pan�s Flight&lt;BR&gt;Space Mountain&lt;BR&gt;Tiana�s Bayou Adventure&lt;P&gt;Tier 2&lt;BR&gt;The Barnstormer&lt;BR&gt;Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin&lt;BR&gt;Dumbo the Flying Elephant&lt;BR&gt;Haunted Mansion&lt;BR&gt;It�s a Small World&lt;BR&gt;Mad Tea Party&lt;BR&gt;The Magic Carpets of Aladdin&lt;BR&gt;The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh&lt;BR&gt;Mickey�s PhilharMagic&lt;BR&gt;Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor&lt;BR&gt;Pirates of the Caribbean&lt;BR&gt;Tomorrowland Speedway&lt;BR&gt;Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid&lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;EPCOT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;P&gt;Tier 1&lt;BR&gt;Frozen Ever After&lt;BR&gt;Remy�s Ratatouille Adventure&lt;BR&gt;Test Track&lt;P&gt;Tier 2&lt;BR&gt;Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival&lt;BR&gt;Journey Into Imagination With Figment&lt;BR&gt;Living with the Land&lt;BR&gt;Mission: Space&lt;BR&gt;The Seas with Nemo  &amp;amp;  Friends&lt;BR&gt;Soarin' Across America&lt;BR&gt;Spaceship Earth&lt;BR&gt;Turtle Talk With Crush&lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;Disney�s Hollywood Studios&lt;/b&gt;&lt;P&gt;Tier 1&lt;BR&gt;Mickey  &amp;amp;  Minnie�s Runaway Railway&lt;BR&gt;Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run&lt;BR&gt;Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets&lt;BR&gt;Slinky Dog Dash&lt;P&gt;Tier 2&lt;BR&gt;Alien Swirling Saucers&lt;BR&gt;Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage&lt;BR&gt;Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live&lt;BR&gt;For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration&lt;BR&gt;Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular&lt;BR&gt;The Little Mermaid � A Musical Adventure&lt;BR&gt;Star Tours � The Adventures Continue&lt;BR&gt;Toy Story Mania&lt;BR&gt;The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror&lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;Disney�s Animal Kingdom&lt;/b&gt;&lt;P&gt;Expedition Everest � Legend of the Forbidden Mountain&lt;BR&gt;Feathered Friends in Flight&lt;BR&gt;Festival of the Lion King&lt;BR&gt;Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond&lt;BR&gt;Kali River Rapids&lt;BR&gt;Kilimanjaro Safaris&lt;BR&gt;Na?vi River Journey&lt;BR&gt;Zootopia: Better Zoogether&lt;P&gt;When making your first three Lightning Lane reservations, you can select one option from Tier 1 and the other two must be from Tier 2. The only exception is for Disney�s Animal Kingdom, which has no tiers, so all listed attractions are fair game. &lt;P&gt;On the date of your visit, once you get to your first Lightning Lane arrival time, you can book any other available Lightning Lane arrival time for later in the day, regardless of Tier. To get the most value from a Multi Pass, you want to try to stack as many arrival times as possible during the day.&lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Stacking Lightning Lanes&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;That�s why picking your first three arrival times is so important. You want to book your first time as soon as possible after your planned arrival in the park. Even if you book your first three Lightning Lane times days in advance, you can modify them starting at 7am on the day of your park visit. Again, try to get at least one return time as early as possible in the day. &lt;P&gt;As soon as that first Lightning Lane arrival time hits, whether you have tapped into the ride or not, you want to get on the app and make another Lightning Lane reservation. If you have a Park Hopper ticket, you can make that reservation for a Lightning Lane attraction at another WDW theme park.&lt;P&gt;You can make another Lightning Lane reservation after that as soon as your next Lightning Lane arrival time hits, or two hours later, whichever comes first. That two-hour rule can be your trick to stacking more than three Lightning Lane reservations at a time. Whenever you make a Lightning Lane reservation in the park, set your phone�s time to 120 minutes if your next Lightning Lane arrival time is not within two hours. When the timer goes off, make another reservation.&lt;P&gt;Remember that you change Lightning Lane reservations after you make them, too. Keep checking throughout the day for rides that might not have been available before. New time slots can open us as people cancel reservations. &lt;P&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Lightning Lane Strategy&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;P&gt;For Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain and Tiana�s are the toughest gets first thing in the morning. Go for one of those, then make Jungle Cruise your next selection once you enter the park. Beyond that, the Fantasyland attractions offer the biggest time savings using Lightning Lanes, so prioritize those if they are rides that interest your family.&lt;P&gt;For EPCOT, Remy and Frozen are the toughest gets in Tier 1, so go for one of those. Make the other two Tier 1 attractions that you do not get your top priorities when making additional reservations in the park. &lt;P&gt;At Hollywood Studios, go for Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania as soon as reservations open. In the park, prioritize whatever Tier 1 attractions you did not get on first drop.  &lt;P&gt;At Animal Kingdom, book Na?vi River Journey, Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris. You can save a few minutes on River Rapids, too, but beyond that, there�s not much value to Multi Pass here as the remaining attractions are show where you will get into the next showing pretty much whenever you arrive.&lt;P&gt;If all none of these options sounds appealing to you, remember that using the standby queues are free with park admission. Visit our �What to do� visitors� guides for my advice on what to visit when to minimize your wait times without having to pay for Lightning Lane.&lt;P&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/magic-kingdom/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Magic Kingdom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/epcot/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;EPCOT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disneys-hollywood-studios/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Disney's Hollywood Studios&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disneys-animal-kingdom/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Disney's Animal Kingdom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;P&gt;For assistance in planning a Walt Disney World vacation, please &lt;a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/travel/" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;P&gt;Finally, for my weekly update of Disney and theme park news, please sign up for &lt;a href="https://themeparkinsider.substack.com/subscribe" style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Theme Park Insider's weekend newsletter&lt;/a&gt;.</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:54:00 GMT</pubDate>
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