Block by block, LEGOLAND New York prepares to open

NEW YORK -- After spending a lot of time indoors through the year-long coronavirus pandemic, families in the New York area will soon have one of the first new theme parks in years to visit as restrictions are eased, with LEGOLAND preparing to launch its latest resort.

Located in Goshen, some 95 km north of New York City, LEGOLAND New York is in the final stages of construction, and plans a phased-in opening this summer in order to comply with social distancing guidelines.

"We are the first theme park to be built in the Northeast in decades and really I think particularly with the challenges in the last year, people are looking to get out," said Matt Besterman, public relations manager for LEGOLAND New York. "They're looking to have a safe and fun place to play."

Besterman said the company hopes to make the theme park cashless and contactless in order for everyone to feel safe.

As coronavirus cases have dropped alongside the vaccine rollout, restrictions on businesses are being lifted, with New York City set to be "back fully" on July 1, its mayor said on Thursday. 

Features of the new theme park include a LEGO Factory Adventure Ride, which has never appeared before at a LEGO-themed park and takes visitors on a ride through a Lego 'factory' where the bricks are people-sized.

The first LEGOLAND park was opened in Denmark in the 1960s to show off the company's LEGO models. It later expanded to others parts of Europe and Asia, and has two existing parks in the United States, in California and Florida.

As well as rides, LEGO models are a feature of the parks, and the New York one will feature some 15,000 models.

-reuters-

Hong Kong's Disneyland to reopen on June 18 after coronavirus break

HONG KONG — Hong Kong's Disneyland theme park said on Monday it would reopen on June 18 to a reduced number of visitors and with enhanced health measures after the coronavirus outbreak forced it to close in late January.

The Chinese-ruled city has reported only a handful of new cases recently, with its total so far standing at 1,110 infections and 4 deaths.

The majority of the park's shopping and dining locations will restart operations with "controlled capacity," while social distancing measures will be implemented in queues, restaurants and other facilities. Hotel services will also resume gradually.

Disinfection will be carried out more frequently and hand sanitizers will be made available for visitors, who will be required to go through temperature screening, wear a face mask and sign a health declaration.

Hong Kong's Disneyland resort is owned by a joint venture, Hongkong International Theme Parks Ltd, of which the local government owns 53 percent and Walt Disney Co holds the rest.

Ocean Park, the city's other theme park, reopened on Saturday after lawmakers approved a HK$5.4 billion bailout plan last month to keep it running for another year.

Shanghai's Disneyland re-opened in May.

While many restrictions related to the coronavirus have been gradually lifted, Hong Kong's borders remain almost fully closed and group gatherings are limited to 8 people. 

-reuters-

Star Wars theme park opens at Disneyland

ANAHEIM, United States - Hundreds of Star Wars fans lined up before the crack of dawn on Friday outside Disneyland as the California park opened the doors of a new mega-attraction based on the iconic film series.

The $1 billion theme park, called "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," was open only to lucky visitors who managed to reserve tickets ahead of time that allowed them to roam the new land for a total of 4 hours.

Only those with reservations will be able to visit "Galaxy's Edge" for the first 3 weeks, after which it will be open to the public.

"'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' is absolutely amazing and we are thrilled to finally share it with the world," Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger said at a pre-opening ceremony on Wednesday.

"Now, for the first time, fans will be able to immerse themselves in the iconic stories that have captured audiences' imaginations for decades and live their own Star Wars adventures in the most creative, innovative, and ambitious land we've ever built."

The park features rides, including on the Millennium Falcon, as well as Star Wars characters such as Stormtroopers, the mighty Chewbacca and Rey, a hero of the resistance in the futuristic land of Batuu.

On "Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run," guests will go on a cargo run that features multiple storylines depending on how they pilot Han Solo's beloved spaceship.

'WAITING FOR THE LONGEST TIME'

Star Wars fanatics will also be able to down exotic drinks such as spicy Bloody Rancor or Carbon Freeze at Oga's Cantina or refresh themselves with Blue or Green Milk.

And if they have any money left at the end of the day, they can fork out $200 -- before tax -- to build their own lightsabers at Savi's Workshop or spend nearly $100 for a custom droid.

A similar Star Wars park will also open at Disney World in Florida at the end of August.

Miguel Langarcia, one of the lucky fans who was able to reserve a ticket for the Friday opening in California, said he was over the moon at being among the first to experience the new attraction.

"I had 4 computers open at one time, trying to get a reservation," he told AFP as he entered the park. "I finally got in, so I’m excited to go today."

Joe Kaniwa, another visitor, said he didn't mind the steep entrance price of nearly $150 per-adult given the experience.

"They want to make a lot of money, and they are making money," he said. "But they also want to make people's dream come true.

"Like you can have people from all generations, you know 40-, 50-year-olds, who have been waiting for this for the longest time, and now they can be part of (this) world."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Blackout prompts evacuations at Disneyland California

LOS ANGELES - A blackout forced evacuations at a number of Disneyland attractions in California on Wednesday, which was crowded on a day many were off for year-end holidays.

Visitors at "Toontown" and "Fantasyland" attractions were plunged into darkness, as was the monorail that runs through the park, local media said.

It was not immediately clear how long it might take to restore power fully at one of California's most popular attractions.

The park was near full, during the busy Christmas vacation season.

"We had an issue with one of our transformers. So we lost power to certain areas of Disneyland park earlier today," said Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown.

"Power has been restored to Toontown and we still have some areas of the park that are without power.

"The monorail is one of the attractions that are down ...(but) the majority of the park is operating," she added.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

HK Disneyland opens new attraction

MANILA, Philippines – Hong Kong Disneyland has opened a brand new attraction as it hopes to bring even more entertainment and exciting experiences to guests.

Mystic Point is the third and “final chapter” in the theme park's HK$3.6-billion expansion program after Toy Story Land and mining town Grizzly Gulch. Analysts have credited the expansion for the boost in theme park attendance, with visitor arrivals up 13% to 6.7 million for the fiscal year ending September 2012.

After seven years, Hong Kong Disneyland has made a profit for the first time with revenues of HK$4.3 billion, a rise of 18% from the previous fiscal year, and profit of HK$109 million.

Mystic Point is comprised of the Mystic Manor, which combines “immersive storytelling” with technology with new characters and special effects; a themed photo area called Garden of Wonders; a new restaurant; and a merchandise shop.

“Mystic Manor is a brand new concept with new characters, special effects and architecture that no guest has ever seen before in any of the Disney parks worldwide. From illustrators, model-makers and painters, to special effects, ride design and landscaping, the whole team came together to bring the mysterious story to life for guests,” said Mark Schirmer, creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering (Hong Kong).

The new characters are led by Lord Henry and his companion monkey Albert, who invites guests for a tour of his private museum.

The highlight of the new area is the Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage, which the theme park boasts is “the first trackless ride that applies radio-frequency identification technology ever built by Disney.”

“Guests in every vehicle will get a front-row seat experience of the 40 visual effects created by different technologies and 36 projectors, including four ultra-high-definition projectors. The trackless Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage ride can be positioned in any direction at any moment, which guests never know their next way to go. And with the different perspectives of the four vehicles, guests would want to ride it over and over again to get on a highly immersive adventure full of surprises, special effects and theatrical wonders,” the theme park said in a statement.

An opening operation team began testing and training since last year to ensure smooth operation for the opening of Mystic Point two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Garden of Wonders features several sculptures and mosaics with 3D illusions.

After visiting Mystic Manor, guests can dine in the Explorer’s Club Restaurant, a 500-seat restaurant with five themed dining areas that reflect cultures and styles of locations, including Egypt, Russia, Morocco, India and China.

Popular dishes from Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia are served, including dishes which are making their first appearances in Hong Kong Disneyland, such as Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, Sautéed Rice Cake with Cabbage and Korean Chili Sauce and Shabu Shabu with Mixed Vegetables.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com