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Busch Gardens Williamsburg will officially open its eagerly-anticipated new roller coaster, Verbolten, on Friday, May 18, 2012.

Verbolten has already been open to the public for several days as part of a “soft opening” period, receiving positive reviews from the majority of riders. The new addition, which has replaced the former Big Bad Wolf coaster in the Oktoberfest area of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, is now ready for its grand opening.

The park has released an official video of Verbolten’s soft opening, including comments from guests and footage of the coaster itself:

Fans interested in finding out more about the technology used to create Verbolten’s two launch sections and indoor special effects will soon be able sign up for daily behind-the-scenes tours. Details of the tours will be released via the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website.

Describing the new addition, Park President Carl Lum said: “Verbolten is a next generation roller coaster that incorporates the latest in coaster technology with a storyline inspired by Grimm’s fairy tales. From Verbolten’s unique free-fall drop to its multiple launch elements, Busch Gardens’ newest thrill attraction is destined to be a favorite among coaster enthusiasts of all ages.”

Verbolten’s storyline is based around a road trip into the mysterious “Black Forest”, where guests encounter a number of hazards. Riders board car-themed vehicles, before setting off on an “autobahn” (freeway) journey.

You can read more about Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s planned new ride for 2012 in Theme Park Tourist’s in-depth Verbolten preview.

You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist’s “New Attraction Watch” section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.

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In this week’s poll, we ask if you think there is still scope for a Universal Studios theme park to be built in Western Europe?

With news this week that Universal is opening a version of the hugely popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan, it’s clear that the company is still focused on expanding and developing. Universal Studios Singapore opened as recently as 2010, plans are in the works for an indoor theme park in Russia, and Potter-themed expansions are on the way at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.

But is Universal missing a trick in Western Europe? There’s no doubt that there is a massive theme park market in the region, but the company has consistently overlooked it as a source of revenue growth in recent years – even going so far as to exit its Port Aventura joint venture in 2004. Granted, there’s already significant competition from other parks (including Disneyland Paris), but Universal has proven that its brand is big enough to effectively compete with anyone.

Is the weather to blame? This is one aspect which may have detered Universal’s bosses from re-entering the European market, but Disneyland Paris has proven that year-round operation is possible, even in drizzly Paris.

Could it be a fear that a European Universal Studios would negatively hit attendance at the Universal Orlando Resort? Certainly, travelling a short distance across Europe may prove more appealing to the hordes of tourists that jet across the Atlantic to Florida each year, but Disney has effectively maintained interest in both its Paris and Florida resorts.

And now, of course, there’s the seemingly neverending series of financial problems that threaten to drag Western Europe’s economies even deeper into economic hardship. Has any hope for European theme park fans of seeing a Universal theme park gone for good, dooming them to cast envious glances at fast-growing nations in Asia and South America instead?

Vote now!

So, will there ever be a Universal Studios park in Western Europe? Let us know what you think by voting in our poll below.

Will there ever be a Universal Studios theme park in Western Europe?

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Thanks for voting in Theme Park Tourist’s Big Debate. Why not let us know why you voted as you did using the comments section below?

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Six Flags Great Adventure has begun previewing its new SkyScreamer spinning tower ride to season pass holders, ahead of its official opening date on May 23, 2012.

SkyScreamer is near-identical to its namesake rides at Six Flags St Louis and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, both of which opened in 2011. It offers a vertigo-inducing variation on the classic “Chair-O-Plane” attraction, with riders being lifted up to a maximum height of 242-feet.

Guests are seated in a gondola which spins a 98-foot circle around SkyScreamer’s central tower, hitting a top speed of over 43 miles per hour. The ride was originally announced as being 150-feet-tall, but the height was boosted following complaints from fans.

The first riders on SkyScreamer at Six Great Adventure were the Flying Elvises skydiving team, as can be seen in the video below:

The new addition forms part of Adventure Alley, a new themed land at Six Flags Great Adventure that has replaced much of Fantasy Forest. Three other flat rides have also be added to the area, including bumper cars, a music-themed scrambler, and the returning flying elephants ride.

You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist’s “New Attraction Watch” section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.

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Universal Studios Singapore has released a new teaser video that strengthens rumours that the park will open a Sesame Street-themed dark ride in 2013.

The video, embedded below, features a number of clues that point to the Sesame Street theme. This includes references to the “Sunny Days” theme song, as well as footage of a trash can that could easily be home to the Oscar the Grouch character. These are consistent with reports from Screamscape that the new ride will be based around the kids’ TV show.

The Sesame Street dark ride is expected to use a similar ride system to E.T. Adventures at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Japan. It is likely to form the centrepiece of a new Sesame Street sub-land, which may also incorporate a number of smaller flat rides and a meet-and-great area.

Universal Studios Singapore has previously revealed plans to open at least 4 new attractions by 2013, although this includes the recently-opened Transformers The Ride.

You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist’s “New Attraction Watch” section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.

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The Disneyland Resort has added three new Cars-themed trains to its monorail system, ahead of the debut of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.

The three trains are designed to resemble the “living” cars that star in Pixar’s Cars movies. They are named Mandy (the blue train), Mona (the orange train) and Manny (the red train). The overhead announcements in the monorail’s carriages have been replaced by voiceovers from the characters.

Cars Land is due to open on June 15, 2012, and is expected to draw huge crowds to Disney California Adventure. Dominated by $ 200 million E-Ticket attraction Radiator Springs Racers, the expansion will recreate the Cars universe as seen in the movies.

The monorail is used to bring guests from the Downtown Disney area and the Disneyland Resort’s hotels to Tomorrowland in Disneyland.

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Alton Towers is to restrict the operation of its Skyride attraction to peak days during the 2012 season, in a move that has angered fans of the park.

Towers Times reports that the Skyride will only operate on days where the park is expecting large numbers of guests. This is likely to mean some weekends, the summer holiday season and the October half-term.

The Skyride is an important attraction for Alton Towers, as it allows guests to move around the park’s sprawling grounds at a much faster pace than they can on foot. The gondolas of the ride carry guests over the Towers’ famous gardens, saving significant walking time.

Serious fires in 2007 and 2009 forced the Skyride out of action for long periods, but the move to close it voluntarily has sparked angry complaints on Alton Towers’ Facebook page.

As with the recent move to make Thorpe Park’s SAW Alive Horror Maze a seasonal attraction, the decision is believed to part of a cost-cutting drive from parent company Merlin Entertainments Group.

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Alton Towers will close its newest attraction, Nemesis Sub-Terra, from May 21-25, 2012, to enable the ride experience to be improved.

Nemesis Sub-Terra has suffered heavy criticism from Alton Towers fans since its debut on March 24, including from Theme Park Tourist’s readers. The attraction opened with a number of its special effects not in fully working order, and the park has working to bring these online during the past two months.

Fan site Towers Times reports that the five-day closure period will be used to further enhance the Nemesis Sub-Terra experience. However, it will leave Alton Towers without the attraction that it is using as the centrepiece of its marketing for the 2012 season for almost a week.

Billed by the park as “your worst nightmare underground” and named after the legendary Nemesis roller coaster, Alton Towers’ new ride for 2012 takes place entirely indoors. The park successfully concealed the full nature of Nemesis Sub-Terra from fans until its opening day.

You can find full details of the new ride at Alton Towers, including plot spoilers, in our Nemesis Sub-Terra review.

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Universal Studios Florida has revealed the line-up of acts for its 2012 Summer Concert Series, which will take place every Saturday from June 9 – July 14.

Among the headline acts are rapper Lupe Fiasco, country singer Josh Turner and the cast of Nickelodeon’s Victorious. They will perform in the park’s Music Plaza, which is located in front of the music-themed Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster.

The concerts are included with standard park admission tickets. For the first time, Universal Orlando is also offering a special ticket that allows entry to the park after 7pm, for those that simply wish to view the concerts. These are priced at $ 59.99 plus tax and will be available to purchase online.

The full line-up of acts performing in this year’s Summer Concert Series is:

• June 9 – Cast of Victorious
• June 16 – Doors Down and ZZ Top
• June 23 – Josh Turner
• July 30 – Al Green
• July 7 – Lupe Fiasco
• July 14 – to be confirmed

The 2012 events will be the fourth Summer Concert Series held at Universal Studios Florida. Full details can be found on the Universal Orlando Resort website.

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The Carnation Café on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. will reopen on June 13, 2012, having been closed to undergo expansion work since early January.

The updated dining location will feature an expanded indoor seating area, which has been made possible by the closure of the former Blue Ribbon Bakery. It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a variety of classic American-style dishes.

Among the breakfast offerings will be the Oscar’s Choice breakfast (consisting of two eggs, breakfast potatoes and biscuit with bacon or chick-apple sausage links). Also available are spinach-and-egg white frittata and apple-granola pancakes, along with a number of other options.

For lunch and dinner, a mixture of heavy meals such as beef-and-pork meatloaf and burgers will be available, along with lighter options such as baked potato soup.

Reservations for the updated Carnation Café can now be made by calling the Disney Dining Line on 714-781-DINE. Alternatively, guests can request reservations by e-mailing dine@disneyland.com.

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The government of Valencia in Spain is reportedly in negotiations to secure financing for a Ferrari World theme park, which could open in 2015.

Rumours that a second Ferrari World, after the original Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, could be on its way to Valencia have been circulating for more than two years. Now, Spanish news outlet Marca reports that the region’s government is in talks with investment fund Alrasoul Ltd. to fund the project.

The report claims that construction work could begin as soon as January 2013 if the talks are successful, with a likely opening date in 2015. The park could cost some €945 million to construct, with the Credit Suisse and Santander banks claimed to be considering involvement. The government will provide the land for the park to be situated on, but will not be involved in funding its construction.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi opened on November 4, 2010, becoming the world’s largest indoor theme park. The majority of the Formula One-themed park is hosted in a huge building, which spans 200,000 square meters and is designed to resemble the side profile of the Ferrari GT body.

The park is home to 20 attractions, including the world’s fastest rollercoaster – Formula Rossa. Featuring a launch section that propels riders to speeds of up to 149 miles per hour, the coaster is designed to evoke the experience of driving in a Grand Prix.

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