 From Disney Genie guest reaction to new rides coming to Legoland and Aquatica, Orlando Sentinel tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice cover a lot of ground in this episode of Theme Park Rangers.   Hands-on with Disney Genie (1:00) Candlelight Processional narrators (11:01) Disney Wish exhibit at Hollywood Studios (14:01) New Legoland boat ride (17:48) Peppa Pig Theme Park opening date (19:29) Ride refresh at Aquatica (20:25) Universal’s ‘Fear Factor Live’ gone forever (22:28) 

Theme Park Rangers

Mixed views on Disney Genie, new rides coming to Legoland and Aquatica and “Fear Factor Live” to close for good (Ep. 116)

Disney launches Genie park planning service and "KiteTails" show at Animal Kingdom. Universal bids farewell to Shrek 4-D attraction and temporarily shutters Revenge of the Mummy. Disney Genie: What free? (1:34) Disney Genie: Paid options (6:05) Disney Kite Tails at Animal Kingdom (14:54) Shrek going away (23:48) Mummy refurbishment (25:13) 

In with the new and out with the ogre: Disney launches Genie and Universal bids farewell to Shrek 4-D (Ep. 115)

Orlando Sentinel tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice break down all the Disney World 50th anniversary festivities: The new spectaculars (”Harmonious” and “Enchantment”), the Beacons of Magic (Spaceship Earth is a showstopper), the huge (but overwhelmingly happy) crowds, the VIPs (Christina Aguilera made an appearance), and the long merchandise lines (both virtual and visible). ‘Harmonious’ at Epcot (1:43) Beacons of Magic: Spaceship Earth (5:33) ‘Enchantment’ at Magic Kingdom (10:02) Praise for the Ratatouille (16:28) 50th takeaways: Crowds, VIPs (19:37 ) Merchandise (23:55) Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind preview (31:05) MagicBand+ (36:02) Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (39:17) The future of Disney (41:47) 

Disney World 50th anniversary: Spectaculars, VIPs and the future of the park (Ep. 114)

As part of its 50th anniversary, Walt Disney World has installed 50 golden character statues. Orlando Sentinel tourism reporter Dewayne Bevil and photographer Joe Burbank discuss the figures — called the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection — that are spread throughout Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 50 characters NOT 50 statues (1:16) Photography tips (2:56) Tricky ones to locate (6:06) Best of the bunch (11:04) Interactive map (16:18) 50th anniversary festivities (19:34) 

Disney World golden statues shine bright for 50th anniversary (Ep. 113)

Like an entree paired with the perfect wine, Orlando Sentinel tourism reporter Dewayne Bevil and food writer Amy Drew Thompson come together to discuss the menu at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and the newest Disney World restaurant, Space 220. From drinking event to food focus (2:11) The lost souvenir cup (7:19) From food to frights: Icon House (10:16) A carnival for adults (12:14) Epcot’s Space 220 (14:38) The food: Prices and portions (18:54) 6-hour wait (22:00) 

2 severed thumbs-up for Universal’s HHN treats; Epcot’s Space 220 elevates dishes (Ep.112)

 The very first SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream debuted sporting a sea theme and other haunting elements. Tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice discuss the elaborate haunted houses, scare zones and shows and some unique offerings that allow guests to scare others or avoid being scared altogether (both for a fee).   Get your bearings: Grab a map! (1:36) Sea-themed haunted houses (4:02) Scare zones & shows (6:43) Getting your money’s worth (9:54) Creative director offers insight (11:47) Spooktacular starts Sept. 18 (16:27) COVID precautions (18:43) Additional fee to scare/avoid scares (21:05) 

SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream enters Halloween fray: What you can expect (Ep. 111)

Orlando Sentinel tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice dissect the haunted houses at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, ponder the pandemic precautions and sample some pumpkin guts — yum. Oh, and there’s a visit from Jack the Clown. RIP/VIP access (:36) Scare zones (2:53) Repeats from 2020 (4:09) Intellectual property vs. original houses (9:21) The Icons (15:03) Jack the Clown visit (19:05) Shows & food (21:48) Pandemic precautions (24:53) Multiple-night passes (28:33) 

Universal's Halloween Horror Nights 30 brings iconic moments, pandemic precautions and pumpkin guts (Ep. 110)

Orlando Sentinel tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice discuss Disney World bringing back annual passes and area theme parks gearing up for Halloween amid COVID-19 spike. Disney annual passes return (51:28) Passes from $399 to $1299 (2:25) Reservations stay (6:00) Photo & water park passes (8:29) Evolution of ticket pricing (10:03) Halloween is here. Will it bring revenue? (12:04) HHN precautions (15:24) HHN job fair (19:01) Finally riding Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (21:18) 

Disney annual passes return and theme parks balance Halloween & COVID-19 (Ep. 109)

Orlando Sentinel tourism reporters Dewayne Bevil and Katie Rice dive into the preschool world of “Peppa Pig,” a British animated series. Peppa has landed her own attraction — Peppa Pig Theme Park — currently under construction in the Legoland Florida parking lot. Dewayne donned a pink hard hat for a tour of the site. Getting to know Peppa Pig (:37) Capturing the preschool crowd (3:11) Multi-day, multi-night destination? (6:02) What’s there to do? (7:41) Meeting a giant Peppa (10:57) Instagramable paradise for parents (12:43) Nostalgia factor (15:31) Annual pass being sold (16:01) "The first of it’s kind" (17:47) 

Peppa Pig Theme Park: Behind the construction walls (Ep. 108)

“People have complained about Disney World’s FastPass/FastPass+, I’m going to say, for more than 20 years. And now we’re going to have something new to complain about,” Orlando Sentinel theme park reporter Dewayne Bevil summed up the reaction to Disney Genie, a a free planning service launching on the resort’s app this fall. Obviously, the free part wasn’t what caused the frustration. Disney revealed it was retiring its free FastPass+ and replacing it with a paid service called Lightning Lane. Paid services: Genie+/Lightning Lane (1:55) Parallel to Disneyland Paris system (4:05) Mixed reaction: Neutral to negative (6:08) Other parks have similar paid services (9:24) What does free Genie access get you? (10:01) Will it begin in time for anniversary? (12:51) 

Goodbye FastPass+ and hello Disney Genie+ (Ep. 107)

Melissa Valiquette, vice president of Magic Kingdom, discusses “Disney Enchantment,” the 50 golden character statues, Tron and the revamping of Splash Mountain. Melissa’s origin story (1:18) Defending the cake (5:07) ‘Making a 50-year old park look new again’ (8:41) Happy places in the Magic Kingdom (15:22) 'Disney Enchantment' (18:08) Sleeper hit: Character statues (20:25) Beacons of Magic (21:25) Nostalgia vs. new things (22:23) Jungle Cruise update (23:42) Splash Mountain (25:20) Tron (28:49) 

Magic Kingdom VP dishes on new fireworks show, 50 golden statues and revamping of Splash Mountain (Ep. 106)

Shelby Honea, show producer for Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, joins Orlando Sentinel tourism reporter Dewayne Bevil to discuss ride challenges, creative choices and the revolutionary lockers. What is a show producer? (1:12) Calculated risks (5:31) Location, location, location (6:56) Hidden tricks (8:36) Care and feeding of raptors (9:11) Social media influences design (13:45) Revolutionary lockers (17:04) New entrance to Jurassic World (18:54) 

Universal show producer gives inside look at making of VelociCoaster (Ep. 105)

Orlando Sentinel food writer Amy Drew Thompson and tourism reporter Dewayne Bevil dish on some of the more than 100 food items and 120 beverages at Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival. 129 days long (1:18) Soup in July? (2:37) New offerings (5:36) Unusual eating spots with A/C! (10:43) Wings and beer (14:51) 8 marketplaces opening Oct. 1 (16:26) Cider flights (18:44) Merchandise (19:42) 

More than just a taste of Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival (Ep. 104)

“Behind the Attraction,” a new series on Disney+, gives the back stories on some theme park favorites sprinkled with sarcasm. New Disney+ series (1:15) This is not ‘The Imagineering Story’ (2:50) Target audience (5:26) Internal struggle of Haunted Mansion (10:21) Choosing the featured attractions (14:36) From Star Tour to Galaxy’s Edge (16:50) 

Disney+ series ‘Behind the Attraction’: Vintage footage, expert interviews and some snark (Ep. 103)

Dewayne Bevil discusses the Fastpass replacement at Disneyland Paris that involves free virtual queues and a paid line-skipping service. What could it mean for Disney World? Disney World Fastpass: A look back (1:12) Standby Pass (3:24) Disney Premier Access (5:17) Money grab? (7:35) Getting Disney on the record (11:16) Epcot Food & Wine Festival menu (14:42) Disney Springs Flavors of Florida (19:24) New Star Wars food at Hollywood Studios (20:39) ‘CoCo’ joins ‘Mickey’s PhilharMagic’ (22:04) 

Will Fastpass replacement at Disneyland Paris show up at other parks? (Ep. 102)

Let the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers guide you on your visit to Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld and all the other must-see attractions in Central Florida.

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Theme Park Rangers

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