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Show The Salt Lake Tribune TRAVEL Sunday, April 15, 2001 U.S. Theme Parks Putthe Bite on Adrenalin Junkies BY BRENDA D. FARRELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A rising tide of thrill-seeking leisure travelers is buoying the nation’s amusement and themeparkbusiness. According to the International Association of AmusementParks & Attractions, some 317 million visitors spent nearly $10 billion at amusement and themeparks in 2000. Andalthough the opening ofDisney’s new California Adventure has grabbed most of the headlines in 2001, amusement parks and theme parks throughout the United States are reporting expansions and additions oftheir own. In Hollywood, Calif., the venerable Universal Studios Hollywood sees the opening of the new Disney park as a harbinger of good fortune, Located about 30 miles from Anaheim, Calif., Universal Studios Hollywood is offering visitors free round-trip transportation service from Anaheim to Hollywood withthe purchase of a full-priced admission ticket. And, antici- Young guests take a food breakin the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. For many American families, a trip to Disney World is a pilgrimage that can't be missed. Disney With Kids: Tips for Parents Planning to Visit the Mouse House BY DOROTHY ABERNATHY we were just too tired. So we ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS really: didn’t get our money’s worth thatday. ORLANDO,Fla. — In much of the United States, most kids wouldn’t let their childhood slip by without trying to persuade their parents to take them to Walt Disney World. This year, we set aside our concern about costs and decided to make the trip. Then came the task of figuring out the logistics for ourselves, our daughters, 10 and 4, our son,7, andour aupair. We ultimately settled on four days at Disney World using the four-day Park Hopper passandstayingat a hotel close to— but notinside — oneofthe themeparks. We avoided overplanning how we'd spend those four days to make sure we were doing what the kids wanted to do rather than dragging them to what we wanted to do. We visited all four parks. Here are sometips based on our experience: 1. The Park Hopperpass is greatfor people wishingto visit Disney Worldparksfor several days. A Disney Club member got usthe tickets at a 10 percent discount: $196 for adults and $157 for children. The passes give*you unlimited movement among the four primary parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney-!-MGM Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot. If youvisit the parksjust two or three days you can keep your pass for a future visit or giveit (or sell it) toa friend. 2. If you plan to visit Disney World for four days, build in at least one dayoff. Four consecu- tive days at theme parks was too much for us — the adults and the kids alike. We spent only about four hours at Disney World on the final day because 3. Our hotel offered bus transportation to and from the Magic Kingdom every half 7. Take a backpackwith you. was easier to drive ourselves and pay the $6 daily parking fee. The daily parking pass al- ried a changeofclothes for the little ones in case ofaccidents, rain ponchosthat we boughtat Magic Kingdom during a lows you to parkat other parks during the same day. Disney cloudburst on our first day, mapsand a book about Disney from far corners of the parking lots to ae park entrances and World. Be sure to carry hats and-or sunglasses. 8. Women should consider backaga’ 4. Beware that children who normally nap in the afternoon will have a tough timegetting through theentire day without a break — andthis gets even worse as the days go on. Our youngest, almost 5, became tired and cranky at some point every day. For the most part, weput up with it and kept her doing what the family wanted to do. Our 7 and 10 year olds had lot more stamina. 5. Consider renting a stroller ily, NickelodeonBlast Zone and Animal Planet Live! “The heart and soul of our attraction has always been the studio tour, which is aimed at older kids and adults” explains Eliot Sekuler, spokesman for Universal Studios Hollywood. “The addition of these two new,interactive attractions rounds out the experience for visi- it around. other theme parks. Wefoundit World has tramsthat take you children, Universal Studios is opening two new attractions geared toward the entire fam- Use it to carry bottled water that you freeze aheadof time to give you a lasting supply of very cold water. We also car- Square Pants,” “Angry Beavers,” The Wild Thornberrys Adventures,” and “Blues Clues,” the NickelodeonBlast Zoneattraction features elaborate waterplay areas, an indoorball play arena, a Rugrats show, and a playground for toddlers. Animal Planet Live! feature live stage shows of animals performing amazing and Newto the studio tour this year is Jurassic Park II. The Grinch opened in November of their hands free. Children old 2000. want to use a small coin purse or wallet on a key chain that can be attached to a belt loop. 9. I was surprised that my Disney World as much as the rides. My husband and I en- on our feet. Our favorites: Bonfante Gardens, a not-for-profit theme the Audience” at Epcot and, “Tt’s Tough to be a Bug”at Ani- park-botanical gardens attraction, opens this These orfntrartenarttewgort pies onal your aon avanced paras saw some fun 3-D movies; our Eaters Travel 466-8811Fax 4665966 thefirstflying roller coaster on the East Coast, in May. The thrill ride launches backwardfacing passengers 115 feet into the air, then gently reclines them to a 30-degree angle,facing the sky. Then, passengers are inverted and sent soaring to the ground, then back up to the sky. The flight pattern cover3,340 feet of track,includingeightinversions, corksctews, twists and horizontal loops. Information: year. Theparkis located in Santa Clara County, in southern Silicon Valley, and features 40 amusementpark rides, greenhouses, gardens, and the unusual “Circus Trees.” Gilroy is the home of the renowned International Garlic Festival. To find information on the Web go to www.gilroyvisitor.org and click on the om. 10. Don’t underestimate the ability of a preschooler to handie fairly big rides or shows billed as somewhatfrightening. Each parent has to judge his www.sixflags.com/america. ES TRAVEL.com) Pee yest an ya ss SUN 7am-6pm/SAT 10am-3pm(P: PRINCESS CRUISES] pun SUA SUK fairly big roller coaster, Magic Kingdom’s Haunted House and SCONE STO Eas poisonous bugs. They didn't scare hera bit. c rieye FOR RENT 3 BEDROOM, 3 BATH PRIVATE HOME IN ZONA DORADA WALK TO BEACH & ATTRACTIONS $500 per week (801) 446-4419) LAS VEGAS VACATION BEST BUYS! Cera eM see On OL THE website for LDS Travel: TAO Ae Vell (801) 446-5000 or 1-800-748-4777 formation on the Web: www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Washington, D.C. Area: Six Flags America in Largo, Md. will launch Batwing, mation:(800) 288-0808 or www.pki.com. California: The $100 million Gilroy's day. We neverbought anything CL MaoTRAVEL 801-352-2025 from puter animation and visual special effects. In- meet Blue, the puppyfrom Blues Clue; Tommy, favorite was “Honey I Shrunk the first day, which left us dealing with requests for more souvenirs every subsequent ment with the openingof “Mission to Mars,” an interactive attraction that transforms visitors into “astronaut trainees” and “transports” them to the Red Planet via com- Chuckie and Angelica from Rugrats; and Eliza and Donnyfrom The Wild Thornberrys.Infor- “Doug” and “Indiana Jones shows about dinosaurs and completes its 5-year, $130 million redevelop- dark cave filled with mysterious “explosives” and a 40-foot waterfall. In the Nickelodeon character meet-and-greet facility, kids can joyed them more than therides, and they provided a nice break from the heat and from being how you will handle this. We bought souvenirs at the end of site www.go2orlando.com and click on attractions. Also in Florida, the Kennedy Space Center theme area for younger children. Rides include Runaway Reptar, the worlds first “Sunior” inverted roller coaster, and the Wild Thornberrys River Adventure, featuring a kids enjoyed the live shows at own child, but we found that our preschooler enjoyed a Covenant. Contact: (866) 872-4659 or the Web Othernotable newthrills aroundthe nation include: @ Cincinnatii, Ohio: ParamountKings Island introduces an expanded Nickelodeon enough to carry money may 6. Speaking of souvenirs, they're everywhere. Disney World routes you through a gift shop at the end of most rides. Consider before you arrive @ Florida: Outside of Orlando,the new (but controversial) Holy Land Experience theme park re-creates Israel between 11450 B.C. and 66 A.D,using special effects, set designs and theatrics created by the developers of Universal Studios “Islands of Adventure.” Attractions include Christ's Tombandthe Arkof the amusing acts. Members ofthe audience will be given opportunities to participate. using a fannypackinstead of a shoulder bag so they can keep cranky periods. Another surprising benefit was thatit cut the stroller put our 4-year-old so close to the groundthat she couldn't see the souvenirs as well. round-trip transportation from Anaheim and Universal Studios Hollywood vacation packages, call 1-800-UNIVERSAL, or go to www.unistudios.com. @ Georgia: Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta announces its largest expansion since the park one for business. In addition to new thrill rides, the park introduces a new “fast lane” service that allows visitors to schedule the times for rides, virtually eliminating the need to wait in line. The park opens for the season in May. Information: www.sixflags.com/america. Based on popular Nickelodeon childrens show such as “The Rugrats,” “Sponge Bobs Epic Stunt Spectacular” at Disney-MGMStudios. Wealso ‘quests for souvenirs. Perhaps appeal to the entire family. For information on tors of all ages.” for your young child. We didn’t dothis until the final day, and I wish we had doneit sooner.It helped us get through the down dramatically on the re- Bonfante Gardens link. Universal Studios Hollywood opens two new attractions in 2001, Nickelodeon Blast Zone and Animal PlanetLive!, both created to pating a greater numberof visitors with young before the end of a day because we didn’t want to haveto carry hour. From there we could take Disney World buses to the Visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood play duck the dino on Jurassic Park — the ride. 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