Mickey Sends His Passport in for Mo Review by Piyush Mistri

Mickey Sends His Passport in for Mo Review by Piyush Mistri

UK Theme Parks Rides

                                                 Adventure Land
A kids dream come true, ball pools, slides, playgrounds and the Beastie children's coaster are all here in this colourful zone. The fantastic Sonic Spinball spinning roller coaster offers thrills and spills for the whole family in a giant pinball machine experience and you can travel through the tree-tops on the Squirrel Nutty Ride.

                                               Cloud Cuckoo Land
Home to the fantastical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory : The Ride, taking you on an amazing journey through the wondrous chocolate factory and soaring over the park in the great glass elevator! There's a chance for little one's to take to the road and get their own driving licence at the Driving School. A whole host of other rides and attractions await, including the Twirling Toadstool, Frog Hopper, Gallopers Carousel, Wobble World indoor play area, and the Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre.
                                                                                  
                                         Dark Forest
Discover an area of unexplored woodland beyond the gothic ruins of the Towers, where mysterious wraiths roam the trees and undergrowth. Here you will find a long abandoned raceway that is home to Rita, a powerful launched roller coaster, and the unearthed ancient crypt of Thirteen, where you can surrender yourself to the world's first psychoaster.


                                       Forbidden Valley
The ideal thrill seekers destination, a edge of the earth zone with some amazing adrenaline filled rides. Here you will find the legendary and very intense Nemesis inverted roller coaster, and Air where riders assume the flying position for an amazing experience. Action-packed rides come thick and fast with the swinging ship Blade and the twisting, rolling Ripsaw .


                                         Gloomy Wood
A spooky place where ghosts and ghouls await, hidden within the spine chilling woods there's Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back where you can battle against evil forces in an interactive laser adventure ride. If you dare, take a short cut through Haunted Hollow, but beware of the eerie tombstones, headless statues, and ghostly goings-on.

                                        Katanga Canyon            
Go on a wild adventure in this African settlement, exploring the dramatic lake and rocky landscape. You can roll through the canyon on the wild track of the Runaway Mine Train or splash through it on the Congo River Rapids. For even more wet and wild fun, take a ride on The Flume for an extra soaking.




                                            Mutiny Bay
The centrepiece of this pirate-themed family area is an interactive Splash battle' water attraction called Battle Galleons where swashbucklers are assured of a spectacular soaking! Explore the underwater world at Sharkbait Reef, this Sea Life attraction gives you the opportunity to come face to face with creatures from the deepest depths. There's also a thrilling 'rock-n-tug' boat ride named Heave Ho along with spinning sensation Marauders Mayhem which is accompanied by explosives guaranteed to shiver your timbers.


                                           The Gardens
The gardens are a great place to relax and unwind, with elegant conservatories surrounded by a vast array of trees and flowers. Enjoy a stroll through the valley by taking one of the many winding pathways, or look down over them with spectacular views from the Sky Ride.




                                           The Towers  
Across the beautiful lake and gardens you will find the legendary Towers, why not venture into the ruins and discover the history behind the theme park we have today. Enter the haunted chambers, home to Hex, an incredible ride exposing you to the forces of a dark legend that will leave you spellbound.


                                          Towers Street
As you step into the park you'll find yourself surrounded by a plethora of quirky shops and cafes, an ideal place to enjoy a bite to eat and grab some souvenirs of your day out. You can also board the Sky Ride, which can take you to either the Forbidden Valley or Cred Street.




The futuristic hi-tech home of the mighty Oblivion vertical drop coaster, don't look down! There are two other amazing thrill rides here, the gravity defying vertical spinning ride Enterprise, and Submission, which will flip you up and over until you beg for mercy.

Disney Turns to Guests to Promote Theme Parks

In one video, a little boy dances during a parade at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. In another, a young girl dressed as a princess embraces her father. And in a third, two women explore Cinderella Castle.
All are part of Disney’s new campaign called  “ Let the Memories Begin — a promotion that relies on what the company refers to as guest-generated content.

Let the Memories Begin is about real guests making real memories in our parks,” said Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president of global marketing for Disney Destinations. “Disney guests have always loved sharing their vacation memories with us and each other.

New technologies like YouTube and Facebook have made it easier and faster for our guests to share their memories, for Disney Parks to spotlight those memories on a larger scale, and for us to reinforce to our guests how important we think their memories are.”

Disney isn’t alone. The travel industry — which for years considered videos as byproducts of a happy vacation, if not liabilities that occasionally found their way on to the Internet — has also had a change of heart.

User-generated videos aren’t exactly new. They’ve been popular for years and have big audience online. According to ComScore, 178 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in August, the latest month available. That’s an average of 14.3 hours per viewer. Many of the clips online are produced on the cheap, using a cell phone and rudimentary editing software on a PC.

But Disney’s campaign marks a turning point. The grainy videos with the tinny sound that occasionally went viral are now being accepted and even celebrated as authentic representations of a vacation experience.

They’re real,”said Jason Stein,a writer, producer and director for Laundry Service Media. “No script, no actors. I understand why the travel industry wants to employ more user-generated videos: It’s a real person documenting a real experience.”

It's about more than lowering production standards and handing over some of the creative control to a customer, said Wojciech Lorenc, an assistant professor at Columbia College's television department. “It's more like a convergence,” he said. “Consumers and smart brands like Disney interact with each other and share similar aesthetic values because digital media has leveled the playing field.