Update December 2025: It appears (according to well informed sources) that Brian Bacica will shortly no longer be with Busch Gardens Tampa. Screen shots of an internal Merlin message show him moving to LegoLand Florida to become VP on December 10th. I was able to independently confirm the LegoLand opening through a connection also applying for the position. This means Busch Gardens will have its 3rd park President in the last year!
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Have you ever wanted to participate in the Squid Games? Perhaps you’d like to visit Hawkins, Indiana from Stranger Things? Starting next month you may get that chance in Dallas and Philadelphia in a new concept called Netflix House. Netflix is bringing its internet entertainment to the real world in the form of “immersive, in-world experiences that let you step inside your favorite shows, dig into themed meals at our in-House restaurant NETFLIX BITES, or grab exclusive merch from our shop.” These aren’t “rides” in the classic theme park sense, but more immersive worlds with actors and other interactive elements. These new venues will be called Netflix House Dallas and Netflix House Philadelphia and will be permanent locations where you can interact with your favorite Netflix worlds.
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On July 4th we had a chance to catch the Splash Water Parade at Six Flags Over Georgia and it was simply stellar summer fun. The parade features several dozen performers who put on a water-themed show full of music, dancing and some audience participation. What was surprising is that the parade features live singing, original music and a huge cast of choreographed dancers. This parade has the look and feel of a Disney afternoon parade with catchy music and high performer energy. Part of me sat there a bit dumbfounded as I almost couldn’t believe this was happening at Six Flags Over Georgia. From the floats to the choreography to the Splash logo gear performers and the support staff, it was obvious Six Flags made a major investment here. It was a complete and seamless performance.
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Six Flags Over Georgia is revamping parts of its dining for the 2025 season and has hired the park’s first-ever executive chef, Priscilla Hamilton. The first three restaurants to be redone are DeeJay’s Diner, Firehouse BBQ (formerly Daddy O’s BBQ) and Primo’s Pizzeria. These restaurants are introducing a new service style, prioritizing efficiency, quality, and the freshest ingredients for an elevated dining experience. The park is also updating and enhancing the interiors and exteriors with immersive and themed décor. During our experience on the 4th of July at Firehouse BBQ these upgrades were very obvious and our meal was simply delicious.
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Update: August 1, 2025 Per the Pass Perks website, “Starting August 1, 2025, Pass Perks Monthly Rewards will be placed on an extended hold as we make exciting enhancements to the program.” They also state that, “While we’re making improvements, we’ll be delivering complimentary Pass Perks to our Passholders and Members as a token of our appreciation for your continued loyalty.” The rewards earned for July 2025 did drop into my app, so that was good to see. Six Flags does promise, “BIG updates are coming later this year!”, but it appears the reason Pass Perks is being suspended is due to “technological upgrades” with the actual implementation of the new program coming in 2026. In a recent earnings call the company did mention the desire to have existing passholders visit more frequently, so there is a desire to encourage loyalty. If they go the way of the airlines it might be points based on spending in the parks rather than visits, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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The renovations on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom continue with a special vehicle on the new track on the coaster’s mountainous twists and turns. There’s also a bunch of scaffolding still around the track. With an attraction that quite literally is a large outdoor artificial mountain it’s difficult for Disney to camouflage the work behind walls or indoors like they often like to do. The ride is slated to open sometime in 2026 and that probably can’t come soon enough for Disney with the July 6, 2025 closure of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island making this corner of the park pretty quiet for the rest of the year.
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On on July 6 2025 Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom closed Forever to make room for “Cars Land” and specifically what is being called Piston Peak National Park. Rivers of America have been part of Frontierland and Liberty Square since 1971 when the park opened, but the Liberty Belle steamboat and Tom Sawyer Island were actually added in 1973. This has long been known as a scenic and relaxing area of the park. This area is now being reimagined into a Cars themed land with a ride similar to the Radiator Springs Racers, a high-speed ride at Disney’s California Adventure. However, this is not a carbon copy of the California attraction located in the desert town of the first movie, but instead it will be an off-road adventure in a mountain and water-filled National Park.
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It was announced earlier this year that Disney World’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind would cease using the virtual queue system on February 25, 2025. This followed a similar previous announcement in September 2024 for Tron Lightcycle Run. This means there are currently no rides at Disney World using virtual queue for the first time in years and every attraction will have standby lines available. It also ends the stress for many of waking up at before 7am on the morning of a Disney vacation and feverishly hitting the refresh button to try to get a boarding group to ride the lastest Walt Disney World rides sometime that day without paying extra. Virtual Queue was the only “free” way to ride without paying for a Lightning Lane Single Pass, which could cost $100 or more for a family on top of a regular Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+).
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Disney loves its mountains, see Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and the former Splash Mountain as examples. One of the lesser known “mountains” is the volcano known as Mount Prometheus at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. For those not familiar, according to the DisneySea website it is, “The only Disney park themed to the myths and legends of the sea. Each of the eight themed ports features attractions, restaurants, shops, and more, inviting guests to a world “Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail!” This is the 7th most attended theme park in the world and many consider it the best and most beautiful of all the Disney parks. However, did you know many of the concepts of Tokyo DisneySea came from a park called DisneySea California that was cancelled in 1991?
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The amusement park affectionately known locally as “Lake Winnie” celebrated its 100th birthday this month. Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville, GA originally opened its doors on June 1, 1925. The name is from a Native American word that means “bountiful waters” or “beautiful lake of the highlands” and fits with the 9 acre lake on the park site. The park even still has one original 1925 attraction with the Boat Chute ride, which is oldest Mill Chute attraction still in operation in the United States.
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BGT Safari 