Is the Theme Park Industry Going Virtual?

During IAAPA 2025 I was struck by the number of virtual and digital attractions on display. What also surprised me was how exceptional most of them were in creating a totally immersive experience. Also, many of these attractions were of a size that could allow them to be used by any park, family entertainment center (FEC) or even arcade. Some would require a building, some a room and some were as small as a single chair. Some were purely ride experiences where others were enhanced versions of classic sit down arcade shooters and many combined both. The Rilix Coaster VR stood out as a compelling immersive experience in a traditional arcade format. The virtual theme park probably isn’t replacing your favorite roller coaster anytime soon, but it does offer operators another option to entertain guests.

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The Battle Over Straws at Walt Disney World

Cup with straw in front to castle at Magic Kingdom

The humble drinking straw appears to have become a political lightning rod and the controversy has extended to Walt Disney World. It almost seems like you can tell someone’s political affiliation by their straw preference, it’s the new “paper or plastic?” for this generation. In July 2018, Walt Disney World announced a major environmental initiative to eliminate single-use plastic straws in all their global parks and resorts by mid-2019. In 2023 Disney went one step further in no longer making any straws readily available at quick service locations and only providing paper straws upon request. However, Florida lawmakers are now trying to ban paper straws in the state starting in 2027 due to concerns over PFAS (forever chemicals) often found in paper straws. Scientists however point to similar PFAS chemical concerns with plastic straws as well the consumption of microplastics. It seems like the answer going forward may just be no straws.

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Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Parent Company United Parks Sued by Sesame Street Over Unpaid License Fees

Sesame Workshop (the company behind Sesame Street) has sued United Parks & Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens) over unpaid royalties. Sesame Workshop file in federal court in New York on March 12, 2026 and is seeking to end its licensing agreement with United Parks & Resorts. United Parks & Resorts operates full themed park lands around the Sesame Street IP with rides, shows and parades and for many locations it is the centerpiece of their kid’s area. In addition to unpaid royalties Sesame Place also alleges plans for a 3rd Sesame Place theme park were shelved and that United shortened seasons or completely closed Sesame Street themed lands without proper notice.

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Comcast Adds Generous Loyalty Offers (Including Discounted Universal Tickets) After Major Customer Losses

It’s no secret that linear TV and cable subscriber numbers have been falling for years now, which is a drag on Comcast’s traditional cable TV business. What is perhaps newer for Comcast is a decline in broadband internet customers due to increased competition from fiber and home wireless 5G internet. Comcast revealed in its latest earnings report that it lost 104,000 internet customers and 257,000 cable TV customers during the third quarter of last year due to customer switching from increased competition. In the industry this is referred to as “churn” where customers switch from one service to another looking for better deals. One way to combat this is with loyalty programs (think airline miles or hotel points) where customers are rewarded for staying put. Comcast has ha such a program for some time, but has made some changes for the better and included some hefty theme park discounts the their Universal Orlando Resorts parks in Florida.

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The Best Beer Deal in Theme Parks is at Fun Spot

Alcohol at theme parks, once a rarity, is becoming increasingly common. The Busch Garden parks have always had it given their original ownership by Anheuser-Busch and alcohol availability at Disney parks is still sparse, but growing recently. Universal has had alcohol essentially since inception and fully embraced it with numerous options at Epic Universe. However, in almost all these locations (sans free beer days at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld), you’ll pay a pretty penny for a drink. However, one place breaks this mold with what is the best deal you’ll find on beer in the theme park industry and that’s Fun Spot at their Orlando, Kissimmee and Atlanta locations. You can get a 22 ounce beer in a souvenir glass for only $9.99 and refill it for just $3.99 all season long!

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Universal Orlando Resort Gets Super Bowl Commercial

Universal Orlando Resort Sign
Universal Orlando Resort Sign

One of the highlights of the Super Bowl for many are the commercials. This year’s game was televised by NBC (owned by Comcast), so there were many nods to the Comcast group of businesses including Xfinity web service, the new Minions & Monsters movie and the Universal theme parks! The ad centers specifically around the Universal Orlando Resort and although every park was shown in some way, including Volcano Bay, the majority of the park shots were centered around Epic Universe and Stardust Racers.

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Pokémon is Coming to Universal Theme Parks!

Pokémon Universal Studios Japan No Limits! logo
Combined Universal and Pokémon No Limits! Logo (Courtesy of Universal)

After years of rumors,  Pokémon is finally coming to Universal theme parks. It was announced on January 22, 2026 that the Pokémon IP will debut in Japan, but is then “Universal Destinations & Experiences will deliver unique Pokémon experiences across the company’s global footprint”. There were no dates, rides or attractions announced and this is probably a couple years out in Japan and probably 2029 or later in the United States. The release was very simple and vague, but it got the point across that Pokémon is coming!

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Beast Land Theme Park in Riyadh is Open Now Until December 27th with 3 Traveling Roller Coasters

Beast Land image
Beast Land (image from riyadhseason.com)

MrBeast now has his own theme park, or more of a high quality traveling carnival, called Beast Land in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I’ll call this a theme park as it is themed to him! Beast Land really has two elements, the Beast Land amusement/theme park and Beast Arena where you can compete in games and events to win money. The park launch video is below and is highly focused on the game aspect of the park and less on the rides. There are also complex issues related to Saudi Arabian investment which enables this much of this wild stuff. However, we cover theme parks here, so we’ll focus on the rides including a massive inverted coaster you can see in the video.

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Universal Orlando Announces 2026 Military Freedom Pass Offering a $220 Annual Pass!

Universal CityWalk Orlando

If you are active duty or retired military or a department of defense civilian employee you can get a Universal Orlando Resort Annual Pass incredibly cheaply. The pass is called the Military Freedom Pass and it starts at just $220 (compared to the cheapest standard pass at $425). You can choose From 2-Park or 3-Park options where Volcano Bay is added as the 3rd park. Keep in mind that no Universal annual pass currently gets you into Epic Universe, but more on that later. This is quite the bargain when a single day ticket starts at $119, so for less than the cost of 2 days you get the whole year.

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The TEA Rankings are Out of for the Top 25 Theme Parks Worldwide and Almost Half are in Asia

Super Nintendo World Sign at Universal Studios Japan
Super Nintendo World Sign at Universal Studios Japan

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is a international non-profitwho releases a free annual report about the leisure and travel sectors including the theme park industry. The 2024 TEA Global Experience Index™ is out and the results show that Asia is a growing theme park powerhouse with 12 of the top 25 theme parks by attendance. It’s not uncommon for enthusiasts to travel internationally these days, but most seem to travel to Europe, not Asia. Most of the Asian parks in the top 10 are in Japan including #3 Universal Studios Japan, #4 Tokyo Disneyland and #7 Tokyo DisneySea, but you’ll also find several parks in China and two in South Korea. However, this report shows that if you’ve never visited a park in Asia you’re missing almost half of the top 25 parks in the world.

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