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By late August 2011, the amusement industry had already seen numerous announcements of major new attractions for 2012. These proclamations have been dominated by roller coasters, and more of them are of major stature than was seen in 2011—even a new water coaster becoming a record-breaker in both size and cost. Funworld takes a look at some of the attractions opening in 2012.
 ‘Leviathan’
Canada’s Wonderland, Vaughan, Ontario
Cedar Fair did not mess around when it decided to install a new steel coaster for 2012 at Canada’s Wonderland. The $28 million “Leviathan” will soar 306 feet into the air and reach a top speed of 92 mph. Riders will plunge 80 degrees on the first drop and experience a series of huge camelback hills as high as 180 feet. The 5,486-foot coaster, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, will feature a 115-degree overbanked turn when it crosses above the park’s front gate.
Leviathan will give the park an impressive count of 16 roller coasters, to which Dave Phillips, Canada’s Wonderland’s sales and marketing manager, says, “We’ve very quickly become a world-class amusement park, with the third most coasters in the world and the two tallest in Canada (‘Leviathan’ and ‘Behemoth’).”
 ‘Transformers The Ride’
Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Hollywood will each unveil “Transformers The Ride,” patterned after the blockbuster motion picture series. It will tell an original “Transformers” story using high-definition 3-D media and sophisticated visual effects. It will also feature one of the most elaborate roaming flight simulator systems ever installed in a ride vehicle. “Transformers The Ride” will engage guests in the battle between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Guests will act as members of the Human-Autobot alliance called N.E.S.T. and will be charged with protecting the Allspark from the Decepticons.
 ‘Wild Eagle’
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Dollywood will unleash the largest single capital investment in the park’s 26- year history when it opens “Wild Eagle” in 2012. The $20 million steel wing coaster will roost on the highest peak in the park, affording spectacular views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains. Riders will rise 210 feet above the loading station, then fall 135 feet on the first drop and reach 61 mph over 3,127 feet of track. Ride trains will have seven cars carrying four passengers each, with two riders situated on the cars’ “wings” on either side of the coaster track. The park is collaborating on the ride with coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. B&M is also opening a similar coaster next spring, “X-Flight,” at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.
 ‘Mammoth’
Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana
Holiday World was so thrilled with the response to “Wildebeest,” the water coaster it opened in 2009 as the world’s longest, the park is adding a second water coaster in 2012 and breaking its own record. At 1,763 feet, “Mammoth” will take the title of world’s longest water coaster, but the $9 million ride will feature another first—round six-passenger boats. This will not only add capacity, it will allow riders to face any direction they choose. “Mammoth” begins with a conveyor ride up the lift hill, followed by a five-story drop. Then LIMs will shoot riders up more hills and into several dark enclosed sections.
As to why the park chose to install another water coaster so soon after “Wildebeest,” Dan Koch, Holiday World’s president, says, “We’ve never had such lines as we do with ‘Wildebeest.’ It’s a high-capacity ride, but the queues were two hours (and more) long from the first day. One of the last conversations I had with Will (Dan’s brother and business partner who passed away in June 2010) was ‘we’ve got to build another one of these!’ ”
 ‘Windseeker’
Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina and Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia
Continuing the 2011 industry trend of giant swing installations, Carowinds and Kings Dominion theme parks both announced new $6 million tower swings for 2012. Both rides will be called “Windseeker” and will stand 301 feet tall. They can swing 64 riders at a time to a height of 30 stories at speeds of up to 30 mph. The rides are made by Mondial of the Netherlands.
 ‘The Swarm’
Thorpe Park, Chertsey, Surrey, England
When Thorpe Park unveils “The Swarm” next year, the park hopes guests will do just that for the chance to ride the US$29.5 million ride. Said to be the United Kingdom’s first winged coaster, “The Swarm,” by Bolliger & Mabillard, will be constructed on an island in the park’s main lake. Riders will depart from a station themed on a partially demolished chapel and zip through scenes of destruction, like a smashed helicopter, a burned fire engine, and a crashed plane. After a 127-foot lift hill, elements include a heartline roll into a nosedive, a 75-foot banked helix, and a 100-foot-tall zero-g roll.
 Cars Land
Disney’s California Adventure
In summer 2012, Disney’s California Adventure will allow guests to roll into Cars Land, a new 12-acre area themed after the town of Radiator Springs from the Disney/Pixars animated hit “Cars.” It will feature three major rides— “Luigi’s Flying Tires,” “Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree,” and “Radiator Springs Racers.” “Luigi’s Flying Tires” will have guests riding giant truck tires through a course behind Luigi’s Casa Della Tires shop. “Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree” will be hosted by the “Cars” character Mater and will see visitors ride along in a tractor-pulling square dance. “Radiator Springs Racers” features six-passenger vehicles that guests ride in an adventure featuring “Cars” characters. The ride finishes with a side-by-side race to the finish line.
 Untitled wooden coaster
Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
In 2012, Europa-Park will roll out its first wooden coaster after adding seven steel coasters to its arsenal over the past 15 years. Under construction by Great Coasters International, the ride is 3,445 feet long, 115 feet high, and will travel at speeds up to 63 mph. Park officials say the coaster will cross the tracks of two other attractions, guaranteeing some “extra thrills.”
As for why the park chose now as the time to introduce its first wooden coaster, Michael Mack, Europa-Park’s managing partner, tells Funworld, “With Mack Rides having built their first wooden roller coaster in 1921, it was just about time for a wooden roller coaster at Europa-Park. With the wooden roller coaster we are currently building, we want to complete the product portfolio at Europa-Park.”
 ‘Manta’
SeaWorld San Diego, California
SeaWorld San Diego will get its first dry roller coaster in the form of “Manta.” Although the ride is described as being similar to the “Manta” coaster at Sea- World Orlando, this one is designed by Mack Rides, who also built the park’s “Journey to Atlantis” attraction. Characterized as a family coaster, the $10 million ride will feature a 54-foot drop into a subterranean trench and twist riders through a dozen turns over a 2,800-foot circuit. The ride trains will be themed on manta rays and will swoop so close to the water at times that the train’s “wings” will skim the waves.
Devon’s Crealy Adventure Park near Exeter, England, might have the perfect solution for those who like the romantic notion of camping but don’t want to deal with the inconveniences.
Next year, the park will roll out what it terms a five-star camping venue called the Touring Caravan and Camping Site. The GPB1.5 million (US$2.4 million) project’s most compelling component may be the 18 “medieval” tents designed for those guests who want to go “glamping”—glamour camping. The huge tents have a couple of bedrooms, a kitchen area with a refrigerator, a gas or electric stove, and a relaxation zone with deck chairs opening to a covered outside area. They are also set in woodland that is similar to a medieval forest. Guests can even take advantage of the park’s “Own a Pony” offer where the kids get a pony for a week.
 “It’s glamour camping, where the tent is already there and everything is already set up for you, and all you have to do is show up in your car,” says Rod Pearson, managing director of Crealy Adventure Parks. “People do expect more now—they expect any [accommodations] to be better than what they’ve left [at home], and these medieval tents are quite extensive!”
Crealy has approval to build 138 campsites, including “large pitches” that are 1,000 square feet and “super pitches” that are 1,600 square feet, both with power hook-ups. Guests can go the “glamping” route and rent one of the medieval tents, or take a large or super-pitch site and bring their own recreational vehicles. And yes, they can also choose to rough it by going the traditional route and taking a standard plot where they set up their own tent and provide their own amenities.
Crealy says the whole 15-acre tract will be landscaped to ensure privacy and give campers the feeling that they are in their own private woodland glade. The park reveals it is targeting “five-star” campers who want a vacation “under canvas” but are not willing to compromise on quality. Crealy’s management expects this to attract more overseas and domestic visitors.
“This offers an alternative to customers,” explains Pearson. “In the past in the UK, camping was sort of frowned upon, but now it’s much more accepted.” He says the park also has planning permission to build 32 individual, two-story lodges in the future.
As to whether Crealy Adventure Parks will create such a Touring and Caravan Camping site at its other park, Crealy Cornwall in Cornwall, England, Pearson says it is something they have considered but have not yet pursued.
Work has commenced on the Touring Caravan and Camping Site and will continue through the winter months to ensure it will be ready to open for the 2012 season. Crealy has not yet determined what the pricing structure will be for guests. www.crealy.co.uk
For years now, countless amusement parks have offered lodging packages to tourists in an effort to boost attendance and tap into another revenue stream. Guests pay to stay in accommodations that the parks either own or have partnership arrangements with, and, in return, they’re treated to a variety of attraction amenities, such as free or reduced-price admissions and parking, exclusive park access, and merchandise discounts. These enticements are usually the main lure used to influence guests’ choice of lodging.
 But Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has taken a somewhat different tack. In addition to customary partnership agreements with 35 area hotels, its lodging arm, called Dollywood Vacations, has 90 premier mountain cabins that offer not only attractive theme park perks, but something else, as well: They are stunning attractions unto themselves.
“I think that is the defining point for us,” says Amy Owenby, director of Dollywood Vacations. “We offer the amenities and the great ticketing, but the cabins have almost everything. The other level of this is the view—the Smoky Mountains; when you walk into the cabins, there is truly an ‘ah-ha’ moment.”
That’s an understatement. The wood cabins, part of the Starr Crest Resort, are perched high on a ridge overlooking Dollywood, and the views they offer of the surrounding mountains are breathtaking. These are premium individualized accommodations, varying in size from one to eight bedrooms and in capacity from four to 30 persons. They each have separate kitchens and great rooms, and feature vaulted ceilings, decks on multiple levels, and attractive furnishings. They also offer almost every comfort imaginable, from whirlpools and hot tubs to fireplaces, huge game rooms, and high-definition televisions.
Dollywood began its relationship with Starr Crest in 2009 when it was approached by the resort’s developer. The cabin owners were looking for a way to recoup their investment during very difficult economic times; Dollywood was looking for a way to take advantage of its spectacular Great Smoky Mountain setting and become a part of guests’ unique vacation experience away from the park.
“We told the owners that we weren’t going to be the traditional management company,” says Owenby. “We wanted to give guests an extended experience.” So Dollywood Vacations entered into a contract agreement with many of the cabin owners and split the revenue with them.
Dollywood Vacations also astutely surmised that not all of the guests would be interested in the theme park package. So, instead of including the cost of these perks in the cabin rate, they offer them in a discounted special package so guests who don’t want them don’t have to subsidize those who do. Hence, one-bedroom cabins can sometimes be booked for as little as $99 a night.
The results have been impressive, especially in a struggling economy. Since 2009, the Starr Crest cabins that entered into the relationship with Dollywood Vacations have seen an impressive 30 percent increase in occupancy, with steady or increasing rates, depending on time of year.
As for what Dollywood Vacations has learned from the experience, Owenby says: “We saw that even in a tough economy people will still pay for premium experiences if there are good-quality family moments involved. Also, we learned that we have guests who want to come for a different experience when the park is closed, so we want to offer different package [adventures]. We want their Dollywood experience to truly be holistic.”
www.dollywood.com/vacations
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