Harry Potter ride seats modified for larger riders

by Leigh Caldwell on

Universal Orlando has modified some seats on ride cars for the new Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and many people who couldn’t ride the centerpiece attraction at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter should be able to now.

When I saw the Wizarding World of Harry Potter during an early preview in May, the ride was not in operation, but the “test seats” outside the ride were working. Would-be riders can sit in the seat to check it out before entering the ride queue. The seats have an over-the-shoulder harness that has to be pulled down and “click” three times. You get a green light if it does, and a red light if it doesn’t.

After watching folks check out that seat, it was evident that the Harry Potter ride would not accommodate riders of size.

But new seats were introduced over the weekend. Now there is also a yellow light on the test seats. If you get yellow, as some rounder or taller guests will, you will be asked to wait until a ride car with modified seats comes around.

Theme park employees told Orlando Attractions Magazine the seats are allowing more people to ride the marquee ride:

Team members we talked to said the modified seats have helped tremendously. They said before they had to turn away hundreds of guests, but over the two days since the modified seats have been in place, they’ve only had to turn away one guest.

The modified seats are on the inside and outside positions on a handful of the ride cars. The seat itself is not any larger; it’s the locking mechanism on the harness that has been changed. Universal says it is safe for both larger and smaller riders to sit in the modified seats.

[Image credit: Flickr user calleecakes]

Get off a cruise and into custody: Passenger wrongly nailed as hooker

by Tom Johansmeyer on

What do you do when your mom is arrested for prostitution? Well, you probably claim that she didn’t do it. After all, she’s your mom, and nobody admits to guilt on these things anyway. If you were Paola Londono’s kid, you’d actually be right to proclaim her innocence.

Thanks to a clerical error in the Osceola County Sheriff’s office, Londono, from Orlando, was arrested when she stepped off a cruise ship for allegedly making a living in the world’s oldest profession. She spent more than 36 hours in the Broward County pokey, because she had the same name as the actual suspect, who is seven years younger … five inches taller and 40 pounds lighter. The younger Londono is going to face charge of heroin possession and possession of drug paraphernalia – in addition to prostitution.

[photo by indi.ca via Flickr]

Touring Disney World’s new ‘luxury pet resort’

by Leigh Caldwell on


Tongues (and tails) were definitely wagging as Walt Disney World Resort opened the doors to its newest addition: Best Friends Pet Care.

Billed as a “luxury pet resort,” this pet kennel facility is definitely more luxurious than any I’ve ever seen. I have used a couple of the five existing pet kennels at Walt Disney World, and I would describe them as clean and utilitarian, but certainly lacking in Disney magic.

The new digs for dogs range from a standard suite that is all indoors to a VIP (Very Important Pet) suite that has a 16×9 tiled bedroom, raised platform bed, flatscreen TV and a private, covered outdoor play area.

You can treat your dogs to add-ons such as a playgroup ($15), an ice cream break ($4) or a bedtime story ($6).

Although this pet resort is run by Best Friends and not by Disney, there are Disney touches everywhere. Pluto’s paw print graces the front lobby. Lady and the Tramp was being shown on the TVs in the dog suites during my visit, and I’m told that the bedtime stories read to dogs feature 101 Dalmations in heavy rotation.

A 25,000-square foot dog park includes grassy areas and water sprays for puppy play, as well as benches where owners can come to sit and visit with their pets.

%Gallery-101549%Cats can stay in their own 2-level condos in “Kitty City,” where they all have their own so-called “private relief area.”

You can treat your feline to cookies and milk ($3) or tuna on a Ritz cracker ($3).

And unless your small pet is venomous, exotic or a primate, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters and the like can even hang out in the pocket pets room during your Disney trip.

Best Friends Pet Care is offering daycare rates for pets, as well as overnight accommodations. That’s because even nearby residents often choose to use the Disney kennels during a long day at Walt Disney World, rather than leave their pets at home for 12 to 16 hours.

The new pet resort opened Sept. 1 at Walt Disney World, and the five existing kennels at the resort were closed over Labor Day weekend.

But all this new luxury does come with a price. Overnight rates for cats start at $23 and doggie lodging starts at $37. A VIP suite will run you $76 per night. For comparison’s sake, a night in a standard room at one of Disney’s value resorts (for humans) will run you $82 during slower weeks this fall.

Disney says the VIP suites are already booked up on weekends through the end of the year, so I guess that price is not a deter

There are small discounts on the pet lodging for guests staying at Disney resorts.

Best Friends Pet Care is on Bonnet Creek Parkway, directly across from Disney’s Port Orleans-Riverside Resort.

Universal Orlando announces Halloween Horror Nights details

by Leigh Caldwell on

It’s the 20th year for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, a scarefest that routinely sells out the park on weekends in September and October.

Now in its 20th year of the horror-filled celebration, Universal is personifying fear:

Halloween Horror Nights XX is about Fear himself. He is the Master of everything Halloween Horror Nights has ever been and will become. His weapons: Chaos, Death, Sacrifice, Mythos, Vengeance. His pawns: a clown, a storyteller, an undertaker, a director, an usher…and you.

Ooooo. Scary.

Universal released all the Halloween Horror Nights XX details overnight. The special events will include eight haunted houses with names like “Hades: Gates of Ruin” and “Zombiegeddon.” There will also be six “scare zones” — street performances of sorts on the walkways throughout the theme park, and two live shows.

Fans of Halloween Horror Nights are heralding this year’s announcement as a move back to the roots of the event, when the theme park created original characters and plots for the haunted houses. In the past few years, many haunted houses have been based on characters and plots from horror movies. But this year, there doesn’t seem to be any movie promotion involved.

Halloween Horror Nights runs on 24 select nights between Sept. 24 and Oct. 31. Tickets are $74.99. There are discounts for Florida residents and package deals with area hotels. You can find those details at the event’s official Web site, www.halloweenhorrornights.com.

Since this is at a theme park typically visited by families, I should note here that Halloween Horror Nights is definitely not for kids. Universal Orlando says it is not meant for children under 13.

And now, a word from Fear himself:

SeaWorld Orlando fined $75,000 in whale trainer’s death

by Leigh Caldwell on

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced $75,000 in fines for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

The fines are related to safety violations found during a 6-month investigation at SeaWorld Orlando, following the February death of killer whale trainer Dawn Brancheau.

Brancheau drowned in a tank at SeaWorld after being grabbed and pulled under by a killer whale used in the Shamu shows at the theme park.

SeaWorld has already said it would challenge the findings, releasing a statement to the Orlando Sentinel that denied their validity:

“OSHA’s allegations in this citation are unsupported by any evidence or precedent and reflect a fundamental lack of understanding of the safety requirements associated with marine mammal care,” the statement said.

This morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, Linda Simons, a former SeaWorld health and safety director, accused the company of obstructing OSHA’s investigation. Simons said SeaWorld officials refused to turn over key documents or make certain officials available for interviews with the federal agency.

According to Simons, the documents included details about the aggressive histories of some of the company’s killer whales.

Simons was hired by SeaWorld about two weeks before Brancheau’s death, and fired on April 20. SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment said her comments this morning were “unfounded charges” from a disgruntled employee.