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The expansion at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort will include a new 15-story tower that will add 500 rooms, featuring suites and concierge level services. The resort will also refurbish its current resort rooms and transform its landscape with floating gardens and an island oasis that connects the resort through a series of bridges.

The new tower overlooking Lago Dorado, the resort’s centerpiece lake, will allow guests to experience something truly unique, rooftop dining with panoramic views of popular nighttime fireworks from nearby Disney theme parks.

Also during this exciting time, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will be reimagined with new additions to the resort’s current marketplace, Centertown, including new waterfront dining and retail shopping areas. This centralized location will offer the resort’s guests more convenient access to services, amenities and dining.

Source: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/02/confirmed-expansions-caribbean-beach-coronado-springs-resort-hoteis/

Blurry but updated look at Toy Story Land expansion at Shanghai Disneyland:



Source: https://goo.gl/maps/uSeT4vaeos82

News on Europe's First Dueling Alpine Coaster...

During a building site visit at the new attraction in Bellewaerde, the new name of the first Duelling Alpine Coaster in Europe was revealed to the press and amusement park fans. The double European first will receive the name Dawson Duel. A homage to the Canadian Dawson City in Canada and the annual and international dog sled race in which this the city plays an important role. During the spring of 2017, visitors will be able to walk to a height of 25 meters to race against each other in sleds. An investment of 4 million euro has been provided for the development and construction of the attraction.

Source: http://www.bellewaerde.be/en/blog/bellewaerde-reveals-name-first-duelling-alpine-coaster-europe

Plans have recently been announced for a $90 Million waterpark that will be connected to Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

The park ... will be called SoundWaves and will be for hotel guests only. Covering 110,000 square feet indoors and 106,000 square feet outdoors, amenities will include several water slides, rapid and lazy rivers, a "dramatic family ride" and a "thrill ride component," Reed said, along with other features. SoundWaves is tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2018.

Sources: http://www.inparkmagazine.com/ryman-soundwaves/ and http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/01/25/ryman-reveals-new-details-renderings-for-90m-water.html and http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/01/25/rymans-new-water-park-wont-be-open-to-the-public.html and http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/01/18/exclusive-ryman-plots-huge-waterpark-at-opryland.html

The Dubai Wheel under construction at Jumeirah Beach:



Source:
https://twitter.com/CAngenvoort/status/826240366366048256

Amusement parks, cultural centre to feature in new $490m Dubai project
By Staff writer
Tuesday, 10 January 2017 2:54 PM

Plans have been revealed for a AED1.8 billion ($490 million) development in Dubai to feature amusement parks, apartments, shops, restaurants and a cultural centre.

Ento Capital Managment, an investment company licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), said it is geared to reconstruct the Wonder Land project, located on Al Riyadh Street.

Hayssam El Masri, CEO of Ento Capital, said the project is slated to start by the end of March and would take three years to build.

The 2.4 million sq ft project will be executed in phases and will also include two furnished apartment blocks, he said, without giving further details.

He added that Wonder Park is currently in the process of obtaining preliminary approvals from Dubai Municipality.

“The project will be one of the most attractive entertainment destinations in the region, attracting visitors from all over the world and enhancing the status of the emirate on the world’s map of leading entertainment centres,” said El Masri.

He added that the company will enter into a number of partnerships with real estate firms for the project.

SeaWorld San Diego announced plans for a new launched steel roller coaster called "Electric Eel" that will open in 2018. The roller coaster is similar in design to Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The coaster will reach speeds of up to 62 mph and a height of 150 feet making it SeaWorld San Diego's fastest and tallest coaster.

Electric Eel, with its high-intensity thrill component, should help solidify the park’s appeal among teens and young adults, Hannes said. It is meant to be the second phase of the Ocean Explorer attraction, which has a strong educational component and is oriented more to families. It will also feature an eel aquarium.

Ocean Explorer will be located on the southeast side of the park where Animal Connections had been and before that, the old Clydesdale barn and pasture. Both Ocean Explorer and the coaster, which will be where Arctic Plaza now is, will occupy an area west of the Journey to Atlantis ride.

Sources: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-fi-seaworld-coaster-20170103-story.html and http://www.cbs8.com/story/34176875/seaworld-san-diego-introduces-new-thrill-ride-shamu-shows-come-to-an-end and http://attractionsmagazine.com/seaworld-san-diego-announces-electric-eel-roller-coaster-for-2018/

Yesterday (January 8, 2016), SeaWorld San Diego had their final theatrical orca show. The show stadium will now be closed through May 2017 while a new stage is constructed with a more "natural" appearance. The new stage will feature extensive rock work, waterfalls and artificial trees and a large screen called the "Infinity Screen" that will extend across the stage displaying information that corresponds to the new educational presentation that will replace the theatrical shows. Construction of the new Orca Encounter stage began today with crane set-up.




Sources: https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2016/11/f20c-11-2016.pdf and https://seaworldparks.com/en/howloscream-sanantonio/sitecore/content/parks/seaworld_sandiego/home/attractions/shows/orca-encounter and https://seaworldcares.com/en/future/educational-encounters and http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seaworld-entertainment-unveils-major-new-attractions-for-2017-300334515.html

New Nickelodeon Resort in China broke ground this week.

Viacom broke ground Wednesday on the Nickelodeon Cultural Resort in the southern city of Foshan.
The Nickelodeon theme park is part of a broader development scheme called the Foshan Cultural and Ecological Coastal Project. The $1.71 billion (11.9 billion RMB) development covers an area of about 750 acres, with 250 set acres set aside for Nickelodeon-themed attractions. It is expected to open in 2020.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-breaks-ground-first-nickelodeon-resort-china-960677

Ferrari world update here https://travellerczech.com/2017/01/05/ferrari-world-vortex-coaster-construction-and-more/