Animal Kingdom's Discovery River Boats Layout

The Discovery River Boats was an attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom. They were diesel powered boats which made a circuit around the Tree of Life. One scene along the route was called "the Dragon's Cave" and was located on the riverbank of Discovery River adjacent to the Beastly Kingdom Bridge. When riverbank sensors detected an oncomming Discovery River Boat, an audio roar and fire stream simulate the approach of a fire breathing dragon just inside riverbank cave structure.

The Discovery Rive Boats opened in 1998 and closed in 1999 due to the number of disappointed guests who did not realize the nature of the attraction. Below is an overhead layout diagram of the original ride. Click on the image for a larger picture.

Check out our other ride layout diagrams.

Click here to see an overhead image of Conservation Station at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

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Cedar Fair's new marketing strategy: Thrills Connect

I'm very impressed by Cedar Fair's new marketing strategy thus far. They have hired a new company using "emotion over promotion." The new slogan is "Thrills Connect" and encourages family to visit the parks together and no movie or video games can replace the physical thrill of amusement park rides. The new president has the company headed in the right direction. Here's a few sample posters which I totally love:

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Nike's Chinese New Year Book Giveaway

First, I want to apologize. This will be my third post in a row now about books. Sorry! Also, it's time for some shameless self-promotion. I recently published my first book, Coasters 101. Well, I am now announcing the release of my second book and first work of fiction entitled Nike's Chinese New Year. It's a funny coming of age story about an engineer's adventures in China taking place over the Chinese New Year holiday.

Now, since this book doesn't really have anything to do with theme parks (though I did manage to through in a couple of references including Hong Kong Disneyland) I've decided to give away a copy for free! How do you enter the giveaway contest? Simply comment below leaving your name, email address, and preference if you'd like the paperback or Kindle eBook edition will give you one entry into the contest. But that's not all! Each time you share this page via Tweet, Facebook, blog post, etc. will grant an additional entry per each share (just make sure you tell me what you did via the comments). The winner will be announced during the Superbowl! Catch a quick preview of the novel here.

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How to design a roller coaster book

If you’re an avid fan of Roller Coaster Tycoon or No Limits coaster simulations then you may really enjoy this new book. Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build a roller coaster? At last, there's a book that shows you. Coasters 101: An Engineering Guide to Roller Coaster Design examines the numerous diverse aspects of roller coaster engineering, including some of the mathematical formulas and engineering concepts used.

This technical guide is the most detailed roller coaster design book to date and will take you through the entire process, from concept to creation. A must read for every enthusiast and aspiring roller coaster engineer!

 I'll be talking about roller coasters on an upcoming episode of the Omgea Tau podcast (science and engineering in your headphones).

Purchase the paperback from Amazon or Create Space eStore.

Purchase the eBook Kindle edition from Amazon.

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Limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality"

This is your last chance to buy this very rare, limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" which is said to be the best book ever done on a Disney theme park! It's a bit pricey at 115 euros (including shipping anywhere in the world) but that is a lot less than the $1200 it was going for on eBay! If you're a true Disney theme park fan then this book is a must have. There are over 700 high quality photographs from all areas and phases of the design of the Disneyland Paris theme park.

Click here to learn how to order.

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Ride Sims Game and Attraction Layouts

A new take on the theme park ride online games is called Ride Sims which puts you in control of all your favorite theme park rides & attractions. Bascially, you are put in the control room of one of nine attractions and must learn to operate the attraction by dispatching the trains in a safe and efficient manner. If you want to work in the amusement park industry this game offers some nice insight into the workings of major thrill ride.

The other neat aspect of this game is all of the attractions are real rides and include and overhead layout diagram of each one. This is great for people like me who are always trying to figure out a ride's layout or blueprint.

Here's the layout for Hong Kong Disney's Space Mountain

Dinosaur Ride Layout

Revenge of the Mummy the Ride Layout

Blackpool's Steeplechase

Try Ride Sims.

Want to learn how to design a roller coaster?

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