Busch's Howl O Scream; Universal's Horror Nights; Helsinki; St. Regis Monarch Beach
Halloween is becoming big business for theme parks and we have photo reports from two such Halloween events this week. SummerInFL brings us photos from Howl O Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Then we visit Universal Studios Hollywood with MiceChatter Coaster Matt and get a look at their Halloween Horror Nights event.
We continue our Beautiful Baltic adventure with Ian Parkinson and Richard Williams this week. Our destination is Helsinki, Finland.
Did you ever wonder what a weekend of pampering might be like at one of those tony SoCal beach resorts? CaptPhoebus shares his luxury weekend at the St. Regis Monarch Beach with us in a very unique photo essay.
We wind up this week's Weekend Update with some fun images of vintage Halloween postcard images.
Thanks for visiting the Weekend Update!
Howl O Scream
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
SummerInFL braved the zombies and monsters to file this report on Busch Gardens Tampa Bay "Howl O Scream".
Every year we try and attend Howl O Scream at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL and this year was no exception. This years theme was of course "vampires".
The story behind this year's theme is a woman named Ms. Vayne who uses her job as a fashion designer as a means to eat her audience at fashion shows.
Ms. Vayne
After the blood starts flying...
They have a new house based on a sorority house gone wrong, its called DeD. Cute huh?
I thought I would pledge, it went well I think!
One of the many scare zones.
This one was themed after werewolves.
"The Messengers return to claim another 13 victims. This year they are out to feast on human flesh."
"Evil pollutes the walls of a house that can let go of its horrible history."
You can also get your photo taken with the vampires as well, it was the end of the night and I was not in the picture taking mood but they were happy to accommodate a photo.
We managed to hit all 7 houses and got home and into bed around 1:30 a.m. If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area this time of year I highly recommend this event, that is, if you have the courage for it.
Halloween Horror Nights
Universal Studios Hollywood
MiceChatter CoasterMatt made multiple trips to Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights this year and shares these photos with the Weekend Update.
Halloween Horror Nights is renowned for its elaborate stage shows:
Bill & Ted Party On!!!!: The Wyld Stallyns of time travel – Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan – return in an all-new parody show ripped from today’s headlines. Join Bill and Ted as they skewer a who’s who of infamous guest stars in this most excellent musical comedy you’ll want to see time and time…and time again!
Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute: Dammit, Janet…Let’s Do The Time Warp…Again!!! Wonderfully weird. Fabulously freaky. A cult phenomenon! And now, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights pays tribute to the mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Riff-Raff, Brad, Janet and all your other favorite Transylvanians in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute! Singing and dancing in outrageous costumes, live performers bring the unforgettable musical mayhem of the classic horror spoof to life on-stage while scenes from the original movie play on giant projection screens.
And here are some random photos from this special event:
Lest anyone think that this is a relatively tame event, you should know that I edited out most of the more gruesome photos (think blood).
Looking for up-to-date reports from Disneyland
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
Visit these MiceChat columns each week:
Andy Castro's Dateline Disneyland
David DarkBeer Michael's In the Parks
Helsinki, Finland
We're coming to the end of our Beautiful Baltic adventure. We have just a few stops left. This week we visit Helsinki, Finland.
We're coming to the end of our Beautiful Baltic adventure. We have just a few stops left. This week we visit Helsinki, Finland.
Quote:
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 579,016, making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin.
Helsinki, along with the neighbouring cities of Vantaa (Vanda), Espoo (Esbo), and Kauniainen (Grankulla), constitutes what is known as the capital region, with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. The Greater Helsinki area contains 12 municipalities and has a population of over 1,300,000.
Helsinki is Finland's capital for business, education, research, culture, and government. Greater Helsinki has eight universities and six technology parks. Some 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The immigration of rural residents has made it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe.
Helsinki, along with the neighbouring cities of Vantaa (Vanda), Espoo (Esbo), and Kauniainen (Grankulla), constitutes what is known as the capital region, with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. The Greater Helsinki area contains 12 municipalities and has a population of over 1,300,000.
Helsinki is Finland's capital for business, education, research, culture, and government. Greater Helsinki has eight universities and six technology parks. Some 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The immigration of rural residents has made it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe.
St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort
Orange County, California
CaptPhoebus allows us to join him on a luxurious weekend at the St. Regis Resort.
This week, I'm taking a little break from the usual theme park and unique attractions reporting to bring you a more relaxing type of article. Located only 26 miles away from Disneyland Resort, the St. Regis Monarch Beach is a hidden oasis in the suburban jungle that is Orange County. Here are a few pics I took at a recent visit to this lavish resort, which don't even begin to show justice to this resort, in terms of style and service.
Quote:
Monarch Beach is an Orange Coast community in Orange County, California located within Dana Point. Its distinction is the St. Regis and the Ritz Carlton-Laguna Niguel which are beachside resorts located within the town of Monarch Beach. It consists of many residences, but is also a tourist attraction for the rich and famous travelers.
Monarch Beach is named after its most prominent Geological feature "Monarch Bay" aptly named as its rolling hiils of Sagebrush and Manzanita were once a breeding ground for the Monarch Butterfly. The Butterflies are no longer seen there in the once large masses as their habitat has been replaced by a largely urban landscape.
Monarch beach was also the location of the famed Nixon Interviews.
Monarch Beach is named after its most prominent Geological feature "Monarch Bay" aptly named as its rolling hiils of Sagebrush and Manzanita were once a breeding ground for the Monarch Butterfly. The Butterflies are no longer seen there in the once large masses as their habitat has been replaced by a largely urban landscape.
Monarch beach was also the location of the famed Nixon Interviews.
Quote:
Captivating by nature, The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort stands along the pristine shores of the majestic Pacific Ocean. Experience the only California resort crowned with the Mobil Five-Star, Five-Diamond Award. This award-winning coastal retreat features an 18-hole golf course, 30,000-square foot Spa Gaucin and six ocean-view restaurants including celebrated chef Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern. The address is the experience. The destination is beyond expectation.
Fountain at Entrance
Porte-Cochere
Lobby and Lounge Area
Grand Staircase
Walking around the Resort
View from the Sunset Terrace
Resort at Night
Botanical Gardens
Room Amenities
View from one of the Rooms
Private Beach
[CENTER]
And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
CaptPhoebus
Ian Parkinson and Richard Williams
BigPigletFan
Abominable Snowman
Fishbulb
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
Special thanks to guest photographer CoasterMatt.
Your Editor - Rixter
Where have YOU been recently? We invite you to share your photos of theme parks or any other destination that may be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to contact me via MiceChat Private Message (screen name Rixter)
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Total Comments 17
Comments
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Yummy some of the men at Hallo Scream are hot!Posted 10-24-2009 at 05:21 AM by TravisMT81
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Like the great Smokie Robinson, "I second that emotion!"Posted 10-24-2009 at 07:28 AM by Disneyaholik -
Great stuff this weekend!!! Can't wait to see Halloween Horror Nights for myself on Wednesday.Posted 10-24-2009 at 09:09 AM by sir clinksalot - Hmmmm...MiceChat, a different look at DISNEY. Um okay.Posted 10-24-2009 at 10:43 AM by Imousineer
- Wow. Looks like a few impressive shows have made their way into Universal. Very cool.Posted 10-24-2009 at 11:51 AM by DVkid07
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I'm baffled at this comment. It would take a reasonably intelligent person about thirty seconds to see that MiceChat appeals to the Disney fan that also has other interests. Let's take a quick look at some of our discussion forums, shall we?Quote:Originally Posted by Imousineer
Hmmmm...MiceChat, a different look at DISNEY. Um okay.
Other Theme Parks and Destinations (69 Viewing)
Entertainment Lounge (45 Viewing)
Digital Gaming (30 Viewing)
Sports Zone (23 Viewing)
Espresso Lounge (3 Viewing)
Debate Lounge (3 Viewing)
The Weekend Update features interesting photo reports from around the U.S. and the world. Sometimes we have Disney parks, sometimes we don't. I am particularly proud of our coverage of Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland that is brought to us by TDLFAN. You won't find that anywhere else on the internet.
MiceAge features Disney content five days a week. One day a week we give ourselves permission to see what else is going on in the world. We have as many as 10,000 readers who seem to enjoy what we do here at the Weekend Update.
Perhaps a member with three posts might want to take a little more time to get familiar with what MiceAge/MiceChat is all about.Posted 10-24-2009 at 12:01 PM by Rixter -
The nighttime shows at Universal Studios Hollywood look cool. Much better looking than that lame Creature From The Black Lagoon show they had this past Summer. BTW, is that Creature show still running during the parks regular operating hours? Is it gone completely?Posted 10-24-2009 at 01:41 PM by Crazee4mm -
I loved all the pictures this weekend, the Baltic series is quickly becoming a favorite. I am a tad upset that I was not the one that spent time with a certain guy at the St. Regis Monarch, he knows I am so worth it
Posted 10-24-2009 at 04:01 PM by pratt55 -
Glad you like the Baltic.Quote:Originally Posted by pratt55 I loved all the pictures this weekend, the Baltic series is quickly becoming a favorite. I am a tad upset that I was not the one that spent time with a certain guy at the St. Regis Monarch, he knows I am so worth it
IanPosted 10-24-2009 at 05:13 PM by Ian P -
You beat me to it Travis.. Yes, Yum Yum.. maybe I will give this a try next year.Quote:Originally Posted by TravisMT81 Yummy some of the men at Hallo Scream are hot!Posted 10-24-2009 at 08:48 PM by TDLFAN - Hi Rixter,Quote:Originally Posted by Rixter I'm baffled at this comment. It would take a reasonably intelligent person about thirty seconds to see that MiceChat appeals to the Disney fan that also has other interests. Let's take a quick look at some of our discussion forums, shall we?
Other Theme Parks and Destinations (69 Viewing)
Entertainment Lounge (45 Viewing)
Digital Gaming (30 Viewing)
Sports Zone (23 Viewing)
Espresso Lounge (3 Viewing)
Debate Lounge (3 Viewing)
The Weekend Update features interesting photo reports from around the U.S. and the world. Sometimes we have Disney parks, sometimes we don't. I am particularly proud of our coverage of Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland that is brought to us by TDLFAN. You won't find that anywhere else on the internet.
MiceAge features Disney content five days a week. One day a week we give ourselves permission to see what else is going on in the world. We have as many as 10,000 readers who seem to enjoy what we do here at the Weekend Update.
Perhaps a member with three posts might want to take a little more time to get familiar with what MiceAge/MiceChat is all about.
Thank you for making my point. As you pointed out in your post, Non-Disney interests are well represented; in their own forums. The (generalized) mission statement of the site is to take a look at Disney from a different prospective, whether Disney approves or not with the content.
I have no problem with non-Disney subjects being represented, however, the last few months have seen a steady decline in content that is Disney related while the non-Disney content has taken center stage with a few of the contributors(Miceage articles). I as a member, I feel that I have the right to voice my opinion about such issues, and that was exactly what I was doing with my post.
I am really disheartened by your seeming personal attack on my intelligence. I’ve read many of your previous posts, and you don’t seem like the type to stoop to that level. I’ll chalk it up to an emotional response gone awry.
I think you should consider more than post count when feeding your elitist view of who knows what about the site and how long they’ve been here. Yes, I have only 3 posts under this name and I’ve only been a member for a year or so. However; you fail to consider that I had another name previous to this one and that I lurked for quite a while before that. There is also the little fact that I support the site, by spending money with the sponsors. Something your post count can’t comprehend.
By the way TDLR and HKDL are both Disney related, so I don’t get where you were going with that.
Have a nice day,
ImousineerPosted 10-25-2009 at 10:49 AM by Imousineer - As a MiceAge Columnist I have to say that it is really up to the editorial staff to decide the content of the site. This thread is actually a MiceChat forum post that happens to have been linked to the main MiceAge site, it happens once a week.Quote:Originally Posted by Imousineer Hi Rixter,
Thank you for making my point. As you pointed out in your post, Non-Disney interests are well represented; in their own forums. The (generalized) mission statement of the site is to take a look at Disney from a different prospective, whether Disney approves or not with the content.
I have no problem with non-Disney subjects being represented, however, the last few months have seen a steady decline in content that is Disney related while the non-Disney content has taken center stage with a few of the contributors(Miceage articles). I as a member, I feel that I have the right to voice my opinion about such issues, and that was exactly what I was doing with my post.
I am really disheartened by your seeming personal attack on my intelligence. I’ve read many of your previous posts, and you don’t seem like the type to stoop to that level. I’ll chalk it up to an emotional response gone awry.
I think you should consider more than post count when feeding your elitist view of who knows what about the site and how long they’ve been here. Yes, I have only 3 posts under this name and I’ve only been a member for a year or so. However; you fail to consider that I had another name previous to this one and that I lurked for quite a while before that. There is also the little fact that I support the site, by spending money with the sponsors. Something your post count can’t comprehend.
By the way TDLR and HKDL are both Disney related, so I don’t get where you were going with that.
Have a nice day,
Imousineer
Contrary to your claim, all of the MiceAge stories from Al, Kevin, Werner, Steve, Sue, Andy and Dave are Disney related. In fact the only times that we go 'off topic' is in the Weekend update, which is very popular. Once a week we have some non Disney content. The content of the weekly update also depends on what is submitted by our contributors. I for one have not been able to visit a Disney park for a while, but I did think that people might be interested in my other vacations. Perhaps I should not bother, what do you think? On the other hand feel free to contribute your photos and effort if you want more Disney content in the Weekend Update.
You also have to remember that the writers at MiceAge do not get paid for their work, we provide our time and effort to provide you with content for free.
You get a fantastic free service from MiceAge, but at times I do question why on earth we do it.
You owe Rixster (the person who spends his time producing the Weekend Updates for you) an apology. Perhaps you should just take from the site during the week and leave it to others for the Weekend Update.
IanPosted 10-25-2009 at 04:22 PM by Ian P -
Great update! While looking at that fashion show at the beginning, I was thinking Bruno should've crashed it, with a velcro suit.
Then Kevin Bacon popped into my head when I saw the sorority picture, "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
Posted 10-25-2009 at 04:42 PM by Barbossa 
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Great report!Posted 10-26-2009 at 11:58 AM by WheresMickey -
Fantastic Weekend Update!!! The Halloween haunts both looked great. I'm surprised that Busch puts on such a sexy and high quality show. I'll have to make a point of visiting next year (too late for me to make plans for this year).
Great job everyone!
-DustyPosted 10-26-2009 at 12:02 PM by Dustysage -
I love the Weekend Update! Does anyone know what that style of Halloween postcards is called? I've seen it at Big Thunder Ranch also, I just love it!Posted 10-26-2009 at 02:04 PM by seenoevil - I believe it's victorian in nature as I found some examples here and they look close to that Norman Rockwell Cards from NostalgiaPosted 10-26-2009 at 09:42 PM by DextersLab
