Built by Zamperla, The Coney Island Top Drop will stand almost 15 metres in height, making it visible from the famous St Kilda beach.

The Rock ‘n’ Tug — a more family-friendly attraction — will simulate the rocking, dipping and twirling fun of a tugboat in rough seas.

The Coney Island Top Drop is slated to open in January, while the Rock ‘n’ Tug will open on 18 December.

Photo: Luna Park Melbourne

While no official announcement has been made, Sea World’s maintenance page states that the ride is closed while the park continues to “develop new and exciting attractions”.

The Bermuda Triangle, in its current form, has been operating since 1994. However, the ride system itself originally debuted in 1988 under the name of Lassiter’s Lost Mine.

Photo: Sea World

The line-up, dubbed the “Summer FUNomenon”, will include two shows themed around The Wiggles, a magic show, sheep shearing demonstrations and a new 3-D movie titled SpongeBob 3-D.

The park’s mascots, Goldie the Clown and Kenny Koala, will both star in their own shows.

Summer FUNomenon will run from 27 December to 21 January and all shows are included in the price of admission.

Photo: Dreamworld

The photos reveal that supports for the station, break run, transfer track and various other areas have been erected.

However, many of the footers are still to be laid along the coaster’s 1,350-metre course.

Photo: Busch Gardens Tampa

Source: RCPro

The book is split up into seven chapters: Planning Your Escape, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, CityWalk, The Resort Hotels, Staying Near the Parks and Universal Dining at a Glace.

The entire resort is covered in great depth, with every ride, attraction, shop and restaurant listed.

Each listing is accompanied with a comprehensive description, as well as numerous tips, “secrets” and photos.

In addition, the guide covers the three on-site resorts and nearby hotels, with their prices, facilities and contact details listed.

This is the type of book that you would purchase if you were aiming to squeeze as much as possible out of your experience at the resort. If you are stopping by for a couple of hours, or are already familiar with the resort, then this book is not a “must have”, albeit still quite handy.

“Universal Orlando 2011″ can be purchased at various major bookstores across the United States as well as through The Intrepid Traveler website.

Photo: Islands of Adventure

Revenue from the two parks rose to $28.41 million in the last quarter, showing an increase of 15.6 per cent.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or enterprise multiple) surged 14.7 per cent to $10.76 million.

Operating margins before property costs also improved, dropping to 39.8 per cent in the last quarter.

“The theme park division has performed well in the first quarter following the successful ‘Winter Wonderland’ promotion during the July school holidays and the Tower of Terror II launch during the September school holiday period”, Greg Shaw, Group Executive Officer for Ardent Leisure, said.

Photo: Dreamworld

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will be home to the world’s fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa, as well as a log flume, 4-D movie theatre, 62-metre-tall Spaceshot and two “racing” roller coasters.

Ticket prices will range from AED 165 to AED 225, with premium tickets tipped to cost as much as AED 375.

Premium ticket holders will receive front-of-line privileges to the park’s rides, shows and attractions, as well as access to an exclusive lounge and a range of other benefits.

Photo: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

The park’s main addition for 2011, an Intamin AG ZacSpin dubbed the Green Lantern, will tower more than 30 metres off the ground.

The Green Lantern will feature a unique-to-America vertical zigzag design, sending riders flying through 251 metres of twisted track.

Superman: The Escape will reopen next year under the name of Superman: The Escape from Krypton.

The ride’s vehicles will be replaced with two reversed cars from Intamin and its 126-metre-tall tower will also be repainted.

Mr Six’s Dance Coaster, which was originally planned to open this year, is slated to open next year.

Photo: Six Flags Magic Mountain

Discovery Cove in Orlando is slated to open The Grand Reef, a one-hectare tropical environment filled with over 10,000 animals from 125 various species.

The new reef will feature marine encounters such as snorkeling, swimming, SeaVenture (an underwater walking tour), beaches and private cabanas.

“The Grand Reef takes Discovery Cove’s world-class animal encounters to an all new level”, Discovery Cove Vice-President Stewart Clark said.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will open Cheetah Run, a new area of the park that will “combine thrills with immersive animal encounters”.

The focal point of the new section will be Cheetah Hunt, a roller coaster that will launch guests at speeds of up to 96 kilometers per hour.

The three-and-a-half-minute ride will also include a 39-meter drop, over-banked turns, parabolas as well as a heartline roll inversion.

Photo: Discovery Cove

The 2010 operating season was also the fifth year in a row that attendance peaked above one million.

Park President Dan Koch attributes the park’s ongoing success to the company’s free soft drink program, focus on friendliness and cleanliness, as well as Splashin’ Safari’s newest addition, Wildebeest.

Holiday World is scheduled to reopen on 7 May 2011.

Photo: Splashin’ Safari