Tom and Josh couldn't resist getting back together behind some microphones (and, regrettably, in front of a camera) to talk about Universal's UK theme park project.

Fresh off an impromptu trip to Universal Orlando, Tom drags Josh back to the microphones to record a Park Rush podcast episode.... remember those?

Tom's mum has got a taste for podcasting and is back for more, this time with debutant Fleabag/Becky in tow to talk about our trip to Animal Kingdom.

Tom is still living the good life in Florida but Josh is back from his Cornwall trip and this time he's brought family! No not Vin Diesel, but something better... His mum! Join them as they cover Flambards Theme Park, Culdrose Manor Villa, and a local eatery called Book Koos!

Links to everything discussed:

• Flambards Experience
• Culdrose Manor Villa
• Boo Koos
• Queens Arms
• Helston
• Porthleven
• St Ives

If you want to contact us about anything at all (corrections, info, sponsorship ;P) you can hit us up on:

Twitter @ParkRushPodcast 

Email: Podcast@ParkRush.com

Youtube

When Tom and Josh are away, Jon Self and Xavier Hamilton of Universal Food Blog come out to play! There's unprecedented levels of insight and knowledge about theme parks on this week's episode, as two people who actually visit such places on a regular basis take the reins from us lousy Brits.

You can find out more about Universal Food Blog at uogrubhub.com.

Note - Jon makes a few references to a news segment at the end of the show, which - due to some audio quality issues - never arrives! It's a good show regardless, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

On this week's show, the last before Tom heads to Florida, we discuss the new Frozen land coming to Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, an opening date for Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, and more!

A major development/another setback in the long history of The London Resort this week, as the developers dramatically withdraw their plans. While they've vowed to return once again, can we take their optimism at all seriously at this stage? Join us for a deep dive discussion on the fate of the project.

Plus, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has upped his war of words with Disney, Hyperspace Mountain is returning to Anaheim, and Universal has shown off its residential project near Epic Universe.

Read KentOnline's coverage of this week's London Resort news - https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/london-resort-theme-park-plans-withdrawn-264685/.

And Vanity Fair's article on what DeSantis' threat to Disney actually means - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/04/ron-desantis-threatens-disney-over-dont-say-gay-law-criticism.

On the theme park news agenda this week is a multi-year period of TLC for Disney Village in Paris, Sony and Merlin teaming up to bring Jumanji to theme parks worldwide, an opening date for Mario and friends in Hollywood, and more!

Florida's 'Don't Say Gay Bill' has become headline news around the world, and Disney has found itself in the firing line of those standing up for the rights of LGBTQ+ people across the state and beyond. To try and do this serious topic justice, this week's Park Rush podcast is rather different to normal. We're honoured to be joined by Representative Anna Eskamani, who talks us through the bill, why it's such an issue, and what exactly it's got to do with Disney. Thanks to Rep. Eskamani (@AnnaForFlorida) and Lauren Cooper (@_lcoops) for their help with the show! Follow them and the #DisneyDoBetter hashtag on social media to keep up with the campaign and show your support for those affected by this bill. You can also visit whereischapek.com. We'd love feedback on this week's episode - tweet us @ParkRushPodcast or email podcast@parkrush.com. For more on the Don't Say Gay Bill, we recommend any good and trusted news source. For a good broad overview, this BBC article is a good place to start - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60576847.

We're delighted to welcome back CinemaBlend's Stephen Libbey this week! He joins us to discuss his time on board the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World and how he found the whole experience, from the activities and characters to the food, lounge and rooms.

This one was a long time in the edit suite owing to some technical gremlins during the recording, so please tweet us @ParkRushPodcast to let us know how everything sounded.

You can read Stephen's write-up on the Galactic Starcruiser here - https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/galactic-starcruiser-preview-disney-worlds-star-wars-hotel-is-a-one-of-a-kind-experience.

And his supplementary article on the major things you need to know about the experience is here - https://www.cinemablend.com/star-wars/6-things-to-know-before-visiting-disney-worlds-star-wars-galactic-starcruiser.

Another week brings more bad news for The London Resort, as the BBC and ITV confirm that they're no longer part of the project in any capacity. But on the plus side, the UK theme park season is just a few weeks away and Alton Towers has confirmed it'll have some new attractions for the kids! Plus, Ice Breaker is getting some good reviews at SeaWorld Orlando and we get a fresh look at Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Tom returns from Porto with tales of marginally tangential theme park things, like a boat ride at the end of a museum and a chocolate factory he can't remember the name of. Eventually there's some actual bonafide theme park discussion, as first reviews are in for the Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World; we get a date for the new Haunted Mansion film; and more!

No Tom as he is off galivanting in Porto, so this week's episode is hosted and edited by Josh (apologies). He is not alone however, as we have the always insightful Jon Self back on the show to talk about 'Storyliving By Disney', USO Mardi Gras and Jon's upcoming work trip to the Dockside Inn & Suites. 

Here is a list of some of the articles we cover this week:

• Storyliving By Disney
• Golden Oaks
• Opening Night Mardi Gras Parade
• Ube Ice Cream Bubble Waffle
• Mardi Gras Vegan Samosas
• Pizza Fries at Mardi Gras
• Universal Food Blog
• Dockside Inn and Suites

If you want to contact us about anything at all (corrections, info, sponsorship ;P) you can hit us up on:

• Twitter @ParkRushPodcast
• Email: Podcast@ParkRush.com

Tom and his mum return to talk through our family's second night at Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando.

This part covers another five houses, three of the scare zones, and the live dance show!

There is some actual theme park conversation on this week's episode, honest, but not before we talk about the NFL and hot dogs. Once that's outta our system we talk about the seemingly runaway success of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, Universal Orlando ditching face masks, impressions of Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens, and more!

This week brings the familiar sight of bad news for The London Resort, as long-in-limbo proposals for the UK's next major theme park are dealt what could be a fatal blow. There's also a pretty unwelcome announcement so far as Efteling's concerned, but reason to smile for anyone who still cares about Game Of Thrones (there are dozens, dozens of them!). All that and some doughnut chat is just a click away.

Lots of exciting dates to look forward to on this week's show as Universal double down on plans for Epic Universe, Magic Kingdom announces the return of its marquee parade, and more! Elsewhere, Efteling has reopened in The Netherlands and we've got new details about what to expect from Disneyland Paris' 30th anniversary celebrations.

Excitement is building for a trifecta of new Busch/SeaWorld coasters as we get opening dates and/or hot new details for Emperor in San Diego, Iron Gwazi in Tampa, and Ice Breaker in Orlando! Plus, there's a couple of additions coming to Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios; construction updates from Epcot and Universal Studios Florida; our first look at the ride vehicle for Gardaland's upcoming Jumanji ride, and more!

Nothing says it's a new year like Tom rebooking his 2020 Florida trip once again, so fingers crossed there are no nasty surprises so far as coronavirus is concerned between now and spring. Also on this week's show there are more familiar problems for The London Resort, a couple of new rollercoasters in Dubai, an opening date for SeaWorld Orlando's next ride, some interesting new tech patents for Disney parks, and more!

This week, our podcasting time was taken up by guesting on It's Quite Interesting, To Be Fair. But don't worry, we didn't leave without talking about theme parks. Check out the official show notes below and look out for a regularly scheduled Park Rush next week!

It's twenty-twenty-twooooo! The podcast is back after a year out to chat about our favourite games, movies and tech from the year gone by. Regulars Josh and Abi join us alongside new kid Tom to teach us about rollercoasters and get excited with us for all that 2022 has in store!

Happy New Year! The Park Rush podcast has been on a well deserved (we think) extended holiday break, and as such there's no proper episode this week. However, keep your eyes peeled for a special co-op episode with our friends at It's Quite Interesting, To Be Fair, which will be hitting our podcast feed in just a few days.

We'll be back with our first proper episode of 2022 next Monday!

A quick Christmas message from Tom and Josh, as we wish you a happy festive season.

COVID is back, baby! We've got all the latest on how this winter's hottest coronavirus variant is impacting the theme park industry, with one major closure announced just in time for Christmas. There's also our first proper look at Bush Gardens Williamsburg's new coaster, a Jumanji dark ride coming to Italy's Gardaland, changes to Disney Genie+ and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and more!

There are some distressing rumours about Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida to sink our teeth into this week, plus some far more exciting ones about rides at SeaWorld and Thorpe Park. We also discuss two theme park-adjacent attractions coming to the UK in early 2022, one for Game of Thrones fans and one inspired by the Tomb Raider games.

Tom is joined by his mum to talk through our family's first ever Halloween Horror Nights experience.

This episode covers the booking process, arrival tips, five of this year's houses, two scare zones, Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, merchandise, and some of the food!

This week's show includes talk of a new ride for Thorpe Park, a corporate shake-ups at Disney, a VelociCoaster documentary, and more!

Destination D23 gives us plenty of Disney headlines to sink our teeth into this week; from opening dates for Avengers Campus in Paris and Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, to a refresh for California's Downtown Disney and a look at the 'real lightsaber' coming to Disney World's Galactic Starcruiser.

Josh temporarily withdraws his request to resign from the Park Rush podcast to discuss Magic Kingdom in Minecraft, a Toontown refurb, a Supercharged admission from Universal, Ubisoft's foray into theme parks, and more!

Tom battles through the ill-effects of his COVID booster shot to join Josh, himself revelling in the unlikely glory of a Sunday League football win, to discuss the return of British tourists to Florida; early uptake of Disney Genie+ and the company's wider financial results; a disappointing development for The London Resort; the release of Jurassic World Evolution 2; and more!

The Eternals have arrived at Avengers Campus, where the virtual queue system has disappeared from the Spider-Man ride. Elsewhere, there are changes to the mask rules at Disney World, an update on The London Resort, a closure at Drayton Manor, and much more besides on this week's episode of the Park Rush podcast.

Happy Halloween! To celebrate, we've delivered a day early this time. It's been a slow news week, so Josh is here to introduce our new upcoming YouTube series - which debuts on Thursday November 4th! As it's Halloween, let's then throw it back to our 2019 theme park film review of The Haunted Mansion. It's better than the film itself, honest.

We talk about a rough first week for Disney World's new Genie service and what needs to be done to improve it as the 50th anniversary rolls on, and then get into the end of Universal's Fear Factor Live and what kind of Harry Potter shenanigans might arrive in its place. There's also talk of a few new Disney+ releases that should entice theme park fans, a new Lego ride, and much more!

The second new theme park film review of the year comes thanks to Muppets Haunted Mansion, which has hit Disney+ just in time for Halloween. Do Kermit and company manage to do justice to the classic ride (and, more importantly, the misunderstood masterpiece that was the 2003 Eddie Murphy film of the same name), or would Statler and Waldorf be justified in condemning this film to the grave?

You might notice a slightly different sound to the audio quality this week - that's because we recorded on Skype to accommodate special guest Jon Self! Long-time friend of the show, Jon joins us for a packed line-up of news including Shrek 4D departing Universal Studios Florida, an extensive refurb for Revenge Of The Mummy, more 50th anniversary developments at Disney World, and more! Jon also guides us through every maze at Halloween Horror Nights this year, having got to experience them all on a special tour.

We dig into the archive this week as technical gremlins robbed us off the real Episode 154, and bring you a classic from 2019: our theme park film review of Disney's The Country Bears.

Tom is back from three weeks of Florida theme parking and offers some of his main takeaways from Epcot, Universal, Islands of Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios before we dive into a run of trip report episodes over the coming months. We also chat about a big announcement for UK theme park fans!

Josh is a single rider this week as he takes you on an exhaustive tour of Drayton Manor after his recent trip, clueing you in on everything from the rides to the food.

On this week's show, we discuss the scrapping of boarding passes on Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios; the planned return of the Finding Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom; SeaWorld San Diego's upcoming Sesame Street land; the possibility of vaccine passports being required at theme parks; and we make fun of the naming scheme at Epcot's Space 220 restaurant.

Apologies for the dicey audio on Tom's end this week - a technical glitch, it would seem.

Tom reports back from his trip to Bath and has disappointing news when it comes to the city's theme park prospects. Elsewhere, there's anniversary celebrations on the way at Disneyland Paris; flooding at Epcot; rumours about Aerosmith's future aboard the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster; and much more!

There are more confusingly-named Disney ticketing initiatives to talk about this week, from Florida to California and potentially even Tokyo. Plus, Epcot's new Space 220 restaurant is almost here and so is Universal Studios Beijing! We discuss all that and much more, including - yes, really - Percy the Park Keeper, The Magic Key, and Kipper.

It's a busy week of news as we talk about our first look at the new Jurassic World ride at Universal Studios Beijing, rumours of a Legend of Zelda addition at Islands of Adventure, Ubisoft entering the theme park business, two upcoming theme park video games, and more! Plus there's some excellent ice cream discussion and a startling revelation about the lifespan of the Park Rush podcast itself.

Tom and Josh sink their teeth into the abundance of news about - and reaction to - Disney Genie and what it means for trips to Disney's US theme parks moving forward. Will it really mean less time queuing? Are the prices reasonable? Can you talk to it like Siri? And why does everything have to be named like a streaming service now?

From the Black Widow lawsuit to the introduction of Premier Access at Disneyland Paris, this week sees plenty of discussion about Disney's recent PR own goals and what they say about the trajectory of the company under former theme parks honcho Bob Chapek. We also talk about some exciting new rides opening at two of Germany's most popular theme parks, and much more. And once again, there are some slight oddities going on here with Tom's audio, which we believe to be a result of the new recording setup in the studio. We are hoping things will be back to normal next week.

It's back! After something like two years, our theme park film review series returns thanks to the release of Jungle Cruise. Spoilers ahoy as we dive deep into the story and give our thoughts on Disney's latest bid to bring one of their most famous attractions to the big screen (and the small one for most of us, it turns out). Apologies for the slightly 'off' audio with Tom's microphone, as we're not completely sure it was connected properly. We're still getting used to being back in the studio!

There's a big fix of theme park movie shenanigans this week as Jungle Cruise has hit cinemas and Disney+, there's casting news for a remake of The Haunted Mansion, and a Scarlett Johansson lawsuit that threatens the future of a planned Tower Of Terror movie. Elsewhere, face masks are back at Disneyland and Disney World as COVID makes a comeback, Epcot's Imagineers really want us to like their Harmonious nighttime show, we've watched more Behind The Attraction, and more!

Tom and Josh give their immediate thoughts on Jungle Cruise while driving home from the cinema in this special bonus episode! We'll have a normal episode recorded pre-film on Monday, and a full Jungle Cruise spoilercast next week. Don't ever say we don't spoil you.

We continue to celebrate the five year anniversary of Park Rush all month long and this week we're releasing cold cuts to the masses! Cold Cuts was a short-running series over on our now defunct Patreon where you got behind the scenes snippets into our theme park-addled brains - now it’s all wrapped up into one episode for you all to hear (we apologise)! Tom is back from his theme park travels next week so normal service will resume then!

Behind The Attraction's finally debuted on Disney+, giving Tom and Josh plenty of delicious theme park trivia and history to get their teeth into after being starved of such programming since The Imagineering Story. There's also word of a neat looking Harry Potter Halloween experience coming to good old Blighty, the return of Disney cruises to Florida, more dessert chat, Space Jam excitement, and more!

Tom's been pinged by the NHS COVID-19 app and is isolating, meaning that we are once again recording remotely and so our long-awaited studio return was tragically short-lived. On the 'plus side', we somehow manage to make a slow week of theme park news into an hour-plus podcast episode thanks to random wittering about coronavirus rules, Space Jam, sundaes, Emma Stone, and ticket prices.

Little did Tom and Josh know at the time of recording that heartbreak awaited them and England by time time this episode aired, but don't let that stop you enjoying a fine discussion on the week's biggest theme park headlines. Among the stories on the agenda are Disneyland Paris' new Premier Access ride ticketing system, Epcot's upcoming food festival, Harry Potter going VR, and much more!