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Universal Just Patented a Water Ride Boat That Steers Itself, and Three Claims Would Hand the Controls to the Rider Universal Orlando

Universal Just Patented a Water Ride Boat That Steers Itself, and Three Claims Would Hand the Controls to the Rider

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Universal City Studios a patent Tuesday for a water ride vehicle that carries its own propulsion, using two independently adjustable surfaces dipped into a moving channel of water to accelerate, slow down and steer. Three separate claims cover handing that control to the passenger. The patent names no ride, no park and no character, so the Creature from the Black Lagoon chatter is exactly that.

August 5, 2026 News
SeaWorld's Parent Company Drew 179,000 Fewer Guest Visits Last Quarter, and Its Halloween Bet Is a Slasher Movie Haunted House SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld's Parent Company Drew 179,000 Fewer Guest Visits Last Quarter, and Its Halloween Bet Is a Slasher Movie Haunted House

United Parks & Resorts reported second quarter attendance of 6.1 million on Tuesday, down 2.9 percent, with revenue off 1.4 percent to $483.3 million and net income down 21 percent. CEO Marc Swanson pointed to two bright spots: Discovery Cove advance booking revenue up double digits, and early Howl-O-Scream ticket sales pacing ahead of last year, with a new Sony Pictures horror deal joining the event this fall.

August 4, 2026 News
A Crane Was Still Lifting a Beam Into the Tropical Americas Entrance Arch on Monday Morning, and New Steel Went Up at the Encanto Casita Site Disney World

A Crane Was Still Lifting a Beam Into the Tropical Americas Entrance Arch on Monday Morning, and New Steel Went Up at the Encanto Casita Site

Blog Mickey caught the Pueblo Esperanza entrance frame mid-build at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Monday, with one steel beam still suspended from the crane hook as crews maneuvered it into place. Elsewhere on the site, fresh steel columns now stand on a poured concrete wall near the green Encanto show building, and Blog Mickey believes they are the start of Casa Madrigal itself. Tropical Americas is still slated for 2027.

August 3, 2026 News
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift's Final Track Sections Went In Before Sunrise, Completing the Coaster's Full Layout Universal Orlando

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift's Final Track Sections Went In Before Sunrise, Completing the Coaster's Full Layout

Aerial photographer bioreconstruct reported the last pieces going in before sunrise Monday morning at Universal Studios Florida. The tall inversion that was still missing its highest segments on Sunday is now closed up, which means every section of Hollywood Drift track is in place. The coaster is due to open in 2027, and the park's other Fast & Furious ride, Supercharged, runs its final day on August 16.

August 3, 2026 News
Two Groups Argued the Whole 80 Minute Wait for Avatar Flight of Passage Before the Fight Started, and a Second Video Surfaced Overnight Disney World

Two Groups Argued the Whole 80 Minute Wait for Avatar Flight of Passage Before the Fight Started, and a Second Video Surfaced Overnight

A Reddit user posted video of a Sunday morning brawl in the Avatar Flight of Passage queue at Disney's Animal Kingdom and said the two groups had been arguing for the entirety of the 80 minute wait. A second angle went up on TikTok overnight, and a public Orange County Sheriff's Office entry logs an 11:21 a.m. battery call on a road that Inside the Magic says matches the approximate address for the attraction.

August 3, 2026 News
Legoland Florida Quietly Launched Three Prepaid Dining Tiers Months After Dropping Its Old Meal Deal, and Brickolini's Joined on August 1 Legoland Florida

Legoland Florida Quietly Launched Three Prepaid Dining Tiers Months After Dropping Its Old Meal Deal, and Brickolini's Joined on August 1

No press release and no trade coverage, just a new block on the park dining page, a nav link, a help center article and a quiet guide post. Legoland Florida is now selling Standard, Deluxe and Ultimate Dining Packages from $44 plus tax for adults, and the Ultimate tier moves dinner to the pirate-themed Shipwreck Restaurant inside Pirate Island Hotel.

August 1, 2026 News
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Just Sold Out Its First September Night, and Disney Confirmed the 2026 Showtimes Disney World

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Just Sold Out Its First September Night, and Disney Confirmed the 2026 Showtimes

September 4 has sold out, the first September date to go this season and the eighth night gone overall. Disney also confirmed most of the party's 2026 showtimes: the first showing of Mickey's Boo-To-You Halloween Parade at 8:15pm, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular at 9:05pm, 10:35pm and midnight, and Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks at 10pm. Opening night is August 7.

August 1, 2026 News
The Haunted Mansion Came Out From Behind the Scaffolding With a New Roof, Ashy Chimneys and Shrubs Still to Be Replanted Disney World

The Haunted Mansion Came Out From Behind the Scaffolding With a New Roof, Ashy Chimneys and Shrubs Still to Be Replanted

Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion is visible again. The scaffolding and most of the scrim were down by Friday morning, capping an exterior project that traces back to a December 2025 permit, and the building underneath has a new roof, ashy black detailing near the chimney tops and a dome finial that has gone from gold or bronze to a green patina. The shrubs and trees cleared to make room for the scaffolding have not been replanted yet.

July 31, 2026 News
SeaWorld Is Building an I Know What You Did Last Summer House for Howl-O-Scream, and the Fisherman Shows Up September 11 SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Is Building an I Know What You Did Last Summer House for Howl-O-Scream, and the Fisherman Shows Up September 11

SeaWorld announced Friday morning that Sony's slasher franchise is coming to Howl-O-Scream as a haunted house called I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, opening September 11 in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. SeaWorld says the house is based on the first film, the 1997 original, and walks guests through recreations of movie scenes and the events of the Southport massacre, with the vengeful Fisherman waiting around every corner.

July 31, 2026 News
New Stretch of Floridian Way Opens August 10 at Disney World, Shifting Traffic Near Magic Kingdom and the Grand Floridian Disney World

New Stretch of Floridian Way Opens August 10 at Disney World, Shifting Traffic Near Magic Kingdom and the Grand Floridian

On Monday, August 10, drivers at Walt Disney World move onto a newly built stretch of Floridian Way, putting all guest traffic into the southbound lanes between the Magic Kingdom parking lot and the Grand Floridian entrance. Two of the project's three roundabouts are already in, and temporary driveways will keep the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian's Island Tower and the wedding pavilion reachable.

July 31, 2026 News