Theme Park Rangers Radar 48: Cosmic Rewind holiday mode, newly spied items at Universal, bacon alert

Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel
·4 min read

In this week’s Theme Park Rangers Radar, we take our first spin on the holiday version of Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy ride, get distracted by changes at Universal Orlando and taste a salty-sweet treat at SeaWorld.

Radar is a weekly roundup of news bites out of Central Florida theme parks and attractions. It appears on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Galaxy gift

What to know about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind this holiday season.

  • The indoor roller coaster debuted this spring but already has holiday mode. It’s in the family of overlays with Jingle Cruise (nee Jungle Cruise) at Magic Kingdom.

  • But it’s not as extensive as other seasonal versions. Cosmic Rewind is making do with a new onboard tune, a variation on “Run Run Rudolph.” Normally the attraction has six songs that it cycles through during the day.  The narration heard during the ride has also been tweaked to add holiday flavor.

  • There are no visual changes during the ride, in the queue or on the attraction’s exterior. Perhaps they don’t celebrate Christmas on Xandar, a planet many light-years away.

  • So, the ride experience itself — the motion, seating, intensity — is exactly what it was upon its debut (and what it will be again after the holidays).

  • Cosmic Rewind still uses Disney’s virtual queue system. Folks holding park reservations use the My Disney Experience app to secure spots in line at 7 a.m. sharp that day. That can be done from anywhere. Visitors who aren’t assigned a loading group and estimated time at that hour then can try again at 1 p.m. from Epcot. (No double-dipping though.)

Giving notice

Sometimes on a walk through a theme park, I’ll notice something and think “Has that always been there?” On a recent trip to Universal Orlando, I noted three new, at least to me, things.

  1. At Islands of Adventure, the turnstiles, the spot where tickets are scanned, have been replaced with new wooden boxy entranceways. No more pushing through that metal contraption (though those were still next door at Universal Studios that day).  The ticket taker still made a point of how much younger I look in my annual pass picture on her screen though. Did she giggle?

  2. At Universal Studios, the flag of Ukraine was among the array of banners on the facade for the faux Mocambo Club. I can’t find it in other photos online, but, to be fair, it’s not a hot spot of photography.

  3. Nearby, the Scooby gang posed near the Mystery Machine, and I’d never noticed that the vehicle has an air freshener before.  It’s tree-shaped with the words “Mystery Inc.” and “Fresh Pine.”  An internet search doesn’t show the animated version of the van to have an air freshener or, for that matter, a rearview mirror. You can buy an air freshener that looks like the Mystery Machine.

Treat o’ the week

During the SeaWorld Christmas Celebration, the Waffle Wonderland kiosk sells an item called “jolly strips.” Translation: Bacon with chocolate. The menu says “white chocolate and spice,” but the topping looked dark and also made me think there was caramel involved, too.

I had imagined the strips to be warmer and gooier, but halfway way through the first strip, I was indeed jolly enough that it didn’t matter. Salty, bacony, chocolatey (insert Homer Simpson-esque mmmmm here) goodness.

It’s three sizable strips for $10.99, but it’s a fine print warning because SeaWorld puts a 5% surcharge on food sales. That meant my order had an additional charge of 75 cents plus other sales taxes.

Waffle Wonderland operates near the entrance to the Infinity Falls attraction.

Weekend outlook

  • The final two Mannheim Steamroller concerts of the season are Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m., at Universal Studios. It’s part of the park’s holiday celebration, which includes a nightly parade. The “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular” show is next door at Islands of Adventure.

  • Candlelight Processional, a central part of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, continues with narrators Daymond John (Wednesday-Friday) and Josh Gad (Saturday-Monday).

  • SeaWorld Christmas Celebration shifts to its nightly schedule, which includes “O Wondrous Night,” “Winter Wonderland on Ice,” “Sesame Street Christmas Parade” and more.

  • Legoland Florida’s holiday celebration has Saturday and Sunday activities, including character interactions, seasonal shows and a giant Christmas tree formed of Lego bricks.

  • Gatorland’s Ho Ho Ho-Down event resumes Saturday and Sunday. More info: www.gatorland.com.

  • Orange County Regional History Center hosts a Florida Highwaymen meet and greet, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. More info: www.thehistorycenter.org.

  • “Dinos in Lights” and holiday laser shows are part of the holiday lineup at Orlando Science Center. More info: www.osc.org.

  • At Icon Park, Sea Life Orlando Aquarium is home to Scuba Diving Santa on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Scuba Claus is in the tank with sharks, stingrays, turtles and other marine life. More info: www.visitsealife.com/orlando.

  • Also at Icon Park, Museum of Illusions, hosts Elves off the Shelf Fridays this week from 3 to 5 p.m. More info: www.moiorlando.com.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com