The Halloween Season Has Begun...No Like For Real!

On this weeks episode of The Theme Park Podcast the guys talk about the announced dates for Halloween Horror Nights 2024! Yes it is April but you can start to plan out your spooky festivities. Then Busch Gardens is a doing a Florida Gator day, and in the news is Walt Disney World planning something big? Like really big?

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
From the theme park Capital of theWorld, Orlando, Florida. This is
the Theme Park Podcast. Wait podcast? Is this radio? Why does everything
gotta be so messy on this station? Anyway? Here's your host, Stickerman,
Jimmy d and Scott Harris. Welcometo the Theme Park Podcast. Sickerman.

(00:22):
Here there is Jimmy Dean. Youwill call me the Pumpkin King from
this point forward. Already. Yes, it's a little early. And Scott
Harris, Guys, it is nowherenear Halloween time. I don't know.
Are you sure? Are you sure? I mean, it's like April according

(00:42):
to you, Eastern just passed.According to you, we still have fourth
of July to come back. Allegedly, Yeah, labor days in there before
Halloween. Still, I thought fourthof July was canceled. Is that what
we were just talking about? Somethingelse? The third of July is canceled.
I think No, fourth of Julyis canceled. Oh no, so
what why Let's talk Halloween because apparentlythat is that is never too early to

(01:07):
start panicking. That's the tagline,That's what it is. Yes, well,
because they're starting extra earlier this year, Halloween Hordites returns, guys,
I just left Horrordites. Yeah,you were just there. I was just
there. I mean, it runsfor Christmas. It's here's the thing.
It started last week. What's thereal I hear the real start date is

(01:27):
like August twenty ninth, August thirtieththrough November third. Good lord, you're
in the dead of summer. Thatis the dead of summer. I saw
Johnny Magic this morning when the newscame out, and he's like, those
poor scare people are gonna be sweating, that's the thing. But now they're

(01:48):
gonna be extra sweating. Here's like, I don't know if people realize this.
If you don't live in the stateof Florida, in the month of
August, the coolest it gets isone hundred and ten and that's at night
in the shade. Yeah, that'strue. Well, it's all these Scarer
houses are just gonna smell like hotdogs. Yeah, and when you pack
all those bodies in there along withthe heat, it's gonna be like warped

(02:09):
tour. And then you forgot tosprinkle booze on top of it. Booze
on top of that too. JohnnyMagic is one of my favorite people to
go to Halloween horror nights with them. We've discussed this. It's got great
reactions. Yeah, he's great atHoly If you get the chance, which
you probably won't, you do gowith Johnny Magic. Absolutely. My question

(02:30):
is so, like, okay,so select tickets and vacation packages are on
sale now. Oh my god,you can already buy Halloween Horn. You
could pre order things right now.Goodness, gracious. Forty eight nights,
forty eight nights. We are settinga new record. So if you want

(02:50):
to go on August thirtieth, twentytwenty four, it's one hundred and two
dollars at ninety nine cents. What'sthe very last day do we have that
yet? No? Nos, inninety nine cents August through November, select
nights. It's not every night,but basically Wednesday through Sunday the entire time.

(03:12):
They're just getting out of printing pressfor the money, is what they're
doing over there. Yes, itis just it is just they have a
field day with this event. Youknow, I don't understand why they don't
just go straight until we get tothe Turkey. Well yes, well,
I mean this is why they're openingup the year round experience in Las Vegas.
Tested it out you know, Ithink I think it's still good the
way they do it because it givesyou an appetite for the event. Like

(03:36):
if it was there all the time, maybe that desires I wouldn't be as
strong. So they make they makeyou want it. They're using the McRib
yeah, or not your fries orMcRib or they're just keep but they're just
keeping it around a lot longer thaneither of those two items. True,
yes, yeah, because it fora long time. It used to be
like Halloween was the start of mccribseason. Now I think Halloween her Knights

(04:00):
encompasses the entire McRib season. Yeah. Express passes you want to buy those?
Yeah? So how much were mytickets? One hundred and one hundred
and two bucks? Just one hundredand two bucks? Okay? And what
are we looking at for express passes? One hundred and twenty nine dollars per
person? But it depends on itdepends on. Like and I have said
this, if you have the means, it is absolutely worth it. It's
more than the tickets. But here'sthe thing is, it is absolutely worth

(04:21):
it. How many houses do youget in, say it's a pack night,
how many houses do you get inwith an express pass because it's not
front the line right away. Imean you're still waiting in some lines you
get. I've done all, I'vegot it, and I've done every house,
every huw. But was it wasit a real busy night when you
did that? It was it waslate September. Okay, I've done the

(04:41):
express pass as well, and yeah, it makes a difference. I'm sure
it makes a difference. I mean, at that price, you better make
a difference. Well, when Iwas talking to Lauren about it, she
was like, maybe we should justbreak down and get an rip tour and
I was like, what exactly?So that's probably what Scott's gonna nine per
person for anp tour. Yes,minim number of people is how many?

(05:04):
Ten? Did they give you aminimum? I don't know they have to.
There must be a minimum. Itdoesn't say, but I'm sure there
is. What do you get foryour three fifty nine? You get priority
VIP entry to the houses and participatingpark attractions once per house based on itinerary
while on tour with the guide.Towards inclusions are subject to itinerary and houses

(05:27):
tour discretion of Universal Commemorative Credential lanyardpin, complimentary valet. Okay, that's
pretty big, especially on a whorornight night. Pre tour reception at Cafe
LaBamba, access to an exclusive cashbar, locations, universal express, unlimited
ride access at all participating rides inattractions for the date of the tour,

(05:53):
and reserve seating at select events eventshows during the tour. That used to
be Bill and Ted that was likea that was a hot ticket. I
don't know if the tickets still ishot for their like whatever they're entertainment.
You know, people have really likedthe shows that they have been doing.
Yeah, so can you imagine Billand Ted now? Oh, I can't
environment, Like can you imagine?Honestly? Yes, because they actually have

(06:15):
really good writers, So I'm surethey could figure out a way to do
it and make it work. Okay, if it does it give you any
expanded information about the reception at LaBambas Uh, it's pre the tour.
You know what we used to dowhen we would go on those tours where
we're just hanging in that room.That's what it is. I think,
like the same thing, like remember, do you remember how it would be
when we go on those tours,Because we were spoiled in radio. Yeah,

(06:39):
but when we went there was likefood and booze and stuff like that.
Oh no, not that part.No, no, not not the
VIP I just met right before thetour started. We would gather like maybe
this was before they gave us,like all the food and stuff and the
booze there would be. There wasa period of time where you just kind
of went in this room. It'skind of a holding pen. I think
there might have been a cash barin there. And then everybody's gathered and
all right, go off with you, okay. I never did any of

(07:01):
those the tours. Uh. Thenthere's also the Unmasking the Horror daytime tour.
Oh, because you want to doa daytime tour in the middle of
August. Absolutely, but you cansee like behind the house. Like it's
a select houses. So there's athree house tour ninety nine dollars okay,
and then a six house tour onehundred and seventy nine dollars okay, And

(07:24):
you can take photos and select areasof the houses, but you cannot take
video U during set experience. Ithink that'd be cool, but I definitely
look in October for that to seeif you could find a day that's not
a million degrees. I mean,here's the thing. It's during the day.
It's not like it's packed when you'redoing that. Yeah, there is
air conditioning in the houses, that'strue. I have to walk between the
houses, yes, but you alsohave to do that to walk to your

(07:46):
car every day. I don't likeit. It's too hot. My car
is in a garage actually, soAlso here's the thing. You also have
to walk from the parking garage too. Universal If I'm being honest, I
just don't like theme parks in thesummer. It's too hot. It's misser,
it is very hot. Yeah,it's just difficult. Although I will
say right now, weather's great.Weather's great right now, and we're in
April. Yeah. My question isdoes Disney see this and go, well,

(08:15):
Mickey's not so scary Halloween party August? First, I wouldn't down because
they were. They've always been inAugust. They've been in August for quite
some time now, right, Iwould say, July thirtieth just started July
thirtieth. I have to figure outwhat the first actually like. Do they
care about Fridays with that event?Okay? When do Halloween decorations show up

(08:35):
at July first. Honestly, it'sright after July fourth. Yeah, right,
they pull down all the Uncle Sam'sand the stars and stripes and outcome
the skeletons and the pumpkins. Julythirty first is a Wednesday, Okay,
would it surprise you if that's theday? I mean, I think they
kick it off on the weekends normally, right July second, Yeah, I

(08:56):
mean July second, August second,it just started on July second. We'll
do Halloween fireworks on the fourth ofJuly. It's fine. Other question I
have when Epic Universe opens, doyou just split the event and do them
at two different places? Oh?Too, Halloween hornets, but like I
know they've done it where they've doneit at Universal and Islands, and they

(09:18):
didn't like that because it was greatfor the for the fan, but they
it was very spread out, solike logistically, but if you have the
resources at a whole separate thing,you have a Universal Monsters thing portal over
there. Yeah. Do you thinkthat they're planning for Halloween horrn nits there

(09:39):
already? I maybe wouldn't surprise me. I don't know. You know,
that's an interesting thought. How ishow's the parking you gonna you're gonna travel
to get there? You're get atthe park at the garage is hero is
there gonna be a parking. It'sgonna have its own parking. It's gonna
have its own parking. Okay.I just wonder, you know, because
people, you know, staggering intoHalloween horn I and then taking a cat

(10:01):
taxi cab home because they can't drivetheir cars. It's a thing. It
happens from time to time. Butyeah, I could I could see it
being at Epic University and doing twoevents. I mean, you can sell
twice as many tickets, yep,you know. And then if you offer
different things at each of the events, then I need to go to both.
Yeah, I'm gonna pay for both. I mean you won't. No,

(10:26):
No, I went to Hollow Screamlast year, so I mean you
had to because you willed it intoexistence. I did, and I went,
and the lines are much better there. It's a whole it's a different
experience. It's a different experience.Hey, you've got to see a man
as I sell the manatee at atHollow Scream. I think that they go
to bed at that time you didn'tsay hi to them, showed your cup.
No, No, isn't it thefirst time you like trying to peg

(10:50):
one with it? No, Iwould never peg a manatee with a cup.
It's called molesting amanatee and I'm notgoing to do that. But it
has its own picture on you adoptedone? Have you, like, adopted
a manatee? No, he's gotone in his bathtub. Probably should,
Like remember when that was a thingwhere you could like adopt a whale.
Yeah, and you could adopt Ithink he could adopt manates too. But

(11:11):
here's the thing, like if Iif we say, like we for your
birthday adopted a manate for you,does that mean you're responsible? Like you
have to go feed it, youhave to sign it's like report cards,
like all you have to go checkit on it. I believe it's similar
to feed the children. And theanswer is no. You actually just get
a postcard from time to time fromthe manatee and then that's it. You

(11:33):
have no responsibility otherwise. Also like, no, I I find it hard
to believe that the manate actually sentthat postcard and and say we all we
adopt a manatee for you, doessomebody go to the Manatee and have a
picture of you like you just gotadopted by this guy. He is now
your father. Yeah, yeah,yeah, I don't know. I don't

(11:56):
know if that's the case. Idoubt it, but we might have to
look into it just to be certain. I genuinely don't know. So Halloween
horn Nights, it's happening here.It comes not so scary, should be
announcing anytime now, s ya.World's all of a sudden running and going,
oh god, we got to figureout how scream? What are we
gonna do? I drive by petrifiedforests, they're already starting to put up

(12:20):
their stuff. It's todd guys,it's it's It is an arms race for
halloweens. Now, that is whatHalloween has become. An arms race.
You see Bob's spirit just looking atstrip malls with empty buildings empty He's looking
at the j C. Penny Exactly. You just want to go to sleep,
baby, Just go to sleep.It's fine, just go to sleep.
Yep, checking out the j C. Pennies. There's a there's a

(12:41):
spirit store right by well, itused to be a spirit store right by
me. It's it's right next tothe publics by my house and I drive
there. There's like a back roadthat I take so I see like where
deliveries happen. There's still the Spiritssigne on the back door. It's ready.
We're not going to take that onedown because we know nothing's going to
go back. Probably in that roomthere's no front facing, so he can

(13:05):
leave that rip Tuesday morning. Ithink. I think that's what used to
be there. Spirit has a veryinteresting business model. I will tell you
that there. Their business model,is it? They It worked out so
well. They made a movie.Yeah, that's right. I never did
see that. It's on shutter.I scroll past it every now and then.
I should watch it. I believeit's got Christopher Lloyd in it.
What is going on? How didI miss that? I don't know.

(13:28):
Oh, you don't know about this. Scott's the only old with shutter,
so he's he gets all the secrethorror movie Spirit Halloween colon the movie Rachel
Lee Cook and Christopher Lloyd. WhoaRachel Lee Cook too? I haven't heard
her name in a minute. Yep, she's like seventy now she's probably the
same. I think she's quite fortyfour Okay, so how dare you how

(13:48):
dare you smirch Josie like that?I would like to apologize to rache Cook
now as you apologies, miss Cook. I had no idea, but you
know it's good that she's getting workstill. Yeah, absolutely, you remember
where she got like her big claimto fame was right, she's all that.
No, before that, joy Cats, before that a Nickelodeon show.

(14:13):
This is your brain on drugs ps A. Oh she was in that.
She's the one that breaks the eggin the frying pan. Really,
yes, thank you, Nancy Reagan. You don't remember this. Nancy Reagan
gave Rachel took her break. Hedidn't follow the PSA. Nope, no
brain, he is definitely fried.My brain is definitely the one in the

(14:35):
frying The thing is this is becauseyou just stared at the sun too.
Drugs. It's just life, isn'tthat. If I were you, I'd
be really mad, because if you'regonna have a brain like that, at
least you get to have the funof the drugs. You've never touched a
drug in your life? Yeah,you just you did wrestling and probably just
got it knocked out of you.Yeah, ct got it yeah, yeah,

(14:56):
that's very possible. That's probably whyeverything hurts. Should we dive into
news that isn't like, well,jim Jimmy's got some more recent news.
Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy's got hisnews. He's got a news tablet.
Now, well, it's it's myphone. In an email we used to
Scott used to at the news desk, I was trying to give you a

(15:18):
device. What did they call itat A at A Galaxy's edge? Oh,
your your data path? Yeah,this is my dad I got.
That was good that you remember that. I can't believe I remember. That's
really good. I know I putyou on the spot. All right,
So I'm Bush Gardens, Tampa Bayon April twenty first. Uh huh.

(15:39):
It's gonna be Gator's Day at BushGardens and that's the Florida Gators University of
Florida. That's it's gonna ask isit like Alligator Day or Florida Gator's Day.
No, Florida Gator's Day. They'regoing to have like a special Alligator
Keepers thing at eleven or at tenand thirty, and then there will be
a Q and a I with someGator athletes after that will then be Gatorade.

(16:03):
Uh you know, I don't knowwhat the official drink of I mean
they was drink. I mean yeah, no, but they have a licensing
deal with Pepsi. Okay, sothey probably make the bank on that.
If Bush Gardens is a Pepsi park, then yeah, they probably like nine
percent sure they are. I don'tknow the eight years. I was at
SeaWorld the other day and I didn'tnotice who the the beverage choice was.

(16:26):
That's because that would require you tospend money. Let me tell you what
SeaWorld. Actually, they might becoke because I think they might have freestyle
machines. Uh at SeaWorld, Idon't they might have a freestyle I used
to regular and it is coke.Now you reminded me. Then if it's
if it's safe, SeaWorld is thenBush Gardens. So they have their their
food festival going on right now sevenFood Festival and passolders get like a free

(16:51):
sample their sample at SeaWorld, likethey had this, uh this one thing.
It was a donut. No,it was a pretzel and you could
either get it in sugar, coveredin chocolate and sprinkles. The Son of
a Gun was a foot long.I mean it was. It was three
inches thick. It was massive,And that's what they consider a sample,

(17:11):
and they have like a ton ofstuff. They do that all the time.
I think you get as a passoldto get like two opportunities for free
food there for each pass holder.Did you get that and then show your
mantessy's son? Now I didn't getit? How this is no? I
wanted it. They ran out ofsprinkles, so I said, no sprinkles.
I'm out. Sprinkles are a gamechanger. Wow. Yeah, so

(17:32):
I assumed you just carried them withyou. Yeah. I got brought in
a pretzel bun covered with beer cheese, which was fantastic. Okay, how
does that cheese compared to the cheesethat you used to be able to get
at the hangar at Hollywood Studio.It's a it's a higher it's a higher
quality. Okay, it's a higher, high high quality cheese. Yeah.
I mean, you know we're talkingof food festival here. I mean people

(17:52):
say the food is on par withwhat you get at Epcot. So well,
I will tell you the portion sizeis smash abcut. Yeah, they
it's a bigger Yes, it's abig portion. Now it's not it's not
like I was looking at the priceis like eleven or twelve bucks to get
something. I'm like, wow,that's a lot. I'm glad I'm not
paying for it. So but it'sa good portion. It's a good sized
portion. And when I had wasgood, my daughter had a cupcake.

(18:14):
I tried to convince her for somethingmore exciting, but she went with a
cupcake. That's how it goes.I have. I've told you my my
thoughts on these food festival things thatare right. Tell us again. I
think that if linked on drugs,they should treat they should treat like the
stands as like the samples, andthen you can go to a restaurant and

(18:37):
get a full portion. Oh yeah, so you get a taste. So
yeah, so maybe four or fivebucks for a sample and then okay,
I want or whatever whatever it isat the stand already twenty six dollars at
the rest of so you get ameal size amount. I could see that.
I mean, it's almost like theCostco thing. It's like when you
walk around Costco and they gave youa little piece of something that cooked up

(18:59):
and the in the aisle there andyou're like, oh, this is pretty
good. I'm gonna buy some frommy house because if you know, Betty
Suke and til you ever actually oryou just find another aisle. I mean
I'll take the free sample, dependingon where the next style, and come
back with a hat and get another. Yeah, what you mean, that's
what I mean. Yes, lookdelicious. I will recommend this to my
family. They go buy a packof sixty four. Now since I had

(19:22):
half of a quarter of a freesample of one. He'll run over to
the closed section in the middle,put on like a flannel shirt, go
back. No, he just showsup. We'reing seven layers and then just
layers each time, peels one on. Man. That's where the masks come
in. Handy from COVID. Ohokay, still still a thing. Do
you want some news? Yeah,outside of Halloween and Gator Day, Yes,

(19:45):
I do, all right, solet's run through some Let's run through
some news very quickly. Bob Igerhe won his proxy war. Oh he
did he? That was that oneguy, Chelseam Tell him he didn't.
He didn't. He didn't win.He did not win, not even close,
not even close. Landslide. Well, you know he he's tried.
Yes, a for effort, exactly, a for effort. Walt Disney has
now taken first steps to beginning beyondBig Thunder Magic Kingdom expansion permits have been

(20:11):
filed. Oh yes, okay,all right, what you said, Walt
Disney. I'm like, holy crap, he's bank. I did see on
April Fools somebody was like, he'sback. They defrosted him. It would
be awesome if he came back andjust smacked pot by your old face.
And two years ago at D twentythree, by the way, D twenty
three, twenty twenty four is soldout every event. Everything is sold out

(20:33):
for Well, that's that happened overa weekend last year. It took two
weeks. Wow, okay, becauseeveryone's assuming something's gonna happen. Oh so
we're looking at possibly a Cocoa andconto in an entire area devoted to Disney
villains. Okay, that all soundsawesome, But it looks like Incanto has
now shifted over to Animal Kingdom,right because the imagineers showed off some renderings

(20:57):
actually models of tropical Americas for theDino Land experience. Oh, Dino Land's
going away. That's the rumor.Everybody's like, right it now, and
it looks like the Casita from Encantois one of them. Okay, that's
a very popular movie. My wifeloves that movie. It's a very good
mood. It's got really good songs. Yeah. My thing is, I

(21:18):
know everyone's like, oh, they'regoing to put an Indiana Jones ride there.
I've now changed my mind on this. I still want that thing to
flip. I don't want an IndianaJones Ride. What do you want?
I don't know, but I don't. I want each of these parks to
start having in like its own thing. You know, the Indiana Jones Ride
has existed for thirty years at Disneyland. Give me something different. That thing
was supposed to flip. I knowJimmy knows. Jimmy knows it very well,

(21:42):
but he never saw it. Ohthat's rights to six times. Oh.
By the way, there's a newuh we call it Imagineering behind the
scenes series starting today. Oh.Another one on YouTube though, which is
very weird. It is odd.It's like you have your own streaming service
that you what everyone to go onto. You know, if you want
to pull a Scott, you canjust start watching that one and not watch

(22:03):
the really good one and be likeI'm good, yeah, you good.
We got some beady droids roaming aroundGalaxy's edge. Okay, not is it?
We don't be too emo. It'sa it's at Disneyland, Bill,
of course. Yeah. Their galaxiesedge is inferior to ours. How do
they get this? I mean,it's the exact same thing. It's the
exact same thing. It's first actually, and there's is a little skosh smaller.

(22:29):
Yeah, exactly, that's the thing. But it's it's got Oga's millennium
Falcon riser resistance. It is thething is I think it also got a
bunch of stuff. First, somebody'sgonna steal one of those beads in uh
in California, you know it,I hope not. Don't ruin the flight.
Every one one up and they're gonnastuff it in their shirt and just
walk out of the park. Well, you remember they had like the cool
utensils in California and everybody kept stealingthem. Man, So when they opened

(22:52):
ours, we didn't get those coolnormal Yeah, we had to buy im
remember, yes, Yeah, Imean I didn't, but you guys did.
Yeah, and I'm assuming you stilluse it for every meal. Never
touched the thing, sit in mydrawer. Never not have a set.
I did not get one. No, I have the sporkh the b spork

(23:14):
from the Festival of the Arts whenthe first figment pop run bucket. You
got the spike for yes, spikespork. Yes, jeez, that was
hard for me. Oh. Bythe way, Bob Eiger because he made
a statement after winning his proxy warand he dressed Epic Universe okay, and

(23:34):
he said, for more than adecade, Uh, we've been building attractions
while they have highlighting Galaxy's Edge,Pandora Toy, story Land, Tron and
the expansion at Epcot. It's like, okay, but what else are you
doing? All of those things aredone? Yeah, what's next? That's
what everyone is assuming. We've gotcoming up at D twenty three. Hopefully

(23:57):
all right, we'll find out.Well, if there's any breaking news they
had to evade for something to seeat D twenty three through breaking news can
always be found on our social mediasite, Scott Harris. Yes, like
when Halloween or Nights begins. Youcan follow us on Twitter at Theme Park
Show, Facebook, Instagram and TikTokat the Theme Park Podcast. You can
watch at themepark YouTube dot com andthe show comes to you live from the

(24:18):
Laurencampbellrealtru dot com, TBO Gazebo Studiosfor JIMMYD for Scott Harris, I am
Dickerman. Until next week, wewill see you out at the parks.
This has been the Theme Park Podcast. Follow the show on Facebook and Instagram
at the theme Park Podcast. Tocatch up on previous episodes, check out
the themeparkpodcast dot com, the iHeartRadioapp, or Apple Podcasts