Theme Park Bits: Carthay Circle Refurb, Anaheim Ducks Day, And More

In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

You'll likely find a lot of theme-park experts telling you that the best time to visit the Disney theme parks is in the off-season. It's simple: fewer guests are there in the off-season, which gives you more time to experience the fun. The downside is that the hours are shorter, and that some attractions and locations are closed. One such location is in Disney California Adventure, where its flagship Carthay Circle Restaurant will be under refurbishment through a large chunk of January, right after the holidays conclude. Hopefully, you weren't planning a big trip then.

If you're a hockey fan or just a 90s-nostalgia lover, you may want to head over to Disney California Adventure during that off-season in January, specifically on January 8. That's when the park will celebrate Anaheim Ducks Day, commemorating the local NHL team that was, of course, first named after the 1992 Disney film The Mighty Ducks. Anaheim Ducks Day will have special photo experiences and other big surprises for any of you Ducks fans out there.

Our next story is really only theme-park adjacent, because if you ever experience the attraction in question, you won't be at a theme park. Heck, you won't even be on dry land. The Carnival Cruise Line recently revealed details about the roller-coaster attraction Bolt, available on its Mardi Gras line kicking off in the late summer of 2020. And yes, you read that right: a roller-coaster on a cruise ship. The all-electric vehicle was unveiled partially by Shaquille O'Neal, the Chief Fun Officer of Carnival Cruise Line, and isn't that a sentence we all expected to read today. Anyway, if you're on this ship come late 2020, don't pass up the chance to ride a roller-coaster above the water.

And speaking of theme-park-style attractions and the water, let's talk about SeaWorld. The theme park has, especially in recent years, balanced its own aquariums with thrill rides, and the San Diego park's new coaster Emperor is no different. The big selling point here is that Emperor is the first-ever floorless dive coaster, arriving in the summer of 2020. The ride is meant to be inspired by the Emperor penguin, and will send riders through plenty of loops from 150 feet in the air.

We've talked briefly before about the Tri-Circle Ranch at Walt Disney World, but it's worth highlighting once again. Next spring, the ranch is going to be completely overhauled with a new barn and pasture for the many horses who live at the resort. Check out this video to learn more about what Disney does with its horses, and the level of detail and care they receive when they're walking up and down Main Street, U.S.A. to help build a believably old-fashioned aesthetic of small-town America.

Let's close out this edition of Theme Park Bits by looking at a kind of ride that could be, but isn't just yet. There are plenty of conceptual breakdowns of rides based on films, but this one inspired by the beloved romance/comedy/adventure The Princess Bride looks particularly appealing. Fittingly dubbed the Princess Ride, this would be a boat ride through many of the memorable moments in the 1987 film, from the Cliffs of Insanity to the attack by the Rodents of Unusual Size. It's the kind of glimpse at a ride that might be great, if only it could ever find a home.