Coaster Radio: The Original Theme Park Podcast

Merry Christmas from your friends at Coaster Radio! On this week's show, the guys kick back and have some Yuletide fun while hearing listeners top picks for theme park gifts. The show also welcomes several special in-studio guests who stop by to wish everone Happy Holidays. Plus, the show gets off to a great start with a special song created for the season! Don't forget to visit the CoasterRadio.c...

We're just a few weeks away from the holidays and we believe that it's the season of giving . So, we sent Neil Patrick Harris an infamous "Tower of Treats." This week, we find out if the TOT made it to the "How I Met Your Mother" soundstage in Hollywood. We also talk about what type of holiday gifts a theme park fan would like to receive.  We have some practical and outrageous ideas that will make...

Mike Collins is in a stage version of "It's a Wonderful Life" that opens this weekend. So, Mike and EB had to tape the show really late at night after one of the rehearsals. This means that this week's show is a caffeine-fueled trip that includes a lot of good theme park talk and a lot of imitations from "It's a Wonderful Life" too! The guys talk about the listener's most "elusive roller coasters,...

If you went back and listened to every single episode of CoasterRadio.com, you'd probably notice that the thing about theme parks we talk about the most is theming.   It's the one thing that separates a great park from an average amusement park.   That's why it was a bit of surprise when we learned that Six Flags would be dropping the licenses for properties like Thomas the Tank Engine, The Wiggle...

Happy Thanksgiving!   Just like the Pilgrims had a gigantic feast when they landed in the new world, we have a virtual feast of theme park goodness for you.   This week, we talk about the stories behind our listener's major park disappointments.  We have tales from around the globe all about how different parks have bummed out park guests.   It's sort of a "Reverse-Thanksgiving" show!   We also ha...

Imagine that you were a theme park designer with access to an unlimited budget.   As you began to design rides for your park, you'd probably want to enlist the help of some major celebrities to provide the voices behind your rides.   On this week's show, we gave our listeners a virtual blank check and asked them to match their favorite celebrity with their favorite theme park ride.   We received s...

The original theme park podcast is back with a brand new episode!   Back in 1954, Walt Disney had a weekly television show on the ABC Network where he unveiled his plans for Disneyland.   Not only did it help finance his park, but it also got people all over the country excited to make the trip to California to see it in person.   This week, EB and Mike talk about whether not it would be a good id...

Clark W. Grizwold was the ultimate parent.   All he cared about was giving his family the best vacation ever.  He would do ANYTHING to make his family happy, even if it meant kidnapping John Candy and making him ride the "Screamie Meemie!"   Of course, the antics in the movie "Vacation" are overblown.  But the stories we have for you this week are 100% authentic!   This week, EB and Mike will shar...

Halloween week is here!   To celebrate, Mike gets into the spirit of the season by dressing up as one of the most iconic characters from the 1980's.   Yes, even though it's radio, Mike has has dressed up like Johnny from "The Karate Kid."   Along with all of the expected imitations from the movie, the guys will talk about Mike and Greg's recent trip to  Howl-O-Scream  at  Busch Gardens Williamsbur...

We're one week closer to Halloween!   If you love All Hallows Eve and you love theme parks, this is the episode for you.   This week, we're joined by Seth Kubersky.  He's the author of  Universal Orlando 2011: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure .   He'll give us the insider scoop about the 20th Annual  Halloween Horror Nights  at Universal Orlando.  He'll tell us what we shoul...

Season 5 of Coaster Radio.com is here!   AND... It's EB and Mike's favorite time of year, Halloween!   This week, the guys interview Matt Ford.  he's the creative genius behind  "The House at Haunted Hill,"  an amazing Halloween show in Southern California.   The great thing about the show is that it's not located at a theme park or at some commercial venue.  Matt, along with his family and friend...

This week, we come to the end of the 4th season of CoasterRadio.com and we end things just like Admir would want... "In Styllllleeeee!" This week, for the first time ever, the show comes to you from a park outside of the United States. This week, CoasterRadio.com is at Disneyland Resort Paris! Mike and Molly are in Europe and join EB for a show all about the differences and similarities between th...

Dreams do come true here at CoasterRadio.com!  Just ask Travis. A few months ago, he submitted this excellent entry into our "Being David Arquette" contest.  The top prize was getting the chance to co-host an episode of the show with EB and Mike. This week, his hard work pays off when he joins the show to give his top tips for an ultra-successful day at the Disneyland Resort in California.  You'll...

August is here and it's HOT! But it's not as hot as this week's episode of The Original Theme Park Podcast! (Oh Brother!) This week, EB and Mike tackle some of the most talked about stories in the amusement industry. First up, they take a listen to one of the 911 calls that came from a recent breakdown of "Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey" at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.  Isn't 911 su...

This week, the show goes back to its roots by doing a show live from the midways of an amusement park! Using some amazing new technology, Mike joins the show from Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA! Mike and EB will discuss what makes the park unique, how the roller coasters are one-of-a kind and how the food is hard to beat. They'll also talk about the saga of The Flying Turns roller coast...

The Original Theme Park Podcast is back with another all new episode! This week, EB and Mike talk about the best Amusement Park Games that always seem to separate you from your hard-earned money! We'll talk about Skee Ball, Frog Bog, Ring Toss, Stacker, Bowler Roller, Fascination, Wacky Wire, Whack-A-Mole, and a whole lot more! They guys also talk about the "dream arcade" that they would build in...

On this week's show, we get into a good, old-fashioned roller coaster discussion! It's so good, even CoasterBoy would be proud! The CoasterRadio.com audience steps up to the microphone to tell us about the most legendary roller coasters that are currently thrilling people every day at parks across the world. They also tell us about the legendary coasters of the past as well. It's interesting to he...

On this week's show, we're joined by Stacey Lantz.  Stacey has been writing a lot of great articles for the Coaster Radio blog lately. On this week's show, we'll talk about several of her articles including her top picks for the best and worst attractions at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. You won't believe what classic attraction she put in her bottom three! As part of the patented "Off Topic"...

On this week's show, we welcome the host of The Travel Channel's hit show " Bert the Conqueror ," Bert Kreischer! Bert and his crew are in the middle of producing the first season of this new show that takes viewers to the legendary attractions, competitions and adrenaline rushes that you can find all across America. He joins us from the road to tell us about what he's experienced so far and what...

July 17, 1955 was a famous day in theme parks lore. It was the day of Disneyland's Grand Opening. Will June 18, 2010 be a similar day in theme park history? This was the day The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. There hasn't been an new land opening in recent memory to attract as much excitement and anticipation as the Wizarding World. On this week...

On this week's show, we take a break from our usual craziness to pay tribute to Will Koch, the president of Holiday World who passed away on Sunday at the age of 48. Will has always had a special place on this show because he was one of the first "big" guests that agreed to come on when we were first starting out back in 2005. Back then, not many people in the amusement industry wanted to deal wit...

It seems like this summer, more than most, the parks are really stepping up their game when it comes to creating "Nighttime Spectaculars." Disney has "Summer Nightastic," Busch Gardens Willamsburg has "IllumiNights," and Knott's Berry Farm has "Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular." And these are just a few of many such nighttime events at parks across the country. EB and Mike discuss why these shows we...

On this week's show, EB and Mike discuss the phenomenon known as "Potter Watch." Supposedly, there was a merry band of theme park fans that waited patiently outside the gates of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for Universal to let in guests for the section's soft opening. Is this something EB and Mike would ever consider doing? The guys also hear the listener ideas on "theme park weekends" tha...

Disney's Hollywood Studios is in the middle of their uber-successul "Star Wars Weekends." On this week's show, EB and Mike take a look at the pros and cons of such events and wonder if they affect the average park goer. We also speculate on what other parks could do to join in on the fun.  Do I hear a second for "Back to the Future Weekends" anybody? The guys listen to trip reports from Busch Gard...

This week marks a rather unique situation for us here at the show. It's one of the few times that EB and Mike found themselves at two different parks in the same week. So, the guys take full advantage of the situation by bringing you stories of two very different trips. First, EB tells us about his trip to Holiday World and Splashin' Safari for the Media Day for Wildebeest.  It's the world's longe...