We're delighted to welcome back CinemaBlend's Stephen Libbey this week! He joins us to discuss his time on board the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World and how he found the whole experience, from the activities and characters to the food, lounge and rooms.

This one was a long time in the edit suite owing to some technical gremlins during the recording, so please tweet us @ParkRushPodcast to let us know how everything sounded.

You can read Stephen's write-up on the Galactic Starcruiser here - https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/galactic-starcruiser-preview-disney-worlds-star-wars-hotel-is-a-one-of-a-kind-experience.

And his supplementary article on the major things you need to know about the experience is here - https://www.cinemablend.com/star-wars/6-things-to-know-before-visiting-disney-worlds-star-wars-galactic-starcruiser.

Another week brings more bad news for The London Resort, as the BBC and ITV confirm that they're no longer part of the project in any capacity. But on the plus side, the UK theme park season is just a few weeks away and Alton Towers has confirmed it'll have some new attractions for the kids! Plus, Ice Breaker is getting some good reviews at SeaWorld Orlando and we get a fresh look at Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Tom returns from Porto with tales of marginally tangential theme park things, like a boat ride at the end of a museum and a chocolate factory he can't remember the name of. Eventually there's some actual bonafide theme park discussion, as first reviews are in for the Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World; we get a date for the new Haunted Mansion film; and more!

No Tom as he is off galivanting in Porto, so this week's episode is hosted and edited by Josh (apologies). He is not alone however, as we have the always insightful Jon Self back on the show to talk about 'Storyliving By Disney', USO Mardi Gras and Jon's upcoming work trip to the Dockside Inn & Suites. 

Here is a list of some of the articles we cover this week:

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There is some actual theme park conversation on this week's episode, honest, but not before we talk about the NFL and hot dogs. Once that's outta our system we talk about the seemingly runaway success of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, Universal Orlando ditching face masks, impressions of Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens, and more!

This week brings the familiar sight of bad news for The London Resort, as long-in-limbo proposals for the UK's next major theme park are dealt what could be a fatal blow. There's also a pretty unwelcome announcement so far as Efteling's concerned, but reason to smile for anyone who still cares about Game Of Thrones (there are dozens, dozens of them!). All that and some doughnut chat is just a click away.

Lots of exciting dates to look forward to on this week's show as Universal double down on plans for Epic Universe, Magic Kingdom announces the return of its marquee parade, and more! Elsewhere, Efteling has reopened in The Netherlands and we've got new details about what to expect from Disneyland Paris' 30th anniversary celebrations.

Excitement is building for a trifecta of new Busch/SeaWorld coasters as we get opening dates and/or hot new details for Emperor in San Diego, Iron Gwazi in Tampa, and Ice Breaker in Orlando! Plus, there's a couple of additions coming to Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios; construction updates from Epcot and Universal Studios Florida; our first look at the ride vehicle for Gardaland's upcoming Jumanji ride, and more!

Nothing says it's a new year like Tom rebooking his 2020 Florida trip once again, so fingers crossed there are no nasty surprises so far as coronavirus is concerned between now and spring. Also on this week's show there are more familiar problems for The London Resort, a couple of new rollercoasters in Dubai, an opening date for SeaWorld Orlando's next ride, some interesting new tech patents for Disney parks, and more!

This week, our podcasting time was taken up by guesting on It's Quite Interesting, To Be Fair. But don't worry, we didn't leave without talking about theme parks. Check out the official show notes below and look out for a regularly scheduled Park Rush next week!

It's twenty-twenty-twooooo! The podcast is back after a year out to chat about our favourite games, movies and tech from the year gone by. Regulars Josh and Abi join us alongside new kid Tom to teach us about rollercoasters and get excited with us for all that 2022 has in store!