Disney ditching Twilight Zone at California park

Disney ditching Twilight Zone at California park

SAN DIEGO

Disney California Adventure’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is disappearing into the fifth dimension – forever.

A new attraction will move into the building that the Anaheim theme park calls the “Hollywood Tower Hotel: Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!”

Riders on the Marvel Comics-themed attraction will join forces with super-hero Rocket Raccoon as they navigate through a fortress with creatures from the universe and try to free the other Guardian heroes from the Collector.

Disney said in a statement that the new adventure will enhance the “free-fall sensation with new visual and audio effects to create a variety of ride experiences.”

Visitors have until January to ride Twilight Zone Tower, then work will begin to inhabit Guardians of the Galaxy into the high-rise building.

The Marvel ride is expected to open next summer, about the time the next movie in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise hits theaters nationwide.

Walt Disney World to pull the plug on Electrical Parade

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.

Disney Parks says the famed Main Street Electrical Parade will end its run at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park in October.

The parade has dazzled visitors with floats covered in colorful lights featuring Disney characters since it first debuted at the Florida resort in 1977.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the parade went on an eight-year hiatus at Disney World beginning in 1991. It ran again from 1999 to 2001 before the current version began rolling down Main Street nightly in 2010.

Disney didn’t say in an announcement what would replace the parade.

Disney says the parade will be shipped west for a limited run at Disneyland in California, where it ran from 1972 to 1996.

Geography quiz

Q. What town in New Mexico hosts an annual UFO Festival?

A. Roswell. The long-running festival (the next one is June 29-July 2, 2017) was sparked by the July 1947 UFO Incident. A mysterious flying object crashed on a ranch north of Roswell and was first identified as a “flying disc” and later as a weather balloon. Conspiracy theories have raged ever since.

Airline gives more miles for paying less

As of early August, all four of the nation’s biggest airlines – American, Delta, Southwest and United – dole out miles to their loyalty-reward members based on how much the fliers spend instead of how many miles they travel.

By converting to a program based on spending, the carriers give more rewards to travelers who buy the expensive front-of-plane seats while cutting back on points for travelers who buy discount or sale tickets.

But now one ultra-low-cost carrier is taking the opportunity to promote itself.

Spirit Airlines, the super-cheap Florida-based carrier with a long menu of passenger fees, launched a promotion recently that hands out more loyalty-reward miles to travelers who spend the least on airline tickets.

A traveler who spends less than $75 on a flight gets 1,000 miles while a flier who spends between $126 and $200 gets 150 miles.

The promotion runs only until the end of August.

Combined dispatches