Theme Park Insider

Get News by E-mail

What is Theme Park Insider?

Theme Park Insider is a consumers' guide to the world's most popular theme and amusement parks, written by consumers themselves. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and has been a finalist for the Webby Award for best overall Guide/Ratings/Reviews site.

In 2001, Theme Park Insider became the first travel-related website to win the prestigious Online Journalism Award, presented by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Online News Association, for its pioneering citizen journalism initiative Accident Watch. Theme Park Insider became the first publication to win a major journalism award for a "crowdsourced" report researched and written entirely by its readers.

Who is behind the site?

Robert Niles is the founder and editor of Theme Park Insider. Theme Park Insider evolved from Niles' "Interactive Guide to Disney Attractions," which itself grew from an online message board about Walt Disney World's Tom Sawyer Island that Niles started in July 1997.

Niles is a former Walt Disney World attractions host, trainer and lead, who worked at the Magic Kingdom from 1987 to 1991. Since then, Niles has worked as a staff writer, editor and website producer at top newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the (Denver) Rocky Mountain News. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in political science and the Honors Program in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences.

Awards and reviews

2001 Online Journalism Award for Service Journalism. Presented by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Online News Association.

2005 Webby Awards, finalist in the Best Guide/Ratings/Reviews Site category.

Forbes Magazine, Forbes' Favorite theme park site on the Internet.

Travel + Leisure Magazine, Top 28 Travel Websites (Best theme park website).

"Combines traditional consumer fare--bargain roundups, hotel ratings, readers' ratings of best and worst attractions--with insightful, pull-no-punches news and commentary." - Electronic Explorer (Syndicated newspaper column)

"An excellent and very useful site" - The Guardian (United Kingdom)

"Aims to make your next park visit more satisfying" - USA Today

"These veterans can steer you away from rides and restaurants that aren't worth your time or money" - Newsday

Also featured on ABC's Good Morning America, National Public Radio, CNN's American Morning, the CBS Evening News and in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, Reader's Digest and Life magazine.

For more information

To submit press releases and story tips, or to contact the editor:

Robert Niles, Editor
E-mail: themeparkinsider - at - gmail.com
Phone: 626-376-7787

Search Theme Park Insider

Reader Reviews, by Theme Park

United States/Canada Top 20 *

Other U.S. parks

International parks

Water parks

Theme Park Reviews, Features, Advice

Theme Park News Archive

2009

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov.

2008

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2007

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2006

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2005

Dec.

2004-2005

Staff column archive