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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/18/2022 in all areas

  1. Just paint Diamondback 100%, power wash the pool concrete, and perhaps add some theme elements to better fit with how the rest of Rivertown is, tie the "Miami River" background into it somehow. Mystic is an abandoned lumber company, Beast is a mining operation, Diamondback is... just there. Wouldn't mind some re-forestation in the area behind the Crypt building where it was over-cleared in 2008.
    2 points
  2. Attendance is a weird dynamic that publicly traded amusement parks and shareholders use as a metric, but it would be nice to see this trend change from the past, but perception plays a big part in it. Past years, all shareholders and the Board cared about was attendance, attendance, attendance. For years we would see record attendance, yet per cap spending was going down. Anytime there was a dip in anything, Bring a Friend for $9.99 days happened to increase the attendance. Attendance going down is a perceived problem with publicly traded companies and share value usually takes a hit, even if the revenue and profit are records. For example, look what happened to their unit price after each CF "quarterly" or update announcement about record revenues but lower attendance...it's value dropped on average about 6% those days... When the narrative and perception is that attendance is the guiding factor, that is when we see the gate given away and the attention to the "little things" pushed aside. And then it brings in a different kind of guest that doesn't spend anything once in the park, so revenues actually decline on a per cap basis. If the perception and narrative could be changed to focus on revenue and profit with attendance as a lesser factor, then I think we will continue to see all the "little things" improvements we have been seeing. Personally I think that is the direction CF is going, at least with KI. Did we see any of the crazy cheap Bring a Friend deals this year after their update indicated reduced attendance - Nope! That is a big shift from years past. I remember back in 2018 after the July update showed CF drop in attendance, the next day was wholesale cuts and BAF cheap days. Chainwide, many still question the whole cheap gold pass at CP and how for being the destination and flagship park, they are still giving away the gate, but that is another topic and discussion to go somewhere else LOL. I think KI has recognized that when you focus on the "little things" then the revenue and profit increase because people are spending more. This has been a multi-year initiative that started with the I-street revamp, return of the antique cars, and fixing the glockenspiel, all the way through to fixing the carousel organ and Phantom Theater Encore and everything in between. And then a funny thing happens...you get increased visits and per cap spending despite not giving away the gate.... Why... because a well-kept park with attention to detail is one of the subconscious acts that causes the non-riders to thrill seekers to want to spend more time in the park. Ambiance plays a bigger role than people admit or think about. And with that increased time comes more spending. I do not think the well-received 50th merchandise and all the collector pins of former rides, etc. would be as hot selling as they are if the attention to detail and pulling on the emotional memory strings had not been started with all the little things improvements. They mentioned the "dip" in attendance is mainly due to the lack of group sales and picnics as many companies have yet to re-engage in those types of events, but outside of those groups, the attendance is up. Based on season pass sales, next year will probably see both an increase in attendance and per cap spending, maybe both as records, as I think many of the group sales and picnics will start picking back up.
    2 points
  3. I understand what you're getting at and I'm sure you're not the only person but I do strongly feel that you are in the minority. There are 7.7 billion people on the planet, 329.5 million in the US, 11.6 million in Ohio and 2.2 million in the greater Cincinnati area (29th most populous metropolitan area in the US and 1st in Ohio. I remind myself every visit to KI how fortunate I am to not only live 20 minutes away from an amusement park but 6 hours away from 5 of them (KI, CP, KK, HW and Kennywood). Let alone a park the quality of KI. It's not something I take for granted no matter what the cost. Through covid, the last 2 years have seen season pass sales stay steady or increase. This was after people saying the were "done with CF because they didn't offer refunds in 2020". If you want to spend your money elsewhere, go right ahead and visit Fritz at the zoo all summer next year. I'll be riding The Beast and supporting a park that gave me a free renewal year during covid and a summer to remember this year with the 50th anniversary, oh and the food, don't forget the food :). Still the best deal for the money all things considered. I remember people complaining when they were selling gold passes for $99 and that it was too cheap and they were just trying to get people into the park. Well looking at the past financial releases it seems to work in their favor as spending per person is up. We read all the time people saying "this is the last straw" and making mild threats about what a multi-million dollar park with nearly 2 million attendance each year should and shouldn't do (remember last year on 5/22 when they hit capacity? That was after covid!). As a longtime season pass holder (ever since they started offering them in the 80's) I still maintain that over the years I am still thousands of dollars ahead on the bargain. If they lose 10% of the season pass holders it would only mean shorter lines and a less crowded park for those of us that continue to support this gem of the midwest.
    2 points
  4. I’ve had a season pass every year for the last 10+ years. The last 4 years have been platinum passes, with the last two having all season/all park Fast Lane, the dining plan, and the drink plan. It goes without saying I’ve spent thousands over the past several years. I travel for work often, and when I find myself near another park I like to visit for a few hours. I was originally excited about Prestige+, as I could save myself from buying the all season Fast Lane if I could get one skip-the-line at each park. Now it appears that is not the case. If the benefits at your home park are being reduced, it stands to reason they’d do the same at other parks. If so, why would you limit prestige benefits to your home park? The number of guests (outside the KI/CP corridor) that would both visit another park and use the prestige benefits must be small. The 50th celebration was magical. It was truly next-level for a regional park to put on a show of that caliber. Next year, we have the return of Carnivale. As fun as it is, it’s not new. I understand that a park cannot get something big and new every year, but there has to be something that drives you to renew your pass. This year, for the first time since I’ve been a pass holder, there isn’t anything driving me to renew my pass. I am certain I am not the only person to feel that way.
    1 point
  5. This should be as simple as handing you a FotL card when you first enter the park when they scan your Prestige Pass. It should pop up if you have received your FotL card for the day. If not, they hand you one. Simple and fast. Maybe it could even be incorporated into the special Prestige entrance. If you miss the time frame for the Prestige entrance then you would have to use the Fast Lane, Guest Service, Height Check stations? There has to be a more convenient way.
    1 point
  6. Eh, the yellow of the lift supports didn't last very well at all, but the light tan on the rest has done fairly well and fits in. If they switch the track color from red instead of repainting the same like Carowinds did with Intimidator, maybe a deep green to blend in with the woods.
    1 point
  7. That float was the “Grand Marshal” of Mason’s Heritage Day parade this weekend. I
    1 point
  8. I'm ok with it if the park continues to improve the experience next year. Contrary to what many think, it will take some time to recoup from the 2020 and to a less extent, 2021 losses. I'd rather have the 2022 experience with more improvements in 2023 than a new major attraction. Those will come. However, they probably should plan something major for 2024. For example, I have decided not to renew my Kentucky Kingdom pass for next year. I'm not mad, bitter or jaded, I just want to see something added. Pumpkins will be great for the park, but HFE needs to add something big to KK to make a statement. I feel if CF does KI 2024 without something big, some passholders might begin to view it the same way I am vieiwing KK.
    1 point
  9. Yeah there's a lot of benefits to a general pass for KI thanks to my proximity, but this prestige pass is getting to be a slightly hard sell for 2024 for me. I got it mostly the FotL tickets, but it's already a pain. If my identity is checked when I get into the park and i only get a single pass why do i have to confirm my identity a second time. I was great to send the wife and kids off to get food while i could go get the passes. The VIP was nice to grab a quick snack for my picky kid, but that's done already. Let's see how the water park area works out, but so far the single ride pass isn't worth 150 extra per person
    1 point
  10. The same thing happened during Haunt at California’s Great America in 2019. That park cancelled Haunt and transitioned to a family friendly event this year. I expect Carowinds will implement a chaperone policy. I would also not be surprised to see it spread to more of the chain. But I also guarantee executives will have discussions about possibly ending haunt events at more parks. Haunt brings in crowds and money. But at some point it’s not worth it.
    1 point
  11. @robintodd reading the above @DeltaFlyer is not a whiner who only buys passes when there's a new coaster. Ten straight years of passes is pretty solid. It's good that you are enjoying the park. However, most of us are (or should be) glad "on- again off-again" visitors exist. Without them there would never be a reason to make any new additions to the park (above maintenance/replacement). The fact that amusement parks add things on a regular basis rather than simply maintain the status quo means that they bring people and money through the gate. We'll see in some capacity how this might affect attendance and per capita spending-- although KI is just one piece of the CF pie.
    1 point
  12. No, simply that if people 'like you' didn't go I wouldn't have to hear you complaining about things that don't make a bit of difference to the stock holders because CF is still making money. Biggest problem in our country is the stock market. Neither the person providing the service/good nor the consumer is thought of because it's the stock holder (who most of the time is neither the supplier or the consumer) is the one who needs to be happy. Makes no sense. But it is true, if you're not happy with the season pass, then don't buy one. It's the negativity that seems far too prevalent in our society nowadays. They did announce something, Grand Carnivale. Not saying it's a big something but is is something. I guess I was just brought up to be thankful for what I have rather than what I don't. And yes, from being at the park and talking to people I believe a majority of people like shorter lines. Weird thing is the more popular/longer lines seem to have more people in them....
    1 point
  13. You stated It is the driving me to renew my pass that I took as you being done with Cedar Fair, since there was nothing compelling you to RENEW your season pass. I never said go away and leave it for the rest of us. Simply that I do not share your seeming need for the park to put up something new every year to get me to come back. They haven't added anything new to the water park yet it is still packed during the summer. As far as the 10% and shareholder thing I would point you to their TMM 2019 vs 2022 results in their latest financial disclosures. (they don't look at 2020 and 2021 because of covid reasons and to show how things have rebounded post-pandemic) Attendance for all of CF parks in 2019 was 27.9M and in 2022 was 25.4M a decrease of over 9%. However the net revenues in 2019 were 1.47B and in 2022 were 1.71B and increase of 16% (if I've done my math right). Per capita spending went from 48.32 in 2019 to 61.89 in 2022 with out of park revenues increasing from 169M in 2019 to 193M in 2022. (https://ir.cedarfair.com/overview/default.aspx) Bottom line is season pass attendance isn't the only thing that drives their business. They have diversified very will with the hotel properties and sports complexes (oh, and a golf course) such that even a 9% drop in ATTENDANCE (50% of which would be season pass holders, on average) didn't make a difference in the long run. They are servicing less people and making more money in the meantime. My guess is they could survive a drop in season pass sales at KI (even a large one) which they may face with the new gold pass price point. Not to mention Breakers has been practically sold out with a price increase for this season. I understand about downgrading, I myself am downgrading my grandkids from a platinum to a gold pass this year since I only take them to CP for 1 weekend and only go into the park on one of the days it's cheaper just to get a bring a friend pass on my platinum for them as opposed to paying the extra $100+ for the platinum.
    1 point
  14. My original post was not intended to be a complaint, griping, or anything of the sort. I am merely saying that for me, and what drives me to purchase a pass, the lack of something new is making it difficult to spend that kind of money again. Perhaps I’ll still get a pass, but it won’t be with all the bells and whistles. If the park was going to do some more work in the off-season, like painting Diamondback or more retracking, why would you wait to say anything about it? It seems like things like that could be taken advantage of. Just the other day, I saw a post from Kennywood on how they are about to repaint their Racer. Why would KI not want to hype some of that sort of thing up early? Baynum has been on top of their social media game lately. The points made above of the 2022 projects being pushed to 2023 makes sense to me. It just seems to me (not a marketing or PR person) that if you didn’t have a major addition planned you could at least showcase some TLC that will be coming instead of looking like Michigan’s Adventure. Please, why must we continue to use the “We just got a $30m giga coaster, why can’t you be happy” bit? I am so very grateful that the park we all love got that investment. I also understand we have been told that large capital improvements will have more years in between, with smaller events like Carnivale in between. It should not be unreasonable to be expecting something small like a restaurant, water park addition, or flat ride in between major additions. Whatever that might be, even if it’s “Hey look! We are planning to re-do this flowerbed in the off-season to continue beautifying the park!” It could help someone make a decision on renewal. Even if they are in the minority, why not hype up the little things? Again, this kind of response just comes off as “be grateful for what you have or go away and leave it for the rest of us”. This is a business, and a loss of 10% of season passes will be noticed by the shareholders. I agree with many of your points, KI is a gem and will likely continue to be under Cedar Fair. I also never said I was “done” with Cedar Fair because we didn’t get something new. I simply said I cannot justify the cost of a pass and all the add-ons for the first time in a while.
    1 point
  15. Exactly. It is evident walking in that they are maintaining the park. Now some here say that is a given and KI shouldn't be given credit for it. I disagree. Sprucing the place up, painting buildings and coasters, adding/fixing broken stuff, etc. is a sign that they are putting money in the park. Again, if they go too many years without a major improvement, then yes they will start to see more people not renew, but I do not see KI going many years without a true capital improvement. You mention shows, and yet look at people griping about Grand Carnivale coming back (and that is not cheap to put on)... Sometimes you can't please everyone...
    1 point
  16. I think there is a good excuse as none of the parks adding something next year were set to open a 30 million dollar giga in 2020. My prediction is we'll get some type of new spring event like Frontier Festival or State Line Celebration. I also think we may get the Monster Jam Thunder Alley event as I believe we are one of the few CF parks that hasn't had that event yet. I also think we'll see some sort of new food offerings. Whether that means a new restaurant all together or just some new dishes remains to be seen. I also am hoping we see a good lineup at Timberwolf if they decide to do concerts again next year.
    1 point
  17. Made an Area 72 expansion idea. It involves demolishing the current maintenance buildings and building new ones on the other side of Orion (red rectangles). It is based on Carowinds Aeronautica Landing and would feature 3 new flats: A Zamperla Air Race and Nebulaz, a gravitron ride, and a trabant. It would also feature a new restaurant with a patio and bar overlooking Orion.
    1 point
  18. That's why you blow dry on Invertigo or Banshee.
    1 point
  19. As much as I enjoy the rides themselves, Congo Falls and Invertigo are towards the bottom of my list of stuff to do in the park and often don't ride them. Usually don't want to get soaked when I'm over there to ride Congo Falls, and Invertigo usually has long, slow moving lines with it's one train operation that I feel it isn't worth it. If they removed them along with Timberwolf, and relocated Xtreme Skyflyer to X-Base they would have a huge area to do something with. And honestly, even if they left Invertigo, it is on the edge already and takes up a small footprint so could stay. With Banshee, Bat, and the colors for Inveritgo and Delerium, I would love to see a dark forest theme for the area, along with trees planted to convey that (along with Planet Snoopy to Camp Snoopy all the trees throughout the park would be amazing and help with heat by providing more shade. Would love to see 2 or 3 new flats and a hybrid/RMC style coaster added to round out the area.
    1 point
  20. Still a developing story and this article is full of errors. Social Media is reporting they closed early (nothing on official Carowinds sites yet - EDIT - they did about 12:30) due to fights and rumors of guns. https://snbc13.com/carowinds-shooting-scarowinds-amusement-park-evacuated-after-guns-brandished-charlotte-nc/?fbclid=IwAR1AA3RC-J6nxtnmNl4wCQxmYEjafU2c4p3yUwsCte3NEA66VAS_UxmfT9c&mibextid=YSzJz1 Are they next park to see a curfew? Edit: adding more news links until another post or Carowind issues a statement: https://www.wbtv.com/2022/09/18/carowinds-says-no-guns-park-cites-unruly-behavior-reason-police-presence/ https://statefirstnews.com/2022/09/18/update-today-carowinds-shooting-active-shooter-scarowinds-amusement-park-evacuated-after-guns-brandished/
    0 points
  21. Toss in these donuts and I'm in lol https://www.wlwt.com/article/doughnut-shop-selling-chili-dip-donut-skyline-chili/41230637
    0 points
  22. Oh, but according to the Dippin' Dots guy, you will get a vat/crate of yesterday's chili dumped into the lawn in Soak City VIP area, and the room monitor at the drypark VIP area will throw old rice and beans from Hanks at you. Maybe they will give a choice of chili infused ice water or leftover KI salad infused water? (unless the Dippin' Dots guy was telling the truth, this post is satire)
    0 points
  23. If Haunt truly catered to teenagers and was their target audience then alcoholic beverages would not be sold that night LOL... Although the website tries to make it clear that the event is not meant for young children, KI Haunt still sees a lot of kids under 13 at the park and won't turn families away at the gate. Strollers going thru mazes. Wagons being pulled with little ones. Families don't care what the website says - we have our passes and we are going to use them LOL. Look at all the comments from families on FB stating how they have no problem taking their single-digit age children to Haunt and all the gripes about the new bag policy won't allow them to bring in their diaper bag in for their baby.... I can also see the demographic of the audience come into play as well. I was at HalloWeekends last night and have gone many years in the past. It is crazy crowded (especially from Columbus day to end of season) and sure they have incidents like other parks, but it isn't overrun by teenagers and most guests are behaving (at least in my experiences compared to at KI and Carowinds). It is a lot harder for teens to be dropped off at CP for the night than say a Carowinds or KI. A chaperone policy wouldn't have much impact at CP. I see the following scenarios going forward (not necessarily this year but in the future years) (although I start with KI, it could be any park with Haunt): KI continue as is with fingers crossed that nothing bad happens to warrant a chaperone policy or worse. KI gets proactive and implements the chaperone policy now before Haunt starts and takes the abuse on the front end. KI goes to a new ticketed event and season passes are not valid (imagine the griping that would get) as a way to try to control the crowd. KI moves away from Haunt to a more family friendly event. Some other idea that someone else thinks up. What I expect to happen short term is that they will play the wait and see game. Knott's Scary Farm starts next weekend and has a chaperone policy in place - that will help guide the chain as to the impact that truly has on the event. But long term, as I mentioned, CF execs has the data on a family friendly tricks and treats only event from 2020 and data on Haunt "post" pandemic, and CP has numbers on expanding Haunt to Thursdays and Sundays, so CF has a wealth of data to go by to make a financial decision over an emotion decision. We have already seen them eliminate Haunt at other parks. And then add this year the data from Knott's and any other park that implements a chaperone policy and the impact that has to operations. Actually from Knott's they will have data on it being a separate event AND a chaperone policy. They have been a separate event for years. And I know some people will say getting rid of Haunt or a separate ticketed event will never happen, yet people said Winterfest would never happen again also.... Changing times calls for changing measures...
    0 points
  24. Sorry for double post, but Carowinds just issued a statement: https://twitter.com/Carowinds/status/1571353489523048448?s=20&t=gwsigAwheKO9o4xV-EFmFg
    0 points
  25. Had a great, albeit quick, trip to the park today. It was nice to miss most of the rain. Unfortunately, still ended up getting a little wet. On which attraction? Would you believe me if I told you BBoBH? Haha. Apparently it got a bit “leaky” in the queue this afternoon. This ride is in such a sorry state. I hope something is done with this space soon. An “encore” of sorts wouldn’t hurt!
    0 points
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