jzarley

While I'm also too young to remember when the Brady Bunch episode was originally filmed & aired, I've seen the repeats on Nick at Night multiple times. (The most recent time has been within the last year...). It's really funny seeing how much the park has changed. (This was when the "indian canoe" ride was where The Beast is now!) I've always thought PKI should sell the episode on video tape at the park. (Let's face it...we're all geeks and would buy it ) What is the Jeff & Maureen version of the Brady Bunch episode? I've always heard about the Partridge Family episode at KI, but I've never seen it before. (Of course, I can count the times I've seen the Partridge Family on one hand.) Maybe Paramount should put both episodes on VHS and sell them at the park...that would be pretty cool. Joel

Getting back to potential ride removal... While I don't think removing anything is really necessary, my vote would be for either Vortex or Top Gun. However, Vortex's main benefit is its capacity...which I believe is one of the highest in the park? (1800 rph sticks in my head for some reason...) I guess I only listed Vortex because personally I just don't enjoy it that much anymore...I think I only rode it once all of last season. Top Gun suffers from capacity, duration, and placement issues. And since the "aircraft carrier" portion of the station has been closed, it doesn't even have any creative themeing to redeem it. To be honest, Paramount never would have chosen Top Gun in its current format for PKI...they were basically stuck with it because KECO was already too far into the contract with Arrow to back out at that point. (What was KECO's orginal name for TG? "Thunder Run" or something like that?) I've always imagined that if that hadn't been the case, our Top Gun may have very well been a B&M suspended like PGA's... (Or, maybe we would have just gotten DoT a year earlier...who knows.) I think taking out Adventure Express would be a big mistake. AE is one of the best mine rides ever built, both in terms of themeing and ride quality. In fact, I'd say it is second only to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at DL & MK. It is easily one of the two best rides added during Lindner's ownership (Phantom Theater being the other...) Plus, it has great capacity, very good ridership, and appeals to a large demographic. (It's a great "trainer" coaster that lots of people can enjoy.) Joel

I agree about not expecting anything big... While 50,000 square feet is pretty good size for a hotel's meeting facilities, it's not big enough to host any real sizable convention. (It's roughly maybe 3x the size of a "typical" hotel's meeting space.) By comparison, the Roberts Center on I-71 (north of Cincy, south of Columbus) is 100,000 square feet. The Columbus Convention Center is 1.7 million square feet, just to give you an idea of scale. Speaking of the Roberts Center...I always thought that was the oddest place to build such a big, stand-alone meeting space. But, I guess it must do ok... Joel

Well...hopefully more than actually made it into CDBB

Great pics...this site always does top-notch content. Any idea of what the themeing for the queue/station will be like? In all the pictures that I've seen of the construction, I still have a hard time picturing the layout of the ride. I guess I need a shot from the top of the Tower to really get my bearings . Where will the entrance to the queue start? Considering this thing straddles the entire middle portion of the park, the queue could start almost anywhere. It looks like the themeing on this ride looks great so far. Like TR:TR and FoF, this is a ride that will really raise PKI's image as a THEME park. There will be a lot of great visuals on this ride...they should also be able to create some cool related retail merchandise I saw in another post someone asked Jeff about possible attractions based on WOTW. Did anyone happen to ask him about the reports Viacom is selling the parks? (Not that he'd be able to really say anything--even if he did know...) Joel

Well, this solves Sumner Redstone's problem of having to decide who is his successor--Moonves or Freston. Just divide the company into two separate entities, and give 'em each one Joel

And, the WALT DISNEY Company isn't family oriented? He was making a comparison to Pleasure Island/Downtown Disney, not the strip clubs out by the airport... Considering the recent sucess of mixed-use "lifestyle centers" (like Easton in Columbus, Legacy Village in Cleveland, and that one in Westchester...), this is a pretty good idea. However, to be feasible it would probably be a year-round center. Chef's idea of making the movie theater the "anchor" is a good one. (Although, I believe Viacom is in the process of selling the cinema chain...of course, they're also in the process of selling the parks, so I guess that doesn't really mean anything.) Joel P.S. Also, keep in mind--nothing says that Viacom would have to be the ones to develop it...

I think this is a great idea, and as a non-smoker I'm all for this. However, I feel for you guys who work at the park and who will have to enforce this new rule...

I never realized how far over toward/behind The Racer it went! I guess it makes sense if you think about it, but I was still surprised to see it.

I'm with you on the "geek squad" with this one! Everytime I go to a park I get a map to "use" and one when I'm leaving to "save". I actually have a portfolio that I keep all of my maps in--each one in its own sheet protector. My earliest map is a KI visitor's guide from 1982! (KI's tenth anniversary...) I have pretty much every PKI map since 1993. Some of the rest of my collection includes: SF over Texas (2) SFMM Geauga Lake (before SF bought it...) SFWOA (2) USH USF PKD PC (2) PGA KK (before SF) SFGAm Disneyland CA Adventure MK Epcot Animal Kingdom Disney-MGM Typhoon Lagoon CP (3) Port Aventura So...does that make me a SUPER GEEK? Citigraph has a pretty cool website... www.citigraph.com

My favorite time at CP has always been very late Summer (last week of August). The weather is generally a little more stable then, and the park is empty. However, pretty much everything is still running at "full operation." The peak-of-Summer crowds can be HUGE, especially on the weekend. I never had very good luck with weather at CP before about mid-June. I was there one time in early June and it was 45 & raining. It was God-awful... Joel

Packages are offered pretty much all season with the exception of the month of July, BUT the prices vary significantly by date range. For example, the same package at Sandcastle: June 17-July 1: $539-753 Aug 28-Sept 1: $323-529 The range depends on the specific room type chosen. There are also some good package deals for Halloweekends...the Breakers starting at $186 and Sandcastle at $250. Joel

And, the reason that CF performs so well financially is because they've always taken a slow, conservative strategy when it comes to growing the company and taking on debt. In other words, leveraging the company to the tune of $1B to buy Paramount Parks would be completely contrary to how they've always managed CF... I totally agree with your assessment of SF. Jeesh...I thought my credit card debt was bad

Jeesh...sorry I brought it up again then

I got my annual mailing from CP resorts last week, and once again they've got some great package deals! They're only available for certain times, but if it fits your schedule there are great deals. We went last year during the week before Labor Day weekend, and for $320 (total) got: --Two nights at the Breakers --Two "twilight" (after 4p) tix to CP --Two full-day tix to CP --$30 in "munch money" (good at select locations) --Four tix to Challenge Park --two buy one/get one free coupons to Soak City The park closes early (8p) at that time, but it's so slow it's not really a problem. The longest wait was 20 min. for TTD...the front seat of Raptor was usually only a one car wait. It was great! We're going the same time this year, but planning to stay at Sandcastle Suites instead. The room we were in last year at the Breakers wasn't the greatest, and I really want a balcony. (The package price on the pool view room at Sandcastle is $355.) If you've never stayed on property at CP, I highly recommend it. Walking down the boardwalk along the beach to the park it's hard to believe you're still in Ohio! It's a great (and cheap!) mini-vacation. Joel

PKI & CP (definites...) I'm trying to plan a FL trip that would include: IOA Discovery Cove Sea World (because you get a free ticket after Discovery Cove) Typhoon Lagoon BGT (An eclectic mix, I realize )

Did anyone else notice that the thread about other new 2005 additions (Starbucks, Build-a-Bear, etc.) disappeared? I attempted to post a response in the thread yesterday, but got an error message when I attempted to post. After that, I couldn't find the topic anywhere... Anyone else notice this, or have I gone completely blind? Joel

Yeah, but what do you think the chances would be for all us to reach a consensus about the best way(s) to run the park? Considering the heated discussions that go on with all of us just talking about PKI, that could get pretty interesting...

If you just want PKI, you could probably pick it up for $250,000,000 or so...

Amen! I thought DOT was a HUGE disappointment. I went to Carowinds specifically to ride it in '93 while I was on a business trip in Charlotte. That was Paramount's first season, and having just ridden another movie studio's theme park's simulator (BTTF @ USF), I was expecting big things. What I thought was so bad about it was all the recycled footage lifted directly from the movie (practically all of it...) The simulated motion was pretty good as long as the camera was in a first person perspective, but then the camera angle would switch to facing the front of your car, looking in the window, or a shot of the grandstand! That was fine in the movie, but pretty much sucks when you're trying to make people feel like they're actually riding in the car. After DOT opened at PKI I rode it once to see if it had improved from the Carowinds version...it hadn't and I never rode it again. I'd definitely say '007 was my favorite as well. I can't remember--was it in 3D too? Joel

I agree this is a pretty good possibility. Actually, this was one of the possible scenarios I previously mentioned in another thread back in January... http://www.pkicentral.com/forums/index.php...indpost&p=62250 Investment firms and REIT's generally don't buy things for the long haul. Their goal is usually to get in, increase the value of their investment, and get out within a few years. Usually, that exit strategy takes the form of an IPO because that's usually a good way to generate cash. I had also mentioned in another thread/post on this topic (it seems like we've been talking about this forever ) that IF Paramount Parks were spun off as an independent entity, then a merger with Cedar Fair (or another park company) could make a lot more sense. A merger of equals with a stock swap would be a lot more attractive. That also follows the Blockbuster example...less than a year after their spin off they're attempting a merger with Hollywood Video. None of us really know what will happen with the parks... But, we're all enjoying the speculation. It certainly helps pass the time to opening day in April! Joel

Exactly! Not only did Blackstone buy interest in SF, but they also own 50% of Universal Orlando. They're a major investment firm that has a history of investing in theme park real estate. I've mentioned this over & over & over in multiple threads, but keep in mind that the mention of CF, Busch, et. al. as being contenders for purchasing the parks unit is so far only the conjecture of the author of the article in the New York Post, there has been no other collaboration from other sources. (Well, other than Snapper... Sorry--just joking with you ) And, finally, keep in mind what prompted all of these threads to begin with was that Tom McGrath has approached Viacom with a serious proposal to buy the parks unit. There's already a serious buyer (who used to run the parks, no less) waiting in the wings with some heavy hitting equity partners. Do I think Viacom will sell? Yep...but that's not really such a big surprise. My money is still on an a major investment firm and/or REIT. Joel

Well, I won't go into the whole thing again about the $1B price tag, and CF's most recent balance sheet in their Q3 10Q filing. (I guess people either understand how to read a financial statement or they don't...) But, let's pretend that Viacom is dead set to get rid of the parks and can't find anyone to buy the whole chain, so they decide to sell them park by park. If you were Dick Kinzel, would you want to buy PKI, or would you rather buy Wonderland (presence in Canada outside one of the largest cities in North America), Carowinds (first CF presence in the southeast), or maybe Great America (presence in Northern CA to complement your Southern CA parks)? Personally, I think any of the three of those parks would be a better fit for CF than PKI. One of the large equity groups that was mentioned in the article that could be a possible buyer was the Blackstone Group. Guess what else they already own? A 50% stake in Universal Orlando (NBC/Universal owns the other half...)

Keep in mind the quote about "possible suitors" is from the author of the article in the New York Post, not from Viacom or any of the potentially involved companies. Dennis Spiegel, who runs one of the most successful attraction consulting companies (based in Cincinnati, BTW) had this to say in an article in a Toronto paper: ---------------------------------------------------- The operations could sell for between $800-million and $1-billion, according to industry watcher Dennis Speigel, the president of consultancy International Theme Park Services Inc. He said in an interview from his office in Cincinnati that Viacom has been shopping the division around for a couple of weeks. There are six major operators of theme parks in North America, which account for nearly 75 per cent of all theme park receipts. The other big five are under pressure to improve their own balance sheets and likely won't bid on Paramount, Mr. Speigel said. He expects one of the large private equity companies to put in an offer. “In my opinion, the way to go with this is to take it private,†he said, adding that while growth within the industry has been flat in recent years, operators have stable revenues  which large buyout firms like Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Blackstone Group and Apollo Management crave. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't have to dig very far into the "other five's" balance sheets to realize what taking on a BILLION dollars worth of debt would do to them. (The other five BTW, would be Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Disney, Busch, and NBC/Universal.) One of which is already in so much debt that they probably can't even get a corporate Amex card at this point (SF); two have also said they've considered getting out of the park business all together (Busch & NBC), and the other isn't big enough to take on a BILLION dollar acquisition without leveraging all their other assets to the hilt (CF). Not to mention, Kinzel and his team have been too smart about growth and building shareholder value to risk it in a flashy move like this. HOWEVER--if Paramount Parks was spun off into an independent company (like Blockbuster was), I guess I could see a situation where the new company and Cedar Fair could merge (as equals) to form a new combined company. It appears that Paramount has a pretty strong management team in Charlotte, and Kinzel is retiring in 2007, but no sucessor has yet been named. Hmmmmm..... But in probability, as I said a few weeks ago...my prediction would be a sale to a large equity firm or REIT, who'll license the media properties from Viacom. That's the win/win situation for everyone...

Viacom reported financial results for Q4 and all of 2004 this morning. For FY 2004, total revenue was up 8% to $22.5 billion. However, they're posting a loss of $13B, due to writing down some of the value of their radio and outdoor advertising divisions. The Entertainment division which includes Paramount Pictures, publishing, chain of theaters, and Paramount Parks, was down 1% on the year to $4.1B. HOWEVER, they reported Paramount Park's revenue increased 9% due to increased attendance that was offset slightly by lower per capita spending. So, looks like the parks had a good year! Anytime you get 9% revenue growth in a mature business it's a good thing. Joel