Forums

I remember the "action" scene around the fort as a kid and I think I knew that the train route was rerouted when the water park was built, but watching this was the first time that I connected that my memories of the fort and action scene as a kid took place in a different fort than the one built around the house.  By the time the water park was built, I was to old and "cool" to make the train ride a regular attraction while at the park so there is a sizable (maybe longer than 20 year gap) b/w those days and when my oldest was built and the train went from a "once every handful of years" kind of attraction to a "must ride it every time" kind of attraction.  Sadly, I've come thru the other side with my 3rd child now tall enough to ride everything and the train is once again a "once every handful of years" kind of attraction".   It won't be too long (but hopefully not too soon either considering my oldest is just 16) before I circle back with grand kids and the train once again becoming a "must ride every time" kind of attraction   Thanks for posting this, it was an enjoyable watch.

Here are some graphics from their presentation when talking about long term goals and objectives

@Platinum BassThank you for doing all that work!  I am totally fascinated by seeing the land before Kings Island was built!

I just filled out a survey for Cedar Point that asked about the importance of having an IP used for theming at the parks. DC comics was mentioned alongside Peanuts:  

From Q3 report 2024: "Six Flags today also announced the core objectives of its new long-range plan designed to deliver on the full growth potential of the Combined Company. In many cases, the new objectives represent the natural extension and evolution of strategic initiatives that contributed to the success of legacy Cedar Fair. Enhance the guest experience to deliver a stronger price-value proposition and drive demand . Identify incremental operating efficiencies that generate cost synergies and help drive margin expansion . Maintain a disciplined approach to the prioritization and activation of capital investments to realize the full market potential of each park, while maximizing free cash flow efficiency . Integrate technology stacks with a focus on harmonizing systems, eliminating redundancies, and enhancing the guest-facing digital experience. Review the park portfolio over time, to optimize the asset base , narrow management’s focus, and help reduce net leverage."  (italics by me to point out the obvious)   My take on this:  They want to maximize attendance at all parks.  The opportunity will be at legacy Six Flags parks as there is much opportunity there.  However, look for a diminished experience at Six Flags parks that had high attendance prior to the merger and historically well attended Cedar Fair parks like KI and CP.  Legacy Six Flags parks will need investments in hardware (more high capacity rides and perhaps more trains per coaster) and People.  If they achieve higher attendance without enhancing guest experience, long term growth may suffer, or they may continue to attract crowds with a diluted experience with cheap passes, like we see at KI. As they attempt this, parks that fail to step up will be divested as they review the portfolio.  Also, well performing parks may be sold off for a quick cash grab.