CoastersRZ

And to clarify for those who may be unaware, Xtreme Skyflyer was originally named Drop Zone when it was installed in 1995. The current Drop Tower ride did not debut until May of 1999.

Yeah. I`d imagine that the board will state that they appreciate the vote from the unit holders with regards to the cash distributions, but will continue with their already announced plans, as the best way to strengthen the company moving forward. I would be shocked if the vote actually passed for an increased distribution, and the board acted on it. The next question is, how quickly will a new chairman be named? And since Kinzel is definitely on his way out, will the next CEO of Cedar Fair be from within the company or outside of the company?

I can actually see this ride being considered a roller coaster. I mean, in concept it is no different than a ride like a Schwarzkopf shuttle coaster, just with a different conveyance system to power the train. Granted, if the first generation Intamin free fall rides were not considered roller coasters, why then should this be dubbed a roller coaster? Of course, there are all the Intamin shuttle coasters like Wicked Twister that do essentially the same thing as Superman: Escape from Krypton, and are considered roller coasters. So why shouldn`t this ride be considered a coaster? I wonder if the new OTSR restraints will be like those found on Maverick, or the more vest like restraints found on Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.

To echo the Interpreter`s comments, creating a separate account to post inside information will at the very least result in your accounts being banned. We have many tools to identify people that have multiple accounts. Also, as Interpreter mentioned, losing your job over posting such information could very well be the least of your worries, depending on what information you leaked. The park employs spokespersons for a reason, and that is they are the ones who talk with the media to issue the park`s position on items. You, as a low level front of the line employee do not have all the information or the rite to disclose information which is not public knowledge. In summation, be very careful with what you post here on KIC and on other websites. Information posted to the internet can be traced back to you. And there can and will be ramifications if you post something that you aren`t comfortable having published in a newspaper. Bottom line, the posting of inside information will NOT be tolerated here on KIC, and creating anonymous accounts to do so will also not be tolerated. And you could get in far worse trouble then just getting kicked off of KIC.

From the last article that The Interpreter quoted: Wouldn`t that prevent Kinzel from remaining on as Chairman of the board?

If the cash distribution measure passed by that large of a margin, then why is Cedar Fair saying that it was too close to call? Are they trying to concoct what their next plan of attack is (and to secure necessary measures to pay out an increased distribution?) I think current managements lack of transparency with the removal of Falfas (and the error in the recently announced attendance figures of an increase in park spending has made many unit holders skeptical of current management). Not to mention, Cedar Fair seems to think that the majority of shareholders are short term investors, often quoting how the units have risen over the last year (while they are still down by a significant amount from their 2007 and 2008 totals.

And it looks like Kinzel had reason to be concerned about today: http://www.cleveland...t_structur.html More information here: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/news/2011/jan/11/cedar-fair-opts-new-ceo

Cedar Fair shareholders vote to change management structure The vote is too close to call on the cash distribution issue. So I wonder how Kinzel feels now? And, this is a non-binding vote. Will Cedar Fair go along with the recommendations of the vote?

Actually, in the past, CoasterMania has been included, free of charge (surprising, I know), to Cedar Point and Cedar Fair Platinum Pass Holders.

And to site the article that Terpy linked to, Knott`s hopes to open their WindSeeker sometime between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. From everything I`ve heard, KI`s is slated to open with the park on April 30th, which means KI`s will be the first one to actually open of the four. And with the new location of the ride at Knott`s, they are having to relocate a support for Silver Bullet. Which I imagine is not a cheap endeavor in its own right. Likely means they had to do some work with B&M.

Well, while it may be warmer in sunny California, it still typically takes about 28 days for concrete to gain most of its strength. AND, they just started site work on Knott`s WindSeeker. And they have an open park to work around as well. That in and of itself can restrict the hours in which they can work. And since they were originally supposed to start construction, I`d imagine that the ride is going to open later out there than originally planned. And to site the article that Terpy linked to, Knott`s hopes to open their WindSeeker sometime between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Yes. I saw that. But, like I also said, actual vertical construction won`t begin for quite some time (early March). This is typical because it allows the concrete in the foundations to properly cure. It will be cool to see pieces starting to arrive in the parking lot in a couple of weeks though.

Can we have Ride Warrior Weekend back at Kings Island please? Those are some pretty crazy times for exclusive ride time. Ending at 1am, and then beginning again four hours later? Talk about a lot of sleep deprived people!

So which Wind Seeker will be the first one to open? KI`s or Knott`s? Assuming that none of them have any unforeseen technical issues (they are prototypes after all).

Well, I believe that all the concrete pouring for the ride foundation concluded with yesterday`s pour. Now, all the remaining concrete work is likely finish work; ie concrete walks and curbs.

And from yesterday`s blog post, a short description of the foundation for the ride. As I predicted sometime ago, the foundation is comprised of a series of concrete piles, with a concrete pile cap above the piles. In the case of WindSeeker, the pile cap is 6' of concrete! Here is the segment about the foundation: And here is the blog entry: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/blog/2011/1/5/WindSeeker_construction_update.cfm

I agree. I too am a pass holder to Dollywood this year (second time I`ve had a pass there. And while I`m at it, there season pass renewal process is quite simple. My first pass there was in 2009 (bought in December of 2008). I went down there again this December, and renewed my pass online. All I had to do was enter my pass # when renewing, and as easy as that, I have a 2011 Dollywood pass). However, I`m ashamed to admit I have never eaten anything inside of Dollywood so far. I think it would be fair to say that most families that visit KI are going to go ahead and pay the premium on the food, simply so that they do not have to deal with leaving the park. Your local pass holder family that will visit the park for a few hours here and there would be more apt to picnic in the parking lot, or simply grab food before or after their visit to the park. And of course, group sales were up. These people typically are not paying for admission, (at least not all of it), and so they are more apt to spend money on food and games once inside the park. I still think Cedar Fair would be wise to introduce an across the board discount on food for season pass holders. Say a 10% discount. While the discounted prices would still be high, it may be just enough to entice more pass holders to buy food while in the park as opposed to picnicing in their cars in the parking lot.

How could they have overlooked an error as large as that was with regards to the guest per capita spending? In park per capita spending has been going down for a while now. Yet attendance seems to be rebounding. Clearly, something is not working once guests get inside the parks, otherwise the in park spending would be going up not down. Is it merely the fact that they are discounting admission, or are the food price to quality ratio way out of whack? I seem to think that it is the the latter. But Cedar Fair will never admit that. At least current leadership won`t.

I`m not sure who determines food pricing at the Cedar Fair parks. But I know that as of September, Cedar Point had LOWER prices on 20 ounce soft drinks than what Kings Island had. Granted, both parks have different soft drink companies (I wonder how long until we see either Pepsi or Coke take over the entire chain?) so that may have an impact on the pricing of soft drinks. But it still seems odd. Especially since fast food establishments seem to be within closer proximity of Kings Island`s parking lot compared to Cedar Points. As an aside, Cedar Fair`s unit price has nudge up considerably since this press release was issued (up 3% today). As of this writing, the price has gone up .49 cents to 16.72. The 52 week high for Cedar Fair units was set earlier this morning at $17 a unit. And yesterday, the units closed up 4.17%!

Interesting that the only two parks mentioned directly when talking about attendance were Cedar Point and Canada`s Wonderland. Also interesting that the northern region saw the smallest percentage increase of the three regions. And they realized a 1% increase in in-park per capita spending. In other words, don`t look for Kings Island to hold the line or even reduce prices on food inside the park anytime soon. (Even if it means they may make more money on a reduced profit margin per item sold). It still amazes me that the big themers down in Florida (and even Dollywood) charge less for soft drinks then what Kings Island does. Just imagine how well a place that serves $1 hot dogs and soft drinks would do at KI? I know at the Reds games I went to this year, the $1 concession stand on the main concourse had among the longest lines of all the food venues!

Add Coney Island to the list of parks that opens on May 7th for the Appalachian Festival. The pool and park officially open for the 125th anniversary season on Memorial Day Weekend.

What recourse do the unit holders have if Cedar Fair ignores the vote? I imagine that some people, particularly Q, will be highly upset if the vote is ignored.

Finally, Q brings up the one point I like to mention. Cedar Fair keeps saying the units are up. Yes, they are up over their low point, but are still WAY down over what they were four years ago. Cedar Fair fails to realize that some people bought in and have seen the value of their positions, as Q notes, plummet, not increase as Cedar Fair states. As I said a while back, this is going to be a bumpy ride. A ride that may not even end at the conclusion of the vote next week.

Exactly. And that event is being held at the prime time for spring floods. And in an area at Coney that is among the first to flood... And Coney is due for a flood. The last flood that reached 52 feet at Coney was six years ago in the spring of 2005!

Indeed it is. I`m sure that there is not much contingency built in if we get say, a lot of snow costing construction days. But at least KI isn`t holding an event that could be completely canceled if the mighty Ohio strikes in the spring...