The Interpreter

Ride Monster Plantation while you still can. Every year I fear it will be the last... --The Interpreter, up to about 11 MP rides so far this year...and more to come.

Better to **** off the rednecks than the grandmas.... --The Interpreter, who knows these things

and the confusion continues. From: http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybri...omktNews&rpc=44 Sigh. Confidential to Reuters: Cedar Fair is not Viacom. Paramount Parks outside North America is a Viacom property....

Me too... Then again, I adored the Tunnel of Love at Coney Island....

Uh...checking in here. Drachen Fire? Too bad it isn't true. I'd be first in line to ride it...if I could run faster than Delirium_Guy that is. . .

Cedar Fair has announced NO decision as to either the Paramount's in the names of the parks or the ride theming (or Nick either, for that matter). Until they make a decision and announce it, there is only speculation. I agree it is unlikely they will keep the Paramount's Name Of Park nomenclature, but they really haven't announced whether they are doing away with it or not. They have parks to run and a season in progress to worry about right now. . .

Thanks! That would work even better if it were publicized a bit more....

Neither of you mentioned Americana? Anyway, in alphabetical order: 1. Americana 2. Astroworld 3. Ghost Town In The Sky 4. Whalom Park 5. Williams Grove

Not to mention that with Six Flags current financial condition and the family friendly focus that Messrs Shapiro and Snyder are taking, the chances of a hypercoaster at Kentucky Kingdom in the near future are somewhat less than zeo, even if there were no height restrictions.

Uh, people stopped going to Geauga Lake long before Cedar Fair bought it. This is one of the many reasons that Cedar Fair was able to buy that park for far less money than Six Flags had invested in it. . . And Cedar Fair did NOT buy the rights to the Nick and Paramount theming. They got LICENSING for four years for Nick and up to ten years for the Paramount theming, subject to certain additional terms not made public. One of the latter terms, no doubt, is that if they don't use the Paramount theming, some sort of payment is made from one party to the other...

1992.

As someone who has ridden both MaXair and Delirium many times, I defy you to show any major differences in dispatch times between Cedar Point and Kings Island. There isn't any. Same thing for Troika vs. Shake, Rattle and Roll. Coasters? Now, that's another story. Especially on, say, Raptor or Corkscrew vs. Vortex. Mean Streak vs. Beast... Gemini vs. Racer. etc., etc. On the other hand, service at most Kings Island grab and go foodstands is MUCH faster and better than at Cedar Point, at least in my experience.

That's easy. They advertise that it is cancelled and give instructions how to get a refund. Anyone who doesn't get a refund...that money ends up being forfeited, eventually, to the State of Ohio as unclaimed property...the park does NOT get to keep it....

Only about half the acreage at Kings Island is developed. There's plenty of space for coasters...if that is what Cedar Fair wanted to do... But, look for lodging and things that make money OUTSIDE the park long before you look for big new coasters at Kings Island, In my humble opinion, anyway....

I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to see a large internationals hiring program at the Paramount Parks next year...given who just acquired them...

Well, since Cedar Fair owns Kings Island while it's CBS and Great Wolf that own the Great Wolf Lodge, I doubt seriously that Cedar Fair cares one whit if it hurts the Lodge's business. In fact, they might even be thrilled. It was also my understanding that those decorations were largely rented.... Lastly, if Winterfest was a major factor in the decision to build the Great Wolf Lodge, it's little wonder that company is in serious financial trouble....

Wait...it's July...and that would seem to be a very profitable shop location. It's STILL closed? What's up with THAT?

That shop is now actually open, and I take it that poster is thus gone... Right?

And at Carowinds, where the event was marginally more successful by many accounts, the Charlotte Observer headlined a review of the event: "Walking In An Empty Wonderland..."

Nothing major? I guess that's why the park quit selling alcohol for several years after a certain Sunday... One of my major disappointments with Paramount was when they brought it back. MOST people who drink do so responsibly, but the consequences when they don't can be far greater in a recreational setting. Had alcohol not been served in the park, I doubt seriously there would have been any deaths in the park to date. . . In any event, Cedar Fair's policies seem to be far more lenient than Paramount Parks' were. It will be interesting to see how this is handled in the future at Kings Island, Kings Dominion &c. . .

You, too, eh??

And if they KNOW they are sending people into the streets intoxicated, they will soon learn about Dram Shop Acts....I, for one, still think that amusement parks and alcohol shouldn't mix. By the way, at Cedar Point, the entire park is considered to be a bar under the law, and open containers can be taken anywhere in the park; whereas at Kings Island each establishment serving beer is considered a separate establishment and you are not allowed to take beer from the boundaries of that establishment. Ever see the signs at LaRosa's or Fest Haus? I wonder what will happen there....

This has already been discussed. Burning that wood would create a huge health hazard and violate the pollution laws!

Room? Plenty of room. Money coming from Cedar Fair to pay for them? Bwa-ha-ha-ha.

And if not profitable, it would: a. reduce the time available for changing, upgrading the parks (whether profitable or not, but it looks worse when it isn't), b. take focus away from an effort to integrate the parks into the Cedar Fair culture and business at a most important time, c. show creditors and investors that "business is usual" at the parks, even though the company size has nearly doubled and the debt load is now nearly overwhelming, and d. make even the possibility of Winterfest in the future far more remote...if it fails a second time around, it'd be done for, and probably for a lot longer than 13 years this time around...it would also give the naysayers in the company ammunition for a very long time: "We tried that, it didn't work, and how...we are NOT doing it again..." Given all this, I can't imagine there is any chance of Winterfest happening again this year. If it does, I'll be amazed. Then again, I also couldn't imagine that Cedar Fair would actually buy all the Paramount Parks. They did. Now they are looking at Six Flags levels of debt that they need to pay off. I have every faith they can and will. But they won't do it by taking riverboat gambles on things that have very, very little chance of even breaking even; much less making a profit.