The Interpreter

It's Cedar Fair. Isn't your real question, Are the going to keep the Paramount's name in the parks?

Infrastructure is the STUFF that makes the park run. The people who make it run are far more important, but they ain't infrastructure. As for y'all who want to count the number of shows at Cedar Point, have at it. NOT ONE even approaches the quality of School of Rock. Not one. Cedar Fair does many things incredibly well. I repeat, as I have said in the past, that entertainment is not their strongest suit. I don't expect to see improvements in entertainment at Kings Island. Perhaps in quantity, but certainly NOT in quantity. Some of the worst shows I have ever seen (and I have seen many) have been in Cedar Fair parks. And not just at the so-called lesser parks, either.

The Coca-Cola Company would be a LOT happier with YOU if you spelled the name brand of its beverage with a capital C. They've been known to send nasty, nasty letters to people for much less... In any event, next year the chances seem to be good (or not) that the price will be less, and the drink Pepsi Cola.

Except it WASN'T a newspaper survey. It was a Northern Kentucky University survey, conducted over the Internet with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent, sponsored by the Marketing Research Partnership Program, a collaboration of area marketing research firms.

Look at that table again...that's because there are categories!

Uh...no. I was at Michigan's Adventure many, many times before CF bought it. CF NEEDED to make massive improvements to that park's infrastructure. If anything, the bathrooms and infrastructure at the Paramount Parks are far superior to those at even Cedar Point. No such massive capital expenditures prove to be in the cards (except possibly replacing asphalt---and CP has some of that, too--with concrete). To be honest, comparing PCWi or PGA with Michigan's Adventure is comparing apples to oranges, not to mention PKD, PCWo or PKI. It's a whole different scenario. As Mr. Kinzel himself noted, the Paramount Parks do not need the massive investments that Geauga Lake did, for instance.

http://www.pointbuzz.com/news.htm?id=962

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS02/607040338

A very nice article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13693175/

Really? Even the weather service isn't that good. The business is not what it once was...especially since there is now such a HUGE percentage of fickle passholders, who go when they want to and don't when they don't. It was far, far simpler in the days of fewer season passes, more general admissions, less competition and lower relative gas prices... I have oft heard it said, and never seen any correction, that of all the parks in the USA, Kings Island has the largest percentage of admissions made with a season pass.

That's because he is almost always right!

Welcome back you crazy Beast riders, how was your ride? Please step quickly and carefully to your right and down the exit ramp and enjoy the rest of your day here at Kings Island, a Cedar Fair LP park! Onboarding riders, the gates are now opening. Please step carefully into the car after securing all loose articles, fasten your safety belts, lower the orange safety restraint and wait for one of our friendly ride hosts to assist you. Prepare yourself to conquer the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet!

Welcome! Yes, someone will be there! The park will not be empty. How many people? Even the park doesn't know! That's part of the fun in the amusement business....it depends on weather, luck and who knows what else! What to ride first? Face/Off, since the lines get huge...or go to the back of the park and ride Beast, then Flight of Fear...Is this your first trip to Kings Island?

Steel Venom also known as Vertical Velocity also does that, same for Wicked Twister...especially in the front seat! And Deja Vu, too...

Not only that, but I would venture that SOMEONE has fallen off every single ride at Paramount's Kings Island (and every other major park in the country). Falls are THE major cause of injury at every major park. Most of them occur in the midways, but many occur while patrons exit/enter the ride vehicles. In addition, there have been many instances of riders falling from rides at Kings Island, and not just from Eifel Tower or Flight Commander. In virtually every case, rider misconduct was involved. And no, I will NOT be discussing those incidents here. Suffice it to say, as long as the rider stays sober, the chances of unintentional exit from the ride vehicle are virtually zero. But it is NOT true that people do not fall from rides. It happens. Heck, people fall from dining room chairs, beds, toilets, cows, horses, airplanes, etc. There is no reason why ride vehicles should be any different, and they are not. Flight of the Dead: There are many highly knowledgeable people here, with thorough knowledge of the park's history, which is also fairly well documented. I know you love the park, and that's a good thing. But you might want to think before you post things you THINK are true, but aren't sure. The words you post can affect others, and the thing about the restraints on Face/Off could actually have hurt the park, had it not been rebutted. You really do NOT want a law enforcement officer showing up at your house with papers where you have been named as a witness in a lawsuit...to testify about how 'dangerous' and 'defective' the restraint system on Face/Off is, in your opinion. And yes, it could happen (especially if there ever is a fall from Face/Off and the plaintiff's counsel starts looking around for evidence that the park owner 'knew or should have known the restraint system was unsafe.') There are many, many ways of finding out who wrote something on the net. If the money interest is high enough or a detective, attorney or investigator has the knowledge, skill and ability and/or the time, that is a relatively simple thing. If it turned out you didn't have expert knowledge and still wrote that, Cedar Fair and/or Paramount Parks (depending on when the incident occurred) and Vekoma would no doubt want to have a word with you...and your parents if you are not of legal age. Just something to think about. I know this sounds like its overstated. It is not. And YOU will just have to trust me on that.

Yes, but a minority interest is still an interest that could have caused problems with certain government approvals needed to transfer control of the Paramount Parks, unless either: a- at Sandusky, Great Wolf were to cast away its interest or b- Cedar Fair did not obtain the CBS interest in the Great Wolf at Mason. After any review, there is little doubt the transaction would have been approved, but antitrust reviews can take months and months, even years; if there are any substantial issues to be reviewed. Since potential for reduced competition in the waterpark business in Mason, Ohio was no longer an issue, there was no need for a longer review based on that issue. Wouldn't surprise me too much if the CBS interest in Great Wolf at Mason was sold off soon, perhaps even to Cedar Fair. There is no longer the intense need for speed that both CBS and Cedar Fair were experiencing on the main transaction. On the other hand, it's a very minor percentage interest and requires little supervision or management. Then again, if that isn't unrelated to CBS's 'core' businesses, I don't know what is.

Not anymore, they just started letting you keep the same card, and just update the picture (which isnt on the card anymore). Also the cards no longer have a year on them., And now, if they change the park name back to drop the Paramount's, they may still issue new cards again. Or not. Given the language on the back of the cards, I bet they DO reissue them...regardless...

Sorry, but I don't.... Did you engineer the mechanical operations on this ride? There is NO way such a system would ever be approved by any insurance company in the world...or by any park's engineering department...

Why would you think that if one restraint failed, all the others would, too? They are mechanical devices...and it is NOT necessarily the case that all would fail at the same time. In fact, that is almost, if not, impossible.

Hmmmm. A prince of a name...

I believe they are NOT park employees, but rather a contractor. Right?

There are many other such examples...and though we all are assuming they will drop the Paramount's part of the park names, it's NOT a given until they actually do it. Many things can and do happen in business all the time, and not just at Cedar Fair, either. . .

Righto! CoastersRZ nailed it. There should be a correction issued soon....I actually contacted the "fool" and let him know of the error...

Read ALL the article. He says the Paramount Parks were in good shape, unlike Geauga Lake. And this clown is one of the best respected financial writers in the country. Thus, his role as a fool at the Motley bunch.

Uh, wait a minute. The seat belt is attached to the restraint. Were the restraint to fail, that seat belt would do....exactly nothing. Its purpose is to be certain the restraint is lowered enough to be secure, and these type rides originally did not even have seat belts... In the words of a famous ride down to Kentucky...you will just have to face your fears....head on. More seriously, in many years of operation of these rides, I am not aware of a single instance of restraint failure. You are more apt to be hit head on in the car on the way to the park...and yet you either ride in and/or drive a car nearly every day? Right?