The Interpreter

Ha! The preferred parking last year at Six Flags Over Georiga was further from the gate than most of the free spaces at Kennywood are from its gate. Actually, on busy days, riding the ski lift to the park from the free lot is half the fun! Well, not quite half!

It was taken off during the rehab. What are they trying to achieve? A smoother ride and less maintenance...

Doesn't Kennywood still offer FREE parking? I seem to remember the $5 is only for preferred parking...

Junk???

On I-64 in WV between Huntington and Charleston last week, I saw billboards for Paramount's Kings Island and for Cedar Point. None for Six Flags, though.... Heck, I even saw a Camden Park billboard!

This morning: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...NION01/60526002

Believe it or not, one of SFKK's and Holiday World's MAJOR markets is Nashville. Has been ever since Opryland closed. And what would those patrons pass on the way? Beech Bend...now with a reason to STOP. That park needs to advertise on I-65!

I, for one, wish that Thunder Run had two trains and ran closer to home!

Good. I figured those seats WERE blocked off.

Has someone forgotten El Toro...which opens very, very soon? (In a park that is also probably about as much competition for Kings Island as Beech Bend is)

Nope, I got to watch you all do that...from the station, as I was too busy talking, as usual!

Hmmm. I was there Sunday, during the filming of that commercial, too!

I see NOTHING funny about that. If the park hasn't even blocked off those seat lines, it says about all that needs to be said about customer service under CBS. Cedar Fair can't take over too soon. And laughing at guests for doing something totally reasonable? I sure hope your post isn't right... If it IS right, and I were the GM or the rides manager and I found you or your crew laughing over that situation, you would continue your laughs from outside the park...where you used to work.

Regardless of what the contract may or may not say, few companies want to do business with a company that does NOT want to do business with them. A contentious business relationship is usually soon ended, much to the relief of both sides. Cedar Fair is most definitely a company that greatly prefers Pepsi. Very proudly so, too.

And thus the topic name: Experts Guess.... I thought about putting quotes around the "Experts." Beech Bend did just get a new wood coaster this year. Kentucky Rumbler...You may have heard of it. But Beech Bend is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Honestly, either Six Flags St Louis or Six Flags Great America probably is four times the competition for Kings Island that Beech Bend is. Heck, Wyandot Lake is probably more! Experts, indeed. Thanks for noticing!

If those lower prices are reflected at the guest level, Holiday World must have one heck of a deal!

Yep. There's an interesting clue in this article, see if you can find it: http://www.pointbuzz.com/news.htm?id=925

But, Paramount Parks just signed a long term contract with Coke right before the sale. So who knows?

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...377/-1/BUSINESS

And this is the last season for the Six Flags Sacramento waterpark: It will either be dismantled or sold to another chain.

So Kansas City is a resort destination? Who knew? http://www.worldsoffun.com/public/tickets/

WooferBearATL, you'll find this article interesting (as will those who think Six Flags isn't changing, but for a different reason): http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/chris_barry/...05/23/2538.aspx The pictures of Great Adventure there should, if nothing else does, convince you that the new Six Flags is not the old Six Flags.

"They" is a different "they" than last year. And things are definitely much different than before. It is way too early to make predictions, especially if those predictions are based on past performance. Besides, the selloff of excess lands and parks has hardly begun. Hold on!

The $15 parking price is pretty much universal, except at Kentucky Kingdom, which does not own its parking lot (the Commonwealth of Kentucky does, and the last time I was there it was five dollars, still). I have found Six Flags America and Six Flags Great Adventure to have made improvements comparable to those in Georgia, in guest services, cleanliness and staffing. I also found Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, though not quite rising to that level, to be much improved. I wish I could say the same about Six Flags Over Texas. I can't. I was there a week ago last Sunday and Monday. The food places were mostly closed. Those that were open were very slow. One train on most all the coasters. Only two shows on Sunday, and NONE on Monday. No trams in the parking lot. And the park itself was not very clean. The parade at the end of the evening was among the shortest I have ever seen, and the employees participating in it looked to be glum and unenthusiastic. It was if a pall hang over the park. The SFOT I remember under the old Six Flags was much better than this. Something is wrong down there, or at least was the two days I visited. That being said, Mr. Freeze is running awesome (even though it seems to not open with the park), and Shockwave was giving Mindbender a run for its money for the title of best grand old Schwarzkoph...

Erosarrow05, you may as well love those graphics, as I can about guarantee you that is the way Kings Island will be referred to next year. . .