The Interpreter

New theme parks in Connecticut, or pie in the sky by and by? http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.d.../603110307/1002

Let's not tell TTRyan who owned Universal during the time Islands of Adventure was planned and built! No, it wasn't Japanese. No, it wasn't Chinese. Think about fried potatoes....or bakeries at the end of International Street (well, there USED to be one...)

It is a LOT less expensive to remove trees than to build around them. It is only lately that most parks have seen the light and tried to preserve trees. Others have gone the other route. In the last four years, Camden Park in Huntington, West Virginia has removed virtually every tree in the park. What was once a tree lined midway not unlike a small forest (somewhat reminescent of Knoebels) is now an asphalt midway with no trees. Very hot in the summer. This detracts from the guest experience bigtime. For that matter, the Kings Island of today is a much nicer place than it was when it first opened, with saplings everywhere. When I go to Kings Island these days and see those great oaks and maples where once were saplings, I feel very old indeed.

Yeah. You're right. Compared to Top Gun this and Vortex that and Drop Zone over there. And Tomb Raider here, Tomb Raider there, and Tomb Raider up there. Yep, I see your point. Sheesh.

Some of us know well how parks operate...from Busch to Six Flags to Paramount to Disney to NBC Universal to the family parks. And I, at least, have NEVER said Paramount was a bad operator. There are things they do very well indeed: rides operations, admissions, season pass processing (including letting customers use next year's pass after processing this year) customer service, merchandising, games. And there are things that they could do much better, but choose not to: theming (particularly the maintenance thereof), entertainment, shows, food, landscaping. They do what they do because it is what they have chosen to do. A new operator WILL be different. In some ways better, in other ways the same, in others not as good as Paramount. That's the way it is. I also would not assume the parks will eventually be split up. I actually think that is among the least likely of outcomes...though I CAN easily see the Canadian park going its own way. . .

PKI has an inverted coaster. The second best one in the state, as a matter of fact...

Uh, no. Universal's Theme Parks are controlled by General Electric and Blackstone Group. Together they could buy a company 10 times the size of Paramount Parks and not even sweat. Anheuser Busch could also afford Paramount Parks with very little difficulty, but probably isn't interested. Cedar Fair has already been discussed, but could, with difficulty, finance the purchase. Hopefully, though, they learned a lesson (or two or three) with their somewhat recent acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

Okay. Fine. Splain something to me, then. Why do some totally blind people also get sick on rides?

They didn't forget. The money to do that wasn't in the budget by the time it could be done. And in case you have forgotten, the park is for sale. I doubt that little things that only people like us notice will be fixed this year. It's called deferred maintenance. Safety items WILL be taken care of. The park will be at least as safe as ever, if not more so. But little things that less than 1/10 of one percent of the parks' guests will notice will not be taken care of this year. That's reality. And not really a whole lot different than the last several years...at Paramount...and at Six Flags, too; for that matter...

I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned what Cedar Point calls their version of this classic ride!

For some time now, PKI has required four or more for the "packs," while the other Paramount parks have only required two. PKI is a business...Six Flags is greatly increasing their season pass prices. I note in passing that even at Kentucky Kingdom, historically one of the cheapest of Six Flags passes (but NOT when it was just Kentucky Kingdom!), passes are now $54.99. I also hear that more pass price increases are on the way at Flags. Paramount no doubt is responding by raising theirs, seeing an opportunity. What better time to test than now? Avid fans have already bought their passes. People who buy this late are normally not as price sensitive as those who buy early.

As I have said here before, I am not an employee of a park, any owner thereof nor for a media company. I have never been an employee of Kings Island or its successor companies, nor of Six Flags. More than that I am not going to say. And the park you are no doubt referring to doesn't even open until four weeks from tomorrow. About two weeks before PKI. What shape it is in, or what shape PKI is in, should best be judged after the parks open for the season. This will by no means be a normal season for any Paramount or Six Flags park. Or for Cedar Fair, either, for that matter. Knotts Berry Farm just had an 11 percent decrease in its admission price. Same story at Cedar Point. Geauga is struggling. Worlds of Fun finally gets a new coaster, but not just because someone had some extra money to spend. Times are so abnormal (and I study this industry so carefully) that when Six Flags Over Georgia opens Saturday morning, I intend to be there. Others will be running around trying to get rides on every thing they can. I will be watching the ride ops, the managers, the crowds, the reactions to the parking fee (whatever it may be), and, just for kicks, I may even buy a season pass to see how long that takes, how I am treated, etc. Then about three weeks later, I may repeat that experience at a park in North Carolina, then a week later in Jersey. A couple of weeks later, on a Friday, I may well be in Mason, Ohio. You could even look for me, but I bet you wouldn't know me if you saw me. Look for the guy in the suit and...oh, never mind. I'm talking too much. The times, they are a changin.

There is more to Paramount Parks, Horatio, than you have dremt about in the Carolinas....snakes, even!

Uh, unless my memory is VERY faulty, the Cincinnati Zoo helped operate the Wild Animal Habitat, and received the token admission of one dollar collected to ride in the last years...It was very popular, and one of the reasons for the dollar charge was to lessen lines...

Sad to say, you haven't missed much. The Columbia Palace, it isn't.

Somebody PLEASE tell me Wings is going. Somebody who is right, preferably. That place so needs to go. And I sure hope the replacement is a sit down place WITH table service. PKI needs such a place, badly.

Probably, but if so, it was not reported. . . I'd assume there is a reason the monkeys no longer have access to cars, and vice versa.

Well, at Great Adventure, people use their own cars! Monkeys can do some mean things to windshield wipers. Well, they could before they were physically separated from the cars a year or so back!

The people from China were impressed with the number of flat rides at PKI? Sheesh. Anywho, I have been very disappointed with Paramount. The food, the shows, the entertainment....all went massively downhill while the theme park was owned by a company that owns movie studioes. Hurts my head. All that being said, I can guarantee that PKI is in a lot better shape today than would have been Six Flags Cincinnati featuring Viper, Shockwave, an SLC and a boomerang and a Batman Stunt Show. Then again, if IJST's theming isn't a near rip off of Batman The Ride, I don't know what is. That pastoral part of the park has been reduced to looking worse than the average Six Flags' Batman The Ride area. And that's pretty bad, indeed. And the coaster isn't even a good one like BTR is. The sad thing is there is no guarantee that the next owner will be better. We may well be posting on some board some day: Yes, the park will change under new ownership. There is no guarantee it will be for the better.

Denise Dinn Larrick never designed ANYTHING. Thankfully. Larry Bill and Dennis McNulty would have a fit, as would Michael Graham and many others, with the mere idea of giving Denise credit for designing Raven. Seriously, I doubt the woman could design an escape route from creditors.

To my knowledge, the Busch Seaworld parks and Busch Gardens Tampa, Six Flags Marineworld and Six Flags Great Adventure are the only major parks with large wildlife attractions. Hersheypark has Zooamerica. I just don't see an investor group going this direction. I doubt I see ANY acquirer other than Busch going down that road. And, looking at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a case can be made that even Busch would not. For the record, the safari at Six Flags Great Adventure is VERY successful. It also is an additional charge attraction, though it is now included with season passes (until somewhat recently, it was not). Much of its business comes from schools and colleges, though. And there isn't a competing zoo five or so miles to the south.

I know what they are called. And I still think someone has had one too many Crabby patties!

Not to mention that by next year, "they" will probably be a different "they." OTOH, next year will probably be almost locked into stone before any change of ownership. . .

Man, somebody's had one too many crabby patties.

Well, it's confirmed that PKI's is going to operate this year. I'd suggest you ride it as much as you can. The future of no thing, nor even of us, can be guaranteed. . .