WooferBearATL

No, you would not expect lousy service when a restaurant is slammed. Not often does a restaurant continue to be slammed if they have rude employees, cold food, etc.

Except for the fact (as Interp) has pointed out, that GWL is not utilizing all of it's own dining options and the ones that are utilized have been scalled back considerably.

I think that it's a good marketing technique. From reports of those that have been to the park, the entire concept seems to be legit and effective. Now that being said, I don't buy it that tradition/nostalgia was the reason that The Racer was turned around. (But the, I can't imagine anyone believes that was the reason.)

40 wasn't bad-30 is what sucked for me. I remember the place was packed the one show I saw, and it sounded good too. 30 was pretty good but 40 just was awesome. When I was in my 20's, I was a social worker for Hamilton County. One of my coworkers was in her 50's. She told me everything just gets better the older you get. I thought at that time she was exaggerating. But, whe was right. I would not trade one year and am looking forward to many more.

Yeah, Canada is actually much more proactive on this type of thing. I actually applaud her for standing up for her beliefs. I was not that bright when I was her age. I had shaved my beard for employment in the past. There is not a chance that I'd do it in this day and age.

Maybe you've been away for a while Chef. TimberWolf used to have three and sometimes four concerts a week, during the operating season. They no longer do.

Those are the paramedics loading you into the ambulance.

It's because of the little boy that was killed on The Racer. <G>

And the White Glow was just Carp with Gas!

You toss a ball and a dog goes to get it and bring it back. You do that for an extended period of time and do it several times a day. Now is this dog the happiest dog in the world or do you think that his rights have been infringed on? .... and by the way, animals generally do not get here the same way that people do. I would recommend a few more zoology and human biology classes. <G>

Coudn't have said it better myself! (Maybe they should add a K-Mart Blue-Light Special attraction this year.) Well you know that Nothing is Off Limits for Haunts!

Yeah, I'm not familiar with that paper but would venture to say that it's not the most Pro-US outlet.

Lord.... More than I could possibly list. I've worked and seen a huge variety: Jimmy Buffet, Air Supply, REO Speedwagon, Men At Work, James Taylor, Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine, Tears for Fears, Huey Lewis, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Hall & Oates, Laura Brannigan, Amy Grant, etc....

Yeah, I was gonna post that a couple days ago. Unfortunate situation.

That was pretty creative!

I think that's spelled wrong.

I always thought motorcycles used the more expensive premium gas. Am I wrong? Mine is a 2003 Honda Shadow Ace Deluxe. I run it with regular unleaded but some put the mid grade in as a treat.

Not a very good sign, ehhhh? If Six is doing this at one of it's "Model" parks, it must show that attendance is way off projections.

I agree. I've been to the park quite a few times (and not just while working) that I've not ridden any rides at all.

I meant that given the option of sitting through a show of cover-versions or just sitting by the fountain and relaxing I choose the fountain...plus the people walking by can be quite entertaining! Yes it can. And as that lends a lot to your enjoyment of the park, so too does the addition of the shows.

You mean you actually like to just sit there on the midway and watch fountains and people? <G> As you can probably see, it's a balance. Shows, Landscaping, Rides, Shops, Food, Games..... It all makes up a successful amusement/theme park. If any one area suffers, the park/parks suffer as a whole.

That just floors me! The Bond Hill/Norwood one used to always be busy. I remember when it opened and the parking lot was full almost every night. Now I'd never been to the Erlanger location, but can not imagine that it was very slow being right off the interstate there.

I refuse to believe that those statistics state why each category ONLY goes to parks. More than likely the question was, what was the PRIMARY reason why people visit parks. At least, that's how most would interpret it. I mean, can you honestly say that 9% of people go to parks, play the midway games and then leave? I bet there are a few, but 9% is a BIG number for that. So in saying that, I'm referring to people who, for example, go for both the rides and the shows. Let's say that 51% of their reasoning for going to a park is for the rides and 49% is for the shows. Then technically they should have answered "rides" but clearly the shows would have a big influence on whether or not to go to a park. Just the simple fact that we can have this argument goes to show that the data given isn't sufficient to answer the questions at hand. If you take Cedar Point out ot the equation, you'll notice that a lot of successful parks rotate between different aspect in order to build their brand. Kings Island is a perfect example. Let's walk back in time through the past few years: 08 - New shows, family orientation, 07 Firehawk - Thrill, 06 - Nick U, Family, 05 - Italian Job, upper-tier family, 04 - Boomerang Bay, mix of family and thrill, 03 - Delirium/Scooby, thrill/family, 02 - Tomb Raider - Thrill, 01 - Nickelodeon Central, Family. The list goes on and on like that, at least under the Paramount moniker. Say what you want about Paramount, but they ran a VERY profitable park under their formula. Shows play a more important role than most people may think. One of the key components of companies, especially ones that are publicly held, is that they grow their business organically. Organic growth is, by the most simplified definition, making a business more profitable without expanding. Cedar Fair measures their organic growth in terms of per capita spending, or how much on average a person spends in their parks. For the past fiscal year, it was $40.70, for those of you keeping track at home. Paramount did things a little differently. Their gauge was how long people spent in the park. The last time it was publicly reported, the average person spent 6 hours in the park and they had set a goal of 8 hours. Where do shows tie in to all of this? They actually fit very well into both formulas. Obviously a patron is far more likely to spend more money in the park if they spend more time in the park. What's the most profitable unit to come into the park? The family unit. So, let's say the good 'ol American family comes to the park with their 2.2 kids. What happens around 1:00? The kids start getting hungry.. and vocal about it, at that. Now, they have a few options: they can eat at the park, leave the park entirely, or eat outside of the park. Oh wait... the kids want to see Dora's Sing-Along at 1:00. Looks like they'll be eating inside the park today. Same goes for the dinner rush between 5:00 and 7:00. You'll notice that a lot of the shows are clustered around the lunch and dinner hours for that reason. It is a good assumption that after watching a show, especially the ones in the air conditioning, the family unit would be rejuvinated and ready to spend a more lengthy time in the park. Cedar Fair actually got smart and pushed back a lot of the shows to later hours. This would attract people to stay in the park until later in the evening. Call it tradition, history, nastalgia or whatever, but that's the same reason they do the fireworks too... in the hopes that you stick around for just a few more hours to see them. I'm done rambling... But what a great ramble it was. I agree with you 100% and it's nice to see that CF is recognizing some of this.

Shows are a nice addition (cough, cough)... but I, for one, would not base my decision to visit from far away just because Kings Island has new shows. If I wanted shows, I would travel elsewhere. Granted the shows are good for the non thrill seekers, but *most* people visit theme/amusement parks for more than shows. (cough) It's called a balance. (cough, cough) Please show your statistics that "most" people visit theme/amusement parks for thrill rides, alone. (cough)

Someone is gonna have to learn me how to do one of them there Avatar's some time. <G>