jzarley

So, reading back over this 9 year-old thread I have to wonder...when did ItalianChef stop posting? (Or, WooferbearATL for that matter...)

What's the capacity like on the red car trolley? I've wondered about that since first seeing the concept art. Buena Vista Street looks incredible. I can't wait to see your pics from Cars Land! :-)

" Not including front-of-the-line privileges with the new hotel could also dissuade travelers from trading down from the higher-priced resorts, ensuring that the new hotel doesn't cannibalize their bookings." I thought that was an interesting (and accurate) statement. I probably wouldn't consider trading down from the Royal Pacific just due to that one missing perk. Other amenities--decor, onsite restaurants, etc--wouldn't mean that much to me, but losing Universal Express would. I didn't see what they were projecting for the average rate at this hotel. (Although, I'm guessing if their goal is to compete with the Disney value resorts, I'd guess in the sub $100 range.). I think I can usually book Royal Pacific for around $200 in February

Great example of how corporate "rules & regulations" can fly right in the face of common sense (not to mention, human decency) if applied without considering the context. As soon as I saw this story on the news yesterday, you just knew that this was going to end up being a PR nightmare for them...and rightfully so!

I totally agree with your logic about there being a balance between the cost & effort of operating a program and the revenue it produces. (I have spent the better part of the past few decades making precisely those types of calls throughout my career.) My comment was simply one of the perspective of a guest. And, my perspective is that what I have observed from the program, it did not seem to be handled well. Maybe I have observed "off" days, or my experience is not the norm. But, that's not really the point...the point is that I walked away (as did the others I was with) with a negative opinion of how the program was operating. There's not really a "right" or "wrong" slant to that (nor am I really trying to argue that my opinion is any more valid than someone else's perspective)--it's purely the opinion and perspective of a group of paying guests on a particular day. I'm not trying to be unfairly critical of Cedar Fair (or, act as an apologist for them either...).

I think the beauty of those programs where it has been implemented well is that it becomes almost invisible to everyone. Hopefully, if the revenue opportunities warrant it at the CF parks, those type systems will be invested there eventually as well. I will agree that it may not be fair of me to expect CF to have deployed that same sort of operating technology at this point in their program...after all, they're still only about a year out from a CEO who believed Blackberries were "toys" as opposed to a legitimate business tool :-)

^^ no, I haven't been to a park that did not have the technological infrastructure to support a "fast pass" type system...which quite honestly, was sort of the point of my post :-). My comment was simply is that operationally it doesn't appear to be handled nearly as well...a consumer's observation more than a judgement.

Personally, I have never had an issue with perks associated with revenue enhancing programs like this. (Hence the reason I spend the extra $ to stay at an onsite Universal hotel.). My issue with Fast Lane (@ CP & KI anyway, I haven't seen it operating at the other CF parks) is that it seems so much more poorly handled from an operational standpoint than similar programs at other park chains.

That's because they're gigantic to a little kid...you don't expect Scooby Doo to be the size of a forklift!

^ I love a good spelling pun :-)

yea :-) Thanks!

Was heading to CP this weekend, and was wondering if anyone knew if WindSeeker was still down from its "incident" a few weeks ago? I was hoping to ride it this trip...I'm embarrassed to say I haven't ridden WindSeeker at either CP or KI yet.

Yes, it's true that most parks don't release actual attendance numbers. However, TEA seems to be the only organization that publishes an industry wide report like this, so it ends up being pretty much accepted as the source (well, at least as far as the media is concerned...) The 29% increase at IOA is amazing. Assuming that each of those additional guests brought in an additional $50 in revenue (probably a conservative number when you consider admission, retail, F&B ) that would mean "Potterland" resulted in roughly $87M first year ROI. That's incredible...no wonder Comcast has seemed to jump on the theme park bandwagon of late. I thought it interesting that not only did Zoombezi Bay (@ the Columbus Zoo) finish in the top 20 of U.S. waterparks (#19), but that it finished so close in attendance to Soak City @ CP (#18). "Official" (or even accurate) or not, I always find the TEA report to be interesting reading!

So...this probably isn't the best title for this thread...something a little more descriptive would probably prevent duplicate threads popping up. (Not to mention--actually describe what this thread is about...) I find it interesting that the Sandusky Register says that this information is taken from a memo written to the board of directors in February, but no mention of how they obtained it. I'd say this almost sounds like an internal leak done on purpose, but why? Seems like they'd get a lot more bang for their PR buck having a big, flashy media event announcing it a little later in the Summer.

LOVED the Rotor! (Although, as I've gotten older I've become much less tolerant of spinning rides, so I wonder if I could even ride it today). As a child, it was one of the first "big" rides I was able to go on. The sensations were amazing and you were literally plastered to the walls of the ride unable to move. I remember riding it with my older brother and his girlfriend and laughing hysterically. I have fond memories of it being extremely fun...of course, I also have fond memories of the "FUNtastic World of Hanna-Barbera" being one of the most beautiful things I ever saw too, so maybe take that memory with a grain of salt

Interesting...rumors of a buyout? It's not like there's a lot of organic growth in this industry to spur such activity. If so, I wonder by whom?

I am so with you on that one! I'm not a fan of Firehawk, partially due to its "jerky" nature as the Interpreter mentioned, but also because I don't like the feel of hanging against the restraints (especially after cresting the first hill). I'd say I'm average sized guy (5'9" about 155lbs) and don't mind some "freedom" in the restraints but really don't like the sensation of leaving the seat and resting against them... I'll agree with the other posters' opinions on Delirium...I'm fairly susceptible to motion sickness (especially spinning) and have never had a problem on Delirium or MaxAir (at CP).

33 years old. Same age as i am. It was initially built 33 years ago, but I wonder how much of it is still 33 years old? I remember hearing on one of those Discover/Travel Channel coaster shows one time that roughly 10% of a wooden coaster's structure has to be replaced yearly. If that's true (and I have no way of knowing whether it is or isn't) that would mean The Beast has been rebuilt 3.3 times since the original structure opened in 1979 Of course, I imagine that 10% figure isn't evenly distributed around the whole coaster, so maybe there are still some orginal parts of The Beast intact during its whole 33 year-old life span...

Cedar Fair doesn't "own" the rights to any of the characters in the parks. They pay a licensing fee to the owner of the intellectual property (i.e., Peanuts is owned by a company called Iconix Brand Group) to use them in a theme park environment. Licensing agreements have a finite contract life which may (or may not) be renewed. (Hence the reason CF had Nickelodeon characters in the former Paramount Parks, but no longer do...) As far as merchandise goes (either sold in the stores or given away as prizes) the manufacturer/distributor of the items has paid the IP license holder for the rights to use the license in their product. Cedar Fair has simply bought the merchandise from the distributor. It's the same idea that you can buy Disney character toys at Target, but Target doesn't "own"any Disney character rights. (However, whoever manufactured/distributed the toys has paid Disney for the right to use their characters...)

I like the 40th anniversary logo...I just wish the graphics were a little more subtle on the tee-shirts. I'd much prefer the logo smaller on the upper left chest. Of course, I'm probably a bit older than the demographic they're going for with this gear too :-)

^ oh, snap!

In another article that I read with Ouimet, he said that he thought the greatest underrated feature at Cedar Point was the beach, and it was his plan to make it much more of a focal point in the future...

Yeah, I would have preferred more "real" pics too... concept art only goes so far :-) I read somewhere (probably Screamscape) that the Hollywood version has been "plussed" from the Singapore version to include the HD animations and an enhanced sound system (similar to the recent upgrades made to Spiderman at IOA.)

Good video from Bloomberg on SF's comeback from bankruptcy: http://www.bloomberg...video/90464673/ Jim Reid-Henderson (SF CEO) talks about (among other things) the importance of technology in the industry, and how he can track sales & trends from his Blackberry. (For some reason I was reminded of the story of Dick Kinzel getting rid of all the Paramount Park's employees Blackberrys after the acquisition because he thought they were "toys"...)

I wonder what the 40th anniversary tee shirts will look like? I'd like the 40th logo as a smallish patch on the upper right of a tee... A golf shirt with the 40th logo embroidered wouldbe nice too (heck, I'd even wear that to work :-) I may actually buy a new KI tee this year...I haven't bought any apparel there since the earlier days of Paramount's ownership,!