BeeastFarmer

Abysmal News out of Charlotte this morning. Attendance down in October. Per caps down. Didn't even blame the weather this time.

Yikes is right. PRKS has a bad quarter and reported today, and their stock is down something like 30%. When FUN reports similar tomorrow, I wonder how low the stock will plummet? I mean, we are almost to 2020 levels, and there is no pandemic. No replacement named for Zimmerman, that is bad news. Unless they announce tomorrow and have genius, hoping to offset the bad news.

So very strange watching the death spiral of an amusement park via social media.

I hear that ice skate times may be reduced from 90 minute time frame to 30 minute slots to sell more. How can they logistically do this? By having people enter every thirty minutes during a 90 minute period and then zamboni it? How would they get group one and two off the ice? This is probably the biggest selling upcharge for the event, and probably one of those most expensive line items. If they screw this up, which corporate seems to have a nack for doing, WF could be a flop. If it's a flop, will they continue it? Are they purposely trying to sabotage things and get WinterFest off the table?

If Dollywood can flip from pumpkins to Christmas in one night, they can take 3 weeks to transform a fountain. But they have shareholders to answer to, so they are going to do what they need to do

That is a real shame. I know the logistics of transformation into snowflake lake is monumental, but they need to figure out to keep it and the tower open thru Haunt. Surely it does not take that long to winterize the equipment and string the lights. On a positive note, at least it will have been open longer this year than usual.

Which is worse, unauthorized photos, where she supposedly was told no photos, or AI slop? ( Cross threading)

^ What a twisted mess of steel! I love it!

If this is what we end up with, I hope it's fully customized for KI. Two trains with 16 riders each....yikes. When you account for Fast Lane (the free one time use with the cheaper prestige pass) on this stat alone would kill capacity. I am loving the new Vekoma, but they need to have higher capacity models.

Nah, they need to theme it 80s legends Thompson Twins. Have the lap bats ratchet down tight as the song " Hold Me Now" plays in the station.

As far as REIT, SFET has exercised the option to purchase the rest of SFOG. I know that's not an REIT issue, but the concept is similar: control your own destiny with a park. REIT would destroy that. They were/are planning to "buy out" the partners in this park by 2027 for $332m. I don't know how much they already own, plus all of the physical aspects and infrastructure would be, but selling the land to a REIT would make absolutely no sense. I don't see a world in which the REIT could or would pay the value that is there. If they did, imagine the cost of the leaseback. I believe they want to do the same for Over Texas. However, when the sale of SFA is made known, it could give a hint on what value they could realize in markets with high land value. I'm far from a financial expert, but this makes no sense to me in a lease back scenario.

He's been doing the same style videos for years. But I'm sure he, like just about every other content creator, uses AI to supplement his framework.

Interesting perspective. I

Glad you enjoyed them. The more I see if them, the tackier they look to me haha

Anyone from KIC who goes tonight, the first Thursday night of Haunt, let us know how it is. Looks dead from webcam.

Just a couple of thoughts: 1. Where are these feature films targeted to? Legacy SF markets? I have just seen this today and it was a news feed, nothing pushed out by a SFEC park. Same last year. 2. Great production value. But is there any sort of communication between SF and the ad agency who produces these ? Do they really want people think it's ok to go into (inferred) restricted areas? (And also public urination as the guy said he's going to the restroom and then he's in the woods. Maybe, like Jerry Seinfeld, he has uromycitisis however! ).

But there is also the reality that the company will correct to market response. If people attend and have decent per caps, which they likely will because KI is so penetrated, they will spend the least and get a good return on a little investment. If attendance declines, and per caps with it, they will either bolster spending, or we turn into another Dorney or WoF. For haunt this year, it will be interesting to see how it all pans out. I keep hearing that the event feels off. But that is from enthusiast friends. Other friends who are more casual are having the time of their lives and going every weekend....they are oblivious to our collective angst. They are the epitome of ki passholders and are tantamount to the future of the park.

^ususally I'd agree with driving attendance...but haunt are typically the busiest days of the year. Since Kings Island is so well penetrated, they want to just let things happen organically. If the gate is open, they will come seems to be the mentality from corporate to KI.

@brenthodge, good story line! What's you thought on Mystic Timbers? The teaser showed vines taking over Kings Island and then that story evolved into what we got.

I wish they would theme up Diamondback. I like the name, it fits, but it's an oddity. Ironically, the species of rattlesnake that lives in the area is the Timber rattlesnake. Eastern Diamondbacks live in the Southeast, and western Diamondbacks ( which I think our coaster is themed to) live in the desert southwest.

They've had fifty something years to do it and they haven't. I don't think today's generation would connect with the 1920s or 1950s, whichever this was trying to portray. They would also have to maintain it it, which we all know, degrades over time. If anything, they should just lean into the nostalgia of the ride with some light touches. A huge opportunity exists in the brake shed to turn goose turds into golden eggs. (Remove some of the walls, add murals, music, etc ) If I had my choice, I would restore theming to The Beast before adding anything to other rides.

Can you expound?

^ no comment except https://youtube.com/shorts/kjsU7rs93AE?si=uE26JMdU77CgjKHH

Poor Ernest. Ya know what I mean, Vern?

Looks like we are back to budget mode on The Royal Fountain. Or all the goose poop you can see is just a fraction of what's there and has clogged the lines and nozzles. Why don't they clean up the goose poop?