Tchu Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 People are honestly offended by the phrase "families are where the money comes from"? First of all, lets differentiate about the appropriateness of an overheard comment made in passing conversation Vs making said statement in an official press release, or putting it on the quarterly report. That specific phrase (assuming that was exactly how it was worded) is casual, not very 'business-like'... but if it wasn't made at a business meeting/release/report... what's honestly the big concern with it being plainly stated? As for the offensiveness of it... it's not like they said "Families are where the money's at. Single people are stoooopid!" That would be offensive and unjust. Nor did they say "Families are where it's at, so the heck with thrill seekers. We ain't givin' them a thing!" What's wrong with Cedar Fair stating that families spend more money than the other audiences? Personally, I'm not at all offended by the park commenting that I (and others like me) tend to spend less money at the park than most families of four (five, six, etc). Coasters don't necessarily bring in the money. Coasters cost money (a lot) and then regardless of how many people ride them... bring in no income (other than the occasional on-ride photo). You don't have to pay to ride the coaster, or pay to board the trains. You don't have to pay for them to unlock the restraint and let you off. The coaster is necessary to keep the park relevant and in the news. Its necessary to attract that thrill seeker, but many times that audience is a younger, single audience that often buys season passes anyways and doesn't spend as much when at the park as a family of four. A long line at a coaster isn't making the park many nickels. In fact, I'd say the cost to run/maintain the coaster and the cost to staff the ride outweighs the handful of on-ride photos sold. A long line at the food stand in Nick U means mega bucks for the park. Everyone in that line is going to spend many dollars on food items that cost only a few nickels. Kings Island received a major thrill coaster in 2007 and 2009 (and the 09 install is a gem that looks like it could finally give KI its claim to a World Top Ten steel). If they take a couple years and focus on shows/kid's rides/etc for the family... it's not like they've neglected their other customers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypkikid2005 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 What? huh.gif Yeah, Paramount really left thrill seekers out in the cold with Top Gun, EXtreme Skyflyer, Flight of Fear, Wipeout Beach, Drop Zone, Face/Off, Son of Beast, TR:TR, Delirium, Slingshot, Tasmanian Typhoon, Coolangata Racers, and Italian Job. dry.gif My thoughts exactly, I don't know how you can get away with saying that paramount didn't cater to thrill seekers. I would say they weren't as focused on just coaster thrills like Cedar Fair seems to be so desperately focused on. I would say Paramount was dare I say much more creative in the variety of thrill rides they gave us. I'm not arguing that FH or DB haven't been cool but I wish we had some creativity on Cedar Fair's part which is certainly lacking in that company. In word they have no imagination. Also I don't see how the statement "Families are where the money comes from" is anyway shape or form insulting. As a single 20 something individual I can easily see this is merely a true business statement, so what you would have to be a dummy to not realize 4 people are gonna spend more money than 1 person on average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsUp Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 What? Yeah, Paramount really left thrill seekers out in the cold with Top Gun, EXtreme Skyflyer, Flight of Fear, Wipeout Beach, Drop Zone, Face/Off, Son of Beast, TR:TR, Delirium, Slingshot, Tasmanian Typhoon, Coolangata Racers, and Italian Job. Good point-but really, Top Gun was only marginally intense, ES and SS you have to pay extra. Face Off has never done anything for me.TR and IJ are fun, but long on glitz, while short on thrills. SoB and FoF are solid, as are the waterpark rides. But they certainly didn't put in anything like DB...it always seemed as if they were doing just enough to provide new thrills. I also must admit that the TVs in all the queue lines REALLY bothered me. At an amusement park, I want the experience of being at the park to be the main focus-not movies! I can watch TV at home..but when I'm at the park, I like to soak up the experince with my family and friends. In '97, I went to CP for the 1st time, and I was struck at how much fun it was to have so many bada$$ coasters that none of the lines were that long...and so many different kinds! I also loved the lack of TVs and the presence of enjoyable music. So I guess the Paramount aesthetic was as much of a turnoff as the lack of big coasters. Sorry to rant...but needless to say, I'm confident the park is now in good hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 but needless to say, I'm confident the park is now in good hands. Now that I will agree with you on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I would like to know what basis all of you have for stating that families spend more money at the park than single people. Since people like me are single and have no children to support, it is only logical that we are likely to have more disposable income. Sure I will bring a cooler or eat outside the park but so do a lot of families with children. This has everything to do with the fact that the price of food is high and the food is low quality and we are in a recession. If you bring the prices of things down and the quality up, everyone will spend more money in the park, married or single, child or childless. Even though I am single, I have spent plenty over the years at both KI and CP on food, shirts, and hotels. Again, the term "Families are where the money comes from" may not have been intended as offensive but that is how it comes across to us. Us single people are also important to the economy and businesses need to wake up to that fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI Kevin Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 I that this topic is getting a bit out of hand. And no it was not actually stated inthe announcement/ speech, but a representative was standing next to the model of Diamondback talking to a guest at the park, and that's what he said. I personally am not really offended by the statement, just kind of puzzled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsUp Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Since people like me are single and have no children to support, it is only logical that we are likely to have more disposable income. This is the same for my wife and I-and I do think that CF realizes that singles or anyone without kids indeed does have a decent amount of discretionary that they would not mind getting ahold of. This is especially true with the Platinum Pass option-IMO, it really caters to regional ride enthusiasts willing to travel...If we had a handful of kids, fat chance of dragging them hours away so that mom and dad can rage hardcore rides. I really feel that recently CF has done a lot to cater to people like me (and you). Bigger, better rides, multi-park passes, and more beer...they realize that we are the ones who could be doing a LOT of other things besides going to parks. Still, families are a huge base-and for them, going to a park is more of an annual (or semi-annual) 'event'. If the park visit is part of vacation, mom or dad may be a bit more loose with the purse strings, and buy that extra souvenir-because the day has such sentimental value. This is not even considering the familes who have passes. When I was younger, KI was where we'd hang instead of the mall, my brother and I spent tons of allowance money on Icee's in The Beast line, baseball cards, smurf cones, and potato works. We wouldn't have been a possibility if our family hadn't gotten us passes and given us rides up there. So it's not that single folks aren't a source of revenue, but any family that has culture of going to KI (regularly or not) is a multi-headed cash cow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 May I point out in years past the Gold Pass Deals for meals were centered around amounts of food that could only be consumed by a family or a tremendous glutton? And what happened to reasonable portion sizes at Potato Works? Not everyone wants to feed a family of six or eat like there is no tomorrow.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Years later. Mr. Ouimet. Fury. Banshee. I-305. Families? Hmmm. Where next? Where, indeed. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtk1378 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Woodstock Gliders? Snoopy's Space Buggies? Tropical Plunge? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Ouimet seems to be doing something for everyone at most parks... KI: Big coaster in 2014, family ride and kiddie ride in 2015, water slide complex next year KBF: Dark ride for 2015, 75th anniversary celebration of "ghost town area" next year (not many details on that yet) KD: New thrilling flat ride for next year Carowinds: Big coaster this year, water park expansion/improvement next year (all but confirmed given park hints and such) California's Great America: Planet Snoopy expansion this year (nothing announced for 2016 yet) Cedar Point: Family rides and other improvements in 2014; Renovated hotel, midway improvements, refurbished coaster and picnic area for 2015; new coaster for 2016 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI Guy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 My family suggestion: a modern replacement of KCKC. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindingSon Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 CGA is getting a floorless Vortex next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I would even say Banshee is sort of a family ride. It's big enough for the adventurous but not too intimidating. My mom (former coaster enthusiast who now finds Beast and Racer too rough and DB just too large) enjoys Banshee. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieF Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Maybe I'm in the minority but I actually think the park could improve on some more family rides. I'm not really talking about just rides in the Snoopy park, but sometimes I wish more parks built roller coasters that were fun but not record breaking. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindingSon Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 The problem with creating coasters that aren't substantial and not record breaking is that they won't grab as much attention which is why parks install new coasters in the first place. See: Lightning Run at the NEW Kentucky Kingdom. I've not heard one person say they didn't like it after riding. But it didn't get much attention outside of enthusiasts. Not to say marketing couldn't go a long way, but being able to say your new coaster is the tallest, fastest, longest etc. goes a long way psychologically with potential guests. ROI is key. See: apparently Carowinds so far this year, Banshee last year. Now I do feel Kings Island could improve its family offerings. I feel Cedar Point actually does a better job in this area despite being the "coaster park" it's known for. I think some more family friendly flats would be nice. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 So what do you think of The New Kentucky Kingdom's 2016 coaster "addition?" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindingSon Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 It might look good when KK is on the market? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 The problem with creating coasters that aren't substantial and not record breaking is that they won't grab as much attention which is why parks install new coasters in the first place. See: Lightning Run at the NEW Kentucky Kingdom. I've not heard one person say they didn't like it after riding. But it didn't get much attention outside of enthusiasts. Not to say marketing couldn't go a long way, but being able to say your new coaster is the tallest, fastest, longest etc. goes a long way psychologically with potential guests. ROI is key. See: apparently Carowinds so far this year, Banshee last year. Now I do feel Kings Island could improve its family offerings. I feel Cedar Point actually does a better job in this area despite being the "coaster park" it's known for. I think some more family friendly flats would be nice. And longest is a nice friendly term for family coaster. You are not too high, not too many inversions, just length. I see these terms and think intensity enthusiast: fastest, steepest, highest, most inversions I see these terms and think "family" or "safe" coaster: Longest, air time, terrain.... That's just my opinion though ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieF Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 However, I think enough people go to Kings Island so word would spread quickly if it's a good coaster. KK's problem was because it was closed for years with rumors of reopening, and not many knew when it was finally open again. Sometimes the smaller coasters can pack a punch and appeal to many. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Years later. Mr. Ouimet. Fury. Banshee. I-305. Families? Hmmm. Where next? Where, indeed. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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