Leland Wykoff Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Cedar Fair seeks $900,000.00 tax breaks to expand North Carolina side of Carowinds: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/12/4309222/carowinds-seeking-900000-in-incentives.html#.UjMnkz_xvIU http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Carowinds-seeking-900000-in-incentives-223557201.html 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merthecat Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 And it is basically confirmed that a new $30,000,000 coaster will be added, as well as a new slide and restrurant complex. Yup, that's more expensive than Banshee was. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Basically? It either is. Or it is not. There is no basically. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Six Flags Over Georgia, which I had thought was the Thrill Capital of the Southeast, is getting its own water park. It will not be called Boomerang Bay. What will become of Marietta's White Water has not been disclosed, so far as I know. Here's one story: http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/23498037/article-Officials-say-park-won-t-take-away-from-White-Water Marietta's Water Park should be "revamped" to Soak City...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Six Flags doesn't use Cedar Fair intellectual property. The typical Six Flags water park is named Hurricane Bay. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Six Flags doesn't use Cedar Fair intellectual property. The typical Six Flags water park is named Hurricane Bay. So it is a bay of hurricanes, soaked in the city, right ? BB1, a waterpark kind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merthecat Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Basically? It either is. Or it is not. There is no basically. It is semi-confirmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I'm interested in what this means for the future of KI. It seems (though too early to tell for sure) that Cedar Fair is done (or at least pausing) on major roller coaster installations by Intamin at the moment; B & M is the supplier of choice right now, for better or worse (and I'm not looking for another argument). Installing a B & M giga in Canada, while a B & M Hyper was already in the park had to be a bit of a risk taker for the park (as well as B & M who had never done a 300+ foot coaster prior). How would the ride work? Would it be popular? Would it detract from the hyper they already have? Would customers just say, mmeeehhh just a taller version of that, I'm not going up to Toronto this year for that, I'll wait until they install something "different"? By several of the accounts I've read, Leviathon was a big hit, and it did little to detract from the lines of their hyper that any other major coaster installation wouldn't have done anyways. Anytime I've seen someone talk about the park in a trip report, they talk about how the ride experience is fun and both are worth riding on their trips multiple times. I know I haven't read them all, I'm sure there are detractors, but if both Cedar Fair and B & M are happy with the results and are willing to do so again at Carowinds (and though the news media reports it will be 300+ feet tall, no one is reporting a manufacturer), perhaps they'll be willing to do it a third time at Kings Island in another 4-5 years. Could a Kings Island Giga been tabled a few years to see how the B & M Giga would work in Canada while a record breaking invert was installed to satisfy KI's quench for a new thrill ride? If the Pointe, Canda's wonderland, Kings Dominion and Carowinds all have Giga's, KI would be the only of their 5 biggest parks to not have one, and would be ripe for such a ride in 5-6 years. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leland Wykoff Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 More details From the Charlotte Observer: "The city economic development office had given council members more details about plans for the park in June. The new 300-foot roller coaster would cost $30 million. In addition, the park would spend $2.5 million on a new water slide, $7 million on a new food complex and $4 million on ticket booth and parking lot improvements, according to Peter Zeiler of the city." The $4 million ticket booth and parking improvements again suggest a Gatekeeper type coaster. Such a coaster could fly guests over two states. Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/18/4323933/new-carowinds-ride-to-be-70-feet.html#storylink=cpy http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/18/4323933/new-carowinds-ride-to-be-70-feet.html#.UjteLD_xvIU Another Observer article included this tid-bit: "The company predicts the expansion would increase yearly attendance by 385,000 customers and create 15 full-time jobs with an annual average salary of $43,000." 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 If the Pointe, Canda's wonderland, Kings Dominion and Carowinds all have Giga's, KI would be the only of their 5 biggest parks to not have one, and would be ripe for such a ride in 5-6 years. Kings Island doesn't need a specific type of ride just because other parks owned by Cedar Fair have one. Since Carowinds wants to increase attendance by 30%, going "big" on their coaster project was probably a high priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merthecat Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 This past month has been suprise after surprise for me! First, the $50 mil expansion Then the water slides And now the giga! And everyone over on Carowinds Connection refused to beleive that we would get a giga until now. Except me of course. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordSkippy Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Did I miss something? So far, I have seen nothing to suggest one penny of this $50,000,000 will be spent on a giga coaster.EDIT: Apparently I did miss something. Or I can't read. I will say, though, I'm a bit skeptical, especially considering how closely guarded the whole Banshee project was. Most of that is likely done by individual parks, but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride On_17 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I'm actually surprised that CF is adding another giga, and I never would have expected Carowinds to get one. I'd assume it will be a B&M creation, so Cedar Fair must have gotten them to agree to build more gigas. I figured Leviathan might be their only one but it looks like this isn't the case. And I'd be shocked if this turns out to be an Intamin. I just don't see it happening. Unless someone reports seeing green Intamin track... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Don't all parks want to increase attendance? I never said they would "need" to have one since other CF parks have them, but there is no denying that giga's are popular rides at their parks. I'm sure Cedar Fair would like any new installation to be popular (amongst other things). In a lot of ways, Banshee was exactly what KI needed. KI was one of the few major amusement parks with out a full circuit invert. KI was also suffering PR (and monetary) hits w/ the demise of Son of Beast and the slow death of The Crypt. While neither were built under the current ownership group, the park wasn't living up to its potential it would have had with both of those rides operational (and enjoyable) Banshee fills a hole in their coaster lineup, looks spectacular, should be reliable and will bring people into the park, it will be a home run. So what would fill a similar hole as a major attraction when KI's turn comes up again in another 4-6 years? A giga is an obvious choice, not because other parks in Cedar Fair have one, but because they are extremely popular and major draws. There are other choices as well. A wing coaster could fit back in X-Base, it may be time for a 4d coaster by that point if B & M remains the vendor of choice, another monster Woodie if RMC's latest rides prove successful perhaps or perhaps if Cedar Fair's relationship with Intamin is restored. There are many choices that could work. There will be smaller attractions added b/w then and 2015 no doubt, but a Giga is going to be an option when the next major attraction comes about. If it works in Canada, and proves to work at Carowinds (if that is the direction they go) then more insentive to try it at KI. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I will say, though, I'm a bit skeptical, especially considering how closely guarded the whole Banshee project was. Most of that is likely done by individual parks, but still. Don't all parks want to increase attendance? From the second article Leland Wykoff linked in post #61: In offering Carowinds incentives, the city is focused more on the impact to the hospitality industry. The city said Cedar Fair wants to increase Carowinds attendance from 1.9 million to 2.5 million, which the city estimates will translate into an additional 20,000 hotel room nights annually. Unlike most parks, Carowinds has been given a very aggressive, quantifiable attendance goal. Since the coaster project apparently accounts for the majority of the investment, it needs to be something that will attract many new guests. Going over 300ft worked well enough for that purpose in Canada. As for keeping details secret, tax incentives weren't requested for the construction of Banshee. Keeping a project under wraps is a lot harder when public money is involved. Interestingly, the Carowinds attendance figure was released by the city, even though Cedar Fair generally doesn't disclose these. If Carowinds will become the 4th "biggest" park with 2.5M attendance, the TEA attendance estimations for Cedar Fair parks may be overstated. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungStud Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 KI getting the shaft again. How can carowinds get a giga and not KI. If its a b&m they can have it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 KI got the shaft? Ya'll are getting Banshee. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 KI getting the shaft again. How can carowinds get a giga and not KI. If its a b&m they can have it. As if it were yours to give away. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungStud Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Well I would take a forceless b&m giga over a forceless invert. The giga would at least be tall and fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Don't judge everything by Millennium Force. Just because it is relatively forceless.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kblanken Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Interestingly, the Carowinds attendance figure was released by the city, even though Cedar Fair generally doesn't disclose these. If Carowinds will become the 4th "biggest" park with 2.5M attendance, the TEA attendance estimations for Cedar Fair parks may be overstated. Was it ever clarified that fourth biggest park was regarding attendance? I remember seeing something Cedar Fair released that grouped parks by attendance, and though they didn't give actual numbers, it did group them by categories. There were four parks in the 3+ million group, and Carowinds was in the middle group behind those. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 ^ The "fourth biggest" remark was never clarified, as far as I saw. Cedar Point claims to be the "biggest" by the number of rides and by the park's total ride capacity. Kings Island claims to be the "largest amusement & waterpark in the midwest", presumably based on the quantity of improved acreage. I remember that park attendance breakdown now, from the 2012 "FUN Forward" presentation to investors. Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm, Canada's Wonderland, and Kings Island are indeed in the ~3.0M+ category. http://cf.wddnsweb2.wddonline.net/_upload/pressreleases/final%20funforward%20presentation%20-%20with%20ebitda%20reconciliation.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elyk Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I agree, Millenium Force is waaaay overhyped. On the other hand, what has gotten you to suggest that Carowinds is getting a giga coaster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Read the entire thread. It's up there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungStud Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Raven is wayyyyyy overhyped. Millennium force has not once been labeled a airtime machine. First time I rode mf I had the same reaction as the first time I rode ttd: what the hell just happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Same here. In the case of Millennium Force, the song came to mind: "Is That All There Is?" 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungStud Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 ^ Terp, who had to change his pants after riding mf for the first time. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Only from waiting in line for hours! Ha ha. TTD, now that's nearly the truth. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merthecat Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 According to one article, it will be 310+ ft and only go 65 MPH. That article also made it seem like we were getting a wing coaster, but that article doesn't seem very trustworthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merthecat Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Well I would take a forceless b&m giga over a forceless invert. The giga would at least be tall and fast. To edit a famous quote, "Don't judge a roller coaster by it's designer." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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