Six Flags and Cedar Fair Merge

[Kenban]

49 minutes ago, Hoeter said:

it didn't appear that an "All Park" option exists for the drink plan.

There have never been separate all park, and home park only drink plans.  They have just always been chain wide and it’s unlikely anything is changing.

[Taylor.B03]

I've been scouring the national sites of Cedar Fair and Six Flags since the merger. Today, the LCF parks were added to the park selection section of the Six Flags national site. 

[Taylor.B03]

Just like that, www.cedarfair.com is down.

[ShedTreeBoi1]

Let us have a moment of silence 

[KI Fan75]

www.cedarfair.com now redirects to the six flags website if it works at all. 

[Taylor.B03]

Well now the site seems to be functioning again, so I'm not sure what they were doing. Maybe some testing.

[Taylor.B03]

Update, it's now redirecting to sixflags.com

[WoodVengeance]

Imagine showing this to someone from a year ago with parks like Kings Island and Cedar Point on the Six Flags website.

[DoomPlague]

Looks like pass options for 2025 are up for legacy SF parks and its...gold pass, prestige pass, and all park passport, matching Cedar Fairs options. As well as all season flash pass and a "two meal" dining plan.

[CedarPointer]

Congratulations to whoever had the idea to name the passes the same thing when the benefits don't work at the "other company's" parks and aren't really a 1:1 match either. Imagine being in Guest Services having to explain these things to upset guests with a straight face. 

[BeeastFarmer]

Spotify's DJ has been playing "We like to party" by the Venga Boys. I really think they should use this song over the next few years to unify the company... except for the market the former Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

How's this for a concept for a commercial for next year, featuring two of the most recognizable people from KI:

 

**[Scene opens with the iconic "We Like to Party" by Vengaboys playing in the background. Quick cuts of the park’s entrance and excited families walking in.]**

**Don Helbig (excitedly):** Welcome to Kings Island, now part of the Six Flags family!

**[Quick shot of Diamondback roaring down a hill. The sound of the train horn blasts through.]**

**Ryan Suhr (grinning):** We’ve got the thrills you know and love, like The Beast, still the king of coasters!

**[Cut to The Beast zooming through the woods, then to guests enjoying Blue Ice Cream.]**

**Don Helbig (voiceover):** And it’s not just the rides! Indulge in our famous Blue Ice Cream…

**[Quick cut to guests picking up fudge from The Sweet Spot, their smiles growing.]**

**Ryan Suhr (voiceover):** …or grab some fudge from The Sweet Spot. It’s a must-try!

**[The Banshee’s wail echoes as the screen flashes to Banshee diving through its loops.]**

**Don Helbig (voiceover):** Feel the rush on Banshee!

**[Cut to guests relaxing at one of the park’s bars, toasting with vibrant cocktails.]**

**Ryan Suhr (cheerfully):** And for the adults, we’ve got plenty of places to unwind with a drink in hand.

**[Montage of guests laughing, riding coasters, and enjoying the park with "We Like to Party" crescendoing in the background.]**

**Don Helbig (excitedly):** Come for the thrills, stay for the fun—Kings Island, now better than ever with Six Flags!

**[End with the Kings Island logo, followed by the Six Flags logo, as the song hits its peak.]**

**[Text on screen: "Get your tickets now at sixflags.com/KingsIsland"]**

[Taylor.B03]

It looks like the 2025 Cedar Fair style bottles will be used throughout the whole chain next year!

[Orion-XL200]

And here I was hoping they’d eliminate them completely. 

[SonofBaconator]

I’m sitting here, wondering what is going to be the most obvious change that non-enthusiasts will see from this merger in the coming years.

[WoodVengeance]

52 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

I’m sitting here, wondering what is going to be the most obvious change that non-enthusiasts will see from this merger in the coming years.

I think it depends on the parks they're from. It seems new Six Flags is going in a more Cedar Fair-centric direction when it comes to things like passes, add-ons, food, maintenance, additions, etc. so I don't expect the former Cedar Fair parks to change all that much post-merger unless we begin seeing DC or Looney Tunes IP introduced to those parks.

I think the most notable changes will come from the former Six Flags parks, especially larger parks like Magic Mountain, Great America and Great Adventure. I believe those parks will change a lot for better or worse if they begin adopting Cedar Fair's method of running their parks and the general public will notice the changes greatly.

Other than that, I think the most obvious difference for people throughout both of the chains is that the all-park passport can be used to go to both former Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks. For people who have Kings Island as their home park and want to buy the all-park passport for Cedar Point since it's nearby, they will also gain access to Great America as well. Likewise, people who have Great America as their home park will now be able to visit Kings Island and Cedar Point if they get the all-park passport.

[BoddaH1994]

I missed the anniversary, but the merger was announced just over a year ago today. How we feelin'?

[Tr0y]

1 hour ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I missed the anniversary, but the merger was announced just over a year ago today. How we feelin'?

I think it’s still too early to tell. However, I will say the park experiences I have had this season is better than last.

[IndyGuy4KI]

27 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

I think it’s still too early to tell. However, I will say the park experiences I have had this season is better than last.

I would agree with that! They are just now getting into the restructuring of positions. Next season we will start seeing the results of those changes.

[SonofBaconator]

On 11/3/2024 at 1:23 PM, WoodVengeance said:

I think it depends on the parks they're from. It seems new Six Flags is going in a more Cedar Fair-centric direction when it comes to things like passes, add-ons, food, maintenance, additions, etc. so I don't expect the former Cedar Fair parks to change all that much post-merger unless we begin seeing DC or Looney Tunes IP introduced to those parks.

I think the most notable changes will come from the former Six Flags parks, especially larger parks like Magic Mountain, Great America and Great Adventure. I believe those parks will change a lot for better or worse if they begin adopting Cedar Fair's method of running their parks and the general public will notice the changes greatly.

Other than that, I think the most obvious difference for people throughout both of the chains is that the all-park passport can be used to go to both former Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks. For people who have Kings Island as their home park and want to buy the all-park passport for Cedar Point since it's nearby, they will also gain access to Great America as well. Likewise, people who have Great America as their home park will now be able to visit Kings Island and Cedar Point if they get the all-park passport.

What about for KI park goers?

[WoodVengeance]

16 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

What about for KI park goers?

Like I said for the other Cedar Fair parks, I don't expect the general public to notice any significant changes to Kings Island under the new Six Flags chain other than having Six Flags parks added to the all-park passport. However, this is only based on my observation of the new chain from less than a single season of operation, so we'll need more time to accurately gauge the effects of the merger. I think the merger would be more obvious to people if we started seeing stuff like Looney Tunes or DC come to the park, or the park literally rebranding itself as a Six Flags park. I don't think either of these are very likely to happen, but crazier things have happened in the amusement industry.

[BeeastFarmer]

From Q3 report 2024:

"Six Flags today also announced the core objectives of its new long-range plan designed to deliver on the full growth potential of the Combined Company. In many cases, the new objectives represent the natural extension and evolution of strategic initiatives that contributed to the success of legacy Cedar Fair.

• Enhance the guest experience to deliver a stronger price-value proposition and drive demand .
• Identify incremental operating efficiencies that generate cost synergies and help drive margin expansion .
• Maintain a disciplined approach to the prioritization and activation of capital investments to realize the full market potential of each park, while maximizing free cash flow efficiency .
• Integrate technology stacks with a focus on harmonizing systems, eliminating redundancies, and enhancing the guest-facing digital experience.
• Review the park portfolio over time, to optimize the asset base , narrow management’s focus, and help reduce net leverage." 

(italics by me to point out the obvious)

 

My take on this:  They want to maximize attendance at all parks.  The opportunity will be at legacy Six Flags parks as there is much opportunity there.  However, look for a diminished experience at Six Flags parks that had high attendance prior to the merger and historically well attended Cedar Fair parks like KI and CP.  Legacy Six Flags parks will need investments in hardware (more high capacity rides and perhaps more trains per coaster) and People.  If they achieve higher attendance without enhancing guest experience, long term growth may suffer, or they may continue to attract crowds with a diluted experience with cheap passes, like we see at KI.

As they attempt this, parks that fail to step up will be divested as they review the portfolio.  Also, well performing parks may be sold off for a quick cash grab.

[Tr0y]

I just filled out a survey for Cedar Point that asked about the importance of having an IP used for theming at the parks. DC comics was mentioned alongside Peanuts:

 

[CoasterJack]

Here are some graphics from their presentation when talking about long term goals and objectives