CoasterBuzz Podcast #112 - May 12, 2008

posted Monday, May 12, 2008 8:04:06 PM by Jeff

Download... | 48:58 | 22.4 MB | Downloads: 1666

Jeff, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

  • ComputerWorld ran a nice Q&A with Six Flags' CIO.
  • Results week... Cedar Fair and Six Flags are up over last year because of the shift of the holiday. Too small of an attendance count in the context of the year to take much from it.
  • Legoland the latest to sign up for Dubailand. Is this thing really going to be able to support all of this development? Of course, if the US Dollar comes back (hold your laughter), perhaps the Europeans will abandon Orlando.
  • Disney blows everyone away with $2.7 billion in revenue in one quarter... just at the theme parks. Just take yourself out of the experience for a couple of minutes and look around at all of the money.
  • Disney is such a machine, and yet people don't generally feel dirty handing over their cash to the mouse.
  • Fat sea lions get transplanted from the Columbia River to SeaWorld Orlando and San Antonio.
  • Wild West World sold for a tiny $2 million to a fair operator. Not sure what's left there beyond the land and buildings.
  • Gonch runs down the perks for Discovery Cove, running nearly $600 for two people. Ouch. But hey, you get to swim the dolphins.
  • What's the deal with the food at Cedar Fair parks? It's expensive and it sucks. How can parks that get ride operations so right do food so wrong? Get ready... this is a very long rant!
  • Jeff talks about his experience at Cedar Point while Gonch talks about Kings Island..

Comments:

Martin | 5/13/2008 11:31 PM

Good show. I appreciated the knocks on Cedar Point food service. Things weren't much better at the Cedar Fair parks we hit last week in California (CGA, Knott's). The only excuse I'll allow is that it's early in the season (at CP and CGA) and crews don't know what they're doing yet.

Also at Knott's, we showed our Dorney Park Platinum Pass at the parking booth and the attendant said "What's this?". The Platinum Pass also didn't work at the gate and we had to go to Guest Relations to get paper tickets for the day. Guest Relations was also unaware of the fact that the shareholders meeting would be at Knott's in May. How long has Knott's been a Cedar Fair park, since '97? So much for Kinzel's comments about convenience in that AP interview recently.

You guys were also talking about McDonald's. We were at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim and they have _Burger Invasion_ hosted by McDonald's, with hamburgers, shakes and fries.

Last bit: Jeff, I emailed you months ago that I'd lost my Coaster Buzz membership card and I never got a reply. Your attention to this would be appreciated.

Martin

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