Archive: February, 2006

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

• Conneaut Lake shows signs of survival.
• Animal Kingdom prepares to open Expedition Everest.
• Six Flags and the case of the Official Fruit.
• The Cedar Point hype for 2007 has already begun. What's up with that?
• Survivor the Ride? You've got to be kidding.
• Six Flags New England gets some Astroworld hand-me-downs.
• Shapiro says that Six Flags America might be worth more for sale. Future uncertain.
• Paramount Parks are for sale. It's a non-story that the various players might be interested.
• Great Wolf posts loss. You ever notice how you never realize what you have in your own backyard?

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

• Universal Orlando ditches their virtual queuing system. Is this a good move?
• Six Flags generates a ton of press again this week, as CEO Mark Shapiro continues his tour.
• CoasterBuzz is proud to present an interview with all four members of The Gravity Group. These engineers, formerly from Custom Coasters, are responsible for the hit Hades and the forthcoming Voyage at Holiday World.

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

• Disney profit up. It's safe to say the post-9/11 travel slump is over.
• Media companies shed theme parks because they (or their investors) don't see the long-term value of owning the parks.
• George Millay: A rare figure in a relatively small industry.
• Six Flags owned Great Escape opens its indoor water park and resort. We place our bets on Six Flags Great Adventure as the next site for a facility like this.
• Shapiro visits Six Flags Elitch Gardens, and we might concede that this guy actually knows what he's doing.
• Disney struggles to close the cultural divide in the Hong Kong park. We remember that this isn't the first time they didn't get the locals.
• Cedar Fair on the up and up in every category. Place your bets on sustained growth!

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

• Universal Orlando offers free entry for sub-9 crowd with parental ticket purchase. Latest in a long line of great online-only offers.
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg tweaks its show lineup. What direction are Busch parks headed?
• Shapiro World Tour 2006: The chief exec gets out of the corner office, and we're impressed by that.
• Mr. Six outted as Queer Eye personality. It's pretty cool that this story broke on a blog site.
• Six Flags Marine World: The hidden gem in the chain?
• Disney theme park evolution is normal, as Pirates changes bring ride-movie influence full circle.