Archive: November, 2007

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

• Gonch the cabana boy, coming to Carowinds this summer!
• Hong Kong Disneyland may receive backing from government, who has a more than half stake in the place.
• Holiday World getting headlines locally for water usage concerns, but they're not the only source of growth in the community.
• Universal turning green with publicity.
• The Gravity Group launches its new Web site. We're looking forward to Ravine Flyer II.
• New plan for Coney Island, but don't you have to own the land before you decide what to do with it? How much housing is too much housing? And by the way, O'Hare sucks.
• The 49ers now want to put their stadium across the street. Why didn't they think of that sooner? The egos around pro football teams are ridiculous. Jeff gets pissed hearing about them.
• Disney continues to kick ass and take names. They win the financial results contest for the week.
• Euro Disney on the up and up, and only lost half as much as last year.
• Cedar Fair up slightly in terms of revenue, but attendance keeps going to the crapper. Paramount Parks approach was very different, opting to sell more passes than the original Cedar Fair parks.
• Six Flags takes a serious dump, misses expectations, but Gonch maintains that despite the poor quarter, they're still going in the right direction.
• Insert rant on Wall Street's quarterly obsession.

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

• Kennywood goes Hollywood. We were barely alive for the Brady Bunch episode at Kings Island.
• There was a fire at Alton Towers. Does a park that's not usually open at night really need outdoor lights?
• We say it every other show, but we'd really like to see park-by-park attendance results from Cedar Fair. Conference call is Tuesday. Jeff says the company owes a more detailed explanation about why Geauga Lake failed, just to put the unit holders minds' at ease.
• Recycling ride names is really inconsequential for most of the park-going public.
• The bridge on Ravine Flyer II is truly destined to be a landmark.
• Geauga Lake pricing sounds about right, emphasizing the season pass. Will they be able to sell the value proposition right? Is it a better value against local recreation centers? Kind of surprised that they're charging for parking at all.
• Mainstream media buys are not the be-all, end-all to success.
• What's wrong with putting a tourist attraction next to something historic? Gonch compares to Hershey as being the complete package. Jeff reminds us that the US doesn't have a whole lot of history to begin with.
• When a wood coaster has been completely replaced over time, is it still historic? Gonch asks if a copy is just as important.
• Why is public breastfeeding even an issue? Which part of it is something that's dirty or improper?
• The amusement industry isn't very good at looking outside of itself and is stuck in a rut. Shapiro said this last year, but Jeff thinks he's not doing what he said.
• Jeff shares details of his IAAPA presentation, and of closing weekend on the Paddlewheel Excursion.