Archive: September, 2007

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

• Wild West World owner owed big tax dollars. Who lent this guy money?
• Toy Story ride coming to Disney's California Adventure. Disney can't build a $100 million ride every time.
• Disney is also starting their first time shares out west.
• Six Flags revises their disabled ride policy, essentially virtually queuing the disabled.
• Cedar Fair announced that Geauga Lake will only be a water park next year. Rides will likely be distributed elsewhere. Jeff starts the conversation by theorizing that the park was doomed the day that Busch sold SeaWorld. A lot of emotional reactions, people want to blame someone. Jeff and Gonch try to sort it all out.

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

• Six Flags says guest satisfaction is up. Did it really have anywhere else to go but up?
• The Astroland story has to resolve itself before the end of the year, if not sooner, because of the expiring lease. Greg says the place was better than he remembered on his visit this year.
• Kids get their five minutes over alleged tampering with restraints on Busch Gardens Europe's Griffon. They got the ban hammer.
• Skee-Ball licenses the brand to Hasbro. What will they come up with?
• Six Flags Great America busted by OSHA. Workplace safety is no accident.
• Hong Kong Disneyland misses targets. Were they too ambitious to start with? Why does Disney always get a bad rap when opening new parks?
• Six Flags Great America boots a smoker. Pat (a smoker) says he can't understand how anyone wouldn't have the expectation that smoking is limited. Mike says it's an expectation for outdoor areas.
• Cedar Fair results: How long can per caps go up while attendance goes down?
• Pat says it's not time to worry, but Jeff and Wall Street are not pleased.
• Jeff (big surprise) says the value proposition is screwed up, starting with the ridiculous food pricing. While not evidence, he sees a lot of tailgating at the parks.
• We mostly agree that ticket pricing could go higher in a lot of markets.
• What do amusement parks truly compete with? Is it as simple as other entertainment venues?
• Sidebar: Competing on quality instead of price.
• Jeff opened Halloweekends at Cedar Point, starting a week earlier this year.

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

• Canada's Wonderland announced Behemoth, enthusiasts already pick it apart when the foundations haven't even dried. Jeff rants. A lot.
• Silly lawsuits against amusement venues.
• Learnings of a premium park to make benefit better SeaWorld Orlando. Discovery Cove discovers it's hospitality that is key. The amusement industry as a whole seems to not get that.
• The nutty developer still wants to build a park in Michigan, and says it will be as big as Cedar Point. As if his credibility wasn't bad to begin with.
• Having a ride crop up in your back yard is not good for your property value. Why is that so tough to understand? Gonch sides with homeowners, and agrees to turn his enthusiast credentials.
• The non-event fire at Valleyfair closes nothing. Details at 11.
• Cypress Gardens is not going to go away despite the bankruptcy.
• Disney files patent applications for extensions and new uses in the FastPass system. What do you suppose they have in mind?
• As an aside, is technology counter-productive to vacationing? People with Crackberries aren't the same as teenagers txting their BFF Jill.
• Cedar Fair announces uniform platinum pass paricing throughout the chain. Any way you do the math, it's a good deal. Only a fringe number of enthusiasts don't get this.
• Greg is annoyed that platinum passes from other parks don't get you the "point perks" at Cedar Point.
• The sweet spot of season pass sales and gate integrity is getting to be more uniform, with Six Flags still offering the head scratchers.