Archive: February, 2008

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

• Gonch is the micro-celebrity of the roller coaster enthusiast community.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios will be home to a live American Idol show. Seems like a good fit for that show. Heck, the Indiana Jones show there has been around now for almost 20 years.
• Off topic: What's up with all the foreign films in the Oscars?
• Pennsylvania bill is designed to exempt amusement parks from taxes that are specific to the business. What makes amusement parks a target for these? Gonch says it's because they can't pick up and move.
• Strange accident in New Zealand involving death of a worker, but follow up details seem to be unknown.
• Locals in Michigan want the sale of public land for this amusement park project. Jeff is still skeptical.
• Another movie studio wants to put a theme park outside of Seoul. Asia is still hot. Is there ever potential for a tourism reversal, with Americans going overseas? Jeff really wants to see Japan and is fascinated by its culture.
• Indiana Beach is sold, enthusiasts predictably freak out.
• Six Flags New England gets busted for building without a permit. How does this even happen? It's not like the park doesn't know the protocol, and it's not like the town of Agawam doesn't see the cranes.
• New indoor water park for South Jersey prompts hilarious comments from a local about it being like an "inappropriate bath house."
• Six Flags Over Georgia strikes a deal to be more efficient with water, will be permitted to open water rides. It's interesting the way construction standards have changed just in the past decade or so.
• Mark Shapiro has a press conference at Six Flags Magic Mountain for a little attention, a year after they were interested in selling it. Another coaster is in store for 2009, he says. We wonder if that's going to have any impact on it.
• New ride introductions don't seem to have the impact they did a decade ago. People barely noticed Griffon at Busch in Williamsburg. But speaking of which, how does that park get away with not constantly building new rides. Is it the historical area? Jeff doesn't think so.
• Jeff wraps up a week at Disney World, and observed that people are willing to pay for a great experience if they can deliver on it. Disney seems to deliver on it consistently.
• When will Disney do a 24-hour day? Last weekend Magic Kingdom was open until 3 a.m.

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

• Euro Disney edging ever so closely to profitability.
• Six Flags has to cut cut cut expenses next year, especially in the area of marketing, while introducing a media network. Are they making good decisions and still suffering from the sad mess left by the Burke regime?
• It's true. We miss Mr. Six. He (or she) was an icon, and a pretty good idea overall.
• Disneyland giving away exclusive nights in a sweet pad at the park, as part of the decade of a million dreams.
• Several school districts around Cedar Point are adjusting their schedules to help out the tourism business in town.
• Does late season attendance boost come at the expense of the earlier part of the season?
• Nick Universe shooting up at Mall of America, set for a March 15 relaunch. Loving the new rides!
• Deposition of victim in Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom accident tells horrifying details. The more that comes out of this, the more it sounds like it was a preventable accident.
• Conneaut Lake ballroom burns, outlook for park is not improving. Why hasn't there been strong leadership to turn around the park?
• Analysts predict Disney attendance decline. We don't buy it. Also: company hedging future of California Adventure with new ride.
• Sidebar: What's this mortgage crisis really about and how will it affect the industry?
• Navigating Epcot by way of the international beer tour. Go right for the better adult beverages.
• Cedar Fair distribution up, slight loss on the year. Sounds like they're not hurting, but at the same time they're obviously not doing the right things in the Paramount Parks. Abandoning the tried and true season pass pricing was really stupid.
• It sounds like Chris Sawyer, creator of RollerCoaster Tycoon, had his way with Atari. Good for him! -1 to Atari for making a complete mess of the third game.