Archive: July, 2008

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

• Guns! Guns! Guns! No guns in Ratopia.
• People sell expired FastPasses on eBay, and Disney isn't pleased. People are idiots.
• Lots of activity around Kings Island, as parts of their B&M coaster begin to appear and filings show its hyper goodness. Great fan site coverage. Gonch asks if it seems that ride construction starts earlier and earlier every year.
• Jeff finally gets out to Kennywood, who is discounting very heavily in Cleveland with advertising.
• Islands of Adventure closures begin as Harry Potter construction ramps up.
• Six Flags stock is all over the place in terms of price, and Shapiro says they're going to hit positive cash flow for the first time soon. The pressure is on.
• Guy gets the crap beat out of him at Valleyfair for defending his daughter's honor. What the hell is wrong with people? Gonch thinks that everything is too polarized. No middle ground in anything anymore.
• Two strange ride failures in Europe, including an inverted coaster that derails a car and no one died.
• Carowinds incident involves alleged self-touching and vigilante justice. Again, what is wrong with people? Gonch saw news in Charlotte, and Jeff hates that everyone assumes the worst, lives in fear and takes a wild west attitude.
• Yet another worker killed around an operating ride. How does this happen year after year?
• Cedar Fair willing to ditch Great America for $110 million to the 49ers. We love to see them taking on an NFL team.
• What's the point in having an indoor water park if non-hotel guests can use it? Someone in the Poconos thinks it's a good idea.
• Great profiles on PA wood coasters in the New York Times, and a profile on B&M in The Telegraph.
• Gonch does Hard Rock Park, and thinks that if you're into the experience and the rock stuff, you'll love it. If you just want to ride, you'll be disappointed. It reminds him of Islands of Adventure in its first year.
• CoasterBuzz Club events coming up this year: The Fall Affair at Holiday World, and BooBuzz at Cedar Point. Visit the CoasterBuzz Club page for more information.

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

• Busch ups gate at Orlando and Tampa parks. How much is too much? If the market will pay the price, then it's not too much. A little investigation implies that few actually pay the full gate price. Gonch says that the Orlando parks earn their high prices with the experience.
• We hate lines. They're not worth it to us.
• Pleasure Island clubs going away, Disney says. Jeff doesn't think Downtown Disney has much of a night vibe compared to Universal's City Walk. Who actually went to those clubs?
• Decades music theme park coming to Arizona. The developers only need $850 million to break ground.
• Gonch is going to Hard Rock Park. Jeff has heard they've had some turnover in management and they're not doing a very good job marketing the joint.
• Some kid made a big K'Nex roller coaster. Jeff says it's not that cool if it can't complete the course.
• There is some good fun listening to a radio broadcast with Robbie Bell over the demise and alleged improprieties surrounding the boot of Bell's Amusement Park.
• CoasterBuzz Club events coming up this year: The Fall Affair at Holiday World, and BooBuzz at Cedar Point. Visit the CoasterBuzz Club page for more information.