Archive: August, 2008

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

• Jeff was in Fort Myers getting the total Fay experience.
• Hard Rock Park lays off some people. Lots of strong opinions about the park so far, but a combination of mismatched expectations and poor marketing appear to be hurting the park.
• A bunch of companies are allegedly interested in Busch parks. Jeff doesn't do Spanish. Thank you, Cleveland Public Schools.
• One more year for Coney Island? Gonch loves the dirt of New York, and Jeff thinks it's too big.
• Holiday World announcement forthcoming. Regardless of the new ride, what's the new free service? Lo-Jack your kids? Are parents over protective these days?
• Six Flags offers more results mid-quarter. Have the changes led to long-term gains or just short-term? Investors sure don't care for the company. Cedar Fair says they're making meaningful progress on their debt.
• Disneyland Resort workers not happy about cut benefits. We're surprised Disney offered non-full-timers medical in the first place.
• Kennywood wants no new taxes in writing.
• Who owns the Big Dipper? Pretty sad to see the fly-over video of the park. Villain sure had a short life, and Jeff is more sad about that than whatever happens to the Dipper.
• Stinky story: fair ride powered by cow farts.
• Jeff reports on the progress of the new version of CoasterBuzz. There are science projects and new things in the pipe.
• We record the podcast using a Mackie 1202-VLZ, for those who were interested.
• 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, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Olympic fever! Gonch loved badminton until the US lost, Jeff is all about the indoor volleyball.
• Moron criminal uses his daughter to scam people for worthless Cedar Point ticket coupons.
• Blackstone allegedly interested in Busch parks.
• Busch Gardens Europe adding a Sesame Street area with solid family attractions.
• Kings Island announces Diamondback, the ride that KI fans have been waiting for. Is there any reason to really keep Son of Beast?
• Asian-American activists offended by Six Flags TV spots. We're not entirely sure how it's offensive. Even PC Jeff doesn't entirely get it, and thought it was emulating a Japanese game show or something.
• Gonch gives his take on the Great Wolf results, believes that the occupancy percentage number is the missing thing in the financials. Is the indoor water park result concept a success so far?
• Six Flags says they're still going to have positive cash flow this year. Gonch says this is indicative of them doing things right.
• Cedar Fair results seem positive enough, but Jeff's concern is that per cap has finally slid a little, and even with a slight boost in attendance, this seems like the inevitable bubble we've been talking about for years.
• Dick Kinzel says "people have to eat" and it's unsettling to a lot of people. The bigger picture issue is a belief that he has lost touch, and doesn't have the experience to manage a company of this size. See errors in the last few years.
• Has the "Wal-Marting" of America caused people to settle for crap? Is poor service the result of consumer complacency? Jeff thinks Chipotle is a case study in high quality with high margin.
• No closing weekend for two-hundred-something a night for cobwebs and burned out lights.
• 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, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Cedar Point, Disney, maybe others, raise ticket prices. (Note: I learned later that CP prices are actually still less than 2005.) No significant number of people go to Disney World for one day anyway.
• Jeff rants about the ridiculous price for everything at Kings Island. Six bucks for fries? More than three bucks for a 20 ounce soda? Count me out!
• Kings Island once sold as much as 250,000 season passes a year according to one former employee. Then Cedar Fair thought they knew better, took a huge hit in sales, then went back to the deals this year.
• Cypress Gardens dials back off-season hours, which probably shouldn't be considered a failure, just the seasonal nature of the place.
• Fire strikes Six Flags America and knocks out a haunted attraction.
• Busch starts doing a meal deal, all you can eat, in the Florida parks. We wonder how much someone would spend on food ordinarily, because it might be less. But with drinks, it's probably a good deal. Universal doesn't include drinks.
• Questionable politician who saw Bell's close on her watch loses primary election to one of the Bell's. That's karma.
• Six Flags New England looking for a permanent zoning variance to build stuff up to 200 feet.
• Hong Kong Disneyland wrestling with government over financing. Mike reminds us that this is the chuckin' babies park.
• Lassiter/Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom suit scheduled for 2010, we wonder if it'll go to trial.
• Better account of violent attack at Valleyfair published, charges upgraded. Crazy that people go nuts like that inside of a park.
• Gonch is hoping to go to Indianer Beach.
• 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.