Archive: January, 2009

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

• CoasterBuzz is turning 9. Where have the years gone? Getting through the winter lull. This isn't hot-tubbable.
• Judge says that alcohol is OK for Six Flags Over Texas. Local color commentary is funny stuff.
• Kings Island fan sites thrive probably because the park embraced fan culture back in the day (props to Jeff Siebert). The industry as a whole is still not good at reaching out to the Internet community.
• Universal Japan may go private, which would pull off the pressure for awesome quarterlies. Long-term goals can get more love.
• Cedar Fair announces good attendance results, but per cap is down. What are customers' tolerance for five dollar fries? Clearly the Halloween stuff is helping out that fourth quarter. We'd love to know what the distribution of visits is over the entire operating calendar, compared to ten years ago.
• Cedar Fair also says they're reconsidering the distribution, and the unit price is tanking. Big time. What kind of impact would that have on debt?
• Indiana Beach looks charming. Waldameer is too, and apparently went non-smoking. How's that going to go? You can't smoke anywhere in Ohio.
• Legoland California wants to build a hotel? For what, to see the Lego inauguration?
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom bought a giraffe. Why do protesters hate this park so much? Why don't tall animals live longer?
• Adventureland debuts at Sundance, with Kennywood on the big screen. Jeff maintains that kids really are as clever and smart as they appear in the Apatow inspired movies.
• Disney doing voluntary buy-outs, Universal cutting more after big cuts in December. It's not a pretty scene for any industry right now.
• PointBuzz has some interesting video from 1985 at Cedar Point.
• Gonch is going to Disney World, digs being a stay-at-home dad.
• Coastermania needs your votes for ERT this year at the new and improved two-day event.
• We appreciate your support of CoasterBuzz by joining the club. It's still just $20 per year.

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

• Hard Rock Park keeps on failing, now Chapter 7. Change the damn street names! Gonch got his RPM credit, and that's what counts. The show on Discovery Science was fun.
• In-train audio on coasters, it's so trendy.
• Jeff has the soundtrack to Medieval Times.
• The Lord Gonchar Flower Power Hour. No thanks.
• Michigan project sounding more like a pipe dream than ever. Deadline is approaching.
• Disney in Shanghai a myth so far, but it makes sense to build there.
• Jeff is excited about Diamondback, but at this point, how many of us get excited about new rides anymore? Is that why enthusiasts have lost interest?
• Premier Rides is going to build a Mummy ride for Universal Singapore. Someone claiming to rep the park says the PR wasn't authorized. Oh the drama!
• Gonch says Orlando pricing is predicated on multi-day "deals," but what happens then at SeaWorld?
• Holiday events have become a very big deal in Orlando. Mike mistakenly refers to the Osborne Family Christmas lights at Disney as "just Christmas lights." Silly boy.
• Silly hacker gets probation for trashing the Six Flags job Web site. Aside: Someone messed with MacRumor's site during the Apple product announcement last week. Hilarity ensues.
• No more free beer at the Busch parks. Speaking of beer, we all mist BeastBuzz. Those were good times.
• Thor Equities wants to buy more property around Coney Island. Apparently they want to go to battle even more with the mayor.
• Beating victim suing Six Flags Over Georgia for park not intervening. Should be interesting to hear more facts around the case.
• Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain is closing for some rehab, for the majority of the summer. Is this the end of the inline seating? Jeff hopes not. Mike just wants to keep the flying cookies.
• Puppy loving group accuses Six Flags Discovery Kingdom of kicking puppies. Actually, not caring for elephants well.
• We appreciate your support of CoasterBuzz by joining the club. It's still just $20 per year.