Archive: March, 2010

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

• Many enthusiasts start their roller coaster season in the south.
• Cedar Fair delays its unit holder meeting at the last minute, misses off people who went there to attend it.
• Kings Island will not open with Son of Beast, and its future is still uncertain. None of us care much one way or another about the ride.
• Controversy surrounds the issue over whether or not to release the video of the orca attack at SeaWorld, court orders temporary injunction to prevent its release.
• Q says they're not interested in a better offer from Apollo for Cedar Fair. Deal really looks doomed regardless.
• Universal Studios Singapore opens, and almost immediately closes its dueling Battlestar Galactica coaster over a "glitch."
• Universal Orlando attendance down, but limits the bleeding in the fourth quarter.
• Speaking of Islands of Adventure, they've managed to announce the announcement of the announcement several times, and have arrived at a June 18 official opening for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• Six Flags is one step closer to emerging from bankruptcy.
• Walt Disney World says it's not at fault for monorail crash that killed pilot. Meanwhile, a bus crashes into another at an Epcot toll booth. Jeff thinks many of those drivers are lunatics.
• Herschend CEO appears on a CBS reality show, Mike reviews the show. Jeff hates the way they manufacture conflict on reality shows.
• Alton Towers opens 13 with a very successful marketing campaign. Enthusiasts complain about the ride being over-hyped, as if they should have sold it as average. This leads to a discussion about gimmicks and whether or not they're bad.
• IAAPA spends money on lobbying, some of which is to fend off the last Markey bill.
• Lo-Q extends contracts, predictable conversations occur. It's officially not "pay to cut," it's "paid virtual queuing."
• Simon is almost half way in height to adult coasters. Jeff gets a tree-hugger car.
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Jeff, Mike, Carrie and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Mike takes his eldest daughter on a roller coaster at Disneyland.
• Jeff describes the horror of an operating room for the delivery of his son.
• A story on the regulatory aspect of a possible acquisition of NBC-Universal by Comcast is brewing.
• The Cedar Fair vote was supposed to happen this week, and right now it looks very likely that the deal will fail. Carrie and Jeff feel that there has still not been a real slam-dunk reason for selling. Plenty of reasons for showing how inept the executives are, however. "I just want to get back to running parks."
• SeaWorld Orlando and family of drowned trainer want to block release of video.
• Rock Band is coming to a Cedar Fair park near you. It's a very Six Flags-like promotion, though we're not complaining.
• Zippin Pippin is coming to Green Bay, sort of. Wait, didn't they tear it down? Preservationists cheer! It was Elvis' favorite coaster (since he'd clearly been on so many).
• Texas Giant is getting a $10 million "upgrade" with steel track. Really? The expense to benefit ratio is pretty strange.
• Weekly stupid file: Cashier at Busch Gardens Tampa tries to scam some ticket money.
• How do you keep people coming back to a former World's Fair site in Seattle? Apparently amusement rides weren't the answer, and glass art is.
• Six Flags bankruptcy trial begins to get approval for reorganization plan.
• Disney starts selling a superawesomeeverywhere annual pass for $700. The crew works out the math, to see if it's worth the California parks and the Walt Disney World everything.
• Mike asks Gonch what it's like to go to little hole in the wall parks compared to those that have a dozen roller coasters. Gonch likes to hang out, because he's cool like that.
• Six Flags Great America starts prepping the wood coaster from the closed Kiddieland. Preservationists cheer!
• Disney scores a million participants in their charity volunteering campaign.
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

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

• Olympic fever... now complete. Neat online coverage, when it was live at least.
• The proxy statement is out, the votes are coming in, and the deal to take Cedar Fair private isn't looking very good.
• Dubai firm reduces stake in Merlin. Rumors about Merlin going public still haven't panned out.
• Coney Island the darling of Mayor Bloomberg. Gonch says the seedy feel of the old amusement area was part of the character. Jeff asks why new and shiny is so frowned upon when it comes to new development.
• China has its second wood coaster on order, this one coming from GCI.
• Darien Lake is getting a water park. Really? What took them so long? Six Flags back in the day seemed slow to invest in water parks.
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.
• In event news, the Fall Affair flyer has been posted. Splashin' Safari will be open this year during the event! Details on Timbers Fest also posted to the club page.
• Lo-Q is makin' money by helping people sell upcharge stuff. FTW!
• Kentucky folk trying to sue Six Flags and keep them from removing the rides from Kentucky Kingdom. Still a big mystery over how Six Flags could not own the rides.
• Ferrari World opening later this year with world's fastest coaster.
• Captain EO coming back for a limited engagement at Disneyland. Does anyone care?
• Trainer dies at SeaWorld Orlando as orca drags her into the water. Debate ensues about whether or not it's right for the animals to be captive. Where are the protests when SeaWorld saves and rehabilitates some animals off the coast of California?
• Worlds of Fun announces a light show, hopefully will keep folks in the park later. Coaster dorks yawn, but it's still a good idea.