CoasterBuzz Podcast #77 - June 4, 2007

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

• Richard is live from the airport in Tokyo.
• Jeff has a report on Chocolate Buzz last weekend at Hersheypark. He's undefeated with eleven laps on Lightning Racer.
• A little more on Maverick following the media event for the ride.
• Very strange accident getting people off of the river ride at Animal Kingdom.
• Harry Potter is coming to Islands of Adventure. Richard feels this is a huge score for the UK tourists that Universal is currently lacking.
• Richard says that the X clone at Fuji-Q, Eejanaika, is not an improvement. A ride once to say you did ride.
• Japanese safety and maintenance seems to vary quite a bit, according to Richard, and found a Togo stand-up that you could "sit on" all day.
• The Japanese Disney parks are best in the company.
• Hollywood Dream, a B&M at Universal there, is a very cool ride with on-board music you can choose. It has on-board lighting as well.
• NASA has truly lost its way, but they have a new simulator in Florida.
• Marriott is licensing the Nickelodeon brand. Viacom is making a ton, but aren't they diluting the brand for the licensees?
• Cedar Fair gives a peek to early numbers. Per cap spending is up, and they've already got 3 million guests up through Memorial Day for the year.
• Jeff grows tired of all the Geauga Lake dogging. The gloom and doom is unfounded.