2009 Attendance

In your opinion has the attendance been up or down this season?

In my opinion I actually thought it was up at CP. I'm not sure about the other CF parks, but I think CP seemed to have a lot more people at the park especially back in June compared to last year.

After seeing the latest press release though it looks as if things are really down. Let's hope they pick up at Halloweekends!

^The attendance always picks up during Halloweekends! :)

Personal Perdiction: Attendance will be close to flat this year, however per cap spending will be horribly down. There is never a line for food anymore (and from personal experience its not because service time has improved) and I hardly ever see bags or even prizes being brought around this year.

Look at the crap they are trying to sell.

People are not going to keep dishing out money for overpriced, 3rd world country food and junk from china. $13 for a footlong sub....I sat by the antiqe cars while my daughter was on them, and witnessed quite a few people walking by the subway and laughing when they saw the prices.(I hate to keep bringing this up).

Am I the only one to notice that the T-shirt offerings the last few years have been less than steller? The only shirts that I have bought have been the magnum and gemini annerversery shirts.

^I agree, however up until this year people were lining up to buy the crap.

Yeah the food prices are crazy! Only food i get is the fresh cut fries...they like 5 bucks but pretty good. I did find a half way cheap way to get drinks tho,get the kiddie cup for like 2.49 and .99 refills,i did get the maverick cup but its so big by the time ya drink 1/3 of it its nasty lol. And the only game i play is the 3 point shoot out just bc its fun...even tho i only score 3-5 points. I use to buy shirts but i never wear them so i just buy hats now. But they aint priced too bad,ive seen much worse. But overall they need to price the food better somehow for sure!

I'd say admission is up and other expenses are down. Last season i actually saw lines at subway.

According to this recent Sandusky Register article, Cedar Point attendance is probably down

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2009/07/24/front/1507128.txt

I personally think attendance is way down. During a normal summer season there is never a walk on for Raptor in the evening. I can remember waiting 45 minutes-1 hour at 10pm at night in years past. Even during a few of the day time trips I've made so far this season the waits have NEVER been anything that bad. Hubby and I dont even mind hitting park on Sundays.

Even with DB, KI isn't all that much more crowded to me. In the morn the line for DB is pretty bad but is nothing by the evening. Kinda odd it being a new coaster and all.

Feel bad for CF, but not exactly the best business to be in with the economy sucking like it does :(

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2042 :)

Two years ago that was it for us, we ate at the Coaster Dinner Inn. And order two cheese burger with fires, on medium drink, and one milk shake. It came out to 30 dollars, the worst thing was there were no toppings, just a bun, burger with cheese. The only thing we get are the cheese fries, and the giant soft pretzels.

That is pretty sad how most if not all there stuff in the shops are made in China, then they sell it higher than what it cost to make it. Then the t-shirts for $20 and more, and yep made in China.

Daniel Smith said:
That is pretty sad how most if not all there stuff in the shops are made in China, then they sell it higher than what it cost to make it. Then the t-shirts for $20 and more, and yep made in China.

I couldn't let this go without saying something.

Selling things for more than they cost to make is the entire point of a business, and how someone makes a profit! No profit means no business.

I think what you meant to say was that they sell for way more than they're worth, and that would be a perfectly acceptable statement. But selling for more than it cost to make, well that's just good business, and absolutely has to happen.

As for attendance, the few trips I've made this year have been moderate crowds. Not packed, but not empty either. There were certainly no lines for food that I have seen, even in Panda. Of course, I have another theory for part of the reason that line is no more, but that deals with the few Live E threads around...

Well I was in the park on 7/25 with my family. It was very crowded! Hard to walk! We've stayed at a CP resort at least 7 out of the last 10 years. We usually stay 3 nights. Don't remember it being this crowded. 7/24 was nice, it rained, able to get on the MF in 20 min. and the TTD in 30!

Did any of the journalistic whiz kids at The Register ever make the connection that a reduction in amusement tax revenue could possibly be the result of lower average admission?

I don't know Jeff. But when my family of 5 bought 2 soft petzels with cheese and 1 large soft drink and dropped more than a $20 and a $10... we felt more than ripped off....well I felted raped but that's beside's the point.... ahaha "The Point" get it? ahhaah What the $@%" happened to "The Point" anyway????

Daniel Smith said:
That is pretty sad how most if not all there stuff in the shops are made in China, then they sell it higher than what it cost to make it. Then the t-shirts for $20 and more, and yep made in China.

Not sure if you've been living under a rock for the last 20 or so years but practically anything sold in the states anymore is in some way, shape, or form, made in China. You can't escape it. People try to boycott it, but it's just impossible. Places like Wal-Mart that import 99% of their goods from China aren't helping the situation any. Even Disney's souvenirs are pretty much all made in China (except for the higher priced offerings, which would explain why they're higher priced to begin with).

I'm by no means condoning it. I'm as much for cutting off manufacturing ties with China as the next person, but to act surprised that a place like an amusement park that thrives on mass-produced souvenirs would somehow not have most of its offerings made in China is a little absurd.

Last year I spent about $200 in the arcade over the summer. This year I have spent about $20. I too have seen a lot shorter lines at food stands. I drink a lot of water at the park and I do not have to queue at the food stands like I did last year.

I think the Attendance is up. I've been to CP 8 times on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. The MF is usually 1hr, TTD is 1hr. The MAVERICK is always 1 1/2hr - 2hrs which won't go on. The Magnum is alway 1/2hr and I can't believe that because of the 20 yr Annisersay the yr. I went to SOAK CITY from 11am - 4:30pm. Last Monday the wait going by the BS was close to 1/2hr at 11am, but leaving SC the BS was a walk on at 4:30pm. The MF was 1 1/2hr in the morning and the same at 4:30pm. The Raptor is alway 1hr in the morning but 1/2hr or less in the evening when I leave the Park.

^Mr. CP, thats due to a phenomenon of human movement. GP (well unsavy GP) start at the front of the park in the morning and slowly work their way back, that is why Magnum, Power Tower, Skyhawk and Mantis all have much shorter waits in the morning then in the afternoon and why Raptor, and Blue Streak get progressivly shorter lines as the day goes on.

The FOOD & DRINK PRICES are to High. They should lower them so they might get more people to buy their FOOD & DRINKS. $7 for a BEER is way to much, and my dad didn't even go to buy one. So I just get a cup of water all through the day. Sometime I do get the CHEESE & CHILI FRIES; which are $6.99, and that is it for the FOOD I eat there.I've used close to $92.00 this yr just buying 3 Tickets for my friends and family so that is why I am close to $92.00.