Hello everyone - I'm new so please be gentle...
Just some thoughts on other Cedar Fair holdings - I visited KBF this summer and was very impressed with Ghostrider and ummmm... uhhh... ummmm... the food. Anyways, you get the point. What I'm worried/thinking is that CF will not be able to compete with the sheer capital that SF pulls in with it's heavy hitters in SoCal and Texas and what seems like everywhere else. The sorry state of KBF leads me to believe that Cedar Fair will be dumping big $$$ in to a market that they are outclassed in (Disney, SFMM).
It's my hope that Cedar Fair doesn't eventually get gobbled up by a SF so we can be treated to the bad ride-ops, so-so food and "Las Vegas hotel attitude" that SF is notorious for. I may be partial, but Cedar Point is far and away the best park in the world and I would hate to see the managing company lose out to a corporate powerhouse.
On the brighter side though, KBF is a good family park and can be a niche market for SoCal (if there's any families left there - *sic*). It reminded me of a Cedar Point minus the big ticket rides - anyone else been out there recently? If so, do you think it was worth it? Will CP suffer any?
Or, am I going crazy???? :)
Thanks for listening...
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Cedar Point? si!
Six Flags? nyet!
First off, welcome!!
Secondly, I think you may have answered your own question. Comparing Cedar Fair to Six Flag's/Premier, is like comparing cats and dogs. Their both amusement parks, but they are worlds apart.
Cedar Fair has a knack for "doing their own thing" with their parks. There tends to be similarities in areas like the rollercoaster arsenal between Cedar Fair parks and Premier's and Paramount, on and on... But Cedar Fair seems to take a different niche to make their parks unique, yet appealing to all ages. In addition to breaking quite a few records along the way!
As far as being gobbled up by Premier, worry not! Cedar Fair is becoming their own power house by expanding their presence in the west coast market, did you read the announcements of the acquisition of the water park near San Diego?
I, myself, have never been to KBF, but plan to make a visit on an upcoming business trip. I imagine, that it will be worth the visit (hence having my season pass to CP get me in the gate!)
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Neil
Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-1
Welcome!
Cedar Fair strikes me as more of a "family owned" company, judging by OT Tim's comments that CEO Dick Kinzel refers to the board as "caretakers."
The most striking thing, and I don't remember off hand what the specific numbers are, but I seem to remember Premier paying a lot of money toward debt service, where Cedar Fair's payments were considerably less percentage-wise.
Anyone actually look at those annual reports?
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Also Southern Californians consider Knott's to be their home park, not Disney, not SFMM, those are for tourists, and with 17 million people living there I don't think Knott's has anything to worry about. I know this having lived there over the summer. I think WOF on the otherhand does. On a side note I REALLY want to see a Mrs. Knotts chicken restaurant in CP.
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"Meesa Okee Day"-Jar Jar Binks
"Gungan no Liken outsiders"-Jar Jar Binks
Welcome!! I home you feel at home if you get the point(pun intended)! Sorry, but I don't have an answer to your question though.
Welcome to CP Place!! Hey there is nothing wrong with Vegas!! LOL :) I dont think CP has anything to worry about, Six Flags will never over do CP, the only thing Six Flags will do is keep CP on their toes making them the best park for years to come, rest easy hun!!
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Ride it hard, long, and furious!
*** This post was edited by tohot2se on 12/15/99. ***
Great post, Bob Dole!
Hallelujah for Ma Knott's Chicken Restaurant! I, as a 5 year CP Foods employee (including a 3 year Chicken BBQ alum...), and a 21 year resident of Southern California agree wholeheartedly with the need for a Ma Knott's. I remember on many occasions the whole family piling into the car for a 45 minute trip for some great Ma Knott's food...courtesy of a birthday, Mother's Day, etc. And I do agree about KBF being a more family oriented park. Don't get me wrong, everybody has to have their Disney, but there are so many things that I fondly remember about KBF too...I still to this day have the "gold" I panned over there after one chicken dinner! As for the restaurant out here though, I hope that they one day decide to do it. I will say that I have mentioned how wonderful it is to some of the appropriate people, although I know that one person's opinion could never make a difference. The BBQ is gone forever now (much to my dismay), but Ma Knott's could, in my opinion, rank right up there with Bay Harbor.
*** This post was edited by ZONE THIRTYFOUR on 12/16/99. ***
I only wish they all had a big new ride comeing for 2000.
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AKA: bodyin thewaterball fountain.
Paddlewheel Excursions: 12
Jokes on PE: 120
You mean KBF? They do, a record breaking Intamin over the falls ride. I forget how tall it is, but it'll be the most impressive ride of its type ever built.
Thanks for all the kind words everyone - I have a feeling that as long as Jeff maintains this site, I will be visiting often (good or bad? *smirk*)
Y'know, I heard about the water ride as well. Should be fairly impressive - and you won't smell like Lake Erie when you get off the ride!!! (yeah)
Anyhow - it's nice to have a park like Cedar Point to take the family and I think CF does an excellent job of promoting that atmosphere.
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Cedar Point? si!
Six Flags? nyet!
*** This post was edited by Mango Madness on 12/17/99. ***
"and you won't smell like Lake Erie when you get off the ride!!!"
I've never understood why people complain about that. I know the 1st thing I do after a long, hot summer day at CP is take a shower. After all, you smell like sweat, fried food and smoke (of varying kinds) anyway. What's a little lake water? I guess if you don't stink after 12 hours at CP, you didn't have enough fun.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread. :)
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Timothy A. Bretz
"Remember to pillage before you burn"
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tabretz
I always go swimming in lake Eerie when I am at CP anyway. So either way.
Really? Why am I always the last to know? What about the other CF parks. Are they getting anything worth mentioning?
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AKA: bodyin thewaterball fountain.
Paddlewheel Excursions: 12
Jokes on PE: 120
yet another KNF sidebar;Cedar Fair is also bulding a waterpak there also for 2000 and with their boardwalk explansion KBF's future is looking good.
Boardwalk explansions? I thought KBF already had a explansion for adding on to it's boardwalk? lol
Where is the Official news to this boardwalk thing?
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AKA: bodyin thewaterball fountain.
Paddlewheel Excursions: 12
Jokes on PE: 120