Cedar Fair (or others) possibly expanding into Orlando area.

Just saw this, may be interesting. If it's a partnered park I wonder if platinum passes would work there.
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/24/is-six-flags-or-cedar-fair...orida.aspx

This is very interesting. The article makes a great point that a Cedar Fair or Six Flags would offer a value option that could take away from the major theme parks. IMO, Herschend is probably the most likely. It makes the most sense to me and Dolly looks to be wanting to expand with what she has done with Dollywood.

Interesting news. I would assume platinum passes would work there if it was in fact a Cedar Fair park, but I also wonder what that might do to the prices of platinum passes. Other than enthusiasts who travel, is there really that much cross over beyond people's home parks? We got platinum passes last year because we knew we would make it down to Cincinnati at least once or twice. We renewed them for this year because we knew we would make it to Dorney on the way back from another scheduled vacation and we are planning to hit Kings Island this coming weekend. But is this typical of other platinum pass holders?

If they WERE to open a park in Orlando, we might make it down there once in a while for platinum pass entry - but only because our older child lives a few hours away on the ocean. Frankly, I would be more excited at the prospect SHE would have to buy a Cedar Fair pass once again and bring it with her for any summertime trips back to Ohio!

I would think Six Flags would be more likely but I think Cedar Fair is better suited to run a park with a limited footprint. Going into the area and charging less would be a tactically brilliant move and a logical counter-move to the Mouse driving prices ever upward.

I would not make the assumption a plat pass would get anybody into the park though. Not that I think doing it is a bad idea, only that I can see reasons they might not go that way at first. For my part, I think it would be a great way to get day visitors who drive through the area. I just drove through on the way to Fort Launderdale on a cruise-yes, from up in Bowling Green. So I could see getting off the turnpike and bumming around a few hours then moving on.

Cedar Fair could also use the park as a gateway toward drawing regional visitors to other parks. Almost like putting a huge advertisement in the middle of Florida and then pushing the high-quality resorts at someplace like Cedar Point for example. You couldn't promote Cedar Point resorts to Floridians used to things down there until the recent upgrades were complete-IMHO. Now you can.

I don't know if that would be my first question here, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't. If Cedar Fair's name is on the resort, then I'd say yes.
Take Knott's as an example. There's a CF park competing in the vast Southern California tourist market. I'd venture to say most CF pass holders are Midwest and southern people, right? We went to California once and made sure to include a day at Knott's, especially because we could. Florida is less remote for all of us, and more of us easterners go there than L.A., but I'd think not enough to cause a restriction on our passes. If it's Cedar Fair.

And true, this may be interesting. One might lean toward Cedar Fair for an Orlando project given Mr. Ouimet's employment history. He may be familiar enough with the area and eager to dive in. Or.... not.

Six Flags is so prolific already that, well, what's one more property? They already have an international presence, so how that would potentially influence a parnership with an overseas company? I dunno.

Herschend would be ok with me, and Palace to a lesser degree.

And all of this only goes if the Motley Fool's sources are accurate.

RCMAC's last sentence.

The article strikes me as a 'someone told someone who told someone who told me' situation.

There are several things that occur to me...

...none of the companies mentioned have built a park from the ground up in decades: they've grown through acquisitions. Would any of them want to enter one of the world's prime tourism markets with a new, untested property?

...take the coaster-centric and Disney fans out of the equation, and this new theme park would be competing not only with Disney and Uni and Sea World, but with Ripley's and the Orlando Eye and Gatorland and huge malls and water parks.

I'm taking this with a large grain of salt, I'm afraid.

I can't help but think why would anyone bother, the market there seems to be saturated. As far as platinum passes now that WWK is out of the picture the only parks I can count on visiting any season are Cedar Point and Cedar Point Shores/Soak City. Adding another park in the chain really doesn't make the pass more valuable to me personally.

I’ll certainly say that the Motley Fool is not exactly renowned for it’s accuracy and some of the throw-away articles they publish are beyond ridiculous.

That said I don’t think it is true that there is no bandwidth left in the Orlando market, or that there is no reason to add a park with the Theme Park giants all around. Orlando is only going to grow in the coming 20 and 30 years. You don’t have to win the war in the market, just get a taste of the action. There are many ways you could leverage a modest park in the area. A modest mix of hotels, a modest water park and some decent coasters at even a fraction below the market prices and you would have a monster success that is open year-round. Or just build a pure amusement park, or even a pure water park, the variables are honestly beside the point, it is a market to be in if you can manage it.

Cedar Fair could surely attract a heavy-duty private equity investor to back a full-scale park launch. And I don’t think you need to come to the table with a fully wrought park, but the bones of a new attraction. The renovation of Hotel Breakers and other CP resorts, I think serves as a prototype of sorts. It demonstrates core competency. And I really don’t think they move into Orlando without looking to mirror the same approach. Hotel space alone, especially with conference space, is a winning combination in Orlando. Couple it with a value-added park of some kind and it’s all good.

Who knows, rumors are what they are, but as a Plat pass holder who drives through Orlando a couple times a year, it surely has my attention.

You make some good points. But it still strikes me as unlikely.

It just seems like a significant investment in a highly competitive market.

He makes very good points.

Everything six flags has announced recently has seemed to fall apart, I really can't see any heavy cash rich foreign company backing a six flag venture given their massive recent economic turmoil.
Obviously Disney isn't competing with itself, Universal world just expand, and Seaworld can barely afford toilet paper yet alone another new park.
As far as European intervention in the market... without U.S. Knowledge and influence doesn't make much sense risk wise especially with their focus on immersive theming which cannot compete with Disney.

There's space in Orlando for a thrill park, a park that isn't focused on 8 year old wizards or 6 year old princesses. Give regular families something to do there once the kids are over age 12. Perhaps Mr. Ouimet with his prior mouse and hotelier experience can be just the guy to pull it off.

Is anyone else worried Cedar Fair may just try and buy the City of Orlando to close it?

Lol!

The Orlando market is not saturated. If it were, Universal would not be developing a third park on the 400+ acres they recently purchased.

Saturated, no. Competitive, yes, but if any park goes in with the right strategy, they have a good change of competing with the big boys.

They would need a partner with very deep pockets. Not CF size deep pockets, Disney-ABC or Comcast-Universal sized pockets. Not that many of those available. Fewer still that want to be in the park business.

Captain Hawkeye said:

They would need a partner with very deep pockets. Not CF size deep pockets, Disney-ABC or Comcast-Universal sized pockets. Not that many of those available. Fewer still that want to be in the park business.

CF would provide the expertise, and there could be private equity or others wanting to bring cash to the table. Time will tell, I doubt anybody announces anything until after the election cycle is over, give or take litigation, in November.

Another article about this. The writer still has doubts about the actual opening of anything. But it gives more insight into the location, a little history and rules out some potential players (CF is not ruled out).

http://m.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2016/11/01/will-anyone-ac...entsMobile

Six Flags squashed the rumors of the rumors of them being a part of it:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2016/11/02/six-flags-execs-...lando.html