Cedar Point 2012

I would love to see some sort of dark ride. Or another wooden coaster. Or even another flume ride.

I did go a couple times this year, I have been several times this year. I am not a good example. I am not your normal person. I may have an unhealthy apetite for amusement parks. Most of the general public don't think like I do. It has been a while since I was in line and heard WOW about a new attraction. I did hear" look mommy at those pretty lights" when a kid was looking at windseeker. I do like the park alot and I am a bit spoiled that I live so close, however I would like to see some wow's come back to the park.

the ffej man said:
All I am saying is that The point could use some buzz, not just ho hum.

And I'm asking you how that equates to a healthier business, not what gets you up in the morning.

You're really asking how generating buzz creates a healthy business? Really?!

A halo vehicle creates sales in the auto industry. A vehicle that creates buzz to supplement the rest of the car in the line up. It brings people in to check out the halo, and see the other vehicles, which can generate sales.

Apple does this on a yearly basis. 1 product at their WWDC gets all the attention which helps the other products.

In the amusement industry a halo attraction at an amusement park does the same thing. People will pay gate price to ride one thing as so many people have and if you're own logic dictates the business, they'll create a memory that day that will bring them back.

It's pretty simple to figure out.

What if for a family of 4 the petting farm is the "halo" attraction?

Then that family either. A.) Doesn't have the internet or know how to use the internet which will help them find any number of petting zoo's in their local market which are better stocked and less expensive. B.) Has more money to burn than anyone else on the planet C.) Doesn't exist except in the minds of those looking to put up the straw man argument.

The point is that not everyone is looking for the same experience as you are, and as such, your desires for what the park should and should not do won't line up with theirs. Meaning, just because you think the petting zoo is the dumbest thing ever doesn't make it true.

No.

1. I have never said that I " think the petting zoo is the dumbest thing ever" nor have I hinted at it. You have an awfully hard time getting things I (and numerous other people) write on this board. Either that or you're simply switching things around to suit your argument. Both have an equal chance of being correct.

2. Cedar Point is thought of first for thrills. A majority of park goers go for thrills. Which translates to roller coasters and rides like Windseeker. If families had a problem with what Cedar Point has to offer, then families wouldn't be the biggest spenders now would they?

While my experience doesn't line up with tens of people, it lines up with thousands. The same thousands that actually visit the park and not arm chair CEO Monday through Friday between the hours of 6am and 5pm.

Weren't we talking about this petting zoo thing weeks ago too? Anyway . . . I agree with Brandon. The coaster wars died long ago. CP needs balance to survive. CP doesn't make a lot of money off season pass holders, so they need to market to the families who come once a year (and spend the most money) with a variety of attractions.

I personally know many people who don't like coasters but will go to CP if someone else pays because there are shows, the petting zoo, etc. Is the petting zoo really costing CP so much either in upkeep or opportunity cost that they are going to get rid of it? Unlikely. Besides, take a look at their attendance figures from last year. Doesn't look like they need to build anything in the near future to get people in the door.

Here's my two cents:

Cedar Point has made their reputation as a thill-park. Their sister to the south, Kings Island, has made their name as a family park. Recently, both are trying to move toward where the other was, meaning CP (with the addtion of StR, Planet Snoopy, Starlight, OM) is attempting to be more appealing to families and KI (with the addition of Diamondback, Firehawk, their intense Halloween Haunt, etc.) is trying to be more appealing to thrill seekers.

The Amusement Park industry is a business, and both parks (albeit in the same chain) are trying to widen their potential clientele.

Just a quick note, if CP would add a family coaster, it would go both ways, arguably the same way StR and WindOrnament do. BGT's new Intamin product, Cheetah Hunt, is a great example of this.

The park will never be everything to everyone. They are an amusement park that should wow its patrons. By your standards Dj, They should have a tidly winks section where everyone wears underoos. No matter how much one may like that, there is no place for those shenanigans in an amusement park. A coaster? yes

If a sizeable percentage of people who go to and spend money at amusement parks expected to play tiddlywinks in their pajamas while they were there, I'm sure Cedar Point would find a way to accomodate them.

Since there isn't, your argument is full of straw, man.

Your (the ffej man) post demonstrates how poorly you understand the amusement industry.

djDaemon said:
The point is that not everyone is looking for the same experience as you are, and as such, your desires for what the park should and should not do won't line up with theirs. Meaning, just because you think the petting zoo is the dumbest thing ever doesn't make it true.

+1, that's the essence of what I was after. Until my kid is 48", I don't care how many roller coasters they build, because that's not going to convince me to roll in to the park, especially now that it's a bit more than an hour away. That's eight or nine years of non-business. Think about it, that's half of the time that my family-with-child has the child living at home.

According to your blog, Jeff, you just took your family to a place with "tons of things for kids to do".

You cite "an arcade, a teen hangout, various snack bars, a big animated character stage, MagiQuest stuff and of course, the water park"

With the exception of a "teen hangout" which is essentially the entire park, Cedar Point offers all of those things and more. So I'm not following why you're choosing to ignore those things and more from Cedar Point. Magiquest is essentially laser tag or a live action RPG.

In fact your entire argument is just hyperbole. I went as a child, my nieces and nephews (ages 8 months-9 years) go today and find plenty to do just like I did. If you want to ignore those things and complain about it, thats fine. However, claiming there is nothing to do, is just wrong. I'm sorry your child will miss out on everything the park has to offer.

the ffej man said:
They are an amusement park that should wow its patrons. By your standards Dj, They should have a tidly winks section where everyone wears underoos. No matter how much one may like that, there is no place for those shenanigans in an amusement park. A coaster? yes

CP already has places for 17 coasters....many of which are pretty wow-worthy in many people's opinions....

This is just my personal opinion, but the "wow factor" of "Wow, that is a great coaster" is completely equal in merit to "Wow, that was the cleanest, friendliest park I have ever been to".

PrawoJazdy: What are you even talking about? I know what I wrote, do you know what the context of this discussion is? It's the notion that pet farms aren't necessary but building big roller coasters every year is. My point is that's incorrect. What's yours?

It's not hard to figure out. While the discussion context is actually about Cedar Point in 2012 as the header dictates, it gets all kinds of sidetracked, with discussions about the petting zoo and whether or not people, such as yourself, want to visit the park because there isn't enough for anyone under 48" to do.

My point is pretty clear. You said you won't be convinced to visit the park in the context that there isn't anything to do if they keep adding roller coasters. When in fact, the same things you spend money on outside of the park, are offered to you at Cedar Point.

Again, from my previous post...

I'm not following why you're choosing to ignore those things and more from Cedar Point.

That is my point. That is what I'm talking about. Griping about them not having anything and keeping your kid out of the park because you can't see the forest through the trees doesn't make much sense at all.

^Agree... I posted this topic in order to talk about possible rumors for the 2012 season. Not to argue about whether or not they should be more family oriented.

There are only a small handful of posts that actually have to do with 2012 rumors....

The other 300 posts are you guys arguing about something that you will never agree on. You guys are just being immature going back and fourth about something like this.

Some of you think that CP should be more Family oriented and some of you think that CP should be more about the thrills...

You can argue alll you want but you will never agree with each other so just give it up. This is rediculous...

I'm 17 years old and from reading these posts most of you are probably 10-15+ years older than me.

If it takes a 17 year old to tell oyu guys that this argueing isn't getting you anywhere then that is just sad.

So let's just get back on topic about RUMORS OF 2012

^+1

At this point, I have a feeling 2012 won't be the year of the next coaster. There's a lot of talk surrounding the Blue Streak/Raptor/Turnpike Cars area at present and I doubt they would try to jam another coaster in there. On the same token, I don't see the park building another family attraction just yet. I say that because the additions of Planet Snoopy, STR, etc. were in short succession of each other.

The main thing that has me holding off on hopes of a coaster for another year is the quite-surprising removal of Chaos and the rumors that Calypso will either be sold or moved in the coming year. Sounds like CP's planning for something, but it seems similar to the OM relocation. All that did was make room for WindTeaser

I could see another moderate thrill ride going in before a coaster. Not sure what type, though. (Although, pleasant surprises are always welcome.)

1. I went to the park today to check out if the rumor of the Turnpike cars/Calypso getting moved/removed had any real clout. The area would definitely be big enough for one of the Gravity Group's compact wooden coasters but I don't know if it could fit much else unless it's another thrill ride. I don't know if they could theme a GG woodie to fit the area either. I didn't see any survey marks except for some very weathered orange dots to the left of the Turnpike Cars queue.
2. I decided to take a walk down the beach to take a break from riding rides and I realized that my view of the park has been clouded by the amazing coasters. I'm a single guy ( no kids) and my little brother has been old enough to ride the coasters for a long while so my focus has been on the thrills. My walk reminded me that CP is not just an amusement park, it's a resort. The hotels, the water park, the beach, the marina. It's so much more than roller coasters and thrill rides. There's so much that would attract families and if their advertising catered to that, it wouldn't matter what they put in the park next year.