CP adding coasters

I have always wondered this over the years. Why is it that Cedar fair does not put in a big coaster at CP every year. Instead (well you know) they wait for the most part every 2 or 3 years to put in a big coaster. I mentioned this because i am thinking they are going to have some serious competition by other parks. Six flags now owns geagua (sp) lake, and paramount owning kings island. These parks so far are not holding back anything, multiple coasters each year. If Cp continues at there pace they may no longer be the park with the most coasters. I am by no means saying that CP is not as good as these other parks because they are better. No one in the USA has a 310 foot high coaster. I have to admit that Six flags and especially paramount has more cash than cedar fair. that may be a reason but i can't believe it is all of it. Anyway why is it they don't put in a big coaster each year? After all they are the flagship of amusement parks are they not???

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Welcome back Millennium Force riders...We all want to know how was your RIDE!!!!!

Yes they are. However, they have to accomodate entertainment for those who do not ride coasters. If they were to put in coasters every year, I think admission prices would have jumped big time over the last decade, and we would be looking at a fifty to sixty dollar funday admission price.Also, people would be complaining that there aren't enough other rides being built for their liking. I mean look at it. This year, gate price is 38 dollars. I'm sure the construction of this new coaster drained a lot of their budget. I think it has something to do with pacing and how often they want to add a new coaster. Another thing, have you ever noticed where have of these six flags parks are. They are usually right off a major interstate. I think that in itself is sort of a restriction on those parks expanding. I've been to two of the six flags parks (the ones in Missouri and Illinois) and they are both off major interstate highways. Cedar Point, too me, will always be the best amusement park around. I grew up going there with my family for many years. I hope what I talked about answers your question

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Please wait till the ride comes to a complete
stop!

The dollar determines everything.

They have a business plan that likely spans five or maybe even ten years. It's a combination of capital improvement and strategies to maintain or increase attendance.

Why build a coaster every year? What would be the pay off? Consider the diversity of clientele they want to attract. Camp Snoopy was a perfect example of why they don't build a coaster every year. It draws families with kids... three or more admissions. Coasters are more likely to draw individual teens or coaster enthusiasts who might not have the disposable income that a family has. You do the math... one admission and maybe some hot dogs, or three or more admissions with food, souveniers and snoopy merchandise. That stuff is building your coaster the next year.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

Yeah you need things to do for all the others also, not everyone wants a big coaster. They could put something for the kiddies each year also. But whatever they do i know when they come out with a new coaster it will be the best at that time. just something i was wondering :)

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Welcome back Millennium Force riders...We all want to know how was your RIDE!!!!!

The year of Camp Snoopy had lower admissions--Just a footnote.

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"CP is very good value!" -- A RCT Guest at CP

PLus Cedar Point is at the top of the chain as far as amusement parks goes. Geuaga and other places builds coasters to catch up tp Cedar point, were as Cedar Point is the only place that has the luxury of setting the pace, also remeber thet it is quality not quantity that draws people to a park year after year. I have never been to PKI and to Geauga once, but CP every year that I can remeber
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"Meesa Okee Day"-Jar Jar Binks
"Gungan no Liken outsiders"-Jar Jar Binks

A note on competition... I talked to Janice Lifke-Witherow from the PR department shortly after the Six Flags Ohio announcement. She very simply said that, while they're certainly aware of what SFO is doing, CP's product speaks for itself. Comparing a $25 million coaster with some improvements at TPFKAGL (you know what that means ;)) is like comparing apples and oranges.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

Not to mention, Cedar Point's coaster always seem to be awsome. PKI might have added two rides last year, but one of those roller coasters was an off the line, low capacity Invertigo. It has been a long time since PKI has added a ride with the type of scope and excitement of Son of Beast. It has only been four years since Cedar Point added Mantis (another world class coaster) and two years before that they added Raptor. I could go back further, but I think that you get my point. I would rather wait a couple of years for a MF than have a cheap coaster slapped up every year. Heck, even Cedar Point's lastest kiddie coaster is a fun ride and,I believe, has a custom lay out.

Money has a lot to do w/ the factor i agree. But also if they build a new roller coaster every year people wouldn't have time to do it all! Plus a coaster every year would make the place look clustered! That is no good either!

Its threads like this that make me want to punch a hole through my comptuer screen. I mean come one, first off with the entire Six Flags BS. They throw all of this money at a park for a few years, and then after that they will leave them and say ok, your on your own. Just you watch in a year or two they won't give SFO the time of day.

Now when it comes to CP how can you not appreciate a $27 million, 310ft tall Intamin coaster. Cedar Point is a FAMILY park. They can't cater to the enthusiasts every year. Look at this past year, we got Camp Snoopy ( an attraction for the ENTIRE family) and a new hotel. Looking at the future if if the Boardwalk project is even semi true that is a FAMILY attraction.

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Daniel J. Haverlock
'99 Magnum Count: 801
Is it May yet?
www.popworld.com/dan

I'm telling you...wooden CCI's are the way to go. Wooden coasters are cheap. I really hope CP gets a woodie in their boardwalk area. Wouldn't that be cool to have two woodies in the front of the park to choose from when the Raptor line gets to long?

I think part of the dichotomy is in CP's history and CP's present.
Historically, CP has been a family gathering place, especially in the Sandusky area. However, while CP survived the great decline of the Depression and second decline in the mid-50s, they lost a lot of their family draw. CP is still a family park, but now, with the advent of Disney and the like, CP is straddling the line between the Disney-style family parks and the SF and Paramount-type thrill parks, there is Cedar Fair and Busch Gardens trying to placate both. CP tries to be a family park, but let's face it -- it's known for its coasters. Forgive us for not toeing the line, but we love CP for the coasters.
[Heck, the other address is rollercoaster.nu...]

I'm going to call up CP and ask them to build me a dark ride next... :)

I would still love Cedar Point even if it didn't have a lot of roller coasters.
I'm a die hard Pointer. I appriciate Cedar Point for it's historical backround. Consider this if it wasn't for Cedar Point building the Causeway back in 1957 Cedar Point might just be full of condos.
Sorry that I kind of got off topic.

Speaking of condos, have you noticed how this is kind of a trend with closed amusement parks? Look at Boblo Island? What is it with amusement parks being good places to build condos?

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magnum of MF now that is a real question.

I miss Boblo :( I can't even remember what it was like to have an amusement park 30 mins away rather than 2.5 hours (1.75 the way we drive)

Uh, good wooden coasters are NOT cheap. Prior to MF, Ghostrider was easily the most expensive ride Cedar Fair ever built.

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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

While off-topic, note Ghostrider was "over-built" to comply to various earthquake codes. SFO's Villain, a similar layout but with a steel frame, is allegedly just under or around $10 million. That is cheap by coaster standards.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

If I remember correctly, Shivering Timbers was had for something in the neighborhood of 5M, and it's only about 100' shorter than Magnum.

ST is 125' tall, a mere 80' shorter than Magnum. Note that 125' is the height of Gemini.

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Scott W. Short
sshort@mediaone.net
http://welcome.to/midwestcoastercentral