Dinosaurs! >>>Good idea or really bad idea???

I said Broadway style, not quality. You can find hundreds of Broadway style shows thoughout the country for far less than $150, or even high school drama club performances. You keep forgetting, this is Cedar Point we are talking about, not Disney or an actual Broadway show.

If making money is the only concern then I agree with you as long as a certain segments of people don't boycott the park or advertisers withdraw sponsership because of the appearance of discrimination. Then the park loses money. Are you still OK with it then?

Why would advertisers pull sponsorship? There is no discrimination and/or appearance of discrimination. I don't think CP will ever have problem with people boycotting unless they tear down a MAJOR installation.

Wow, I think a lot of people who enjoy show tunes would disagree with you about the discrimination thing. I've seen groups of people who think they were slighted somehow scream discrimination over a lot less than an upcharge. If you can't see how that can be seen as offensive I will have to refer you to one of my previous post referencing bubble worlds, parents basements, or sun light.

Boy, I hope no one boycotts the park when the DA contract is expired and they remove this MAJOR new attraction.

I am not seeing where the discrimination comes in? How is it discrimination to ask someone to pay money for something that isn't included in admission. Just because someone 'think's' it's discrimination doesn't mean that it is.

I don't think anyone here or otherwise thinks DS is a major attraction.

YouCEdarMyPoint said:
I said Broadway style, not quality. You can find hundreds of Broadway style shows thoughout the country for far less than $150, or even high school drama club performances. You keep forgetting, this is Cedar Point we are talking about, not Disney or an actual Broadway show.

They've already got that, it's called the Garter show (most seasons) and honestly if they had the band in there again with the cast they've had the past few years I'd gladly pay.

And believe it or not, most people do. Because they sit down for the show and buy a beer. People could sit anywhere to rest and drink water out of a fountain, but they willingly throw away their money on a drink at a table and watch the show.

I don't know who your musically inclined friends are, but in my experience people who patronize the arts know that they are the first type of thing to get cut from schools or towns because it's an extravagance and they GLADLY fork over extra money in the form of tickets, donations, sponsorship.

Ok YouCEdarMyPoint-
Between the insults and hyperbole, I seemed to have lost sight of what your initial point was. Since your business acumen is far superior, then riddle me this: what is the correct business model for Cedar Fair? In other words, what should CF do in the next year, 5 yrs, 20 yrs, etc. to maximize it's profits while alienating the fewest amount of patrons?

That actually is a good question. A tad bit on the sarcastic side and a better question for another tread but I will give you a taste of what it should look like.

The key to any sucsessful business is finding its niche. Cedar Point appeared to have it as the coaster capital of the world. I wish folks on this site would grasp 1 key undeniable truth. Cedar Point is not Disney, it never has been, it never will be. Cedar Point hit its stride in the 90's and early 2000's. It wasn't until the late 2000's it started running into trouble which suspiciously was around the same time as the Paramount purchase. Sure the recession came about then and that had something to do with it but it clearly wouldn't have been as bad if the company wasn't so overleveraged because of bad expansion plans.

Here is an extremely general blue print. Do what the park does better than any other park in the country, (including Universal and Disney) coasters or thrill rides. This does not mean they have to re-start the coaster wars. Focus on rides or attractions that are unique to Cedar Point. If you don't like that, go with beach front development idea but focus on the beach and Lake Erie. Don't try to be a park that is all things to all people.

If you really want upcharging, then go with the tiered admission packages I suggested in a previous post. You want more revenue. Slower expansion. Paramount purchase was a bad idea, just executed to quickly and bungled at nearly every aspect. One last thought, re-open the vacant unused Geauga Lake as a Kiddie Amusement Park geared towards children 12 and under. Rides and operating cost would be far cheaper. The parks location and size is ideal for day trips which families with young children.

Thats all for now. I'm sure I somehow offended someone with this post already so I will stop for now.

Today, at the park, a friend of mine who will work there this summer just got to walk through DA with other employees. She called me after she went through it and told me it is NOT worth the extra charge to get in. they walked through the whole thing and got to see and "try out" the dinos. As I was talking over the phone, I could hear everyone else with her in the background saying "Lame, wow, boring.....etc" It was funny.

I could understand for kids, yes, they will like it, but for adults, she said you would easily get bored in there, as she agreed when we talked.

There's a shock, a bunch of college-aged kids weren't into it. I bet they'd feel differently if the dinos dispensed beer.

Parents may get bored easily, but then again seeing their kids light up with excitement and react to the dinosaurs is what they want anyways. I mean I'm sure any adult that goes in will check out each one, but a majority will have kids with them and being able to see their kid excited is what is going to make that $5 worth it for them.

Ummm...being someone who is in show business, I can tell you that the arts are VERY expensive. I've done shows since I was in High School and loved it. Even traveling broadway style shows that stop by and perform at local venues charge over $90 for their best seats. Saw "Jersey Boys" last month, expensive. I don't know where you are getting your numbers from YouCedarMyPoint.

We get it though, you're a genius at everything (architecture, business, the economy), you should be the CEO. We all bow at your feet.

A sign of someone willing to argue this much is a sign of someone in distress!

Miss Maverick, your friends assessment of DA only proves who this is geared towards. I'm sure you realized yourself that this isn't an attraction for everyone (unless you REALLY want that K'NEXosaurus Rex :)). So I think it's safe to say that it's not surprising your friends reacted the way they did. I might go through DA at least once this year just to see the interaction with Millennium but I'm not going because "ZoMG11!! DinOSAurzZ!!". But regardless of what everyone's collective views are (on here at least) of it, it will more or less be a hit with the kiddies. And I can still appreciate Dinosaurs as the educational gem that they are.......even if I stopped pretending to walk around my house as a t-rex a LONG time ago. :)

I am just interested to see how these Dino's might interact with Millennium. A Dino head 60ft in the air facing the track might or could be used as a head chopper if placed right.

AIRTIMELUVR said:
I am just interested to see how these Dino's might interact with Millennium. A Dino head 60ft in the air facing the track might or could be used as a head chopper if placed right.

Not at all. They just don't get them in and place them in random spots. They had places marked last year and none of them, that are big enough, are near the track. Not mention the park and the company providing the dinosaurs are smart enough to know not to do that.

Jeff said:
I bet they'd feel differently if the dinos dispensed beer.

I believe you've just stumbled onto a million dollar idea. :)

Jeff said:
I bet they'd feel differently if the dinos dispensed beer.

But can you imagine all the bitching about the cost of the beer on top of the $5 it costs just to walk on adventure island! Especially if the beer was dispensed in the plastic cups that are used for the free water in the park! ;)

Beer dispensing animatronic dinosaurs have no place at a family-oriented park. ;)

The caveat with your friend's opinion MissMaverick is that she is probably 20 something years old, and that is the age group least likely to like the attraction. Too old for dinosaurs to be cool and too young for dinosaurs to be cool again.

The Cleveland Zoo had a dinosaurs up-charge exhibit for 2 or 3 years which had a good response from the zoo guests. From what I saw, mostly young families paid money to see it, and it was enjoyed by that group. CP's version I believe is on a larger scale than the zoo exhibit was, I can certainly see it being well liked by the target audience.

Dear adolescents,

The world does not revolve around you.

Regards,

The rest of us.

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