Dinosaurs! >>>Good idea or really bad idea???
YouCEdarMyPoint said:
You sure put a lot of faith in the same geniueses who thought the Paramount purchase and trying to sell to Apollo (to name only a few) were good ideas.
The Paramount purchase was a good idea, and the chain's financial results back that up.
It might be a good idea to have a reality check before proclaiming blind allegance to bad management.
Here's a reality check - the "bad management" you speak of evolved CP from a moderate regional amusement park into a premier thrill ride destination. In fact, the place is so popular that there are actually fan sites where people who claim to enjoy the park do nothing but bitch and moan like Monday morning quarterbacks.
The reality is that Dinosaur's Alive was a profitable venture at KI, and there's every reason to believe the same will hold true at CP.
But really, the bottom line is this - if you don't like what the park has to offer, don't go. Something tells me your pissy attitude would negatively impact your family's trip anyway. Then again, maybe they're used to that.
Brandon
djDaemon said:
The Paramount purchase was
a good idea, and the chain's financial results back that up.
Here's a reality check - the "bad management" you speak of evolved CP from a moderate regional amusement park into a premier thrill ride destination.
djDaemon, you've got to get a grip, my man. I can tell you've taken a few too many rides on Mean Streak or one too many loops on Corkscrew. Maybe, lay off the coasters for a while to give your brain a chance to mature. Paramount purchase nearly bankrupt Cedar Fair. Is it recovering? Yes, but that doesn't change the fact the purchase was universally criticized by virtuly every financial expert inside and out side the industy.
Did management build Cedar Point into the coaster capital of the world? Yes. Is it still anything more than a very nice regional amusement park? No. Outside states adjoining Ohio and coaster enthusiast you would have a hard time finding a single person that has even heard of Cedar Point. In case you haven't noticed, Cedar Point is currently the home of the largest, or tallest, or fastest nothing in the world. It doesn't even have the most coasters anymore. Why, because management has said and it has been repeated numerous times on this forum Cedar Point is no longer in the coaster wars and is said to be trying to be more family friendly (spinster speak for management nearly ran the company into the ground so we don't have the money to keep putting quality attractions and infrastructure into the park). If management believed its own hype it wouldn't need to upcharge for attractions it says are geared for the same demographic it claims it is trying to attract.
You don't think they will start charging for individual "premium" rides (since this is such a good way to make money)? What do you call Rip Cord and other Challenge Park attractions? At least management had the excuse of these being "outside the park". We know DA is not part of the long term plan for the park. What do you think management plans to do with this infrastructure of a "park within a park" after the DA contract is up. I guess according to your logic, management will tear out the "park within a park" so they can remove an attraction that is generating tons of money in a park where space is a premium and replace it with an attraction that cost millions of dollars and generates no money for the park. Are you sure your not Kinzel's cousin?
YouCEdarMyPoint said:
What do you call Rip Cord and other Challenge Park attractions? At least management had the excuse of these being "outside the park".
I call them low capacity rides which is why they charge for them just like every other park in the country. Plus Rip Cord charges because it is in the contract with Skycoaster, JUST like it has been said about DA. As for them being outside the park, if it were not for the hotels, they would be in the park just like every other park in the US does with their go-karts, putt-putt, Skycoasters, etc.
... and be forced to admit I'm right.
You can stick you head in the sand between the train tracks; but that won't stop the train from running you over. The more money a park makes off of upcharging, the more attractions they will upcharge for. Keep trying to justify bad management and you will get what you ask for.
Outside states adjoining Ohio and coaster enthusiast you would have a hard time finding a single person that has even heard of Cedar Point.
Wrong.
Promoter of fog.
Kevinj, why did you quote just that quote of his and say wrong? Everything he says is crazy.
But if you would have quoted everything he has said you would do what he does........
^^ I think you need to take a minute to regroup your thoughts. You say management is bad and not to be trusted, but then you go on to say that the park will start upcharging everything when those in charge see how much they make off it. Obviously you think, then, that this "bad management" will be successful in their decision to add DA to the park (and yes, I know this is new management, but you were trashing the old management, too). Furthermore, you complain about the upcharge, but don't you realize the CF has a contract to have DA? Maybe the little upcharge was the fair amount of money they felt they could charge and break even? If CP (or any other of CF parks with DA) decided to make DA a permanant attraction but with no upcharge, I think you would see many more people complaining. Imho, I wouldn't mind if CP rotated in different attractions every couple of years, upcharge or not.
No, I didn't forget DA is contracted by a different company. As I mentioned in an earlier post they could have raised the general admission charge $.50 to $1.00 a person and more than covered the amount of money they will make off the upcharge. No, I definitely never said I thought upcharging was a good idea. It all comes down to price point. If a company says it is trying to attract a certain customer base then it is not good business keep raising the price point on the demografic you are trying to attract. If at some point, management finds it has reached a price point maximum on a certain demographic; but, it still wants to raise more capital then it will change its demographic it wants to target.
I understand the basics of economic business strategies can be difficult to grasp for those who still live in their parents basements; but, I'm not the crazy one if you think upcharging for an attraction within a park is a good thing for an amusement consumer. One other thing, upcharging and contracting services to private companies (they are not shipping the jobs to China) rather than investing in the infrastructure of the park, are very strong indications of a company in severe financial distress. Someone should explain to me how this is really a good thing for coaster enthusiast or sound business philosophy. New management may be trying to turn things around; but, it doesn't happen over night with upcharges.
Cedar Point, and Cedar Fair for that matter, are not in "severe financial distress". Check out their recent quarter financials. Swing and a miss buddy
^ You mean like updating the lights on the Giant Wheel, Millenium, and Power Tower, adding Luminosity, or building a new water attraction at Soak City?! Looks like they are investing in the infrastructure to me. I think you need to give the new management 3 years to see what plans they have in store for the park before you make snap judgements, especially if any of the plans to better utilize the beach come true.
And, last time I checked, the deed to my mortgage has my husband and my name on it, not my parents (and we aren't underwater).
JuggaLotus said:
But then how will we kill the 2 days before the season opens?
Pfft. Like the park's even going to open this year. Management is so incompetent, my money's on the whole damn place burning down before Saturday.
Brandon
YouCEdarMyPoint said:
Did management build Cedar Point into the coaster capital of the world? Yes. Is it still anything more than a very nice regional amusement park? No.
Can you name one other regional amusement park that has four hotels, cabins, RV campground, two marinas and a beach? Plus two gated parks and one ungated park on the property? Answer: You can't.
People used to call CP a summer resort. Maybe today, Super Regional Park may be a fitting term. In any case, CP is more than a typical regional park like Kings Island or Great Adventure, probably falls somewhere between a regional park and Disney.
Your entire post is actually just ridiculous crap.
I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
djDaemon said:
Seriously guys, if you stop feeding it, it will wither and die.
But its fun....
YouCEdarMyPoint said:
It all comes down to price point. If a company says it is trying to attract a certain customer base then it is not good business keep raising the price point on the demografic you are trying to attract.
Seems to work fine for Disney.
but, I'm not the crazy one if you think upcharging for an attraction within a park is a good thing for an amusement consumer.
Well just about EVERY Cedar Fair and Six Flags park has been doing it for years and they are fine with it. Oh and they have also not started charging for every new attraction they build since you seem to think that is what will happen when up-charging starts.
upcharging and contracting services to private companies rather than investing in the infrastructure of the park, are very strong indications of a company in severe financial distress.
Again, Cedar Fair parks have been doing this for years. Kamans, Kodak, Interlace and Alpha Games to name a few have been doing business inside Cedar Point for a long time but that does not mean the park is in "severe financial distress". And you are nuts if you think the park is not investing in infrastructure this year. The park has been long overdue for an upgrade to park lighting and sound and under this new management, it is finally happening.
Pete said:
People used to call CP a summer resort. Maybe today, Super Regional Park may be a fitting term. In any case, CP is more than a typical regional park like Kings Island or Great Adventure, probably falls somewhere between a regional park and Disney.
Your entire post is actually just ridiculous crap.
I said Cedar Point is a very nice regional park. Better than any other regional park, sure.
Don't confuse routine maintainance (like lights) and minor changes (replacing and old slide with a new one or a new show) with investments in infrastructure. I'm not saying Cedar Fair is going under anytime soon; but, you can't deny that it is even close to being healthy and only a fraction of what it was in its prime.
As far as being crap; you never heard of PSL's 20 years ago, now it is very unlikely you will see a new stadium built without some form of a PSL in place for funding. You never heard of baggage fees 5 years ago for airlines; but, they are now common place. Look at nearly every industry and you will find new hidden fees or upcharges that weren't there only a few years ago. The amusement industry is not immune from this trend and is fact using it more and more. You all are free to keep your heads buried in the sand; but, that doesn't change reality.
Closed topic.