New this year

No Pete but I've seen people get stuck on the top of TTD and have no way out even if they wanted to.

Ski Resorts and CP make perfect sense. Both are seasonal attractions each with their own niche and plenty of competition. Completely unrelated hobbies, but they both bring singles, couples, and families together.

If someone could run a ski resort, someone could run Cedar Fair. They are all about servicing their guests and providing them with the ultimate vacation experience.

They both sell the same "thing" anyways. You buy a lift ticket, or day pass. You lodge at the resort or in town. You eat at resorts or in the town. Etc.

The same people going for degrees in hospitality and what not are going to run places like CP, ski resorts, caribbian destinations, etc. Weather someone works for an amusement park, a beach front hotel, or a ski resort is up to them. But I see ski resorts / amusement parks as two very similar attractions.

If I was you I would, like you said, go to Busch Gardens instead. They are cleaner and have a lot of the stuff you were talking about. Shoot, if I had that chance, I would go back in a heart beat.

CP can't add a 21 Mill. dollar ride every year. Am I going back to Cp this year? Hell yeah! Probably 8 times. Last year I went 13. Know where my other 5 trips are going this year? Kings Island. Why? Diamondback. People will still go to CP no matter what.

Lately it does seem like people expect to see the park add new rides every year. But if we want that then people will complain and groin because of too many rides or how they may be lack luster or dull coasters.

Yes CP in the past seems to not be able to maintain the theming, but if you look at Maverick and TTD they have been doing a vastly better job at maintaining the theming. (Excluding the Slick Tires they had to remove off the trains of TTD.)

*** Disaster Transport needs to go because that is one mess that cannot be fixed or they should waste anymore money on.

With the Hot Summer Nights Show all the times I have been there the place is full and seems to still attract a lot of people.

With the new Light Show I too think it may look neat and am very excited to see it. Before we start to rip it to shreds lets wait and see what it exactly looks like and witness it first hand. Then we can all put our 2 cents in on it.

I have also seen on other message boards with people expecting a new ride every year. We can always dream and I can tell you one thing is at least finally KI is getting a real coaster and a huge coaster. They have deserved it and it is long over due. It is nice to see CF trying to invest in all there parks with new thrills especially the Paramount Parks. Because last year when I was fortunate enough to make it down to KI for a Birthday present I was completely blown away at how much nicer it was compared to when Paramount owned it.

As for the time message boards look at the line and you can make the decision your self. Also at the roller coaster entrances you still have the Sandwich Board time. (Which most of the time is only a guess.)

As for waiting times, I expect that I am going to have to wait for the more popular rides. Oh well do we all expect to be able to walk on all the rides whenever we want.

But I do agree on food quality and prices. This needs vast improvement. I am willing to not see any other rides put in for a few more years and would like them to put some money into redoing, redesigning, and revamping the whole food mess they have going. Because for the past 10 years the most I spend on in park food is around 10 bucks at the most, as I pack my own food and drinks.

I dont understand all the hoopla over screens telling us wait times at all.

First of all, I have never waited more than 20 minutes for any reide at CP in the past 5 years excluding TTD, which I wait out on roll-backs, etc.

And second, I can pretty much tell within a 5-minute degree of error exactly how long a wait is. The queues are almost all outdoors and in plain sight.

How dim can one be to not be able to tell the wait times? Now someone who has never in their life been there before, perhaps (but even someone of moderate intelligence could offer a guess, especially when they simply ask the attendant who will happily tell you.

Monitors posting wait times would be an absolute waste of effort, money, and technology.

^ 100% with you on the season pass thing. It is rather unbelievable they are still not streamlined there.

Sounds like the type of card you get at many resorts, or cruises. That technology has been around for...decades? I think it would be great for resort guests.

The funny thing is, CP is missing out by not having something like that. A consumer spends more with those cards on average, simply because they are not shelling out their own dough on the spot, but rather using this mysterious card that gives them things...until they see the bill when they check out!

factory81 said:
No matter how big or small the customer, CP needs all the guests they can. And their region has been hit the hardest by the economy.

Two things:

1 - CP would rather have a family of 4 in the park over 4 teenagers, if the family of four is going to spend more (and they probably are).

2 - The economic downturn could actually have a positive effect on CP's attendance. Like the movie industry, CP might do relatively well, all things considered.

Kevinj said:
Perhaps there is even some conception art somewhere? Just curious.

I would link some, but they aren't very family friendly. ;)

DJ - I have to agree. People are going to look for things to do close to home. While CP can be expensive (especially for a family of 4) it is far cheaper than going to Disney or doing a cross country road-trip vacation. I don't think we'll see much of a drop-off from the last couple years.

factory81 said:
Ski Resorts and CP make perfect sense. Both are seasonal attractions each with their own niche and plenty of competition. Completely unrelated hobbies, but they both bring singles, couples, and families together.

No argument with that, but my point was that it is much more important and usefull to be informed of closed trails and lifts at a ski resort, where you are on a mountain many times the size of CP, than a closed ride notification would be at CP. If MF is down, just take a short walk and ride Mantis.

As far as wait times, the signs they have now are fine, I'm not sure if I would think that electronic signs around the park are all that useful. I tend to walk through the park and hit the rides as they appear on the path. If a ride has too long of a wait I'll just keep walking and ride the next ride. No big deal.

^^^Why does everyone think a family of 4 spends more than 4 teenagers? Teens have lots of disposable income, no bill and no major responsibilities=more money to spend on food, drinks, etc. Most families plan well and will bring a cooler and keep it in the car, that's what i used to do when I went with my family. When I go with my friends we eat at least one meal in the park and that doesn't include drinks and everything else. Teens are generally going to play more games and buy more refreshments.

Ralph Wiggum said:
You know, things Disney did like 15 years ago.... I'm not sure that CP's lack of understanding in the realm of technology is costing them any customers, but I'm sure it's costing them money that they don't even realize they're missing out on.

I think the people running the park certainly know the advantges of a modern point of sale system, I would guess it is a budget issue. Starlight Experience can be marketed to get people's interest and bring them into the park. You can't really market swiping your room key to buy a hot dog.

I disagree. I think having a charge card of sorts is very marketable, why? Because Disney markets the heck out of theirs, and I'm positive it's bringing them more people because of it.

It really is the simpler things that can bring in a lot more people willing to spend more than you think. If I have cash, I know how much I have and are more likely to stay within budget, a card on the other hand, well, on look at the credit crisis will tell you how well people spend with cards. Used at CP, this could rake in a lot of revenue.

Disney markets theirs because they want people to USE it for the reasons you mentioned. But can you really say you would be more likely to visit because they offer charges via a resort card? Can a commercial be created showing happy people charging to their room card as a reason to visit the park?

My point was that CP most likely knows the benefits of a modern POS but it takes a lower priority to stuff that will actually bring people into the park. You can only do so much at one time.

CP rush said:
Why does everyone think a family of 4 spends more than 4 teenagers? Teens have lots of disposable income, no bill and no major responsibilities=more money to spend on food, drinks, etc.

Everyone thinks that because there is lots of marketing research which proves it. The people who book hotel rooms are families. The people who stay for multiple days are families. They're also the ones who buy their kids expensive souvenirs. Families almost always have more money to spend in the park than a teen or group of teens do. That's why things like the Starlight Experience are setup to attract families to stay in the park until close.

Kevinj said:
^ Sounds like the type of card you get at many resorts, or cruises. That technology has been around for...decades? I think it would be great for resort guests.

The funny thing is, CP is missing out by not having something like that. A consumer spends more with those cards on average, simply because they are not shelling out their own dough on the spot, but rather using this mysterious card that gives them things...until they see the bill when they check out!

I can see it making sense for resort guests who spend an extended time at the park. Do many people do that? I have no basis for it but I would guess most stays are 1 night or 2 nights at most.

In my mind it makes sense for Disney or a cruise because I would think these are both extended stay types of vacations. I don't see a card doing much good for a simple overnight trip to CP.

"You can only do so much at one time." Pete, the modern POS system has been around for 20 years.

This has Kinzel stamped all over it. If they would have installed a system back when they were first out there they'd have paid it off double or triple by now based on what they would have made on it. I GUARANTEE that I spend more when I have charging capability at a resort than when I don't. It is probably at LEAST twice as much.

Heck, just a basic CC system at all food/souvenir stands would go a long way towards getting people to buy more stuff.

Hell, at Disney I bought a pop out of a machine on my room card, and the same machine took CC too.

On top of that, every year we get at least one report here of someone who put a 10 or a 20 in and got no change.

^Or got all their change back in dimes and nickels.

I guess I dont buy enough food in the park to know; are you all saying that all the food stands dont have POS credit card capabilties?

CP isn't too credit card friendly unless your at a "real dining place".

I think they need signs basically at where the paths split. Soak City entrance where you decide..take the dragster side or the Maverick side.

They also need one at the entrance of the park to let people know...keep going to MF, or go to TTD.

Kevinj, for you to wait 20 minutes or less, GREAT MAN. You obviously go when 99% of the public doesn't go or something. But for the rest of the world here who has waited at least 20 minutes per ride for the last 5 years its a gigantic waste of time. I appreciate Disney, Universal, Six Flag...well screw it...THEIR ENTIRE COMPETITION has some sort of express or fast or easy pass system....as well as billboard announcements. Not to mention smart things like Disney Dining Program and using your hotel room card to pay for things around the area.

They need anyones money more than ever this year. And I won't be at TGI Fridays every weekend building a $60 bill for 2 people and tipping 26%.

CP should have took that million on their light show and used it to demolish Disaster Transport, move the drop tower to any other park, knock down the water stadium, and put a "real ride" in over there.

Just a million better things CP could have spent money on than a freaking LED light show. It is just retarded....what did Tony do? Go to Las Vegas and have an idea? Some ideas are better left unsaid.