Well, I just wrote and posted this as a response on Coasterbuzz. I was sort of happy with my work, so I figured that I would copy it to this site. I can't believe that I just did all of this math, but oh well.
Lets see, since Camper Village is pretty much always completely booked, we can assume that the new Lighthouse Point places will also be booked. So that means 50 families in cottages, 10 families in cabines, and 59 families in RV's. If we assume that each of those families brings 4 people to the park (most likely a low estimate) then they have just brought 516 new guests per day to the park. Sure, some of the people may have gone to the park even without an on point resort to stay at, but some of them wouldn't have.
Now if we take that 516 people per day (low estimate) and multiply it times the estimated number of days that the park will be open (we'll say 100 days for easy math) then we have brought 51,600 new guests to the point during the season. That's a lot of admission tickets. If each of those admission tickets costs $28 (I'm trying to average out child and adults admissions) then we have $28 x 51,600 guests = $1,444,800 of ticket revenue added to the park per year.
Plus, remember that each of the campsites will cost 59 dollars (59 sites x 59 dollars = $3,481 per night) and the units will cost between $125 and $200 per night (we'll go with a figure in between those two figures $150 x 60 units = $9,000 per night)for a grand total campground net profit of approximately $12,481 per night. Now if multiply the per night figure by the estimated 100 nights the campground would be open, we have $1,248,100 for the park. Lets see $1,248,100 + 1,444,800 = $2,692,200 per year and that figure doesn't even include the probable increase in merchandise sales, food sales, Soak City admissions, and Challenge Park attraction rides. I would have to guess that this new Campground will make the park more money in its first year than Millennium Force did in its first year. Don't get me wrong, Millennium Force was a good move on the part of the park, but so is this campground addition, even if you are disappointed to not get a ride.
I'm not a business man, so if my financial thinking is a little off I'm sorry. I apologize for the long post, but I guess I was just on a mission with this one. It is disappointing to see that some people are complaining about this addition, when the park just got a huge world class ride last year.
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...and enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, The Am-aaaa-zement park!
*** This post was edited by Natas on 10/27/2000. ***
"It is disappointing to see that some people are complaining about this addition, when the park just got a huge world class ride last year."
Indeed.
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How dare you vanquish the Steel Phantom without his consent? Fear the Phantom's Revenge.
world class?
sort of in a class of its own!
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please ignore my many typos and grammar errors :)
Why is it that some people complain about Cedar Point not getting a new ride for 2001? Let's see Cedar Point just spent $48 million dollars on the 2000 season. Out of the $48 million, $25 million dollars was used on Millennium Force. I don't know what there is to complain about. Millennium Force is in a class all by itself. It's the greatest coaster ever built. Now the other $23 million dollars was used to build the 350 room Breakers Express, and to finish the rennovation, and expansion of the Marina.
I think that it is great that Camper Village is being expanded. Even though I have never stayed at Camper Village it sounds exciting. In the summer of 1998 I worked at the Sandcastle Suites Hotel. Everyday I would have to walk through Camper Village to get to the Sandcastle. Everyday Camper Village was always full of RV's and Campers. Think about it for the past 10 years the resort side of Cedar Point has expanded, except Camper Village. Over the past 10 years Camper Village has shrunk. In 1990 the Sandcastle Suites Hotel was built. It was the first hotel built at Cedar Point since the Cedars was built in 1915. Then in 1992 the Sandcaslte was expanded with two more wings added. In 1995 the Hotel Breakers was added on to with the addition of Breakers East. Even though the Breakers was modernized in the 60's, and 70's. But Breakers East was the first addition to the Hotel Breakers since the Bon Air Wing was added in 1926. Then in 1999 Breakers Tower was added to the Breakers. Then for this past season 2000 Breakers Express was built near Coasters on Causeway Drive. Now it's Camper Village is Finally getting an expansion. Oh yeah, not to mention that the Cedar Point Marina was renovated, and expanded during the 1999, and 2000 seasons. That was the first time that the Marina has been renovated, and expanded since it opened in 1959. One more thing Cedar Point bought the Radisson in 1997.
Ok that is what Cedar Point has done to the resort side of Cedar Point in the past 10 years. Now this is what it's done to Camper Village in the past 12 years. In 1988 Soak City was added. Then in 1989 the Magnum was added. In 1992 Challenge Park was added. In 1995 Soak City was expanded.
In 1996 Rip Cord was added. In 1997 Soak City was expanded again. Now with them doing all of that the number of sites available at Camper Village has decreased. It's about time that Camper Village gets 15 acres added on to it. Now you can stay at Camper Village and not have to worry about
having an RV. Plus it's a very cheap way of staying at Cedar Point overnight.
With the addition of Lighthouse Point Cedar Point has made it's resort side even more greater. Now you have more of a variety to pick from. Plus Cedar Point is finally going to use the historic Lighthouse where the public can go into it. I have always wanted the park to open up the lighthouse to the public. I think that it's great part of Cedar Point's heritage, and now the public will finally will be able to use it. Cedar Point will make a lot of money off of Lighthouse Point. If they can do something else in the future to expand the on point resort facilities then I will truly be amazed. In my mind Cedar Point has done an outstanding job of going from just having Camper Village, and the Hotel Breakers - to what the resort part of it has now. Just remember this : Before 1990 the only way to stay at Cedar Point was to stay at Camper Village, and the Hotel Breakers. At that time the Hotel Breakers only had about 430 hotel rooms. Now there about 1,000 hotel rooms located on the Cedar Point Peninsula.
The Official Cedar Point website now has a sketch of Lighthouse Point.
One more thing in 1990 the Sandcastle Suites hotel was added. That also cutdown on the size of Camper Village.
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Millennium Force The Future Is Riding On It
Millennium Force Count:65 Laps
*** This post was edited by Matt on 10/27/2000. ***
*** This post was edited by Matt on 10/28/2000. ***
I enjoyed the economic calculations by Natas. Some good assumptions, you realized that the extra spending is important (food sales, etc.). I am a Cedarfair shareholder and one of the figures they announce from time to time is the per capita spending. When ever I see this number (somewhere near $25 I think) I wonder who is not holding up there share of the bargain, I am always spending more than that. The captive audience in the hotels and campground are often families with kids demanding drinks, souvenirs, etc. Standing in line for the MF last year, and being one of the oldest people in line, I realize that a lot of the teenagers or near teens are probably not spending anywhere near as much money per day in the park than families are. Now that my kids are older and can actually go on roller coasters with me, it seems like I spend less than when they were camped out at kiddyland!!!!.
As a teenager, there's really not that much to buy except for the occasional on-ride-photo, maybe a tee-shirt, and not much food. Most people my age that I know don't spend much at all on food. I know myself, I am always too busy riding things to spend time shopping. I do like walking down Fronteir Trail and stopping in all the little shops, but never buy anything (of course I couldn't pass up the personalized MF key chains at the leather shop). But yes, families do spend MUCH more than teens alone at parks.
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"Live tomorrow tomorrow, and today today."