Thunderbolt

Oops! I forgot the "Scrambler" was supposed to be the musical themed attraction. I figured since Great Adventure's "Musik Express" was pulled from Ital International, it was being reused/repurposed. As for the Autobahn, how bad is the damage? Is it limited to the structure, ride system, or both? I'd imagine it would still be cheaper to utilize the Autobahn structure, even if the entire catenary system needed replacement.

Screamscape suggests that "The Autobahn" may well be reopened. Six Flags Great Adventure - New 2012 Rumors I never understood the rationalization to build another bumper car attraction elsewhere. With the costs associated with construction, materials, permits, and conduit, there is no way this is cheaper than simply utilizing existing structure. Great Adventure employees frequently pass through the former "Old Country" section. If Shapiro's "all employees are responsible for upkeep" policy remains (a positive program he installed), maintenance of the area seems also a minimal cost. Don't forget, "Musik Express" is expected to re-open. New construction costs would certainly outweigh staffing expenditures for re-opening "The Old Country". Unless, Six Flags plans to lease portable variants of said rides. Then I withdraw my points.

Actually, Ed Hart is solely responsible for "Chang" at Kentucky Kingdom. Premier Parks acquired the Louisville based park the following year. Kieran Burke and Gary Story are not so coincidentally implementing the same playbook used to build Premier Parks. It would be interesting to see them make another move on Six Flags if the credit market recovers.

The gentleman resembles the legendary Ray Williams, so that's my guess.

Agreed.

I remember when they did! Quite a surreal experience. I can guarantee you we never opened the window in that section! With the 1988 season, that came to an end as the section fenced the lions off from the roadway.

Good riddance to bad rubbish with Dan Snyder. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison's yacht is still more expensive at an estimated $200M building cost.

Also a better way to gather customer data for sale to potential advertisers!

"The Great Arena"

I would suspect all season pass admissions to Fright Fest will end this year. Six Flags draws a large enough crowd, where they can push patrons toward full priced admissions. The attrition would be welcomed by lighter crowds, but greater revenue. Maybe they can increase ticket prices to $59.99 or $64.99 and general parking to $30. With Six Flags continuing the strategy of big thrills, no ambiance, and "giving away the gate"; pretty soon parking by itself equal a single day admission. It's the one charge customers can't escape, and Six Flags bleeds them dry. Profit!

As long as Mr. Ouimet keeps parking below $20; he's already doing a better job than Six Flags's current management.

I hope Jackson Township jacks their parking tax up accordingly. Tax all parking revenue 100% above $15. After all, what's good for the private sector, is good for the public sector. Great Adventure's President should worry about the dangerous traffic flow issues more than repaving. In the event of grave injury, Six Flags will legitimately lose BIG here. If the park doesn't know it's a problem; they're delusional or in a state of denial.

Q-Partners is looking for board concessions. What this means is debatable. I do have faith Cedar Fair hired one of the best people for the job, but Q-Partners may want to force a sale.

In a stunning move, no doubt proving why Cedar Fair is a better managed company than Six Flags, we receive the following: Press Release:(via PRNewswire) http://tinyurl.com/3e7d3sq Cedar Fair Names Former Disney Executive Matthew A. Ouimet President of the Company -- Ouimet brings deep amusement park and resort industry experience and a rich understanding of financial, operational and brand management to this leadership role

 -- Ouimet will succeed CEO Dick Kinzel on January 3, 2012, as part of Company's CEO succession planning process SANDUSKY, Ohio, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN) today announced that Matthew A. Ouimet has been named president of the Company, effective immediately. Ouimet, 53, will succeed Dick Kinzel, 70, as chief executive officer, who will retire upon the expiration of his contract on January 3, 2012. Today's action is in line with Cedar Fair's previously announced CEO succession planning process. Ouimet is a 20 year veteran of the amusement park and hospitality industry, of which 17 years were spent with the Walt Disney Company ("Disney"). During his tenure with the global entertainment conglomerate, he had the opportunity to work in a wide range of business lines with increasing levels of responsibility. Highlights of his tenure at Disney include serving as: Senior vice president, finance and business development, and chief financial officer of the Disney Development Company, in which he was responsible for the financial management of Disney's resort, theme park and corporate real estate projects in California, Florida and France; Executive general manager of Disney Vacation Club, where, through expanded marketing and sales initiatives, Disney established itself as a major competitor in the timeshare industry; President of Disney Cruise Line, where his team built the most successful family cruise product in the industry; President of the Disneyland Resort, where he and his team developed and implemented a comprehensive strategic plan that resulted in significantly improved and sustained performance for Disneyland's 50th anniversary and beyond. In 2006, Ouimet was recruited to serve as the President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, overseeing 900 owned, managed and franchised hotel properties in 95 countries. In this capacity, in support of brand-driven pricing premiums, he drove an operational focus on delivering a guest experience consistent with the characteristics of each of Starwood's hotel brands, including St Regis, Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels and five other brands. In 2008, Ouimet joined Corinthian Colleges, a $2 billion, publicly-held, post-secondary education company which operates in the U.S. and Canada. As President and Chief Operating Officer, Ouimet championed executive talent development and the expansion of management and systems infrastructure to support rapid growth in the student population and expanded regulatory complexity. "Without question, Matt is the right leader to join Cedar Fair now as it builds momentum on its renewed path of sustained, profitable growth in 2011 and beyond," said C. Thomas ("Tom") Harvie, independent chairman. "Throughout his career, Matt has proven to be a critical thinker and effective business strategist with an enviable track record for identifying growth opportunities within existing businesses in the amusement park and resort industry. His broad and diverse background in resort development, finance, marketing and operations will allow him to integrate quickly into Cedar Fair. "While our thorough search process with the assistance of the executive search firm Korn/Ferry International enabled us to meet with and consider many extremely qualified candidates, the Board agreed that Matt stood out from the rest due to his strategic business mindset and his natural and engaging leadership style," said Harvie. "Matt is an impressive business and operational executive whose character and values will be a great complement to the strong Cedar Fair culture," said Dick Kinzel, chief executive officer. "I look forward to working with him over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership transition." Ouimet currently serves on the Board of Collective Brands, Inc., a $3.4 billion global enterprise encompassing the internationally recognized footwear brands of Payless, Sperry Top-Sider, Stride Rite and Saucony, where he serves as a financial expert on the audit and finance committee. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in accounting from State University of New York at Binghamton. "I am thrilled to join this successful Cedar Fair leadership team. I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with Dick Kinzel and to continue to build on his legacy in years to come," said Matt Ouimet. "Cedar Fair is a wonderful company – its properties are vibrant and extremely well-run, its reputation is superb, and the record-setting 2010 performance has put us on a path to deliver the positive financial results Cedar Fair has long been known for. I am truly honored to have this opportunity and sincerely thank the Board for entrusting me with this critical leadership role at this pivotal point in Cedar Fair's evolution." "On behalf of the Board, the management team and all of our colleagues past and present, I would like to thank Dick Kinzel for his unparalleled vision, passion and selfless dedication to Cedar Fair over the years," said Harvie. "Without Dick, Cedar Fair would not have the opportunities or the growth potential it has today. He has been the heart and soul of this organization for many, many years and, while he can be succeeded, he can never be replaced. We wish Dick and his wonderful family all the very best as he moves into his well-deserved retirement at the end of the year." Kinzel began his career in the amusement park industry at Cedar Point in 1972. In 1986, he was named president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair, L.P., the parent company of the parks, which was listed on The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FUN) in 1987. Kinzel also served as chairman of the Board from 2003 to 2010. About Cedar Fair Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, and one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world. The Company owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels. Amusement parks in the Company's northern region include two in Ohio: Cedar Point, consistently voted "Best Amusement Park in the World" in Amusement Today polls, and Kings Island; as well as Canada's Wonderland, near Toronto; Dorney Park, PA; Valleyfair, MN; and Michigan's Adventure, MI. In the southern region are Kings Dominion, VA; Carowinds, NC; and Worlds of Fun, MO. Western parks in California include: Knott's Berry Farm; California's Great America; and Gilroy Gardens, which is managed under contract. Contact: Stacy Frole (419) 627-2227 SOURCE Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Back to top RELATED LINKS
http://www.cedarfair.com

Parking at Six Flags Great Adventure. Now only 33% more expensive than last year!

Actually, the marketing strategy was phenomenally successful. Sega's failure lies completely on the hands of Sega of Japan. Had Sega of Japan not killed the Genesis/Mega Drive worldwide (as well as the wildly unpopular SegaCD and 32X) in favor of Saturn; losses could have been offset. Sega's problem is ignored the U.S. market in charting the company's future.

"Batman The Ride" has an "ok" station design, but it's a nightmare for physically disabled customers. The exit ramp is too narrow to handle both exiting riders and wheelchairs. I can speak on personal experience regarding this. Then again, whoever designed the current disabled rider strategy has never spoken to actual disabled customers (people lie, but this strategy is protect "Flash Pass" sales). "Superman Ultimate Flight" is a close second in the horrible department. A side note: Parking is rumored to be increasing to $20. Is Six Flags serious? Great Adventure's parking lot is a lawsuit waiting to happen with its current traffic flow. How "Corporate" approved this astounds me. No trams, broken pavement, and dodging cars certainly makes Dorney Park look better. Universal Orlando, Disney Parks, and SeaWorld Parks & Resorts all charge far less for better service. These guys are no better than Red Zone sadly. My only hope is attendance sharply falls chain-wide, and some survey focuses on the outrageous parking fee. Talk about sticker shock! Parking is almost as much as a season pass or discounted ticket now! If I ran Cedar Fair, I would be running counter ads to Great Adventure daily. Dorney Park presents a better value and costs less. The public needs to be reminded of this. Think "Genesis Does What Nintendon't" for those of you my age.

Six Flags would be stupid to remove a true family friendly ride like "Parachuter's Perch". It's a unique gentle experience that's largely extinct in the park. Come to think of it, Shapiro 2.0 will probably remove it based on its labor intensive operation. I'm still smarting over "The Golden Kingdom". A Zierer Wave Swinger is more desirable than a "Star Flyer". One enhances the overall ambience and is family friendly. The other is a "Star Flyer".

Look at all those trees! Such a pretty area of the park until "Batman & Robin: The Chiller" caused them to be removed.

Both cartoons were terrible! So, neither. Grass under Green Lantern, or gravel?

I will admit to taking a dip in the old fountain on a hot summer day. In hindsight, it was a dangerous and stupid move. The ignorance of youth! Once Great Adventure installed those shower heads, the enticement was eliminated on those oh so hot days of yore!

You know how many locker fees could have been covered by these re-paints? Greatly executed plan Six Flags!

I was just to write a post about Ms. Siebeneicher departure last November, only to discover her return in April 2011. Ms. Aristone certainly has moved to a higher profile company (Clear Channel) and position (Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Clear Channel Radio).

Narrowness? Please. You mean it took 6 years for Six Flags management to discover a path was too narrow? A path that just so happened to be lined with kiddie rides and tiger viewing areas? I think you want to believe and that's fine. If Balin's Jungleland can't accommodate kiddie attractions; how do you expect it to feature full sized "flat" rides? As for caring about customer desires, one needs to simply look at the park's continuing locker policy to disavow such notions. While Mr. Fitzgerald most likely wants to improve customer relations, his commitment ends where that impacts his bottom line. Customers have complained about temporary locker fees ad nauseam, and management hasn't budged one iota. Handshakes, while nice do nothing to improve my park experience when I'm staring down the straw of a $15 soda. Granted, not all sodas cost $15, but that sticker shock hits hard when you see those big signs prominently featured at every counter. As for path repaving, that's great. I don't think performing basic maintenance deserves praise however..

Sadly, current management is every bit as clueless as RedZone. Without rehashing a lot of my previous statements (all of my Shapiro criticisms still stand), closing large portions of The Golden Kingdom and Balin's Jungleland are plain stupid. I laughed at the official reason the tigers were removed (i.e. "safety concerns"). The only positive I can see of impending $5.00g/gas, is a quick sale when Six Flags revenue suffers. What I'd like to see for 2012, is a Blackstone Group buyout and subsequent merger with SeaWorld Parks & Resorts (neé "BEC"). From there, the entire upper echelon of Six Flags management would be replaced by their BEC counterparts. Great Adventure would fall under direct management of SeaWorld Orlando's team.