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I know I'm curious about the $10M thrill ride at KI..
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Don't look too much into that number. Capital improvement can include everything from repainting a ride to installing new light fixtures in a bathroom... $10 million is the sum of EVERYTHING PKI is working on, not just the price of the ride.
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Too bad. 
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Maybe they're gettomg the BTR from New Orleans. 
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My guess for PKI: Sonny, w/ trains - $5-6M, X-Flight relocation - $2-3M, added infrastructure (restrooms up by X-Flight, paths, electrical, etc.) - $2M = $10M total.
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Geez, $5-6M for the SOB reconstruction, and $7M for Renegade. I think Valleyfair's clearly the winner there.
*** This post was edited by Vincent Greene 12/22/2006 1:45:04 AM ***
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Is it me or does the front of the log vehicle on the CF page look like a pair of big blue LIPS?
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This will be the first year that Paramount Canada's Wonderland gets nothing new for the season in well over ten years. Each year, they have kept up with the demand as a major new flat ride or coaster was introduced (last year was the stunt show, however). It comes rather as a disappointment that Cedar Fair didn't invest any money into Canada's Wonderland since it's been the highest attended seasonal park two seasons in a row.
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Sounds like precisely the reason to stop throwing new things at it. Trust me, they have a lot of strong feelings about the park, not the least of which is to get some sit-down restaurants in there (and the other Paramount parks as well).
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When was the last time Cedar Point went a year without adding an attraction? Or two years without a ride, even? As much faith as I have in Cedar Fair to run the Paramount Parks, they will always be second-banana. Edit: Second banana to Cedar Point, that is.
*** This post was edited by Arson 12/22/2006 10:04:45 AM ***
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PCW is interesting...might be the only park I've EVER been to where the lines for flats were as long or longer than the lines for coasters. FABULOUS place, one of my top-3 megaparks...even if the two best coasters there are an Arrow suspended and a powered Mack Blauer-Enzian. As Jeff noted, PCW (along with the other Paramount parks) needs a food-options upgrade. An inverted shuttle wouldn't hurt either - but I've already given Steel Venom away...LOL! 
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I don't understand why people try to make it an emotional issue. Cedar Point had hundreds of hotel rooms to fill, the other parks do not.
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My initial feeling after reading the press release was "Is that all they are planning to do." There didn't seem to be anything to expect beyond changes that have already been announced/rumored for several months. I then realized this was foolish of me. You have to remember that Cedar Fair just spent $1.24 billion to acquire the five Paramount parks. In spite of this, it's impressive that they will spend an additional $83 million on further expansion/improvements. When I checked the Cedar Fair website, it appears that they spent $58 million in 2006 capital investment - not counting the Paramount deal. Thus in spite of already spending $1.24 billion, spending on capital expansion increased 43% from 2006 to 2007. That's pretty impressive. Granted 75% of the 2007 capital expansion will go to five parks in the chain, leaving only $22 million to be split amongst the rest. So if your homepark is not one of the lucky five, you won't see much change. Even though we all naturally would like to see more, I personally feel lucky. My homepark, ValleyFair, is one of the lucky ones that is getting a major new attraction. Plus I can use the new MaxxPass to visit four of the five newly acquired Paramount parks we wouldn't otherwise be able to see (won't be able to make it to California this year). We should be happy that Cedar Fair isn't making the mistake Six Flags did and repeatedly overspend to the point of being fiscally irresponsible and risking the future of the company.*** This post was edited by sws 12/22/2006 12:09:44 PM ***
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You also have to realize that this is about 1/2 of what Six Flags would have spent right after their massive acquisitions. I am very pleased that they are being extremely conservative right out of the bat. Maybe they wont run into the problems Six Flags did by buying to much too quickly.
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Jeff, Cedar Point could have added a $10 million dollar ride, and it still would have filled hotels (granted, that comes down to marketing I guess). It's just looking like Ohio will steal the spotlight next year. I'm sure all the rest of the parks will get capital for something new and big by the end of the decade.
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Folks, when you have an outstanding flagship park in a chain of stable strong amusement parks, it's obvious and logical for the big money to go to that park most often. Cedar Point has had a few years with fantastic flat additions, but even they were added at a larger scale than many of the same rides at other parks (how many other swings were added this year that compared to SkyHawk?) When it comes to coasters it's no different, the bar is a bit higher and often at a higher price tag. The ride needs to fit in and meet the expectations of the rest of the park. Let's face it a ride like Maverick would not fit in at GL or MiA or most of the other CF parks. That's what the Six Flags people couldn't grasp and at their cost. So don't worry... CF knows how to spilt up the money.*** This post was edited by JoelWhy 12/22/2006 6:35:33 PM ****** This post was edited by JoelWhy 12/22/2006 6:38:12 PM ***
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Dawgbyte II said: This will be the first year that Paramount Canada's Wonderland gets nothing new for the season in well over ten years. Each year, they have kept up with the demand as a major new flat ride or coaster was introduced (last year was the stunt show, however). I fail to see the problem. They've gotten a new ride/attraction virtually every year for a decade now. When we were there in '99 they had just put in "The Fly", and since then they've added numerous flats, 1-2 more coasters, and etc. Granted, they needed all of these additions, and I still don't see the problem. I'm actually looking at Niagara/Toronto/PCW as a possible trip for next summer, and PCW's ongoing expansion is a big reason for that trip. I think the park seems great as is right now, maybe laying low on PCW would be a good thing for a season or two?*** This post was edited by Floorless Fan 12/22/2006 8:07:15 PM ***
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My only concern about the 'no new attraction @ PCW" would be the fact that they have tradtionally such high attendance that they need to have more stuff for people to do. Kinda like Holiday World keeps adding stuff to spread out the crowds. But I guess that begs the question is PCW's attendance rising, or has it plateaued?
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I would have liked to see something new at Dorney. I think they added a few things to their water park last year, but it seems as if Dorney wasn't included in the spending this year.
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There was an article in the local paper a month or so ago that Dorney was getting some mat slides for the water park in 07... or has that changed?
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Considering Toronto is booming, and it's, what, the fourth largest city in North America, CF has nothing to worry about PCW 'plateau'-ing. That isn't a free ticket for the Company that Dick built. They still have to keep introducing new attractions to keep the momentum going; Toronto has an extraordinary range of indoor and outdoor activities (I'm not really lobbying for the town, I just am fond of it) to entice its citizenry. I will say I was surprised at the relative dearth of PCW logo merchandise when I visited this summer.
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When you do the math, it shows the 7 parks not specifically mentioned are splitting 22 million. Maybe those parks won't get enough to add a major ride, but neither can you say any of the parks are being neglected.
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I live in Michigan, And, even though Cedar fair has made some great changes at Michigan's Adventure. I think they should do more with this park than just raise prices every year. Parking alone has gone up from $3.00 under the old ownership to $7.00 which is outrageous. The price of meals at the park has doubled in 3 years. Going from $6.00 for a a complete meal to $11 to $12.00 for just a cheeseburger fries and a soft drink. The park has only added two new rides in the last 5 years. And, the new coasters restaurant they added is not as great as I would have hoped. They are obviously making a huge fortune at this park. So, why not invest in it? They are talking about building a Castaway bay type hotel /indoor water park at MA in the coming years...I say don't waste your money!!! There is a indoor water park about an hour drive down the road. And similar parks in the area are losing business. Add more rides! put in some coasters! There is also talk about X-flight coming to MA. I guess that would be good. But I personally would rather see them build a B&M inverted, or a ride like Maverick in the park. Or a B&M Hyper. Even a few decent thrill rides would be welcome. Someone mentioned that MA doesn't have the space for a ride as large as Maverick. Well, they have 100 to 200 plus acres of undeveloped land behind the wildcat. All that open baren land that you see back there belongs to the park. So, they have room to duplicate the entire park, and still have room left over for more. They just aren't doing anything with it.
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You can go on and on about Michigan's Adventure, but the attendance keeps going up. Seems to me like they don't need to do anything differently. The new ride is the most expensive in the park's history, and it sure appeared to me that it was a big hit.
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