Cedar Fair the new company to hate?

I'll say no, but you decide.

http://www.coasterdom.com/2008/03/31/weekly-topic-cedar-fair-the-new-company-to-hate/

This is just a blog post and not some one who is a credited author. Either way I agree with the name change they do a spectacular bad job at choosing names for there rides. At least they did not keep Worlds of Adventure going like it was and found a better business plan which six flags did not.

Haven't we already had this discussion before? Yea, it seems CF is the new SF.

At least CF tries to make parks a little bit different CP will still be their flagship park. Sure, they save a bit of $$$$ by moving rides around (like X-flight & Voodoo), but they TRY to be new and different. Look at an icon like Mellinium Force or Dragster, or even Magnum.

I stopped reading after this:

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Weekly Topic: Cedar Fair, the new company to hate
If you have an iPod, iPhone, or any other new gadget, you probably jumped on the Cedar Fair hate train.

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*** Edited 4/4/2008 12:26:21 PM UTC by eightdotthree***

I like it how the ipod comment sounds like a dig against people who have problems with recent CF decisions as if they're merely crowd-following sheep, and then the rest of the post gives a couple of good reasons to disagree with said decisions. I would say the whole post reeks of link-bait but the tone of it is pretty confusing.

Anyway, even if it did make sense I think we've seen here that these talks about what's trendy among enthusiasts tend to get really arbitrary and pointless, if this thread continues I'm voting for more haikus.

We coaster junkies are a finicky bunch. We love the small parks yet complain when they don't add anything new. Yet, we dislike the big guys like CF & SF when they gut the "atmosphere" from the parks but add new stuff every year.

Can we just be HAPPY that we have coasters to ride and the Freedom to enjoy them?

What if time:

What if GL was still SFWoA? What if SF came to the same decision to close the park? Would those up in arms be as upset, citing it as the inevitable due to SF's current financial situation? Is there a double standard going on here between SF and CF?

Just some things to think about.

I think they would take the same criticism Cedar Fair has taken. Look at Astroworld.

I'll second matts.' point. He first argues that people only complain about Cedar Fair because it's the trendy thing to do, and then lists multiple good reasons for complaints about the chain. Gee, maybe people hate on Cedar Fair because of the dumb things they've done lately?

-Nate

How in the world does having "an iPod, an iPhone, or any new gadget" play a role in whether or not you think Cedar Fair is the new company to hate?

iPhone man: Yo dude! I noticed that you have an iPod!

iPod man: Yeah, I see you have an iPhone how cool!

PHMan: Yeah, it totally rocks, it even tells me that I have to totally hate Cedar Fair now!

PodMan: Whoa! You too? My buddy with his any new gadget is being told to hate on Cedar Fair too! That rocks!

Any New Gadget man: Yeah man, Cedar Fair sucks! I heard they are renaming all iPhones and iPods to "PhoneDeck" and "PodHawk" that's so unoriginal! I liked the names iPhone and iPod, it was so much more original.

PHMan: Wasn't it like way cooler when we were the only ones around who had iPhones, iPods, and any new gadget?

PodMan: Yeah, there was much more charm then.

GadMan: Totally!

~Rob Willi

Cedar Fair went from a company with $30 Million in revolving debt to a debt load of $1.8 Billion.

Cuts had to be made. Geauga Lake wasen't making money to support its size. I believe it was unwise to build on the former Sea World side, it is what it is. Geauga Lake was a better park in its last 4 seasons that what Six Flags ever was. (I never understood why it was so bad in 2000 and 2001 when it was owned by the same company since 1995)

If CF had not purchased the Paramount Parks, they may have stuck with GL much longer, but would it really have come back? GL survived on the shoulders of Sea World.

Other than a few odd ride names, I think Cedar Fair are doing a great job so far.. they pulled the loop off SOB and have improved their operations at KI.

People are being premature to judge CF now. The company has a lot of work to do.

There seems to be a group of people who think that all Apple products are purchased because of how they look, and therefore are a fashion statement and the thing to do if you want to fit in. They ignore that Apple makes a great product.

So right now Cedar Fair hating is the cool thing to do, just like owning an Apple product. :)

Do people really need to be told what to buy or how to think?

Oh, wait, nevermind.... ;)

Oh whew! I thought I was being left out because my Creative Labs Zen wasn't telling me to hate Cedar Fair. Although there are some decisions I don't exactly agree with at this time.

And before you tell me that my Zen is a piece of garbage ask me how many times I've sent back mine back for repair because it stopped working. Oh yeah, ask me if I have iTunes installed on my computer. And if you don't mind me asking what is "DRM"? She may be the size of a brick, but she's more reliable and more versatile than anything else out there at the time of purchase.

~Rob Willi

So your one of those people?

If you're assuming music pirater, no. Everything that I have on my computer and MP3 player is an album that I have owned, (most of which are now stolen).

If you're assuming anti-Apple fanboi, no. I think Apple makes great products, I don't have that kind of money and patience to send back an MP3 player to get repaired after a few months of use.

~Rob Willi

Sure, ipods do have some issues. I however have not run into them. I have a 4th gen 20 gb. I purchased it in Oct. 2004. I have never had to send it in for repairs and my battery still gives me 8 hours of play time, not as good as the 10-12 promised at time of purchase, but still pretty good. I use it everyday at work. 90% of the music on it I own on a CD, as I am one of those people who like to have the case, artwork, lyrics , and liner notes.

Just came here to say that:

1) Cedar Fair is hated because they pave over trees.
2) Six Flags is hated because they build rides over pavement.
3) Creative Zen for the win!

Comparing Cedar Fair to Six Flags in my opinion is absolutely ridiculous. Through my personal experiences I would pick a Cedar Fair Park ten times over a Six Flags park any day. Through my experience from beginning to end a Six Flags experience is usually a disaster. They have major issues related to every aspect of park operation form minor to major. Yes Cedar Fair has similar issues in some areas but not nearly on the same level. I really get sick of listening to the complaints about changes being made to the parks. Look at it this way; say you have a favorite park. How do you think it got the way it is today? Through changes, the park just didn’t appear the way you see it know overnight (Except for maybe Island of Adventures). Parks need to make changes for many reasons mostly related to safety and financial reasons. Most likely if you had to manage the finances of one of these chains you would look at things from a bit different perspective. Pleasing the coaster enthusiast wouldn’t be as high on you list as pleasing the family with 2.1 kids a dog and a picket fence. This brings me back to the fact that Cedar Fair does a much better job pleasing this family than Six Flags without a doubt. Also Cedar Fair is easily trumped in this area by a company called Disney. I just don’t see the connection between Cedar Fair being compared to Six Flags. When the day comes I’m being strip searched to enter a park with over half of the rides not operating and the company that owns it is Cedar Fair then I’ll start believing this. I would guess by the time this happens Six Flags won’t even exist anymore.