Cedar Fair to buy SFWoA

parkenthusiast.

I myself am no small fry either, but to blame the chain for seatbelts not properly fitting people is kind of out in left field.

Everyone has different body proportions. I could easily weigh more than you but still be able to fit into the seatbelts that you can't. As of now, I haven't had a problem with seatbelts on coasters (except the impulses which cut it close) :)

---

parkenthusiast said:
In either case, I have no desire to ever go to a Cedar Fair park again. They have the most stringent and ridiculous safety Restrictions I have everseen.

---

Which is exactly why the parks don't need you there. Any enthusiast who thinks they know safety better than the park doesn't deserve to ride.

---

To top it off they have seat belts on their attractions that are too short for above average sized people. Unfortunately, it appears that managemnt of Cedar Fair do not know how to read the stats that on average amaerican adults do tend to have larger waist sizes then our European friends.

---

That has nothing to do with it. The rides are spec'd to "contain" a person within certain parameters. Furthermore, there are considerations they need to make like making sure a belt won't drag outside of the train or smack someone in the face if it came loose or whatever.

Safety is no accident, and Cedar Point's safety record in particular is very nearly spotless. If you can't deal with their requirements, great, take your business elsewhere. But don't suggest you know better than they do. You don't.

Well said Jeff.

You have to remember people, the parks don't set the standards for the size of restaints or belts. They are determined by the ride manufacture.

Just because more of America is becoming fat, dumb and lazy doesn't mean they should alter what has been proven to be safe.

Get used to it. After the events of last season, be prepared for alot of parks to become more of what you seem to dislike.

The days of "one-click" rides is a thing of the past, or at least will be at any park that wishes to remain open. These days, no matter what bussiness you're in, you're just one good lawsuit away from the unemployment line. *** Edited 3/13/2004 4:04:46 PM UTC by Red Garter Rob***

There is a LOT of truth to that, to be certain. Then again, for *some* reason the European parks tend to think of safety a bit more as a mutual responsibilty thing, where the park does what it can (should?), and riders are EXPECTED to act accordingly. Successful frivolous lawsuits are OUR problem, really...

But no park chain is perfect. My non-enthusiast friends in CA...they acted like Disneyland was a death-trap in the waiting based MOSTLY on the BTMRR accident. Journalistic sensationalism combined with an accident that WAS clearly the park's fault...

During the Solace event, there were a few other groups (Sadie Hawkins thing featuring our own HomeyG, teen dance competition event) holding events at the same time. But since enthusiasts WERE there, any misbehavior likely would have been attributed to "the coaster geeks"....welcome to the age of *the higher standard*....

Cedar Fair is going to have a nice time trying to improve the safety of Geauga Lake. Six Flags maintenance standards were definetly not up to Cedar Fair standards. There were many close calls last year.

I don't expect a collection of new extreme record breaking rides. I anticipate a clean, safe, and friendly atmosphere in the near future at Geauga Lake.

I think that is an expectation that can and will be met. In the amount of time left until opening (48 days), it would be a very nice thing and I applaud Cedar Fair for doing so.

I think the biggest challenge Geauga Lake is going to have is with people knowing that it's owned by the Cedar Point people. I suspect that in 2004, Geauga Lake will have the staff up to par with Cedar Point, but I don't think that in the very short time the rides will get up to the Cedar Fair standard.

Somewhere above, I think there were a lot of people worried that they are going to move rides to other Cedar Fair parks. In addition to them commenting in the conference that they were not planning to move the rides, it just doen't make sense to me. Cedar Fair likes to get return on investment. I don't see how they can get a return on $145 million if they move the rides out of the park. Also, I realize this is a unique case, but when I was at Coastermania this year, I met some people in line for Millennium Force in the morning. I met them later in the evening while in line for Magnum. During the break in ERT at Cedar Point they went to Geauga Lake. Anyway, my point is if they ever want to market for people to visit BOTH parks, I think they are going to have to leave as many of the attractions as they can in the park. Also, with the large number of attractions at the park, Cedar Fair doesn't need to build anything new for a few years. They can just focus on building the customer satisfaction, rather than just thrill rides. Not to mention the removing a big ride will upset some people. The last thing Cedar Fair wants to do with a brand new park is upset anyone.

The only times I can think of Cedar Fair moving rides from one park to another is Cedar Point moving Dodgems and Swan Boats to Michigan's Adventure. However, in both cases it was mutually beneficial to both parks. Cedar Point needed space to build Top Thrill Dragster, and Michigan's Adventure didn't have bumper cars. The swan boats didn't fit in at Cedar Point, so they moved them. I don't really see how moving roller coasters out of Geauga Lake is beneficial to Geauga Lake.

I apologize if this is a little late in the thread, but I havn't had a chance to read through everything unitll now.

On the issue of safety: Yes, I agree that Cedar Fair parks go a little overboard on safety. Unfortunately, that's the way things are these days. If anything goes wrong, the park is responsible, regardless of how the rider was behaving. *** Edited 3/13/2004 11:32:25 PM UTC by 0g***

Opening day will likely be a mess, but it will be interesting to see how every aspect of the park will be handled. Imagine how quickly a new logo needs to be generated and general publications and merchandise printed. It's a huge time crunch.

It will be intresting to see what they do with merchenandise. When Cedar Fair bought Michigan's Adventure, they sold the old stuff off at half price. Michigan's Adventure was previously privately owned, so they wern't promoting another park chain. Geauga Lake could sell the old merchendise at half price as well, but they would be promoting antother park chain. Some of the stuff could probabbly be shipped to other six flags parks if it isn't WoA specific. As far as the other stuff goes, I really don't know what they will do with it.

From a legal and business standpoint, you can almost be guaranteed that you won't see one object in that park that says "Six Flags" on opening day...unless it's someone's shirt that they bought before SF became GL again.

But you will be able to buy SFWOA merchandise in other six flags parks as part of their merchandise rotation program. I think at almost every six flags park I have been to they had some SF stuff from other parks.

SFWoA had a special shop outside the gate that sold old Geauga Lake and Sea World merchandise. It'll be a grand clearance sale, but you guys are right in that some of the merchandise will spread around the SF chain. I got a nice Goliath wallet for 50 cents @ SFWoA last year...

As a side note, this thread has 17,000+ views, wow, hot topic!

HI all ,

well i am in melbourne, australia

i am coming to the states in aug/ sept

just wanted to say as an overseas tourist

the decision to change hands has not affected

my decision to visit both these parks while in Ohio.

And i am grateful six flags had control ,albeit brieflyof the park as they added some incredible coasters, and that is why we will still be going even as it is going to probably cost me more money.

---

Chitown said:
parkenthusiast.

I myself am no small fry either, but to blame the chain for seatbelts not properly fitting people is kind of out in left field.

Everyone has different body proportions. I could easily weigh more than you but still be able to fit into the seatbelts that you can't. As of now, I haven't had a problem with seatbelts on coasters (except the impulses which cut it close) :)

---

Out in left field? Not really. The seats are not the problem nor is the restraint bars. The park should come up with a happy range with the ride manufacture to have a fair sized seat belt. You can always tighten up the seatbelt but you cannot make the seatbelt longer. When I went up to operations and lodged a compalint the person there said they receive hundreds of complaints regarding the seatbelts being short.

I could see if I was so overweight that I am hanging out of the seat or they need to sit on the restraint bar to get it to latch then you need to look at the person wanting to ride. Fortunately that is not the case here.

It's not the seatbelt, it's your ARSE. Take some personal responsibilty for your bodily dimensions.

Your knees and ankles are not going to adjust to carrying your backside around, nor are your lungs and heart. So who shall we blame for that?

Arse adjustments are really good for the joints, blood pressure and basically living longer period. Try working on you for a change. It's worth it.

-'Playa

(a former 275-pound guy)

Oh come on Playa, are you honestly suggesting that an American actually take responsibility for themselves? Let alone their own weight? I think you're asking way too mcuh and I'm going to see to it that I complain to the Cedar Fair ownership of Geauga Lake about your absurdly correct and responsible thoughts.

You should really take shame in your audacity to suggest that working out and eating better might solve the problem more than adjusting seat belts. I would strike thee from here if I could

--Impulse-ive, drunk, opinionated, and slightly ticked Playa said it before I had a chance to ...

Will they make the change from Mr. Hyde to Demon Drop? Also, I think they should take one of the trains from the floorless coaster (formerly BKF), take it to CP and test it on Mantis. ;)

.. for the last time. You can't put floorless trains on Mantis. Not only is the track layout (i.e. angle of track, diameter of curves) set to teh stand up trains and thier effects on teh human body, but the station can not be adapted without tearing it completly down.

Let it go people...

Take it easy.....I never said anything about reopening Mantis as a floorless. Just experimentation. But let me ask you something Rob Garter Rob, when did you arrive at all these calculations and conclude that Mantis could not become a floorless?

---

CoastaPlaya said:
It's not the seatbelt, it's your ARSE.

---

ROTFL!!!
I know that if there was anyone brave enough to say it, you would be the one. I know many of us were thinking the same thing... :)

When talking to certain Maintnance VP's and controls experts at work. That's when..