CoasterBuzz Podcast #112 posted

Posted Monday, May 12, 2008 8:32 PM | Contributed by Jeff

Jeff, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• ComputerWorld ran a nice Q&A with Six Flags' CIO.
• Results week... Cedar Fair and Six Flags are up over last year because of the shift of the holiday. Too small of an attendance count in the context of the year to take much from it.
• Legoland the latest to sign up for Dubailand. Is this thing really going to be able to support all of this development? Of course, if the US Dollar comes back (hold your laughter), perhaps the Europeans will abandon Orlando.
• Disney blows everyone away with $2.7 billion in revenue in one quarter... just at the theme parks. Just take yourself out of the experience for a couple of minutes and look around at all of the money.
• Disney is such a machine, and yet people don't generally feel dirty handing over their cash to the mouse.
• Fat sea lions get transplanted from the Columbia River to SeaWorld Orlando and San Antonio.
• Wild West World sold for a tiny $2 million to a fair operator. Not sure what's left there beyond the land and buildings.
• Gonch runs down the perks for Discovery Cove, running nearly $600 for two people. Ouch. But hey, you get to swim the dolphins.
• What's the deal with the food at Cedar Fair parks? It's expensive and it sucks. How can parks that get ride operations so right do food so wrong? Get ready... this is a very long rant!
• Jeff talks about his experience at Cedar Point while Gonch talks about Kings Island..

Link: CoasterBuzz Podcast