Legitimate issue with Cedar Point claim

For years, it has bothered me that Cedar Point claims to have the most rides of any park on the planet (claim can be found here) when Morey's Piers has even more (found here). While Morey's Piers is comprised of three locations (located in very close proximity to one another), the three piers function as one amusement park. I know that it's normal for parks to make bold claims for the sake of advertising but this really is falsification of facts.

Not picking a fight, just nitpicking...

How about your claim that CP's claim has bothered you for years when this is the first year that they took the record from SFGAdv. ;)

Scene: A board room, Sandusky, Ohio

FRANTIC PAGE: Sir, it's just come to our attention that another park has more rides than Cedar Point!
CEDAR FAIR CEO: Good Lord! Cancel all commercials immediately! We mustn't broadcast these wicked lies to the innocent children of this great country!

(2 weeks later)

CEDAR POINT COMMERCIAL: Cedar Point - more rides than anyplace on the planet, except for Morey's Pier! And we also think Fun Spot has more pieces of different rides than we have rides, so there's that. And also, there may be more rides in Purgatory, which some think is in the core of the earth, so we'll just throw that in there too! But otherwise, we're pretty sure we can make that claim accurately! Get to the Point!!11!!one

Wow... it took a whole six minutes for someone to come to CP's rescue?

Silly as it may sound for me to dispute CP's claim, I feel it's a claim they shouldn't make. It's like marketing a 250 hp. car as the most powerful in its class when another has 260 hp.

Its just marketing and its just a technicality. Since there is no official method for counting rides in a park (what counts and what doesn't?), I think its perfectly ok for either to say they have the most.

Its not like CP is falsely advertising the admission is free everyday this season.

Probably, someone from CP would get really technical and point out that their claim is most rides at an amusement park/resort (emphasis on the park-slash-resort), which of course is much, much different than just a plain old park, or a plain old resort.

Morey's Piers is not an amusement park. It is a reverse carnival. ;)

You'd love to hear all the hype here in Ohio Rob. I'm sick of their adds already. Voted best park seven years in a row...best rides....best coasters...blah blah blah yaddy frickin' blah during every commercial break. And someone had to ask here awhile ago, are they full of themselves???

Oh...and Geauga Lake adds are almost non-existant in comparison. Sure they're on the radio with some of the adds, but still way behind all the Cement Point spots being aired. And it's the same crap as on TV. Voted best park seven years in a row...best rides....best coasters.....sheesh. Had enough yet?

I was at Geauga Lake Saturday and also on Sunday for a bit. The park was empty, while the *mistake on the lake* was crowded with people we were told. No wonder, they don't advertise Geauga Lake like they do that concrete and steel jungle because it's not as important....apparantly. Now if the numbers aren't at Geauga Lake this year, they can say what they want but it's their own damn fault!!

Wood Coaster Fan Club - "Sharing a Passion for the Classics"

^I'm going to go out on a limb here, so... yeah... I think we hit a nerve. Yep, definately a nerve.

Check the unit price. Check the hotel bookings. Check the quarterly results. You can diss the park all you want, but somehow they attract more than 3 million people every year and have the financial success that clearly indicates they're doing something right. You don't need a fan boy to tell you that.

Some of you seem to think that Dick Kinzel and the rest of the gang sit in an office somewhere thumping their chest with joy. If you have actually spent any time talking to any of those folks, and they are people that would talk to you, you'd know that they couldn't be further from that image. I've never met executives in any other public company, and I've worked in a few, that have the same passion and respect for their business and their customers.

But some of you confuse marketing with ego. Same story every year.

What I find amazing is how touchy people get about amusement parks. It's almost like it is a personal insult if someone puts "their" park down or brags up a park that they find inferior.

I like the fact that the big boys like Cedar Point or Great Adventure advertise hard and heavy - they're bound to increase revenue, and therefore spend the big coin on high end rides that people like us can ride for very little cash, respectively.

I say let all make all the claims they want. We'll have places to ride multi-million dollar rides. And if it gets to overwhelming, just head to Indiana Beach or Fun Spot. ;) *** Edited 5/11/2005 1:09:12 AM UTC by Chaindog***

I can just see the new Cedar Point adds:

"A pretty nice amusement park"

"Just as many rollercoasters as Magic Mountain"

"Almost as many rides as Morey's 3 piers combined"

"Some decent shows"

"You might actually like it"

It never ceases to amaze me how many people jump to the defense of Cedar Point as soon as someone challenges something about the park. If only people were dedicated to their loved ones like fan boys are dedicated to Cedar Point... you'd think the place was built by the Gods themselves.

I don't understand what the issue is here, how this can be left up to interpretation- Morey's Piers clearly has more rides than Cedar Point, so why is it okay for them to make a statement that is clearly false? If I owned a restaurant and advertised my steaks were the biggest in town when a place right down the block serves larger steaks, I would be wrong. If I owned an airline and advertised my fares as the cheapest when another airline has even cheaper fares, I would be wrong. Why is Cedar Point not wrong if the claim to have more rides than any other park when the truth is that they don't?

I'm sure that Cedar Point is run by a group of people passionate about what they do and I can respect that, but I think that some of you let that cloud your judgement regarding the park. Just because the park receives tons of praise doesn't mean that they are exempt from criticism. And I thought that I took this stuff way too seriously!

And Jeff, while I'm not saying this is a case of confusing marketing with ego, there are plenty of examples of that happening. Marketing in the hands of the wrong people has proven to be pretty disatrous at times!

Cedar Point is correct to market themselves. Guiness recognizes them, but not Morey's Piers due to the 'public access', which is the Wildwood Boardwalk and the Wildwood Beach. The Piers and every division are operated from 1 central location.

Morey's is often overlooked, but they do equal attendance as the Point, have better hotels, (8), better employee housing, the free ocean, better games, and hands down better food.

Cedar Point does have great history, the coasters, I would not pass up a chance to visit ever. Cedar Point, like Morey's made a lot of the right moves at the right time.

My advice to you park enthusiasts. Visit the Point, Morey's, and Great Adventure. Just not during the weekend. *** Edited 5/11/2005 3:52:35 AM UTC by Agent Johnson***

Actually, Cedar Point has claimed this for more than this year...

What I think is funny is this:
Will Cedar Po!nt market Top Thrill Dragster as the Tallest, Fastest coaster in the world this year, now that Kingda Ka is built? Didn't they market Milly as the same once it was done even though there are 2 coasters (opinions of enthusiasts not accounted for here) in California and Australia that were both taller?

So, if CP markets TTD as the tallest and fastest on signs around the park this year, how many people will be bothered by that, even though John Q. Public won't know about Kingda Ka in Jersey, is it still right?

Actually, I wasn't asking the question about S:TE, which Intamin does call a coaster, as well as SFMM, and what I was saying was rhetoric.

What I was getting at was this:
If Cedar Point still markets TTD as the Tallest, Fastest coaster, like they say that they have the most rides, even though neither are true as of right now, then, technically, they're wrong. I have a feeling that people would be upset if CP still claimed TTD was tallest/fastest, but they turn a blind eye because having more attractions/rides is somehow different, even though both statements are a fallacy.

Just go to Holiday World and be happy.

I don't really see them doing it either, it was a hypothetical situation.

I'd be a 'whiny enthusiast' as well if they did, that was the point. People can't understand why Rob would dare come here and say something like this, when the same people would be whining if CP didn't recognize that Kingda Ka is quite larger and slightly faster.

What I'm getting at is I don't think Rob was being the 'whiny enthusiast', he noticed something, brought it to attention, then gets attacked because he pointed out the fact that, technically speaking, Cedar Point isn't correct. Gasp! It is Blasphemey! Though, if the tables were turned, and they said TTD was still Tallest/Fastest, the enthusiast community would self implode at the thought...

Exactly my point. I don't understand why it's so hard for some people to accept the fact that Cedar Point is wrong from time to time. I wasn't trying to start an anti-CP thread (we all know what happens to those kinds of threads around here), I was merely pointing out the fact that the park's marketing is incorrect. I could care less how many times Cedar Point has been recognized in the Guiness Book of World Records or how they win tons of awards, all I am pointing out is that when it comes to claiming they have the most rides of any park on the planet, they are statistically incorrect. Why that is so hard for people to wrap their minds around is beyond me.

Agent Johnson: I agree that staying away from CP and Great Adventure on the weekends is a good idea but I have never had a problem with Morey's Piers on a Friday or Saturday night. I've been vacationing in Wildwood ever year of my life and I can't ever recall waiting for than 15 minutes for a ride. The boardwalk gets packed but with excellent crews and all rides run to capacity, long lines rarely seem to materialize. That's one of the things I love about the place!

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It never ceases to amaze me how many people jump to the defense of Cedar Point as soon as someone challenges something about the park.

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What's even more predictable is how many people will jump all over Cedar Point and their lowly minions whenever given the opportunity, even to the point of nitpicking to lure them into a fight.

"Morey's Piers operates three amusement piers and two beachfront waterparks." ... yeah, but they're really close together.

Come on. Is that the best you can do to bait the CP fanboys?

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It'll be interesting to see what their site says about TTD a week into Ka's opening though...

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I'm sure you guys will be sitting at your computers the moment the first public train launches, ready to pounce.