Lots of new attractions at Cedar Fair parks next year...HMMMMM.

Timber-Rider said:

Why would six flags sell a profitable park? Because they needed the money! Why did Donald Trump sell his baby, the trump tower, because he needed the money, why did he sell his profitable casinos, because he needed the money. All of his businesses were failing as a whole, just as Six Flags was failing as a whole. He sold his most lavish properties, because he knew they would sell, and made money selling them. Six Flags did the same, and now they are on the rebound.

Lets stop ya right there for a second. Six Flags is on the rebound because they filed for bankruptcy, went through the hearings and restructured. They were down for a long time and selling the parks they did didn't necessarily help out. Also, Six Flags didn't sell their "most lavish" properties. They sold the ones that they felt were underperforming or could do better in other portfolios (or the ones they royally screwed over...WoA). Magic Mountain was for sale briefly and CF did approach them, but then SF decided not to sell.

Why does Cedar Fair buy property if is or is not failing? The same reason Walmart buys up smaller successful retailers, so they can shut down the competition and liquidate their assets, and then turn around and sell the property. Which is exactly what Cedar Fair has done with Geauga Lake, and, also were attempting to do with Great America in California over the stupid stadium debate, until they learned how much of an impact doing so would be a backlash against them if they tried.

Making things up won't prove your point. Cedar Fair bought Geauga Lake and tried to save it. The way it was marketed, they tried to convince people to go to Cedar Point for a day or two and then come to GL or the other way around. The park lost money year after year, so tell me...if they wanted to just shut it down and liquidate in the assets...how come it stayed open for FOUR SEASONS (Frankie Valli) following purchase? That's a lot of time to stay open when the plan is to "just close" all along. Also, Great America ended up almost being sold to another company and no rides were slated to be removed. So all that would've happened was Cedar Fair would sell and they wouldn't take any rides. There was the stadium fiasco but do you realize how much of a fight CF put up? A big one.

And, also the only reason why there are no Walmart or Meijer stores in Chicago, because they refuse to pay the living wage, and building around them just as fast as US corporations build factories as close to the US border as they can, so they no longer have to pay american labor costs.

YGBSM...what did I just read? There are Wal-Marts within the city limits. If there can be Wal-Marts, then there can be Meijers too. They just haven't come in yet.

They do things with little care of anything, or anyone they hurt in the process. Another thing that left Geauga Lake, was thousands of summer jobs.

Yes, it is sad that people lost their jobs. But more people would've been hurt in the long run if they didn't close the park. It's not like they just said "We have to close, who cares about the employees".

Another thing about Walmart, if you want to talk successful business. I worked for Meijer, which is a successful growing midwest retailer. Did you know that Walmart has made repeated offers to buy the company? To the tune of 2 billion dollars? (Which Meijer makes in profit in a year.) Why would Walmart take such a risk to buy a successful company?

Ans why would Meijer sell? The only reason they have not so far, is because the owner of the company Fred Meijer would not sell to them no matter how much they offered. Now he is gone, and his son's own the company. But, you can bet, if they did not, it would be gone in a heartbeat, and Walmart would close it faster than a cat can lick itself.

Proof they would liquidate? Several companies haven't always liqudated when they bought competitors out.

Be happy Timber Rider that MiA is still a very profitable park. People (myself included) have tried to explain it to you but you just don't get it. The park isn't neglected, it is doing great. What more do you want? You want it to be over-built and become the next GL? If you were in charge, it wouldn't be open for another three seasons.

BigBone69 said:

New for 2014 Cedar Fair recap:

California's Great America: Goldstriker Rollercoaster

Nice try to try to get a point across...but Gold Striker opened in 2013. They also aren't receiving anything new this year. MiA just received something new for 2013 so it wasn't expected anything "big" would come out this year.

CoasterKid20 said:
Making things up won't prove your point.

Oh my kettle...

Walmart doesn't buy smaller companies and put them out of business. Walmart opens stores that put small businesses out of business. They don't liquidate assets like that.

BigBone69 said:

Kings Dominion: 40th Anniversary Celebration

I find this amusing as they did not add any major attractions for Kings Island's 40th anniversary either. It's as if the anniversary itself will make people want to go to the park.

Michigan's Adventure: 58th Anniversary Celebration

(Prediction: new for 2015: 59th Anniversary Celebration!)

Like it or not, anniversary celebrations that people get impressed about and feel they are worthy of celebrations space out over time. Its very much a logrethmic scale for instance, I personally think:

You could probably get away with celebrating every anniversary until year 5, then you should celebrate again until year 10, then 20 is kind of questionable as 25 is a big number. After 25 you really shouldn't celebrate again until 50, 75, 100 and then you stretch out to 50 year increments through 250, and then only on the centennials until 1000, then you have to spred out to every 500 years until 2500, where you then can only celebrate every 1000 years, etc.

I guess what Im trying to say is, I dont care about 40th anniversaries, save up your nostalgia and hit me with it hard in 10 years.

I like what KD is doing. They're taking an off year, promoting the anniversary, using capital to make park improvements, ride improvements, and bring back some atmosphere. Instead of having an off year and promoting nothing, they're having an off year and promoting nostalgia. And what they're doing is very much needed.

I would tend to agree. KD has some great rides, but if it ever had a soul, it was never apparent in my visits. Nice park, but I never sensed any sentimentality around it.

You missed out visiting during the days of Candy Apple Grove, King Kobra, and the Land of Dooz. Taft built them right...IMO.

Maybe its because I visited it first but every time Im at KD, I think its a poor imitation of KI. I guess in that respect I can (a little bit) understand the reaction of west coast disney geeks to WDW, but in practically all aspects (shows, coasters, rides, food, weather, etc) I prefer KI over KD and get this weird case of deja vu everytime Im in the VA park

Just a comment, I was also at Michigan's Adventure's website, and a meal deal is not what I would call a new attraction. That's about as lame as calling fast lane a new attraction. I also think it's stupid that they are calling lakeside gliders "new" for 2014.

And, just like I expected. Admission has been increased. From what I saw the online discounted price is $29.99 for general admission. So I 'm guessing that the regular price is higher than that? With only a meal plan as new? It does not list what the regular admission price is, only that the $29.99 price is for a limited time only.

I also hate that they have so many rides on their website in their various links, that are NOT rides that are at Michigan's Adventure. In fact none of them are rides at the park. I would certainly hope that a visitor clicking on those links would not expect to see those rides at the park, they would be in for a surprise. Like the guy on the obvious racing water slide, or the white roller coaster. Neither of which are at the park. It's just sad.

A meal plan...yeah that's real exciting...where's my lab bar! Who knows maybe they'll pay some teenager to walk around with a mega phone going keep your elbows off the table, use your napkin, and stay seated until you are done eating, then exit to your left. No staying here 4 hour, you eat, you leave!!

I don't know what will come first: a new roller coaster for Michigan's Adventure or a happy, positive post from you.

Go up and read Bigbone69 post from march 5th, and look at all the attractions on that list. And, you will see why I commented. All those great things going on at other parks, and all MA gets is a chain wide meal deal plan, and price hikes, and nothing else. While other parks in the chain are getting upgrades on top of upgrades with the same meal plan. Does this so-called meal deal also include a drink?

It makes me sad, because Michigan's Adventure and it's customers deserve better than price increases and up-charge attractions. You think this meal deal is a good value, but in reality it's not. Michigan's adventure only has one sit down restaurant, and all the rest are just stands. Notice that the all you can eat grille is not included in that price, and is actually a better deal.

Look at all of the things going on at Kings Island. The re-theme of Flight deck to the Bat probably costs more that what MA has spent on it's last 3 rides. It just seems to me they could spend a fraction of that on something better for MA than a meal deal that you have to pay extra for.

I'm hoping with the increases in prices we will get something new and exciting next year. I don't know, they keep going year after year letting their regular park guests down.

Everything apparently makes you sad, and frankly people are tired of hearing about it. And I know it sounds crazy, but if life near Michigan's Adventure sucks so much, you could, you know, move somewhere else. Lots of inexpensive housing in Sandusky.

On your comment about Meijer not being in the city limits of Chicago yet, is exactly why I said they are not going in the city limits. I worked for them for 15 years, and have been to their store meetings where they talked about going into Chicago, but would not because of the living wage standard. Which is why they are building stores around the Chicago area, as close as they can to get Chicago business, without having to pay the living wage.

Meijer has over 150 stores in the midwest, a lot of them are in Illinois, and there are also many in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, kentucky, and a huge amount of stores in Michigan. (which is where Meijer started) They are also looking at building stores in Tennessee and PA, if they have not done so already. But, no stores in Chicago. Though they have stores in about every other major city in every other state. Grand Rapids has 3 meijer stores in the Grand Rapids city limitis, and over 12 if you included the cities surrounding Grand Rapids.

As that relates to Michigan's Adventure. Grand Rapids has an estimated 600,000 residents in the city and surrounding cities, and well over 1,000,000 people live within a 50 mile radius of Grand Rapids. And Muskeon is only 45 minutes away, with another 500,000 people living along the coast, if you include Grand Haven, Holland, Ludington, and South Haven, which are in close proximity to MA. And with Chicago only being a 5 hour drive. That's a huge Market.

They continue to count the cash. But, don't re-invest it locally.

I happen to be a people person. And, if I owned the park, I would not be sitting on top of the huge fortune they are making with MA. I would look into getting at least a reasonable attraction in the park ever year, and not something that guests have to keep paying more for.

Would I raise prices if I had an exciting new attraction? Yes, if I thought it was needed. Would I raise prices with a meal plan, and nothing else new? No. I wouldn't. In fact, if that was all I had to offer, I would get on the ball and get on the discount ad machine, and start offering crazy deals to get more people to come to the park. Not try to find more ways to charge them more to come and get more of the same for more money. Knowing that a lot of people these days, don't have that kind of money to spend.

If I was going to to do what they are doing, I would want logic behind it, rather than a percentage increase in cash flow. What is going to make the guest that happiest with the value they are getting for their dollar. As a park guest, I see zero value in their plans for this year.

Unlike some coaster lovers, the average park goer doesn't have money to burn, in fact some families save up money all summer just for one park visit. And, in Michigan, a lot of families can't even afford that one park visit. Yet, they will bypass MA every time for the value in Cedar Point and Great America, and drive twice as far for real value.

I just think MA could and should offer more value, and they don't. Another note. A lot of people who live in Michigan don't even know where Michigan's Adventure is. Yet, ask anyone where Cedar Point is, and they know. That's how bad MA is a making itself popular.

I'm just glad you don't run a park because it wouldn't last very long and then you'd complain that you don't add anything to your own park.

I know, I know. This is all going to fall on deaf ears.... but I've got Sarah Brightman on iTunes and a glass of wine to keep me company, and it will amuse me.....

What? A successful business has raised its prices? How unusual that the most profitable park in the chain would seek to increase its profits....

The vast.... vast... majority of people visiting the MiA website will not notice or care that some of the rides shown on the website aren't the exact rides found at the park. For the 1980 season, Carowinds (at the time, not part of Cedar Fair) used a picture of Cedar Point's Corkscrew on its brochures to illustrate its new coaster, Caroline Cyclone. Somehow, Carowinds has managed to remain successful since then.

Meijer has three stores in Grand Rapids and no stores in Chicago. So? Meijer also has no stores in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh or Louisville. Walmart and Target both have a number of stores in Chicago, so clearly that "living wage" is not an impediment to a successful business.

Why does MiA need a new attraction every year? I just cannot fathom why you think the most profitable park in the chain "needs" high profile new attractions to be successful. (Let's be clear: based on other posts you've made, it's not that MiA isn't getting something or somethings new each year, it's that what MiA gets doesn't match your particular desires.)

Why would you want to get on the "discount ad machine"? Why would you, as the owner of a wildly successful park, want to decrease the amount of profits you earn? That doesn't make sense.

"That's how bad MA is a [sic] making itself popular." How can MiA be both the most profitable park in the chain and not popular? That doesn't make sense.

Perhaps Michigan's Adventure is the most profitable park because there is no return to investment.

I have absolutely no idea how much the parks make a year so I am going to make up my own numbers for my retarded analogy. These numbers do not include basic things such as employee pay, maintenance, ect... just freaking play along...

MiAdv makes 60 million a year, puts 0 back into the park in new rides and attractions for the following year. Profit= 60 million.

Cedar Point makes 100 million a year, puts 75 million back into the park in at least 1 massive new ride, multiple new ground rides, a new midway renovation, 3 new sit down restaurants, 2 new show venues, a new grand entrance along the beach, a new hotel, a new cabin section, a major expansion of their water park, a new pay to ride experience the biggest in the world!!11!!1!, another surprise rollercoaster, 17 new Halloweekend haunted houses, 3 B&M never before seen world record breaking coasters, 5 new children's sections, (yes, I exaggerated just a tad, a tad only though..) Profit= 25 million.

See?!! SEE!!!

Michigan's Adventure is the most profitable park because they don't frickin' use any of the money the make on improving the park. It's nearly pure profit.

(besides all of the daily expenses, but if you want to add daily expenses, I think CP's would make MiAdv's cry like a bitch...)

Based on your analogy, why spend money, then? If Michigan's Adventure can make sixty million without adding attractions but Cedar Point needs to spend seventy-five million to eke out a twenty-five million dollar profit, then you spend the seventy-five million dollars on Cedar Point and leave the rest alone.

And Timber Rider, you are completely ignoring the concept of inflation. Maybe Michigan's Adventure needs a price increase because their cost of doing business has gone up. You pay much more for a McDonald's hamburger than you used to have to spend in the 1950s, but you don't get any more beef. How is this any different?

Also, regarding your comment about it being in a huge market, it is vastly smaller than, say, Phoenix, Houston, or Seattle, none of which have a park even remotely approaching the size and scope of Michigan's Adventure. You hardly have it bad out there.

Enjoy the place for what it is. It's a lot more than most other people have.

I'm not sure why anyone even entertains responding to someone who makes an "if I were on charge" argument but is unwilling to master his own destiny and move away from a place that apparently sucks.

No one makes you stay where you live or work for the company you work for. I just can't sympathize with someone content to wallow in a pool of suck and not do anything about it.