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

All this talk about MA...while Geauga Lake STILL gets nothing new...

Maybe it'll get some nice new shiny padlocks on it's front gate?

This place needs SOME type of new slide, attraction, etc.

You think MA gets nothing new...just look at the History of Geauga Lake with Cedar Fair.

Yeah? Well I have to walk to my local neglected Cedar Fair park...in the snow...uphill...both ways.

I didn't know you liked Jello...

I first visited MA in 2002 because I just had to get onto ST. I remember thinking to myself that the park had been lifted from a beginners Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 scenario. "You've inherited a park with much open land. Transform it into a tourist destination."

There is so much empty land right there just begging to be filled. And the train ride goes out and does a loop around an empty field. I can easily see the pain that Timber-Rider feels every time he goes and sees the wasted potential of the land.

My impression is this, knowing absolutely nothing about the real story. I speculate that when CF bought the park, they had grand visions of turning it into a tourist destination. So many people vacation the west coast of Michigan all the way up to Mackinac Island that it seems only logical that a large amusement park would be a huge draw and extremely profitable. It could be a destination itself, or a stopping point on a much larger roadtrip.

Well obviously that didn't happen. Much like the GL/SWO/SFWOA/GLWWK debacle, nothing much happened at all. So I guess at this point, we should be happy that MA is still standing, and is successful enough to avoid a similar fate.

Michigan's Adventure is extremely profitable; it's one of the most profitable parks in the chain.

A park that filled all that land would, I think, be a park too big for the market.

Tommytheduck said:

There is so much empty land right there just begging to be filled. And the train ride goes out and does a loop around an empty field. I can easily see the pain that Timber-Rider feels every time he goes and sees the wasted potential of the land.

Much like the GL/SWO/SFWOA/GLWWK debacle, nothing much happened at all. So I guess at this point, we should be happy that MA is still standing, and is successful enough to avoid a similar fate.

You know what the difference between GL and MiA is?

That Six Flags did fill the available land with a bunch of rides, coasters and attractions even though the market didn't warrant it.

The reason MiA is still there is because they haven't.

Well, that and the fact that Michigan Adventure doesn't compete directly with Cedar Point.

::ducks::

But, I did drive past Cedar Point to get to MiA once.

I once drove by MiA to get to Musekgon.

^^ I see what you did there. I'm still waiting for someone to put that commercial on YouTube because I've never actually seen it.

Color me ignorant. What commercial?

slithernoggin said:

Color me ignorant. What commercial?

http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/dirty-amusement-park-advertising

http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/six-flags-underestimated-loyalty-to-cedar-point

Lord Gonchar said:

You know what the difference between GL and MiA is?

That Six Flags did fill the available land with a bunch of rides, coasters and attractions even though the market didn't warrant it.

The reason MiA is still there is because they haven't.

That was exactly my point. My first impression was that it should be built up. But we all know CF are no dummies. If they felt it could be built up, they would have done so. I still think they may have bought it with that intention, but after looking at what happened with Six Flags (GL, Elitch, Darrien Lake, Great Escape, etc) perhaps they realized that not every market is screaming for major corporate expansion. Last time I was at MA, 3 years ago, the general public seemed awful excited about their new coaster, and how it was "just like Raptor!"

I'd suspect that Cedar Fair bought the park because it was (and is) a well-run park, right-sized for its market, happily churning out profits. They could 'set it and forget it', to quote the old Ronco commercial.

If MiA could support more rides, they'd already be there. (only partly sarcastic)

slithernoggin said:

You have a great park, with great rides, that is one of the most profitable parks in its chain. I have an over-crowded Six Flags park, Great America, with a few good rides (Raging Bull, Whizzer) and some not so great rides (Superman Ultimate Proctology Exam).

To my mind, you are very fortunate.

Granted, I've never been to MiA and I haven't been to GAm. in about 11 years, but in what universe is MiA preferable to GAm.?

Cedar Fair will never allow a sister park like MA show up it's Ohio flagship location - Cedar Point. MA has too way much upside potential, and they will be kept at bay even though a big financial gain is possible.

With GL crushed to the point of being little more than a Hasbro Slip and Slide, and KI at the other end of the Ohio, the bulk of the Detroit market is earmarked for Sandusky - and what's left can visit MA as a teaser with the reminder that things like Halloweekends can be taken in just over the boarder.

MA makes a ton of $$$, and if they put the resources into a hotel (like they do at CP), and some record breaking rides - there would be a real alternative to CP. But that is not going to happen because it would be at the expense of the flagship park.

First post!!!!1!!

Seriously though, you really think that it's about egos? That they're keeping money on the table to protect some sentimental feelings for another park (which, by the way, the current CEO does not have)?

You're delusional if you think that Michigan's Adventure is ever going to be something more than it is. The truth is, it already borders on too big for that location.

MiA is preferable to GA in my universe, where GA trips always get cut short after a few hours because the place is so crowded and MiA trips are just fun times.

SnoopyDoo has apparently learned everything he knows about corporate strategy from watching soap operas.

SnoopyDoo said:
Cedar Fair will never allow a sister park like MA show up it's Ohio flagship location - Cedar Point. MA has too way much upside potential, and they will be kept at bay even though a big financial gain is possible.

I think Kings Island, Kings Dominion, and Carrowinds are all examples of how this theory is wrong.