The Paramount Takeover

ok, I think that this can be good in some ways, and I am glad the parks will remain open and not close, however, I am worried about what will become of The Beast and Son of Beast. These two coasters are wooden coaster legends and given Cedar Fair's record of wood coaster upkeep, how long is it before both, especially Son of Beast, turn out just like Mean Streak? Especially since SOB is apparently running pretty well now. I'm hoping that they continue the great upkeep that Paramount was doing. Any thoughts?

I can't imagine the cost of a retracking on the Beast.
I don't think they'll demolish them or anything but adding more trims would not surprise me.
CF likes to think big, and those two woodies fall under that category.
Now owning three parks in Ohio, Season Passes will be a must.

I thought the Beast already has a few trims on it?

No, maybe they will do what Paramount won't on The Beast and get articulated trains. That would cut retracking in half.

I see SOB being taered down.
They aren't gonna stick the ten million every two years in it Paramount did.

The 40 million dollar woodie! Aproaching EE figures soon

Sob is a piece of crap, I say "tear it down" and build a nice new B&M.

Goliath Freak, things have changed a bit in Ohio. This season, The Beast and the Racer are running poorly, and Mean Squeak is running exceptionally well (for Mean Streak, anyway). I haven't figured out what changed, but if Cedar Fair does for the CBS wood coasters what they have done for their own, this may actually be a good thing.

That said, don't count on any major changes too quickly! Remember, this is unlike anything CFLP has ever done before: this is the first time they have ever bought parks that are as successful as and even close to as well run as their own. I've got to think that will make a huge difference in the way things go in the parks.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I don't think they will change much in way of coasters at these parks (the exceptions being, I hope, the two Togo stand-ups left, considering the way the whole Wind Jammer thing happened).

Beast is already trimmed to death and SoB is horribly rough. CF can't really make them any worse.

Then again, there ARE a lot of trees around The Beast. ;)

Ahh yes Arson,I've got high hopes that CF will scrap Schockwave & put something decent in it's place & if not at least repaint it because the current color scheme on it just makes me want to puke everytime I see it.

Now if their wood maintenance is as bad as many say I just hope they don't ruing Grizzly in any way because that's by far the best wood in the park...Hurler is already a lost cause IMHO but I'd like to see them run Rebel yell with both sides forward again as the backward side is just too rough as it is.

Also, What will the parks be called now that Cedar Fair owns and operates them???

I believe that they are planning on just dropping the "Paramount" part off the names and keeping the rest.

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Goliath Freak said:
Especially since SOB is apparently running pretty well now.

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I'm not sure where this rumor started. I was at PKI on Saturday and hoped that they had smoothed SOB out, but it was just as painful as ever, and a much worse ride than Mean Streak which I had just ridden two days before. :(

A few more things.

Will they retain the chain restaurants(skyline,graters..etc)? I wonder if famous daves at cedar point will now be replaced with "montgomery inn ribs"?

Will winterfest continue?

What will become of king cobra that is in storage at the park? I can think of a park in michigan that could use it.

What will happen to son of beast? Remember herculies(sp), they demolished it because it did not meet the cedar fair standards.

Coke or pepsi?

What will happen to the paramount walkthrue next to the eifel tower?

I am sure it is too early to answer some of these questions, but I was just wondering what you guys thought of this? *** Edited 5/24/2006 4:37:47 AM UTC by crazy horse***

Cedar Fair Don't like to spend money. If a ride they have is just more trouble than it's worth, most likely it will be removed.... Windjammer, Hercules (though they tried), Orient Express, Zambezi Zinger, Hammerhead, Hydes, etc. If ridership falls and costs rise, then they will mostly likely take into consideration removal.

I think Mean Streaks days are numbered.

Coaster buzz is new for me. Ive been hanging out for a awhile reading and learning so im not as resourceful as yourselfs but I am learning the ropes. Could someone explain to me what is happening with the paramount parks since cedar fair has made huge buisness moves.

Regarding Grizzley at PKD, this is one coaster that does not appear to get the recognition that it deserves. I'm not sure how well it is maintained now but back in 1996 when I rode it, it bacame one of my favorite woodies. Along with Phoenix and Raven, this ride shows that a wood coaster doesn't have to have 100 foot drops to be really good.

As for Rebel Yell, running one train backward is a different experience but shuttle and boomerang coasters also offer this. Why not bow to tradition and race the trains again. Oh, I just guess we will have to go to a park like KW to experience this.

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crazy horse said:

Coke or pepsi?

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Funny you mention this as it was one of the first things I thought about. Of course, I have an unhealthy obsession with the ‘Cola Wars’ and how each brand positions itself.

Anyway, with Paramount having recently signed a new exclusive contract with Coke it may be some time before CF could execute a Pepsi switch. If there are no long term commitments in place with Pepsi you could also see the switch go the other way.

I know, I know… I need to get a life… :-)

** formatting ** *** Edited 5/24/2006 12:40:41 PM UTC by Odd Todd***

Cedar Fair's debt load will be at $2 billion? isnt this a similar situation that happened to Six Flags. No matter what way you look at it, that is a LOT of debt. They better lay off the spending for a while be it rides, parks, whatever it is. Can they really take on much more debt?

A company can continue to take on a debt load as long as it can find a willing lender. Unlike you or me, a company has a potentially unlimited lifespan. As long as the interest is being paid, there's no problem borrowing more money.

What you'll see from CF is a more fiscally responsible handling of the debt. Don't expect a flood of B&M and Intamin coasters into all the Paramount properties any time soon.

And of course the Paramount Parks are pretty much already making a big dent in that debt just from operating as they are now. If CF can bring more guests in or raise the net profit from these parks just a little bit, then they are well and truly on their way to paying off that debt.