What is with the Cedar Fair love?
...sigh... I give up!
Matthew said:
Thats the problem, park operations have lessened my love of amusement parks. I used to go to parks regularly (usually at least twice a month, especially in the summer) and in the past year, I've gone to amusement parks maybe 4 or 5 times.
eightdotthree said:
Why would you call out Cedar Fair though, does every other park have perfect operations?
Exactly. For someone who's been turned off to amusement parks because of park operations and who has only been to two Cedar Fair parks, the entire topic and subject matter of the original post seems quite misguided.
Dangerously close to trolling, even.
kraxleridah will say in the future (yes, I'm friggin' psychic):
Cedar Fair's presence at Knott's Berry Farm has become extremely strong to ignore now. I'm not just talking about the new slew of thrillrides that now call the park home, but the way the atmosphere, operations, customer service, and the overall look of the park has changed, and in a negative way. This is coming from a person that's grown up going to Knott's and since its acquisition in '97, the park's charm and unique flavor has gone to sh*t since Jack Falfas took the reigns to this horse-carriage.
People say the same thing about Dorney. Well, people who were familiar with the park before CF moved in. I didn't move to Allentown until 2001 - so CF's Dorney is the only Dorney I know.
I thought Knott's was a great little park and as uncool as it is to say, Dorney remains one of my favorite parks to this day. Maybe my feelings would be different had I been familiar with either park before CF.
I suspect the kind of disappointment you (and the long time Allentown locals in regard to Dorney) speak of, is not so much change for the worse, but rather change at all. Kind of the equivalent of a corporation moving in and taking over a Knoebel's or Holiday World or Conneaut. Thing would certainly change. The 'atmosphere' would most likely be lost, but in the end I don't think it would automatically make the park worse...
...unless that corporation was Six Flags. ;)
(Winky face, people. Winky face!)
.
*** Edited 8/31/2005 5:12:56 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***
Matthew said:
I find Dorney Park to be the most depressing and flat out bad major amusement park I have ever visited. I cannot think of a single positive thing to say about the rides or the park in general. The lack of trees, the lack of color (except for the billion bown trashcans bringing the only color to the park)
Un-f'n believable. Do you have eyes? Are you color blind? Please tell me how Talon has no color to it? How about Revolution? I could give you multiple examples (and pictures) of how there is plenty of color at DP. You are so completely off-base it's not funny. Please, I beg you, go to your nearest optometrist immediately.
Cedar Fair's presence at Knott's Berry Farm has become extremely strong to ignore now. I'm not just talking about the new slew of thrillrides that now call the park home, but the way the atmosphere, operations, customer service, and the overall look of the park has changed, and in a negative way. This is coming from a person that's grown up going to Knott's and since its acquisition in '97, the park's charm and unique flavor has gone to sh*t since Jack Falfas took the reigns to this horse-carriage.
I remember reading about the park's acquisition and how Cedar Fair planned to do everything they could to keep Knott's original spirit and its traditions alive, things the millions of local visitors have come to love about the park. Over time, one can see that the park has slowly been stripped of its former self and has taken on the signature "Cedar Fair look and feel" with lackluster landscaping, large open areas of nothing but white pavement, and theming on par with Six Flags and I could go on and on.
The new management has done what can only be described as bare iminimum in every category that the "old" Knott's used to take pride, dedication, and agressiveness in. Their promised intentions to preserve Knott's as a "theme park" is basic at most, with a lot of their ride projects half-assed in appearance and presentation - with Perilous Plunge being the best example of this, but NOT the only example.
Read the 1999 Perilous Plunge's press release issued by the park. Described with floating buoys, an elevated viewing deck with dining area overlooking the splashdown, a boardwalk stamped midway adjacent to the ride, and a 90-foot tall oil derrick straddling the drop. Did any of these elements make it into the final product? No. What we have is leftover props that were kept from the removed Zamperla Hammerhead scattered among the ride, the station painted with words like "California Harbor" and a chunk of industrial metal at the front of the queue that the park probably found from a scrapyard that supposedly is "beachy."
You Knott's lovers out there don't get me wrong now...I still visit the park and enjoy it, but just not the way I used to. I know there's nothing I, or anyone else can do about it, but I'm just voicing my thoughts about how the new management's ignorance to the park's traditions and ways and methods of running the park has led to devastating results to Knott's image - turning a once very unique and charming mom-and-pop-feel park to something very bland and ordinary. It was this distinct character that differentiated Knott's from the other amusement parks in the area that allowed it to stay alive for as long as it did before Cedar Fair stepped into the picture.
There is no such thing as a terrible Coaster just ones that haven't been taken care of
tiburon said:
Were did you here that story about Perilous Plunge?
Where were you when it happened? The incident was the biggest of the incidents regarding "supposedly faulty" Intamin t-bar restraints, and the first to result in a fatality. The near 300-pound woman was thrown from one of Perilous Plunge's boats in October of 2001 and was killed from blunt-force trauma to the head from the 115-foot fall. The ride was closed for nearly a year and CAL-OSHA only approved of the ride's reopening after 4-point safety harnesses were installed on each boat. This accident was also an issue when it came to Knott's deciding what kind of restraint system to incorporate into Xcelerator prior to the beginning of its construction.
When you hate something you say you love, do you really love it? Is it normal to cry and moan about how much you dislilke it, and the very next day partake in it just so you can cry and moan again?
If one does not have a good time when participating in an activity, when is it time to find a new and exciting activity to participate in?
It's okay to have an opinion. I love rock, but I dislike Nickelback. It may be acceptable for me to say that imho the singer sucks, or I don't care for the songwriting, but if i go on and on about how much I HATE NICKELBACK to the point of obsession, something is wrong. When I hear band I dislike, I still try to figure out something to like about them. I like the way the drummer hits his high hat...I like that bass riff...I think I understand what he is trying to say with those lyrics...ect.
Life's funny in that people like different things because people are different. Offering an opinion is one thing, but trying to obsessively project your agenda of hatered against a popular provider of one of your strange and misunderstood hobbies is another.
I know first hand that people can get addicted to complaining, and get a real rush out of it. I used to ask myself, "What can I cry and moan about this week?" all of the time. I realized this and started to ask myself if I really felt the way I said I felt, or if I was just crying and moaning just to feel the rush I was addicted to.
I used to go to McDonnalds almost every day. When I got a cold cheesburger and/or cold fries, I would get extremely angry and yell at the manager...every day. I had to ask myself why I got so angry. I could so easily go to Wendy's or BK, but I never did, because I WANTED to get mad and yell at someone. It felt good. When I figured it all out, I made a special trip to the fast food restaraunt just to appologize to the manager who always cringed when he saw me order food. I started to eat at my home more too. I am still trying to fix the broken part of my life that my subconsious was REALLY complaining about, but at least I'm not a well known asshole anymore. :)
I loved Knott's, really liked Geauga and Cedar Point. I've been to SFGAm, and it was Okay.
The real money is at Paramount. Why do you think there is a 'Beast' Buzz every year, when 'Po!nt' Buzz is just a website? Yeah, Paramount is better run, has better rides, and is just overall better than any other park chain out there. And if you don't like Paramount or don't think they're the best, then you're just a big, stupid doo-doo head.
I'm not even adding a winky, because if you didn't get it, you should be out of the 6th grade at this point.
Paramount is great.
Six Flags is great.
Just because the parks are owned by the same compaines, it give you no right to put them all down. One must be better then the other and if you visited EVERY sixflags, paramount, disney, cedar fair or w,e park im sure you would of had some fun somewhere, at atleast one park in every chain.
Matthew, If anything is boring and colourless it must be you. Dorney park looks anything but colourless... now why do you just ***** about what you hate. Im sure you found something during the day that made you laugh, even if it was "the kid who tripped, or got spit on". Seriously life is what you make it, either you make it good, or bad and same goes with a trip to an amusement park. It isn't a parks fault if the ride Ops are slacking off, go mention it to guest relations and let them deal with it. How come most people find it to be a good park while you dont? Oh yea i forgot your colour blind. Right now matthew start building a park bet you can't do any better then dorney, god, you probably wouldnt even get a guest into your park. If you realized the time, effort and money that goes into the parks, you would appreciate it alot more. Why dont you mention your complaints to the park, you know they do have an e-mail adress if you were too busy having "fun" at the park to adress your problems. wow i cant belive that, a billion garbage cans... yeah the garabge cans are there to put your trash in. Next time you go to an amusement park why dont you jump into the BILLIONS of garbage cans cuz im sure the garabge has a lovely lifeless smell and is probbaly full of colours too, more then dorney or yourself right?
Like i know you probably hate the park but WHY? there has to be a reason its boring. Hell, it looks anything but boring, maybe you did get into the wrong hobbie perhaps but i dont know. Why dont you say some of the things you liked and some of the things you didnt like and WHY you didnt. Just cuz they have lots of garbage cans that are brown is no excuse. Most parks do have brown garbage cans. And if you werent colourblind you'd also note that brown is a colour.;)
*** Edited 8/31/2005 8:24:28 AM UTC by j_o_e_y__*** *** Edited 8/31/2005 8:26:49 AM UTC by j_o_e_y__***
SF<CF<Paramount<Busch
2022 Trips: WDW, Sea World San Diego & Orlando, CP, KI, BGW, Bay Beach, Canobie Lake, Universal Orlando
So the thing that people hate is an imaginary competition (Viper was built to "take out" Corkscrew CP?!? I haven't heard anything that stupid in a while! Thanks for the laugh!), colors that aren't bright enough for them (because Talon, as previously mentioned, is SO bland!) and poor operations and staff.
Anyone been to MM lately? How about MW? No? Kennywood? PCar? PKI? These are all parks that I've experienced less-than-stellar crew efficiency, laziness, etc ... Don't see me *****ing about them (too hard)
So Gonch, you mean to tell me that this all boils down to people not liking change? SAY IT AIN'T SO!
He had posted that, then when I replied, it was gone. It was reposted again shortly after.
I visit amusement parks to be with people I love, eat food that is bad for me and be a kid for a few hours.
I don't know, maybe some of the complainers weren't breats fed. ;)
-Tambo
Bottom line... They are "Average" to "Good"... None totally disgusted me... none I totally "fell in love with".
Most impressed with: Geauga Lake. Good and efficient Employees, good ride line up, nice atmosphere
Worst Visit: A recent visit to Dorney... very bad... but other two visits were very good, so I am chalking this up to simply hitting the park on a "bad day".
Most unimpressive visit: Cedar Point. Okay, its an amusment park with lots of coasters. They are big, they are record breakers, but, meh... didn't impress me much. As for the employees... competent... but a bit annoying with all of the "entertaining" they seem to feel they need to do. Be efficient, be polite, and dispatch the damned train... no need to put on a little act for the people. CP regulars may like that, but most are there for the ride, not to watch the ops.
As for Atmosphere... The section of Geauga lake to the left of the Entrance (as you enter) to around RWB had the most atmosphere of the entire park. CP's seemed jammed packed and crowded. Dorney, with the exception of the area down by the creek (the older area) seemed kind of sterile (and now it seems even more so with the departure of Hercules... that monstrosity of wood gave that area of the park some character). Nothing bad... but nothing exceptional either.
Compared to other parks and chains I've visited... beats the hell out of SF on any given day... is just about tied with Paramount... lags behind Busch and Universial... and seems so cookie cutter and "mass produced" compared to lots of independent or "non chain" corporate parks (Kennywood / Compounce, Hersheypark, Canobie lake, etc etc etc).
Bottom line... their parks are good... but in one particular case a next to Lake Erie very overhyped, relying more on its reputation than its actual contents / experience (not only that, it's kind of sumg about it too).
I'm not saying "don't find things wrong" or "shut up and deal" - if something sucks, be pissed and tell the park...as long as it's a valid complaint. Heck, in one instance we actually got our money back from a park. (And that's so hardcore that I can only think the park knew things were bad that day) I don't even think Kraxleridah is out of line in any way. He remembers Knott's in a different way and for his own reasons prefers things the way they used to be.
The weirdness to me comes in the form of "I hate park chain such and such" or "My favorite chain showed your favorite chain who's boss" - WTF is that? It's like some kind of contest or pro wrestling or college football or some similar crap.
I'd love nothing more than for every park to do well and to have outstanding customer service and great new shiny rides and tons of that intangible 'atmosphere' and fuzzy good times regardless of the corporate name attached.
That's what's behind my earlier comment of:
"I wish I had the time to hate an amusement park chain and I wish I had the imagination to envision imaginary battles between them."
I've only been two two parks (of 72) that were so bad that I wouldn't return and even then I still frequent other parks owned by the same companies. I don't hold weird grudges (except wih Nitro - and even still I ride it :) ) and troll about enthusiast message boards trying to stir up a response to my weird obsessive frustration with an amusement park chain. I don't think "ha-ha we showed them" when a favorite park outdoes a less favorite one. That gets into a weird area to me.
What's the point? If you're interested enough in parks and coasters and rides to post to a message board, why not get out there and do what you like. If you have a bad experience and need to vent, post a TR and let the park have it. It's an informative warning to others and will probably spark some good debate/discussion. If you always have a good time a certain park or a certain chain of parks, post a TR and enjoy the same discussion & debate process.
Getting worked up enough to write a whole post calling out everyone who enjoys a certain chain's parks? Missing the reality of things to the point where you gloat in the misguided fact that because one park built one ride, that they now own the imaginary championship belt of "boss of amusement parks" and considering that an informed and valid insight to the induistry?
All you can say at that point is....wow.
Viper @ SFDL said:
Oh yeah, I do know that Six Flags has taken away Cedar Fair's records. SFDL's Viper took away CP's Corkscrew record, and Superman Ride Of Steel at Darien Lake is actually taller than CP's Magnum. And don't forget Kingda Ka. Six Flags did copy off TTD, but for a good choice, to show that Cedar Fair is not the boss of the amusement park industry. Good work Six Flags. Continue killing Cedar Point!
You seriously have no clue what you are talking about.
Superman SUCKS compared to Magnum. Superman has a total of 6 hills, 3 of them being bunny hops. Magnum has extreme airtime throughout the entire ride.
I highly doubt that Darien Lake's addition of Viper was a shot to 'beat out' Cedar Point back in 1982.
When did Cedar Point ever say they were the boss of the amusement industry? It's the WORLD that has said that. They win every award for 'Best Park' imaginable for good reason.
My home park is SFDL too and they have the saddest operations ever. I'm sorry you had to wait 3 hours for Millennium Force, and 7 hours for Dragster. That is just a dumb move by you. There were 14 other coasters you could have ridden with a wait less than 30 minutes. It would have been a good idea to do MF but honestly, Dragster isn't worth it.
As far as operations go, having a total of 6 people checking restraints on Raptor at Cedar Point I believe is better than Six Flags policy of having no more than 2 workers. Also Cedar Fair's policies of trying to make the shortest lines as possible, by running 3 trains regardless of the wait, whereas Six Flags will run one train on Superman if the queueline is full. I know you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I'm sorry about you bad experience at the point but I doubt think you'd have much more luck at SFgadv riding KK right now, considering the recent trip report saying that someone waited all day from 10 to 5:30 to ride it.
The argument about KK's record is a whole different story but from what I've been hearing about lately SFgadv really isn't that great this year, focusing all their attentio on Ka and not on the other parts of their operation.
Matthew said:
Last year, the entire Perilous Plunge crew was fired when they decided to send an empty boat since they heard an usual noise and the shift leader refused to let them call down the ride. The wheel assembly broke off that boat as it was going down the drop during that test run. The mechanics said that if the crew sent a boat full of guests, there would have been catastrophic consequences. Improper maintenance was the cause of this accident.
I find it intresting that under normal circumstances CF does not give out information about the uptime status of a ride, or the reasons it is down. So after reading this, I have come up with three conclusions:
1. You were fired from CF.
2. You were given second hand information, and we all know how accurate second hand info is.
3. Your name is Dan Snyder.
Viper @ SFDL said:
Plus, I didn't get the front seat because of Cedar Point's Seating Policy : If front seat queue is full, choose another seat. Plus, no rider was allowed to leave their backpack on the exit platform, so I had to waste more money for a locker.
What's so dumb about that front seat policy? It's not like Darien Lake where the statio is regulated b/c they are too lazy to staff it and the front seat queue fills this entire station.
Why the heck are you complaining about getting a locker? Both TTD and MF have separate load and unload stations if you didn't notice so it would be sort of hard to get your stuff.
You wonder why MF has a 3 hour wait, because it's the best coaster in the world. I'd love to show you some pictures from Darien Lake when theres NO ONE on the midway. NO ONE.
Impulse-ive said:
HAHAHA! I love it, Gonch says his rant, then a few posts later, there it is! You are a friggin psychic man! So who's worse, krax, Ride of Steel or BatwingFanSFA? My vote's for BF ... I swear he doesn't even retype the same rant anymore, it's just cut and paste from a file he's got stored somewhere.
Hey I think it's time for yet another SFDL needs a coaster thread ;)
Just kidding...I'll spare you all. And I'd like to make the apology to the entire forum, I THINK THERE ARE MORE THINGS THAT SFDL NEEDS THAN A COASTER. OK can everyone forgive me? :)
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