Would you sacrifice service for coasters

Take a small park, like, oh say, knoebels grove. Would you like to see them expand ridewise even at the cost of a small park atmosphere?

I think i would, contrary to the recent editorial.

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I'm 2 for 2 so far!!!

I think this post has been written on somewhere before. Check the search engines.

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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it...eventually

I would have to say no. I think we have enough big parks now, every once in a while I like visiting the smaller parks because of the smaller more intimate crowds and atmosphere. If I want big crowds and big coasters, I'll head to my local Six Flags park. I do like being able to choose between a smaller customer friendly park like Legoland, and the big, bad wolf, SFMM. :)

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Thank you Disney, thank you...

Don't take the editorial out of context now. I didn't say that big parks didn't have good service. I find that some big parks have among the best. However, more often than not, the smaller, independently owned parks do have better service.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

I wouldn't change a thing at Knoebels personally. I'm using Knoebels since I live 20 minutes away and it's still my favorite. With Hershey and Dorney a short drive away with some of the best coaster and rides selections in the state, I like to know there is a place close to home I can go where I can just relax, stroll around and not even spend any money if you don't want to. I like the idea of seeing Knoebels owner Dick Knoebel driving around the park in his golf cart keeping an eye on his park. I even went to the one restraunt there last seaon and saw him with people making decisions on the food they were ordering for the entire park.

Why should every single park have the suit and tie guys running several parks from behind a desk. That only visit the park for the opening of a new coaster. The only thing they know about management is what they leared in business classes in college and not from the hands on in the park experiance.

I hear lots of complaints about Knoebels from people of my age group from them not having a big steel coaster and not having a lot more whirl and hurl rides. I figure If I want to go on them I have the bigger parks to go to. These smaller parks are treasures that people won't miss until they are gone. I think there's a place for the two types of parks. I just think more people need to try a few smaller parks instead of staying with the big dogs with at least 6 coasters and 50+ flat rides. The small guys are just as good. IMO.

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2000 stats: 135 coasters in 26 parks
Not Too Shabby For A Summer


*** This post was edited by coasterpunk on 1/31/2001. ***

I've actually never been to a small park, but by what I've heard I'd like them more than the giant parks out there. From what I've heard they seem to have better service (in general) and are less crowded -- that means shorter lines. Something that really bugs me about amusement parks is the outrageous lines all of them have. To me it's almost not worth going, and definitely not worth making a big and expensive trip, to seasonal parks because the lines have been terrible every time I've gone during season.

I got a little off topic, but I hope the small parks stay. We all need some relief from the megaparks.