CoasterBuzz Podcast #128 posted

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Jeff, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Cypress Gardens reduced to water park with ski show and gardens. Were plans in the Kent years too ambitious?
• Six Flags has solid results, but says there's some big announcement coming regarding its debt load. The only choices we're aware of is either bankruptcy or additional stock.
• Geauga Lake partial land sale could minimize the damage of the park's failure. Gonch finds it mind boggling that so much retail can be built.
• Disneyland and Verizon are doing location-based information with phones. Jeff thinks that iPhones and Blackberries offer a more generic and universal way to pass along the information to users. Mike makes the point that for this to be useful it has to work on many phones.
• Rye Playland goes POP.
• Hard Rock Park going to auction. Minimum bid is $35 million, assets are nearly $300 million. Ouch.
• The Gravity Group announces that they're developing trains. It will be exciting to see who deploys these trains first.
• NYC wants to buy Coney Island property, Thor will likely not get its way for its mega-resort project.
• Six Flags and Intamin both settle with the Lassiters for the 2007 accident at Kentucky Kingdom that took Kaitlyn's feet.
• Jeff and Diana spent a week at Disney World on the dining plan. Thought it was a fabulous deal.
• Spaceship Earth became a favorite for the goofy animated heads video on the touch screen. We found at least two "hidden Mickeys."
• The Segway tour around Epcot was sweet. Jeff wants one. Or two.
• Toy Story Midway Mania is a total home run. Jeff thought it would be another stupid shooter dark ride, but it's much better.
• Soarin' was much better than expected too. Not another dumb simulator at all.
• IAAPA was not that exciting, but the Moser Rides "Top Spin for two" is a great idea.
• We appreciate your support of CoasterBuzz by joining the club. It's still just $20 per year.

Link: CoasterBuzz Podcast

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