Jew

I just wanted to say that I hate you all for getting the Walibi Belgium kiddie credit. Especially Elissa.

For the record, the best thing in the miracle mile shops is the sin city brewing company.

Mummy @ USH! He'll hardly even realize he went on a roller coaster. Pony Express might be a good one too. It's got a unique seating style, launched, and is incredibly boring. So it might help build a sense of security if he can handle a launch and a "weird" riding style.

^There is no official confirmation yet. Just the news article stating a family coaster of some sort is on the way for 2009, and strong rumors suggesting Mark Shapiro talked about the coaster at CoasterCon. Take it for what you will.

^^^Wouldn't it also make much more sense to post about the new coaster in the thread that is dedicated to discussion of the new coaster? You did in fact assume incorrectly, as this thread is more about general discussion/updates about the park/anything that isn't covered in other threads. There is no need to steer off that topic in this thread when we have another thread that is dedicated to the discussion of the new coaster. However, If you were the first person to break the news about the coaster, it would be appropriate to post in here, as there would be no other thread on the topic. But if there is an existing topic, please be sure to post any news/information about the existing topic in the appropriate thread.

^Please use the search feature before posting.

I'll leave it at this: SFMM has gone from 3 million guests a year to barely over 2 million guests a year just over the course of the last decade. Perhaps something was wrong with their strategy?

Which is exactly why they need to market it. I don't know if you have been around the parents of a 1-5 year old kid lately, but I can tell you from experience they are looking to spend lots of money keeping their kid happy. That's two more people in your park spending money that would normally ignore the place until their kid was old enough to ride the coasters. It's not the grand solution...but it's the foundation. If they're really serious about becoming a family destination.

That zipline is the coolest/scariest thing I've ever seen. Cool pictures of some rare parks!

^Uhm...what? Call me crazy, but I'm guessing since they already licensed the brand for the attraction, the right to sell their products in the gift shop, put it on their website, etc...trademark rights aren't the issue. Sure they might have to get approval, but I highly doubt Six Flags doesn't have the right to advertise Thomas Town. ^^....Which is exactly why Jahan said they need to market Thomas Town. Perhaps families aren't coming to the park because they don't know the park is making an effort to change? 2006 saw a 10% drop in attendance at SFMM. Families have to park too. The difference is they are the ones who want to enjoy a whole day in the park. Passholders don't care about leaving early to go down the hill to get food, or going in for a few hours and taking off. No one pays full price because admission isn't where profits come from. It's what guests spend once they are inside the park that really matters. It's no accident parks have being adding less coasters and more "family" attractions" Cedar Point's snoopy thing, Hershey Park putting in the water park, all the Six Flags additions, etc. Sure coasters are still being built, but it's hardly a coincidence everyone has made a push to market "family" attractions...

I edited your topic to be more specific. Make sure your topic titles are descriptive enough so people know what you are talking about and they can respond.[/i]

Thrill seekers spend $60 on a pass and never a penny more in the park. Families on the other hand? They are where the money is at. I agree with Jahan...why aren't they marketing Thomas Town? I know there isn't much to market, but the brand is a strong brand and kids will probably still eat it up.

Even if it is themed to the new movie, it's still a marketing blunder IMO. Terminator is established as a USH attraction, new franchise/character/movie or not. It's still bound to create lots of confusion.

Besides fan bias, I enjoy Dodger Stadium because it's a stadium built before lame gimmicks were the norm for every new stadium. I don't really think any other stadiums besides Wrigley and Fenway can say that. It was designed for baseball and has stayed pretty true to that. How many stadiums left still have organ players?

^Angels? Yes. Dodgers? ABSOLUTELY NOT. That's how the lights were at The Forum (which I loved for the sole fact that if you sat in the lower bowl, the only bathrooms/concessions were in the arena tunnel...so you got to meet players going in/out of the locker room without any hassles), which is what it is a tribute to.

You counted the train twice as a closed ride? Or do they have more than one?

^I would guess the intent of offering the coaster to ACE was that they figured ACE would facilitate finding a new home for the ride.

^Or perhaps cooler heads simply prevailed. Regardless, the park is gone and not coming back, Norton did their job by selling a bunch of crap, and ACE took a PR hit. What's done is done.

^There hasn't been any photos posted besides Big Mike's?

And with that, the joke is dead. Back on topic please.

^Norton wasn't hired to put on a "sentimental" event. They were there to sell a bunch of stuff "sentimental" people couldn't afford. Having a crazy ACEr disrupt the auction is sort of counter-productive.

^Thank you for getting the thread back on topic. Regardless of your feelings, what's done is done. This thread was created to discuss the fact the coaster may or may not have been offered to ACE for free. Lets leave it at that.

Del Mar is actually an independent midway. RCS just happens to book the most rides. That is why you will only see the Fighter at the SD fair (along with some other rides, like the spinning mouse coaster). RCS, however, does run the midways at all the other fairs you mentioned.

Judging by how many mini-golf places there were on the main street (not the beach one...the one right behind that), and how busy they all seemed to be as we were driving by...I'd say there is a shortage of family things to do in Myrtle Beach. I think their plan all along was "Dad's already here for the golf, mom is already here for the resorts/beach...lets force them to give something for their kids to do!" At $50/person, that will be a tough sell. But with an adjustment in price/marketing/operating strategy, I think the park can be moderately successful.

IoA cost 2.5 billion (someone correct me if I am wrong...that number stands out for some reason). Hard Rock Park cost $400 million. To put that in perspective, OLC is spending $85-90 million JUST on the new Monsters Inc. ride. The designers did a GREAT job with Hard Rock park for the budget they had. It looks awesome for a new non Disney or Universal park!