CoasterBuzz Podcast

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

• New Orleans can't sell the former Six Flags site. Is it even viable? How is the city doing?
• Cedar Fair going to spend $90 million in its amusement parks. Leviathan is the big one at Canada's Wonderland.
• US travel goes a long way, some people don't feel like they need to leave the country.
• Not a lot of 300-foot roller coasters open, so any new one is an event.
• Universal Orlando continues to score big time, mostly because of the Harry Potter attractions. Jeff is playing Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7.
• Dollywood's Wild Eagle is track complete. Jeff has high hopes for this B&M flavor, particularly with Dollywood's terrain and tree retention.
• Remember what a big deal it was when the first floorless roller coaster opened in 1999?
• Speed won't be a part of the new Sahara, which is a bummer.
• Dippin' Dots files for bankruptcy.
• Jeff is skipping IAAPA this year, but is regretting it, missing people. Hopes to go next year.
• Coney Island has a record year, which has to be good for Zamperla. Will the numbers stay up after a year of newness?
• Occupy is all about the free camping. Occupy Sillynonsense!.
• Welfare dollars appear in Orlando from Missouri. Moral and political debate ensues.
• Disney hitting much higher margins as room rates jump. Jeff researches some packages. The magic of Disney is mostly paying for as much as possible ahead of time.
• When you work from home, every day is pants optional day.
• CoasterBuzz Club is ten years old!
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz. You can also like us on Facebook.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

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

• Obligatory excuses about why we haven't had a show in a month and a half.
• As quarterly results come in for amusement park companies, the results just keep getting better and better. So how is it that the economy is allegedly so terrible?
• How did Six Flags realize a 44% boost in profit?
• The national tone toward the economy is so negative. From the tea bag to the occupy movement, no one actually seems interested in innovating or doing anything.
• Carrie talks about perspective: This ain't the Great Depression.
• Where did hamburgers come from?
• Mike is a Disney Kool-Aid® drinking freak.
• Jeff describes his drive back across the country. And his new drill. That thing can screw.
• PETA sues SeaWorld for slavery. The whales are apparently making keychains 20 hours a day for sale in the gift shop.
• Legoland Florida opened, and Jeff wants to go next year. Mike will skip it because his kids are princess freaks.
• Jeff finally understands why Disney has so many parades. His 20-month-old loved the Halloween parade at Cedar Point.
• Does anyone know the total number of boat rides inside the gates of Disney World's four parks?
• The cast is disappointed about the no-duel rule of Dragon Challenge at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Despite the gruesome accident, we hate that it can't just be chalked up to "bad things happen."
• Carrie gives a shout out to the staff of Dorney Park for the VIP tour service.
• Several parks out east have their seasons cut short because of the crazy Nor'easter storm that dumped snow on them.
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz. You can also like us on Facebook.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

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

• Roller coaster safety with Patrick Warburton (the guy who does the intro on Disney's Soarin', among other things).
• Goofy's Sky School panned at Disney's California Adventure. Gonch suggests that people who enjoy something too much actually end up complaining more than enjoying.
• Dania Beach Hurricane might get a new lease on life at Zoo Miami.
• Movie news: Matterhorn and Transformers.
• Legoland Florida announces schedule, will be closed a few days a week, with short hours.
• Green Lantern opens up at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Discussion revolves around capacity.
• Latest Walt Disney World rumor among the geeks is that the company wants to sell a stake in the parks. Doesn't make sense for an established park.
• Baboon loose in New Jersey, Six Flags Great Adventure says they're not sure if it belongs to them. The headline writes its own jokes.
• People busted for selling fake Cedar Point tickets. Happened in Gonch's shady neighborhood.
• Worker dies despite fall protection on Magical Midway's Star Flyer.
• Kennywood announces a holiday lighting event. Questionable given Pittsburgh winters, but a good idea if they can pull it off in the long term. Too mad Kings Island wasn't able to continue theirs.
• Ouimet makes first comments as new Cedar Fair president at annual meeting. Jeff doesn't think we'll see impact from new leadership until next year.
• Boy dies in or near Knoebels pool. No clear reason for death yet.
• Family of girl who fell from Morey's Ferris wheel sues the park. The recurring theme: Should a park have to protect you from yourself? Mike points out flaws in height used to determine age and maturity measure.
• Universal Orlando allegedly being sued for using an unlicensed font in Harry Potter merchandise.
• FunSpot USA opens up its spinning mouse roller coaster from Cypress Gardens.
• Quassy getting a lot of press for Wooden Warrior. The dynamics of those Timberliner trains probably contribute to the awesomeness.
• Man without legs ejected from Ride of Steel at Darien Lake, died. Lots of questions about why he was allowed to ride something that restrains by the legs.
• Coasting For Kids 2011 is go at Cedar Fair parks! Help us raise money for Give Kids The World. Register or donate today!
• The Fall Affair at Holiday World will be September 17, 2011. Also, BooBuzz is Friday, October 7. Get the details!
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz. You can also like us on Facebook.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

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

• Ferris Wheel mania hits Las Vegas. What audience is Vegas after these days?
• SeaWorld attendance is up. Perhaps there's a halo effect from the Harry Potter stuff at Universal Orlando.
• New Jersey touts low injury rate, until girl fall to her death from Ferris wheel. No mechanical issues suspected at this point.
• Fatal mini train accident attributed to speed. Questions arise about who is at fault. Gonch relates the story to the responsibility issues around the accident in Wisconsin.
• Former Santa's Village becomes a zoo-like attraction. Mike says they went from competing with Six Flags to competing with two zoos.
• Q Funding loses a proxy fight with Cedar Fair, then asks for another special meeting but is denied. Cedar Fair says it has pissed away $3 million on stuff relating to the Q lawsuits and proxy votes.
• Cedar Point's Wildcat has a minor crash, this time at the final brakes.
• Universal Orlando is totally Comcastic! NBC-Universal buys up Blackstone's half of the resort.
• Six Flags America to retire Skull Mountain. Jeff recalls a story there. Despite some scary news stories over the years, the park's coaster package is somewhat underrated.
• Dorney Park snaps up some new land. That park has awesome walk-ons when it's hot and everyone is in the water park.
• Dallas beats Miami, Jeff launches into a Lebron slam.
• Cedar Fair's CFO quits. Jeff saw it as a retention problem, but Carrie suggests that perhaps he just didn't see any upward mobility without going elsewhere.
• Microsoft previews Kinect Disneyland Adventures for Xbox. Jeff doesn't quite get it, but Mike's princess girls totally do.
• Water parks: Small kids and their dads.
• Jeff took his family to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington, had a good time. It's a fairly solid value, though the food selections need help.
• Coasting For Kids 2011 is go at Cedar Fair parks! Help us raise money for Give Kids The World. Register or donate today!
• The Fall Affair at Holiday World will be September 17, 2011... save the date! Also, BooBuzz is Friday, October 7.
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz. You can also like us on Facebook.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

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

• It has been awhile. Not everyone is feeling it.
• Jeff says Q Funding and their lawsuits against Cedar Fair is like that guy who always complains at city council meetings about stuff that he has nothing to do with.
• Meanwhile, the testimony of Dick Kinzel and Jack Falfas shows that Falfas didn't resign, and wasn't fired. We find it unbelievable that adults act like this, in a public company, and that the board does nothing about it.
• Kentucky Kingdom next year? The mayor wants to issue bonds to help finance the reopening, but has anyone asked if the park even has a future?
• Comcast says it will decide if it wants to buy Blackstone's stake in Universal Orlando. Why would they not?
• Six Flags planning to split stock, and pay a dividend. Current market cap is over $2 billion. That seems a bit high.
• I-Walk trademark suit. Isn't that Steve Jobs' walk? It's a stupid name.
• American Eagle turns 30 at Six Flags Great America.
• Speaking of, a guy showed up at the park packing heat, and he was arrested because you can't conceal-carry in Illinois. Someone commented he was a thug.
• We could do a podcast about stupid people. Or politics.
• Blackpool doesn't allow outside food. Gasp! Stilly British press.
• Gonch enjoys perks, even warm tap water. American Express has a lounge at Universal Studios Florida. Who spends time in the airport "presidential club" stuff?
• Disney attendance is up, but room bookings down slightly. We're surprised, because they seemed to have always kept the price at right point to keep the rooms full.
• Mike is headed to Disneyland this summer. Jeff is going to wait until next year, when California Adventure is "done." Little Mermaid dark ride is regularly featured on the Disney Parks Blog.
• Gonch's secret to getting kids used to theme parks: Start taking them early and often.
• Universal Orlando CityWalk is building a mini-golf, and Jeff is excited.
• Please get your club memberships in right away for the June events!
• The Fall Affair at Holiday World will be September 17, 2011... save the date!
• You can get the latest headlines on CoasterBuzz from the Twitter. Follow us @coasterbuzz. You can also like us on Facebook.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.