[SeasonDiningPlan]

The Periscope stream deducted almost immediately that the music and the "brainssss" comes from Plants vs. Zombies. I think we just found out the theme for a new shooting dark ride? Interesting concept.

Edit: Ninja'd. ^

Idk but I'm beyond disappointed right now......... Can't believe thunder road is gone for that. Edit and I know this isn't all the space... The rides look underwhelming to me.

No new triotech dark rides are being installed for 2016. I wouldn't be suprised if the two remaining racing coasters in the cedar fair chain get the axe soon as not only does cedar fair seem to have a vendetta against standup coasters but now wooden racing coasters as well. They must have bought those waterslides in bulk since KD got the same boring slides this year and KI is getting them next season as well.

Glad you think they're boring too.

You know why there's only a few of us on here voicing our opinion about the park expansion being less than stellar? Because the people who cared about Thunder Road and then realized it was being replaced with a 3rd wave pool already stopped visiting this site.

They're voting with their wallets and not coming back for 2016 season passes and unless something else unveils its self for a dark ride or a new roller coaster (To fill the 48'' height gap TR has left) then we won't be coming back either. You remember all the nice folks over at #SaveThunderRoad who were really angry about their favorite coaster being destroyed. Yep it got 6000 signatures on the petition.

Now where do you think those 6000 people are? They're certainly not on this forum. Most of them are going to spend money elsewhere and not be returning to Cedar fair parks anytime soon.

[Edwardo]

So when the park announces that they've had another great year with higher attendance and season pass sales next year as I'm sure they will, what will you have to say?

[SeasonDiningPlan]

So when the park announces that they've had another great year with higher attendance and season pass sales next year as I'm sure they will, what will you have to say?

Well Edwardo considering they're only making 60 million in the 2nd quarter of 2015 (Source) and are in heavy debt. Near 2 billion dollars and continually spending on the park. They've already considered selling the company into a merger in 2009 because of this.

I would say that park attendance records don't really mean jack diddily. Also consider that the rise was only 3% reported according to that article.. That isn't much lol!

I would be more worried about all the debt they keep amassing with profits being so low.

So yeah. This doesn't impress me very much.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

Had a great time at the announcement! Everything looked good to me, not a big fan of body slides anymore but i may ride these, i dont know. The new show for next year seems to be really good, 30 min seems short though but i guess thats about right... Cant wait to see what else is in store and i will be following construction all winter for sure. I got some video of the announcement i will post later on, sure theres already plenty out there though.

Are you really excited about new shows?
All I can remember is that repetitive country show they did in harmony hall where the guys on stage look nothing like country singers (My sister-in law agreed with me and they were the same actors from the old shows near Hurler)

Every time we would be in there eating our season dining plan meals, that loud and deafening music would be playing so we couldn't hold a conversation. It might be fun the first time you heard it but after the 50th time it got real old.

Shows to me at Carowinds are just singing. If its anything other than singing I might be actually impressed.
We will see what announcements come in October but until then I'm not holding my breath.

If you watched the announcement, they have a preview of the show, its not singing... I usually dont go to shows but this actually looked pretty decent and my kids will lile it too.

[FamousAmos]

I really appreciate everyone's personal opinions. I am not a moderator, nor do I intend to be. Saying that the park will fail or go bankrupt is just not appropriate for anyone. Especially if you DO NOT work for the park. (notice that I said WORK for them). The park cannot release all of their financial information to the public. According to Cedar Fair, they are not allowed to do so, nor can they even release full (or accurate) attendance records for the season. They are just not permitted to do so right now. Yes, we do have information regarding this, but it is not their full information (believe it or not, Mike explained it to me). I'm not speaking out of my a$$ here. The park just cannot release the full information. If you don't work for them, if you don't know how to manage a park, if all you want to do is speak badly for them, then why continue to do it? Especially when every other post is demeaning to the park. In all honesty, it is kinda self-degrading in a way. Not for me, but for you. If you're not careful, you can make yourself look bad. The park is obviously not failing, and will never fail. I am with Edwardo on this one.

I have been ignoring ^^your posts, SeasonDining. And this is the only one of your posts I will comment on.
So I will just continue to ignore your posts, (or just hide them from my sight )

Anyway, carry on! Have a great day everyone

[JWitter]

I swear you cant please everybody. Smh. I dont know why peaople expect to get some high thrill ride every year when there are multi demographics to address in the park. Everybody are not thrill junkies a park gets a high thrill ride one year more than likely the next year would be a kids or waterpark expansion. In this case waterpark that stretches to all demographics from infants to seniors. Great job Carowinds. Who said that they were replacing Thunder Road next year? Not a soul. Maybe in 2017 or 2018. Chill. Dont like dont come. Simple.

Am I the only one excited about the Harbor House Restaurant? Lol Got my meal plan I'm ready. Seafood freak here.

Cant wait for October now.

I wonder where near the front gate is this nice Starbucks going to be. What building is leaving? Are they slowly going ot phase out the Deco style buildings? Ugh so many question. I'm so geeked. lol

I asked someone there about the Starbucks location, he said it was going to be across from the photo booth near the front, on the South Carolina side, where the Cinnabon currently is and where that ice cream shop was. At least that is what the guy told me when I asked.

[carolinaman]

My wife was on WSOC yesterday. She didn't tell me and I was looking online and seen it, When I asked her about she just laughed and said she was wondering how long it would be till I seen it. I was on Intimidator at the time.

[Littlegiles]

Does anyone have a good pic of the rendering that labels all the new stuff. Might be nice to have one in the thread that we can refer to with questions and comments. I know there was some talk about where the bar was located (cough cough....very important) as well as some other "location" comments.

I tried to take a good pic but that poster they had outside had too much light behind it for me and I couldn't get a good photo.

[Jonathan]

So when the park announces that they've had another great year with higher attendance and season pass sales next year as I'm sure they will, what will you have to say?

Well Edwardo considering they're only making 60 million in the 2nd quarter of 2015 (Source) and are in heavy debt. Near 2 billion dollars and continually spending on the park. They've already considered selling the company into a merger in 2009 because of this.

I would say that park attendance records don't really mean jack diddily. Also consider that the rise was only 3% reported according to that article.. That isn't much lol!

I would be more worried about all the debt they keep amassing with profits being so low.

So yeah. This doesn't impress me very much.

Give it a rest. You've made your points and it seems like now you're just posting now to get a rise out of people. For someone who isn't coming back and thinks the park is going out of business you sure do dedicate a lot of your time to discussing it on here.

No new triotech dark rides are being installed for 2016. I wouldn't be suprised if the two remaining racing coasters in the cedar fair chain get the axe soon as not only does cedar fair seem to have a vendetta against standup coasters but now wooden racing coasters as well. They must have bought those waterslides in bulk since KD got the same boring slides this year and KI is getting them next season as well.

I don't think so. It's been made clear on here multiple times (including from a pretty official source) that Thunder Road would have necessitated extraordinarily costly repairs (including total reconstruction of the lift) to keep it operating. This is not a normal circumstance for a wooden coaster and I highly doubt Rebel Yell or Racer have similar problems. Something seems to have gone horribly wrong with Thunder Road and whether it was flawed from the very beginning or allowed to deteriorate under Paramount or Cedar Fair is anyone's guess, but I really do think it's a unique circumstance.

As for stand ups... people just don't like them. They are painful to ride and that is something noted by everyone not just coaster enthusiasts. There's a reason why there were never that many of them built to begin with.

[Jarsh]

Here ya go!

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[Littlegiles]

^ Thanks Jarsh....now what was that bar called? Just kidding.

Ok Josh, now you need to take the rendering and the site plan and label all the new stuff so it is easy for everyone to look at and understand. I think if you have it done by 3pm today that would be cool. Thanks.

[uscbandfan]

It amazes me how SOME people can not post anything without it being negative. Am I disappointed about TR.. ABSOLUTELY. But guys. check this out...

Bigger waterpark = more guests. More guests = more income. More income = more $20 million rides in the future.

Also, more guests in water park = need for more slides (regardless if they're the same) In fact, it's probably a good thing to have a few of the same types of slides around the water park to help diffuse the lines. If you visited Carowinds this summer, you saw as I did that the water park was PACKED. Heck yes, lets expand that and give those people a place to spread out... add a few more attractions to pull in new comers.

New theater attraction... YES!!! Been wanting that for years!!!! Will be a WELCOME break from the heat. Hopefully, they'll change up the show every year or two to keep it fresh.

New exit.... HECK YEAH! They've needed that for years too. Same with the new water park entrance. I wont have to worry about carrying my clothes and towels a half-mile through the park now.

I think they know what they're doing. I'm excited. I don't know if I will renew my season pass for next year but it WONT be because of what they added or didn't add. It will be because of how many times I plan to visit the park. 2 or more then I will get the pass. If I'm only gonna make it there once, it doesn't financially make sense to do so.

You go Carowinds! I can't wait for what's next and can't wait to see what this park looks like a decade from now.

[RollerBee]

I believe Thunder Road's problems began when they stripped the paint off, and based on information read here. It was a lack of proper maintenance by the park. Stripping the paint allowed moisture to get into the wood, Carowinds even said they had just recently started watersealing the structure. Watersealing the structure should have been going on as they striped the paint off and been done on a regular basis and as new was added to the structure.

[arby]

While I want this part of the topic to die, I do feel the need to point out the positive aspects with some factual data.

The former Dick Kinzel entourage did consider selling the park in 2009. They are also the ones who did overpay for Paramount parks. Why did they do that? Because they saw the big potential in growing Cedar Fair in the long term.

Since 2009, Mr. Kinzel retired and the board of directors looked outward to find a solid CEO to run the company and move it forward. They brought in Matt Ouimet who had experience in areas they were lacking, mainly targeting families of all ages and not just thrill seekers. Looking at the big players out there, that is really what draws in the crowds and money.

Since Mr. Ouimet took over, they have restructured their debt several times and now have it under control. They do have a plan to pay it down and are using proven business tactics to do so. While their growth has been relatively slow and steady, they know that because in order to get to the next level they have to pay out more than normal just to get the key Cedar Fair parks up to snuff. That in turn should continue to increase their revenue and allow them to pay off the debt sooner.

If you look at their debt and say they are bankrupt, the same probably goes for most of us here, since not many of us are able to pay cash for our houses and cars. We owe more than we make in a year but work hard at our jobs in order pay our monthly debt payments and focus on removing the debt all together, not considering ourselves bankrupt. Mr. Ouimet keeps mentioning focusing on investments with a high ROI (return on investment) and I think they are doing good in that perspective.

The stock market keeps an eye on these things much closer than we do. So instead of focusing on everything in the picture left of the red line, I focus on the big positive that is indicated on the right of the red line, which is more the present and less the distant past.

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[Edwardo]

Well Edwardo considering they're only making 60 million in the 2nd quarter of 2015 (Source)

From the article you linked to: "In the year’s second quarter, Cedar Fair reported Tuesday that it had revenues of $377.4 million, up from $363 million in the same period last year. Profit rose to $57.6 million from $43.9 million last year."

You do realize that they had revenue of $377million? And that they use revenue to pay bills and debt and purchase stuff, right? You know what revenue is, right? Profit of $57mill is great, and up $14 million over the same period.

...and are in heavy debt.

No, they really aren't.

Near 2 billion dollars

You do know it is a positive for large companies to have debt, right? Having and correctly managing debt, like the company is doing is good for them, and shows lenders that they're good for paying debt. You don't pay off all of your debt at once.

...and continually spending on the park.

Because that is what you do for a business like this. They aren't going into debt, they're paying down debt and making a PROFIT. Profit is the goal. And they're profiting. So your arguments are invalid.

They've already considered selling the company into a merger in 2009 because of this.

They weren't 'selling the company into a merger'. They tried to sell a profitable company to an investment firm. And the person trying to sell was the CEO, President, and Chairman of the board (Yes, one person was all of that), and was retiring, so he was trying to cash out. The sell didn't go thru because the company was worth way more than asking price.

I would say that park attendance records don't really mean jack diddily.

And you don't run a multimillion dollar company, so it doesn't matter. But what does matter is revenue was up, as was profit and cash flow is good. So all of your doom and gloom amounts to nothing.

Also consider that the rise was only 3% reported according to that article.. That isn't much lol!

And yet it's better than a loss...

I would be more worried about all the debt they keep amassing with profits being so low.

They aren't amassing debt, and the article didn't say that at all. They're paying down debt, as they have been. Quarterly payouts, IIRC, have been up for investors, and they're steadily increasing their profit every quarter. That's called a stable business.

So yeah. This doesn't impress me very much.

You probably aren't the person they're trying to impress. I think Jonathan hit the nail on the head, but you REALLY don't understand how big businesses work.

P.S. What arby said.