Cedar Fair turning into Six Flags?
Cedar Point: With the addition of the exact same ride (Windseeker) and four of their parks, and Planet Snoopy now at all the parks. Is Cedar Fair turning into Six Flags in a sense?
It sure seems like it is to me. I enjoy going to different Cedar Fair parks, but lately the same ride(s) has/have been added to all or most of the parks. I would much rather see a variation of rides.
^Alex, if Cedar Fair is turning into Six Flags because of cloning attractions, then Universal and Disney is in the same boat (Disney more so than even Six Flags!). There is no problem with copying a ride that is popular (which windseeker will certainly be).
Do you consider SIX FLAGS a Theme Park Company? THe parks have no theme! For me it is an amusement park, but not a Theme Park. Their target is the population that lives near each park. They are regional parks.
Some Cedar Fair parks have a theme, others not. The ones with no theme will become similar to each other. That is not the end of the world, since they don't atract visitors from all over the contry, or the globe.
From David L.
Posted September 1, 2010 at 1:28 PM
Who said Cedar Fair Was better than SixFLags? It really depends on the park. Some parks in both companies have good themed areas. Others are horrible. I honestly haven't been to a cedarfair park but some of them look really fun(CedarPoint, KingsIsland, Knotts) and others look Like a large county fair(Dorney, CA's Great America, Vallyfair). Sixflags has some amazing parks(Magic Mountain, Great Adventure, Over Georgia, Great America, Over Texas) and some others less so(Kentuky Kingdom...what's going on here? St.Louis, America, Great Escape). I see Sixflags having more, And BETTER themed attractions. Look at Terminator Salvation, Dark Knight Ride(Hey, It's better than some of Cedar Fair's attmeps), Batman, Bugs Bunny's World/sea/whatever, Monster Mansion, Glow-in-the-Park Parade, and more. I think Sixflags is better than Cedar Fair IN GENERAL. Cedar Does seem to have some amazing rides but Sixflags seems to beat them.
This is very true. I had season passes to Six Flags one summer and had a horrible experience. Although most of the rides were good, they constantly broke down. I only rode Batwing ONCE that year, even when I had a season pass. Prices were ridiculous, even for a theme park, and THAT'S saying something. Kings Dominion is a Cedar Fair theme park I visit frequently. In recent years, it has gone downhill in maintenance, quality, and park value. Now, this park used to be owned by Paramount, under whose management succeeded to be a great park with exceptional value. Since, Cedar Fair bought this park, it's downhill slope is obvious. So, I certainly notice that Cedar Fair is becoming like Six Flags quality wise.
From steve lee
Posted September 1, 2010 at 2:39 PM
Whoa, now, Benjamin. You mention riding Batwing, which makes it sound like the Six Flags park you're basing your opinion on is Six Flags America.
While I'm not about to claim that all the other Six Flags parks are amazing, Six Flags America is a notoriously horrible park. Judging the whole chain based on that would be like judging Disney solely based on California Adventure (I know, it's not THAT bad, but it's certainly not considered the best Disney park around).
Hey Flavio (a few posts up) have you ever been to a Six Flags? They have theming all over the place!
From Bob Miller
Posted September 1, 2010 at 5:45 PM
I don't know about the other parks but SFGAm doesn't put rides in the right themed areas. Southwest Territory and Mardi Gras are well done but those were added after the park opened. A perfect example is they put Buccanner Battle a pirate themed ride in County Fair instead of Yankee Harbor. There probably wasn't room but what they needed to do is give it some type of classical theme to fit the area.
BTW im not complaining rides are rides an i don't care where in the pak they are but im just saying SFGAm should think about this
Nick, I have been to Six Flags parks in LA, Texas (long time ago) and Montreal. The atractions have theme (not all), but not the hole park. And as stated above the "lands" theme some time don't macht the atractions theme.
You can't answer the question "what this park is about?".
I have been to 3 Cedar Fair parks (Michigan's Adventure, Cedar Point and King's Island) and 4 Six Flag parks. (Great America, Magic Mountain, Over Georgia and the one in Vallejo) So I think I can fairly critique Cedar Fair vs Six Flags.
I would consider neither THEME parks, but put them in the Amusement park category. I don't go to any of these parks for the scenery, shows, etc. I go for the rides!
Yes, Cedar Fair is starting to put clones in their parks, BUT there will always be clones. I mean look at Gemini in CP. When it debuted in 1978 it was the tallest fastest coaster in the world. And it was a dueling coaster. Now go to any Six Flag park and you will a dueling wooden roller coaster. I don't know the dates of the dueling woodies at SF, but at some point someone had to be first and the others had to copy.
When you have so many parks like SF and CF do it's much easier to find a good ride and put it in a few parks then spend the time and money to find a different ride for each park. There are the die hards out there that will hit up every park during the summer, but usually people don't and copying a cool ride and putting it in different regional parks makes sense to me.
I love both sets of parks and really if you want CF at it's best you have to go to Cedar Point. I think the staff is generally friendly at CF parks over SF.(Although the park in Vallejo had really great staff!!) The food is about the same. The water parks are all awesome (except for Soak City at CP). SF does have a bit more themeing then the
the CF parks I have been too, but for me that's not a deal breaker. If want themeing I will go to Orlando.
So no, I don't think CF is turning into SF. I think all parks copy and paste rides and I think overall the rides and staff are better at CF parks.
^Becky, if you have been to SFMM within the last couple years, I am amazed you don't consider it a theme park.
The Gotham City area is very themed, Batman and Riddler having some nice theming. X2 is also very themed and has some great effects. Terminator Salvation is EXTREMLY themed and is one of my more favorite themed attractions alongside Universal AND Disney! And rumored to occur, Superman: Escape will be redone to go the full 100 mph, run one side backwards, and be redone to the Bizarro theme has the coasters in SFGAdv and SFNE have been refurbed.
Six Flags has done well.
As for Cedar Fair, I've only visited Knott's, which is also a very nicely themed park.
You guys do understand theming does not always have to be Disney level right and that Disney is just overachieving (in a good way)?
I visited MM in spring of 09 weeks before Terminator Salvation opened. :-( Yes, the park is at times very themed, but then are parts that are just nice tree lined walks. I personally like both.
CP has one themed area would say. In the back of the park, it's got a wild west feel with the themed rides and some older looking buildings. It's nice, but for most of the park the theme is just roller coasters.
I guess when I think "theme" park I think of Disney and Universal. Total immersion. But I have to agree that CF and SF can be considered theme parks because they do have themeing.
I really really want to go back to MM. Such a great park!
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