Should Disney acquire a large theme park chain?

I was there a couple of years ago and I loved the park. They have some really good coasters. Mystic Timbers is a great coaster and looking forward to Orion next year. After Cedar Point, King's Island is the 2nd best park in the chain.

What has changed that you don't like?
Honestly I loved it when paramount had it, they had some awesome promos and I met star trek characters as walk arounds which was just instant love. But with Cedar Fair I loathe that they let the scooby ride fall into disrepair, they brought in that dino trail but then charged extra for it... then removed it, since they took over they've nixed a lot of stage shows and really all they've added has been coasters. I don't do coasters so every time I go it seems there's less and less for me to do. Some of the arcades also could do with a nice update and some new cabinets.

With the ticket prices I priced it out for the husband and I and it wasn't worth it when we can just go to a fair. I have to hit the Cincinnati zoo for my blue ice cream fix XD I can see why coaster fans would be thrilled about the park though, especially with that new one they announced.
 
I really hope Disney never buys Six Flags. No, Six Flags Atlanta is no where near Disney when it comes to theming and customer service but they do have a ton of rides and it's not expensive to go. If Disney were to buy it they would close down half the rides, shorten the hours, add ticketed events and raise the price.
 
shorten the hours, add ticketed events and raise the price
Sad but true that this is a lot of what Disney World has become. At the regional parks like Six Flags and Hershey, regular park admission includes special events like their Halloween and Christmas activities. Heck, right now we can buy Six Flags 2020 season passes for $72 and they include this year's holiday events plus all of the regular next season including the holiday events. You can't do one day at WDW for that price. And they include parking. Go to WDW for 3 days and you'll pay more than that for parking alone. In no way are they similar experiences but the prices are radically different.
 
Honestly I loved it when paramount had it, they had some awesome promos and I met star trek characters as walk arounds which was just instant love. But with Cedar Fair I loathe that they let the scooby ride fall into disrepair, they brought in that dino trail but then charged extra for it... then removed it, since they took over they've nixed a lot of stage shows and really all they've added has been coasters. I don't do coasters so every time I go it seems there's less and less for me to do. Some of the arcades also could do with a nice update and some new cabinets.

With the ticket prices I priced it out for the husband and I and it wasn't worth it when we can just go to a fair. I have to hit the Cincinnati zoo for my blue ice cream fix XD I can see why coaster fans would be thrilled about the park though, especially with that new one they announced.

Cedar Fair has never been good with dark rides. The best dark ride they have is Mystic Timbers. The shed at the end is well done. Its too bad you don't do coasters as you are missing out on some really good rides especially at night. Their Christmas themed event seems to well done. Have you ever checked that out? Or the Halloween Haunt?
 


Cedar Fair has never been good with dark rides. The best dark ride they have is Mystic Timbers. The shed at the end is well done. Its too bad you don't do coasters as you are missing out on some really good rides especially at night. Their Christmas themed event seems to well done. Have you ever checked that out? Or the Halloween Haunt?

I don't really celebrate Xmas so much as tolerate it XD, and the Halloween Haunt as you can guess from the coaster thing I'm a chicken. We spring for the Disney trips because I can ride so much but the most adventurous thing I've ever been on was Flight of Passage (Loved it! So this next trip I'm trying Soarin and Smuggler's Run! Hoping I can handle them. :D)
I used to go to KI a lot and just ride the carnival rides and kiddy stuff while my hubs rode the coasters with my brother in law. But about two years ago he seemed to get really sick after every coaster. Just something that happened as he's aged. Doesn't matter how tame. He's debating on riding Slinky dog on our trip without me. I told him if he gets sick we'll just sit in AC in muppetvision until he feels better XD
 
It would devalue the Disney corporate branding.

This would be my concern. Disney micromanages to an extreme degree to provide a quality product. I can't imagine them taking over a national chain of small theme parks and maintaining that.

I went to a local 6 flags recently, and all I kept thinking was how Disney ruined this for me. You can feel the level of apathy, at least at my local Six Flags: peeling paint, old rides with low capacity, spills going uncleaned, one money grab after enough, rude staff, and low quality food. To prevent that culture Disney would need to be deeply involved with each and every park. I just don't see how feasible that is.

Also, it would ruin the specialness of Disney.
 
Isn't Dragster the same ride as Kingda Ka at Great Adventure? I was actually disappointed with that because it's basically just the launch, the climb and drop, and back to the station. I'd like it a lot better if there was more to the track than that, maybe some loops or corkscrews or something. It's not worth waiting in line for.

Kingda Ka didn't do much for me, but I like your thinking. Perhaps someone in the U.S. will build a real competitor to Formula Rossa. A coaster that requires safety goggles gets my attention.
 


This would be my concern. Disney micromanages to an extreme degree to provide a quality product. I can't imagine them taking over a national chain of small theme parks and maintaining that.

I went to a local 6 flags recently, and all I kept thinking was how Disney ruined this for me. You can feel the level of apathy, at least at my local Six Flags: peeling paint, old rides with low capacity, spills going uncleaned, one money grab after enough, rude staff, and low quality food. To prevent that culture Disney would need to be deeply involved with each and every park. I just don't see how feasible that is.

Also, it would ruin the specialness of Disney.

Most Six Flags parks have that issue. The Cedar Fair parks are run much better. I would love Disney much more if they put in more intense rides and rollercoasters. I would love a coaster with 200 foot 90 degree drop with multiple inversions. Not every ride has to family friendly.
 
Isn't Dragster the same ride as Kingda Ka at Great Adventure? I was actually disappointed with that because it's basically just the launch, the climb and drop, and back to the station. I'd like it a lot better if there was more to the track than that, maybe some loops or corkscrews or something. It's not worth waiting in line for.
Kingda Ka is taller (456 feet) and faster (128 mph).
 
I would love Disney much more if they put in more intense rides and rollercoasters.
Not every ride has to family friendly.
Sadly, more and more rides at Disney aren't family friendly, which goes against the whole original point of the Disney parks. There are plenty of places you can go to ride thrill rides. Disney was supposed to be a place where families could enjoy the day together.
 
Sadly, more and more rides at Disney aren't family friendly, which goes against the whole original point of the Disney parks. There are plenty of places you can go to ride thrill rides. Disney was supposed to be a place where families could enjoy the day together.

Not all rides have to family friendly. Most of MK is family rides. Its good to see them trying to appeal to an older crowd that likes more thrilling rides. I think they are adding more thrilling rides to compete with Universal and Sea World.
 
I like the idea. My local park is the original Six Flags and the company that owns it now is a complete joke and had really neglected the park. I can see this as a fantastic place for all the Fox IP. While I enjoy Pandora and Galaxy's Edge its just not Disney to me even if owned by them. To me Disney is animation or Family movies without a lot of human violence.
 
While I enjoy Pandora and Galaxy's Edge its just not Disney to me even if owned by them. To me Disney is animation or Family movies without a lot of human violence.
I've been saying all along that just because Disney bought LucasFilm, that doesn't make Darth Vader a Disney character.
 
I've been saying all along that just because Disney bought LucasFilm, that doesn't make Darth Vader a Disney character.

Try doing the mental gymnastics when people say all the Marvel charas are Disney now. Okay, it may work for like Spiderman, but if your favorite Marvel character was The Punisher, or Ghost Rider, or Morbius? It just... my brain shorts out. The only upside is that Deadpool is totally a Disney princess now.
 
I don't really celebrate Xmas so much as tolerate it XD, and the Halloween Haunt as you can guess from the coaster thing I'm a chicken. We spring for the Disney trips because I can ride so much but the most adventurous thing I've ever been on was Flight of Passage (Loved it! So this next trip I'm trying Soarin and Smuggler's Run! Hoping I can handle them. :D)

Those are no more intense than Flight of Passage, you'll be fine ;)
 
The only chain I could see that has near enough quality would be Busch Gardens (Tampa and Williamsburg). They are a distant second to Disney of the parks I've visited. Six Flags is much too far off quality-wise and would have to be re-built from the ground up. Love Cedar Fair, especially Cedar Point but not much themeing there either. Could be an individual park like Hersheypark or Dollywood would work.

All that said...
No - can't see it ever happening. Of course, I don't think Marvel is a good fit either but Disney is shoe-horning that in wherever they can.
 
I wouldn't see it happening ... personally I believe it would tarnish the brand and overall experience.

As a buy-side analyst, I would not be able to recommend such an acquisition, partnership or merger. DisneyParks domestically are experiences families save on average of $2-$5k to visit once every few years. While the theory of such an acquisition outside of the core markets of CA and FL make sense, they would over time deteriorate revenue and income potential associated with WDW/DL. Additionally, the amount of investment Disney would need to put into a Six Flags or Busch Gardens to bring them to Disney Standards would dwarf the segments balance sheet, leaving little opportunity to invest in the futures of WDW and DL.

It is already clear that Disney is already struggling to get people into its parks this year and that view is driven primarily by consumer sentiment surrounding the economy and the upcoming presidential election. Many try to state the decline is driven in part by Galaxy's Edge or WDW's 50th anniversary next year... but let's call a spade a spade... and that is that many are afraid of a potential recession. Should an acquisition of that magnitude occur in tandem with a recession... we could be harkening back to the 'sad sad times' pre-Eisner... making Disney ripe for a hostile take over.

These are just my thoughts for what they are worth.
 
There are reports today that Six Flags is looking to buy Cedar Fair.

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Now it looks like it's going to be a merger between the 2 companies. It would be great if it ends up Cedar Fair owns all of the parks. They do a much better job of taking care of their parks. Their season pass price I think is much better in it prices out teens.
 

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