(Sorry, the link may be paywall for some) The Wall Street Journal is not only reporting that the two park chains are potentially merging but are stating that the deal could go through as early as this week. Not sure how anyone else feels about this but I think this could really hurt the consumer… sure, everyone wants to think about a unified season pass but the cost to the consumer would likely skyrocket and we’d see less competition which would likely mean even less major rides being built.
From the article: “An agreement could be finalized as soon as this week assuming there is no last-minute snag, according to people familiar with the matter. Cedar Fair is scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday morning.”
Not really excited to hear this, thinking cedar fair already seems stretched thin with their current collection of parks and development levels are down (while increasing prices ugh), but six flags can’t seem to find employees to clean the bathrooms… And of course any org this large will get full attention and priority from coaster manufacturers which could disrupt innovation.
This may be an opportunity for smaller parks that can capitalize and provide a better overall experience and value, I think we’re about to see a lot of park consolation.
My biggest hope is that this gives independent parks a boost. They are the soul of this industry and I honestly think they are the parks that pressure the chains to care about their experience at all.