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Cedar Point should be much higher, and the Disney World parks should be consolidated. So should the Disneyland parks. (It's not like the Disney parks aren't way out in front to begin with.)
I can't fathom why Busch Gardens or Canada's Wonderland would be above Cedar Point, and I tend to think the Sea Worlds should be below it as well, though it's kind of hard to say since they're vastly different attractions.
I grew up going to Kings Island all the time (which is in Kings Mill, OH; not Kings Island, OH, which doesn't exist AFAIK). I think its place is basically appropriate. It's a good park, but it's not as elite as Cedar Point (though these rankings oddly have them about equal). I've been to a lot of parks around the country, and Cedar Point is the absolute best for rollercoasters, period.
Hardly the "top 20 amusement/theme parks in North America." These aren't necessarily the best ones, they're just the ones the most people visit. I think we can all agree that Detroit is not a better city than Denver just because more people live there.
Two things that are worth remembering here. First, remember that many MANY people visit more than one Disney/Universal property in a day. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios are all part of Disney World. Disneyland and California Adventure are adjacent, as are Islands of Adventure and Universal Orlando. In many ways these groups of properties act as individual parks.
Second, remember that 13 of the top 14 parks listed here are not seasonal, and therefore have as many as five extra months every year to bring in guests.
Yes, there are a lot of Orlando and SoCal parks here, but OF COURSE there are, we all know already that California and Florida are huge tourist destinations with warm weather year-round. What's much more interesting to look at are the seasonal parks that make the list. Canada's Wonderland pulls in half the population of the Greater Toronto Area every year - that's incredible for a seasonal park.
Seasonal or not, attendance is attendance. San Diego County Fair goes for about 20 days with an attendance of 1.5 million, does that mean it would get a proportionate attendance if it went for 365 days? No. People are aware that there's a time sensitive window to attend seasonal parks, and so the ones who plan on it go accordingly. Further, the Detroit/Denver population analogy is fallacious because Detroit is a much older city with a long industrial history while Denver is a newer mountain west city. Therefore, Detroit will naturally have a larger population as a result of its past and present industry and natural population growth.
I don't care about attendence records. For me, nothing beats America's Roller Coast. Grew up near and still go back for visits to Cedar Point.
I'll take my kids to Disney so they can see their favorite characters but it will probably be a one time thing. They'll be at Cedar Point every year if I have something to say about it.
Cedar Point should be much higher, and the Disney World parks should be consolidated. So should the Disneyland parks. (It's not like the Disney parks aren't way out in front to begin with.)
I can't fathom why Busch Gardens or Canada's Wonderland would be above Cedar Point, and I tend to think the Sea Worlds should be below it as well, though it's kind of hard to say since they're vastly different attractions.
I grew up going to Kings Island all the time (which is in Kings Mill, OH; not Kings Island, OH, which doesn't exist AFAIK). I think its place is basically appropriate. It's a good park, but it's not as elite as Cedar Point (though these rankings oddly have them about equal). I've been to a lot of parks around the country, and Cedar Point is the absolute best for rollercoasters, period.
You realize these are attendance figures, not opinions right?
Cedar Point has to work extra hard because it's seasonal and not connected to a major metro area (though it's pretty close to Cleveland).
Busch Gardens Tampa does well because it's not seasonal and it's close to Orlando.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg does well because it's in a very important historic tourist area that's close to DC and because it has an amazing (and well-deserved) reputation.
SeaWorld San Diego does well because it's not seasonal and it's the only park in San Diego.
SeaWorld Orlando does well because it's not seasonal and it's in Orlando.
Canada's Wonderland does well because it's smack dab in the middle of a gigantic metro area and because Torontonians feel a major connection to it and because it's the biggest and best amusement park in Canada, which makes it a huge draw for Canadian tourists. Also, while Cedar Point still is a better park, Canada's Wonderland has the same number of roller coasters, and it's not a bad collection either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthCali4LifeSD
Seasonal or not, attendance is attendance. San Diego County Fair goes for about 20 days with an attendance of 1.5 million, does that mean it would get a proportionate attendance if it went for 365 days? No. People are aware that there's a time sensitive window to attend seasonal parks, and so the ones who plan on it go accordingly. Further, the Detroit/Denver population analogy is fallacious because Detroit is a much older city with a long industrial history while Denver is a newer mountain west city. Therefore, Detroit will naturally have a larger population as a result of its past and present industry and natural population growth.
???
I have no idea how that makes my analogy fallacious, but if you like...
As far as your point about seasonal vs. yearlong operation, I don't see how it's not obvious, I guess. No, of course there won't be as many people visiting in the winter months and of course the Disney parks would still win by a huge margin even if they were seasonal, but like your park is still going to get a big numbers boost if it doesn't have to close down for half the year. That's not an accusation or a gripe, that's math.
This is attendance. Not popularity and overall better quality of rides.
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