Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Receives Top Honors in Annual Poll

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Sept. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to its roller coasters, attractions, nighttime entertainment and excellent guest services, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company® (NYSE: FUN) has earned three top honors from Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards. Cedar Point® amusement park/resort won "Best Amusement Park in the World" and "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World," and for the 12^th year running, Kings Island® amusement park received recognition for the "Best Kids' Area."

"It's an honor to receive these Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today," stated Matt Ouimet, Cedar Fair's president and chief executive officer. "We're constantly looking for the latest in cutting-edge thrills and ways to connect families and friends. Each award is a testament to the dedication, heart and spirit of the Cedar Fair staff and its parks."

Cedar Point, the Golden Ticket Award winner for "Best Amusement Park in the World" for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years, earned a second Golden Ticket Award as its Millennium Force® roller coaster was voted the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World." In fact, Cedar Point dominated the category as four of the world's top 21 coasters reside at Cedar Point, continuing the park's legacy for being known as the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World." Cedar Point fans will have more to look forward to in 2013 with the recent announcement of GateKeeper, a new world-record-breaking roller coaster set to debut next year.

Cedar Fair roller coasters earned eight of the top 22 spots in the "Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters in the World" category:

1. Millennium Force® at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

7. Intimidator™ at Carowinds® (Charlotte, North Carolina)

10. Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

12. Intimidator 305™ at Kings Dominion® (Doswell, Virginia)

13. Top Thrill Dragster® at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

17. Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Canada)

21. Maverick® at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

22. Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Canada)

The towering new Leviathan – the largest and fastest coaster in Canada - also earned a third place finish in the "Best New Ride" category for Canada's Wonderland.

Four Cedar Fair wooden coasters were voted into the "Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World" category, with The Beast® from Kings Island at No. 7, Shivering Timbers® at Michigan's Adventure® at No. 9, Prowler® at Worlds of Fun® at No. 13 and GhostRider® at Knott's Berry Farm at No. 23.

Cedar Fair's Kings Island® amusement park in Mason, Ohio, home of the "Best Kids' Area," boasts an elaborate collection of PEANUTS-themed rides and attractions for every age, including more kids' roller coasters than any other amusement park in the world inside its Planet Snoopy.

Knott's Berry Farm's legendary Halloween Haunt placed second in the "Best Halloween Event" and Gilroy Gardens also placed second in the "Best Landscaping" award category.

About the Golden Ticket Awards

This is the 15^th year for the prestigious Golden Ticket Awards, which are presented annually to the "best of the best" in the industry, and are calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, an Arlington, Texas-based publication that covers amusement and water park news and trends. 

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio.  The Company, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world.  Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario.  Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract.  Cedar Fair's flagship park, Cedar Point, has been consistently voted the "Best Amusement Park in the World" in a prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper. 

This news release and prior releases are available online at www.cedarfair.com.

Contact: Bryan Edwards (419) 627-2220

SOURCE Cedar Fair Entertainment Company