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Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies
Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies:
The Partnership’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the periods ended September 29, 2013 and September 30, 2012 included in this Form 10-Q report have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies described in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2012, which were included in the Form 10-K/A filed on May 10, 2013. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission). These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Form 10-K/A referred to above.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Expenditures made to maintain such assets in their original operating condition are expensed as incurred, and improvements and upgrades are generally capitalized. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The unit method is used for all individual assets.
Change in Depreciation Method
Effective January 1, 2013, the Partnership changed its method of depreciation for the group of assets acquired as a whole in 1983, as well as for the groups of like assets of each subsequent business acquisition from the composite method to the unit method.
Historically, the Partnership had used the composite depreciation method for land improvements, buildings, rides and equipment for the group of assets acquired as a whole in 1983, as well as for the group of like assets of each subsequent business acquisition. The unit method was only used for individual assets purchased. Under the composite depreciation method, assets with similar estimated lives are grouped together and the several pools of assets are depreciated on an aggregate basis. No gain or loss is recognized on normal retirements of composite assets. Instead, the net book value of a retired asset reduces accumulated depreciation for the composite group. Unusual retirements of composite assets could result in the recognition of a gain or loss. Under the unit method of depreciation, individual assets are depreciated over their estimated useful lives, with gains and losses on all asset retirements recognized currently in income.
In order to improve comparability and enhance the level of precision associated with allocating historical cost, the Partnership had determined that it was preferable to change from the composite method of depreciation to the unit method of depreciation for all assets. The Partnership believes that pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles, changing from the composite method of depreciation to the unit method of depreciation is a change in accounting estimate that is effected by a change in accounting principle, which should be accounted for prospectively. This prospective application resulted in the discontinuance of the composite method of depreciation for all prior acquisitions with the existing net book value of each composite pool allocated to the remaining individual assets (units) in that pool with each unit assigned an appropriate remaining useful life on an individual unit basis. Assigning a useful life to each unit in the various composite pools had an insignificant effect on the weighted average useful lives of all assets that were previously accounted for under the composite method.
The change in depreciation method had an immaterial impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the quarter ended September 29, 2013. Future asset retirements could have a material impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in the periods such items occur.



New Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2013-01, “Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities,” which clarifies that ordinary trade receivables and receivables are not in the scope of Accounting Standards Update 2011-11, Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. Specifically, Update 2011-11 applies only to derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse purchase agreements, and securities borrowing and securities lending transactions that are either offset in accordance with specific criteria contained in the FASB Codification or subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement. The Partnership adopted this guidance during the first quarter of 2013 and it did not impact its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, “Comprehensive Income - Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which requires an entity to present information about significant items reclassified out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ("AOCI") by component either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or as a separate disclosure in the notes to the financial statements. We adopted this guidance during the first quarter of 2013 and it did not impact the Partnership's consolidated financial statements. The Partnership has elected to present movements out of Other Comprehensive Income ("OCI") via an additional disclosure in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-04, “Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date,” which requires an entity to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation within the scope of this guidance is fixed at the reporting date, as the sum of the following:

The amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors.
Any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors.

The guidance in this Update also requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation as other information about those obligations. The amendments in the Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013, however early adoption is permitted. The Partnership does not anticipate this guidance having a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

On July 17, 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-10 "Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Inclusion of the Fed Funds Effective Swap Rate (or Overnight Index Swap Rate) as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)". The ASU amends ASC 815 to allow entities to use the Fed Funds Effective Swap Rate, in addition to U.S. Treasury rates and LIBOR, as a benchmark interest rate in accounting for fair value and cash flow hedges in the United States. The ASU also eliminates the provision from ASC 815-20-25-6 that prohibits the use of different benchmark rates for similar hedges except in rare and justifiable circumstances. The ASU is effective prospectively for qualifying new hedging relationships entered into on or after July 17, 2013 (i.e., the ASU’s issuance date), and for hedging relationships redesignated on or after that date. The Partnership adopted this guidance in the third quarter and no material impact on its financial statements occurred.

On July 18, 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-11 "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)". The ASU provides guidance on financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit ("UTB") when a net operating loss ("NOL") carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The FASB’s objective in issuing this ASU is to eliminate diversity in practice resulting from a lack of guidance on this topic in current U.S. GAAP. Under the ASU, an entity must present a UTB, or a portion of a UTB, in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset ("DTA") for an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward except when:

An NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available as of the reporting date under the governing tax law to settle taxes that would result from the disallowance of the tax position.
The entity does not intend to use the DTA for this purpose (provided that the tax law permits a choice).

If either of these conditions exists, an entity should present a UTB in the financial statements as a liability and should not net the UTB with a DTA. New recurring disclosures are not required because the ASU does not affect the recognition or measurement of uncertain tax positions under ASC 740. The ASU’s amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2013, and interim periods within those years. The Partnership does not anticipate this guidance having a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.