Geauga Lake Discussion Thread

[robbalvey]

I have been saying for the past 4 years this would happen but no one believed us. And just like all those people who thought we were crazy when we said Cypress Gardens would never work out, and look at it now....

 

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

 

Seriously, though, this is a good business decision for CF. The rides part of GL has turned into crap hole over the past 3 years, which was precisely the reason we ended up skipping it on our TPR tour in favor for Kennywood.

 

Why give your money to a failing amusement park when you can go to a GOOD one?

 

And while the water park is "good", it does need a LOT of work and additions to really bring it up to par with some of the better water parks out there. If they got it up to even Dorney's level, that would be awesome.

 

But as for the rides part of the park, haven't we been speculating for at least 2 years where all the rides would go when it would close?

 

--Robb "Not shocked..." Alvey

[EastCoastn07]

I just don't see how Kinzel can continually say that Wildwater Kingdom is recognized as one of the finest water parks in the country. I mean, you don't have to be a avid water park enthusiast to see that Wildwater Kingdom doesn't even come close to some of the other water parks in America. Not to mention there are very few attractions as it is, so it'll be interesting to see what the park has planned for next season. But like you said Robb, the park definitely has a lot of work and additions to go before it can be compared with the likes of Schlitterbahn and Blizard Beach.

[Swoosh]

Not to mention that by disassembling the ride collection at GL and giving the rides to the other parks, the chain can bank what they would have used for capital expenditures and help pay off some of the debt that they took on by buying the PP chain. So what if most of the parks get "newused" rides next year -- they're new to that park.

 

Honestly I would not mind if Double Loop came to WOF instead of being scrapped. We are in desperate need of a sit down looper that is not a Boomerang. The Beaverland coaster would also be a nice family ride that could be added about anywhere.

 

HOWEVER, if we get NOTHING ELSE. I would really like Americana to come to WOF as our ferris wheel is pathetic.

[EastCoastn07]

I highly doubt the closing of the Geauga Lake rides side is going to help Cedar Fair get out of over a billion dollars in debt. It might be a start (a small one at that), but I doubt they'll get more than 100 million for the land if indeed they sell all the land. I was looking at the property assessment of the land the ride side sits on, and the declared value of the land is only $30-40 million or so, and yeah they're going to be saving some money on operating costs as well, but in the end, I really don't see the closing of Geauga Lake being the solution to Cedar Fair's financial problems.

[scruffy]

I was told last year that Geauga Lake ride side was going to close down and a coaster was going to be sent down to Kings Island. I was asked not to post this online. But seeing as this has all happened I guess its okay to say I know this was going happened.

 

Sorry I could not have posted this sooner. I did not want anyone to get fired.

[Goliath513]

It sounds like this will be for the best, especially considering that Cedar Point is just down the road. This way Cedar Fair can concentrate their money to their stronghold of Ohio. Besides, with the removal of X Flight and Steel Venom, I only saw a dark future for the park. As long most of the remaining coasters and rides don't end up as scrap like with SFAW, this change will be for the better.

 

-Sam

[texasgiantrules]

Question: How moveable is Double Loop?

[coasterdude5]

I hope Gilroy Gardens benefits from this somehow.

[speedracer]

The animals were a major draw and I think Dick Kinzel admitted that taking out the animals was one of his big screwups with Geauga Lake.

 

From my understanding, Cedar Fair never owned the animals so technically it wasn't their decision to take the animals out. When Six Flags sold the park to Cedar Fair, the animals weren't included in the deal thus they were sent to other Six Flags parks. I just don't see how Kinzel can continue using this as a excuse for the park's failure since 1) it wasn't their decision to take them out and 2) attendance was already declining in 2002 and 2003 even with the animals.

 

Don't quote me, but I also recall Kinzel stating CF wanted nothing to do with animals (notice no animals at ANY CF park?), and specifically stated they did not want them included as part of the sale agreement.

 

Reason I remember, SFMW was the only option SF had for a new home for Shouka and the other sea critters. With SF in financial dumps, I hightly doubt at the time they would have insisted CF lower their bid and give up all the animals just to have to eat all the costs of relocating them across the country. If anything, I'm certain they tried to convince CF to keep em.

[coaster05]

For me personally this is just another reason I dislike CF. They bought, lied to everyone about what they were going to do, removed rides and lied somemore and now there is a Waterpark there.

 

When did Cedar Fair officials ever lie about what they were going to do with Geauga Lake? Never did they once ever promise Geauga Lake would continually remain an amusement park. You just assumed this on your own. Nobody lied.

 

It's all in your head.

 

When people get angry and upset, they start pointing fingers and blantantly accusing things by making things up in their head so they have somebody to blame.

 

First I love the name calling and accusing me of lying. When they first bought it they promised a return to a traditional amusment park. I guess that meant water park.

[coaster05]

I guess this all shows us just how greedy Dick Kinzel is and that he'd stop at nothing to get attendance at Cedar Point to increase. I know for a fact attendance was up this year, so I can only take it that Kinzel saw this as a threat to his future plans for Cedar Point.

 

I'll be the first to admit, Geauga Lake was once one of my favorite parks and I guess it's kinda disappointing they're removing all the rides. But the fact is, Cedar Fair did nothing at all to try to improve the rides side during the 4 years they've owned the park now. The rides side has turned to total crap over the past few years and it's obvious that Kinzel never had any intention of getting the park up to Cedar Fair standards. It's quite obvious the whole objective of taking over this park is so Cedar Point can control the Cleveland market.

 

All I know is I probably won't be visiting any Cedar Fair parks in the near future. This announcement has really made me lose respect for the chain considering they just flushed over 100 years of people's memories down the drain. I have a feeling this news won't sit well in the stomach's of Aurora's citizens.

 

Are you serious?

Nobody went to that park! Everything has been tried to get the attendence up there. Nothing has worked and it was just losing money. You make no sense in your bash of cedar fair.

 

What exactly did CF ever try on the ride side. Tell me one new attraction or improvement.

[coasterdude5]

^ Does the corn game count? Now that I look back, it was pretty obvious that this was what CF had in mind all along.

[KGA29]

I guess this all shows us just how greedy Dick Kinzel is and that he'd stop at nothing to get attendance at Cedar Point to increase. I know for a fact attendance was up this year, so I can only take it that Kinzel saw this as a threat to his future plans for Cedar Point.

 

I'll be the first to admit, Geauga Lake was once one of my favorite parks and I guess it's kinda disappointing they're removing all the rides. But the fact is, Cedar Fair did nothing at all to try to improve the rides side during the 4 years they've owned the park now. The rides side has turned to total crap over the past few years and it's obvious that Kinzel never had any intention of getting the park up to Cedar Fair standards. It's quite obvious the whole objective of taking over this park is so Cedar Point can control the Cleveland market.

 

All I know is I probably won't be visiting any Cedar Fair parks in the near future. This announcement has really made me lose respect for the chain considering they just flushed over 100 years of people's memories down the drain. I have a feeling this news won't sit well in the stomach's of Aurora's citizens.

 

Are you serious?

Nobody went to that park! Everything has been tried to get the attendence up there. Nothing has worked and it was just losing money. You make no sense in your bash of cedar fair.

 

What exactly did CF ever try on the ride side. Tell me one new attraction or improvement.

 

Thriller Bees and Starfish. Though they're not much.

[speedracer]

^ And Starfish was second-hand from SFDK. But hey, they did try added cornholing, and um, well . . .

[gldude]

I have grown up with GL as my homepark and i am so upset with this asinine decion thats all i am gonig to say.

[coaster05]

I have grown up with GL as my homepark and i am so upset with this asinine decion thats all i am gonig to say.

 

Heck he is so mad he has even forgotten how to spell, or capitalize.

 

Man that is angry.

[Swoosh]

LOL! That IS mad!!!

 

OMG you are so NF!!!

[gr8LAboy]

Sigh. Its a shame, really.

 

Having grown up in Solon (next door neighbor to Aurora) and worked at G.L. all through High School this kinda hits a lil hard.

 

But am I really that upset?

 

No.

 

The park in its current state actually was a detriment to all of my good memories of the past (late 1980's to early Nineties -when the park was just the right size for the market it serves).

 

The Cleveland area itself is changing and rapidly deteriorating-Smelling like Detroit II.

 

Nobody likes going to a funeral and Geauga Lake's has been going on for several years now. Its time to say good-bye and move on!

[almightyfire]

I hate that this park is closing. I actually enjoyed it more that Cedar Point when SF had it. Villain became one of my top 10 coasters and the Batman was in my top 10 also. I didnt understand why Cedar Fair bought this park when they had Cedar Point down the street. I see this was in the plans long ago. I dont see them moving Villian anywhere because it will be too hard to reassemble it somewhere else. U might as well buy new wood and start all over it isnt like a steel coaster where u take it down and reattach it.

[coasterdude5]

It's sad to see any park go... I was sorta hoping they would try to return the park to back in its supposed "hey-day" (I wasn't there), back in the late eighties, early nineties.

 

I think that would've been better than a drastic step such as this.

[BrownStreak]

Thus totally eliminating my ever needing to buy a CF season pass again. It was worth it having a park right next to me and another one not too far away- but hey if this is the game they want to play- Kennywood is not THAT much farther from me than CP is.

[CoasterEricHP]

Hey so does this mean.. uh.. no hyper coaster for next year?

 

After my last visit to the park, I think it would have been more fun and probably about as painful to have been in a semi major car accident.

 

I just hope the Villain or Double Loop aren't relocated anywhere near me..

[asr]

Hey so does this mean.. uh.. no hyper coaster for next year?

 

No. This is just a clever plot to make enough room to put Magnum in at GL, because it is sinking into Lake Erie. To stop the ride from sinking, the lake will be drained and the water used at the waterpark. The hole in the ground where the lake used to be will become the world's largest patch of dirt, that will be cunningly designed to make enthusiasts think it is construction for a new coaster.

 

If we are lucky, the park might see dueling flyers or an AquaTrax in 2009 too!

 

But seriously, it is sad to see any park or coaster close down, but I suppose it was best from a buisness point of view.

 

And now lets play "Where is it Going?"

 

Big Dipper and Raging Wolf Bobs: Bonfire

Double Loop: Scrap heap

Headspin: Rumors say King's Dominion or Carowinds, and it is probably going somewhere

Thunderhawk: Rumors say it is going to MiA, probably not gonna be scrapped

Dominator: Rumors say it is going to King's Dominion, and it would be very dumb to scrap it

Beaver Land Mine Ride: Who knows, but it has a good chance of survival

Villain: I have heard that it is going to Cedar Point, but that was on PointBuzz so... I would say that it has the best chance of survival out of all of their woodies though

[coasterdude5]

I'm afraid once people hear that the "ride side" is gone, some people might get the idea that the whole complex is gone. CF is really gonna have to work to get the message across that something is still there.

[RaptorBoyASU]

Very smart business move all around. Buy a park competing for attendance at your flagship. Take the capital of the rides there and move them to parks that need new attractions. Turn Geauga Lake into the waterpark cash cow it was meant to be.....

 

Smart move by Cedar Fair, even if it is an unpopular one.