48 Hours in Ohio - PKI or GL?

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Janet said:
Plus GL has too many cookie cutters if u ask me (head spin/mind eraser, serial thriller/thunderhawk).

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PKI has a cookie cutters as well. You have Face-off, Flight of Fear, and you could consider Racer as one since a couple other Paramount parks have the same thing. Plus the family/kiddie coasters, Runaway Reptar, Taxi, and Beastie are cookie cutters. But at least the cookie cutters at PKI are worth rideing.

Back on subject. My home park is GL and CP, but I never pass up a chance to hit PKI. I say hit PKI as your second park on this visit and save GL for the next around.

Someone mention Kennywood, I would throw that one out the window for two reasons, one is that Kennywood will be closed on sundays during Oct.(the 10th is a sunday), secondly only a small hand full of rides will be open during there halloween event. Best time to hit KW is during the summer time. It is worth a trip.

Not again means either it's an act that's already getting really old, or you don't need to be posting yet because you seem to know nothing about amusement parks, let alone the "nuances" of this board.

Either lurk and learn some "general knowledge" or stop acting dumb.

We already hit Kennywood on our last CP road trip. The weekend was great -- awesome woodies at Kennywood and ultimate steel coasters at CP. It was 5 C / 40 F that weekend, so we had repeat rides everywhere.

Ok, back on subject. I still say PKI... Not only can you get in GREAT coasters in the day time, But when night falls, SPOOK time happends. I have plans to head to PKI later in October just for the Fearfest.

If you do go to GL, make sure to ride the Big Dipper up front. At least that's how it was when I visited late May of '03. The back was just painful (way, way, way, more than, say, SOB), but the front was smooth as glass. Never have I ridden a coaster with that much variance in ride experience from the front row to the back row.

I'd go w/PKI for one good reason. The Weather and attendance. it'd be a shame if you went to GL and the weather got a bit bad. (several times over the last three years, they'd shut down early when it rained during their frightfest when attendance was low. granted, it 6flags then). they'd give out rainchecks, but that only made the out-of-staters angrier because they would not even give a partial refund.
Have a safe and good trip either way you go...

If you can come to PKI next year, I would wait for Italian Job. If you can't, do PKI instead of GL. It's like comparing Shawshank Redemption to Gigli, but you still have to see it so you can talk about it/say you did it. ;)

+Danny

Robo-

The Geauga Lake Big Dipper is much better this year. I rode it in 03 as well and came off cursing but it's been pretty enjoyable this year.

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Landon said:
Worlds of Adventure. Now a Cedar Fair park? And for some reason re-named it to somthing I can't even pronounce.

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Damn Cedar Fair - always one to ruin tradition! What the hell were they thinking!? Goo-Goo Lake!? It's like they just made it up on the spot or something!

-Gonch
still thinks the playee is actually the player

I think it depends where you sit. I got the worst and roughest ride ever on it this year in 1-3 and then got in a non-wheel seat and enjoyed it much more. I still think I liked it better last year though. Villain seems rougher as well, but I still enjoy it.

+Danny

So, greatwhitenorth, have YOU decided which park you will go to besides CP? Or should we just wait for the trip report?

Okay a few comments from an Ohioan who has Season Passes to all three parks in question.

- CP for two days is worth it. If you've never been, or can't go on at least a yearly basis, you must do this.

- PKI is far better than GL but the lines are far worse.

- PKI has the Beast, GL has X-Flight, and neither have a coaster that compares to the other. Tough call, but the Beast is the dominating wooden roller coaster on the planet.

- GL has had terrible maintenance issues (thanks to Six Flags, but Cedar Fair is pulling it together) but most of the worthwhile rides should be up except for Steel Venom (formerly Superman). I've never seen a major coaster closed at PKI in my entire life. Really!

- PKI is a nightmare (crowd-wise) during the halloween season. GL isn't so bad. But the haunted stuff is better at PKI.

- Contrary to a previous post, Halloweekends at CP are usually pretty good, and not worse than summer. But still, staying Sunday will rock your world.

- And for the Geauga Lake naming confusion, the park used to be named Geauga Lake for several decades, until Six Flags renamed it to Six Flags Ohio in 2000. And right when people finally got used to not calling it Geauga Lake anymore, Cedar Fair changed it back. The name is for the lake adjacent to the park. It's also in Geauga county, Ohio. Pronounced Jee-OW-guh.

In the end, I would just say go to CP for two days and come home happy. Due to driving distance, and that you don't need to spend much time at GL to hit everything, I would ultimately recommend GL for your second park. But in theory, PKI is superior.

Like you need another coaster geek's opinion on the subject, I'll add mine;

I'd switch it around and go to GL on Saturday. The park is never that busy, and you could take your time and easily get all the rides in. Then head for CP around 3 or 4, have dinner at Famous Dave's to get you $9 parking back, get a Starlight, and do the Halloweekends thing Saturday evening. Then return to the park on Sunday, which should be far less busy. If you stayed at a CP hotel (which I would do without question), you could get early entry on Sunday.

I'd save Kings Island for a day you can take your time and enjoy the park. You can't go to the park without at least one night ride on The Beast.

But, that's just me. Hope you have a great time, whatever you do.

Okay a follow-up on my own post. For posterity, some people pronounce it "Jee-ah-guh" Lake. :) I say tom-ay-to, you say tom-ah-to.

But I just realized the absurdity of the idea of driving an extra three and a half hours just to go to PKI to wait in more lines. Don't bother unless you've never ridden the Beast before!

Big Dipper rougher than SOB? You must be confusing BD with RWB.

GL actually felt somewhat depressing in August. There was no real life to the park. What used to be one of my favorite wooden coaster, Villain, was much jerkier than any Woody I rode this year except for Georgia Cyclone. Son of Beast felt like MF compared to Villain. Big Dipper, in my OWN opinion, is the best woody in the park. GL has two real stand out coasters: Dominator and X-Flight.

PKI seemed much more lively. The Beast and Flight of Fear are top notch. The Racer, Backward, is quite enjoyable. Delirium and Flying Eagle are two of the best non-coaster rides anywhere.

GL is about on hour from CP whereas PKI is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. GL is cheaper since you can get $19.99 coupon from CP. Decision is up to you.

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Landon said:
Was'nt GL at one time a Six Flags park?

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From 1995 to early 2004(pre-season), Geauga Lake was a Premier/Six Flags park. It was renamed to Six Flags Ohio in 2000, and in 2001 SF bought its neighbor across the lake, Sea World of Ohio, and combined the two parks from 2001-2003 as Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

Six Flags sold the park to Cedar Fair in early 2004, and all of the animal life was either retained by Six Flags and relocated to their other parks, or sold off.

Geauga Lake, the Cedar Fair version, is now like Six Flags Ohio in 2000 with what it has to offer, and IMO has become a progressivelly expensive park, and alot less to do and see, for what is called "Family Amusement" is no where close to the fun they claim there is that was there during the Premier/SixFlags days, and even Cedar Fair has stated that the park is doing poorly.

For more information on the past of Sea World of Ohio & Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, visit my site at http://www.seaworldohiomemories.us

*** Edited 9/25/2004 4:01:48 AM UTC by midwave***

If you're willing to drive 4.5 hours from Sandusky to Mason, why not head 5 hours west to SFGAm instead? ;)

Edited because spelling is such a challenge!

*** Edited 9/25/2004 3:57:07 AM UTC by IBsteve*** *** Edited 9/25/2004 3:58:45 AM UTC by IBsteve***

This coming from a guy who travels a ton... ME

Just do Cedar Point & Geauga Lake.
Its less driving, and less stress to make it in time to get on stuff. Plus, if you decide a second day at Cedar is nessessary, you wont feel pressured to get home since PKI's way out of the way for you.

Do PKI, Holiday World, and SFKK next year.

Holiday world is must. Nothing beat's the Raven and Legend in my mind! But thats a whole other story.