Analysts ponder Geauga Lake land, reasons for park failure

Ehhh... kind of. The wife and I honeymooned at Niagara Falls in early May of 2005. I remember Marineland not being very far from the falls but I don't remember seeing the S&S tower. Unfortunately the park wasn't open yet for the season, but we got to drive around it and see a few of the rides.

I'm sure it was difficult for Cedar Fair to decide to close the rides side. I don't understand how people are surprised at this happening. The writing has been on the wall since 2006 when X-Flight and Steel Venom left. It has been proven to us that a full blown amusement park WILL CLOSE if it can't grow with new attractions, can't get the attendance, or both. In 2004 Miracle Strip closed. In 2005 you saw Astroworld close. In 2006 Myrtle Beach and Erieview park closed.

With that said I think it's pretty shady that GL's closing wasn't announced prior to the end of the season. That's one significant decision that I think CF really dropped the ball on. I understand the fear of what your employees would do, or heck, what the guests might do on the last day of operation. But in recent years parks were closed with some sort of notification; Six Flags did it, Erieview Park did it, Miracle Strip did it, Myrtle Beach did it, all those parks closed without incident, and yet Cedar Fair didn't even tell anyone. That's going to leave a heck of a lasting impression, mainly to those local to the park and enthusiasts.

~Rob Willi

Jeff said :

GL and SeaWorld were a regional attraction. You can't seriously compare that to Niagara Falls. No one was planning their honeymoon for Aurora, Ohio.

No doubt and I wasn't. However people would come from Pitt, Erie, Cincinnati, Wheeling, Even Toledo and Sandusky to GL for a mini vactaion or trip simply because its closer.

We drove up to Marineland intending on visiting with two hours left in it's day. We walked up to the gate and deemed the 45 dollar ticket price not worth it for A old arrow and a few dolphins. Also the place looked run down and crappy, Is their a law against mowing in Canada? The parking lot had grass three feet high.

Chuck, who should have stayed at Seabreeze or done Marineland in the morning then Seabreeze

Huh?

Yeah, people came from "Pitt, Erie, Cincinnati, Wheeling, Even Toledo and Sandusky," but clearly not enough of them came.

Sea World Ohio may have been a much better park than Marineland but they didn't have as Jeff pointed out, one of the nations greatest tourist attractions in their backyard.

Gonch said:

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Which is crazy because, if I remember correctly, you can see Marineland's S&S tower from the falls.

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Absolutely... and that's ignoring the park advertises a lot in that area. Hell, a hotel we stayed at in Rochester had Marineland brochures on the counter.

Eight of three said:

Huh?

Yeah, people came from "Pitt, Erie, Cincinnati, Wheeling, Even Toledo and Sandusky," but clearly not enough of them came.

Sea World Ohio may have been a much better park than Marineland but they didn't have as Jeff pointed out, one of the nations greatest tourist attractions in their backyard.

As I was trying to point out, People from Cincinnati, Pitt, Erie STOPPED COMMING ALL TOGETHER thus 1.5 million down to 600,000 decline when Sea World was removed.

Chuck, not arguing the destination THE FALLS are one bit.

I see commercials for Marineland all the time on TV here in the Caribbean. "Everyone looooooooooooooooves Marineland!" :)

Chuck said: "Chuck, not arguing the destination THE FALLS are one bit."

Before that, Chuck said: "and GL with Sea World wasn't?"

...in response to when Jeff said: "One of the greatest tourist destinations in North America?" about Niagara Falls.

You may not be arguing that the Falls are not one of the greatest tourist destinations in North America, but you seemed to imply that GL/Sea World was. At least that's how I interpreted it.

Jeff said

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For Marineland you need to look at their future development plans: a major themed INDOOR attraction. However, with the falling USA dollar and the new passport requirments, I bet they are re-evaluating those plans.

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If I remember talking to people from Marineland last year they were complaining about the proposed improvements that are comming up that they have been talking about for 4 years now...

Vater, SImple. Im not arguing the draw of the falls. IT IS ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS, Honeymoon central ect.

Im implying Geauga was something a little closer people would visit from a couple hundred miles away when SEA WORLD was part of it.

Chuck, Agreeing that most wouldn't honeymoon at the park but at The Falls, Well The falls are the draw. Everything else is just Gravy.

^^ Jeff did NOT say that.

It was a sneak attack on Northeast Ohio in the closing of GL. The doom of it all started with the closing of Sea World though. In my classes at school we have talked business and economics and the sad state of the economy in Northeast Ohio is absolutely horrible. Those two parks were centers for travel from people from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. It is unfortunate and it is sad for a "neighborhood" feeling park! I know I am just 16 but I think that this gives people one less reason to come to our state and Cedar Point is fine but it was fun going to GL with my family. I wish that Sea World would have stayed too. My parents talk about how they would go to one park on one day and the other park another day and how fun it was and you felt like you went somewhere on vacation. They didn't have a lot of $ to travel and neither has our family for that matter. I did always feel like I went somewhere when I was there. It is sad. :( Thanks for reading.