Cedar Fair to buy SFWoA

OH MY GOD! I guess that improvement in the guest service department is a given for '04 now? This is amazing if its legit. I'm floored.

Wow, I am in shock.

I don't understand how this is a good move for Cedar Fair having 2 parks so close together but im sure that will be explained. Until then, im going to go pick my jaw off the floor.

I wouldn't expect too many drastic changes this season---there are less than two months before it starts.

As a side note, I've noticed a great influx of ride operations employees from SFWoA coming to CP (and posting on GTTP) this offseason. Wonder what they all think of this?

I wouldn't be surprised if the name "Knott's" is thrown into the mix somehow.

With the exception of Sarah I suspect Cedar Fair could set records with season pass sales this year.

<edit> I guess I should have read the press release more closely. A return to the name "Geauga Lake". Probably a smart move as some many people in the Cleveland area grew up with Geauga Lake. *** Edited 3/10/2004 2:25:34 PM UTC by wahoo skipper***

Whoa!!

Never in my wildest dreams would this have happened.

Overall though, it's for the best. This relieves SF of a poorly attended park and also relieves some debt.

I really think CF should retain the marine animal park area as still a marine park. That was a big plus for me when I visited SFWoA.

Wow, what are you Ohioans going to argue about now? The era of CP vs. SFWoA is over for you. :)

Sarah Jackson -

Gonch and I were just talking about this ... I think that SF passes will be accepted as GL passes for this year. In fact, with their major market having access to both parks, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of refund for passholders of both SFWoA and Cedar Point.

Now for next year? Yea, you're gonna have to visit SFKK or SFA or SFDL (whichever's closer to you) if you want that Six Flags pass.

And yes, in the press release, it says that the place will be known as Geauga Lake for the '04 season, that would be this one ... so get ready for massive naming and theme changes in the next 2 months!

So wait... It says in the press release that they are expected to finalize the deal before the '04 season begins. Thats less than 2 MONTHS away! How could CF staff, re-brand, re-theme, and re-staff that park in 2 months? I agree that they should close off the wildlife side of the park until they can figure out exactly what to do with it. Thats what put SFWoA in the toilet to begin with isn't it? They rushed into such a major expansion? I'm amazed. If anyone listens in to the conference call, post a report PLEASE! I, too, am curious as to the season pass debate. I bought a couple friends season passes to SFDL that we were going to use on a trip to SFWoA on the way to CP. Doesn't make a huge difference to me pass-wise, I have a pass to CP and SF. But their trip would become a bit more expensive. Wow wow wow, I'm still in awe of this and waiting for the punchline so to speak.

What will this do to each company's stock? CF was to have an increase in cash distribution to its stockholders in a few days. CF must be doing AMAZING financial numbers to be able to justify an indoor waterpark at CP, a new B&M invert at KBF, a new ride (I think) at Camp Snoopy, and now this? Wow. I'm wondering when this all came to be. Would CF have built Castaway Bay in Aurora instead of Sandusky if they had known this would go down as Sandusky already has an indoor waterpark with yet another on the way? Does this have anything to do with the forever delayed hyper at SFWoA? So many questions, so few answers. Man I wish I could hear that conference call but I'll be working. Stupid job! *** Edited 3/10/2004 2:33:44 PM UTC by ShaneDenmark***

This might be as close as Cedar Point gets to adding a wooden coaster ;)

Clearly, either they aren't going to change much this season, or they've been planning on how to do it all along. It's not like Kinzel walked into a CP silver tag meeting today and said "Hey guys, we need to hire double the staff. Get cracking."

Like Gonchar, I popped open this thread expecting it to be an unsubstantiated rumor that I'd be closing.

"Holy crap" about sums it up.

For those of us with passes to BOTH parks (and both already processed thanks to the magic of mail-in redemption), I wonder what will happen.

Ideally, what SHOULD happen is my SFWoA pass, which clearly says "Six Flags" on it, should continue to work at all Six Flags chain parks this coming season. After that, I'll have to go elsewhere for a Six Flags pass if I want one. It should also continue to work at SFWoA this season, because that's the park it was purchased for.

The Cedar Point pass obviously won't be accepted at Six Flags parks, but SHOULD be acceptable at Geauga Lake, which is now a Cedar Fair property.

We had a similar situation when Six Flags bought Seaworld. If I recall correctly, Seaworld passholders were able to continue to use their Seaworld passes at the other Busch parks, AND at the newly-formed Worlds of Adventure. Am I remembering that correctly? *** Edited 3/10/2004 2:48:18 PM UTC by GregLeg***

Impulse-ive: I'm not expecting the $60 Six Flags pass I bought to be honored at CP. I'm also not expecting my CP pass to be honored at GL for this season. When I bought the pass, they didn't say anything about me getting into GL, particularly because GL didn't exist. :)

However, I am expecting next year's CP/GL season passes to be higher. Much higher. Since I live in the area, and visiting GL is only an extra hour's drive than visiting CP (and about as far away as MiA), the value of a pass that gets me into MIA, CP, and GL is *higher* than the value of a pass that only gets me into the first two. It probably won't cost what the two together cost today (since that nearly triples the cost of a GL pass), but it might come close.

Edit: however, no matter what they do this season, my CP and SFMW passes have me covered. Now, if only my DL/DCA AP would be good for something closer than a five hour airplane ride!

*** Edited 3/10/2004 2:35:58 PM UTC by Brian Noble***

How long was it before MiA began accepting Cedar Fair passes when Cedar Fair bought them?

Apparently it was a big surprise this morning, even for the Cedar Point staff. It will be interesting to see how the next several weeks play out. I suspect we'll learn a lot during the conference call at 2:00.

Who says they can't just hand all the SFWoA employees Geauga Lake nametags? I think we can all agree that some employees of SFWoA would never make it at Cedar Point, but this isn't their showcase park (yet), so why not just use what you got? I didn't see anywhere in there that there would be mass-firings of staff and no one that works at WoA has posted yet saying they got a call that they lost their job today. I would say beyond upper management (which they could probably promote some of their best CP staff since that place always seems to be able to drum up new workers) they have all the workers in place (especially if they just mothball the wildlife side which I would imagine they'll do - makes the most sense)

My guess is that if you bought a SFWoA pass, you are good to go.

But someone like myself with a SFGAm pass won't be granted admission.

I am getting a kick out of the name change saga with this park.

Starts as Geauga Lake, changed to Six Flags Ohio, changed to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, changing back to Geauga Lake. :)

sfwoa is filled with your typical sf things such as batman, looney toons, superman, and the regular sf foods, shops and so on. CF parks also have there own signature things that you will find in most of there parks such as a snoopy boutique, coaster restaraunt, camp snoopy.... What i want to know is what will cf do with all the things in the park that are found at tons of other sf parks. WIll cf replace them with the typical CF icons like Snoopy and the peanuts gang, or will they bring something totally new into the park. I would think that CF will have to give lots of rides and atractions new looks and new names because looney toons and warner brothers are six flags brand items, and if they do when will it take place.
I hope that the park will be given lots of work so it can hopefully represent the cf family well, but i do hope that they dont try and make it just another CP. CF should be able to succesfully draw large crowds to the park with out drawning people away from CP as long as the parks are two totally different parks, if they are then people are much more likly to go to both. It shouldn't hurt CP any more than it did in the past, as long as they market the two parks separatly, and dont try to market that they are very similar, cause then people who live closer to one of the parks then the other will have no reason to treavel to other park because they'll probably think if there both so similar then ill only go to one of them and not waste time or money traveling to the other. (I am of corse refurring to the gp not us coaster freaks.)
imo CF should try and keep the parks very different and try and keep the similarities to a low, that way they wont stop people from going to eachother, and instead have people go to both of them.

I've got $15 on trims on Villain's first drop after 3 weeks ... any takers? ;)

All I keep thinking about this is that finally we will have some good guest service. After the horrible visit I had there over the summer I vowed never to go back. This will definetly change my mind.

Forget SFWoA...

Any speculation on what this means for other SF parks? A sign that others may be sold off in the future?

I think the purchase of the park will be completed and all the agreements in the deal will be finalized. Now I want to know what you guys think will happen. Do you think that Cedar Fair will keep the water park included in the price of admission or make it an extra charge.