Continued: Cedar Fair announces Geauga Lake will be water park only

I dont think that the waterpark only concept has a chance here. Here is another reason why. This is where I will be going this summer.

My five year old daughter is already insisting on going to WWK one time next year, so we can, "look across the lake and say bye to the rides."

I told her, "But sweetie, the rides will all already be gone by next year."

To which she replied, "Yes, but we'll remember them."

And I cried all over again.

Beachwood has a really impressive facility! There is another water park in the area still open beside Wild Water Kingdom. Pioneer Water Land is east of Cleveland and has been open for years now. Seems to be doing fine. Maybe WWK does have a future and is financially viable if it is run and marketed correctly.

Any chance Geauga Lake's waterpark is the sole survivor in NE Ohio because it was attached to an amusement park? I'm curious to see how it does once that has been removed from the equation.

Rob, I'll give you this:

If they market WWK as "well" as they marketed Geauga Lake last year then there is a good chance WWK won't last one summer. They are going to have to do some heavy lifting to get people out there...particularly if there is "hurt feelings" in the area as a result of the ride side being closed.

Frankly, I don't think ill will toward Cedar Fair will be the reason for failure at WWK. But, I certainly think confusion over what was and was not closed may play a role.

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Pete said:
Beachwood has a really impressive facility! There is another water park in the area still open beside Wild Water Kingdom. Pioneer Water Land is east of Cleveland and has been open for years now. Seems to be doing fine. Maybe WWK does have a future and is financially viable if it is run and marketed correctly.

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I'd heard Pioneer was closing. Maybe they changed their minds in light of the GL situation.

I think if they make a sizable investment, adding attractions like a surfing simulator, family rafting slides, bowl's, and a master blaster, and then market it correctly at a reasonnable price with good food, it could take off. Question is, can they make money with such a sizeable investment, in light of the investment they already have? As it stands now, I do not think there is enough of a draw...the determining factor could come down to strictly price of admission and parking. Don't get me wrong, what they have is very nice, but at what price? Tricky.

Most people dont think anything is opening next year. I work out in Solon, and even most people out there think that it is all being turned into condos, including the water park.

Sounds like that Cedar Fair marketing machine is revving up to full force! If CF really wants to succeed with Sea World's Wildwater Kingdom, they better step up to the plate with the advertising dollars.

Oh, oh, wait, do I hear the patter of tiny keystrokes? "They just decided to close the park a few weeks ago, let's at least give them a month to decide on a marketing plan!" Isn't that the next argument?

Of course, how could they possibly advertise what they've come up with in a positive light? "Come to Wildwater Kingdom, where at least we still have the slides. And since we're not investing anything else for the next three years, we'll knock some token dollars off your admission! Get your season pass now and we'll throw in free this 'We Screwed Geauga Lake' jacket!"

Wow, guess I'm not completely through my anger phase.

Well, we do have to consider it won't open till MAY. :)

So that gives them 6 months to come up with a plan!

...but act like it was made at the last possible minute.

...(and if the public ask you workers when you found out about this job, you tell them; "we heard about it the day after tomorrow." You should then walk away like a Walmart worker.

Once again, you can see the divide between the feelers and the thinkers.

The feelers are using words like "hurt," "betrayed," "screwed," while the thinkers are using words like "no ROI," "they had no choice," "not a sustainable business model," etc.

This is an area where people constantly butt heads on here, and I wish we could tolerate each others views more. I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle.

I understand that to continue to pump money into something that isn't paying off in the end doesn't make much sense, while I can understand why some people are angry or hurt at the loss. At some point (and I hope it happens soon) though, you will have to let it go.

I'll be 37 at the end of next month, and I've seen my fair share of coasters and rides come and go over the years. I wish at the end of the day that we could all agree that they're simply pieces of machinery designed for enjoyment, and that the loss of said machinery shouldn't "hurt" so bad.

They're tearing down Batman & Robin the Chiller right now at Great Adventure, and it's been one of my favorite rides over the years. But it hasn't worked right for a while, and at some point pouring even more money into doesn't make sense, and I undertstand that. Will I enjoy going to the park and not seeing it there? Not at first, but I'll understand why.

If the residents of Ohio and western Pennsylvania had no other themeparks to go to, I could see being real upset, but that's simply not the case.

I think you're correct about the divide, although I don't know if I would call it "feelers" vs "thinkers". Maybe the "passionate" vs the "dispassionate". Hmm, sounds like a bad Mel Gibson movie.

The thing is, to the passionate, you'll never convince them that it's just a piece of machinery. Just like you can never tell an old car lover that his '63 Mustang is just a machine. You could tell him, but he won't hear you.

Roller coasters are only machines, but they are machines that are exquisitely designed to foster a relationship with their riders. Enthusiasts feel for their coasters, and their amusement parks, like 18th century sailors do for their ships. You'll never change that.

I would love to see a happy medium between these two sides. I think in other circumstances, this is usually a little bit less of an issue. Not a whole lot of people bitched and moaned about Erieview closing. You didn't see a huge number of conspiracy theories when Conneaut Lake didn't reopen. Not many people screamed betrayal when SFNO got stripped out. People were sad, yes, but they understood that these were all simply events that happen, either acts of God or straight forward business decisions.

Now, Geauga Lake's closing has its own circumstances. Some of us folks are not convinced of the purity of Cedar Fair's actions, and maybe never will be. I think if you look at the various people who have posted about this, you'll find that not everybody who smells a rat is a fan of the park either.

And since this is a thread about GL's closing, it seems like the appropriate place to discuss these "feelings" and "thinkings". :)

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Intamin Fan said:

I wish at the end of the day that we could all agree that they're simply pieces of machinery designed for enjoyment, and that the loss of said machinery shouldn't "hurt" so bad.

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IFan, I think you bring up some good points. I'm curious about the above statement.

If the feelers hurt for it, why should they only feel a certain intensity of hurt? Are feelings a matter of should or shouldn't? Is it even in their control? Can someone change the way they feel?

(and in case you can't tell I'm a thinker. About 30% preference on the MBTI...)

Hate to say it (and I know it's probably not the news you wanted)....I think I *am* your happy medium.

Well, maybe "realistic nostalgia addict with a business degree" might be a more fitting description. Stuff like this (and SFAW, MSAP, MBP, WG, etc.) is pretty disappointing. Nonetheless, the time for action is WELL before a park is even in dire straits. SA petition after the fact doesn't make up for the thousands of visitors that FAILED to support the place beforehand.

Sometimes I'm sure I annoy the "rational business decision-making" crowd, and sometimes I annoy the "soft-hearted enthusiast" types. Must mean I'm doing *something* right... ;)

^ I am in 100% agreement with Gator on this one. I sit in the middle. GL was my park as a child and I have great memories. But I am also an adult with a real world career and an MBA (with a PhD on the way) so I understand and agree with CF's actions.

As for the the comment about Thinkers and Feelers. These two "types" do not really correlate to Passion.

You can be a Passionate Thinker (I think that desribes me pretty well) or a Dispassionate Feeler - although most Dispassionate Feelers may be considered poseurs ;) "I am sad, but I don't care."

Contrary to what some folks may want to beleive, not all Thinkers are "souless bean counters".

That's the irony is that those of us who understand the business side of it aren't exactly cheering either. I lost my summer lunch time distraction.

What I suspect annoys people who think like me is all of the accusations of nefarious intent, or worse, the assertion that they just didn't try hard enough. They failed, and Cedar Fair is just one of three companies that led to that failure. In hindsight, the right move was to let that park die on its own. Fortunately it seems that there's still a good chance that they'll come out at least even.

And again, it's a pretty vocal minority. The size of that group is indicative of the park's inability to have a larger draw. I thought the park had a marketing or positioning problem, but in the long run, I think the problem was a lot more complex and weighed heavily on a certain aquatic mammal.

I still say they bought it to shut it down, plain and simple.