Geauga Lake 2005: Midnight, Tonight!

Vallefair! is the only CF property that does not use the Peanuts characters in any way (probably due to it's close proximity to Camp Snoopy in the Mall of America). Michigan's Adventure uses the characters, but does not have a Camp Snoopy. All of the other CF ride parks have a Camp Snoopy of some sort or another. I guess we'll have to wait to see how they'll be used at Geauga.

UdoTch:
Riiiiight, because every family and little child know that a rainbow just also happens to be a gay pride symbol...

That made absolutely no sense. Otherwise, you'd never see a "Rainbow" ride at a family amusment park (though you might see one at a "family" amusment park;)). *** Edited 11/13/2004 5:01:18 AM UTC by TeknoScorpion***

^^^^ What?!? Gay people can have families?!?! Someone alert President Bush....

/cheap stab... couldn't resist

I think a rainbow island area would be great for children, considering absolutely none of them would know that it's a gay pride symbol.

i used to spend sooo much time at Rainbow Island when i was younger...i wish they could bring it back (it would work at Happy Harbor)

anyone curious as to why on the WWK park rendering that there is a stage or stadium of some sort located in the middle of the map with people in it and walking to it? could this be that they plan on using the whale stadium and tearing down the sea lion one?

still...yawn a waterpark. the new price is nice...but does the midwest really need another CF waterpark? that is three waterparks within an hour...two just happen to rely on the change we will have sun and heat next summer. enough with the water parks...erect a coaster!!

The stadium that is located in Phase 2 in the upper left actually looks like it's the fomer Wild Life Theater. The Wild Life Theater use to hold the Birds of the Wild and then the Lumberjack show for SeaWorld and SFWoA. It's actually a very nice open air theater that has a little pool around the main stage and has nice bleachers surrounding 3 sides of it.

It does seem a little weird to see the stage so up high on the map (hence why I think it's the woodland theater), the other stages should be a little lower. One would think they could come up with some unique shows having to do with water (and not just another high dive show) to put those stadiums to use.

BUT...IF all those slides are going to fit into that phase 2 area something is going to be coming out. Logically one would assume Penguin Exhbidition is leaving, the Wild Life stores are coming out. I would assume the Pearl Diving building is staying (it's a nice open air store.) Mandarin Buffet will probably stay (don't know it will be Mandarin.) The park could possibly push back a little towards the camping grounds. But there is not much flat space to add anything over on that side with the exception of the lakeshore area.

Which leads me to believe one of the stadiums is coming out. Time will tell.

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MotorCityCoasterFan said:
...but does the midwest really need another CF waterpark?

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Does Northeast Ohio need another Cedar Point? Of course not, especially when they're owned by the same people. Six Flags thought they could go head to head with CP in terms of rides, and that obviously failed. They tried the animal route which also failed (why do you think Busch wanted out?).

It's the right strategy at the right time.

I think if SF would have never gone the animal route *or* wouldn't have given away everything in one gate, they would probably still be around. They're silly, but it was an interesting experiment...

+Danny

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MotorCityCoasterFan said:
still...yawn a waterpark. the new price is nice...but does the midwest really need another CF waterpark? that is three waterparks within an hour...two just happen to rely on the change we will have sun and heat next summer. enough with the water parks...erect a coaster!!

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I totaly agree. Although this is a really good move for the park in terms of getting guest back to the park and giving the people that usually don't travel to places like florida,cali and the beach a place to have fun in the sun and get wet, I still think a new Giant Flat ride or possibly a coaster would have been a great addition(along side the water park). CF said nothing about fixing Mr. Hydes for 2005 and GL really needs a Drop Tower. It has been so long since GL had a top notch coaster or thrill ride and for people/guest like me that don't normally go to amusement parks for their water attractions are mostly dissapointed. Because nothing they are adding this year will really bring back a hardcore coaster fan or enthusiast(besides riding the pro slide and seeing the new changes). I know that hardcore coaster fans only make up so much of the annual attendance for the park, but Hurricane mountain and the other additions to SFWOA in 2003 only did so much. Also The new ticket price is nice and will cooperate with everyone's piggy bank.

Hopefully in 2006 we will see a new ride or coaster and phase 2 of WWK will be complete. *** Edited 11/14/2004 10:40:56 PM UTC by Alizabeth***

Its been so long since GL has had a top notch coaster? 2001 wasnt that long ago. There has been a ton of parks going longer. Coasters don't bring in guests, attractions the whole family can partake in do. This park has 10 coasters and parks like Holiday World with 2 or 3 had better attendance this summer. The new waterpark will help us get the negative image of the SF years out of the heads of people and hopefully bring back the peeps

i was gonna say, long time? what about dominator? steel venom? x-flight? villian? those aren't top notch? sure are in my book. they were just built a few years ago. just marketed wrong and also lost due to six flags' miserable planning and staff performance. they suck. but just 2004 season alone under cedar fair, made me want to be there. clean, reliable fast nice courtious employees, and the new names for the rides just sound right. batman is corny, along with superman. steel venom sounds more like the thrill it gives you. along with dominator, dominating the geauga skyline with the world's tallest vertical loop and longest floorless records. and x-flight says it all. great ride. can't beat the flying sensation. now, most of these are kinds of coasters CP doesn't have except steel venom. so this makes geauga unique to CP and when guests see that when they go to CP, they see geauga advertised there, they will slowly come back realizing six flags is gone. and why does a coaster have to be 400 or more feet in the air to be a great ride? i ride them all, and i think geauga has some innovative rides that were built in the last few years.

Alizabeth, I dont think their goal is to attract out of towners and make GL a vacation spot.

Geauga Lake does have some really great coasters. As it's been said SF didn't market them very well. The whole waterpark concept wasn't exactly "the announcement i've been waiting to hear" but, i do believe a seperate and bigger waterpark plus the picnic area will bring people back. So therefore i think it was an great thing for CF to do. With the current waterpark being relocated they are freeing up room on the rides side now. So give them time i'm sure a new coaster will be to come in the next few years. It won't happen over night....so if ya want a different "top notch" coaster...travel a little extra miles and go to CP.

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Alizabeth said:

I totaly agree. Although this is a really good move for the park in terms of getting guest back to the park...nothing they are adding this year will really bring back a hardcore coaster fan or enthusiast

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Nothing HW's done in the last few years would bring a hardcore enthusiast by that definition...and they still keep coming.

Then again, if dumping coaster after coaster in the park was the key, SF woulda never had to sell it, right?

-'Playa

Well, I wouldn't call it a brilliant move only because it was such an obvious move. The lower ticket price does shock me some but not after reading they are getting rid of all the discounts out there. If anyone ever paid full price to enter the park they were goofy because there was no reason too.

I think the location of the waterpark will make it the most beautiful waterpark in Ohio and right up there in the top ten for the country. The residents in Aurora should be pleased since the waterpark will likely be quieter than any huge rides expansion.

Why people still think the purchase of Geauga Lake by Cedar Fair was a bad decision just amazes me. There were significant problems there that weren't going to be addressed in one season. It took several seasons to create the mess.

In my opinion this is a huge step in the right direction. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Castaway Bay resort concept in the 5-10 year plan for Geauga Lake either.

As far as getting the hard-core enthusiasts to return to the park I don't think it is going to take adding a new coaster. Getting the existing coasters up to Cedar Fair operational standards should do the trick.

Barring any significant national emergency or another awful summer weather-wise I look for Geauga Lake to have a huge season next year. Congrats to all involved!

Both of the years SF added coasters to WOA, their attendance was incredible. The two years they added little to nothing (including no coasters), their attendance fell. If every chain sold a park that lost more than 7% of attendance though, Dollywood, Dorney, Universal Studios Hollywood, SFOG, etc. would be owned by someone else now. I still think they gave up too quickly on their fourth most attended seasonal park. I'm pretty sure their attendance wouldn't have fallen nearly 65% as Six Flags... Even if they removed/sold the wildlife side and went back to SFO. Yay for turning a megapark into something a notch above Michigan's Adventure. Depressing. I'll still try it again next year. I can accept change and "what it is".

+Danny, one more trim please and hold the trees

i think the park is a nice size on the rides side, with plenty of expansion room left, i'm sure cedar fair will utilize this, because i think cedar fair's goal is to have CP AND GL be their places to go. basically saying, vacation at CP for two days, THEN head to geauga lake for two days. with the huge waterpark going in, that offically turns it right back into a mega park, especially with low addmission and the waterpark as part of the entire park. they have a hotel, and campground, along with shuttle transportation from the hotel if needed. so in the end they do want GL to be a vacation spot, because it compliments CP very nice with the different style rides and such. also could do a 4 day package deal, two days at the CP hotel, 2 days at GL hotel. or vice versa. however you come into the state if you have to. just sounds like a winner since both parks are so close together, and i see that GL and CP will be the spotlight of cedar fair in the years to come. of course this takes time, but the way ceadr fair handles things it will turn out great.

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Alizabeth said:

It has been so long since GL had a top notch coaster or thrill ride and for people/guest like me that don't normally go to amusement parks for their water attractions are mostly dissapointed.

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What?

Does this mean that once a ride is past it's inaugural year, that it's no longer top notch?

Wow, better tell that to everyone who still considers The Beast one of the best woodies out the after 25 years!

And also, does that mean that once you've ridden the coasters/rides at a park there's no reason to go back unless they add more?

I'm just wondering if that's the most poorly worded statement ever or that's the weirdest park logic ever.

-Gonch
doesn't exactly think any of GL's coasters are "top notch" - even when they were new

You know, I could build a coaster on top of water treatment plant and people would probably ride it the first year. But, if I don't clean up the stink I probably won't see those people come back.

There, in a short, concise answer is the reason for Six Flags' failure at Geauga Lake.