"Kill Switch" Ready For Geauga Lake: Wild Water Kingdom?

Hello Coaster Fans Who Are Cramming as Much Coaster Riding They Can These Last Summer Moments,

The question is simple with my point below it:

Is the "Kill Switch" ready for Geauga Lake Wild Water Kingdom?

I say ALL the stars are aligned for it.

After visiting this year, and every year for the last 30 or so, it's a sad state there. Not the worst park by any means, but knowing what it was...even after Cedar Fair took over and built the new place...

I have gone to NUMEROUS Cedar Fair parks this year to also compare.

Pointers:
They haven't added anything of a significance.

Anything they have built has been pretty much removable in 24hrs with a wrench.

EVEN last years "NEW FOR 2010" "beach" (I say beach loosely all they did was tear down the stadium and pushed the sand over to the side and market it as new and exciting) and game area this year looks HORRIBLE...I'm talking the sand is hard as cement, the games are long and gone, and it looks like part of Geauga Lake does now (broken and abandon.) I mean C'mon, you can't even keep something looking good for one year!!!!?

No parking lot improvements...it's looking pretty bad, and is still, I'm pretty sure, the EXACT same way it was when Sea World left...just now in bad need of repair.

Landscaping is all pretty much planters...it looks like they cut the landscaping crew by down to two guys. (I compare this to other Cedar Fair parks to know what Cedar Fair standards are)

they STILL haven't done anything with the SeaWorld stuff they left up. I wish someone with an outside the box thinking brain would use those buildings for something...maybe a 4d water theater? It just feels odd and looks odd with all the stuff "hidden."

Even their buffet/dinner/eatery by the wave pool, literally had tables and chairs thrown EVERYWHERE and looks like it hasn't been used all year.

The park map mentions no Geauga Lake anymore, and is VERY un-cedar fair like.

The service in the food part seems like they fired 4/5 of the staff...and I'm not talking it's a slow day and raining, so go home. Saturday and 88 degrees!

What ever happened to phase two of the water park again?

AND LASTLY: It looks and feels that Cedar Fair is trying to DESPERATELY drop all Cedar Fair-ness from it...the SHOCKER....NO SNOOPY THIS YEAR!!! Last year they had snoopy kid meals, snoopy beach party show...this year...NOTHING...not on the map, NO SHOWS, NOTHING peanuts.

This park STILL can be something. But it just looks like Cedar Fair wants to spend NOTHING on it...sure there have been some concerts, but AS Six Flags Learned the hard way...you get people in there, and give them a crappy look and feel and they won't come back.

I hope and pray I'm wrong.

-RollerCoasterGod

I'm not sure how they are doing this year. But, they had a really good year last year.

Pssst... It's just a water park.

It seemed like it hit 90+ degrees everyday in July here in Ohio so I would think they've done alright this summer.

If you're praying for the well being of a waterpark, your priorities might be screwed up. A little.

I don't THINK your intermittent use of CAPITALIZED words helps prove your CASE in the slightest.

Both times I've visited WWK this summer, the place has been jumping. It sure looked like a profitable concern to me.

I will say, and this is not to support RCG's case at all, but removal of Wildwater Kingdom would dovetail with the rumors Lance is printing. Allegedly (and that's a very 'allegedly'), Cedar Point and Kings Island are slated to receive new waterpark attractions. So if they were to close WWK after the season, it would make a sense to strip it down of assets and ship those off to parks they intend to keep.

Hmmm. Now that doesn't sound familiar...

Jeff, I figured GOD would know that...................

We went several times this summer, even on a couple of the "90 degree days", and the crowds were the same every single day; in fact, they were exactly the same last year as well. It's pretty pathetic, actually...not that I am complaining, as we live only about 40 minutes away and have Platinum Passes to get us in, and our3-year old daughter adores the park so far.

Cedar Fair really missed an opportunity in my opinion. I wish they would have downsized the park by relocating some rides, and kept some smaller attractions like some flats and Big Dipper and RWB. Then, build up and promote the waterpark. There is no "big" outdoor waterpark anywhere close to it. It's still quite sad to look over the lake and see the old park just decaying.

I don't think closing it is out of the question. I hope they don't, but I think the markings observed all over Soak City at CP this year are a sign of some relocating of WWK's slides.

Alas, it's not too late. I would much rather see them build up and add onto the waterpark, and make it the marquee outdoor waterpark in the area. Why not?

EDIT; to give you an idea of crowds, no more than a 10 minute wait for the best slides (tube/body), with often those lines being mere walk-ons. Most trips I just went right up and down the 100-foot body slides again and again with no wait.

Maybe I need to make a trip after all. I like that water park.

Ok let me just put this rumor nonsense to rest.

#1. The decision to remove Peanuts from the park was because the financial cost outweighed the benefits. Period. Several of the other Cedar Fair water parks do not have Peanuts either for the same reason.

#2. If you look at a majority of the Cedar Fair stand alone water parks, none of them have received much in capital improvements in recent years. In fact, the most recent additions were funnel slides like Liquid Lightning. It is not isolated to WWK in Aurora; Dick has simply made the decision to focus on a multitude of other pressing issues which should be fairly obvious the past few years at Cedar Fair.

#3. Staffing at the park is in-line with other stand alone Cedar Fair water parks. Just as Knotts Berry Farm does a majority of the work for the Soak Cities on the West Coast, Cedar Point now handles a majority of the functions for WWK.

Lastly, if Dick Kinzel has already requested ideas from park GM's for improvement projects in 2012, including WWK in Aurora, that should tell everyone the park is not going anywhere. (Unless you believe in conspiracy theories.)

You have to understand that not only Dick Kinzel, but Cedar Fair's entire management team AND Board of Directors have detailed secret plans for the complete destruction of the entire Aurora/Solon area, and a particular loathing for Geauga Lake. To that end, they have devised a crafty plan to spend a large fortune trying to convince everyone that they want to operate some kind of a recreational facility on the shores of Geauga Lake, while in fact plotting the utter destruction of the entire facility to eliminate competition with Cedar Point. It has clearly been their goal from the beginning. It has nothing to do with good business, it is (obviously) a personal vendetta against Geauga Lake.

And no amount of logic, observation of company culture, or even actions by Cedar Fair will convince a certain subset of the population that this isn't really the case.

As if the Geauga Lake conspiracy isn't bad enough, now the Kings Island, Carowinds and Kings Dominion people are complaining about how awful Cedar Fair is. How quickly they forget what Paramount was like...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

+1

Dave, I would have to agree with everything you said but "the devising a crafty plan and spending a large fortune."

Everyone around these parts of Aurora knows that Cedar Fair didn't make plans...they just swung a big hammer and chain saw to see what would happen....and take the fortune from here and move it to about 5 other parks ;)

For the record I'm still happy CF is running Carowinds :-).

^ Just like i'm happy they are running MiA.

I dont see much in the way of complaining on CarowindsConnection actually. Other than the 12 yo fanboys everyone else is still high off Intimidator.

Just like I don't much in the way of complaining about MiA connection. Sure, I would like to see bigger and better things come here to MiA. But, I am realistic enough to know that we are just a blip on the Amusement Park radar, and big attarctions will probably not come quick enough to make the local fanboys happy. I am happy that we get what we get, although some new flats wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Fooled me, GL has been more busy this year then last clearly. And last year was more busy then the previous.

I do agree they need to add new slides and do some upkeep. Hopefully the new president will see the opportunity with GL. It just needs some love.

I have been going every week all summer long, and crowds have been busier they ever have been. The funnel is always down the steps completely, the slide complex is always full and the lazy river is full. Same with the wave pool. A few times we had to seek-and-destory just to find an open chair this year.

The park is doing well, IMO. Would be foolish for them to close it down. Add a few rides, do some upkeep, advertise, etc... And I bet they can do better then they are now.

It is a wonderful waterpark, it just needs more at this time. Hopefully they have plans in the future. I think it is far from shutting down anytime soon though, IMO.

We must visit on different days. That said, we never go on weekends or Fridays. Happy to hear it has been b busy, actually...it just needs some love.

Ive always thought Soak City looked like crap (I am reminded every time I ride Maggie) and I was wondering if/when CF was going to take everything outta WWK and move it to there.

I havent been to WWK since GL was killed I just dont have the heart. I can say though that my daughters and I had a BLAST during our visits in years past. We would spend our morns/early afternoons in GL riding, eat lunch then spend the rest of the day at WWK.

Good times good memories

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 3050 :)