Two more out the door at Geagua Lake?
The kiddie area they have now is fine, but whoever stated that the dead area up front is the place is entirely wrong, because the big dipper would still dominate the area. I have always kind of liked the kiddy areas to themselves. As an aside, i kind of hate the way they have done kiddy areas at Cedar Point that way, besides Camp Snoopy. I think the Nickelodeon license would be a nice touch. I think they should use it there, since the Paramount acquistion i thought it would work there.
As far as a smaller park thing i have said in the past, if they are aiming for it, then cut the prices of a corporate chain for food and whatnot. They should treat it like a Kennywood, where coasters dont have to be agressive, and thrilling to compete with todays standards, but offer a good ride, even though kennywood still has some great coasters. Geauga Lake needs corporate events, as just being to Knoebels, I learned that simplicity is what does it best. The picnic and non agressive but right thrills and the offerings of the park make it to be what is right for everyone. The whole family should be able to experience a good time. I think that Gilroy Gardens would be the Cedar Fair park now that would allow them to work that minus the coaster part to the equation. Geauga Lake should be what it was, not what it isnt now.
Resident Arrow Dynamics Whore
So look at what they're removing - you take out two of the remaining steel coasters, I would think that your maintenance budget and your ride ops budget drop pretty dramatically. All of a sudden you can maybe drop ticket prices. That's a welcome thing in a poor market and a better selling point than any piece of machinery that spins you around or makes you go fast.
Then, like has been mentioned, in the coming years, you start installing smaller, tamer rides, more flat rides, other things that are new and don't require a big maintenance budget. You can keep your entrance free low, but still provide shiny new attractions that keep people's interest.
GL will never be CP, they'll never be Kennywood and they'll never be KI. All three of those parks have established reputations and niches. Six Flags made the mistake of using their huge investment to try and bump a park out of their niche (CP) rather than use that investment to create a new niche, because I'm sure there's another out there. At this point, I think CF has hit on it - a massive waterpark with a few rides that everyone can enjoy (translation: not too thrilling, but other than enthusiasts and teenagers who don't spend money, no one's all *that* concerned about high thrills ... and if they are, they have no problem driving another hour to get more thrills than anything GL will be able to offer in the next 5 years).
I think they're going in the right direction, I think they're cutting the appropriate fat, and I think if you look at the situation realistically instead of with enthusiast-colored glasses, these moves make perfect sense.
http://www.newsnet5.com/entertainment/13997817/detail.html
Ray P.
Cedar Fair, the parent company of Geauga Lake, said that it won't comment on speculation and rumors.
It's good advertising though.
Great Lakes Brewery Patron...
-Mark
X Factor said:
Since it looks like these rides are leaving, CF should just come out and tell everyone to ride them one last time. It would be the decent thing to do. There's no need for the secrecy.
Hey, at least there are rumors floating around giving a "heads up" warning. Can't say the same a few years ago at Dorney Park (CF) with the unannounced closing of Hercules. (Hmmmm... if only it would have come a few years later... removing Hercules then for the lack luster Hydra OR removing Hercules now and replacing it with the used (but excellent) Dominator. Oh well... can't change history.)
Some of you mentioned about taking the park back to the 80's/90's. GL may have only had four coasters at the time of Funtime's sale to Premier/SF but the park had a very good collection of flats for the family. Where are they now? It's bad enough the front half of the park is like a ghost town (Head Spin seems pretty isolated by the road).
And another problem with that... coasters that were state of the art... or close to it... in the early 90's (double loop, head spin) are now 15 or so years older... and are no longer the big draws that they were back then.
*** Edited 8/29/2007 1:29:36 PM UTC by SLFAKE***
SLFAKE said:
And another problem with that... coasters that were state of the art... or close to it... in the early 90's (double loop, head spin) are now 15 or so years older... and are no longer the big draws that they were back then.SLFAKE***
I can't agree more. I remember going to GL when these coaster were new. They were the state of the art at the time and a bid draw. Now, they are kiddy rides in comparison. Double loop rarely has a full train that leaves the station.
I likely would have no problem with 3 or 4 good coasters with a good selection of other rides. However, Big Dipper is the only coaster that would be left that is worth saving and most of the flats are on their last leg.
If these coasters are removed this off-season, they have to add something new or the GP will see a dying park. Public perception is everything. Take two identical parks at the start of a season. One is growing and adding each year and the other is removing rides and has an aging collection. Which is most likely to be a success in the public eye? Which are they most likely to visit?
If they are truly doing a downsizing they need to just rip of the band-aid and take the medicine in one big move instead of incremental. It is my thought that they are going to eventually close the rides side and move what they can over to the SW side. I think the BD would be lost in this type of move and this would be a shame. But "rebranding" the park in one big move and have a grand "reopening" would be the better alternative to to the slow death that is perceived at this point.
Keith *** Edited 8/29/2007 1:49:02 PM UTC by KoasterKeith***
millrace said:
One thing that speaks against a closure of the rides side of the park is the group pavilions they built near the lake. Yes, they would be easy to remove but I find it odd that they would have bothered with building them at all if the plan all along was the eventual closure of that end of the park. *** Edited 8/29/2007 2:00:01 PM UTC by millrace***
I would agree prior to the Paramount buyout. I think everthing has changed because of that. Pavilions are relatively inexpensive in the big scheme of things and they have served their purpose.
Keith
KoasterKeith: I agree, perception is reality. It's surprising how many people that work at the Home Depot next to the park didn't know the place was open. *** Edited 8/29/2007 2:21:30 PM UTC by FLYINGSCOOTER***
Great Lakes Brewery Patron...
-Mark
Keith
Besides a bunch of rumors, has there been anything substantiating the claim both of these coasters are leaving? At least last year we had pics of a survey company from Cincinnati around X-Flight.
No. In fact I think this info came straight from the website-we-do-not-speak-of.
MagnunBarrel said:
The kiddie area they have now is fine, but whoever stated that the dead area up front is the place is entirely wrong, because the big dipper would still dominate the area.
Sorry to disappoint, but on every visit I made this summer that area of the park was DEAD. Even Big Dipper can't save crap corner. Abandoned waterpark... Steel Venom torn down, X-flight torn down, Hydes torn down, monorail torn down, Skyscraper NEVER open... standing in that area brings a tear to my eye when I remember how it used to be the lifeblood of the park.
MagnunBarrel said:
Geauga Lake needs corporate events, as just being to Knoebels, I learned that simplicity is what does it best. The picnic and non agressive but right thrills and the offerings of the park make it to be what is right for everyone. The whole family should be able to experience a good time.
Are you referring to companies and big groups having picnics at GL? When I was at the pavilions for the Coaster EXT Q&A, I asked a shirt and tie person (technically no tie since it was a woman, but still some sort of supervisor/manager) how group business was this summer. Apparently Cedar Fair laid off nearly all of the PR, Marketing, and Group Sales people from Geauga Lake last summer. The responsibilities were transferred to group reps at Cedar Point; but from the way she made it sound... Cedar Point reps simply aren't interested in selling Geauga Lake to anyone.
I'm not too surprised - there seems to be major ego problems even within the company. Supposedly the Cedar Point reps know little to nothing about Geauga Lake and rarely even come to the park if they have a group they sold to. The person I talked to said there is still decent group business this summer that spilled over from years in the past. My concern is that with no one working at GL to recruit business and sells picnics that group business will fizzle out as time goes on.
At a park like GL that relies so heavily on groups it seems to make zero sense to me why they would do this. Lets be generous and say a group sales rep for Cedar Fair makes $50,000 per year... a group sales rep would therefore only need to sell one or two big picnics (about 1700 people, rounding to $30 for tickets and the meal) and their salary would be paid for, everything after that is extra profit for the company. Anyone care to argue why Geauga Lake would be better off with fewer group reps? To me it really doesn't make any sense.
Now if you'll recall last season when the surveyors started showing up around XF after the park closed for the season & nobody expected them to remove the ride? Well lights started coming off the lift & the ride was removed & sent to KI for the 07 season.
With that in mind I wouldn't put it past CF to relocate more rides from GL to other parks so instead of complaining about it just go out & ride those rides now while you have a chance because they may not be there next season.One more thing:CF niether denied nor confirmed the rumors in that article,now don't you think they would've flat out denied the rumors if there wasn't some possible truth to them? in an effort to reassure locals that their favorite rides weren't going anywhere? All CF said was simply no comment on rumors & speculation.
Closed topic.
