Geagua lakes Future

[tomheyd]

http://www.screamscape.com/html/geagua_lake.htm

So it says here that Thunderhawk and Dominator have a good chance of being removed.

So what do you guys think?

[Jekoon]

I think its great that Dominator is being moved. :)

[Astros161]

The park is dying. 'nuff said.

[TheSkipper]

What does it matter what we think? The parks will make their decisions without our input, or the input of their regulars, either.

What do YOU think, Tom? How many parks have you ever been to?

[Jekoon]

If everyone followed the rule of "what does it matter what we think" then this would be one empty forum. Whats wrong with asking a amusement park community for opinions on amusement parks? I'm sure parks care about what there customers think because without them there would be no park.

[~LoveTulie]

The park is dying. 'nuff said.

Agreed. I think they are going out of buisness soon. That park has the most depressing atmosphere I have ever seen.

[stormrunner2592]

i think cedar fair is just gonna take the rest of the good existing rides out and relocate them to their other parks because they already have 2 better parks in ohio, but thats just my opinion

[SnooSnoo]

They are really putting the park back to where it was before.. a small little regional park.

The only reason we think its 'dieing' is because all the good, big rides are going.

But I will miss Dominator.. if she goes though.

[~LoveTulie]

They are really putting the park back to where it was before.. a small little regional park.

The only reason we think its 'dieing' is because all the good, big rides are going.

But I will miss Dominator.. if she goes though.

I won't even go there anymore if 'she' goes. That's one of the only reasons why I go to Geauga.

[Silver Park]

They maybe take away all the rides from the Six Flags era,and add that new hyper-coaster everyone talks about!

[WarGuardian18]

i think it'll be a water-park with an amusement park attached to it...lol


Raging Wolf Bobs, Head Spin, Thunderhawk, Double-loop, Villain, and Big Dipper will stay and only Dominator will go.

[Alpengeist]

I see a lot of water in GL's future, water slides that is.

[Silver Park]

i think it'll be a water-park with an amusement park attached to it...lol


Raging Wolf Bobs, Head Spin, Thunderhawk, Double-loop, Villain, and Big Dipper will stay and only Dominator will go.
Thunderhawk is also in danger of being removed,they have possibilities to move it to Michigan`s Adventure!

[~LoveTulie]

I just thought since Geauga Lake isn't a 6 flags park anymore, maybe they are just taking out all the tracks that Six Flags gave Geauga, which is X-Flight, Superman, and Batman.

[SnooSnoo]

The Villian... ;)

[Silver Park]

Yes,as The Villian came from the Six Flags days,I think it will get removed too!

[tycooner55]

No complaints about removing the Villain

[SnooSnoo]

^Agreed.

My most hated coaster.. lol

[~LoveTulie]

No complaints about removing the Villain

Say what! Omg, I love that ride though! :( It's so fast and smooth...

[SnooSnoo]

^SMOOTH??

Whatever you say.. from now on.. is a bold faced lie.


:)

[Harpo]

The Villain is not one of my favorite coasters, but it has some moments that I enjoy. One thing is for certain: "smooth" is not a word I would use to describe it.

[WarGuardian18]

i always loved the name "the villain"

very cool name i think:up:

[~LoveTulie]

^SMOOTH??

Whatever you say.. from now on.. is a bold faced lie.


:)


:( Well, I guess 'smooth' isn't the right word.. but I guess I could use the term, 'bumpy fun'. I don't know why, but I like that ride :heart:. Although my legs always ache when I get off it..

[tomheyd]

:( Well, I guess 'smooth' isn't the right word.. but I guess I could use the term, 'bumpy fun'. I don't know why, but I like that ride :heart:. Although my legs always ache when I get off it..

WHAT how can roughness be fun?

[~LoveTulie]

WHAT how can roughness be fun?

It just can... Like on Beast, it's not painful bumpy, but bumpy fun. We made up this little term when we where at Kings Island.. it just came to mind after we rode Beast.

[SnooSnoo]

WHAT how can roughness be fun?

Thunderbolt (Kennywood)
The Beast
The Voyage
The Raven
Magnum XL-200
Twister (Knoebels)

All 8/10 atleast for me.. some even better.. and they are all far from smooth.

There is a difference between pain and rough fun. Villian goes into the "I WANNA KILL MYSELF! GET ME OFF!" roughness level.

[~LoveTulie]

Thunderbolt (Kennywood)
The Beast
The Voyage
The Raven
Magnum XL-200
Twister (Knoebels)

All 8/10 atleast for me.. some even better.. and they are all far from smooth.

There is a difference between pain and rough fun. Villian goes into the "I WANNA KILL MYSELF! GET ME OFF!" roughness level.

How is magnum bumpy? I know it's not smooth, but it's not bumpy.

And I am just always screaming on Villian =]

[SnooSnoo]

^Magnum not bumpy?

Well you do think The Villian is smooth.. so... :)

[Silver Park]

I don`t see bumps on Magnum...

[WarGuardian18]

not see... FEEL

the bunny hops i dont like on Magnum, - i know that sounds so whiney- its my least favorite of the hyper coasters, that does not mean i hate absolutely its a decent ride after all it was the first hyper coaster.

its just the way the bars are set up, and when it comes to the bunny hops i don't like having to knee myself on each little hop.

[Harpo]

the bunny hops i dont like on Magnum,

That just goes to show how people have different preferences, desires, likes, and dislikes. For me, the Magnum's bunny hops are what takes the ride from what would have merelybeen really good to being fantastic.

I don't actually consider Magnum to be bumpy, but it has some drastic element transitions leading to quite a few intense moments.

As for Geauga Lake, I would be surprised if the park was closed down altogether, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it shrink some more, and gain a greater emphasis on the water park. I don't expect to see a new major coaster going in there anytime soon.

If I were making the decision, I would expand Geauga Lake with more thrill rides, using it as a proving ground to try out prototype-style rides. Then, I would create multi-day passes to both Cedar Point and Geauga Lake, including a bus system, leaving a few times each day, available to the people at Cedar Point's and Geauga Lake's resorts, taking them to the other park. It would be a perk that would encourage people to spend a bit more time at the resort hotels, since they would now have one additional park to visit, with the luxury of not having to do the driving between the two parks.

I don't believe that's in Cedar Fair's plans, however.

[SnooSnoo]

its just the way the bars are set up, and when it comes to the bunny hops i don't like having to knee myself on each little hop.

Knee yourself?

I don't know how your wearing your restraint, but if your kneeing yourself.. you might be doing something wrong.. :)

[Silver Park]

Well at least,let`s get back to the thread subject!

Why are they doing this?!The removal of the big coasters don`t seem to help much!They`re not even trying to fix Raging Wolf Bobs!

[SnooSnoo]

Raging Wolf Bobs isn't really that good.. and all the money they invested into it isn't getting back good returns.

I could see why they'd get rid of it.

[Harpo]

Well, today, they announced what's happening with Geauga Lake. The rides side is being completely shut down -- Geauga Lake is going to be strictly a water park.

I think it's sad, and it's not the decision I would have made if I were running Cedar Fair, but I don't think it's entirely unexpected.

[Silver Park]

R.I.P Ride side of GEAUGA LAKE...

[SnooSnoo]

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=133

[WarGuardian18]

open up the speculation thread on who's gonna get what!

come 'on Dominator, daddy wants a Floorless at Valleyfair!

i mean 'kneeing myself' on Magnum as an expression, my legs always feel really sore. the bunny hops to me feel neigh (kinda) painful, like they're getting their but not quite yet. then again at the time i wrote it i didn't necessarily have the slimmest of legs either. lost just over 50 lbs since i rode it.

[K1D1]

No ride stay here dont leave, stay!!!!! Where are you going stay please stay! water stinks, you rides are whay better! No there all leaving!!!:cry::cry::cry:

[virtualgamesco]

Dominator is rumored to be moved to King's Dominion for the 2008 season, and Thunderhawk is probably headed to Michigan's Adventure.

[ytivarg]

I'm sad to see Dominator go... 'twas my favorite ride at Geauga... power rode that thing until my friends literally dragged me away from it... everything else, well.. I'm really not all that torn up about it. <shrug>

[Jekoon]

I've never been to Geauga Lake before or live in the are so I don't share the same feelings towards the new direction. At least its not a total loss since the rides are going to still exist. But I hope that Kings Dominion doesn't just get Head Spin and gets Dominator as well. Of course I'm getting this information off of rumors on screamscape.

[stormrunner2592]

NONONONONO please dont bring head spin to kd nooooooooo boomerangs nooooooooooooo just dominator please i mean cmon i have never even been on a floorless lol and kd is my home park but we definately need something new there because hypersonic is going :( i loved that ride and am sad to see it go even if it was painful

[~LoveTulie]

That's a bummer.. I always go to Geauga Lake whenever I want something to do.. oh well. So will they be adding the water park where the amusement park was?

[SnooSnoo]

Maybe.

Right now, I've heard of 4 things most likely moved. Dominator, Thunderhawk, Americana (Ferris Wheel), and Texas Twister.

Everything else may be going to the scrap heap.

[~LoveTulie]

I hope Texas Twister goes in Cedar Point, I LOVE that ride. And, it'd go great in the western part of CP.

[ytivarg]

Texas Twister doesn't have the capacity to make it at CP.

I'd still love a Giant Top Spin at CP, but the regular sized one just wouldn't cut it.

[Alpengeist]

Here's your answer.

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=133

Link courtesy of Cedar Fair.

[SnooSnoo]

^*coughIalreadypostedthatcough*

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=133


:rolleyes:

[Alpengeist]

^*coughDidn'tseeyourpostcough*

...and don't be an a**.;)

[SnooSnoo]

<3

:)

[tomheyd]

Head spin is also being considered for carowinds

[tycooner55]

So what do we have left. Raging Wolf Bobs, Villain, Dipper, and Double loop.

Now that's a coaster collection every coaster fan wants to experience:rolleyes:

[fathorse]

I would hope the Dipper stays, or at least is moved, since it is a classic coaster.

Villain should be melted in scrap.

[~LoveTulie]

I hope the Villan goes to Cedar Point.. <3

[deaconnor]

I think Head Spin is going where Flying Super Saturator is.

[fathorse]

I hope the Villan goes to Cedar Point.. <3

why do you hate CP so much? That's like me wishing Paris Hilton will get massive herpes (actually she probably already does).

[Squid2]

So what do we have left. Raging Wolf Bobs, Villain, Dipper, and Double loop.

Now that's a coaster collection every coaster fan wants to experience:rolleyes:

Actually, you have nothing. Cedar Fair just announced that for the 2008 season GL & WhiteWater Kingdom will be a water park only. All of the rides are being removed from GL, with some of them being relocated to other parks. Read the announcement here. (http://wwk.geaugalake.com/)

[K1D1]

I made a 2008 Geagua Lake Map. And for now it looks Wierd.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb304/K1D1inc/GL2008Map.jpg

[virtualgamesco]

^ LOL.

[Darth Gilbert]

I'm disappointed at how indecisive Cedar Fair has been with Geauga Lake. I still have a brochure from 2005 showing phase 1 and phase 2 of the Wildwater Kingdom expansion. As we know, phase 2 was scrapped. Now Wildwater Kingdom will be the sole attraction...

When I visited Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom in July, I found the water park to be inadequate. I noticed more people walking through the lazy river, than floating on tubes. We returned to the area after the water park was closed and I took a picture of the tube holding area. There were only 51 tubes available for the entire lazy river! Same story at Thunder Falls where we had to wait in line to get a tube, then wait in a second line to get on the slides. Maybe a tube expansion will be the big addition for 2008...

[tycooner55]

I'm sure CF will put more money into WWK. I am suprised to hear about the limited number of tubes though. They're kind of important to have at a water park.

[SnooSnoo]

New name for GL:

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom.


Impressive.

:)

[K1D1]

I think it will just be called Geagua lake.:)

[Harpo]

CP doesn't need it, but I'd kind of like to see Big Dipper moved to The Point. Cedar Point is the second oldest amusement park in the U.S., has a roller coaster history dating back to the late 1880's, but the oldest coaster in the park is 1964's Blue Streak. Moving Big Dipper to CP would be like restoring a piece of the park's history.

I don't really expect that move to happen, however. Sadly, iIt wouldn't surprise me if Big Dipper and Raging Wolf Bobs both get demolished. I also won't be at all surprised if Double Loop gets demolished.

If Cedar Fair doesn't relocate these rides, I'm hoping they'll at least put them up for sale, providing a chance for some other park to pick them up.

Meanwhile, I think Michigan's Adventure and Great America are both in desperate need of a new coaster, so it would be a good spot for a relocation. (I'm actually wondering if Great America may eventually go the same way as Geauga Lake -- even Paramount was pulling things from that park instead of adding to it. Does anyone know what the lease agreement is for Great America? Could the lease be nearing its end?)

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Thunderhawk moved to Michigan's Adventure. I'd actually like to see the company sell Head Spin -- I think there are already too many Vekoma boomerangs out there. I think the ride could be a bigger benefit for a really small park like Indiana's Fun Spot or Florida's Cypress Gardens than at any of the existing Cedar Fair parks.

[Alpengeist]

New name for GL:

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom.


Impressive.

:)

Yea. ...it's real original, isn't it? lol.

As for Head Spin, it's now been rumored for Kings Dominion and Carowinds. ...lucky them.;)

[Jekoon]

I wouldn't mind if Kings Dominion got Head spin. There are rumors that it would get new trains with lab bars wherever it goes. So it would be a fun coaster. Personally, I would rather have Head Spin then Hypersonic. I hate that ride so much.

[Alpengeist]

Well, that's the rumor. Head Spin would replace Hypersonic. ...and the rumor of Dominator coming to Kings Dominion gets stronger each day. Parking lot coaster anyone.;)

[deaconnor]

Yeah but the only thing is it would be in Nickelodeon Central.

[stormrunner2592]

true that deaconnor because the other side of the lot is buildings, and if anybody is real familiar with kd there is land behind anaconda and fof but i dont know. personaly if they were to get dominator, i would like to see hurler go and i think dominator would go good there, plus it would replace a crappy coaster.

[deaconnor]

I kinda like Hurler.

[skacoaster]

You never have to wait for Hurler, or grizzly, but isn't there land behind hurler?
I mean, the Park is in the middle of nowhere.

[stormrunner2592]

yeah actually it is in the middle of nowhere there is nothing other than some powerplant off in the distance but its just my opinion that if hurler went, i wouldnt care

[Jekoon]

I love all of KD coasters except Hypersonic. If the price of having Dominator is the removal of Hurler then I don't want Dominator.

I mean...I'll still go cause they'll have a kick butt B&M coaster :)

[Squid2]

I'd like to keep Hurler... much better than the one in SC. As for the land around KD... well, remember, they're surrounded by farmland. I don't believe that they own a lot of the land around them.

I look forward to Dominator coming to KD. It'll be my second B&M floorless.

Squid2

[KiDFoX]

I think CF stands a good chance at recovering the costs of acquiring GL and then some but what a public relations nightmare. They now get to take all the heat for problems that Six Flags created and why? Because they were not able/willing to fix the problems everyone knew existed when they went looking for white elephants.

Once they purchased GL and the problems with that decision started to become apparent what did they do? Purchase Paramount parks. That was when the writing was really on the wall for GL.

Just as it was a white elephant for Six Flags it is now one for CF. I think financially it has all the potential to pay out on the investment with possible land sales and moving rides to other parks to help update and refresh them where needed it really is a disaster from a PR standpoint.

Regardless it probably is the only thing they can do with the park and it was not a good fit for CF from day one. Out of everything they have done over the years I think buying GL was one of the worst decisions because it was too close to Cedar Point they seemed unwilling to really make it shine. That is just my opinion but I am not alone amongst watchers of this industry.

Hindsight is always easier than foresight but it seems clear everyone was aware of the mess GL was in when they purchased it. Looking at it today it is very easy to say that was a big mistake and I think it is fair to wonder if they didn't have this in mind for some time, like maybe when they started to ponder Paramount.

[Harpo]

Actually, I think it was a good purchase for CF, but not from a money-making standpoint. Instead, it was a good purchase from a "protect our flagship park" standpoint.

Six Flags was putting $30 million+ into that park per year until SF ran too low on funds.

With Paramount, other companies were in the bidding, including Blackstone Group. Blackstone wound up buying Tussaud's for over $1.8 billion, instead. Blackstone has also indicated an intent to expand their amusement park operations throughout North America. What if Blackstone, with their deep pockets, had purchased either Geauga Lake or Kings Island?

It would have meant that Cedar Fair would have had to constantly be building eye-popping rides at Cedar Point in order to protect the flagship park. Relatively small rides like maXair and Skyhawk would be unlikely, and even Maverick probably would not have happened. Maverick is a great coaster, but, in appearance, it doesn't have quite the same "wow" factor as Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster.

If Cedar Point is to remain a family-friendly park, they need to also be able to add smaller rides that everyone will enjoy. By avoiding competition that was about 1 hour away, they are in a position to be able to add smaller rides without worrying about what the park next door is doing.

Now, in my opinion, Cedar Fair could have done quite a bit more with Geauga Lake than they did. I would have liked to have seen them set up a Thrill-Ride Haven unlike anything else in the world. To that end, I would have used Cedar Point and Geauga Lake in tandem. Create hotel deals that, for staying 3 nights, would provide a free ticket to the other park. (i.e., stay 3 nights at Hotel Breakers, get a free ticket for Geauga Lake. Stay 3 nights at the Geauga Lake Hotel, get a free ticket for Cedar Point. Provide up to 4 free tickets per room, depending on number of registered guests.) Then, I would have had some buses to help get the resort guests between the two parks. Take them in the morning, return them in the evening. That way, the two parks could have had a symbiotic relationship, benefiting both parks and Cedar Fair.

Since they were not going in that direction, I figured that it was likely that the water park would grow, and the rides would gradually be removed. I was surprised they eliminated the rides in one fell swoop. (Or would that be a swell foop? Either way, it was quick!) If Geauga Lake were to become like a northern Schlitterbahn, I think it would still be a great place to visit. The water park needs a lot more development to become like Schlitterbahn, however, so I think it was too early to close down the ride side.

Regardless, the flagship park is protected from relatively-inexpensive competition. Now, the big PR problem is to prevent backlash against Cedar Point. If some of the historic attractions of Geauga Lake (such as Big Dipper) were preserved and moved to CP, I think that would go a long ways towards placating those who are upset about Geauga Lake's demise, but that's just my opinion. I know there are still fans of Euclid Beach Park who go to Cedar Point for memories of the Derby Downs (now Cedar Downs), so I think the same thing could work with Geauga Lake memories.

[fathorse]

I don't see why they just don't keep a few rides there. It works quite well for Mt. Olympus park at the Dells, which is primarily a waterpark with a lot of Go-Karts and a couple coasters. Revert the Ride Side back to pre-Six Flags days, and make it a small amusement park with some great picnic areas.
It's like discovering your hair has gotten a little too long and instead of getting a nice trim, you just shave your head. Cedar Fair's actions seem a little extreme by eliminating ALL the rides.

[Harpo]

I agree. I think it would have been good to pare back the rides side and keep some of them open.

However, I'm also thinking about some items from my MBA classes. I had a couple of classes that talked about whether or not to close a business enterprise that is losing money. If the operation is not covering the price of the variable costs, and those variable costs go away with closing the enterprise, then it makes sense to close it. If the operation is covering the price of the variable costs, but is not covering the full price of the fixed costs, then it makes sense to keep it open until the fixed costs can be eliminated. The variable costs would be things like the employee wages, electricity, and maintenance. Fixed costs would be things like property taxes.

Their actions lead me to believe that the variable costs were not being covered. Additionally, by removing the rides, they can reduce some of the fixed costs, moving those costs to other parks where the incomes justify the costs.

I find it to be very sad, and I wish they hadn't done it, but I can understand the decision if the park's income wasn't paying the variable costs.

[KiDFoX]

It would go a long ways toward repairing relationships with loyal fans of GL if they kept some of the more historic rides at the park.

The Big Dipper could stay exactly where it is for example and it is rumored they will be moving the Shoot the Chutes over to WWK. Saving the Big Dipper and carousel might help their PR problems with park fans and locals right now. If I were in charge, and I am not, I would announce that sooner rather than later if it was in the plans.

[~LoveTulie]

Just wondering, anyone know where Time Warp and Texas Twister are going? Those were there only 2 thrill rides, and I'd love to see Texas Twister go to CP, that is a really fun ride!

I personally think no park will want to take the Villian, or the Double Loop. I suspect that those would be demolished.. Although, I really hope they don't demolish Big Dipper, that ride is historic..

Oh, and one more thing. When I look at the water park map plan for Wild Water kingdom from a few years back, I see that right next to the wave pool, there were suppose to be slides right next to that, but it never happend. Was that suppose to be phase 2?

[Darth Gilbert]

Oh, and one more thing. When I look at the water park map plan for Wild Water kingdom from a few years back, I see that right next to the wave pool, there were suppose to be slides right next to that, but it never happend. Was that suppose to be phase 2?

Yup, I also have that map. It was part of the 2005 promotional stuff showing what was supposed to happen for 2006. The large wave pool actually was built, but there were supposed to be several more slides, another lazy river, and a swim-up bar, among other things. In 2005, the first time I visited Geauga Lake, part of their old water park area was still in operation waay on the other side of the lake. There was a wave pool, a lazy river, and some tube slides over there. So in reality, the water park had more to offer in those days than it does now. It's kind of sad. That's why I keep regretting that they didn't follow through with phase 2, especially now...

[Maverick2007]

Texas Twister doesn't have the capacity to make it at CP.

I'd still love a Giant Top Spin at CP, but the regular sized one just wouldn't cut it.
I have a feeling CP will never see a Top Spin, considering the 2-year-old one they have at Valleyfair and the one at Worlds of Fun are both having trouble with the water effects, and other problems.

[WarGuardian18]

well no, i am a patron of VF, and the water effects are working fine, it is not like it is giving the park any problems. the water effects are subject to the temprature more then anything else.

[Maverick2007]

Oh, ok. I know Thunderhawk's are broken though.

[tycooner55]

Kennywood removed the water effects on their top spin. Too many electrical problems. If you think about, water shooting into complex electrical components, not a good combo.

[Vans_boy]

Well here goes the de-construction of Dominator.
http://www.geaugalaketoday.com/

So is it deftinly going to Kings Dominion now?

[Jekoon]

one can only hope

[stormrunner2592]

same here, kd is 45 min away and ive never been on a floorless