Attendance this year?

I'm curious as to how Geauga Lake's attendence has been this year from the perspective of anyone who's been there in the past. I haven't really heard anything about how they've been doing at getting people in the gate, and honestly I hadn't thought about it until today when I went to the AAA office. I bought two Geagua Lake tickets for my trip tomorrow, and the lady told me this was the first time she's sold a Geauga Lake ticket this year.

You can kind of tell by the discounting they're still doing, this late in the season. They wouldn't be doing that if the numbers were good.

You know, I thnk it's not at all surprising that Geauga Lake is having a disappointing season. On the one hand, I think Cedar Fair...perhaps intentionally, perhaps not...did a few things that seem designed to discourage lots and lots of people from visiting the park. Just understanding their admission price structure requires knowledge of advanced mathematics (it's only slightly less complicated than Indiana Beach...) if you want their best deal. Sure, they are doing discounting late in the season, but look at the discount opportunities they didn't take...for instance, they could have offered the group rate to Cedar Fair pass-holders and they didn't. Those are just examples. The lack of a major promotional push is certainly a factor as well; the park lacks an image right now. Part of that was the rushed conversion job late in the Spring, and part of that might be the park trying to give itself some breathing room this season.

Then on top of all that, the weather has been LOUSY. Oh, it's been fine for parks like Cedar Point, but for Geauga Lake, the one major thing the park has going for it is the extensive waterpark...but this season it's been too darned cold to go in the water!

There are plenty of perfectly good reasons why Geauga Lake attendance would be sub-par this season. Add to that all the people who got FOADed by Six Flags on previous visits, and it's a small wonder there's nobody there this year.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The weather has been ridiculously cold. This is the coldest August I can remember in a long time. We've used our A/C one night the whole month. Not good for a park that relies on its water park to draw people in.

Just my observation from my trip today, but I think there were more employees in the park than guests. Granted, it rained all day and was a bit on the chilly side, so I have to wonder what it's like on a day with better weather. One interesting thing to note is that I was asked to take a survey on the way in, and one of the questons was if I thought a $28 ticket price would be reasonable provided that there were no discounts from anywhere else (like AAA or coupons).

Attendance is almost certainly well below the 1.5M annual pace quoted at the time of the purchase. You only need to look at the financials. Six Flags was turning an operating profit with 1.5M attendees, and many of those were undoubtedly severely discounted or even "free" (vouchers, passes, etc.)

Cedar Fair reported a $4.5M operating loss last quarter, and that should have been the second strongest of the year. (1st and 4th are always big negatives since the park isn't even open.) It's hard to imagine July-Aug-Sept will make up much ground at all.

This one looks like a big-time loser (who'd a thunk they could do a worse job than Six Flags, bad weather or not?)

FWIW, I agree with Dave A., Jr. -- Cedar Fair seemingly went out of their way to ensure poor results. What's up with that?

Clarification - the $4.5M operating loss mentioned above was specific to Geauga Lake. (SEC-recognized) GAAP loss was $6M plus for GL.

You think it's been cold in Ohio? Try Michigan. It has not hit 90 degrees this year.

Hmm. Michigan's Adventure attendance is up. Another record breaking year. And it's been cold and wet.

I hear there may be an announcement September 1.

GL just needs a few years, give them time.

MrScott

As for Cedar Fair going out of their way to insure poor results...I don't think they were really trying to insure poor results, but I think they did take some steps to try and keep Geauga Lake from getting hammered in a season where they knew from the outset that they didn't know what they were doing with the place.

It's not like Dorney Park or Worlds of Fun or Knott's Berry Farm or Michigan's Adventure where you can buy the park and let it run itself for the first season and then start reshaping it in Cedar Fair's image. With Geauga Lake they had to come in and start from darned near zero with rebuilding the park, because the sale completely changed the park's offerings. In a very real sense, Cedar Fair didn't take over the existing Six Flags park; instead they had to build a new park operation from the pieces that Six Flags sold them. And they had to do it in a little more than a month. I can easily understand why they might have wanted to depress attendance a little, particularly if this summer had featured perfect waterpark weather.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I think alot of people stoped going to GL because they can't get in free anymore with there Six Flags season pass. I go every year because I get in free with my SFDL pass. I will still go there every year reguardless, because I enjoy going there, but I think some people won't go there anymore, because they can't get in free anymore.

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TTD is sinking too! said:
"... Six Flags was turning an operating profit with 1.5M attendees, and many of those were undoubtedly severely discounted or even "free" (vouchers, passes, etc.)... "

SFI didn't see any profit from that park since the SWO purchase. Why do you think they would sell out?

Attendance is in the crapper because the park priced itself out of its main market and drifted away from its big revenue producer the company/group picnic. Having a terrible catering department didn't help either.

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I think alot of people stoped going to GL because they can't get in free anymore with there Six Flags season pass.

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Most people who went to WOA with a Six Flags pass got their pass at WOA. It's not like the majority of WOA visitors were Six Flags passholders from around the country.

We went on sunday, and there were 8 cars in the parking lot at 8pm.

We were able to count them from dominators lift hill.

I think that cedar fair did want a soft opening this year due to the shape of the park and the short amount of time they had to get the park up to cf standerds.

Next year will be a total turnaround, the park will undergo a major transformation this off season.

I hope so. I was also there on Sunday and spent a whopping three hours there. Sunday was dead due to bad weather forecasts, and later on that day bad weather. I can honestly say that I've been to GL more this year than I went to SFWoA over the past two, but it feels like SFWoA with better operations. I think I agree with crazy horse where this year was intented to be a wash only to prep for 2005.

What will make all these people (who didn't bother to show up this year) crank the turnstiles with such enthusiasm next year? It won't happen by magic.

Will it require reduced gate prices? New rides/more staffing? Free admission for Cedar Point pass holders (without raising the price of a pass)? Vouchers/freebies? Heavily discounted group rates? $160 Family 4-packs? All of the above?

There's no doubt they can turn it around. Just spend a gazillion dollars. The real question is can they turn it around AND make it profitable? That's a tall order. That's the $145 million question.

Whatever's required to get new folks in (and the old folks back) will cost money, maybe lots of it. GL's lower attendance puts a rather restrictive cap on what can be realistically spent. They need to find a way to spend a little and get a lot. Not an easy task...

Reduce ticket prices, go after the company picnic and shut down the south side. Easy to make a profit then, but not very original.

Perhaps the rumors throughout Aurora are true...

What rumors are spreading throughout Aurora?

There really wasn't anything to convince me to make multiple visits. I went once and was impressed with the changes that had already taken place. Employees seemed happier and some coasters that typically only ran one car were running 2 (Double Looper, ect.). The employees were not efficent at loading and unloading the rides like they are at CP though. I had a season pass for SF so it was cheap to go back oven and over. I probably won't buy a GL pass in 2005 becuase I can't use it for CP unless I buy up---I don't see the point in buyin one and the extra cost seeing as how I will MAYBE go to CP once in 2005 (never went 2004 and didn't miss it). I will probably go in 2005 just to see the changes, but not for the water park.

Considering the upgraded CP pass is (was?) only $25, I fail to see how that's not a good deal.

I agree. Not to mention it comes free with a combo pass, which is what I buy anyway.