Geauga Lake or Kings Island

I want to go to a park this year and if I can, I can go with my brother. I'm wondering if the Rollercoasters are better at GL then at KI. If I do go to GL which coasters should I just pass and are the Thrill Rides good at GL. (i haev been to KI before)

http://www.geaugalake.com/public/inside_park/rides/roller_coasters/index.cfm

this will help

If you want the credit for the coasters at GL, go there, but only for that reason.

If you go expecting it to be better than KI you'll be disappointed.

Aw, GL's not that bad. Obviously it's not the caliber park that CP or KI is, but it certainly has a few nice coasters. Blue Streak is a great old woodie, oldest in Ohio and still a nice ride with good airtime. Dominator is as fine a floorless as they make, even if it's gotten a little rougher over the years. Raging Wolf Bobs is a fun ride with some surprising pep, especially since the rehab. If the Villain rehab goes anything like RWB, it will be a vast improvement this year as well. And contrary to the rumors, Steel Venom, Head Spin and Thunderhawk are still standing.

Yes, X-Flight is gone. (Moment of silence.) But GL still has more coasters than Kennywood and Waldameer put together. Just because the park may be shrinking, doesn't deter from the fact that it is worth going to at least once. And not just for the credits.

Thank you. You are the only one who actually answered my question.

Well let's see...

You ask me about seven years ago I would have said that GLP was the superior park, but that is a tough arguement to make now. Partly because the park has fallen hard and partly because i feel that KI has come a long way in the past ten years. Certainly i only expect KI to further improve with the infusion of CF culture.

Anyway I have to say that despite the downturn in the park things are looking better than in the past three years. And the coasters are still good; or even great if they can get the Villian back into form. I rated it better than the Beast in 2000 and 2001, but it has not aged gracefully.

The Big Dipper (as mentioned earlier as the "Blue Streak") is still a top notch out and back woodie that is without doubt a classic. Dominator is also a coaster that would hold its own in any large amusement park. Of course Steel Venom is relativly unique for its style of coaster. Unfortunately Head Spin and Thinderhawk are simple Vekoma clones, and the Double Loop is a first generation Arrow that is more of a novelty because it's so smooth. Finally Raging Wolf Bobs do have a new pep to its step since the retracking, but it's still a coaster plagued with a boring profile, IMO. I know that i'm leaving out the family coaster, but then again it is a family coaster.

So the coaster line up is respectable in my opinion, but the big draw back here is that the park is in transition, and there is serious debate and fear that the park won't pull out of the depressed state that it's in. So since the park is seriously lacking in the atmosphere department until the organization refinds itself, it really can be seen and done in half a day with some re-rides on all but the busiest of August Saturdays. I would say that as an enthusiast your time would be well spent at the park, but you may want to consider planning to check out other super cool things to see and do in the Cleveland area if you're planning an overnight. Better still as a park junkie you might want to make it a northern Ohio park weekend and hit the point.

Best of all I would say that a Friday afternoon/evening at GLP followed by a nice Saturday in and around Cleveland and SUnday at the Point would make for a fantastic way to spend a nice summer weekend. Makes me look forward to the sun already.

Certainly the thought that if you're expecting a KI/CP caliber park, then you'll be let down. But it still is to big to compare to a Kennywood.

Oh and the flats are ok. A Topspin and what they call the TimeWarp are the two bigger ones. There was a flying carpet that i haven't seen anywhere else, but i wonder if it's even running. There are some other fun spin and pukes, but the park really doesn't have anything to compare to CP's Skyhawk and other recent giant flat.

Hope this helps with your decision process.

I can't believe I said Blue Streak! Pardon my brain fart. I meant Big Dipper. ;)

I have to say, I went to KI this past year and wasn't all that impressed by their coaster collection. The Beast was nice, but other than that I didn't think they had any stellar coasters. Having said that, GL's are not any better. GL has quite a few coasters, but none of them are anything special. My favorite was X-Flight, but unfortunately thats gone. Unlike many I find Dominator quite dull in comparison to other floorlesses. Steel Venom, Raging Wolf Bobs, and Big Dipper are really the only other coasters that stand out in my mind. The rest are really just average.

Kings Island seems to have a few more unique coasters, and even if they aren't all that more "thrilling", they have a uniqueness or a theme that makes them better than GL. I would go with KI's coaster collection if it were me, but GL's isn't a bad choice either.

I can't believe that anyone would rate the Bobs above the Villian under any circumstances. I know everyone has their opinion; but even in the terrible state that the Villian was in these past few years it's still faster, with better lats and air than the Bobs have ever dreamed of dishing out. And the last time i checked everyone looked for at least one of those three conditions when riding a coaster. Under no condition does the Raging Wolf Bobs compare to any real wooden coaster, including the Dipper and Villian.

Like that Simon says on that show my wife watches, "not to be rude, but, " are you on crack?

Here's my two cents:

You have been to Kings Island before, but when is the last time you were there?

Based on what you are asking, PKI has to get your nod in my opinion. Let's do a "coaster by coaster" comparison.

1. Faceoff is better than HeadSpin

2. The Beast is better than Villain

3. The Racers (front and backwards) are better than the Big Dipper

4. the "Beastie" (now the "fairly odd coaster" is better than Raging Wolf Bobs.

5. I think Vortex is SLIGHTLY better than Double Loop. (Ha)

6. That leaves Dominator and Thunderhawk to stand up against: Top Gun, Flight of Fear, SOB (if it goes...it will be better!), and Itailian Job.

I think Kings Island wins in a shutout voctory here. Now lets throw in 2 intangibles; thrill rides and scenery. PKI has Drop Zone, Avatar (it's fun!), Delerium....and where else can you go in the Eiffel Tower in Ohio? Then throw in the best rapids ride in the Midwest, and you have a winner.

I was ready to leave GL in about 3 hours when we went 2 years ago. IMO, they really should just close it down and move the coasters elsewhere. Sad, but I miss Sea World. It was much better with Shamu than with "Thunderclone".

Oh...and lets not forget that now X-Flight (or whatever it becomes) is now also at PKI.

*** Edited 1/27/2007 6:11:24 PM UTC by Kevinj***
*** Edited 1/27/2007 6:13:08 PM UTC by Kevinj***

IMHO, I prefer KI over GL, even though I like both parks a lot. KI has a larger variety of coasters, and I've always found the coasters at GL to be just mediocre. And as stated above in someone else's post, the other rides and theming really put the icing on the cake for KI. Of course, my opinion on GL could be a little dated since I haven't been there since '04. If you do decide to go there, I recommend Dominator and the Villain. Though neither are chart-toppers, they are very nice rides. I had a bad experience on Big Dipper so I probably won't ever ride it again, but it, too, delivers a decent ride. But the Bobs was painful for me and those who rode it with me.

I can't really remember any great flat rides there. I think there's a topspin. Nothing very extravagant, other than that.

Hope that you have a good time if you get to go, no matter which park you choose to go to. :)

6. That leaves Dominator and Thunderhawk to stand up against: Top Gun, Flight of Fear, SOB (if it goes...it will be better!), and Itailian Job.

How can you forget Vortex and Adventure Express.

TopGun I had compared Vortex to Double Loop (see my number 5). ;)

I had totally forgotten about Adv. Express!!! That ride is great!

"You will die!"..."hahahahaha"...

It's like the Mine Ride possessed by Satan.

Not to mention the only coaster Ive ever ridden that ends with a lift hill. Now thats unique!

Kevinj, you neglected to mention Steel Venom.

Also, why is everybody indignantly protesting that Kings Island is a better park than Geauga Lake? Nobody in this thread has suggested otherwise.

Ensign Smith said:
Aw, GL's not that bad. Obviously it's not the caliber park that CP or KI is, but it certainly has a few nice coasters.

I never said Geauga Lake was better, or even as good, as KI. Just that it too deserved a look. So everybody take a chill pill, relax, get funky. It's the weekend.

Sorry about missing Steel Venom. At least I missed one coaster in both parks. :)

Why is everyone saygin KI is better?

Well...haha. Youre right, Ensign, GL does certainly deserve a look.

Villain, btw, has a nice teeny bit of theming to it...and GL also did fun job of theming their topspin to look like a tornado came rushing through (its better at night witht he theming, IMO).

Hell, if you have a couple days, I would suggest both. You could do both in one day. Plan on spending at leats half your day at GL in the waterpark, though. Dont even bother with KI's waterpark...Boomerang Bay is pathetic.

Kings Island hands down.

KI has better food, atmosphere, flats, and coasters.

GL has a better waterpark, thats it.

While GL is a decent park, KI always leaves me wanting more... while GL just leave me not wanting to come back because i've done everything... 50 times over. If you want the complete amusment park experience, go to KI. If you want to re-ride coasters 400 strait times, go to GL. To each his own.

And.. personally, The Beast, at night, owns every ride at GL, regardless of any factor.

I take it you didn't ride the Villian at night in 2001? Clearly a better ride than any at KI unless you want to pull out the old Beast at night in 1980. The Beast today is a shell of itself, much in the same way the Villian is, but for the Beast it's like the Mean Streak with it's annoying breaks.

Ulitimately it's the terrain that makes the Beast. Yes there is speed, but that has been reigned in and is found on other rides. And yes there are good lats... at the end. But the Villian has constant lateral AND verticle forces with speed throughout the ride. And while i would guess that the speed of the Villian doesn't top out as high as that on the Beast, it is consistant throughout the ride and is enhanced by the nature of the track layout weaving in through itself. The Villian is very well paced, which i think is also a weakness for the Beast. Design vs. design and best vs. best i like the Villian ride better for all the reasons listed above.

Really the Beast has the rep it does for good reason. It was the first widley known, widely popular, terrain coaster. Unlike anything else... at the time. And i still think it's a top tier coaster that is a must ride for anyone. I'm just saying that there are better rides out there now... and it's not just the Villian that has a better design.

The Villian is total crap. I rode it back when it was first built, and I hated it then and I hate it even more now. If any ride should be taken out of GL, it should be that amazingly big waste of space.

The Beast, on the other hand, blew me away the first time I rode it... unlike the Villain, which left me hobbling. Yes, the trims take away.. but very little. Comparing Beast to Mean Streak officially makes you insane in terms of judging trims. MS about STOPS you going down that hill it seems. The Beast was hardly noticable.

As for design.. yes, The Villian does beat it.. but the thing is, the Villian isn't a good ride. Yeah, its good to look at, but when it comes to rideability and fun-factor, The Beast absolutely destroys it. You must either be short or just completely numb 24-7 to not be able to feel that sort of pain. I suggest anyone who hasn't ridden it don't even waste their time. There is a reason why I rate this ride very last on my coasters ridden list. CCMR is better... lol.
*** Edited 1/31/2007 6:45:53 AM UTC by TTD4Life***

The trims on the Beast have made the first half of the ride about at boring as the second half of the Mean Streak, Which i wouldn't have said about 15 years ago. Sure it isn't as dramatic as the Mean Streak, but the trims on the Beast affect the ride in much the same manner. They remove the edge from the ride.

The funny thing TTD is that you are about as opposite from me as i can think. To me the Villian is about as ugly of a ride as you can find and in proper condition is easily a re-ridable coaster. You must not like coasters that have air and lats for more than 20 seconds of the ride. You must like the poor pacing of having to wait a climb up a second hill. I guess with a screen name for the Dragster i should know better. When i spoke of design earlier i was refering to the layout and profile of the ride. Much more interesting than the meandering Beast in my book.

I think i understated it before when i recognized that Villian isn't the ride it was. It can be painfully rough in a way similar to the Son of Beast. There are some modestly less rough seats that still show a little of the spark this ride once had. Irronically the last ride i had on the Beast was also rough in a terribly horrible way. Needless to say i don't think many coasters in Ohio aged very well. At this time i would put the Big Dipper and the backwards Racer on the top of my Ohio woodie list; and one has to be careful with the Big Dipper.

I guess i just want to say that this is a purely subjective matter. And to many the Villian was the best ride in that park for a while.

I wouldn't know much about the edge it did have, mostly because of my lack of age, but I have heard from my parents that it did have more kick, but its definitley not as boring as Mean Streak.. thats something I can definitley be sure of.

By good to look at, I didn't mean 'standing in the parking lot' good, but the design, as you mentioned, is pretty good. But, the thing is, the design means nothing if the ride is just pure crap.

And trust me, I do enjoy rides with great lats and airtime. But when all that turns into PAIN, it really doesn't matter. Plus... what airtime do you speak of? I found almost none on that ride. Big Dipper owns it in air. I'd take the 'poor pacing' of a 30 year old ride over a 7 year old pain machine.

Btw, just because Dragster is in my name doesn't mean I have a lack of knowledge. You assume too much. If you knew me, you'd know what was really up. I created this name in my coaster noobism, and in about 3 minutes. If I could change this retarded name, I would.

And again, while the layout of The Villian does beat The Beast, you have to remember one key thing.. pain sucks.

Son of Beast was not rough.. or atleast comparable to The Villian rough. I've ridden both of those rides, painfully, up and down the train.. and Villian was magnitudes higher in all levels of rough.

I totally understand the subjective part. To each his own. While The Villian MIGHT have had a good moment, Dominator still beats it in every way shape and form.