My ideas for a Geauga Lake '08 and '09

Hi Guys as we know Geauga Lake is being downsized and there is not much that we can do about it. The park needs to make the best use of what they have and milk it for all its worth. I know for a fact that Cedar Fair does keep tabs on these sites so hopefully they will use some of my ideas if they read them. Please tell me what you guys think.

1. Have an online contest to have the public decide on what colors to paint the next coaster in. Place it right on the main page and advertise something like "Geauga Lake is improving for the better and we need YOUR help!" Have some kind of wording that says we would like YOU to decide what colors we will repaint YOUR favorite rides in! A cheap gimmick that will grab attention. Even have some schools participate by maybe even using school colors.

2. Raise ticket prices by $2 but advertise the heck out FREE parking. A family of four will pay an additional $8 in admissions but will not be raped at the booth by handing over a $10.00 bill and getting nothing back in return. That feeling sucks.

3. Finish the retrack of Villain. It will be a top 20 woodie in my opinion with fresh new wood and if not new trains new padding like Big Dipper. Add a tunnel over the new flat section of track so you cant see the street your are traveling past.

4. If Thunderhawk is staying turn the misters back on and also have some better night lighting on it. Possible strobe lights on say first 2 loops. Geauga Lake in general seems to have poor night lighting on many of its rides IMO.

5. Make actual use of the Water Ski Stadium. Geauga Lake does appeal to families but how many with small children stay from open to close? After say 6:00 or so smaller children can be pooped from running around like crazy from the rides to the water park and everywhere in between. I say have Rock concerts on Friday Evening that appeal to young adults. Have actual bands or groups come in that are locally popular or that will grab attention. They can advertise Friday Night rockfest all summer!

6. Place a dark ride in the old shark encounter building. Or maybe even an all season haunted house.

7. Allow vendors to come in for all the food shops that way prices will come down and we will have real amusement park food again.

8. Move Shipwreck falls over to WWK. It is really out of place where it is at now and they can advertise another WWK expansion!

9. Of course bulldoze the old water park. I would say and idea would be to place another path to WWK from the old waterpark and add more shops and food choices. How about an actual bakery or choclatier. I dont mean fudge shop but say chocolate covered popcorn, strawberries and I have even seen chocolate cover jalapeno peppers at the West Side Market in Cleveland. You know, something very unique.

10. Add new flats with great lighting packages to crap corner and the new path leading to WWK once the old waterpark is torn down. I would like to see a Screamin Swing. Not the huge model like Skyhawk but the smaller one that will actualy have a line built up for it at all times to grab attention.

Well guys those are some of my ideas please feel free to offer your thoughts or add your own. I added realistic ideas not add a 250 tall coaster that goes under the lake. You know, dumb stuff. Lets hope Cedar Fair can take some pointers from us. :)

Thanks!
*** Edited 9/4/2007 10:17:43 PM UTC by clevelander***

I don't think a path around the other side of the lake is possibe because part of it is public proporty.

Otherwise I liked most of your ideas.

Didn't they already have a path around the lake? Then they moved it to the center because it was so far out of the way? Or, are you talking about the road side of the lake?

I think they should put a Sky Ride over the lake. There's already a bridge. Let people ride over there if they want. People like rides.

Also, why not use the ski stadium for, oh I don't know, a ski show? LOL! That was always my favorite show at Sea World. I'm sure it's expensive to have boats, a crew, insurance, etc... But, the ski show was awesome. Maybe they could outsource the show? Like, hire someone to do it and let them take all the liability.

I like your other ideas too. Out of curiosity, can you put millennium flyer trains on any woodie? My first experience with those trains was at Hershey Park on Lightning Racer. Talk about the best trains ever. Is it possible for parks to put these on any woodie they have? If so, why don't they? Is it the train that makes the coaster smooth, or the construction of the track?

I like a lot of those ideas, especially the parking fees and food vendors. It's unfortunate to say I doubt many would be acted on by a park with waning attendance, but I think some of them would help that very problem. I still feel Geauga Lake can have its place in NE Ohio, despite the bleak outlook today.

Tim, what Jason means is the road side of the park. I'm pretty sure there are houses over there. I'm sure there are many reasons not to do a sky ride over the lake (engineering, maintenance, how to evacuate a stuck cabin over water, etc.), but that would be really fun. I like your idea about the millennium flyer trains. I haven't ridden them myself, but I've heard plently of good things about them. I'm sure they're way better than G-trains, anyway. I think Rideman would know if they would fit; maybe I should mosey on over to his website...

Shipwreck Falls is so stupid looking in terms of its physical structure. Theres just this big ugly billboard pole-looking support post that holds up the entire elevated section of the ride, which look ridiculous!

Clevelander, I too like your ideas (and for that matter pretty much everybody else's). Unfortunately, most of them require at least a nominal investment by the chain, and I just don't see that happening for the foreseeable future. Maybe for the WWK side, but that would be it.

All GL has to do is to get rid of the old water park put all the flats from the the water park side back in the 50's midway add a Tilt-a-whirl. They should charge more to get in with free parking.

Millennium Fliers wouldn't fit on Villain. GCI (I think) has a different scale than those of the CCI.

Close it down and open only the waterpark and call it Wild Water Kingdom!

Owww my head!

Ok, all very good and creative ideas, IF CF actually had long term plans for this park. But no official word yet. Keep in mind, that when CF bought out DorneyPark, they removed a lot of old beloved rides, and really turned it around to fit their mold. GL needs a lot of work, and it is a huge piece of real estate. It's going to be hard to attract customers in 2008- with more rides removed and less to offer.

That's why if they truly intend to keep the ride side up and running, I think they're going about it the wrong way. Throw the people a chestnut, for god's sake. Stick in a refurbished flat or something. Anything to show they're still interested in keeping it as an amusement park and not just a live organ transplant center for other, healthier parks.

Thanks guys I really hope GL the best. I also had a question for you. I always wonder if all of the shopping centers in the are improve GL or cheapen the area?

What do you guys think?

I'd like to see the Super Saturator at Carowinds moved to GL. I hear it isn't great capacity, but that doesn't seem to be an issue for GL right now.

Super Saturator's lines are horrible on busy days, especially if it's hot. I wad there two years ago in August at their coaster event and it was 110 degrees and every ride had at least a 2 hour wait, it was horrible. That ride would be nice at GL, a nice family friendly rater ride, and that coaster you can get mom on when she won't ride anything else.

Just Coasting said:
Close it down and open only the waterpark and call it Wild Water Kingdom!

I think they heard you.

^ Well that sucks!

clevelander said:
Thanks guys I really hope GL the best. I also had a question for you. I always wonder if all of the shopping centers in the are improve GL or cheapen the area?

What do you guys think?

I think the shopping areas like Aurora Farms Outlets, the prices always stay the same.

Clevelander - you are aware that Kinzel answers to the board of directors right?

And that odds are he didn't come to this decision easily or on his own.

See everyone, I told you exactly what was going to happen without out coming out and telling you!

If you really want to know what Cedar Point is putting in for 2009 then meet me at Friday's On Monday, September 31 at 4:30.

I may get fired from job, but I will prove to you all that I have the insider information that everyone so desires!

As for Kinzel, his days are numbered with Cedar Fair, dwindling attendance, dwindling revenue. CYA!

Wow, anyone with 1/2 a clue could have guessed about them closing the ride side, it was pretty obvious.

As for DK, I'm pretty sure the company stands behind him if he signed on until 2012. There's probably a clause in there for him to retire early (prays) but I doubt he will.