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Geauga Lake Trip Report....The Road to RecoveryGeauga Lake: Derek Potter reports on how he sees Geauga Lake recovering from several years under Six Flags' ownership.
From Derek Potter
In the middle of a small Cleveland suburb sits an amusement park with a rich history. Geauga Lake began it's existance in 1888 with the addition of it's first ride, a steam carousel. When it changed ownership in 1969, it was turned from a small local amusement park into a regional and national tourist attraction. By the time Premier and Six Flags came into the picture, Geauga Lake was a well established park, but was never able to truly compete with the Ohio big two of Cedar Point and Kings Island. Six Flags invested millions into the place. 40 million dollars was spent alone in 2000. In 2001, Six Flags bought the park across the lake, Sea World Cleveland, and combined the two parks. With an amusement park, a marine life park, and a water park, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure became a major player in the national market, offering a variety of attractions that no other place around could offer. Things were looking up for the park. There was just one little problem. Posted August 18, 2004 at 7:14 PM The park had doubled in size and operating costs, and Six Flags still couldn't get the crowds away from the big two. All of that money had been spent (most of it not very wisely), and they had little to show for it. In the midst of expansion, customer service had been put on the back burner. The company had waged an expensive war with Cedar Point for the crowds, and came out a big loser. The park crashed and burned under the Point's glaring light, and quickly became the bloated corporate dog of the Six Flags chain. Earlier this year, Six Flags cried mercy and sold the fledgling park to Cedar Point's mother company. Cedar Fair had bought themselves a park with a serious case of Six Flags Disease, and had barely enough time to move in the office furniture before the 2004 season started. The history lesson sets the stage for the present. When I heard of Six Flags' abrupt sale of Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair, the park that had permanently lost my business a couple of years ago once again became a place of interest for me. On Monday August 16th, the opportunity arose for me to go. For another perspective, I took along my two young teenage sisters. I wasn't expecting much at all, but I wanted to see what Cedar Fair had done in the small amount of time since it took over. I got some discount tickets for 25 bucks and we were on our way. Entering the parking lot at about 12:30, I saw the first difference...Geauga Lake now had parking attendants. It being Monday in mid-August, I had a hunch that there wouldn't be much of a crowd today. It turns out that I was right, the parking lot was pretty empty. Walking up to the gate, I noticed the well pruned and flowered landscape which had not been so well kept before. Security checked my bag, and we were in. My first glance inside the park brought a glimmer of hope. The buildings were bright and clean, the landscape was well kept, and the walkways were spotless. We were hungry, so we went to the first restaurant that we saw. The Jukebox Cafe is a 50's themed restaurant. The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere still leaves something to be desired. The 50's theme isn't done very well, and it was a little dark and drab. Still lots of room for improvement there. I noticed that the waterpark was empty, but soon after they opened it up and it was full. After the food, we took a little walk through the park. Once again, the walkways were spotless, a sharp contrast to what I had seen in the past. Some of the buildings still had evidence of the old Six Flags guard. Some buildings had no names, and the ones around the coaster previously themed to Batman had not been changed yet. Instead of Gotham City, it was now Power City, with the Batman coaster now named the Dominator. Stay tuned for more cheesy names. My first ride of the day was also the beginning of my education on just how much work there is to be done here. Raging Wolf Bobs is a wooden coaster, a replica of the defunct Chicago Riverview Bobs. It was running one train, having no need to run another one because there was no line for it. The ride has a great layout, but it was pretty rough. There was some evidence of retracking, but personally I think that the whole ride needs an overhaul. After that we headed across the lake to the former Marine life side. Most of this side was closed off because Cedar Fair opted not to continue with the animals. Parts of it were open, with some flat rides operating and a couple of shows happening there. One flat had been torn out completely, but the others were running. We walked through the open parts, and I was completely amazed at the beauty of the landscaping in this section. Cedar Fair has really stepped up this part of the operation. It looked every bit as good as Busch Gardens Williamsburg, maybe even better. The ride Mission Bermuda Triangle, a motion sim, left me uninspired. The commentary was pure cheese, and the film wasn't that good either. Hopefully they will get something new in the simulator. After making our way back to the ride park, we proceded on our mission to board all ten of Geauga Lake's coasters. The Villian is the parks largest wooden coaster, and is located in the wild west section of the park, which is surprisingly well themed. Villian was running one train, with hardly any line. One train operations are annoying to me because I'm spoiled by Cedar Point and King's Island's capacity-happy management, but with a very short line, I realize that two really isn't necessary. The ride itself was good, once again a little on the rough side, but hey, aren't woodies supposed to be a little rough. Right next to that was the Double Loop, an ancient Arrow looper that sits in Villian's shadow. My advice?? skip it. It's nothing that a coaster rider hasn't been on, and the park needs to get rid of it. Which brings me back to the Dominator, a B&M floorless that bears a close resemblance to SFGA's Medusa. They were running two trains for this ride with a consistant small line throughout the day. This ride is the centerpiece, the best ride in the park in my opinion, and one of the better Beemers out there. If you go, this is a must ride. The old Batman theming still needs to go, but the ride itself is golden. My sisters and I enjoyed that one, and we rode it a few more times throughout the day. Next was the Thunderhawk (another cheesy name), a Vekoma inverted coaster. I didn't like this one before, and I still don't like it now. The design is a little too compact for seven inversions, and the ride experience isn't even in the same sport as Raptor. X-Flight, the only flying coaster around (for now anyways) is also a Vekoma. I left that one scratching my head in disappointment. It is a unique experience, but the ride didn't inspire me at all...more evidence that Six Flags has been here before. A pleasant surprise of the day was the Big Dipper. This coaster was built in 1926, and is an ACE coaster classic. They still run the old school trains on this one. The ride is not big by today's standards, but it's in great shape, and the old trains magnify the many moments of airtime that you experience. This ride brings some validity to the statement "They just don't make them like they used to". So the question is, has there been any improvement??? Well, yes and no. There has been a big improvement in the cosmetic sense. The park is now very clean, due to the army of park sweepers I saw that day, all working hard and keeping the park tidy. The landscaping and it's designs were fantastic, not a weed or dead flower was found. The crowds were small, but the ride ops still moved the lines quickly and for the most part, did their jobs very well. All of the advertised rides and attractions were operating except for Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall (closed for renovation), and the Black Squid (recently removed). As far as general customer service goes, the park has taken some giant steps in the right direction. There are some bright spots in the ride lineup. Dominator and Villian are probably the best coasters, and Texas Twister, a Huss Flat Spin, is probably the best flat ride. The water park is another bright spot. There are lots of slides and some interactive things for the kids. As for the rest of the park, Cedar Fair now has to deal with some pretty mediocre ride installations. Thunderhawk and X-Flight aren't very good rides at all. Raging Wolf Bobs has been neglected, and needs some work to be good, and Grizzly Run, the white water ride, is flat out horrible. With some extra set pieces and more waterfalls, it could be good, but now it's little more than a lazy river ride that you can see the midway from. The Double Loop is hopelessly outdated, and because it's hidden away... and not looped over the midway like Cedar Point's Corkscrew, there's really no reason to have it there. The kiddie rides are scattered throughout the park, with no single area dedicated for them. There are some areas around the lake shore that could use attention, maybe with some rocks instead of just a muddy, algae-ridden shoreline. As for the shows, the 4D pirate show is pretty good, and the extreme team show has some pretty impressive stunts in it. Waterski Evolution however, needs some work. Cedar Fair introduced the show this year. The stunts are impressive, but there is very little entertainment value. Sea World did a similar show with stunts, but they incorporated a storyline with characters, which kept the people interested. While watching this show, I found myself looking at my watch, wanting to get one last ride in on Dominator. The park layout is somewhat unorthodox, mostly due to the large lake that divides the park into two sections, making for a little hike across the boardwalk The crowd is largely concentrated in the main rides section, with the other side being pretty much a ghost town at this point. Cedar Fair needs to develop the other side and get the crowds moving across the lake. I wish that they would have kept the marine life, but they didn't keep it, and I think that after this year's attendance numbers, they probably will wish that they would have kept it too. My analysis, Cedar Fair has done just about everything that could be asked of them with the time frame they have had. The customer service is much better than it used to be, the park is cleaner and better kept, the employees are for the most part, friendly and good natured. The ride capacity couldn't be truly measured because the crowd was small, but they were running two trains on a few rides, and the ride ops in general got the trains loaded pretty quickly on the one train operations, so it appears as though capacity has increased as well. Now that they have the customer service thing down, they must now focus on improving the quality of the park's rides and attractions and developing the other side of the park. My sisters and I left the park that day with smiles on our faces, which is more than I can say that I left with a couple of years ago. So is the park worth visiting? If you are in the area, or you live within a couple hundred miles, than yes, it's worth a look. We did pretty much everything there was to do without hurry in a day. It would make a nice day trip for the family, and it's a cheaper alternative to Cedar Point. I wouldn't recommend flying in from California, or choosing this park over Cedar Point when faced with the decision, because Cedar Fair still has a lot of work to do here. Geauga Lake has loads of potential, and it has recovered a little from the old SFD, but at this point, it still comes in at a distant third among the Ohio amusement parks.
Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond. From Jeffery Beal
Derek,Posted August 20, 2004 at 7:16 PM Nice report. According to your trip report, it appears that Cedar Fair is focusing on customer service and cleaning up the park instead of focusing on putting more rides in the park. I personally believe that is what they should do first. I have never been to Geauga Lake, but from everything I have read about the park the Bollinger and Mabillard floorless coaster Dominator is hands down the best roller coaster in the park. I believe your comments about Thunderhawk were too kind. This inverted, or suspended looping coaster as they are called by Vekoma International is an abomination. This exact model can be found at Six Flags America, Six Flags Darien Lake and Six Flags Elitch Gardens, just to name a few. It is known as the Mind Eraser at the above named parks. It is in every way completely inferior to any inverted coaster B&M has produced. Rough transitions and uneven pacing just really makes it a forgetable coaster. Anyway, hopefully Geauga Lake can turn it around and become a first rate regional park.
From Derek Potter
In hindsight, I was feeling like a nice guy when I was talking about Thunderhawk that night, but now that I'm in a different mood, I'll say what I really think. It really is a pile of crap....nothing that Cedar Fair would ever install in one of their parks. Perhaps that's why they never really have dealt with Vekoma that much,Posted August 20, 2004 at 9:30 PM
From John K
Derek, what a report, very interesting man. I'm sure Six Flags had some successfull years running that park, then obviously they noticed there's no point owning so many parks. Posted August 21, 2004 at 7:40 AM
A visited once on my day off, and went very well. I rode 7 coasters, 3 flat rides, and the log jammer in three-and-a-half-hours. I say that's pretty good. Now Superman is open, the lines may start to get shorter..I don't know. The dyas that I've been at SFMM, yeah the park is cleaned well, and with good landscaping My question to you is, how do you know that these improvements (landscaping..etc) you mentioned were made within the little CF owned the park? I believed you mentioned you haven't been to Geauga Lake in two years. It is possible man, most landscaping is done around springtime and it doesn't take too long to get it done. Man I would work for a Cedar Fair park but I live around an a little more than an hour away. For those of you familar with Los Angeles; I would have to drive through the "East-LA interchange" and you know how that is..lol. One lane for the freakin interstate 5 the busiest freeway in the state. I don't want to drive through that going to Knotts.
From Derek Potter
I'm not saying that Six Flags never did any landscaping, or that it even looked that bad. In fact, it was pretty good. What I am saying is that it looked really good this year, a lot better than it did before. I'll put it this way. It was good enough to grab my attention away from some really crappy attractions that were previously put in by Six Flags. There was hardly anything going on in the former marine life section, but just walking through it was like an attraction to me.Posted August 25, 2004 at 7:04 PM The other big change that I mentioned was customer service. A memory that is etched in me is one of a park that was noticeably dirty. There were overflowing trash cans, cigarette butts, dirty bathrooms, and lots of leaves on the paths This time it was spotless. I kept an eye on the employees on this visit. I can't count how many people I saw walking around with a broom and a dustpan. The park really could have done with less sweepers that day because occasionally I would spot them just standing around looking for something to do. I was greeted by a friendly security guard in the morning who checked my bag, and I was seen off by a friendly PR person who thanked me for coming that day. There was nothing of that kind previously. I wasn't there last year, but all accounts that I have heard tell of (unreasonably long lines, dirty park, rude employees, overpricing...etc), closely resemble the experience that I had. That tells me that the park didn't really improve over the course of that year. What changed were the small things...the little intangibles that people don't notice unless they are bad. It has made some headway for the park's reputation. The problem now is this. Most of the ride experiences just don't measure up to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood or Hersheypark. Now that the marine animals are gone, they are basing the whole park experience on these big ticket rides that Six Flags has installed. This could prove to be a problem for Cedar Fair, because the rides aren't great at all. A few bright spots exist, but not enough to keep the people coming back on a regular or yearly basis. I (and most people I think) wish that they would have kept the animals. Maybe they should look into bringing them back. If they really want to create synergy (which in my opinion, is a grossly overused and abused word in the business world) between GL and CP, than the parks need to be different. Right now, they aren't. GL is basically a thrill park right now, a minor league version of Cedar Point. When faced with the decision of going to one or the other, there is no decision to be made...it's CP. Geauga Lake needs something different to truly realize success in the Cedar Fair family.
From Jason Lester
Now Six Flags may have some great coasters, but this trip report proves how much cleaner and nicer parks are when not run by Six Flasgs. Six Flags needs to spend a year focusing on customer service in their parks and then focus on extreme thrills. Posted August 26, 2004 at 10:52 PM
From Bob Monement
I can't imagine this park without the animals. The whole point of going there was to spend one day on the rides and a second day with the animal exhibits. I'm sure CF cut costs by getting rid of this half of the park but I think they also cut their throat.Posted October 14, 2004 at 3:22 PM I disagree, though, about the X-Flite. I think it's the most exhilerating ride in the Midwest and worth the price of admission all by itself.
From Kevin Baxter
Six Flags can't be blamed for X-Flight being lame as there hasn't been a Flyer yet that has been any good. PGA got the first one and they have already dismantled it to send it to another park. They evidently have learned these things aren't going to have long shelf lives. Posted October 16, 2004 at 1:35 AM They may create a good one yet, but the position of the rider's head will make it very difficult if not impossible.
From Ryan McCarthy
Hmm.. it seems like Cedar Fair has taken some of the names from one of their other parks, Dorney Park. Dominator and ThunderHawk are names for rides at Dorney. Very creative Cedar Fair!Posted October 18, 2004 at 9:48 AM
From Pete Brecht
I went to Geauga Lake this past Sunday on my way to Cedar Point (it was a good stopping point coming from Virginia), and I really had a good time. I think Derek's comments are spot on, and I had a pretty similar experience. Posted May 18, 2005 at 7:02 AM The crowds were virtually non-existent; numerous times I had Dominator all to myself. They were only running one train on all the coasters except Dominator, yet I never had more than a 1-train wait for anything. By the time I had ridden all 10 coasters (several of them multiple times), I looked at my watch, and I had been there less than an hour and a half! I wasn't even hurrying, either. Furthermore, since it was early season and the waterpark wasn't open yet (it was too cold for swimming anyway), the admission fee was only $19.95. What a bargain! While I agree that this is a minor-league park compared to Cedar Point, I think that there's a place for a park like this, and I hope that Cedar Fair turns things around attendance-wise. I had to laugh at the park motto that I heard broadcast throughout the day: "Geauga Lake: the fun is back!" They may have meant that in terms of welcoming back visitors after the long off-season, but I just took it as a slam on the Six Flags years of the park.
From Andrea Wade
I have good news (which some of you already may or may not know). Because Geauga Lake is less than an hour away from me (and Cedar Point is about one hour away), I've been keeping tabs on the two parks for the 2005 season.Posted June 24, 2005 at 3:23 PM First, for those of you who miss the animals at Sea World, don't despair. Cedar Fair did a major overhaul of all of Geauga Lake and sunk $26 million into the fledgling park...probably to up attendance. Hurricane Hannah's Water park, which was added when Premier Parks bought Six Flags, was almost completely demolished, leaving only the wave pool. To compensate, Cedar Fair took a wrecking ball to Sea World and turned it into a 20-some acre waterpark, with plans for a 2nd phase to be added next summer. And it looks pretty sweet (just opened June 18, so I haven’t gone yet). Derek, you said you didn't particularly care for Raging Wolf Bobs. Obviously neither did Cedar Fair because they refurbished the entire track. I haven't visited this summer yet to see if it's any less rickety, but it is my hope that it is because it’s still a pretty neat ride considering its old age. The only reason I didn’t like riding it was because it looked like it was going to topple over. As for the Double Loop, be open-minded. It was one of the first steel looping coasters to be built in the park. It still is one of my favorites, mostly because I remember riding it when I was seven. Tearing it down would be hasty on Cedar Fair’s part because it is one of the few remnants of the ‘old’ Geauga Lake, and a great transition coaster for kids. The ‘old’ park had only four coasters, a better fifties midway, The Texas Twister, some kiddie rides, and a skyline ride that ran parallel to the lake. One coaster was The Corkscrew, a gentler version of the Cedar Point ride by the same name. The Big Dipper was a classic, The Double Loop was the “newest and latest scream machine,” and Raging Wolf Bobs was opened shortly before Premier Parks bought the park. Then, Premier began tearing down all that was the old, great Geauga Lake. The Corkscrew was replaced by the Mind Eraser—a totally bad move. This coaster is rough and pretty mediocre and shamed the Corkscrew. Then they built Serial Thriller, which is now Thunderhawk. Their attempt to build a thrill ride like this on limited land accounts for why it is so compact and in some cases, kinda claustrophobic. Neither of these rides is worth bothering with, even if the lines are short. Anyway, you all know the rest of the story. The former Superman and Batman rides are awesome, as is, I feel, X-Flight. The Villain could be trashed for all I care. It’s beyond rough—it’s straight-out suicide for your spine. Cedar Fair should remove it and build a better wooden coaster, or at least design newer, more ergonomic cars. As for the rest of the park, Cedar Fair really has “brought back the fun.” The lines aren’t long (and trust me, they were AWFUL when SF owned it), the park is NEVER crowded, it’s peaceful, it’s cheap, and the staff is a lot friendlier and more competent than the former SF staff. I think we’re going to see a new, high thrill coaster erected where Hurricane Hannah’s once sat within the next few years and also a few more refurbishments to the buildings and dock. Another thing to keep in mind is that Geauga Lake now offers season passes that allow admission to all of Cedar Fair’s parks, including Cedar Point; I’m seriously thinking about buying one. This may be the last year the park isn’t too crowded to ride The Dominator nine times in a row. Keep an eye out on this park. It’s a gem that has yet to be polished. I think Cedar Fair may get this park on the same level with its more popular ohio counterparts.
From Derek Potter
Actually, Cedar Fair did a major overhaul on Raging Wolf Bob's track for the 2005 season. I've yet to get up there to test it, but I'm sure that new trains and retracking have helped it out. The layout is really good, but last year the ride was so darn rough. Double Loop is just taking up space in my opinion. It's a looper that's way past it's time. Had it been a Arrow mega looper like Vortex at Kings Island, than maybe I would think differenty, but since it's an off the shelf Arrow looper, I don't see much value in it.Posted June 24, 2005 at 3:51 PM You are right about the park being an unpolished gem. I'm glad to see the waterpark springing up. What's good also is that the waterpark will double in size next year. This place won't ever be Cedar Point, but it will surely be one to watch and visit in the next few years.
From Pete Brecht
I think they reprofiled Villain in addition to Raging Wolf Bobs before this season. I had never been to GL before, so I have no basis of comparison, but I didn't find Villain or the Wolf Bobs to be rough at all. In fact, I liked Villain quite a bit; it's in my top 5 of wooden coasters.Posted June 27, 2005 at 7:43 AM
From Andrea Wade
I went on Villain last summer, and I vowed not to go on it anymore. But if you say that it was reprofiled, then perhaps I should try it again this summer. Other than being tossed about viciously, it was a pretty cool coaster.Posted June 27, 2005 at 10:36 AM
From jenn zdelar
Removing the doble loop would serve little purpose, it takes up a very minimal space and is by all means a classic. I could name many people who rode it as their first coaster, i know i did when i was only 4. it is nice to see a few classics in parks still. I live about an hour away from Geauga Lake and what i lov emost about the park is the calm atmosphere and short lines. It was never meant to be a major thrill in the same way cedar point is. I have been to KI, GL, and CP this year, and they all have their purpose. CP, in a way needs its scritness, really it has a reputation and without the way it is run, it may not be what we know it as. GL is nice for a nice fun, relaxing, day w/ the fam. Where as CP is obviously geared toward thrill seekers. I guess it is just depends what you're looking for. Although no one can seem to disagree that Six flags was teh worst thing that ever happened to the park. Anyways, i needed to defend teh double loop, trust me i love the TTD, millenium force, but theres just something about riding the double loop and big dipper taht you can't experience on more modern coasters. By the way, the villian should needs some major something, i lvoe a good wooden coaster, but not at the expense of my health! And im 15 for random knowledege. I do have one complaint about GL though. They need some major upkeep on the rides, come on we all still see the reminants of batman on the dominator, and the thunderhawks head rest are barely there on some seats, and come on raging wolf bobs, you used to be ALL white. Yes, theres lots to be done and it's be a dire shame to see this classic park go down. the endPosted September 4, 2005 at 11:20 PM
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