Is it my imagination or has Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk gone downhill?

[DodgerGirl]

I remember when Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was the in theme park for California tourists during the 80's and 90's and they would constantly advertise new deals for the summer through commercials but if you go to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk today you'll notice that it has gone downhill and can't figure it out? Is it because Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk wants to compete with other theme parks such as California's Great America and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom or are they changing to attract a new audience to their park? Because it used to be an Easter tradition of mine to visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk every year but ever since they went downhill my family no longer goes there. Take for example I remember when they would have free beach concerts of popular singers and bands such as Tiffany and Fleetwood Mac but if you want to see a beach concert every night of the summer Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk now charges money and tickets to attend the beach concerts at night. Is this their new way of attracting new customers now? A second thing I noticed about Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is how they advertise new rides in their commercials and the "new" ride is just an old ride being updated. Take for instance when it was announced that The Cave Train a popular ride at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was being updated with a new look in 2000 and many fans were anticipating it's new look and when The Cave Train was reopened and rebranded as The Cave Train 2000 it was virtually the same ride and the only difference was the name change and when I rode this new version of The Cave Train I was shocked that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk would do this to a ride especially a ride that is popular. I find it surprising that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hasn't added any new stuff since Neptune's Kingdom was opened in 1992 and what would be great is that they could add more thrill rides. Because it is shocking that the famous Giant Dipper roller-coaster is the only big thrill ride of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and they could add more roller-coaster type rides. I think what Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk mainly wants to focus on is teenagers and couples and not so much on families and I can bet they will give the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk a new renovation in order to stay alive so they can still be the hit attraction of California

 

[barkley]

you are bringing back so many memories to me. i spent every summer there from the mid 60's-the end of the 70's. i saw it go through so many stages-

very family friendly area around/on the boardwalk-private cottages or inexpensive but very clean and safe motels within walking distance. i adored the cave train, the funhouse (spent hours on end in there) and got terrified on the mad mouse (much scarier than the big dipper).

handful of years later-hippie'esq vibe with funky bohemian shops on many corners. it still felt safe though mom and dad were not fond of the smell of weed wafting in the streets.

a few years later-crime ridden/dangerous. the family friendly motels were filled with police busts and your parked as close to the boardwalk as possible/did not venture off into the neighborhood.

resurgence in the 80's, neighborhoods around it were clean and safe again. new motels had been built, nice... but the '89 earthquake realy changed the vibe-with the repairs and renovations to the boardwalk it felt so much more like (as you said) it was trying to compete with great america but failed. it just did'nt realize that it's identity of the beach, the old school rides, the arcade, the free concerts...were a different than marriott experience that people enjoyed. trying to compete was a losing proposition.


last time i was there was when my oldest was about 5 or 6-so about 25 years ago? area around the boardwalk was scary sketchy again-people approaching us (a couple w/2 little kids/obviously tourists) and asking loudly 'you want to score?', then running down the various drugs they could provide

i hope it's cycled back to a better environment again.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Another thing that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk did that they should've kept was have Popeye as their mascot and in the 90's they even had a Popeye character walk around the boardwalk and it was so cool. What I also think caused Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to go downhill was the prices for souvenirs and they even had a dollar store where you could get good deals on souvenirs but the souvenirs were still pricey even at a dollar. I remember the last time my family went we only spent ten minutes looking at shops at the boardwalk because I got bored and we ended up leaving early and headed to Kmart instead. What I think Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk could do is expand the boardwalk and get rid of Neptune's Kingdom because Neptune's Kingdom is mostly shops and has only one restaurant and expand the arcade of the boardwalk as well and that would help gain more visitors and keep it from going downhill

 

[NorCalFanatic]

When was the last time you were at the Boardwalk? I think it’s your rose colored glasses.

We were there last summer, they’re doing just fine, we go once every summer. Growing up in the area I went a lot in the 80s early 90s.

Our kids loved Neptunes Kingdom. The arcades and the mini golf. It was crowded but not too crowded. Full of families and teens. The stores are touristy for sure, just like you’d find anywhere like that, but not outrageously expensive. Kids also had fun with the carnival games and won a few prizes.

The cyclone isn’t the only thrill ride. There’s another coaster that’s just as thrilling.

 

[DodgerGirl]

What I also think Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has tried to do but they never tried to do is become like Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm by having their own resort and with the many motels across from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk they could make their own resort hotel. Another thing that caused Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to go downhill was the prices of the food and drinks and the quality of the souvenir cups. Because it seemed that the lowest selling food was their ice cream and their hamburgers but if you go in the boardwalk today the food stands seem to focus on nachos and rice bowls and I remember when my mom and I would buy hot dogs and corn dogs for real cheap there and it was good food. But the souvenir cups that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk had also gone downhill because they were cheaply made. I remember when my parents bought a soda in these cups and they were so poorly made they cracked and soda would spill all over the place in splatters and they could've made better souvenir cups. But as I mentioned a new and improved Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk would do very well with some changes in the future

 

[NorCalFanatic]

What I also think Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has tried to do but they never tried to do is become like Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm by having their own resort and with the many motels across from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk they could make their own resort hotel. Another thing that caused Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to go downhill was the prices of the food and drinks and the quality of the souvenir cups. Because it seemed that the lowest selling food was their ice cream and their hamburgers but if you go in the boardwalk today the food stands seem to focus on nachos and rice bowls and I remember when my mom and I would buy hot dogs and corn dogs for real cheap there and it was good food. But the souvenir cups that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk had also gone downhill because they were cheaply made. I remember when my parents bought a soda in these cups and they were so poorly made they cracked and soda would spill all over the place in splatters and they could've made better souvenir cups. But as I mentioned a new and improved Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk would do very well with some changes in the future

Where are you getting all of this? Have you attended yourself recently? Or is this like all your similar posts where you haven’t been somewhere in years, just watch you tube videos and then post about how awful something is now and how great it was when you were younger.

So…as someone who grew up in the area and goes at least once or more every year…here’s my observations.

They’ve got a nice big souvenir cup, comes with a tight lid and flexible straw and cheap refills, good all season.

They’ve got a ton of food options not just rice bowls and nachos, and have food festivals. The corn dogs are fantastic and the kids love their chicken tenders. There’s BBQ options, seafood options, pizza, burgers, sandwiches. The ice cream stand by the Carousel still offers giant soft serve cones. Last year we were there during one of the chili cookoffs.

If you’ve been there you know there’s no room for a resort hotel. It’s not really the type of venue that needs a resort hotel, and there are plenty of options in the area if you want to stay near the boardwalk.