How should Six Flags Darien Lake Improve?
Yea, I know keep dreaming!
Pittsburgh, City of Champions!
Steelers + Penguins
2009 What a great year!
I haven't been to DL because of how bad people talk about it. Is it worth a 4 hour drive? I have already rode Superman and the hang and bang invert at SFA, Sidewinder (boomerang) at Hershey, and a lot of Arrow loopers. It doesn't seem like SFDL would be new and exciting to me.
Sorry to sound like "negative Nancy". :)
I bought a Nissan Xterra last year. *looks outside* Yep, it still exists...
Pittsburgh, City of Champions!
Steelers + Penguins
2009 What a great year!
Viper @ SFDL said:
If you go to Darien Lake, Superman and Viper are the only good roller coasters there...Superman and Viper are worth the trip to the park, but the other 3 may not be open everyday.
Supes I knew was closed, bummer. Viper we found out was closed AFTER getting in the park (with no plans of opening, as parts were needed for "both major coasters"). Of the *other three*, one single-trained all day (the SLC), and the Boomerang opened late - and also single-trained...;) Predator ran two trains, but really, outside the front seat the ride was *tolerably painful*...granted, this was early in the season, but after daily ops had begun.
I did enjoy Predator (in the front at least, LOL) nice layout, seemed like the trains coulda used some rehab...also, the TopSpin was nice, REALLY well run!
What's up with their love of Mack Sea Storms up in that area? Marineland and PCW had them too...
"Treat every day as if it were the only day your park was going to be open"....or something like that... ;)
dexter said:I haven't been to DL because of how bad people talk about it. Is it worth a 4 hour drive? I have already rode Superman and the hang and bang invert at SFA, Sidewinder (boomerang) at Hershey, and a lot of Arrow loopers. It doesn't seem like SFDL would be new and exciting to me.
If you're just going for the coasters, probably not.
If you're going for the experience of checking out another park in a different region, enjoy seeing new things/areas, dig the idea of going to a chain park just to see how the 'local flavor' makes it different and like the idea of exploring the familiar in unfamiliar surroundings, then yes.
I'm slowly learning over time that I personally fall into the latter category. I'm more of a 'park enthusiast' than a 'coaster enthusiast' - I just like checking out new places.
Plus, SFDL has Fascination! :)
Amen. I would absolutely love to go to that Movie Studios park in Italy or where ever, and it only has like, one small powered coaster. The rides section looks generic, but the rest of the park looks OUTSTANDING.
I'm more of a 'park enthusiast'...some other Gonch inspired nonesense ;).
Previous post quoting, but it's worth it :) I think that "evolution" in thinking comes along with visiting more parks and not having as many new parks to visit with new-to-you stuff. I'm notcing that as I make my plans for next year, I'm much more interested in parks that have a great overall impression from TRs and such than places that are JUST great coasters. Great coasters certainly are the #1 deciding factor on yay or nay to a park, but they're not the only consideration.
As for SFDL? Do some actual maintenance on Predator, buy new trains for the SLC and they're golden. Two great/amazing coasters already in Viper and Superman, a nice atmosphere and a good park layout. Not a whole lot to do but just maintain the status quo and put in something to hang a "New" sign on every couple of years (and no, I don't mean always a coaster!)
Being that I have been to Darien twice in the last year or so, I don't see myself going back anytime soon unless it's "on the way" and I have a Six Flags pass. I would not pay to get back into that place. It was an "ok" park and Supes would be the only reason to stop by.
Bill, I should of taken you to Seabreeze instead. :-)
-Tina
The only thing that has stayed top-notch is their Laser-Light show. Everyone who has visited the park for better or worse, has said that the laser show was really really good.
Other than that, the entire park needs an overhaul.
- A lot of rides seem to have a lot of down-time.
- The employees are still not all that cheery compared to other parks.
- The waterpark, aside from the addition of Tornado, needs major help and gets crowded when it's hot because there's little choice to do there... so what few things there are to do, gets bottlenecked quickly.
- The lighting on Giant Wheel is not what it should be. It's missing so many lights, it just doesn't look like the staple it once was at night.
- Rides are very dated & aging. They only have a couple modern flats. The rest are mainly from the 80's.
- No transport ride. Not that it's that hard to get from point A to point B, but the older or tired may want a calm ride, of which there are few at this park.
- Pavement is very sloppy. It's not that I hate tarmac, but the way they lay down new asphalt over the old looks very sloppy & unprofessional.
- Of course... lack of new major attractions. Gotta give locals a new reason to come back to the park aside from concerts. The local competition is heating up with new coasters from Seabreeze, Clifton Hill, Marty's Fantasy Island... and major expansion from Marineland... so it only makes sense to compete regionaly.
If they did all that (of course, it'd require a huge investment that Six Flags nor most other people would invest in), the park would be bliss.
Next year we're getting a Cedar Fair Pass!!
Thing Darien Lake Could Do:
1. Superman
-Work out all of the technical problems where the ride stops on the lift hill. This happens on a daily basis and needs to be fixed.
-Add Canopies over 70% of the queueline. The sun is a big problem in that area and something that cheap will help make guests feel better.
-Consistently run 2 trains regardless of the wait.
-Repaint the entire ride, it's starting to look pink.
-Add some Superman music because it doesn't have much of an 'atmosphere' like Superman at SFNE.
2.Predator:
-This ride needs to be completely retracked. Not by the park but by either S&S, GCI, or Gravity Group. It also needs new trains. Either Millennium Flyers or regular PTCs. The trailered PTCs don't work and make a 2nd row seat extremely painful for your spine, which is compressed at the pullout of each drop.
- Add canopies to some of the queueline for those busy hot saturdays.
-Change the seatbelt procedure. Check both the Lapbar and Seatbelt at the same time like Superman. Also have one seatbelt that goes across instead of 2 individual seatbelts. It makes things easier.
3.Boomerang:
-Add canopies over the line and also run it consistently. The ride is very smooth and fun.
4.Viper:
-Add handles on each restraint. There are already a few back rows with handles, add them to every seat.
-Place rubber cushions like those found on Boomerang.
5.Mind Eraser:
-Either bring back or destroy the on ride photo building which looks terrible and empty.
-Repaint the red queueline rails in the station.
-Consistently run 2 trains.
Waterpark:
It's obvious to the public how awful SFDL's waterpark is. Seabreeze's is 100X better. SF made a HUGE mistake when they put Shipwreck Falls where it is today. That is prime land for a water park expansion and now they're screwed.
-We need body slides. A body slide complex with 2 or 3 slides would be great.
-A lazy river. There is no place to hang out and chill except the wave pool.
-More tube slides, the capacity is decent and maybe a giant raft ride too.
Flat Rides:
-How about actually running Twister (Huss Top Spin)? It's been closed all summer!
-How about some new flat ride thats not from the 80s? Perhaps an S&S or Intamin Drop Tower, or a Huss Frisbee or Giant Frisbee?
Upcharge Attractions:
The park is loaded with these and most are a ripoff. People would be MUCH more likely to do Slingshot if it was 10.00 or so. I'd do it every time I went. $20.00 is way too much.
General Atmosphere:
-There needs to be more music! Theres no music anywhere! CP plays all sorts of music across the park.
-More shaded areas for older people and babies when it's hot.
-How about some meet and greet characters? I've never seen any of them!
Food:
Darien Lakes Food is awful. Like any park it's overpriced and not that good. You can't even get a glass of water from the stands! Get ride of the damn Coke products and put in Pepsi so everyone will be happy. Six Flags attracts teens and teens drink Mountain Dew so why did they make the switch to Coke?
Anyway, why not try the free drink system like Holiday World? A 21 oz drink costs them about 5 cents or so to fill so it's an easy way to keep customers happy.
Overall:
-Improve the quality of food and redo pricing structure.
-Retrack Predator, add new trains.
-Consistently run 2 trains on coasters. It's an easy way of keeping guests happy and it gets them out of the lines and back onto the midway where they'll spend money.
-Learn to run all rides at once and strive for that throughout the season.
-Improve the water park with a lazy river, body slides, and more tube slides.
-Add canopies to coasters. Most of the flat rides lines are covered, why not the coasters?
Future Additions:
-The park could really use a B&M floorless like Batman the Dark Knight over back by the Go Karts. It's not too expensive, and like Superman proved, a major coaster like this can easily be paid back in 2 years or so.
- The park also needs some sort or Junior Coaster such as a Wild Mouse.
-A couple new flat rides such as a drop tower and Frisbee would fit perfectly in the park.
Ok I'm done.
*** Edited 8/30/2005 2:33:31 PM UTC by Ride of Steel***
coasterqueenTRN said:
Bill, I should of taken you to Seabreeze instead. :-)
Couldn't agree more! I wonder what portion of SeaBreeze visitors are people who've become entirely disenchanted with SFDL...even *if* Supes had been running, I'd have been there "for the coaster".
I infinitely prefer to go somewhere for the overall park experience, but other than the lake, the TopSpin, and the TopSpin op (and the employee who will go unnamed to protect her job), there was VERY little I found enjoyable there...at least SFAW had the kind of rides where you could TRY to ignore the horrendous staffing and operations, LOL!
And no Tina, they never did respond to my "customer comment card"...but I only left multiple phone numbers AND e-mail addresses, and I *am* hard to get a hold of... ;)
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