Nightmare @ Great Escape-closed for season?
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I went on vacation at Lake George and stopped at Great Escape. I was hoping to ride all five, 3 which I hadn't ridden yet. Yet one of them, Nightmare, was closed.
I asked an employee selling tickets if Comet was closed. He said temporarily today, and it would be open later, and he also said Nightmare was down for the rest of the season. SBNO
This seems very strange to me. These coasters don't really stay in place. Yet I don't see why they would take it out with such a low coaster count. Maybe this means expansion will happen?
I was looking foward to this, yet this coaster does have problems. They're hard to keep up, probably break down a lot, and have horrible capacity, with lines reaching 2 and a half hours. But I think this ride went great with the park and the themed section of Ghost Town.
So, is it getting moved, or down for repairs, or scrapyard? Note this is not confirmed, but doesn't seem crazy.
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I lost my hat on Poison Ivy. How pathetic.
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John
Albany Entertainment:
http://home.nycap.rr.com/albanyent
Well, Great Escape is just about ready to convert to a full blown SF park, like SFDL did in 1999... Nightmare DID close at just about the exact same as now back in 1998, and he did say that it was down for the rest of the season, sounds like it is going bye bye.... and it sounds like GE will be turning into a SF park next year for sure, after hearing that bit... you knew it was going to happen sooner or later....
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I lost my hat on Poison Ivy. How pathetic.
NewYorkSuperman... where have you been? The lone Great Escape employee who helped inform us earlier in the season before everything opened up.
Hey, if you're reading this... what's up with Rainbow still not being open?
I heard the park will NOT be branded as Six Flags, but they will have the large expansion as planned, it will just still be called Great Escape, just so they don't lose their "themed" area (Fantasy, Ghost Town, Minature Village, Story Town, Jungle Land... etc) to the corporate "themes" like DC Comics & Loony Tunes.
But I have the feeling that Nightmare will face the same fate as it did at Darien Lake before it had it's "large" expansion (although, it wasn't all that large). We'll probably see it removed, and in its place... there will be a very large indoor western shootout!!! I wonder who will be accepting that coaster next, and if they're going to dump a couple million making a giant indoor structure for something that's going to last like 3 or 4 years.
To keep up with changing times, they will, however, be putting in a few new rides, and hopefully... a brand new (not rejected) original rollercoaster. It's gonna happen people.......... I just hope Six Flags will grand The Great Escape the funds to have a major expansion, because the crowds are dwindling down more & more without anything new to see.
Definately Closed Because of an Expansion. If anyone read the Times Union (Albany Newspaper) It stated that the expansion would have occured this year had SF not bought La Ronde and Le Vampire would have been sent to the great escape. I expect that we will get a coaster next season and the Great Escape will become an SF park.
On another note My uncle owns a private airplane and I will have him fly over the Great Escape and I will look at the area around the park for any signs of any construction.
Well, the bridge was supposed to happen long ago! This year, they were supposed to do the bridge over RT9... as for the parking lot... where can they expand to? I don't really see too much land for new parking, unless the space inbetween the two are cut off completely!
As for Nightmare... they could do what Darien Lake did and have FOUR people in the train at once instead of two, which was totally retarded... but I see that ride going outta here.
I'm kinda disappointed in Rainbow. That was their only true "thrill" flat ride. Every other one is just mild. There are no true thrilling flat rides there... that's just sad. They could at LEAST... at LEAST add some good flats before coasters if they are starting their expansion.
Let's hope that Six Flags will fund Great Escape and grant them a crap load of money to start changing with the times! I keep picturing this little wooden bridge going over RT9, but then I think..... it's going to be a hell-a big bridge to accomodiate large trucks and such. That ain't going to be cheap.
Well.... NewYorkSuperman...
At the very least, will there finally be a new RIDE next season? I'm surprised people still go to that park because of the fact it's changed very little for the past FOUR years!! After Nightmare, so little has happened, it's not even funny.
They got to cater to both repeat customers, tourists, and newcomers... and a park that has the "same old same old" year after year with big competition from New England will struggle to make ends meet. If Six Flags was thinking of dumping parks off to private individuals, I'm betting that Great Escape might be one of them unfortunately.
Don't get me wrong... it's my favorite park of all-time because of the nastaglic value it holds in it for me... but it really needs help!
Oh, and like I said before.... they may become a real Six Flags sized park with decent rides... but I highly doubt they'll brand it with the Six Flags name. If they do, I'm almost betting the farm that (most of the farm, not the grain mills) there will be minimal corporate changes. They may get the loony tunes in there with a kiddie area, but I doubt any superheros will widdle their way past the story-book characters!!
Cinderella vs. Batman...... Alice in Wonderland takes on Wonderwoman.... somehow, I can't picture the park with corporate crap infestations!
WoodenCyclone: They did add a little used blue carousel last year, a sky coaster, and a food stand this year, but that's about it. The park is over 135acres large with 300+ acres total land ownage. Nightmare is an indoor dark wild mouse coaster that's seen plenty of parks in the past. Do a check on RCDB.com and you can trace it back to like 1984... or was that 1979??
BUT.... to add what I was saying before..... if they need a kiddie park, there are a few up in the Glens Falls/Lake George area that are very willing to take its place. Some of those include Santa's Workshop (I think that's what it's called), Magic Forest, Wild West Ranch......... etc, etc, etc....
...let's not forget the wet competition of WaterSlideWorld. Great Escape was planning on expanding their water based attractions at one point to add more slide complexes.
You gotta admit, as a whole, Great Escape has a lot of competition, whether be as a big amusement park (New England, La Ronde) or family theme park (Magic Forest, Santa's Workshop.... etc)... and they really need to get something to stand out from the crowd soon besides a bridge & bigger parking lot.
What's the use of a bigger parking lot if attendance is expected to stay the same the year they expand that? They gotta get the attractions the same year to make use out of the extra space!!!!
*** This post was edited by DawgByte II on 8/6/2002. ***
Heck the only reason I still go there is because of the Comet.
The Comet and relaxing by the wavepool...
*** This post was edited by Mtl_Shag on 8/6/2002. ***
People people... Must we go through this again? I'll tell you what's going on with the park. This is the TRUTH. I have been talking with a friend of mine who is on the Queensbury planning board.
Le Vampire was NEVER supposed to go to the Great Escape. No RIDE expansion is in place for the park untill 2004 or 2005. The Nightmare has been closed practicaly all season. Sorry, bad new for the folks who want the Nightmare gone. It's not going anywhere. As for the people who do not know what the Nightmare is, it's a Schwartzkoff(sp) wild mouse coaster with banked turns. It's fast and fun. However, capacity sucks.
NOTHING is going on behind the Ghost Town area. There were rumors of an S&S tower or some sort of hyper coaster to be placed there. These rumors ARE NOT true. I have entered the area behind ghost town recently. I drove through the area on my way to Northwoods picnic area with Fly 92. I'm part of an organization called Reality Check and we were setting up a table at the foam dance party. All of the land behind Ghost Town is for storage.
The Great Escape IS NOT changing it's name to Six Flgas. Not this year, not ever. John Collins, manager of the park said the park has too much history and will remain without the Six Flags name because of that.
For the 2003 season the park is getting a MASSIVE expansion but not in rides. This expansion includes a new, state of the art, waste treatment facility and a completely new parking system with exits off of the northway. This parking lot will go all the up toward the Municipal Center. The Great Escape purchased all of the land accross from the park and is now turning it into parking lots and new roads.
The Rainbow ride WILL be taken out next year. The area where the rainbow is is where the new enterance gate will be. The purpose of the new entrance gate is to accommodate more people. It is highly unlikely that they will relocate the Rainbow to another part of the park because of it's age.
The Great Escape is also building a large 200 room hotel in the area. I would assume it will be where the old zoo used to be.
The Great Escape is also adding a pedestrian bridge similar to the one at Six Flags New England. Kiss free parking good-bye.
This construction will start in the fall of 2002 and be completeld (hopefully) by the spring of 2003. The park will not be adding rides untill 2004 or 2005.
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The Great Escape IS NOT changing it's name to Six Flgas. Not this year, not ever. John Collins, manager of the park said the park has too much history and will remain without the Six Flags name because of that.
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I doubt it, I think this park WILL have a Six Flags name above Great Escape, if they still keep the fairy tales area then it could be one of better SF out there. IMO I think they WILL rename it into Six Flags after add some rides.
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IF they ever changed their name to "Six Flags: Blah blah" then I'm hoping for a complete name change... but the only reason I am GUESSING they may do a name-change is because a lot of broschures, books, and web-sites name them as "Six Flags Great Escape".... otherwise, in my own calculations, common sense, and opinions.... I'd have to say they'd never change the name.
Now... they may add all that crap for next season and all, rentzy387... but who wants to goto a park, NOW pay for parking, stay at a hotel... for a park that is not only identical from last year, but also has one or two less rides??
It seems dumb that they won't even bother to add some simple flat rides just to keep regular thrill seekers and park goers happy. Nobody wants to goto the park year after year and find the same old same old stuff. Paint jobs don't count worth jack-squat. New up-charge attractions are just a way of making money.
If I'm going to spend 5 to 7 bucks to park at a newly expanded park with a completely new entrance, I want some new experiences IN the park, and I'm not talking about a new rodeo, magic, or circus show!!!!
Hmmmm.... I'm heading up there this Saturday... besides a bazillion pictures, I think I'm going to get the "insider" if anything is new just from some 2nd opinions.... it irks me that a park with nothing new since 1999 will continue to still get nothing new until 2005.
but the only reason I am GUESSING they may do a name-change is because a lot of broschures, books, and web-sites name them as "Six Flags Great Escape"
I bought a t-shirt there that has "Six Flags The Great Escape" on the back. I though it was odd when I saw it but put it down to lousy communication. It could have been a trial baloon to see what the public thinks.
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