Associated parks:
None
Heck, you complain about SFGAm's clientele. Just head out to SFMM and spend a day with their clientele. I will say that the park, as nice as it is, would have been much better if the clientele there didn't act like they own the place. Line jumping at SFMM is atrocious and no guards in sight to stop it.
If I have offended anyone who frequents SFMM I apologize but when you travel all the way from Ohio, especially to a park you have longed to visit for years, and experience an unwelcome atmosphere along with quite a few rude guests, then there is something very wrong and needs to be addressed immediately.
And that's bad since SFMM has a great one-two punch with Goliath and Riddler's Revenge.
X Factor
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SFWoA: An Unofficial Guide
http://sfohio.tripod.com
Hmmmmmm!! All of what you mentioned that frustrated you does happen at other parks. You may be right about adding extra staff but what these people were doing cannot be controlled. I experience the swearing, not paying attention when moving through the lines, objective clothing, etc. However, those mentioned negatives really dont justify saying the park is not worth returning to, does it? Just my opinion of course.
As far as the human feces you witnessed. While it definitely would be disgusting to see, I am sure it just happened before you saw it. No way in heck would the park allow something like that to just sit there. For one, its a health hazard and two, someone that saw it would have told an employee.
Since CP seems to be brought up in topics where it shouldnt be, I guess its o.k. for me to bring it up as well. I dont find CP any better than SFGAm. In fact I dont really rate parks but both of these parks provide the atmosphere that any park goer needs. They both have their positives and negatives but overall they are both world class parks.
The clientele??? Puhhlease!!!! You have ignorant, stupid, people no matter where you go in this country.
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""To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!, You got to beat the man""!!!
Yeah there's stupid people everywhere you go. BUT I have never never seen things like this at CP. Why do parks have "dress codes" if they do not enforce them??
The excrement had actually been STEPPED IN, so it obviously was there for a while, not brand new. The person I was with saw an employee walk past it at LEAST three times without cleaning it up. So tell me how much SFGAm cares about health hazards again.
I wrote the park a paper letter today and told them what I saw and how badly their employees perfomed. I know they won't do anything, but heck, I feel better.
Seems like everytime someone gets upset with SFGAm, folks take it personally. Could it be a case of "protesting too much"?
It's ok with me if I never go there again. I use SFGAM for what it is...a quick fix when i need one in between trips to classier parks like CP and WDW.
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Just call me MPG...
*** This post was edited by MagnificentPaganGoddess on 6/24/2002. ***
MagnificentPaganGoddess said:
Seems like everytime someone gets upset with SFGAm, folks take it personally. Could it be a case of "protesting too much"?
Oh, and you dont notice when someone points out a problem with CP, how many people come to the parks defense? Goes both ways my friend.
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""To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!, You got to beat the man""!!!
*** This post was edited by Chitown on 6/24/2002. ***
Hey, if someone doesn't like CP, then that's fine. One less person in line in front of me. At least I give other parks a chance. I am hitting IB, MIA and HW later on in the year. But where do I take my yearly vacation at? CP.
But if someone doesn't like SFGAm, don't get upset with me because I don't rush to its defense. I also do not rush to CPs defense, because everyone is entitled to their opinions.
Excuse me for having a bad experience at a "top 5 park" and daring to tell you folks about it. If it's so top 5, then how come it never ranks as such anywhere??
Anyway, I had a bad time and will never go back. Just chalk it up to one less person in line in front of you.
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Just call me MPG...
lol I was one of the people who went up the exit of the bridge. It was way to hot to wait in line for that line, and the line was way to long! So I took the easy way. It was really crowded up there though and when I came off I saw security coming up to get people moving along and one standing at the gate not letting people in so they did solve one of your problems.
I hate when people go to parks and look for all the bad stuff, your suppose to be there to have fun and enjoy yourself. I was there yesterday and like everyother time I have had at Six Flags Great America or any other park I had great time. You shouldn't let the bad things about your visit stop you from having a good time, let the park worry about the parks problems and you just worry about having a good time.
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Deja Vu Count = 13
CoasterWorld
*** This post was edited by CoasterDude316 on 6/24/2002. ***
I first thought to comment on the "alleged" corellation between income and the choice to attend an amusement park. Then I recalled the myriad of "millionaires" that have professed love for amusement parks so I realized that there was no need.
Then I figured I'd address the "lower clientle" issuse. But then I realized that I cannot because I have NO IDEA what the posters mean by "lower clientle". Is it an economic thing? White collar v. blue collar? Race/ethnic background? Age? I'm confused.
It next occured that I should talk about the "gangbangers". Do they exist @ SFGAm? Yes they do. If you ever hear people yelling out "b-o-s" or "All's Well" or "Latin Kings", it's a good bet that they are in the gang culture. Similarly, if some chick is walking around in a "Baby-T" with the Playboy Bunny symbol and shorts that stop right beneath the "Thang-Thang", I think "hoochie" is a fair assement. Moreover, if they are cussing up a storm with little to no regard to who is listening, I can see that being irksome. However, I find that I'm not adequately able to address this either for I feel that it is too big an issue to single out any particular amusement park. Since I see this everyday in places like malls, public buses, train stations (and it breaks my heart daily) I understand that the problem is not contained in a particular venue but is a social problem that transends the amusement industry.
Then I finally figured out somethings that I could talk about that had the potential to foster meaningful discussion pertinent to our collective interest in the amusement industry. So after this long winded intro (;)) I'll finally get to it!
"Just call me MPG" said: Pile of HUMAN EXCREMENT on ground in middle of path to bathrooms!! EWWWWW does not even BEGIN to describe it. Find other phones and make call. Will report this to park later.
and
The person I was with saw an employee walk past it at LEAST three times without cleaning it up.
Well that's just plain gross! Unfortuneately, when I was a Dorm Advisor in college, I saw worse things done by "overzealous" teanagers. (only God knows why they think these things are funny). However, the fact that it happened, IMO, is not the fault of SFGAm. The RESPONSE, otoh, surely is. If what you are saying is true about your friend, that's horrible and that person should be fired (and if he wasnt, the WHOLE PARK should be fired). I could make the excuse that perhaps they didnt see it, but I wasnt there so I dont know. I *do* know that if that was me, as soon as I saw an employee near it I'd have been like "Dude! Dont you see that big pile of schitt there?" If she'd had blown me off, I'd have had her ass!
As for your perception of a lack of employee presense, I cannot argue with that. Admittedly, I dont recall ever seeing many security guards unless there was a specific incident that warrented it. But then again, I cannot recall noticing security in ANY park, until something incited a massive round up. But, and this is unfortunate, I've never seen anyone so much a reprimanded for cussing by a park official in any park (thank goodness as they'd likely be getting on me :)). Nor does the mere presence of a teenaged employee automatically deter linejumping. I've seen people cut in plain view of employees with impunity: at SFGAm, CP, Hershey, IOA, Epcot, BGT.
Finally, and perhaps I should have said this first, if you really felt like you did not get your moneys worth (though ironically, it was free :)) DO NOT go back. I'm not saying this with the sour grapes "one less person in line in front of me" mentality (I think that is so childish), but I say that because I truely believe that no one should spend their money where they feel disrespected. If I'm in a restaurant and they take too long to wait on me, or I have to "beg" for the basic necessities, I will get up and leave in a heartbeat. There are too many better things that I can waste my money on. I will not reward disrespect. So I think your position is justified
But in the same breath, understand that I have not had those issues you had so I personally will continue to attend the park as it remains *my* favorite (though HersheyPark is trying hard to unseat it :)).
Anyway toodles all.
jeremy
--a "HersheyPark Happy" SFBrat
Jeremy........That was a wonderful response to this issue. (And yes, I did read it all!)
It was inciteful, honest, and not in the least bit inflammatory.......
.......are you feeling ok?? ;)
spacemountain551 said:
SFGAm is a dump. No hosts, long lines, stinky garbage water. The hell with it.
Are we talking about the same SFGAm, I don't find there water to be garbage. Maybe your used to well water or something. Also long lines are common in every theme park with a coaster selection like SFGAm if you don' t like or want to complain about long lines you should probally find another hobby. This year the economy is low and just like many other parks they had to make ther cutbacks, and yes there are hosts ive seen many of them.
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Deja Vu Count = 13
CoasterWorld
Economics definately do come into play with amusement parks. WDW has "better" clientele for a simple reason. The a-holes MPG experienced here can't afford to go to WDW. It's great really.
On a side note, take up golf. You'll see a lot of cars that cost over 35k in the parking lot and you most likely won't have to worry about being shot.
As far as millionaires who love theme parks, my guess is that these millionaires are often afforded courtesies that the rest of us GP are not...celebrities don't wait in line, they don't deal with rude guests, they don't have smoke blown in their faces. If they had to deal with the same problems we do, they wouldn't dig the parks at all.
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Doesn't it seem as though morons always have the caps lock on?
I think it does get down to economics and marketing. SFGAM is alot cheaper with discounted tickets/coupons etc than wdw where they dont offer any deals except for mutiple day tickets. And being that it is more expensive and they promote a family atmosphere you dont have the problems at wdw like you do at a SF park. I have never seen the behavior at WDW or USF that i see in a SF park and i think SF tolerates it more than some parks do. And if you dont nip it in the bud it will only grow and get worse.
SFGAM is still a excellant park but could be better if they clamped down on unruly guest behavior. I havent seen any problems with the park being dirty this year but i dont go on weekends so that may help in that regard.
"Thrill Ride" type parks will always attract a lower-class clientele (in my book, this is defined as mostly teenagers, a decent percentage of whom undertstandable lack the maturity and perspective to behave in an entirely inobtrusive manner), because their major attractions do not appeal to most adults over the age of 30, appeal to only a select few over the age of 40, and very few over the age of 50. Unlike a BGW with its animals or Disney with its more educational attractions, there is almost no reason to go if not a thrill-seeker. However, this is something that should be understood before entering the park. As for SFGAm, I think it's close proximity to Chicago is offset by its even closer proximity to the ultra-rich North Shore, so it ends up even. As a result, I've encountered some annoying guests in my hundred or so visits, but nothing terrible that could ruin my day. Also, the excrement thing is obviously an isolated issue. This is not typical.
I will say that the park does not enforce the bikini-top rule or the obscene clothing rule very well at all, however.
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SFGAm: 1)DV 2)V2 3)AE Blue 4)Viper 5)Bull
Does anyone smell a hint of racism here? Was the 'lower class clientele' you referred to people of color? I don't like the teen type shenanigans anymore than anybody else, but let's be fair here. Teens of all types do stupid stuff. It's part of being a teen. Doesn't matter what color or affiliation a person is. We have all acted stupidly at times. You don't think straight, you go to a park with friends hoping to impress the girl you're with, etc.,
While I agree the excrement must have been awful, the suggestion that Great America attracts a lower clientele I think is a bit biased. I think one of the great points of amusement parks, and part of the industry's history is the fact that parks have traditionally appealed to middle class, working folks. Part of the American dream is to be able to go to an amusement park and act like a kid. Now, of course, people should behave.
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Ride the New England Bush!
Moreover, I absolutely agree with you. You are NOT going to see hordes of "teen cliques" hanging out at a DisneyLand for the simple fact that DisneyLand has very little to appeal to an average teenager. Disney has been and always will be seen as "for kids" and by kids I mean pre-pubescent kids. Hell, just look at the Disney commercials. They market specifically to the wide-eyed 7-10 yr old kid that still clings to mom or dads hand.
But economically speaking, I think it is unfair to suggest that the people that go to SFGAm would not go to Disney simply because of money. Sure, they likely wouldnt go because it costs to TRAVEL from Chicago to Florida / Cali, but to factor in the cost of travel is unfair. One could argue that people from Chicago dont travel to SFGAdv, but they have a similar crowd base. I just think that this whole line of thinking is so absurd as to make the entire alleged "point" moot.
And many celebs who go to parks just dress down specifically to blend in and to NOT make a spectacle of themselves. But if you wish to believe that they "wouldn't dig the parks at all", that is fully your perrogative. I dissent.
Vassek: Against the rationale that tells me I shouldnt even grace your comment about expensive cars and the risk of getting shot, I'm going to make this one comment. Many "good" drug dealers and pimps drive 80,000 dollar trucks and play golf. Dont think you run a risk of being shot hanging around them?
lata,
jeremy
--who has never seen a metal detector at a golf course
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