SFGAm 8-16 First timer's angry TR
Associated parks:
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Craig the Coaster Freak said:
"I'm sorry about your bad luck Redman, but I feel I can just depend on CP to have rides running when I go. Why go to a prak when it is gonna be hit or miss?"
So let me (a notorious GAm "fancat") get this straight: When one goes to GAm and see a ride (or rides) down it is "Hit or miss", but if one sees a ride (or rides) down at Cedar Point it's just "bad luck". Do you have any idea how silly and hypocritical that sounds? Why not simply "bad luck" at SFGAm?
Conversely, was it simply my "good luck" that I every coaster was operating on my ONE visit to GAm this year? I mean, I've been trying to store up karma points, but I sure hope I didnt waste them on that. When I went to PKI, Drop Zone was closed, PKD-Volcano, BGT-Kumba till only 2 hrs left, and the problems with WT and Perilous Plunge are well documented. "Bad luck" or "Hit or Miss"....
I agree that constructive "complaining" may lead to improvement. But in this particular case, I'm not sure what improvement you are looking for. If they told you that Shockwave was being removed, would that change the fact that it was closed all day (as stated out front)? Would it have helped to see people scurring around DV even if the work that needed to be done was not possible during the time you were in the park? What relief or improvement are you looking for? No one can PROMISE you that all attractions will be open, no, not even Cedar Point. (Remember Magnum..I mean Millennium Mania last year?)
Methinks this is a "Schitt Happens" catagory. But do as you wish.
jeremy
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"To get inside this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do
TrBiggar,
Why do almost all negative-any-park TRs turn into negative-any-park Vs Cedar Point threads?
It turned into that type of thread when Craig noted in his TR,
I will sooner take my money to a certain CF park where I know that 15 OF 15 COASTERS will be operating all day with no break downs.
Now if that isn't a CP is better than SF verbal "first punch", I don't know what is...
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Le roi est mort. Vive le roi.
Thanks Great America!
sometimes, the only way to get your complaint noticed is to talk money. that is what the parks are there for in the long run...MONEY.
i remember the first few days of TTR at CP...people wantting refunds on their season passes and other nonsense when they knew full well that CP would make adjustments to the program. now they have Freeway and no one complains.
when *I* compain to SFGAm or ANY park, i tell them that i *CAN* and *WILL* take my business elsewhere. this usually gets me some satisfaction either from the park or on the moral end.
recently the ONLY grocery store in my town screwed up twice in one week by forgetting to put things in my bag, causing me another drive to the store to retrieve my missing items that were clearly paid for. my solution? i told them i would NOT be shopping there anymore. i will drive the extra 10 minutes to go elsewhere. that's the sad thing about NO competition...they KNOW they've got you and so service suffers. let's see how long the store lasts withservice like this...
that said, if SFGAm or CP or ANY park that makes someone unhappy chooses to do nothing, soonthey will not have to worry about compaints becuase there will be no customers TO complain.
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Thanks for SAVING THE WHIZZER!! it couldn't happen to a better ride...
One comment on the original post...
Ya' know... your first sentence apology to all the "SFGAm fanboys out there" would have been much more dramatic if you would not have labled your self a CP fanboy at the end.
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Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"
It is simply the fact that I get one chance, and the aprk didn't deliver for me. That was just very disappointing and aggravating for me. That aggravation led to all of the CF comments, because I am never angry when leaving CP or gasp even SFWoA.
On the positive side, the park was giving out HUGE free waters and free suckers outside the park. The park looked pretty nice aside form some garbage, and the theming was the best I have eevr seen at a SF park. SnoBiz rules!
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"Jessica, you're turning me into a criminal, when all I want to be is a petty thug." -Bart Simpson
You unfortunately hit the park at a bad time. Prior to Shockwave and DV going down, all of the coasters have ran this season. (with the exception of the occasional breakdown)!!
With all of the good that you experienced at this park, you really shouldnt let this once incident ruin it for you because like others have said in this post, breakdowns happen. The park doesnt like it and the guests dont like it but its just the way it is.
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""To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!, You got to beat the man""!!!
Craig the Coaster Freak said:
Sorry guys, this is just what I feel about the lackluster service at SF parks.
You might want to edit again then...
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Why do you have to have a license to own a dog, but not to have a child?
Craig, let me tell you, as a passholder, I've been to the park 14 times in the last two seasons when DV has been down, and 4 times when it has been running. It makes me really upset too! And I've only seen maintenance working on it maybe once. (By the way, be grateful V2 was running fine)
So, I just lower my expectations. When I go, I expect it not to be up. If it is, nice surprise. But, while this ride is a blast when it works, and maybe the best in the park, it is a disaster from an operational standpoint, and may ultimately challenge Rolling Thunder for the notorious "worst addition to SFGAm in history" if things don't improve.
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SFGAm: 1)DV 2)V2 3)AE Blue 4)Viper 5)Bull
Speaking of Viper, I can now bring up one of the most annoying practices I saw this SF park doing. The ops load the train and check the restraints then WAIT until the train hits the brake run to dispatch. I'm no genius, but aren't the rides blocking systems supposed to allow the other train on the lift hill and stop it in case there is a problem with the brake run?
You are correct in saying that the blocking system is there to prevent an accident or potential accident from happening. However, do you want the ops to send the train faster so that everytime the train will stop on the lift? I wouldn't. Then you have to wait for someone to come out and restart the ride. And that would seem to make the process a bit slower.
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"If two coaster trains almost hit each other, why is it called a near miss and not a near hit?"
Craig the Coaster Freak said:
It is just so bad that I get one day to go and get screwed up the rear with Deja Vu.
No, No, No, you get screwed up the rear with WT, not Deja Vu. ;)
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Syntax Error
*** This post was edited by SyntaxError on 8/20/2002. ***
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The Other Siebert
LMAO Coaster Drew! I was thinking the exact same thing. The two rides closed are like two of my least favorite coasters at that park. I'd say he had a pretty good day from his description, looks like he was searchin' for something to complain about.
BTW, the refund thing killed me..."couldn't hurt to ask" hahahahaha. That was all wasted oxygen my friend.
I just envision him saying to himself while at the park "I can't wait to get home and tell everyone about my bad day here at SFGAm" as he rides every operating coaster multiple times. Oh well, can't please the whiners, I guess.
Random note: I really wish WT was open for CMania this year for me, or Plunge back in March, or Volcano the one Sat in July I went, or Demon at PGA back in 01, or Gwazi Lion in 00, or the SLC at Heide park (I *really* wanted to ride that one)...wait, these aren't SF parks? I thought it was only SF parks that were prone to breakdowns? Weird, must be "bad luck" for me.
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It tastes like burning.
*** This post was edited by Legendary on 8/20/2002. ***
Wow. Now I'm a bad person. I never got a chance to ride Shockwave so I really wouldn't know how rought it would have been.
About the brake run thing, I don't want the ride ops to dispatch a train toom early, but I just think it is a little odd to have to wait until the train gets to the brake run. The crews on the B&M coasters were doing excellent though.
With all of the good reports I heard bullfan, I had high expectations going into this park. What I found was a standard SF park.
Despite popular belief, I DO understand that rides breakdown. No matter what park you are at, nobody likes it when rides breakdown. When I get one chance at a park and two big rides are shut down, I am obviously going to be aggravated. Maybe I didn't handle the situation very well, but I don't see the shame in telling the park that I was disappointed that I missed out on your some of your best rides.
Craig the Coaster Freak said:
I will sooner take my money to a certain CF park where I know that 15 OF 15 COASTERS will be operating all day with no break downs.
If you DO understand that rides break down, then what makes you so sure that a certain Cedar Fair park is going to have 15 out of 15 coasters operating all day with no break downs? You contradict yourself...
It is just that in my experience, CP has been good to me with rides always open. I just feel it is more likely for rides to break down at SF parks then at CF parks. Most people already know this and expect it, as bullfan said he lowers his expectations.
You may be pissed off when you go to Magic Mountain next year then. When I went X, Ninja, and Flashback were down both days with no workers on them. Unlike you I still managed to have a great time on their other coasters.
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I'd rather be riding coasters... or playing Halo:)
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Titan Uranus 1976-2001
*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 8/20/2002. ***
Craig, it's hard to comment here. I understand that you seemingly had a very rough day, and I know you expected much more than you were dealt. That said, I tend to side with you, mostly on the basis of your frustration. It happened to me at SFMM a few weeks back, where I tried to get my sister in law to ride a "bigger" coaster, so I took her toward Ninja, only to find it closed 3 days in a row. The sign out front said nothing of the sort. Only X and Flashback... So, yeah. I had issues, but I still made the best of the day. It just looks like you had a run of bad luck.
BTW, I did try, once, to get my money back at the end of the day at BGW, due to Drachen Fire being down all day during the first few weeks it was open. I got it too. It never hurts to ask. Just don't assume, and don't take advantage of it. That's all!
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www.tripowered.com
Craig the Coaster Freak said:
"It is just that in my experience, CP has been good to me with rides always open."
When you go to a park many times in one season (which I'll assume you do at a Cedar Fair park), you never notice (or remember) the break-downs.
Six Flags Great America is my home park, and I never notice (or care) about closed rides when I'm there.
It happens, get over it.
As for no-one working on the rides during the day, perhaps they couldn't. I would imagine that a large amount of equipment is needed to un-valley the Deja Vu train .. That equipment must be sourced (which can take a few days), plus the park may not want a huge crane sitting in the middle of the midway while there are thousands people around. (They also probably don't want trains dangling from cranes while guests are walking around below). Besides, in all honesty, you really didn't miss much by skipping this ride.
As for Shockwave, if it IS being removed then there may be equipment on the way... It was probably forced to close a little early after the 'accident'.
Cam.
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Cameron Silver
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