Six Flags guest satisfaction at 5 year high.

Good sign for the changes being made.

Click here.

:)

Interesting. And SFMM of all places? This is a good sign that maybe things are slowly coming around. I've noticed that even most of the complaints by enthusiasts have more to do with ride operations than other things like safety, cleanliness or rudeness of employees.

The GP seems to get it. If you want things to get better, prices need to be raised up front. There's no other places the money for improvements are going to come from.

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...most of the complaints by enthusiasts have more to do with ride operations...

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Ding ding ding! We have our winner. :)

The GP doesn't know or care about how the ride is run. They just know the line is long or it's not. Those one train operations that litter otherwise decent TR's from SF parks don't mean squat to the average guest.

Sometimes it's hard to not think like an enthusiast, but the requirements for a good day do differ in places when compared the the non-enthusiast visitor.

If Delta Market Research doesn't say that things are better, then Delta Market Research won't be used by Six Flags.

This is pure nonsense. Let's Ask people who are smiling on the way out. Or let's not ask the family with the screaming toddler.

PUre horse s--t.

Wow, dude!

So we can't take SF's word for it because they obviously want us to think things are better.

We also can't take the word of a third party firm because they fix results to keep the client happy.

Who are we supposed to believe?

We're only suppose to believe the negative TRs which nitpik every last detail. Any sort of positive spin is viewed as crap. Same old, same old.

LG, I would have to disagree with you that park guests don't notice things like single-train operation. I've heard more than my share of 'normal' people complaining about "Why are they only using one car [train]?" Not every park has maintenance sheds to 'hide' their extra trains. For example, SFA has none so it's painfully obvious when they're not running at full capacity. The worst example of that was when Batwing had three trains in plain view of the guest, but only one was running.

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Lord Gonchar said:The GP doesn't know or care about how the ride is run. They just know the line is long or it's not. Those one train operations that litter otherwise decent TR's from SF parks don't mean squat to the average guest.

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I'm not sure we give the GP enough credit on this. Sure, they're not thinking "2 train ops make the line move faster", cause they don't know OR care WHY the line moves faster. But I think they DO notice lines that don't MOVE...they really do, I believe that. Especially if they brought their families are have younger kids...

A half-hour in a line that goes nowhere, is a LOT longer (PERCEPTION) that a line where you're *continuously* walking to keep up. Oh, and interesting queue areas, well-shaded, with fans...those help too... :)

I agree that the GP notices some of the same things we do, but if you make they're day *overall* enjoyable, they will forgive many things. Enthusiasts file *everything* away like tax auditors, as well we should. It's human nature, the more you do something, there more expert you become. A 2-hour wait becomes a world class ordeal for most of us. We're peeking around corners, watching dispatch times, checking our watches, watching every restraint check as well as the mood of the ride ops. When Kingda Ka goes down, most sensible people see it for what it is, a piece of machinery breaking down. We see it as "Intamin" screwing us again.

Meanwhile, those around us are immersed in conversation, laughing, playing and watching what they're about to ride in wonder. There are exceptions of course, but generally, they just aren't as picky as we are, which is why SFGadv still pulls in 3+ million a year.

IMO, it's when guests don't feel safe, are treated like crap, are surrounded by a run-down, depressing atmosphere and 10 closed rides out of 20, that you've got a problem. *** Edited 7/11/2006 6:58:21 AM UTC by DWeaver***

That's kinda exactly what I'm trying to say, Gator.

They only know they've been standing there way too long and that the line is slow. (in general)

I doubt you'll find too many GP-types saying, "Man, why are they only running one train. If they ran two or three like this ride is capable of, then this line would be much shorter."

Instead, I think you'll hear things like, "We've been waiting here forever!"

In the end it's *almost* the same thing, but there's a big difference in perception of the situation.

I think we give the true, once-a-year-to-the-park GP way too much credit in understanding all the little crap we as enthusiasts focus on. (see: the post above this one :) )

*** Edited 7/11/2006 6:57:08 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

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DWeaver said:
I agree that the GP notices some of the same things we do, but if you make they're day *overall* enjoyable, they will forgive many things. Enthusiasts file *everything* away like tax auditors, as well we should. It's human nature, the more you do something, there more expert you become. A 2-hour wait become a world class ordeal for most of us. We're peeking around corners, watching dispatch times, checking our watches, watching every restraint check as well as the mood of the ride ops. When Kingda Ka goes down, most sensible people see it for what it is, a piece of machinery breaking down. We see it as "Intamin" screwing us again.

Meanwhile, those around us our immersed in conversation, laughing, playing and watching what they're about to ride in wonder. There are exceptions of course, but generally, they just aren't as picky as we are, which is why SFGadv still pulls in 3+ million a year.

IMO, it's when guests don't feel safe, are treated like crap, are surrounded by a run-down, depressing atmosphere and 10 closed rides out of 20, that you've got a problem.

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This isn't going to contribute anything to the topic, but I just HAVE to say this after reading that -

AMEN.

Well, you know M. Shapiro kind of annoys me sometimes, but he's a VERY bright, almost cunning guy. He knows that most people just want to be shown a good time, and really want to leave the whining at the office or school. So the first thing he does is bring out the characters and parades. To me, I can see the almost cynically strategic nature behind that sort of move, but he seems to be telling his guests, "look, things aren't perfect yet and may not be for awhile, but I'm going to pull whatever I can out of my ass so that you ultimately have a good time".

And if people buy that, I have to give the guy credit.

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Richie Reflux said:
If Delta Market Research doesn't say that things are better, then Delta Market Research won't be used by Six Flags.

This is pure nonsense. Let's Ask people who are smiling on the way out. Or let's not ask the family with the screaming toddler.

PUre horse s--t.

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Explain to me what good it does to hire a Research firm if you want them to tell you what you want to hear? This company also was hired by Disney. Did they fix the results for them as well? Does no good to be told that customers are happy if they really aren't because it will show later on. I believe Shapiro wants honest feedback.

Is everything biased in your mind?

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Lord Gonchar said:

I doubt you'll find too many GP-types saying, "Man, why are they only running one train. If they ran two or three like this ride is capable of, then this line would be much shorter."

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But that's just the thing LG, I *do* hear GP folks saying, as I-Fan noted above, "Why are they only using one car?" (and yes, it's usually "car" not "train"). Admittedly though, I really only hear them say this when the other unused train(s) is in plain sight.

To Chitown: I'm not cynical enough to think that the results are horse $#!+ as RR put it. But I *am* pratical enough to know that if the results had been horible, they would have never seen the light of day. ;)
lata, jeremy

Gonch - (Sorry - I feel a little funny calling you "Lord") I will admit that things are a bit better most of hte time, but after looking at the stats, 93% is too high for value. All of those other stats in the "90s" also seem strongly inflated.

Again it's from a company who has been doing surveys for 6 flags for a few years. Im sure they want to keep their gig - especially with new management.

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93% is too high for value

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Richie: is that your individual opinion, or do you have some sort of market study to back that up? And no, "all my friends say it's too expensive" doesn't count---it's anecdotal, and a biased sample besides.

(Edited to add: I read your trip report. Never mind.)

And, the fact that this company has been surveying them for several years actually adds weight to the claim. If they are inclined to stack the deck by picking subjects carefully to keep the contract (and they may well be), then they would have been stacking the deck all along---both pre- and post-Shapiro.

But, the important figure here is not the absolute number, the important figure is the year-over-year change. And, if it's the same company, with (presumably) the same incentive to cheat in *both* years, and they *still* capture a statistically significant change in their sample, then it's very likely that there really is a significant change in the underlying population.

(Edited: again, read your trip report after I made this post. You have several reasons, and pretty good ones.)

*** Edited 7/11/2006 2:14:38 PM UTC by Brian Noble***

I only have experience at Great Adventure.

I really do see guest generally happier.

Like when they have the party people entertaining the people waiting for the park to open .

BEfore you would be just waiting there for a half an hour.

The characters have hlped a great deal with the happines sof the guest. I can se based on this poll that shapiro is doing a good job so far.

especially since this years budget was already set before he got here.

Atleast at great adventure even with the coaster problems I do see a change in guests .

Of my three SF visits this year, I have been generally happier than in the past.

For the most part, I can see general improvements in the operations (two train operations on every coaster than can run or has two trains, better attitude (and the general lack of a "tude"), cleaner, more rides open, etc etc etc).

Granted, while the firm was hired to do the survey by the park and the results are good... it could be some big conspiracy to simply solidify future work by the polling firm by giving back skewed results... or it could it be that just maybe the results are accurate.... that people are enjoying themselves more at SF parks this year.

From my personal experiences... I would be more inclined to believe the latter.

Sorry Gonch...we normally agree but not this time.

As someone who recently spent an hour waiting in a short line in near 100* heat for SFMM's Tidal Wave due to absolutely horrid operations [2 boats, slow-as-molasses ride ops, a stupid fastlane policy, and a non-working lap bar that magically worked 45 mins later] I can tell you that the people around me defintely were complaining about the way the ride was being operated, could not understand why more boats were not being used, and why the wait was so long.

That being said my last two visits to SFMM were light years better than any I had in the previous 5 years. Kudos to Shapiro for making a difference!

*** Edited 7/11/2006 4:27:04 PM UTC by Mamoosh***