Six Flags New Orleans transformation underway

Posted | Contributed by supermandl

The former Jazzland Theme Park is one giant construction site as it is being transformed into Six Flags New Orleans for its April 5 opening. Improvements to the park, acquired by Six Flags last year, include more trees for shade, more air-conditioned buildings and two new roller coasters.

Read more from The Times-Picayune.

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When are they going to cover Kentucky Kingdom in 70% shade? :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Jeff's avatar
There's no doubt in my mind that they will pack the people in this park this summer. However, I can't think of anything more critical than world-class service. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and just putting Six Flags on the sign isn't going to do it. Don't screw this one up!

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

Hey Jeff, if I have to judge using SFWoA, good service isn't their first priority. But I still bought a season pass for this year. Does that make me insane?

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Goccvp1

I sure do miss the Idora Wiildcat & Jackrabbit.

goccvp1,

Customer service can be traced directly to the park General Manager - not the company as a whole. I have been to many different Six Flags and have had service from both ends of the spectrum. While SFWoA is not one of the top service oriented SF parks I have been to, it is not the worst.

But I agree with Jeff, you only get one chance to make a first impression and they have to be "at the top of their game" from day one...

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--George H
---Superman the ride...coming to a SF park near you soon...
Currency tracking experiment... http://www.wheresgeorge.com (Referring to The "George" on the $1 bill - Not Me)

Soggy's avatar
I still say New Orleans is just not a great market for an amusement park. I wish Six Flags good luck, because Mega Zeph is a real gem.

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SCREAM with me... in 2003!

Jeff's avatar
I agree that it varies from park to park. I've really enjoyed visits to Chicago and Jersey, but what a mess we have here in Cleveland. Regardless, I'd be extra careful to put the right people in charge at that park. One bad year at the start could take years to recover from in terms of public opinion.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

Management plays a role in customer service, but the message (and the tools that enable the managers to create good customer service) comes from above the individual parks.

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-Rob

Fine, Rob, but then how can you explain how certain SF parks have great customer service (SFGAm, SFGAdv) and others have below average customer service (SFWoA and SFOG)? They all are part of the same company and report to the same upper management but, IMHO, have vastly different levels of service...

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--George H
---Superman the ride...coming to a SF park near you soon...
Currency tracking experiment... http://www.wheresgeorge.com (Referring to The "George" on the $1 bill - Not Me)

Mamoosh's avatar
It all depends on the level of consistency.

There are few parks that can consistently offer excellent customer service day in and day out, and even those parks probably have an off day or two. But IMHO the problem with most major chain parks [not just Six Flags] is that your experiences can vary drastically from visit to visit. How else can one explain the varied reports about so many of the parks we see trip reports on? One person says they had a terrible day and two days later someone has a great time.

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Humor Ingredients: all natural flavors, some artificial additives. Sold by weight, not volume. 100% satisfaction not guaranteed. Void in Texas and Puerto Rico.

'Moosh, your last sentence is also true because people have completely different opinions about "good" customer service. Around here I'm spoiled by Knoebel's customer service. And that's good service, believe me. I guess it all depends on what type of service the person is used to.

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The only difference between stupidity and genius is genius has limitations.

Six Flags could still be crap in New Orleans and it would seem like an improvement to them.
To Mr. Pancake....... What kind of slap was that to New Orleans? You are right in a sense because the management and service at Jazzland was ABSOUTELY HORRIBLE... We are excited to get our own park instead of having to go to your forgotten, downtrodden park. If you are comparing the options that the residents of New Orleans had before (SFAW or Nothing) then you are correct, anything we get is an improvement!
Management and service from Six Flags is generally not very good, but it's usually better than "absolutely horrible". So yeah, it'll seem like an improvement.

They need to cover more than just SFNO with 70% of shade.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

Mamoosh's avatar
Complaining about a park's customer service will do absolutely no good here. If you don't like something write a letter. Make sure you detail not only what you was wrong but what you was right. In addition to send your letter to the park in question send it to corporate and make sure it says at the bottom of the letter cc: Six Flags Corporate Office, or something to that effect.

Moosh

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Humor Ingredients: all natural flavors, some artificial additives. Sold by weight, not volume. 100% satisfaction not guaranteed. Void in Texas and Puerto Rico.

When are you going write a letter about SF's poor theming? ( =

Jazzland's management/owners were horrible. As a season pass holder for the first 3 years i can tell you from first hand experience. 1/2 of the rides closed, shops either closed or not staffed efficiently, entire park closing at 8:00 p.m. in the summer months. 2 promises of a new coaster than getting nothing (which turns out to be a blessing). If further evidence is needed just check out what they did to Visionland. Oh by the way i did send numerous letters and made several phone calls to management at JL to no avail..... While they are not perfect, THANK GOD FOR SIX FLAGS....
I agree with Craig A. I echo everyone of his comments about Alfa Smartparks. They were a complete joke!...........on the subject about SF's theming, well, just take a good look at SFH, SFB, and SFM. While these parks are international, they are very well themed. SFI is in a great position with SFNO to theme the heck out of it with the resources and area for expansion. They could double the park in it's current size and still have room left over for more. There's a great oppurtunity for SFI to redeem themselves in the themeing business. 2003 is only the beginning for this park. The projections that they set forward has already been met at 80% and the park hasn't opened. I predict that their projections will be crushed by June and watch the SFI experiment kick in over the next three years.
I hope it will be good; I'm moving there this fall! All i can use as an example is SFNE (as it's my homepark). Some people might complain about the SF nonsense there, but if they hadn't bought it, we'd have a rusting pile of scrap metal, another dead wooden gem, no waterpark, no theming, i could go on. Oh, and there's a certain red and blue coaster that we wouldn't have to enjoy... Hmm... (hint: it's really big, and is generally considered one of the top 3 steel coasters in the world).

Ok, a little homepark bragging there, but seriously, as much as i hate their "corporateness," it's better than letting the park go to shambles.

~me

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Six Flags: "Catapulting shameless apostasy to a new stratum of excitement and entertainment!"

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