Travel columnist on MSNBC discusses his SFA outing.
My favorite MJ tune: "Billie Jean" which I have been listening to alot now. RIP MJ.
If Shapiro were to visit his parks as a regular guest (dressed down without corporate escort) without the general managers on alert, he'd really see how bad things still are.
"Please don't get me wrong, we did have a good time and we will likely go back."
This is why SF will be ok.
1. The writer's math is a bit fuzzy on the cost question. The difference in cost between SFA and Magic Kingdom isn't only $12 because of the parking. Sounds like he added the parking fee to everyone's ticket not divided it. Also, I would expect a travel writer to know about things like discounts, even if it's just a soda can, for anywhere they visit.
2. I don't know if the rides are better at Disney. Their effects and theming are fantastic, but just as rides, they're nothing that special.
2.5 I don't know if it's fair to compare anyone to Disney. But then, Shapiro's the one who's gone around offering Six Flags as the regional alternative to Disney. Sometimes when the punk runs his mouth off how he's going to take down the big guy, he deserves to get his ass kicked.
Lord Gonchar said:
He breaks the experience down into 6 basic (and crucial) categories, complains about them all and then ends with:"Please don't get me wrong, we did have a good time and we will likely go back."
This is why SF will be ok.
It may be true, but I still think it's kind of sad. If people keep going back and spending money despite being subjected to poor service, apathetic employees, and even potential safety and security issues, there is absolutely NO incentive for Six Flags to do a damn thing. I don't care what the product or service is, why should customers have to put up with crap, much less accept it mindlessly?
That may change in this case though, as I e-mailed the writer and told him he should visit Hersheypark sometime and compare that experience to Six Flags.
That may change in this case though, as I e-mailed the writer and told him he should visit Hersheypark sometime and compare that experience to Six Flags.
I dunno, RGB. Hershey has started to impliment 'pay for perks' things and just last month didn't Dunkin' Donuts move in? Uh oh, corporate entities in the park! (aside from the fact that the entire park theoretically serves a commercial for Hershey products)
I don't care what the product or service is, why should customers have to put up with crap, much less accept it mindlessly?
You know, I actually agree with that to a large degree. The problem is that the crap is becoming the norm.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say Disney doesn't necessarily offer an outstanding experience, but rather a completely satisfactory one. Grading on the curve, it seems exceptional. (and I'd say the same for my experiences at any of the parks that are generally regarded as friendly or customer service oriented)
At any rate, I do think the SF experience is better than it was two years ago and it still has room for improvement. But something I always suspected/alluded to was exactly what this guy says. The GP just isn't as picky as we think they are when we talk about this stuff on the forums.
First, Six Flags America does NOT have a circular layout like the Magic Kingdom. IMO, it has one of the worst layouts at a major amusement park that I've seen.
Second, that is terrible of SFA to handle the maintenance thing that way. Did any of you look at that picture of the railing? I know for a fact that it is a pretty good drop off there in parts of the ME queue. A small child could have fallen through there to their death on the ground below. What kind of employees do they have running that place? Someone should have jumped on that right away, not send the poor guy all the way to guest relations. That just shows a major lack of care on SFA's part.
Other SF parks seem to be doing somewhat better this year, but SFA still seems to be one of the worst--and it is definitely one of my least favorite major parks, at this point. Dan and Mark need to visit this place undercover!
coastin' since 1985
Sure, it's far from perfect but problems there are nothing compared to what I've witnessed at places like SFMM and SFA.
"Heavily medicated for your safety!"
Brad G said:
Every time I read something like this I'm thankful that SFGAm is sort of my home park.Sure, it's far from perfect but problems there are nothing compared to what I've witnessed at places like SFMM and SFA.
SFMM has been having a pretty awesome year so far to the point where I think it's miles beyond SFA for this season!!
Lord Gonchar said:The problem is that the crap is becoming the norm.
Expectations keep dropping so fast, I'm pretty much impressed to get self-service these days - at least I know *I* will treat myself decently. I guess an employee ignoring customers while talking on the cellphone IS acceptable now? Why?
In fact, I'd go as far as to say Disney doesn't necessarily offer an outstanding experience, but rather a completely satisfactory one. Grading on the curve, it seems exceptional.
Disney definitely hasn't *upped* their level of service, but it sure hasn't dropped as fast as elsewhere. A visit to a Disney park is still "completely satisfactory, after all". (Cue the Hula dancers).
When Walt was around, *everyone* had higher expectations - of themselves, their companies, and the businesses they supported. Maybe the facelessness of modern society has something to do with this?
The GP just isn't as picky as we think they are when we talk about this stuff on the forums.
Of course not! They're not worried about the health of SF, CF, HFEC...they're only concerned about having a good time. It does seem that they *notice* the trash-lined midways and the substandard operations and the food lines that are longer than the ridelines and think "it's the price you pay for a day at the park"....(I want to scream "but it SHOULDN'T be" - I'll refrain)! ;)
*** Edited 7/30/2007 3:23:52 PM UTC by rollergator***
With that in mind, I guess we need to be more critical of his other points. How did he swing the story or leave things out on those to prove his point?
I can't believe I am defending SFA. LOL! While I was there last month I couldn't ride the coasters and get out fast enough. Still, this type of media is an unfair hatchet job and makes my skin crawl.
Personally, I hope this park continues to get bad press until they actually fix their problems. Every other SF park I've been to this year, I've had a good time. I haven't seen perfect operations, but I generally enjoyed myself, and even saw improvement at SFGAdv. SFA, on the other hand, still isn't fixed.
coastin' since 1985
Immediately dismissing the entire article as a hack job (especially when he says himself he had a good time) just because he didn't get an online discount is pretty moronic.
Realize as enthusiasts that we are more in-tune to discounts than the average park goer. It's not as if every single person who enters the gate has purchased tickets online (from the looks of the lines outside my local SF park it's far from it) so working under the assumption that everyone who pays full price is just a sucker isn't really very practical.
In the end the price of tickets isn't really very pertinent to the discussion anyone. The problems this guy sees at SFA is the problems everyone else here sees at most SF parks so I don't see how this is some sort of "unfair hatchet job" when it's pretty much the same stuff everyone here has been bitching about since the site's inception.
SFA needs a real shakeup to turn around, they still run it the same way they did before Shaperio took over, only difference now is they excpect the team members to do more while working open to close everyday. That and they gotta stop trying to get rid of people that want to improve the park for no apparant reason.
That is what makes it a hatchet job. He is not the general public. He is a jounalist and and a travel writer. He was doing research. How did he know what the price was at Disney? He looked on the web. Why not look on the web for SFA too. Bet he did.
This doesn't mean the stuff may not have had a bit of truth, I am talking about his slant on the info and excluding things that would have been fair to include that didn't fit his premise.
Even if it is only $12 difference, SF parks put a lot of money into there parks. Of course Disney has Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, and Splash Mountain each at 100 million, but what can you do? However, there aren't a lot of high priced rides at individual parks. Sure, you have Splash Mountain for 100, but what about the rest of the Magic Kingdom? Does anything come close to being that expensive?
This is just a guess. So, don't kill me on this. I have SFA as spending around (Remember, it's just a guess) 50 million dollars in the past 7 years. That's a lot of cash for such a small park.
The fence is wrong, and they should have done something to fix it, but what can you do? Food service is always bad at Six Flags. They don't have enough employees for each food place.
I was surprised that all of the rides were open? That's just like, "Oh my God!" I bet you he told them that he was coming the next day, or something. They can't come unannounced, and SFA is like, let's get all the rides open for this one day. Next day, we will have that ride, and that ride closed. Seriously, they are getting better on the rides open, but you have to remember this is July. What in the heck were they doing in June??? The thing that really bugs me is that they opened up in April, and weren't staffed in June.
I have a problem with that unattended bag thing. Who darn gives a care about that unattended bad? I'm sorry, but that's why they have metal detectors for. This isn't Disney where you don't think you are safe because they have no metal detectors. *** Edited 7/30/2007 5:20:39 PM UTC by Spinout***
Or expecting a Disney experience from a park that isn't Disney makes a report invalid?
You tell us. I wanna know your opinion.
And one more question: If he said the park was the center of the coaster universe, spent half of it gaping in awe at the coasters and saying the park was the bestestestest ever...would he still be a hack? Or would he become a seasoned, balanced journalist?
-'Playa
(edited to add carat thingies)
*** Edited 7/30/2007 5:24:54 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***
NOTE: Severe fecal impaction may render the above words highly debatable.
Spinout said:I was surprised that all of the rides were open? That's just like, "Oh my God!" I bet you he told them that he was coming the next day, or something. They can't come unannounced, and SFA is like, let's get all the rides open for this one day. Next day, we will have that ride, and that ride closed. Seriously, they are getting better on the rides open, but you have to remember this is July. What in the heck were they doing in June??? The thing that really bugs me is that they opened up in April, and weren't staffed in June.
The staffing problem can be blamed completly on the parks new HR director, not having a clue on how to preform his job. Most of the parks departments had a quarter to half the emplyees they should have had at park open. Then the park was working hard to alienate or fire there more experienced emplyees.
The thing that stood out the most (besides the dirty tables and apathetic employees) was the one dude checking the restraints on the Wild One while talking on his cell phone saying "Man I hate my f****** job!" Now this didn't personally bother me, but with so many kids around it was a little disturbing.
I see enough "you are bothering me" faces in customer service as it is. ;)
-Tina
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