Why do you do this six flags.. a little rant

Well as you all no track is already on site at SF Gadv. That's good news for you Gadv goers but it is not fair the way SF treats its other parks.

SFDL hasn't gotten a coaster in 6 years. I view it as the WORST park in the chain. Even elitch gardens 1. has a drop tower, 2. has gotten a couple coasters, 3. has that new half pipe, as well as better flat rides.

Even Astroworld has that new cool flat ride.

Darien Lake has been really messed up. Public relations stinks, they don't care about any of your comments, unlike Cedar Point. I called Cedar Point and asked about Dragster, a question they get 100 times a day. But yet they are very friendly, and don't mind answering at all. I dare to call darien lake and ask about processing and why it has to be done the way it does and the lady completely flips out.

Superman has really gone under. Not just the new restraints, but the track has turned from red to pink, the ride is shuffling around the track, and although yes, it is still a good ride and the park is lucky to have it, the layout is extremely boring. However, that ONE SINGLE RIDE has saved the park from going completely under the past few years.

I have only been to the park once in the past 3 years when all the coasters have been running 2 trains. Usually one is completely closed for one reason or another.

Yea you all know it, the whole SF 1 train operation deal. At SFNE all coasters had two trains the other day. At SFDL 1 train on all coasters but Viper which never has a wait, and Superman. Mind Eraser had an hour wait and the line was on the STAIRS. The crew just stands there and slowly checks harnesses when they feel like it. Hats off to the SROS crew that actually tries.

Well my 7 year old brother who has been on Dragster, MF, and Superman, can no longer go on Superman because of the accident and the height requirement was raised 6 inches. Thats half a friggin foot. But thats a completely different story.

Well I just wish that the park could clean up its act, and that SF would throw in a floorless , a drop tower, a flat or two and some slides. Doesn't have to be the biggest part of the chain but it could be more like SFNE, which I think is better operated.

Any comments or opinions? Do you think there will be anything in store for SFDL next year? The reason i'm posting it is that SFDL is rarely talked about on these boards and I'd like to know your experiences if you've ever gone to the park before.

Thanks

I knew this was coming.....

I was there last weekend.

I found it to be a decent park. But I hadn't been there since Predator's opening day.

I noticed the same thing with trains. Superman/Viper ran 2, the rest ran 1.

Although they tried to put the 2nd train on Mind Erasor. We were about 2 trains away to getting on when they did it. Moved the 1st train partway onto the lift, maintenance guy walked out. They flipped the track section around a few times. 20 minutes later gives up and starts the ride with 1 train still.

I was actually more surprised about the max height on superman. For the first time I got checked at the gate. I'm 6"3-6"4, and the bar just skimmed through my hair. I can just barely ride.

It's kinda weird how Darien Lake went from Funtimes, Inc's star park, to Six Flags forgotten park. I'm sure it's all about park income. If the park pulls in a profit, I'm sure they would get a new attraction.

Customer Services is an issue network wide for Six Flags, I'm sure we'll see a difference in that soon, since Six Flags isn't as blind as we think.

DS, they USED to pull a profit, when Superman first opened. The place was absolutely packed. You can go there on a weekend and wait no more than 20 minutes for Superman. On a sunday I waited 10 minutes tops.

If they added a new coaster or flat ride or SOMETHING people WILL come. They are close enough to buffalo, but people are starting to realize how old superman is getting.

These never fly, and I think we're all tired of them. Every time SF builds something at one of the "big" parks in the chain, all of the other parks' fanboys get angry. Oh yeah, in before close. ;)

Your rant on behalf of SFDL is the same as mine on behalf of SFA....it's sad that both of these parks aren't being developed to their full potential & like you said guests will lose interest if no new rides are added in a fair amount of time.

Marimba guy, why shouldn't this fly? Why are you tired of them, this is a good thing to discuss. If it becomes an argument delete it.

It usually dosen't fly because its inflamatory, argumentative, and redundant. Six Flags is in Financial Woe, and to add 100 new coasters to any thing but their star parks would be financial disaster.

Live with it. Be glad you don't have to travel 4+ hours out of state just to ride a steel coaster.

Otherwise, come live in WV.

Actually I live two hours away, Syracuse, and that is the closest amusement park other than Seabreeze. So it's not like I can go there once a week. If i could I would love it but it's not that way.

BTW, the intention of this is to see if other people feel the same way about the park and to share THEIR experiences, and not to start an argument. *** Edited 8/12/2004 3:20:54 AM UTC by Ride of Steel***

2 hours is alot closer than 4 hours, 2 states, 13 mountains, and small towns with a speed limit of 25mph. But the fact remains:

Be Thankful For what you have. I Get to visit my "Home Park" once a year, and its in NC.

Edit: but the fact remains, people will argue with a title like that. I'm not saying its gonna get closed, I'm no Mod. But my personal opinion is these types of whining threads are boring and usless. No one makes anybody go to a park, why must you whine about going? *** Edited 8/12/2004 3:23:21 AM UTC by TeknoScorpion***

Ugh, this topic gets so old every year. There's a lot more at stake with a park like SFGAdv in the middle of a gigantic market with competition everywhere than for some little park in a little market near Buffalo, New York.

Obviously SFDL is doing just fine or they'd drop more rides in there. The park has adequate rides for the market it's in. The boom is over. Only the parks that need new rides to compete will get them.

Get your rants in before this one closes...

Wow, Jeff. Are we turning over a new leaf here?;)

Well, I'm going to have to side with Ride of Steel on this one...

Yes, it's my home park... and its nearest competitors are Canada's Wonderland, Martin's Fantasy Island, Marineland Canada, & Seabreeze.
Since 1998, I've been to the park dozens of times. Many times each year, and various time throughout the year, including weekends, holidays, and even dreaded concert days (never during Kingdom Bound... no matter what, that will always pack in the crowds).

Anyway, I have noticed the crowds dwindle down more & more each year. 1999 the park was packed all day & all evening. The following year it was still pretty packed. In 2001, it slowed down a little... but it wasn't until this year, 2004, that I really noticed how empty the park felt.

For a first-time park visitor... you're most likely not going to have a negative preception because it's a different park, the lines are short & the park is in general... clean.
But for a local resident... and by that, I mean anyone living in the regional area, NOT just the "fan boys" or "enthusiasts" as you all like to refer to us whiners... but for the local visiting each year, they too have taken notice that this park falling to hell. They've noticed that there's basically nothing left to our waterpark, that there's still only the same 5 coasters to our park while others continue to grow (mainly: Wonderland & Cedar Point).

All other parks in our area advertise what's new & great for their park. Marineland promotes Sky Screamer & Artic Cove. Marty's Fantasy Island promotes their Nitro & kiddie bounce ride, Seabreeze promotes their Whirlwind & Canada's Wonderland promotes ****shutter*** Tomb Raider: The Ride. Darien Lake is still pushing Superman & Mind Eraser as their best rides. The local people DEFINATELY know that there's nothing new at Darien Lake, and know that other parks are growing, showing something new to offer each year!

The attendance has been steadily dwindling. I've noticed that with the exception of concert days, you can get a walk-on on almost every single ride... maybe a 2-train wait on coasters... slightly longer if they're running only 1 train (slightly).

The point >>I<< got is that Great America is getting $35 MILLION for a new waterpark, and Darien Lake is getting zilch for theirs. If you've seen Darien Lake's waterpark compared to other parks in the chain, you'd see that it's pretty pitiful.

I'm not asking for the park to get new coasters & giant free-fall towers. Far from that.
I'm just asking Six Flags to start investing some money into the park & put some new attractions, a different Batman Show (same show 6yrs & counting), and especially needed: A couple new rides.

The park needs something to help spike their attendance because it seems to be declining at a steady rate more & more... and having silly events aren't going to bring in the people. The parking lot isn't even filling up half way during the week, and used to be near capacity every day during 1998 to 2000!

It's in a sad state... and if you actually lived in the general area, you'd see for yourself how everybody else is growing around them... except SFDL.

Rob i knew you'd put in your 2 cents..;)

Just new it. Well said.

And as I've said before, If you lived in West Virginia where there ARE NOT THEME PARKS AND ONLY ONE SMALL AMUSMENT PARK THATS ALMOST AS FAR AS THE THEME PARKS FROM ME, You wouldn't be complaining for what you do have.

You have Superman. You have a water Park. Get over it. We have a park I haven't even been to in longer than I can remember because its just not justifiable to go that far for an Arrow shuttle that hasn't worked in years, a kiddie coaster, and a woodie. Sure, I'd like to go, but I can't justify going up there and paying the price for a park I'd probably get bored with after an hour.

Darien Lake has some major coasters. Some parks don't get a new coaster or ride ever year, and that just happens to be one.

Instead of whining about it, just go and enjoy what is there.

Tekno Scorpion, when I have to pay $31.99 for a crap selection of rides, especially flat rides, and to see them NOT improving at all within 6 years, I have the right to be annoyed. Be thankful I have a park like that? Some people get to go to CP once a week. I go 2-3 times a summer, and yes I appreciate the fact that it is there, and I'm sorry you don't have an amusement park near you but that doesn't justify the treatment of Six Flags.

I'd understand if it was a family owned park because they may not have the funds. But when a corporation completely ignores a park thats not right.

If they build it people WILL come.

I wouldn't call Sandusky a huge city but people travel from all over because it has the big rides.

Just ANYTHING new would bring customers.

There are a lot of places in the 1-3 hour range of SFDL. A few more rides would make them have a reason to go more often.

There's a lot of common ground here. Six Flags has a lot of regional parks, and most of them are relatively static -- they aren't expanding because they don't need to. For SFDL (or any other regional park) to expand, they have to be losing significant market share to competitors. I live in Ottawa, less than 3 hours north of Syracuse. There are only 5 parks that are close enough for a day trip.

Paramount Canada's Wonderland has expanded minimalistically over the years, adding only flat rides and family coasters (The Fly, Taxi Jam, Silver Streak) or coaster design non-sense (Tomb Raider). Their last worthy coaster expansion was Top Gun back in 1995. Still, the park can get very crowded.

Seabreeze did well to add Whirlwind, but that's the only coaster thrill in the park. (Jackrabbit was disappointing.)

Since Six Flags took over La Ronde, a few flat rides, a family coaster, and Vampire were added. Vampire is an excellent inverted coaster, with track much tighter than Mind Eraser, so it's a bigger thrill for me. However, La Ronde has the worst staff of any theme park I've ever visited.

Six Flags Great Escape recently snatched up a few leftover coasters from other Six Flags parks. However, the only outstanding coaster there is Comet, which is one heck of a good ride. (I rate it as highly as I rate SROS.) Customer service is pretty good too.

SFDL hasn't expanded, but SROS is great -- nothing comes close to it within our region. To get a bigger thrill, I have to drive +8 hours to Cedar Point or Six Flags Great Adventure or SFNE. However, in my personal experience, Darien Lake does a great job with customer service and crowd control. It's also competitively priced and does a good job promoting itself to Canadians. It's the best way to escape PCW's crowds.

I just don't understand the logic here, please help me.

If SF is allowing Superman to rot with 1 train operation and peeling paint, why the heck do you want another coaster for them to ruin? Do you think they'll take better care of the next one? Or are you just hoping for something fun to ride for 2-3 years before it goes to hell? I don't get it.

What you should be hoping for are *new owners*, not the shiny new toy. Heck I live in So-cal, where we get plenty of new rides, yet why do I travel East to visit parks? Because our parks here losing their charm in favor of shiny new hardware that they *still* don't take care of or run at full capacity.

Um...help me understand.

Weird...I clicked on the link to enter this thread and my head was immediately filled with the sound of crying infants...

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Ride of Steel said:
Tekno Scorpion, when I have to pay $31.99 for a crap selection of rides, especially flat rides, and to see them NOT improving at all within 6 years, I have the right to be annoyed.

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Who's forcing you? If your park is that much of a s***hole, save your money and don't go.

Of all the complaints about Six Flags, this one is the most tired. SFA is my homepark, and I could give a rats ass if it gets a new ride or not. I haven't visited at all this year, and it isn't because there's no new ride. When the park's service improves (not holding breath), Six Flags will get my patronage again...