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

When they already have established "destination" parks in SFMM, SFGAm and SFGAdv (all close to some of the biggest cities in America), why in the hell would they spend the money to try and attract "outside" visitors to SFDL? What other market are they going to attract from? They already have Buffalo and most of Eastern New York as their main area. What's beyond that? Toronto (PCW), Erie (Waldameer, GL, CP, Conneaut, KW), Pittsburgh (GL, CP, KW, HP), Cleveland (GL, CP, PKI, KW) ... I can't think of any other major city within day-trip (or even extended day-trip) distance of SFDL. SFI already tried once to bully their way into this market with a megapark and we all know how that turned out ... they got destroyed big time.

You don't have a mega park, it's not one now, and it's never going to be one because there's no market for it. Not every park can be a megapark, most people go to an amusement park once or twice in a year, and for probably half the country, one of those is to some property with "Disney" in the name, so you're left with one visit per family per year to try and grab. That's a pretty limited market, so why not beef up the appeal of the already established destination parks rather than try and create another that may or may not attract? There's simply no point to it.

Now has SFDL simply not done ANYTHING in 6 years? No paint, no food stalls, no landscaping, no planting and everything's rotting and falling into disrepair? Or have they just not had a major capital investment ride in 6 years? Kennywood hasn't had a "major" coaster since Exterminator (PR wasn't truly a "new" coaster) and you don't see me complaining ...

If you want a megapark, hop in the car and drive to one, stop trying to have it all. *** Edited 8/12/2004 2:09:02 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***

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sros208 said:
When you own a bunch of properties you have a reputation to keep, and right now Six Flags' reputation is crappy customer service and horrible ride reliablity. Not exactly what you want people to remember your park by.

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Well, you just summed up exactly why adding a new coaster is not necessary for Six Flags to boost attendance.

I will not apologize that I live near SFGAm and my "home" park is getting a new water park. I am one of the ones that also wholeheartedly agrees that SF needs to improve their customer service immensely. The last time I was at SFGAm, I spent a whopping two hours at the park that night, and they were the some of the worst hours of my life. I came very close to getting a police escort to my car that night. Since then, I have turned down numerous requests by friends to go there with them this year, due to some of the more evil peeps and the poor customer service. So far, aside from the 2 hours that I mentioned, I have only spent 1 other day there. Not really a "home" park then...

Honestly, I will most likely never go to the new water park (I like small mellow waterparks like MIA's). My only happiness out of this whole SFGAm development is that it will get so many jerks out of the lines for the coasters that I really want to ride. A new coaster would have been very nice, but can you imagine how many more jerks I would have to contend with in line then (and I am not speaking of most of the gp, just the ones who seem to work their magic of pissing everyone off). So let all of the regulars and visitors spend their days at the waterpark so I can wait in shorter lines (in peace) for some OK coasters. And maybe I will go back to the park more often.

I also need to really stress that we are (for the most part) all enthusiasts on this site. If you look at people's track records, you will see that they just do not list their "home" parks and the rides that park offers. We travel far and away to experience different, new, and exciting rides that cannot be found at our "home" parks. If you do not like your home park, then go elsewhere. Complain to the management about your park. Stress that you are from the area and that you boycott it, and the reasons why you do so. Maybe the park management will listen (but then again, if it's SF...).

I, for one, would rather travel 5 hours for a new ride at CP, then 1 hour to SFGAm. And this all comes back again, for me, to the Customer Service at SF parks. I had a terrible time at SFA due to the Customer Service (and the lack thereof in their controlling of the peeps). The same holds true for SFGam. I may go back to my "home" park sooner, just because it is closer, but I would still rather be somewhere else.

This weekend will be my second trip the MIA, and it is a nice and mellow little park. I love ST, and will have a great time there (better than I would have had at SFGAm, that's for sure). And maybe I am wierd in that I want to not only have a great time on the rides, but that I want to have a good overall park experience. And the good overall park experience typically does not happen for me at a SF park. (Trust me, if I could drive back and forth to Kennywood or PKD in one day, I would :)

I'm sorry for those fo you who feel that your SF park is getting overlooked. I think that it is time then to go elsewhere (to make a statement to your park, and for your own sanity). Instead of 5 trips to your "home" park, how about 2 trips to some really good parks elsewhere? I know what my choice would be.

I'm sure if you guys were in the same market that DawgbyteII,Ride of steel & I are in you'd be complaining just as much about the "neglect" of your homepark but you're not so there's just no way you can truely understand the situation from our perspective.

If the spoiled parks are doing so well because of increased attendance then they don't need new rides to draw the crowds & folks should be content with what they have....is it really gonna cause you not to visit your park to ride that new B&M you got last year if you didn't get another ride for a few seasons?

Now if you must absolutely get that next coaster in order to justify a visit to SFMM or whatever your local park is then you'd begin to see how some of us feel who have had to go upwards of 4 to 6 years without a new coaster,simply put we're fed up at SF & aren't gonna take it anymore.

SF needs to rethink their plans because they are losing money from their remaining parks....3 or possibly 4 parks that turn a high profit aren't enough to cover the losses suffered by the smaller neglected parks it's as simple as that,the problem however is that SF see's a struggling park as one that's not worthy of the capital investment that can turn it around & improve attendance.

That's exactly why SFWOA never got their hyper after the city finally approved it...SF refused to five it to them due to sagging attendance numbers,but if they did then the attendance would've improved....in short SFWOA was at an impass with SF corporate.

But I choose not to go to my homepark, and to go to better (cs-wise and peep-wise) parks elsewhere. People are getting upset that their SF home parks are getting ripped off by the other SF parks, then I say "just don't go!".

I have spent more time at away parks this year than my home park for sure, and have been quite happy in doing so. If my home park was bad ride-wise, I would not go. Right now, it sucks cs-wise and peep-wise, so I don't go. Even if the rides are OK, and a new waterpark is being built.

Don't feel jacked. Just do something. Either raise a ruckous to those who can/will do something, or take your money elsewhere.

Neglect comes in many forms, and not just a lack of capital investment in certain parks.

Again, I can drive 1 hour to SFGAm or 5 hours to CP. And my choice will always be... apparent!

*** Edited 8/12/2004 4:23:35 PM UTC by ltlbat***

Well that may be allright for you but for some of us we have no choice in which parks we're able to visit.

Sure I'm able to visit PKD once a year(if I'm lucky) but for the remainder of the season I'm stuck going to SFA....although from what I hear things might be getting a little bit wet for them in 05.

Now I'm not gonna bother revealing any info here because it'll just get scoffed at by the "usual suspects" on the boards so everyone's just gonna have to wait a little while but it's gonna be good & it's gonna be wet.

Well you can always have a choice - just depends on your willingness to sleep in your car, live off of pop-tarts and in-park waterfountains for a weekend, etc. etc.

But even if you don't have a choice, at least you HAVE a park with a decent coaster (both, SFA and SFDL), what about a coaster fan in the west that doesn't live near CA or Vegas?

Once again, BFSFA is dillusional. I think he's just mad that SFA hasn't yet added a B&M to its roster. SFA got a new ride in 2003-Penguin's Blizzard River. It may not thrill you like a new coaster does, but it's fun for the whole family. So that means that SFA has only gone dark two years from adding new attractions. But, I'm wasting my breath as BFSFA won't see the facts.

If you're so upset, get into your car and drive somewhere else. For those of us on the east coast, there are many parks within a days drive, and many can be done as a day trip from wherever you live. But then some of you will say "Such and such a park is 3-4 hours away!" So what, it can still be done as a day trip. Just make sure you have a backup driver if you can't drive the whole way.

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BATWING FAN SFA said:
I'm sure if you guys were in the same market that DawgbyteII,Ride of steel & I are in you'd be complaining just as much about the "neglect" of your homepark but you're not so there's just no way you can truely understand the situation from our perspective.

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BS. I live in your area, and I'm not complaining.

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Now if you must absolutely get that next coaster in order to justify a visit to SFMM or whatever your local park is then you'd begin to see how some of us feel who have had to go upwards of 4 to 6 years without a new coaster,simply put we're fed up at SF & aren't gonna take it anymore.

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Unbelievable. If you're so fed up, move to LA. I get kind of annoyed by the yearly snows and weather changes in my area, but if I was that concerned about it I wouldn't spend my days *****ing and moaning about why God doesn't make the weather stay a sunny 70 degrees year-round, I'd move.

-Vater, still surrounded by the sound of screaming infants...

Is this about your park deserving a coaster or you as a person deserving a coaster?

Your parks clearly don't deserve them, because they won't make back the investment. If they would, the people with business degrees and their jobs riding on the line would have figured that out and put in the coaster.

If you think you as a person deserve a multimillion dollar coaster, I would suggest you wake up.

Here's my translation of every whiny post in this topic:

"I want a new coaster *personally*, so I'm going to concoct all kinds of bassackwards logic and reasoning and stories about why it would be a good investment for my park. I will conveniently neglect the fact that people with more experience, more training, more at stake, and more knowledge and understanding of the situation have already considered the possibility and decided it wouldn't return the investment. Thank you. Also....waaaaaaaaaaaaah."

For crying out loud, SF isn't in the business of building coasters to promote "justice" for the "exploited" coaster enthusiasts who want something new to do every day after work. They're in the business of making freaking money. And putting a new coaster in any of these parks simply will not bring in the money.

I don't see anyone complaining about neglected parks that they don't happen to live near (except to have someone to complain with). How come nobody's complaining about Great Escape? Or SFNO (which has way more investment potential than SFDL or SFA right now)? Or EV/WW? Or La Ronde? Or any of the hundreds of other parks in the country and world who's big new attraction every few years is a half decent flat?

I know why - because this isn't about business or justice. It's about a few people expecting a huge corporation to throw them a million dollar attraction because "I want it, mommy". *** Edited 8/12/2004 6:08:06 PM UTC by ApolloAndy***

I'd say Superman was a rather large investment. I'm with Andy on being a hard-ass about this. Get over it! Be happy you aren't a coaster enthusiast in Patagonia.

Now being upset over poor customer service is another thing entirely.

Here's an idea, boycott the park until they add a new coaster or improve customer service ( and don't forget to tell them why.) :)

*** Edited 8/12/2004 6:08:57 PM UTC by janfrederick***

amen to intamin-fan

I actually drive 3 hours to go to SFA and have a good time there. Blizard River was a fun little ride and when i go again I am hoping to finally get my ROS credit. Will i go back after i finally get that credit ... YES. now for why. WILD ONE, ROAR, BATWING, S:ROS, JOKERS JINX all are excellent rides plus flats. I don't care about people that frequent parks and try to kill my day... it won't happen cause most of the people i go with try to make it a fun day no matter what happens.

Another thought: In fact, the money thought (both literally and figuratively):

How many of you complaining have a season pass to the park about which you are complaining? I'm guess most, if not all. Why in the hell would SF put in a new ride if they're already getting all your money with their current lineup? As Itlbat and others suggested, if it's such a big deal, send a message with your wallet.

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BATWING FAN SFA said:
That's exactly why SFWOA never got their hyper after the city finally approved it...SF refused to five it to them due to sagging attendance numbers,but if they did then the attendance would've improved....in short SFWOA was at an impass with SF corporate.

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Stop and listen to yourself for a second. What was the first thing that happened when SF bought GL and made SFO? Four, count 'em four coasters went in. 3 outstanding coasters and a kiddie. Did I mention that they got four coasters? How many, Andy? Four. They also got a pretty sexy coaster the following year. Did it help their attendance? No. Other problems needed to be addressed first. There were fundamental issues that they couldn't overcome, even with four, that's right, four new coasters. That's why they didn't get the hyper. It wasn't because SF Inc. was being mean to them.

Hi everyone,

I just moved from the Buffalo NY area and SFDL was my home park for three years.

SFDL is one of the best parks I have ever been to and I've been to alot. Nice atmosphere(very relaxed), nice people(very friendly) and very clean.

I too was disappointed that they didn't get a major addition again and did not get a season pass because of it.

However, that area is shedding jobs and people more than anywhere else in the country. What justification does Six Flags Inc. have in dumping more money into an economically depressed area that shows no signs of improvement?

P.S. I still believe SFDL should be gifted something Big for performing well in an area that isn't.

Gifted? This isn't about justice or fairness, it's about money.

I'm sure that if corporate felt the park outperformed it's potential, they'd give the *execs* bonuses and vacations and dinners and bottles of wine. They wouldn't give the park a new ride as a reward.

Like I said earlier in this thread, put a little gas in your car, get up early, and go somewhere else! I live in Baltimore and I've done the following as days trips:

Great Adventure, Bush Gardens, Knoebels, Kennywood (ok, that was a little rough), Kings Dominion and Hersheypark (Dorney Park is well within reach also). And, we'll be doing Morey's Piers on Sunday. As long as you have another driver, or at least a passenger to keep you talking, it can be done.

Andy, if you keep insisting on using LOGIC to determine where the chain's ROI is greatest, you're NOT going to cut it as an enthusiass for very long...;)

Shoot, if SF knew what to do about ROI, their stock wouldn't be sub-$4/share....but then they surprise us with this AMAZINGLY profitable addition to SFGAm....whoever came up with THAT idea should be fired...:)
*** Edited 8/12/2004 6:37:54 PM UTC by rollergator***

Well, I think some of the kids who are complaining don't have cars.

Kinda funny being a young enthusiast...you have all the time in the world and no money (or transportation for this argument). When you finally get the money and car, you ain't got no time. ;)

Don't worry, at some point, you will care more about the fact that a really nice woodie was built somewhere in the country.

Then again, you can be like me and wish they were being built West of the Rockies. ;)

Road trips rule. The 6 hour drive to Knoebels was a tough one, but anything 4.5 hours or less (each way) is certainly able to be done. Things I do to stay awake on long road trips:

* Crank the air conditioning, even if it's cold outside!
* Blast some angry music on the car stereo (Fear Factory, Machine Head, Slayer, early Sepultura all do the trick).
* While I'm not a chain smoker by any means, I do smoke like a fiend on the way back. It keeps me busy.
* Grab Mountain Dews from each rest area on the way back. After drinking 3 20 oz. bottles, I needed every rest stop I could get!

I can't comment on Six Flags-related issues since they skipped town on us... ;)

Ray P.