Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Six Flags Fiesta Texas (SFFT) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

SkyScreamer doubles as wedding chapel

Six Flags Fiesta Texas' new ride to have an unusual debut Thursday

 

For the last few months, Sydne Purvis, communications manager for Six Flags Fiesta Texas, has also doubled as a wedding planner. She has been busy planning the wedding of several couples who will say their “I do's” on SkyScreamer.

 

The latest addition to the park, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, SkyScreamer is a 200-foot, 32-passenger swing ride that will serve as part wedding chapel for several brides and grooms and eight of their guests.

 

“We're honored that they have chosen to have their very, very special day here with us,” Purvis said. “It's a double celebration.”

 

The couples were chosen on a first-come, first-served basis through various channels, including social and traditional media.

 

“We were looking for couples who wanted to be among the first to ride the SkyScreamer,” Purvis said.

 

The ride, which is several minutes long, starts at ground level next to the quarry walls and the Superman Krypton Coaster. After the first 10 stories, guests clear the quarry wall and, on a clear day, are able to see into downtown San Antonio.

 

“This really provides unsurpassed views at top speeds of 40 miles per hour,” Purvis said.

 

The weddings will be held Thursday afternoon after a wedding procession through the park led by Lola and Bugs Bunny. A reception will follow the sky-high nuptials. Without giving it all away, Purvis says the reception will include live vocals from award-winning park performers and something special for each of the couples.

 

The ride will officially open to season-pass holders Saturday and the general public Sunday.

 

SkyScreamer was first announced as part of the park's 20th anniversary celebration in March. The park will also roll out the return of the Broadway-themed “Ovation!” show and its salute to Texas with the “Lone Star Nights” laser and fireworks celebration.

 

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/SkyScreamer-doubles-as-wedding-chapel-3579809.php#ixzz1vqlTTqtL

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SkyScreamer doubles as wedding chapel

Six Flags Fiesta Texas' new ride to have an unusual debut Thursday

 

For the last few months, Sydne Purvis, communications manager for Six Flags Fiesta Texas, has also doubled as a wedding planner. She has been busy planning the wedding of several couples who will say their “I do's” on SkyScreamer.

 

The latest addition to the park, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, SkyScreamer is a 200-foot, 32-passenger swing ride that will serve as part wedding chapel for several brides and grooms and eight of their guests.

 

“We're honored that they have chosen to have their very, very special day here with us,” Purvis said. “It's a double celebration.”

 

The couples were chosen on a first-come, first-served basis through various channels, including social and traditional media.

 

“We were looking for couples who wanted to be among the first to ride the SkyScreamer,” Purvis said.

 

The ride, which is several minutes long, starts at ground level next to the quarry walls and the Superman Krypton Coaster. After the first 10 stories, guests clear the quarry wall and, on a clear day, are able to see into downtown San Antonio.

 

“This really provides unsurpassed views at top speeds of 40 miles per hour,” Purvis said.

 

The weddings will be held Thursday afternoon after a wedding procession through the park led by Lola and Bugs Bunny. A reception will follow the sky-high nuptials. Without giving it all away, Purvis says the reception will include live vocals from award-winning park performers and something special for each of the couples.

 

The ride will officially open to season-pass holders Saturday and the general public Sunday.

 

SkyScreamer was first announced as part of the park's 20th anniversary celebration in March. The park will also roll out the return of the Broadway-themed “Ovation!” show and its salute to Texas with the “Lone Star Nights” laser and fireworks celebration.

 

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/SkyScreamer-doubles-as-wedding-chapel-3579809.php#ixzz1vqlTTqtL

 

 

New ride screams onto park scene

 

As the bustling summer season approaches, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is ready to unveil its newest attraction, a 200-foot-tall swing ride that park officials say is unlike anything else in the park.

 

“It's a totally different kind of ride experience for our guests,” said park spokeswoman Sydne Purvis about SkyScreamer, the twirling ride that will be open to the public Sunday.

 

The towering new feature is an open-air swing for two that lifts riders beyond the park's quarry walls 200 feet into the air. It will swing visitors around in a circle to the top, where it will soar at 40 mph in a circle 98 feet across at full whirl.

 

If the excitement of the ride weren't enough, the views offered of the park landscape and — once the swings clears the quarry walls — of the surrounding area make the ride splashier.

 

“From the vantage point of these thrilling, open-air swings, guests will have an unusual bird's-eye perspective of the San Antonio skyline as they soar to new heights,” said park President Martin Bozer.

 

Fiesta Texas already has a 20-story tower drop ride called Scream, but it features a nerve-rattling plunge to the bottom rather than a swinging experience.

 

Theme park analysts said SkyScreamer should be a popular attraction for thrill-seekers and possibly families who are intrigued by the retro feel of a swing ride.

 

It's seen as a key addition for the park because it's new and will give the all-important repeat visitor another reason to come back to Fiesta Texas this year.

 

Nima Samadi, senior analyst with IBISWorld analysts, said Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the company that owns Six Flags Fiesta Texas, has the reputation “as being the ‘go-to place' for thrill rides.” But if it and other theme park companies did not invest in new rides, attendance could fall, he said.

 

“It's smart to keep improving rides,” he said.

 

Gary Slade, editor and publisher of the monthly trade magazine Amusement Today, said SkyScreamer won't make as big an impact as a high-speed roller coaster, which he called the “star attraction” of theme parks. But it's a high-impact ride that parks must add periodically to keep visitors interested, he said.

 

“It's got that thrill factor working for it because of its height,” Slade said. “I think it's really going to be a huge hit for them.”

 

It gives Fiesta Texas something new to boast about in a summer that will be filled with new attractions locally.

 

SeaWorld San Antonio opened a redesigned water park Aquatica last Saturday, and Schlitterbahn New Braunfels Waterpark added a major water ride, the Falls, lodging units and other features last year.

 

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc., said the industry probably will see more building this year than any since 2005. But it makes sense, he said, with indicators suggesting park attendance could grow by 7 percent in 2012.

 

Speigel said Six Flags is spending about $90 million on improvements across its 19 parks. In San Antonio, Six Flags faces a highly competitive market but is making improvements that should help it grow, the analyst said.

 

On Saturday, season ticketholders to Fiesta Texas can ride the new feature before the ride is open to the public the next day.

 

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/New-ride-screams-onto-park-scene-3578044.php#ixzz1vqn8rcrG

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And one more article I found in the San Antonio Business Journal

 

Fiesta Texas riding wave of momentum as parent firm’s debt drops

Premium content from San Antonio Business Journal by W. Scott Bailey, Reporter/Project Coordinator

Date: Friday, March 16, 2012, 5:00am CDT

 

In 2009, Six Flags Entertainment Corp. stock was trading at less than 30 cents a share, the company was more than $2 billion in debt and, unable to strike a deal with creditors, was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

 

But Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) has now cut its debt load by more than $1 billion, freeing up significant capital that will be used to improve and expand the company’s theme parks — including San Antonio’s Fiesta Texas.

 

While the turnaround is far from complete, Six Flags has gained some significant momentum. At press time, Six Flags stock was trading at more than $46 a share.

 

The improved outlook, and the potential for increased capital investment in the San Antonio theme park, are key for a city dependent upon Fiesta Texas to help drive its multibillion-dollar visitor industry.

 

“We are way back into the game now,” says Fiesta Texas President Martin Bozer. “It’s a completely different situation than it was a couple of years ago.”

 

Fiesta Texas, which was originally owned by local insurance giant USAA and acquired by Six Flags in 1998, kicked off its 20th season on March 3. While it was uncertain what would become of the park during Six Flags’ darkest days, there is plenty of optimism as the parent company continues to shed more debt.

 

Six Flags reports that it generated $1 billion in revenue in 2011 — up 4 percent over 2010. Company officials attribute that improvement to a 5 percent gain in guest spending.

 

Those numbers represent big change for a company that has faced monumental struggles in recent years.

 

“The huge debt load and very high interest we paid resulted in a lack of stability at the company for almost a decade — and ultimately forced the company into bankruptcy,” says Six Flags Chairman and CEO Jim Reid-Anderson, who joined the organization in August 2010.

 

(Page 2 of 3)

 

“Since emergence (from bankruptcy) at the end of April 2010, we have further reduced the debt, improved our credit ratings and dramatically reduced the rate we pay on the debt,” Reid-Anderson adds. “We also have implemented a long-range plan designed to ensure we build on our position as the leading regional theme park company.”

Healthy again

 

Six Flags’ gross debt was $2.4 billion at the end of 2009. That weight took a toll on the company.

 

Six Flags officials say that because of its debt load and decline in operating performance, the company was forced to make a number of cuts in recent years. But since emerging from bankruptcy, the company has managed to drive its debt total down to less than $960 million.

 

“The company is healthy once again,” Reid-Anderson explains.

 

As part of the bankruptcy process, Six Flags reduced its interest payments by nearly $50 million annually. But Reid-Anderson says the company has further reduced those interest payments by an additional $85 million per year by improving its credit ratings and by negotiating more favorable borrowing rates.

 

“The company is now stable from a leadership and financial perspective, and we can re-invest even more money into our parks rather than paying interest on our debt,” Reid-Anderson adds.

 

Six Flags entered 2012 with more than $230 million in cash on hand. Six Flags officials say the company’s net debt (gross debt minus cash on hand) was down from more than $2 billion in 2009 to less than $730 million at the end of 2011.

 

Fiesta Texas is already benefitting from the improved financial picture. The San Antonio theme park has added a major new attraction this season — the SkyScreamer. Bozer won’t divulge the cost of that new attraction, described as a 200-foot-tall tower ride, but he says it is a “multimillion-dollar project.”

 

“The important thing is that the company is now looking to invest significant capital,” Bozer adds. “For San Antonio to have that commitment from Six Flags is important for our tourist industry.”

Reinvestment paramount

 

Analysts with IBISWorld, an international market research firm that is based in Santa Monica, Calif., have projected that total U.S. theme park industry revenues will surpass $12 billion by 2014 and approach $12.5 billion by 2016 — minus any unforeseen circumstances.

 

“It’s huge,” says IBISWorld analyst Nima Samadi about Six Flags’ financial improvement and the company’s ability and willingness now to reinvest in its parks.

 

“It’s paramount that they reinvest,” he adds.

 

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc., says by cutting its debt, Six Flags has become a “more manageable company.”

 

“Six Flags is back to doing what it does best — running regional theme parks,” Reid-Anderson explains. “We have a very bright future.”

 

San Antonio, especially, could see big gains as a result of Six Flags regaining momentum.

 

Six Flags officials say Fiesta Texas is a key park. The company’s interest in Fiesta Texas can be attributed, in large part, to the fact that it is located in an area of the country that has continued to see economic gains.

 

“We see a tremendous opportunity for-long term growth at Fiesta Texas,” Reid-Anderson adds.

 

“I’m very encouraged,” Bozer says. “It’s refreshing for us to be in this financial position now.

 

“I believe there is a very bright future — not only for the company as a whole, but also certainly for the park here in San Antonio,” he adds. “With the consistent capital investment, we are going to be in a great place.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are some of my pictures of SkyScreamer!

Go to Amusement Park Authority to see more pictures!

 

SkyScreamer on May 26, 2012!

 

And here is an Off Ride video of SkyScreamer shot by me!

 

Also SkyScreamer has this song playing all round this ride all the time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like a great ride placed in a great location. Hope it's a hit with the GP.

 

Nah, they're just going to b*tch and moan about how unsafe it is with the chains and how Windseekers are better.

 

 

I'm pretty sure most people in Texas, aside from theme park fanatics don't even know what a Windseeker is unless they've been to a Cedar Fair park in the past year or 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Last Sunday was my first time having visited Fiesta Texas. Right away I was struck by how nice all the scenery was even though it could all use some paint, how insane SKC was, how phenomenal Sky Screamer was, and also got credits for Pandemonium, Poltergeist, and Goliath all before lunch. We were gearing up to do Scream! which I was really excited for because most S&S towers I'd ridden were only Super Shots or Turbo Drops but Scream! seemed to do both in the same ride. Also, the log flume which I loved how it was situated in the park... but first, we wanted to do the train ride so we could take some pictures.

 

Upon pulling out of the station, I was assaulted with the most ghastly and unimaginable nails-on-a-chalkboard screeching I had ever heard. I mean, there is squeaky and then there is ear-piercingly godawful, and this was most certainly the latter. To my utter dismay, the screeching was incessant and I thought I was going to cry when we went into the quarry tunnel and it got worse. Eventually though, me and my friends were off, and joking about how SFFT could stand to invest in some grease for the rails. We made our way to Crackaxle Canyon. I insisted on doing Road Runner Express first, but Rattler was more important to the rest of my party.

 

Rattler... this ride is going to haunt me to the end of my days.

 

 

The fact that I had to wait 30 minutes for an RCCA creation already had me anxious. The squeal of the track as the cars lazily made their way around the final turnaround was bringing back horrible thoughts of my most recent encounter with the train, but then came the end of the queue where it was so illustriously spelled out to me that unlike every other ride we had ridden today, Rattler had assigned seating. Well, at that point I started praying to the coaster gods that they would put me up in the front half. I didn't need the front seat. Just please, anything but the back. And so the coaster gods heard my pleas... and ignored them as I took my seat at the back of the last car on the right. Now I am just praying this is like Mean Streak or Hurler, or some other coaster I thought was going to be the worst coaster experience of my life that, while they were bad, did not leave me crying. Rattler, as you are all no doubt aware, provides no such mercy.

 

I was already bracing with my hands clasping the bar in front of me, hoping to whatever god could hear me that I was going to come out of this alive. As the car jackhammered its way out of the station, my heart followed in time. As the track curved downward to the lift hill, the train grew more violent, and screeched like a banshee in my ears. As we hit the chain, I turned to one of my friends and asked him why he wanted to ride this so bad. I've never been more terrified of a single roller coaster, while on the roller coaster, in my entire life. He assured me it would be fine. Then came the drop. I felt like I was being shaken up like a can of paint at Home Depot as it bottomed out and swung us up into the large diving helix. The drop downward had the rails screeching so high and loud I thought my eardrums were going to burst. Wasn't there supposed to be topper track on this ride? Where is the topper track?! All I could feel was pain! Then we went up into the triple helix.

 

Rattler's triple helix is the worst roller coaster element that ever existed.

 

The jackhammering was awful, the repetition was ungodly, and the screeching of the rails had become so bad I had to cover my ears which made the jackhammering worse as, being on the right side of the train, my body was being thrown to the right, toward the supports, which just made it all the more unnerving. When it finally spit us out onto the MCRB, my friend noticed a camera. I flipped it the bird so fast I didn't even think of the consequences until we dropped out into the quarry tunnel where, again, I had to put my hands over my ears just to make the excruciatingly awful screeching bearable. Finally, we were spit out once more into the flyby and final turnaround into the break where all I could say was "make it stop! for the love of god, someone make it stop!" and when it did, I was crying. This ride was so bad, so painful, so excruciating, it made me cry. I honestly don't know why I didn't punch the ride operator getting off. As it stands, this coaster is only useful as a US Government-sanctioned interrogation device or as firewood, and if RMC doesn't convert it, I suggest one of those two methods be put in place immediately.

 

 

It was pushing 100 by then, I had a splitting headache from the ride (and there was no OTSR! How is that possible?!), so we called it a day at 3 PM. I hope to go back one day to reclaim the credits I lost to the Rattler, but who knows... it's a beautiful park and SKC is phenomenal, but SFFT, if you don't remodel that monstrosity you call a roller coaster soon, you better burn it to the ground and use the terrain for something better. And for the love of Pete, invest in some paint for your older rides and buildings, and some oil for anything with wheels that doesn't have a steel track!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^From what I've heard, the front row is an absolute must on Rattler. That's probably the only reason I got some marginal, Mean Streak-level enjoyment out of the ride (and yes, I lucked out and was assigned the front without any pleading and begging).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ride Rattler once a year on my first visit.

I queue for the front seat. They aren't assigned seats (at least not when I've been there), they just have an attendant counting how many people go in to the seat lanes and shutting off the line when it's full. It's not uncommon to see a 2-3 train wait for the front.

It's possible they've changed the policy since I was there last month, though.

 

Anyway, I thought it was actually running much smoother this year, mainly because of the topper track on the horseshoe cliff turn. It used to have some naaaaaaasty lateral jackhammering there in addition to the regular jackhammering.

 

There needs to be an Iron Horse makeover on it. Bigtime.

 

As I read the description of your ride on Rattler, I thought, "wow, that's how I felt on Son of Beast!" (except for the dreading it going up the lift... I was actually looking forward to SOB until about halfway down the first drop)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was at SFFT 2 weeks ago and they were assigning seats on Rattler. I must say that the coaster sucked a$$ on so many levels. It now is dead last on my coaster list and I will never ride it again unless it gets the NTAG treatment. ...On a positive note, I enjoyed the rest of the coasters in the park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will say this once... and leave at that... take it how you want it...

RATTLER 2013!!! NTAG Who?... Just wait.

 

That really wouldn't be that surprising going by the success of NTAG. The rumors pretty much immediately started up about Rattler and RMC as soon as NTAG opened.

 

They really could do some amazing things with the available terrain.

Edited by ernierocker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pay attention to that article about where RMC is trying to take their rides... then apply to Rattler 2013...

 

"According to Rocky Mountain, “We will be building cars we think will be revolutionary for the industry.” They go on to state that the combination of their new track and cars will be able to allow a wooden coasters to perform inversions, a feat no one has tried since Son of Beast at Kings Island."

 

Based on what we've seen so far from the SDC installation, I don't see that ride having inversions. Thus by process of elimination, I am hard pressed to believe that Rattler will be the ride to take on this feat.

Edited by vacoaster09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My vote goes for them squeezing in the dive off the cliff post-MCBR and a loop that leads straight into the quarry tunnel. Get themselves the inversion 'record' and a one-of-a-kind ride in the entire world! [/dream]

 

But in all reality, from IAAPA we know that RMS is doing an original project (SDC) and another full Iron Horse makeover for 2013. And I would imagine that Six Flags is holding the reigns to that other project considering how well NTAG did. So now it's just a waiting game to see which park is getting it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pay attention to that article about where RMC is trying to take their rides... then apply to Rattler 2013...

 

"According to Rocky Mountain, “We will be building cars we think will be revolutionary for the industry.” They go on to state that the combination of their new track and cars will be able to allow a wooden coasters to perform inversions, a feat no one has tried since Son of Beast at Kings Island."

 

Based on what we've seen so far from the SDC installation, I don't see that ride having inversions. Thus by process of elimination, I am hard pressed to believe that Rattler will be the ride to take on this feat.

 

I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

Looking at the rest of your post, I think the phrase you meant is "inclined to believe."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, let's dream a bit, shall we?

 

Iron Horse makeover on Rattler....

 

Raise the lift hill to 200ft. That's their building height limit, isn't it?

Drop it over the cliff in a near-vertical dive all the way to the bottom like it used to.

Leave the top of the second hill at the same height, but over bank it.

The horseshoe bend could then be banked at nearly 90deg....

==> They will need to seriously reinforce the structure here. Iron Horse track isn't very flexible and they simply can't allow the "wave" any more.

The entrance to the helix could be considerably raised, probably even a camelback hill with airtime.

The helix itself could get really bizarre with odd angles and wicked bunny hops. It could even become the ride's signature moment.

MCBR? There for safety blocking only. Not used otherwise.

Insane, twisting dive off the cliff... but not into the tunnel. Instead, drop it forward, then curve it up toward the station fly-by.

Round the helix next to the station, toss in a zig-zag, then enter the tunnel from the opposite end so that you're turning and dropping in the dark.

The tunnel drop leads to a ground-hugging 180, then up to the final brake run.

 

Yeah, that bit after the MCBR ain't gonna happen, but I can fantasize, can't I?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/