Electerik

I don't really collect maps. But I'd just like to point out that most parks will happily send you a current map, if you ask. So you don't really need to trade for those. Older ones are a different story, of course....

^ Agreed!

Why not? They made the decision to change it! I'm really starting to like the whole Bizarro thing. But I still think it's lame that it won't be open until Memorial Day.

Isn't it a little early in the season for Six Flags to be alienating its customers? I never promised to change my attitude about the worst park chain in the nation. Haven't they been promising to improve? You're spot on on this one. But it still could have been handled better. You mean, like, treating your customers well so they'll come back? Oh wait, you don't mean that at all, do you? You mean, "Make as much money as you can today, with no thought of tomorrow." Seriously, you worked at Six Flags and now you're teaching business strategy? Hooray, we're saved! Is that what you teach in your business strategy classes? Blame the costumer? The kid had every right to complain publicly, and you have every right to try and defend the park. But is there seriously anyone on this board who is more eager to go to this park now that everyone has explained how Six Flags did the right thing? /"It's their fault for choosing us." //"Ignorant."

^ I know. I just have that much faith in you. And I wasn't trying to jump on ginzo. I know what he was saying. I'm just not willing to absolve the park of its share of the responsibility. As usual, we're all much closer together than the back and forth might suggest. /"Never go to a park for one coaster."

Well, yeah...but I'm guessing that you'd let everyone know before they were standing in line for the bus. Be honest, if something weird happened and you were suddenly unable to provide the TPR experience you wanted to--but people were already committed monetarily (plane tickets) and on their way--you'd try to do something, wouldn't you? I can think of several cute, cheap things Six Flags could have done for those few guests that would have been all kinds of Photo Trip Report worthy.

I think that's putting an awful lot of responsibility on the consumer while giving the business a free pass. If I sell you an empty bag that I promised was filled with yummy cheese, is it totally on you because you didn't research enough to know that I was out of cheese? If the park is surprised by particularly bad weather or other circumstances, I would understand closing early. But unless it's really an exceptional occurence, they should at least make an effort to ensure that the guests they do have leave feeling good about their day. I was working at IOA the wednesday after 9/11. There was a tropical storm coming in, it rained all day, and the employees outnumbered the guests in the park over 3-to-1. So instead of closing at 7:00pm, we closed at 3:00pm. They announced it starting at noon, and no one complained. Why would they? They got on every ride they wanted to multiple times without waiting, and they understood the decision. /Then again, Universal makes money, while Six Flags doesn't. //If only there was some explanation for why that is.

This isn't really artwork. More like a really bad "XKCD" cartoon.... Just something weird I was compelled to "create."

In my view, there's only one good reason to have not shown us more of the Others by now--the same reason we didn't see much of the Dharma Initiative: because there are main characters in it (Jack, Kate, Sawyer, etc.) The Purge will happen, and the losties in Dharma will become Others. /Wild guess. Don't "know" nothin'

The Great America Revolution at Magic Mountain. Lapbars only, of course. And it was grand.

Ah, but CP used to do just that. Though they themselves tend not to remind anyone of it, Cedar Point has been around for a long, long time. And their business was once all about pleasant views and cool breezes. The parks you mentioned may represent the extreme "thrill rides only" side of the business, but that's certainly not the only way to go. The Disney and Universal parks do quite well bucking your idea of "the nature of the business." And they, unlike the parks you mentioned, actually do attract guests from all over the world. /CP is mediocre, SFMM needs paved.

I'm not sure what it is, but I love the giant seashell building!

Though this is an extreme example, I'm still compelled to ask: Will they? Let's assume those 80 people never come back. And every time any one of them has the opportunity--every time it comes up in conversation, or even the subject of bad guest service comes up--they slam the park to everyone they know. Which results in people who saw the park's commercials and thought it looked like it might be fun, but certainly don't want to experience anything like that, deciding to pass. Maybe those folks would have been lifetime customers--who, if treated right, would have talked up the park to others. But they never even went, because they knew a guy who had a really bad experience. Now, I don't know that any of that will happen. But I don't know that it won't, either. The difference between success and failure can be a lot less than that. And I don't consider Six Flags, in its current form, to be a success. So why should I trust that they know what they're doing when it comes to decisions like these? It's their business, and they can run it any way they want to. But will this decision really result in a net gain for them, long term? I'm not so sure. /Not that my opinion means anything to them. //But that's kind of my point.

I agree with this 100%. The "bottom line" includes money you're not getting from people who are never coming back.

^^ I don't know. I'm a big fan of going to amusement parks when it rains. On the other hand, I don't normally go to Six Flags type parks. So maybe you're right. In any case, I think the original poster is right to be upset. And hopefully will channel that anger into choosing to go to parks that actually care about their guests (or at least pretend to) in the future. /Welcome to the Six Flags Haters Club! Might I suggest a trip to Holiday World? [EDIT: Yeah, that weather map is pretty ominous.]

Exactly. I wanted something easy to use and easy to carry around that I could abuse a little bit, take onto water rides, and still get solid, non-blurry shots of coaster trains whizzing by. And that's exactly what I got. So I'm happy with it. Is it better than ginzo's DSLR? Of course not. But it would seem the original poster already was thinking of these and just wanted to know if they were any good. In my opinion, yes. Despite some minor weaknesses, it's very much the camera I was hoping it would be. /I didn't need the shot of your legs, though, shepp.

^ Aha! Their clever plan is working.... /Get here before we drive it under! //Tell all your friends!

At last, I am cool! A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

I have the Olympus 6000 Tough and really like it. Pros I can take it anywhere: on coasters, on water rides, whatever. And it fits easilly into my pocket. The mechanical image stabilization really works (much better than digital). It's almost impossible to take a blurry photo in full daylight. Cons Struggles a bit with whites (but that can generally be compensated for). Lens flare is a bit more common than what I'm used to. A little pokey between shots. Though there are few photos mixed in from my girlfriend's Pentax, you might want to check out my recent SeaWorld & Animal Kingdom trip reports to get an idea of what I've been able to do with it: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=717166#717166 http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=718648#718648

I really like the Kumba one--especially since the Busch parks have all introduced the whole "comic book style" for T-shirts and stuff. Congratulations on making the front page, by the way.

Well that's not much of an answer. SFMM is getting a new coaster because Six Flags has no idea what they're doing, and a new coaster is their answer to everything. I do like the paint job on Manta's zero-car, though.

^ Nope, we ate them all. /After killing them first, of course.

^ Well, not to excuse it or anything, but there's a train ride as well.

^ I'm just glad to see that she reapplied herself after getting the shaft in that whole Paramount/Cedar Fair deal. Nice story. Turtles rock.

I think "Time Travel Kaboom" would be an awesome name for just about anything, personally. But shouldn't it be "Texas Time Travel Kaboom"?