Kevin Long
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Posts posted by Kevin Long
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As we all knew this is what we were getting, which is fine, a great little flat, my thought is we still got the shaft. If Highland fling weren't to have broken down, what would we have gotten then?? I think a double install would have been the right thing to do, but hey, we're SFSTL, to corporate we're nobody
that was my point - losing rides(permanent breakdown and failure) will happen from time to time and sometimes if the ride selection is large enough in a park no big deal.
SFSL is was down 2 rides(fling and Xcalibur). I guess we wait till the end of next year to find out that Xcalibur is gone forever; then we get a replacement for that as the next big ride.
this will enable SFSL to always be replacing something without ever making a real investment in the park. pick the worst ride each year, close it for a season then replace it, with a newer copy. It doesn't seem to hurt pass/membership sales and the park will remain a giant summer babysitter for the youth of St Louis. for good or bad.
another few cents
K
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well, that's certainly the best and biggest ride announced this year ( at sfsl anyway) - gotta love park hyperbole...
another carnival flat ride.... might as well move everything to the parking lot hire some carnys and be done with it....
how is it that replacing a broken/missing ride with virtually the same ride is some sort of upgrade aside from being newer?? net gain for the park = 0.
just wait a few more years and new striping in the parking lot and resurfacing the park asphalt will be your upgrade.
I wonder if they would have even bothered replacing fling if not for the yearly announcement. New scrambler next year?.... can't wait.
my two cents
K
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Flooded Mine has had a much harder time in the past few years. Lots of stuff simply has simply needed replacement for too long, and SDC can't seem to make up their minds about how much they want to spend on it or what they want to do with the ride as a whole. It was obvious years ago that they needed to increase it's budget to keep it running like it should but they chose not to.
I absolutely love the ride. It has always been something the entire family can really do together, from my grandmother to my little nieces and nephews. Besides the train, there's not many other activities we can all actively do together like that. I adore the effort that was put into the ride. So much handcrafted theming and depth. So many props, many of which are authentic. It's just a really solid attraction with a lot of love poured into it, and the recent challenges with maintenance don't tell the whole story about what the ride is or what it truly offers the park.
SDC just needs to go ahead and commit a couple million into modernizing the gun and target system and fixing the props that need fixing. They are too fixated on getting the next marketing gimmick though, so I fear they will simply gut it soon and replace it with a modern dark ride with screens instead of props. I think they are letting it die a slow death on purpose so there is less outrage when they do so.
I'll say one thing though, those "next level" rides like TT and OR sure have a lot of down-time lately, but FM keeps chugging along. Seems like the newer something is, the less reliable.
Ideally, for me- I would like to see a complete rework and restoration to its original glory; even so far as to removal of the loud obnoxious shooting game. as an Old codger, I can remember when there was a TON more water effects all over the outside of the queue line and even the long forgotten rock fall at the end where there was a sound of an explosion and many sponge (rocks) were dropped onto a wire mesh placed overhead just before the end section. it's not in horrible condition and for a few hundred grand, I bet you could really go a long way to making it a highlight of the park again. It does fit the Mining town theme of the park overall more than most any other attraction. I would be a shame to see it gone.
Kevin
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all these rides and attractions being down may signal the SF is done with the park and maybe selling it soon. why fix and or repair broken things if you are getting rid of a property... SFSL soon to be cedar fair????
hmmmmm
a very useless two cents....
BP
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We bought the basic dining plan in a sale last Christmas, and I'm looking into it now that the season's about to start. Haven't ever had this before, and Six Flags' website says to check the locations in park for times. Anybody here know what the lunch hours and snack hours are?
last year lunch was 11 to 3pm - I think and snacks were 11 to 7 pm depending on park hours
not sure, someone will correct me -
my advice go early at start time and on off days (NON WEEKENDS) for maximum pleasant usage of this perk -
I did not usually snack but presume there would be waits except between meal periods. good luck
kevin
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This should give you an idea how much room would be needed for a Giant Discovery. It's currently the biggest draw at SFOT. Even bigger than New Texas Giant.
I don't think that would fit in Excalibur's space - it looks at least twice the size of the current footprint -
maybe bulldoze the tired 1990's dragons wing and part of the dead end arcade of Thunder River and put it on top of Highland Flings dead corpse.
just a thought.
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Can somebody post comparison pictures? I haven't been to SFSTL during a regular day in a while (only winterfest with my church), I'm interested in what the helix looked like
try google earth
a suggestion
Kevin
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Might I remind everyone that we're getting an AWESOME and unique waterslide in about 3 months?
Eh. I wish I cared about water parks, but I'm hopeful the new slide will bring more people to the park.
I agree with this ^^^^
too fat and old to be half nekkid in a waterpark -- and your welcome
Kevin
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another thing to consider is that you guys are all coaster nuts - the general public doesn't know or really care about RMC'ing a coaster or what it means.
SF knows this, if they aren't going to go all in and redo the entire thing and make it into a total re-brand and big capital improvement project, they realize they will never recoup the costs. Their money is better spent on smaller projects or a new coaster over all. The days of BIG new flashy coasters in St Louis are no more. you won't ever see a coaster bigger than American Thunder or batman size ever again. but you can keep dreaming.
thinking they are going to make that kind expenditure without a REAL and measurable increase in park attendance is a pipe dream.
my 2 cents
Kevin
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They need to backwards the Tommy g Robinson - or am I correct in thinking the hill is too great in going that direction?
Kevin
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I wish they'd just RMC the damn thing instead of playing around with the helix
I've accepted the fact that this will won't happen. Ever.
everyone should....
kevin
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nice updates much more friendly for those of us with fewer coasters under our belts . much easier with the sorting by park, rather than just alphabetical.
well done and user friendly enough for the general public
disseminate this widely and you should get a pretty accurate listing/ranking of the most popular coasters on this planet.
Kevin
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SFSL not here either? hmmm
just a thought
Kevin
I'll add that to my list to add. I literally spent a night "Traveling" on RCDB from one major park to the next, so it wasn't super thorough. But I'll be fixing it as I can.
thanks for the feedback
Kevin
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SFSL not here either? hmmm
just a thought
Kevin
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I would imagine the park doesn't turn a profit when the crowds are that sparse. If the park were owned by Six Flags Corp it would announce that it was closing within a few hours of operation, with about an hour notice.
I don't understand why this is a bad thing. Businesses operate to make money.
well that is true, but imagine if you went to the movies and you were the only one there. An announcement comes on and they said "Hey we are going to lose money cause there aren't' enough people at this showing, so we will only be able to run 35 minutes of this movie sorry for the inconvenience, thank you for visiting our theater and hope to see you again soon."
it becomes a concern when a "event/experience" purchase becomes a bait and switch to the purchaser. you pay for a full day at a park, you want all the time you are paying for. Barring dangerous situations (I guess extreme cold could qualify) simply not making money should not be the patrons fault. Reducing their experience when they are paying full price, because of operational planning errors on the parks part is not fair.
I think that was his point (beat to excess by me)
Kevin
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you gotta keep in mind - this is not a destination park, probably never will be.
Expenditures on the order of 10's of millions of dollars are not going to happen at this park.
I would say 5 million would be pushing it HARD. it would simply take way to long to recoup a 10-20 million dollar coaster expense. A large new coaster is practically out of the question. Transfer of another ride from another park maybe.... but a NEW premier coaster will never happen. Even a RMC conversion would not gain as much attendance as you might think since the general public is not as into coasters as many of us...
without a year round full season, the income just isn't there. holiday in the park may have expanded the season somewhat, but not on the level needed to justify the expense of a major new coaster. My suggestion invest in frequent flyer miles to other major parks or move to a more coaster friendly city/environment.
right now basic park upkeep and maintenance and better staff training and implementation would help attendance more than a giant coaster.
its just not a cheap day out anymore for even a local family without passes -- $20.00 to park? and no tram to the gate - can you say cash grab?
Kevin
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I'm hoping this means a return to legit bands in lieu of the religious knockoffs they've had for years. It's been a while, but the park used to have good concerts.
amen brother - well said
worked load in and out for quite a few in my hey day there in ops......
great times mid 80's
Kevin
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wow that got geopolitical and in-depth regional economic policy and stuff really quickly - all I asked about was paper or cardboard season passes.....
Interesting
Kevin
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Nope, no plastic card. It's paper. Because it's cheaper. SDC is a great park, but they don't actually have a whole lot of money, at least not by theme park standards. They cut corners where they can, they're just intelligent about it. Nobody's really going to care that the season pass is printed on paper, so that's what they do.
well I would prefer plastic, but I can completely understand the expense part of it. Even sturdier cardstock would be appreciated more than paper -- not to worry I will make do. they do seem to push the upgrade to season passes from your daily ticket much more than other parks do.
Kevin
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Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -
I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.
most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.
any info would be much appreciated.
many thanks
Kevin
No, that's a good question. Season tickets are identical to daily tickets, just that slightly glossy paper. I keep mine in my wallet all year, and though they do show some wear by the end of the season, they've never become unusable.
very helpful thanks
Kevin
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As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.
Kevin
Here's the thing about Flooded Mine's "glory days" - when you look back at the old pictures and post cards it actually looks a lot simpler than it does today. No one remembers how goofy the old mannequins were, and they added a lot of details throughout the years. There are still some employees there that put a lot of care and work into making it look as sharp as it can.
The switch-over to the shoot-out format added a lot of quirks and gags that people love, even if they don't enjoy the shooting. The real problem with it now is that they won't spend the relatively small amounts of money on small upgrades like replacing the gun system or things like sound effects that break. I worry that they are letting it slip more each year until it is "justified" to take it out.
The more I look back over old SDC history, the more I realize how much truly changes from year to year. It's not so much the change that is hard to deal with as the way things change. I know we're all worried that if they completely re-did the flooded mine it wouldn't have the hand-made details or the funny non-PC story lines. It would probably be some kind of generic mystery mine with projection screens and all that. Who knows though.
A renovation in the way of knotts would be well received by the park fans, but I'm not sure they think they would get the ROI without doing something big and gimmicky. They are smarter than we give them credit for most of the time though, so we'll just have to wait and see. Won't be long until SOMETHING is done though.
well - if done correctly and with SDC's usual level of care for the overall scheme, i would not mind a reboot. I just hate to see it slowly decay - if done in house and not as a bought upgrade from a production house or vendor, I am sure they would do something great. I am NOT a big fan of the projection screen dark rides.
Side note - for me the "pew-pew" sound during the entire ride really ruins the experience for me. maybe vibrating gun handles would be more pleasing to the ear.
I skip the gunplay on my rides -
Kevin
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On another, different note, I had a friend who went to the park recently and said that Flooded mine has appeared to have some decent work done to it lately. He said it was in the best condition he's seen it in a very long time. Has anyone noticed anything?
There are a few very dedicated individuals that have been trying their hardest to keep the ride looking as nice as possible for it's 50th season. It's extremely hard to keep it going these days since what it really needs is an entirely new gun system, but the park doesn't seem to think the expense will pay off. Not sure what is going to happen in the next few years, but the ride does have a cult following.
As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.
Kevin
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Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -
I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.
most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.
any info would be much appreciated.
many thanks
Kevin
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Desktop Display -hope this helps-----
Using a desktop
Six Flags St. Louis (SFStL) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
well for sure in SFSL's case, I do not consider the park the be a "THEME" park anymore. I guess you could say DCcomics - is the predominant theme. Warner Bros should just bite the bullet and kill the SF brand finally and make all the parks into "Superhero land" or some such. SFSL is a random mix of original attractions and IP's -- seems to make a clunky experience - hence I classify it as an AMUSEMENT PARK.
a few more cents worth..
Kevin