nathanhillinbl

Name: Nate Hill Age: 18 What is your roller coaster count? 30 What is your home park? The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom What is the nearest big city? I guess you'd say Montreal What is your occupation? SUNY Plattsburgh Student & Computing and Media Services Helpdesk Technician About how many times a year do you visit a park (including your home park)? Seeing as I work there, 100+ About how many times a year do you travel to a park that is not your home park? The question is IF, not how many but I'd like to change that When you travel do you go primarily to amusement parks or do you also try and hit other sites? Sure What is the farthest you’ve traveled to go to an amusement park?It's the only reason I convinced my family to go to Orlando for vacation Does roller coaster time get in the way of family time? (Do you choose to miss your children’s or family’s sporting events, holidays, birthdays, etc…) Nope Do you have any other major hobbies?Computers, Learning Do you get feelings of sadness in the offseason? Do you even have an offseason? Do you travel during the offseason? I watch POV's to compensate for the offseason.....and do unspeakable things (jk) Do you consider yourself friends with someone you met who works at an amusement park? (Or reverse it, if you work or worked and an amusement park have you made friends with enthusiasts?) Friends? No, but I have another enthusiast on Facebook (besides Robb) Would it bother you to go to an amusement park by yourself? Not at all Have you gone to an amusement park by yourself? If so have you ever ran into another enthusiast and tagged along with them? Besides work, haven't gone to any parks alone. Do you find it easy to make friends with other enthusiasts? Have only ever met one enthusiast in person other than myself...but that will change come June 18th! How do you get your coaster news? Why TPR, of course! How many different forum sites do you regularly post on? Eh, I was discouraged by my employer from posting to sites for my park, and they are somewhat dead anyways. So that would be a no If there was a poll that asked a large pool of enthusiasts what their favorite roller coaster is, what do you think would be the top 3 responses be for wood?1. El Toro 2. Balder 3. Comet (The Great Escape)...(Hey, some people put it in their best!) And for steel? 1. Bizarro(SFNE) 2. Goliath (SFOG) 3. Expedition GeForce (Holiday Park) Same scenario but for amusement parks, what would be the top 3? I think everyone likes different parks for different reasons, be it nostalgia, coasters, family environment....not a valid variable to compare. Have you ever “stole a kid” to get a credit on a kiddie coaster? No, but came close with pterydon flyers (sp?) at IOA Do you cut other categories out of your budget to make trips to parks? (Entertainment, fast food, holidays, tobacco or alcohol, etc…) I will be, to save up for the upcoming UK Trip! Before you visit a new park do you research the park finding the best way to navigate the park, get the best deals, or what days to go? Not doing so would be quite stupid IMO Do you feel the roller coaster enthusiast community is a warm and accepting community, or a negative and discouraging community?I think the community as a whole is warm and accepting, although fanboys on other sites are not, to say the least Do you like to talk about your hobby with people who are not roller coaster enthusiastsOnly if someone states an incorrect fact or statement about a coaster or the industry as a whole, and I can't help but correct and inform them (WOW, that sounded waaay too official and geeky!)[/b]

How many spots are left for the UK trip, and how quickly will it fill up? The payroll department for my college screwed up on my paycheck, and I won't be getting a paycheck until the 5th of November. That, and I also have a NYC Hotel Show trip which I have to pay for in that time as well.....basically I won't have enough for the deposit until about the 19th.... Off that topic, what's the policy about drinking for people, like myself, who are underage in the US, but not in the UK? (I'm 18)

You don't need 2 days at Great Escape, especially if your son is out of the kiddie ride stage. I hate to say it, because I work there, and love that park to pieces, but you really only need an hour there to ride everything worth riding. Of course, if you're planning on hanging out in the water park, you should add more time.

Also note that Denim is specifically not allowed in any chlorinated water attraction at any Six Flags park....had a lot of issues with that when I was a lifeguard at TGE. My supervisors had explained that there is some sort of chemical in the denim that is bad for the filtration system (although they could've been just giving an excuse). Other than that, at least at my park, there weren't any huge restrictions, as long as you weren't trying to go on a slide having shorts with huge metallic buttons on your shorts, etc.

I think that if you're dissatisfied with your experience (ex. the park closing early), and want a refund, you should take the initiative to go to Guest Relations or Hospitality to get the refund. The same goes with in a restaurant or any other hospitality field. They're not going to stand at the door asking if your steak sucked or your hotel room smelled like cheese. Some people's days aren't ruined when the park closes early. Take a family with small children for example. At my home SF park, if they make it into the park before it closes, they WILL have the chance to meet a character at least, which for some families is good enough, and makes their day, and a good memory of their day. Sure they didn't get a chance to ride some of the rides, but for some people, its not all about the rides.

Okay, look at it from a business point of view. My home SF, Great Escape (which I work at) , does this every once in a while when it rains and attendance is expected to be very low. Say we have 500 people scheduled to be working all day. (Don't jump on me about that figure, its just an estimate) Also say that everyone's working a 8 hour shift and getting minimum wage. That's over $25,000 that they saved in labor costs compared to the minimal admission costs that they might've been able to scrounge up for the day. Personally, I drive 30 miles to go to work (and make just a bit more than state minimum wage), and would rather close down on a rainy day, and have to go home and not work than put the company more in debt, and thus me possibly closer to not having a job any day of the week.

" I'm on my laptop dude, okay!" This is one of the funniest things i've ever heard, Coasterboy is all serious and annoyed, and Robb is just f*cking around the whole time.

Alpine Bobsled @ The Great Escape....We close the ride at 6 every night because the neighbors made a noise complaint to the town board.

Happy Birthday, Elissa!! Wish I had the money to go on a TPR trip to meet you and rob!

I rode it 6 times today before work. It might be on the Western NY Coaster Club's site, if they have a site.

I could swear it said something on the sign in the station about having the same latticework in the station as CBC, I can get a pic.

Thats because GE's Comet was the Crystal Beach Cyclone!

If you're more interested in parks, you could do whatever with parks/coasters (designing coasters, managment at a park) and have a side business doing photography if you really wanted. Although its a limited job market, there are a few magazines like Amusement Today and FunWorld (I don't know of any other besides these) which might need photographers or writers, so you could also go that route. I personally want to work in the field and plan on going to college the year after next for Hospitality Management (with a career track in Theme Park Management if i can get the $$ to go to UCF).

I'm interested in one of those spots. Although i have no money because all my money right now is saving for a car, and i'm not working, my birthday is in 2 days, and the deposit for the trip would be a great b-day present, so i'll talk to my parents tonight.

Ok, Thanks.

How long is the deposit refundable to?

Ok, thanks, I'll get that $$ in as soon as possible.

^ Thank You ^^ I will be starting back at TGE on april 1st, but I'll have enough for the deposit by the end of the week for the Canada/Ravine Flyer 2 Trip.

How many spots are left?

See myspace.com/sixflags then scroll down to the discussion board on there. Its like a circus full of water headed retards. (Don't take that the wrong way, I have a great uncle who is mentally challenged)

As a current SF employee, I can tell you that SF's training policies today are more guest-centric with what they call "Guest First Standards". Their training seems that its geared in the right direction, although it seems to bounce off some employees, who keep their i-dont-give-a-crap attitude, and just do their job mediocre at best. I don't exactly agree with their guest first standards, I believe that Employee first standards would be the right strategy as if you treat your employees right, the employees are happier and, in turn, treat your guests right. [/hr rant] As CEO I would first raise prices for a season pass. I remember in my local area (near TGE), we used to have commercials that promoted the whole "it pays for itself after 3 times". They couldn't do that promotion now, as season passes early season would pay for themselves after 1 and 1/2 times or something like that, its way too easy for parents to drop their spoiled-brat teenagers off to wreak havoc around the park all day instead of getting a job and being responsible(don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've been working at SF for going on 4 seasons, since I was legal to work). Next, I would get rid of all of the chain restaurants and get back some of the uniqueness that most SF parks lack entirely. As another person said, when you know the prices of food @ papa johns, then go into the park and see that its sooo much higher than you'd be paying if you got it outside the park , then it hits home a lot more on how much you're being gouged than if it was at a restaurant unique to the park. I would also try to have more healthy options in the parks. I think people overall are trying to eat healthier, and be proactive about their health, and fry-o-later'd chicken and fries along with a soda don't exactly fit the bill for these people. For rides, I'd treat each park uniquely as what to add/remove. TGE for example, started off as a kiddie park, and has stayed as such. The family emphasis that SF has now is all good, but family's include thrill seeking teenagers, and our park has nothing signature (coaster wise) about it, with the exception of The Comet. We have plenty of kiddie rides, and absolutely 0 good flats with the removal of The Rainbow this year. The cookie cutter approach on theming wouldn't also fly, there would not be 2 coasters with the same theme if I could help it. I think most of the GP doesn't realize that they're riding something cloned unless it has the same name/theming. I would also put an emphasis on landscaping for all parks, as TGE expanded their landscaping budget a few years back, and it has done wonders with the aesthetics of the park.

...why do i have to be a dependent?! I make over $3000 easily, even on theme park pay, it would be nice to see a refund check.

How many spots do you have, I have the $$ to put down on a deposit now, but I'm going to Orlando a week from tomorrow, and it would be stealing from my vacation spending money.

I'm waiting untill after my Feb. break vacation to save for depost/whole trip cost/Passport.

Does anyone know how this works?