Dazz

So what is your affiliation with six Flags? I've got a serious beef with new park policies this year... I've talked to Guest Relations and have asked for a phone call regarding concerns, but have not heard from anyone. I am going out there this weekend and plan to make a unannounced stop at the main office out back and speak to the Park Director.

Tea cups

I edited above... got a phone call when I was typing it, and had to tend to the call. Sorry about that.

Fiesta Train Easy question - How much board length is the Texas Giant built with?

Actually they are doing track refurbishment... Ahhh, thank you for the correction. I just assumed it was due to erosion since they had the supports pulled in that area last week when we were out there. It looked like it had some serious erosion in that area recently. I guess the concrete support base should go 15+ feet into the ground.

I am not sure what Max capacity constitutes now days... I've seen days when we had an estimated of 30-45,000 for the day. I just know if they tell me 15,000 or less then it is a perfect day to go out there.

This actually happens quite often and really isn't anything for SFOT.... I've worked at the park during a much larger flood then this one. It was the day of the Dada concert back in '91('92?), and I was off that evening to enjoy the concert with a friend. A flash storm hit and it poured and poured for hours straight. The concert got canceled and they closed the park eventually. We got stuck in Texas Hats behind the counter where a friend was working. The water got to about 2 feet inside that stall. When we were finally "rescued" we had to wade through waist deep water before we could make it back to the employee area. It looks like these floods have eroded the Shock Wave enough that they have closed the Shock Wave and the next to the last bank/turn has been removed. The supports look like they were just about to fall into the water and they are re-building them now. Not sure when it is expected to be re-opened.

I am soooo glad that I get inside information on park status before heading out... I was very tempted to take the kids on Thursday afternoon, but contacted my informant to find out that the park was expected to be max capacity for the day. You've got to be crazy to go out there and expect to ride anything on days like that...

Personally I really enjoyed The Right Stuff over any of the films they have run in the theater. I left SFOT (ex-employee) the year before The Right Stuff was opened, but I went to a private party before it opened with a friend of mine. The music, the atmosphere and everything about it was great at the time. Over the years the seats have worn out and not nearly as smooth as they were the first time I rode... Dino Island was cool and Sponge Bob had it's moments, but Fly me to the Moon is a bit disappointing. The first thing that I noticed when immediately walking into the theater is that the screen has FINALLY been re-stretched. The past couple years the lower right corner of the screen was looking really bad and was annoying every time I went to ride with the kids. By the end of last season it had become a major distraction for me. The animation on the new film is great, almost Pixar quality, but not quite. I don't think the movie lends its self very well to a ride though, would probably be better as a feature length film... Some of the parts the 3D animation looks really great and the motion of the seats fit perfectly. How are we supposed to view this film? Are we supposed to be a human astronaut or are we one of the bugs? Sometimes the camera and seats moved as a bug and others as a human... Overall the ride is OK, nothing spectacular... The ending is really anti-climatic and leaves you up there. When the film went dark I was left wanting more... I was really looking forward to some kind of cool re-entry/landing sequence (like Right Stuff), but nothing ever come... In the end we were left on the moon.

Ride Lockers SUCK! I posted the following on the ex-Six Flags employee forums, and I will repost it here. My frustrations with new park policies for this year are just going through the roof... I am an ACE member and I know how to go to an amusement park. I take the BARE minimum necessities... Cell phone (sometimes I even leave this in the car), Seasons Passes, Credit Card, little bit of cash (note no wallet listed), car key (key is removed from key ring and secured) and my $15.00 Six Flags branded SPORT BOTTLE. They say these lockers are supposed to save time, but now just getting into line is usually backed up with 2 to 3 employees checking people for loose articles... These people are then forced to either leave their belongings with a "non-rider" or lock them in these lockers. The lockers are only good for 120 (2 hours) minutes and cost $1.00 to use.... Only 2 hours? What is going to happen when the line is 3 hours long and every locker is taken? These lockers are also a BIG eyesore and stand out like a sore thumb near the entrances to these rides. Sports bottles (and possibly other drinks/food) is considered a loose article and is now contraband for queue lines! Before entering the line with my 2 children, I was harassed and told that I COULD NOT TAKE my newly purchased $15.00 bottle into the 1.5 hour queue line for the Batman. Having 2 children with me that are always asking for something to drink to stay hydrated there is no way in hell was I going to lock my water bottle up... I ended up saying screw it and went immediately to Guest Relations where I put in a formal complaint. On top of the Ride Lockers.... other park policies are simply making going to Six Flags Over Texas now a really bad experience. I've been 3 times this year so far.... 2 more new policies really tick me off! Then we went over to Mr Freeze. My 6 year old son is obviously too short to ride, I know this... he knows this. The past 3 years that he has been going he knows to stand with me until it is my turn and then he goes and waits at the exit. BUT... NOOOOOOOO, now he is no longer even allowed to go into the queue line for Mr Freeze. This too is absolute BULLSHIT. In a world with predators every where, I am not going to let my 6 year old son stand at the exit for an hour while the rest of our party wait in line. He doesn't mind waiting in line and is actually very well behaved, he doesn't climb on anything and is normally really quiet, but NO WAY IN HELL am I going to let him stand by the exit alone. What really gets me is that we left Mr Freeze and walked straight over to Batman and walked right past 3 yellow shirt employees. 2 on locker guard and one measuring people as they went in. They measured him and said he was too short to ride, but they let him past and he stood happily in line. Once we got to the front he simply walked over to the exit like he normally does. Now what happens if someone is tall enough to ride, but they are a non-rider? Is the non rider not going to be allowed in line? They can simply say they are going to ride, but chicken out when they get to the coaster. Once they get up to the coaster train, are they not going to be permitted to cross over and head to the exit? Are they going to be forced to walk down the line in order to get out? What is the big deal with allowing people to do this? Is this only to make the line appear shorter even though the wait is the same length with non-riders waiting in line with their friends than it is with riders only? Personally I like for my friends (riding or non) to wait in line with me and I don't care if others do it. Oh, another thing happened that pissed me off once again... My 10 year old daughter and 6 year old son were in line for the Crazy Legs. A ride that they have been riding for the past 2 years with each other. My daughter is very tall, well above the height requirement for a single rider, my son is above the minimum to ride with another person. They rode on Friday without any issues, all of a sudden on Saturday they are no longer allowed to ride with each other... I was standing along the fence watching when I see the ride attendant stop them and they start to turn around... I screamed for them to stop right there. I could see the fear in the attendants eyes when she looked in my direction... I walked over and politely asked what the deal was and she said that the rides now require someone 18+ to ride with a smaller child!?! I said, ok... Instead of taking up one car to ride together, I now have to ride and we'll just take up two. I opened the exit gate and walked on with my son.... Again, are they going to check the ID of anyone wanting to ride that has a smaller rider with them? What the hell does it matter how old someone is to ride a ride, when rides only require a minimum height requirement? Last time I checked the park charged children based on their HEIGHT? I don't think Six Flags has put thought into their new policies... Sure times change, but it really feels like they are going out of their way to make the park un-friendly to non-riders and inconveniencing riders. Right now I am one pissed off Six Flags guest and Ex-Six Flags employee. I have already requested that local news stations investigate some of these new policies (specifically the water bottle one), I have put in a formal complaint with Guest Relations, and my next step is going straight to the Park Director and have my passes fully refunded. I'm sorry, but we can't just sit idly by and let companies do this shit... We need to band together and show them that we will not put up with it.