Manic Monte

Tim also said that about Thomas Town @ the 2008 WCB. It seems to me that with Six Flags, the ambition always surpasses what the actual budget will allow (exp the X2 tunnels). But I have a good feeling about Terminator. I refuse to get my expectations as high as some other people though. I just think it will be fun. I mean let's just be real here. It's a theme park coaster, not a new Disney E-ticket.

Six Flags has done relatively good theming before. I like the theming that went into the Mr. Freeze rides, as well as Superman:The Escape and Batman. No, it's not very extensive nor was it kept up very well. But the attempt was pretty good. I think the theming on Terminator will be quite good.

^ Right, and that's a *choice* not a necessity.

^ Well SF did add stuff to X, Superman AND Medusa. Having said that, I think whatever theming makes it into the ride will suffice. It's a wooden coaster for God's sake. They generally don't need theming at all.

He didn't just let it slip. He said it with pride, as if to finally shut up people like me who never thought he would look to Intamin again. I'm not sure what they are working on, but at last year's WCB he did say he wants to do an X2 type re-working to S:TE one day.

I only do the front 2 rows on Tatsu from here on out. I learned my lesson early (on media day) after puking my guts out. Also, whatever you do avoid lots of coffee before riding!

I use to doubt it as well. Now I think anything is possible!

Based on what was said during the Q&A at WCB, I seriously doubt SFMM will ever be home to a Dark Knight ride. The management seemed as turned off by them as we were. The Tony Hawk option sounds more likely, but that will depend on whether the SF parks that have already added one saw any sort of increase the year they were added. Reading between the lines, I also got the feeling that the 2010 ride has been in the "can" for awhile now. Perhaps even around the same time Terminator was purchased.

Or... the world's longest, tallest, fastest spinning coaster capable of inducing record amounts of vomit from 13 year olds.

It would be an interesting strategy for SFMM to attempt. 2009: Go after Ghostrider 2010: Go after Knotts "other" signature coaster. This current management team seems to have the confidence to pull it off.

I can't wait to ride TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE RIDE!!!

^ I would say "highly profittable" compared to when Redzone first took over. Hard numbers aside, the evidence is clearly there. The care Jay Thomas has put into the park seems to have paid off smartly, and of course X2 seems to have paid off royally. Quite a few people returned to the park to ride it, and other parks are now emulating it. I guess I don't need to see the numbers to see the park is on the upswing. And I love the "we're planning to keep it that way" quote from Shapiro.

Really? Do you have the individual park attendance numbers for 2008? I really want to see those.

Yeah, who was that a few pages ago saying the park wasn't profittable? Mark Shapiro and the numbers beg to differ!

^ You hit the nail right on the head. This is what most people don't get.

^ I wouldn't call it a major investment, nor an investments that's going to give an enthusiast a wet dream. But it's one that families will appriciate, and it's marketable. This is a business, it's not always about making thrillseekers happy.

See that's the thing I've just never understood. To me it would seem that the parks which are doing well don't need anything new to attract visitors. The visitors are already clearly coming to the park in droves. Why not add to the parks not doing so well in order to attract visitors? I'm listening to the replay from today's 4Q investor call. Should be interesting. Um... which parks aren't getting investments? Mark Shapiro has done a great job of adding new attractions to each park. Just because you personally aren't happy with what some parks are getting is a completely different issue, than parks being ignored. Not a single SF park is being ignored.

I read that article and it means nothing, especially considering the chain may not even exist 2 years from now. A few PR people putting a positive spin on the loss in the coaster race and nothing more. They also specified "one day" not next year! Mark Shapiro clearly stated that SFMM's pursuit of the coaster race was a mistake. Cedar Point doesn't need to have more coasters than anyone else to be called America's Roller Coast. They coined the phrase. And I always assumed it was about the quality of their line up, not just slapping down new coasters in some outrageously stupid race. If I was wrong about that, then any respect I had left for that park just went down the drain.

^ The economy is going to get better at some point. I wouldn't expect any sales (of parks) to go through until the economy picks up, and companies are viable again. Until that point, it will have to be part of Six Flags plan to restructure once Chapter 11 is no longer a choice. I would have to think their plan is extensive and fully prepared as they've had a good year and a half to confer with creditors and other experts to get through this while keeping the parks running. Right now, it's in everone's best interest to keep the cash flowing in. As for the purchasing of new rides, it sounds to me like a smart move to keep adding capitol to the parks up and until they file. After filing, I'm pretty sure all capitol ex will be temporarily frozen.

^ I thought those days were over? The "most: coasters thing never translated into increased attendance for either park, and Cedar Point will remain America's Roller Coast regardless of what SFMM adds.

^ That isn't really surprising though. Despite these numbers, I'm expecting a Chapter 11 and major restructuring announcement any day now. In the end I think the company will come back stronger than ever, though perhaps much smaller.

No one is debating this so you're preaching to the choir. The reason it was a dumb post is because it is ass-backwards thinking. The reason Q-bot is coming to SFMM is because it *is* so profittable. They'd be stupid not to add it. And I highly doubt Jay Thomas has any interest in "making the lines longer" because it completely defeats the purpose of the improvements he's making at park level. This person is completely out of touch with what's happening at the park now. Trying to continually throw past management mistakes in the face of Jay doesn't cut it. Because we all know the good that's happening at the park now. This person is a prime example of someone who needs to go to this years's WCB.

^ I second that. Completely asinine post.

The movie has a new trailer! http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025211/video/12282404

^ Yeah people have been predicting "customer outrage" ever since this "pay" system began use in the parks. But when you see these systems actually in action, the response is quite the opposite. The demand is huge, and people are happy to not to be standing in the same line for 2 hours. Also because this system is so heavily advertised throughout the park, people in line understand exactly what is happening, and that using the system is a choice available to all. Unlike Flashpass, which used tickets which often went unnoticed by a lot of guests, the Qbots really do help in planning a full day at a very busy place. With this system I no longer have to dread going to the park on a busy Saturday in June (provided I still get to the park early, the Qbot lines get pretty long on weekends), and also eliminates the need to take up half my day waiting for the park's newest attraction. For me, it's worth every penny!