HWFan

As someone who can’t do too much spinning, I look forward to hearing what people think of Xcalibur’s return. It’s definitely a nice sight to see. And yes, lifeguards hired in before the 25th at least get a $100 signing bonus with the park also paying for all licensing fees. They have some radio ads going on for it as well, but if you know someone interested, encourage them to submit their application ASAP!

The park has all new internships opportunities currently posted that are new this year, which is in addition a cornucopia of other positions available (including a couple full-time salaried roles). The full list of current openings can be found at www.SixFlagsJobs.com.

My main job being located outside of the theme park in HR, I always look forward to physics days at SFSL, because they mean I get to help out in the park working either JLBM or the park's Intamin drop tower. The park does some cool educational things too like helping the students strap special force-measuring instruments into rides like Mr. Freeze to collect data prior to opening it up for the students to ride themselves. Not sure how many other parks still do, but SFSL at least still has a handful of special Physics days during the week in the Spring.

Just a quick reminder that the park is open tonight from 6 PM to 11 PM. In the past when they’ve done these August Friday nights, they’ve been some of the best times if you want to come and get plenty of rides in.

One interesting program that hasn't been as widely publicized is the introduction of a Saudi-sponsored scholarship program to send students to hospitality management school in Florida with Six Flags then providing a myriad of internship opportunities in order to create a strong Qiddiya leadership team. I think it's a great idea for the park! (Article Here) It'll be interesting to see how the tourism industry continues to grow in that region, and the licensing fees Six Flags receives from the international parks division will only lead to a stronger company domestically, which is something all enthusiasts should get excited for!

Great trip report! I'd definitely echo another commenter who made a remark on how you bring positivity to your TRs even if things don't go perfectly. Back in March during their busy weekday operation for spring break, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend five days working at the park. Learning how to operate Scream and Batman was a ton of fun, and I think SFFT is hands down the most beautiful of the SF parks. Being from STL, it was cool running into Ron on my way to grab lunch; with his experience at Astroworld, SFSL, and SFFT, he's always interesting to talk to. Thank you for raising money for a great cause and for posting that huge photo trip report!

Don’t remember exactly who (sorry to whoever it was but thanks for the pics EDIT: that would be Danrarbc), but someone had posted a pic wondering what the spot lights outside Colossus were for, since the ride already has a lighting package. Well, here is what that was for: Quite the blue-tiful sight, don’t ya think? Also, the Boss not being renamed and SFNE having to pay up on their end of the deal (followed by SFDK having to make good on their bet too) is one of the best parts of the Blues win, in my opinion. With a country who loves a good underdog story, even the company behind the universally-popular Skycoaster brand extended their congratulations, albeit in their own appropriate way: To be completely honest, I’d have to say that out of the arches in St. Louis, mine are still probably the Golden Arches. (I’m a sucker for an Oreo McFlurry)

^Very happy to hear you enjoyed your trip! Just a quick clarification re: Log Flume. There is no “abandoned” side. Both have been running this season; however, unlike when the park opened in 1971, there isn’t always enough demand to have both running. And when it comes to why they chose the side to open that they did: That’s the only side that has wheelchair access to the dock, as the other side in not accessible without using the bridges/steps in the standby queue. Again though, glad to hear you had fun and enjoyed Supergirl! American Thunder is one of my favorites too; it’s just plain fun with great reridability.

It's about time you made your monthly post. Especially with it being a post that isn’t just plugging SixFlagsJobs.com

JimH2K: First, welcome! And second, thank you for that trip report from your visit Sunday. I’m glad you had a good visit and glad I’m not the only one that appreciates Spinsanity. Those tornado sirens were crazy, especially with the siren being right next to me. Fortunately, the park was never in an area that was under any kind of warning. Unfortunately, that didn’t keep St. Louis County from sounding it for a few minutes anyway. Next time you come to the park, please give us another TR!

Colossus did open midday and was up until close.

Speaking of weekdays...don’t forget the Park is open tonight from 6 to 11! Last year the August Fridays were some of the best days to visit! (Make sure to stop by JLBM.) I’m looking forward to the new ride. I don’t see the 24 passenger version a bad thing. I think having nothing below you or on either side of you will make the ride even more thrilling! Also, the renderings looks like there will be some signs in the queue with information or comics about Supergirl similar to what I saw in the queue for Harley Quinn at SFNE. Either way, I’m excited to have something in that spot again.

Dave is a special guy, but I’m happy for him. I talked to him today. He’s legitimately happy and enjoying a well deserved retirement. I’m excited because in the next week or two he’s going to bring me a bunch of his old Looney Tunes & DC ties he would wear. He’s just happy that they’ll be used again. Then on Tuesday, I get to visit Six Flags New England, which should be fun. In other news, the first Fright Fest auditions are taking place this weekend, so if you or anyone you know is interested, head on over to www.sixflagsjobs.com. More audition info is available on the regular www.sixflags.com/stlouis.

This morning I got to see some of the July Fourth Fest stuff for the first time this year. Compared to previous years, they amped up the event like crazy! DC Comics Plaza is full of all kinds of fun promotions, special food items, a Schafly beer truck/tent (Prozach, you might want to come), and other things. The most impressive part though might be all of the red, white, and blue decorations. They include the JLBM outdoor queue fence, lots of bunting and signs on the train trestle there, and every lamp post wrapped in garland. Then the Palace Theater looks really nice with its red, white, and blue flags (which will soon be traded for green, purple, and yellow in sure). They also have had live music, foam parties, and my favorite part, the nightly fireworks display. In the past, I always thought that what they did for the July Fourth Fest still made it a great event, but they really did a great job at improving an already solid event this year.

I wanted to share my favorite “version” of this news story. It’s quite possibly my favorite headline ever, and it includes the line, “No, it isn’t duck season.” https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sufferin-succotash-daffy-duck-attacked-at-six-flags-in-eureka/article_3fe44106-f49e-5124-8dc0-d849f1a31959.html

To chime in here regarding Superman, if it’s your first time at the park, I highly suggest politely asking the ride operator if you can ride in car six. You might have to wait an extra cycle, but the view is worth it. I love how even though SkyScreamer is significantly taller than Superman, once you reach the top in car six, you’re even higher than the top of SkyScreamer. I sometimes enjoy to remind people that they’re approximately 300ft above I-44 which has a speed limit of 65mph which, coincidentally, is the speed at which you’ll be dropping. Also, a good tip is that while the line for it during the day can get really long, it’s pretty much always a 0-10min wait the first and last hours of operation with a fair amount of people getting a cycle all to themselves. I’m excited for Fright Fest, as I love coming up with unique spiels for the top of the tower, my favorite being: “In my favorite horror movie, The Shining, we learn that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well here at Six Flags, you’re about to learn that all lift and no drop makes Superman a dull ride.” But if the computer is going to drop all of the cars at the same time, I prefer to just sing ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ in the creepiest, most drawn out way possible making sure to time it so that the cars drop right as I get to the lyric, “we all fall down.”

^ As someone in a wheelchair who is regularly all over the park, the topography is part of what gives the park one of the best skylines out there (seriously that view from I-44 with the white Eagle acting as a canvas making the vibrant colors pop, not to mention the tallest Ferris wheel in a theme park in the country). However, when I help out at Superman, once I’m up the hill, I refuse to go down until the end of my shift. That hill can be rough. In other news, the slide tower for Typhoon Twister is now easily seen from the interstate with large slide sections assembled and waiting for placement taking shape in the parking lot. I am really liking the colors on this thing and am excited to see it all put together.

I’m mostly excited for the Dole Whip being added to HH.

Discussing and talking about different things at the park is one thing, and it’s a thing that many people (myself included) enjoy. It can be important to remind ourselves that this is a forum discussing theme parks! These parks literally have the sole goal of making people happy. It’s how they stay in business. While everything that may come up on here might not be positive, which is okay. However, I think it’s important to ground ourselves sometimes. I personally feel insanely blessed to work at a theme park: my goal since I first went to Disney at age five. Being in a wheelchair, I was always sad deep down that I could never have a chance to operate a ride. But then the Rides Management team found a way to make it happen, and as if Superman wasn’t cool enough, they did me one better by getting me trained on JLBM! I’ve always wanted to work a dark ride, and even though it may not be completely perfect, JLBM is still an absolutely monumental attraction and marked a new era where regional parks like SFSL were able to offer similar experiences to the bigger parks in Orlando. Not to mention, HH is getting its biggest addition ever this season. Driving to work each day, I love getting to see the colorful fiberglass parts being assembled into the tube sections to be lifted into place. HH will look better than ever when it opens this May. It’s gonna be a good year, and there is a lot to be happy about. I look forward to seeing everyone’s TRs from your visits and hope to maybe run into a few of you.

It was cool seeing Boss cycling today. Thanks for posting that video. Especially with Thunder River running, it was starting to feel a lot like summer. I really like Colossus’ new cycle. A slow-moving, 12-minute trip around a constantly moving wheel really lets you take in the views more, in my opinion. I’ve enjoyed all of the trip reports so far, so thank you to everyone who has posted. Today was my first day back at Superman for the new season, so while I was a bit rusty at the mic, getting to rehash my Jungle Cruise-type jokes was a real treat. Also, in reply to the post above regarding the survey, those types of in park surveys in addition to some other fun activities are all in a day’s work for the Marketing Ambassador team....which is actually looking for a few more members this season (in addition to all of the other fun positions available)! So if anyone is interested or knows someone who might be interested, head on down to www.SixFlagsJobs.com to apply before attending one of the weekly job fairs. Luckily anyone who has any employment-related questions can call 636-938-5300 ext. 6314 any day of the week from at least 9am-5pm. I also know that there are a few teachers who come to this forum, so I want to point out that Six Flags is a popular job for teachers looking to have fun and make some extra cash. Some specialty positions are still available in departments like Cash Control and Security! Plus, if you plan on hitting up some midwestern parks this summer, as a Six Flags employee, you would get (at minimum) yourself and a guest in free at parks like WoF, HW, Dollywood, and SDC (in addition to a plethora of other attractions).

While I don't ride Xcalibur due to the spinning, I really love watching it. It's unique and makes for some awesome pictures and atmosphere. I also love frisbee rides like the Zamperla Giant Discovery. All of that aside, I will say that a Giant Discovery would not fit in Xcalibur's spot, as others had suggested. You'd need about an extra fifty feet of clearance or so on one side. While Xcalibur has more-or-less a square footprint, the Discovery is a much, much larger rectangle. (My sources are just Zamperla's tech specs on their site and comparing Xcalibur to Giant Discovery installations elsewhere using Google maps' feature that allows you to estimate distance). If anything, Highland Fling was more similar to XCalibur than a Giant Discovery would be, so my vote would be "why not both?"

Ok y’all, buckle up! It’s that time of year again! I’ve got the best way to beat the January Blues with some bodacious news! It was the night before (well, closer to ten weeks before) opening and all through the park, lots of fun things were happening, just ask my friend Mark! The coasters were resting, being maintained with such care. As hardworking carpenters braved the cold air. I hope that was enough to hook you, because I’m all out of rhymes. Anyway, Six Flags is firing up the hiring machine (well I guess I had one rhyme left), and you can read up on some details here: http://fox2now.com/2018/01/12/six-flags-ready-to-hire-for-2018-season/ Once you finish there, head on over to http://www.SixFlagsJobs.com where you, friends, or relatives can submit an application. (Full Disclosure: I don’t actually have a friend named Mark.)

Sorry, just saw your question. I’m not 100% sure right now that HIP is over for the season. And to the post above talking about the Tommy G, there did used to be a second train (green I believe) that was eventually sold to Busch Gardens (Tampa?) where it operates to this day! I guess the roundhouse was modified when it went down to single-train ops. However, I think our park has such great “legacy” pieces. Namely the Tommy G, Colossus, the terrain/nature/trees.

^yes. Coasters are down. Currently in line for one last spin on Justice League for the year. I love HIP, so it’s sad to see it shortened, but it’s been another great experience seeing so many people going the extra mile to make it a great experience for Guests. I’m having a blast out here with family after work. Lots of smiling faces around the park!

Today will be the last day of the 2017 season.