Jew

^IMO, flat rides are the perfect intermediate so to speak. They can offer bigger thrills than the kiddie rides with lower height requirements than roller coasters, and are generally not as thrilling as a roller coaster. ^^I don't think any of us are expecting a complete turnaround next year. It's obvious the complete plan is going to take time to implement, as restructing the operations of the park is no easy task. I'm expecting the start of something big. Change doesn't happen over night. The next few seasons will probably go down as "laying the foundation" until everyone can get onboard, bad employees are weeded out, etc. But I do expect to see the things that can be done right away (like more staffing and having all the trains online) get done, which would already be a huge improvement for the park.

^That happened to me too.

Have you been on both? Dodonpa's launch and airtime hill are pretty much the most ridiculous things ever. Shame on the place for getting something that "the gp will love."

^Right now it is a current limitation, but who is to say they won't modify the design to make it work? It's just a nice thought. I'd like to see them redevelop the whole area to make it an actual seaside amusement park. But that's not going to happen either. Doesn't mean I can't post that I'd like to see it!

^^Agreed. It's always nice when the park president comes and responds to your concern personally and publically. That's extremely rare for any theme park (and really cool)! That definitely allievates any concerns of mine....for now. Can't really say anything else except I really hope everything works out! Far more than the small "sorry we're closed" sign you get at KBF.

^^I recommend that you do gain some sort of patience, since the posting rules clearly state: The search function can also be used to search for specific words and can even display the results as individual posts (searching for "looping waterslide" would have shown you the posts you missed). Please keep that in mind when posting on TPR.

I'm thrilled that they are looking to improve. I've already told you that I personally went to Jay to say how refreshing it was to see his enthusiasm and to wish him the best. I just don't see closing down in pouring rain as an improvement. The "old" management didn't even do that (at least while I worked there). Business wise, sure it makes sense. I totally understand it. But to me it just seems like a contradiction to what they are trying to do. I bet those "two rows of cars" in the parking lot had a GREAT experience, which is what SFMM wants, right? It's just harder for me to buy the "we want to be the best! Better than Disney!" when they decide to close down to save some money. Perhaps I am over reacting, but seeing as how "saving money" was one of the biggest problems of the "old" management...it raises a red flag. I really hope that it is all just "for the greater good" to save some money here that can be used during a peak time, and I don't even really doubt that is the case with how enthusiastic the new management is, but it still raises a red flag for the time being until I see results. Maybe it's because I've worked through pouring rain many times at both SFMM (with all the rides still open until it became a safety issue with rides overshooting in the station) and USH (which goes the extra mile to make the most of a rainy day for guests), that I just don't get it. IMO, SFMM should "take one for the team" and at least attempt to open. If it backfires, you send everyone home who is working and comp the guests who do show up. If it doesn't, you have 100-1,000 (my guess) guests having a great day at the park. Sure they are probably going to lose money, but they are building the goodwill that they seem to want to earn back. As far as the USH vs. SFMM comparisons go...regardless of the different styles of the parks, they are still competing for the same local market with the same promotion (buy a day, get the year free). USH is even going as far as to make their rides the main focus of the radio ads I have heard so far.

USC.

^I hope that was a joke... I totally understand that if it rains like it is supposed to, there is no chance in hell of the park making money. Even if it doesn't rain, there is no chance in hell of the park making money. So in the business sense, it's totally understandable. I just hope they keep some staff on hand (I imagine they would) to recover the guests that do come. Not nearly as big a deal if they are there to offer comps or refunds to the people who did decide to tough it out. I also hope they don't plan to operate this way going forward as part of the "new" SFMM. the management team struck me as the type of people who would want to find ways to let guests make the most of their crappy rainy day (like USH does!---cheap plug!), not people who just want to save money.

Actually looks quite obnoxious. Just another example of this park losing it's charm IMO. Ah well, I'm not complaining, the additions should be great! Uhm...have you seen it in person? Because usually a crappy webcam image isn't a great representation of how something is going to look.

Return on investment. BTW, the park is now listed as closed for tomorrow. Busted a KBF. Understandable, but lame.

For reference purposes...Imagine Big Bad Wolf or Ninja, only 20 MPH faster, a higher swinging angle, and airtime!!!

What exactly are you asking? Make sure your topic titles are clear. You will get much more help this way.

3? We've done 7 before. Robb and Elissa know how to plan a trip. You'll have a great time and get as much time at each park that is needed.

There's really no definite answer...It could be local government restrictions, managements decision, insurance company decision, a result of a previous incident, etc.

There's no such thing as a park that sets its own requirements anymore. Any changes have to be signed off by the manufacturer as well. If there is no state regulations, their insurance company will make them go along with the manufacturers guidelines.

^Of course! There's still 13 other credits and a cool event to enjoy!

^That's actually something I look forward to watching SFMM deal with. It's very obvious heavy investment will be required both in the park and behind the scenes in order to really improve the park, with a lot of that investment needing to be things where the ROI won't be obvious... Jay seems like he's committed to balancing both, so hopefully the park really does improve.

^I would beg to differ. For a park that is trying to improve the guest experience, I think it would be money very well spent. I would imagine that saving guests some walking time is sure to be something that would reap immediate guest satisfaction results. The problem really is that it is something that can't be marketed. So that makes it 1000000x harder to get a return on their investment...

Michael: Welcome to the site. There is already a thread on Universal's South Korean park located HERE. There is also already a thread on Paramount's park located HERE. Please use the search function before making new topics.

It was horrible meeting you Colin. You are getting soooooo much love in this thread, I had no choice but to say that. Fun TR. Hope to see you again for WCB.

Where does this information come from? #1 and 2 plus the woodie will be on the mini Korea trip! However, they should be switched around. Eagles Fortress was amazing!

^^What's next, a joke about the weather in CA? Or the traffic? Cool TR. Turns out Chuck was in the same HS band as a long time family friend of mine, and I would have never known that without this TR.

^I believe there are "timers" built in. If the train doesn't clear a block by a certain time, it assumes something is wrong. I would guess that this time is based on the longest possible time it could take for a train to make it up the tower/back through the station/etc.

Elissa really summed it up well: TL has great themeing to go along with the standard speed slide, raft slide, and body slides. It also has a great wave pool, shark reef, and a master blaster. Wet'N'Wild is a really good "traditional" waterpark. If you want a waterpark with lots of slides but less themeing...you can't beat Wet'N'Wild.