Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[ArundelHigh Coasters]

 

I would not all of them. When I was there on the 27th the Wild One and Mind Eraser's ops could not have cared less about guest.

 

It seems to me that Gotham Ops are the best.

 

Also, is it true that the train at SFA is the same one from Astroworld?

 

We were there on the 27th too. We are always there, it's our home park.Travel Channel was filiming. The lines got so bad at night. I remember there was about to be a fight in the line for Jokers Jinx becuase a bunch of ghetto kids cut in front of a mom. The security took like 15 mins. to get there,lol.

[Ccron10]

 

I would not all of them. When I was there on the 27th the Wild One and Mind Eraser's ops could not have cared less about guest.

 

It seems to me that Gotham Ops are the best.

 

Also, is it true that the train at SFA is the same one from Astroworld?

 

OMG that train is SOOOOO old looking. They have a much BETTER train just sitting there next to the train tracks behind the go karts. It is just sitting there decaying away. I do not understand why they do not use it. The one they are using is so rough and very uncomfortable. When I was there on 10/27 we kept hearing this noise that sounded like a cruise ship taking off but it was the train. The horn on it sounds like a horn on a cruise ship. But in reality their train ride is not worth it. There are no nice views or anything from it.

I'm assuming you're talking about this train? Yep, it's still rotting away. I was afraid that I was going to break the seat on the train that they are currently using. It felt like it was made of toothpicks.

[Spideyfreak]

It is just sitting there decaying away. I do not understand why they do not use it.

 

You just answered your own question...

 

The fact that that is sitting in plain view of guests and is NOT part of theming is absolutely unacceptable.

[DarkRideNick]

It is just sitting there decaying away. I do not understand why they do not use it.

 

You just answered your own question...

 

The fact that that is sitting in plain view of guests and is NOT part of theming is absolutely unacceptable.

 

It IS a part of theming Matt! It's Disney Quality! What better way to add atmosphere to a train ride than by having a legit antique train!

[alilstronger]

Just look at the weeds in that picture!!! You would think they would take care of the landscaping throughout the train tracks. Their train is the worst I have ever been on honestly.

[11slataus]

So is the Astroworld train the crappy one sitting rotting away, or is it the crappy one on the tracks that makes weird sounds?

[ArundelHigh Coasters]

I believe it's the one rotting. I heard somewhere, part of SFA's "five year plan" or something is to get the rotting train fixed, and working again.

[vacoaster09]

SFA Aerial map has been updated on Google to show Apocalypse. Looks like some room for a path and expansion behind apocalypse that could lead into Whistlestop.

SFA Google Maps

[Sir Clinksalot]

If you've read anything recently in this thread then you'll know that the park has improved greatly over the last five years.

 

Wait, our visit in August was the "improved" park? That's a SCARY thought.

[Meteornotes]

^Don't believe the hype.

 

dt

[azza29]

^I'm very much looking forward to visiting this park next year - if it's OK then I'll be happy, if it's as terrible as it's reputation suggests I'll be ecstatic.

[coasterfreak101]

If you've read anything recently in this thread then you'll know that the park has improved greatly over the last five years.

 

Wait, our visit in August was the "improved" park? That's a SCARY thought.

 

^Don't believe the hype.

 

dt

 

No, do believe it. It's not hype, it's acknowledgement that the place is much better than before. I still don't spend time there, it's disappointing when compared to everywhere else I can go in a three-hour drive from home. But it's absolutely impossible to deny that this place has made improvements all around. Yes, the park you went to was the improved park. Yes, it's nothing special, and yes, the clientele isn't favorable at all. But saying (or implying) that the place isn't any better than before is BS.

[golfburner1]

Not happy about this...

[alilstronger]

If you've read anything recently in this thread then you'll know that the park has improved greatly over the last five years.

 

Wait, our visit in August was the "improved" park? That's a SCARY thought.

 

^Don't believe the hype.

 

dt

 

No, do believe it. It's not hype, it's acknowledgement that the place is much better than before. I still don't spend time there, it's disappointing when compared to everywhere else I can go in a three-hour drive from home. But it's absolutely impossible to deny that this place has made improvements all around. Yes, the park you went to was the improved park. Yes, it's nothing special, and yes, the clientele isn't favorable at all. But saying (or implying) that the place isn't any better than before is BS.

 

I could not agree with you more. I am happy with how the park has turned itself around actually. Is is the best in the area? No. However, they are trying and it shows.

[coasterbill]

^I'm very much looking forward to visiting this park next year - if it's OK then I'll be happy, if it's as terrible as it's reputation suggests I'll be ecstatic.

 

Well get ready to be ecstatic. Make sure you go on a hot day to get the full experience.

 

I believe the people that say that this park has improved but I feel bad for them because that must mean they wasted precious hours at this park when it was actually worse than it is now. We went to SFA for the first and last time this summer and it sucked in every way possible. The front of the park and the area by mind eraser is kind of nice but the mosquito breeding ground by the crappy drop tower and the entire back of the "park" are horrible. Every single coaster was running one train when we went with the exception of Mind Eraser (oh joy), there isn't a single bathroom or tree between the entrance to the empty field in the back of the park (I mean "Gotham City") and Batwing which is like 37 miles away. There's also no shade in the Superman queue (don't forget that they only had one train running) or the Blizzard River queue but luckily they have supports up for canopies in the Superman Queue just to taunt you.

 

We only rode Superman and Batwing once because it wasn't worth the effort. If you go to the park make sure you ride these at like 2PM so you get the full experience. I wouldn't want you to miss out. Oh and PLEEEEEEASE RIDE THE TRAIN. It must be seen to be believed. The best part (besides getting smacked with branches over and over again) is when it takes you right to the Superman Entrance (which is normally like a 10 minute walk in the hot sun) but there's no station there. They're just like "HAHAHAHAHAHA F**K YOU WE'RE NOT STOPPING" and they take you back to the cesspool by the drop tower.

 

The only rides that make this place worth a trip are Wild One (if you don't sit in a wheel seat) and Batwing if you haven't ridden a Vekoma flyer. Make sure you sit on the left side of the train when you ride Wild One so you can experience the headchopper when you go under the piece of the boat ride they never bothered to get rid of because they don't want to mislead anyone into thinking they care AT ALL about how this park looks.

[screaminkid2005]

^Well in the parks defense, that is supposed to be themeing for the new coaster. It's not like they were like, oh were just not gonna take this part of the ride out. There is a reason behind it.

[Ccron10]

If you've read anything recently in this thread then you'll know that the park has improved greatly over the last five years.

 

Wait, our visit in August was the "improved" park? That's a SCARY thought.

 

^Don't believe the hype.

 

dt

 

No, do believe it. It's not hype, it's acknowledgement that the place is much better than before. I still don't spend time there, it's disappointing when compared to everywhere else I can go in a three-hour drive from home. But it's absolutely impossible to deny that this place has made improvements all around. Yes, the park you went to was the improved park. Yes, it's nothing special, and yes, the clientele isn't favorable at all. But saying (or implying) that the place isn't any better than before is BS.

 

I could not agree with you more. I am happy with how the park has turned itself around actually. Is is the best in the area? No. However, they are trying and it shows.

IMO, trying would be getting some weed-killer and taking care of the stuff around the train and going in there with some garbage bags and picking up the trash in that area. Trying would also be repairing the train that they had sitting abandoned there for sometime and it would be repairing some of the cracked concrete walkways in the western area and cleaning out the dirty concrete pond that they have in the southwestern area.

So my question is how could it have been worse?

[ArundelHigh Coasters]

^I'm very much looking forward to visiting this park next year - if it's OK then I'll be happy, if it's as terrible as it's reputation suggests I'll be ecstatic.

 

Well get ready to be ecstatic. Make sure you go on a hot day to get the full experience.

 

I believe the people that say that this park has improved but I feel bad for them because that must mean they wasted precious hours at this park when it was actually worse than it is now. We went to SFA for the first and last time this summer and it sucked in every way possible. The front of the park and the area by mind eraser is kind of nice but the mosquito breeding ground by the crappy drop tower and the entire back of the "park" are horrible. Every single coaster was running one train when we went with the exception of Mind Eraser (oh joy), there isn't a single bathroom or tree between the entrance to the empty field in the back of the park (I mean "Gotham City") and Batwing which is like 37 miles away. There's also no shade in the Superman queue (don't forget that they only had one train running) or the Blizzard River queue but luckily they have supports up for canopies in the Superman Queue just to taunt you.

 

We only rode Superman and Batwing once because it wasn't worth the effort. If you go to the park make sure you ride these at like 2PM so you get the full experience. I wouldn't want you to miss out. Oh and PLEEEEEEASE RIDE THE TRAIN. It must be seen to be believed. The best part (besides getting smacked with branches over and over again) is when it takes you right to the Superman Entrance (which is normally like a 10 minute walk in the hot sun) but there's no station there. They're just like "HAHAHAHAHAHA F**K YOU WE'RE NOT STOPPING" and they take you back to the cesspool by the drop tower.

 

The only rides that make this place worth a trip are Wild One (if you don't sit in a wheel seat) and Batwing if you haven't ridden a Vekoma flyer. Make sure you sit on the left side of the train when you ride Wild One so you can experience the headchopper when you go under the piece of the boat ride they never bothered to get rid of because they don't want to mislead anyone into thinking they care AT ALL about how this park looks.

 

I don't understand why people hate on SFA so much. It may not be the best park out there, but it's still an amazing park. I understand there could be some improvement's made here and there, but that's not just SFA, that's every park. I honestly think that the park has come a long way since 2006. Just because they don't have a big bunch of coasters like SFMM, or CP, doesn't mean they don't have good coasters. Ever since Jim Anderson came, the parks been getting back uphill, rides have been re-painted, Hurricane Mountain was re-opened and we got a new coaster this past season!!, and next year we are getting a new water slide. SFA got new rides for the past 4 seasons now:

 

2010: A bunch of new Thomas Town attractions

2011: Hurricane Mountain re-themed and re-opened as ZoomAzon Falls

2012: New Coaster!!, Apocalypse

2013: Bonzai Pipelines

 

Do you think a bad park gets taken care of that good?, I understand Apocalypse is a used coaster, and even though it's not the baddest coaster, I'm still happy we got it. I think it is an unique ride, and it's still new coaster to the park.

 

The staff at SFA are always friendly to me, and enhance my experience at the park. The theme's at SFA are amazing, and we have one of the biggest wave pools in the world. The lines for coasters are never that long with the exception of Batwing and Superman, and even those don't have a super long wait.

 

SFA is my home park, I've been a season pass holder since 2006, and go there about every week during the season, and I think I can trust myself when I say this park is improving, rather than listening to people who go there once every one or two years.

[coasterbill]

The theme's at SFA are amazing

 

Can you honestly say that Gotham City at Six Flags America isn't the ugliest and worst themed section of any Six Flags park anywhere? If it's not... I'd love to know what is. Regarding the coasters, I thought they were all rough except for Wild One (it was a little rough but still fun), Batwing (which needs a paint job BADLY and is missing a letter in the sign but delivers a solid ride) and Joker's Jinx which is a decent coaster but after riding Flight of Fear before (which I love) it leaves something to be desired.

 

I didn't know Thomas Town had new additions but I wish one of those additions was a tree anywhere within 500 feet of it.

 

I'm glad you enjoy this park but personally I'll never go back.

Edited December 19, 2012 by coasterbill

[Yamez]

^^As another person who has lived in the area, have you ever been to ANY other amusement park? I usually manage to make my way to each DC area park once a year. The park may have gotten better, but it is still not worth a day's visit. I would much rather take my money down to Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens where the park isn't filled with litter, rides are operated much more efficiently (comparatively speaking), and there are actually reasonable options for dining within the park.

 

I have to agree with coasterbill, the only real gem the park has is Wild One. As much as I want to like Roar, its too rough to enjoy - and continues to age ungracefully. Mind Eraser is your standard neglected SLC, see jerky and boring. Batwing always manages to be down for mechanical reasons, Superman is (in my opinion) a rather boring Intamin past the first drop, and Joker's Jinx isn't anything special (though enjoyable).

 

TL;DR - I try to make it a point to visit the park at least once a year. I am not impressed with the maintenance, the ride operations, or even any of the coasters themselves. If the park was pleasant to visit, even just to walk around, I'd go frequently. In its current (better) state? Still not happening.

[ArundelHigh Coasters]

^^As another person who has lived in the area, have you ever been to ANY other amusement park? I usually manage to make my way to each DC area park once a year. The park may have gotten better, but it is still not worth a day's visit. I would much rather take my money down to Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens where the park isn't filled with litter, rides are operated much more efficiently (comparatively speaking), and there are actually reasonable options for dining within the park.

 

I have to agree with coasterbill, the only real gem the park has is Wild One. As much as I want to like Roar, its too rough to enjoy - and continues to age ungracefully. Mind Eraser is your standard neglected SLC, see jerky and boring. Batwing always manages to be down for mechanical reasons, Superman is (in my opinion) a rather boring Intamin past the first drop, and Joker's Jinx isn't anything special (though enjoyable).

 

TL;DR - I try to make it a point to visit the park at least once a year. I am not impressed with the maintenance, the ride operations, or even any of the coasters themselves. If the park was pleasant to visit, even just to walk around, I'd go frequently. In its current (better) state? Still not happening.

 

 

I've been to many parks actually. I also clearly said that SFA may not be the best park, but it's still lot's of fun, and their rides aren't that rough. The only rough rides are Mind Eraser, Roar, and Apoc. Also, keep in mind that SFA only uses 131 acres of land, so for the size, it has nice coasters. Also a lot of those "un-exciting" SFA has are coasters that a lot of other parks have. For example:

 

KI- has a Premier catapult, an Invertigo, and a Vekoma Flyer.

 

I try to make it a point to visit the park at least once a year.

 

Which proves my point below:

 

SFA is my home park, I've been a season pass holder since 2006, and go there about every week during the season, and I think I can trust myself when I say this park is improving, rather than listening to people who go there once every one or two years.

[printersdevil78]

^Shhh! Stop telling them SFA doesn't suck! You're just going to make the lines longer for people like my family and me who actually enjoy the park for what it has become in the past few years.

 

You're also wasting your time. Disney could buy SFA, revitalize the plans for Disney's America and turn it into one of the top 10 most visited parks in the world, and 90 percent of the posters you're trying to convince will still swear on their dead grandmother's false teeth that it's the worst park on Earth because, you know, it's SFA.

 

Been there, done that.

[DarkRideNick]

^Shhh! Stop telling them SFA doesn't suck! You're just going to make the lines longer for people like my family and me who actually enjoy the park for what it has become in the past few years.

 

You're also wasting your time. Disney could buy SFA, revitalize the plans for Disney's America and turn it into one of the top 10 most visited parks in the world, and 90 percent of the posters you're trying to convince will still swear on their dead grandmother's false teeth that it's the worst park on Earth because, you know, it's SFA.

 

Been there, done that.

 

Exactly.

Keep in mind that SFA only sucks in the eyes of some enthusiasts, but the GP love it, and that what contributes mostly to the success of a park.

And as unlikely as it is, that would be awesome if Disney bought SFA.

[alilstronger]

^Shhh! Stop telling them SFA doesn't suck! You're just going to make the lines longer for people like my family and me who actually enjoy the park for what it has become in the past few years.

 

You're also wasting your time. Disney could buy SFA, revitalize the plans for Disney's America and turn it into one of the top 10 most visited parks in the world, and 90 percent of the posters you're trying to convince will still swear on their dead grandmother's false teeth that it's the worst park on Earth because, you know, it's SFA.

 

Been there, done that.

 

I could not agree with you more. I love this park. Are the people that go there questionable? Yes, but I just do not focus on them when I am there. I focus on enjoying my time with who ever I go with. For being a small park they have a lot of coasters and all of them are enjoyable to me. Could they use some flats, yes. they are working on lots of things and it shows. I think some people are too critical and they let ONE bad experience ruin it for the rest of their lives.

[coasterbill]

I've noticed that a lot of the people defending this park live in the DC, Maryland area. I think the reason may be that if you've been going to the park for the last few years it sounds like it's improved and you're judging it against itself 5-10 years ago.

 

Unfortunately the rest of us don't always have that "luxury" so we're just comparing it to every other park in the world. When you compare the park to it's own terrible reputation it's probably not all that bad, but when you compare it to other parks (especially the ones within a few hours... Great Adventure, Kings Dominion, BGW, Hershey) it's inferior in pretty much every way possible. Even if you like this park, you have to admit that all of those parks are significantly better (though I understand that Great Adventure and BGW don't have waterparks included with theme park admission).