Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[cal1br3tto]

I didn't know where to mention this in the report so I'll just put this picture here, but I found this sign quite funny

I've always found that sign hilarious.

[boldikus]

@JG-77 nice report. You actually write very well for a 15 year old.

 

Love that shot of the toad in the ride, perfect capture of the SFA ambiance.

[JG-77]

Wahoo River Open!

 

Yes! Wahoo River is open to the public! I do not know how long it's been open, or if it's officially open (as opposed to a soft opening), but it is operating with riders!

 

I personally did not ride because Hurricane Harbor was slammed (It was bring a friend free day I believe), though it looks like it'd be a pleasant ride if there was little wait. The area surrounding the ride could use some work to make it look nice (grass and foliage should do it).

 

Onto the photos!

 

SFA's new for 2018 Wahoo River is open, and the sign is quite big.

The dirt roads left from construction are pretty ugly, but could easily be solved with some grass and bushes if the park is willing to do that.

 

Also, it's quite difficult to see in this picture, but there are some water sprayers built into the walls of the lazy river a little over halfway up the photo and a bit to the left (near where the sidewalk-looking thing ends).

Note the water being sprayed from the bridge. Also as a side note: The drop-slide complex (is that the right term?) in the background was closed the whole time I was in Hurricane Harbor. Does anyone know whether this problem occurred just this day or if the slides have been closed for a while?

That bridge is the only way across the river. It's placed awkwardly such that you have to walk up that wood-fenced path to get there and down a path of similar length on the other side. It's not impossible that there's another way to cross that I missed, but this bridge was the only crossing point I saw.

 

Also, the stairs in the bottom of the pic are just for safety, not for loading/unloading (I'll show the new loading system later).

This is a fun feature right at the beginning of the ride. I'm really happy how this shot turned out!

Another shot of the remaining construction roads.

 

New Loading Method!

 

Here's the new load area. I don't know how well it works since I didn't wait around to see, but it looks like a HUGE improvement from what it was before, which was a very small area with steps that was awful for capacity.

From the loading area the water forks into two paths. Travel goes clockwise, so new riders would go into the left side, and return on the right. The one obvious problem is that there doesn't look like there's much to prevent people from going around as many times as they want. IDK what the park's rules on for re-rides are, I didn't stick around to see whether riders were being told to get off after one go or not. Even if they are only allowed around once, I have no clue how that would be enforced properly.

Overview of the new load area with the sign in the background.

 

Overall Thoughts:

Wahoo River looks like a solid addition to Hurricane Harbor, and a HUGE improvement over the old lazy river. My one biggest complaint is that the areas right outside the river look quite ugly, though from what I understand construction only recently ended, and it is still possible that improving the perimeter of the ride is on the agenda. If the park decides to put in some grass, trees, and other foliage, than that would greatly elevate the ride! While it would have been nice to see a big new thrill ride for 2018, I'm not disappointed in this addition, and I'm excited to see what comes to this park in the future!

 

Final Note: If anything I wrote in this TR was confusing to anyone, or if I made any significant grammar mistakes, don't hesitate to ask me about it!

------------------------------------------------

Instead of making a separate post I'll just put this here:

 

I didn't know where to mention this in the report so I'll just put this picture here, but I found this sign quite funny

I've always found that sign hilarious.

Yeah, that sign is the definition of irony

 

@JG-77 nice report. You actually write very well for a 15 year old.

Love that shot of the toad in the ride, perfect capture of the SFA ambiance.

Thanks! Glad you liked it! I guess I can see your point about the toad

I will note that based on my experiences and what other people have written, SFA's ambiance has been improving......slowly.

[DoinItForTheFame]

 

Hope you had a great time at Dollywood!!!

 

In all seriousness though. Great TR. Very well written, and glad you had a good time!

[Highridin]

Yes, the area around the river will be spruced up, with additional elements also. I'll take pics when the grand opening happens on Thursday.

 

The slide complex is working. Must have been broken just that day.

[Lotologist492]

Great TR for Wahoo River! I will be visiting in a couple weeks and lazy rivers are among my favorite water rides. I will have to see how it rates against the lazy river at my home water park - White Water (Atlanta). As for rules re: re-rides / trips around the river, I have never seen anything enforced; once you are in, you can stay in and go around as long as you like. The sign at White Water mentions being allowed to utilize the free tubes for one lap (at which time you give it to another rider) but again, this has never been enforced.

 

That is the really cool thing about wave pools and lazy rivers - instant refreshment - no waiting in line!

 

I look forward to visiting this IMO underrated park. I generally get in one visit per year but this time I hope to follow up with a visit to SFGadv the next day.

[JG-77]

Hope you had a great time at Dollywood!!!

 

In all seriousness though. Great TR. Very well written, and glad you had a good time!

Thank you!

 

As a sidenote, I really hope to get out to Dollywood one day, there's so many great things about that place! Unfortunately, it will probably be several years before that happens - I won't be able to travel long distances alone for several years (due to age), and my family doesn't really have a good reason to trek all the way to Tennessee just for a theme park

 

Yes, the area around the river will be spruced up, with additional elements also. I'll take pics when the grand opening happens on Thursday.

 

The slide complex is working. Must have been broken just that day.

Great! I look foward to seeing how the area around Wahoo River will be improved, glad that park is actually thinking about aesthetics (though we won't know the quality of the additional work until we see it).

Nice to hear the slides aren't down for extended time, I loved those things when I rode them a year ago!

 

Great TR for Wahoo River! I will be visiting in a couple weeks and lazy rivers are among my favorite water rides. I will have to see how it rates against the lazy river at my home water park - White Water (Atlanta). As for rules re: re-rides / trips around the river, I have never seen anything enforced; once you are in, you can stay in and go around as long as you like. The sign at White Water mentions being allowed to utilize the free tubes for one lap (at which time you give it to another rider) but again, this has never been enforced.

 

That is the really cool thing about wave pools and lazy rivers - instant refreshment - no waiting in line!

 

I look forward to visiting this IMO underrated park. I generally get in one visit per year but this time I hope to follow up with a visit to SFGadv the next day.

 

Glad you enjoyed! I guess the ability to go around indefinately around the river is pretty neat! I don't frequently go to water parks, so I'm not used to the ways lazy rivers generally work (the last time I was at a water park was over a year ago - in SFA's hurricane harbor!).

 

I hope you enjoy your visit! Be sure to tell us how Wahoo River stacks up

[singemfrc]

Hey there..I'm a California resident, my home parks are SFMM/KBF/SFDK/CGA, and I'm coming out to the east coast for the first time the end of Sept. I noticed Batwing listed as temporarily closed at the moment, and I know that can range from just scheduled/annual maintenance to mechanical failure/repair, to "what are you talking about it's running right now"....anyway my question is has anyone heard if there was something happened to cause major (multi month) down time? I'd guess not or it probably would have been mentioned in this thread, but thought I'd ask anyhow

 

I haven't ridden a Flying Dutchman or Premier Spaghetti Bowl yet, so looking forward to trying those!

[djackson]

Hmmm, It does seem to be listed as closed. In the past few years it hasn't closed for some type of mid-season maintenance. It may just be closed due to the 4th of July Fireworks coming from that area but if it ends up being closed any longer It is likely a mechanical problem.

[Highridin]

It works

[Jason Maier]

Well when I was there today, I saw a sign posted "Batwing is closed until further notice". I'm assuming it's either for maintenance or because of the fireworks.

 

But more importantly, I noticed the ACE Landmark plaque at Wild One

[steamedturtle]

My first thought was the fireworks too. In any case, I'd bet it'll be running by September.

[Ace Of Spades]

Hey all, had a quick question I thought someone one here might be able to answer quick.

 

I'm headed up to SFA on Friday, and recently purchased an SF Gold Pass. However, I bought it with SFMM as my home park. In the past, at Cedar Fair parks, I've bought my platinum at one park and redeemed elsewhere. Would it be possible for me to pick up/use my pass at SFA even if I don't have the physical card from SFMM yet?

 

Thanks in advance if anyone knows!

[bill_s]

^^-- No. In fact you could have probably paid less for a pass if you knew you were picking it up at SFA instead of a bigger park, or at least that was the case when I started mine. As you might guess, if you're getting a better price at SFA you can't pick it up where the prices are higher.

[Highridin]

My first thought was the fireworks too. In any case, I'd bet it'll be running by September.

 

It's only closed, because of fireworks.

[alilstronger]

Hey there..I'm a California resident, my home parks are SFMM/KBF/SFDK/CGA, and I'm coming out to the east coast for the first time the end of Sept. I noticed Batwing listed as temporarily closed at the moment, and I know that can range from just scheduled/annual maintenance to mechanical failure/repair, to "what are you talking about it's running right now"....anyway my question is has anyone heard if there was something happened to cause major (multi month) down time? I'd guess not or it probably would have been mentioned in this thread, but thought I'd ask anyhow

 

I haven't ridden a Flying Dutchman or Premier Spaghetti Bowl yet, so looking forward to trying those!

 

When I was there yesterday, July 4th, I saw the sign that read "closed until further notice" with benches across the path. If it was closed for fireworks only it would have closed at an early time like Superman, Wonder Woman, Penguin, Joker, and Riddler did. The train was not on the track and there was no one down at the station.

 

Points from my visit yesterday (I feel like bullet points are easier to read):

 

-The park was the most crowded I have ever seen yesterday. All 3, yes all 3 lots were full (give or take a spot here and there). I was scared the lines would be long but it seems 75-80% of the people there were in the water park.

 

-I got there at about 1 pm and Superman, Wild One, Apoc. and Joker's Jinx only had 1-2 trains waits if you wanted the front/back seats. Every other seat was a walk on. Roar was down when we got to it. Ragin Cajan went down as well but they did have all of the water sprinklers on in the line.

 

-ME was running only one train, the other one was in pieces on the hold track. The operations were terrible. I get its hot. I also get its your choice to work at an amusement park.

 

-The Penguin had a long wait due to only using 3 rafts. I was happy to see they are back to using both penguins at the end. The waterfall near the end was completely either shut off or not working. Our raft did not spin at all. Not worth the wait unless it spins.

 

-The park over all looked good. Lots of flowers and clean pathways. Also, looks like some of the signage has been updated - swings, trains, etc.

 

-Waited about 15 minutes for the new lazy river. Wasn't worth it. It "looks" good but its really no different then what they previously had. All they did was add 5 water effects (one of the waterfalls does not even cross the river) and make the walls taller and to look like wood (I think). The wave effect would have been neat if there was actually a wave. Its more a ripple. After you go around once they let you keep going if you don't mind giving up your tube.

 

-I actually LOVE that they did away with the tubes on Reef Runner/Paradise Plunge. Now you do not fly across the pool and almost hit the steps.

 

-The tram they have is pretty pathetic. Its a pick up truck with a small tram car attached to it. The 2 stops are pretty sad too. One of them is in the middle of an intersection (the one in the 3rd lot).

 

-Waiting 45 minutes in line in the water park fora piece of pizza was pretty irritating. If they are going to sell whole pizzas that take 13 minutes each to bake they need to have a separate window where you pick them up at.

Edited July 5, 2018 by alilstronger

[hoppedup]

Hey all, had a quick question I thought someone one here might be able to answer quick.

 

I'm headed up to SFA on Friday, and recently purchased an SF Gold Pass. However, I bought it with SFMM as my home park. In the past, at Cedar Fair parks, I've bought my platinum at one park and redeemed elsewhere. Would it be possible for me to pick up/use my pass at SFA even if I don't have the physical card from SFMM yet?

 

Thanks in advance if anyone knows!

 

I had a Gold season pass from SFOG and wanted to change to membership. SFA was my next SF park to visit and I live about halfway between them, so a trip to SFOG just to do that was impractical. So I called SF and they told me I'd have to come to SFOG to get my membership card OR I could cancel my season pass and buy the membership from SFA and they would issue a refund for the pass. So that's what I did. I just sent the confirmation number from both sales and the money was back in PP account in about 10 days. I was given a full refund as I had picked up the pass in November, but had yet to use it for a 2018 visit.

 

There was verbiage on their website's FAQ that passholders changing over to membership would be given pro-rated SF bucks to spend at their home park based on the number of visits you've made. That option was not very attractive. That's why I called. YMMV

[alilstronger]

Hey all, had a quick question I thought someone one here might be able to answer quick.

 

I'm headed up to SFA on Friday, and recently purchased an SF Gold Pass. However, I bought it with SFMM as my home park. In the past, at Cedar Fair parks, I've bought my platinum at one park and redeemed elsewhere. Would it be possible for me to pick up/use my pass at SFA even if I don't have the physical card from SFMM yet?

 

Thanks in advance if anyone knows!

 

I had a Gold season pass from SFOG and wanted to change to membership. SFA was my next SF park to visit and I live about halfway between them, so a trip to SFOG just to do that was impractical. So I called SF and they told me I'd have to come to SFOG to get my membership card OR I could cancel my season pass and buy the membership from SFA and they would issue a refund for the pass. So that's what I did. I just sent the confirmation number from both sales and the money was back in PP account in about 10 days. I was given a full refund as I had picked up the pass in November, but had yet to use it for a 2018 visit.

 

There was verbiage on their website's FAQ that passholders changing over to membership would be given pro-rated SF bucks to spend at their home park based on the number of visits you've made. That option was not very attractive. That's why I called. YMMV

 

From their website....

 

If I buy a Season Pass at one Six Flags park, can I activate it at another?

 

No. You must activate your Season Pass or Membership at the park you purchased it from. For example, if you purchase a Six Flags Magic Mountain Season Pass you cannot use it at any other Six Flags theme parks until you first pick up your Season Pass ID card at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

[hoppedup]

^ Which is why I posted about calling. There may be a workaround that isn't listed on the website. Here's what the site had to say about upgrading from season pass to membership:

 

I have a 2018 Season Pass. Can I replace it with a Membership?

 

While it is not possible to apply the cost of your 2018 Season Pass to a new Membership, we will for a limited time be able to offer you in-park spending credit more or less equivalent to the purchase price of your 2018 Season Pass in the form of "Six Flags Bucks." Six Flags Bucks can be used to purchase most things in the park including food, merchandise, etc. and will be valid for the rest of the 2018 season.

 

Until April 20 or within the first 30 days following park opening this spring (whichever is later) we will give you credit close to the purchase price of your 2018 Season Pass. After that we will pro-rate your credit based on the number of times you've visited during 2018.

[Highridin]

I agree and disagree on Wahoo River. The only disagreement is on thinking it is about the same as last year. It is most definitely longer, AND actually moves along. The amount of effects were pretty pitiful; that is very true. Lol,...I liked the wave generator. Thought it was just enough for the ride. Kind of makes me wonder if they are 'truly' done. I need to go back to the announcement. How many features was it supposed to have?

[Highridin]

If anyone is keeping track, MAXX Force and West Coast Racers were trademarked by SF.

[djackson]

I doubt west coast racers is for SFA. Maxx Force is a possibility however. If Roar closes this month maybe that could be the name of it when it opens as an RMC next year

[Jason Maier]

I doubt west coast racers is for SFA. Maxx Force is a possibility however. If Roar closes this month maybe that could be the name of it when it opens as an RMC next year

 

Maybe Hell will freeze over and an official announcement will be made that Roar does get RMC'd

[OmnipotentSeal]

I’m possibly going to Six flags America for the first time on July 24th, a Tuesday, and was wondering if 4 hours is enough to experience all the coasters and some of flats, assuming it would not be storming. I would also like to know which rides get the longest lines, and the best seat or row on each coaster. Thank you!

[steamedturtle]

I’m possibly going to Six flags America for the first time on July 24th, a Tuesday, and was wondering if 4 hours is enough to experience all the coasters and some of flats, assuming it would not be storming. I would also like to know which rides get the longest lines, and the best seat or row on each coaster. Thank you!

 

Four hours is more than enough time. I would just walk to the back of the park first, ride Batwing, and work your way back. You don't have to worry about lines on a Tuesday. Check out both the back and front on Superman. On Wild One, make sure not to sit on a wheel seat, my favorite is the second to last row.