Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[coasterfreak101]

So glad to see they're redoing all of those building facades!

[cfc]

Shipwreck Falls has always looked pretty decrepit, but the Falling Star looks a lot better as Zydeco Zinger.

Edited March 2, 2014 by cfc

[bill_s]

Tower of Doom will be renamed Voodoo Drop. None of the reps knew the color it's being painted, so I assume it's staying the same.

 

Every drop tower should be called The Tower of Doom.

[traincrossin]

Apparently this was said by the park management during the Q&A at the event, can anyone confirm?

 

"You guys are generally notorious for having not so good efficiency. Do you plan on fixing this?"

"Well...we think it looks bad when empty ride cars are sent out, so we generally only run one at a time to ensure that every one is full."

[zachclarke2]

^Yes, that was most definitely the answer that the operations manager gave.

[Spideyfreak]

^^There are so many things wrong with that response, I don't even know where to start.

 

^Are you f**king serious?

 

Yep. They truly do not give a shit.

[Vonni]

I just don't know how to feel about SFA. Part of me wants to visit someday, but then another part of me could care less because of all the horror stories I've heard. It seriously paints the picture that SFA is the worst Park in the chain. And a lot of it I can agree with without even having visited.

[ajfelice]

Apparently this was said by the park management during the Q&A at the event, can anyone confirm?

 

"You guys are generally notorious for having not so good efficiency. Do you plan on fixing this?"

"Well...we think it looks bad when empty ride cars are sent out, so we generally only run one at a time to ensure that every one is full."

 

I believe I know why he would say that, but he just used the worst possible way to describe what he meant. If you can more frequently than not fill two or more trains on a consistent basis, then yes, multiple trains are more than necessary. When a park is not busy, loading frequently empty seats with multiple trains running is a waste of maintenance resources. A fifteen minute maximum line at one point in the day can usually be transformed to half capacity trains under two-train operation (I have seen it and worked it). In many cases, you are dispatching at the pace of single train operation anyways when the crowds are minimal due to holding up for people running in the station to jump into empty seats. Hurrying up and getting the air gates closed will irritate people just getting into the station or cause injury as they run for the seats. Also, you aren't going to have great employee morale if they run their butts off locking and unlocking empty seats all day just to keep things moving with two trains. There is nothing wrong with a fifteen minute maximum line due to one train operation as I have experienced what it takes when it comes to resources in deciding how many trains are appropriate.

 

In the case of SFA, if single train operation is for reasons due to insufficient staffing or maintenance issues preventing the train from going into service, they need to address those problems. I find it very hard to believe that they would only run one train "for the hell of it." There must be another issue at hand if they are running single train operations when crowds dictate more than one train.

[arby]

SFA will always hold a place in my heart because Wild One was #200 for me. With that being said, we found SFA was our least favorite of the 6 Six Flags parks we have been to so far. It wasn't just operations, but maintenance, setting, etc. We also found little shade in the park.

[Vonni]

SFA will always hold a place in my heart because Wild One was #200 for me. With that being said, we found SFA was our least favorite of the 6 Six Flags parks we have been to so far. It wasn't just operations, but maintenance, setting, etc. We also found little shade in the park.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, what 6 have you been to so far? And which of them is your favorite?

[coasterbill]

"we think it looks bad when empty ride cars are sent out, so we generally only run one at a time"

 

They should put this on the cover of their 2014 Park Guide.

 

I just don't know how to feel about SFA. Part of me wants to visit someday, but then another part of me could care less because of all the horror stories I've heard. It seriously paints the picture that SFA is the worst Park in the chain. And a lot of it I can agree with without even having visited.

 

It would be a terrible waste of your time to visit this park unless you're credit whoring. If you wanted to vacation in DC for a few days and already had a season pass then by all means spend a few hours there but don't waste a whole day at this park... it's terrible.

 

Superman, Joker's Jinx, Wild One and Batwing are pretty good coasters but the park is just so ugly and operations are so terrible that they're not enough to make me not hate this park. Selfishly I'm actually annoyed that they're getting a new coaster because now I'm going to be tempted to go back and ride it.

[CPSFMMCW]

I don't know why everyone hates on this park. I enjoyed it. It's never crowded, and their water park is pretty good. The coasters are fun, except for mind eraser. I honestly think it's worth visiting and if you're near the area you should definitely stop by!

[CPmillenia94]

Agreed. The entrance is fine and the park is fairly clean. It is absolutely worth visiting especially for superman which is an incredible coaster. I really wish they would redo some of the landscaping and paths though..

[CPSFMMCW]

Superman makes me top 10. And I actually really like the entrance! It looks like a capital building, and is a lot better of an entrance than the other parks nearby like KD, BGW, and SFGAdv, all of whom don't have rememberal entrances.

 

And I don't know if this was addressed before, but the employees are actually really super nice, contrary to what a lot of people think. I think what happened was that they heard complaints about mean employees, and so they fixed the problem. Everyone was really nice.

[megametal]

Gotham is the only really ugly area of the park. The area that's being turned into Mardi Gras or whatever now didn't look too great either, but it looks like that's about to change. The layout is very confusing, especially getting to the area that is now Mardi Gras. It's a dead end that could be fixed very easily, but they refuse to do so. Such is the case with Gotham and the western area that has Mind Eraser as well. Outside of the front of the park, it's not a very attractive place. I still enjoy my visits there, though. No real lines outside of the overcrowded water park and the employees are much nicer these days than they used to be. The park could use a good landscaping/pathways overhaul over the next few years. Get rid of all the dead ends. And they could really use a signature coaster. I think a RMC coaster back beyond Mind Eraser and the rapids ride would be nice. That way they could possibly complete the path from Batwing to that section as well. I'm sure Six Flags would not see that as a good idea, though.

[coasterbill]

Gotham is the only really ugly area of the park. The area that's being turned into Mardi Gras or whatever now didn't look too great either, but it looks like that's about to change.

 

You're right, those are the only 2 ugly areas but Gotham City is a huge area. It takes up 1/2 the park and all of the best coasters (besides Wild One) are back there.

 

And while Mardi Gras should be an improvement the jury is still out on how much that's going to help that area. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt but that area needs a lot of work.

[mike541x]

Yeah Gotham isn't the best area in the park, it has the least amount of shade, and looks dull. My biggest problem are the employees. They're too lazy to clean (The Johnny Rocket's was atrocious), and slow as hell when it comes to operations. Other than that I've always appreciated the park for it's coaster line up and atmosphere, especially Coyote Creek and the Entrance. I really miss the park during it's Adventure World days.

[boldikus]

Slow day at work so I just read the most of this thread. Never been to SFA but its pretty close to home (1.5-2 hr drive) and now that Ive got a SF season pass I want to check it out this year, at least to get on Ride Of Steel (I know, I know, but its big and fast and close). Is the park really that crappy? I hadn't been to Great Adventure since the early 90s and have always heard horror stories about how awful it was but in September of last yr we went again and I was really impressed how clean it was, how friendly everyone was, etc. You guys make SFA sound like a wasteland haha.

[zachclarke2]

^It's most definitely worth a few hour visit if you have a season pass. The coaster lineup is pretty fantastic, but the operations and employees really bring it down. During my visit last year, the first few hours were great as the park was practically empty, but as the day went on more people showed up and the lines got longer (I don't think I rode anything past 1pm). But if you're going for a coaster pickup for only a few hours I would definitely recommend it.

 

"we think it looks bad when empty ride cars are sent out, so we generally only run one at a time"

 

They should put this on the cover of their 2014 Park Guide.

Edited March 4, 2014 by zachclarke2

[CPSFMMCW]

In my opinion, if a park has coasters, its worth visiting. Some are better than others, and honestly, I like both Great Adventure and Six Flags America. Great Adventure is by far my favorite park, and I really did enjoy my visit to SFA. So if you are curious on whether you should go or not, a definately say go for it! You'll have a fun time! The park is good, and I really liked their water park!

[alilstronger]

^ I am with you there.

 

I honestly like SFA. Is it the best? No, not even close. However, I always have lots of fun when I go. The rides are not terrible and it has a SLC - one of my favorite kind of coasters (go ahead and give me all the crap you want). In the past few seasons they have really cleaned up the park which I love. I used to live about 50 minutes away so it was easy to get there and then I would spend the evening in DC. They do have a decent water park. I think Dorney has a better one and its only 2.5 hours away. This is the kind of park you have to take with a grain of salt and accept it for what it is. You can not go in with high expectations. I used to love going with a few friends and we would just take our time and enjoy the time spent together. Sadly I moved to Texas 2 weeks ago and the closet past to me is Kemah/Pleasure Pier. I would rather live closer to SFA than them. They are small and mostly carnival style rides. The woody at Kemah is a GREAT coaster in my opinion though

[vacoaster09]

The way some people write about SFA makes it seem as if that park is the same as it was in the early/mid 2000s (back then I too had my horror stories). Such just simply isn't the case anymore. Yes, I do not agree that the park should run one train but at the same time, I understand why they lean more towards doing it than not. I'm sure they have a strict budget to try and stay within especially for maintenance. What I do not approve is them not running two trains if the line is getting over the 30 min mark (they can improve on that). However, from the reports I have read over the last few years it has been rare that the park has been that busy that the lines are even close to an hour long. I don't know about others, but I sure as hell will not complain about a 15 min wait with one train. There were many times when the park 1.5 hrs away, Kings Dominion, runs its signature coaster, i305, with one train!

 

SFA's lines simply are never that long where I feel the need to complain... However.... I understand the gripes some are voicing especially when you compare the park to others which are of similar size, similar attendance and with the same model rides..... Therefore I understand when someone may visit Batwing and wonder why it's running one train when others run two... however Carowinds and KI are larger parks In my opinion which therein may lie the answer.

 

I have noticed via trip reports that the park has put an effort towards improving their midways and landscaping. The stamped concrete in the Apocalypse area, the new signs on the path to Batwing, the new paint in LTMT, the new props in Whistlestop. However... I think Gotham needs trees (the whole park needs more TREES)... and i mean some big shade trees! It's like a desert back there in gotham. I look forward to the Mardis Gras area... the park is addressing one of my biggest grips for years which concerned the former Two Face area. Glad to see the progress finally being made..... long overdue!

 

I too hope that they open the dead end from Mardis Gras and allow guest to continue on into Gotham. At the same time, I don't think they could close the dead end from Coyote Creek or Skull Island to Gotham or Whistlestop unless some new expansion takes place back there. Only time will tell. However I am loving the direction the park is heading in. Will love it even more if they finally add a bathroom towards the rear of Gotham.

 

I am not one to comment on the food operations as I don't really focus on my food experience at parks so I have no comment on that aside from I'm sure many six flags parks in general can improve in that area... but with rides and atmosphere I definitely see significant improvements at SFA.

 

Overall like I said before, I take the park for what it is... I enjoy myself when at the park because I allow myself to. Any criticisms I have at the park I have leverage them against other parks... again for example I don't single SFA for one train because I know KD has done it as well with their signature coaster. There's no point in pretending to visit SFA as if you didn't know the ride line up before hand... so don't go in and expect i305 or a 300 ft drop tower because your not going to get that... but what you will get is a decent diverse collection of coasters (and while many are clones that we gripe about today, at the time that they were installed they were pretty innovative). I agree SFA needs a new signature coaster!..... but for now... I am just happy that we are reporting that they are getting a new coaster. It took 10 years!!!!!! ....and now but they are adding their 2nd coaster in 3 years. Who would've thought the day would come. SFA will now have more coasters than they have ever had had in their park history (unless you count skull mountain/typhoon sea coaster as a coaster).

[arby]

SFA will always hold a place in my heart because Wild One was #200 for me. With that being said, we found SFA was our least favorite of the 6 Six Flags parks we have been to so far. It wasn't just operations, but maintenance, setting, etc. We also found little shade in the park.

 

Just out of curiosity, what 6 have you been to so far? And which of them is your favorite?

 

First of all, I should be clear that we're not Six Flags haters. We have consistently found their employees, especially those who interact with the public like ride ops/retail to be less than enthusiastic about their work. Here's the six parks we've been to ranked according to our experiences with our favorite being listed first:

 

1) Six Flags Great Adventure

2) Six Flags Over Georgia

3) Six Flags Over Texas

4) Six Flags Fiesta Texas

5) Six Flags Magic Mountain

6) Six Flags America

 

My goal wasn't to bash SFA as we always make the best day of anywhere we go. It is a decent park. It probably doesn't help that we spent 1 day at Knoebels, then 1 1/2 days at Hershey, before we went to SFA.

[Rayj]

Here are my thoughts on SFA: It's my home park and I'm glad to see it improving. For 2015 , SFA should get a new signature attraction , taller than superman , maybe a RMC woodie ? In the next couple of years they should 1. Expand coyote creek or remove minderaser for a B&M inver or wingrider . 2. Make roar a hybrid woodie , taller , faster , and steeper with inversions. 3. Fix up Gotham city and add some flat rides next to batwing. 4. Maybe turn superman into bizarro? . ( I also think apocalypse doesn't have enough fire and I wish it was a floor less instead )

[coasterbill]

Welcome to the forums. Personally I'd like to see them fix up what they have before they add new large-scale attractions but I think we'd all be thrilled if even half of those things you suggested happened (minus maybe the Bizarro thing).