Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[SFA Regular]

I agree with you, my friend. At times there are misunderstandings about placement in line. At times people have gotten kicked out when, they really didn't but infront of anybody. The line gets crazy for some rides when you get up to the station and stand in place for the seat you want. Again, security inside the ride stations all day would surely keep things in order.

 

Here is another sweet idea I had in mind. They could do the same thing they did for the (Devils Flight) on Final Destination 3 and Flight of Fear. On Final Destination 3, they only let the next group of people to fill up the train in the station, rather than letting a dump load of people just fill up the row lines. Just letting 32 people in the station to fill up the train would keep things flowing evenly on busy days like Saturday and Sundays.

[nitrofan]

Here is another sweet idea I had in mind. They could do the same thing they did for the (Devils Flight) on Final Destination 3 and Flight of Fear. On Final Destination 3, they only let the next group of people to fill up the train in the station, rather than letting a dump load of people just fill up the row lines. Just letting 32 people in the station to fill up the train would keep things flowing evenly on busy days like Saturday and Sundays.

 

I think they should do that at every ride. I don't know if they still do this, but at SFFT on Superman: Krypton Coaster they had additional lines set up for the front and back, or you could be assigned a seat in a middle row if you didn't want to wait the extra time. This is a great system since it also makes sure every seat is filled.

[nhman93]

I agree with you, my friend. At times there are misunderstandings about placement in line. At times people have gotten kicked out when, they really didn't but infront of anybody. The line gets crazy for some rides when you get up to the station and stand in place for the seat you want. Again, security inside the ride stations all day would surely keep things in order.

 

Here is another sweet idea I had in mind. They could do the same thing they did for the (Devils Flight) on Final Destination 3 and Flight of Fear. On Final Destination 3, they only let the next group of people to fill up the train in the station, rather than letting a dump load of people just fill up the row lines. Just letting 32 people in the station to fill up the train would keep things flowing evenly on busy days like Saturday and Sundays.

 

Sfne does this with Bizzaro, Batman and Cyclone and it does help alot and avoids massive buildup in the stations.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I agree with (KDCoatserfan). As Six Flags continues to lose attractions and replace them with nothing, Kings Dominion continues to get better and better every year. As for 2011, those plans could change if the merge happens between Six Flags Inc and Cedar Fair, as we were discussing in the (Six Flags Bankruptcy) thread. The vote for a buy out of Apollo management is coming up next week on April 8th. If Creditors vote and Apollo gets Cedar Fair, they probably will merge sometime before the 2010 season is done. So plans for 2011 could change if this happens.

 

But back on topic. Thomas Town was put in between Superman and Joker's Jinx. I plan on going to the park next weekend, but I can imagine how much noise that people are going to hear from Joker going through its cycle. Could they have picked another location to install the new theme area??? Not only that but it doesn't match the theme of Gotham City. That land could have easily been used for some flat rides and possibly a new coaster by itself.

 

Any thoughts?

At the end of the 07 season when THHP was announced as the "new for 08" attraction is when I'd had it with the park because they'd been getting the short end of the stick when it came to new ride additions for years at that point & had decided to add yet another waterslide when they could've added some much needed flats instead to make up for the ones they removed.I even emailed them about it & just recieved a generic response so I decided not to return as a result.

[Capitalize]

Considering that the rides at SFA rarely have more than a one-two train wait in the station I strongly doubt they would want to spread their already thinly staffed rides department even more by having someone assigning rows... Doesn't seem very practical for the park at all at this time. The closest thing I really see to cutting in line at SFA is kids jumping under the rails to get to the train faster, if they happen to do that and take the row I want I just politely tell them that they took the row I wanted and I was walking in the line before them. I actually think line breaking is a MUCH bigger problem at other parks in the region (KD, SFGAdv, and even HP in my experiences are all bad for people cutting in line).

 

 

I went to the park today from about 2:30 to 4:30 to get some rides and see what is different. I thought it was pretty funny to be honest. Everything new or different has a "COMING SOON!" banner by it currently. What exactly have they been doing all off season? Thomas Town is just now having dirt moved around, other than the old ferris wheel no other rides appear to be back there. All the new restaurants and such are still closed... Just seems funny like they didn't do anything over the winter to get stuff ready.

 

Jokers Jinx was running the yellow train empty all day, I didn't see the purple train anywhere. SROS' blue train was stuck at the bottom of the lift with some water dummies in the first few rows, I didn't see any sign of the red train. I never saw anyone working on the ride so I'm not sure what is the problem there. The new paint job looks fantastic. Mind Eraser also only had one train with no sign of the other train. Octopus is keeping Ultra Twister company out in the field by Batwing. A rockwall was put up where Cyclone was. Riddle Me This got a new sign that looks nice and they changed the location of the op platform. The area where Avalanche was is now home to lots of tables with shade for people to sit while eating. Cyclone got a new paint job that looks nice to go along with its new location. Roar received a good bit of re-tracking in some of the more rough valleys of the ride, it felt a bit smoother. Batwing was running one train with the other on the transfer track by the lift.

 

The park's ride staff is now giving every rider a high five after checking their restraint and sometimes while exiting... I'm not sure I like this...

 

I saw a new less creepy looking Mr Six walking around and the train conductor guy from Thomas the Tank Engine. They threw up a couple character meet and greet areas, one by the front of the park and another in Gotham City.

 

I can't recall anything else at this time. Crowds were very light with no lines anywhere all day. I was disappointed with SROS not being open. But oh well, its only March, it will be good to see the new stuff start to open as the summer approaches and the park hits its stride.

 

 

Forgot to mention Two Face. Some of the station is still standing, but the line and just about everything from the station is now gone, not much left at all there.

[SFA Regular]

I'm happy to hear that some people agree with my idea of letting a certain amount of people in the station at a time. I do think it would help a big deal on the busy weekends. I have found that people waiting in line for Superman can be the worst. Another thing that holds up the line is when people get to the end of the queue in the station and stop right there before they get to the line rows. This is why I think they need a new system. Again, security in the ride stations all day would help keep things in proper order and lines moving quickly.

 

This park needs better corporate help. The only way I see it improving is if Cedar Fair takes over. We lose more and more people to Kings Dominion every year. Even I'm going to Kings Dominion more because their rides work, lines move fast and its fun. I still like Six Flags America but there are some things that need to improve such as ride up-keep and newer attractions. If Thomas Land was the first step then I will continue to stick with the park, but we need a new coaster.

[Capitalize]

I agree that SFA has a real issue with their line system, but holding people back from the station is not the issue imo.

 

 

All the lines for the coasters at SFA are in the station of the rides, I personally have never waited for any ride outside of the line with-in the station. They should simply not have lines within the stations. Like you said, people waiting for the back of the train/front of the train or wherever else will slow the line down, people get impatient, see an empty row, and cut the line. I've never seen a park like SFA where so much of the line is literally in the ride's station on EVERY ride. For a ride like Wild One it wouldn't be practical, but for SROS, and Jokers Jinx its simply idiotic to have a line in the station as the line is already constructed outside. Just let people line up for their row there. If you have people waiting in line right next to where people line up for their row they will see an empty or nearly empty row and run to it, even though it cuts infront of dozens of people who might want to ride there.

 

I don't think adding a new role for an employee is the right route, but the issue being faced is the same.

 

 

 

To SFA credit I forgot to mention that today for the very first time I had an attendant at Batwing ask for single riders. I raised my hand and was on the second row immediately. I REALLY hope that continues! I have always HATED waiting in line for Batwing all by myself while watching loads of empty seats go by. This was AWESOME! If anyone from SFA reads these boards I hope they take note that I really liked this and will continue to do that... A full train is a good thing!

[SFA Regular]

I know some people that work up there, but this is the the beginning of the season for them. As the season continues they will begin to slack off like they normally do. I'm not trying to bash the park, but it happens every year. The ride attendants start out doing alright and then they stop being so nice and wont ask for single riders. There will be loads of trains that leave the station with barely any people on it. Altogether I think that new corporate management is needed to improve most of the smaller parks. The route that Shapiro has us on, is not really what Six Flags loyal fans wanted. He still hasn't announced any rumors on what the parks could be getting for 2011. And it's killing me because Cedar Fair normally announces their new attractions early so that people have something to look forward to for next year.

 

But something is telling me that all SFA is getting for 2011 is another water slide and nothing ells.

[AWill961]

I know some people that work up there, but this is the the beginning of the season for them. As the season continues they will begin to slack off like they normally do. I'm not trying to bash the park, but it happens every year. The ride attendants start out doing alright and then they stop being so nice and wont ask for single riders. There will be loads of trains that leave the station with barely any people on it. Altogether I think that new corporate management is needed to improve most of the smaller parks. The route that Shapiro has us on, is not really what Six Flags loyal fans wanted. He still hasn't announced any rumors on what the parks could be getting for 2011. And it's killing me because Cedar Fair normally announces their new attractions early so that people have something to look forward to for next year.

 

But something is telling me that all SFA is getting for 2011 is another water slide and nothing ells.

 

Why would they announce a roller coaster attraction for the 2011 season at the beginning of the 2010 season?

 

I don't see the logic in that. I think the announcement, if there is something planned, would come near the end of the 2010 season to further encourage people to renew or buy the next season's season pass.

[alpengeist04]

^Exactly. Most parks, including Ceded Fair parks, make their announcement for the upcoming year in August/September.

[Capitalize]

He confirmed that they were looking at something the "tweens" who visit the park would like.

[JEAPUgrad]

 

Why would they announce a roller coaster attraction for the 2011 season at the beginning of the 2010 season?

 

I don't see the logic in that. I think the announcement, if there is something planned, would come near the end of the 2010 season to further encourage people to renew or buy the next season's season pass.

 

They practically announced Thomas Town Opening Day 2009 with signage on Main Street...

 

They now have history doing something of that nature.

 

Not saying I agree or disagree, just stating a simple fact.

[JEAPUgrad]

I went to SFA on Sunday with a friend that hadn’t been since the 2000 season.

 

He had only been on Superman, JJ, and Mind Eraser on his previous visit.

 

We arrived to the park around 2pm after grabbing a bite to eat at Chipotle in Crofton.

 

When we arrived, the parking lot was nearly empty. There couldn’t have been more than thirty cars total. No busses. Always a good sign when there are no busses .

 

We walked up to the Front Gate and everybody was over the top friendly. The friendly was like an over the top “forced” friendly like you get whenever you walk into an Old Navy store.

 

The lady at the ticket booth wanted to give us a high five as we walked through the turnstiles. We thought this was a bit odd but gave her a high five anyway.

 

No problems through the metal detectors but again, the security guards gave us high fives…what is up with this?

 

We strolled down Main Street and the park had its sound system blaring. Kind of like being in a crowded bar where you have to scream at your friends to talk to them because the music is so amped up, only there weren’t many people.

 

The first ride I wanted to hit was Wild One.

 

We passed through Looney Tunes Movie Town to see how the area looked after four rides were removed for Thomas Town. To a non-enthusiast, LTMT didn’t look like it had changed much. The park did a nice job of making sure there weren’t any holes left from the previous rides.

 

Onto Wild One…we walked right on and off we went.

 

I was a little disappointed with my favorite ride in the park…there wasn’t the usual ejector air in the back that I have come to know and love. Nice air coming off the drop but usually there is ejector air in the back after the turnaround. Not so much the case.

 

The trim was on before the helix but I still think Wild One was one of the best helices around. You always feel like the train is going to rip itself right off the track!

 

As the train entered the station, the ride ops were giving riders high fives…seriously people, it’s 2010. High fives were a thing of the 80’s. I’m a man on a mission to change Six Flags Corporate Culture and teaching these park employees how to fist bump.

 

Next up we hit the Falling Star. I really wanted to ride the Falling Star and my friend did not. He’s more of a coaster only guy and not a big fan of the spin and spews. Since Falling Star requires two people to ride and I usually go to the park alone, I can’t ride it.

 

We rode it and he really liked the ride.

 

We left Southwest Territory and walked over into Gotham City.

 

Batwing was next up as Superman and JJ were testing. A ride attendant said neither would open unless the temperature rose above 55 degrees. JJ was going through its course without a problem, while Superman on the other hand looked like it was struggling to make it over the final two bunny hops and that was with water dummies in the first eight seats.

 

Batwing was my friend’s first flyer. He was really excited to ride Batwing.

 

Walk on third row…now normally Batwing is a “once a season” ride for me as it’s just too rough for me to ride anymore than once a season. He had trouble with fastening the seat back on the rubber chest harness as did I. After the ride ops had us secured, they wanted to give us high fives but we made them give us fist bumps instead.

 

Can’t you get swine flu by touch other people’s hands? As I type this report, I feel like a ton of bricks hit me. I have a nasty head cold and I’m starting to wonder if it’s a result from all these touchy-feeling Six Flags employees. I’m not a germ-a-phobe by any stretch of the imagination; however, I will not participate in all this hand touching anymore. Just kind of gross to think about how many other hands’s one employee’s hand touches through out the entire day let alone every ride you go on.

 

I know they are trying to create an atmosphere and really trying to be more hands on (pun intended) with their guests but can we please do something a little more sanitary?

 

But I digress.

 

Batwing…I thought the ride was MUCH better than year’s past. Batwing didn’t seem to be as rough though the loop is still pulling some pretty serious G’s. I actually enjoyed Batwing and will probably ride Batwing more often this season but my friend did not enjoy.

 

The day’s funny moment came as we were going up the lift hill. I told him to hold his hands out like he was flying and he was fine until we rolled off the lift hill. When we did the 180 degree flip and were now looking straight down he quickly grabbed onto his harness and made a noise similar to a lamb’s “baaaaaah”.

 

We left Batwing and neither Superman nor JJ was open still.

 

We stopped for some snacks at the Gotham City food places and I was told that I needed to show my season pass booklet in order to receive the season pass holder discount. Apparently just showing the pass is not good enough but you have to prove you have a season pass because I guess the park is having trouble with counterfeit season passes. I type this sarcastically as it’s opening weekend, it’s not worth getting upset about, and later in the season things will work themselves out over. Besides, I would’ve saved maybe all of $1 on the food purchase. Not a big deal.

 

We walked towards Roar but the Ride Supervisor had just shut the ride down according to the ride op at the entrance.

 

On our way over to Coyote Creek, we watched three unsuspecting riders board Shipwreck Falls (the park’s Splash Boat ride). After the splash, they were screaming in agony that they were so cold. Idiots.

 

We hit Rodeo for a fun ride where the ride op was more than accommodating to get me locked in. The lap bar was coming just a smidge to short thanks to my beer gut. I kept telling her that she wasn’t going to hurt me and my friend talked her into slamming the lap bar into place. I blurred out “Oh that hurts so good, do it again” and she blushed. My friend and I got a good laugh out of it.

 

We headed over to the Crazy Horse Saloon for a quick beer and I got to help out in an employees training. I’ve never purchased an alcoholic beverage ever at a park I don’t think and at Six Flags they place a bright yellow paper wristband on your arm that says “Age Verified” on it. The employee who placed the wrist band on me was a teenager and probably was the first time he ever affixed one of those wrist bands to someone’s arm. When he put the band on my arm, he didn’t meet the sticky side to the paper side. Instead he put the sticky side on my hairy arms just getting enough of the paper to make the armband to stick.

 

I asked him if I could show him something and he came back over to me. I asked him if he was in training and he nodded his head. I ripped the armband off my hairy arms thus removing about a dozen arm hairs at one time. He gave me a confused look and I held up the removed armband with my dozen or so hairs on it and said “If you don’t put these things on people properly, it can really hurt when they go to remove them.” The ABC Manager handed the kid another wristband and this time he put it on me perfectly matching up the sticky side to the paper side. You all can thank me later.

 

We headed over to Mind Eraser where I would take my first walk of shame. I had the metal clip of the seat belt in the fastener and just needed a little pressure to secure it. The ride op absolutely refused to put any pressure down on the restraint to make the seatbelt click. I tried to reason with her that she was suppose to press down on the restraint and pull up to check it but she refused to even check the restraint because the seatbelt was not fastened. It’s the first weekend, I’m not worried about it. She probably was doing me a favor and saving me a headache anyway.

 

As we exited Mind Eraser, we could see that Roar was back up and running.

 

Roar was also a walk on. We sat in the very last row and I’m sad to report that all of the shuffling that I moaned about last season returned this season. The only noticeable part of the ride that I could tell had been rebuilt was the final turn into the brakes. Just a rough ‘brain scrambling’ ride. Maybe the should switch names on the coasters and call Roar The Mind Eraser. Good grief!

 

We headed back to Superman. I didn’t even try the test seat as I was almost 100% positive they weren’t going to readjust the seatbelts back to how they were to start the season. At some point last season, mid-season they shortened the seatbelts on Superman so unless you have a waistline of less than 34 inches, you can’t ride.

 

I sat down in the last row and the seatbelt buckle was about six inches away from the fastener. Just a shame. I’ve been at my current weight for the past three years and prior to the seat belts being shortened, I never once had a problem riding this ride or the one at Darien Lake for that matter. I really debated not getting a Six Flags season pass this summer solely because of this reason. Then my friends got together and started to plan a trip to Great Adventure so I figured I might as well save a few bucks at the gate and get a season pass.

 

My friend rode Superman.

 

All in all we were there for about three hours and just took our time. It was a first date for us so there was a lot of slow walking and talking between the rides and it didn’t seem like we were there for so long.

 

Good day at the park, though could’ve been a bit better.

 

No more high fives for me though.

[SFA Regular]

I have to say that I feel your pain. Even though I can ride Superman all day with no problem, I feel bad for the many people who can't. I really wish this park would just go back to the old restraint system so that bigger people can ride. Just imagine paying all that money and you can't ride the best ride in the park. I would feel very bad. Lately I have been spending more time at Kings Dominion because you get more for your money and there are more rides. But as for Six Flags America, they should also focus on improving Fright Fest. Last year's Fright Fest was not that good. They did not have one haunted house and the train ride they have was not good. I miss the old Fright Fest where we had Brutal Planet and Hall Manor. The park should really consider putting up a new building to replace Hall Manor. Or better yet, build an all year haunted house over in Two-Face old spot.

 

Here are some Fright Fest suggestions.

 

1) Creating a haunted Forest walkthrough.

 

2) Bringing back the Haunted Hay-ride

 

3) Making the train ride more scarier where numerous goons pop out from the woods and scare guests

 

Another sweet idea I had in mind was transforming all the rides with horror make-overs such as fog at various points of the ride and setting up temporary tunnels for both Wild One and Roar.

 

Any thoughts?

[nitrofan]

Has anyone seen how Thomas Town construction has been coming recently?

[coasterfreak101]

Since I went over Easter Break and there was only a lot of flat dirt, as of yesterday there was one building going up and a decent number of trucks back by Superman's first turn. Of course, I don't know why they were back there, since Thomas Town doesn't stretch that far.

 

So as far as progress goes, very, very minimal

[SFA Regular]

Since I went over Easter Break and there was only a lot of flat dirt, as of yesterday there was one building going up and a decent number of trucks back by Superman's first turn. Of course, I don't know why they were back there, since Thomas Town doesn't stretch that far.

 

So as far as progress goes, very, very minimal

 

They probably just put trucks there to keep it out of the way of construction. With SFA you never know. They put stuff in random places. But what has got me scratching my head is why they put Thomas Town right next to a noisy ride? All the kids are going to here is the sound of Joker's Jinx going through the course. I hope SFA has plans to put this ride inside as part of the 50th anniversary gift. As for, getting a new ride in 2011, where are they going to put it? If they put it behind Batwing, they really need to get addition water lines installed so that they can put restrooms over by Superman or Batwing. It's a pain in the butt being down at Batwing ad having to walk, all the way back up to the front of Gotham City to use the rest room. And why not put some more stores and games where Batwing is. It would make it looks more occupied rather than just having the coaster sitting by itself at the dead end spot of the park with nothing else to do but sit on benches, ride Batwing, or read character bio's of batman villains.

 

Superman could be further improved by adding Superman theme music as you wait in line, character bios around the rides of Superman heroes/villains, and possibly making the inside/outside of the station look like the Fortress of Solitude. They did that station design for Superman: Escape at Magic Mountain if I am correct. They could even add some sort of tunnel at the bottom of the first drop and put green fog inside it. It would make a great effect at night. Another issue that Superman has, is an over-speed issue. If they would adjust the breaks at the end of offer more give on the speed, then the ride would not have so many delays. Altogether, the ride needs newer trains. And the new restraint system is not good for bigger people. They need to go back to the old restraint system so that more people can ride and be comfortable.

 

Joker needs a speed increase. They have a lot of problems with certain trains when they are going faster. But really, what they think is fast is not fast at all. For example, (POLTERGEIST) at SFFT travels a lot more quicker than (Jokers Jinx). If Joker's Jinx even travels anything close to what Poltergeist is doing, the ride stops and has delays. They need to revamp the performance of Joker so that it's more thrilling; just like it's sister (Poltergeist).

Edited April 20, 2010 by SFA Regular

[SharkTums]

^I fully expect them to do some sort of Bizarro treatment on it at some point instead of adding a new coaster.

[SFA Regular]

^I fully expect them to do some sort of Bizarro treatment on it at some point instead of adding a new coaster.

 

The park does not need a Bizarro treatment. They don't really have any rides to do it do. The park only has 4 steel coasters and only three of them are worth doing it to. If they did it to Joker, the only option they have is to put the ride inside. But why go through the trouble of changing the name, and repainting it, when (JOKER) makes more sense to be located inside of a dark fun house. Not much you can really do for Batwing. Maybe one of those goofy spinning blades that they put on Medusa for the (Bizarro) transformation? As for Superman, that would be the only ride that would make sense but I kind of like it being called (SUPERMAN). It gives the park a nice hero ride to stand upon the other 2 villain attractions we have in our park. Plus, there is not really much they can do for our Superman with the course being so short. I mentioned adding a tunnel at the bottom of the first hill with green fog. With that small addition you could keep the name of the ride the same.

 

This park is screaming for a new ride. We have gone a year shy of a decade with no new coaster, so removing one to add something else is out the question. It would be a smart move to add to the collection. The 50th year anniversary is next season, and I have heard no news as to what the ride manufactures could be building. This park needs something that is going to get people interested in coming again, so I'm hoping for something unique. A good (INTAMIN) launch ride would be good.

 

Another good idea that has been mentioned is removing (TOWER OF DOOM) and putting a flat ride in it's place. Then use more land in Gotham City to build a drop ride to the equivalent size of (DROP ZONE). It's a much taller drop ride and stands monumental in thrill and being a very scary night pleaser.

[SharkTums]

^Yeah, but judging from your screen name and location you're a local fan boy and enthusiast. Of course you WANT a new coaster, I'm just pointing out with the track record of that park you have a much bigger chance of a Bizarro TYPE retheme than a new coaster!!!

 

I mean, it's been nine years, what's another!?!?

[SFA Regular]

^Yeah, but judging from your screen name and location you're a local fan boy and enthusiast. Of course you WANT a new coaster, I'm just pointing out with the track record of that park you have a much bigger chance of a Bizarro TYPE retheme than a new coaster!!!

 

I mean, it's been nine years, what's another!?!?

 

I am a fan boy, but lately I have been spending more time at Kings Dominion. I liked Six Flags America when it was ran by the Premier Parks management. They spent more money and in return got more attendance at the park. And Fright Fest was better with the old management, which is something else I have been meaning to talk about. SFA's Fright Fest is not worth paying for. I have been driving the 2 hours to Kings Dominion because they have 9 haunted houses, and they are all decent. Six Flags Fright Fest has become too family friendly. The one here at SFA still has no plans to make a new haunted house for the 1 we lost.

 

That's why it's more smarter to build a new ride and leave the other ones the way they ware, with the exception of building a enclosed structure around (JOKERS JINX). It would increase popularity in the ride making it some what equivalent to (FLIGHT OF FEAR) at Kings Dominion. It would make sense it order to conceal the noise from pouring into (Thomas Land). With it being inside, you can put a camera inside of the tunnel and have a snap shot of riders, so that they can buy their photo. If the rides popularity increased I would take out the Flash Pass availability for this ride. I have always thought that Flash Pass was unfair to the people that wait in line and then someone cuts in front of them. This would be the one popular ride that could not be used for Flash Pass in order to keep the wait in line fair to everyone. In return, use the old Flash Pass booth for the ride photo booth.

[nitrofan]

^The point of Flash Pass isn't to be fair, it's for Six Flags to make money. If the ride gets more popular, that would be all the more reason for Six Flags to keep Flash Pass. As for the building, compared to all the things the park could do with that money, I don't see enclosing Joker's Jinx as a good use of that much money. Add a few flats. Once you add a building, you're in a completely different ball game from the Bizarro makeovers.

 

If they did a makeover for Sperman, they could add the tunnel at the drop, make buildings in the Helix like at SFGAdv, add fire somewhere near the start of the bunny hills, add mist shield tunnels on a bunny hill, and add audio. It would be about the same makeover as Bizarro at SFNE, even with the shorter ride course.

[CoasterLover]

^I fully expect them to do some sort of Bizarro treatment on it at some point instead of adding a new coaster.

 

As much as I'd love to see that, they just repainted the ride at the end of last season, so I doubt that a Bizarro treatment to Superman will happen anytime soon. Batwing, on the other hand, needs a new paint job more than Superman did, so maybe an X-2 style treatment there? We'll see I guess.

 

Has anyone seen how Thomas Town construction has been coming recently?

 

There are some construction pics over on SFAFans.com from April 10th. The area has been leveled (requiring a retaining wall be built near Superman), berms have been created around the site, and pretty much all of the infrastructure (water, electric, drainage) has been run. Foundations for the Thomas Train station are poured and the walls are starting to go up. Marking are in place for all of the other attractions, so it shouldn't be too long until we see more foundations poured. The rides are all pretty simple and can be put together in just a couple days, so once the footers are in, everything should go up pretty fast. The park is still planning a Memorial Day opening of Thomas Town and I am still confident that they will be open and ready on time.

 

With SFA you never know. They put stuff in random places. But what has got me scratching my head is why they put Thomas Town right next to a noisy ride? All the kids are going to here is the sound of Joker's Jinx going through the course.

 

Joker's Jinx really isn't that noisy. But nonetheless, the plans for Thomas Town have a berm covered with quite a lot of landscaping (including trees and bushes) between Thomas Town and Joker's Jinx. Granted it may take a few years to really grow in, but once it does, it should create a nice barrier between Thomas Town and Joker's Jinx.

[kidcoaster 2]

I have a feeling enclosing Joker's Jinx is one of their last priorities..

[SFA Regular]

^The point of Flash Pass isn't to be fair, it's for Six Flags to make money. If the ride gets more popular, that would be all the more reason for Six Flags to keep Flash Pass. As for the building, compared to all the things the park could do with that money, I don't see enclosing Joker's Jinx as a good use of that much money. Add a few flats. Once you add a building, you're in a completely different ball game from the Bizarro makeovers.

 

If they did a makeover for Sperman, they could add the tunnel at the drop, make buildings in the Helix like at SFGAdv, add fire somewhere near the start of the bunny hills, add mist shield tunnels on a bunny hill, and add audio. It would be about the same makeover as Bizarro at SFNE, even with the shorter ride course.

 

I don't think would cost a ridiculous amount to put (JOKER) inside. The main thing you are dealing with is sprinkler system which is required for most enclosed buildings. Again, you are knocking out a possible issue of noise if you enclose the ride. People will finally be able to eat in front of the french fries and Dip n' Dot's place without their conversations being interrupted by noise. And again, the kids can play in (Thomas Land) without hearing a noisy ride. And to add, (JOKER) can now stand as SFA's first indoor coaster and people would not be exposed to the heat. Maintenance could also be done inside the building and the ride would not be effected by the elements of harsh conditions such as rain which causes issues with the ride. With no wind resistance, the ride would travel faster.

 

As for the (BIZARRO) transformation, I don't think it's worth it. I like the tunnel for the bottom of the first hill, but that's about it. Although, I do see the land on the left side of the path down to Batwing and the land next to Superman's first helix as good spots for newer rides.