Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[DJeXeL]

And just like SFGAdv's it'll be done in about an hour.

[Highridin]

How many riders? 12?

[RideofSteel]

^It will be 24 just like the other Six Flags Super Loops. Only half of the train has been installed.

[Superbatboy]

And just like SFGAdv's it'll be done in about an hour.

Lol takes longer to BBQ ribs

[TheDarkMaxim]

^^Hmmm I wonder why SF went for the 24 passenger versions, when, for example, Darien Lake got the 32 passenger one.

[Highridin]

Good question. 8 more per ride would have been very much a good thing.

[ferk60]

Damn they are just putting the ride up.... It is a shame that damn. They are putting up a carnival ride and marketing it as a roller coaster....

[ArizonaGuy]

Why do I have the sinking feeling Six Flags isn't going to paint that beam

 

Yeh and then they paint the beam, people are going to bitch because the shade of purple on the beam doesn't match the rest of the beams on the coaster. No matter what they do, they're screwed.

[FlyGuy]

to the person above IMO, Six Flags America will never be able to open a new ride as soon as the season starts until they are an extremely profitable park. We will always have to do openings in the middle of the season to get more people anticipated for the opening, giving us more guest. They have done it with every new attraction that they've gotten.. since Apocalypse.

 

& Btw I really wish that they would take down the remnants of the typhoon sea coaster. You can still see the drop of the ride from gotham and it just looks messy.

[alilstronger]

^ I more than likely do not think that is the case. About 85% of the people that go to SFA buy season passes so they make their money no matter when the ride opens.

[CoasterLover]

Every new ride at every Six Flags park in the chain has opened around Memorial Day (or later) for the past few years. It's not just an "SFA thing"... it's a whole chain thing.

[ferk60]

I wish that they would give a little more love to Six Flags America. I really think it is a "if you build it they will come" type of park. It has tons of room to expand, it is in a great location between two major US markets, DC and Baltimore. It is technically my home park b/c I live in (Baltimore) but I'd rather make the trip to Hershey Park or bypass SFA and go to Kings Dominion.

 

I still am going to SFA this year, probably this week b/c I have passes I won at an auction. Question.

 

Has anyone been this year? If so do they have all all the coasters up and running?

[Highridin]

Yup, everything works.

[FlyGuy]

oh I wasnt aware that the whole chain does it lol. Do other parks also restrain on vertical building until the park opens ?

[Password121]

^Youre assuming the park puts a self imposed restriction on its construction timeline, which is absolutely false.

No, it's a chane wide marketing technique to open rides around Memorial Day to increase interest in the new rides when the crowds pick up. Nothing new, nothing "Six Flags America" exclusive.

[Highridin]

Yup, u r right; they want peak interest around Memorial Day. I wouldn't be surprised if they open the Fireball on Memorial Day weekend instead of early June. It looks too done. I'm going for a short time this Saturday. I'll take pics.

[ferk60]

The "10th roller coaster", Burbon Street Fireball is up, SBNO, of course. It actually fit very well into the Mardi Gras area and does not look as lame as I thought. It fit well between the Voodoo Drop (Tower of Terror) and Wild One.

 

This was my first time going to the park, which is technically my home park in two years and it it was kinda miserable. I thought I was going to do a trip report but it was actually quite a awful experience, After one cycle on the coasters open I left. I was there for about 4 hours.

 

- There is no shade, anywhere

-Superman was closed.

-Most of the shops were closed

-Most of the roller coasters only had one train running

 

I feel like all the things I didn't like about about the park growing up are still issues. I don't think that park will ever get its act together, lol

[Highridin]

I don't agree, but respect your opinion. I've never really had a bad time there. Get pissed about food service sometimes, but can't have everything I guess.

[ferk60]

I don't agree, but respect your opinion. I've never really had a bad time there. Get pissed about food service sometimes, but can't have everything I guess.

 

Just out of curiosity, what do you disagree with?

[Highridin]

The park still having the same issues comment. I've been here for years too. You are talking to a guy that swore that I'd never go back. My daughter bugged the hell out of me in 2012 to go back; I've been a season pass holder since. The park is a whole lot different than it used to be. Better employees; 'somewhat' better ops; better upkeep; great Mardi Gras section upgrade last year; the list goes on. You can tell from reading Tripadviser that folks say the same things about the turnaround. Are some things still missing....?..Absolutely! Need newer rides, etc.

 

You went on a bad day. They just opened on Fridays. A 'great many' of their employees were/are still in school. They have been running two trains on Saturdays, and, all of their shops are open on the weekend.

 

You are right about the shade though...kinda. There is plenty by the swing and under the big a$$ umbrellas...lol

[ferk60]

The park still having the same issues comment. I've been here for years too. You are talking to a guy that swore that I'd never go back. My daughter bugged the hell out of me in 2012 to go back; I've been a season pass holder since. The park is a whole lot different than it used to be. Better employees; 'somewhat' better ops; better upkeep; great Mardi Gras section upgrade last year; the list goes on. You can tell from reading Tripadviser that folks say the same things about the turnaround. Are some things still missing....?..Absolutely! Need newer rides, etc.

 

You went on a bad day. They just opened on Fridays. A 'great many' of their employees were/are still in school. They have been running two trains on Saturdays, and, all of their shops are open on the weekend.

 

You are right about the shade though...kinda. There is plenty by the swing and under the big a$$ umbrellas...lol

 

We disagree and thats ok. I was excited about the Mardi Gras Section and happy to see they filled in that spot that once was were Two Face, and Python stood. I was however sweating bullets the whole time, no shade in the entire section. None of the new rides had shaded areas at all and I left feeling mildly underwhelmed but not disappointed with some of the re-themed attractions. Maybe I am holding SFA to a high standard b/c they are surrounded by some stiff competition: Hershey Park, Kings Dominion Busch Gardens and SFGA are not super far drives from Baltimore and are significantly better and the gap is growing.

 

Now I understand that SFA might be out of some of those parks leagues however even when I went to Dorney Park for the first time a few years back I was impressed at how the park operated and left wishing that it was home park over SFA. I might be being a little harsh but after Friday I feel like I am not missing much and I am happy the tickets I used were purchased at a charity auction. However I am sure that a nice World class coaster addition for 2016 can change my mind.

[Highridin]

Yeah, we can agree to disagree for sure. The lack of shade in some places is irritating, no doubt. If anything, they should have big fans going.

[CoasterLover]

Funny thing is, I'm pretty sure they got a bunch of the shade structures from the abandoned SFNO and simply never installed them... I'm pretty sure these are them, sitting in the backlot as of April 2015...

[ferk60]

I have not been in 2 years and I can't say that they have not be spending money. I see some things look different but it is the little things. The paint on Wild one is chipping and looks awful. They need more shaded area or at least plant more trees or something. I guess I expecting more given that they have had a few years where they have really just hand me down coasters or no big improvements so I thought they would using what ever other money they get to improve the over all feel of the park.

[Password121]

I think if you had visited on a better day and had experience with the park before the improvements, you'd realize how far they've gone in the last few years. Yes, Wild One could use a paint job--rumors are this could happen--and much more--for its 100th in 2017/2018. What you should understand is that for a park that probably doesn't get a sizable budget for offseason improvements, in the last 5 years or so they've repainted Mind Eraser, Superman, Batwing, Joker's Jinx, and Apocalypse (for the re-theme). To put this into perspective, look at parks like Great Adventure. I love that park to death, but all of their steel coasters look like crap, and Rolling Thunder was worse than Wild One when it was scrapped (side note--Wild One is one of the last remaining classic wooden coasters in the chain that runs decently).

As for landscaping/in park improvements... you must not remember the infamous Southwest Territory. That section was in my mind the worst themed section of any major amusement park I'm aware of. They took this sketchy POS area and made it into possibly the best themed area in the park (along with Coyote Creek) with the best variety of rides in the park. Starting next month they'll have opened up that dead end into Gotham City (under Wild One) and opened their first inverting flat ride in who knows how long (that's my way of saying "quit whining about the Super Loop").

They've also shown signs of improving landscaping as well, with a group of new trees/shrubs by the path between Superman and Batwing. The food selection is slowly but steadily improving with new selections in Mardi Gras.

 

I apologize for the long post, but I think you guys need to recognize the bad hand of cards SFA was dealt over the years, and how nicely they've done what they're able to do.

For a park that got the shaft every announcement season from 2002-2011, I don't think the park has done poorly at all. A true new coaster (or I-box of Roar) will come eventually, when management sees this park is worthy of major capital, but until then--try to appreciate the improvements that have been made instead of bashing the loose ends that aren't that big of a deal.