Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[DarkRideNick]

At this rate, will the park open at all this year?

[Jason Maier]

At this rate, will the park open at all this year?

 

Not a clue. I recall the original forecast opening for SFA (and the other seasonal SF parks) was mid-May

[coasterbill]

I mean... social distancing wouldn't be a problem

[Highridin]

I mean... social distancing wouldn't be a problem

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a comedian...

[DarkRideNick]

Current news today doesn't reccomend certain states open until Early June...

 

Will be a bleak year for theme parks, my friends.

 

At least I have my Fortnite!

[Hershey_flags]

Recent video showing off the progress for the new entrance plaza!

[JG-77]

Excited to see this new entrance. Also interesting is that SFA is now a busy free coronavirus testing site that's already conducted over 1,600 tests!

[DarkRideNick]

Excited to see this new entrance. Also interesting is that SFA is now a busy free coronavirus testing site that's already conducted over 1,600 tests!

 

Over 1600 tests? That's more than the number of total guests they get per season!

[ilyf]

Excited to see this new entrance. Also interesting is that SFA is now a busy free coronavirus testing site that's already conducted over 1,600 tests!

 

Over 1600 tests? That's more than the number of total guests they get per season!

should make you laugh?

[ilyf]

[jconsolmagno]

Awesome, hope to get there in late July. Would be my 6th park in 8 weekends. Great time to be an enthusiast with all the cheap hotel rooms and cheap flights!

[MisterBrow]

I am waiting to hear from someone that goes into the park before I make a reservation.

[JG-77]

Trip Report (6/8/20)

Man it has been way too long since I've ridden coasters! With the exception of the Schwarzkopf Wildcat at Adventure Park USA (which I rode a week or so ago) I hadn't been on a coaster since last September, when I rode the surprisingly good Pinfari (I think) at the MD State fair.

 

Yesterday I finally got back to amusement parks with a short 2.5 hour trip to SFA. I meant to spend more time but due to unrelated circumstances I arrived at the park later than intended.

 

Entering the Park

I made and printed my reservation the day before and drove to SFA with my sister who was coming using the $10 bring a friend deal. There was some confusion before I left home regarding her ticket, since it initially wasn't clear that the bring-a-friend ticket is tied to my membership, and does not need to be printed out.

 

Upon entering the park (around 4:30pm), just one toll booth was open, but that was enough given there were only 3-4 cars waiting and the line moved at a reasonable pace. The gate attendant scanned my membership and made sure we both had masks and a reservation, then let us through. Of the 3 parking lots at SFA, only the first one was used, and it was maybe 60% full.

 

The new front gate area looked pretty much finished, and while nothing fancy, was an certainly an improvement over the old setup of security and tickets in the same place. There was a tent set up to walk through and get temperature checked and go thorugh metal detectors, which we were able to just walk straight through.

 

On my trip there was a family going to the waterpark in front of the tent that didn't realize that you need shirt shoes and pants to walk through the front gate even if you're just going through the waterpark, and my sister and I waited around akwardly for about a minute before the employee at the gate told us to just go in front of them while they were getting dressed.

 

There was pretty much no line for tickets. They scanned my membership, and looked at (but didn't scan) my reservation, and we were both in.

 

With the exception of that one family that was having trouble, the whole entry process was swift and generally well handled.

 

Crowds and Covid Compliance

Like on a normal day, most people were here primarily for the waterpark. While I did not enter, I could see some of the queues from the parking lot, and it looked somewhat crowded, and while I couldn't tell for sure, I didn't see much distancing there from what little I saw.

 

Luckily, the dry park was very lightly populated, and we rarely had any issues distancing on the midways and paths. Plenty of sanitation stations all over. Most rides were a very short wait or walk-on, and distancing was mostly respected with one exception I'll get to later.

 

As far as mask wearing goes, all employees were wearing masks, but maybe 20% of them weren't wearing it correctly (didn't cover nose). As far as the guests, maybe about 90% of the time they were wearing masks. Of that roughly 90%, at least a quarter were wearing it incorrectly. Of that 10% not wearing masks, maybe 70% of the time they were at least socially distant, but there were a noticeable number of people not distancing and not taking masks seriously, which was disappointing, but certainly better than I've seen in reports from many other parks.

 

Regarding mask enforcement, there were periodic reminders from staff to wear masks, and they were enforcing mask wearing on rides. On roar they even stopped the ride partway up the lift because someone took their mask off.

 

There were several mask break areas (designated places away from most other people where you're allowed to take off your mask for a few min), but they were pretty easy to miss if you weren't looking in the right direction, and not too many people were using them.

 

On my visit I didn't see any sanitation of rides, but as my visit was only 2.5 hours long and I didn't spend more than 15 min at any one ride, it is very possible I just missed it. I did notice some sanitation equipment on standby on a few rides.

 

Also worth noting that all rides had clearly blocked off rows for distancing reasons except Batwing since it's seats are quite far apart already. They did make a point to have at least the very front and very back rows available for all coasters, but this did mean my favorite seat on Wild One (2nd to back) was blocked.

 

Oh, and that one exception to the whole "distancing was easy" thing I mentioned earlier: I went to Superman for a 2nd ride, but by this point the line was spilling out the station, almost nobody was distancing, and in that particular moment many people around me were wearing masks wrong or not at all, so after a couple min I decided not to give Superman a 2nd ride that day. Luckily, that was by far the worst Covid violation that day.

 

Operations

Impressively for this park, it looked like all roller coasters were running (I didn't check Mind Eraser though), however besides the spinning mouse they all ran one train. with blocked off rows. Thankfully crowds were light enough that this wasn't really an issue (as mentioned, plenty of walk-ons).

 

Dispatch times given the low crowds were generally reasonable. The only two rides I payed attention to how long it took were JJ and Batwing. On JJ, a train was sent out roughly every 2.5 min, including the ride cycle time, however on one train there was an issue with somebody not wearing a shirt which delayed that dispatch. JJ had the longest line of any ride I actually waited in at about 10 min, but people were distancing and wearing masks.

 

On Batwing (which I only needed to wait 1 cycle for), I timed the dispatch between releasing restraints to lowering the seats at about 3 min 25 sec.

 

What impressed me is a few seconds before lowering the seats, I heard a supervisor tell the ride crew (of about 6 people) "That dispatch was too slow, they should have been out of the station 10* seconds ago!" I'm really glad to see visible efforts to improve operations here, even on such a slow day!

*It sounded like he said 10 seconds, but it may have been a different number

 

As far as the other rides a rode, everything was a 1 train wait or a walk on. On Wild One, I was able to walk onto the front row and get a re-ride without leaving my seat.

 

The only flat ride I saw that was closed was down for a very interesting reason:

Yikes. I wonder how hard it would be for SFA to just kill them.

 

Mobile ordering was available for many places, but I didn't try it out. The one food item I purchased was a small Rita ice cup which I shared with my sister. Nobody was in line and service was reasonably fast. I didn't see much crowding in the other food places I walked by.

 

How well the rides were running

We rode 8 rides:

 

Wild One

Got two front row rides, was running very well as usual! This ride deserves a bit more love from the enthusiast community IMO, it's a lot of fun. My two rides both hauled, gave fun floater, and strong laterals.

 

Drop Tower

Took one ride, walked straight on. Short but has a good kick to it!

 

Riddler (Round Up Ride)

Looked nice with this year's improvements (will show later), walked straight on as the only two riders in our cycle. Before walking off, the operator told us we had to answer a riddle to get off! ("What breaks when you speak?") I won't mention the answer in case anyone reading wants to figure it out.

 

Jokers Jinx

Rode just as well as it usually does. Intense and snappy. New paint job looks great! (Will show pictures later).

 

Superman

Was running quite fast. Solid ejector as usual. Normally I like this most in the front, but because time was limited at the park I chose a row that had nobody waiting at time time. Some people had already claimed the back row as well as the closest few rows to the front, so I rode in the next closest seat to the back that was open, which was the 4th seat from the back. I actually got a little pop of air coming down the first big hill, which usually doesn't happen, especially not towards the middle of the train!

 

Batwing

Was running rather rough. Not painful, and I definitely enjoyed my (front row) ride, but that ride left me out of breath. That ride is intense, certainly the most intense ride in the park IMO. Still like it more than Superman B&M flyer clones.

 

Firebird

Rode in back right. Normally I follow the recommendation to ride in one of the two middle seats, but my sister took one of them and the other one had some drop of some sort of liquid that I wasn't interested in introducing to my pants. The first drop and loop was actually quite fun in that seat, but I did have to keep my head forward to avoid banging.

 

Roar

I got one ride on roar in a middle row. It was running...fine. Not bad, but not really good either. Maybe my opinion would be different in a different row, but that ride was probably the weakest coaster I rode that day. However it was pretty neat to see it stop on the lift so staff could tell someone to put their mask back on!

 

Changes for 2020

On my way out I took a couple very quick pictures of the new entrance:

Nothing special, but it's nice to see improvements.

By the way this doesn't replace the main ticket-checking area, it just replaces security and probably ticket purchasing, as well as presumably improving crowd management.

The Riddler Roundup ride looks way better than before. I definitely support this improvement.

I took several photos of the new paint job for Jokers Jinx!

Hula Hoops!

Looks like Harely Quinn is pretty much ready to go! Looks great.

Oh...

Well we know all SF rides are being pushed back a year anyway. Excited to ride this next year!

 

One last unrelated thing to note (and some of you may already know this) is that in order to redeem unlimited soft drinks from your platinum or higher membership, you must pick up a special red plastic bottle from guest relations at the front of the park. I wish I had realized this before arriving at the park.

 

 

Overall, I had a fun day at SFA. While it was disappointing to see many people wearing masks incorrectly and/or not distancing (including a few staff members), I was mostly able to distance, and there were plenty of sanitation. Wait times were low, and all the rides I cared about were open. I do expect to return later this summer!

[grsupercity]

Nice report! Thank you for sharing!

[MisterBrow]

I made a 1 PM reservation for today. I figured a hot Saturday and after lunch would be worst possible time.

 

No temperature checks and no metal detectors, enter the nice new entrance and one scan of my card with no line and I was inside. Quickest and easiest ever.

 

I made my usual loop and was out by 3:30 including eating. WW was down when I was back there. A black cloud made me skip BW.

 

Sanitizer at the entrance and exit of each ride. People were distanced and masked. All staff had their masks on correctly and the only people I really saw with their masks off were well away from others and moving with their group. As a society we need to nail down what you do with the mask when eating / drinking and walking.

 

I was extra aware of not touching railings etc... and my face between sanitizing so I felt OK. Riding with a mask is weird.

 

I did not see any cleaning of rides or tables which is area for improvement but, overall for this park, staff and patrons were about as good as they get.

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Surprised to hear all the positive things after I read no temperature checks. Like you said, overall, pretty good for SFA

[JG-77]

Did you have to walk through that white tent to enter? That's where they were doing temperature checks and metal detection, it was just set up so that you walk through and barely even notice that they're checking those things.

[MisterBrow]

I walked through the tent. Holy cow, how in the world does that work? Is it like a thermal camera?

 

We were back in yesterday. We saw staff cleaning railings and spraying down rides. Superman they sprayed and then sent it off empty to dry.

[JG-77]

Yep, pretty sure it's thermal cameras, along with metal detectors

[MisterBrow]

Like so much of this, why weren't we doing this stuff before?

 

Papa Johns: Contactless from our oven to your hands. Who was touching my pizza before?

[DarkRideNick]

Like so much of this, why weren't we doing this stuff before?

 

Papa Johns: Contactless from our oven to your hands. Who was touching my pizza before?

 

Bugs Bunny and his Fortnite playin' cronies!

[robbalvey]

 

Six Flags America Announces All-New HALLOWFEST Event features Halloween Thrills by Day and Scary Chills by Night

in a Safe Environment

 

UPPER MARLBORO, MARYLAND — August 17, 2020 — Six Flags America, DC’s Thrill

Capital, leads the way for Halloween thrills and chills with a new event for the entire family—

HALLOWFEST. The event will feature Thrills by Day with plenty of family-friendly activities and

Chills by Night with rides on monster coasters in the dark and haunting Halloween theming

throughout the park. HALLOWFEST will kick off October 3 and run weekends through

November 1, operating from 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. with limited capacity admission to ensure

social distancing. Reservations will be required and slots are expected to fill up quickly.

Comprehensive and ongoing safety protocols will be in effect for the entire run of the event.

 

“Our HALLOWFEST celebration represents exactly what our Members, Season Pass Holders

and guests have asked for…more opportunities to spend time together and create family

memories this year,” said Park President Rick Howarth. “This newevent will still be scary,

provide lots of thrilling rides and Halloween fun, and most importantly, will be safe for our guests

and team members. HALLOWFEST will operate the same way we have operated our parks all

summer, with daily temperature checks and face masks required for guests and team members

prior to entry, social distancing, and enhanced sanitization measures.”

 

During daylight hours, families and young thrill-seekers will experience HALLOWFEST Thrills by Day including:

 

- Back by popular demand, a Trick-or-Treat Trail with individually packaged candy and treats;

 

- Kid-centric hay bale maze in one direction along with Great Race and Tea Cups receiving a spooky, fun Halloween treatment;

 

- Four family-friendly Halloween shows, featuring verbal interaction only and no physical contact;

 

- Over-sized seasonal décor throughout the park perfect for festive family photos; and

 

- Halloween-themed specialty treats, like gooey caramel apples and funnel cakes made with Snickers candy, available for purchase.

 

For Chills by Night, creepy fog, eerie lighting, and sinister music will create the perfect backdrop for nighttime scare-actors and chills and:

 

-Six Flags’ signature collection of world-class roller coasters ramp up the fear factor for a heart-pounding HALLOWFEST experience as guests fly through the air at high speeds on SUPERMAN: Ride of Steel, Wild One and Firebird in total darkness;

 

- JOKER’S Jinx: The lights that would normally illuminate the coaster’s knot of twistedtrack will be shut off, enhancing the thrills with every turn and inversion obscured in theinky darkness;

 

- Fan favorite WONDER WOMAN Lasso of Truth – backwards in the dark;

 

- The return of four themed scare zones; and

 

- Halloween gear, such as themed masks, light-up devil horns, and scary apparel, will be

on sale along with everybody’s favorite glow-in-the-dark swords, wands and headbands.

 

Six Flags worked in partnership with its epidemiologist consultants to create a safe Halloween

experience that meets or exceeds federal, state, and local guidelines. Park attendance will be

carefully monitored to ensure social distancing and all Members, Season Pass Holders, and

guests with single-day tickets will be required to make a reservation to attend HALLOWFEST.

 

- All team members (including scare-actors) and all guests 3 years and up will be required to wear masks covering the nose and mouth while in the parks;

 

- No indoor mazes, haunted houses, or indoor shows will be operated;

 

- A limited number of nighttime scare-actors will remain at least six feet away from guestsand each other;

 

- Guests viewing outdoor entertainment will be separated by at least six feet;

 

- Props, rides, restraints, handrails, and dining and restroom facilities will be cleaned andsanitized regularly; and

 

- Multiple hand-washing and alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations will be locatedthroughout the parks for guest and team member usage.

 

For more information on HALLOWFEST and Six Flags’ comprehensive safety guidelines, visit https://www.sixflags.com/america/special-events.

[Jason Maier]

What the frick, I'll end up doing this.

 

I wonder why SFA isn't doing September weekends for Hallowfest like Great Adventure is?

[JG-77]

Visited yesterday, had a great time! Crowds were light and distancing was easy. Mask wearing varied a bit from time to time but overall was maybe 70% wearing it correctly, I was more disappointed with the number of staff members wearing their mask incorrectly, maybe 1/8 employees were wearing it wrong.

 

Impressively, most of the queues I waited in actually were adequately distanced, which was very nice to see.

 

I'm glad to report that all rides as far as I could tell were open. I arrived around 1:30 and stayed to close. Lines were very short for pretty much everything, and operations on the coasters were acceptably efficient given the low crowds. All coasters except Ragin Cajun and Wild One ran one train. Superman and Mind Eraser's other train was actually nowhere in sight. An op on Superman told me they expect the blue train to be out of service for the season, and I think I was able to spot it partly disassembled in a backstage area from Wonder Woman.

 

Harley Quinn looks like the ride itself is largely complete. The seats are installed and it looks like the platform is too. They just need to put in the operator's booth (unless I missed it) as well as landscaping and the queue line. Tip: for the best views of the construction, ride the riddler ride, you can see it up close without obstruction as you exit.

 

Both Wild One and Roar are getting fairly rough, but their still fun, and Wild One's roughness is largely because they don't let you sit in the middle rows of the front and back cars, which usually give the smoothest rides. They were both running fairly fast, which is nice.

 

Jokers Jinx, in addition is its great repaint, also has a new automated pre-ride spiel spoken by some guy doing a Joker impression, which while I'm not sure whether it will ultimately help or not, was fairly loud and easy to hear and understand.

 

I got my first front row ride on Mind Eraser (or on any SLC for that matter). The ride was snappy and intense, and while I don't mind the headbanging too much (the padding is softer than on a B&M OTSR), the shoulder restraints are really painful, and literally prevent you from putting your arms up. Vest restraints would really improve this ride.

 

I also finally did the kiddie coaster. Unfortunately, since I was riding with my sister, the seat belt (which crosses both riders) barely fit over the two of us, and the metal part dug into my gut painfully the whole ride, which made it more difficult to enjoy the surprisingly good laterals, particularly in the last turn.

 

I also rode several of the flats, and the biggest takeaway is that SFA has my favorite Scrambler I've ridden. It has a reasonable long cycle, and it runs fast. 10/10.

 

Oh, and Wild One's ACE landmark plaque has returned, now prominently positioned on a brick pedestal!

[Jason Maier]

I'm not too upset about the other ME train being out of service

 

But I wonder why the blue S:ROS train was disassembled?