Six Flags New England (SFNE) Discussion Thread

[sros1fan]

Brad said: Just be happy they aren't promoting this as a thrill ride like Dark Knight.

 

Well according to their rides page they are listing it as a thrill ride.

 

SFNE draws between 1.4 and 1.7 million visiters a year depending on the weather, and this summer has been rain free. There is no way they should be putting a ride like this into a park that is surrounded by some of the richest states in the country. In no way will that coaster boost attendance at the park and that should be the goal of any business if they want to survive.

[dellice45]

The only thing this coaster is going to do is make attendance go down along with the new parking rules & rapping everybody for every cent they have. Stock holders will be upset when they didnt reach goals next season, if they are smart they will remove CEO , COO and anybody else pulling strings for this crap to happen they have no business being at Six FLags, every park these guys have touched turned to crap now a whole chain is going down in flames !!!!!

[vacoaster09]

^I'm sorry but SFNE didn't add anything but a new Johnny Rockets and a Mr. Six's Splash Island and our attendance for this season has hit record numbers and we aren't even done with the season yet. So I don't know what you are implying. As far as New England Six Flags is doing something right that's keeping people coming. This season has been a very good season. Just because we don't have a new huge roller coaster. The coaster will still be NEW to the GP and they will enjoy it. The majority of the parks thrill rides don't cater to families. U have to be 52 - 54 inches to ride most of the bigger rides. This is going to be another hit with families. If you know the line that we have for Pandemonium then expect the same for this coaster. Also this ride is cost effective as the foundation has already been laid for the ride all thats left is erection of the ride and wiring and theming. Gridiron challenge is hitting the dust and Blitz is moving to the South side of the park.

[Jerrykoala2112]

I think the GP will like it more than the Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was an indoor coaster that no one knew anything about, and you had many people expecting a super fast thrill ride inside. At least this mousy will be outside where people can judge the coaster before they ride....

[blade1]

Brad said: Just be happy they aren't promoting this as a thrill ride like Dark Knight.

 

Well according to their rides page they are listing it as a thrill ride.

 

SFNE draws between 1.4 and 1.7 million visiters a year depending on the weather, and this summer has been rain free. There is no way they should be putting a ride like this into a park that is surrounded by some of the richest states in the country. In no way will that coaster boost attendance at the park and that should be the goal of any business if they want to survive.

 

Any ideas why this park doesn't get attendance numbers like GAm, GAd, or MM? Is it too far away, in a bad location, or is there too much competition nearby?

[StrataKirby]

Brad said: Just be happy they aren't promoting this as a thrill ride like Dark Knight.

 

Well according to their rides page they are listing it as a thrill ride.

 

SFNE draws between 1.4 and 1.7 million visiters a year depending on the weather, and this summer has been rain free. There is no way they should be putting a ride like this into a park that is surrounded by some of the richest states in the country. In no way will that coaster boost attendance at the park and that should be the goal of any business if they want to survive.

 

Any ideas why this park doesn't get attendance numbers like GAm, GAd, or MM? Is it too far away, in a bad location, or is there too much competition nearby?

 

I'd say combination of all 3. It's 2 hours from Boston and 2+ from NYC, it mainly attracts people from suburban MA and CT i think.

 

Family living in NYC:

 

"Hey, son, do you want to go to SFNE where they have the world's number 1 roller coaster?"

"Sure dad!"

"What about SFGAd where they have FIVE awesome roller coasters? They're the same distance from us!"

"That sounds even better!"

 

Plus, if it got attendance like SFGAd/SFGAm, i would never go. The park is simply not big enough for that kind of crowd on a regular basis. I don't go on Saturdays anymore for this reason.

[acq10uaz]

^Which would why adding a higher capacity coaster would be good rather than a low capacity coaster like the mouse from KK. The lines are going to be outrageous because of its capacity, and the fact that its next to Bizarro.

 

A high capacity coaster would eat up lines but the only rides in the park that eat up lines are Bizarro and Batman. That piece of land this mouse is going in could be a good piece of land where a euro fighter could go. However it just seems like to me that its being wasted. Sure I like how Six Flags is still going family friendly and all but SFNE has been going over the top with it.

 

Pandemonium and Typhoon in 2005 which are family friendly. Pandemonium is also a varient of a mouse

Catapult and Splash Water Falls in 2006. Catapult being the only thrill

Wiggles World and Thomas Town in 2007-Both for families

Glow in the Park Parade-2008 is or families to stay late in the park to spend money

Bizarro in 2009 but its just a retheme and not new. But I'll count it as another thrill

Mr. Six's Splash Island in 2010 - kiddie water park

 

I'm not trying to sound like a complainer but the family end of the park is all set. On Twitter it was said that a guest survey called for a family coaster. What about Pandemonium, Thunderbolt, and Catwomen's Whip? I'll be happy with the mouse because a coaster is a coaster but I'm curious to see where they are coming from on this one.

Edited September 2, 2010 by acq10uaz

[blade1]

Wow, it's that far from Boston? I would have only guessed an hour, hour+.

[dellice45]

I agree the Kiddie/Family offerings over saturated the park. They are all set for many many many years to come, the reason why people came to the park was the season pass price of 54.99. That is the only reason attendance is higher, thats why season passes are only 59.99 to do the same thing and you would think with the extra money the park made it would have been nice to throw a flat with this carnival coaster.

 

Don't get me wrong I love SFNE, its my home park along with Lake Compounce. I just feel that this whole family thing is out of hand and if they do not lower food prices families will not eat there either, My cousins family of 5 wont eat there too much money. I know many families that wont eat there even with 1 kid because its a rip off for 9.99 for a cheeseburger & Fries, then another 3.50 for a drink.

 

They are making it so that a family can basically just go on rides. You wack them 15 to park, 40+ for a meal, what if they have to buy tickets easily a 300-400 dollar day.

 

This coaster should have been put in 3 years ago, it failed so move on get creative and bring something else in, there are many coasters they could have put in that would have suited thrill seekers and families.

 

Anybody who defends a 10 year old piece of crap needs to have their head examined . The coaster community is already telling their friends that are GP about the coaster so by the time next year rolls around people are going to know. As for the long line..lol at first yes, it will die off quickly as people go I like Pandemonium a lot better

[Jerrykoala2112]

Oh noes!! The ride does not fit your needs!!! Does not appeal to you!! Six Flags must have made a HUGE mistake!!

 

Seriously, SFGAm, SFA, SFSTl, and SFOT haven't gotten any huge coasters recently, but people flock to the parks *maybe SFA..* because of the family additions they are adding. Cheer up.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Jerrykoala2112

[acq10uaz]

^Didn't SFOG just add Goliath in 2006 though?

 

SFGAm is 45 outside of Chicago with no competition, to a certain degree, and Six Flags is marketing their water park as the best in the nation.

 

SFA is dead on weekends and weekdays. Everything is a walk on and never has a line, ever. I don't know why you mentioned it.

 

SFSTL and SFNE get about the same attendance. As for SFSTL not getting an huge coasters recently, they just got Tony Hawk and Evel Knievel, which could be bringing people to the park. There water park also got Wahoo Racer, a thrill in my eyes. SFNE's direct competitor is Lake Compounce, who is adding a thrill ride this year actually.

 

Like I said above a coaster is a coaster. I'm happy with it. We would have had a mirrored, indoor version of it anyways in '08. I just hope it is themed well and they don't market it as a thrill ride.

[Pgrindle]

There has been a lot of backlash regarding the decision to install this coaster. Six Flags New England facebook page has been lit up with people complaining about it. I can see both sides of the argument. On one side you have to look at the business aspect. The park was going to install the Dark Knight and things did not work out. There was a lot of finger pointing because of it. The park blamed the town and the town stated the park was to blame for moving early with out a permit. The park pulled the plug on the attraction and lost a major new attraction that was promoted heavily. Now they have an opportunity to install a similar ride very cheaply. All they have to do is some site work prep and install the coaster. This is a logical move for the company that is just trying to right itself after bankruptcy. The park gets a “new” attraction and market it towards the family demographic. I think the biggest key here is how they will approach theming the ride. I would say it will be a big disappointment if they just plop it down and not theme it something to fit in the area.

 

I think a lot of the disappointment that is going around is the expectation that the 50th anniversary was going to be big and that it was rumored that every park was going to get something. Again looking at the business side of things, a new management team has been installed and I think things were changed. It would be interested to see if this coaster was originally planned for the park or it was a last minute change. The speculations that I was hearing was that this coaster was going to the Great Escape possibly to fill the void the Nightmare left.

 

I can see the disappointment that some fans have a expressed regarding the aggressive installation of family attractions and not thrill ones. Its has been awhile and you see other park in the chain get something new you start to wonder. It has been awhile since the Northeast parks (Great Escape, La Ronde, Six Flags New England) received something new and not a hand me down from another park. Hopefully this will change down the road and we will get something unique. We still have a good selection of coasters and huge water park that does eat a lot of people up during the afternoons. The park does a good job getting decent concerts that attract a lot of people. Will the decision to install a used mouse coaster prevent me from buying a seasons pass. No, as I still see the value of the pass and there are still plenty to do.

[sros1fan]

Since the new management has taken over lets see what they have done so far!

 

1- Got rid of Shapiro and replaced him with someone less qualified

2- Fired 4 park GMs and replaced them

3 Cut park hours

4 Cancelled the glow in the park parade which was scheduled to run till Labor day

5 Raised food prices during the season

6 Making the 2011 season parking passes only good for parking at home parks

7 Cancelled Holiday in the park

8 changed location of The wild mouse from TGE to SFNE and now no new attraction for TGE

 

Seems to me they are doing everything they can to piss the customers off. IMO all these negatives will have a huge impact in season pass sales and attendance for the 2011 season!

Edited September 3, 2010 by sros1fan

[DOCTOR DOOM!!!]

Look at my Avatar!!!

[Airtime&Gravity]

There has been a lot of backlash regarding the decision to install this coaster. Six Flags New England facebook page has been lit up with people complaining about it.

 

The majority who would comment on SFNE's Facebook are probably teens and young adults who will complain about anything added that isn't a giant coaster, and even then, they'll still complain. For example, when Chang track showed up at SFGAM, people on Facebook complained, then after Chang was canceled, the same people complained again. You shouldn't base public opinion of a theme parks upcoming attraction off of a Facebook page. The posts generally aren't well thought out, and those complaining will probably still visit the park next year.

 

Face it, and it isn't just in this topic, Six Flags can't just build roller coasters, and you(those complaining) can't get upset and think parks should base their additions around the wants of coaster enthusiasts and other thrill seekers. This means not complaining if your home park has added family attractions recently or doesn't add thrill rides every or every other year.

 

 

End rant

 

 

It is nice to see the rides that could be moved by Six Flags being sent to other parks, and it is nice that this will be sent to a park that hasn't added a new coaster in a while, although SFA is probably more deserving. It'll be interesting to see what Six Flags does with this ride, and hopefully Six Flags puts some effort in to it instead of just placing it in an open area. With Six Flags now out of bankruptcy and a new change in management, I hope they now have the ability to theme rides with something other than signs. Also, Road Runner Express was pretty rough when I rode it, so hopefully Six Flags works on that.

[sros1fan]

^ How will they theme a mouse coaster? It will just get a quick paint job and slapped in TDKs spot and named after a superhero or villian and that is the extent of the theming.Im even willing to bet they dont add a single rider line which will make its capacity even worse.

[StrataKirby]

Face it, and it isn't just in this topic, Six Flags can't just build roller coasters, and you(those complaining) can't get upset and think parks should base their additions around the wants of coaster enthusiasts and other thrill seekers. This means not complaining if your home park has added family attractions recently or doesn't add thrill rides every or every other year.

 

 

It is nice to see the rides that could be moved by Six Flags being sent to other parks, and it is nice that this will be sent to a park that hasn't added a new coaster in a while, although SFA is probably more deserving. It'll be interesting to see what Six Flags does with this ride, and hopefully Six Flags puts some effort in to it instead of just placing it in an open area. With Six Flags now out of bankruptcy and a new change in management, I hope they now have the ability to theme rides with something other than signs. Also, Road Runner Express was pretty rough when I rode it, so hopefully Six Flags works on that.

 

However, SFNE hasn't added a thrill ride since 2002. That's 8 years. All we got was Pandemonium and "Bizarro". As of now, it only has 2 good thrill rides that have re-ridability, Bizarro and Batman (Mind Eraser and Cyclone = no).

 

Family-oriented rides are fine. The main problem I, and I think many others, have with it is we JUST got Pandemonium a couple years ago (a family spinning wild mouse). It's fun, I like it. We don't need another wild mouse, especially one that won't be nearly as good as Pandemonium. Pandemonium was a great addition, it fills out the area over there along with Cyclone, Flashback, and Blizzard River. This new wild mouse isn't going to do anything except piss people with higher expectations off. I'm just not getting why they couldn't invest in something slightly better if they wanted to reduce lines in the area. They have plenty of room in DC superheroes or to the north of Bizarro for a compact invert or something. They can get rid of that stupid football field and the stupid bungee ball thing that you have to pay 35 dollars for. A Superman:UF or Batman: TR would fit nicely into the area, i'd much rather that than a hand-me-down from KK.

 

Maybe SF just needs time to screw their heads back in place, but this definitely was NOT a good choice, from a coaster-enthusiast point of view, from a GP point of view, and for the company itself.

[ajc47]

Since the new management has taken over lets see what they have done so far!

 

1- Got rid of Shapiro and replaced him with someone less qualified

2- Fired 4 park GMs and replaced them

3 Cut park hours

4 Cancelled the glow in the park parade which was scheduled to run till Labor day

5 Raised food prices during the season

6 Making the 2011 season parking passes only good for parking at home parks

7 Cancelled Holiday in the park

8 changed location of The wild mouse from TGE to SFNE and now no new attraction for TGE

 

Seems to me they are doing everything they can to piss the customers off. IMO all these negatives will have a huge impact in season pass sales and attendance for the 2011 season!

 

Sounds like Six Flags is pulling a Cedar Fair.

[Solid Gold]

I know complaining about new additions to parks is slowly being disallowed and all, but really, this one is the pits. SFNE is probably the Six Flags park (of the parks without mice coasters) that could use this coaster the least, and I definitely DO believe the general public won't be happy with it.

[Canobie Coaster]

While I personally wish that a mouse coaster was not added, I actually feel that it is a good addition for the park AS LONG as they market it as a family attraction. Sure we have Pandemonium, but the general public will notice a difference between that and Pandemonium. One spins and the other doesn't. As a result, it is a better coaster for kids to ride after they have been on The Great Chase and Catwoman's Whip. Honestly, Six Flags was going to send this to one Six Flags Park, and while I wish that the Six Flags closest to me got something different, I am not at all shocked since we essentially we supposed to get this ride 2 years ago.

[Thrillride93]

From a fan perspective I hate this addition but from a business perspective I agree with it. Although this park has a lot of empty spaces from flats taken out over the last few years. The spider and rodeo spots are empty and could fit two average sized flats. The double trouble and chaos spots also have a bathroom and a basketball game on them and the Time Warp spot is a garden although theres not much you could fit in there.

[acq10uaz]

There is also an empty spot near Pandemonium where the zero-g trampolines used to be. Not nearly as bad at GAdv or MM but its noticeable.

 

I think they should put the mouse in Thomas Town since TT is always dead since everything is a repeat ride of another ride in either Looney Tunes Movietown or Wiggles World, so a wild mouse, a good family attraction would draw a ton of people in there. Thats just my opinion though. Maybe it could open up a path from Thomas Town to Kontiki so the park isn't so full of dead ends.

[alpengeist04]

Sure we have Pandemonium, but the general public will notice a difference between that and Pandemonium. One spins and the other doesn't.

 

You mean one is a decent coaster and the other is a boring waste of space, right?

[acq10uaz]

I've heard from a couple people that Bizarro's flame cannons are now gone.

[Hayzle]

If the flame cannons are gone then Six Flags is admitting that the Bizzarro transformation was a failure. Ten Million wasted for the win?