Six Flags Great Adventure 4/11

[OldJJman]

/"Never go to a park for one coaster."

 

Says you!

[larrygator]

*ahem* unacceptable. Once amusement parks publishes their schedule on their website, it's final. They must keep their words. I don't expect everyone to agree with me. Just unacceptable. I got screwed just like this once and it's... *ahem* Six Flags Darien Lake. SIX FLAGS.

 

Are parks allowed to lower their prices mid-season after prices have been published on their website.

[jedimaster1227]

Has anyone ever heard of a park closing due to poor turnout?

Three words: Hard Rock Park.

 

But back to the original poster, I have to say that based on my only experience with Great Adventure, I can sympathize over the lost visit, but there isn't much you could have done.

 

During the East Coast trip, we left Great Adventure due to heavy rains, meaning that many of us didn't get our credits. Mind you, we did have the chance to go back (thanks to Robb and Elissa's amazing work), though I opted not too in favor of more time at Dorney Park. Sure, it is a shame that I didn't get to ride everything, but I wouldn't go so far as to blame it on the park.

 

I would just aim to go back eventually, and hopefully you'll have a better experience. Though the weatherman isn't always reliable, it is probably smarter planning for the next time around to heed the radar's warnings, knowing how easily Great Adventure closes up in the rain.

[Sue]

If Great Adventure does close in the rain, that's definitely something new. We've been there countless times in pouring rain with the park empty as recently as last year and they never closed early.

[coastakid]

^ Same here... hence my disappointment.

 

 

-Jon

[SharkTums]

They didn't close early because of the rain.

 

They didn't close early because the weather was clearing.

 

They closed early due to very few people in the park because most people stayed home due to the early bad weather!

 

As much as we enthusiasts hate this, it's a necessary evil. Deal with it, move on!

[robbalvey]

^^ & ^^^

 

Quoting myself from earlier in this thread:

 

I know for a fact that park looks at the weather forecasts, the current weather conditions, the current park attendance, compiles all that data and then has to make a call as to if it makes sense to stay open or not.

 

Perhaps on all your previous visits when they chose to stay open all this data was added together it made sense to stay open.

 

Again, I'm just saying, I don't think the park got together and planned to close the park *JUST* to f**k you guys over (which is kind of what your rant implies), I do think there was some thought put into it, and it probably was a business decision that made sense, no matter how much it sucked.

 

BTW, Sue, the park closed early the weekend Nitro opened. So it's not like this has *never* happened before. I also want to say we had one other visit where the park closed early, but I honestly can't remember if that was SFGadv or SFNE. It was one of the two parks and it was back in '01 or '02. I'm willing to bet they would have also closed early during our visit in 2008 but they had a concert that night, and I'm *sure* had they not had that event, there is no way the park would have stayed open.

 

Again, that visit in 2008 the data = "keep the park open" because of the concert and the additional revenue an event like that can generate.

 

On a day like today, you close the park the sum of all the data = "Potential loss of revenue."

 

We keep saying things over and over again, can we PLEASE go back to discussing cheese? That was far more interesting.

 

--Robb

[YoshiFan]

They closed the park 3 days in a row early in September last year. Friday was a SP holder only night, they closed 2 1/2 hours early (only a 5 hour event), the next day they closed at 4 instead of 10, the day after they closed a few hours early.

 

I went to the SP holder event, I wasn't that upset because I got 23 rides in 2 1/4 hours but plenty of people were, who drove to the park after they called and were told the park would be open until 10 and didn't get on any rides because they got there too late(it was raining all day, the park was only open from 5 - 10 for SP holders but cleared up around 6). A little over 400 people were there that night.

 

As much as I hate seeing the park closing early, I know that in April, May, September and possibly October and even the summer for that matter, I will not to go to the park if bad weather is forecasted.

 

I'm not even sure what to do about tomorrow. It is going to be in the upper 40's with 15 - 20 mph winds. The park is closed for a buyout but open to SP holders as well. I don't think they will close early but I know it is possible so if I do go, I am getting there early.

 

I just wish they would update the website when the park closes early. The day the park closed at 4 instead of 10, it still said the park was open until 10 at 6:00. If I was going to go to the park (it wasn't raining that much at that point) and checked the website I would have thought it was open.

[pianojohn]

When I went to Hard Rock Park last year, they closed about 5 hours early due to extremely low crowds. As in MAYBE 10 cars in the parking lot.

 

Sorry....such is life.

[coastakid]

Alright. Thanks everyone and I know the park didn't close purposely to aggravate me ;p Anything I said [besides the fryers and cheese ] was entirely out of being upset at the park with their choice today.

 

I know Six Flags isn't the most perfectly well-run company in the world, but I know it certainly is not the least: and I give them thanks for actually beginning to care about their customers.

 

Moral of the story = Don't listen to people on the phone/weather reports and stay away at the slightest threat of rain.

 

[bTW, Nathan's cheese is not nearly as good as Johnny Rockets and I was thoroughly disappointed opening day that they did not have any.]

 

-Jon

[Big Mike]

Heck, if they would have pulled this stuff with me when I visited and closed the park, I would have went right over to Angel Aristone and demanded she went out to the movies and dinner with me!

 

 

Peace, Big Mike

 

 

PS -

 

--Robb "Although there really is no excuse for running out of cheese..." Alvey = Top notch comedy!

[kidcoaster 2]

Most parks do that due to operating costs. I know Conneaut and Waldameer do it when they have too. I was at SFOG two weekends ago they closed the park at 12 but let us stay till 6 with limited operations. You just have to look at it like this.

 

In the cast of SF Gr Adv.

 

Lets say

 

12 coasters running = about 3-4 staff members each. So about 48 staff members just for the coasts plus about 18 additional for the Flats so about 56 Staff for just the rides. Add Food Staff members and games Security, Maintmence, EMT, Sweeps, and additional Staff so about 130-150 staff for that day well you would have to pay all of them plus costs of Food and Utilitys for about 30 people just is not worth it. That would be a horrible way to run a park. It would go down faster than Wild West World.

 

It is a bit odd they would not Refund your parking I suggest Calling the park and talking to someone there about it.

[Tchu]

I think the issue here isn't whether the park should have closed early or if the gave "mis-information", the problem to me, is in the way it was handled.

 

Six Flags has the right to close their park when they see fit. Be that because of weather, because of an empty park, or because they ran outta cheese and are afraid of a revolt.

 

And it's smart business to close a park that no one is coming to visit. That's thousands and thousands of saved dollars. But it's also smart business to take care of your customers and do what you can to make-up for their inconveniences. The parks should have offered a free ticket to each guest (especially when your closing specifically b/c there's next to no one visiting). The park should have refunded parking.

 

It's not a matter of what Six Flags is allowed to do. They can put fine print all over their ads, tickets, season passes etc... you can write "parking is non-refundable" right on a pass, and that covers your butt; however, it doesn't mean that a company shouldn't go ahead and refund parking for a whopping ten or twenty cars who got just enough time to park, walk through the gates and be turned around.

 

It's good business to close your park when operating for the day is going to cost you lots and lots of money. I don't blame Six Flags for cancelling at all. The weather was bad, and sounded like it was going to at least threaten to be that way all day.

 

But I do think it's in entirely poor form not offer parking refunds, free one-day admission tickets etc.

 

It seems to me that such an offer to the few dozen people who braved the weather and paid hard earned cash to enjoy the park, would have been the best of both worlds.

 

-Save money by closing an empty park.

-Save face and reputation (and thus, money from customers down the road) by offering a reasonable 'apology' for the inconvienence in the form a few free tickets/refunds.

[dj snow]

I have to imagine the park would have offered some sort of compensation, be it a comp ticket or parking refund, to those who asked. I've seen this park hand out comps at Guest Relations to crowds of people under similar circumstances.

 

Remember: "You don't ask, you don't get!"

[robbalvey]

I have to imagine the park would have offered some sort of compensation, be it a comp ticket or parking refund, to those who asked. I've seen this park hand out

You're absolutely right. During our East Coast 2008 visit everyone walking out of the park was handed a comp ticket due to all the rides closed in the rain...even though they kept the park open as scheduled!

 

I simply don't believe they wouldn't have given you some sort of compensation.

 

--Robb

[Mr.Six]

This thread makes my head hurt!

[matt_g]

Do you know anything about employement? This can happen at ANY job!

 

Well, I've never worked in a theme park but it doesn't happen in any job. I've had jobs that were paid hourly where staff would just get a bit of an easier time on quiet days to make up for the busy periods. If you want committed staff then you need to offer them job security. That's the reason that more valuable staff have salaries and notice periods. (Don't get me wrong, I understand that that has to be weighed up against cost - but I would personally only choose to work for someone who might send me home at any time if I didn't have any alternative)

 

In terms of annoying customers though, I don't think it's hard to understand why they would close when the costs of staying open for a small number of people would be very high. "The customer is always right" is all very well as a nice phrase but in practice buisness decisions do sometimes need to about saving money, especially if the company's struggling. It would have been much friendlier of them to have someone stnading by the entrance apologising and handing out free tickets and parking refunds though. That wouldn't have been expensive and gives a much better impression than waiting for people to ask.

 

Cheese is tasty.

[coastakid]

I have to imagine the park would have offered some sort of compensation, be it a comp ticket or parking refund, to those who asked. I've seen this park hand out

You're absolutely right. During our East Coast 2008 visit everyone walking out of the park was handed a comp ticket due to all the rides closed in the rain...even though they kept the park open as scheduled!

 

I simply don't believe they wouldn't have given you some sort of compensation.

 

--Robb

 

I wrote an e-mail to the park once I got home, and am hoping for some sort of response.

[robbalvey]

Do you know anything about employement? This can happen at ANY job!

 

Well, I've never worked in a theme park but it doesn't happen in any job. I've had jobs that were paid hourly where staff would just get a bit of an easier time on quiet days to make up for the busy periods. If you want committed staff then you need to offer them job security. That's the reason that more valuable staff have salaries and notice periods. (Don't get me wrong, I understand that that has to be weighed up against cost - but I would personally only choose to work for someone who might send me home at any time if I didn't have any alternative)

It might just be a cultural difference working in the UK versus the US then. Basically almost 90% of your park staff is going to be hourly, seasonal employees. There are very few "salary positions" in a job like that. And that's with all parks, not just Six Flags. Same thing goes with most retail, shopping malls, restaurants, etc.

 

You don't really get salaried jobs in the US unless you are in management or a more "professional" atmopshere.

 

This is why many US industries have unions, etc, so they can't just tell an auto worker to go home an hour after they get there.

 

Most jobs though, where it's majority of 16 to 20 year olds don't have unions.

 

--Robb

[matt_g]

It might just be a cultural difference working in the UK versus the US then.

 

All interesting stuff to know, and from what you say I think you might be right about cultural differences - but I've probably also been relatively lucky to have worked in places with guaranteed work. I'm sure there are some people over here in a similar position.

 

I'm not sure we necessarily have quite such a distinction between hourly and salaried workers - I've had jobs (and I mean part time in shops or summer work as a student, definitely not anything professional) that were paid hourly but with standard hours written in my contract (with overtime sometimes available, and with no union involved) and I don't think that's especially unusual.

 

Anyway, this has got horribly off topic so I will go and eat some cheese or something. Squeak.

[Meteornotes]

can we PLEASE go back to discussing cheese? That was far more interesting.

 

Fun fact: Wegman's cheese department is larger than my old apartment. That's a crapload of cheese on display!

 

dt

[GatorChris]

(Post removed by user)

[robbalvey]

^ That deserves a BRAVO!!!

 

 

Let me highlight what I feel was the most important thing GatorChris said:

As enthusiasts, we need to understand (especially now) that unless Six Flags makes decisions in the shareholders best interests (such as, closing early a park where labor costs would far exceed any revenue generated by poor attendance), then there will be more Astroworld's or Geauga Lake's. That's the bottom line.

[Mr.Six]

GatorChris you nailed it! Couldn't agree with you more! Cheers to sanity on the board!

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

How did this thread grow to ten pages in 11 hours?