Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

I think we all saw this one coming, or at least I did.

 

And this is what makes you better than the rest of us. Not only did you see this coming, but you had the humility to point it out to the rest of us idiots who were hoping otherwise. I'm sure with this cavalier ammount of hubris in your arsenal, you will make fast friends of everyone you meet, and greatly impress peers and future employers. The skys the limit for you young man! Keep up the great work. You're making your generation proud!

 

And you sound like a blast to be around too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is good that they are delaying to make sure they are safe. Two days of testing would be a tight squeeze, and when it comes to a coaster, there is no such thing as too much testing.

 

Alternatively, Six Flags could avoid disappointments to media outlets and guests and travellers by actually starting construction at a normal time. I mean, how many Six Flags rides get delayed each year? Meanwhile, you've got coasters like I-305, built through three blizzards and torrential downpours, that open as-scheduled.

 

I understand that delays happen - I work on engineering projects too. I just don't see how a company like Six Flags can be so willing to promise opening days year after year and consistently fail to meet them. Either announce an opening day of June 21 for every new ride, or start groundwork earlier. No decent business (or contractor, whoever it is that they keep using) should feel that it's acceptable to provide products so late so reliably.

 

How do you know that this is Six Flag's fault and not RMC? Maybe RMC made a promise on a date they couldn't meet. Either way, it's really not that big of a deal. I'd try to get a little more experience in the engineering/construction world, before passing harsh judgements like that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is good that they are delaying to make sure they are safe. Two days of testing would be a tight squeeze, and when it comes to a coaster, there is no such thing as too much testing.

 

Alternatively, Six Flags could avoid disappointments to media outlets and guests and travellers by actually starting construction at a normal time. I mean, how many Six Flags rides get delayed each year? Meanwhile, you've got coasters like I-305, built through three blizzards and torrential downpours, that open as-scheduled.

 

I understand that delays happen - I work on engineering projects too. I just don't see how a company like Six Flags can be so willing to promise opening days year after year and consistently fail to meet them. Either announce an opening day of June 21 for every new ride, or start groundwork earlier. No decent business (or contractor, whoever it is that they keep using) should feel that it's acceptable to provide products so late so reliably.

 

How do you know that this is Six Flag's fault and not RMC? Maybe RMC made a promise on a date they couldn't meet. Either way, it's really not that big of a deal. I'd try to get a little more experience in the engineering/construction world, before passing harsh judgements like that.

You have to look at recent history to get an idea. I'm not going to blame Six Flags, RMC, or winter, but Six Flags isn't known to meet deadlines, even Memorial Day deadlines. Even this year, Zumanjaro is delayed, Ragin Cajun is delayed (which is completely beyond me- a relocated wild mouse, for God sakes), just to name a few. Cedar Fair (as an example because they are a similar business) meets deadlines (usually opening day) much more consistently than Six Flags. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't think it's totally out of line to blame Six Flags on this one. If RMC promised Memorial Day, or even before June, they wouldn't have waited as along as they did anticipating a harsh winter. You have to slow some space in the schedule for snow days, Especially in the Midwest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's the Patron Saint Of Positivity, prozach!

 

Anyway, the only strange part to me is how bold the GM of the park was being when questioned (as recently as a week or so ago) about not being able to hit the deadline. I wonder if something fairly major went wrong, recently, or if he was just mistaken in being as reassuring as he was being?

 

There are so many moving parts when it comes to any construction project - scheduling/setting goals is a very tough part of the job. I think many people like to simply state "hey, move the start date up a month or two" and consider that the answer --- I thought, over the years, that I've read that they stick pretty tight to their budgets/fiscal year release of funds etc. So if their accounting department doesn't have final budgets done, and monies for next year's expenditures, aren't completely solidified they're simply not going to "get started early". Seems easy enough.

 

Anyway, seems like the PR end of it could have been a bit better -- but, what are you going to do? Seems like they had great intentions, and perhaps they could have been more realistic a couple weeks ago, but overall most here have seen the incredible progress made (and the insane hours worked) to get this thing done. Undoubtedly some of the scheduling and build time issues will iron themselves out as RMC continues to motor along.

 

Here's a fun shot: back when they started building Z-Force (on this same plot of land), they had to move the train station to fit it in. Here's a pic (from greatamericaparks.com user tech services 1) showing parts of Z-Force on the ground, with the relocated train station in the back.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you know that this is Six Flag's fault and not RMC? Maybe RMC made a promise on a date they couldn't meet. Either way, it's really not that big of a deal. I'd try to get a little more experience in the engineering/construction world, before passing harsh judgements like that.

 

Because it's an occurrence that's Six Flags-wide and doesn't depend on the manufacturer. And because those same companies are consistently able to provide rides on-schedule to other parks and chains. I mean, let's be honest here: Six Flags failed to open a little old relocated B&M on-time two years ago (or a wild mouse making the same trip this season), and I doubt B&M (or Reverchon) had anything at all to do with that. Their track record really speaks for itself.

 

Speaking of track records, how many SF projects are actually open as of Memorial Day (which is already 1-2 months behind other parks' openings)? I know Rajun Cajun isn't, nor is Zumanjaro, Goliath, Medusa, or either set of Blasters. If you don't think there's a problem here when a chain consistently fails to meet the latest opening date of their entire country's parks, I'm not sure what would be a problem for you.

 

You're right in that I don't know the source of the delays for Goliath, but if you expect me to just lend a blind eye to the rest of Six Flags' downfalls when it comes to construction schedules to accept that it was all the weather...nope.

Edited by coasterfreak101
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to slow some space in the schedule for snow days, Especially in the Midwest.

 

It's worth noting how historically bad the winter was in the Midwest. It was simultaneously the third-coldest and third-snowiest winter in Chicago history. Chicago hadn't seen temperatures that low in 20 years, and hadn't seen that much snowfall in 35 years. This was truly a once-in-a-generation type of winter, and not something you plan for on an annual basis.

 

That said, there could have been plenty of other things that contributed to the delayed opening, but if ever there was a year that weather was a perfectly valid excuse, it was this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to look at recent history to get an idea. I'm not going to blame Six Flags, RMC, or winter, but Six Flags isn't known to meet deadlines, even Memorial Day deadlines. Even this year, Zumanjaro is delayed, Ragin Cajun is delayed (which is completely beyond me- a relocated wild mouse, for God sakes), just to name a few. Cedar Fair (as an example because they are a similar business) meets deadlines (usually opening day) much more consistently than Six Flags. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't think it's totally out of line to blame Six Flags on this one. If RMC promised Memorial Day, or even before June, they wouldn't have waited as along as they did anticipating a harsh winter. You have to slow some space in the schedule for snow days, Especially in the Midwest.

 

California's Great America- Gold Striker opened late.

Canada's Wonderland- Wonder Mountain's Guardian opened late.

Carowinds- Their waterpark opened last weekend. The new slides aren't ready yet. The new dining/show hall isn't ready yet.

Cedar Point- Maverick, Shoot the Rapids, and Windseeker all opened late.

Dorney Park- Demon Drop, a relocated ride, opened in July 2010. Possessed opened late too, and it was removed from Geauga Lake over a year before it opened at Dorney. Their waterpark opened last weekend and the new slides weren't finished when it opened.

Kings Dominion- Dominator opened Memorial Day weekend in 2008. It was relocated.

Kings Island- Windseeker opened in June 2011

Knott's Berry Farm- Xcelerator opened late. Windseeker opened late. The refurbished Camp Snoopy/Calico Mine Ride doesn't open for nearly three more weeks.

Worlds of Fun- Steelhawk still hasn't opened. It's a relocated ride.

 

 

It's not just a Six Flags problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to look at recent history to get an idea. I'm not going to blame Six Flags, RMC, or winter, but Six Flags isn't known to meet deadlines, even Memorial Day deadlines. Even this year, Zumanjaro is delayed, Ragin Cajun is delayed (which is completely beyond me- a relocated wild mouse, for God sakes), just to name a few. Cedar Fair (as an example because they are a similar business) meets deadlines (usually opening day) much more consistently than Six Flags. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't think it's totally out of line to blame Six Flags on this one. If RMC promised Memorial Day, or even before June, they wouldn't have waited as along as they did anticipating a harsh winter. You have to slow some space in the schedule for snow days, Especially in the Midwest.

 

California's Great America- Gold Striker opened late.

Canada's Wonderland- Wonder Mountain's Guardian opened late.

Carowinds- Their waterpark opened last weekend. The new slides aren't ready yet. The new dining/show hall isn't ready yet.

Cedar Point- Maverick, Shoot the Rapids, and Windseeker all opened late.

Dorney Park- Demon Drop, a relocated ride, opened in July 2010. Possessed opened late too, and it was removed from Geauga Lake over a year before it opened at Dorney. Their waterpark opened last weekend and the new slides weren't finished when it opened.

Kings Dominion- Dominator opened Memorial Day weekend in 2008. It was relocated.

Kings Island- Windseeker opened in June 2011

Knott's Berry Farm- Xcelerator opened late. Windseeker opened late. The refurbished Camp Snoopy/Calico Mine Ride doesn't open for nearly three more weeks.

Worlds of Fun- Steelhawk still hasn't opened. It's a relocated ride.

 

 

It's not just a Six Flags problem.

 

 

Plus All the following Attractions that haven't opened yet:

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Falcon's Fury

Diagon Alley

Aqua Drag Racers

Chima Waterpark

 

 

I do not like this trend of rides opening late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who is to say a ride opens late? It's generally an arbitrary date placed by marketing/pr who is sure to rarely check with site mgmt on a regular basis, handed an estimated date which is then in turn treated as gospel. The end result, 'delays' happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to slow some space in the schedule for snow days, Especially in the Midwest.

 

It's worth noting how historically bad the winter was in the Midwest. It was simultaneously the third-coldest and third-snowiest winter in Chicago history. Chicago hadn't seen temperatures that low in 20 years, and hadn't seen that much snowfall in 35 years. This was truly a once-in-a-generation type of winter, and not something you plan for on an annual basis.

 

That said, there could have been plenty of other things that contributed to the delayed opening, but if ever there was a year that weather was a perfectly valid excuse, it was this year.

 

I think it's very fair to cut them some slack for missing Memorial Day originally, but I'm much more skeptical of any reasons for missing this week - there's no reason it should have taken them so long to figure it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see that year-round parks like in Florida or South California have to built new rides at some time during the year and you are always "too early" for an attraction no matter when you will visit.

 

But seasonal parks better get their rides ready by season start - or announce them to be two-years like Liseberg (Helix), Hansa-Park (Kärnan) or Kolmarden (Wildfire).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/