Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

Six Flags always takes a long time with the new rides. I'm betting that even the Fireballs won't open until Memorial Day.

[Genx24]

It's all just a marketing campaign. Of course the ride could open with the park, but that isn't best for business. They'd rather you visit the park early, see the new attraction being installed and buy a season pass to go back when it's finished. I think the last new addition to open with the park was Nitro. That was 15 years ago.

[boldikus]

I'm not getting excited for opening until the giant HAHAHA sign goes up. #priorities

[Jcoaster]

I'm not getting excited until I see a car filled with people traveling up the lift hill.

[DirkFunk]

It's all just a marketing campaign. Of course the ride could open with the park, but that isn't best for business. They'd rather you visit the park early, see the new attraction being installed and buy a season pass to go back when it's finished. I think the last new addition to open with the park was Nitro. That was 15 years ago.

 

That is terrible rationale. Promoting a new ride that you know isn't going to be running is always, always a bad idea. Six Flags does it because they're are notoriously cheap.

[Genx24]

^ It's their rationale, not mine. And how are they promoting something they "know" won't be running? They never give a specific date, just 'Spring' or 'Summer'.

[DirkFunk]

Their rationale is garbage (also I doubt that it is even accurate) and there's a reason no one else in the industry intends to seek to replicating it. And when you buy advertising time or space to promote a new ride in a timeframe in which you know full well there is no chance for it to be running, you are in a real sense promoting something that isn't going to operate in that time frame. They know that, and the purposely vague language is indicative of their general contempt for customers.

[Jcoaster]

Their rationale is garbage (also I doubt that it is even accurate) and there's a reason no one else in the industry intends to seek to replicating it. And when you buy advertising time or space to promote a new ride in a timeframe in which you know full well there is no chance for it to be running, you are in a real sense promoting something that isn't going to operate in that time frame. They know that, and the purposely vague language is indicative of their general contempt for customers.

 

Take it up with park management then, despite what we say they don't care what enthusiast think for the most part. 95% of people on here disagree with what Six Flags does a majority of the time. But will Six Flags change their ways? No. The general public doesn't care or notice when rides should/shouldn't open.

[Genx24]

It's definitely accurate; they don't even try and hide it. You go to the park early in the season and you hear the announcements all day "upgrade today's admission to a season pass and come back to ride (new attraction)."

[neil009]

^That isn't hard evidence of anything. Could all their rides opening late be purely due to incompetence? I've worked for very large companies where incompetence runs very deep, trust me, it could be.

 

The rationale doesn't even make sense if you really think about it. The time to get people excited for the new ride is before the season starts, starting in the second half of the prior season when construction starts. People are ready for the new ride when they arrive on their first visit. When someone makes the decision to patronize your business, that's the time when you have to act and give them the best time possible. That's what's going to make them want to come back, not staring at your new lawn ornament wondering why they can't ride it.

 

Their rationale is garbage (also I doubt that it is even accurate) and there's a reason no one else in the industry intends to seek to replicating it. And when you buy advertising time or space to promote a new ride in a timeframe in which you know full well there is no chance for it to be running, you are in a real sense promoting something that isn't going to operate in that time frame. They know that, and the purposely vague language is indicative of their general contempt for customers.

 

Take it up with park management then, despite what we say they don't care what enthusiast think for the most part. 95% of people on here disagree with what Six Flags does a majority of the time. But will Six Flags change their ways? No. The general public doesn't care or notice when rides should/shouldn't open.

 

Why does everyone here think the GP are some kind of zombie horde that doesn't care about anything? Tons of people are excited about the new ride. If it opens late, tons of people will go in the spring and be disappointed. It's a bad way to operate and that's why none of their competitors operate that way.

[Genx24]

You'll get no argument from me that Six Flags and incompetence go hand in hand, but I don't think that is the case with why they open their rides late. I truly think it's to sell season passes.

 

If anything, I feel the fact that Joker has already gone vertical refutes charges of management being incompetent, but what do I know? Maybe they are bumbling fools, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for this. If Joker gets bungled like Zumanjaro did, I'll eat my words.

[Jcoaster]

^That isn't hard evidence of anything. Could all their rides opening late be purely due to incompetence? I've worked for very large companies where incompetence runs very deep, trust me, it could be.

 

The rationale doesn't even make sense if you really think about it. The time to get people excited for the new ride is before the season starts, starting in the second half of the prior season when construction starts. People are ready for the new ride when they arrive on their first visit. When someone makes the decision to patronize your business, that's the time when you have to act and give them the best time possible. That's what's going to make them want to come back, not staring at your new lawn ornament wondering why they can't ride it.

 

Their rationale is garbage (also I doubt that it is even accurate) and there's a reason no one else in the industry intends to seek to replicating it. And when you buy advertising time or space to promote a new ride in a timeframe in which you know full well there is no chance for it to be running, you are in a real sense promoting something that isn't going to operate in that time frame. They know that, and the purposely vague language is indicative of their general contempt for customers.

 

Take it up with park management then, despite what we say they don't care what enthusiast think for the most part. 95% of people on here disagree with what Six Flags does a majority of the time. But will Six Flags change their ways? No. The general public doesn't care or notice when rides should/shouldn't open.

 

Why does everyone here think the GP are some kind of zombie horde that doesn't care about anything? Tons of people are excited about the new ride. If it opens late, tons of people will go in the spring and be disappointed. It's a bad way to operate and that's why none of their competitors operate that way.

 

The point is that sure they'll be excited and maybe be disappointed the coaster isn't opening with the park, but that won't stop them from visiting so it makes no difference.

[boldikus]

Guys, guys. Let's give Great Adv some credit. The may have bungled Zumanjaro, but they did have last years big new coaster up and running before Memorial Day weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK sorry I'll stop being such a joker.

[DJeXeL]

^Ha!

I think it was built, tested, and had a media day all within a 1 week period.

[neil009]

 

The point is that sure they'll be excited and maybe be disappointed the coaster isn't opening with the park, but that won't stop them from visiting so it makes no difference.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that for sure. Virtually everyone I know thinks of Six Flags as having a bad reputation, and that comes through a combination of long slow-moving lines, poor operations, and smaller things like the new ride you were excited for not being open. And I don't believe for a second that reputation is incapable of impacting their bottom line. How much it impacts it none of us can even begin to guess because we don't have all the numbers in front of us but it stands to reason. Sure they might be the biggest game in town, but give your costumers a lackluster experience enough times and they'll decide amusement parks in general aren't worth it and find something else to do with their summer days.

[Jcoaster]

 

The point is that sure they'll be excited and maybe be disappointed the coaster isn't opening with the park, but that won't stop them from visiting so it makes no difference.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that for sure. Virtually everyone I know thinks of Six Flags as having a bad reputation, and that comes through a combination of long slow-moving lines, poor operations, and smaller things like the new ride you were excited for not being open. And I don't believe for a second that reputation is incapable of impacting their bottom line. How much it impacts it none of us can even begin to guess because we don't have all the numbers in front of us but it stands to reason. Sure they might be the biggest game in town, but give your costumers a lackluster experience enough times and they'll decide amusement parks in general aren't worth it and find something else to do with their summer days.

 

The park will still have one of the highest attedences of any park in the country. It sits between Philly and New York, Dorney isn't going to pull people away from Gadv and Hershey isn't exactly a day trip from that distance.

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

For everyone who asks: the only way to open the Joker on opening day is a delayed opening of SFGADV.

[boldikus]

^

[coasterfreak101]

^

 

Never did I think a roller coaster forum could make me laugh this hard.

[Genx24]

In other news, residents of Jackson are really against the park going forward with their solar panel plan.

 

Six Flags Great Adventure's controversial solar project under fire

By Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

JACKSON – Township residents and environmentalists packed the Municipal Building on Monday night in hopes of getting a solar energy project scrapped.

 

Six Flags Great Adventure is seeking approval from the township's Planning Board to construct a solar generation facility – consisting of solar panels, inverters, transformers and a substation – on approximately 66 acres of current woodlands between Reed Road, Perrineville Road and Six Flags Boulevard.

 

If approved, the project is expected to make the 510-acre theme park and safari entirely energy self-sufficient.

 

However, during the nearly five-hour meeting – which still was not long enough to accommodate all of the comments from the public – many of the project's opponents said Six Flags should find another location for its solar project.

 

"I've very much in favor of solar panels, but not at the expense of the nature that we're trying to save," township resident Linda McHale said.

 

Six Flags president John Fitzgerald previously said that putting the panels in the theme park's parking lot would be too close to the public and would put visitors at risk of injury or the equipment in danger of being damaged.

 

"Tens of thousands of visitors come to Six Flags every day and use the parking lot including many children and young adults," Fitzgerald said. "It would be imprudent to allow park visitors access to solar arrays set over such a large and widespread area."

 

But some residents argued that if places like Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia or Rutgers University could make parking lot solar arrays work, a mostly seasonal amusement park should also be able to accomplish its renewable energy goals without cutting down 15,000 trees.

 

"I can't help but think that Great Adventure is known for building all of these innovative rides and attractions, they're constantly building these new incredible coasters," township resident Debbie Hadley said.

 

"In my mind," she continued, "Great Adventure has some of the most creative and skilled engineers on this planet. And I can't figure out why they don't have the brainpower to figure out how to install solar panels on existing impervious structures. It seems that at their own hand, they have access to minds that can solve this problem and it should be a challenge Great Adventure should want to rise to."

 

Township resident Elaine Leighton said she was in favor of solar energy projects, but said there is a way that Great Adventure's solar aspirations could be a win-win for itself and Jackson Township.

 

"Removing those trees and allowing development in an area that is sensitive ... is not a good idea," Leighton said. "I would like you to consider putting solar panels in areas that are already cleared, already damaged and isn't going to harm anybody. That way we can have both."

 

During the lengthy public comment session, which is scheduled to continue on Feb. 29, there was only one Jackson resident who spoke in favor of the project: Joe Fiero, a member of the township's Economic Development Committee.

 

"The environmental benefits of this project far exceed the environmental costs," Fiero said. "(Great Adventure's) desire to be the first theme park to be run by renewable energy should bring accolades, not critical response."

 

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2016/02/six_flags_great_adventures_controversial_solar_pro.html

[michaellynn4]

^ It should also be noted that this is the fifth such meeting to occur, and the fifth in which jack squat is accomplished.

[neil009]

"Six Flags president John Fitzgerald previously said that putting the panels in the theme park's parking lot would be too close to the public and would put visitors at risk of injury or the equipment in danger of being damaged."

 

This is such a hot streaming line of bullsh!t I can't even stand it. I want to hear EXACTLY how he thinks kids are going to hurt a bunch of solar panels.

[coasterbill]

"Six Flags president John Fitzgerald previously said that putting the panels in the theme park's parking lot would be too close to the public and would put visitors at risk of injury or the equipment in danger of being damaged."

 

Having potholes the size of the Grand Canyon in the parking lot puts visitors at risk of injury and tires in danger of being damaged.

[DJeXeL]

"Six Flags president John Fitzgerald previously said that putting the panels in the theme park's parking lot would be too close to the public and would put visitors at risk of injury or the equipment in danger of being damaged."

 

Having potholes the size of the Grand Canyon in the parking lot puts visitors at risk of injury and tires in danger of being damaged.

 

This! This. Right. Here.

 

Meanwhile, In the SFGAdv parking lot......

 

I'm just glad we opted for the insurance on the minivan we rented.

[boldikus]

OMFG LMAO at that video ^

 

You guys just don't seem to appreciate what this park has done for us. At what other park are you able to ride something before you even enter the main gate? The parking lot even has a line to get on, just like all the other rides! This year they are offering flash pass to skip the toll booths! Just an extra $74 dollars and you can hop right on that parking lot!