Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[carolinaman]

Thanks, I am bringing 7 with me so that could get a little expensive. We usually go to SCAROWINDS and we wanted to try Fright Fest too.

Edited August 24, 2016 by carolinaman

[aeyrolet]

Couple shots from today. (attached)

Just a cleared lot, nothing too exciting, though I do think it's interesting that there are two different heights for the flattened dirt. Anyways.

There's two different heights of dirt, because there will be stairs leading up to the Hall of Justice.

[The Alex]

Hopefully this addition has extra funding budgeted for a refurbishment of Superman. A fresh coat of paint and improved station/rolling stock would really benefit the crowds coming in!

[SFOG1991]

^If they don't fix Superman now I will be extremely disappointed. SFOG is a great park but operations ruin it and Superman is at the point that it NEEDS to be fixed NOW. If this was a Cedar Fair park Superman would be operating with the dual station and three trains. I don't even like Cedar Fair but they are so good in that particular area and Six Flags needs to step it up a bit. I know people here in Atlanta are giving up on SFOG because it is so overcrowded and under-operated currently. Cheap as dirt season passes, bring a friend free days, etc. are not helping.

[dstephe9]

People on here complain about the operations at SFOG all the time but every time I am at the park 6 - 8 times a year, everything has been smooth as butter! Yeah it can be crowded here and there but what park isn't? We don't have 2 hour waits like Disney on most of their coasters, tickets are actually affordable (if they weren't half the people that go to SFOG couldn't get in honestly), and I always enjoy every visit.. Superman is having issues this year, I'll admit that, but the rest of the park is fine (except for DDD)... I love how SFOG makes their money elsewhere and can keep tickets cheap.. with my $35 meal plan this year I am coming out spending hardly anything every visit lol

 

Last Season, everytime i rode Superman it was fine.. my first visit this year, right after opening had two trains and it was fine.. for all we know, it's an issue that can't be fixed easily until the off season.. I'm sure they aren't purposely neglecting it.

 

And as far as I have heard from some pretty high up at six flags over GA (I usually try to read up on their conference call at the end of the season to confirm this) they are having a record breaking season in GA so to many aren't giving up on them.

 

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[Seddy]

I think many are forgetting just how old SMUF is. 14 years is a long time in Roller Coaster years. Lets not forget that some rides dont even last 7 years (Deja Vu only survived 6 seasons before it was closed), but Superman is still dropping platforms and folding seats into the flying position after FOURTEEN years.

 

Superman is like the most complex coaster in the park. No other coaster meets the same specifics in terms of mechanics, moving parts, and technology. With that said, They've obviously kept their eyes on the ride and made the necessary fixes to keep it running this long.

 

Didnt Batman get a facelift when that carnival loop-de-loop thingy was installed? If my memory serves me correct, it did. So it would be very 'un six flags ish' to ignore SMUF with the upcoming addition of Justice League.

[PatrickFHam]

Yeah, I would say this is one of the best years in a long time for SFoG, as far as overall experience, and I've been there a LOT this season... both to SFWW and SFoG.

 

Overall, it's been solid. It is interesting, though, that there are some specific issues that are worse than they've ever been.

 

Superman's situation is certainly near the top. It's remarkably bad. I have no doubt they will address the condition of the ride's mechanics (both platforms, three trains) and the ride's optics (paint and queue).

 

I noticed this past weekend that Scorcher got a new train "wrap," so I'm certainly hoping a paint job will happen in the off-season. It's atrocious. That ride is just under-rated.

One of these two must happen with Scorcher. (1) Train your team to load/unload, cuz they clearly have no idea how to do that. (They're having to re-set the majority of the seats cuz they don't give enough time to let people settle in. Ten extra seconds and a countdown would save an extra minute of consistently stacking trains.) OR (2) "Pull a Mantis/Rougarou" and infuse some life into this really great ride. I'd hate to see the standup trains go, but it may be a good thing for people-moving and marketing.

 

Other than the piece-meal and yearly track work going on at Cyclone, they've let that ride go to total crap. I'm really interested in what the plan is for that one. It used to be such a great ride... intense and insane. The only time it's worth the pain is if they're running it trim-less. MAN, those trims KILL the last 60% of the ride... Barely moving on top of those last few peaks and crawling through the left-bank into the brake-run. It's just a shame. May we please get a RMC-treatment on this?

 

I still say Splashwater Falls needs some attention, though I'm the only one who's mentioned this, to my knowledge. Other than the innocuous fact that it's ugly, there aren't enough boats!! It's hot enough long enough in Atlanta for our water rides to be full-capacity all the time. They should either fix it, or tear it down and save our pennies and get a Mack-daddy of a watercoaster.

 

Other than the very specific (but frankly, out-of-control) issues, the park is really great. We have so many quality rides. What SFoG has been able to do with Monster Plantation (Mansion) and Ninja/Blue-Hawk proves they can preserve and re-treat "good bones." (VR-treatment of an already-low-capacity ride was an attempt... good in theory, BAD in execution.) We have old rides that are every bit as good as they ever were, like Thunder River, Mindbender, GASM, Batman. The park has tons of kids stuff now, and it's arguably more family-focused than it's been since the mid-90's. The water park addition has been awesome!

 

Before we talk about fancy new rides and demands for new coasters (*cough KD), I'd love for the park to spend a couple seasons looking at the details. (1) Where did our live entertainment and shows go? Batman Stunt Show was awesome back in the day! Crystal Pistol had quality there year after year. Where the "Chevy Show" was had some great talent there, too. I'd love to see some more things like Shenani-Guns in Lickskillet. (2) Revive some good old themes. Some of the best theming SF ever did is rotting and unused in the Batman queue. (3) Take the most engaging park employees and set em loose on the park guests, to connect and make people smile. Put your best people on the games and contests.

 

Since passes are so dirt-cheap, they're counting on people making multiple trips, spending money on concessions and games. Make people WANT to come back by making the experience round and complete. It costs a FRACTION of a $20m coaster installation to just do what we have well.

 

Love our park. Gettin better all the time.

[SFOG1991]

People on here complain about the operations at SFOG all the time but every time I am at the park 6 - 8 times a year, everything has been smooth as butter! Yeah it can be crowded here and there but what park isn't? We don't have 2 hour waits like Disney on most of their coasters, tickets are actually affordable (if they weren't half the people that go to SFOG couldn't get in honestly), and I always enjoy every visit.. Superman is having issues this year, I'll admit that, but the rest of the park is fine (except for DDD)... I love how SFOG makes their money elsewhere and can keep tickets cheap.. with my $35 meal plan this year I am coming out spending hardly anything every visit lol

 

Last Season, everytime i rode Superman it was fine.. my first visit this year, right after opening had two trains and it was fine.. for all we know, it's an issue that can't be fixed easily until the off season.. I'm sure they aren't purposely neglecting it.

 

And as far as I have heard from some pretty high up at six flags over GA (I usually try to read up on their conference call at the end of the season to confirm this) they are having a record breaking season in GA so to many aren't giving up on them.

 

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I usually agree with you but I frequent the park and the ops have left a lot to be desired for years now. Sometimes at some rides they are good, but usually they are between decent and terrible. It is a mix between the actual employees operating the rides and the reliability of the rides. I can't think of the last time I was satisfied with the operations and the park is overcrowded most weekends, with hour long lines for food that don't have enough staffing and two hour lines for rides that are not running to full capacity. I mean it isn't unbelievable as many Six Flags parks fail in that area, but it is getting to the point that they really should focus on improving in that department and it would have a tremendous impact on customer satisfaction.

[PatrickFHam]

I think many are forgetting just how old SMUF is. 14 years is a long time in Roller Coaster years. Lets not forget that some rides dont even last 7 years (Deja Vu only survived 6 seasons before it was closed), but Superman is still dropping platforms and folding seats into the flying position after FOURTEEN years.

 

Superman is like the most complex coaster in the park. No other coaster meets the same specifics in terms of mechanics, moving parts, and technology. With that said, They've obviously kept their eyes on the ride and made the necessary fixes to keep it running this long.

 

Didnt Batman get a facelift when that carnival loop-de-loop thingy was installed? If my memory serves me correct, it did. So it would be very 'un six flags ish' to ignore SMUF with the upcoming addition of Justice League.

 

Yeah. Superman has a lot going on. Been doin its thang for a long time. And SFoG went the expensive route (from what I could tell) and got the shorter trains but dual-loading station. There's more to that, too, than any other ride there. Just needs to be prioritized with that much attention in that part of the park next year.

[PatrickFHam]

People on here complain about the operations at SFOG all the time but every time I am at the park 6 - 8 times a year, everything has been smooth as butter! Yeah it can be crowded here and there but what park isn't? We don't have 2 hour waits like Disney on most of their coasters, tickets are actually affordable (if they weren't half the people that go to SFOG couldn't get in honestly), and I always enjoy every visit.. Superman is having issues this year, I'll admit that, but the rest of the park is fine (except for DDD)... I love how SFOG makes their money elsewhere and can keep tickets cheap.. with my $35 meal plan this year I am coming out spending hardly anything every visit lol

 

Last Season, everytime i rode Superman it was fine.. my first visit this year, right after opening had two trains and it was fine.. for all we know, it's an issue that can't be fixed easily until the off season.. I'm sure they aren't purposely neglecting it.

 

And as far as I have heard from some pretty high up at six flags over GA (I usually try to read up on their conference call at the end of the season to confirm this) they are having a record breaking season in GA so to many aren't giving up on them.

 

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I usually agree with you but I frequent the park and the ops have left a lot to be desired for years now. Sometimes at some rides they are good, but usually they are between decent and terrible. It is a mix between the actual employees operating the rides and the reliability of the rides. I can't think of the last time I was satisfied with the operations and the park is overcrowded most weekends, with hour long lines for food that don't have enough staffing and two hour lines for rides that are not running to full capacity. I mean it isn't unbelievable as many Six Flags parks fail in that area, but it is getting to the point that they really should focus on improving in that department and it would have a tremendous impact on customer satisfaction.

 

The only team that really burned my biscuits this season was the Scorcher crew. I was trying to stay positive on that one in my earlier post, about their just not knowing what to do... but it really is worse than that. I wrote the park about that one. That team made the guests in the loading platform just uncomfortable with all their personal issues they were hashing out VERY loudly. Totally would not be happening if I were in "park op" at SFoG.

[SFOGdude25]

Funny story about Superman since you brought it up. There was one time I was in line for the ride a few years ago. They closed the ride for a few minutes to put a second train on, so the train rolls out of storage, stops at the block before the station, and one of the cars DISLODGES FROM ITS FLYING POSITION. I'm pretty sure I was the only one in line who noticed. That is until they tried to roll it into the station and the dislodged car tried to line up with its guide rail, making a loud BANG in the process. It wasn't until then that the crew saw what was going on, and they put the train back in storage and continued one train ops. A complete waste of time for guests in line and a horrible reminder of how bad Six Flags maintenance can be.

 

I figured I'd bring up this story I typed in another thread here just to add to the Superman discussion. It does need help really badly. In all my years of going to the park (and I've been a lot), I don't think I've ever seen both sides of the station going, ever. Maybe during media day in 2002 (wasn't there, but saw pictures), but that's it. Either Six Flags just doesn't want to staff enough people to run both sides, or they don't have enough people wanting to get hired for the job. Maybe both. I really wish Six Flags would up their game with maintenance and operations in general. Of course, not working in the industry myself, I have no idea how that would happen, but their has to be a reason they fall behind Cedar Fair so blatantly in those departments.

[01ranger]

According to rcdb the trains used to have 7 cars considering that I think they added a car and now the dual station is unusable due to the 8 th car.

[SFOG1991]

^the stations are identical considering when they used both the trains would alternate stations so you would depart from one and return to the other. Makes sense for three train ops and that's why the cubbies for your belongings are open to both stations. They never reprofiled either side of the station to handle an extra car so I don't think there is any reason an additional car would make one side unusable. I'm not 100% positive but I just don't see how that would be the case.

[SFOGdude25]

According to rcdb the trains used to have 7 cars considering that I think they added a car and now the dual station is unusable due to the 8 th car.

You misread the fact. It said LATER Superman coasters have 8 car trains. SFOG's still has 7. Always has.

[dstephe9]

Like I said, I haven't had any major issues this year.. I do believe some of the concession stands had some issues my first visit there this year but it really wasn't the staffs fault.. both times something happened to the register and they had to call a manager over.. I then believe early on a Sunday I had to wait 10 minutes for an ice cream and only two people where in front of me

 

I believe the better economy is a win/lose thing.. here's why, it's making staffing a nightmare for all parks.. better economy means record breaking seasons but it also means people are finding jobs.. so not enough people to work.. Dollywood is having the same issue (I'm friends with one of their hiring managers).. for some positions they are just filling the positions with warm bodies.. so I'm sure Six flags has the same issue and are just stuck filling positions with whoever they can.. so with the better economy more and more people are visiting but less and less need seasonal jobs

 

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[Seddy]

I figured I'd bring up this story I typed in another thread here just to add to the Superman discussion. It does need help really badly. In all my years of going to the park (and I've been a lot), I don't think I've ever seen both sides of the station going, ever. Maybe during media day in 2002 (wasn't there, but saw pictures), but that's it. Either Six Flags just doesn't want to staff enough people to run both sides, or they don't have enough people wanting to get hired for the job. Maybe both. I really wish Six Flags would up their game with maintenance and operations in general. Of course, not working in the industry myself, I have no idea how that would happen, but their has to be a reason they fall behind Cedar Fair so blatantly in those departments.

 

When I worked at the park in 2005 and 2006, they ran both sides quite frequently. When running both sides, SMUF has to have atleast 9 staff members (Main Panel Op, 2 Loaders, 2 Unloaders, 2 Secondary Panel Ops, and 2 groupers). Often times they would take one of my team members from GASM just so they would have the minimum to run both sides. This wouldnt happen until the line got longer though.

 

Back then we had fun while at work, and staffing was really never an issue. They even used to send people home because they were overstaffed (Crazy right?!). Im not sure what happened between now and then but im sure this 'generation' has something to do with it. The last time I went to SFOG was in 2012 and the ride ops seemed lazy and bored. It didnt even feel like the same park.

[dstephe9]

I have found ride ops to be tired but never lazy and bored. I always find them loud (sometimes to loud) and upbeat lol

 

I have found a few that where bored and rude but not many. And these where more shop people lol

 

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[CoasterGuy06]

Spent a few hours at the park today. Decent visit. Dispatches seemed pretty good, although the two attendants at Blue Hawk looked like they just found out their puppy died. Few notes:

 

-Loved the new Blue Hawk trains, although I always enjoyed Ninja in the "magic seat." Seems many people agreed, as by mid afternoon it had a decent line.

-Goliath Train 2 row 7 has a wheel with a flat spot. Kinda doubt it became that bad today, why wasn't it fixed during the week?

-As I was walking down the exit ramp, it looked like from a distance large chunks of paint had come off of some of the supports or the final turn. Getting closer, it actually looks like they have had some welding/modifications done to them. Anyone hear anything?

-Glad Mindbender was running two trains. Still kicks ass.

-New kids areas looked nice, but could probably use more shade.

 

Can't wait for the official announcement for 2017 Thursday!

[Seddy]

I have found ride ops to be tired but never lazy and bored. I always find them loud (sometimes to loud) and upbeat lol

 

I have found a few that where bored and rude but not many. And these where more shop people lol

 

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And this just confirms my 'current generation' theory. Times have changed and NOT for the better. I recently moved back to Atlanta and I've noticed that things are not the way they used to be. I havent been to SFOG since 2011, but I can only imagine the type of employees they have now.

[dstephe9]

Operations now are much better than 2011.. I actually made a post here in the horrible operations thread from then. After two visits back then i couldn't stand how the park was running and took a few years off from visiting. It has actually improved since then

 

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[robbalvey]

Six Flags Announcement day is this Thursday, September 1st.

 

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY ANNOUNCEMENT NEWS YOURSELF!!!

The admins of this site will create the announcement page for when the information is released. If you create an announcement post yourself, your post will be deleted and you will be given a 30 day ban from the forums.

 

When other members make the posts, it creates additional work for the admins as they have to come in and clean up those posts and re-do them ourselves. So please, I know a lot of you think it will make you look "cooler" to be the "first" to break the news, but to us admins, you'll just be creating an annoyance for us.

 

We will get all the news posted as soon as we possibly can.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

[robbalvey]

4D Interactive Thrill Ride JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis

Coming in 2017 to Six Flags Over Georgia

The Ride Voted “Best New Product in the World” to Debut for Park’s 50th Anniversary

 

AUSTELL, Ga. — September 1, 2016 — Six Flags Over Georgia — in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment — today announces the next generation of interactive thrills with the all-new 4D interactive thrill ride, JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, coming in 2017. The amazing thrill ride was recently named by USA Today readers as one of the Top Ten New Amusement Park Attractions of the year and was most recently awarded the Brass Ring for “Best New Product in the World” by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

 

“2017 will be an exciting year, as the park will be looking back at its 50 year history and debuting one of the world’s best innovative and interactive attractions, as the park looks toward the future,” said Six Flags Atlanta Properties Park President Dale Kaetzel. “The entire family can now join the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team and battle the iconic DC Super-Villains together.”

 

Engaging in a full-sensory journey on JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, guests will tag alongside BATMANTM, SUPERMANTM, WONDER WOMAN, THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN against Lex Luthor, The Joker and his henchmen. The interactive attraction features:

- A 22,000 square foot HALL OF JUSTICE to house this full-sensory thrill ride;

- A 4D ride experience with wind, fire, mist and fog effects, plus life-like animatronic

characters;

- A dramatic fight as the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team travels through laughing gas

and flames in 10 high-intensity scenes;

- One of the first-ever virtual loops, giving riders the feeling of going head-over-heels;

- High definition 3D animation that fully immerses riders into the city of Metropolis;

- All-new, Unreal 4 Gaming engine; and

- 6-passenger vehicles with multi-degrees-of-freedom to transport riders through all the exciting twists and turns without limitations.

 

Construction is already underway and JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017. For more information on other Six Flags attractions for 2017, visit http://www.sixflags.com/newfor2017.

Edited September 1, 2016 by robbalvey

[Sportsdude360]

Awesome!!!

[SFOG1991]

Nothing for White Water or do the water parks do announcements later?

[SFOGdude25]

I like it! SFOG will now have 2 immersive dark rides! Not something many regional parks can say! Can't wait to finally check out one of these Justice League rides!