Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[Mike240SX]

@bert425, no offense intended by not knowing about Monster Mansion.  I guess I just missed it.

Yeah, I would have preferred to go on a non-Saturday, but the trip schedule was dictated by my work schedule, so there was only so much I could do.

I'm generally not one for soaking raft rides, but I definitely wanted to get on the Log Flume, which was closed when I was there on Saturday.

I'm a pretty plain eater (many compare it to "eating like a 5 year old"), so anything from Macho Nacho would have been out.  I did try to get a burger from JB's Smokehouse but wasn't waiting in either the standby or mobile order lines.

I did skip Justice League; I've been on the one at SFGAdv.  Guess it would have been a nice air conditioned break, but oh well.

I'll definitely be coming back to the area to visit my friend some more, so perhaps I'll swing in again when more things are running.

Thanks for the commentary!

[bert425]

^ LOL . I'm TEASING.

 

it's great tho innit?

[tndank]

I visit SFoG often. Second closest park to me.  I would rank it my least favorite SF park.  I think they have one of the worst presidents in the chain.  They don't try at all to do anything special. No power hours. No enthusiast events for years. The seem to be low in the pecking order for new start attractions now days.

Good rides.  Enjoy those when I go.  Employees are usually fairly awful.  Half or more of the food places are typically closed.  Most aren't on Mobile food ordering half the time.  

Loved visiting a couple years ago on a 100 degree summer afternoon. They were posting on twitter and facebook a series of 'Stay Hydrated' posts.  Problem is, none of the food places opened for at least the first 2 hours.  Perhaps you could have hit the coke stand near the mine train, but nothing else.  And it was brutally hot.  Par for the course here. 

Now, I do realize one off and visits every now and again can give completely different views of this park.  I'm glad many people enjoy it.  But it could so much better with someone even remotely interested interested in running a good park like Jeffrey and Ron down in Texas.  I still go.  I'm fairly easy going and take things in stride.

Fights can really be a problem here sometimes.  3/4 of the time I'm leaving there are at least 20 cop cars outside handling some mess.  Last time I was there (couple months ago), I witnessed 2 different large 10+ people groups start brawling and going to town on each other inside the park.  Great sight for the kids!

Best thing about this park is the Bad Bob show, Monster Mansion, and the rides.  The rest is fairly awful.

 

[The username]

BAD BOB!!

[Lotologist492]

On 9/10/2021 at 4:18 PM, Mike240SX said:

@bert425, no offense intended by not knowing about Monster Mansion.  I guess I just missed it.

Yeah, I would have preferred to go on a non-Saturday, but the trip schedule was dictated by my work schedule, so there was only so much I could do.

I'm generally not one for soaking raft rides, but I definitely wanted to get on the Log Flume, which was closed when I was there on Saturday.

I'm a pretty plain eater (many compare it to "eating like a 5 year old"), so anything from Macho Nacho would have been out.  I did try to get a burger from JB's Smokehouse but wasn't waiting in either the standby or mobile order lines.

I did skip Justice League; I've been on the one at SFGAdv.  Guess it would have been a nice air conditioned break, but oh well.

I'll definitely be coming back to the area to visit my friend some more, so perhaps I'll swing in again when more things are running.

Thanks for the commentary!

Great TR!  This being my home park, I always enjoy the perspective from a first time visitor.  I have long said this park has so much wasted potential.  it has a decent collection of rides and a very scenic terrain (as you mentioned in your TR).  I know this park suffers from a lack of leadership - although I cannot say for certain how much blame is on our park President or on lack of corporate support.  Having been to eleven other SF parks plus KI and some smaller parks, I hate to admit our park is low on the list.  (My favorite: SF Fiesta Texas!)  

I continue to hold out hope that things are changing for the better.  SF got a new CEO almost two years ago and I suspect the pandemic year may have slowed potential progress and/or changes but I still hope.  

At the end of the day, it is not necessarily all about the rides for me.  I go to theme parks to escape the everyday grind and have a little fun.  I really abhor dealing with real-world problems inside any theme park, like rude service and long food lines.  If our park could clean up, refresh the theming, properly train the staff, and provide that escape, they would not have to add any major attractions, and I would be very happy.

I do hope you return for a visit and let us know in advance when you do!

[tanthonyam]

Who supplied the new Mindbender trains? Ive heard from 2 different sources, 2 different companies. Premier or Gerst?

[bert425]

Finally got to the SFOG day in my Trip Report:

https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47367-photo-trip-report-atlanta-labor-day-week-dragoncon-2021-six-flags-over-georgia/?tab=comments#comment-1904943

 

yeah. . sometimes I make REALLY bad decisions:

 

[Mike240SX]

21 minutes ago, bert425 said:

Finally got to the SFOG day in my Trip Report:

https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47367-photo-trip-report-atlanta-labor-day-week-dragoncon-2021-six-flags-over-georgia/?tab=comments#comment-1904943

 

yeah. . sometimes I make REALLY bad decisions:

 

So weird that we could have such different experiences on that ride in the front row, only two days apart.  I found it quite tolerable and even enjoyable!

[The username]

On 9/23/2021 at 6:46 PM, Mike240SX said:

So weird that we could have such different experiences on that ride in the front row, only two days apart.  I found it quite tolerable and even enjoyable!

Same here, didn't jack hammer me as bad as it used too when I visited earlier this year.

[The username]

Rode MindBender today for the first time since the revamp and it's still pretty good. The trims do significantly dull down the ride but they aren't completely hard stoping it anymore and they seem to vary.

[tndank]

Mindbender is a shell of it's former self.  Got on it Saturday and it's just as bad as I expected.  Trains look horrible.  The two trims are awful.  Intensity has been dropped to near zero.  

The only thing  good about the update is the new operator building in the station.  I bet they appreciate that. 

 

[grsupercity]

So I have heard the new trains are B&M. Seems like Premier would have been there go to on this one 

[bert425]

I kinda like the look of the new trains. . . but they are kinda blocky.

[tndank]

Still seems to be missing side panels or something like that. And the headrests are a bit crazy.  Strange looking wheel area. 

Front car with logo looks nice. 

[The username]

14 hours ago, tndank said:

Mindbender is a shell of it's former self.  Got on it Saturday and it's just as bad as I expected.  Trains look horrible.  The two trims are awful.  Intensity has been dropped to near zero.  

The only thing  good about the update is the new operator building in the station.  I bet they appreciate that. 

 

The way the trains need to be loaded sucks too, I feel like if they cut down the trims it will definitely be more intense. Time to petition management.

[bert425]

30 minutes ago, tndank said:

Still seems to be missing side panels or something like that. And the headrests are a bit crazy.  Strange looking wheel area. 

Front car with logo looks nice. 

they painted the purple too dark.

if you look closely, there are black question marks on the purple sides.    I think they might want to go back and make those Yellow against the purple to make them pop. (or neon green).

I, personally, like the big/blocky wheel areas tho.

[CP_RULES]

On 10/10/2021 at 8:42 PM, tndank said:

Mindbender is a shell of it's former self.  Got on it Saturday and it's just as bad as I expected.  Trains look horrible.  The two trims are awful.  Intensity has been dropped to near zero.  

The only thing  good about the update is the new operator building in the station.  I bet they appreciate that. 

 

Oof! I never fully understood the love for Mindbender and Shockwave, but I did think Mindbender was better. If it is only as good as Shockwave or worse now... Sad day.

[southpuddle]

I'm sure Six Flags didn't spend all of that money to get new trains and upgrade everything else if it wasn't necessary. Of course in a perfect world the original trains would last forever and the ride would run just like it did in 1978. If the ride has lost some of its bite and it's now a somewhat neutered experience, that is sad, but given the choice between what we have now and the ride being removed, I'll gladly take the former.

[The username]

I feel like they could at least turn the trim down in the second loop, I could feel it lagging and losing all it's momentum when sitting in the front.

[thrillseeker4552]

On 10/11/2021 at 8:43 AM, grsupercity said:

So I have heard the new trains are B&M. Seems like Premier would have been there go to on this one 

Hmm, what? That would really surprise me. Where did you hear this?

Like others have said, this "upgrade" probably isn't ideal but it's better than removing the ride all together. I am most surprised they didn't maintain the 7-car trains. The shorter trains is probably a big reason it isn't running as fast or intense.

Now that we have seen Revolution and Mindbender make this upgrade, I bet Shockwave's turn isn't far off. Enjoy it in its raw form while you can!

[The username]

2 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

The shorter trains is probably a big reason it isn't running as fast or intense.

I think the main reason they did it was to be able to "safely" run 3 trains. The trims are the main problem here, while they were negligible in the past, now both trims significantly slow down the ride. It was so bad on the second one, that the final loop felt sluggish.

[Lotologist492]

Holiday in the Park opening weekend is now done and I have to say it looks like the park really upped the ante this year!  A few notables: 

The North Pole and Rejoice! sections have swapped places, which appears to be a really nice move.  Santa's workshop (where you get photos with Santa and 'mail' your letters to him) is now located at the top of Peachtree Hill, in the former Sky Buckets location.  Incidentally, this was the location for the "Holiday Haunt" during Fright Fest, so excellent planning on their part!  This area has a lot more space than the Rabun Gap train station did, and also has an arts & crafts area for the kids.  The theming was great and the cast members did a fantastic job.  Meanwhile, Rejoice! new location makes use of the area in front of the Rabun Gap, and really fits the area well.  

There is no indoor Christmas show this year, but there are four outdoor stage shows, at the Dare Devil Stage as well as a stage setup outside the Crystal Pistol.  From what I heard, there is some renovations taking place inside the theater.  The outdoor shows are very entertaining.

The entrance plaza tree has been replaced with another tree which is part of a light and music show which runs continuously and is quite visually stunning.  Speaking of light shows, the light tunnel between the Georgia (Peppermint Plaza) and USA (Retro Christmas USA) sections has returned!

The Strutters Restaurant is open and is now Mrs. Claus' Kitchen and features bread bowls and pasta.  All the old Strutters signage appears to have been permanently removed which would indicate a new restaurant is on the way for next season.

Nearly all rides were open, including the children's section.  The only closed major rides were Scream Machine (which is undergoing a re-tracking now), Blue Hawk, and Sky Screamer.  These were the same rides closed in 2019.

The east parking lot is being completely re-surfaced.  This may sound like a mundane project but it was badly needed.  At least now I won't feel like I am driving up to a dead mall.

The train ride "North Pole Express" has been replaced with a new experience, "Christmas Around the World".

On our visit, Mindbender was running great, with minimal brake runs, not quite like the old trains but not a dead stop either.

I am looking forward to returning sometime during this week and many more times.  Cheers

Peachtree Hill makes for a good North Pole

Rejoice! in its new location.  

This was the former location of the North Pole section last year.  Now all the white has turned purple!

The former Sky Buckets location at the top of the hill is now Santa's workshop!

The former Strutters restaurant now serves comfort food under the watchful eye of Mrs. Claus!

Scenery along the railroad tracks

Screampunk Christmas is back!

 

[The username]

Glad to hear they're not braking as on MindBender. I'm going there this Friday so I'll have to see how it compares

[shoesfather]

Are we thinking it will be pretty crowded on Black Friday? 

[The username]

On 11/25/2021 at 10:27 AM, shoesfather said:

Are we thinking it will be pretty crowded on Black Friday? 

Can confirm is was NOT packed at all. Everything was a walk on except Mind Bender which had horribly slow operations. My experience on the ride this time around was much better than last time. The trims before the second loop were greatly reduced and there was no hang time like earlier this year. On the contrary, the first set of trims were shaving a lot of speed, so much that it looked like the ride would almost valley coming out of the helix. It looks like they're still working out the kinks in getting it to run just right. Other than that, fantastic day! Best I've had in a long time!