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

Six Flags Themed Areas: Does anyone care?


Recommended Posts

I agree and don't like having to watch The Dark Knight pre-show every time I go to the coaster. It turns what would be a walk on some days into a close to 15 minute wait by the time you wait for the pre-show doors to open, and then to have everyone walk in the room and watch the movie and walk into the station. On a season pass night a few years ago, the worker at the pre-show room said he was going to wait for more people to show up before starting the movie. I got out of line.

 

I like the ride but I rarely ride it more than once a trip because it isn't worth the time for me to stand around waiting for and watching the pre-show unless I can get a re-ride if no one is waiting in the station and even that isn't always allowed (a few times I have been told I am not allowed to re-ride even with no one waiting).

 

I don't mind being forced to watch Dark Knight's pre show at GreatAdventure. Sometimes I watch it; other times I ignore it. But, like you, I won't wait in line for it more than once per visit.

 

I've never had an attendant tell me I can't re-ride if the station is still awaiting the next group of riders. Once or twice when I declined to re-ride they seemed kind of surprised.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 91
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

A couple of the above posts mentioned queues, so I'll go ahead and add this to the mix:

 

SF tends to utilize space by doing compact cattle pen queues, zig-zagging folks back and forth in tight areas. (Notable exceptions include a few of the Batman queues with the garden section at the beginning)

 

Kings Island, several years ago, had a different concept. The queues would stretch out single-file down the midways, painted on the ground as a small path with the ride logo (or in the case of The Beast, paw prints) every so often so you'd know which queue it was. On busy days, you'd come upon the end of the queue well before you could even see the ride.

 

I'm guessing that they got away from that because it was far too easy for people to cut in line. I totally get that. But I'm wondering... if a park could fence off a queue path to hinder line jumpers, would you rather wait in a line that stretched out down the midway single-file, or would you prefer the zig-zag compact area cattle pens?

 

I'm kinda torn between the two, actually. The path queues are much less claustrophobic, usually offer better breezes/ relief from heat, and the scenery changes as you make your way down the midway. Also, you tend to imagine that the line is moving more quickly since you're actually getting closer to the ride rather than just going back and forth the whole time. However, it makes even a relatively short line appear REALLY long and can be discouraging when you start walking from the ride to the end of the line and just keep walking and keep walking... by the time you get to the end, you might decide to skip it entirely or you'll be in a crappy mood - even though the line might move along pretty quickly, it still SEEMS like it took forever.

 

The cattle pens can disguise the real length of the queue pretty well, and they can be housed indoors or under shaded canopies, which is crucial in parks with hot weather. Theming the queue is much easier in a small area, if that's important to the ride. Line jumping is more difficult with people packed into that space like sardines. Also, switchbacks can easily be added or subtracted by simply hooking up a chain, offering easier walks for folks who want to get multiple rides on slow days.

The drawbacks are that they are claustrophobic, can be stiflingly hot and uncomfortable on warm days, and can give the impression that the line is barely moving, making the guests cranky and impatient.

 

Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just hate queue lines overall. I guess I hate the cattle pen layouts less as you can usually see where the line ends. Plus, you can people watch which is can be humorous. The only thing I ever liked about the Six Flags lines back in the early 90's was that they would show video of some of the other Six Flags parks around the country that you really couldn't see anywhere else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do think that theming, in any situation can make a ride better. Even though I disliked Green Lantern as a ride, I had to give Six Flags props for some pretty cool theming in the queue, as well as the re-theming of the Gotham area. Theming, even of it is minor, can make a ride/park experience better. iI's expensive though. The issues becomes whether or not the theming will be cost effective for the park in the long run.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I think some theming can go a long way in making a mediocre ride better. For example, Superman: Ultimate Flight (the B&M Flyer) is pretty lame when you're just swooping over a lawn or stretch of concrete. But have it flying through "mountain canyons" and through "cave" like Crystal Wing at Happy Valley Beijing, and the ride is more enjoyable.

 

That being said, hyper- or giga-coasters don't lend themselves to theming--and they don't really need it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I deeply care about theming. When I visited Wild Adventures, I couldn't help but cringe at the "theming" that seemed awful compared to Disney and Universal, which are just an hour away from where I live. I just think detailed queues and ride experiences are part of the "theme park" experience and I'd much rather ride Tower of Terror and Forbidden Journey than some roller coaster placed on top of a parking lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I absolutely love themes, but only when carried out properly. Consistency is key for me. I'm a big fan of SFOT and I think for a SF park they have done reasonably well with theming. I wouldn't complain about Gotham merging into an expanded DC area, however I do prefer they stick to the genuine six flags themes that the park was built for. That's a lost cause at this point so I'm not going to hate on it. It's pointless. The part of that park that eats me is the generic "tower section". Here you have a sky coaster themed to old world war planes, Superman Tower of Power, the oil Derrick and Shock Wave with the most plain generic lack of theme imaginable. Toss is the abandoned stunt stadium with the big Texas mural on back with the sewer drain entrances from the batman days and that area is a mess.

 

Basically I do not fault a park at all for having no themes. But if you want to theme things in the beginning you better stick with the program. Otherwise it cheapens the feel and flow of the park as a whole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think any coaster flying over and through mountains would be better than in a parking lot or field.

 

I typically get that Metropolis-feel when flying over grass and near a giant parking lot on Superman at Six Flags Great America. Is that the Daily Planet building? No, it's only a mini-van. That said, I think theming can definitely enhance the ride experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see how that's a big announcement. They can add and name anything they want. (As long as they have the copyright claim, or whatever that lease mumbo jumbo is.) Six Flags America has Superman: Ride of Steel in Gotham City. D.C. Comics area and Gotham City are pretty much the same thing. Six Flags has most of their rides themed after the Warner Brothers film charecters. (i.e "The Jokers Jinx," "Batman: The Ride," "The Riddler's Revenge," ect.) It would be cool if they ahd an Inception themed coaster, and re-named the area to "W.B. area" or something. They left out Poison Ivy it would be awesome to have a coaster called, "Poison Ivy's Venom Rage" or something. They should have named Full Throttle that if it was in the D.C./W.B. theme d area, because Full Throttle's name is also a drink's name, just like Mind Eraser,lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I typically get that Metropolis-feel when flying over grass and near a giant parking lot on Superman at Six Flags Great America. Is that the Daily Planet building? No, it's only a mini-van. That said, I think theming can definitely enhance the ride experience.

 

I see theming Superman as a give and take. It would add to the ride itself, but if we had big Metropolis buildings looming over Orleans Place it would make the area as a whole look bad. Plus you have Dark Knight right next to it so the two could clash. That's the problem with SF building DC themed rides in non DC themed areas. I want the rides to look good and be themed, but at the same time I want them to fit in with the surrounding area. Batman kinda works since most of its theming is in the queue and it doesn't stick out in the area too much. I just think in the case of Superman (the GRAm one at least) looking a bit more generic is fine because I care more about the themed area as a whole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
Pandemonium would be easy to retheme. Could even be a "Random DC Universe Villian's Pandemonium".

 

Of course Six Flags could retheme the rest of the Tony Hawk's Big Spin/Pandemonium coasters to something like "The Joker", "The Riddler", or "Wonder Woman's Lasso twist" or they can retheme the rest of the Tony Hawk's Big Spin/Pandemonium coasters to something relating to Looney Tunes like "Taz Twister", or "Bugs Bunny's Big Spin"!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the area is well themed, then its kinda cool, but in my opinion its better to have no theme than a slight theme. Like you can get away with something like Congo at Kings Dominion. Kinda works. But then you have the Old Virginia section, that tries to have a theme but doesn't really work. Basically no theme. But when speaking of Six Flags, I think its good to have a 'Gotham City' themed area, but it doesn't have to be alaboratly themed to Gotham in order to work. At Six Flags America, there is basically no theming in Gotham, but its ok. Its just a name so that they can have DC themed rides there. Its fine. Most people don't care. Now hopefully their Marti Gras area will be actually themed, and people will look around and say "oh, cool! Nice detail." Hopefully.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My gripe with Six Flags theming is when they have DC Comic themed attractions in areas outside of their DC Comics Area. SFMM for example has 2 DC Comics themed areas (DC Universe and Movie District) but Has Lex Luther in Colossus County Fair and Superman in the Asian area? Great Adventure also has Bizarro, Green Lantern, and Superman in areas not themed to DC Comics. The only parks I forgive adding DC Comics attractions throughout the parks are SFGAm and SFFT cause they have been able to avoid the DC Area even though it is weird to see Superman in the German area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OP: I don't really care if a Six Flags park has themed areas or not, but I really wish that Six Flags didn't have a "mandatory" rule that at least one ride in a Six Flags branded park has to be themed to a DC Comics superhero or villain or the Looney Tunes!

Edited by DarienLaker
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/