The Great Escape (TGE) Discussion Thread

[XtremeLaRonde]

The ride we see on Six Flags's official video is called "Midi Discovery", from Zamperla. La Ronde and Great Escape rides were not bought together. I believe La Ronde's new ride to be a Mondial ride.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Firm-buys-up-Great-Escape-interests-4870354.php

 

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. has purchased "remaining ownership interests" in Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Water Park, the company said Friday.

 

"We are thrilled to take ownership of this prime location," said John Odum, Six Flags senior vice president. "With more flexibility to invest in the property, we intend to continue providing world-class guest service and further enhance our all-encompassing resort experience."

 

A statement from the company did not disclose the sale price or who sold the interest in the property to Six Flags, facts that company spokeswoman Rebecca Close said were barred from public disclosure under a sales agreement.

 

The 200-suite lodge includes a 38,000-square-foot indoor water park.

 

The news release said "recent investments at the lodge include Klub Moose suites featuring unique children-sized log cabins, an interactive Kids Clubhouse and themed special events."

 

In December, the lodge will open 35 renovated "premium suites and (offer) exclusive concierge-inspired service."

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

[booink]

That's interessing news, I didn't knew Six Flags did not owned the whole lodge. Curious to see what the new rooms will look like !

Edited December 8, 2013 by booink

[larrygator]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

[jray21]

The mini-log cabins for kids sounds pretty cool.

[larrygator]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

 

Families do not vacaton in Jackson, New Jersey!

[Philrad71]

^ Agreed. Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains are year round tourist destinations while Jackson is still quite a ways from the ocean or anything touristy.

 

Both of the campgrounds we have stayed at near Jackson were not particularly nice and had absolutely nothing but the park nearby...and they seemed like they were mostly inhabited by locals looking for a weekend retreat from home.

 

And what's the deal with pay showers? I have stayed at a TON of campgrounds over the day and only seem to recall this happening in New Joysey. Is this a state mandate or something?

[coasterbill]

We went to this park yesterday so my girlfriend could do some credit whoring. We live about 2 hours from Great Adventure, SFNE and Great Escape but never go to Great Escape because of their limited coaster collection... but when faced with a Fright Fest Saturday at Great Adventure or New England we figured it was finally time to put our season pass to work and head to Great Escape.

 

I was surprised to see that the park was actually relatively crowded. There was a 20 minute line to get to the ticket booths in the parking lot but as we got closer we realized that it was because on a Fright Fest Saturday only one of the 6 available lanes was open. We did get a chance to look at the Great Escape lodge when we were in line and I think a wintertime water park trip is definitely in order... it looks awesome.

 

Anyway we finally got into the park and once we figured out the confusing park layout full of dead ends we actually came to appreciate the charm of the place. It' a very nice little park, and it doesn't feel like a Six Flags park at all. We loved the cave to Ghost Town and the entire storybook land. It's just a shame they don't have a few more good coasters. This park will never be and should never be a major thrill park but they do need a few more coasters that don't suck and operations that aren't mind blowingly bad.

 

The first ride we went to was the Alpine Bobsled because of it's limited operating hours (which are not really the park's fault). They were running 3 sleds but it didn't really matter because they found the most inefficient way possible to run this ride (and every other ride in the park).

 

First of all, the back row of every sled was closed which took the capacity from 8 to 6. Then, of the 2 loading stations they were only using one. Finally... and this is the best one. They were not allowed to open the gates to START loading the train until they were already triple stacked. I'm not sure why this is, maybe they were worried about the trains bumping in the station but it was awful, and since the MAXIMUM CAPACITY of this ride is 6 people every 3 minutes or so it meant that the maximum capacity was right around 120 people per hour. Since all the seats weren't being filled it was probably closer to 100 people per hour. The line was right at the bottom of the stairs when we got there and we waited about 45 minutes. By the time we got off the ride the line was way back to the bend where it looks like they used to have some vending machines and the operator told us it was about a 3 hour wait. This blew our minds because the line wasn't really that long but when you're running the ride at less than half of it's capacity and making it (seemingly) mandatory to triple stack trains I'm not suprised.

 

While the loading procedure was horrible the ride was a lot of fun. It's not overly thrilling but it's a unique experience. It sounds like this ride's on it's way out but I hope instead of getting scrapped it gets relocated to a park that knows how to operate it and takes some better care of it. It's easily the second best coaster in the park (though it's almost by default since it's up against a Boomerang, a Mine Train and an Arrow Loop Screw).

 

Our next stop was Steamin Demon. The ride only has one train and to ensure that everyone has a Six Flags day they don't let anyone into the station until the train is back and completely unloaded. Once this happens they open the gate and everyone runs to whatever seat they can get and they board the train. Then they have to come by and slowly lower everyone's restraints for them. There was a good 6 or 7 minutes between dispatches but luckily it was still only a one train wait because it's a terrible ride. We heard a lot of people complaining about the ride when we got back to the station... it was really rough and had no redeeming qualities at all.

 

Next up was Condor which was a ton of fun, and actually our favorite ride in the park besides the Comet. After Steamin Demon we needed to ride something fun. More parks need these rides!!!!

 

Finally we got to the mine train which I thought was closed because in the 5 minutes we were in line for Condor I didn't see a single train go by... luckily it was just because it was at Great Escape which meant one train and ridiculously slow operations. The ride only had a 5 train wait but we waited for 40 minutes (we timed this on my girlfriend's phone because at this point all we could do was laugh... especially after the previous weekend we were at Knoebels where I think they could run 3 trains on Phoenix if they wanted to and still not stack them). As usual nobody was allowed to wait in the station until the ride was back and completely unloaded which made no sense since on this ride you have to decide if you want to ride forward or backward but you can't line up for it beforehand. Once the gate opened kids proceeded to plow over eachother to make sure they got to ride backwards and on our ride at least one kid ended up crying because they fell in the station running for their seat. Somehow we actually managed to ride backwards and I have to say that the ride was decent. If we were riding forwards I probably wouldn't have cared for it and it was very rough for a mine train but going backwards was a cool experience. I would have rode it more than once if it weren't for the slow operations.

 

Next up was Boomerang which had a 30 minute wait. It was a typical boomerang, not overly rough. I'm proud to say I didn't hate it. They didn't let anyone into the station until the ride was back, unloaded and the catch car engaged the train (no, really). I'm not sure if this was a policy or if they were just that slow but never once did they let people get in line before the catch car engaged. Once everyone got in the station they still didn't open the gates for awhile, when they finally did they took forever checking the train. It was a good 7 minutes between dispatches.

 

After that we rode Blizzard which had a huge line but it moved pretty fast (fun ride), Sasquatch (10 minute wait, standard S&S tower) and the Flyers. We were in line for the flyers for about 20 minutes and nobody managed to snap them. I couldn't snap mine but halfway through the ride I looked back because my girlfriend (who knows her way around flyers) was banging and crashing throughout the entire ride. Apparently you can snap these but you have to be really, really good.

 

Finally after we endured all of these coasters ranging from sub-par to flat out terrible (Steamin Demon) it was time for the Comet. We were shocked to see that the ride was running 2 trains. They do have to wait for the train to clear the first brake run before dispatching it which makes no sense because the lift hill is supposed to be a block section but whatever, it didn't slow anything down. We rode the ride about 7 or 8 times at the end of the night and absolutely loved it (the station was full but it was only a 15 minute wait). Our last ride was in the front seat on the second to last train of the night. The ride kind of reminded me of Comet at Hersheypark, no real airtime but a lot of fun, fast hills that just made you laugh the whole time. Everyone had their hands up and there was a real party atmosphere on this ride (the ride ops were fast and were encouraging people to put their hands up and giving high fives to riders on the way out of the station). It's funny that it's such a long walk from the rest of the park because it really seems like the Comet is a completely separate experience from the slow operations and general crappiness of the rest of the coasters.

 

Overall we actually had a pretty good day, but mainly due to our nighttime rides on the Comet. The park's atmosphere is really nice but the coasters and operations are terrible. I'd still say SFNE still has worse operations but only because their operators and mean to the guests and slow rather than at Great Escape where they're just slow. We probably won't be back until they get a new coaster, which at the rate they're going won't be for awhile. I think it's probably a nice park for families but they really need to get some coasters (even if they are family coasters) that don't suck besides the Comet.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

 

Families do not vacaton in Jackson, New Jersey!

 

 

But they do in Darien Center New York? And take this with a gigantic grain of salt

[netdvn]

I recall a hotel was proposed at one point when GAdv was still trying to pull the major expansions + new ride every year concept. It could definitely work at GAdv since it still draws a lot of people from the surrounding areas.

 

Great Escape and Darien Lake seem like pretty ideal spots for resorts. Great Escape has the surrounding mountains to draw people year round and I'm pretty sure Darien Lake has tons of outdoorsy attractions within driving distance (including the lake near the park), plus Niagara Falls and Buffalo to draw from.

[Hercules]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

 

Families do not vacaton in Jackson, New Jersey!

 

Exactly. It's freakin' Jackson, NJ.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

 

Families do not vacaton in Jackson, New Jersey!

 

Exactly. It's freakin' Jackson, NJ.

 

 

Regardless, There's a good 2-3 Million people that Six Flags is letting sleep elsewhere and spend money elsewhere. Keep people on your property.

[Jew]

That doesn't make it a destination people would want to spend numerous days vacationing at...

[netdvn]

The video said it straight up. Jackson is a stopover for people heading to the beach. If it wasn't for Great Adventure, there would be no reason to stop. Outside of the theme park complex, the only other attraction in the area is the outlet mall. Not too much of an incentive for people to stay multiple days.

 

Its not on any major highway in a tourist area like Great Escape is and like I said, Darien probably has more touristy things in the area plus the concert venue to draw from.

 

I can see the park getting a hotel eventually. It sure draws quite a few people from surrounding areas.

[larrygator]

I wonder if other Six Flags will add hotels as well. Clearly it must be doing well with the Premium Suites and Buyout.

 

I'd say it is doubtful. The Lake George area is unique in that many families go there on local vacations and not just for The Great Escape. I don't think any other SF parks in are "destination" areas like Lake George.

 

 

Six Flags Great Adventure?

 

Families do not vacaton in Jackson, New Jersey!

 

Exactly. It's freakin' Jackson, NJ.

 

 

Regardless, There's a good 2-3 Million people that Six Flags is letting sleep elsewhere and spend money elsewhere. Keep people on your property.

 

2-3 Million people sleeping elsewhere. Where are you getting this number from? Most of their guests sleep in the comfort of their own beds after a day at SFGAdv. Great Escape's hotel can get by because people visit the Lake George region in the off season, also. You need off season guests to fill rooms and keep hotels profitable.

Edited December 6, 2013 by larrygator

[Vtafro]

2-3 Million people sleeping elsewhere. Where are you getting this number from? Most of their guests sleep in the comfort of their own beds after a day at SFGAdv. Great Escape's hotel can get by because people visit the Lake George region in the off season, also. You need off season guests to fill rooms and keep hotels profitable.

 

Couldn't they just close for the off season, doesn't breakers at cedar point close for theirs?

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ Yes, they do. Why would you keep guests on the property if the park's not open? It's a waste of money to open those hotels during off-season unless there's something for them to do on the property.

[gecomet92]

^ Yes, they do. Why would you keep guests on the property if the park's not open? It's a waste of money to open those hotels during off-season unless there's something for them to do on the property.

 

Money is money. TGE Lodge makes money in the off season. Why would you shut it down for the season when Six Flags could make money? Not to mention not every one who stays at the lodge goes to the park anyways. Some people just go for the indoor water park. I would even say recently The Lodge has become more of a draw than the park. Some people go out on the lake for the day come back and use the Indoor water park and don't even visit the park due to lack of new thrill rides. At least for my area which is about a hour away.

[IronWolfman]

Next up was Boomerang which had a 30 minute wait. It was a typical boomerang, not overly rough. I'm proud to say I didn't hate it. They didn't let anyone into the station until the ride was back, unloaded and the catch car engaged the train (no, really). I'm not sure if this was a policy or if they were just that slow but never once did they let people get in line before the catch car engaged. Once everyone got in the station they still didn't open the gates for awhile, when they finally did they took forever checking the train. It was a good 7 minutes between dispatches.

 

Are you serious about these operations? On a average day at Elitches this summer, they had their Boomerang loaded by the time the catch car engaged the train, or at longest about 15 seconds afterwards.

[coasterbill]

Yes, I'm completely serious. The operations on every ride were mind-blowingly bad and bad enough that I won't be back until they build a new coaster... which at this rate won't be any time soon. The only coaster that was operated well was the Comet.

 

The 3 hour wait for the Bobsled was the thing that just really killed me... it's the most inefficiently operated coaster I've ever seen, including when Quassy used to run one car on it's Wild Mouse.

 

It's a shame because it's a really nice park, but we just hated the place because of the operations. I wish I would have taken a video because it really sounds like I must be exaggerating how bad it was, but I'm really not.

[jray21]

3 hours for the Bobsled is way too long of a wait for me! That's too bad you had a bad visit and it was super busy.

[YoshiFan]

I didn't realize operations were that slow at the park, now I don't feel so bad about driving right past it on the way to Montreal a few years ago without stopping.

[alwaysairtime14]

Got this in a Six Flags New England survey...

 

 

Here is a basic description of the interactive game. Please take a few moments to read it and then we'll ask you just a few questions about it. Note that this experience is specific to the Great Escape Lodge and would be played in conjunction with a stay at the Lodge.

 

A mysterious Sludge Monster wants to turn the Great Escape Lodge into a dreary swamp. It has sent the goblin-like, trouble-making "Humdrums" -- goofy, terrible looking creatures who are mean, but not too smart -- to scare away all of the guests.

 

Your mission is to save the Lodge! Armed with only your wits and a real life magic wand, you must complete tasks, answer questions, and earn points to solve the mystery of the Sludge Monster and drive away the Humdrums.

 

Key features of the game:

 

Interactive wands that players use to control the game at stations all over the Lodge.

An imaginative storyline, directly tied to the Lodge and history of the area.

Virtual guides who help the players solve tasks.

Achievements and awards for completing task.

 

 

This is very un-Six Flagsish, the king of minimal theming.