Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT) Discussion Thread

[jconsolmagno]

2 hours ago, grsupercity said:

from what I have seen online it looks like unfortunately Six Flags policy will still require them 

 

If i had to guess, it will be lip service. Put a sign up and let the patrons decide what they want to do. Already some parks have gone that route (kentucky kingdom, waldameer) 

And by the end of last season, Six Flags was packing the coasters full at the two parks I was at in Oct (America, Great Adventures) whereas the previous visits last year to the same parks, they were every other row. There was clearly a shift from management, that didn't make it out publicly for fear of backlash online I'm sure, why else the sudden change in operating procedures? The visits in Oct. had staff refilling souvenir bottles as well, whereas all summer, the staff wouldn't go near them.

Six Flags will feed the online population with their stance that masks are required, which is loud, but aren't moving the needle revenue wise.

The GM of Fiesta Texas on his opening webcast said that masks would only be required when you couldn't be 6 feet apart, but then had to retract it (likely viewable on Facebook still). He held up a sign all opening weekend thanking people for wearing their masks, likely signaling an apology for his original stance as he was the only one who had it between all 3 parks I went to that week (SFFT, SFOT, Frontier City)

If Six Flags changes their policy and publicly announces it, then bad PR and  attacks come but if they do it silently, as they appeared to be doing late last season... there won't be the backlash and everyone is happy.

[dankeykang]

They aren't changing anything.  Same goes for Fiesta Texas.

https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/plan-your-visit/safety-protocols

 

[jconsolmagno]

35 minutes ago, dankeykang said:

They aren't changing anything.  Same goes for Fiesta Texas.

https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/plan-your-visit/safety-protocols

 

 

Let me know if they still check reservations too next time your there... haven't for me since maybe August at a variety of their parks (St. Louis, SFHH, SFGadv, SFA)

These protocols will be posted long after their enforcement periods...

As a matter of fact, you could walk up and buy day tickets at SFGADV for hallowfest... quite a line too.

[bert425]

this is for SFFT, but I was there Saturday, and they absolutely were scanning reservation at Front Gates before allowing people in.

was asked for it, and showed it for scan, before they scanned my Season Pass.

 

Doesn't mean they are doing it at SFOT, but for SFFT?  yep.

[coasterbill]

I don’t entirely understand why this is getting so much publicity and so many questions surrounding it as if there aren’t 15 other states with no mask mandates including many states that have Six Flags theme parks where they still plan to require masks.

[bert425]

1 hour ago, coasterbill said:

I don’t entirely understand why this is getting so much publicity and so many questions surrounding it as if there aren’t 15 other states with no mask mandates including many states that have Six Flags theme parks where they still plan to require masks.

the simplest answer is usually the most accurate one:

[clippers6]

I’m going on Saturday. First time at a Six Flags park that isn’t Magic Mountain. Looking forward to seeing if they’ll have the Diamond Elite VIP program up and running. 

[coasternut]

A friend of mine got an email from SFOT yesterday, and it said masks and reservations are still required at all parks and corporate too.

[teacherkim]

14 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I don’t entirely understand why this is getting so much publicity and so many questions surrounding it as if there aren’t 15 other states with no mask mandates including many states that have Six Flags theme parks where they still plan to require masks.

Exactly. There has never been a statewide mask mandate in MO (although there has been one in STL county) and SFSTL has required and enforced them for everyone.

15 hours ago, jconsolmagno said:

 

Let me know if they still check reservations too next time your there... haven't for me since maybe August at a variety of their parks (St. Louis, SFHH, SFGadv, SFA)

These protocols will be posted long after their enforcement periods...

As a matter of fact, you could walk up and buy day tickets at SFGADV for hallowfest... quite a line too.

They absolutely were still checking reservations at SFSTL in October and December, I was there.

[tndank]

Asked for and scanned my reservation in early Feb.  Have they ever 'sold out' of reservations?  Worst case you fill out the form on your way to the park.

I'd imagine this is only a problem on a few select days. 

 

[teacherkim]

On 3/3/2021 at 10:23 PM, bert425 said:

the simplest answer is usually the most accurate one:

True that......Occam's Razor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sportsdude360]

At the park now! New Diamond Elite VIP Card!! Aquaman update!

Turntable should be added just on the other side of the hill!

New VIP cards look great!

Diamond Elite Members who DID NOT pause their memberships at any time during the pandemic are automatically upgraded!

I will follow the progress on Aquaman and post updates as they become available.

[KIEnthusiast]

What about the Yosemite Sam ride???? Is it open?????

[Sportsdude360]

1 hour ago, KIEnthusiast said:

What about the Yosemite Sam ride???? Is it open?????

Not yet. I will post updates as they become available.

[bert425]

I see online at some sites, people are losing their damn minds that "the dancing tamales" and "guys on Donkeys" are apparently gone from the train route.

is this a big deal?   I can't recall ever even seeing "dancing tamales"
 

edit:  apparently this is what they looked like:

in other news, apparently the park is teasing they are doing work on the outside/queue of Casa Magnetica. . so gotta wonder if that might reopen for the 60th anniversary?
would be so cool, as I LOVED the similar version they used to have at Astroworld (the Whacky Shack) of this walk thru "gravity is crazy" house).

[cfc]

The "dancing tamales" look rather grotesque.

[Sportsdude360]

The Dancing Tamales and three Mexican Men on donkeys were indeed removed. They were the last remnants of the old Fiesta Train ride from the late 60's/early 70's era. It's possible they were removed for political reasons, they were racial stereotypes.

[bigboy]

The Fiesta Train remnants and the old "Indian" village along the train track were both removed and the Indian Village gift shop in the Mexico section was recently renamed "Buffalo Trading Post".  No one knows why, but it hasn't stopped members of various Facebook groups from absolutely losing their sh*t and declaring this the ultimate end of the park.  Just like when they changed the six flags or when DC characters were introduced or when odd characters on the cave ride were switch for Looney Tunes characters or when they stopped having fake Confederate soldiers march around the park or when Angus Wynne sold the park he never intended to keep...have I missed anything?

[SFDallas]

I have a picture of my Dad painting the Tamales on the Train route from 1965. I do not remember what year they moved them. I am trying to find the picture- it is kind of cool to see them from 56 years ago. Since my Dad and Uncle worked there starting in 61- I went to the Park a lot as a kid. I miss the Tree Slides, Skull Island, the daily spy execution, Speelunkers Cave and such. Times must change. Anything to give this park a good scrubbing and fresh look would be greatly appreciated. If my Dad was still around He would have said- either replace it. paint it or pull it out. That was 1960 through 1980's thinking at SF. I think He would be mostly appalled now. I forgot about El Chicos and Nailers Fried Chicken.... I do miss those! My point is- fix it up- tear it it out- just make it look cared for and fresh!

[bert425]

^ I LOVED the Spelunkers. . that attraction was called "the Cave" right?    (I dont' mind Yosemite Sam's boat adventure ,and hopefully will be able to reopen soon. . but still miss 'the Cave").

 

and the Enterprise that used to be near it - called "Spinnaker" (which moved to SFFT as Wagon Wheel before leaving that park a long time back as well)

[clippers6]

I visited last Saturday, March 6th. This was my first time at a Six Flags park that wasn’t Magic Mountain. The plan was to go at park opening, but some issues with my rental car as well as jet lag caused me to get there a little before noon. When I got there the website still had me as a Diamond elite. They did not have the Diamond elite VIP cards at the front of the park and the Flashpass center said I could only have 2 skip the lines. I probably could have gone to member services inside the park and got everything straightened out, but I had limited time so I just decided to take skip the lines for New Texas Giant and La Vibora. My goal was to do the more unique coasters and whatever else that did not have too long of a line and get out after a few hours. 
 

Tried to start with Runaway Mountain, but it went down just as I got there. So first ride at the first Six Flags park for me was Runaway Mine Train. According to the Six Flags app this was a 50 minute wait, but it was a walk on. A kid whose mother and sister were a few rows behind me suddenly decided he didn’t want to ride in a row by himself and jumped in the seat next to me. I could tell this was probably his first coaster and he was too nervous to go alone. The ride was a little rough, but not too bad. I think seeing the kid go from nervous to having the time of his life made the ride more enjoyable for me as well. 
 

Went to Shockwave next. I think it was a 15 minute posted wait, but was a walk on. I had heard it is an underrated coaster and I would agree. Had a ton of fun on it and could imagine myself re-riding over and over if I had more time since it never had much of a line. Thought about going up the Oil Derrick for a look at the park, but decided to skip it. 
 

Went back to check on Runaway Mountain and it was still down. Ended up using my skip the line on New Texas Giant. It was fun and I liked the speed, but not as enjoyable as Twisted Colossus for me. Went to go find something to eat after that and ended up at Ma Hunkel’s. Mobile order acted up and I ended up with 3 drinks. Did not like how mobile order was set up there. The mobile order window was far from the other windows so no one saw me waiting for my order until I finally called out to one of the people in the kitchen. Bone-in wings were pretty good for a theme park.

Went on Judge Roy Scream next. 35 minute wait time, but it was just because there was a long line out of the station for the front row. I asked the people in front of me if I could go in front of them and got on right away. Literally everyone else was waiting for that first train. Sadly, this will probably be a one and done for me until they re-track because it was really rough. 
 

Finally got on Runaway Mountain next. Waited 35 minutes; the longest I waited all day. Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. I didn’t realize there was a disco yeti on it! 
 

Next up was La Vibora. I have wanted to ride a bobsled coaster ever since I first learned they existed and this ride (which was relocated from Magic Mountain) was a big reason for my visit. Well, it certainly is unique, but I bruised my tailbone so bad that I’m still feeling it almost a week later. Might give this one another shot since it is so unique. Will definitely hang on tighter next time. 
 

Was ready to call it a day after that. Did some shopping, but was disappointed in the merchandise selection. Noticed on my phone that my status was now VIP. Went back and got my two other Flashpasses but realized how late it was and didn’t use them. Also did not have time to go to member services to grab my new card. 
 

Only ride I regret skipping was Mr. Freeze. Going to Fiesta Texas next month and then another shot at Over Texas a week after that. 

[bert425]

^ line is long for front row of Judge, because (as you discovered) it's a terrible ride, unless in the front car.

I prefer non wheel seat (row 2), but the station set up is silly, that the line for 1st car can hold things up.

 

yah, Runaway Mountain is great fun, right?    And you rode historic in Runaway Mine Train - 1st tubular steel track coaster !

[grsupercity]

Mr Freeze is a very good ride. Titan is always very good. Longer then your home parks Goliath 

[clippers6]

Looks like Mr. Freeze will have to wait as they changed park hours for the next time I’ll be in Dallas. Hopefully they’ll have more regular hours soon. Added an extra day to my San Antonio trip to make up for it. Was just going to do Fiesta Texas, but with the extra day I’ll go to SeaWorld for Texas Stingray. First time at both. 
 

Had a really good time at Over Texas. They did not scan my reservation. Most people were following the mask rule. Lots of employees spread out throughout the park specifically to enforce masking. Probably 98% of people followed the rules. Most that didn’t were teenagers with a couple of adults here and there. Everyone had masks and with all the employees enforcing, most people were masked in walkways, but some slipped them off in queues. There is a booth selling masks outside the main entrance. Those Six Flags masks are actually pretty comfy; way better than the ones at Cedar Fair parks. Even outside of the parks I found people in Dallas were mostly masked; a slightly higher percentage than what I saw in Houston. 
 

Lots of new employees being trained. Had to remind a few about my member discount. Every employee was really friendly and operations were fast. App wait times were way off, although I think that is common at Magic Mountain too. Judge Roy Scream has a posted 35 minute wait time, was actually a walk on unless you wanted the front seat, and was listed as closed in the app. 

[teacherkim]

So, we just got back from our whirlwind one day trip down there. Spent all of Tues, open to close at the park. It was absolutely SLAMMED. More crowded than any park I have been to since the original shutdowns last spring. Our reservation was also never scanned. Even more odd, after we walked through temp check there were park personal with computers on tables directing people where to go, right to turnstiles or ticket booth or whatever. I showed them the reservation page thinking they were scanning it there. Not only did they not scan it, they acted like they had never ever seen one and had no idea what it was. I had to explain that I have a membership and this was my reservation for the capacity limit. The employee actually said "I have no idea what to do with that, go to the ticket booth". Huh? Very odd. There was no line we did as asked and the attendant there just waved me through after barely glancing at it as I waved it at her. At the turnstiles they  never even asked for it. Meanwhile at SFSTL I've had to show it  multiple times to enter the park (at least as of last December, their opening day is this Saturday) Guessing that at SFOT the reservation is now mostly a dog and pony show. Curious to see if other SF parks do the same or if the reservations go away soon. And I still have no idea what the purpose of the employees with the computers between temp check and the ticket booths was.

Thank goodness I had a member perk that allowed me to get Platinum fp for the same price as Gold. People with gold were still getting wait times of up to 45 minutes. Longest we had with Platinum was 15. Yes, it was that crowded. But worse than any of the ride lines were the food lines. Waited 20 minutes at a soda refill station and 1 solid hour at 3 in the afternoon for food. Every time all day we passed a food venue it looked about the same and many places were not on the mobile order list on the app. Not sure what the issue was, if they are just understaffed or still training or just got overwhelmed by the crowds or what. The cashier I had did not seem to understand how the food plan on the passes worked. I had to explain several time to talk The good side of that is that it turned into a really low calorie day for me because I just didn't feel like spending half the day in food lines. According to my smartwatch I walked almost 8 miles so with those two together hopefully I lost a few pounds 

The good news is we did get on every coaster even though many of them did have some down time during the day. Props to the maintenance department because nothing went down more than an hour or so. But at some point during the day Titan, MT, Skyscreamer, Freeze, and Batman all were down, and those are the ones I know about. But everyone was back up and working within an hour or so. MT train actually got stuck on the lift with passengers, but we didn't stick around long enough to see if they got it going quickly or had to evac.

Mask enforcement was pretty good everywhere but the one indoor thing we did for any length of time and that was inside Johnny Rockets. The employees were trying but were being ignored. They probably really should have gotten a supervisor or security. They did crackdown on the genius that had taken his mask off and laid it on a table to hold the spot for him and his friend while they stood in line 

They did load every row on every ride, with the sort of exception being JL, where each party got their own car. I hope other parks do the same because I just don't see the point. I mean if people are in front of you going fast on a coaster doesn't seem like one empty row is going to help. They did have plexiglass dividers in the station between rows, which seemed reasonably intelligent.  Which as I posted on the SFTTL thread ( they are doing every other row but no dividers in the station) brings up the question: Are the procedures coming down from corporate and some parks are just going rogue? Or is it at the discretion of each park president? Or is it different for each depending on the guidelines of the state and/or county that particular is located in?  According to Bert from the other thread all the Texas parks are doing this so as he said, Maybe a state thing?

Anyway  overall it was a fun day, we got on everything we wanted to at least once or twice. Missed a night ride on NTG  (which was waaay smoother than I could have anticipated) because we tried to do Titan first and sat on the brake run for almost 10 minutes, never did see or hear what the problem was and missed our last chance at the final night ride on NTG by like 3 minutes, but you know, you pays your money and takes your chances. 

We got up at 4 to catch a 6:30 flight, got a car, stopped for a quick breakfast, went right to the park, stayed until almost 8:30 , got to the hotel after 9.................so it is possible something happened that I just don't remember at this point, lol, but that's a basic summary of our day.