chadster Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 So most of you have seen that I've been really positive towards the park the last six months and deservedly so. But today the park made a decision to do away with the single rider line on JL. I realize they've had issues with groups of people, large groups skipping the line, but that can be overcome if it were policed better, after all they have two 'security' peeps at the ride, but nope it's just easier to eliminate it. It's really sad and not sure how I feel about cars going around with empty seats. The security personal who've I've come to know only by riding, were e completely in shock and felt it was not an appropriate action. Oh well, hope they reopen it, but like skyskreame's single rider line, I'm afraid it might disappear for good. :/ As far as break downs a lot of this could be patron caused as I know they've been extremely rough on the guns and too many fat people cause the cars to wig out, but Sally has one of the best track records in the business and I'm sure the problems will get sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 LOL!! Now they're back to allowing single riders, that didn't take long. So confusing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Here in St Louis, there is no Single Rider line... and it SUCKS. in fact, gouping isn't the best either, with constant rows of one or two people. We also have less cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 ^ When I went to my home park, SFStL, ride ops were yelling down the queue for parties of 1 or 2 to fill the cars. My friend and I were lucky enough to have that option and ended up getting to skip what would have been another 20 to 30 minute wait! We were very pleased! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texascoaster89 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 LOL!! Now they're back to allowing single riders, that didn't take long. So confusing! I've noticed our park will randomly change policies and change them back if someone complains about it. Last year when they were doing assigned seating on NTaG, I had finally had it (this was after all summer and suffering through bad ride operations). I complained to HR because there was A LOT of people in line very pissed about it. To my shock, HR called ME! The little man! lol The lady was great and I gave her kudos for calling me because she literally asked me what do they need to fix. (I had just returned from my first ever trip to Cedar Point about a week prior mind you) and I said send someone to Cedar Point and watch how they manage lines and ride operations and you'll be on the right track. They have some what listened, but not completely yet lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 LOL!! Now they're back to allowing single riders, that didn't take long. So confusing! I've noticed our park will randomly change policies and change them back if someone complains about it. Last year when they were doing assigned seating on NTaG, I had finally had it (this was after all summer and suffering through badly ride operations). I complained to HR because there was A LOT of people in line very pissed about it. To my shock, HR called ME! The little man! lol The lady was great and I gave her kudos for calling me because she literally asked me what do they need to fix. (I had just returned from my first ever trip to Cedar Point about a week prior mind you) and I said send someone to Cedar Point and watch how they manage lines and ride operations and you'll be on the right track. They have some what listened, but not completely yet lol To be honest, if all you said was "Do what Cedar Point does," that's not very helpful to Six Flags. For one, Cedar Point doesn't have an RMC. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, Texas weather is slightly different from the Great Lakes. Six Flags over Texas doesn't need to, and in fact cannot, do what Cedar Point does. They can improve operations at their own park, but it will be on their own terms, tailored for the rides, clientele, and weather they have. If you had some serious and specific suggestions, then you should have shared them. Otherwise, it really wasn't worth your time or theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFZIP Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 The St. Louis one received an eighth car a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if it's being used yet or not. Rumor is that the extra 8th car came from SFOT, don't know if it's true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sportsdude360 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 ^Well, one of the ops told me that one of the cars was having more trouble than the others. Maybe that's the one that got sent to SFSTL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 While I can't validate that rumor, I don't believe they've consistently ever used all the cars at SFOT, to me when they upped the number of cars on the rails it became less efficient due to the park patron factor, so if it did come from SFOT, it would make sense. I did something last night I hadn't done in a very long time, rode Yosemite Sam. Why, who knows. But what it did was remind me of how far animatronic technology has come since that ride was re-done and it's a ride that I would like to see receive another overhaul because the ride adds value to the park's collection and is a big hit with kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboy Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 My 4 year old loves the ride, despite its deteriorated condition and the fact that she has never been exposed to the LT characters. I would love to see it get a once over with updated equipment. Also nothing I can substantiate, but I've heard that increasing the number of active ride units on JL is what is causing the ride to go haywire and thus all of the downtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBullet2004 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 How many ride vehicles do they have on the ride? And does it have a storage track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 10 and yes, they have maintenance area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBullet2004 Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 What scenes does the storage track split off at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texascoaster89 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 LOL!! Now they're back to allowing single riders, that didn't take long. So confusing! I've noticed our park will randomly change policies and change them back if someone complains about it. Last year when they were doing assigned seating on NTaG, I had finally had it (this was after all summer and suffering through badly ride operations). I complained to HR because there was A LOT of people in line very pissed about it. To my shock, HR called ME! The little man! lol The lady was great and I gave her kudos for calling me because she literally asked me what do they need to fix. (I had just returned from my first ever trip to Cedar Point about a week prior mind you) and I said send someone to Cedar Point and watch how they manage lines and ride operations and you'll be on the right track. They have some what listened, but not completely yet lol To be honest, if all you said was "Do what Cedar Point does," that's not very helpful to Six Flags. For one, Cedar Point doesn't have an RMC. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, Texas weather is slightly different from the Great Lakes. Six Flags over Texas doesn't need to, and in fact cannot, do what Cedar Point does. They can improve operations at their own park, but it will be on their own terms, tailored for the rides, clientele, and weather they have. If you had some serious and specific suggestions, then you should have shared them. Otherwise, it really wasn't worth your time or theirs. No need to get snappy and judge-mental. Excuse me for not taking the time to type out page after page of improvements I felt the park could implement based on THEIR COMPETITION that whips their rear ends. I suggested many different things that they could look into. Do you not travel to other parks? I've been to New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and Minnesota just in the last month. Each park typically has their own unique features and how they run things. But since you insist that telling them "Do what Cedar Point does" isn't good enough. How about me comparing our park to Great Adventure? They actually do A LOT of things very similar to Cedar Fair that our park does not. How about pre-measuring kids at the park gate with color coded stickers with their height so they don't have to be pulled off a ride after they've been seated to be remeasured? Great Adventure does this and I saw it at King's Dominion a few weeks ago, that's a great idea! Why does our park average over 3 minutes per train dispatch and stack out 2 trains when everywhere else I visit they can run 3 with no stack out? Customer Service is more top notch at Cedar Fair parks, all the reviews this season out of Cedar Point is the ride ops are really hauling on the platforms and the vendors are being top notch. I gave some kudos to those at Great Adventure as they were really moving also and doing a good job. But, it's been a long time since I could say they were doing a good job dispatching quickly on Titan or TG. Facts are, I love our park, SFOT is supposed to be a flagship park in the chain. It's not anymore, it has a good set of rides but it hasn't seen significant upgrades in years. SFMM and SFGAV are better parks now, even Fiesta Texas is getting some attention and I felt the scenery and charm of the park is still very much intact. Does our park look like a themed "Six Flags" to you anymore? It's lacking and I look forward to the improvements when they finally do come. So now, go visit other parks and you'll see why improvements should be made and complained about and you'll understand my previous post much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 How about pre-measuring kids at the park gate with color coded stickers with their height so they don't have to be pulled off a ride after they've been seated to be remeasured? Great Adventure does this and I saw it at King's Dominion a few weeks ago, that's a great idea! This is a great serious and specific idea. What businesses want in a call like that is process improvement. They want to know how they can do what they're doing better. Dissatisfied guests can be revenue impacting. There are many guests who are dissatisfied and never speak up, so listening to you can give them an idea of what others are thinking. If the idea is cheap and easy to implement, and will raise guest satisfaction (and therefore spending!), then they'll do it. Transplanting ideas from the competition sometimes works, but more often it fails, just because each business's culture is a bit different from another's. I've seen that time and again. They need to find a way that works for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1badgmc Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 ...How about pre-measuring kids at the park gate with color coded stickers with their height so they don't have to be pulled off a ride after they've been seated to be remeasured? Great Adventure does this and I saw it at King's Dominion a few weeks ago, that's a great idea! You can go to Guest Services just inside the gate at SFOT and have your child measured and they'll give them a colored wristband for their height. I did this a couple times with my kids, but gave up. It's pointless. None of the ride ops pay attention to the wristband and still want to measure the kids. I really do wish they would take note of Cedar Point's operations. I took my wife to CP for her first time a few years ago after she had grown up going to SFOT. It didn't take her long to notice the efficiency and better professionalism of the operations there. If she notices it, then anyone can see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texascoaster89 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 ...How about pre-measuring kids at the park gate with color coded stickers with their height so they don't have to be pulled off a ride after they've been seated to be remeasured? Great Adventure does this and I saw it at King's Dominion a few weeks ago, that's a great idea! You can go to Guest Services just inside the gate at SFOT and have your child measured and they'll give them a colored wristband for their height. I did this a couple times with my kids, but gave up. It's pointless. None of the ride ops pay attention to the wristband and still want to measure the kids. I really do wish they would take note of Cedar Point's operations. I took my wife to CP for her first time a few years ago after she had grown up going to SFOT. It didn't take her long to notice the efficiency and better professionalism of the operations there. If she notices it, then anyone can see it. See? That's one thing I'm talking about. I grew up in our park here as well and didn't even know they have the wrist bands already lol. They just don't enforce their own policies. I just started visiting other parks last year, it's like leaving the country and coming back with new eyes. The flaws suddenly stick out. Something else I appreciated at CP for example when I was standing in line for Rougarou. They actually had signs in the queue that said "assigned seating will be implemented because of popularity of the ride". You know how many problems they had? None! Our major problem is our guests are not educated, changing of just signs and policies and enforcing them will change that. Not to sound like a know it all, but I am studying parks and recreating management in hopes of being in management of a park somewhere someday. A lot of Cedar Fair parks through signs and enforcing rules have essentially "trained" their guests. Everyone when they sit on a ride know exactly how to put on the restraints, even these old ladies I saw riding Maverick! Loose items, CP and Great Adventure both REALLY enforce the loose item policy. Great Adventure would barely let you take your underwear on the ride, but it creates faster loading times. But the loose item procedure could be handled better, I like the Cedar Fair method, it's quicker and they actually get on the microphone and tell people to hurry up and get off the platform. A lot of these things could be implemented for free, or dirt cheap. Hopefully it happens someday soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 And another one files a lawsuit for discrimination over not being able to ride due to a change in policy requiring two natural legs. Too bad they settled the first one as now it opens the floodgates. The kicker is a Florida park told him a similar story, sorry you must have two natural legs. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/07/08/amputee-sues-six-flags-for-discrimination/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Yet another stupid theme park related lawsuit. I respect the guy for wanting to prove that people with disabilities can still do anything they set their minds to, but roller coasters are an exception to that rule. I feel bad for the dude, but sadly it's how life works, and Six Flags can't let amputees onto rides where their lives could be endangered. It's not discrimination, it's called being safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Yet another stupid theme park related lawsuit. I respect the guy for wanting to prove that people with disabilities can still do anything they set their minds to, but roller coasters are an exception to that rule. I feel bad for the dude, but sadly it's how life works, and Six Flags can't let amputees onto rides where their lives could be endangered. It's not discrimination, it's called being safe. Historically, most theme parks operated on the "three point rule" which indicates that someone must have all/majority of 3 limbs. Simply citing "safety" may not be the case. It might be that Six Flags chose that policy because it might help with their insurance costs and figured settling cases was cheaper. (edit: just took a look at Cedar Point's website and they have a whole list of accommodations and rules regarding this. But lololol "SFOT can't do what Cedar Point does!") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombi3elephant9 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Hey guys, I just wanted to share my experience at Six Flags Over Texas. I got to the park on Friday the 3rd. I got to the park around like 4-ish due to problems with my car. The park was already pretty full of guests so the lines for the rides were 40 minutes long give or take. I got on Shock Wave, Texas Giant, and Titan. Shock Wave was enjoyable, however I wasn't a big fan of seeing the track sway back and forth as the coaster car ran around the track. I'm aware that the ride is older, but still it was kinda scary. Texas Giant was awesome. Giant was fast, smooth, and radical. The ride took longer to get out of the station, I think it was because of the events that happened happened two years ago so I could understand the added need of safety for the ride. Overall Texas Giant was my favorite ride of the park. The last ride I went on the day was Titan. I had previously been on Goliath at Magic Mountain so in a way I had already ridden the ride, but I still enjoyed the ride. It was a ton of fun and was probably my second favorite ride of the trip. I went to the park the next day on Saturday July 4th. I got in the park an hour early because of a promotion the park had so I got on Superman TOP early in the day. The coasters I got on that day were Freeze, Batman, Judge Roy, Runaway Mountain, La Vibora, and Titan again (I wasn't able to go on TG again due to the members of my family not wanting to wait in the line). I also went on the new Justice League ride which was very fun. I liked the themeing on the ride and I had a fun time beating every one in my family. The only problem I had with Justice League is a pretty obvious reason, the ride broke down a lot. When I went on Friday the ride wasn't operating all day long, and on Saturday after I got off the ride, it was having trouble operating the rest of the day. I am aware that this ride is new for Six Flags and the mechanics and system are something that the parks have never really had, but they really need to fix the frequent down times. I'm sure by next year they'll get the system all figured out, but hopefully they fix it soon. Overall Six Flags Over Texas was great. It was a fantastic two days and I hope I get to go again some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboy Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 The track movement on Shockwave has nothing to do with its age. It was designed to have give and it has always done that. Many wood coasters did the same thing. There were parts of the Texas Giant structure prior to the redo that swayed a good 2 feet after the train went through. For all I know, it still does it. I haven't really paid attention to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Shock Wave was enjoyable, however I wasn't a big fan of seeing the track sway back and forth as the coaster car ran around the track. I'm aware that the ride is older, but still it was kinda scary. It has nothing to do with the coasters age. "If it doesn't 'bend' it will break." Most all coasters are designed so that the track can sway. Take a look at videos showing Top Thrill Dragster off ride footage. The track at the base of the tower right after the launch sways back and forth a good 8-12 inches every time a train passes by it, and it is obviously much newer than Shock Wave. However, I do get what you are saying. I took one of my good friends to the park recently, and she said the same thing about the track swaying on Shock Wave. Regardless of what I told her, she was still freaked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1badgmc Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Also, pay attention to the supports on Shockwave, especially when you're on the station ramps and can get a good view of the track sections that go around the station. The supports have ball and socket joints at the ends to allow movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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