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

Six Flags St. Louis (SFStL) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

^You're not allowed to leave, Josh. This thread will go to sh*t.

I promise I will/would keep up on the forum and post when warranted. If I choose to leave St. Louis for the summer, I think it'll make a lot of sense once I can say what I'll be doing and where I'll be doing it. I just got the "formal" offer today, and it's looking like it could be almost impossible to pass up. However, I'm still waiting on the family-approval and medical-approval aspects.

 

Either way, if I leave, you'll realize that it wasn't me keeping this thread from "[going] to sh*t," but you all had that power inside you all along. You just have to believe in yourselves!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SFSTL is not that bad of a park. Just needs a few adjustments like:

 

Remove Ninja and add a custom coaster (maybe a Joker themed one (like SFDK and SFGADV)so we can expand HH into the Joker Inc area)

 

Expand Hurricane Harbor

 

Repaint Xcalibur

 

Turn on the torches at the Boss entrance (I just miss that)

 

You can add onto this list if you want.

Edited by SixFlagsAstroworld
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Advice needed for a novice to Missouri parks.

 

I am thinking of taking a quick trip up there this summer to hit Six Flags St. Louis and Worlds of Fun.

 

What do you recommend to hit both parks? I know it's about a 5 hour drive from one to the other.

 

I was thinking of flying into Kansas City, hitting Worlds of Fun, and then driving to St. Louis for SFStL.

 

Is this doable over about 4 days? I will be coming up from Orlando.

 

And as much as I would like to hit Silver Dollar City, that's just too much driving and not enough riding.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The three Missouri parks are not that far apart from each other. It's about a 4 hour drive from Worlds Of Fun to Six Flags St. Louis, it's around 3 and 1/2 hours from either Worlds Of Fun or Six Flags St. Louis to get to Branson and Silver Dollar City.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Advice needed for a novice to Missouri parks.

 

I am thinking of taking a quick trip up there this summer to hit Six Flags St. Louis and Worlds of Fun.

 

What do you recommend to hit both parks? I know it's about a 5 hour drive from one to the other.

 

I was thinking of flying into Kansas City, hitting Worlds of Fun, and then driving to St. Louis for SFStL.

 

Is this doable over about 4 days? I will be coming up from Orlando.

 

And as much as I would like to hit Silver Dollar City, that's just too much driving and not enough riding.

 

Thanks!

Great to have you here! Missouri is not that big of a state really, especially for a state west of the Mississippi. I would strongly recommend, if you have 4 days, to do 1 day at Worlds of Fun, 2 days at Silver Dollar City, and 1 day at Six Flags.

 

Even in the summer, you shouldn't need flash passes at any of the three. For Worlds of Fun, ride Spinning Dragons first, then Patriot, then you're good. At Six Flags, do Justice League first, then American Thunder, then proceed clockwise. For Silver Dollar City, do Powder Keg, then Lost River and American Plunge, then you're good. And go through the cave.

 

If you do choose to do only Worlds of Fun and Six Flags, that is the option that will get you the most coasters. I personally would say Worlds of Fun and SDC is a much better option if you're only going to do two Missouri parks. But it really depends on what you're looking for in a park.

 

Worlds of Fun:

Strengths - Mamba, Missouri's only hyper coaster; the most flats of the three parks; the best water park

Weaknesses - no launch coaster, theming is weakest of the three

 

Six Flags:

Strengths - Mr. Freeze, the best shuttle coaster there is; the most coasters in MO; the best overall wooden coaster collection

Weaknesses - lack of flats, weakest operations of the three

 

SDC:

Strengths - top notch operations, theming, and food; consistently reliable coasters; the cave; Outlaw Run, the best roller coaster in the Midwest

Weaknesses - Waterpark is subpar, ticket prices are high, and crowds will be higher than at the other two (SDC has about double the yearly attendance of the other MO parks)

 

I hope that helps in your planning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope that helps in your planning.

 

Thanks for all the great advice! Since I have a Cedar Point Platinum and Six Flags Gold Pass, I will probably stick to those two parks unless I can squeeze an extra day in there somewhere to hit SDC.

 

I will let you know!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Six Flags:

Strengths - Mr. Freeze, the best shuttle coaster there is; the most coasters in MO; the best overall wooden coaster collection

Weaknesses - lack of flats, weakest operations of the three

 

SDC:

Strengths - top notch operations, theming, and food; consistently reliable coasters; the cave; Outlaw Run, the best roller coaster in the Midwest

Weaknesses - Waterpark is subpar, ticket prices are high, and crowds will be higher than at the other two (SDC has about double the yearly attendance of the other MO parks.

I think it's not fair to over generalize such a complex subject like park operations with almost zero evidence to back up any claims.

Edited by HWFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You bring up some good points. Yes, SDC has a longer operating season, and I have experienced the insane Christmas crowds many times. I will stand by the assertion that it's more likely to be crowded on any given day, and I'll point to WoF's and SFStL'S onsite waterparks as a big reason.

 

As for operations, yes, the numbers aren't available to me. When I say that, I mean how I personally as a guest feel overall the park employees are taking care of me. Their attitude when I get a drink refill, their willingness to help give me directions or assist with a fluffy bunny issue, their engagement with me while getting me onto a ride.

 

I went to all 3 Missouri parks last year, and while a good number of SFSTL employees were quite good, it felt like they were inexperienced overall. Here's a story from a visit in May of last year.

 

I tried out the floating fluffy bunny system for the first time that day, since it was a rare occasion I was visiting the park by myself, and rented the ones near American Thunder. I rode that several times and then went to Mr. Freeze. I left my stuff in the fluffy bunny while I was on Freeze and also rode that several times. Since SDC also has floating fluffy bunnies with no time limit, I stupidly thought these would be done the same way and my time expired. I'm sure it was stated to me when I rented. Whoops. Silly park guest. I asked a games operator if he could help, since he was the nearest employee, and he called for a fluffy bunny guy and even checked up on me after a few minutes. The fluffy bunny guy explained my error, and since my wallet was in the fluffy bunny and I couldn't open it again without that, he helped me to open it, having me first describe my possessions. Perfect!

 

Later that day, I was on Boss, and while I was putting away my soda, another guest took my seat. He was already buckled and the operators were about to check restraints (I was sitting in the front and it took a long time to push through the crowd exiting to get to the soda holder). The operators really didn't know what to do. I suggested to them, seeing that it would be a hassle to try to remove the guy who took my seat, that I wait at the exit and get on the next train, and they took that suggestion and dispatched.

 

I'll use for comparison a story on Outlaw Run from December. I was paired with another single rider (still can't get anyone in my family to go on it with me) and since I sat on the right, the woman next to me asked me to put her soda in the cubby for her, which I obliged. She was older, but man did she have fun on that ride! Don't grow up! Anyway, a ride operator asked me if I had just gotten off, as there was some confusion among three people about the row in front of me. They got it sorted quickly and found the proper seats for everyone, and off we went.

 

That's a bit long-winded, I know, but I hope it illuminates. I don't know all the numbers, but I do know my experience as a guest. SDC is always on top of things; I feel like I'm in good hands no matter what I'm doing. WOF and SFSTL are just not at that level, though to be fair, few parks are. I will say SFSTL is leagues ahead of where you were 10 years ago, and really seems to be improving. That's a lot of why I'm sharing these stories, so you can keep moving the park in the right direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^I really appreciate the response. I guess that's more of what I consider to be "Guest Service" but thanks for the clarification.

 

EDIT: I just re-read this post, and my response above sounds really sarcastic at the end. Please let the record reflect that I was being sincere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^I really appreciate the response. I guess that's more of what I consider to be "Guest Service" but thanks for the clarification.

 

EDIT: I just re-read this post, and my response above sounds really sarcastic at the end. Please let the record reflect that I was being sincere.

Fair enough. Not having worked for a theme park, perhaps I'm not using the right terms in the right way. I tend to judge a business by its ability to deal with those one off situations. Anyone can be trained to follow a procedure, but when there isn't a procedure in place, can your people make decisions that are in the business's best interests? That's always the test for me.

 

Oh, and no offense taken.

 

Strengths- Outlaw Run, the best roller coaster in the Midwest

 

Flag on the field: Opinion vs. Fact

Yes it is! It's important to know the difference. I don't think I'm alone in that opinion, either. It's the sort of coaster I'd travel a long way to ride, and I'm very glad to have it in my local park and open 9 months of the year.

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
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/