Six Flags St. Louis (SFStL) Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

2.) Topper track which can withstand the abuse.

After having been on Ghostrider, I'm curious if the same type of wood might help the Boss. It's such a good coaster every spring; it just beats itself up.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I think many people tend to over look the fact that the park has three solid woodies. . .

 

I don't care how solid the woodies are. . .

 

Six Flags St. Louis is like a really bad date. No matter how solid the woodies are, it's still not worth the time.

[RollerManic]

I think many people tend to over look the fact that the park has three solid woodies. . .

 

I don't care how solid the woodies are. . .

 

Six Flags St. Louis is like a really bad date. No matter how solid the woodies are, it's still not worth the time.

I miss SFStL when I visit a lot of major parks. Any park without a decent wooden collection has just a sterile lineup, IMO.

[SteveStL]

It's been awhile since I have read some good SFSTL bashing ...Just like old times.

Makes me wonder if we ever got that Signature coaster, would the bashing stop??? hmmm, not sure

[ytterbiumanalyst]

All you guys saying there's no signature coaster like Screamin' Eagle doesn't exist....

[DoinItForTheFame]

Makes me wonder if we ever got that Signature coaster, would the bashing stop??? hmmm, not sure

 

No, probably not. It's not just the lack of a signature coaster that makes the park suck.

[RollerManic]

All you guys saying there's no signature coaster like Screamin' Eagle doesn't exist....

 

God, I love Eagle.

[castaway_kid]

Makes me wonder if we ever got that Signature coaster, would the bashing stop??? hmmm, not sure

 

No, probably not. It's not just the lack of a signature coaster that makes the park suck.

Just curious, when was your visit to the park and was it just a one day visit, because that is an awful lot of hate for one bad experience. I had a horrible experience at Cedar Point one time but gave it a second chance and it was pretty fun.

[SteveStL]

All you guys saying there's no signature coaster like Screamin' Eagle doesn't exist....

 

God, I love Eagle.

 

The Eagle is great, however can a coaster hold its Signature status for over 40 years? To me, and probably many other locals, the answer is No.

Remember, the Atari 2600 was the emerging leading edge home tech when the Eagle opened, and the Microwave was a luxury item. 8-tracks were still being installed in Cars.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Remember, the Atari 2600 was the emerging leading edge home tech when the Eagle opened

No it wasn't. The Atari 2600 was released September 11, 1977. Screamin' Eagle opened April 10, 1976.

 

Yes, I will stand up for facts. Yes, you could have Googled that like I did and could have presented correct facts to prop up your straw man argument. Yes, it's a straw man argument because whether people used microwave ovens and 8-track casettes has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject at hand.

 

Ask any normal people (or "GP" if that makes you feel better about yourself) to name a coaster at SFStL, and the two answers you'll get most often are Screamin' Eagle and Batman. That's what makes something a signature item. Not the best, most popular, whatever. It's the thing they're known for. The Big Mac is McDonald's signature item. It's what they're known for.

 

There. End of stupid discussion. Let's get back to complaining about Ninja and whining about Georgia taking our hyper coaster.

[HWFan]

Has anyone heard anything about when construction will begin on Spinsanity?

This is probably the only post from the last few pages that I want to reply to, so I'll tell you that Spinsanity construction started back in January. I'm actually excited to see that area when it opens! Even with Tsunami Soaker, that area felt a bit dead, so now two high capacity, family-friendly flats right across from each other, will really be stellar. Especially with Tsunami soaker having great interactive features (like the water cannons for Guests watching the ride, the way Spinsanity will sit in that area will be a lot of fun watching it go back and forth right there close to Guests walking by.

 

The park is getting better and better every year. Realizing that 2017 is already my fifth season at the park, I was reflecting on how much the park has changed since 2013. The rides that have been added (especially JLBM, which is definitely a "large scale" attraction) have all really had big impacts on the park. While the additions haven't always been huge, the park has really made the best of them! No more Hannibarrels and the (in my opinion due to its elevation) best looking Larson Super Loop in the chain are actually really great things when not viewed in a "...but we should've gotten _____" mindset. Additionally, the park has done a lot of large and small scale maintenance projects. Projects and replacements that haven't happened since 1971 were completed. Six Flags continues to top their previous year/quarter financial results, setting up the company very nicely for the future.

 

It's easy to get discouraged sometimes, but that applies to literally everything in life. If you want to bring up Holiday World, I shared a bathroom with the woman who made HW the cleanest & friendliest park while living with the man who brought HW to its most successful year ever. I've worked in management at a Koch park that had some incredible people (I can't stress that enough), so I know how they operate and their differences from Six Flags. After seeing the inner workings of two very different parks, I came back from Alabama prouder than ever to work for Six Flags. (Although I still think about & miss ASA almost every day.) I think that says a lot about the quality of Six Flags as a park and as a company. This isn't meant to validate anyone's posts or to combat them; just take this as a standalone opinion.

[SteveStL]

Remember, the Atari 2600 was the emerging leading edge home tech when the Eagle opened

No it wasn't. The Atari 2600 was released September 11, 1977. Screamin' Eagle opened April 10, 1976.

 

Yes, I will stand up for facts. Yes, you could have Googled that like I did and could have presented correct facts to prop up your straw man argument. Yes, it's a straw man argument because whether people used microwave ovens and 8-track casettes has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject at hand.

 

Ask any normal people (or "GP" if that makes you feel better about yourself) to name a coaster at SFStL, and the two answers you'll get most often are Screamin' Eagle and Batman. That's what makes something a signature item. Not the best, most popular, whatever. It's the thing they're known for. The Big Mac is McDonald's signature item. It's what they're known for.

 

There. End of stupid discussion. Let's get back to complaining about Ninja and whining about Georgia taking our hyper coaster.

 

Your fact checking skills are better than mine, you win. I will know better next time when I describe the age of SFSTL's 41 year old woodie.

[TNT]

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[TNT]

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[thisdougsforu]

Weird to see a metropolitan region that has close to 3 million people talked about like it's some po-dunk cowtown out in the plains of Kansas or something. I get it's not a darling in the Six Flags chain but to say that putting any money towards a star coaster project would just of course be a complete waste seems farcical. With the way the rebuilding of the park has been going the last few years, adding some kind of star attraction soon could really go hand in hand with putting it on the map.

[TrippinBillie]

Weird to see a metropolitan region that has close to 3 million people talked about like it's some po-dunk cowtown out in the plains of Kansas or something. I get it's not a darling in the Six Flags chain but to say that putting any money towards a star coaster project would just of course be a complete waste seems farcical. With the way the rebuilding of the park has been going the last few years, adding some kind of star attraction soon could really go hand in hand with putting it on the map.

 

Agreed. A "star coaster" to SF Corporate is sending an S&S Free Spin and saying "there's the steel coaster y'all have wanted". That's the problem. I don't get why we consistently get passed for a GOOD SIZED bigger coaster. Hell, re-purpose/re-locate a nice B&M of any sort and it'd be a huge win.

[Kevin Long]

well of that 2,700,000 people (at the best case 60% are interested in or would attend the park) you are now down to 1,620,000 and probably an additional 10% can't afford to go. Add into that the fact that for the most part, the majority of attending any given day are pass holders and the actual incoming cash on a daily basis is probably less than you think. it takes a long time to recoup the investment of a 15 million dollar attraction.

 

St Louis is not a place foremost in peoples minds as a vacation destination. With the exception of the real coaster fans and park enthusiasts a coaster is NOT going to make people come here. Sure they might go to the park if they are in the area anyway, but most families given a choice would select a more premium location for that family trip.

 

my two cents

 

Kevin

[prozach626]

With the way the rebuilding of the park has been going the last few years, adding some kind of star attraction soon could really go hand in hand with putting it on the map.

Without dogging the park, I just don't see it happening. There's no reason for a star coaster, because it doesn't appear that corporate has any intention of putting us on the map. Outside of RMC products, Six Flags hasn't built large thrilling coasters for years. Corporate seems content with adding small to mid level attractions on a yearly basis. I think the best thing we could hope for in the next several years is something consistent with the scale of X-Flight, at SFGam.

[kdjs]

My prediction is that there will be small to mid-sized additions in 2018, 2019, and 2020. With 2021 being the 50 year anniversary of the park, it would make sense to make a big impact to celebrate that. A new signature coaster might be the perfect addition to celebrate 50 years.

[Vonni]

^ I'm still expecting a Free Spin to come our way at some point. At least if we get that we have a chance at a totally unique "theme" for it being that we already have a Batman and Joker themed ride in the park. I like the idea of going with Two Face.

[sfkk]

^Don't get your hopes up. SFOG has two Joker themed coasters. I think SF would be perfectly content just plopping another free spin down with the same name and theme as the others, especially when the only other Joker ride at the park is a swinging ship. All this is of course if the park is lucky enough to even get a free spin or any sizeable coaster in the near future which still remains to be seen, but I would not hold my breath. Considering SF was happy to give Great Adventure the Joker coaster and market it as a marquee addition, in my view SFSTL would be considered extremely lucky to get the same kind of treatment. The fact is that based on current trends, Six Flags just does not do massive coasters anymore and they seem to be completely content with it, at least for the time being.

[prozach626]

It's weird to think that their competing chain, Cedar Fair, seems to be moving in the direction of placing Giga Coasters within their parks, while Six Flags' major projects include small scale coasters, nearly equivalent to Wild Mouse coasters. I think after bankruptcy, Six Flags wants to make sure it has much more of a stable foundation before any real coaster expansion will happen.

[coasterbill]

If it's any consolation I do contend that those free spin coasters are a ton of fun. It's no giga, but it did exceed my expectations.

[Coasters & Lamps]

After reading through the last few pages, it seems that everybody has returned to the usual bashing of SFSTL after the month of rare praise for HIP, which I wished I would have been able to see in person. I know SFSTL has their shortcomings, but please be careful because people were banned the last time this happened.

 

If my memory serves me right, Six Flags St. Louis still draws more people than Worlds of Fun, but they don't make any more money. Look at how cheap SFSTL season passes are. Also, WOF has potential for far more growth than SFSTL as they also cater to nearby Omaha and Lincoln. Both cities seem to be thriving pretty well and Omaha continues to grow rapidly with a metro approaching 1 million and that's excluding the Lincoln area, which the 2 cities combined are well over 1 million people, dwarfing Jefferson City/Columbia. Kansas city and it's metro also appear to be growing whereas the core city of St. Louis appears to keep on shrinking, with the suburbs growing just enough to offset. And the St. Louis area as a whole is not necessarily thriving at present.

 

Silver Dollar City is a destination theme park as many have said, and that does make a difference.

 

Holiday World is growing, but they are still tiny compared to SFSTL. SFSTL is burdened with more overhead coast just to manage what they have. They may eventually reach their growth limit, especially if they grow too fast.

 

And if anybody is wondering why KI can do so good as Cincinnati could be compared to St. Louis, there are reasons. The core cities in both areas have shrunk and are shadows of their former selves, but they both have fairly large suburbs that seem to be growing or holding their own. Still, neither are economic powerhouses. But KI also compete for visitors from nearby Columbus, which is a rapidly growing area, both city and metro, and the population of the metro will soon surpass Cincinnati and Cleveland metro. I know a few people in Ohio who actually prefer King's Island to Cedar Point because it is a little cheaper and more well-rounded for their kids. SFSTL doesn't draw from any secondary huge metro like this. My assessments of these areas may not be 100% accurate, but I think I'm fairly close.

 

Screamin' Eagle may no longer be the tallest and fastest, but it will always be the best works of PTC and the late great John C. Allen, and it still holds up and one of the top 20 woodies. A classic woodie will always be a classic woodie. The Lakeside Cyclone is nearly twice as old and is still a classic.

 

Ninja may be a bit rough, and it may have lost it's luster, but I'd be sad to see it go because it was my very first roller coaster. I still remember being so scared and nervous as I was ascending the lift hill. Previously, I was determined NEVER to ride a roller coaster, and the only reason why I decided to ride it is because some old ladies (looked like they were in their 80's) had just rode before me (My thoughts were "If they could do it, than I can, I think"). We immediately rushed for Screamin' Eagle second and last the River King Mine Train. A coaster enthusiast was born that day.

 

I love the Boss! Even though I've received a bruise or two, it suffices me just to know they are doing upkeep on it. There is only one Boss.

 

I would love to see them get a "star" coaster, but other parks have gone a lot longer. Iowa's Adventureland went 23 years before getting "Monster" last year, and CP hasn't given Michigan's Adventure a new coaster in 9 years, which is another subject of controversy. But anyway, SFSTL coaster lineup is about as unique as a Six Flags park can get with Batman the Ride being the only MAJOR clone. Of course, there are 2 "Mr. Freeze" and others like "Pandemonium". Compare this to the days when SF owned Elitch Gardens and filled it with Vekoma Clones.

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

Just a quick question:

 

Is there a reason that SFSTL removed on ride photos from Batman, Ninja, etc?

 

I'm asking this because I remember seeing on Ride photos from Ninja and there's an empty photo station at the exit of Batman.