Six Flags St. Louis (SFStL) Discussion Thread

[RSHSLax]

1 hour ago, bert425 said:

at the entry/parking gate they'll give you a paper tag when they scan your diamond pass, and then you just go to where the preferred parking is.  (it's a marked section of the lot, and there will be signs up).

 

personally, I never use Preferred at my home park (Fiesta Tx). . I've always managed to find closer places to park in the general parking

Preferred parking is right by the entrance at SFSTL. I just wondered how you get the paper to get you in. Thanks. 

[bert425]

make sure you ask for the tag tho.. .

I don't ever use it, but they don't always offer the tag to me .  .so be sure to ask if they don't offer

[Danrarbc]

I've never really had a problem with them noticing that it is a Diamond pass but yes don't be afraid of speaking up if they don't hand you the piece of paper.

[Danrarbc]

https://www.twitter.com/SFStLouis/status/1702805440571039753#m

[prozach626]

Looks pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

[JimH2K]

If anyone had the training running before the end of 2024 or before the carousel is done... You win the pool!

Train was back up and working this weekend.  Was running for the freaks unleashed show, and was doing a round trip ride, as the north station is being used for a boo fest black light walkthrough.

[Danrarbc]

Well the train was primarily down for Rookie Racer construction anyway so with that construction being done it removed that barrier.

The only real question left was will the park view a month* of operation as worth it.

*That we know of

[prozach626]

11 hours ago, JimH2K said:

If anyone had the training running before the end of 2024 or before the carousel is done... You win the pool!

I would have never guessed.

[Danrarbc]

Only missed summer by like a week. 
Rookie Racer opens this weekend.

 

[prozach626]

I guess we can expect Joker sometime around 2025.

[Danrarbc]

 

 

[prozach626]

Hooooooly shit. That line for one train opps on a family coaster? There's no way I would wait in that if I didn't have a kid, or maybe at all.

I wonder if the audio track will already be toast by the start of 2024?

It's awesome that even with the loud audio, you can still hear Freeze roaring and kicking ass after over 20 years.

 

How's the trick or treat and October Fest been going? I think we're going to check it out in a couple weeks.

[teacherkim]

Went to the park yesterday, actually the only visit we've made to our home park all year; partly because my son no longer works there as he has moved on to his first full-time adult job.

FF was just as expected, I think the houses and scare zones were better staffed than last year but that can vary nightly. Crowds not bad on a Sunday night, we managed to get through all the haunt stuff in a couple hours and we didn't even have haunt fast passes. Just wasn't necessary. We did see the main show in the Palace. Cute. Entertaining way to kill and hour (which is what we were doing while waiting for the haunts to open) Probably a little disappointing to us because we were coming off of a weekend at Lagoon where the shows were extremely high quality. In my opinion tame enough for pretty small kids unless you have one that is really really freaked out by monsters, but there were several small kids in there and I didn't see any of them get scared. It's more of a comedy/musical than any scare factor. In fact if you do have little kids Sundays 12-4 would be a good time to go, quiet and all the kids stuff going with minimal waits. They trick or treat trail next to Freeze looked fun for the little ones and they can wear costumes.

We did try out the October fest festival food. All of it is at the Mooseburger which has been nicely decorated. And.......I have to say it was fairly tasty and better quality than I expected. There is an outdoor bar, walk up snack stand, and then a different menu that you order inside. Unfortunately none of it is on the dining plan but if you go for sure check it out, it was definitely a cut above the usual offerings. We also had a later meal in Johnny Rockets and it was by far the highest quality I've ever had there.

Rookie Racer-Super smooth, nice on board audio, quick load. I never saw a line for more than maybe 15 minutes. We got through the turnstiles about 5 min after rope drop, walked quickly (but not speed walking or anything) right to it and waited maybe 5 min. Just as everyone has said a needed attraction for the park and something grandparents can do with little kids.

Train operational until about 5:30 when they shut it down to bring the freaks in.

Freeze opened late, about 3:15

Ninja, Spinsanity, Colossus, Supergirl, all down for the entire day. Carousel still down as well of course. 

Scrambler was sporadic and only seemed to open for a short time in the late afternoon.

Of course all three water rides done for the year.

Mine Train, Boss, Eagle all started the day on one train ops. I know they added the second train back to Eagle because we caught a night ride but not sure if they others got a second train back or not. Catwoman carried a 2 hour wait all day. I don't get the love for that one. Although it's pretty at night, lol.

They have definitely already been working on the site where Joker is going. Almost all vestiges of Dragon's Wing are gone.

I did notice on arrival that they are preparing to make the parking lot toll booths automatic without the need for humans. There are scanners installed, but not yet operational where I assume you will scan either your pass or a cc. They had two lanes designated for the speedy pass thing where you buy ahead of time on line. And they have new signage up for preferred parking to use the left two lanes. I'm hoping they make a dedicated lane right into preferred parking from there instead of having you drive all the way around. It would make a ton of sense and then essentially negate the need for security to have to stand all day at the preferred parking entrance. The only thing I'm not sure of is how they will deal with pickup/dropoff, maybe it will also get a dedicated lane?  Again they weren't using any of the dedicated lanes yet but I'm guessing they will next season. They will probably still have a security person there and maybe an employee to deal with issues but it should not only cut down on the staff needed at the toll booths but hopefully make it faster to get through and eliminate some of the normal backups.

[Danrarbc]

I know a resident curmudgeon was quite critical of the line Rookie Racer had displayed in my visit. But even with two laps it is a relatively short cycle. And with the fast operations the trains allow and the fact that they actually have someone on the platform ensuring the trains leave full every cycle (for now) it is actually churning through riders pretty fast.

The longest line shown in the video wouldn't have been more than a 40 minute wait or so. The actual set queue only starts around where the helix is so during normal ops this thing should rarely top 30 minutes. Quick note that the audio system is probably a pretty basic setup with audio less "following" the train and probably more just 8 different audio tracks mixed carefully to time up with the course. So as long as the wiring stays in shape it should hold up well. 

I'm assuming it is simply based on timing because I didn't really see any position sensors on ride.

[prozach626]

What is all the crap we can do tomorrow afternoon with our kid, as far as Halloween goes?

[teacherkim]

5 hours ago, prozach626 said:

What is all the crap we can do tomorrow afternoon with our kid, as far as Halloween goes?

The trick or treat trail entrance is in DC Plaza to the right of Freeze's entrance and they will give you a bag, all of the kid's area will be open during the day as well as the train, Rookie Racer if she's tall enough, Love at First Fright at the Palace is fine for kids, there is a not scary just for kids hayride, strawbale maze up by the amphitheater, there's some other family friendly show in the theater by Ninja, .......I'm probably forgetting something. It's all on the website under events for BooFest.  Quite a lot actually. I recommend trying the food for Octoberfest at the Mooseburger. I think you are a beer drinker? They had some specialty beers there as well.

[prozach626]

Thanks! Sounds fun.

[prozach626]

So we went. I'm just going to go the route of, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

[Woodie Warrior]

Made it out to the park yesterday, hadn't been in a couple of years. Crowds were pretty mild for late October, but I guess it was a Sunday.

Managed to get a ride on Rookie Racer, but most of the day it had an almost hour wait, which I don't think it's worth unless you are a small child or are with a small child. The line did have lots of groups of teens in it, so I guess it has wider appeal than I expected. The audio that follows the train around the track was a nice touch, and the first drop has a nice pop of air in the backseat. Not a ride I'd go out of my way to ride again, but it's a nice addition, and a much gentler beginners coaster than Mine Train.

Dragon's Wing's plot is completely leveled now, so hopefully Joker will be ready before October of next year...

Justice League needs so much TLC. The lack of 3D isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the Joker animatronic wasn't working, none of the fog/fire effects were working, we got stuck on both of the simulator screens, and the final screen had large amounts of pixels that were out.

Oktoberfest was a nice addition, we tried the pierogis and schnitzel which were alright. The schnitzel was just a breaded buffalo chicken breast on a stick so that was... interesting I guess? But when knockoff Panda Express is $20 a plate, $9 didn't seem too bad.

Sad to see almost all of the flat rides, and a few coasters, closed during the day. Colossus/Supergirl/Ninja/Spinsanity/Fireball were all down when we got there, I think the first three opened in the evening. Not a good look when you already have so many empty plots around the park from recently removed attractions.

[prozach626]

Honestly, I just can't believe what an absolute shit show this park is. All parks and employers in general are struggling with staffing, and it can't be seen more than at SFSTL. There just aren't enough working people anymore to sustain this place. It's like people just vanished.

There are countless better things to do around the area than this park, now.

[Woodie Warrior]

Missouri summers are only getting hotter and hotter, and there are very few jobs that pay minimum wage and require you to be constantly moving in direct sunlight for at least 6 hours at a time. I worked at the park for a few summers, but only because I had always wanted to work at a theme park. To most people, a job at a fast food joint in AC for the same pay as SF (or more) makes more sense.

Six Flags also screwed itself by trying to market itself as the "value" brand theme park. That model just isn't economically friendly in 2023. Right now you can get an annual pass for $65, which I think is about how much they charged back in the 2010s. The only way to hire more workers, add exciting additions, and maintain what they already have is to raise prices, but their current product just wouldn't really attract many people if they did actually raise their admission price.

[Danrarbc]

Six Flags tried to raise prices and the fanbase let them have it over it. Their 2022 was ABYSMAL in both attendance and revenue. 

They can't put the cart before the horse on this. They have to make the parks better first to justify a premium price. They can't just bump prices up to Silver Dollar City level and expect it to work all by itself that's what they attempted to do in early 2022.

[prozach626]

Ok... I give up.

Prior to Holliday in the Park, we hadn't been to Six Flags Saint Louis in five years. It had just gotten too bad, there were no new attractions, and it was a shitty teenage paradise. Josh convinced us to go back for HITP and we had a blast. Maintenance and upkeep was on the upswing. We were season pass holders up until they canceled HITP.

The park just got a much needed addition and is getting a much needed great thrill ride next year. But, the place looks like an absolute shithole. So many landscaping areas were mostly bare, full of dirt, trash, and dying weeds. Everything looked dirty. New paint was needed throughout. It wasn't a pleasant place to be.

Ride operators were switching between rides in the kids section. It hilariously left other parent's bewildered when they said, "I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to go run another ride." lolol. I wasn't taken off guard.

The trick-or-treat section was hilariously bad. There were a few props and photo taking opportunities. They had one person handing out bags, and two stations for people giving out candy. It seriously looked like a back yard setup, or something you would see at a very small pumpkin patch. We saw the hay maze open one time, and none of the other kid friendly Halloween attractions were open.

The funniest part was we sat in the haunted bar (name?) for a half hour with our other family members. We left and came back an hour later to grab a couple more beers. The bartender fucking asked us if we were eating and drinking plenty of water, being dead serious. lololol wtf. Thanks for making me feel like a degenerate for my second round. She was condescending as hell.

We paid almost $200 to be there. I don't feel like we got our money's worth. It wasn't a shocker, so we didn't really sweat it. Luckily, the kids had fun, but they're too young to know any better. We stayed a few hours and left well before 6, when all of the weird 'too into Halloween' people started showing up. When you can't tell who is dressing up and who isn't, it's time to bounce.

It's blatantly obvious things are not going well. SF Great America didn't look much better in the Summer. SF has no appeal for me anymore. We'll probably go again once next year in the summer, just because it's close. Hopefully Eve will be interested in Rookie Racer by then. (probably not)

I tried to hold it in.

[Woodie Warrior]

11 hours ago, prozach626 said:

Ride operators were switching between rides in the kids section. It hilariously left other parent's bewildered when they said, "I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to go run another ride." lolol. I wasn't taken off guard.

Yep, as a ride op it started being common to have to work 2 kids rides on less busy summer weekdays. We walked through Sunday and noticed the signs up, I couldn't believe they were doing it on a Fright Fest afternoon.

[TrippinBillie]

15 hours ago, Danrarbc said:

Six Flags tried to raise prices and the fanbase let them have it over it. Their 2022 was ABYSMAL in both attendance and revenue. 

They can't put the cart before the horse on this. They have to make the parks better first to justify a premium price. They can't just bump prices up to Silver Dollar City level and expect it to work all by itself that's what they attempted to do in early 2022.

I see your point, and I 100% agree with you.  However, they're going about it the wrong way.  Can Saleem come in and jack prices up immediately and expect no objection?  NO.  But if they were to scale raising prices appropriately by improving the product, I think you'd see an incredible support in revenue and attendance.

RMC the boss.  For god's sake.  You know how many regional pass members you'd get JUST from that?  As a 38 year old dad with 3 kids (1 of which is 5 1/2 and asks to go all the time), there isn't anything enticing me to get a pass - other than caving for my son.  However, if they properly added thrills and invested capital, that'd be a different story!  Think of the draw this place would get from RMC Boss ALONE!!!!!!  Then, go get an Intamin or Mack Powersplash for the old Tidal Wave plot and raise the annual passes a tad more, incrementally.

You can't continue to roll out the same sh***y park year in and out, and believe that people will support it.  Need more example of this?....see the STL Cardinals.  The ownership is under amazing scrutiny because the fans are bought in because of success.  They had their worse year since 1990 and have seen attendance crumble, season ticket sales plummet, and have seen revenue decline in the BPV and hospitality areas.  Their response is that they need to spend aggressively this offseason and put a better PRODUCT ON THE FIELD.  SFSTL could learn a valuable lesson from that.