Six Flags Great America/Why does everyone put up with this?

[MLMarek]

We went to Great America yesterday (Friday), first time in about 9 years. I am not a theme park person, I hate waiting in lines. This was even worse than I thought it would be.
My daughter got a free pass for reading 6 hours. Seemed like everyone else in line had the free passes too (they expire in 2 days).
Waited 15 min to pay $15 to park. Stood in line for 30 min to buy adult tickets. It took another 15 min to get past security.

Once inside, most of the rides had a one hour wait. It was 90 degrees outside. We were going to go to the water park, Hurricane Harbor, but then it closed due to being at capacity (but they don't tell you that at the front gate, or turn you away there, do they?)

GREED GREED GREED
We decided to eat (you can't bring in your own food).
I waited 20 minutes to pay $8.99 for a 1/2 lb hot dog and fries, $7.99 for a chicken strips and fries (with too few chicken strips). Later, my husband decided to get a coke, he stood 20 mins in a ice cream/drinks only line to pay $7.99 for a souvenir cup with 99c refills, what a deal.
The staff was slow to fill orders.

I did have fun part of the time, since I went on the American Eagle, a fantastic wooden roller coller. We also enjoyed the log ride and the Roaring Rapids.
But basically, there just aren't enough rides there given the number of people they let in the park.
From reading reviews on tripadvisor today, it sounds like this was not an isolated incident. So why does everyone put up with it? Because they get a few minutes of fun amongst all the hassle?

I intend to complain to Six Flags. I know I'm wasting my time.
But also I intend to let as many people as I can know about my experience.
We won't go there again.

Cedar Point forever!

 

[mikey0531]

I know. It's terrible there. My sister lives a few minutes around the corner from there -- and whenever we go visit, we DO NOT visit the park. It's always a waste of time.

Debi

 

[Rose Pink]

I feel your pain. The first time we took our children to Disneyland (many many years ago) we spent 11 hours in the park and only got to ride 7 rides. We learned to never go on weekends or during busy season. Even though some of the major rides are closed for maintenance during off season, and even though the parks close earlier, we still find it a much better deal and a far more pleasant experience when the crowds are down.

As for those "rewards" for reading, good grades or whatever, they are just a ploy to get paying adults into the park. Same for those free pizza coupons, etc. It makes more financial sense to spend the money when you and your child can enjoy it. Next time tell your child that you are pleased with their school work and that you will take them to the park (or somewhere else if they would rather do that) as a reward but just not when it is so crowded. The very small amount you save on one child's tix is simply not worth it, imo. I'd rather spend the extra bucks for more ride value--more rides for the time spent. Consider it a lesson in economics and math. Divide the amount spent by the number of rides to get the value per ride. Then discuss with your child the "value" of quality time as well (less crowds, less standing in line, etc).

 

[ruthjayne]

We live near Six Flags over Mid America, so when I saw an article about Six Flags in the newspaper, it caught my eye. They have a new CEO and he plans to close several parks. I forgot which ones, but some are so bad that they are out of control. Some people complained about lewd acts in public, public drunkeness, etc. This new CEO plans to tighten the reigns to make all of them a better place. I'm sure that your letter, directed to the right person, would help.

Ruth

 

[tsl]

Six Flags Arlington

We live near Six Flags in Texas and are season pass holders. We never go in the summer for the reasons you list. We always go in the spring and fall but not on holidays. Same with Disney. The worst mistake I ever made was goingt to Orlando on week 52. Way too many people.

 

[JLB]

Yup, we're looking forward to a similar experence in Orlando Christmas Week.

Well, actually not we. Me of we will be on a golf course. Me of we would never go to Orlando that week. But others in our family do not have the luxury of picking their time-off.

 

[tsl]

Yup, we're looking forward to a similar experence in Orlando Christmas Week.

Well, actually not we. Me of we will be on a golf course. Me of we would never go to Orlando that week. But others in our family do not have the luxury of picking their time-off.

I did hear from our friends that week 51 was less busy and then on Dec. 26 the crowds were awful. If you can hit the parks b/f x-mas, maybe it will be better. We did do some other things in the Orlando area. I should have known better......Live and learn. Kids still got to swim in Dec. so they were happy.

 

[hi_its_lori]

As a Six Flags Great America season passholder, we avoid visting the park in early August because so many kids are using their free reading passes before they expire. I agree that their food is overpriced, we either leave the park entirely and go the Burger King near the front entrance, or we pack a lunch and eat in the parking lot. The waterpark was closed over the weekend for a possible cryptosporidium outbreak.

 

[CharlesS]

We went to Great America yesterday (Friday), first time in about 9 years. I am not a theme park person, I hate waiting in lines. This was even worse than I thought it would be.

I also hate lines. But we went to Six Flags in Missouri mid-summer years back and had the time of our lives. It was a warm cloudy day with misty rain. We rode the logs 11 times in a row (we were wet anyway). We would get off, run around to the entrance, and get back on again without a wait. The light rain kept the crowds away.

Charles

 

[nightnurse613]

Went to SF Magic Mountain and I felt your pain too. First off, $15 parking! Give me a break. Secondly, season pass was $59.95 over Memorial Day and included a nice coupon book for free. Unfortunately we did not arrive until mid-June. By then, the season pass was $69.95 and no more free coupon book. They added a class, called the Silver Pass, upped the price $20 to include the previously free coupon book. I had read the park was not very clean but, was mildly surprised to see it was ok. There were no smoking signs posted all over but I did see a very few (kids mostly) smoking. Additionally, we were there Monday-Tuesday and the lines were not terrible-I would say 45 minutes on an average, in almost every case the rides were not being fully utilized. For example, Superman only ran one coaster the whole time and the lines were an hour plus. It is a premier roller coaster park and everyone (except the faint of heart) should go once.

 

[gravityrules]

Six Flag's woes

First let me say that I'm a long time SFOT fan, but it's clear that SF's new management has a huge mess on their hands and the decisions they've made so far aren't helping. The complaints of feeling 'ripped off' and gouged are numerous. From $15 dollar parking, to outrageously expensive fast food and steep hikes in ticket and season pass prices, it's no wonder most folks are feeling 'fleeced'. Mgmt has publicly committed to an improved park experience, but my kids reported the same over-crowded, understaffed experience mentioned here.
SF has stated they want to get away from the teen 'thrill crowd' and appeal more to families (i.e. no more roller coasters!) but it looks like the strategy is going to be a bust with both markets. This is a company with little margin for error as it has a huge debt load.
Mgmt would be wise to study their more sucessful competitors. I am always amazed at the different experience between well run parks (like Silver Dollar City) and Six Flags parks. I don't leave SDC feeling like I've been 'fleeced'. Even good SF parks like Six Flags over Texas and Six Flags Fiesta Texas don't compare well. And this is the opinion of a roller coaster enthusiast!

 

[wauhob3]

Just a heads up the best day to go to parks in the summer is the June Sunday when the vast majority of graduation parties are going for instance next year it would be June 9, 2007. When discovered this by accident when we went to Cedar Point and it was pretty empty. We spoke to a couple who had a two day pass and said they couldn't believe the difference from the day before. It was a beautiful day and then I thought about graduation parties. The next summer I tested it and went to Six Flags Great America and it was almost empty (it rained early in the day) I heard a park employeee say it had record low attendance. We had a great time and no lines but alas it was back to graduation parties the next two years. Next year I have any neices or nephews graduationg so maybe I'll give it a try again.

 

[hoosiermarty]

A solution to your amusement park blues. Go to Holiday Park in Santa Claus, Indiana. You can get in for $30 with a Pepsi can. You drink Pepsi products all day for FREE. Did you hear that!! FREE And the food there is cheap. Less than $5 for an adult meal. The water park is in the middle of the park and included in the park price. So, you can come and go to each section. There are 3 wooden roller coasters. One has 23 seconds of air time. My 35 yr. old niece said even her 200lb butt was off the seat. This park is clean and was on the travel channel as the cleanest friendliest park in the US.

Now I know that it is a drive. Go I65 to just before Louisville. Go west on 264 to 64 and then it is about 60 miles. There is a camp grounds next door. You can rent a trailer that sleeps 8 on down. This camp grounds has pools, free mini golf, play grounds, and rental golf carts if you don't want to walk.
Did I say that they don't charge for parking at the amusement park? And they have a free shuttle to the park from the camp grounds.

We were there with my niece and her family(boys ll,7, and l yr.) The ll yr old said he liked it better than 6 Flags over Atlanta. We stayed in a trailer for 8 that costs $l28.00 total per night. We drove down from Valparaiso one day and enjoyed the camp grounds and then went to the park the next day.
You can find all the info on the internet. Go to Santa Claus Indiana.com. My son took is 3 boys there last year. They also loved it.

 

[Kona Lovers]

Hurricane Harbor, CA

They're reportedly demolishing Hurricane Harbor out here as the land was valued at $3mil per acre, and going to concentrate on making SF Magic Mountain better. Re Magic Mountain: if you can't find some type of roller coaster there to please you, they just don't make it.

 

[dgleason]

Same here at Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ

ditto for the New Jersey location. I will not go anymore, way too expensive for a family of four! Crowded, lines are long for every ride, food prices awful.

Dorney Park, Allentown PA is a great amusement park. Price to get in includes the waterpark. Food prices are reasonable, lines are not long, you can eat your own picnic in the grove right outside the gate. I highly recommend this park. Debbie

 

[Timeshare Von]

Ironically, I recently read that their corporate stock has dropped significantly because of declining revenues.

For me, there is still nothing like Universal Studios (Florida) in May or October. Weather is great and the lines are virtually non-existent. We have also done more traditional winter months (November through February) and enjoyed our time, but the weather in central Florida can be a bit nippy during that time.

Yvonne

 

[Sandy]

I definitely agree on Universal, especially in May. We will be going to Orlando next May, and staying for two weeks. Although none of my friends get a charge out of amusement parks, they humor me sometimes. But if not, I am perfectly content to go by myself! How's that for a re-juvenile!!

 

[JudyS]

This is an old thread that I happened to see when searching for something else.

I won't go to Six Flags. I had a very bad experience at one in the 1980s, that convinced me they were very dangerous. A friend and I went to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. We had all the problems reported here with lines, crowding, etc., but that wasn't the worst of it. We went to the "Haunted Castle" and found that it was just a maze of dark corridors -- no displays, no nothing. While we were trying to find a way out, a man grabbed my friend's wallet, shoved me out of the way, and ran off. Presumably, he knew his way through the maze, but we didn't. We stumbled around, desperately trying to find an emergency exit, but there wasn't one. When we finally got out, we went and told Security what happened, and they couldn't care less. For all Security knew, that man might be robbing people in there all day long, day after day, but the park didn't care.

The next year, that same Haunted Castle caught fire, and eight people were killed. It turned out that the Haunted Castle had never been certified for permanent use, and was built of flammable material. It had no emergency exits, emergency lighting, or sprinklers. When the fire broke out, people were trapped in a dark maze with no way out. Six Flags was charged with various offenses, but spent a fortune on defense lawyers and escaped conviction.

At the time, I was a teenager and really didn't know enough to contact the victims' families and tell them of my experience. I wish I had; maybe it would have helped to show just how incredibly negligent Six Flags had been. I still won't go to Six Flags parks, despite being a major theme park addict.

In general, the Six Flags parks seem to have poor safety records, compared to other brands of amusement parks. Here's an article about Six Flags from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_Six_Flags_parks

 

[rickandcindy23]

Judy, I believe this is one of the fires that are on the training film that Rick sees at the firehouse occasionally. He told me about a Funhouse type of maze where people were trapped and died. How frightening and what a terrible way to die.

I dislike Six Flags over Elitch's here in Denver. Elitch's Gardens was a wonderful place in the neighborhood we both grew up, within walking distance of our house. The Trocadero was a huge part of history, with many big bands of the 30's, 40's and 50's performing, including Benny Goodman and Glen Miller. It was a piece of history, very nostalgic, beautiful gardens, a putt putt golf course and reasonably priced.

In comes Six Flags, buys Elitch's, moves it to downtown Denver, near the railyards. It is hot, parking is expensive, and the rides are not fun at all for about half the people. The park is no longer a park. I will never go there again, neither will our family.

At least we always have Disneyworld, though it is a bit of a drive.