ben_the_bear wrote:Hurricane Harbor was a good idea, even though I think they could have done a better job with it. The idea of having a good waterpark in gurnee is a great idea, but having it connected to the park was stupid. I really think they should have taken better advantage of the land across the highway that they used to have. Most people that go to Six Flags for the day chose either amusement or waterpark. The average person goes to SFGAM once or twice a year. They could have built across the highway and people would have made a two day visit out of it instead of one day, because they wouldn't want to bother with drying off and driving across the highway. They could have still redone the parking lot and left the current HH lot as dirt until they decided to add something new.
I understand the whole "family view" that most people go with when talking about amusement parks (especially SF parks). I disagree with it though. It's good to mix things up a little bit and not just build thril rides. At the same time it's good to mix things up and not just build family rides. The park needs to figure out the equilibrium point on this. Attracting just families will bring in more money these next few years, but after awhile they're going to not be able to bring in many more families and will start to lose teans/ people without kids. I know that most of my friends don't want to go to SFGAM as much, that includes me. It gets boring after awhile. There's nothing new worth waiting for. When there's a new ride teens will go for several years after that ride is built and sill be willing to wait in a full queue for it. That doesn't happen after 5 years though.
The best thing for SFGAM would be something big and thrilling, but something that eats up people at the same time and doesn't have a huge line. Intamin does a great job with their designs, but six flags probably wouldn't fork out the money for one of their coasters. A hydra type ride would be great in SWF area. As much as SF doesn't like to admit it, people come to the parks for coasters, not mini golf or a water shooter ride.
Like the idea, its like Six Flags Over Texas and their Hurricane Harbour. But they would build SkyWay or that would also be a dumb move because then since it is seperate, less people would visit each side of the park. People go to the theme park and go hey, lets go to the waterpark later. So your idea is so so on my opinion.
If it was a separate admission, less people would want to do both in the same day. But it can also go the other way with people only picking one and not going the second day.
Actually, that would then encourage season passes though.
Last edited by tp41190 on November 18th, 2008, 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
^^ Six Flags Over Texas is a little bit different though. It's 100 degrees and dry in texas. In Illinois it's not that bad. With a separate waterpark, with more room, they could have it much more unique and be better competitors against the dells.
More land equals a lot more money. I think not getting the land across the highway was a good idea. Our park has so many rides already. There are spaces to put stuff in our park if they wanted to right now. Not every ride in our park is great in my opinion. We have empty spots of Trailblazer, Space Shuttle America, Splash Water Falls, and the antique cars might or might not gone. I don't know. The Wilderness theatre is hardly used anymore.
I think having the waterpark right next to the regular park is a good idea. At SFOT there is a watepark, and depending on which side you enter, you might not even see the watepark.
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They should have bought the space across the highway. HOTEL? And like on the tollway there is the oasis type thing that they could build to connect both sides. Six Flags Great America could really use a hotel.
They owned that land, they sold it a few years back and that industrial park was built. 94 is a federal highway, getting something built over or under a federal highway is a hassle that takes alot of time and costs alot of money before you can even break ground on what ever it is you want. Also the state said if they want Washington St. widened, they'd have to pay to have it done themselves. Ended up being worthwhile to sell off the land and build the waterpark in the existing parking lot.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
Six Flags Over Texas is owned and operated by Six Flags which is the ticker symbol SIX in the New York Stock Exchange...(for how long is debateable, but for now its still trading) .
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