What Shapiro is thinking......

[diggerg56]

Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro is in the process of visiting all of the Six Flags properties on an "inspection" tour. Based on some of his comments in the story linked below new coasters at SF parks, and one would assume SFGAm, won't be as plentiful as in the past.

The most telling statement is near the end of the story when he remarks about Goliath, the new coaster at SFoG.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/business/stories/0126bizsixflags.html

[twixmix0303]

It's good to see the Thunder River example as a way to cut lines. This means that Great America should be running three trains on Raging Bull, Demon, and Whizzer almost all the time, not just Saturday afternoons or busiest of weekdays. Even though a 15 minute wait is certainly bearable, wouldn't it be nicer to have a wait that's only 10 minutes? And, that's 5 more minutes that I could spend getting food or shopping. (It would also be cool to see 3 trains on Eagle again but that probably won't happen.)

[FRD714]

^I agree. More trains is better. They can do it.

[zjohn1988]

Im really starting to like this guy.

[ihauntu2]

This isn't a huge suprise, just look at any of the earlier topics on this board about Snyder. This is his big plan. Yes it sucks for thrill seekers in the short term, but hopefully the family plan will lead to increased profit margin and less debt. Then a few years down the line they can get into building more thrill rides.

Keep in mind that some of the responses by Shapiro may be theatrics. The new line of "no thrill rides, families only, lower debt" has caused the stock to jump almost 60% since the take over. If he were to publicly state anything else, the good will on Wall Street might stop. We need that stock to keep climbing, it improves the credit rating allowing for better financing, thereby lowering debt. Once the debt gets down far enough, it would open the door for larger investments again.

[Danhockey04]

Give it 2 to 3 years before you see another major coaster addition to any SF park, unless a coaster is already bought, ready for installation, and plans are complete for 2007. Otherwise, it will be awhile. However, it sounds like every ride will be mandatorily run in full capacity: 3 trains on Bull (unless it rains, it can only run 2 (B&M rule)), Cajun 5-6 cars, and all operable trains run. That is what I see coming from him, which will make lines move quicker. If only they could add that second train to Vu.

[diggerg56]

This isn't a huge suprise, just look at any of the earlier topics on this board about Snyder. This is his big plan. Yes it sucks for thrill seekers in the short term, but hopefully the family plan will lead to increased profit margin and less debt. Then a few years down the line they can get into building more thrill rides.

Keep in mind that some of the responses by Shapiro may be theatrics. The new line of "no thrill rides, families only, lower debt" has caused the stock to jump almost 60% since the take over. If he were to publicly state anything else, the good will on Wall Street might stop. We need that stock to keep climbing, it improves the credit rating allowing for better financing, thereby lowering debt. Once the debt gets down far enough, it would open the door for larger investments again.

I'm sure he is putting the right spin on his comments to keep the stock on an upward trend. As a stockholder (yes I have a few shares for fun) that makes me happy.

Shapiro talks a good game, I just hope he can fulfill his promises. I'm counting on that as are many others.

[Mr. SFGAm]

Wow, I really hope they can follow through with all of this. Staff in the restrooms, rides at full capacity, more costumed characters; ect.

In terms of rides, I think it's going to turn more into what Paramount has been doing; kids area expansions, waterpark expansions, and more family attractions for the most part... and more major thrill rides/roller coasters every 3-4 years or so.

It'd be nice to see a few more classic flats, expanded kids areas, and maybe a dark ride.

[RBull4life]

It would be interesting to hear what he has to say about Great America.

[Trailblazer Tony]

I have quite mixed opinions of those statements. The idea of adding/fixing rides so that they run all of the vehicles is a good idea. Worrying about the long lines and adding quality nighttime entertainment (a laser show) are all GREAT things.

On the other hand, i couldn't be more pissed with him. I whole heartedly agree that families are important, but face it guys, Six Flags isn't Disneyland. Six Flags should have a sense of equality between thrills and families. Yeah, now it focuses on thrills, but he is going the complete opposite way and focusing ONLY on little kids and young families. This is Six Flags, not kiddyland. If i was a parent, I wouldn't care if they added 10 new kiddie rides, I wouldn't shell out $60.00 for Six Flags when Kiddieland is right down the expressway with all of the little kid rides I could ever want. I seriously can't find the right words to describe how much I hate that idea of all or nothing. What is wrong with adding kid rides AND thrill rides

As far as the policies, having staff in the bathroom would be wierd. Honestly, do you expect a 16 year old kid to stand in the bathroom and watch people go to the bathroom? Seriously, with today's messed up people, I would feel uncomfortable letting my kids go to the bathroom when there is someone standing in there. No, they need to have more routine and thorough checks and a renovating of the facilities, but that's it! This is it from me for now, I still have a lot I feel that I need to say, but whatever.

[Ilovthevu']

It also says that some parks will have to go. In my opinion, it's not SFOG's rides that are the problem, but rather their mechanics (coasters on the track and "ghost trains), and closing the rides lines down earlier (about 15 minutes before the park closes).

Why isn't this park close to SFGAm's attendance? It boggles my mind considering that they have three of the B&Ms that we have. Georgia Scorcher is very similiar to Iron Wolf. In my opinion MindBender is very close to Demon while Deja Vu=Deja Vu.

I really just see RB and V2 as the main difference. They have a Cyclone (in my opinion better than Viper), and they have Great American Scream Machine (out and back, in my opinion better than Am E). Add a Mine Train to give you feeling of Whizzer, and Ninja close to the dearly departed headache of Shockwave.

Also, he complains about the 20 million coaster, while WDW is putting in a 100 million. Is Goliath really worth it?? I really don't know because I havn't tried it out yet to tell for myself. In my opinion, Top Thrill Dragster is worth building considering how much publicity it got. Yes, it did cost a good 25 million, but a whole lot came to Cedar Point just to ride that ride.

Instead of pouring money into the right parks or right ways, they keep on spending on parks that have enough rollercoasters or flats. SFMM has enough rollercoasters with one coaster SBNO, and yet they are adding more. The coasters must not be the problem if they aren't bringing in more people. They have 16 with one on the way while one is not even working. So, by the end of this year, they have 16. I guessing that the flats are lacking instead.

I'm sure that Soarin' wasn't cheap along with Mission Space or Test Track. If you're going for a carnival "Kiddieland," the prices should not be in the range close to Disneyworld and Disneyland. Going cheap in my opinion is not the way to go. I'm not saying to put 5 20 million coasters in a park, but rather don't put three wooden coasters in a park just because they cost less than a steel coaster.

If a coaster in the park is horrible T2 (in my opinion at SFKK), the guy sounds like he wouldn't replace with another coaster if it was taken down. He would put kiddie flats inside the park instead. You can't loose all those teens in the park. There are even families with teens. That is a lot of people believe it or not.

If the park is supposed all about being "kiddie" friendly, how do many of the coasters at SFGAm get filled up by teens? Look at BTR, V2, D Vu', SUF, RB, and so on. I don't see SFGAm has having a "kiddie" flat problem. SFGAm has tons of "kiddie" flats. I really think they should have more "teen" flats.

As for SFOG, they are missing "kiddie" flats. I'm not even talking about really really young kid flats. I'm talking about a East River Crawler, Fiddler's Fling, Triple Play, Ricochet, or a Condor. How about a medium sized ferris wheel such as at a carnival???? http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index/C ... Wheel2.jpg Oh no, it's a carnival ride. What, we will ever do?? Add a Haybailer/Music Fest/Thunderbolt.
http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%2 ... rbolt.html

[LaTiNoObSeSeDSFGAm]

I like the idea of what he said but I mean seriously like if the flats are going to be like carnival flat rides or flat rides thta you can see at any other park with a cheap them then that would suck. The whole bathroom thing is probly going to be an employee walking in every hour.

The characters walking around up to 30 characters seems alot. I mean I remember they couldnt find any to place the characters to walk around in so they had to get someone from park services to do it.

[SFaddiction84]

Yes, they are mainly gonna focus on Families with young children. They know even if they stop shaping the parks for us teens and young adults we are still gonna go. There trying to focus on WHO spends more money! they know teens and young adults in there 20's like me, KNOW BETTER then to spend money in the park, so we get our hand stamped, and eat our own food/drink that we bring, and go back inthe park later. as far as families with young kids, alot of times its to much of a hassle to leave the park to eat so they spend loads of money inside, not to menchin there kids screaming, buy me this i want that, so they spend, and spend.

[RBull4life]

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/lakestory.asp?id=147698

I think this is a move in the right direction. As a father of two young children, I see this as a very positvie move.

“But spending $50 million of our $150 million capital improvement budget on a roller coaster doesn’t leave much to run the park.”

Bingo! Couldn't have said it better myself. I am starting to like Shapiro, and may even consider purchasing some SFI stock. Its not like we will never see any new coasters, but I agree with him. Lets fix up what needs to be fixed, aim more to families, and draw in some cash to get that new coaster.

as far as families with young kids, alot of times its to much of a hassle to leave the park to eat so they spend loads of money inside, not to menchin there kids screaming, buy me this i want that, so they spend, and spend

You are right on the money. You have no idea how much I spend on the kids when we go to the park. From the games, to cotton candy, to popcorn, lunch, and sometimes dinner (thank god they are going to offer better food), they would see me as a cash cow. That is where the park draws its money from. Suckers like me

“The IMAX we have will be changed into a 3-D motion picture, or maybe even a 4-D show of some kind,”

Its about time. A 4-D sounds like a great idea.

He said the Gurnee theme park is one of the best he’s seen.

“While Mr. Six brought us great awareness, we aren’t sure exactly what he represents yet,” Shapiro said. “We will find a way to use him, but not make him the headline as the park did in the past.”

"Be vewy vewy quiet. Were hunting Mr Six."

[Yankee Harbor]

O isnt this great. IF iron wolf ever goes down then what do we expect now? Insted of getting a floorless or intamin rocket or anything exciting we would be getting Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster or something even less thrilling.

The good thing about this is that he is gonna cut down lines at our park and we will soon have better food like pizza hut or taco bell or KFC or all of those (Camp Snoopy has all those fast food chains in the park).

Does anyone know when he is gonna visit SFGAM because it will be interesting so see what he says about our park.

[Galvan]

Ticket prices are expected to remain the same.

All these people with the gloom and doom forecast about SFGAM raising ticket prices. THere you go said from the CEO Himself.

I love rollercoasters just as much as the next person on this site. But Its about time Six Flags builds its reputation around families and cleans up its act.

Im quiet happy with the amount of Coasters there are at SFGam, but what i really want to see is our park become the flagship of the chain, through the already alramingly awesome customer service seen there.

Shapiro in my opinion sees SFGam, already as the flagship and thats something we all should be proud about.

[Trailblazer Tony]

^I think he just did.

You know, after hearing some of the things he said in Georgia, I was quite pissed. However, what he has said about our park, I couldn't agree with more. The idea of fireworks is AWESOME! At least for our park, everything he mentioned is exactly what i would do if I was in his position. So thank you.

Also, the best line in that whole article, "Ticket Prices are expected to remain the same".

[Ilovthevu']

I don't mind see some new characters in the park, but having 30 per hour is nuts. This is not Fright Fest where they are hired in Haunted Houses, but rather just walking around in the park. So, basically they are going to make IMAX into the next Honey, I shrunk the audience.

[RBull4life]

O isnt this great. IF iron wolf ever goes down then what do we expect now? Insted of getting a floorless or intamin rocket or anything exciting we would be getting Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster or something even less thrilling.

You can't always cater to coaster enthusiasts, and thrill seekers. Six Flags did that for too long, and look at where it got them. Its all about $$$$$, and what brings in the cash. Families with kids. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do beleive that Cedar Points attendence was down slightly last year. Maybe its because of adding nothing but thrill rides to the park, and not enough family attractions. I am going to visit PKI this spring for the first time in over 25 years, mainly because of the new Nickelodeon section that they are opening up. The kids are going to love that, and so PKI will get some of my hard earned cash, and I am sure that other families will be doing the same. I wouldn't be surprised if PKI attendence jumped higher this summer. Increased attendence with more families visiting the park=$$$$$$$=higher profits=more work done to the park=more visitors=more $$$$$=more coasters.

[Yankee Harbor]

I am going to visit PKI this spring for the first time in over 25 years, mainly because of the new Nickelodeon section that they are opening up. The kids are going to love that, and so PKI will get some of my hard earned cash, and I am sure that other families will be doing the same. I wouldn't be surprised if PKI attendence jumped higher this summer. Increased attendence with more families visiting the park=$$$$$$$=higher profits=more work done to the park=more visitors=more $$$$$=more coasters

That Nickelodeon section has been open for 4 years now its nothing new. It opened in 2001 with the addition of Rugrats Run Away Reptar Coaster. Are they adding more to it or something?

[RBull4life]

^ Yeah. There are giving their Nick section a complete overhaul. They are adding 6 new rides, so they will have a total of 18 all together.

Nick Universe includes a total of 18 rides and attractions bringing to life Nickelodeon’s most popular character celebrities and adventures including Avatar™, The Backyardigans™, Blue’s Clues™, Danny Phantom™, Dora the Explorer™, The Fairly OddParents™, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius™, LazyTown™, Little Bill™, The Rugrats™, SpongeBob SquarePants™, and The Wild Thornberrys™.
Thrill-seeking families take a whirlwind ride with Avatar on this first-of-its kind family roller coaster
Kids can enjoy a free-fall ride in the hopes to escape the menacing wrath of Plankton, SpongeBob SquarePants’ nemesis

Families fly with Danny Phantom as they spin through the air like a superhero
All aboard Azul™ the train! – Passengers join Dora the Explorer and Boots™ on a storybook train ride adventure
Kids join Blue for a jumping journey around her house
Guests enter the adventures of Bikini Bottom through a pineapple under the sea to experience SpongeBob SquarePants’ underwater world.

Nick Universe also features two new neighborhoods containing a variety of Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants - inspired rides and attractions. In addition, this area has new dining, shopping and celebrity encounters with kids’ favorite Nickelodeon stars.

This is perfect for my kids,and like I stated before, I am sure that this is going to rake in PKI some extra cash.

[LaTiNoObSeSeDSFGAm]

I wonder what new characters hes going to bring for us...In my opinion he should take the food system in the park and make it back to waters and waitress, if we dont use Taco Bell and other.

[Trailblazer Tony]

^I agree with you and a lot of Shapiro's choices. You know, he specifically said that he has not forgotten coasters all together, he is just getting things to speed before a blows away millions of dollars on coasters. If you look at parks like the Paramount Parks and Dollywood, which only add coasters once in a while, they are still great parks that have high attendance. It also makes the years when they add coasters even more special. My opinion on this has changed a lot and I have come to the conclusion that we will have to see how this year unfolds before we can make a true judgement.

[Binks Drake]

As far as the character things goes, It may end up being like FF. Having Batman, Robin, Etc... and the villains in Yankee Harbor, Having Superman, Lois Lane and their villains in Orleans Place. Getting Jesters etc... in the mardi gras area. Getting the old Barber shop Quartet Back (possibly in CF), Getting some Cowboy characters in SWT, Putting more street entertainers in like the magic trick guy, that werid doll lady, and the bubble man in the HTS gazebo. And it really wouldn't surprise me if our big new attraction in 2007 was the revamped Pictorium he mentioned.

Yes I love coasters but this really is the best possible thing for SFI Right now. Can you just imagine walking through the SUF line and watching Superman and Brainiac having a little battle of some kind? Can you Imagine walking up to Batman and seeing him having some kind of Swordfight in the streets with Joker? They have so many characters they can use, not just Looney Tunes and Cartoon Network Characters (which it wouldn't surprise me if they used characters from new popular shows on Cartoon Network as well).

This is a good thing...

[Trailblazer Tony]

^ I like your ideas of the characters very much. I hope they see your post.