Suggest Changes for Next Year!

[viperchick85]

So obviously he's having problems maintaining his parks? Ok. But have you ever heard the phrase "The best advertisement is in the satisfied customer"? Customers are THE best advertisement, and if the food, or anything for that matter, is over-priced, they're not going to be likely to buy it. And they will most likely tell others about how unhappy they are because the food's too pricey. Shapiro can spend all the money he wants on advertising but until people are happy overall, profits will not increase. That's the way it is in sales.

Secondly, yes, I think taking out the Eagle would be a HUGE mistake, why not just spend a little to repair it instead of tearing the whole thing down? Same with the Carousel. Its like one of those things that people KNOW the park by.

[RBull4life]

Ilovevu....come on dude.

The debt is in result of buying too many parks that aren't paying off

So you just hang on to these parks even if they are not drawing in the crowds? The more parks you own, your budget starts to grow thin.

The dilemia that Shapiro is thinking is to sell some parks, and make other parks open, but basically do very little with them. He doesn't really care if these parks are going to suffer, but he cares more about the debt. This year he raised prices, and pretended to do a whole lot to each park which has failed thus far.

Any smart business owner will tell you that if a division of your company is not working, and is in fact costing you money, you shut down that branch of the company. I don't see how Great America has suffered. Do we know for a fact that Revolution, and Sky Trek Tower was shut down due to the fact that the company didn't have money to pay for parts? More families being drawn to the park is a failure? More costumed characters bringing delight to kids is a failure?

The unpopular rides are really the only ones that should be like this

Don't even know how to comment on that one. You contradicted yourself.

These are SFGAm, SFOG, and SFMM. One might close.

And why would that one be closing, or being sold? Becuase all of the coasters that were added to the park did diddly squat to boost attendence.

Once you have enough good roller coasters at one park, go to another one.

And where would you suggest Shaprio get the money for these new rollercoasters? Adding a new coaster with a height restriction is 54" is not going to do much for 3 year old Bobby Sue. If he started doing that, he would be no better than the last bunch of ass clowns who put the company in the state its in now.

[Director_Guy]

Speaking of food prices, I think Six Flags has the highest prices....


Cedar Point was cheaper

and water at Disneyland was two dollars instead of 3.50

yeah...

[Galvan]

#6 Season Passes- For 150 dollars you get a full season at Great America plus parking. for 125 Dollars you get the full season minus the parking.

So you're prosposing a 65 dollar increase just to include parking? Good way to chase away every family, teenager, and other person even thinking of buying a season pass. If anything pass prices need to go down.

Cconsider how much you pay buying them seprate and its only about 30 dollars not this rediculous 65 dollar figure you came up with, Also As stated above Six Flags is not a babysitting service and for too long has been treated at such mainly because of the low prices of the season passes.

I considered a season pass at 90 dollars and a 40 Dollar parking pass, with the values rounded up to the nearest dollar.

[Bob O]

Just because a ride is older like AE, doesnt make it a classic!!!!! It was a decent ride for its time but when one thinks of old classic rides AE doesnt come to mind. While thw Whizzer is a classic ride that was the first rolle coaste for many many people, the same cant be said for a ride that cant even operate both sides and actually be run the way it was meant to be when built with 3 trains running on each side.
If rides arent changed from time to time and parks are updated then there will be less reason for people to return.

I also agree that increasing season pass prices is a great idea, though it would hurt me as i buy 5 of them. But it would be a benefit in the long run if it stopped the parks babysitting service and got rid of unruly teens which would increase the enjoyment of people who visit the park and lessen the lines casued by the babysitting service it now provides.

Parks dont make money and arent profitable when they practially give away the gate and make it too cheap to get in. The company needs to reduce it's debt greatly as it costs alot of money to pay interest on a 2.4 billion yet alone start to reduce it.

[shocker]

heres an easy change, have ALL prices already have taxes figured in, nothing worse than a pocket full of change on a roller coaster

[Imeanbusiness]

The fastest, longest wooden racing coaster for 25 years is not a classic?

[viperchick85]

Its part of GA history, too many people don't take history seriously.

[RBull4life]

The fastest, longest wooden racing coaster for 25 years is not a classic?

At the time it was built it was, though not anymore,but yeah, it is a classic, its a landmark for the park. If anybody who thinks AE is rough has not ridden The Beast, Mean Streak, and compared to Son of Beast, The Eagle is as smooth as silk.

[Bob O]

If anyone did a poll of informed theme park enthusiasts and asked them to name classic wooden coasters i doubt that AE would be mentioned by many people.
And can it be called a "racing" coaster anymore since it hasnt raced in a consistent manner in many years!!!!

[Galvan]

Bob, it raced pretty much every dispatch in the beginning of this year. Anyway wasnt the whole point of ACE to preserve wooden coasters anyway?

[Danhockey04]

The fastest, longest wooden racing coaster for 25 years is not a classic?

At the time it was built it was, though not anymore,but yeah, it is a classic, its a landmark for the park. If anybody who thinks AE is rough has not ridden The Beast, Mean Streak, and compared to Son of Beast, The Eagle is as smooth as silk.

From what I can recall, it still is the fastest and longest wooden racing coaster in the world.

[RBull4life]

^ yes, you are right, I stand corrected. I was thinking about non-racing coasters.

[Ilovthevu']

Its part of GA history, too many people don't take history seriously.

It's like Iron Wolf. Who cares if it is the first B&M? If it stinks, it stinks. What's the point of having a history park compared to a park that people might actually want to go to? Most people don't look at figures and statistics when riding these rides for the most part. They ride them, and they enjoy them, or they don't. Who cares if American Eagle is longest, and the tallest. Screamin Eagle was once the tallest and fastest at Six Flags St. Louis. I never knew that before.

Of course, now this ride isn't nothing. It's dinky. I think at SFOG they also had a record breaker with the Great American Scream Machine (wooden coaster). No one cares now. Pretty soon, no one will know that Top Thrill was once the tallest because even something higher than Kingda Ka will be built. The point is the first, fastest, tallest, most inversions, and so on is kind of stupid. It will eventually fade off because everyone will have it. How many people if you ask at SFGAm will know that Batman was the first inverted coaster in the world (besides people like us )?

They don't. They just know it's old (depending on there age), and it's either good or a bad ride.

You can make fun or agree with another suggestion I have.

18. Open the park on Fridays during the first weeks of the season, and in September. It should open from 5pm-10:30pm. However, the price for admission should be half the price since you are getting half the time. This would be a money maker. Kiddieland does this already on Fridays. I know they do it in October, but it isn't that packed as much as Saturday, and Sunday. One of the main reasons is because they are getting charged the full amount (or sale) as if they were there for 12, 11, 10 or 9 hours instead of 5 hours.

[diggerg56]

As someone who deals with consumer and professional fireworks regularly I can tell you the Class C stuff they were shooting off for their nightly shows probably cost less than $100 per night.

This is very small scale pyro compared to what you see at Navy Pier. Navy Pier Fireworks are probably about $3000 per show.

As for other things, they do need to back down the price of parking and either give people the map anyway or give them the option to buy it.

Leave the smoking rules the way they are.

Admission prices are about right . Season pass prices probably should be a bit higher. Parking Season Passes should stay where they're at or be a little lower.

[w00dland]

If anyone did a poll of informed theme park enthusiasts and asked them to name classic wooden coasters i doubt that AE would be mentioned by many people.
And can it be called a "racing" coaster anymore since it hasnt raced in a consistent manner in many years!!!!

True, but you need to remember that classic aren't just decided by ACErs. If you polled people that have been going to the park for a long time and asked about a classic wooden coaster the first thing they would say is AE.

[Danhockey04]

The park is open on Fridays in early and late season, as a matter of fact, it's open tonight, it's called a buyout. They have buyouts, so they aren't open to the public. Also, AE is a icon to people that have been going there maybe one or two times a year, it's the first thing of the park you see when you drive north, it towers the back of the park and it rides and looks great. Why take out something when it isnt the problem, the problem is not the ride, it is the riders that dont like the ride. If I owned that park, I would not take out AE because it is unique and an icon of SFGAm.