The Official Whats New for 08 Discussion

[BP317]

Heres what seems to have been gathered so far sparically in different topics, this will bring it all together:

-TDK's queue line will be in what used to be Theater Royale, and the actual ride in a new building next to it. The ride will have a pre-show.
-Flat screen TV's in queue lines.
-New Johnny Rockets replacing Bayou Grill in Mardi Gras.
-New Cold Stone in SWT.
-Major attractions will have lockers availible at the entrance [$1 rental fee] and not allow loose items in the queue.
-Raging Bull is being painted.
-Exterior renovations of Flags and Carousel Gifts.
-Eagle Red getting another extensively rehabbed train (has a slightly different look than the other trains).
-DejaVu, SWF, and SSA removals.
-New employee uniforms are yellow opposed to blue.
-There will be 10 cell phone/iPod charging stations throughout the park, for $2.
-Peabody's is being renamed to "Legends"
-Crazy Buffallo Saloon is being renamed to "Crazy Buffetlo"
-Afternoon parade is being moved back to the front of the park because of heavy congestion between Wiggles/Revolution.
-Camp Cartoon Network is being re-named to "Camp Cartoon" due to SF loosing the rights to the Cartoon Network name.
-Payphones will only be located in the front of the park and in SWT, the rest are being removed.
-Southwest Ampitheater is being renamed to "Southwest Rockin Quarry" because of the new Sunday Concert Series.

[Tip Top Club]

Again, I ask for proof of the pre-show. I'm not doubting your sources, But the park has been so quiet on it, any REAL info would be appreciated.

[Demon_07]

It'll be interesting to see what the eagle's red train will be like.
Perhaps new lapbars?

[cycamps]

^I was wondering the same thing.
I'm also curious to find out about the supposed Batman pre-show.

[rico28]

New Flat TVs Install in Queue Lines!

In the Pre-show Building-Have the carpet and chairs pulled out.
Then the line Zig-Zag left to right down to the stage. Next, place a Video Screen on the stage for pre-show entertainment.
Exit out left door closes to the stage to the ride building. Plus, this should include lighting and sound effects, and walls built to break up the space!

[Tip Top Club]

Six Flags has not named the parks which will be getting Flat Screen TVs. They said "half the parks this year half the parks next year" I'm still not doubting any of your sources, I know that there are people with legitimate info, But any REAL info would be appreciated!

[BP317]

Six Flags has not named the parks which will be getting Flat Screen TVs.

Shapiro said in the conference call Six Flags TV ads = big money. Big money = big parks.

EDIT I highly doubt that all the queue line TV's will be replaced with the new flat screen ones. Im pretty sure they will be added probably to food places and probably some queue lines, but every single TV being replaced with the new flat screens is highly unlikely, although I do think both types of TVs will show the same programming.

[Demon_07]

lol, I do kind of like the bulky TVs to be honest but, time goes on and technology goes.

[Bob O]

I personally dont think changing TV's in line in order show better pictures of product placement is go9ing to do anything to add to the enjoyment of the park. It will likely detract from the small amount of theming the park has

Im happy that we are adding another coaster, but not happy that the park is removing 3 rides and only adding one

As for adding another Cold Stone, it the stores in the park were run like the stores not in the park with a much larger selection and made by hand, it would be good.

[Tip Top Club]

^I don't think that park cold stone is bad, but I agree it should be like the ones outside the park with a larger selection, it doesn't take too long to do it either, I was at a cold stone the other day with a substantial line and only two people working and it moved along just fine. Plus it's finally a good use for that shop that changes every year (Leather shop-Arcade-Water Distribution Center-Empty).

[BP317]

I personally dont think changing TV's in line in order show better pictures of product placement is go9ing to do anything to add to the enjoyment of the park. It will likely detract from the small amount of theming the park has

Shapiro said the plan is to make the new Six Flags TV ads worth $10mil profit by the end of 09. Kings Island also had a large amount of ads in the park when I was there last year, they didnt just have the billboards/TV's, they had TVs then a sign on the TV that said "queue line tv entertainment presented by ___ " or something along those lines.
Theres going to be ads weather people like it or not, its just the nature of the world. Look at soccer, the most popular sport in the world and every team sells ad space right on the front of their jerseys. Its fair to say SF does a lot of things that make me scratch my head, but new TVs in lines/food outlets isnt one of them.

Also "the little theming the park has," I agree its not perfect but for a seasonal park I do think SFGAm is pretty well themed and there have been a things that have been preserved that if a chain like Paramount or Cedar Fair owned the park, the theming would have been paved (as we learned with Paramount completely destroying CGA and Cedar Fair paving a good majority of Knotts theming). Now with SFGAm getting a heavily themed coaster/dark ride hybrid id say the theming level of the park has been significantly upped.

Compared to other theme parks SFGAm has a very competetive value (except for the food which I think we can all agree definitley not a good bargain), $80 for a season pass a park like GAm and a waterpark like HH is nothing. Look at the Cedar Fair maxx passes, even at their smaller parks its well over $100 and those are much crappier parks. SFGAm is also one of those parks that doesnt drop their rides down to 1 train when their trying to save money like most other parks will do.

I dont mean to sound like a jackass with my posts, in my opinion just like you I think service is the most important thing in the theme park industry. If a park has a lot of 1 train ops with crowds, lazy/unhelpful employees, and general neglect on upkeep their obviosley not going to have a good park. However, you need to understand a park is going to do whats going to make them profits: if people are willing to pay for mixed drinks, the park will offer mixed drinks, if people are willing to pay more for preffered parking, the park is going to charge more for preffered parking, if people are willing to pay a couple extra hundred bucks for unlimited rides with no wait and food, their going to offer a VIP program, its just common sense.

You cant expect to find Disney e-tickets at a seasonal theme park, its not feasible. The new Disney e-ticket attractions run up well over $100mil and seasonal parks would not a profit off of that. If you go to any seasonal park expecting to see Expedition Everest, well your just not going to find it .

[Bob O]

Just because evrybody does something doesnt make it right or the smart thing to do, ads that are small and tasteful arent bad, but putting a banner on Viper is AWFUL and ruins any wild west theming!!!!(as one example among many)

And while the ride-ops do a GREAT job, the same cant be said for the food service employee's. And the park often has many rides that arent running when the park opens and rarely does a ride like RB open on 3 train operation or AE run with both sides open.at park opening. When a park is going to have a pay to skip system they should have every ride open to capacity, if not they are trying to force the guests to buy it to avoid long lines caused by the park's management.

And the above is just a few examples why the park will keep losing money, you cant make money by selling cheap season pass's and then hope to make up the difference by overpriced lousy food and pay to skip scams.

[Tip Top Club]

While I agree that the banner on Viper was tasteless, it was facing the parking lot, and therefore your argument that it ruined theming is not feasable as you couldn't see it from inside the park.

And if we're comparing ourselves with Disney...have any of you been down there lately? Their ride sponsorships are terribly obnoxious. "This has been brought to you by a generous grant from the McDonalds Company" over and over again in line for Dinosaur. The entire Honey I shrunk the kids pre-show is an ad for kodak. (I think that contract expired actually but it's still there). Who doesn't know that Spaceship Earth and Illuminations are sponsored by Siemens? They are much more obnoxious then our little ride sponsorship ads. and I don't think TVs will change that, as everyone expects commercials already on TV.

And Also, if the park can avoid it, they never run with limited capacity if staffin allowed. Less trains means less positions on the platform, and therefore it means that staffing isn't perfect that day. Shapiro goes on about how staffing is great at the parks, but let's face it, we all know that is a blatent lie. You may see someone standing around on a platform, but that means probably that they are waiting for a phone call from a member of management, or about to go on break, or just coming back, which may not sound important to a guest, but it's important to the law, and also to the cast/team members if you want to keep them happy.

[BP317]

/\ Forgot about that, theres like a five minute presentation on Kodak products in the pre-show room of Honey I Shrunk the audiance at Epcot.

Shapiro goes on about how staffing is great at the parks, but let's face it, we all know that is a blatent lie

Mustve been great considering how many cuts they made last year/telling the investors about how many their going to make in 08 .

[UWW-10]

And the park often has many rides that arent running when the park opens and rarely does a ride like RB open on 3 train operation or AE run with both sides open.at park opening

which is why those rides that are inoperable at opening are being gutted out across the chain

secondly, the park is pretty good at estimating the crowd type for the day. Do you think the park needs 3 trains on RB or both sides open on AE on a weekday at the end of May, or even early June for that matter? The times that I've went this past year when they had both sides of Eagle running right away, each side was a walk on with 3 guests per train and about 2 more waiting in the gates to board. This was this way for about the first 2 hours, so I can see why only one side is needed.

The park knows what the day will bring and will staff accordingly to what they need, and more than likely...they don't see the need to have both sides of Eagle or all 3 trains on Bull right at opening. As someone posted earlier, they could just say..."we're short on money...let's just make all the major coasters 1 train op today"

[revolutiongurl]

While I agree that the banner on Viper was tasteless, it was facing the parking lot, and therefore your argument that it ruined theming is not feasable as you couldn't see it from inside the park.

Except while you were riding and went past it....I always said "Hi stupid Geico sign!" as I passed. LoL

[Tip Top Club]

If you noticed it from the ride, you were looking for it, as you obviously were. I rode that ride several times a day most of the summer and didn't find it intrusive at all.

[zjohn1988]

/\ Forgot about that, theres like a five minute presentation on Kodak products in the pre-show room of Honey I Shrunk the audiance at Epcot.

Oh God, it's more like 15 minutes and it is the most horrible thing I have ever watched. Ill take the Viper ad over HISTA any day!

[Tip Top Club]

The entire Honey I shrunk the kids pre-show is an ad for kodak

Yeah I mentioned that too. My point is that I don't like our ads, but since everyone seems to be comparing sfgam to disney nowadays...Six Flags wins in that category.

[cycamps]

I personally don't think ads are a big deal, for I rarely pay attention to them anyway. If it's extra money for the park, then great. But I will admit that certain things (Viper Geico ad) do go too far.

[ttd rox]

mmmmmmmmmm, coldstone.

My friends parents own a lot of Cold Stones but not all.

[Demon_07]

well tell them they're doing a good job. lol

[Demon_07]

Also, written ads don't bother me. The ones they play every 10 minute are quite annoying.

[Mr. D.T.]

...and they never used to play ads on the P.A. system. I would strongly appreciate it if that venomous gecko doesn't lurk the park, either on ads or on the P.A. system. He's enough trouble at the tollway oases.

[Demon_07]

lol, agreed. (You say..........., and I say.............) God that annoys me.