Heads up, Park Closed Today 5/11

[tsalas08]

My problem wasn't that the park closed. It was that they closed for attendance and blamed it on weather. The winds were most definantly less than on opending day and all the major coasters (other than batman) were running up untill 12. Also, the forcast said the bulk of rain should be (and was) before noon. The park closed for attendance on a day they knew that was a very likely possibility - yet they choose to tell me otherwise.

The park management should have had employees trained to say that there is a chance the park would close. They also should have handled the many complaints at guest relations more proactivly. And they should have made this decision well beforehand.

[DejaVu2001]

I would have to agree that they closed due to lack of guests, which, if that is the case, is a really poor excuse. Opening day only had, what, 1,000 - 1,500 guests, and it was a little overcast, cold, and windy.

I don't know the official count, but Opening Day had WAY higher attendance than yesterday. Opening Day had a large line of people waiting for Bull in the morning even though it ended up not opening. Yesterday, on the other hand, Raging Bull was consistently running half empty trains in the hour that it was running.
Also, I do not understand why people are acting like this is a new thing. In 2006, the park closed at 1:30pm on the second day of the season. They have closed early plenty of times. Newsflash, the park never closes early for weather, it is always the resulting lack of attendance that does it. You can bet that if there were 30,000+ guests in the park buying food and merchandise and playing games, the park would stay open even if it was a torrential down pour all day.
You can go ahead and say, "Oh, it stopped raining at 12:00, but the fact is, the majority of guests plan their SF trips in advance, and the fact is, Saturday morning, the forcast for Gurnee on Sunday was a high of 48 with consistent rain, wind speeds of 25mph with 45mph gusts.

EDIT: I forgot to add, I do agree that it was incredibly stupid for that GR employee to tell anyone that the park would NOT close early on a day like yesterday.

[UWW-10]

^ It wouldn't be stupid if the GR person told someone they were going to be open all day or until 5pm prior to the managements decision to close at noon. No one can actually speculate at which point they decided to pull the plug, but for the people that did call and got an answer of "we're open all day"....most likely it was prior to them making the decision to close early.

[DejaVu2001]

^ Even then, the possibility should have at least been aknowledged.

[Bob O]

You dont attempt to cut your loss's at the expense of your guests when they are visiting the park.
Once the decision was made to open the park, and then tell guests the park wouldnt close early, then a well run company bites the bullet and stays open and treats the guests who decided to visit with the respect and courtesy they deserve.
To cut the loss's that day they could send all the q-bot people home early/locker people home early as well as close some food/carny games, but you dont treat your guests in such a AWFUL manner that SFGAM did on this day. And with operations being run like this so early in the season one wonders how bad it will be once the park is very busy.
Hopefully they will someday get the 3rd RB train running as well as the 2nd blue AE train, or is 7 months to much to ask to to get coaster trains operational???

[guitarhero119]

^ If they had done that I am sure you would say something about how terrible the park was not to offer their guests a complete day. As for your assertion that this trend will continue throughout the year I strongly disagree. Its just a slow start with unfortunate weather so far this year.

[Carlo]

I think you guys are over reacting. This is not the first time they have closed early. They have done it in the past. Why would they not do it now? No one was at the park because of bad weather. So, they closed the park. They may have pissed off a few customers but not many as most were not even there and the ones that were there were most likely season pass holders or got in with the Bring a Friend for Free Ticket. In the end they were giving FREE comp tickets as you left the park.

[Cryptkeeper]

I think you guys are over reacting.

It's easy for you to say are over reacting. You were not there, you were not effected.

They may have pissed off a few customers but not many as most were not even there and the ones that were there were most likely season pass holders or got in with the Bring a Friend for Free Ticket. In the end they were giving FREE comp tickets as you left the park.

How can you speak as to the emotional state of the park guests that date? How can you state that it didn't piss off "most" people? Did you poll people leaving the park? Nope, I didn't think so. Why do people state things as fact when they're just making stuff up that they believe to be true? ugh.

I never got to into the park, but on the outside of the park, they were only giving comp tickets if you had your bring-a-friend free coupon. If you didn't, you were SOL.

[DejaVu2001]

^ Fact of the matter is, anyone on here that went Sunday should have been well aware that they were taking a gamble. I was planning on going Sunday. Saturday morning, I checked the weather. At that time, Sunday's forcast was 48, rain, with 25mph winds and 45mph gusts. I could have gone Sunday, but I took the safe route and went Saturday. Even when I woke up Sunday, the forcast was still 49, rain, and 25mph wind with 45mph gusts. Granted, the forcast did end up being off a bit. However, with the forcast that bad that late, most guests had already made the decision to not go Sunday. Sure, a few may have come later, but not enough for the park to have a successful day by any means. Anyone on here should have known with that forcast, an early close was likely, if not certain. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Closing the park for low attendance and saying it is because of weather is not a new thing. Every time they close for weather, its for low attendance.

[Colonel Mustard]

I am trying really hard to keep my mouth shut here, but there is a point where enough is enough.

Shut up and Stop complain about it. It happened.

Now Don’t get me wrong, I think that the park was in the wrong here. I think that the decision to close was made with too much haste, and they should have stayed open at least an extra hour to see what would have happened, as I saw the radar and it was obvious that the rain was clearing up at 11. I think that the park did a stupid thing in deciding to close.

Now that said, I picked out a few specific quotes from the last two pages that I would like to address.

“Called on the way up at 11:20am - we were told the park would be open until 5pm.”
-As of opening time, the plan, or so I was told that the park would be closing at 5pm so at that time it was correct information. The decision to close, again, or so I am told, was made a little before 11:30, so even if the decision had been made, it most probably hadn’t reached the ears of the particular guest relations employee with which you were speaking. That is not “the park” to whom you were calling that was not “six Flags” to whom you were calling, that was one Guest Services employee who told you something they thought to be factual.

“One of the upper management made a smart ass comment to me when I went up to the entrance to voice my concerns.”
-Out of pure curiosity what exactly was the “smart ass comment” and do you know for a fact that they were upper-management, because if they were and if it truly was a “smart ass comment” and not something perfectly polite that you blew out of proportion because you were angry at the situation, then I would report it to Six Flags corporate so it could be dealt with.

“We were in the area for about the next hour, and it didn't rain at all”
-That is true, I also stayed in the area for a few hours and the rain did clear out.

“Still, the rain was never a downpour”
-That however is completely false. All morning, specifically before park opening the weather was absolutely miserable, my umbrella ripped because of the winds being so bad, and I was completely drenched and cold, it did get better through the day, but if you were there at 10 like the people who made the decision were, you might be singing a different tune. I’d like to stress *might* because you seem to like using stars when you type.

“If they were just going to be open for two hours today, they should have never opened at *all.*”
-So You’re saying you rather would have arrived and found out the park was closed, that wouldn‘t have been as disappointing?…oh wait…you did…

“To open for only 2 hours, during DRIZZLE, then close, when it STOPS raining, only because the park is dead is so completely idiotic, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.”
-One of those two hours- the part where you were not present at all, was a total downpour. They closed when it stopped raining because the park was dead, yes, BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. How many people do you think decided not to go to the park because they looked outside and it was raining, knowing that many rides probably would have been closed? I don’t have numbers of course, but I’m guessing that a great many people did. Bad Weather, especially in the morning, and attendance are linked, you can’t isolate each one. The Park did close for weather, because the bad weather caused low attendance. Any business man in the world would agree, if they saw that one snapshot of the parks attendance and finances that day, they it should close.

“They should have gave everyone there a free season pass for all the troubles and the overalls s.hity-ness of the park.”
-Words cannot express how Glad I am that you’re not running the park. You would have driven it into the ground so fast that the place would look like a hurricane hit it. Which suddenly makes me wonder if you ever worked in the New Orleans Park. (Totally a joke by the way, no offense meant to anyone who worked or lived, or who had family or friends who worked or lived in anywhere affected by Hurricane Katrina or any other natural disaster)

“Refunding the money I wasted on gas going there and back is what would have been appropriate compensation in my opinion.”
-So essentially, you blame Six Flags for the falling dollar? Gas prices are going up so high right now because of the Dollars crappy worth…and obviously some oddly done spreadsheets done by the big oil companies. To say that they owe you for deciding to be a guest in the park is absolutely ludicrous.

“The weather was not crappy. Please stop stating this as a fact. You were not there. You do not know.”
-Uhm…hate to burst you’re bubble but yes it was. You didn’t get there until 11:40, the weather was indeed absolutely terrible, and miserable. So stop stating it as a fact that it wasn’t because I was there longer then you were, and I do know.

“Why do you keep bringing up winds? The only ride closed due to winds is Giant Drop “
-and you know that as a fact? If you do, I would like you to name all the rides that close for winds, and how high of winds? 25mph? 30mph? 50mph? I honestly don’t know, so I would like you to explain how you think you can?

“And it just "might" not have been because of low attendance, but was because of that...no "might" about it. “
-I’m sorry, I wanted to put this on here because I didn’t understand it at all. I read it about six times and the meaning is going over my head, are you contradicting yourself or are you quoting someone else, I honestly can’t tell.

“And the reason there was low attendance is threefold - it being Mother's Day, it being a SUNDAY (crowds almost always arrive late on Sundays), and light rain in the morning. I have no idea why they just allowed 1.5 hrs. for people to arrive, and then threw in the towel. They should have never opened at all if that's what they were going to do.
Wow, just wow. When we were driving to the park, *our* car did not get at all blown around the road. How about anyone else's car? anybody..anyone?”
-Uhm…okay so you made a rational argument for the park to close in the first part, not sure what that’s about. But a few questions. Do you have numbers on when “crowds” usually arrive on Sundays? Do you know? Are you an expert on the subject with numbers before you to back your claims? No. And two other people have stated that they had car problems because of wind, I personally didn’t, but knowing that there were extremely high winds in the morning, I wouldn’t doubt it.

“Do you have a friend in maintenance? Could you explain to me why, if someone at the park thought there was sufficient danger for a train to valley, could you please tell me why every coaster in the park was open except Cajun, Whizzer (rain), and Eagle blue (I hear it had issues?).”
-Maintenance aren’t the only people who know what’s going on, so not sure what that’s about. Every coaster did not open. Batman never opened, and just FYI all the coasters were opening as you were coming up the park, and were closed because of rain, or so I was told by the folks at the entrances, in the morning. Most of the big coasters that did open, didn’t do so until 11:30ish.

“And how do you know what the "only option" was? You're not in SFGAm upper management, are you?”
-I can’t speak for him, but I’m not, are you? If so you are also telling us the park what to do, so frankly that’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?

“Then why is that policy not listed on park maps and season passes? Usually, they just mention inclimate weather not attendance.”
-Do you know how terrible that would look? “By the way if we don’t make money we close” you’d think that was just common sense. If you work in a fast food place and no one shows up for the last hour, no one would blame you for closing early. That’s just what the park did, they analyzed the situation and did what they thought was best. Again, I would like to say that I disagree with the decision, I think it was made too fast, based on skewed numbers, but that doesn’t change the fact.

“When I was at the park on Saturday people cut in the line for batman and a worker clearly saw them and people were complaining to that employee and they still didn't do anything. So much for a strict no line jumping rule.”
-First of all, not exactly on topic, second of all, it happens. Some people are idiots. You can be the best teacher in the world, and still have students fail, it’s the same in the park. If that ONE employee didn’t do anything, tell another employee.

“My problem wasn't that the park closed. It was that they closed for attendance and blamed it on weather.”
-I would like to reiterate that attendance and bad weather are linked. Especially in the morning. People didn’t show up because of the weather, so it closed.

“all the major coasters (other than batman) were running up until 12.”
-You neglect to mention that most of them opened at 11:30ish, so yes, it’s true, they were up and running, for a half-hour.

“The park management should have had employees trained to say that there is a chance the park would close.”
-It was always planned that the park would close early. There were signs in the parking lot that said the park would close two hours early. And that is what the employees were told. The employees probably found out about the same time you did that the park was closing at noon.

“You dont attempt to cut your loss's at the expense of your guests when they are visiting the park.”
-Unless you’ve been in a management position at a theme park, which is quite a unique business, then how could you possibly know that?

“And with operations being run like this so early in the season one wonders how bad it will be once the park is very busy.
Hopefully they will someday get the 3rd RB train running as well as the 2nd blue AE train, or is 7 months to much to ask to to get coaster trains operational?”
-Don’t we go over this every year? Spring and fall weekends are always crappy, and things always get better once the season gets into full swing around memorial day. Do you honestly think that they don’t know that bull is a huge draw? Do you honestly think that Bulls third train isn’t a priority? Do you honestly think that they can just do whatever they want, never mind deconstructing vu, or splash, or putting up tdk, or just doing general improvements to the park, like cold stone, or johnny rockets, or the remodels of flags and carousel gifts. Why don’t you just run the maintenance department, work with the money corporate gives you and do a better job.

“It's easy for you to say are over reacting. You were not there, you were not effected.
How can you state that it didn't piss off "most" people?”
-If you want me to be honest, I was there. Everyone I talked to agreed that the weather was crappy and they would rather come back when it’s nicer. Even the season passholders such as myself acknowledged that they can bring friends back without any limitations now.

Again I would like to re-iterate that I think the park was in the wrong. But honestly 90% of the comments here are reflecting the sense that these forums have gone so down hill and are cluttered with useless morons who don’t realize that 2+2 doesn’t equal 5. This topic is absolutely the epitome of what people have been talking about. Aren’t we supposed to be taking our forum back one dumbass at a time? Well here’s a place to start.

I’m sure I’m about to get flamed, but honestly, I’ve made rational arguments, if you don’t want to respond with a rational argument then you might as well just press you’re browsers back button and go somewhere else.

I would just like to re-iterate for a fourth time that I think the park was in the wrong. They were stupid for not waiting another hour, and I legitimately believe that if they had, they would have made a profit on Sunday. The people who made the decision handled it badly, but what more can you say. It happened. I’m sorry that it happened, I really am, and I think that a lot of bad decisions have been made at both the park level and the corporate level regarding this park this year, and not just big stuff like vu and splash, which I actually don’t disagree with, but those are the examples everyone else always uses.

So there it is.

[tp41190]

“They should have gave everyone there a free season pass for all the troubles and the overalls s.hity-ness of the park.”
-Words cannot express how Glad I am that you’re not running the park. You would have driven it into the ground so fast that the place would look like a hurricane hit it. Which suddenly makes me wonder if you ever worked in the New Orleans Park. (Totally a joke by the way, no offense meant to anyone who worked or lived, or who had family or friends who worked or lived in anywhere affected by Hurricane Katrina or any other natural disaster)

Well, only to the people who obviously didnt have one. And it would encourage them to come back more then once. It would only be about $40 per persons pass. And if the attendance was so low, it would have been a big deal. I think they would want you to visit more to buy more instead of going once.

[tsalas08]

^^ If your going to be a jerk, don't read the thread and dont comment on it. While I may have gotten over it, people are upset. shut up and get over it yourself.

[CoasterDave316]

Again I would like to re-iterate that I think the park was in the wrong. But honestly 90% of the comments here are reflecting the sense that these forums have gone so down hill and are cluttered with useless morons who don’t realize that 2+2 doesn’t equal 5. This topic is absolutely the epitome of what people have been talking about. Aren’t we supposed to be taking our forum back one dumbass at a time? Well here’s a place to start.

I don't see what makes you any better then the other "useless morons". I'm tired of people who come here with their stuck up attitudes thinking they are better then everybody who doesn't share the same opinions as them.

[tp41190]

^I know.

These "know it alls" take a common persons opinion and destroy and bash it with information that the common park enthusiast wouldn't know. Its like " I work at the park and you are an idiot". If every other "idiot" left, there would only be about 3 members.

[Cryptkeeper]

I am trying really hard to keep my mouth shut here, but there is a point where enough is enough.

-As of opening time, the plan, or so I was told that the park would be closing at 5pm so at that time it was correct information. The decision to close, again, or so I am told, was made a little before 11:30, so even if the decision had been made, it most probably hadn’t reached the ears of the particular guest relations employee with which you were speaking. That is not “the park” to whom you were calling that was not “six Flags” to whom you were calling, that was one Guest Services employee who told you something they thought to be factual.

Is an employee that works in guest services not a SF employee? Do they not represent and speak on the behalf of Great America and Six Flags? They are SF's representative, and so yes, we were speaking to "the park" when the phone call was made.

“One of the upper management made a smart ass comment to me when I went up to the entrance to voice my concerns.”
-Out of pure curiosity what exactly was the “smart ass comment” and do you know for a fact that they were upper-management, because if they were and if it truly was a “smart ass comment” and not something perfectly polite that you blew out of proportion because you were angry at the situation, then I would report it to Six Flags corporate so it could be dealt with.

Yep, I definitely know who it was, and no, it's not something I blew out of proportion. It's someone that always makes smart *** comments to me at the park, and after just getting there to find the park closed, he should have not chosen that time to say anything smart. That was a time to be apologetic, not to antagonize one of your guests. And yes, don't worry, I will be contacting SF about it.

“Still, the rain was never a downpour”
-That however is completely false. All morning, specifically before park opening the weather was absolutely miserable, my umbrella ripped because of the winds being so bad, and I was completely drenched and cold, it did get better through the day, but if you were there at 10 like the people who made the decision were, you might be singing a different tune. I’d like to stress *might* because you seem to like using stars when you type.

For the record, the "stars" you are referring to are called asterisks. I just thought I would let you know as there is no reason you can't learn something new every day!

On the way up, it was not raining hard at all. I had heard from someone else at the park that it was raining, but by 10:30am, wasn't that bad at all. Based on my experience driving up, and hearing that comment from someone at the park, that's what i based my comments on.

“If they were just going to be open for two hours today, they should have never opened at *all.*”
-So You’re saying you rather would have arrived and found out the park was closed, that wouldn‘t have been as disappointing?…oh wait…you did…

Actually, I take that back. The park should have just stayed opened, and not closed for the full day. As someone posted on cbuzz, and I have a friend that can confirm this that worked at CP, but CP would never close early like this. They would and have never closed early 2 hrs. into an operating day. I also will bet Disney never does this either. So yes, I take that back. They should have just stayed open, no matter the attendance. That would have been the right thing to do.

The Park did close for weather, because the bad weather caused low attendance. Any business man in the world would agree, if they saw that one snapshot of the parks attendance and finances that day, they it should close.

I doubt that would happen at a Busch, CF, or Disney park. Has anyone been to any of these 3 chains where an early park closure happened?

“The weather was not crappy. Please stop stating this as a fact. You were not there. You do not know.”
-Uhm…hate to burst you’re bubble but yes it was. You didn’t get there until 11:40, the weather was indeed absolutely terrible, and miserable. So stop stating it as a fact that it wasn’t because I was there longer then you were, and I do know.

I was basing this on what I experienced first hand on the way up and from someone that was in the park. I'm told it started to clear a bit more at 10:30am though, and was bad beforehand.

“Why do you keep bringing up winds? The only ride closed due to winds is Giant Drop “
-and you know that as a fact? If you do, I would like you to name all the rides that close for winds, and how high of winds? 25mph? 30mph? 50mph? I honestly don’t know, so I would like you to explain how you think you can?

Actually, you're right in this case. GD could have been closed because of staffing problems or other issues. That was an educated guess as to why it was closed.

However, if I'm not mistaken, the other rides closed for that day were Jesters Wild Ride, Cajun, Eagle blue, Big Red Cars, Hometown Fun Machine, Whizzer, Raceway, River Rocker, and Ricochet. None of these rides were closed due to wind. Rain? Most likely in some instances, I would guess in Whizzer and Cajun's case, and perhaps one or two others. But yeah, the only ride that MIGHT have been closed due to wind was Giant Drop. None of those other rides would have potential issues in the wind.

“Do you have a friend in maintenance? Could you explain to me why, if someone at the park thought there was sufficient danger for a train to valley, could you please tell me why every coaster in the park was open except Cajun, Whizzer (rain), and Eagle blue (I hear it had issues?).”
-Maintenance aren’t the only people who know what’s going on, so not sure what that’s about. Every coaster did not open. Batman never opened, and just FYI all the coasters were opening as you were coming up the park, and were closed because of rain, or so I was told by the folks at the entrances, in the morning. Most of the big coasters that did open, didn’t do so until 11:30ish.

“And how do you know what the "only option" was? You're not in SFGAm upper management, are you?”
-I can’t speak for him, but I’m not, are you? If so you are also telling us the park what to do, so frankly that’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?

I never said I was in SFGAm management. As a guest, someone who pays to go to the park, I can state what I think the park should do. Isn't that one reason for this board and guest relations/services at the park? For people to voice their praise and constructive criticism. I mean, the reason parks are going no-smoking is because guests TOLD THEM to. So of course, people giving the park feedback regarding their own policies and procedures is important.

“It's easy for you to say are over reacting. You were not there, you were not effected.
How can you state that it didn't piss off "most" people?”
-If you want me to be honest, I was there. Everyone I talked to agreed that the weather was crappy and they would rather come back when it’s nicer. Even the season passholders such as myself acknowledged that they can bring friends back without any limitations now.

While some felt like that, I wonder if a family of 4 that had traveled for 3, 4, or 5 hrs. away and had spent who knows how much money on gas for their one trip to the park felt the same? Judging by the kids crying at the front gate that couldn't get in, I'm sure everyone didn't share the sentiments you state that others stated.

Again I would like to re-iterate that I think the park was in the wrong. But honestly 90% of the comments here are reflecting the sense that these forums have gone so down hill and are cluttered with useless morons who don’t realize that 2+2 doesn’t equal 5. This topic is absolutely the epitome of what people have been talking about. Aren’t we supposed to be taking our forum back one dumbass at a time? Well here’s a place to start.

I like the way you take the board back by calling people morons and dumbasses. Very class. I gotta remember that - to keep the quality of discussion high on the forum, call others I disagree with names. Mental note made!

[Danhockey04]

Ok, I just want to say something about this I have encountered in the past. Guest Relations at SFGAm or any park is not all knowing. I know that from previous experiences at SFGAm, guest relations was the last to know about something and in one case didn't even know what I was talking about and had to call in to management about it. So I'm just saying that Guest Relations will not know these things as soon as it happens, they rarely find anything out that, that is what I found previously.

[Colonel Mustard]

Again I would like to re-iterate that I think the park was in the wrong. But honestly 90% of the comments here are reflecting the sense that these forums have gone so down hill and are cluttered with useless morons who don’t realize that 2+2 doesn’t equal 5. This topic is absolutely the epitome of what people have been talking about. Aren’t we supposed to be taking our forum back one dumbass at a time? Well here’s a place to start.

I like the way you take the board back by calling people morons and dumbasses. Very class. I gotta remember that - to keep the quality of discussion high on the forum, call others I disagree with names. Mental note made!

I feel no need to comment on anything else, as I intend this to be my last post here on this board, but I would just like to state for the record that I was quoting one of our moderators signatures in that last one.

[Danhockey04]

This is gotten out of hand, the park closed and no amount of complaining or defending the park will suffice either side. The park may or may not have done what is right, but in their eyes, they saw it necessary and executed it. There is one thing I have learned in engineering, there are many ways of approaching something and all have its pros and cons, you have to figure out which would be the best way and cost effective way of doing things. So no amount of complaining or defending the park will change the park's mind or those that were there for this. It happened and that is just that.

[tsalas08]

This discussion is getting out of hand. facts - or lack thereof are being changed and thrown around out of context, and its begining to get very personal for some. I think a lock on the topic is in order!

^like what the post above me said, whats happened, happened. let's move on.