Official Buccaneer Battle/2009 Attraction Thread

[Bob O]

I would also agree that ride-ops/leads will give very little useful info on the rides that the park may get in the future, unless of course Shapiro & Co invite them into strategy meetings to decide the future of the Co.

And Whizzer should be one of the last rides removed as it matches what the Co is looking for, a excellant ride that can be enjoyed by the whole family. If TDK had turned out as good as this ride has been the park would be better off. While TDK is a good/enjoyable ride it failed to live up to its PR and I hope next year the theming gets improved with more elements that were supossed to be part of the original ride but were not put in yet due to times restraints from what Ive been told.

What the park needs is a ride with high capacity that can be enoyed by most guests to the park, and the ride that best fits that is a large dark ride.

Anything added to the water park IMHO is of little benefit due to the hours of the that park, the fact it isnt opened year-round and due to weather factors beyond the parks control. The main park needs as much money as possible to spruce up old rides and add new attractions to the park, and hopefully get back to the whole park opening at 10:00am.

[w00dland]

SFGAM07, Splashbattle's like the one at Dollywood are actually pretty enjoyable. The people on the ride get completely soaked during the ride, but it was still lots of fun at 60 degrees outside.

[Cryptkeeper]

Just because there is a sign teasing a new attraction for next year at Deja Vu's former spot doesn't necessarily mean that there will actually be an attraction at Deja Vu's former spot. According to the signs, there will be a new attraction where SSA is at, but we don't know for sure that there will be one in DV's old location. While it's possible, I wouldn't necessarily assume that to be the case.

Personally speaking, I would like to see a proslide rocket as they're fun, and I've heard a rumor about that going in for the past 2 years or so, but we shall see.

[demonbulleagle]

but we don't know for sure that there will be one in DV's old location. While it's possible, I wouldn't necessarily assume that to be the case.

We do know because there is a really big sign at the DV location,

and after thinking about this, I would love to see IW get a huge rehab but there is something that is always over looked that makes our park special, what we really need is a rehab of Columbia.

[Demon_07]

I hope if we do get a splash battle, it isn't pirate themed. Isn't 1 Yankee Harbor enough. lol

[BP317]

Look at Wiggles World. It was supposed to be an area where families could spend a long time. Watch a show, ride the ride, eat at the cafe, ect. Well, the truth is the rides are crappy, unoriginal, not as fun for older kids. They didn't put enough money into it and in the long run families are disappointed.

That I will disagree with. Wiggles World was an absolutely great investment for the park. For one, Wiggles is a pre-school show so really who cares if older kids dont like it. Also with the demographic that watches the Wiggles you know those kids parents are spending. Branded kids areas are great investments, cheap rides and recongizable charectors and if they advertise during the TV shows that SF has a new Wiggles area those kids will be begging their parents to go. Also Wiggles Worlds got a ton of compliments from guests as being a great addition.

The park doesn't know what they are doing. They see the attendance going up because of the hype. Well because they keep taking out stuff and keep disappointing people that will start to decrease

That part is true, the only reason I could see SFGAm's attendance will probably go up next year because of HH expansion but they're definitley not impressing people right now, they need to start caring about the parks upkeep and appearance again as its getting really bad and commercialized. If you're going to charge $15-$25 for parking and $50+ at the gate you better make damn sure that the product is getting better, and from 2007-2008 the prices have gone up and product has gotten weaker (not to menchin many details that made the park good were pretty much paved over figuratively). I think SFGAm is still a very good park considering they dont have any great coasters, but they're cost cutting on park upkeep and operations this year is laughable. Normally it wouldnt be a big deal since GAm has always been the best operated of the SF chain, but ALL the other Six Flags parks ive visited this year have much improved from previous visits and GAm really no longer the "standout" SF park, and now there are things that other SF parks actually do better than Great America (which never hapenned a few years ago).

1: Lockers, they actually work at other parks whereas they cause huge problems at GAm (not saying charging people to store items is a good idea, but GAm seems to be the worst at it). Great America only staffs one person at the rides entrances (15 year old, not certified to operate the ride). Other parks ive been to this year still have 2 at the entrances, both actual ride ops. Ive worked the ride entrance position and can say its very difficult to get every item and height check when your by yourself, having 2 people at the entrance would greatly reduce the items "snuck by." SFSTL had one person, but the person had a radio they could call Smartcarte with when there is a locker situation, whereas SFGAm the person has to call the control booth, the control booth has to call the operations office, and the operations office has to call the smartcarte person to come over to that ride. Thats a long time for someone to wait, and pretty bad service. in my opinion the lockers need to be ousted for their original plan that was pretty much flawless (different bins for each train), but if theyre going to the lockers they should at least use them to their advantage and make them work.

2: SFGAm has way too many rules involving rides that kills the rides capacity. I never understood "nothing can be in the riders hands," that the ride ops have to enforce. I dont know of any other park in the world that doesnt let riders hold onto their hats or glasses while riding.
A typical encounter would be: "Sorry sir, you cant hold onto your hat."
"So what am I supposed to do with it?"
"Okay can I leave it over there?"
"No, sorry no loose items can be left on the platform."
...so the person ends up wearing it, then it flies off on the ride and the ride ops cannot get it because its in the ride area. Theres really no perception problem with their loose item policy like many of the parks employees think there is, it just really makes no sense.

3: Staggered start times on employee line schedules affect operations way too much. The point of staggered start times (other than to save money) is supposed to allow a seamless operation. Its not planned well considering sometimes there are lines to swipe in, lines to get a paycheck (and you have to in the morning cause wardrobe closes early). Raging Bull should not be opening with 2 trains and adding the 3rd at 10:30, thats completely pointless.

4: General lack of park atmosphere. Playing Christina Agulara's "Car Wash" around the entire park every hour does not re-enforce the parks commitment to cleanliness, it just looks stupid in the eyes of the guest when they're walking through the southwest, or waiting in Gotham City for TDK and Car Wash start playing over the speakers. Same goes for the Kingston stuff that was playing every half hour. Shapiro keeps preaching of how theming and storytelling is part of the strategy but they have pretty much killed the atmosphere of the park with the music and SFTV (Six Flags St Louis plays daredevil stuff in EK's line and skateboarding stuff in Tony Hawks line on their SFTV, hell even X2 has extreme videos whatever the hell that is).

5: ALL the coasters/major flats need FlashPass. If they're going to have it and charge gobs of money for it, it needs to be available for people to not have to wait in long lines. Viper, Demon, Ragin Cajun, King Chaos sometimes all get long lines and dont have FP option. in my opinion if they're going to charge someone $30 for line skipping privaleges they should not have to wait in long lines for some rides. All the other SF parks ive been to had it on all of their coasters, SFGAm is very stubborn about it.

6: The parks just not as good as it was last year. Price increases + more rides opening late + less landscaping and overall apperance + less ride product + less entertainment product = very confused people who wont visit the park again. Lets say the parents with small kids want to take the train to get to Wiggles World. They go to the train, which is closed because it opens an hour later than the park (since a station is in County Fair, or closed all day if its before Memorial weekend/after Labor Day weekend), so they walk all the way Wiggles to discover its not open yet because it also opens late. They just paid $25 to park and a few hundred to get in and both the attractions they came to do are not open yet. What are some "big rides" that kids can do? Loggers, Clipper, Rapids, oh they also open at 11 so when they do open they will have lines.

I still think SFGAm is a very good park but its no longer far and away the best Six Flags park, especially now that SFGAdv is clean and has good operations to match its insane coaster collection.

[Bob O]

As for ther last post

1-The park doesnt need lockers at all. Itr hasnt increased ride capacity at all and I still see alot of people carrying items onto the ride and then being told it has to be in a locker, and the putting of flip flops/sandals into bins takes up the same time as if soneome put there refillable bottle in the same bin.
2- Agree
3-Agree Increase the amount of people working the ride to increase capacity and stop all the stacking you see.
4- Agree!!! With the same crappy music thru-out the park and add in the LOUSY advertising on the tvs, it takes away with little theming the park has!!!
5-Get rid of fastpass system!!!! It was so nice at my visit last week at Cedar Point where the lines KEPT moving in a orderly manner without a fastpass system

[SFaddiction84]

They are doinging exactly what the grocery store i work at does, they seem to think they don't have to SPEND money to make money and cut corners and assume they can run a store with as few people as possible. Also, if they Expand Hurricane Harbor they BETTER NOT raise the Maximum Capacity along with it. The park does nor feel like a tropical paradise when there are thousands of people crammed in there. Further more, If they make the park seperate admission, you can be assured they will offer Combo 1 day tickets and COMBO season passes. I just hope they reduce the price of the 1 day theme ticket! It would be outrageous to pay $56 for just a theme park ticket. They should consider leaving it at $56 but make that the COMBO Price, and maybe make a one day theme ticket like $45!, or try Cedar Points $39.99! Ya i know, that's a bit much to ask.

Six Flags needs to learn they need to spend money to make money, they need all rides open and ready to go at 10am, more then 1 ride op at each flat, and all trains running at the beginning of the day, all shops and such open ALL Season. Maybe they should consider hiring adults not going to school so they can stop complaining that they have no help because of school.

Trust me, from having family who run grocery stores, you have to SPEND money to make money, listen to the customer, and if you do it right, it will pay off, attendance will rise. Don't keep RAISING prices to make more money. Trust me, raising admission and parking does not make me want to come MORE, it makes me come less actually.

[Coastermonkey61]

What about a ride like the Scooby Doo ride at SFStL for the SSA spot? That would keep the building in tact, which would cost less. Families and teens would ride it, families because of the fun aspect, teens for the competitive aspect.

And if you look at Vekoma's Splash Party, it is more like Roller Soaker at Hersheypark, not like the ones with seen in the video and such.

[bigb7965]

^ roller soaker sucks.... really bad

(good thing they are removing it for a wave pool)

[Cryptkeeper]

but we don't know for sure that there will be one in DV's old location. While it's possible, I wouldn't necessarily assume that to be the case.

We do know because there is a really big sign at the DV location,



That does NOT say "new attraction here next year! That's the sign in front of DV's former location. Unless there's an ADDITIONAL SIGN, saying "home of future attraction" or somethling like that, there's no gurantee anything major is going at DV's old spot. While there might be an attraction there, there's no gurantee. Woudn't it be smart to advertise a future attraction in more then one place at the park? Especially in front of SSA...I mean, who the heck actually walks in front of that? So it would make sense to advertise their new attraction elsewhere in the park as well, and DV's old location might have been where they picked to do it.

[BrianPlencner]

I agree with what Cryptkeeper has to say about the location of the sign. Just because a sign is at a certain place in the park does not mean that is where the new attraction will go. It depends on the wording. If you read the sign by SSA, it does say "Future Site For New Attraction". However, the sign "Come ashore with us in 2009" may just be an advertisement for what is to come in 2009. Just like signs on the freeway, the new attraction does not have to be at that place.

I also wanted to point out more "hints" to this nautical theme. Pictures have been posted showing the Jolly roger on top of the crane. However, did anyone notice what is on the bottom?





As you can see, there is a ring buoy on each side, and a ships wheel (at least a fake one) in the middle. Now, if we take a step back for a second, and really stretch the imagination, the crane could represent a ship (pirate flag on top, two buoy's on each side, ships wheel in the middle). Yes, it's a long shot for sure. But, just wanted to point that out.

We'll just have to wait and see what the park does in the coming weeks.

--Brian

[saylorman47]

^ Nice find. Probably a HH expansion, where else in the park can they theme a pirate ship type ride, besides HH?

[Coastermonkey61]

It's not much of a stretch to picture the crane as a ship. Nice job, Brian.

[Jackluver18]

That would be cool, anything besides the words "Thomas" and "Town" in it make me happy yes I know i've repeated myself a few times, i'll stop.

[Topper59]

Wow, they've made some progress, when i was there 8/16 (A.M.) There was a crane with a pirate flag, in the afternoon, i noticed the sign up saying Come ashore with us, but there were no fences or anything in there, just dirt

[[jonrev]]

We've been talking about that for several days now.

[T.K.]

Ofcourse that there is attraction comming in Vu spot in 2009:
1. People have spotted enginers taking picture few weeks ago.
2. There is a huge sign that says "Come ashore with us in 2009"... As some of you said it might be adv. for some other location well ... 3. The crane on the picture is "lifted" from the ground, it's not sitting on the wheels\ground anymore, that means that crane gonna be there for construcion.

[SFaddiction84]

It is agreeable that the sign "Come ashore with us in 2009" does not mean that an attraction of that type will be there, its possible but i doubt it. Like a previous post, now that SSA is gone, people do not go over there, its more or less a hidden cave. So it would be wise to post signs all over the park, especially because we all know, just like we are that it will confuse people and get them all hyped up wondering WERE the new attractions will be, what they will be.

Im excited

[tp41190]

Last year there had about 4 signs promoting TDK in different spot of the park.

[BP317]

In addition to land surveying, theres a freakin crane there decked out with a pirate flag and ring buoys as well as a sign. Six Flags is dropping hints like Greg Norman drops majors . Its safe to say something will be going on both spots.

[Jackluver18]

^ both spots hmmmm wonder what

[onyxhotel08]

Anyone else planning on checking out other Six Flags parks in 2009?

[saylorman47]

^ Magic Mountain, and this doesn't really count but I plan on going to Silverwood to visit and old friend of mine...

[Jackluver18]

^ I wish I could visit her but not going anywhere except our park to see what's coming, still I hope it's something good.