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Official Buccaneer Battle/2009 Attraction Thread
I have spoken to a number of families and read comments from many more not to mention saw with my own eyes when they were getting off the TDK ride or even while on other rides in the park. We all know The Dark Knight was not a success story for SF and that is all I was trying to emphasize. I have a strong feeling the same will happen next year. The chain spent over 21 million dollars on the 3 Dark Knight rides and mu only criticisim is that, in the long run, it will not be a ride that was worth all the money, promotion and hype.
13 Years with SFGAm World!
That is agreeable, though only cause of the crappy themeing. If it was a regular installation out in the open, it would have been far more successful and cheaper. People don't care for Dark Knight mainly cause it's being advertised as something that is is not, both a dark ride and a thrill ride. I think Splash Battle will end up better as it's a proven crowd pleaser in other markets.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder
Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
The Families that I have talked to have LOVED TDK, and they are going back to ride it again, and their kids love it too, and I wouldn't say that I love it but I don't not like it, its still a fun ride, still a coaster.
"The rides are GREAT, The shows are GREAT, the fun is GREAT. At Marriott"s GREAT AMERICA!"
I have kids, and let me tell you, they LOVE The Dark Knight. Now, it may not be my cup of tea, and I would personally not wait more than 15 minutes for it, but the ride was not aimed to please ME. It was aimed to please everybody in my family, and everybody elses.
Let me put it this way. If thrill rides, not meant for my youngins, were added instead of family rides, SF would not be getting my $300+ every year for season passes, plus what we spend in the park. Don't get me wrong. I may come off as being against getting coasters, and thrill rides, but beleive me, I want a new thrill ride just as bad as everybody else does, but you guys have to remember, the more families the chain pulls into it's parks, the faster the chain can pull out of debt, and when they pull out of debt, and make profits, they will be able to afford that multi-million dollar coaster, or thrill rides that we all want. If it walks like socialist, quacks like socialist, smells like a socialist, .... it's a socialist. Hope, and change we can believe in.
Not that I have done a scientific study, but from the comments I have heard while in the park, by either talking to people or overhearing conversations I do think TDK has been a success!!
Other than from this boards Ive heard few complaints about the ride and I have heard alot of people saying that they enjoyed it, and the only complaint was the length of the wait time. Im hopeful that the rumors are true that they will add more effects to TDK over the off season, but I have enjoyed the ride and think it was a good investment. And of course the park is going to hype a new attraction, that is always done by every park that opens a new attraction. I just think some people were mistaken that this was going to be some new thrill ride, rather than the very enjoyable family ride it is. My problem with the new water ride for next year is that I dont think we need a new one with the water park we already have and the park could use other types of rides to complement what rides the park already has. And with a water ride in the midwest it will have alot of time it wont be operating, or will do so will not many people on it.
BB will either be a ride you will enjoy or loathe. Not many people, especially in their teens and 20's, enjoy playing with water guns. I may be wrong. That's MY opinion. it's not even water guns that are childish. The whole concept of going around moving like a snail squirting water at "targets" screams another kiddie attraction and not a family one. Will you see a lot of parents on BB? Will you see a lot of older park goers waiting in line for BB? In the hot blazing sun will it be worth it for a lot of park goers? Actually, I am more upset about possibly not getting anything done by the SWF area than BB. Will it be a concrete gravesite for another season?
13 Years with SFGAm World!
Looks like I won't be making a trip up there in 09 either. King's Island here I come.
Ugh.
My 1st post but i been reading the forum for at least a year just decided to register though.
Anyhow i personally think the park already has enough family/kid rides and areas and i feel that i am just waiting for a bigger thrill to keep the park somewhat interesting. Yeah the coasters we have are fun but being located in gurnee(with Chicago,Milwaukee, even Minnesota reasonably close) this park has to be worth more than just getting a lame BB. When RB came out i was going to the park about 8-10times for that season and the one after but after that the visits just got lower. This summer i even decided to go to cedar point feeling that it was worth the drive(IT WAS) and GA had nothing really new to offer... (TDK? yeah lets not get into that). "im SKY HIGH"
economy bad and getting worse + six flags in major debt = great america not getting a major ride for a while
So stop complaining and just be thankful for what we are getting. I have not been on dark knight but from what I hear it sucks, but just think about it it is a coaster. It is way better than nothing.
not really complaining just letting you all know that what GA is doing does not keep me to happy or interested. As far as six flags being in debt i wonder what got them there turning the parks into playlands with all these kids rides? i mean i do not have kids but if i did i would not take them to six flags until they could get on every coaster in the place. Maybe six flags should take notes from cedar fair they manage to make profit year after year. Six flags my suggestion is let carnivals take care of the kid stuff give us Insane Flats and Huge Coasters. lol
"im SKY HIGH"
You know what I think? I think you need to move to Vegas since you're all about everything being extreme.
Maybe A Great Day Is Just What You Need This Year
'09 Demon rides-50 '09 SFGAm Visits-21
Cedar Fair has it's problems with debt and loss just like Six Flags. Maybe not as much but they lose money annually too.
13 Years with SFGAm World!
way to stay on topic. not to many coasters in vegas plus once your off the strip its the ghetto. "im SKY HIGH"
Maybe A Great Day Is Just What You Need This Year
'09 Demon rides-50 '09 SFGAm Visits-21
 Wait................................................................................... Ok, (wiping tears from his eyes). I know your not going to like the real reason why they are in debt, so I will just not tell you, but, I will tell you that the chain has had it's first positive cash flow in who knows how many years, and why do you think that is? Again, you won't like the answer. playlands. Oh, and welcome to the boards. Nice to have you here. If it walks like socialist, quacks like socialist, smells like a socialist, .... it's a socialist. Hope, and change we can believe in.
Six flags started losing money what in 98?, and it just kept going down, so bascily all the " thrill rides" they added didn't do crap. They added Wiggles and dark knight, and they did a little bit better. you do the math
You can't say Oh I'll go when we get monster coasters till then I wont go. because they wont get thoes till you go to the park and help them get out of the problems they have. If you don't want to go to the park in 09 fine don't but then don't get upset they don't add rides you like, because you don't go.
Because they inked a deal which allowed them to put off paying any of their debt. Anyway fact is a large-scale new coaster cost $10+ million, and they got one average once every 3 years or so. They dont make that money back in that short of a span. Therefore, debt. Add buying a lot of small parks that dont post much of a profit and for some reason adding huge expansion packages in small market parks. Dont forget TDK cost $7 million, thats a big investment (more than Voyage at least). SF's financial management certainly has been mind boggling. I wouldnt say its "fixed" now by any means but not many good ways to manage a company with that much debt.
Six Flags Inc. needs to sell the under performing parks and realize what will drive people inside the parks every season is not increasing prices and tiny food proportions. How about not giving Magic Mountain a new coaster every other year? I know their last one was back in 2006 with Tastu I think but watch now that they cleaned up the park a bit they will probably get another one in 2010 or 2011 even though they are getting one next year. They need to stop it with investing so much money everywhere in the chain not just one or two parks. Also, I know this has been brought up before but many of the parks have at least one or two rides that are ready to be put to rest. They drain upkeep money each year and are not popular anymore at least like they used to.
13 Years with SFGAm World!
Yeah. I like a 10 paragraph essay thread on this, but the mods deleted it for some reason, but SERIOUSLY. Shapiro's whole, family bullsh*t idea isn't going to help the park. He needs to clean up the park, remove unwanted stuff, (theatres, bad rides, unused attractions), and think smart. TDK was the WRONG thing to do. We already have Rajin' Cajun, so why add another roller coaster like that? Get all of the old stupid stuff that just takes away money to keep up, like the little monster trucks, and boats. And for the sake of man-kind, make water only $2.00. Sell the bad parks, take out old stuff, wait a year or 2, make some money, BUILD A NEW RIDE FOR EACH PARK. Bam, profit. There is probably more to it, but seriously? Come on Six Flags.
i will still go just not as much as i did at one point. i will be there october 11th actually "im SKY HIGH"
TDK was not the WORNG thing to do. SFI got paid a butt load of money to put TDK on the ride. Heck they probably paid for at least one of them. Like I keep saying it is better than nothing. Also it is not like ragin cajun. It does not spin and it is in the dark. So who will notice the difference. From what I hear it is still about an hour and a half to get on and I am sure it will be the same way next year. So I am pretty sure some people like it because it is something different. Buccaneer Battle will be the same way. Then again I have no idea how SFI is not making any money by charging 15 to 25 dollars for parking. That should put them in the green no matter what.
Advertisements like crazy which gives them money (tons of money - I forgot the amount) - saving money on new attractions by spending less. Also, increased parking prices. They also dumped rides this year. Each ride costs a lot of money to run. Just think of the staffing alone, and look at how many they took away throughout the chain. How about opening rides later everyday they are open at our park? So, why are they more profitable? Families, I don't think that's the real reason. I didn't even realize they had that deal that SFGAm07 said. That could be another thing. Just look at all the former parks they had that they sold off after they bought them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Flags#USA_2 Building new attractions / coasters year after year in my opinion is really stupid! People will still come to the park even if there is anything new. I think the reason why people on this board or any enthusiasts at any park wants new attractions yearly is because they are going all the time, and they might get bored of going if there isn't anything new. For TDK, the famous phrase for people riding that ride that I hear, "Is that it?" Later in the season, the line was 30 -40 minutes instead of 1 hour, and more. There was no lines going back and forth open in the theatre except outside the theatre which was that one line. People aren't stupid, and could figure out it's like Ragin Cajun except it doesn't spin. Except, they go on this ride without knowing that, and find out later. "I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
I will be too if you want to join our group. Maybe A Great Day Is Just What You Need This Year
'09 Demon rides-50 '09 SFGAm Visits-21
I'm happy for the park to get Buccaneer Battle. My fiancée, who is not too into coasters yet, was excited to see a new water ride. This alone will get her to go to the park more often.
On TDK, the ride was a great investment. Not only do the families I've seen after the ride enjoy it, but the ride gives a break from the weather. The ride is perfect when it is 100 degrees or heavy rain. This was something the park was missing and needed badly.
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