Mike13

I know it's a little late since everyone stopped there introductions but my name is Mike and I worked at the park this past season.I'll definatly be back for the 2010 season and hopefully many more.

But here are the rides I was trained for

-Cables (My home ride)

-Batman:The Ride (Attendant & Op)

-Dark Knight

-Kingda Ka

I was supposed to get trained for more rides like Houdini and in September but it didn't happen,I do have the SOP though

Sometimes I slid too with my Nike Shox on but they had pretty good traction.But when it rained over night or all day and got onto the cement at Western I remember sliding and almost falling from catching cars. pretty often.It was fun,untill I almost fell right on my butt right in front of guests

I caught cars at Dream St for about 1/2 an hour once (I was 17 and weighed about 115 pounds at the time)...that took everything I had to stop the cars coming in.

Yeah it does take a lot to stop them,I remember sometimes being really sore the next day after working it a whole shift lol.I was 16 last season and weighed 130 and it was still hard

I also didn't like Dark Knight up in the station,but I did love doing the pre-show.

I wouldn't say that any ride I worked was really that bad,but if I had to say myself the worst was Catcher/ Unloader at Western Cables during the summer where it was 90 degrees and we had a long line at Dream Street and catching car after car after car was really tiring and just so repetative

1.Opening day lines at Pass Processing can get pretty long,longest I have seen would be out going towards Twister.Make sure to get there pretty early,like before 12 or so.So if you get to the park at opening you can do boardwalk area first then processing or processing then that side so it's easier and get those rides out of the way.

2.Opening day last year was bad due to the wind,it got up to 45 MPH in some gusts,so really unless it's raining or very windy again,closed rides shouldn't be a problem.Only thing is employees are still new and getting used to having guests in the park opening weekend so lines might move a little slower then they will in May.But we try our best opening day to handle everything well,like last year in April I know I wasn't anywhere near good as I was later on.

But crowd wise April and in this case March are the best times to go because of it not being to crowded.

Still as an employee wanting to return they could make rehire conditional,they really don't like it employees posting stuff anymore.But touche guys,touche.I found out already during the season.

 

Sorry for the poor quality picture, its taken with my blackberry, anyway, the blue and yellow bundles that are in the center of the pic are the sections of the new slide, this is the main exit road that runs along the side of HH. they take up the whole roadway and have orange cones around them, ill try to get better pics in next few days

Just be careful with the pictures you post,Management reads these boards too as you probably know,and they really don't like employees posting this stuff even if were not employed right now by Six Flags.

I guess crowds have been pretty good there,Christmastown is back for 2010 and they are opening the Italy section of the park for it. Pictures from Behindthethrills,not my photo.

I kind of want to make a trip up there for this next year,but I might go earlier in the year so Christmastown trip is doubtful

^And to add to that,make sure you upsell,upsell,upsell!

Oh and I miss those rides so much,especially Flying Wave I know that management knows we are seriously lacking Flat rides for the families and in betweeners with rides such as Flying Wave to a ride like MaxAir.I have hope in due time we will start to see more being added.

I really don't want Six Flags to die at all. The success of Six Flags and increased competition helps everyone, and fosters a more vibrant industry. I just don't want to see what I feel are ant-consumer policies rewarded ($1 Locker Fees, lack of shows, etc.).

 

I still remember a whopper of a rumor; where Universal had interest in acquiring Great Adventure. A PortAventura style makeover would have rocked!

I know it's good economically with the competition,but at this point I feel like Six Flags image of a company is so bad that it would really have to take alot to improve it.I think that the locker policy is a good thing,and now alot more and more parks are adding lockers like Universal has.But yes they should be free,when I do entrance at rides that is probably the biggest complaint I have is that "Oh my god I have to pay 1 dollar at every ride now?" they blame it on me,but that's not the point lol,free would be better but I don't know if it's going to change after the bankruptcy.Shows will start to increase as we get money back,and more budget.

That was awhile ago with that rumor,was it really true or not does anyone know?I don't see it being true,but it would be cool if it were to be true!

Or maybe Six Flags can just die all together and individual parks bought.I would love for Great Adventure to be bought by Merlin or Blackstone.Blackstone being HIGHLY unlikely though.

Does anyone have doubts whether or not Xploratorium will return for 2010?

I do,I don't think it turned out the way they wanted it to..

Listening to: Stick Stickly by Attack Attack!

Got a letter from the park today saying thanks to all there employees from 2009, also said keep an eye out for rehire packets in mid jan!

I got that too!I also got an email about the first job fair

If rumors are correct, I think you all will forget about Congo and hit up the new water ride towards the front of the park.

I have heard nothing about a possible new water ride

As a former "Mine Train-er" we had NIGHTLY fireworks over the lake by the Western Cables... The park used to be open until midnight DAILY - and sometimes until 2 AM on concert nights. Fireworks began at 9:45 PM nightly and were over at 10:00 PM. Wasn't a HUGE display, but it WAS very enjoyable! The best part, is that the park was open for a couple of hours afterward which allowed many guests the opportunity to either filter out of the park, or enjoy some last minute ride hopping.

 

The way things are today, the fireworks show is TOO crowded and once they are over, that's it - park's closed. Every person is now scrambling for the exit which creates mayhem at the gates, not to even MENTION the backup of traffic getting out of the parking lot! Last time I went, it took over two hours to get out of the parking lot! TOTALLY messed up!!!

 

I believe if they want to make an impression, lighten up a bit on the "one-day-per-week" massive display, and go for a smaller nightly show which EVERY guest can enjoy. Not just those who battle Saturday crowds! And extend park hours until midnight again.

 

I know... money money money. Seems like they were always profitable when I worked there - what's happened since? Here's what's happened:

 

1. Park theming and other "enhancements" have ruined the feel of the place. It's now just like every other Six Flags park. What makes GA a special place to visit? Used to be that the park remained comfortable and cool even on the hottest days thanks to all of the trees that were painstakingly spared during any construction project. Beginning with the Time Warner days, massive trees were cut down and the park became flooded with concrete and steel. Now they have to install misting fans and other cooling areas in order to keep the guests from passing out in the direct sun. How smart was that?

What park doesn't have to install misters these days?Since the new management has been in control,they have been adding trees and shrubs and all that stuff throughout the park.

 

2. The park has been marketed to teen-age kids for many years. They have no money. Tearing out family oriented rides (i.e., all flat rides) in favor of multi-milllion dollar heart-pounding rides hasn't proven the most cost effective. Not every ride has to be a screaming coaster.

Flat rides have been taken out due to budget not being there to replace them.When Shapiro came in,he has only taken out rides that haven't worked or needed major work on them..

 

3. Food & Restaurants - Someone should be fired for allowing all of these independant contractors in the park! GA used to have some really decent dining for a theme park - and at REASONABLE prices no less! The old Best of the West is now a complete joke. A frozen Tyson's chicken breast qualifies for "BBQ-Chicken" ??? What has happened to this place!! REALLY!?! Bring back the originality throughout the park! Seriously, if I want "Johnny Rockets" or "Papa Johns" I'll stay home thank you, and pay a heckuva lot less!!! All of this contracting out, detracts from being at a theme park. Makes you feel like you're at a very expensive mall's food court. Can someone in GA food service management please take a trip out to Knoebel's in PA and actually SEE how a park can profit with unique food?

The independant companies coming in are a Corperate Alliance thing I believe.But yes good food would be nice to have,but not really something I would expect to see at this point.Prices are rediculous at any theme park for food,it's just how buisness is done these days.Economically they would make more of a profit with lower food prices since when Price for food is down,demand goes up.But honestly I don't know what there sales are like for food and that stuff.

 

4. Merchandise - Enough with the damn Looney Tunes characters!! LOL! Seriously though, the park used to have very unique merchandise along with the typical crap. Today, there's only crap. No more Austrian Crystal, no more Native American products (heck, no more Tee Pee either! Way to go GA. Let the park rot away.

I don't know if you have been living under a rock but the Teepee was removed due to a bad storm damaging it,and fixing it would cost ALOT to fix,and it really wouldn't make alot of sense to fix it.

 

5. Staffing - They've cut staffing of the rides to the point they cannot be run at capacity which means long lines that make for tired & angry guests. Used to be that six people at a minumum, ran the mine train. One operator, three loaders, one usher assigning booths, and a person at the top of the stairs to let 28 people into the station at a time. Yes, all these people hustled three train operation all day, but the ride ran at max capacity all the time. You could go through an entire full queue line in about 30 minutes.

Staffing is all part of the budget,that is obviously not that good since financially the company was going down the pooper.But honestly I think guests can be smart enough to get themselves into a row.Now you really don't need that many people,then it just becomes to crowded up there.With a good crew of one Operator,and 2 attendants,you can easily move the line along at a good pace.

 

I have a whole list of "wishes" not just for the park as a guest, but from a management perspective. Dan Snyder may know how to rip off sports fans at FedEx field in MD., but the theme park industry is entirely different. He has no clue about it, nor how to run the largest chain of parks in the world!

Sporting events and Theme parks aren't to differant.

 

BRING BACK LARRY COCHRAN!!!

From the Sandusky Register:

Cedar Fair sale in works

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 7:21 PM EST

SANDUSKY

 

_{Register file photo/KRISTIN HEINICHEN}

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon gives Cedar Point CEO Dick Kinzel his speed-demon seal of approval after riding the Millennium Force at the park this summer.

 

 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apollo Management LP is expected to acquire Cedar Fair for about $700 million.

 

The deal would also include the assumption of $1.6 billion of debt, said people familiar with the matter.

 

Based in Sandusky, Cedar Fair owns 11 theme parks in the United States and Canada, including Cedar Point and Kings Island.

 

Barring last-minute snags, the deal by the buyout firm is likely to be announced in the coming days, these people said.

 

Cedar Fair's revenue over the 12 months ended in September totaled about $930 million, down 6.3 percent from the similar 2008 period.

 

Cedar Fair has been scrambling to address a number of coming debt obligations, said two of the people familiar with the matter. In March it hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to relieve its debt load. At the same time, it said it might sell two of its theme parks.

 

According to Google Finance, the amusement park company's stock rose 29.63 percent in after-hours trading to $9.10 per limited partner unit. Apollo Management LP is a division of Apollo Investment Corp., which announced the closing of its public offering of common stock on Dec. 15.

I've never heard of Apollo Management before but maybe now there parks will get some much needed theming with their rides, but I don't know... Apollo is going to take on a very large amount of debt, not sure if they can handle it unless there a big company like Blackstone.

edit: Thank you to whoever fixed this topic,I suck at making topics =/

I have seen pretty much EVERYWHERE in that Fort,and I will tell you that it would cost ALOT of money to add an observation kind of place into/onto it.Plus there wouldn't really be a way for people to get up there since Cables uses it very much,I don't know about the Mine Train one though.

But I agree on lighting,the fort could use some on the front where the water is.

I wouldn't mind a new launched coaster,but it being in Batman's place isn't going to happen.Why remove a ride that works perfectly fine and still draws a line?

Sorrrrrry.I'm done talking about this I swear,no more off-topicness lol I'll just text you Robbert

But anyways what is Superman supposed to get hourly,PPH wise.

^How did you mess up on the application Michael.

I don't know lol,now that I think of it,the answers I put were dumb and most likely not what they were looking for.....

I'm not hard on myself....I just messed up really badly on the Lead application

Hey Mike, to bad there are only a handfull of us who actuslly care about the guests at six flags and making there experince a pleasent one

Yeah I know,it sucks more people don't care.Even though I try,I still get those rediculous guests who blame me for everything,I have a hard time not laughing at them lol.I would make my crews care if I was a Manager or Lead,even though I won't be one for awhile probably.But hey as a team member I can still try my best.

^Spoken like a true lead. So if you become one I will remember that okay Mike.

lol okay Robbie,I will call you every hour wherever you are and tell you that my crew is getting good numbers!I don't know where I will be but hopefully it will be possible to get good numbers!

But hey maybe in 2011 when I turn 18 I can be Superman manager and then no more complaining about slow loading!

^I love to get good numbers.I don't know anyone who has worked Superman so I wouldn't know if there good or not.I only know who the manager was since she started in Lakefront I think.I also wouldn't know about the start-up either lol,but I used to know how to do the start up for TDK,Batman and Cables but I forget now,our supervisors knew how to do all this stuff though and were great.I won't mention names but I I'm suprised they didn't know how to do start up.

I would love to work Superman for one shift this upcoming season though,I hope I get to be in 240 this year.To me even if the Supervisors don't care if numbers aren't a big deal to a ride,I would still want to go fast and attempt to make the line move so people aren't standing in line for 2 years.