"The War on Lines" battles Hurricane Harbor's Needs

[29yrswithaGApass]

In 1999, Great Adventure made its largest investment of capital to date adding more than 25 rides and attractions to the theme park. As we know many of these attractions are now gone, but even as early as 1999 many remained closed due in part to short staffing. In 2000, the problem seemed just as bad if not worse as staffing issues continued complicated by the added need of resources for GA's new third gated park Hurricane Harbor.

 

Looking for comments and opinions.... Did Hurricane Harbor negatively impact the success of "The War on Lines"? Discuss!

 

 

 

 

[darkridedan]

Yes. It was good that they opened it before 9/11. Hypothetically I wish they could have waited until about 2002 or 2003 to open Hurricane Harbor when GAdv needed less employees. HH could have had a bigger pool of employees and rides wouldn't have needed to be closed for Lack Of Personel from '99-'02.

 

The plus with opening HH in '00 was that lifeguards could work a longer season at GAdv while HH was closed and fill in while college and high school-age employees were not available.

 

I would liked to have seen GAdv add a flat ride here and there when another was removed rather than a War on Lines so that less employees would have been needed at the park, less rides would have been closed and more employees could work at HH.

 

ie:

1998- a flying carpet for Joust-a-Bout

2000- a monster (one that operated)

2002- Jolly Roger (or keep Pirate's Flight) for El Sombrero, keep scrambler

2004- a pendulum ride

2006- a new waveswinger

2008- keep Old Country and Houdini

Edited September 22, 2008 by darkridedan

[CablesEric]

Obviously, staffing as a whole became an issue with the addition of a 3rd park. The issue you are discussing needs to look only at 2 aspects of staffing; ride operators and certified life guards. HH definitely thinned the pool, pun intended, of prospective Ride Operators. Any new hire that was hired in with no life guard experience is now less likely to be earmarked for rides, because all other departments now have a larger staffing requirment.

 

Another point, HH probalby was able to bring more prospective employees in the GA alone previously was. The requirement for certified lifeguards drew employees in that had no previous desire to work at Six Flags. Had HH not been built they would be lifeguarding along the Jersey Shore somewhere.

[The Master]

There have been times when GAdv brought in employees from SFA and SFNE to help with their staffing problems. It just seems like SFGAdv has always had staffing problems long before the war on lines and HH and that removing rides is just a band aid. Also GAdv has a long history of rides quickly coming and going from the park and I am sure SF did not intend to keep all those 1999 rides at GAdv for very long.

Edited September 18, 2008 by The Master