Welcome to the first Great Adventure Outpost update of the 2009 season! As always, a special thank you to Six Flags Great Adventure (Especially in PR and Entertainment!) for allowing us the opportunity to provide this update.
I’m not going to waste too much time covering what is already known. The folks over at
Great Adventure History already provided a great deal of coverage on the various building changes and provided many great photos.
With that said, I would still like to provide a nice rundown list of known changes at this time and maybe I’ll throw a nice surprise or two in there as well.
The games area changes are
progressing nicely on the boardwalk. There is a possibility this will be an indoor seating area also. Plus, the end of this new area will be home to another Johnny Rockets Express just before the Golden Kingdom Entrance.
Speaking of Johnny Rockets, they are adding another one to Hurricane Harbor as well.
And speaking of Hurricane Harbor, the painted tubes look GREAT!
The Log Flume is going through a
very extensive rehab involving the trough itself.
It’s great to see the park taking such good care of these original attractions which is a much needed change.
The large wooden signs to each section of the Wild Safari are being repainted and literally look brand new.
The Roaring Rapids rafts are being completely rehabbed and repainted.
Medusa looks outstanding but they have not proceeded just yet with the other changes.
BIG NEWS – There will be a new float added to the Glow in the Park parade this season which will include additional performers. No cuts are being made to this popular hit!
The Big Wheel is
coming along nicely with the freshly painted buckets sitting in the open area near the Skyride and Grannys. The A-frame (insert picture) is freshly painted and looks great but the remaining frame is not finished it’s rehab for reassembly.
You can view all of the photos in this update
here.
And now for a personal note...
I really think it is worth mentioning the ongoing changes at the park in recent years. Yes, we have lost a bunch of attractions; some of which were mourned while others were better off gone. But, with that has come an industry leading ride up-time rating, all time high satisfaction levels and a commitment to KEEPING what they can and ensuring they will last for generations to come. With the recent rehab of the Big Wheel, I’m now fully convinced that this management gets it. If the changes they have been doing allows the budget and time to rehab tired old attractions to make them new again while still adding new attractions here and there, I fully believe we have a recipe for success. And 2008 is proof of this success with our home park taking home the Six Flags Park of the Year award during their internal awards ceremony. This turnaround is real and is happening right before our eyes. The problem is, we as “fan” sites need to remember that like it or not, we are a voice of the park and with that comes the responsibility of making sure that we don’t spend all day creating negative spin. 2009 is going to be a rough year as we all know but the Theme Park industry as a whole is being specifically singled out and targeted because they are viewed as being even more vulnerable. Which is why we need to make sure when the regular folks “googling” Six Flags Great Adventure information encounter an online community such as ours, they see the parks commitment to safety, uptime, guest experience, value and more. So do your best to use creative criticism when warranted and give kudos whenever possible because it DOES make a difference. And believe it or not, we can all help in the success of our home park through nothing more than positive buzz. And if you ask me, they deserve it. And trust me when I tell you, if they accomplish the goals they have set forth, we’ll all be rewarded for years to come.
If you ask me, this is much better than another closed Theme Park right?
Thanks and see you at the park!
