Great Adventure Outpost
Great Adventure Boards => Great Adventure Chit Chat => Topic started by: WadeJ on September 18, 2006, 11:19:17 AM
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Now that Mark Kane is in charge, what are some ideas we might be able to give him to make a day at Great Adventure even more memorable?
Keep it simple and to the point. I?m just curious what some of you come up with. And keep it within reason lol. Obviously, he can?t control certain aspects of the park. I?m talking about nice little things that give a park its character and in some cases, its charm and magic. Please don?t get into listing things like staffing levels, number of trains, paint, condition of certain rides, more flats, etc. We?ve beaten that to death already ;).
The first item I?m going to list is having the canons on the fort firing (though this idea was partially mentioned by Ron so I do need to give him credit). They could install a good sound system with subwoofers and a smoke machine to show a puff of smoke after each ?canon ball? is fired. Even better would be to have a big bubble burst out of the lake just like Pirates of the Caribbean to make it feel as though that was where it landed.
Thoughts? More ideas?
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Reverse the entrance and have the security gates before the ticket counters. I don't know why , but I really enjoyed it that way at SFAW.
Take hints from Dutch wonderland, LC and CLP and use the lake more. Be it with a huge paddle boat or just small swan boats.
Build a well themed resturant in the safari that you could take a monorail too.
Remove the black loose gravel ( where they had the sand castle's and petting zoo) and replace it with grass.
Last but not least .......FREE THE MONKEYS!!!!!!!
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FREE THE MONKEYS , FREE THE MONKEYS !!! YES :)
OK now that I just had to shout that out . Please give us back season pass parking and a better season pass entrance. Also the early entrance Fridays were great even if KK wasn't up and running it got SP holders to the park and would make us HAPPY :) to spend more time and money there. KEEP THE PARENT PASS!!!! and last but not least more order in the parking lot. $45 to park and it is still a disorderly mess at times when the park is crowded. Hope to have him stay longer then the last two and wish him lots of luck with FF coming and long lines with aggravated people .
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I'm sorry to inform people who don't know, but a monkey was killed by being run over. Peta stepped in and now they have a fence. I could be totally wrong and SFGADV put them behind the fence for their own safety. That.. or the park got tried of people complaining about their cars being destroyed even after being fully warned.(see photo) Wonder if it had to do with the easy accessibility to feed them. Who knows, Either way... I do miss them on my car.
(http://gadvupdates.com/gallery/albums/album33/monkey.sized.jpg)
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:( :( :( Poor Monkey now I am all sad . :'( Ok now I will have to shout DON'T FREE THE MONKEYS !!! I had no idea one was run over that is horriable . maybe because people in NY,NJ and Pa can't listen and NOT FEED them . We loved to see them jump from car to car though it was fun while it lasted.
Posted on: September 18, 2006, 02:24:54 pm
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Swan Boats - crappy capacity but GREAT atmosphere and adds a relaxing and quiet attraction for those not into thrills.
Gravel back to grass- good idea!
Season Pass parking I think is long gone but I don't think the parent pass is going anywhere.
As for the security gates, I actually heard rumors a while back that there were plans to completely change the entry way to allow for more space between the ticket booths and the security gates though I'm not sure if the intention was to move the security check-point first or not. This method does work very well at WDW as well.
I guess if the hotel ever happens we'll be getting the themed resturant. They just need to figure out a way to get the GP to it so that it doesn't end up closing 1 year later.
Another idea that I know we've talked about before are chase lights on RT. At least on the lift. I think this would be even neater now that RT is considered the "classic" coaster with El Toro there now.
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The monkeys were penned up after a PETA complaint, stemming from the euthanization of a baboon I believe after it was hit by a car and seriously injured.
One thing I would love to see in the park would be more queue theming. Small things like music in the queues to set the mood, maybe some of those placards that are more than geeky facts or sparsely placed like Superman. For example, make it feel like you're in the city a bit with Superman. Add just a little flavor. Nitro could have something upbeat to build the anticipation. Any little thing that takes you away just a little from the real world is a great help.
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Some benches in the wooded area next to lakefront arena, so we can sit in the shade instead of out in the sun.
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Id like to see more and more landscaping, in some areas its really nice but in others it needs a face lift.
Maybe some more characters to, it gives the park a nice atmosphere and helps to take after Disney which is a ideal theme park.
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Keep the food areas clean. The average visitor couldn't care less if an area is leased or not. If it's inside Great Adventure, to them it IS Six Flags. And keep the tables occupied by food buyers, not just sitters who take up seats so that food buyers can't even find a place to sit and EAT. Much less a clean place.
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You are all about the patios. I've noticed that you've posted that several times in the past and I can't help but agree on that one.
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There's reason for that. I talk to a LOT of park visitors, to parks across the country. Virtually everyone I have ever talked to who has visited Great Adventure who is not from the Northeast has mentioned how uncomfortable they felt at the park. Most then talk about the unsavory characters and "weird activity" they see outside the food stands.
Shapiro and company have fixed the restrooms. They are by far the neatest and cleanest of any chain parks. They have, for the most part, fixed the midways.
It's the outside eating areas that are still frequently nasty and in many cases frequented by people who sit there for long periods of time (often smoking). This reflects very badly on the park.
Yes, people got to to the restroom, but you also want them to eat. Make it a pleasant experience, and they will remember. Let it be unpleasant and they will also remember. Especially at the prices charged.
Every time I have discussed this with park management in the past, I have been told these are leased areas and the park has no control over the lessee. Baloney. Make them keep it clean. Keep an employee out there bussing tables. If the lessee won't do it, have a Six Flags employee do it and include that cost in the rental.
It's THAT important. Just as important as clean ride vehicles, midways and restrooms.
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Just thought of another one that I know we've lightly discussed before. Something that has really started catching on at DisneyLand is re-theming the attractions for the holidays. Small World Christmas, Country Bear Christmas, etc. But one of the favorites each year is the redo of Haunted Mansion for halloween using Nightmare before Christmas. How about they completely deck out Skull mountain and turn it into a special effects extravagansa for Fright Fest?
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That's a great idea and would be awesome since there is allot you could do with skull mountain since it's indoors. Maybe even update the technology in it like LCD lights or something going up the lift, and just overall re theme it basically.
Another ride that has some nice possibilities is runaway mine train. Since it goes through the woods and stuff there's allot you could do with it especially at night.
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I have a few simple suggestions
A. Bring the Skull Mountain strobes and theming and such back, the music and the strobes made the ride much more fun!
B. The TV's back in the ques, when I go on sunday, id appreciate it if I can watch the Jets game :)
C. Bring back the B:TR themeing that once made it so awsome
D. Replace the rusty sign on Nitro with a brand new stainless steel or something, sign
E. Bring back the food dispensers on the bridge
F. Bring back KK's old Que, Although this is probably illegal by state inspectors
G. Make S:UF less of an eyesore, throw all sorts of flowers or something in the non-que areas.
H. Make Old Country intresting again, its a ghost town out there.
These are just a few ideas to your already growing list of great ideas
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Things like replacing the rusty sign on Nitro are VERY cheap to do and go a long way to changing the image of the park :). Just the same with cleaning up the tables at the leasee places as well as having security shove along "squaters" to make guests more comfortable eating there. Perhaps there isn't enough places then for people that are waiting for somebody to sit?
I to wish they could do a whole bunch of other things as well like sprucing up the Old Country but I also wanted to keep it real. Things like replacing a sign or bringing back special effects are not really budget busters.
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Gosh, cleaning up Nitros station would be awesome.
I would also like Batman's station to be re-themed more like SFGam station, which was awesome. Also, please light up Ka.
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Im not so sure how i feel about lighting king up. Granted, i think that area would be kind of cool with a bit more light, but the ride itself, i think it makes a better ride in the dark when there is no light.
how about give nitros station some meaning. its just an elevated empty shack to me.
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Good point Chuck, if you seen Dragster at night you will be like WOW!! It definately could use some light, the record holder gets nothing but darkness, I thought you would want to show off your monster ride, not hide it in the night
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When I saw Ka lit up last year it looked amazing. I don't know why they ever got rid of it.
Dragster does look amazing at night..
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There's reason for that. I talk to a LOT of park visitors, to parks across the country. Virtually everyone I have ever talked to who has visited Great Adventure who is not from the Northeast has mentioned how uncomfortable they felt at the park. Most then talk about the unsavory characters and "weird activity" they see outside the food stands.
Shapiro and company have fixed the restrooms. They are by far the neatest and cleanest of any chain parks. They have, for the most part, fixed the midways.
It's the outside eating areas that are still frequently nasty and in many cases frequented by people who sit there for long periods of time (often smoking). This reflects very badly on the park.
Yes, people got to to the restroom, but you also want them to eat. Make it a pleasant experience, and they will remember. Let it be unpleasant and they will also remember. Especially at the prices charged.
Every time I have discussed this with park management in the past, I have been told these are leased areas and the park has no control over the lessee. Baloney. Make them keep it clean. Keep an employee out there bussing tables. If the lessee won't do it, have a Six Flags employee do it and include that cost in the rental.
It's THAT important. Just as important as clean ride vehicles, midways and restrooms.
If you knew how much I agree with you there, we'd definitely have to shake hands if we let in person, lol. It's really beyond important.
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Greet people in the park. Come and ask what their concerns are. Also open more then one window on each side of Guest Relations or at least get it to move faster . There are days the wait there is longer then the wait for rides.
I too agree with getting rid of straglers at the resturants as well as keeping the tables clean .
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Also the new GM needs to be much more hands on, constantly visiting ops, checking on everything and make sure the place is going good, not just kick up his feet on his desk in the office
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Well with Mark Kane in he is helping because RMT and Teacups are open. Also ops were very good today. At the end of the day they made a line to slap everyone's hands. I joined in, it was good. Oh and Ka was running great except for 2 bd's.
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About the paddle boat thing, I don't think they would get it because gadv already had paddle boats. Also I'm suprised no one said it yet but I would love to see better maintnence and the Chiller back up.
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there are reasons behind why no one has asked for chiller to be back up.
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/\/\ I'll quote myself from the very first post -
Please don?t get into listing things like staffing levels, number of trains, paint, condition of certain rides, more flats, etc. We?ve beaten that to death already .
As for the paddle boats, it is the kind of cheesy ride that adds athmosphere as well as something for families to do together. While the capacity may suck, its still another attraction - and much cheaper that the average B&M lol.
I thought of something else that I don't think was mentioned here yet. After being at Epcot last Sunday, another facinating attraction that doesn't do much but looks nice would be a garden maze. It is something that the parents will enjoy strolling through while the kids are on Kingda Ka.
edit: wow,I actually managed to dig up a old photo of my son wandering through it lol
(http://www.jacksonfamilyhomepage.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=6703&g2_serialNumber=1)
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Well, I have a list of things that the new GM could improve (which I would love to see someday - wishful thinking really - lol)...
Starting with Nitro - I agree on revamping the signage (that is a meant-to-be rusted sign by the way). But more importantly, they need to improve the access to the platform. That narrow set of stairs, where people (are supposed to) stay to the left for front row and to the right for all other rows just doesn't work. People just stand there in groups and block the way, so the lines take even longer. I'd actually create a whole new set of stairs that go directly to the front row, and this might improve the speed of the people filling in all other rows. Stairway A for front row only, Stairway B for all other rows (and the there's Stairway C near the back of the platform for Flash Pass folks). All too often, I've seen people standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for the front, but stopping others from filling in the half empty platform and other rows. And no employees around to keep the lines moving by directing people at the top of the stairs!
Next up: Chiiler, FreeFall, Batman Stunt Show Theatre - I'd actually get rid of all three things, and build something better, like a whole new section in the park. Perhaps beautifying the space more, and add a new coaster, like the dive machine going into Bush Gardens in 2007. I'd replace Free Fall with a huge PowerTower ride, with 4 towers like Cedar Point has. SFGA just needs more rides that are operating continuously so they can process more riders per hour, and reduce the wait time on lines. many parks do not have Flash Pass, and the lines are never as horrible as they can get at SFGA.
I would also replace the trains on Rolling Thunder with new ones, like Hershey Park has on Lightning Racer. Those are so comfortable and more open.
And they really should try to make the waterfront walkway a little more interesting - there are lots of dead spaces, from Skull Mountain all the way to that new kids section.
Finally, it's time for a new, good restaurant - perhaps a sit-down chain restaurant, like Chili's, Houlihans, Applebee's, etc. Kick up the level of food up a few notches!
Anyway, just my own thoughts! I hope 2007 has big plans for the park, even if it just means getting all the rides up to speed so they are operating daily, and on improving the look of the park even more (most areas look great and clean this year). Who wants a ghetto park like Six Flags America in Maryland? LOL
--Carlos
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Hey, quit picking on SFA. It can actually be quite fun, and is much improved compared to past years.
And you won't be seeing GCI's trains any time soon on coasters they didn't build, unless there has been a total policy change at that company. They sell trains only for rides they build, at least so far.
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Speaking of SFA, Roar should get the Millenium Flyers on it.
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Yes, Roar would be a perfect example of a coaster needing those MF trains. They are the perfect match. RT being born again would probably be best. It needs a complete overhaul. candc is right, it needs new trains. Obviously we wouldn't be seeing GCII trains on there but new PTCs would be great anyway. I'd be sad to say goodbye to the buzzbars but what good do they do if they never work.
I haven't been to SFA at all for the past 2 years but my last several visits in 01' - 03' were rather ghetto - both in clientle and operations. I hope you are right gadvwow becuase that park is barely surviving at this point.
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From what I understand, changing the coach style completely on a wooden coaster brings up so many problems that it's not worth it. They ride differently, weigh different amounts (takes the course at different speeds), turn differently, and a host of other things that make you only want to buy a new coach that's similar, if not exactly the same.
Rolling Thunder's problems could be remedied better with some re-tracking and good old grease from what I see.
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Oh, it can be done. For instance, Legend at Holiday World had Gerstlauers and was converted to PTC's. Up at SFNE, Cyclone had PTC's, was converted to Morgans, then back to PTC's.
The problem is more that GCI, at least til now, doesn't want to offer its Millennium Flyer trains for coasters it did not itself build.
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Ah, then I understand incorrectly.
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I still wonder if RT can even be fixed at this point...it's needs a little bit of everything!
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Ok, first thing that needs to be fixed is the parking lot. Especially since they put those stupid signs up now so you dont know where the hell you are going. I suggest maybe repaving it all and hopefully setting up at Season Pass lot?
Second thing is: Chiller. Yes there are rumors floating about that it may go, it may not. Should it stay, do whatever you need to do to get it running.
More to come...
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Pave the parking lot !!! it needs to be repaved when driving past the perfered parking into the lot to the right the pot holes could take out a cars tires . It was pretty bad last time I was there . Now you want 45 for a season of parking and 15 a pop for the day that is a bad start for people comming in to see pot holes . just a thought if the parking lot is that under maintained what about the rides?? Not saying that the rides are all abused but kind of makes you think. ::)
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Yes near the Bus Stop 2 weeks ago day after it rained there was a small lake in the parking lot and LARGE HOLES not pot holes more like Bathtub holes.
I have a Pickup truck but if I had a Car I know I would have sustained some damage.
THey don't need to pave the lot just fill the pot holes and seal the lot.
A new pavement top coat would cost more then $300,000 +
We need one of these this ride is totally awesome
looks like it only takes a 60' footprint it can fit anywhere and yes THIS RIDE BELOW IS JUST AS THRILLING AS SOME COASTERS at a fraction of the cost. THe parachute ride is very old school and I never see it open. This is the NEW FREEFALL. or a Giant Frisbee
(http://casabrian.com/images/medium/2001/srm/03-PKI/drop_zone/CRW_2870_med.jpg)
(http://casabrian.com/images/medium/2001/srm/03-PKI/drop_zone/CRW_2794_med.jpg)
(http://casabrian.com/images/medium/2001/srm/03-PKI/drop_zone/CRW_2863_med.jpg)
pics courtesy of http://casabrian.com/parks
(http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/thrillrides/delirium/img/pki_delirium_08.jpg)
Here is a Crowd muncher
(http://www.ridezone.com/parks/oh/cedarpoint/power3-4.jpg)
www.ridezone.com
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Oh ive been saying these things for years pc man. I miss pendy alot.
Not only does the parking lot need to be sealed.. someone needs to come up with a new plan for it all together. The system now is horrible. I almost get hit because people dont understand what one way means.
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Is it truley one way ??? LOL Ok I know it is one way but the whole lot is a mess . We need traffic directors there every day not just a few days in the begging of the season.