Universal has gotten very nice while six flags still looks and feels like shit.
RollerCoasters
A place to talk about roller coasters and parks that have them. Everyone is welcome here to both learn and to celebrate these magnificent machines designed to scare you.
Here are some important resources:
Images are welcome if they are of high quality and it doesn't get out of hand. Please use PostImages to upload your image and then use that link in the URL field of your post (other image sites are permitted but Post Images has the best policies and compatibility).
Some basic rules:
-
Opinions, theories, and facts are all welcome – but be clear about what you’re saying.
-
Back up facts with sources as much as possible
-
No spam or sell-promotion. Linking to your own media or site is permissible only if it’s specifically related to a topic/post that someone else created.
-
No photos or videos taken on the rides. This is dangerous and shouldn't be encouraged.
-
Limit political discussion. When discussed it must be park related.
-
No fictional coasters (models, no limits, planet coaster, etc)
-
No posting personal information.
-
No shaming of anyone. We all can continue to learn and not everyone knows everything -- and that's ok.
Selim made a wrong turn and he keeps trying to cover it. You can't just charge a ton more than you were and not invest in new coasters in your parks. They are just now getting aggressive on promotions but I'm not sure that even that is helpful.
Honestly I think they need a break from new coasters and rides and to spend money in infrastructure improvements and general cleanup. The parks all look dated, even the new restrooms at magic mountain feel old, their new app while visually nice is full of bugs…
Point is they can’t even properly manage what they have now. I’ve been a huge proponent that the parks are too cheap and lead to an even cheaper vibe with ads being thrown at you everywhere.
I'm not completely with you on the parks being too cheap. Six Flags was always the bargain theme park and, as a result, it never bugged me when there were ads in the parks because I felt like it was true subsidation. OTOH I never felt Six Flags as a whole was cheap because you always paid a stupid amount of money for food that was absolutely terrible.... And let's not even talk about the terrible merch.
I do agree with you about coasters -- to a point. They really need to work on infrastructure but you can't raise prices to do that.... If you jack up your prices as extreme as they did you ready do need to have something to bring people back in (advertising a new bathroom isn't likely to do it).
Bottom line is Selim is failing under both arguments. He thinks that just raising the price makes it a premium experience and it certainly does not..... His entire basis is blatant classism and that's reprehensible.
That is what Selim has been claiming he would focus on since the start but so far it's been all talk. I'm lucky to live somewhat near Fiesta Texas which has the benefit of being run by an incredible park president, but outside of that park everything feels as cheap as ever.
I wish Siebert was running the whole chain
I wish Siebert was running the whole chain
I'm worried that this would just cause one of the best parks in the chain to degrade to the level of the other parks.
The ad thing really stood out, I was at Great America a few weeks ago and there are ads EVERYWHERE. Portable signs placed all over, posters on nearly every surface. They could halve it and I think it would give the parks a better feel, some of the architecture and areas are quite nice.
Yea it's crazy to pay the new higher prices and still be bombed with all of that. Even with the old pricing it got old but at least I could say those ads paid the other half of my season pass.
The ads are certainly not building the premium experience Selim thinks he has.
I once got jumped at a Six Flag by 5 hoochies who wanted a giant stuffed animal that I won at a carnival game. I get the impression that’s a common occurrence.