A Six Flags Good Park List---and GAd is NOT on it...sigh

[GADVwow]

From Screamscape.Com:

Six Flags - (7/14/06) While giving interviews about the future of Fiesta Texas, Mark Shapiro made a short list of what he called ?No Touch? parks, the six best parks in the chain right now that will serve as an example for the rest to follow. The list included: Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Six Flags over Texas, Six Flags over Georgia, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags New England and The Great Escape.

[ChuckR]

I wonder what he thinks about GADV....

[GADVwow]

I doubt he is amused with how often El Toro, Kingda Ka, Batman and Robin: The Chiller and even Tango are closed.

I doubt he is amused with the fact that many rides frequently do not open with the park.

I doubt he is all that thrilled with the current ride mix and the audience it tends to attract.

And, as much as I hate to say it, I doubt he is amused with the cost of the current labor force, especially in maintenance, which is unionized and probably far more expensive than at any other Six Flags park.

[chilled182]

funny because were raking in the dough right now.  better than the rest of the parks.

[GADVwow]

That's what I hear, too.  You'd think Great Adventure would be on that list. I, for one, was and am shocked that it is not.

[PcMan]

This is the reason it's not on the list (below).  Lets hope by this time next year we are the #1 or the top five.  Making money is not the reason it's not on the list, the reasons below are.  A third of the coasters are barely running most of the time and the other reasons below.

I doubt he is amused with how often El Toro, Kingda Ka, Batman and Robin: The Chiller and even Tango are closed.

I doubt he is amused with the fact that many rides frequently do not open with the park.

I doubt he is all that thrilled with the current ride mix and the audience it tends to attract.

And, as much as I hate to say it, I doubt he is amused with the cost of the current labor force, especially in maintenance, which is unionized and probably far more expensive than at any other Six Flags park.

[Dubya91]

^ Not only that but we were THIRD in attendence, Gam and MM have more turnstiles clicking!

Whats a really scary thought is if we are sold, what will happen to us 

[GADVwow]

Just imagine how it must feel to work at one of the six parks that potential sales have been announced for....

I know that being a guest at one of those parks right now is not necessarily a delightful experience...and at some of them, it already wasn't.  Why on earth did they announce the six parks that were slated for potential disposal?  Seems to me that doing that, especially during peak summer season, is a move of desperation.  And the stock reacted accordingly, too....

[Cyclonic]

It did.  I think the reasoning behind it was to light a fire under their butts.  Remember, those parks are POTENTUALLY up for sale, that does not mean they actually will go up for sale.

Shapiro is pretty smart, and he is not only looking at the money being earned, but what the operations of a park are, how well it is running, and if it is living up to his vision.  He wants the transefer to go fast, but he knows it will not be overnight.

As for attentance, honestly MM should not count in your equation.  MM just beats GAdv's numbers, and they are open year round, meaning far fewer costumers per day then GAdv.  I would not worry about the park being sold.

[rjholla2003]

I thought Great Adventure was first in attendance and second in net profit, with Great America beating us out in that one.  I'm pretty sure we bring in more people during our season than Magic Mountain does throughout it's whole year.

[GADVwow]

Chains have never released attendance figures, as a rule.  Amusement Business used to publish 'estimates,' some of which were pretty accurate according to insiders, and some of which were way off.

With AB now gone, it's going to be interesting to see if Amusement Today tries to do the same thing.

[rjholla2003]

Yeah, I realise that, but since those were what we had to go by I figured that it would be fairly consistent word from people.  I wonder how they got their numbers.