Outch
I mean I know it's an informal poll and not high numbers but the percentage is just brutal.
You know, KD was dealing with the same issues GAdv has in the past. Coming out of the Paramount acquisition they were still getting regular additions, but then the park started removing rides without much fanfare or replacement after seeing 305 not get the returns on investment they were hoping. They still don't have a proper replacement for Shockwave or Hypersonic.
And look at where the park is now! The park is absolutely better than ever, CF really turned the park around in the food and atmosphere department. Jungle X is amazing. Remember when Grove looked half abandoned? They upgraded that area and it looks great now! In the past, KD was known as the ghetto park with the rough reputation. Now people prefer going to KD over BGW.
SF isn't gonna fix all of GAdv's issues in a day. Stuff like this takes time. And its all about small improvements over big ones.
Green Lantern is a low capacity attraction that the public finds rough. Twister is a maintenance heavy ride that most parks are slowly removing anyway. The parachutes literally sat abandoned for years. Zumanjaro was in a terrible location well away from the park so it wasn't receiving any foot traffic. The only "big draw" they're removing is KK and unlike Volcano before it, they have a proper replacement for it and its opening within 2 years of the old ride being removed. They aren't really doing much to reduce capacity as much as they're just removing rides that aren't popular and are costing the park tons of money in maintenance and staffing.
Since COVID, the park has made a number of positive changes. The operations are some of the best in the industry, they're working to refurbish some of their legacy attractions, they're getting rid of the dead ends around the park, they're opening up the park entrance to make entering a lot easier, they're removing old maintenance heavy rides. I prefer going to GAdv over Hershey because the park isn't crowded and the operations are great.
So before spouting all this doom & gloom, give them some time. I could definitely see GAdv pulling a KD in a couple years.
Fixing a park takes time. Don't expect CF to magically wave a wand and fix all the issues. Why do you think they're extending the 50th anniversary to next year? They know this year was a bust and they're trying to make up for that.I will have to take your word on KD. I last visited that park in 2004.
This season Ithere were few improvements at GAdv and it seems CF is hellbent on adding to the list of the park's many issues. GAdv will now be down 6 rides. Flash whenever it finally opens will reduce that number to -5, assuming it doesn't run into complications. Even if the new coaster replacing KK is actually built and runs ok, the park is still down 4 rides. As I said they need to add much much more than two coasters no matter how super fancy they may be. This is not even counting the other non replaced ride removals from previous years such as the splash down and second flume removals.
If you thought GL was low capacity, just watch the Flash ask you to hold his beer. A shuttle coaster was a poor choice for a crowded park like GAdv.
The park's operations took a huge nosedive this season. For months most of the coasters only operated single trains causing long, slow moving lines. Half the park was closed until mid May. I certainly hope GAdv's operations were not the industry's best as that would be setting the bar really low.
As for HH, it has a really short season which makes it not very reliable to make GAdv a multi-day experience. HH is not even open every day until 2/3 of June is over, has short operating hours, and closes promptly on Labor day. Not to mention HH is quick to close for the day at the slightest possibility of a storm. The Waterpark also suffers staffing issues, slow dispatches, and tube and raft shortages.
That being said, the ops at Nitro, JD, Batman, Skull Mountain, KK, Toro, RMT Justice League, etc were all on point and amazing this year. Yeah it sucked to see closed rides and 1 train ops, but those crews should be commended on how great they are. Nitro, Toro and KK barely stacked all year. You can't really say that about a lot of parks.
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...what?
(For context, Gregg runs Park Journey and likely wrote that first Tweet)
Not just this year. The operations crews have been on point since COVID. It really helped that the higher prices scared most of the public off the past few years. That's why we let our HP passes expire and are doing multiple trips to GAdv instead. I went to HP in April and it was a 20 min wait in the damn station at Candymonium. Next day we ride Nitro and not only is it a walk on, but the park is running 3 trains and not stacking.I think the two posts above make good points for both sides of the coin, but I have to emphasize this point in particular. For any rides with more than one train on them (some took longer than others in that regard), the crews have been absolutely HAULING this season. Ka was probably the best it's ever been. I've been bombarding the park's compliment form with pages upon pages of praise for the dispatch teams over the past several months.
I made my first trip out to great adventure thanks to these "baseless rumors". I'm super thankful for the risk a lot of these influencers took on their reputation to push me towards a legendary credit.Just a terrible take. Just imagine if nobody said anything. This new would've just come out of nowhere. At least this way people were given a heads up, even though that should've been Six Flags' job.
Not just this year. The operations crews have been on point since COVID. It really helped that the higher prices scared most of the public off the past few years. That's why we let our HP passes expire and are doing multiple trips to GAdv instead. I went to HP in April and it was a 20 min wait in the damn station at Candymonium. Next day we ride Nitro and not only is it a walk on, but the park is running 3 trains and not stacking.
The only other park in the area with operations this good is Knoebels. GAdv definitely hired great talent
- Nitro running 3 trains without stacking.
- KK hitting dispatch intervals on a regular basis
- Batman never stacking on the brake run.
- Toro crew rushing down the platform at all hours of the day
- RMT and Skull Mountain operators being insanely enthusiastic.
- Oh and let's not forget the free lockers at Toro so I don't have to pay for one at that ride anymore.
I physically couldn’t because I would risk losing my job. Which absolutely blows.I made my first trip out to great adventure thanks to these "baseless rumors". I'm super thankful for the risk a lot of these influencers took on their reputation to push me towards a legendary credit.
Here’s a video showcasing how on point their ops were:Ka was probably the best it's ever been.
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