Six Flags Great America: I Must Vent

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
I think the last offer they emailed me in June was for 70% off for the Georgia gold passes. It still wasn't enough.
We live 45 minutes from SFGA. We've used our APs at Magic Mountain in CA, Six Flags St. Louis, and about 5 times at GA, and we'll probably go once or twice more. Definitely worth it. But if they reduced food prices about 15% and added about one staff person per major attraction to make lines go faster, I'd probably be at the place once every couple weeks.
 

GenerationX

Well-Known Member
I've been going to Great America since it opened (I remember when the Demon was called the Turn of the Century and the big ride was the Tidal Wave). I like the coasters, which is good, because there's not much else there that's entertaining. I'm sorry to hear the Yankee Clipper is gone, though.

We're heading there next week. I plan to use my mycokerewards points for two tickets and get the rest from the Jewel. It's way too expensive to eat in the park (we have three teenage boys), so we'll duck out to a local restaurant, no doubt.
 

SAV

Well-Known Member
We have had our Season Passes for years now because the kids love going and the price is right when you get them at the end of the season. And if you are going once, it is worth it to just buy the pass when they offer free parking with it.

As for food, we don't eat in the park. There is a Rosati's Pizza in the plaza just outside the gates behind the Burger King. It is cheap and good food. You can either walk to it or drive over and re-park when you are done.

I myself am getting a little bored with the place though. I have found myself less tolerant of the rides themselves and easily annoyed with the people...getting to be a grumpy old man I guess. The kids "have" to get the refillable drink cups and they agreed to pay half, so we did those. And when my daughter goes with her friends, that thing has already paid for itself.

We tried Hurricane Harbor a couple of years ago and it was just too crowded and not fun. And it seemed kinda gross to be honest. We said we may try it again this year, but the nicest weather we have had was last week when we were in rainy Florida.
 

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
We tried Hurricane Harbor a couple of years ago and it was just too crowded and not fun. And it seemed kinda gross to be honest. We said we may try it again this year, but the nicest weather we have had was last week when we were in rainy Florida.

Hurricane Harbor is so big now that the crowds aren't bad at all. Lines for the slides move slower than they should, but even so, other than the Tornado, we never wait more than 15-20 minutes for any slide, and some of them are generally less than that. And they do keep the place clean. Sparkling, almost.
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well if any of you are close enough for Great America in Gurnee IL... Or Kenosha, WI...

Let me pull a shameless plug...

Holy Rosary Church in Kenosha (my church) has their big "Festa!" this weekend! All kids games and rides (jumping houses/water wars) just .50.

Games for adults, bands, giant beer truck/tent, raffle for a minivan, meat giveaways (summer sausage, etc - only in Wisconsin).

Tons of food booths. All food is Italian and made by little cute Italian grandmas - (ok, a few of us "young kids" made noodles too - I worked one night recently to make them)... and there is a full spaghetti dinner Sunday from 12:00p-6:00pm (noodles, sauce, bread and dessert all made from scratch). Cannoli, cream puffs and cuduridi (fried Italian dough covered in sugar).

I worked tonight and will be working Sunday 3-close.

Cheaper than Great America, unique, old-school Italian fun!!!

2224 45th St. Kenosha

Saturday 5:00pm - 10 pm
Sunday Noon - 10 pm
 

SAV

Well-Known Member
Oh, fried dough. My little old Italian Grandma used to make that for us. Soooooo good.

I have tried to duplicate it, but never tastes the same.

Wish I could make it up to the Festa. Hope it is a success.
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm low carbing right now so I found a way NOT to eat it... I make it all day!

I made Cuduridi (fry dough) all last weekend at our church's booth at The Taste of Wisconsin - when you make it and smell it all day, you don't want to eat it for a long long time. Lol!
 
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SAV

Well-Known Member
Had to revisit this thread after Sunday at Hurricane Harbor.

Knowing it was a holiday weekend and the last weekend HH was open for the year, I knew it was going to be busy...especially with 90 degree temps. So I wasn't overly surprised when we saw signs at the entrance "Hurricane Harbor is almost at capacity". And not surprised that there was a line just to get into HH.

I was surprised to see one set of tube slides closed one of the walk up bars closed and only half of the available windows opened at a couple of the food and drink places. They were obviously understaffed for the crowd.

But I did find it to still be pretty gross still. There were used band-aids floating in the wave pool along with other things. I heard a woman talking to a friend "hoping" that her monthly female...um stuff...didn't happen as they walked into the wave pool. The bathrooms were icky as well.

So we talked about just leaving and heading to another town and just pay to use their water park. But everyone was thirsty, so I took the drink cups to go and get our free refills. I went to one line and moved under 3 feet in 10 minutes. Decided to cut my losses and went to another line that looked much shorter than the others. I guess it was the wrong move. There were approximately 12 people/groups of people ahead of me and it took 1 HOUR to finally get my refills. I didn't bring my phone and that was a mistake. The guy in front of me had his and got the call from his wife in the middle of it. Another guy who also had the free refills saw his wife just go up to the machine and buy a $4.50 16oz Coke because she was so thirsty. I got back to the "Where the hell were you?" questions. I know I was just done and we high tailed it out of the park and to the van to get some Gatorade.

Lesson Learned and we're contemplating not getting Season Passes for next year...but odds are we still will and just be smarter about going.

They did send me a park survey, so I won't be holding back.

So it was a HUGE waste of a holiday Sunday.
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm sorry that happened to you.

That sounds like Labor Day hell, to put it gently.

I am so glad to see that you aren't holding back on the survey. Most of their HH staff are college kids but still - they should have had free admission to HH if they had stuff closed. Yes, bathrooms reaked when we were there and the non-wave pool was closed because the water was cloudy/dirty.

Good points of our visit: The rest of the park was much cleaner than in past years though and the ride staff was super fun/nice.
 

Sans Souci

Well-Known Member
I live about just over an hour away (south) from SFGAm. Here's some context, the gap between my visits spans 1991 to 2010. In the late 80s-early 90s, I was a frequent visitor as a teen Sans_Souci, especially after Prom. ;)

We went with my then 8 year old son. There was no water for the water rides, so all of those rides were down. This was the end of June, just before the 4th of July.

So many classic rides--gone. Why did they take out the Sky Whirl? Why? That was such a unique ride. Rolling Thunder, Tidal Wave--why? The Edge-I understand.

The Panda Express chicken is the reason why I went vegetarian. Gross. My stir fry looked like it contained frankenchicken.

I have a 13 year old boy. I feel like he's the SFGAm demographic. Yet, he's never asked to go back. He's been on the roller coasters. He would rather go back to WDW. We've always offered to take him and a few friends for a Halloween party. He's never taken us up on the offer. Interesting...
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I live about just over an hour away (south) from SFGAm. Here's some context, the gap between my visits spans 1991 to 2010. In the late 80s-early 90s, I was a frequent visitor as a teen Sans_Souci, especially after Prom. ;)

We went with my then 8 year old son. There was no water for the water rides, so all of those rides were down. This was the end of June, just before the 4th of July.

So many classic rides--gone. Why did they take out the Sky Whirl? Why? That was such a unique ride. Rolling Thunder, Tidal Wave--why? The Edge-I understand.

The Panda Express chicken is the reason why I went vegetarian. Gross. My stir fry looked like it contained frankenchicken.

I have a 13 year old boy. I feel like he's the SFGAm demographic. Yet, he's never asked to go back. He's been on the roller coasters. He would rather go back to WDW. We've always offered to take him and a few friends for a Halloween party. He's never taken us up on the offer. Interesting...

I almost started a minor Revolution whe n they took down Sky Whirl. Word was it was sold to a park in Europe (Belgium?) and was replaced by the lame pirate ship/water gun ride as a massive food court.

Sky Whirl was the best - that rode went on forever - at least 20 min.

That says a lot when your son doesn't ask to go back. I grew up 5 min from there (20 min away now) and as a teen we lived there. Now - it's once a year and one because our daughter earned the free ticket for reading.

I don't miss The Edge, Tidal or Rolling Thunder too much. I just want some reasonable food that's edible at a 1/2 affordable price and the rides to work.
 

SAV

Well-Known Member
I never liked Rolling Blunder, so I don't miss that one at all. I'm sure Sky Whirl was a safety thing. You know people were dropping things out of the open air cages on that ride. Imagine how bad it would be now with the way the world has become. Tidal Wave was my favorite ride at the time, but it was a capacity nightmare. Only one train could run and it took forever to get on it.

Agree that the food situation is poor. We will eat before we get there and then go to Rosati's to eat dinner if we are going back in. Otherwise over to somewhere else in Gurnee.

With Fright Fest coming up it is a great time to reminisce about the old rides that are now gone. They put up a cemetery with the headstones of the old rides and one of the actual Sky Whirl pods that you can go sit in.
20140927_142437_zpspq4pulyi.jpg


20140927_142218_zpslirkhav8.jpg
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Love the headstones! I haven't been to Fright Fest in at least 17 years. We have friends on the haunt industry from when we were in it so we see all of their shows in the area.
 
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Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
I will say this having been a good Friends with Bugs Bunny the Ambassador of the park where the Looney Tunes started in Theme Parks...The park has litterally given up on everything including an Identity. When Time Warner ran the parks up until 1998. They were more focused on keeping the theming to the area if a new ride was brought in..When Premier bought out the company in 1999 that's when things started to get ugly. Harder upkeep, removal of rides, no centralized theming, carnival games where they did NOT Need them *Cough* Hometown/County Fair by Orbit *Cough*. It's getting rather strange and with the Upcoming Justice League in The Southwest Territory (which makes ALOT of sense) It just seems like they can't figure out what they want to do with any attractions by just dropping them anywhere.

With Fright Fest coming up it is a great time to reminisce about the old rides that are now gone. They put up a cemetery with the headstones of the old rides and one of the actual Sky Whirl pods that you can go sit in.
20140927_142437_zpspq4pulyi.jpg


20140927_142218_zpslirkhav8.jpg

Probably my favorite one has to Be Deja Vu's grave...And for Anyone who went during that Time commonly saw this sign on more days than any other coaster in the park...Many Hosts called it the "World's Largest Lawn Ornament" and Hoooo Boy the day the first time the coaster valleyed Jim Wintrode was not a happy man that day....
2011-10-02_14_6.jpg

from TPR
 

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
Also for Fans of SFGAm Here's some interesting videos..

The Grand Opening of Marriott's Great America in 1976. When the park was GREAT! And stayed true to what it was themed for The Spirit of America just look how Disney-esque they were trying to make it!


And The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny. While I was not in this show I still think it was one of the Best Character stage shows we had in the mid 90's and Time Warner was giving it their all in trying to bring there IP's more into the park.
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Also for Fans of SFGAm Here's some interesting videos..

The Grand Opening of Marriott's Great America in 1976. When the park was GREAT! And stayed true to what it was themed for The Spirit of America just look how Disney-esque they were trying to make it!


And The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny. While I was not in this show I still think it was one of the Best Character stage shows we had in the mid 90's and Time Warner was giving it their all in trying to bring there IP's more into the park.



Agree with your assessment. Prices go up and value has gone down. I heard that a few years ago they did not renew the Fright Fest contract (scareactors) with JPM which is sad and it was a result of scaling back and doing more in-house.

I heard the parent company bought up too many smaller/failing themeparks and fell in the hole so they had to cut corners - it's evident. Totally agree with the theming issues (except the waterpark - which was done well).

Anyway...

That first video was crazy AND AWESOME. I love the co-hostess' FIERCE pantsuit and seeing Jerry Stiller (would have been fun to have seen a young Ben Stiller) and the comedieanne from Laugh In. That must have been a TV special run locally.

I was surprised to see The Demon painted white and that they had handicraft stores (like Dollywood today). The video was cheesy fun.

I can't wait to share that video with friends. Too funny! Thank you for posting!
 
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Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
I heard the parent company bought up too many smaller/failing themeparks and fell in the hole so they had to cut corners - it's evident. Totally agree with the theming issues (except the waterpark - which was done well).
Premier had owned many parks before the buyout and when that happened they just bought the original 7 parks..Made it to 40 small Six Flags. When Redzone came in around in 2005 they tried so hard to bring the "Family Friendly" Vibe back and it fell horribly and with that the Bankruptcy happened and losing 2 parks Six Flags New Orleans and the ever popular Astroworld...

Again I still think the best years of SFGAm was the Time Warner Era when they literally slapped Disney in the Face with there ads..
COMICAD_six_flags.jpg


I was never a fan of the waterpark and it's location...If Six Flags never sold the Property across I-94 The waterpark & Entertainment Village that was planned would have been AMAZING! http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...9_1_six-flags-great-america-hayner-water-park

Plus it really wasted a good amount of parking for that lot...I'm sure a few years down the road the Park is going to have to get a zoning permit for a Parking Garage for the back half of the lot due to how busy it gets...

I was surprised to see The Demon painted white.

If you want to know the REAL Story why The Turn of The Century was Taken over by The Demon listen to the tale that played while you waited in line..Sooo much Disco in the song...
 
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