It really says something that these new changes are *that* noticable at a park that was already considered one of Six Flags' best. That is a really good sign.
I think this quote is funny. With Shapiro, there is no Goliath.
"At first, I thought that Mark Shapiro was out of his mind with his
vision of a better park on par with Disney. With today's visit, I
can safely say so that I was wrong and I can admit that. Today was
incredible. From the moment you see Goliath pull into view on I-20,
you know your day is going to truly be special. It goes without
saying, but Goliath is HUGE. [*wow*], what a beautiful coaster to
drool at."
People like the characters, and friendly employees. They should have had more characters all along just like Disney. Now, he's a genuis for having Justice League characters??? Duh, if you are going to have Batman the Ride, you should have Batman walking around. If you have rights, abuse them. Where's Scooby, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Fred walking around all year??? I still think that 20-30 characters walking around at one time is a little crazy. They should go for 8 an hour unless they have a show going on in which they need more.
However, you still look at the rides as a key factor. He's trying to get away from the rides. If rides stink, people still won't go to the park no matter what.
"I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
Well it sounds like his plans are working. If only we can convince the skeptical people that the price is reasonable, this year might be a very successful one for Six Flags.
RIP: Trailblazer and Deja Vu...heck, even Alien Encounter
He's not trying to get away from the rides. He is going to lay off building $50 million coasters until the chain can get out of the financial mess that it is in. If you listen to the web cast, he say's that for $50 million, he could have gotten a few good flats for that price.
Hopefully, more than a few. You could get 50 for that price. It depends if he is going to spend one million on the Condor or something cheaper like a Tilt-A-Whirl. At some pier, they are selling their Condor. The USED price was somewhere around 750,000. Of course, they usually buy the "Amusement park" friendly Tilts. A carnival tilt would just be fine. Some used Tilts go for 30,000. Does it matter if it's used considering it works. Touch it up a little bit with paint, and you'll be fine.
Now, a MaxAir would probably cost 2 million compared to used Predator Tivoli which costs 400,000. Predator is much better than MaxAir in my opinion. So, you need to way your options. Yes, MaxAir does get a bigger capacity, but it shouldn't always be about capacity. Predator only carries 30 passengers. MaxAir carries 60 passengers. In my opinion, fun rides beat capacity. Both rides are fun, but I think the 30 passenger ride is better.
"I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
i think that his plan is going well. if there are such good reviews about how the park is run with Shapiro's ideas and things, then i'm excited to see how things will be SFGAm.