July 10th. The VIP Experience

[Bob O]

Im glad you had a great time and enjoyed your experience. As long as you believe it was worth the moneym that is all that matters.
Myself I could see doing it at WDW/DL but a SF park wouldnt be worth the money for what the park has to offer. Now if the park had 1st class shows and better food offering than burgers etc. it could be a excellent deal.
We have stayed on site at USF several times and with the hotel room key never waited more than one/two ride vehicles for any ride for the 3/4 days we stayed per vacation.

[shockwave guy mark]

Its sounds so nice to do a VIP tour. However I would only do it under one condition: I can whore the ride without getting off. You see me and my friend always buy platinum flash passes when we go to the park. On my 6th trip I got 75 rides in on one day. The 7th trip I got 84. We are notorious in the park and the flash pass center for our insane amount of numbers we rack up in the park. It does not sound like if I did the VIP tour, I could ever beat those numbers. I mean when I go I can't even write a Trip Report because the ride list is too long and I only keep track of how many times I went on the ride on my phone.

I can definitely see the benefits in the VIP pass though. All expenses paid park trip? Hell ya. Maybe next year I will do it for my birthday or something, until then I will just pay for my platinum flash pass and live out my "V.I.P. experience".

[monsterfan99]

Im glad you had a great time and enjoyed your experience. As long as you believe it was worth the moneym that is all that matters.
Myself I could see doing it at WDW/DL but a SF park wouldnt be worth the money for what the park has to offer. Now if the park had 1st class shows and better food offering than burgers etc. it could be a excellent deal.
We have stayed on site at USF several times and with the hotel room key never waited more than one/two ride vehicles for any ride for the 3/4 days we stayed per vacation.

WDW will run you 200-300 an hour for a group with a 6 hour minimum. Also, you do wait in a very small (no more than 5 minutes at Space Mountain. line.

[Black Dynomite]

Its sounds so nice to do a VIP tour. However I would only do it under one condition: I can whore the ride without getting off. You see me and my friend always buy platinum flash passes when we go to the park. On my 6th trip I got 75 rides in on one day. The 7th trip I got 84. We are notorious in the park and the flash pass center for our insane amount of numbers we rack up in the park. It does not sound like if I did the VIP tour, I could ever beat those numbers. I mean when I go I can't even write a Trip Report because the ride list is too long and I only keep track of how many times I went on the ride on my phone.

I can definitely see the benefits in the VIP pass though. All expenses paid park trip? Hell ya. Maybe next year I will do it for my birthday or something, until then I will just pay for my platinum flash pass and live out my "V.I.P. experience".

If all you wanted to do was ride the same ride over and over again like you did on the Bull to whore your ride numbers up, you could easily do those numbers and more on the VIP Tour, but it would be a waste of money. The benefit the VIP Tour would have over Platinum FP is that you wouldn't have to go back through the que line after your re-ride. You'd just wait by the exit turnstyle to get on again. The reason why we "only" rode 45 times is because we were enjoying the entire park, including the backstage areas of the park, not just one or two rides. The last 45 minutes of the day was spent dealing with riding in the Glow in the Dark parade. Had we not done that, we could have easily gotten in at least 10 more trips on the Bull and the VIper.

[RagingFanatic]

I have just recently gone to the park with a FP for the first time. I have a season pass so I have gone to the park multiple times this year. The FP was a really good deal. Me an my friends thought that THAT was the VIP Treatment! We loved just getting to skip the whole line, and the glares from the people waiting in line was AWESOME as we just strolled up the FP line! All we had to wait for at one point was for SUF to test once and we got to ride.

But, now that I have heard of the VIP Tour, I must try it. I would love to see the park from the inside out! This really sounds like it was worth the money, and I will try it soon! Just the fact that there were shortcuts through the park sounds amazing. I think the only thing that I would change in my schedule would be to ride Iron Wolf more. Favorite ride. Oh, and did Pat tell you any secrets of the park or was that not allowed? (not asking for any just wondering)

[rct2wizard360]

I personally do not the see the costs justified. (especially for our park) Considering you're just adding free food onto a few minutes shaved off of a Flash Pass, but if it's the one trip you're gonna make all year... Why not go all out?

As Bob O, the room key perk down at Universal is about as VIP as I ever plan on getting.

[david]

Alright, well to skip the lines not even as much as he did, you would need a platinum pass, which is about $70.

And then, you would need to buy food and drink, and also, don't forget being able to basically do whatever you want at the park, walk in closed areas, and a bunch more. Add food and general admission. You can easily cheat them over $300. But, for me, I would take advantage of free food. Stop for donuts everywhere, candy, Nutty Buddies! lmao

[Black Dynomite]

To answer Raging Fanatic: There's a lot of stuff I saw and heard that I kept out of the review, because I said I would.

I personally do not the see the costs justified. (especially for our park) Considering you're just adding free food onto a few minutes shaved off of a Flash Pass,...

It's so much more than that. It is being treated as though you and your group are the most important people in the park. As I've said before, you don't wait for anything. Your wants take top priority over everyone elses in the entire park (with the exeception of another VIP Tour in the park. In that case, I would imagine it would go to the group that got there first. There was another tour in the park the day we were there. We saw them once in passing in the backstage area. I was informed by Pat that this was that groups 3rd VIP Tour this season. I think the guides do what they can to keep the tours away from each other.) With Flash Pass, you still have to wait to be told when to go to the ride, you still have to merge into the line, you still have to wait to get to the station, and you still have to wait longer if you choose the front or the back. With VIP, you're next in the seats you choose on the next train into the station. If a Platinum Flash Pass rider is in the seat you chose for the re-ride, they have to get up and move. With food, you don't wait to order. It doesn't matter how many people are in line waiting to order, or how many orders are being made before you order, your order is next. Your order is made next. You will be seated and eating long before people that were in line waiting to order get their food. With the shows, you don't have to look for a good seat. The best seat has already been reserved for you. We sat a foot away from the stage. I don't care what color Flash Pass you have, if you want to ride the Dare Devil Dive, the Ropes Course or the Go Karts, you are breaking out your wallet. With VIP, it's included. As many times as you want.

I don't know what else to say. The VIP Tour is not a glorified Flash Pass. It's a completly different Six Flags Great America experience. Alot of the statements about the VIP Tour (ie. Its not worth it, you can do the same with flash pass,etc) are made by people that most likely haven't done the VIP Tour. I have. I've done General Admission, I've done Flash Pass and I've done the VIP Tour. They are completly different. Trust me, if the VIP Tour didn't live up to my expectiations, or it sucked, or I didn't think it was worth the money, I'd have let it be known. If I had known about this site after my GA trip last August, you'd have thought I was done with the park and never going back after the review I would have written. (which would have broke my heart as I've grown up with this park. My first rollercoaster was The Turn of the Century). The VIP Tour has allowed me to enjoy the park once again. My brother is one of the biggest tightwads in the world and let me know many times that he was only going because I wanted to go. He's already planning for next year.

[RandallDuell]

Wow, you certainly had zero problem in bellying up the entitlement your purchased huh?

Good for you for saving up and spending all that money on something like that - but your post really comes across like you're trying to pull all the "haters" out to comment (by just the tone and words you use to describe your day).

I would never spend that kind of cash for a VIP Tour of (probably any) Six Flags park, but I get that it exists and some people would choose to do so. When I have been at parks, I have run into VIP groups getting on something in front of me....and almost every time I've experienced this, the people being ushered in past everyone almost seemed embarrassed, or at least apologetic (as they, certainly, have had to wait in the crazy lines before and know that it "doesn't feel good" having someone whisked past you right on to the ride). I can only imagine that your chest was puffed out as you preened around the park with your VIP badge, and probably were just dying to get home and post this report.

I don't know, I check in on this forum a few times a year just to see what's going on at the park that I grew up going to - and never have I felt compelled to register/post. I'm surprised that more people haven't been rubbed the wrong way by your tone and attitude about the experience...although I think people posting that you come off as a dbag is probably what you were looking for.

I agree that getting all uppity about an op stating that you'd have to wait ONE cycle was insane - I can't imagine how embarrassed I'd be if someone I was with pulled something like that. I couldn't make it through your entire condescendingly bad Report, but saw a comment about how you were such a great guy/gal to allow some deaf kids to board in front, gasp, of you - impressive. I guess. Really shows you're keepin' it real.

I get that you paid a lot of money, and you wanted to get every cent's worth out of it, but boy was this thread more of a brag session than an informative or interesting Trip Report. Congrats on living up to the crappy stereotype that many people would think of when they see people being walked around the park!

(PS - Just for the record, I hadn't really thought all too much about VIP-type offerings at Six Flags until this report - and if I saw it as a good use of money, I could certainly afford to do it for me and my family. So my take on this Report is not coming from a place of "gee, wish I could do that but I can't so I'll "hate" on him/her for being able to." I'm sure dozens/hundreds of people have spent the cash on this experience and have somehow resisted the need to scramble to their PC to brag about their awesome day, and the way they acted during it.)

[RagingFanatic]

Okay that makes sense. Another reason I must go on the tour soon!

[Black Dynomite]

Gee willikers RandallDuell! You sure do have a bee in your bonnet! I'll go ahead and address some of your points. I'll try to do it without attacking you or being hateful. Hopefully the next time you post on this board, you'll extend the same courtesy.

Wow, you certainly had zero problem in bellying up the entitlement your purchased huh?

Nope, not one problem at all.

Good for you for saving up and spending all that money on something like that - but your post really comes across like you're trying to pull all the "haters" out to comment (by just the tone and words you use to describe your day).

I have no idea what you are talking about. My post was a factual account of our day at Six Flags Great America on the VIP Tour.

When I have been at parks, I have run into VIP groups getting on something in front of me....and almost every time I've experienced this, the people being ushered in past everyone almost seemed embarrassed, or at least apologetic (as they, certainly, have had to wait in the crazy lines before and know that it "doesn't feel good" having someone whisked past you right on to the ride).

What possible reason would we have to be apologetic or embarrassed? The park offered the package, we paid for it, and they delivered. I don't apologize for anything that day and I'd do it all the same again. Hopefully, if things work out right, we'll be doing it again before the end of the season.

I can only imagine that your chest was puffed out as you preened around the park with your VIP badge,..

This is the only one of your many hurtful assumptions about us that is correct. We all made sure our VIP badges were highly visible everytime we sat down on a ride. We made a big production everytime we had to tuck our badges into our shirts before the ride started. We would dust them off and make huge exaggerated motions.

I'm surprised that more people haven't been rubbed the wrong way by your tone and attitude about the experience...although I think people posting that you come off as a dbag is probably what you were looking for.

Another hurtful assumption. First of all, some people don't have the skin the same consistancy as rice paper. Some people look forward to having the same experience that we did. Probably more than you think. If posting the facts about our day and the VIP Tour, especially after so many false statements were made by people that have never been on the VIP Tour, makes me come off as a "dbag", well, fill me up with vinegar and call me Massengil.

I agree that getting all uppity about an op stating that you'd have to wait ONE cycle was insane

Wow! You know, to my people, being called "uppity" is very racist. For someone as offended as you are over a trip report, I'd think you'd show more sensitivity.

I couldn't make it through your entire condescendingly bad Report, but saw a comment about how you were such a great guy/gal to allow some deaf kids to board in front, gasp, of you - impressive.

Yes you did. You read every word of my report and got mad enough to register and comment on it. As far as letting the deaf kids on before us, well, we like to do what we can to give back to the community.

.. but boy was this thread more of a brag session than an informative or interesting Trip Report.

"boy"? More racisim. What's wrong with you? It's not bragging if you can do it. We did it. The trip report is a factual account of our time at the park. Writing something different wouldn't have been truthfull.

Congrats on living up to the crappy stereotype that many people would think of when they see people being walked around the park!

Even more racisim. Sorry we weren't walkig around eating fried chicken and watermelon for you. We can only handle one stereotype at a time. Next time we'll stop and do a little soft shoe in Hometown Square.

(PS - Just for the record, I hadn't really thought all too much about VIP-type offerings at Six Flags until this report - and if I saw it as a good use of money, I could certainly afford to do it for me and my family.

Now who's bragging?

I'm sure dozens/hundreds of people have spent the cash on this experience and have somehow resisted the need to scramble to their PC to brag about their awesome day, and the way they acted during it.)

Another hurtful assumption. If you would have taken a break from being aghast at my trip report, you'd have noticed that we went on a Saturday and the report wasn't written or posted until around midnight Sunday night. Not much scrambling done.

You know, RandallDuell, your reply has yet again made me realize that my grandpa was the smartest man I've ever met. It makes me remember back when I was a little boy, and my beloved grandpa was on his deathbed. We all knew he was going to die. He called us into his room one by one to say our goodbyes. I remember when it was my turn, I walked in and saw him, you could tell there wasn't much time left. I came to his bedside and he held my hand. He said, "Black Dynomite, I've had a good life. I want to tell you something that I've learned that has gotten me through life and helped me through all of my struggles." Then he motioned me to come closer. I bent down and with my ear next to his lips, I said, "What is it Grandpa? What do you want to tell me?" He drew up his strength, and whispered in my ear the most profound words I have ever heard. He said, "Haters gonna hate" and then he slipped away. No truer words were ever spoken. He had a request in his will that those words be on his headstone.



Thank you RandallDuell. You've helped my grandpa's legacy live on.

[BP317]

/\ No he is completely right, you wouldnt even wait for the ride operator to save your seats, you had to kick people off of theirs when they had already sat down. Also saying your a bad driver makes it OK for you to break the rules on the gokarts is the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

Even more racisim. Sorry we weren't walkig around eating fried chicken and watermelon for you. We can only handle one stereotype at a time.

Your racism remarks are uncalled for and make no sense at all. Hope you enjoyed your time on the forums as that time is now over.

[w00dland]

I know this was locked, but I'm a mod so I can do this.

I nominate Randall Duell for post of the year.

Thank you for your time.