Six Flags over Georgia question

[TheGoofster]

It's possible that we might be heading back to the States this summer for a few weeks. If we do, I would like to take my son to SFoG for the day to let him ride some of the many roller coasters (he is starting to really get into coastes ).
If we go, it would probably be the first part of August.
I was just wondering if there are any people here who are familiar with the park that could perhaps suggest the best day of the week to go. We would most likely have a pretty flexible schedule, so almost any day would be a possibility.

I'm not sure if kids are getting ready to go back to school, so perhaps a weekday would be better, of if perhaps kids aren't quite going back yet, so the weekdays are still crowded (and perhaps which day seems to be the least crowded).

I know that Six Flags is no Disney, but it does have some nice looking coasters (which is what we would spend the day doing). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[plutotek]

Schools may start around the same time, in which case a weekday would be best. Be prepared for heat/humidity, as we found that some rides have very little shelter in their queues and, at least on the Batman coaster, you may be sheltered, but it is very stuffy in the queue.

 

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

If you want the flexibility of weekdays they are only open during the week the first week of August. After that, only on the weekends. Hope you guys have a great time! We are looking forward to our trip in a few weeks.

 

[my3sonsagn]

Local public schools will start back around August 8th at which point SFoG will operate weekends only. They're open thru the week up to that point. If you can go sometime during the week of 8/1-8/5 or earlier, I think Mondays and Tuesdays are the least crowded. If he really wants to do all of the big coasters, I think it would be worth paying for a Flash Pass (SF's version of Fast Pass) - even on "slow" days the wait times for each will exceed an hour (Superman usually hits 2+ hours). We're getting a new coaster opening 5/28, too. I don't "do" thrill rides, but my kids are excited.

SFoG is also on a campaign to be the "best" SF park - cleanliness is way up (we went 5ish years ago and it was awful), the staff seem to be trying a lot harder (same trip as above - the staff were doing the bare minimum required and made it seem like you were burdening them by making them do their job); the whole place is improved overall now. I hope you have lots of fun if y'all do end up coming to GA!

 

[TheGoofster]

Thanks everyone for the great advice and suggestions!

I definitely didn't know about the park going to weekends only after the 8th, so that will help a great deal in making our plans.
I'll also be sure to wear lots of sunscreen, and I'll check into the Flash Pass system.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Local public schools will start back around August 8th at which point SFoG will operate weekends only. They're open thru the week up to that point. If you can go sometime during the week of 8/1-8/5 or earlier, I think Mondays and Tuesdays are the least crowded. If he really wants to do all of the big coasters, I think it would be worth paying for a Flash Pass (SF's version of Fast Pass) - even on "slow" days the wait times for each will exceed an hour (Superman usually hits 2+ hours). We're getting a new coaster opening 5/28, too. I don't "do" thrill rides, but my kids are excited.

SFoG is also on a campaign to be the "best" SF park - cleanliness is way up (we went 5ish years ago and it was awful), the staff seem to be trying a lot harder (same trip as above - the staff were doing the bare minimum required and made it seem like you were burdening them by making them do their job); the whole place is improved overall now. I hope you have lots of fun if y'all do end up coming to GA!

I'm not sure how much it has improved, but my DD just went a couple of weeks ago and she said that the staff was horrible. She had some who cussed, and others that told her and her friends how horrible it was to work there. She said that she didn't see one single employee that looked like they enjoyed what they were doing. She said it really, really made her miss Disney.

Another small complaint was having to rent a locker at certain rides to put your loose items in before you could ride it. They didn't have much with them, just a cell phone & sunglasses. If I had been there I could have held everything for them but instead they had to rent lockers for a few minutes each time. If you know this going in and have someone with you to hold everything it would be easier.

Other than that, they loved the rides. They did buy the fast pass thing that they offer there, and she said without it they could not have made it because the lines were so long, so they were glad that they did that.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Local public schools will start back around August 8th at which point SFoG will operate weekends only. They're open thru the week up to that point. If you can go sometime during the week of 8/1-8/5 or earlier, I think Mondays and Tuesdays are the least crowded. If he really wants to do all of the big coasters, I think it would be worth paying for a Flash Pass (SF's version of Fast Pass) - even on "slow" days the wait times for each will exceed an hour (Superman usually hits 2+ hours). We're getting a new coaster opening 5/28, too. I don't "do" thrill rides, but my kids are excited.

SFoG is also on a campaign to be the "best" SF park - cleanliness is way up (we went 5ish years ago and it was awful), the staff seem to be trying a lot harder (same trip as above - the staff were doing the bare minimum required and made it seem like you were burdening them by making them do their job); the whole place is improved overall now. I hope you have lots of fun if y'all do end up coming to GA!

I can't see that ever being possible at SFoG. We haven't been in quite awhile, but I have looked into it since I can get disount tickets here at work, but I just won't give in.

Be forewarned, they are EXPENSIVE, I believe even more so than Disney, I know parking is more.

I just cant make myself go back since going to Disney, where I get the quality I pay for as well as better customer service.

Suzanne

 

[stevenpensacola]

It's been a few years since we've been to SFOG...but I'll share my opine...

SFOG is a really pretty park...but could be spectacular if they would just sweat the details...ala Disney. I'm guessing it's harder to do with seasonal, high school employees...yet it can be done, if you let them know what is expected of them, and enforce expectations. Just look at Chick-fil-a. Our local CFA has better service than many fancy, sit-down restaurants.

The "could care less" attitude of many of the employees was my biggest disappointment.

SFOG does have some great coasters. Make sure you ride The Mindbender...it's a classic.

If you like water parks, Six Flags has a very nice water park in Marietta

http://www.sixflags.com/whitewater/index.aspx

 

[DonaldDuck77]

Zombie thread...but I thought I would try it on this board since I am having a hard time finding detailed Six Flags over Georgia info anywhere (unlike Disney info).

I pre-purchased one of their free refill sports bottles. In the past, I have always just left the bottle on the unload platform during the ride. Now the website FAQ specifically prohibits doing this on Goliath, Georgia Scorcher, Georgia Cyclone, and Superman. It says to use lockers or leave with non-riders (which we won't have).

I tried to email SFOG customer support, and all they would tell me is about the $13 and up "all day" lockers (which I assume are intended for the water park portion of the park).

So I am hoping someone can help me with ride locker information. Other than the 4 rides mentioned, which other rides do not allow you to take bottle in line and leave them on the unload platform during the ride? How do the ride lockers work? What is the cost per locker? Do the lockers take credit card? Is there any type of "all day" ride locker "pass" that can be purchased? Thanks.

These "free refill" bottles aren't as free as I thought when I purchased them (non-refundable, of course).

 

[Rhombus]

Zombie thread...but I thought I would try it on this board since I am having a hard time finding detailed Six Flags over Georgia info anywhere (unlike Disney info).

I pre-purchased one of their free refill sports bottles. In the past, I have always just left the bottle on the unload platform during the ride. Now the website FAQ specifically prohibits doing this on Goliath, Georgia Scorcher, Georgia Cyclone, and Superman. It says to use lockers or leave with non-riders (which we won't have).

I tried to email SFOG customer support, and all they would tell me is about the $13 and up "all day" lockers (which I assume are intended for the water park portion of the park).

So I am hoping someone can help me with ride locker information. Other than the 4 rides mentioned, which other rides do not allow you to take bottle in line and leave them on the unload platform during the ride? How do the ride lockers work? What is the cost per locker? Do the lockers take credit card? Is there any type of "all day" ride locker "pass" that can be purchased? Thanks.

These "free refill" bottles aren't as free as I thought when I purchased them (non-refundable, of course).

I'm surprised SFoG is prohibiting bringing the sports bottles into the loading station. Every coaster except one at SF Great Adventure in NJ has the bottle holder racks in the station. And the reason for that exception is because the individual cars are constantly moving slowly throughout the station. The bottle holder for that coaster is at the entrance to the queue, no locker required.

I can only say that is a rotten policy. Are people suppose to die of thirst while waiting in line?

The lockers at other Six Flags parks take credits cards. I don't know the cost, nor do I believe there is an all-day locker pass. Good luck.


ETA: I just checked the FAQ for both SFoG and SFGAd......both say the same thing about "beverage containers" not being permitted the queue entrance for most coasters. But I was at SFGAd over the weekend and the bottle racks were still there in the stations. I'll bet the practice is the same at SFoG even though the policy may prohibit it.

 

[DonaldDuck77]

I'm surprised SFoG is prohibiting bringing the sports bottles into the loading station. Every coaster except one at SF Great Adventure in NJ has the bottle holder racks in the station. And the reason for that exception is because the individual cars are constantly moving slowly throughout the station. The bottle holder for that coaster is at the entrance to the queue, no locker required.

I can only say that is a rotten policy. Are people suppose to die of thirst while waiting in line?

The lockers at other Six Flags parks take credits cards. I don't know the cost, nor do I believe there is an all-day locker pass. Good luck.

Yeah. I think it is just an extra revenue producer. But I would have liked to seen these details on the page enticing me to buy their non-refundable bottle. Lesson learned for next time.

 

[DebbieB]

I was at Six Flags over Texas two weeks ago. The first ride we did was Batman and we saw the lockers at the ride entrance. So we put our stuff in the locker (only $1) only to find that we could have left our bags on the platform. Every other ride we did allowed it also. They did not keep the bins as secure as Kings Dominion. At Kings Dominion, they had a bin for each car and closed the bin until that car came back.