verchad
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 8, 2004
- Messages
- 309
We have made 2 trips 2 DWorld, fall 2002 and fall 2004. As much fun as we had, I still couldn't get over the cost of it all. Well, we just took a vacation to our closest (2 hour drive) Six Flags, Great America in Gurnee Illinois. I hadn't been there in probably ten to fifteen years.
First, there are no on site hotels, so you have to pick whereever you want, and see if they run shuttles, then decide if you like there schedule or drive yourself. Parking is $10 a day or $15 for preferred, whatever that is. Even if you have a season pass, you pay for parking.
The single day tickets are around $45 they have multiple day ticket deals and season passes, a "deal ?" at $99. Tickets include entrance into their Hurricane harbour water park. Pick your ticket and go. Our season passes gave us a coupon book, we only used a few of them. Some freebies, some 2 fers, some % off. And some for your friends admission when you bring them.
The food prices are about the same, but it's all pretty much concession stuff, some better than others, no fancier or gourmet choices. We did like the Saloon lunch character buffet. $13 adults, $9 kids. Food was good, BBQ beef, hotdogs, chik strips, sides, soda, dessert. Got a little show and pics with Bugs, Daffy, Foghorn Leghorn, & Sylvester.
The Circus Magnifico, no extra charge, show was pretty good. Chinese acrobatics and a little Cirque Du ..... mixed together.
My beefs.
1) They didn't have enough of the Looney Tunes or rides characters around the park for kids to see, get pics with.
2)The closing parade on Monday night, the last float broke down, makes you wonder about the rides.
3)The amusement park lost power on Tuesday for a few hours due to a Comed problem, now 6 flags didn't have to do anything, but they did give a free days admission to those leaving the park, doesn't help if you already have a season pass, hmm, might sell them. We were only there 4 hours and the day was shot. Didn't want to wait to see when they got power stabilized after two hours of no rides. We went to Gurnee Mills Mall for the rest of the day. At least we had AC and food and drinks.
4) Clean up a little bit folks. The park has been around for a while and it shows. Just not the same as Dworlds cleanliness. We noted that a few rides/areas had signage that a paint company was a sponsor, well they might want to ship some of it over and use it to spruce up some of the park.
5) Park workers. I don't know what Dis pays, but online you can find job listings for Six Flags, many of the workers earn $7-$8 an hour. Here in the midwest its a seasonal job, not year round. It shows. Not many older, wiser, experienced, retirees working. Too many young kids, no offense, but hardly anyone looked old enough to be an asst manager at a fast food rest, let alone working and supervising employees at an amusement park (hey I worked many teen years in the fast food industry so back off ).
6) they might want to rethink the water park thing. to enter the water park you have to go in through the regular parks main gate. Now they supposedly have a dress code for the amusement park and for the water park, but we saw numerous boys and a few young men walking around in swim trunks with no shirts. Girls and women wearing basically bikinis with SHORT shorts/skirts. It just seemed kind of (fill in the blank ) tacky, cheesy, redneck, trashy, just plain wrong. More like a local carnival than a Disney Class amusement park.
7) Some of the shows were okay to good, but do not match the quality of Disney shows. Again, I know they only run seasonally up here, it shows.
The Disney World experience just seemed special in comparison. In conclusion, the trip to orlando may take longer and cost more, but it is becoming clearer to me that the old saying still holds true, you get what you pay for.
First, there are no on site hotels, so you have to pick whereever you want, and see if they run shuttles, then decide if you like there schedule or drive yourself. Parking is $10 a day or $15 for preferred, whatever that is. Even if you have a season pass, you pay for parking.
The single day tickets are around $45 they have multiple day ticket deals and season passes, a "deal ?" at $99. Tickets include entrance into their Hurricane harbour water park. Pick your ticket and go. Our season passes gave us a coupon book, we only used a few of them. Some freebies, some 2 fers, some % off. And some for your friends admission when you bring them.
The food prices are about the same, but it's all pretty much concession stuff, some better than others, no fancier or gourmet choices. We did like the Saloon lunch character buffet. $13 adults, $9 kids. Food was good, BBQ beef, hotdogs, chik strips, sides, soda, dessert. Got a little show and pics with Bugs, Daffy, Foghorn Leghorn, & Sylvester.
The Circus Magnifico, no extra charge, show was pretty good. Chinese acrobatics and a little Cirque Du ..... mixed together.
My beefs.
1) They didn't have enough of the Looney Tunes or rides characters around the park for kids to see, get pics with.
2)The closing parade on Monday night, the last float broke down, makes you wonder about the rides.
3)The amusement park lost power on Tuesday for a few hours due to a Comed problem, now 6 flags didn't have to do anything, but they did give a free days admission to those leaving the park, doesn't help if you already have a season pass, hmm, might sell them. We were only there 4 hours and the day was shot. Didn't want to wait to see when they got power stabilized after two hours of no rides. We went to Gurnee Mills Mall for the rest of the day. At least we had AC and food and drinks.
4) Clean up a little bit folks. The park has been around for a while and it shows. Just not the same as Dworlds cleanliness. We noted that a few rides/areas had signage that a paint company was a sponsor, well they might want to ship some of it over and use it to spruce up some of the park.
5) Park workers. I don't know what Dis pays, but online you can find job listings for Six Flags, many of the workers earn $7-$8 an hour. Here in the midwest its a seasonal job, not year round. It shows. Not many older, wiser, experienced, retirees working. Too many young kids, no offense, but hardly anyone looked old enough to be an asst manager at a fast food rest, let alone working and supervising employees at an amusement park (hey I worked many teen years in the fast food industry so back off ).
6) they might want to rethink the water park thing. to enter the water park you have to go in through the regular parks main gate. Now they supposedly have a dress code for the amusement park and for the water park, but we saw numerous boys and a few young men walking around in swim trunks with no shirts. Girls and women wearing basically bikinis with SHORT shorts/skirts. It just seemed kind of (fill in the blank ) tacky, cheesy, redneck, trashy, just plain wrong. More like a local carnival than a Disney Class amusement park.
7) Some of the shows were okay to good, but do not match the quality of Disney shows. Again, I know they only run seasonally up here, it shows.
The Disney World experience just seemed special in comparison. In conclusion, the trip to orlando may take longer and cost more, but it is becoming clearer to me that the old saying still holds true, you get what you pay for.
) The hotel situation is just that, hotels, not resorts, but they are right there, closer than WDW ones, but there is no monorail, WDW transportation, lush grounds and theming to enjoy along the way. Either drive or walk which can be a hike and not too safe with little ones in the traffic. We are a little more than an hour away so we do not stay in a hotel. We pack a cooler for lunch and go to the car to eat and then pay for dinner or vice/versa. I was not crazy about the water park....too spread out and the extra charge of $8 for a inner tube single or $12 for a double is pretty steep. That is how they handle fast pass at the water park...wait in line for a tube for the lazy river, or if you have a rental tube, join in mid way down.
