Just got back from SIX FLAGS, boy it isnt DISNEY!

[slk537]

Oh I hear you!!! We took our DS to ValleyFair in MN last summer (amusement park) and WOW was is not Disney! I am an admitted Disney snob, but this was ridiculous. Smoking everywhere and a confusing layout...and Pepsi. Ick. DH got a cheeseburger and it was more than not good. It was gross. Total gross.

Sigh...instead of scratching the itch, it just made us miss "home" even more.

Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America is another story though...tiny, yes. But surrounded by a huge mall. It may not scratch the theme park itch, but with all that lovely, lovely shopping (including a Disney store ) who cares?

 

[Metro West]

I've never been to any of the SF parks but have heard a lot of things you guys are posting about. They have some killer coasters that I want to go on sometime but I've also heard SF has trouble keeping them open.

 

[Lizzybee]

There's a coaster at SF Great America (Gurnee) that I refuse to try because most of the time I go there it's closed ....(can you say "design flaw"?). I'm just not comfy riding a ride that is closed more than it's open. I've been stuck on coasters twice in all of my visits to SF and I've gone 100s of times (I had a season pass when I was a teen for a couple of years, then I worked there, and I've had a season pass for the past 3 years since my kids are old enough to enjoy). Thankfully I wasn't upside down or scared either time, but once my kids were with me and it was one of the kid's first times on a coaster. Luckily they got over the "trauma" and ride now. Also, the shows at SF are nothing at all compared to WDW first class entertainment

 

[reedycreek]

I know what some of you mean by DISNEY SNOB. When i first entered great adventure the other day, they have "MAIN STREET" with the little stores, etc. its an awful attempt to recrate the real main street at disney. the centerpiece of main street is a small hub system with a lousy, dirty water feature. its terrible. and they have "fronteirland" which is a joke. oh well, its still somewhere to go to get some thrills i suppose.

oh, and six flags has lots of stores selling merchandise, i couldnt imagine buying anything at those stores, i'd save my money for good disney stuff!

 

[peter pan217]

Ya six flags is definetly not disney i went to six flags over ga the other day all i was thinking was man i wish this was disney but it was ok. What i hate about six flags is there is games every where and all us kids are doing is begging to play a game instead of enjoying the rides and family time and when we don't get what we want we pitch a fit over not getting it and parents spend more and more money to win that thing that you can get at disney for 5$ disney aint like that there is no distractions there and you just focus on the magic of being at disney plus disney does have better employees man i wish i could live in the hometown of disney than the hometown of six flags

 

[WaltD4Me]

Another Disney Snob here!

I know some people love the thrill rides, I love some of them myself, but because of the "parks" they are in, I just have no desire to go to those kinds of places anymore, where you just shuffle from ride to ride....or should I say, from long line to longer line?

I live less than an hour from Cedar Point and even closer to Geauga Lake (formely Six Flags, that was formely Geauga Lake! LOL!) and there are some GREAT coasters at Cedar Point, but I only go there about once every 3 years or so. It just isn't Disney and the differences are too glaring, plus I hate spending my day standing in lines. (Which of course you can do at Disney too, but at least you have fun, interesting or pretty things to look at while you are in line!)

As for Geauga Lake....FORGET that place! Last two times I was there, it was just plain nasty (it was a Six Flags at the time though) and I couldn't imagine why I paid almost $40 to get in it!

Another thing I hate about the big thrill ride parks is how if you bring say, Grandma along, there is NOTHING for her to do while you go on big rides. At least at Disney, if I want to go on RNR, Grandma can take the kids to Beauty and the Beast or the Muppet movie or something. I really think thrill ride parks should have cheaper, non-rider admissions, but that is another thread on another board.

 

[disney funseeker]

We were at Lake George,NY last summer. Thought it might be a nice treat for dd's 6th b-day. What a disappointment. Did the Disney comparison too the entire time. Good thing we had discount tickets.

For anyone who thinks Disney park tickets are expensive, they really have no idea what a deal they are getting in comparison to other theme parks.

There was one ride that did make my dd's day. It was a pumpkin ride with cinderella that was pulled by a real horse around a loop. DD got her personal happy birthday wish from Cinderella.

 

[lfama]

I go to SFGA from time to time, and I have to say it is kind of dumpy; however, I do enjoy Fright Fest. I think FF is wonderfully themed for Halloween, with smoke as you walk through the park and random clowns and monsters jumping out at you. The haunted hay ride at the end of the night is awesome. But any other time, it isn't that great. I don't think that they try to be like Disney by any means; they do their thing - thrill rides - and then throw in things like characters and shows and such that people would like to see. It's definitely a great place to go for a thrill ride! Kingda Ka, their newest ride, is the apparently the tallest, fastest coaster in the world. (I love Disney, but that would never happen there.)

 

[kaabost]

I am also a DISNEY SNOB! However, I have also always loved amusement parks (just not as much as theme parks.....a.k.a. Disney). Soooooo, we are going to attempt (weather permitting) to go to 6 flags over Texas this Tuesday. I have been to the one in Georgia before. It was fun most of the time, although crappy in comparison to Disney. We decided to stop going to 6 flags in GA after one particularly bad trip. Many rides weren't open and thus the lines were really long for the rides that were open...........and then...........on 2 different rides, we waited in the really long line, and then the ride broke down. Eventually, we were turned away. After the second time this happened, we went home (in the middle of the day).

 

[dbenlee]

Add Six Flags Astroworld (in Houston). Dirty, rude staff and just not Disney. We had season passes last year and refused to get them renewed this year. Once your spoiled to Disney, its just hard to go some where that barely makes an effort to run a decent park.

 

[allicat]

I am a Disney snob as well. However, I live only 20 minutes from GA & stopped going way before my first trip to Disney. Not a nice atmosphere at all.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

You guys must be the most unlucky group of people ever!!! I've had a 6 flags season pass since I was a kid. I spend every weekend at great adventure. DH and I have gone there sometimes just to ride 1 ride and then go home(we get a season parking pass as well). I've been to 6 flags Magic Mountain, America , and Over Georgia as well and had nothing but good experiences. Of course it's not Disney, it's not supposed to be. Do you go to Outback and say this isn't Morton's? I've done some PR stuff & special events for Great Adventure and it's always run extremely smoothly. To all who have had bad experiences I think you should give it another shot. DH and I go to parks all across the country and we've learned not to judge one by the other. Hershey is one of our favorites also. DH works for UPS and they have a day where the park is closed except for UPS employees and friends&family and it's always clean, quiet, and well catered. Maybe I'm biased b/c I'm such a ride junkie, but I've never meant a theme/amusement park I didn't like.

 

[eeyore kelly]

Add Six Flags New Orleans to the list of Disappointments. Dirty, rude uncaring staff.

 

[maxaroni]

Been to Six Flags Great Adventure and won't go back. We went several times prior to having a child and it was do-able for the day. However, once having a child, the language was totally disgusting and inexcusable and not a family park at all. I do think that Hershey Park is hands down better. It's more family oriented and cleaner. No, it's not Disney but it is a fun amusement park. Forget 6F's....

 

[kristief]

We're big fans of Hershey Park. It's clean, well-themed, and the food is pretty good too. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is very nice too, and I personally liked Water Country USA better than Typhoon Lagoon. That said, they're definitely NOT Disney!!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Amazing that the hands down winner for most complaints in other amusement parks is the attitude/behavior of the employees. That above all in my book is where Disney stands head and shoulders above any other park worldwide. We went to Six Flags in California about 10 years ago and the employyes who were operating the rides were so uninterested about the time being had by the guests. One was actually eating chips while he loaded the rides! Honestly, for any Disney CMs out there who might be reading this thread, you all deserve a huge debt of gratitude from all of us fans of WDW. You are all first class!

 

[minkydog]

We live about 45 min from Six Flags Over Georgia and you would have to give me free tickets AND A MEAL to get me to go there. My two older kids love it though, so we usually end up going at least once. Christian, my autistic child, doesn't care, but there are a few things he enjoys--they still let him ride the kiddie rides even though he's 10yo and almost 100lb.

My biggest beef with Six Flags is their lack of work ethic.It is not uncommon to see "workers" launging around, shirts untucked, talking amongst themselves, and generally behving as if they are doing you a favor by showing up. They have no sense of customer service and the park is not clean. The bathrooms are atrocious. I witnessed on two occasions some very poor handling of handicapped people which pretty much turned me off forever. None of their so-called sit-down restaurants are easily manuevered in a wheelchair. In fact, the hilly nature of the park is pretty taxing unless you are very fit--try pushing a 100lb child in his 50lb wheelchair with all his food and diapers,etc, and you'll see why I'd rather just stay home.

 

[xraydave]

Glad to read so many good comments about Hershey. We bought season passes this year. We've been to the zoo twice and spent one day there so far. We love it. It's always clean and well kept.

As for Six Flags. I hope most of you are embelishing. We plan to go to Great Adventure while at the beach. I'd hate to waste a day away from the surf and sand. The new section of the park looks like it's well done. Kingda Ka will certainly be on MY to do list. For those of you who say that you waste your whole day in line at other parks, sure sounds a lot like Disney.

We will go to SFGA not expecting Disney. Let's face it. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE DISNEY.

 

[ericafny]

I thought I was the only one who hated Six Flags Great Adventure in Jersey. I went last summer during a weekday (I think it was a Tuesday) and it was HORRIBLE! We still had fun, but mostly because we let things roll off our backs. One incident I remember was we were waiting in line for the rapids ride and there were a group of about 6 'teenagers' (prob anywhere from 17-21) waiting in front of us. They were speaking another language and also cursing in english. They were hitting on all the girls around them and being VERY loud, rude and obnoxious. When we got to the front of the line, ready to board the boats, NO ONE wanted to sit with them. The STUPID employees couldn't figure out why and told everyone in line that no one would move unless someone stepped up to sit with them. This poor family of 4 volunteered (they were standing waaay behind us and I don't think they had any idea what they were getting themselves into). Other things I witnessed--dirty dirty bathrooms, food areas had flies and garbage around them, and half the coasters (reason why I went) were closed. Don't plan on going back real soon...

 

[maxaroni]

Amazing that the hands down winner for most complaints in other amusement parks is the attitude/behavior of the employees. That above all in my book is where Disney stands head and shoulders above any other park worldwide. We went to Six Flags in California about 10 years ago and the employyes who were operating the rides were so uninterested about the time being had by the guests. One was actually eating chips while he loaded the rides! Honestly, for any Disney CMs out there who might be reading this thread, you all deserve a huge debt of gratitude from all of us fans of WDW. You are all first class!

I didn't even think about that aspect...I was just so upset with the language and rowdiness of the guests, not what I wanted for my son. You are so right, though. The attitude of the employees is horrible.