SIX Announcements 9.1.2011

[The Interpreter]

Tomorrow morning SIX will make its announcements for all its properties. Or so this sayeth, including America's largest regional theme park:

http://www.jacksonnjonline.com/2011/08/31/six-flags-great-adventure-to-announce-new-attractions-for-2012/

[thekidd33]

Seems to indicate a more regional marketing strategy as opposed to a national 'Six Flags' marketing campaign.

[The Interpreter]

http://investors.sixflags.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61629&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1602263&highlight=

http://news.sixflags.com/2012news

[CoastersRZ]

Kind of surprised by the addition at Magic Mountain. Seems like an updated version of a second generation Intamin drop ride, albeit much taller. Definitely does not look like a capacity machine as each of the two cars only holds eight riders at a time.

[Rustbucket]

400 feet Drop Tower... Hmm...

Wing coaster at SFGAm? I wonder how different this will be compared to X2 except for the turning seats.

[thekidd33]

X-Flight looks really cool, as does the new drop ride at the mountain...but to me the new Superman coaster at Discovery Kingdom is the most intriguing of the bunch. That looks like it could be a very fun ride. Nothing wrong with a new Premier launcher!

[kingsrattler]

2012 is looking like a HUGE year.. not matter where you go.... lets see if KI can match the stakes tomorrow afternoon

[RailRider]

Some really neat additions to SIX like X-Flight, Superman, and the SkyScreamer rides.

Now SFMM superman ride will be like the Tower of Terror and the Giant Drop at Dreamworld. Interesting. Also glad to see Six is still practicing the shell game with rides.

[flightoffear1996]

Planning trip to Six Flags Great America now! This this looks like the coaster of 2012 so far.

[corn4ahead]

Gotta say, this lineup is pretty impressive. Talk about new, innovative rides.

[bkroz]

This is sort of what I've been worried about for a while... Yes, Cedar Point has a lot of roller coasters. But all are "tried and true" designs. Granted, there's nothing wrong with that.

But at Cedar Point, you do an awful lot of sitting, an awful lot of airtime hills, a lot of speed... It's all well and good. But compare that to Six Flags Magic Mountain, where you've got a ZacSpin, a 4th dimension coaster, a backwards reverse freefall coaster, GCI woodies, a flying coaster, Giant inverted boomerang, a floorless coaster, a Giovanoli mega coaster... Sure Cedar Point has some variation, but for the most part I feel like all the coasters there are very typical, perhaps with the exceptions of Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster. At Cedar Point, it seems to me that there was an Arrow era, then a B&M era, and now an Intamin era. As such, the rides are all very similar and have so many things in common.

Now, Six Flags, as a chain, is pulling ahead in my book. They've announced the U.S.'s first Wing Rider, the world's tallest Drop Tower, a prototype Premier launcher with a non-inverting loop... Six Flags tries new things. Sometimes it bites them in the bottom, but at least there's a sense of wonder and newness and excitement.

So far, Cedar Fair has announced one large coaster (but again, "typical" in every sense of the word - tall, fast, airtime... Very "B&M" with no new trains or themeing or design elements; nothing new or unusual, especially for that park), a re-located boomerang, two more WindSeekers, and a dinosaur exhibit. Yes, there are announcements to come, but none have had any sort of marketing or promotion that would hint at a large addition. When i saw the promotional videos from X-Flight or Superman, I was truly in awe, and very excited just to see the animation. When I saw Leviathan, I lacked that enthusiasm and pure, primal excitement. Will it be impressive and awesome? Undoubtedly. But it's like, been there, done that in a way... It's exciting and great and if Kings Island were getting Leviathan, I'd be thrilled. But as it is, it's like... Ugh. Everyone else gets awesome prototypes and Cedar Fair gets more WindSeekers.

I complained to a friend from the U.K. that they tend to get such new, innovative designs (Thirteen, Air, Nemesis, Saw, etc) but the truth is, we get them here, too... Just not with Cedar Fair. Maybe it's Cedar Fair's apparent preference for B&M that "holds us back." I love love love B&M's rides, but maybe it's time to take someone by surprise by opening something unexpected... I don't know. I'm feeling a little lackluster about it. :\ I'm not asking for record breakers. Just something new and unusual.

[corn4ahead]

You are so right. That's what I was getting at too. I mean, even a new train design would be nice. Look at Skyrush. Nothing special but the new trains make the ride. I was at Cedar Point yesterday and there are a couple rides that only need a 'spucing up' that would make them completely different rides. Mantis being the first on my list. Adding new trains = essentially a new ride.

[kingsrattler]

. Mantis being the first on my list. Adding new trains = essentially a new ride.

Not that it would be "groundbreaking" but I think Mantis would be a great ride with B & M's floorless trains.

[RingMaster]

But at Cedar Point, you do an awful lot of sitting, an awful lot of airtime hills, a lot of speed... It's all well and good. But compare that to Six Flags Magic Mountain, where you've got a ZacSpin, a 4th dimension coaster, a backwards reverse freefall coaster, GCI woodies, a flying coaster, Giant inverted boomerang, a floorless coaster, a Giovanoli mega coaster... Sure Cedar Point has some variation, but for the most part I feel like all the coasters there are very typical, perhaps with the exceptions of Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster. At Cedar Point, it seems to me that there was an Arrow era, then a B&M era, and now an Intamin era. As such, the rides are all very similar and have so many things in common..

Well, MM's giant inverted boomerang is being moved to another park so that's one extreme variable they're losing, but I think all the other coasters more than make up for its loss.

[Captain Nemo]

I really do like that SIX added something new to each park, whether it be a new ride, shows, or attraction. Each addition is different than the other in many ways.

Great America: X-Flight- a B&M Wing rider coaster

St. Louis: Bonzai Pipeline- 360* looping bobyslide

Magic Mountain: Doom Freefall- 400ft drop ride

Mexico: "Stand by for a BIG announcement in the coming months" -CEO

Discovery Kingdom: Superman Ultimate Flight- New Premier Launch Coaster

New England: Goliath- Giant Boomerang Coaster

Great Escape: Alpine Freefalls- New Water slide Complex

Over Texas: New live production and return of fan favorite shows.

Over Georgia: 6 new shows

Fiesta Texas: Skyscreamer & New Shows

Great Adventure: Skyscreamer, Bumper cars, Scrambler, and new kids ride

LaRonde: "In the coming months, LaRonde will be introducing exciting news for 2012" -CEO

America: Apocalypse- B&M Stand-up coaster

They have announced something new and different in each park, and while Fiesta Texas and Great Adventure are both getting a Skyscreamer, the parks are located on opposite sides of the nation and getting different additional attractions.

I am quite happy with these announcements!

[thekidd33]

^Mexico is rumored to be getting Pandemonium that is being removed from Discovery Kingdom.

[The Interpreter]

...some very careful, truthful, interesting wording in that, uh, first announced press release.

[RailRider]

Looks like the ride roatation program is alive and well.

[thekidd33]

^^I noticed that as well! Seems to put to rest any doubt that Ms. Parton may have a some very similar news this weekend.

[bkroz]

http://affiliate.kickapps.com/_GOLIATH/video/1630498/151061.html

Also, we've got to notice the shout out to Kings Island in New England's GOLIATH video. At :10, the coaster shown is Six Flags Worlds of Adventure's "X-Flight," which was repainted and moved to Kings Island as "Firehawk," of course! So somehow, a little Kings Island homage made it into the announcement of a different kind of ride from a different chain in a different state. Feels good.

[CoastersRZ]

Good to see all the additions at the Six Flags parks, and they aren`t just getting the same ride and dinosaur walk through attraction like Cedar Fair appears to be doing.

In my opinion, Cedar Point is starting to get a little stagnant. I mean, the last coaster they added was Maverick, and that was installed all the way back in 2007. Yes, I still want to go to Cedar Point to ride their rides like Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster, but I am less compelled to go when they don`t have anything new to offer. Especially when I can ride WindSeeker here at Kings Island. The reason that you are likely seeing more B&Ms from Cedar Fair of late is because they have been burned a lot by Intamin lately. Shoot the Rapids, Maverick, Xcelerator anyone? Additionally, in my opinion, Cedar Fair`s capital expenditures budget seems a little small. They only typically add one major new attraction in a season to one park (next year will be Leviathon at Canada`s Wonderland). Didn`t Cedar Fair scale back a little bit the cap ex once they integrated the Paramount Parks when compared to the pre purchase numbers for Cedar Fair and Paramount?

[The Interpreter]

Yes, but to be fair the economy is very different now.....

[CoastersRZ]

Yes it is. And they seem to be doing ok, especially since their stock was upgraded today.

But I still question the rationale of some of their cap ex installs. I`m sure they have a reason for some of their decisions. What I`d give to be a fly on the wall in some of those meetings...

[The Interpreter]

A very interesting article about capital expenditures at Six Flags, including a bit from Robin Innes about the dinosaur at Cedar Point (not that dinosaur):

Six Flags Gets In Line For Thrill Rides:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-new-roller-coaster-strategy-20110904,0,6269766.story