After a Summer of begging and pleading, I finally convinced my family into one last vacation - to the Six Flags park that I've seen so many pictures of and heard so many good things about. The rides were great...but the rest of the experience is one that I hope to soon forget.

The rides - the good part
X-Flight: I didn't know what to expect going into this ride...but it wasn't bad at all. Maybe all that time hanging on Deja Vu prepared me for this one. I enjoyed the high g-force loop, but thought the corkscrews were terrible. The riders should be the central axis, not the track. Wait time: 20 minutes, none (explanation below).
Mind Eraser: I've been on Deja Vu. I've been on Face/Off. Now I've finally been on the original boomerang ride. I was shocked to see actual Vekoma trains and not Arrow looper trains. I was even more shocked to find them comfortable. The ride was smoothe, but I did get a bit dizzy when coming backwards out of the boomerang. Wait time: 5 minutes front row.
Superman Ultimate Flight: Its an Impulse. Yay. I expected more theming. Wait time: 15 minutes, 20 minutes back row.
Big Dipper: A good real classic coaster...I got a couple good jolts though. I didn't like it that much for that reason...but great air. Wait time: A surprising 30 minutes.
Double Loop: A smoothe Arrow looper! There's not much to it, so hey, why not. My only complaint is that this thing has the smallest trains ever! I barely got my legs in the car. Wait time: 15 minutes.
Villain: This has got to be the worst CCI. And it looks terrible too. It has good air, but thats about it. My front row ride was very rough...the turns felt out of place. Wait time: 2 hours (rain delay...otherwise, 30 minutes)
Raging Wolf Bobs: I hate to say it, but this is a terrible woodie. Good banking on the turns, but it feels like there's a wheel missing or something...extremely rough. Almost painful. Wait time: walk on.
Batman Knight Flight: This ride almost overtook my number 1 spot. The floorless element doesn't add much unless you are front row. The drop is good, the air in the slowest loop I've been on is great, and the high speed turns in the first half of the ride are awesome. Wait time: 15-20 minutes.
Serial Thriller: Not nearly as rough as people say. It has its bumpy spots, but I found it to be quite pleasant. It has the best foot choppers anywhere too...I actually pulled my legs up a couple times. Now if only people wouldn't get stuck in the restraints and the train wouldn't get stuck on the brake run... Wait time: 25 minutes (the third time I stood in line...when I actually got to ride).
Roadrunner Express: Its family, its fun. Its two times around! Wait time: 10 minutes.
The Pirate Show: Nice audience interaction (better than the Disney interactive shows). Nice surprises, and a member of Monty Python!
Batman Water Spectacular: Better than the old Batman Stunt Show, but you must get a seat near the middle to see anything.

The park - the bad part
Within five minutes we found our first problem. Because the park does not have bins in its stations, you must put things in a locker or risk getting them stolen. My parents told me brother and me to go on X-Fligh. We got off and found out that while we were in line, they tried to put our stuff in the lockers but couldn't. The lockers were not booted up, yet the park had been running for some time. So we got a free pass to get on the ride instantly...this was the only thing the park did right.
It was kinda hot so we asked for water from one of the shops. Great America gives you a tall glass of ice water at no cost. Here we were given a small cup of ice because the tap water "isn't good for you." This might explain the lack of drinking fountains. There was also a lack of telephones...I honestly do not remember seeing any inside the park. Maybe if there were some we could have called the restroom hotline to let someone know about the absense of soap and the abundance of trash. The trash spilled over into the park too...the pathways were quite dirty.
There was a chance of rain for the day...well, it did rain...for about 10 minutes. There was a decent downpour and some lightning, but no worse than what I rode Millennium Force in two years ago. At Cedar Point, that storm shut things down for 45 minutes. Here, everything was shut down for an hour and a half. We were in line for Villain. After about an hour, an attendant came down from the station. Everyone tried asking her her much longer...she mumbled and ran away. A simple "I don't know" would have been nice. Once it did open, Villain ran three test runs on one train...Double Loop ran one test train. Is this standard for CCI to do so much testing?
Speaking of one train, the park was severely understaffed. Batman was running two trains all day, and X-Fligh had two by noon..but other than that, one train all around. There were three people at each ride too. One operating, one checking the train, and one telling people when to go into the station - something I've never seen anywhere else. There are ways to avoid this...but I won't go into that. Its certainly no excuse for not running two trains.
Back to the rain. It rained for another 10 minutes in the evening...less rain, less lightning, more wind. Things were shut down only 20 minutes this time. Why was it shorter this time? It boggles the mind!
Based on my experience with Deja Vu being open right up until 10pm, I decided that I would get my last ride on X-Flight. We got to the line at 8:45 to find it closed. We were told it closed about a half hour ago. People coming out of the ride said they waiting only about a half hour. Something didn't add up...anyway, I guess that when they say the park closes at 9, it closes at 9. I've been on rides an hour after the park "closes." This made me very angry. Especially since they have a Fireworks show at 9:30. If you want people to stay in your park, give them something to do! Besides...it doesn't even get dark in Ohio until 9.
So between the rain and the early (unannounced) closings (which we were told is "corporate policy"...Great America is the same corporation but they have no such policies), we thought about going back the next day. But to do that, you have to buy another ticket. My season pass would be good, but for my family, there is no twicket or MVP option. We didn't think we'd need the two day ticket (which isn't much of a savings anyway), but we didn't have another choice when we wanted one. We were told that most of the business come from the Cleveland area so most people buy season passes. Duh. But what about those of us that travel? Its not that uncommon...but we were told that the season passes are cheaper for them. Heaven forbid Six Flags accomodate its guests.
I will not go back to this park in the forseeable future...and no one will know I was there either. Their merchandise selection is virtually nothing. Very few ride shirts...just Batman, Superman, and one X-Flight shirt that was pealing.
If I ever pass up Cedar Point again, I will look back on this day and see what a big mistake it was.
Anyone that has has better, worse, or similar experiences, please comment. And Congrats to all of you that made it this far - this is THE END!

__________________
X, shmecks.

I've been reading and hearing more and more bad TRs about SFWOA. Maybe some people need to write letters and have them take care of this place and its guest relations. This park is sounding more and more like the worst SF park. I can't say anything yet, though, as I've never been. Nice TR.

__________________
ThrillNetwork Editor Emeritus
Voyage is the best roller coaster ever.
2008 Raptor ride count - 126. Lifetime - 1,143.

I went too SFWoA a while ago. Personally I had a good experiance. It rained abit that day no lighting just alot of rain.
Both Mind Eraser and Double Loop were both closed for the entire day.
I didn't go on Big Dipper and Roadrunner Express, not sure why I didn't, I just didn't go ride them.
X-Flight- around 30 min wait. It was closed on/off for alot of the day. I havn't been on a coaster that gives the feeling that X-Flight gives. When you flip over onto your chest the feeling is extreamly strange. I didn't have to deal with lockers, but they appeared to be working correctly because people were stuffing them.
Superman: Ultimant Escape- the first impulse coaster I've ever been on, I absolutly loved this ride. It was a walk-on ALL DAY LONG. This coaster deserves to have a line on it.
Batman Knight Flight- I walked into the station all day. The floorless element is pretty cool....in the front seat. Riding near the back of the train is almust useless, the 2nd row is the only place worth sitting when not riding in the front seat.
Serial Thriller- ran only 1 train all day long, 10-20 min wait. I too don't understand what people dislike about Vekoma SLC. I thought it was great. My 6'4" freind didn't share the same feelings toward the ride. There are so many great foot-choppers on this ride and its location over a swamplike waters adds a little bit to the ride to.
Raging Wolf Bobs - walk on. THis is a rather old woddie, but its still alot of fun. I personally thought it was better than Villain.
Villain- walk on. This coaster was closed for alot of the day. I has hoping that it would be a great coaster, but it was dissapointing. The air time was great though, but it caused a great deal of pain.

I didn't have any problems with the park, though. I had a overall good experiance.

__________________
It ain't easy being cheezy.

I agree abou this park. Before, I had put this park on the same level as Great America, Magic Mountain, and Great Adventure.

Boy was this one sorry park.

I don't even want to talk about it...

But oh well, Batman Knight Flight was good so you know

Well Chip I wrote several nice letters to SFWoa last year and got no response except for we will get back to you. Search last years posts and you will find my miserable day at SFWoa.

__________________

I went to CP back in june and passed right by SFWoA...man,that place looks a junked out carnival you would find in a k-mart parking lot during the summer....I kept driving and got to CP and had a better time of things. Six Flags seems to have a bad habit as of late of buying other companies junked out amusement parks,slapping on a coat of paint and charging people ungodly amounts of money for the same crappy rides and food they got before at a lower price. My respect and dollar will always go to CP.

it's not the worst Six Flags park, but it's the worst run Six Flags park.

even by Six Flags standards it's run worse than a hillbilly carnival.

__________________
phantompenguin

When I went last June, I had a decent day. Good rides, horrible park. The rides were great when they were actually open... there were hardly any crowds, and it would have been all day walkons if they were running more than 1 train on everything...

__________________
STRUCK DOWN! - Erie Hardcore

www.hxcmp3.com/struck_down
www.purevolume.com/struckdown
www.myspace.com/struckdown

When I went last year, Mind Bender, Double Loop, Villian, and Batman Knight Flight were all closed the entire day, X-Flight was closed the entire day but rumored it would open, but i forgot this was Six Flags and waited about 3 hours for X-Flight and it never opened until the last hour, but atleast I got on. With the 4 others done, I was left with only S:UE and Serial Thriller. An extreme lack of mechanics in the park.

__________________
'08, '07 Area Supervisor Merchandise, Cedar Point, "18/20 Go"
'08 Area Supervisor Merchandise, Six Flags Over Texas, "366 Go",
'06 Batman:TR Ride Op, SFGAm '05 Front Desk, Disney's BoardWalk Hotel,
'06,'05 TL, '04 Merchandise, CP, Coaster Count: 258

I had went last year and had a pretty good time, the rides that are great to time are S:UE and BKF. I didn't ride X Flight becuase it was in May and it wasn't open yet. Villian was good and I actually likedmy first cloned SLC: Serial Thiller. The rest was nothnig special though and I downright hated their other two woodies: WolfBobs and the other one. The park though was really dirty and I didn't care for their staff at all. Since my homepark (SFGAm) has a S:UE clone in V2 and it will probably be getting a flyer and a better one at that, the only reason I would go there again is for BKF and the fact is is free for me since I will always have a SF season pass. Almost all the reviews I've read for this park have been bad this year and doesn't help their already sagging business. I read on Amusent Today's website that SFWoA attendance was down as Cedar point's was up 3% thus far as well as their customer spending was up a terrific 9%. I don't see how SF expects WoA to be able to compete with the giant only 70 miles away in Sandusky. Next year will only be harder with CP's new addition bring CP to 16 world class coasters and the probably one of the best staff's anywhere as well as their overall atmosphere. It'a shame that SFWoA isn't a better park, I had high hopes for them when I went last year. I would have thought the park really would've taken off with the addition of SeaWorld and the water park, it just hasn't happened that way. I'm sure SF lost some money on that park with all the money spent there with the addition of 5 roller coasters in 2 years as well as the other stuff I mentioned, that park shouldn't receive a new coaster but better some training for their staff and some new garbage cans to put their trash in!!!

__________________
I want to go to John's Park.

my trip the other day was just about the same. everything except for X-flight and B:KF was running just one train (those two ran 2 trains). The park was dirty and understaffed, double loop only had two people working it. we didn't get a locker before we went on X-Flight but it would have been a good idea because my friend who drove lost his keys. he didn't realize it until we were near villain so we went to customer service and the lady called the ride ops and they said they didn't find any keys so at least they let him use the phone to call home and have his brother come bring his keys. and that ended a bad day. X-flight and Batman were great rides but the park experience was bad.

__________________
"You don't need courage, afterall, who needs courage when you have a gun." Professor Farnsworth

I attended WoA on sunday 9-1-02, This is the 3rd year I have visited the park. After attending Cedar Point the preceding Friday, and having PKI as my home park, I must say I was incredibly disappointed with Six Flags. X-Flight only ran 2 trains, using only 1 station and had 3 workers. Average time spent in station per train, 8 minutes!!! Supermanand Batman had about a 10 minute wait, which I thought was excellent! I must give credit to the Batman crew, trains were dispatched from the station just as you approached the final break run, Excellent work. The only other coaster ridden was the Big Dipper, this would have been enjoyable had it not been for the incredible amounts of bugs, which forced you to ride with mouth and eyes closed, so not the greatest experience. I recommend the Pirate show, but avoid the Bermuda Triangle, SLOW loading times!! Good luck finding food. Most food shops were closed and the open ones had huge lines. Made a stop to the Subway Express on the Wildlife side to buy a bottle of water cause the vending machines were empty and waited 5 minutes while the workers sat in the back discussing their boyfriends. Trash was abundant, trash cans located near entrances and exits to rides were overflowing onto the ground. YOu would think management would have someone to clean these on the hour since they have the most usage.
Having only attended 2 Six Flags parks, WoA and Kentucky Kingdom, I have noticed how they both are very dirty, and staff is less than entusiastic about working. Maybe this is a trait that all "new" refurbished Six Flags Parks have.
Overall, I would not recommend Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Cedar Point is only a little over an hour away and is far more hospitable to its guests.