We are not amused
 

It's called an Amusement Park. Ironic.

Six Flags Great Adventure.

DO NOT GO THERE

Between the 90 minute lines, and closed/broken rides, we rode like... 3 rides today.

1. Kids rode the teacups. yawn.
2. Kids rode a parachute thing. lame.
3. Wanted to do the 'Twister' ....srry, this ride is temporarily closed
4. Wanted to try the Great American Scream Machine. as we approached, the line was bailing out. ride is stuck....closed.
5. Went to go try Superman. 90 minute wait. NOT
6. Walked forever to get to the big wooden coater....90 minute wait.
7. Went to get on the little wooden coaster....waited in line for 10 minutes, and were told that it broke.
8. Approached the Flume. 120 minute wait. yeah right
9. Went over to Skull Mountain. 50 minute wait....so we waited! The line is in the shade at least..... but half way in, you realize it's an un-airconditioned tunnel...and the kid in front of us in line has brutal BO. we get in the ride, and it's literally 35 seconds long.....a twisty little violent roller coaster in a darkened warehouse type room. this is not spooky, scary or worth any kind of wait.
10. hunt down a bathroom ( there are like 3) then back over to try the Twister again. after waiting 30 minutes in that line, our nephew is ejected for being 1" too short....(why is there not a "too short"line at the entrance like the other rides?) The other 3 actually seemed to enjoy that ride.
11. the big kids and I go to the Scream Machine, while jinx takes the short nephew over to drive the cars. (guess what....he was too short for that too) We got on the scream machine within 20-25 minutes, and it was a blast. worht that wait.

12 Felling lucky, we go back over to try the little wooden coaster again....takes us 40 minutes in that line...watching them struggle with malfunctioning cars. ( literally half of the green train is roped off) After we finally got in, it was a brutal, loose, fast and extremely violent experience. My ribs and neck are sore. not fun.

13. jinx takes the big kids to go ride the brand new Bizzarro Coaster while I take the short kid on the lame little train coaster......she waits 45 minutes in lin efor this new in 2009 ride, and it breaks.

14. we left.

there are no medium rides in the fuckign place. 7 million different places to eat....carnival games to spend MORE money at....Extra charge rides/games.....

OH! and the fucking Flash Pass people>! what the fuck is this? there are VIP people the go in the exits and are allowed to board the rides without waiting in line?! I think that sucks sucks sucks. fuck that. fuck it in the neck

oh, and the safaris was lame as shit too.

$224 plus gas and about $50 worth of water and hotdogs along the way

Plus $15 to park the fucking car.

GAH!!!

Sounds like you need a federal bailout.
Either you or the park.
I'd rather you guys got the cash...

the fuckers are bankrupt.....

i had heard that....but it didn't really play into the decision to go there instead of Dorney Park or Hershey Park(always have a great time at those parks, btw). A guy at our gym had raved about it to our kids, and we bit.

DO NEVER GO THERE

ALSO!

Experience the thrill of a lifetime! $300 for a shitty day!
Just like Thanksgiving at your in-laws!
Thrill to the joys of food poisoning from our undercooked hamburgers and over-boiled hot dogs!
Watch as Security gives the bums rush to those ethnically different!
Listen to your children scream on the way here "AREWETHEREYET?!?AREWETHEREYET?!?AREWETHEREYET?!?AREWETHEREYET?!?AREWETHEREYET?!?"
Then, listen to them whine "All the good rides are closed! All the rides you took me on sucked!"
And then hear them say "I don't wanna leave yet!!" over and over as you exit the park!
Smile as you unwillingly fork over your hard earned cash for cheaply made Taiwan crap!
Feel the pain as your sore, blistered feet absorb the scorching heat of the day, radiating from our first-rate asphalt!
Enjoy the scent from our over-flowing restrooms!
So, come on down and spend your cash!
If you love your family, you'll put yourself into the poorhouse to line our coffers!
If you don't, the terrorists win!
And you don't want that, now do you?

we should have gone kayaking

I'm so sorry.

Come to Kings Island!

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/

It's a really nice park. Kind of crappy compared to Disney - which sets the standard for awesome - but still, you'd have fun there. We love KI. It's a requirement for living in the 45-something zip code. ;) Seriously though, they do very well. We have season passes. It's not perfect, but you get your money's worth if you plan well.

And if you do, call me. I'll go with you! :D

My sister took her kids to Chernobyls yesterday er Koernobles? yesterday so we'll see if that was any better. I'm just not amusement park people so I can't rate any.

We went to the beach in the boat.

Ice $1.25

Beer $12 (18pk)

Gas about $20 round trip

Homemade sandwich and chips $cheap

Around $35 total....

We had a blast. :D

Wouldn't that be park-barreling?

So true. I grew up going to KI. My dad worked on the roads when it was built, so our family was there that first summer. I was just tall enough to ride the racer.

Then in HS, at least once a summer my friends and I would make the trek down there. And of course, there was Grad Night. It was so fun, except for the kid who got decapitated on the Eiffel Tower.

I think KI does a really good job. Where is the summer going? I swore I would go this summer.

We went to Hershey Park last Tuesday. My first time there, and it was freaking awesome. You already said that you like it Jim, so you don't need to hear it again, but that isn't gonna stop me. Longest wait for any ride we went on was maybe 20 minutes. Most rides had a 5 minute wait. I rode various coasters maybe 10 times. My son, who had never been on one before rode them 12 times. We did tons of other rides too. The go-cart style classic cars with the bumper rail down the center of the track was a hit with the kids. There was no wait for that. They would ride it, and then run around and ride it again. My wife and I let them chauffeur us around the track. We probably each rode 30 rides total that day in the entire park.

And I bought the tickets at AAA before hand for like $10 off each. Around $40 per person instead of around $50 per person.

I love Hershey Park. But then again, I was there on a Tuesday, not a weekend.

Oh, and you measure yourself at the gate to the park, and it tells you what size you are in an easy to remember candy bar. (I was a Jolly Rancher.) Each ride tells you what candy bars can ride it, so there is no confusion.

I have more of an issue with being too big for some of the rides. The ones they know are tight, they usually put a sample seat out front so you can try it on. I've slimmed somewhat down since our last trip to Dorney, and would have actually fit on the Superman ride, had we been willing to wait that long for it. The Big wooden coaster that we tried at the end...that the short nephew was tall enough for....was too small for my bigness. It was an incredibly frustrating day.

Merc, that's what I meant......last Sunday we went down the river in our kayaks.....had perfect weather, and everyone had a fantastic time. only expense was swammiches and snacks.

Yeah, it sucks being too big. I had to fold up my legs into a weird pretzel shape so that the bar could come down onto my lap on one of the coasters. It was just banging into my knees at first. It was the kids' favorite coaster too, so we rode it like 6 times. I was getting to be an expert at jumping in and contorting myself quickly so the bar could come down.

Knoebels. The fifth grade at our elementary school takes a trip there at the end of the year. Everybody raves about it, including Mrs. Dallas, who went with Miss Dallas when it was her turn.

There was just nothing for a 53in 9 year old to ride at 6 Flags... even if we wanted to wait 1-2 hours for each ride. We've been taking the same group of kids to Hershey and Dorney Parks for years and always had tons of fun. Yesterday sucked though. Lots of sweating, waiting, and being very disappointed.

Sorry 6 flags sucks ass, LJ. We have Elitches here, that use to be 6 flags, but now is just Elitches. I can say that when it was 6 flags it was much more expensive.

It is funny to read this thread because when my family lived in Ohio, we went to Hershey Park and Kings Island and there was another down in Kansas City we use to go to...Worlds of Fun? Is Cedar Point still around? I remember the commercials for it back in the 80s..."Cedar Point is the cure for the summertime blues..."

Roller coasters are scary and sucky. Crowds are abominable. Amusement parks are expensive.

Seriously, what did you expect? If you go in the middle of the day, in the middle of the summer, you have to expect all that and take it in stride. *

I'm sorry you had a lousy time, though.

*Although the equipment failures seem a bit much. Also, you knew they were having technical difficulties and still got on the ride? Nuh uh; not me!

I grew up going to Great Adventure. I remember when it was fun, in the eighties and early nineties. I had some excellent times there.

Sorry it's sucking so bad now, Jim. Sounds like the maintenance etc. has really gone to hell.

SO sorry you had such a crappy day.
I had (similar) disappointments in England, but at least there were no kids upset - that must make it harder.

In my case I'd been to both places before and it was just bad luck - in one we arrived late due to a lost coach on a very busy day (got on ?5? rides as I remember) and happened to be there in gale force winds in the other place - EVERYTHING affected.

And even more sorry to hear it because it's somewhere I really, really want to go!

Sounds horrible. Which Six Flags did you go to (not that it really matters...I'm sure they *all* suck more or less equally).

*Everything* in the world is suffering from the same malaise...pay more to get less, or in some cases, nothing. Once your money changes hands from You to Them, you're fucked.

It now costs $25 to park your car at Arrowhead Stadium. And there are no more $10 for a round trip bus routes, either. The city dumped those. A bottle of water at Kauffman Stadium costs *$4.25*! A bottle of fucking water! Our local theme park, Worlds of Fun used to have beautiful, lush, immaculate floral landscaping, and trams to bring you from the parking lots to the gate. No more.

The list is endless, but eventually, pressure to maximize profits always results in the same thing...get less, pay more. Logically, in another twenty years, doing anything will cost you every dime you have, and nothing will happen once you've handed it over.

I LOVE roller coasters, but I HATE amusement parks. Too many damn people, too much hassle. Only when I lived in LA we went during the off season when it was cooler outside. It wasn't so bad then.

I just don't get why people, myself included, continue to throw our money at these pits in an effort to please our kids. I gave it up. Go to the beach and be miserable. It will be some of the best memories of your childhood.

We went to Williamsburg, VA last summer when my parents traded in their timeshare for a week there. And of course we made the pilgrimage to Busch Gardens. Overall it sounds like we had a better time (at least the kids liked the roller coasters, and nothing was really shut down). But it was expensive as hell, and the food was horrible. No way we're going back.

How hard is kayaking? Maybe we should go give it a shot on the Brandywine.

It's not hard.
The Brandywine is fun! Northbrook does a good job of renting and transporting... expensive though. You should buy your own if you like it.

tail-post:
not an amusement park fan but i rather enjoy busch gardens in va.

I hate people, but I love gatherings.

Isn't it ironic...

Don'tcha think...

jinx...that is so pretty. Ya know, I could get a kayak, for pete's sake the river is right behind me, and where I am it's perfect for a kayak. I saw some peeps in a rowboat a couple days ago and they looked so peaceful.

One more thing I probably won't get done this year. Can I borrow someone's family so I have someone to do these things with?

but, if the kids felt overall they had a good time (leaving out the adult frustrations) then the day is still a success

yup we're coming to Dayton soon, we'll take care of ya.

Seriously? :jig:

Dwellars are like pokemon for the Beestmonsters--gotta catch 'em all!

oh yeaah ...hector is a plane nut. Dayton has been on our to do list for ever....this summer it happens....

...and we have a boat. not a kayak but the fucking thing floats, what more do you want?!!!?1!1!111!

You're coming to Dayton? Don't forget me! And Brianna! I live really close to the Wright-Patt museum!

Cedar Point most certainly is still there, and I hear it's very nice. Kings Island was just bought out by Cedar Point's management, so now all the staff uniforms and merchandise bags say "Cedar Fair." I am afraid they are going to slowly phase out all of the things that made KI special; I actually shed a tear when they got rid of Oktoberfest many years ago, but the Festhaus is still there.

I actually do not like amusement parks very much, but I consider them an important part of my summer, especially now that the kids are old enough to go around and ride things without me. I would much rather go to the beach or go canoeing. We do that too.

Shawnee, come a little bit south to Oregonia or Waynesville and we'll be happy to hook up with you on the Little Miami.

Speaking of "where has the summer gone" I had planned for several years to take my kids to Coney Island (the one in Cincinnati), which claims to have the "world's largest recirculating swimming pool," and was a big part of my childhood. One of these days I'll manage it.

Wow, you know what? When I jumped out of a plane, back in 1987, or 6, it was at Waynesville Skysports. Is that still around?

I call for some creative skullduggery with the signage. And pictures.

Hm, I don't know, but I did see some skydivers yesterday near Mason. That's not too far away.

If it weren't for the fact you have tons of family and friends here, I'd ask to be on the list too.
If you (Beestmonsterchildbreeders) do make it back, let me know.
I promise to spend as little as is humanly possible coming to meet you. Let's face it, London is pretty much the hub for international travel. I'll meet you at the airport and bring coffee in a flask and flat cola - you can hand over £20 because that's what you would have spent anyway and that covers my fare :)

heehee -we're too cheap to fly back, that's why Banana Lady is over so often :lol: we pay her flight once a year, it's a lot cheaper than 5.

But if we do make it, we'll be sure to land on your doorstep

Always get express passes for major theme parks. It may cost more but it's worth it.

Not if the rides are broken...

The flash pass thing looked retarded anyway. For $80 we could "check in" to one ride, and then wait somewhere other than in line for our turn. Meh.

seems like a better investment would be to get snowmobiles or quads and scare myself and my kids in a freelance manner

extremely freelance and extrememly scary given the snowfall around there :eek: :lol:

Or a jet ski.

The impression I get is that the park operators are over-selling admission - too many people and not enough rides.

Amusement parks should advertise how many people they allow in as a maximum each day so punters have got something to guess by.

Sorry that six flags didn't work out. :(

Disney is a dream esp in off season.

Wait until you are fifty and go on a simple ferris wheel with seats and foot rests that seam to shrink the higher you go. You'll feel happy your kids are grown by then.

I think your river trip seemed so tranquil and even more so memorable.

Thanks for sharing your story.

( sorry for the oneliners but I just woke up)

When Hershey Park was my "home park" we picked carefully when to go. The ideal was a day with periods of rain during the afternoon, so that the park would open and stay open during the rain, but drive everybody away. One memorable night the rain stopped at 6 and we practically had the park to ourselves.