S.F.O.T. Wish List

This file will collect a "wish list" of desires and suggestions submitted by me and other readers (the comments after some of them in square brackets are mine...) for what we would like to see the new management at SFOT change and improve:

• more reasonable pricing on sodas, food, souvenirs, and other items... two dollars for a Coke is ridiculous.
• more drinking fountains around the park, and which should dispense chilled water.
• better detailing overall and upgraded park employee uniforms, not this cheap-looking tacky junk that looks like it came off the budget rack at K-Mart.
• an intelligent and efficient parking lot system, like the Disney parks use... where the traffic doesn't slow to a crawl when the main crush of cars are getting parked
• an upgraded tram service, with more frequent trams to minimize waiting and a better thought-out route system to minimize excess walking.
• we want Mr. Freeze opened (this one we're SURE to get, but let's get it in here, just for the record...)
• better quality announcement and background sound systems... understandable announcements, and background music (like at Disney parks) themed to the different areas.
• "de-trashify the park... Like the basics, cover patches of dirt with nice looking flowers or ground cover. Maybe lay some new concrete (the tar streets look old and trashy, or I think so.)"
• "Clean the 'man made' water ways. The area that could use this most I would think would be the Mine Train. You've got old posts and old cables.... tar streets... poor upkeep with the ground. flowers and what have you..... And you've also got that little area where water ***should*** be on the turn before the hill on the Mine Train. It looks like a sewer. It should be completely drained, have all the trash taken out of it, sprayed down with some algaecide (a pool chemical that kills algae) and water. Then scrubbed good with an algae brush.... rinsed and then refilled..... Come on ... I mean how much money can stuff like that take for just the Mine Train area? Under $5,000 with people being paid I would think. "
• "Although I would love a HUGE new ride I'm sure everyone would enjoy just a basic cleanup of the park."
• "I would also like to see some 'roller coaster' lights on Mr. Freeze... lights that light up as the train passes over them would be cool... "
• "Develop a new area... maybe where the employee parking lot is now (it could be moved further out)"
• "One more thing.... the aluminum and wood on the mine train station could do with being replaced or repainted.... Just because it was the first steel roller coaster of it's type doesn't mean it has to look it does it?"
• How about speeding up El Sombrero? I've been on this same attraction before at other parks where it's really exciting. The slow speed it runs at at SFOT is simply boring.
• If they're going to put TV sets in the queue areas, they ought to put enough of them that you can really see more than a few seconds of what's being said before you move away. And the sound should be good enough that you can actually hear the material, too. The on-again-off-again present scheme is frustrating. It would also be nice if the material on the TV sets was related to the attraction you were about to see, or at least be themed to the area of the park you were in.
• A better public-relations policy which encourages public interest and enthusiasm for the park, instead of stonewalling inquiries.
• I'd like to get rid of the "basketball" prizes at the game booths, which are loudly bounced around the park and are so annoying to other guests.
• Isn't "Ziploc" a park sponsor anyhow? How about locating a park staffer in the queue area a minute or two before reaching the ride boarding area (for Roaring Rapids, Splashwater Falls, and other attractions where one is likely to become VERY wet) to hand out complimentary Ziploc bags... one per guest... to protect wallets, money, cameras, and other stuff that shouldn't get wet... with a suitable combined promotion about how "Ziploc locks freshness in, dirt and dampness out!" or some such. (One could even have something Texas-themed like: "If the Wagon Train cookwagons had had Ziploc bags, they could have... whatever.") There could be a wastebasket (or recycle bin) after the exit for people who didn't want to keep the bag after getting off the ride, and to avoid littering.
• "I would like to see spiels in the que-lines that are clear and describe what the ride is, and what you need to do once you are on the loading dock."
• "I would also like to see an uplift on the existing buildings."
• "I think they should create more passage ways around the park so that you dont have to walk in GIANT circles." [gep2: yes, but wouldn't it make the park 'feel' smaller? I certainly agree that that one walk... which already exists!... between Looney Tunes Land and Splashwater Falls ought to be opened.]
• I've gotten a lot of requests that SFOT get a B&M inverted coaster; unfortunately, Sea World of Texas has an exclusive deal with B&M, so it will be at least like 2004 or something before we can get one of those.
• "I think that there should be more variety in what they show on the tv's." [gep2: It's not even as if there's a huge difference already in themeing between the different 'lands', and using the same programming everywhere unifies the park, rather than differentiating the sections!]
• "Bring back Dr. Pepper."
• "Take out the Batman Stunt Show theater and the Air Racer and put in a nice sized roller coaster (how about a B&M standup?)" [Again, B&M is under contract to Sea World to not put in a coaster until like 2006 or something... and there's plenty of room to put in a new ride without taking out an existing ride.]
• "Bring in some restaraunt chains to open establishments inside the park. Other parks have done it. Bring in both fast food chains and traditional "sit-down" places. The park wouldn't lose as many people as they might now." [Personally, I'm not convinced this is a wonderful idea... I think one goes to a theme park in part to escape from the outside world. I would, however, love to see some genuine competition, and the lowered prices (and speedier service, and even better-quality food) that ought to result from that. I simply refuse to pay $2.00 for a soda refill that cost us Platinum passholders $0.75 last year!]
• "Upgrade the kiddie area. (They'll need to do something to make up for the loss of cartoon characters.)" [There have been persistent rumors that substantial improvements to that area were planned for next year, even before the change of management.]
• "BRING BACK DR. PEPPER!!!! "
• "Get a INVERTED COASTER, DAMMIT! Yes I'm aware that SFOT can't get one because of the Sea World deal, but B&M isn't the ONLY inverted coaster manufacturer out there, there's VEKOMA INC. Maybe Premier has a inverted coaster under development." [True, but B&M seems to make the best ones, and I'm not sure we ought to be so impatient. While we're at it, a good standup coaster would be nice, too.]
• "There's more rides to get than just roller coasters! How about other manufacturers of rides, such has HUSS, VEKOMA INC, PRESTON AMUSEMENTS INC., CHANCE, and ZAMPERLA INC. Zamperla has a GREAT ride called, "ROTOSHAKE" a GUARANTEED HIT! I see advertised all of the time in "AMUSEMENT BUSINESS" magazine." [Personally I'd like to see more emphasis on themeing again, and that suggests maybe not so much 'classic carnival midway' type rides, although they're certainly an inexpensive way to provide a lot more new attractions, cheap. One consideration is the maximum throughput per day... a lot of these rides would have very long lines in a SFOT-type environment.]
• "Get a REAL WAVE SWINGER RIDE! I'm sorry, but the "Texas Tornado just doesn't cut it. The Texas State Fair has had a wave swinger ride since 1974! Why can't Six Flags get one. FYI: ZIERER USA builds great SWING rides, They have a new design out, call em!"
• "Get rid of those costly high maintenance rides, like the 'AIR RACER' and the 'G-FORCE'. How many times have I've heard from other people out there as well as myself complaining about the rides being shut down for repairs? I'm sure this is EXPENSIVE!" [I almost didn't include this one, because I don't want to see rides taken out just because someone doesn't think they're 'worth it' to keep them. There are a lot of spectacular rides at other parks which are very expensive to maintain... IMHO that's one of the main functions of a good park, to provide rides that people don't find just everywhere. And I do think we need to keep some rides, even though not 'thrilling', that older and 'gentler' patrons can still enjoy, too.]
• "CLEAN UP THE PARK! Years ago, I used to always think that SF had a beautifully maintained park, not anymore! The STATE FAIR has even caught up and some cases, done a better job up sprucing up there park." [This seems to be a recurring request!]
• "Those monitors located in each ride quere areas needs better sound." [Yes, it's very frustrating to see but not be able to hear them. Background music too is a major element which has gotten short shrift at SFOT compared to parks such as Disney, which realize how important this is to maintaining a distinct "image" for each themed "land".]
• "I don't expect a new coaster every year, but attractions like these DO bring the patrons."
• "They need to add a hypercoaster to the park." [Jeez, I think The Texas Giant is already pretty 'hyper'... :-) ]
• "Add any coaster in that lasts more then 45 seconds." [There are a lot of 'long' coaster rides that are not particularly outstanding in any regard whatsoever.]
• "Add a Giant Drop FreeFall" [Another recurring request, I'd agree that it is a cool ride, despite being extremely short.]
• "Add Any coaster that is B&M" [Another recurring request, despite the fact that we cannot have one before something like 2006.]
• "Add a Stand up coaster" [Certainly a major category that's missing at SFOT.]
• "Get rid of Avalanche Bobsled (La Vibora) because its a waste of space " [Another 'suggestion' which I strongly considered not adding because I consider it wrong-headed to want to destroy good rides we already have. La Vibora is a unique ride and I think it would be stupid to take it out, especially for such an idiotic reason. And if someone doesn't much care for one ride or another, just don't ride it... leave it for those who do enjoy it.]
• "Add a steel coaster that is taller than the Texas Giant" [There IS one... Mr. Freeze! Or whatever it ends up being called now.]
• "Make the landscaping look as good as Six Flags Fiesta Texas" [complaints about lackadaisical landscaping quality and cleanliness are another recurring comment.]
• "All in all... the park just needs to add more THRILL RIDES and lower prices on admission and souvies." [Or at least offer interesting and quality stuff that's worth the price!]
• "And like you said, 2.00 for a coke is rediculous." [If we all would just say "NO!" (or better, "HELL, NO!") and stop buying them, maybe management would eventually get the hint.]
• "Bring back the Spinnaker, Spindletop, Big Ben, and any other rides they have collecting dust somewhere." [SFOT's Spinnaker was reportedly installed at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, although we supposedly have another one (or major parts of one, at least) awaiting reinstallation. Most dismantled rides were either sold or scrapped.]
• "Build a space-diver coaster like the one at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Small footprint, big thrill."
• "Quit changing names of rides. It's confusing and pointless." [An interesting request, just as we're about to change park management and undoubtedly a lot of general rethemeing and likely renaming... probably more over one winter than the park has ever known!]
• "The Judge Roy Scream could be (with some minor adjustments) an A.C.E. Coaster Classic. Seems that instead of just letting it rot and look generally insignificant compared to the Giant, they could spruce it up a bit and get it declared a Classic Coaster. It would be the only one in the area, and a credit to the establishment, I think." [Hmm, I hadn't noticed any significant deterioration of JRS... certainly it's not the Giant, but that's not entirely a bad thing!]
• "Remove the gum stuck on the wood and metal in the Texas Giant queue areas. It is absolutely disgusting and just tempts others to put what they had in their mouth with the rest ... " [vandalism is certainly a problem for all parks, but I agree that leaving it unchecked only contributes to further worsening of the problem.]
• "I believe that a great thing in moving towards building a new ride would be the removal of either the picnic grounds or the log ride. The logs ride is old and the first of it's kind, but it has become rather unpopular due to it's lack of thrill to it. The space it takes up is rather large (hint hint)." [There are many other areas I'd expand the park into (if necessary) before I'd resort to removing existing rides. The area east of Mr. Freeze, for example... the area used for Spring Breakout and Fright Fest could also be used for additional space, as could some of the area south or west of La Vibora, presently just parking lot. There has also been discussion of moving the main entry drive to a new entry west of the lagoon and off the Road to Six Flags (possibly even with a new parking area entry plaza) which would open that whole area to the south of the present border of the park. Also, remember that many visitors to the park prefer somewhat less jarring rides, and their needs should be accommodated too.]
• "I personally think we should add a multi-loop coaster that is not a stand-up or inverted. I have ridden Viper at Magic Mountain and it is one hell of a ride." [It would appear that ShockWave already fits your criteria as "a multi-loop coaster that is not a stand-up or inverted".]
• "Get a good coaster for the time being (untill our B&M privileges open up again) like Vekoma's 7 loop coaster! I just want modern cool coasters!!! I can think of a few that could make some 3 minute rides, rather than all those under 45 second rides we ALREADY have. Let's see: Vekoma 7 loop coaster, Arrow-anything with inversions, A Vekoma Invertigo or SLC, Something people!!!! Whatever it is, it better be smooth and it better be long, cause if it isn't we're all gonna complain.... :o)" [It's easy to make a coaster 'long'... just make it run slower. :-( ]
• "add a Kumba-like steel coaster"
• "design rides to more efficiently queue people (e.g., roaring rapids - note more efficient process at BGW)"
• "Reinstall the oil derrick slide (legal issues not withstanding - great ride!)" [Couldn't some way have been found to assure its safety?]
• "Spend money to remove the antiquated asphalt streets and pour level concrete streets, similiar to those at S.F. Fiesta."
• "Please keep the G-Force and the Splashdown rides, however, throw a coat of army green paint on them so they fit in better with the "Right Stuff" theme. (Would SFOT have to give this up because of the W.B. affiliation?)" [I don't know to what degree the "Right Stuff" themeing will have to change with the change of management, but with the return to "Texas History and Traditions" I suspect that there will be a lot of themeing changes... in many cases limited to a change of name.]
• "Do something to make the waits in long lines more comfortable. Add fans and water fountains. Add air conditioners in locations where it is possible." [The fan-driven mist system they used the previous summer in the extended queue area between Runaway Mountain and the Southern Palace was amazingly effective, at least on the hottest days. I agree about adding more water fountains, preferably the chilled kind.]
• "Restore the railroad trains. The Red locomotive received a paint job for its 100th anniversary, but the Green engine and the both sets of coaches look absolutely horrible." [This is another case where the loudspeaker/announcement system also needs to be replaced with something of better quality.]
• "Add back a RIVER BOAT Ride......I know it takes up a lot of room, but It was one of my favorite rides when I was a Kid & It is on my HIGH List when I visit Disney. Also make the "GOLD RIVER" ride back into the Cave ride with all the Cute speleo characters. Also make both of these ride Ideas GOOD with Good Themeing. I know when I was a Kid back in the Early 70's the themeing and overall park apperance was a TON better than it is today. The SWAP (Mine Train Lake) was actually kind of neat with its Green Colored water. The same water that was at the Log-Ride & Cave Ride....."
• "I want to see nicer atmosphere and theming more than anything."
• "I know one problem with upgrading the theming is the worry about TEENAGERS Vandalizing things. Well this is one area I want the SFOT Gestapo to get tough on. Lets take the park back for Families & People who want to go enjoy themselves by being entertained by the park & aren't out looking to see what kind of trouble they can cause."
• "I think they should add a new steel coaster with multiple inversions and very high. The shock wave is alright but it is not high enough and is pretty simple and it should have a chain lift, some 360 rolls(SFOT does not have a coaster with one), and just be big and long. If they take out La Vibora like you said it could go right there."
• "Change the dress code policy to allow men with longer hair to work for the park. Treat their employees better so that they enjoy their jobs. The employees at Frontier City acted like they were having a good time, there were also males with longer than military hair." [Obviously, as a longhaired guy myself, I completely approve of this suggestion! And perhaps with a return to "Texas history and tradition" as a dominant theme, there will be more concrete themeing reason as well to have more of a 'rugged frontiersman' look around the park. What's more, it's even a significant improvement that would cost nearly nothing to implement.]
• "They should repave all of the walkways. The walkways at SFOT can only be described as hell on the feet. They should repave them and maybe even add some scenery to them. For example, in the USA Section, they should repave it, probably repaint another runway, but add some fences around the area like they have around "The Right Stuff" que lines." [I think there's a lot of "new look" that you'll be seeing next year, and the year afterwards. I have mixed feelings about the requested redoing of all the walkways, it sounds like a pricey project and I'm not even sure that most park visitors would even notice the difference... and if done with concrete, for example, it would probably only make the chewing gum and staining problem worse than it already is.]
• "Better drainage systems. Since I used to work at SFOT. I know that the drainage systems suck. The food carts they have (Lemon Chill, drinks, etc) have drains at the bottom of them and they put buckets to let the water drip in. Well, when the bucket fills up, the water leaks out and of course, you have your man made waterways. They should put drains in areas where you can put a cart above it."
• "REPAINT AND RETHEME! One ride that comes to mind in retheming is G-FORCE. The brown painted ride with a gray painted sign saying Right Stuff on it looks it extremely tacky. And also instead of just theming the que lines, they should theme the ride too. I mean for example, Mr. Freeze. I know nobody has ridden on it, yet, but all they have around the track is gravel. I think they should add some kind of scenery." [Certainly the "Batman: The Ride" areas in other parks have a lot more attention paid to themeing and landscaping (at least in the queue area) than Mr. Freeze does. Unless, I suppose, there's a lot of themeing inside the station that we just haven't seen yet... but let's just say I'm skeptical.]
• "They should also redo the rundown theming on Runaway Mine Train. Add a little color and water to it to touch up on the scenery." [Many people have mentioned the themeing deterioration at the Runaway Mine Train. Certainly sprucing up the sad-looking saloon scene would be a welcome improvement, for example. I'm told that another building (the midpoint lift building?) used to have moving parts that added to the effect, which were gutted a few years back. Another example: it looks like at the Yosemite Sam River Adventure, there was originally supposed to be water running down the trough just before you reach the boarding area... but apparently the feature broke once upon a time and nobody ever bothered to fix it. Little details like that really do mean a lot, when all added together.]
• "ADD A B & M! I know you've heard this a million times, but it seems like every huge park has a B & M! The last time I've heard Sea World only had a one year contract. Where did 2006 come to play?" [I think that came up in discussion on the rec.roller-coaster newsgroup. But a one-year exclusivity contract wouldn't make any sense at all, since of course they would have at least that much. Hey, I'd like a B&M coaster too, that's a great ride, but if we wait we might even get something other than yet another "Batman: The Ride" clone... maybe like the spiffy new B&M going in at Alton Towers?]
• "Add a huge roller coaster of sorts. If not a B& M, how about a huge multi-looper like Steel Phantom at Kennywood (?), or maybe even a hypercoaster like Steel Force or Magnum XL200. Not these little 30 second to one minute roller coasters."
• "Make the food and souvenirs more affordable."
• "Build another theme park hospital. The one in Spain is too inconvenient for the hurt in other parts of the park, and the little ambulance can't always get through the crowds."
• "Reopen the accessway between Splashwater and Looney Tunes Land. I hate going through Looney Tunes Land."
• "Bring back some of the great classic rides. Spinnaker was killer. And Spindletop rocked." [Gee, I hadn't heard about Spindletop... before my time here I guess... what kind of a ride was that?]
• "Take out the time consuming maintenance needing rides. Death to the Air Racer!" [I am debating whether I should take out all the comments about removing specific rides... first because not everyone is going to like the same rides, and second because I don't feel that removing any ride is actually an improvement. There are probably some people who will never ride Mr. Freeze either, but that's not a good reason to deny the rest of us the opportunity to do so. Some people very much enjoy Air Racer (there's always a queue for it) and that alone is a good enough reason to want to keep it.]
• "Clean out the ponds. You gotta love smell the raw sewage at the end of Runaway Mine Train, and everytime you walk past Air Racer." [I don't mind them being in a 'natural state' (with live fish, frogs, and other wildlife, etc.) but I agree that that's not mutually exclusive with them being kept at least free of litter and other unwanted debris.]
• "If you're going to keep the name "LaSalle's River Rapids, do something to take away the "Roaring Rapids" name over by the old entrance in the Tower Section." [It is sorta weird to have such a dramatic signboard so far from the actual ride entrance. It's still cool though, and maybe an alternative would be to rename the ride "LaSalle's Roaring Rapids" to justify keeping the original signage, and perhaps reroute the exit through that Tower area location instead?]
• "Speed up the lift hill to the Shockwave. I love the ride, but the lift hill is just soooooooooooooooo slow." [I've heard that originally it was a lot faster...]
• "Turn the Judge backwards again. And what's with the seatbelts?" [Meaning what? As for "backwards" it might be nice to have one train (or even a couple of cars of each train, maybe?) turned backwards.]
• "Judge Roy Scream needs significant maintenance to the trains, I rode a train with a lap bar that flopped from missing bolts.. the holes for the bolts had worn thru."
• "As to Ripping out rides for the sake of ripping out rides... The Astrolift was removed right after the State Fair's lift jumped the cable, but the lift in Houston continues to provide smooth and safe rides today.. " [Von Roll skyrides in general are in widespread use around the world, and overall have a remarkably good safety record. Still, it seems that more theme parks are taking them out than adding them, and I suspect that the liability issue is the main reason for that.]
• "The Log Flume is my favorite, slow, quiet, and a good chance to change pace from the hectic slam bam of the big rides."
• "Continue the tradition of a Family Experience. bigger - better - faster for some of the rides, slower - better - easier for some of us (remember that the dads with the kids in tow have the billfolds and ATM cards!)"
• "Paint and repair on every queue house, pressure wash the concrete, keep the signature blacktop streets (but patch the cracks!) .. that smell of hot tar brings back good memories..."
• "Most of All, motivate the employees! Most of them this summer were pleasant, but the "we're here to make you have a good time" was pretty hollow as the evening approached."
• "Live shows were the signature when the park opened... the Crazy Horse had 50 applicants for every position, and kids were hired on the spot to go pro (they even hired the live piano player out from under the park!) ... Live musicians to back up the southern palace musicals added that much thrill (have you seen the atrocious holloween thing this fall? .. compare that to the "Reunion at Rockdale High" in San Antonio..(RaRH had been trimmed from the 1991 version, but it was worth seeing twice on two days)" [I was pleased to see better sound at the Crazy Horse this year, but overall the show could be better. I heard that Fiesta Texas was outstanding principally for its live shows, and I fear that Six Flags management will not maintain that high standard there either. And no, I haven't seen the Fright Fest show yet this year... that bad, huh? I would love to see a greater effort to produce really uniformly high-quality live shows at SFOT, however... not that embarassingly cheesy stuff like that Batman Stunt Show... we certainly do have the talent here in the Metroplex to do that. I do like the Animal Action Theatre show, and the Hot Rockin' Country show would be good if they'd get rid of the tacky video interviews and fix the jarring distortion in the overloud sound system in the Southern Palace Theatre.]
• "Bring back Skull Island!"
• "they need to dedicate one night a month for "adults only", kick out all the teen age super predators, open a couple of bars around the park, crank up the music and let us really have a good time... "

Do you have a good idea for an improvement that you'd like to have added to this list? E-mail it to me, and I'll probably add it here!

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Mr. Freeze and related elements are property of DC Comics, (C) 1997. The rest of this page and all linked contents originating with me are Copyright (C) 1997-2000 by Gordon E. Peterson II, all rights reserved worldwide. Last revised January 20, 2000.