Comparison with Six Flags over Georgia

This past Saturday, April 14, my mom, brother, and I went to Six Flags over Georgia for the first time. The following is a basic review of SFOG.

Roller coasters/Rides
Pros:
-The ride waits weren't that long (10-40 minutes)
-All of the roller coasters are really fun to ride (although some are rough)
-Price for locker rental wristbands was extremely affordable ($3 for an all-day, all-ride wristband compared to $1 per hour just at one ride's locker booth)

Cons
-Some of the ride wait times were inaccurate, such as a 30 minutes wait time sign on the loading dock of Dare Devil Dive which only took us 5 minutes to get through
-There was no sense of urgency for the ride operators. To us, it seemed as if they were taking their time with everything.
-Loading the cars wasn't efficient. They were sending out trains with lots of empty seats. Instead of filling the trains and getting people on the ride faster, they were letting whole rows go empty because the riders didn't want to go without their group.
-The exits for the rides are in the gift shops which is good for business. However, your bags are in the locker, at the ride entrance <-- not so good for business.


Entertainment
-Extremely loud music videos and commercials constantly playing. We had to yell at each other to hear over the music.
-Lack of places to go (theatres) when it gets hot outside
   -It was only about 85* when we went but there was little shade in some parts of the park, no fans, and only some billboards had misters on the sides of them, which occasionally didn't work.


Food
-The food was delicious however, in my opinion, there were WAY too many food choices.
-Also, some of the restaurants didn't pertain to the themed section of the park it was located in. Best example: a Mexican restaurant in the French section of SFOG with rap music playing over the speakers.


Shops
-There was very little SFOG specific items
-Things offered:
   -A lot of Marvel, Looney Tunes items
   -Generic roller coaster shirts
   -Miscellanious jewelry and other accessories


Park Demographics
-Very young, mostly age 25 and under
-Quite noisy
-Not as friendly as other theme parks


Theme
-It was hard to see the theming of the park sections.
-There was a lack of:
   -Signage telling you what part of the park you were in (besides the USA section which is clearly marked)
   -Building differences. Most of them looked the same as in other sections.
   -Food choices that were specific to the theme area. There was barbeque offered in USA and Lickskillet. Hamburgers were offered in just about every section. See "Food" for another example
   -Music differences. In every section except Lickskillet, the same music was playing throughout the park.
-The best themed sections of the park would be Gotham City and Lickskillet.


First Aid / Security
Pros
-There were a lot of uniformed officers walking through the park which I like to see
-As you enter the park, there are metal detectors and simple bag checks

Cons
-Response of security and first aid was very slow.
   -There was a medical emergency when we were there and it took EMS about 10-15 minutes to respond. When they arrived, they had no golf cart or stretcher on which to carry the person out. The woman was on the other side of the ride station (the exit) and their options were either 3 flights of stairs to descend/ascend to get back to the main walkway or they had to cross the train and file out through the ride gates to get back.
   -However, EMS was fast-moving when they did eventually get to the scene.
-Only 1 first aid station for the entire park. There is probably a need for another station or two.

ThrillNetwork Interview

So, Kirstin, you won our contest over the winter for Wild Eagle! What did you think about our contest?
I loved the contest! I thought it was amazing and a little challenging. It was quite fair for everyone who participated in it and really, anyone had the chance to win. Personally, it took me 4 hours to gind the answers to all the questions from the second round.

Were you excited that you were getting to go to Media Day?
I was so excited about the getting the chance to go to Media Day. It didn't sink in until I actually started getting emails from Ashley, Dollywood's PR Specialist, and we were planning my trip up to Dollywood.

What did you think about Wild Eagle before you actually got to ride?
Before I got to ride Wild Eagle, I thought that it was spectacular. Walking around the corner of the park near Tennessee Tornado and seeing it up on the top of the mountain completed and ready to "fly", took my breath away. I've never wanted to ride a roller coaster as badly as I wanted to ride Wild Eagle.

What about after? Did it meet your expectations?
After I rode it, I didn't want to get off the ride! I was so surprised about how smooth the ride was. I've ridden many coasters but this is definitely one of the best, if not the best. It exceeded my expectations by far. I didn't expect the theme to be carried through the ride as well as it was (I should have though, based off of Dollywood's other rides). And it was quiet! If there were no people screaming, it would be hard to hear. I could watch it all day, swooping and soaring over the mountain. Wild Eagle is absolutely gorgeous!

What did you think about Media Day? Describe your feelings!
Media Day was outstanding! My family and I are always excited about going to Dollywood but this time, there was just that extra surge of adrenaline to get us even more excited. That entire morning, I had a smile non-stop. I have to admit though, during the actual opening ceremony, there were a couple of tears shed while hearing Dolly talk and sing and especially watching one of the eagles fly. That was the most majestic thing I've ever seen. (For those who may not know, Dollywood had two eagle handlers holding an eagle under the ride's lift hill while Dolly was talking with the crowd. During her song, "The Sky is Not The Limit," the eagle was released to soar above the audience to two other handlers on a lower platform.) The entire thing was surreal. I couldn't believe that I was actually getting the chance to be at my favorite theme park as a special guest with a ton of other "important" people. I felt so privileged!

Did you enjoy hanging out at the park during the weekend?
I really enjoyed hanging out at the park that weekend. For the first time, I felt like I could truly be happy/ecstatic about riding a coaster and not get strange looks. There were many people at the park that weekend but riding the coasters with other enthusiasts was so cool.

What do you think about Wild Eagle as an addition to the park?
As an addition to the park, I think Wild Eagle is fantastic. It will birng in thousands of people, if only just to experience the coaster. Everything brings in fans, and fans bring in money. I really want Dollywood to succeed and grow larger than they are now. Dollywood is my Disney World.

Do you enter a lot of contests? Why did this one peak your interest?
I do enter a lot of contests. I enter every contest that peaked my interest. This one peaked my interest for a few reasons. First, the reward was for Dollywood, which (if I haven't said it enough) is my favorite park. Second, Media Day was specifically for introducing Wild Eagle and I love me some roller coasters! Third, there was a chance that I might get to see Dolly Parton in person (not necessarily meet her).