The Change: Parks going down-hill/up-hill

[Kebab]

Anyone had that feeling, where you go to a park and find that certain magic has gone away, everything begins to become over-commercialized and the ride selection gets more disappointing by the day...

As much as I love the park, and as much as I know they're hitting an all-time high with their capitalistic success, Alton Towers is one park that's lost its magic that it once had. Whether it was thwarting Oblivion with awful 'Fanta' ads, the mediocrity of their previous instalments 'Rita' and 'Th13teen' or just the simple lack of atmosphere which the park used to give, Alton Towers is one park personally which as sadly gone down-hill. It's still a fantastic park, I'd ride the classics over anything else in the country, but I haven't been impressed with anything since Air. Hopefully The Smiler will change my opinion.

Thorpe Park on the other hand I feel, has done the complete opposite, it's gone from a small albeit average Theme Park to world-class in the matter of several years.

Discuss!

 

[Mushroom]

A lot of people think Alton has lost its magic, however I went with some people who had never been before and could feel the old magic of the past as I saw it in their eyes. As we hang out with other enthusiasts all the time, we lose some of the feeling. I honestly think we need to go with people who don't do these things that often and have a great day.

posting from somewhere in the world...

 

[furie]

I try to go to Alton as often as possible with people who have never been, or haven't been in a long while. You're right Mushy, the magic is still there - it's the fact that nothing "big" changes, but lots of small things you only notice as a regular that means you think it's lost the magic.

As a regular visitor it offers diminishing returns. Thorpe has increased the offering, so it appears to be better. Pretty much every year there's something major happening so it's always got something fresh and exciting to offer.

I like the clean new Pleasure Beach, but I miss the old days with no queues and tack assailing you at every turn. It was vibrant and exciting - but it has suffered (for me) the same as Alton with over visiting and not enough change - well, there IS change, but I want The Whip back, and Noah's Ark, and The Flume and Ben Hur :lol:

 

[JJLehto]

Yup, my home park SF: Great Adventure.

I know its cool to bash on Six Flags but really, was a good, fun park when I was a kid.
Then exactly what you said OP...got very very successful and started slowly going downhill. Sold out, more or less. I go just to go and get the few coasters in I like but eh....I've said before, a few parks should buy some of the good coasters, move em and level that place.


Hershey Park has gone in the opposite direction IMO.
It has a lot of nostalgia and memory for me. The magic is still there but has also has gotten much better. Went from a fun, smallish place, to packed with coasters and rides, (lots of great coasters and rides) but is still a really nice place and enjoyable. I don't know if Hershey is considered world class but it's one of the very best parks in the country, I have no doubt.
10 years ago, it was just a fun lil park in Pennsylvania.

 

[Intricks]

Geauga Lake went down hill after a few seasons of Six Flags. It still had its moments, but they were very few and far inbetween.

Kennywood has kinda improved, but lost a bit of magic since they got rid of the half-price no ride entry. Somewhat cut their family market (my mom hasnt been back since they opted to remove that since she refuses to ride).

I think over-analyzing, or just going there hoping/expecting something new, of the whole experience will ruin that feeling of magic described. The sheer number of times Ive been to Kennywood hasnt really changed that overbearing smile, the anxiousness or sheer bliss I get when entering a new park.

I believe it is purely the mindset you have when you enter said park will determine if you act a child or be bored and wonder what has happened to that feeling.

 

[JJLehto]

I think over-analyzing, or just going there hoping/expecting something new, of the whole experience will ruin that feeling of magic described. The sheer number of times Ive been to Kennywood hasnt really changed that overbearing smile, the anxiousness or sheer bliss I get when entering a new park.

I believe it is purely the mindset you have when you enter said park will determine if you act a child or be bored and wonder what has happened to that feeling.

Yes this is spot on.
Honestly....I feel no "magic" at a park ever these days. Not like when I was a kid. I assume magic was meant like that wide mouth youthful awe, and pure enjoyment. You sat in the car ride home smiling, then got back ran around in circles and fell asleep satisfied. :lol:

Curse you getting older.

Now its more like, we get there, ride rides, enjoy ourselves but not in that pure blissful way. Which is fine, we can't be kids forever.
Great point about mindset. We have to just accept things as they are, otherwise there is bound to be some mournfulness for the "good ol days"

 

[Hyde]

It's all a matter of perspective.

I have plenty of friends who grew in the Cincinnati area, with Kings Island as their home park. They will tell you KI has lost all of the magic from the transition of Paramount to Cedar Fair, gutting ride themes, changing staff operations, etc.

I however have a great time during visits to Kings Island. While it has plenty of new rides, there is still a 70s vibe that emanates from the park, harkening back to its original opening. Very funky, yet very down-to-earth.

I grew up with a completely different Cedar Point experience than the one you presently find: Magnum was the tallest roller coaster in the park, the Frontier Trail/Frontier Town was free of roller coasters (except Mine Ride), Jungle Larry's Safari, a fully functioning Disaster Transport. :wink:

While the park has changed (such as tearing down three major attractions last year), the magic isn't lost - it has simply changed. I can wax nostalgic about previous rides and experiences, trying to compare them to the present. Yet this is cyclical thought - I grew up with a 1990s Cedar Point, which was preceded by a 1980s Cedar Point, preceded by a 1970s Cedar Point. Parks change, and every generation gets to experience them in different ways.

So I don't focus about what has been lost or gained in any given amusement park. I focus on how I can enjoy this amusement park.

 

[BBH]

Both Great America's were really shoved aside from any major development by their respective chain owners and I think now that they've both got the new, great rides they deserve, the general public seems a lot more...enthusiastic, if you will, about going to the parks.

 

[McGregor95]

In my opinion Gardaland losts its magic. :roll:
In the park the are lots of advertisings! The mine train is sponsorized by Skoda Yeti, Magic mountain by Fanta and the Vekoma looping coaster trains have the logo of fanta and varius color. Colorado Boat is sponsorized by " Mucca Mu Mu" etc etc.. In 2009 we had Ramses, a stupid shooting ride which repleaces a beutiful dark ride ( Valle dei Re). In 2010 the new were Spongebob 4D ( Ooooooh wow :roll: ) and the 3D show Time Voyagers ( Very beautiful) were moved to Thorpe Park. The only major new rides when Merlin bought the parks were Mammut - Vekoma mine train and Raptor but obviously Merlin built a wing coaster much bigger, taller in Thorpe Park.. :?

 

[bmac]

Yup, my home park SF: Great Adventure.

I know its cool to bash on Six Flags but really, was a good, fun park when I was a kid.
Then exactly what you said OP...got very very successful and started slowly going downhill. Sold out, more or less. I go just to go and get the few coasters in I like but eh....I've said before, a few parks should buy some of the good coasters, move em and level that place.

Great Adventure really started taking a turn for the worst after the flats from the WoL campaign got removed, it left huge chunks of the park as barren concrete pads with no shade and made the walks to other areas very unappealing. Great Adventure had a really bad practice of building roller coasters when obviously the issue with the park was the lack of other things to do like shows and flat rides. In 2011 they only had 3 shows, two of which got cancelled last year. They also have so few flat rides that I could literally count them off on my hand, which they got away from last year with Adventure Alley. The biggest thing that they have to do now is to widen their food options, fill in a few more spots with flats, refresh their buildings, and offer a lot more shade in areas that desperately need it. Last year I felt a bit of the charm coming back from the old days but they still have a long way to go to really get back to where they once were.

They could also probably get away with canning 2 of their 3 Flash Pass options, but that's a fight for another day.

 

[JJLehto]

Yup, my home park SF: Great Adventure.

I know its cool to bash on Six Flags but really, was a good, fun park when I was a kid.
Then exactly what you said OP...got very very successful and started slowly going downhill. Sold out, more or less. I go just to go and get the few coasters in I like but eh....I've said before, a few parks should buy some of the good coasters, move em and level that place.

Great Adventure really started taking a turn for the worst after the flats from the WoL campaign got removed, it left huge chunks of the park as barren concrete pads with no shade and made the walks to other areas very unappealing. Great Adventure had a really bad practice of building roller coasters when obviously the issue with the park was the lack of other things to do like shows and flat rides. In 2011 they only had 3 shows, two of which got cancelled last year. They also have so few flat rides that I could literally count them off on my hand, which they got away from last year with Adventure Alley. The biggest thing that they have to do now is to widen their food options, fill in a few more spots with flats, refresh their buildings, and offer a lot more shade in areas that desperately need it. Last year I felt a bit of the charm coming back from the old days but they still have a long way to go to really get back to where they once were.

They could also probably get away with canning 2 of their 3 Flash Pass options, but that's a fight for another day.

Yes, that's another issue. I always go very late season, partially to dodge crowds, but as you said there is no shade, no green. Place is one giant concrete slab and on hot days its like standing in an oven.
Remember when they added 25 rides, several years ago? Granted only a third ever operated, (I recall this being the beginning of the slide) but they've all been removed and I remember less than there used to be! So I spend 8 hours waiting for 7 rides, because there's just nowhere for crowds to go (I do understand its always crowded since it's a popular park).
It really fell into disarray too. They half assed a fix up attempt with Kingda Ka. They actually had half of railings painted! The side you could see :lol:

I don't mean to bash, just saddens me what happened to it.

 

[bmac]

Yeah that was the WoL (War On Lines) campaign I referenced. A lot of those flats were prototypes or only the 2nd or 3rd ones built from their manufacturers, and they expanded so much in so little time that they couldn't staff enough to operate all the rides during the less active days, plus they didn't staff enough mechanics to keep the rides in working order all the time. They only have Twister left from all of that now and Time Twister is still sitting in their graveyard in pieces,. All the other rides either got shipped to other parks or scrapped.

 

[madhjsp]

I guess Busch Gardens Williamsburg has lost some of its luster for me in recent years, but really that has more to do with me just getting older & having been there dozens of times. I think Merlin's actually done a pretty nice job of maintaining the same overall atmosphere & quality of the park as it had before the Anheuser-Busch sale, and as much as BBW will be missed, Verbolten is an equally fun ride & I fully support the move to rejuvenate the park's coaster lineup by replacing an outdated model with a more modern one.

 

[Frank]

I think Disneyland Paris has been getting steadily worse in recent years. The vast majority of the guests seem to have no regard for other people and the staff seem too fed up and lazy to actually bother inforcing the rules (anyone who takes flash photos on Pirates of the Caribbean needs to go die. They look terrible and they ruin the experience for everyone else on the boat. The sign on the door even says "no flash photos", but no-one ever reads the sign and the staff downright refuse to remind people on the boats to think about other people. We spoke to Cyril the manager on the ride that day and he was a patronising, unhelpful buffoon).

And the park is getting a lot scruffier now. The pavement around the lake is falling apart, so much so that we saw a kid fall out of his pushchair because it was dark and his father didn't spot the enormous rut in the pavement. And all the lights that are meant to light the way to the disabled entrance of the Sequoia Lodge were all broken and overgrown with weeds last time we were there.

Disney don't seem to care any more, so I don't care enough to go again.

 

[Lofty]

I'm going to get hate from the Pleasure Beach goons, but, Pleasure BEach is both on the up and quickly sinking, it's rather strange;

The park became VERY scruffy and delapidated, although people take the piss about the fountains and sculptures, they've tarted that area up vastly. It looks miles better. It seems the park are spending quite a bit of money giving their rides and infrastructure a bit of TLC, which is a good thing.

The constant removal of rides is getting beyond a joke now. Although none of the rides have actually been that amazing, apart from Spin Doctor, but still, it seems they're taking rides out, without adding ANYTHING worthwhile. Shame really.

 

[Smithy]

Drastically reducing the opening hours and quality of ride operations too.

Was practically a ghost town when I went end of September.

Nickelodeon Land would not look out of place at Alton, but the rest of the park is dark, depressing and dull. Just like Blackpool really.

 

[TheCoasterCruiser]

My visit to BonBon-Land last year. A bit disappointing, that park had certainly lost the magic for me.
Can't really explain why though.

 

[McGregor95]

Drastically reducing the opening hours and quality of ride operations too.

Was practically a ghost town when I went end of September.

Nickelodeon Land would not look out of place at Alton, but the rest of the park is dark, depressing and dull. Just like Blackpool really.

The same happened to Gardaland. The opening hours were from 9 to 24. ( till 2008). From 2009 from 10 to 23. Some themed areas must be paint. And I hate that one of the most biggest attraction ( and of course major wait time) has a no covered queue from 2003. .-.

 

[McGregor95]

Drastically reducing the opening hours and quality of ride operations too.

Was practically a ghost town when I went end of September.

Nickelodeon Land would not look out of place at Alton, but the rest of the park is dark, depressing and dull. Just like Blackpool really.

The same happened to Gardaland. The opening hours were from 9 to 24. ( till 2008). From 2009 from 10 to 23. Some themed areas must be paint. And I hate that one of the most biggest attraction ( and of course major wait time) has a no covered queue from 2003. .-.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

I think Disneyland Paris is on the up again. They've put so much effort and millions of pounds into little details, so that we can have a great Disney experience. The renovation was something that was needed for years and while they still have a fair bit to go, at least all the hotspots are taken care of. One thing however, their food has gone down hill to a point where its taking the piss and if anybody who says they like their food, even in the more expensive sit down restaurants, you clearly have no tastebuds.. Sort it out!