A visit to Gronalund

Back at the end of 2008 I visited a fantastic inner city amusement park, Gronalund in Stockholm. While the park isn't home to the biggest or fastest, it is home to an ecclectic mix of rides and attractions in a picturesque waterside location. In 2009 the park is installing a 4D Zacspin ocaster from Intamin.

The park also recently announced plans to expand the park to include a compact B&M coaster.

SAW Point

So today was a special media and advanced preview day of the all new SAW: The Ride at Thorpe Park. Only it hasn't gone to plan because Saw is broken already. Not the best start to the new season for Thorpe Park.

So is it a case that parks are pushing the boundaries to far, are manufacturers offering unproven products, is it the contractors that aren't building the rides properly.

Of course the park hasn't even opened to the public yet so it's unfair to cast too much criticism. After all aren't these preview days about testing the rides in real world situations to see how they cope.

In any case Saw shows that Merlin are prepared to up the ante and install rides that offer the complete package including top notch themeing. Saw is a more rounded and complete ride than the likes of Air and Stealth. MErlin seem interested in putting in rides befitting a THEME park rather than plonking down half hearted efforts that suit amusement parks.

I hope this very early teething problem sorts itself out and Merlin see the value of installing attractions of this nature. Lets hope this is a turning point and we start to see true THEME parks expanding in the UK.

No Wonder They Struggle

Is it any wonder so many US parks are struggling when they're barely open. Last night I decided to look in to a quick trip to the US in September to knock off a few parks that I've not been to yet. Only it's not worth it. The vast majority of the parks are only open on the odd weekend in September. I don't want to go sight seeing on the weekdays.

I can't even go in May as most are only open Weekends, and even if I went in June I need to be careful what days I choose. So that means July and August are the only real months to visit the US.

Looking at European Parks most are open right through May to October. And are open weekends in March and April, covering much more of the year and producing greater revenue.

Given the cost of the land of an amusement park you'd think they'd want to generate as much income as possible over as long a period as possible. A closed park makes no money. I'm sure even quiet days must cover the cost of reduced staffing levels. Isn't it better to earn $100 income than zero income.

I was most shocked by the Seattle area. I looked into going to the Rodeo at Pullyup to discover the neraby parks are only open weekends. Surely with such a big event in town they'd want to open on week days surrounding that event. Does it not drawer in tourists to the area looking for additional entertainment.

So it looks like this year will be a US free year as I check out parks in China and Europe. Oh and Florida, but that doesn't really count as proper USA.

Ropers Gone?????

There's rumours abound that the Ropers have finally upped and moved away from the vicinity of Alton Towers. As yet I've not had this officially confirmed and while several different people have said they've gone and couple of local residents have said they haven't.

But in any case whether they have moved or not the noise restrictions and firework restrictions will remain in place. It seems the Ropers have done their damage and now moved on. Hopefully though it means an end to the court appeals.

Merlin and Mack?

Several executives from the Merlin Entertainment Group recently paid a visit to the factory of Mack Rides and took a tour of neighbouring Europa Park. Could the team from Merlin have gone on a shopping trip. Will we see a plethora of Mack rides appearing in Merlin parks throughout Europe over the next couple of years.

Merlin have a long list of parks under their control, including the likes of Alton Towers, Legoland, Thorpe Park, Heide Park and Gardaland. Given Macks mid priced range of attractions Merlin could add a lot of new rides to many parks for not huge amounts of money. I suspect for the price of a single Intamin or B&M coaster you could buy maybe 2 or 3 Mack coasters. Can the public necessarily tell the difference? A new attraction is a new attraction.

There are many rumours that in 2008 the Merry England part of Alton Towers will receive a make over and become a pirate themed land. The Splash Karts are expected to go to be replaced by a new ride of some sort. Well Mack have experience with pirate themed interactive boat rides, they recently installed one at Legoland Deutschland (another Merlin parks).

Mack could even provide a Pirate themed Supersplash as another new attraction for the area.


Hopefully over the next couple of months things will become clear and we'll find out if this was a social visit or a shopping trip.

Six Flags really has improved

I'm pleased to report that my visit to Six Flags Great America backs up my recent experiences with Six Flags Over Georgia. SFGA also had plenty of live bands and singers dotted around the providing entertainment in some of the busiest areas of the park. There were also plenty of costume characters dotted throughout the park again boosting the family vibe, and scaring those less fond of furries.

The staff were on the whole very happy and pleasant. I was even shocked when one staff member saw me studying the map and came across to offer assistance with directions. I expect this at Disney World but at Six Flags?

Oh and the park closed with a night time illuminated parade, Bugs Bunny’s Starlight Spectacular. Sure it wasn't quite up to Spectromagic standards BUT the fact is the park made an effort and should be applauded for it.

If all this is as a result of the influence of Mark Shapiro then he deserves a big pat on the back. Six Flags genuinely looks like it's making a turn for the good.

My only real gripe still with Six Flags is the high prices for drinks and food. If smaller parks can charge prices at nearly 50% less then surely Six Flags could afford even a 25% price drop. To be really family friendly lets see food and drinks at a more family affordable price. Or why not take a leaf out of Magic Springs, Kiddie Land and Holiday Worlds book and add a couple of dollars on entry and offer free soft drinks.
Holiday World have shown that rather than loose money they now make more on food and beverage than before as in park spending has acutally increased. So this could prove a real winner for Six Flags, in one brave move they could further bolster the family appeal and increase their profits. Go on Mark lets see if you've got the bottle.

No More Six Flags Moments??

While I've not been to Six Flags Over Georgia before I'm guessing that Mark Shapiro has had some influence on the park. On my recent visit I found myself questioning whether it was indeed a Six Flags park. As a veteran Six Flags guest visiting their parks throughout the US and previously in Europe I've always found the parks to be sterile, full of over the top rules and disinterested employees.

I found SFGA to be picturesque and full of happy people, guests and employees. I was impressed with the number of costume characters throughout the park and with the large amount of live entertainment on offer. It seemed where ever large numbers of guests accumulated, Goliath queue, Superman queue and eating areas there was a live band performing. All of this lead to a wonderful family atmosphere throughout the park.

I know when he took over control Mark Shapiro had named SFGA as a flagship park by which all other parks should strive to be like but I can't help thinking that some of what I experienced was a result of his leadership. I guess I'll find out in a week when I visit Six Flags Great America.

At this rate we won't be able to use the phrase “Had a Six Flags moment” when referring to a bad experience in a park. Although a replacement has already been thought of after experiencing some OTT rules, 1 that is impossible to obey at a couple of parks run by the same chain.