Six Flags is a Very Well-Known Amusement Park Franchise
Close your eyes (not yet) and imagine the best amusement park (now). Assuming you have opened your eyes or they were never shut at all, please forget about the amusement park that was imagined. The evaluation to follow will make most others look mediocre in comparison. Why? Well, the only real all-around entertaining amusement park is exactly what this evaluation is about. The rides, the food, the fun! What amusement park? The one and only Six Flags Franchise.
Six Flags is a very well-known amusement park franchise, featuring 22 parks in the United States alone. Elizabeth Myong noted, “Founded in Texas in 1961, Six Flags was named after the six nations that once claimed control over the Lone Star state: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. The theme park has expanded much beyond its original borders to Canada, Mexico, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates”. Six Flags is growing and changing on a regular basis, which is what makes the park more worthwhile. Each visit has the potential to be a different experience, with new thrills and fun.
Rides
This graph below breaks down what rides are available in the park and the percent of those types of rides. This chart compares all the parks such as; SeaWorld, Legoland, Disney, Cedar Fair, Universal, and Six Flags. Six Flags is well known for the fantastic thrill-seeking rides, and the parks are usually high in the coaster category. In a second graph, solely the Six Flags statistics are shown. The next highest rank is “Ride”. The Park Data Base defined this as “they are defined here, these are any ride attractions that are not coasters. This includes Ferris wheels, carousels, giant frisbees/disc rides, halfpipes, towers, tumblers, and so on”.
From the data shown, one can draw the conclusion that Six Flags has more exciting, large coasters than any of the other amusement park comparables. The rides are also very well kept, and technicians available whenever necessary. The lines seem to be much shorter compared to other popular amusement parks of its kind, like Disney or Universal.
Cost
Pricing is a big factor in any type of vacation, but especially crucial when it comes to amusement parks. The average cost to get into Six Flags Magic Mountain (located in Valencia, California) is $80 for a day pass and $220 for the season pass. As a comparison, Disney’s adult day pass is $130, a season pass is $400. Both Disney and Six Flags season passes have associated benefits. For Disney, there have discounts on food and merchandise in the park as well as entertainment discounts. On the Six Flags side, there are discounts on food, merchandise, games, and more. There is an option for a member to bring a friend for free, on select days, free waterpark admission, and admission to all 13 of the themed Six Flags locations. Six Flags also has the option of owning a membership. Above is shown ( 2020 Season Passes and Membership, n.d, n.p) the basic outline of the membership benefits. There’s a Gold member, Platinum, Diamond, and Diamond Elite. Each level of membership includes the benefits of the previous level plus some.
Fun for Everyone
One thing that can be a concern when going to Six Flags is whether or not the park will be an enjoyable experience for the kids. Six Flags, while being known for the thriller rides available, it has also had a very well-designed kid area at each of the locations. The brand is adapting to be more customer-friendly and offer the best they have available to the Six Flags customers, including the ones who are less capable due to handicaps. Frei and Madley noted, “Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, holds a Deaf Awareness Day once a year, with over 100 American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters located throughout the park”. Frei and Madley also stated, “This is especially effective in the park's theaters because interpreters are provided to sign the shows”. Along with that, the park is a very safe, and clean environment.
Six Flags is no Disneyland
Of all the cool and entertaining parts about Six flags, something one should not expect to find at any location include; a large mouse with red pants and yellow shoes, magical toys that drop when someone screams “Andy!”, wizards, or little yellow pill-shaped creatures. Going to Six Flags is not a replacement for experiences meant to be had at places like Walt Disney Theme Parks or Universal Studios. Six Flags is promoted by Warner Brothers and DC comics. Instead, one may happen to see an even more terrifying giant Bunny that says, “Eh what’s up doc?”. However, Six Flags is more of a roller coaster park than a park based on theme and characters. Six Flags is a less kid-centered environment. The kid coasters and play areas take up a minuscule portion of every park. Compared to Disneyland, the kid rides are seen as boring, simple, and very repetitive. They seem like the kind of rides one would find at the local fair. The customer service is also rather subpar. Employees are teens and are often very snarky and rude. The public facilities also need some TLC. Bathrooms are viewed as well-kept but outdated and in need of repair in many places.
Conclusion
Six Flags is a must on the list. The park is a family-friendly environment. It is also clear of solicitors for the most part, which is great. People do not want to constantly hear vendors yelling “Get your hot and fresh churros here” while waiting in line or just walking around. That is a bothersome experience and one that is rare if anything. Employees are very well informed as well, they can give park visitors directions. Employees also help customers find out information about the park, but the number one concern is the safety of the guests. Another great thing about Six Flags is the events it has, one of the biggest being fright-fest. During the winter there is also a snowfall at the park, which is just fake snow being shot from machines, but still entertaining. This is just one example of how Six Flags is constantly improving. The memories that are made at Six Flags can last a lifetime.
References
- 2020 Season Passes & Memberships. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/store/season-passes
- Myong, Elizabeth. “Six Flags uses tiered membership, regional appeal take on Disney's $1 billion Galaxy Edge park..” cnbc.com Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/six-flags-uses-tiered-membership-regional-appeal-take-on-disney.html (accessed January 22, 2020).
- Frei, C. E., & Madley, R. H. (1999). Accessing theme & amusement parks. Exceptional Parent, 29(4), 76. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=flh&AN=1777652&site=ehost-live
- Theme Park Signatures. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theparkdb.com/blog/theme-park-signatures/
