Disney Parks & Fastpass - Often Imitated, But...

rick2vick · Post by **rick2vick** » Jul Tue 12, 2005 4:04 pm

Sunday, I took my two sons and two nephews to Six Flags, New England. It's a nice park, and we had fun, but it surely makes me appreciate just how good Disney really is at the theme park business. I found myself walking around the park and observing the many ways that they try to be like Disney, but fall short.

A good example of this is Fast Lane, Six Flags' answer to Fastpass. I couldn't believe it when I learned that you have to pay extra for this service. For the five of us, it would have cost $60 over and above the cost of admission. So, while Disney developed Fastpass as a free service to allow their guests to enjoy more attractions, Six Flags looks at it as an additional profit center. I chose not to pay the extra, but I spoke to someone who did. He showed me a device that they gave him that looked kind of like a pager. When his time to ride came up, there was a message on the screen. It seemed like a much more complicated system than Disney has, and I don't think it worked as well. I saw the Fast Lane lines get very long at times. That caused the standby lines to move very slowly. Furthermore, the signs that give the wait time on the standby line were usually either not working, or very inaccurate. I'm not saying that Disney's system is perfect, but I think it is much better than this one. I believe that they work very hard to keep the Fastpass times down, and the standby times on the signs accurate.

I certainly don't expect Six Flags to be as good as Disney. However, a visit there reminds me of how well spent my money has been on my visits to the Disney parks.

QuickGold · Post by **QuickGold** » Jul Wed 13, 2005 9:07 am

Just go to Six Flags during the middle of the week and lines tend to be pretty short. I usually go to Six Flags New England once a year

borjoyzee · Post by **borjoyzee** » Jul Wed 13, 2005 8:22 pm

Six Flags isn't that of a great park, most of them. The only one that is good is Magic Mountain but other are terrible. I think the Cedar Fair company is better than Six Flags.

Now as for Disney, it is a true theme park as of Six Flags, they call it a theme park but I really don't see much theming in their parks, something like story telling. Six Flags, all they do is slap names on random rides and call it a theme, and the theming is not very good as of Disney's.

As for Cedar fair, they go by their ways, as a amusement park instead of calling it a theme park, I think Six Flags should be more of a amusement park instead of theme park, unless they start making huge changes in their theming, but I highly dought it.

Post by **js3901** » Jul Thu 14, 2005 3:51 am

borjoyzee wrote: Now as for Disney, it is a true theme park as of Six Flags, they call it a theme park but I really don't see much theming in their parks...

I think Six Flags should be more of a amusement park instead of theme park...

while you may not see the theme as well as Disney parks, Six Flags is a theme park. All of the rides/attractions have some kind of theme to it, and it's evident in the names of the rides. all the park is themed to Warner Brothers franchises (such as Batman, Superman, Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, etc). The reason why you may not see the themes is because of how diversified WB is compared to Disney. Disney has one basic theme - Mickey Mouse and friends. The parks merely build off of that in making new themes (like tomorrowland, adventureland, epcot, etc). WB owns the franchises I mentioned and then some, and they try and put the most popular into their parks.

in any case, I much prefer Disney parks to anywhere else. nowhere in the world can compare as nowhere can immerse you in the magic.

Cratster15 · Post by **Cratster15** » Sep Mon 12, 2005 10:01 pm

i go to both six flags in chicago and st louis and i find that the only ride at any of those parks that really has any themeing, and i use that word loosely, is batman. but you have to be willing to read signs and stuff. their fastpass is totally useless. the lines arent that long at all at either one.

Fantasrick · Post by **Fantasrick** » Sep Tue 13, 2005 12:59 pm

That's a bummer that they charge extra for the luxury of not waiting in long lines.

MouseMan · Post by **MouseMan** » Sep Tue 13, 2005 1:44 pm

Six Flags hasn't been doing very well and they are up for sale right now. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/ ... 5517.shtml

I've been to the one in Chicago several times. Some of the rides are good, but it certainly doesn't have a theme to it at all and after half a day you feel you have done everythign you wanted to do.

If you got a bunch of teen-agers to entertain then Six Flags will do it being non-stop rides, but if you want to satisfy three generations with the most memorable vacation experience they could have, WDW can't be beat.

AKLRULZ · Post by **AKLRULZ** » Sep Wed 14, 2005 8:40 am

We recently visited a Paramount Park and were asked to do a survey upon exiting the park. One of the questions was how the park compared to Disney World. Before thinking I said "You are kidding, right?"

Nothing can compare to Disney. The Busch parks (Busch Gardens, Sea World) do a fabulous job as do the Cedar Fair parks and Paramount and Six Flags are great for coasters and thrill rides - but compare to Disney - HA!

rick2vick · Post by **rick2vick** » Sep Wed 21, 2005 9:29 am

AKLRULZ wrote:compare to Disney - HA!

You're so right AKLRULZ. In this forum, many of us lament the fact that things at the Disney parks aren't the way they used to be, or aren't quite the way that we would want them to be. True enough, but the Disney parks are so much better than anything else out there. They aren't even in the same league.

Fantasrick · Post by **Fantasrick** » Sep Wed 21, 2005 4:26 pm

Yeah, Disney does theme parks better than all of the rest for certain.

Post by **rdeacon** » Sep Fri 23, 2005 10:44 am

I went to Six Flags Great Adventure like two weeks ago. The park is so pathetic compared to any of the Disney parks.
I think the easiest way to describe the park is half assed!

Let me explain:

1. Themeing - can we say get a clue. They have no consistent feel to any area of the park. They just added the Kingda Ka area, which would give them an opportunity to kick the park up a notch...but no! They mix Asian and a cowboy Midwest theme together.. ugh come on. The rest of the park is cluster f*** too. Universal did a good job with IOE.. no excuse why a new area can't be done well.

2. Marketing - in my opinion Disney is the king here, and has no rivals, but 6 flags is so pathetic it’s painful. First of all, the image they use to market their parks is: http://www.sixflags.com/images/d_manwaving.gif COME ON, you can't do better then that??!!?? Who the hell wants to buy merchandise with an old guy on it.. MORONS. They have the Loony Toons they couldn't use that???

3. Merchandise - just scary. Once again Disney is the king. With 6 flags you have the old guy...and a bunch of Disney styled rip off shirts, which was the best things they had, then you go off the deep end. They had merchandise that included: Betty boop, Dora, and religious items. Yes religious items! Nothing says I loved my trip to 6 flags like a crucifix.

4. Music - ugh just sad. Heard music from Universal and Disney in the park. Hey isn't that fountain music..... ugh be original.

5. Queues - this is another painful one. Went on Skull Mountain and heard Haunted Mansion bells, which don't match the theme, but ahh we already established that themeing is not a strong point, then as you walk thru the queue you get treated to obvious speakers and gum on the walls. Then I go to ride Nitro (I will give 6 flags props for that, that coaster rocks), and wait 2 hours to walk between the back of a stand, complete with garbage and debris, and large electrical equipment. Nice, made me all warm and fuzzy.

6. Nighttime shows - they should just not have them. They had fireworks over the lake (more like a pond). Yeah I want to meet the genius that set this up. The fireworks are shot up to extremely loud, unsynchronized music (which is different in each part of the park..why make it the same), and too low. So by the end you are deaf and coughing in a haze of firework smoke...classy. Oh for to mention that the name of the show was illumamatrix.. a firework/ light show. BTW flood lights are not really a show, and nice rip-off of illuminations.

7. Fastpass rip off - and it is a rip off. They charge you for this gem, and the best part is after paying you can't sit in the front of the coaster! NICE!

I won't even list the wonderful guests, avg age 16, and the amount of expletives I heard that day, and the entrance to the park that they call, oh yeah Main Street. And it’s a wonder they lose money… I don’t see how

I guess the best part of 6 flags is it, just makes me love Disney so much more...

Rich

stev02 · Post by **stev02** » Sep Fri 23, 2005 10:48 am

+1 on rd

JWKarlsen · Post by **JWKarlsen** » Oct Wed 12, 2005 9:24 am

well i think as disney was the first to think of such a thing as a theme park, logically they are the best. since they are under steady development they should stay the best. i don't like companies imitating concepts. that behavior will result in faliure most of the time. especially in countries / regions where there are already competing companies.

this topics discussion now turned to be mainly about six flags, but i haven't heard you mention any other theme parks. i can't talk about the us, because i don't know the range of theme parks there very well. but here in central europe we have several theme parks that are worth going to because they have a different offering. for example the two legolands in denmark and germany are all about lego and the attractions are even made of lego stones (i'm not sure if you're familiar with lego, since this is a european product / toy and i don't know if its common in the us). another example would be the mistery park in switzerland, the asterix park in france or the europapark in germany. of course some of the concepts are similar, but there aren't that many possibilities how to do such parks, are there?

Post by **js3901** » Oct Sat 15, 2005 2:50 am

many of the theme parks (at least the ones I've been to and/or seen videos of online) in the US are the same in design/layout and also attractions. While many try and copy Disney's layout, most just try and build around the natural land that was there before building.

As for legos, they are know around the US. in fact, at WDW in Florida, there is a store in the Downtown Disney section that is an official Lego store and it even has different sculptures made out of legos (like the family with dogs, the sea monster, and a sleeping, snoring man on a bench. I think, if I'm not much mistaken, that there is a Legoland in California as well...

Andm you can find a video of Europapark at Themepark review. The file can be downloaded through this link. a full listing of videos (which include several parks in Europe) can be found here. Enjoy...