Trip report for SFNO opening day

crazyb · XLR-8 Rider Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 52

THis is a post that was posted on another website regarding opening day for SFNO
As you will read SFNO is still not ready to join the ranks of SFAW or any other of the chains when it comes to customer satisfaction....What a park!!

I went to the park today with my two nieces for about 12 noon, and it was terrible. Ozarka Splash, Zydaco Scream, Lex Luthers invertetron, and the Ponchatrian beach flyers were all down when I first pasted them. On the way through the ponchatrain beach section, my girlfriend and nieces tried to use the bathroom, they had a worker standing at the door saying that was broke too. We went to the little road runner roller coaster, and sure enough they were using the two by four still. They let everyone do two circuits on the lil coaster. Right before my ride, the operator let the train go too far and she told the person in the first car that they had to stay on cause he was past the loading dock. Then, on my ride, she only let us do one circuit. I asked why, and she told me that is all anyone gets. Every time I have ever been, I have done two circuits, and every one before me did two. We went on to the little trucks in kiddie land next. A mechanic had to go get my two nieces off the ride because it broke while they were in the middle of the track. Before I left, we went back to ride the ponchatrain flyer. They just started to let people in line when I walked by. I was part of the first group to get on. When they try to dispatch the planes, they did not work at all. How can a park be this terrible on opening day? Heading downhill already. Even the jumping fountains by DC area and kiddie land were not working properly. They hardly shot any water, my nieces usually play in them a bunch. I also noticed on the shows schedule, they canceled a show in kiddie land that was suppose to be a "wet show" because of the "cold temperatures." Just before exicting the par, I over heard someone say that the Jester had just broke and there were people stuck in the coaster on top the lift hill.

Tsunami · Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 9:09 am Post subject:

This year I plan to visit some Six Flags parks outside of Texas that included SFNO. Last week I changed my April travel plans from SFNO to SFOG instead. After reading this posting, I am glad I did.

Panther Modern · Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 6:17 pm Post subject:

SFNO wasn't horrible (I really enjoyed their Batman the ride), but it had more of a carnival feel than that of an amusement park. I can't say any of their coasters were really fantastic to get me back there, tho.
_________________
Panther Modern
Webmaster
SixFlagsHouston.com

camarocoaster · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:54 am Post subject:

about how long is the drive? I'm thinkin of possibly planning a trip.
_________________
R.I.P. Astroworld

crazyb · XLR-8 Rider Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 52

Plan on 5-6 Depending on Weather and traffic and your driving habits..On I-10 from Lafayette to Baton rouge a short spell on Atchafalya Basin Bridge is 60 MPH and well inforced not 61, Traffic in Baton Rouge just past Mississippi Bridge to I-12 split depending on Lunch hour and off work time is horrific. You can either travel to N.O Via I-10 at Baton Rouge then take slant off to N.O east/ Slidell to park from the South or Slant off at Baton Rouge to I-12 and travel to Slidell, then take a right on I-10 cross the twinspan over the Lake and catch the park from the North. I live just North of the Lake from N.O and driving up took 5 hrs with a few quick bathroom stops and on return trip caught some rain and took 6 hrs..

Markieb · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:09 am Post subject:

It's really not worth the drive with gas prices like they are and SW air so cheap. I always fly.

Then again I fly to Dallas also. and lots of people hear don't mind that drive. Cam if you feel like flying maybe we can organize a day trip of board members?

I have a feeling though not many would pay to fly here.
After 5 or 6 hours in a car I just dont feel like going to a park.
I would like to see SFNO though!

ThatTh*ngGirl · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:35 am Post subject:

I could drive anywhere. NO is a ways tho, but I prefer flying depending on the distance and whether or not I've done that particular drive before. In this case, I would rather fly from DFW clear to NO (I HATED the one drive I've taken there and back.)

Markieb · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 12:11 pm Post subject:

NO to Houston,

is about as much fun as the drive from Dallas to Houston.

Mike Robinson · Site Admin Joined: 12 Mar 2002 Posts: 4184

ThatTh*ngGirl · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:51 pm Post subject:

ThatTh*ngGirl · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:57 pm Post subject:

Frontrider · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 5:23 pm Post subject:

I've made the drive from NO to SFAW in about 5 hours, not going faster than 75 or so. I average about 5.5 hours, depending on traffic, whether or not I stop anywhere (I usually don't), and what part of NO I'm leaving from. Not bad at all, considering I've done car trips almost 3 times as long, in one day, by myself!

Personally, I'd rather drive for THIRTY hours than fly ANYWHERE, but that's just me. I love the "Freedom of the Open Road" and cannot stand air travel Wink

Besides, there's no hassle about renting a car or taking a cab that way, you can arrive and depart on YOUR schedule instead of the airline's, and you actually get to see what the USA looks like when you drive!

Admitedly, the flip side is I tend to take more coaster trips in the region than outside of it, but one of these days I'm going to just point my car towards the northeast parks and the west coast parks and just indulge myself BIG TIME! Smile

Frontrider

delikaaza02 · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:25 pm Post subject:

due to the rising cost of gas that may be later than sooner(speaking for myself) Wink

Actually me and 6 other people with the same level of interest of coasters try 2 take a good road trip around to get to the coasters not in our reach but due 2 the hike in the gas price our plans beyond the southern coast will have to be re evaluated significantly. Crying or Very sad

_________________
Fin Sad

ThatTh*ngGirl · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:13 pm Post subject:

My husband is into saving time. Go figure; he hates flying, but would rather fly long distances than drive.

Me on the other hand, I could do either really. I have driven (or been a passenger) to more of the places I have gone out of state than flown. In fact, I have only flown 3 times in my life--once as a kid visiting Texas relatives when we lived in Pennsylvania, a 21st birthday trip for a friend and her family to Vegas, which was at a severe discount since one of them worked for Delta, and the last one for a trip to Atlanta and SFOG a few years ago with 9 other people.

And I agree; gas prices are just getting too far up there for me to consider driving too far out of town. Pretty sad when my folks are talking about making their somewhat-annual trip to PA and "budgeting" for gas becomes a factor. Or when you're planning your belated honeymoon to Orlando and your options are, "Drive your own car and run up the cost it would be for a rental, or use the gas money to pay for a rental?" Scary.

Frontrider · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:38 pm Post subject:

I've only flown 3 times, many years ago, and each time there was at least one "air pocket" or moment of turbulence where you thought "WE'RE GONNA DIE!" for at least a split second.

Also, a commercial jet once landed on the house of an aquaintance of a friend, killing their entire family, which didn't exactly endear me to the airline industry!

What little chance there was of me ever flying again ended in 1996 with the grisly reports of the ValueJet crash in the Everglades, not long before (or was it after) the grisly Long Island crash. Sept 11, 2001 didn't help, but like John Madden, I was already COMPLETELY done with flying by then!

If I ABSOLUTELY could not take my car, Greyhound or Amtrak would be my carrier of choice!

Now, if the plane traveled across the sky on a TRACK, and was mounted securely to the track by three sets of wheels (one above, one to the side, and one underneath), that would be entirely different! Smile

Frontrider