Wednesday, June 25, 2014
CoasterRadio.com #834 - First Rides: Gringotts and Goliath
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THIS WEEK:
* Seth Kubersky joins us to review Universal Orlando's Diagon Alley
* Seth tells us what we can look forward to in "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts!"
* Will the closing of the American Idol Experience be the first step towards a Star Wars Land?
* A Live Trip Report from the New Thunderbolt at Coney Island!
* CM Venom stops by to review Goliath, the new RMC coaster at Six Flags Great America
* Plus a lot more!
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Talk about this episode by leaving a comment here on the blog.
I don't think Six Flags Great America will ever be a "destination" park. What I consider "destination" parks are places in which people are coming from everywhere to visit. Disney and Universal I think are "destination" parks mostly because there are 2 of them in the US (2 Disneys as a whole I mean / 2 Universals), and they are so UNIQUE in the rides / shows they have. Also, the weather is usually warm (as compared to very cold winters) where those 2 places are located which helps.
ReplyDeleteTo many people, a roller coaster is a roller coaster, and they are within 4 hours of wherever they live in the US. Non-roller coaster enthusiasts might think that there 170 foot coaster in there park is the tallest in the world. Not everyone is an enthusiast.
Look at Cedar Points attendance, and it's nowhere close to Disney or Universal which I consider "destination" parks. Yes, you might get enthusiasts that have to try out Goliath, and they are from Utah, but that's just because they are enthusiasts, and they might think it's worth going. I think Six Flags Great America is a great park and that it does get crowds, but a lot of the people are coming from closer by with most of them coming from Illinois / Wisconsin / Indiana. So, yes I think that Goliath will get crowds, and it might get some enthusiasts to visit from further away, but in my opinion, Great America will never be a "destination" park like the other 2 places unless they change the entire park into something much more unique which I doubt would never happen.
Perhaps I should have been a bit clearer. I refer to SFGAm as a "destination park" for the median listener of CoasterRadio, and not so much for the general public.
ReplyDeleteThe park (and the general area) lacks the infrastructure that one would traditionally associate with a DP (official or partnered hotels, non-waterpark recreational options, etc.). However, considering the park's coaster offerings (a unique hyper and collection of wood, the only Speedracer in the northern hemisphere, much more), plus Goliath, I think it now can easily be classified as a coaster destination.