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| Great Escape opening 2 weeks later for 2011 season | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 22 2010, 11:32 PM (698 Views) | |
| nyguy | Dec 22 2010, 11:32 PM Post #1 |
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Via is from the Post Star.. Great Escape in Queensbury will open two weeks later in 2011 By BLAKE JONES bjones@poststar.com | Posted: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 4:09 pm QUEENSBURY -- The Great Escape will open two weeks later for its 2011 season, according to company officials. The theme park plans to open on May 21, the weekend before Memorial Day. That's two weeks later than opening day this year and last, but the same as 2008 and 2007. Great Escape President Don McCoy was out of town on Wednesday and not available for comment. Company spokeswoman Rebecca Close confirmed the schedule change and said the park's opening dates vary each year, but generally fall in May. "The decision to open for the 2011 season on May 21 eliminates the risk of spring weather issues," Close said via e-mail. "We have historically opened between the first weekend of May and Memorial Day. Opening May 21 still gives guests two full weekends before the traditional beginning of summer." The decision was made at the park level, not the corporate level; no further information was provided about the reasons for the earlier start. The change is one of many for Great Escape and parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corp. this year. In the spring, Great Escape announced it would not bring back the Holiday in the Park event, which debuted in November and December of 2009 and made for the park's longest season on record. In addition, Six Flags exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after shedding $1.7 billion in debt and preferred equity obligations, and named new chief executive and chief financial officers. CEO James Reid-Anderson took over in August, immediately shifting the company's focus. Reid-Anderson has stressed the need for organic revenue growth, as opposed to attendance growth through discounting and ticket promotions. He also said the company needs to focus more on regional theme parks and less on global entertainment. Six Flags hopes to boost its theme parks with new rides and attractions, and by making smarter capital investments. In an August investor conference call, CFO Alexander Weber Jr. cited a nighttime light parade at five U.S. locations called "Glow in the Park" as an example of inefficient spending; he noted the event takes place after guests have left and extends operating hours. "We see this is as just one small example where we can improve the efficiency and effectiveness by deploying our capital differently," Weber said. Locally, the reaction to a later Great Escape start was mixed. "I'm sure they've done their due diligence and determined it's not worth it to open early," said Luisa Craige-Sherman, executive director of the Lake George Chamber of Commerce. Craige-Sherman was unaware of any seasonal businesses that synch their opening dates with the theme park. She said the start of the season is a moving target in Lake George. The date hinges on the weather, ranging from May 1 to Memorial Day weekend for many businesses, she said. "They are pretty flexible on that, and it does depend on Mother Nature," she said. At the Country Inn & Suites next to the park, General Manager Dave Menter said he suspects the later start will affect hotel stays during those two weeks. "Whenever they're open, it impacts us," Menter said. Visitors don't usually book this far in advance, however, so any effect won't be noticeable until much closer to spring, he added. Across the street, Martha's Dandee Creme owner Dennis Lafontaine wasn't too concerned about the change when contacted by The Post-Star on Wednesday. He said his popular ice cream attraction opens about April 1 and relies mostly on locals during the shoulder season. Lafontaine said Great Escape brings a lot of people to the area during those initial weekends of the season, which drives traffic to his business. But the lines that form in the spring are mostly loyal residents. "Our spring business is driven mainly by the locals," he said. "After the winter, the locals really come back in full force." |
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| greatescapelover | Dec 22 2010, 11:40 PM Post #2 |
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thats complete bullshit. i hate the great escape. i stopped getting season passes last year because tge is so much of a joke. im most likely not gonna get passes anymore unless we see a dramatic change in the park. BUT let me sum this up into a short paragraph.. "the great escape is opening 2 weeks later this year to save a lot of money because we are cheap and dont want to spend money on your park! were also going to cut all of our hours so we can save even more money so we dont have to pay our workers more money too! YAY! doesnt that sound like a great season?!?! yeah! have fun at TGE until 5 olclock every day!!! woo hoo! have a great season guys!." nuff said. |
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| nyguy | Dec 23 2010, 12:24 AM Post #3 |
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agreed totally. Check out the comments on this story here.. http://poststar.com/news/local/article_281...l?mode=comments .. not ONE positive comment. Not only can I speak for myself, but I can speak for MANY people that I talk to, and none of them visit the park anymore. The park now is mostly surviving on tourists, not locals. The locals here are totally disgusted with what the park has become. I think the fact that the horrible turnout for Holiday in The Park further supports that. It really is a shame what the park has become. Charley Woods has rolled more times in his grave since Six Flags took over, then you can probably even imagine. |
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| derek1984 | Dec 23 2010, 12:21 PM Post #4 |
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The day Charley Wood had nothing to do anymore with The Great Escape is the day the place started going downhill. And it just keeps getting worse. Same can be said about Lake George Village, IMO. Once Gaslight Village closed, the village just hasn't been the same since. I guess all good things have to come to an end at somepoint. Well I will forever cherish the memories. |
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| Paul | Dec 23 2010, 01:05 PM Post #5 |
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Excuse my Francais, but fuck this shit. I agree that the change from Wood's ownership to Six Flags started a decline, but I think The Great Escape was on an uphill climb for a few years under Shapiro. Now this new management change has royally screwed the park. Please, Six Flags, find a new owner for the park. You're ruining it. |
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| greatescapelover | Dec 23 2010, 01:23 PM Post #6 |
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i think its a waste of my time and money to even visit the great escape anymore. for the past years, i used to visit the great escaped 10, 11 times when it was actually enjoyable. but in the past few years, i have go what.. 2 times? ive just been going once for fright fest and once for regular season. in all honesty, i think the park will never go uphill again. and even if we do get a new thrilling ride, six flags will find a way to trash it and trash the park and it will just make everything worse. |
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| srdstang | Dec 23 2010, 05:28 PM Post #7 |
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Its just business. I went on opening day last year and the place was a ghost town. If you had one person working a ride all day, and they have ten people ride it all day, you would say why do we have that ride open because we're lossing money. If the ride isn't open and those ten people go to ride that certain ride, then they are all pissed. I dont see anything wrong with this. |
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| greatescapelover | Dec 23 2010, 06:20 PM Post #8 |
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in reality you are still loosing money though. |
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| jpp858 | Dec 23 2010, 11:40 PM Post #9 |
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Say goodbye to the Flash Pass at TGE. Flash Pass is now a Go Fast Pass... :bs2: http://www.sixflags.com/greatEscape/tickets/gofastpass.aspx |
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| greatescapelover | Dec 23 2010, 11:59 PM Post #10 |
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these passes arent worth it, just like the flash pass. the lines at tge never get that long anyways. and if they are slightly long, its what.. a max 10 minute wait? its really not bad. that only ride that it would be worth it on would be swan boats, or boomerang. those tend to get the most crowded rides. and even on the comet, the line during the summer can be out the door, and you can still get on a train within 10 mintues. its just another way of six flags ripping people off. |
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| AndreLaplume | Dec 29 2010, 10:40 AM Post #11 |
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Steamin Demon
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so I assume the very few who had biught a season pass are getting some sort of credit for the reduced timeframe the park is open? :wub: |
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| Condor66 | Dec 29 2010, 10:54 AM Post #12 |
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^Doubt it... when has SF ever been generous after they screw people over? |
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| nyguy | Jan 13 2011, 11:54 PM Post #13 |
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I don't even buy season passes anymore. I spend a lot less amount paying for discounted tickets throughout a season then buy a season pass. Such a shame how neglected the park has become. |
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| greatescapelover | Jan 14 2011, 05:35 PM Post #14 |
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i agree nyguy. i dont buy season passes anymore either. i can go to sefcu and get tickets for 20 dollars and im saving myself money. |
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| mrceagle | Feb 11 2011, 01:22 AM Post #15 |
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It is such a sham, I love visiting on opening day. If that announced it, offered a small discount since the water park is closed, make the to weekends special. They could pull a crowd. They just only care about the money. |
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