Editorial: Striking the Perfect Balance

[sirloin]

http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/articles/jeditorial/perfect_balance/main




Consider this shameless self-promotion, if you wish. I present to you an article I wrote about how to achieve the perfect balance in a park, why that's a good idea, and examples of parks that achieve it.

I expect incredible praise or extreme disagreement. And I do hope especially for plenty of the latter, because I'm in the zone as far as ownage is concerned, and I'm on the hunt for victims such as yourselves.

Get to it!

http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/articles/jeditorial/perfect_balance/

[Dan]

I agree with most of your statements there, not a bad article. At the bottom, you listed a few well rounded parks. Why not throw the Busch parks in there? I thought BGE to be very balanced, and I assume BGA is the same way. You've been to BGA...why doesn't it rank up there with SFNE?

I think Hershey Park is the most well balanced park out there that I've been to, I'd like to see if anyone has been there but thinks another takes the cake.

[rollercoasterfreak91]

I couldn't say if any of those parks are well balanced because I haven't been there, but I can definitley see the lack of balance at parks such as SFMM. So I agree with you, although the coaster freak in me wants to say, "No! Roller coasters are all that matter!" I still know that's not true.

[sirloin]

I agree with most of your statements there, not a bad article. At the bottom, you listed a few well rounded parks. Why not throw the Busch parks in there? I thought BGE to be very balanced, and I assume BGA is the same way. You've been to BGA...why doesn't it rank up there with SFNE?BGA and BGE are not on par with Hershey or SFNE, and I've been to both. They're close, but not quite that far yet. I say that mostly because there aren't any really introductory coasters. Cheetah Chase and Scorpion are close, but they're hardly kiddie coasters.

[Mike T]

Very nice article. You really opened up another realm of discussion with that, especially when you emphasize how Large of a roll families have in the decision making of a park's future expenditures.

[Jman]

Isn't it common knowledge that most parks need a diversity of attractions and activities in order to be successful? Don't get me wrong, I agree with your views on things, but its not like the concepts are rocket science or anything...

[sirloin]

See, I thought the same thing, and then Magic Mountain added a 17th roller coaster.

[Jman]

Note the most. God only knows what to think about SFMM and its business sense.

[sirloin]

ROFL! I'm just saying that even though it is common sense, some parks (SFNE, Hershey) do it exceptionally well, to a degree as yet unmatched in my opinion.

[rcwhiz]

Finally some one agrees with SFNE being one of the most awesome, well-rounded parks. And I must say you hit the theme of the article right on the dot.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

BGA and BGE are not on par with Hershey or SFNE, and I've been to both. They're close, but not quite that far yet. I say that mostly because there aren't any really introductory coasters. Cheetah Chase and Scorpion are close, but they're hardly kiddie coasters.
Ditto on the Hershey comment. Maybe one day I'll make it out to SFNE soon and get that beautiful, sexy, handsome, tall, lenghty, muscular, amazing, jaw-dropping, uhhh... coaster! And enjoy some of the other fine attractions this article hints at.

[mayoki]

Justin Surguine can be reached with questions, comments, or just telling him how much he sucks here (jsurguine@rollercoasterpro.com).
LOL!!! Scroll to the bottom of the editorial and you'll see this. Anyway, I thought this was a good article, it really opened my eyes to the younger crowd. I will think of this next time I bash a small family park.:p

[Tom]

Note the most. God only knows what to think about SFMM and its business sense.

Dont forget Cedar Point and its 17 coasters, but I think you hit it right on the nose. To an extent, CF and SF don't know the right business sense with certain parks, and it is so obvious that it makes no sense.

I really do want to go to SFNE and see what I am missing with that park, every review I read says it is golden.

[theRock-steel]

I believe that SF is trying to be more family friendly (cartoon maps, characters, and 4-7 year old kids everywhere). This was evident as recent as last summer at Great Adventure and America. I had already seen this at Over Georgia in 2006. I would put SFOG on the list with Hershey as parks that I have been to that are well rounded. Of those two, the first was more extreme than the later, but it still had a kid coaster and 20 other moderate or mild attractions.
The other large company, CF, still has a way to go to be well rounded. It's flagship park, Cedar Point, is anything but family friendly. There are just too many adult oriented coasters there (not bad for us though). I have seen some things at a few of their other parks (a water area and Camp Snoopy at Dorney / many sprinklers with many kids running through them at Carowinds / a huge kid area before I got to Volcano at Kings Dominion). Of those, Dorney seemed to have a lot of space devoted to what kids would like to do. With their kid coasters and lots of other family rides, they would be the only CF park that I've been to that could go on the well rounded list. (I really liked my eastern PA / southern NJ trip in June ! )

[sirloin]

About the telling me how much I suck, I believe that's an editorial tradition to have that there. It wouldn't be the same without it. ;)

As far as outright saying CP doesn't do it, that's more debatable than you may think. Having 17 coaster does not imply the park isn't family friendly. CP has 3 distinct areas dedicated to the younger set and various other family rides thrown in between. My beef with them is the glaring lack of effort they put into those areas. Really, except for the slightly decent Camp Snoopy, those areas suck. I firmly believe that the standard for theming with regards to a kiddie area does need to be higher than for the adult area (though I prefer high levels of theming at both). Honestly, most kiddie rides are the same thing, but they're dressed up differently. The theming of each helps to give those rides a sense of individuality.

And honestly, CP's Kiddie Kingdom looks like a carnival. That area is an insult to the park.

As for any other SF parks hitting a great balance, SFFT does very well in that regard as well. Fantastic park.

[Jake]

As for any other SF parks hitting a great balance, SFFT does very well in that regard as well. Fantastic park.

I personally feel that Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, does a fantastic job of that as well.

Good article, a very enjoyable read.

[sirloin]

I'd really like to check out SFDK. I just decided I'd throw out the two I've visited that really stood out, but perhaps I'm just a SFNE and HP fanboy.

[Youhow2]

Great Editorial...I've been looking for the return of these for quite sometime now actually.



Personally I think KD is a well balanced park, But as I've said many times before it is looked over as being one of the better parks in America.It is very family friendly and has quite alot of rides perfect for the whole family.It's competitor BGE has very little ride-wise to do there for any age group It's just "nice" It's a "mom park" for the most part. Getting back to KD, it would be nice to see an update of the kiddie areas there though, they seem to be aging. I love how Dominator is going to give some variety to the coaster selection as well...

[theRock-steel]

^^ Yes Sirloin, CP has attempted to be family friendly. It's just with 17 coasters on the one scale, there's just not enough on the other to balance out and be well rounded. My 70+ year old father and my 6 year old nephew have said in the past that they didn't have enough to do last time so they won't be going back. :(

Do you put up with people who say that you suck because you are the "RCPro Villain" or is that what made you that way ? In either case, when people intentionally start fights, call people stupid, or say that someone sucks they should have to say goodbye. I like saying things that will start a debate, but when someone gets personal or mean, I'm out of here.

[mayoki]

CP and its surrounding areas and resorts have plenty of family friendly activities. I do agree Kiddie Kingdom sucks. It's uglier than a carnival.

I guess some families could enjoy the wild west area.... even though there isn't much to do there.

Cp does have many family coasters however. Jr. Gemini, Gemini, Wildcat, Blue Streak, Iron Dragon, and Cedar Creek Mine Ride can all fall into that category.

Still, they don't seem to be well rounded.

If I take a trip to WDW or UO I can leave feeling satisfied and... full. That's all I can think of.

When I went to CP it was an awesome experience for sure but, I left feeling empty in an odd sort of way, like I missed something huge. Could this have to do with being well rounded? CP was coaster-heaven but I don't think they have enough other things to do. I don't think it gave that "park" experience like other places do. I can't believe I'm saying this, but they need to concentrate on other things besides coasters and huge flats.

[Jake]

When I went to CP it was an awesome experience for sure but, I left feeling empty in an odd sort of way, like I missed something huge. Could this have to do with being well rounded? CP was coaster-heaven but I don't think they have enough other things to do. I don't think it gave that "park" experience like other places do. I can't believe I'm saying this, but they need to concentrate on other things besides coasters and huge flats.

That is EXACTLY how I felt. Man, five months trying to figure out how I felt about the park. And you perfectly summed it up right there. I felt empty, hungry, like there was something missing. It must have been the balance, it was missing ;).

[Youhow2]

SFMM: Were not so different you and I....
CP: Yeah...But I have more flats than you...


I've been trying to say that for 2 years atleast. And I have been "flamed" for trying to say it by relentless cp fanboys. Now someone has finally put it into context....

They are the exact same thing but one has more flats.

[Dan]

Have you been to both? They're totally different. I won't go into all their differences now, but all one has to do is think back to any CP vs. SFMM thread in the history of coaster sites.

[Jake]

I do not believe I have partaken in a Cedar Point versus Six Flags Magic Mountain debate. I would love to argue for Magic Mountain, although I preferred Cedar Point to an extent.

*Creates Thread* :p

[Youhow2]

Well now that I think about it more, they are different, but I say they are the exact same thing in terms of "emptiness" however, I do feel more satisfied with a day at SFMM than at CP.

^I hope your joking bout that SFMM vs CP thread.... Those never go well past the first 3 pages...

[Dan]

And I the opposite. It also has to do with personal experiences. I've been to Magic Mountain many more times than I have Cedar Point, so I'm bound to enjoy Cedar Point more, as they are both large parks, coaster filled parks.

[The Storm Runner]

Good article! I never really thought about that. In the end, it's true - the families spend the most money there, so they deserve a reward for it. Reading stuff like this, in addition to all the posts in this thread, it make me feel more lucky living in central Pennsylvania. :)

BTW,
I think the Coal Cracker at Hersheypark is a don’t-miss attraction.

This made me laugh, lol. :D

[sirloin]

I'm glad you found that funny, TSR, because I think the Coal Cracker is hot snot. Probably the best log flume I've ever ridden, and that's saying something, because I thought Kings Dominion's was pretty kick-butt too.

[Youhow2]

LOL... which one at KD? the one the removed for the turbo coaster, Diamond falls? or the other one....


As far as I know they both sucked.... Arrowhead splashdown and log flume at SFMM are better than both of them. You can argue it was the atmosphere, but the kd log flumes' themeing is all broken, and just an eyesore. The fact that you can see the brightly colored spongebob-3d building thru the trees of it make the log-flume feeling go away too... Those log flumes are laughable.