Warning about Saturday Fright Nights at Six Flags (college, voucher) - Dallas - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

renlouis · 10-18-2009, 09:43 PM

Just an FYI for anyone thinking of doing Fright Night at Six Flags. I took my 11 y.o. and 3 friends for her birthday yesterday around 4 pm, planning to stay until they closed at 10. We very quickly discovered that the lines were over 90 minutes long and were expected to be 2+ hours later in the evening. I complained brutally and they gave me a "one-time exception" to their no-refunds policy and issued a voucher good for the rest of the season. I asked what the crowds might be like today (Sunday) and they said if you come at opening time, it should be good. Well, luckily the 3 friends were all able to spend the night and try again today. The crowd was minimal today. Started the day with no lines at all, when we left about an hour before closing, lines were 15 - 30 minutes for the premium rides (titan, batman, mr. freeze, etc.). The customer service people told me that the evenings and Saturdays during Fright Night are super-crowded and the lines can get even longer - one employee said up to 4 hours - can you even imagine the frustration!?!? They said you can call anytime and ask what the crowd is like/ how long are ride lines, etc. before you come. As well as being able to tell you what it is like in the moment, they will be glad to tell you what kind of crowd/lines they are expecting based on projections from prior years. Just wanted to let you all know in case you are thinking about going. By the way, today was great! My daughter and her friends rode and rode and were very, very, happy! They also enjoyed being "scared" by the zombies, etc. that are strolling the park. (Little kids might be scared of them though!! )

The Gribbler · 10-18-2009, 10:12 PM

Its not quite Fright Fest, but if you can find a milder day during your kids winter breaks, Holiday in the Park is well worth it. Its when my parents used to always take us to avoid the lines. I remember one year we went the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the place was practically deserted.

loves2read · 10-19-2009, 06:36 AM

were there really that many people--was the parking lot incredibly crowded
or were some of the rides not running or running a reduced capacity because they did not have enough people to staff them--
I know in the past when we took our kids during the summer==there were times in shoulder season when workers had gone back to college when they closed half of the rides that have a double-side---so effectively they could only offer half capacity...

scyogi · 10-19-2009, 09:42 AM

We went Saturday, longest wait was about 35-40 minutes for the Titan. Six Flags is just a 'interesting' place....we visit Universal or Disney probably once a year and are always quickly reminded why we don't go to Six Flags more often. The rides at Six Flags Texas are really good but I didn't see a ton of choices for small kids. I could have missed them since we had preteens with us. We especially enjoyed Superman and the Titian but would have skipped the wooden roller coaster if we knew how rough it was! Admission was cheap $31(online), parking $20 (online), surcharge for using online $5, lunch $60 for 4 burgers/fries/3 drinks, and $20 for 3 drinks and a funnel cake. Overall a good day with the family....will go back.........?

TXNGL · 10-19-2009, 11:40 AM

"We especially enjoyed Superman"

Really??? Rode it this past summer with dd, never again! We decided it would be fine since everyone who came off of it looked like they had a good time. Scared the bejeezus out of both of us! LOL

scyogi · 10-19-2009, 01:15 PM

We had 2 11year old girls so we had to look brave.....I seriously wanted to back out BUT we rode it and I was really surprised how fun it was. A bit on the scary side...but you get a geat view of the area from so high up....even if you are bobbing up and down. :-)

fratermus · 10-19-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scyogi

we visit Universal or Disney probably once a year and are always quickly reminded why we don't go to Six Flags more often.

Exactly. I thought SF was great until I went to Disneyland and especially Disneyworld. SF won't get any of my $$$.

renlouis · 10-19-2009, 04:20 PM

loves2read - the parking lot was more crowded that I've ever seen it and it was pretty crowded with people inside - it makes sense, though, that maybe they aren't operating at full capacity - they said they had 18,000 people at about 5 pm and expected 10,000 more before the night was over - not sure what capacity is there. And scyogi - we didn't get to the titan - went to batman and Mr. Freeze and then gave up and got the heck out of there - seriously, at 4:45 pm they both had 90+ minute waits! Gribbler - I went a few years ago during holiday in the park and had the same experience - very short lines and had a great time (though it was pretty darn cold when you got going fast on the coasters!)