It'll be a long time before I complain about Disney again!!!

[ahoff]

If anyone in the tri-state area is looking for a pleasant place to spend a day away from Disney, we just spent the day at Lake Compounce in CT. Has one of the best coasters on the east coast, the staff seemed helpful and enthusiastic, the park itself was clean and well maintained. Still love Disney, but for a quick day trip I would choose this over Great Adventure.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Is that the name of the park, Lake Compounce? Do they have a website? I used to go to Great Adventure in NJ too. It got a little rough the last time I was there with gangs and haven't been for many years now. Remember the haunted house that burned down and killed some guests??

 

[Spectro is #1]

The Lake is great but you can do the whole park in a few hours. Give the new owners of this park a few more years and it may turn into something. However this park has been plagued with strange accidents. Just last week someone who was trimming the grass along the coaster was killed when he was hit by the train. A teen worker was killed some time ago and they had a drownding last year. The boomerang coaster got stuck last week too, keeping the negative spotlight on the park long enough for schools and summer-camps to cancel their trips.

 

[KCritter]

MaryJ mentioned Holiday World in southern Indiana. I'd like to give it a thumbs up, too! It was very clean and well maintained. They boast they have the friendliest staff in the world and they weren't lying.

My DH lost his wedding band at the waterpark and we figured it was gone forever. We filled out a lost and found report, but didn't expect much. The very next day we had 2 calls from different staff members saying they found the ring. They mailed it back to us and we got it 2 days later! They were incredibly helpful.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Sheesh, is Lake Compounce cursed? Three deaths? I guess they have one heck of a haunted house now...

actually we have 3 happy haunts here, but there's room for 4. Any volunteers?? If you should decide to join us, final arrangements, may be made at the end of the tour.

 

[WDWMom]

Denine,

Your post was right on. If some parks can stay clean and hire firendly employees, than why can't others? If I was management, keeping the park clean and respectable would be a priority. I guess they just do not care.

Erinch,

Sound like your trip was worse than ours. Sorry to hear that. After complaining we did get free tickets to the park. Will never use them. Anyone want them????

 

[jcodespoti]

I have been to Six Flags NE this year (twice). Granted It aint WDW but It was fairly nice. I dont got to Great Adventure to many rude people. I have to agree about lake Compounce very nice , yes acouple of freak accidents, but nothing about safety for the rides.
I think the worker who was killed was in the wrong place at the wrong time. (its still tragic though). I think with the good economy in the North east (for now). Its hard to find decent workers anywhere who care about the job they are doing.


Joe in CT

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Yeah, I think that's about right, Joe, concerning the workers at Six Flags NE....they just don't care about the guests or the park. It's just a job that pays, to them. No enthusiasm. No excitement....not even faked. Indifference. Well at least the rides themselves are pretty good. Nothing like that first drop on Superman!

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

My stepson works for the Six Flags company here in Texas. It is no wonder that the employees behave as they do. They are paid poorly and treated even worse by Six Flags.

Six Flags should be embarrassed to be such a large business with the potential to give many young people a decent job when instead they choose to use very bad business practices that border on illegal.

My stepson has put up with it for 2 years but has finally decided his dream job (he has a technical job at the park) is not worth being used like a slave. I am proud he is standing up for himself and hope that someday Six Flags pays the price for the way it takes advantage of its employees.

Just something to consider when you wonder about the behavior of park employees. Obviously, local managers etc. can also affect the way employees are treated at particular parks (there may be some Six Flags employees that are treated better due to the involvement of their managers) but bad company treatment of its employees can easily lead to bad employee treatment of its customers.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Very interesting. It makes sense, though. Have any examples of how they are treated poorly besides the pay? Do they just show a complete lack of compassion for their employees?

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

Hi WDWOldtimer.

To address your question about specific examples, here are a few.

They consistently hire people as "temporary" employees for LONG periods of time just so they don't have to provide them benefits of any kind. Like my stepson who still has no healthcare, vacation, or sick time benefits after more than 2 years. These are NOT temporary positions and they tell the new employee it is only for a "short" period of time until they know if they will work out and then never follow through and make them permanent employees.

Insist on work weeks of 90-100 hours+ during busy times (a non-busy time still means 60+ hours) with no actual overtime pay (they pay the hours but no time-and-a-half etc. even for holidays). He has slept at his job many a time because he did not have enough time to come home to sleep.

Refuse to hire enough workers to do the job. Instead they work these young people to death and move onto someone else when they finally quit.

It is reprehensible how they treat their employees and I'll probably never enjoy another visit to a Six Flags park now that I know how they operate.

Hope that answers some of your questions,

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I've found the trick with Great Adventure is to go after school opens. In the fall the park is clean, the guests reasonably well behaved & long term employees are manning the rides.

Plus that's when corporations have their parties there so maybe the management is trying harder.