Thank you for making my point. There are TONS of non-coaster improvements the park needs that doesn't mean just adding a bunch of cheap flat rides. Aesthetic upgrades, front entrance overhaul, infrastructure improvements, & adding cool attractions such as Battle for Metropolis.
I guess I'm the lone wolf saying that I don't want the park to be full of cheap flat rides like most other parks in the US. Honestly I would be happier if their 2019 investment is painting Tatsu and refurbing an older coaster, instead of getting a flat ride for the 2nd year in a row.
Or I would be happy if they are able to build an on-site hotel, which would bring them a lot closer to being a destination park.
But nope. Unfortunately, the direction the park seems to be going in is just adding more flats. Good luck with that.
PS SNW 2022?
I still just don't understand why you think adding flat rides is a cheap move. And let's face it, most parks ARE regional. But you have to admit, even Cedar Point... the other "king" of amusement parks... has way more flat rides that SFMM. Does Cedar Point feel cheap to you because it has so many flat rides?
And yes, while everyone's excited about Steel Vengeance for this year at CP, can you tell me what they added in 2017? Can you? Oh, right.
Nothing. Not every year can a park add a major attraction.
Flat rides are a good way to keep the park fresh without breaking the bank. You act as if SFMM doesn't
already have 19 coasters to it's name, more than any other park in the world. And that's still not enough to draw people in for you? Even if/when they do get a 20th coaster, will you be complaining that we won't get a 21st coaster the following year?
Meanwhile, SFMM is going to add exactly
one flat ride in about the last maybe
30 years after removing a ton of them, and you're complaining that the park is going to be overrun with flats? Unless you want to count Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom as a flat ride, the last flat ride introduced at SFMM was the Swashbuckler in
1983. Cedar Point has added 2 flat rides in the last 10 years. Gimmie a break.
Yes, Knott's has 10 flat rides. But it's also less than half the size of SFMM, with less than half the number of coasters. SFMM has seven flats--count them,
seven--and it's easily twice as big. (I'm not counting the kiddies flats--nor did I for Knott's). In term of ride balance, I do agree with you Knott's is a much better balanced park.
I will freely admit very few will flock to a park
because of the flats (although I did visit Canda's Wonderland in part because they have so many unique flats that are hard to find elsewhere--so it does happen). That said, they do fill in a niche that most GP don't know they even wanted until they see it... the ability to get a quick thrill without standing in a gargantuan line. And their kinetic nature adds much to the overall feel of a park. While guests many not necessarily come exclusively for flat rides, they add value to a park.
One thing I do agree with you on... making improvements to infrastructure is also welcome. And they have been overall improving in that category as well. Painting rides and overhauling coasters probably won't bring people flocking to the gates, but TNR is getting longer lines that it did before, and if the rumored new trains/restraints happen for Viper, that'd be terrific. And they can't overhaul those restrooms right at the front of the park soon enough... those are disgusting, but probably the most used because of their location. They really need to completely redo that, and badly.