I have lived in Utah since I was a teenager. I am 59 now. That means I have been to Lagoon many times. You have completely nailed it. I hope the owners watch this and take many of your suggestions. Thank you.
plus on top of that they use cheap straws which may seem small but 100 friggin dollars and i am just trying to get a 5 dollar water and my straw breaks when its 90* outside ruins my mood so quickly
Years ago, they used to have a discount if you went in the evening. Seems like the full price at the time was $30 or $35, and if you went after 5:00 pm, you got in for $10 or $15. A lot of the teens that worked for me would get off work and carpool up and stay till closing several times a week.
I love how you immediately summoned all of us locals with just the title and thumbnail and we proceeded to agree completely. The park has 100% fallen off recently, ever since about 2-3 years after Cannibal opened their prices have skyrocketed and nobody I know has gone more than once or twice since. I had a season pass a couple years after cannibal opened and food pricing was already insane, but the guest experience was still fine and everyone was generally a little nicer than more recently. It’s sad that it has exploited the fact that they can charge whatever they want to because nobody can stop them.
My friends and I would try to go once or twice a year, but after the recent price hikes to $95, we’re done. It’s just ridiculous, and you can’t possibly justify that.
Absolutely. My dad works on Hill so the few times I've had season passes a few years ago I'd go through there to get them but they're still pretty expensive. Though going 2 or 3 times more than pays for them. I just wish for more competition. It would really help them for sure. And getting a new park around would be a breath of fresh air as well.
As a Utah resident and previous Lagoon employee I have to say that Lagoon is best if you go on Sunday or on cooler cloudy days. If it's overcast and Sunday you literally get free run of the park and you can just go around as many times as you want on most of the coasters. Don't park at Lagoon. They have a free shuttle that runs every 30 minutes and there's a park and ride station just across the freeway at the Station Park Mall. Totally agree about the spider, it's actually my favorite ride next to Colossus the fire dragon, the cliffhanger, the Re-entry side of the Rocket/Re-entry ride, and the Skyscraper Farris Wheel (esp. if you get to the Farris Wheel just about sunset! The light on the Great Salt Lake is truly special.) The hanging swings, Turn of the Century, is best at night. Love this one too. I also have to say that The Caverns in Glenwood Springs Colorado is absolutely Awesome! I highly recommend it.
As a local bus driver i feel compelled to mention that Davis County pays for the free shuttle, and that the shuttle belongs to UTA. Great option truly! (Just be careful cause there's a lotta kids using it, too.. they can be annoying 😅)
TIPS FOR LAGOON: I'm 16 and have a season pass, I know what I'm doing. 1. Best times to be at the park are opening, and towards closing. 2. Run to the rides in the south at opening because everyone runs north to cannibal and Primordial 3. Bring your own food and water 4. If buying food in the park, get it before or after the lunch/dinner rush 5. Go on days that aren't special events such as dance competitions, or school trips 6. If you'd like a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere, pioneer village sits in the back of the park and almost feels like a different park 7. A season pass is equal to about 2 day passes, so get one if you want to go more than twice 8. Most people leave an hour or two before the park closes, so those are prime times to ride other than opening 9. If you're just carrying small items like a phone wallet keys etc... pants or shirts with zipable pockets are very nice to avoid lockers
Me and my friend went to lagoon at 5 pm we rode so many rides we didn’t wait in line for like any ride it was crazy I believe we rode close to 21 rides in total
Also an extra tip from some with 2 years of season pass experience: if you’re trying to save money, there is a shuttle that takes you from lagoon to the mall across the street, the mall has tons of restaurants and other fast food options, and isn’t that much of a hassle to get from the park to the mall. You can also even park at the mall and shuttle to the park if parking is an issue
How can I help? I’m just a normie with a broken, animal-loving heart, but if I can help them get to a preserve where they can live in safety and peace, I want to do it.
i live not even 5 minutes from lagoon and go on the trail all the time, its a great walk but makes me want to cry every time. its horrible what they're doing to them, they need to be rehomed to sanctuaries.
I’ve worked at lagoon for years, and you absolutely nailed this. I can’t have family visit me at work anymore because the pricing is too expensive. And just recently too, they gutted the employee parking to give it all to the guests. I have it good there, but that’s only because I work for a 3rd party company, not lagoon itself (I’m a caricature artist). Lagoon used to be so fun when I was younger, and you could get a season pass for $100, but now it’s over $115 for a single adult day-pass alone! Lagoon has become exponentially more crowded the last few years, and lagoon hasn’t been able to keep up. The new CFO is the cause of this, who is the main reason prices skyrocketed a few years ago. And if you ask any lagoon employee, you’ll hear all about the broken labor laws, broken safety codes, unsafe food standards, etc. lagoon is VERY scummy, and has no problem exploiting their employees.
I've worked at Lagoon. At Catapult, I was almost decapitated because the head of the entire maintenance apartment was annoyed because of how long we were taking. So he jumped into the Crane and pulled it at full speed, launching me in the air. I almost was decapitated by the sign. I contacted osha after they osha showed up a week later I was fired. And they only use the zoo as a tax break. They get fined every single year because they abuse the animals.
@@crazyartist2184 wait what the frack you were almost decapitated by a sign !? and then you got fired !? have you contacted a lawyer because you really should that could be a huge lawsuit.
My friend was a performer for Lagoon for at least a decade. They didn't bring him back this year because of budget cuts. Like where is this money going?!
Living in Utah my whole life, it’s sad to see how much Lagoon has fallen. Every worker looks like they’re ready to drop dead, the prices have gotten out of control and they know it, but they don’t care because they are a monopoly. Utah really needs another amusement park.
I live in Utah and went to Lagoon a ton as a kid! HOWEVER, I haven't been to it in years and won't go again until the exotic animals are given a better home. There have been petitions and people have been encouraging leadership to close that zoo for a long long time. There have have been issues in the past with treatment of the animals beyond just enclosures, and those are public if anyone is curious. Good review! It's nice to see how it differs from other parks since I have only ever been to Lagoon
Look at you, you are a better person and more concerned about things than other people. Sure there are people dying that you could help or you could actually do something but why would you do that when you can virtue signal on the internet because we all know that is the thing that really makes a difference.
Coming from a former Lagoon employee, it took 11 months and a call to OSHA to get a genuine safety concern addressed (screws protruding from a wall in Draculas castle and Terroride). No regrets.
“If you ask Utahns what parks they have been to they will answer Lagoon and Disneyland” hahahaha. So true so true Edit: I did not expect this to get so much attention. I’m glad it’s at least making people smile. I hope you all have been having a good day
@@SkylerBaird yea, true I’ve been there, though you can’t drive there in one day so it’s a little less often…. Most of the time utahs go to Disney land for spring break.
That is so true like I was saying earlier the train station that was moved there from Kaysville that my grandmother was born in her name was Madge May Rasmussen, Carson Jones, Gleave Moore…She was married like four times, but she was born in the train station that is now in Pioneer Village. At least it was when I was up there last in the 90sand I was sad to hear in this video that the log flume is no longer there because that was an iconic ride😮😢😢😢😢
Meh, it’s only interesting if you’re in the majority “religion” in this state. Everyone else I know thinks it’s advertising for said religion and finds it annoying.
@@RoanokeCrow Born and raised Mormon, now atheist. This is just not true. I despise the Mormon church as much as the next exmo, but Pioneer Village is simply the history of the state of Utah post American Indian. I've never once gone there and thought "damn, this really glorifies the church." Silly.
honestly there's a huge trust system in lagoon about bags, a majority of people will put them behind fences or in the plants so they don't have to deal with lockers. also for some school districts, we always have a field trip to lagoon in 6th, 9th, and 12th grade. fun stuff man
That’s exactly what me and my siblings did when we wanted to go to one of the coasters together so badly and plants and flowers were our best choices to hide our small, loose items 😂
The last point about the animals is spot on 👌🏻 I’m a utah native and I used to work in Farmington maybe 5-10 minute drive from Lagoon, and I haven’t actually been able to afford to go since I was 16 a decade ago. There were protests outside Lagoon I think in 2019-2020, maybe 2018? Something about water usage. But overall yeah. You hit the nail on the head.
So glad that you included Pioneer Village. I made it a point to cover it for a documentary back in the 1970's. Wow! The park has sure changed. In the past, it "felt" like an old-time family park; now it's a family-owned thrill ride park! Good job, Lagoon!
The abnormally large number of FECs along the Wasatch Front (especially in Utah County) would seem to suggest there's a market for it, but at this point I would think the real estate is probably getting too expensive.
I think the lines move at lagoon because they don’t have fast-pass/fastlane/flashpass. Everyone is in the same boat, no preferential cutting in front of the stand by line, so everything moves.
I visited this park last summer for the first time and the ride ops were incredible. Another thing bigger parks should adapt is the single rider line. At major parks I see way to many trains not full on busy days. Also they should get rid of fast lane at major parks. I know I jave used them but it just kills wait times.
Yep! We got a taste of this at Disneyland over the COVID years when they had gotten rid of MaxPass and hadn't rolled out Genie garbage yet. And EVERY line hustled. Even Radiator Spring was never more than 20-40 minutes wait. Preferential ride lines are great for the bottom line but absolute trash for the overall guest experience.
Agreed! Call it bias but Lagoon is one of my all time favorite parks, and I'm glad he reviewed it fairly and pointed out both it's unique charm and waht it could do to be even better.
I worked at Lagoon for a single summer, right smack dab in the middle of 2020, management there is...nonexistent. They forgot that they hired me, I got absolutely no training at all, it was my first job. I was hired as a ticketer, in sales, and they had me go run one of the rides you have to pay extra for. Because I was not trained at all, SOMEHOW I shut down the system of the ENTIRE PARK!! Nobody could get in!! Nobody could get out!!! Nobody could even buy their dippin dots!!!!! I could NOT get a hold of my supervisor no matter what I tried, I've never been so stressed at a job in my entire life. I had to call the supervisor of another department just so I could get a hold of mine. Somehow, I didn't get fired, in fact they asked me to be a supervisor the next season, when I would have been 15 I did not return the following year
LOLO, so not true. They don't employ 14 year olds and you wouldn't have any access to anything to be able to shut the whole park down and in fact there is nothing that can do so.
@@preciousnic1974 neat...i'm not gonna get you my birth date or pay stubs from when i worked there, so i can't really change what you believe, but me and several of my jr. high friends worked there at 14
Heyo! Utah native and worked at lagoon for a season. A couple things: The management is suuuper inconsistent. Mostly because people get promoted having learned different things from different supervisors over the years. Also, the standard training is very basic, and is universally applied to every ride even though each ride has different requirements. Its expected that the super leading the training will fill you in. I often got yelled at for doing things one way when another supervisor signed off on it. Also the different areas. We have 8 areas that we can be assigned to which dictates which rides we will be assigned to train on. There is a handful of supervisors and team leads for each area, and theyre rarely in contact with each other. The only exceptions are the department heads and the top supervisor. Departments have their own problems too. I only ever worked in rides-which is the department that every highschooler in the valley is pushed towards-but they all have different issues that stem from the same vein: Landscaping is constant work for exceptionally low pay. I worked with someone who worked several departments in a span of 18ish years, and he told me all about it. How everyone drank several energy drinks a day (which they offer in the employee kitchen) just to keep up with the demand. In the mornings, i saw so many exhausted teens/young adults slumped over on tables and covered in sweat. Games only works on cash, and the workers have to meet their previous weeks' earnings or more. If they don't, they're written up and eventually fired. Also, lagoon employees are not allowed to play games lmao. Foods is full of 14-16 yr olds who have no idea what food safety is. I don't even know if all (or any) of them have foods handlers permits. They're overworked, underpaid, and they work long harsh hours. Also, employees don't get free food, it comes out of our $12/hr paycheck 🙃🙃. Food poisoning/health code violations are rampant, and even the employee discount for food outside the employee kitchen wasn't enough. They banned people from going into the kitchen off-shift bc of how many went in on their days off. (Several broke that rule, including me. One of the benefits of working there was free entry and free entry for 8 others once a month. I took my friends there and I smuggled things out for all of us.) One red badger told me how a lot of the highschoolers in foods were constantly high or on nic, even admitting to it themself. (Speaking of the employee kitchen: everything was expensive! The hot sandwiches they offered were $3-4 each. They also heavily encouraged teens to drink energy drinks, stocking several different monster and bang flavors that were $3 apiece. And while energy drinks are fine in moderation, a lot of teens worked this job the entire summer. Thats way too many monsters.) From what I've heard, most people who survive maintenance training have little to no empathy. I got food poisoning from the employee kitchen and had to force myself to throw up so i wasnt going to the bathroom every 15 minutes and leaving the ride unattended. Maintenance forced me to stay at odyssea because no one could cover me midshift Security is severely understaffed, with most of their efforts being in employee areas and the front plaza where first aid and lost items are. There are a few patrolling the parking lot, but I saw them rarely. For employees, you have to get checked off by security to park in employee parking. And to enter, you had to go through a check in. As you said in the video, there's nothing on the guest's side. Merchandise and tickets are alright from what I've heard. Although at the first employee training they mentioned how they will know if you steal anything. That didn't stop anyone And finally, rides. Rides was a nightmare for me. And the two rides i got to know really well (double thunder raceway and draculas castle) were some of the better ones to work! They broke down all the time, safety corners were cut to open the ride on time, there is huge pressure to deliver monologues perfectly (if you have to do them) while keeping the ride going as fast as possible, ect ect. Supervisors that arent operating the big coasters are patrolling the area to see what you're doing wrong. Which, is good for things like checking lap bars, but less good for things that are completely arbitrary like the handstamps. Attendants and operators have to do a specific gesture with two fingers to ask for handstamp verification. Almost no one actually checks for them though, they just do the motion to stay out of trouble. (I actually did get some tickets once of twice though). And shile there's a promotion pathway, it is _extremely_ hard to progress. If you have a red badge, you're under 16 and cannot work anything above attendant. Black badgers are those 16 up. Most employees start at 14-15 as an attendant, then become an operator for the small rides (ie. not cannibal or colossus) once you turn 16 and get trained. If you do well enough to get noticed by management, you can become a team lead. Team leads work as attendants for the bigger coasters, operating the controls for the cars. Then, if theres a spot and they like you enough, you can become a supervisor and operate the big coasters and train someone. For reference, my friend who is working their third year is being considered for team lead. (Update: that friend just quit bc they kept getting promised a promotion that never came. Plus rides finally pushed them too far) Another one of my friends working there this year told me about operating the train. I think only team leads can operate it, but still they are high schoolers. This is especially scary because the train operators have to control the temperature and pressure of the boiler. There was a lead last year who was NOTORIOUS for letting the pressure build too high. Boiler explosions are nothing to laugh at. Also, this friend was operating when the engine suddenly caught on fire. He was fine, having used the fire extinguisher, but he told me about how he was sobbing because he was so scared he was going to get fired even though it wasn't his fault. I, was not a good employee. I had undiagnosed ankle issues and called in for most of july, the hottest month of the year. (In which, as others have mentioned, only operators get fans for. Attendants just have to survive.) I was slow on jumping dragon, so they moved me to dracs castle and dtr (double thunder raceway) because those rides are always in cycle. (Dracs castle was p bad. It's run down, there has to be a person back there at all times to watch for excessive sparking and fires, and the roof has huge holes in it where rain comes in. They literally told us up front that it's a HUGE fire hazard and that sparking is normal. The back was the only place you could sit down, and if you were at the front you had to recite a speech for each and every guest.) The clocking in system is less of a mess than it used to be since they switched from chronos, but the phones are still hard to work. Also, you have to request days off like 3 weeks in advance. And you have to call in every day even if you've made it clear you cannot come in. This happened when i had food poisoning and i got a no show mark on my record even after i explained that i had called in both days. Not to mention that one of the rides office employees (the people who oversee the entire department and make the schedules) tried to bribe me once lol Public transportation is... okay. The frontrunner (our long distance train) is wonderful, even though it doesn't run on Sundays so that sucks. I always had to drive half an hour on those days, borrowing my mom's car. However the buses almost never came after 7-8pm. All the 2nd shift workers get off at 9-10 🙃🙃. I constantly had to walk to the station on my own, which was a half hour walk with the shortcut I was shown by another worker. It was incredibly nerve-wracking most nights, since it takes you away from the main roads and we weren't allowed to have knives or pepper sprey in our backpacks at lagoon. I had to straight up tell guests a couple times that the bus would not be coming and that I knew the way to the train station. Also, the last train south left at 10:46, so sometimes when the bus WOULD come I would be stranded and have to call my parents for a ride. They also overhire at the beginning of the year, keeping tens of relief employees in case someone calls in. I was a misc/relief a couple times, and everyone just sits on their phones until they get assigned somewhere. As people quit in droves, the relief dwindles and the remaining employees are pushed to work more and more hours. (That's one of the reasons frightmares is the way it is. They have no one left.) Worst of all, they could solve all this wasted money by paying their employees more for a better retention rate! They also hire a ton of immigrants. It always made me feel horrible bc a lot of them couldnt speak english on top of being heavily exploited. I was able to quit, but so many others weren't. And, lastly, one time i got electrocuted lmao. I tripped on the rail at terroride coming back from my break, skinned my knee, and landed on said rail. I was fine, i had been electrocuted before, but still TLDR: guest side is okay, especially since utah natives know all the tricks and secrets. The worker's side is horrible, never _ever_ work there Edits: added some things, clarified maintenance paragraph. The replies are really worth checking out too! I'm certainly not the only one who was mistreated
Hello!! I was a games worker and frightmares scare actor for the 23’ season (also a red badger) and I 100% agree. You constantly feel belittled in games, and I have had many supervisors tell me different things with how to operate different games. Frightmares is worse. The break and relief system is really inconsistent, and I’ve heard from fellow scare actor friends how barely got their break till the end of the night. It also sucks when they ship you off to a different house because someone couldn’t come in. Lagoon totally exploits their workers, and it absolutely sucks. I was extremely prone to leaving early during frightmares from migraines, sharp pains, and overall feeling drained, and games I was barely able to pull through the heat as I was very prone to heat stroke. Another thing is we don’t really have consistent bathroom breaks (in frightmares OR games) because we need to be there constantly if no one can cover us. I have small bladder issues, so I would be constantly running to the bathroom as quick as I could if someone couldn’t cover me, and feeling guilty every time a guest was waiting there or fearing a supervisor would see the game unattended and would reprimand me. Frightmares was worse because you just had to suck it up and pray you could still act, because you would barely get any bathroom breaks despite all the water you were drinking. As much as I love lagoon, it really needs to stop exploiting it’s employees and treat them better.
@@sm1l319 you're absolutely right, the bathroom/relief was a HUGE problem. As a red badger you are legally required to get 3 breaks a day, one 15min and two 30min (iirc). But the amount of red badgers I saw getting refused breaks was CRAZY. It wasn't much better for black badgers because we can go the entire day with only one break under the law. I was only offered one/two 30min breaks and a small bathroom break, at best. I remember one day I took my only 30min break an hour before closing bc relief was just that strained I was really lucky to avoid all the bathroom issues bc I'm used to being chronically dehydrated and didn't drink any of the water they handed (brought my own water bottle). I cannot imagine how awful it is to have incontinence issues like that! I hope you have a better job now, and I really hope lagoon starts paying and treating their employees better
Way to end it with electrocution lol. Dude I hope you’ve got a better job because damn that sounds horrendous. My dad used to work on wild mouse and he never said he’s had to deal with what you and the other guy said you’ve had to ( probably because times have changed and all ).
I was a ride mechanic there....and even that dept had its issues... And when they were short on you guys running rides they would make us... But I'll say I'm one of the few who were not an asshat.... We called the rides ppl....RIDES KIDS
@@ericcartman3385 that sounds rough. And I may have been generalizing when I talked about maintenance bc I only met them once and the rest was rumors. Sorry about that. And you were right to call us kids! We're all basically kids! The amount of workers I met that were over 19 I could count on one hand
This is my home park, and I've worked there for a bit in the summer. I want to point out that the handstamps are completely unnecessary, as the employees that I have talked to have never seen ride tickets, even though they have worked there for years.
Saw tickets working there last year. Though as he said that entry pass to buy tickets is gone. They still allow children under 3 or 4 to enter free and then you can buy tickets for them for the rides they can ride. I do agree the hand stamp is obsolete though, because as an employee, if someone's hand stamp is worn off, you can ask to see their day or season pass, and direct them to guest services to be re stamped, but you aren't allowed to keep them from riding without a stamp or proof of day/season pass. Dumb
Worked there as a ride operator 16 years ago and saw coupons for them from stake lagoon day. Only time I ever saw them. I hardly did a through evaluation of hand stamps because they didn't pay that well and didn't seem to treat their employees well. So only reason I noticed is they were insistent on giving me a coupon I wouldn't have noticed any other way.
@@leesachs4097 This is what I was thinking. I always assumed this was the main reason. It doesn't seem like the most secure park, so sneaking in and riding rides for free would be an easy thing to do without handstamps.
Lagoon is my home park and I even worked there last year! It’s very underrated but it does have its flaws. Nice to see you do a full review on the park and recognize it!
I forgot all about the animals somehow. It makes me so freaking sad, and even makes me a little sad I got season passes for my family that I've wanted for yearssss. I hope they do away with the animals soon.
Sadly, Lagoon has been reduced in value as the once great and phenomenal Pioneer Village, which used to feature shootouts, it is now managed my young kids who give off the type of attitude that they don't want to be bothered by customers. Pioneer Village is such a despicably underused area of the park. Quality has been sacrificed for profits, which is a very big reason behind my losing all desire to waste any time at such a disappointing amusement park.
Lagoon won't give up those animals easily. With the animals on-site they can still be classified as a farm. Utah has laws that allow farms to hire people as young as 14. That is a huge part of their labor pool. The second, work exchange college students.
I'm a local and need to say that you did a great job with this video. And thank you for bringing attention to the horrible way the animals are caged. Unfortunately I have been unable to visit Lagoon for years because of the prices. I remember as a child we used to pay around $25 per ticket if we purchased them at our local banks or Costco.
When you mentioned that you've never been to Laguna Beach, it made more sense why you didn't cover the wristband. If you go to Laguna Beach, they give you a wristband so you still have full access after your handstamp washes off. When I was growing up, my best friend's family always went to Laguna Beach first for about three-four hours, with coolers for refreshment and lunch. The lazy river and speed slides were my favorite. Haven't been back in a while, so I still need to try Cannibal. I remember when Samurai and the Rocket first opened up. "Re-Entry" definitely made you question your life choices because they keep you at the top for five seconds to build tension before they shoot you back towards the ground. Very enjoyable and fair review of the park overall. Not necessarily the most mind-blowing amusement park in the world, but a fun place to go with friends and family if you're looking for a summer outing.
Doesn't help that they wasted millions on getting authentic decorations instead of just buying replicas. Or that they could never really figure out the guest integration experience. I hope whoever is taking over Evermore has their head on straight because they could easily turn it into something cool that's worth revisiting.
@@prestonpopp485 absolutely. It also needs to have a functional experience for people that want to be completely absorbed as well as people that are only casually engaged. Evermore could not figure out that Disney magic.
Lagoon holds nostalgic vibes for me - as a young kid, my dad's company had a "Lagoon Day" for their employees, and we would get to visit once a year. In my teens I spent the money on a season pass, and had a blast with cousins and friends. As a parent, I now grab season passes for my family - we generally get there bout a dozen times a year. I agree with so many point of your video. One of the things that is interesting to me, is that even with the ticket prices (and reading all the comments about said prices), the dang park is packed just about any time it is open. If it wasn't for season passes, there is no way I would be going - but the season pass price is only about double what a day pass is (no complaints personally). Having the season pass is great, and I don't feel guilty if we only stay in the park 2-3 hours each time - I can still get "my money's worth" by the end of the season. Pretty much all of your points were valid, justified, and accurate. I would be interested to see how the Lagoon board would react, or what reasoning they would be willing to share were they to ever watch this video with an unbiased view of outside perspective. Great video review - thanks for sharing!
Going to lagoon once a year for your dad’s work Lagoon Day *feels* like a universal experience here in Utah lol. Theres always pavilions reserved for some company’s “Lagoon Day”. My dads company got aquired and now we don’t do Lagoon days with them for my kids now that they’re old enough to go :( At least they got some good years where they were old enough to ride the fun stuff before they stopped. Now we just go there with his coworker’s family that we bonded with :)
Going to lagoon once a year for your dad’s work Lagoon Day *feels* like a universal experience here in Utah lol. Theres always pavilions reserved for some company’s “Lagoon Day”. My dads company got aquired and now we don’t do Lagoon days with them for my kids now that they’re old enough to go :( At least they got some good years where they were old enough to ride the fun stuff before they stopped. Now we just go there with his coworker’s family that we bonded with :)
I worked in the games department in 2009 and made $5.75/hour at age 14. The next year I worked rides for $6.25. I made lots of friends and it was fun to get into the park for free, but it was miserable to work long days in the heat. One time the president of Lagoon sent a supervisor over to reprimand me before the park even opened because I finished sweeping/cleaning around my ride early and was leaning against a fence for a few minutes instead of cleaning which he saw on the camera.
@@kyleoates6367 Unfortunately not. If you're under the age of 16 and a seasonal worker, they aren't required to pay federal minimum wage. Most states just don't let people younger than 16 work, so it rarely comes up. I worked at lagoon in 08-10'. And they would use 14-15 year olds during the day. But they aren't allowed to work past 5pm. So they would change shifts to switch to the 16+ year olds. It was genuinely a fun job for a teenager. But they really were scraping the bottom for wages.
For a more recent analysis: I worked in Lagoon last year, in the Group Events department (most people have never heard of that one lol, but it's real). I was 15 and got paid $10/hr, which imo was actually a little excessive for the amount of work we did. Once I turned 16, I got paid $12/hr, like all other 16-year-olds in my department, and supervisors got $14/hr. Worth mentioning, though: in the Foods department (at least in 2023), every worker got paid a dollar extra per hour. So 14/15-year-olds got paid $11/hr instead of $10, which the other departments complained about endlessly lmao
I live right next to the metal factory that makes the rollercoaster parts for lagoon. Whenever I want to drive anywhere, I always have to drive past it. If you're lucky to get a good view past the huge building and some of the surrounding trees and such, you could see some of the parts they were working on and testing. I remember the most I was able to see was a tallish drop, and then some connecting track that was standing alone and being tested. They literally just had this relatively small chunk of rollercoater running by itself over and over to make sure it was working properly. It was an obscure sight That rollercoaster section I mentioned was for primordial, and this was a few years before lagoon announced that they were getting a new ride, so everyone that lived in my area knew about the new attraction LONG before anyone else did. I also remember seeing some of the parts for cannibal several years ago. It's really cool to see.
Great review video! Hit everything on the head. Good/great rides. 1. Get rid of the animals. 2. Need security and/or better crowd control. 3. Give some perks to season pass holders. Those things alone would drastically improve the park experience. Also, I feel like the lagoon a beach cleanliness is always like a 6/10 so we don’t really go there. There is also a campsite for people to pitch tents or park trailers.
We do actually have a decent amount of security. The security department is one of the best cared for departments and has the most protective and caring managers. Along with the lagoon security we have city police at the park and have many many more city police on standby.
Lagoon was actually named after its old location near the Salt Lake. At its beginning it was more of a water attraction then an amusement park. When it was moved to Farmington is when it became more like the park we see today. Also, send the animals to Hogal Zoo already! They are way better equipped to take care of them
Unfortunately they can't, they've actually tried but due to the zoos strict rules they won't take them, the lagoon actually does the best they can to take care of the animals but they definitely aren't equipped for it :(
@@Queen_Bread "the best they can" is a bald-faced lie. why would you lie for them? the best they could do (besides rehoming them) would be to demolish lagoon-a-beach and pioneer village and build actual decent enclosures for them.
@@bharrop8992 I am not lying for them, I know the family that owns the park, and while they aren't doing amazing, they have tried multiple times to get the animals to a zoo instead. Perhaps the best they can is not the best way to word it, but the employees do try to care for the animals, I much do prefer that they would change things though, they haven't been getting new animals to replace them when they die so they probably aren't planning on keeping that place, they just can't find a new place for the animals
worst part of working at lagoon as a janitor you have to wear black slacks all summer and have to have your shirt tucked in. how no kids working there haven't had a heat stroke and died is absolutely crazy during the 100+ degree summers
Makes me think of the parking assistants at Disney World. Just backing out there in the heat and humidity in uniform and on their feet all day. I can’t think of a worse job!
I worked in games about 20 years ago at 14 years old and my 16 or 17 year old supervisor yelled at me for standing in my booth to drink water when we weren't allowed to carry water with us outside of the booth. I quit since no one seemed to care.
@@giovannagreeff2153 i didnt last a week i used my free family pass then quit I never understood why ride operators beach area and log ride area they could wear shorts but everyone else just gets to cook. The staff act like there above the law like there sue proof or something im sure i was breaking osha laws left and right.
@@rosehoundd6842When I worked there, I had many friends threw up due to heat exhausting, especially at Wild Mouse (that thing is an oven in the summer!). The upper management didn't care because they didn't want to work at the ride or find someone else who could.
You're basically correct on almost everything, but as Utahn, some things I'd like to mention: - There isn't any park security because it's never been necessary. In my experience, Utah is one of the safest states to live in. - Many Utahns don't use the lockers at all! We just set our stuff down on the ground outside the ride. Usually it's in plain view of the employees, and there isn't a huge problem in Utah with having your personal belongings stolen. In fact, if your bag goes unattended for too long, you're more likely to have someone turn it in to park security than to have someone steal it
THERE is security but they are in plain clothes just not to throw off the vibe... But as for the front gate...yeah it's a really mellow safe park.... As a former ride mechanic there I know the ins and outs of that place
@ericcartman3385 oh yeah I never knew about the security in normal clothes, and I honestly completely forgot abt the officers walking around the park occasionally. He said front entrance security/security checks so that's mostly what I was referring to lol
@kathystl2110 Right....yeah it's cause the hierarchy of it went from the front office to safety and security and Maintenance... We also like security as well too...I mean I had keys to many secure areas and codes to get in and stuff... But I understand what you mean...
I remember swimming in the actual Lagoon as a child! They had it netted off so the fish mostly stayed on the other side, but more than once a huge 'gold fish' would end up on our side. Always buy the annual pass on Black Friday for better pricing.
As a local who lives about an hour away from lagoon, I go there about once every 2-3 years. You are absolutely right about the prices being too expensive. They charge Disneyland prices for a much worse experience. It really does stink, because you’re right, the park does get very busy still because it’s literally the only amusement park in 5 -10 hours depending on the direction you go. I feel like Utah population has really jumped up in the last 30 years, we’re starved for exciting attractions, and we’re stuck with Lagoon so people cough up $100 a ticket because it’s all we have available
Interesting review. The admission price shocked me! I'm not mad that you called out the flaws of this park, as hopefully this will get them to improve on the things that need improving on.
Utah native. I have visited Lagoon since I was a child in the early 1990s. I loved it then, and love it now. Wicked, Fire Dragon (aka Colossus), Cannibal, and Rattlesnake Rapids are a must-ride each time you visit. Wild Mouse (we call it mousetrap) is ROUGH on the neck. Whiplash rough. Don't ride if you have a neck injury. My family has been on every ride, from kiddie rides to Catapault, most of the rides are pretty fun. I agree with the overpriced park admission. They don't need to charge that much. Pioneer Park is a memorium of the pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley in the 1800s. The White Rollercoaster is a neat experience. The absolutely tiny cages the animals have to endure are terrible! I hope the new family generation relocates the animals, and revamps the area for more rides. Overall, I wouldn't change much about Lagoon outside the items I laid out.
Yeah that "Wild Mouse" has actually killed people too. Never should have been allowed to stay in operation. The cages for the animals are definitely sad, but other commenters say that despite that they are VERY well taken care of.
I LOVE Lagoon! It has a place in my heart and I’m excited to take my kids there when they’re old enough. Frightmares is my favorite time to go! The haunted walk throughs are actually decent compared to some of the other local ones (haunted hollow is super lame). Lagoon raised its prices to try to help with crowd control, but people are still willing to pay the prices! Also, if your hand-stamp washed off, just show your ticket at the front gates and get your hand re-stamped. There’s always discount tickets at Costco and other local businesses. I think it drops the price to $79. If you’re a member of their email club, you also get deals and discounts that way as well. The BBQ at pioneer village is the best bang for your buck, food-wise. Get the 2 meat plate and split it.
Pioneer Village is a really cool part of the park. Wandering around the exhibits was a definite highlight the last time I went, there is a miniature circus model that makes me so nostalgic for a time I never lived in. Haven't been in a few years, but will likely get a season pass again next year
Great review. Completely agree with the majority of your insights (good and "needs improvement"). The queue lines spilling out onto the midway has always been super odd and even confusing at times. Had to laugh when you mentioned that many of Lagoons patrons have only visited Lagoon and/or Disneyland. So true! That really is NOT an exaggeration. Utah has an odd and even unhealthy fixation on Disney IMO. Also had another laugh when you mentioned the ignorance of so many guests that think that the "White Rollercoaster" is a typical rollercoaster experience and that somehow if any other wooden rollercoaster has banked turns or other elements it must be a crazy new modern type of woody. So many of Lagoons guests just simply haven't been to many other parks. I love that it's one of the few parks you can still bring in your own food. Can you imagine Disney, Six Flags, Cedar Fair or many other parks/chains allowing this? Very underrated perk especially for families! I'm guessing that Pioneer Village will get some other new ride attraction to replace the Log ride. I would love to see a coaster built back there. Or even tear down a few of the empty food pavilions to build a new attraction back there. (They have SO many eating pavilions!) Sadly there are residents that live in closer proximity to the back of the park and I'm sure there are constraints regarding noise and sound levels that could restrict rides such as a coaster back there. Lagoon is scheduled to move their current parking lot to the north end of the park by Primordial. They've already paved most of the new lot. This will likely mean that the old (current) parking lot will be developed in the future. It would also allow them to not have to worry about the noise levels with any attraction built there. It's already closer to the freeway and farther from Farmington residents. In current satellite view on google maps you can see some older satellite images of that construction process. The Lagoon train is a curious one. It's also been the source of tons of protests from PETA and other animal rights advocates over the years. My family sadly calls the Lagoon animal train the "train of sorrows". THe train is small and cramped as are the animals you see in their cages. It is common to see protests and signed petitions over the Animal Kingdom train annually. What you might not know or didn't mention is that most of the animals that are housed there are rescues. Some were saved only because Lagoon took them in as rescues. Still, many think that Lagoon should not keep the animals. The train is likely a high cost to benefit attraction. Many families ride it thinking it will be fun to see the animals with their kids on a train ride. IMO the train ride truely falls flat and makes me personally feel sad. The train is definitely a polarizing topic with many Lagoon patrons. With the change in leadership I wonder if we'll see a change. With all the negative pressure and expense surrounding it, it makes me wonder if it was a legacy of some in the family who wanted it to remain. Lagoon would benefit through having a modern GCI/Gravity Group woody, a ground up RMC i-box coaster, a Zamperla Discovery wheel and a complete overhaul of the water park. The water park really is super out of date by almost 30+ years. Most the attractions are from the early 1990's when it was first opened. I also am one who thinks Lagoon would be better off removing the Animal Kingdom train as well. Thanks for the thorough Lagoon review.
The idea of expansion is really intriguing especially with the constraints they face. As you said, they couldn’t really expand to the east (back of the park where pioneer village is) because of houses and residents living close by, but I don’t think expanding west (the current parking lot by the freeway) makes sense either. Why not expand to the north where there is a giant empty field that stretches almost all the way to park lane?
@@jordanwilson6490 My understanding is, contrary to what was written above. That while the entrance for parking has moved to the north side of the park, the parking lot itself isn't changing. There are plans to expand the park to the north to further leverage Primordial(as is was but phase 1 of a larger plan), but due to financial constraints it has been put on hold for the time being.
The Lagoon line management is odd. But part of that is history as well. The reason why the line management is so inadequate on so many rides is that for most of Lagoon's history, they didn't need much more than what have currently. So for the older rides, its a makes a degree of sense that they haven't fixed it, as the "already built" portions of the park leave limited options. As another commenter elsewhere said, some of this is likely due to the park being family owned, and there are generational considerations. Which leads to management decisions of "we've done it this way for decades, we're going to keep doing it that way" mixed with a bit of "and we don't want to be just like all the other parks." As a long time visitor to Lagoon, I know that by the 90's it was evident that they needed to up their game on line management, but they kept adding rides with comparatively small queues well into the 2000's, and probably a worse offender with the Wild Mouse where they evidently decided that the replacement needed to be built where the previous one had been, without respect to other considerations. As they seemed to be trying to see just how many rides they could pack into the smallest space possible in addition to ignoring line management. The current generation seems to be more flexible, as they've even relocated one ride to the other side of the park no less(but did so in a way that is going to make it very difficult to relocate again) so maybe we'll see them reshuffle some things to try to make it more workable going forward... But its going to be a slow and costly process. Meanwhile, about the only other thing they can do is try to manage crowding in the park by adjusting the ticket prices upwards... Which isn't exactly a bad problem to have.
@@TK4K411 In the summer? Like I know that the wasatch front doesn't have amazing air quality yes, but I can't think of a time during the summer months that there was a day where the air quality was super low. It's almost always a winter thing.
Personally I prefer that the line que spaces are small. It always helped me as a kid to gauge just how close we actually were. It always made it hard to go to Disneyland and jump on a ride that from the outside “has no line” just to wait over an hour for it. That being said the que spaces at Disney are Incredibly immersive and add a lot to the experience.
I have lived in Utah my whole life and have been to Lagoon countless times. You're missing out by not going to Lagoon-a-Beach. Taking the peak heat of the day and going into the water park for a few hours is an amazing way to break up the day and let lunch settle before getting back on the coasters. It's now been many years since I've been to Lagoon though; I've yet to ride most of the newer coasters. The $100 price tag is just too much to justify. I can't spend $500 to take my family for one day of diversion. I'd rather spend a fraction of that on gasoline and drive to one of Utah's myriad natural wonders like the canyons or the national parks. Your summary is spot on; Lagoon needs some competition in the area.
Given the title, this was a lot more positive a review than I expected. Well deserved praise with a lot of issues to deal with. The hard part I think is that due to the amount of people that go, you run into a supply/demand issue. There are already too many people attending that if the price were lower then the population problem becomes even worse. At that point aggressive expansion or another location are pretty much the viable options.
Hi! I was a games supervisor for 5 seasons. We are responsible for the lockers. I remember getting called multiple times a day to the different lockers across the park. The locker system isn't very clear to the average user. Most of the time those lockers aren't actually in use. Most people don't know they are supposed to hold the end rental button while the door is open to actually end the rental. I would have to go to fire dragon and roller coaster multiple times a day and just open every locker and end the rentals manually to open them up to guests.
I was a Rides Team Lead and sometimes I would find out the password for the lockers so I could help out. I never understood why the Rides Supervisors and Team Leaders weren't allowed to help with locker issues. It was a pain to always call for a Games Supervisor to help out, especially on busy days.
@@HelloWolfie we gave ride supervisors/managers access eventually. It was because rides supervisors were abusing the password and getting free lockers. We updated the system that would track individual passwords so if anyone did anything it would be logged!
I worked as ride operator in the 2020 season, (kiddie land, pioneer village, and wicked) and my god it was horrible. $12/h for 10-12 hours a day, regularly 90°-100°+. I got heat stroke one day, and instead of sending me home, I was sent to work at rattlesnake in the operator booth (where the fans didn’t work). After making me chug my water I was denied a bathroom break for over 30 minutes. Never. Again.
well they have been alot more laid back about breaks and operating. although the rides have been breaking down more often so its not worth going back to the park (For now)
Games and Rides are the worst areas to work in, but Lagoon pushes advertising for those jobs more because of how frequently people quit or switch to other departments. Commonly foods but the management in foods values child labor more than anything so if your older than 16 good luck getting longer than a 4-5 hour shift and if your younger be prepared to work the maximum amount of hours you legally can :/
@@robertn.4329 Hard to tell. The basic rules are you are allowed to go to the bathroom literally at any time. However, a ride operator is also responsible for safety which means if anyone is on the ride, someone has to be available at the controls. There needs to be better redundancy in staffing in that case. Definitely something to talk about and find a solution because the goal should be that a bathroom break should be available for anyone at any time. This is a lay person's understanding of the law and OSHA, but it is certainly more complicated when it comes to ensuring safety of park visitors. Charging $100 and not having the staff is a management problem and should be addressed.
if you go to Lagoon on Tuesdays or Thursdays, wait times are not bad. If you go when it rains or during a heat advisory lines for even some of the bigger rides can be under a minute.
I’ve had lagoon Season passes constantly since 2021, me and my family love going there and it’s always a good time. Lines are great EXCEPT, during dance competitions, (yes they hold them there) they have plenty of parking (and overflow parking) the rides are fun all around. They have TONS of pavilions to hold your coolers and other such while you’re riding rides, AND they have lots of trees around the while park which brings shade. They also have grassy areas for kids to run around during lunch time, and they have countless ice cream, shaved ice, dip ‘n dots,and great food places all around the park. ANDDDDD, they have a big restaurant called “the Biergarden”, it has alcoholic beverages, but they also have kid/family friendly dining, twofold is expensive, but they are not greedy with how much food they give you, (also Their German chocolate cake is THE BEST DESSERT I’VE EVER HAD) I don’t get why lagoon is getting so much hate.
All very fair points! I have a love/ hate relationship with Lagoon. It’s a comfort park for me. I love how they mix the old with new, and the generational part, how my parents and grandparents also visited when they were young. The ride line up is decent for what the park is, but could be better. I also hate how long it takes them to pump out new attractions. Most of the time if they do, it’s just small kiddie/ family rides that get added. I know times are different and Covid happened but in the late 90’s to early 2000’s they were putting out new rides almost yearly. It’s just a bit annoying due to the super high (often rising) prices every year, but very minor updates to the park each year. But at the end of it all, I do dearly love the Lagoon, and grateful to have Cannibal at my home park! Ps.. the locker situation does suck, but I recommend wearing pants with button or zipper pockets. Lagoon doesn’t force you to remove items before riding most rides. Also.. I’m not 100% sure on this, but if I’m remembering correctly, I think the no single riders in the back seats of coasters (not including jet-star) has gone away. ;)
I grew up going to Lagoon, and I used to love it. The animals have absolutely broken my heart for decades. No animal deserves that treatment....It's now, unfortunately, overpriced. But I do appreciate their propensity towards innovation, and I do recognize how many coasters we have that are cutting edge. Lagoon abuses animals. There is no excuse for that.
I'm a former rides operator and I grew up next to Lagoon. I loved going there as a kid. Lagoon's strength is in their deep history. The Freeds actually did a great job with the park up until the late seventies. One thing that wasn't mentioned was how many big names have preformed at Lagoon. The Beach Boys, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and even The Rolling Stones all played at Lagoon. Pioneer Village was the brainchild of Robert Freed and after his death in the early seventies, his brother Peter made it happen. It opened when I was a kid, and it was really cool. They had two steam trains, a stage coach ride and an afternoon shootout. But as Peter aged and Dave took over in the 80's, Pioneer village became a low priority and hasn't been maintained. I think Lagoon has a lot of potential, but as was mentioned in the review, the current management is fine with the status-quo of hiring high-school kids and charging close to Disneyland prices. I haven't been there for years because of this. Hopefully, things will change for the better.
Went last month when it was 100 degrees outside. It was EMPTY and we had a great time. You can bring as much food and drink you as you want and there is a water park inside. Great Park and lots of fun for the whole family. Tons of seating and places to relax. The no security thing is great…this isn’t Magic Mountain…if you know what I’m saying.
I grew up going heee and have now taken my daughters there as a single dad and man I LOVE this place but haven’t been in maybe 7-8 years , look forward to this video! 3:56 2 of the rides from my 80’s childhood I’ll never forget! I took a screenshot and saved it so thanks for that and the video! Oh man the log ride is taken down???? I LOVED THAT ONE!
Excellent review. Lagoon is less than an hour away from my house, so I bought season passes in 2020, 2021, and 2022 before prices got way out of hand. Critiques are spot-on. In addition: the accessibility situation is bad. Not a lot of accommodations for wheelchairs, for example. You'd think the shortage of restrooms would be a real pain point too. Sometimes something shifts in your guts on a ride and you suddenly HAVE to go, ya know? - Furthermore, the lagoon is FILTHY. They used to have paddle boats and other water activities, but I suspect you could catch some freaky microbes from that water.
Wow you nailed it, coming from a local, perfect overview of the highlights and disappointments. I do love the charm and nostalgia of the park, they get a lot right but also a lot of issues you brought up. Most locals only go 1-2 times per year, if that, and I bet there's not a lot of traveling visitors so I do understand why they charge so much. The western village could offer more and the water log ride should definitely be rebuilt maybe even longer, that was one of my all-time favorites as a kid. The animals on the train ride need to go or else be put in WAY better enclosures, the animals are so miserable and it's more like a prison with the setup. Kids would be just as happy with fake animatronics like at Disney, and the adults would be a lot happier with no more animal cruelty. I like how they keep adding new rides every 1-3 years, and the new ones are thrilling and unique, and I love the old classics remaining too.
My wife grew up in both New York state and Florida before meeting me and coming to live with me in Utah. She's been to every park on the east coast multiple times. I showed her Lagoon through their website and several TH-cam videos and she said it looked like crap and never wanted to go. I agree that they need real competition, but I don't see any bigger companies saying "let's go build an amusement park in the middle of the desert!" Plus, most people think of Utah as more of a natural playground, given our numerous national and state parks, hiking, camping, boating and skiing options.
Just came across this video. Loved it 100%. And as a former employee who worked as a ride operator, and tickets/admissions cashier, the way lagoon treats their employees is absolutely terrible. At least the ride operators. Being a ride operator was my first ever job at 14 years old, I had to endure working outside in EXTREME heat, short breaks, and I NEVER got off on time as a ride operator. I worked easily 10-13 hour shifts. I barely lasted one season there. My time working as a tickets cashier was much better. But I’ve heard from other employees that being a ride operator, and games host (ones that are in charge of the carnival games here) are in particular horrifically bad. This place holds a special place in my childhood because it truly is a fun place to go as a customer. But my time as an employee has turned me off from coming back entirely. I’m 19 now and I haven’t been back since I was 16 and I don’t want to return anytime soon
I actually love riding the train to see the animals. Love it. I always have and always will. I also really love places like zoos, aquariums, and Sea World.
@@eristineforever6934 would love it better if it was an actual zoo, and the animals could run around and play. I've seen Mall Puppy's with more space than those wild animals. But go off if you like seeing neglected, bored animals stuffed in the back of an amusement park 🤷
Every time I went to Lagoon as a kid I remember whenever I would go on that I'd always get bummed out by seeing those animals in very poor condition. Why they haven't done away with that after so many protests I just will never understand, like it would be so easy to replace them with animatronics or something and actually send those animals to an actual zoo that knows how to take care of them.
Look at you, you are a better person and more concerned about things than other people. Sure there are people dying that you could help or you could actually do something but why would you do that when you can virtue signal on the internet because we all know that is the thing that really makes a difference... you are a disappointment to humanity.
My friend in Illinois was wanting to take us to Six Flags and so I researched the price, being a Utah resident. I was sitting there dumbfounded as I worked out it would probably be cheaper to go to Six Flags, a park known all over the country, compared to Lagoon. I wish someone would come bring a park to Utah to get Lagoon to settle down.
I think you make a lot of great points. I've been going to Lagoon for years. I've been to parks in other states, so I know there's better options. But I don't hear about people talking about those parks in the same kind of romanticized way people do about Lagoon. If there were another park trying to startup, I think they'd face a unique kind of brand loyalty and stubbornness in attracting customers. One of many add-on effects of having no competition for so many years.
Going to Lagoon for the second time I went with some friends for a fun little trip. We went on Rattlesnake rapids multiple times near the end of our day and got totally SOAKED. Within those multiple times we went through we became pretty good buddies with the operators who would ask us each time “going again?” With a smile. It was a great experience and very fun with every other ride we hit including Cannibal and Colossus: The Fire Dragon. Overall an amazing experience with many great memories. However the one thing that disappointed me was the prices for both park entry and food. Granted every park up charges for food within but $7 for a soft pretzel seemed a little too much. Their yearly cups that allow refills for lower prices seem pretty okay but I went recently and their Primordial cups seemed a little pricey. Of course they are metal but $50-60 for a metal cup that gets you low priced refills until the next year passes is just a little bit of a shame in my opinion.
I have NO IDEA how this got in my feed, but it was really cook video. I was born and raised in SLC (t-ville) and Lagoon was a part of my childhood. Its sad to see how the monopoly has driven it to such a place. I live near Charlotte NC now, and Carrowinds blows Lagoon out of the.....well...lagoon. For half the money Carrowinds is such a better park. I need my family to visit me for once and I need to open their eyes. Great vid!
It would be nice to get a season pass with free parking and then a food and drink plan for only 50 dollars more than a season pass is at lagoon with no free parking.
Fair review. Well done. When I moved to Utah in 1986, we saw the Monkees Reunion Tour at Lagoon and it is one of my favorite childhood memories. Lagoon is an amazing place for a kid, and as you grow older, it's amazing how it still finds a way to forge new memories to ponder. Thanks again for your review.
As someone who live in the Seattle area, a theme park desert (Wild Waves does not count), I wish we had a park like Lagoon- even with all its flaws. I visited Lagoon last year and was blown away with the awesome coaster lineup. Cannibal was so fun, Colossus is wildly underrated, and Spider is sneaky good.
As someone who’s been all over the country riding coasters, I have to agree that the Seattle area is really shockingly pathetic. I’d be travelling to Silverwood a lot if I were a local.
I think the biggest problem with building theme parks in Seattle (besides the cost of real estate) is that it's generally cheap and easy to fly down to LA and go to the parks there instead, so everyone just does that, to the point that I half-jokingly say that Disneyland is Seattle's "home park". We live on the East coast now (so our home park would be Carowinds) but my wife and I had Disneyland APs for several years when we lived in Seattle and generally went several times a year until COVID, and even did WDW APs one year.. I think I've been on SEA->LAX and SEA->SNA flights where half the plane was wearing Mickey ears.
As an operator at lagoon during the 23' season. TLDR I agree with everything you have said. There needs to be more lockers and the lockers need to be refurbished. They sometimes won't open, some forget pascode,etc. Then the attendant near the lockers has to call someone to open the lockers. The only exception is primordial there are tons of lockers and the attendants can open them with Ipads unless the lockers system is having trouble. The lines spilling into the midway pisses me off because sometimes the line starts to bleed together and it makes it hard to get around. The lines normally bleed together around cannibal, paratrooper, and skyscraper. Most attendants barely look at handstamps because if your in, then you paid to get in. I have only ever seen one set of tickets, and I don't know where a attendant got it. The enclosure of cannibal is beatiful but you can't really see it unless you work it and do a lost Item search at the end of the day. The best time to ride primordial for the shortest wait time is going to before it closes. It closes one hour before park close. The line can be on average from 50-120 minutes. The line averages 2 hours but can go up to 4 hours. Opening day it didn't finish until 1:00 AM. I didn't work that day but I have worked on primordial to midnight. The majority of 14/15 year old employees work druning the summer. Some only get shade at their post. They should get shade and a fan like the operators. The supervisors come around regularly to refill water bottles and you get a cold water bottle around midday. During the post season/nightmares it's mainly 16+. I don't like that 14/15 year olds are working in the 90+ degree heat. Some bigger rides can only be operated by a supervisor.
Hello, games worker and frightmares scare actor for the 23’ season, I completely agree. There were many times when I was warned about a notorious game that had no air conditioning, was in the hottest spot of the park, and all you had for shade was a single umbrella that would barely cover you when the sun was in certain areas. Never again will I work at the mini golf game. I swear I have NEVER ingested so much water before and STILL be dehydrated. I also am very prone to heat stroke, so this was a nightmare for me :,). Throughout games I was also exploited MANY times, especially at some of their busiest games like center ring and gob toss 2 where I would be alone and have to run around when we got a rush as many guests kept wanting to play. Working during frightmares was worse. The scare actors constantly get harassed, the hours are draining, and I would often have to go home early from migraines, sharp pains, or even just feeling drained of my energy to the point I wasn’t acting well. The only benefit was that we got a longer break time (40 minutes) so I could actually eat food as I am a very slow eater, but that just made being relief worse. I luckily had the privilege to not be transferred to a different house when people couldn’t work/called out, but I heard it can be stressful having to improv when you know nothing about the house, nor the room or acting tactics to use in it. Some ups of being a scare actor, however, was the room of the night giveaways. Monitors would give out prizes to what rooms they thought had the best acting throughout the night, and I actually won rotn once when I was a roaming (relief) character!! However, the prizes were a bit weird with how they were distributed. For example, opening night they gave away the skull mugs sold to guests. But when I got rotn, I was given a magnet. I’m not complaining, but still. But odd imo. Overall, Lagoon exploits it’s underaged employees (or just employees in general) and I will never work there again. :) I do love the park tho, and I adore frightmares even more, which is why I will use my knowledge to hopefully educate others about my experiences
I don't like that 40-50 year olds are working in the 90+ degree heat doing hard labor... it is harder on an old person than it is on a teenager. What is wrong with your thinking meat?
for being really the only option for residents in Utah I'm just glad it's a pretty damn good one. I've always had great experiences there with very little to complain about, some of the attractions are unique and bring in alot of people. This place really was alot of my childhood and it does create fun jobs and a culture in high school of working summers with friends. Pioneer village is underrated and makes for a really nice date that isn't just standing around in lines :)
I feel so seen right now. 😆 You even know about how we ALL unanimously still agree to call it the "White Rollercoaster" even though it hasn't been white in years. I love that you know that part of our lore.
Before watching this video, I was a lot more pumped about potentially making a trip to the park. I think it just became a "if I get to it" kind of place now. Cannibal is really the only reason I wanted to go in the first place tbh
Lagoon is a whole ass vibe. This video is really just pointing out all the negatives, but he makes it sound worse than it is. I'd take Lagoon over walking for miles in-between rides like at most other amusement parks
Lagoon is my home park.. I've been to several Six Flags parks, some multiple times. I've done a few other parks and the Disney and Universal stuff.. Lagoon has its charm but it's not thrilling like a Cedar Point or Magic Mountain if that's what you are looking for. Not even close actually. Cannibal is unique but very average when you compare it to other parks main thrill rides which Cannibal is Lagoons main thrill ride.. With that being said Lagoon has fun enough rides for an entertaining day and the park would be fun for most amusement park enthusiasts.. Lagoon has enough charm and uniqueness that it's worth the visit if you are in the area in my opinion. All parks have issues in some areas and Lagoon is no different.. Still, it's pretty fun for a day out especially if you don't expect it to be Cedar Point or Magic Mountain.
Listen if you do ever go go on a Tuesday or Sunday for some magical reason these are the least busy. I work in security where we’ve been studying guest patterns and most Sundays (which makes since) and Tuesdays (no idea why) it’s almost empty.
I would go just for wicked. It's really so much fun to get propelled into space by same-charge magnets then sucked back down by opposing magnets in a matter of seconds. Theres some cool rides out there and they whole place is very nice looking. Well worth going if youre in the area
i’m really happy you mentioned pioneer village!! it’s my favorite part of the park and got me into history as a kid. it’s a super unique place and it’s typically less crowded than the rest of the park so it’s a good place to chill out a few times a week when you have a season pass.
Hey by the way, I think Lagoon is actually named after the Great Salt Lake spot where it was originally opened in 1886. They relocated it to the Farmington location in 1896. The building at Saltair is a (sad) replica of one of the original buildings.😊
Just a note as someone who has worked at Frightmares, they have employees that are definitely capable of making adults cry but as a former streetmosphere actor, we were told at some points that we had to “tone down” our acting. I had one instance where I sat in a makeup chair for almost an hour and a half and I almost had to take it all off because it was “too scary”. Julie freed herself actually had to come and approve of it. After that we were told by management that we could only walk around the park, we couldn’t even speak or really act.
I worked at Lagoon for three years now. It for sure has its flaws. I feel for the workers who are still there. Quitting was the best decision I ever made 🥰
Everyone I’ve known who worked there said similar things. Makes me sad. Maybe Lagoon simply needs more employees and more shifts? Do they pay decently? How else do they keep getting people with that reputation?
@@k.c.4423they value child labor more than actual quality work. As a foods employee I’ve seen it but I can’t really speak for other departments. If your 16+ you get very low hours as they give it all to younger workers who work the maximum amount of hours before it becomes illegal cause they get paid less. You’re doing quality work? You might be promoted but oops sorry you called in once sick so we gave the position to someone else smh. It’s a greedy company who pay low amounts of money (average is 13 for 16+ or 10 if you’re younger) and wastes ungodly amounts of food each night. Returned and quit because I realized I have better opportunities elsewhere. More employees won’t work because they hire in giant interviews which really aren’t interviews. you come and are instantly hired if your old enough. Which makes sense because of how quickly people quit after their first week.
@@k.c.4423 because they hire middle schoolers for $5 an hour, lure them in with a free season pass, they get indoctrinated because they've never had a job and think "this is just what work is", they stay a few years in hopes of making more money being an operator, then they turn 16 or 17 and quit and find jobs that treat and pay them fairly, and the next batch of 14 year olds come in to replace them. It's a perfect cycle 🤣
@@k.c.4423 to put it simply: 1) lagoon overhires at the beginning and treats their employees poorly. When employees quit throughout the season, whoever's left gets worked to the bone 2) I only got $12/hr and had to buy lunch from the employee kitchen with my paycheck. It's expensive too, the hot sandwiches were $3.50~ when I last worked 3) lagoon cuts corners with both hiring and operation. Safety checks are rushed, supervisors are inconsistent with how things are supposed to be done, food poisoning is rampant, ect 4) lagoon operates during the summer months. In Utah that means 100°+ temps for most of July and parts of August/June. They throw out water bottles like candy but deny bathroom breaks. They give fans to the operators but not the attendants. 5) they break child labor laws. When I worked there, I saw 14-15 y/os working their 6 hour shift without the law mandated 3 breaks. As a 16 y/o when I worked, I was guaranteed one 30 min break and a bathroom/water break. Sometimes I did not get that break because there weren't enough relief workers (see 1)
My family has a strong connection to lagoon. In pioneer village there is a train museum that my great grandfather donated. My brother and cousin also works here. We went there last month actually. It's really fun if you know what your doing. We went every other year as we where growing up and it was amazing. I wish we can go more but as he said it's super expensive
I was explaining earlier to other people that there was a train station. They moved to Lagoon when we went in the 80s and 90s from Kaysville where my grandmother was born. I don’t know if it’s still there now or if they did away with it but it was really historical.❤
Great thoughts, nailed a ton of stuff. Few things I'd like to add that I think drive your points even further: Demographics in Utah are so much different from any other park in the country. Families and entertainment has astronomical demand. I think in addition to not being incentivized to change, Lagoon is using basic supply and demand and taking huge advantage of it. It's important to note that rarely are theme parks competing with other theme parks, even when in close proximity (few exceptions here and there). They are competing with ever other entertainment offering nearby. While Utah has a large family entertainment offering, it's still really underserved and everything everywhere is always packed. Lagoon has bumped/kept prices high to make the park operable. If it was down at a $50 day ticket, all day every day would be max capacity - even now it's already extremely busy nearly every day. Utah residents will pay the high price for this and similar activities because it's necessary and fit for the family. Lagoon being an Amusement Park monopoly certainly drives that further. Utah will continue seeing entertainment space improved and added, but their population growth is outpacing all of it. Another amusement park in Utah County area would definitely drive demand out of Lagoon so they could see more reasonable changes. They just wouldn't be investing in Primordial-type attractions anytime in the future (that's okay). I think ultimately they are caught in-between improving guest experience, and managing demand. They're hand is forced to be on the demand-side until it's better controlled, then I'd expect them to swing back to guest experience (which they're kind of trying with new attractions and capacity). It's a great park, many many flaws, hope to see them make some cool changes and continue investing in these wild in-house attractions!
I definitely agree- the demand for Lagoon has risen a bunch even since I started visiting back in 2016. I've seen the average ticket prices rise $40 at least! Its the same mentality as Disney- they can charge that much because people will pay it. But I agree with you if it was a lot cheaper then it would be well beyond the parks capacity. They simply were not designed to hold as many people as they currently have to deal with.
Cannibal is the second coaster I've ever ride, the interior of the tower thing is really intimidating. The Farris wheel is a very important memory for me since I went there with my two best friends.
As a Utahn myself, one thing to say about entry is that many people get in through their school with a very significant discount. The only times I have ever gone were purely because my schools (and the others in the district) had gotten us in for 15-20$.
as an previous employee, most of the gear and equipment we use is very outdated and old. they rarely put any money in improving the equipment we use. and they charge over very little things in the break room and the main office, they also dont let us bring in one person in for free which i think isnt very good for the pricing of the park. alot of the equipment we use breaks very often due it being just so old. but its easily fixed (when we call a supervisor because they dont want us fixing it ourselves so that guests dont have to wait in line). i have gotten written up twice for letting people (the people who wanted to leave on their own) leave the line through the exit gate (by passing through the seats when it was ride that was safer) so that they didnt have to wait hours in line. at another point someone quit one of the rides as i was operating it and the guests had to wait 1 1/2 hours until someone came over to help. otherwise the pay was ok and it was a fun place to work. everyone was laid back (except for a few supervisors who shall not be named) i have heard that other departments are terrible places to work. so if you plan on working at lagoon, either work in rides or games.
I fully understand the crapy equipment i have had so many action rakes break on me also I feel offended you wouldn't add landscaping to your recommended
merchandise is also a great option everyone is very nice and welcoming its just a bit of a smaller department but most of the places you will work have air conditioning
Very valid points on this review. I 100% agree about the animals. I think it would be cool if they put in some animatronics instead of live animals. Like Jungle Cruise at Disney. I hate that there have been movements to remove the animals, but Lagoon has refused. The price is outrageous, especially compared to other parks--and Lagoon isn't even open year round. Then in the spring and fall, they are only open weekends. I used to buy season passes for my family of 5, but now including parking pass it's about a thousand dollars. Now I get the getoutpass, which includes one trip to Lagoon, and that's the only trip we take there over the summer The water park isn't great. The ground is rough on your feet, so we always wear swim shoes to avoid injuries. No joke, it's bad. The other thing that's crazy is they ask to see your ticket upon reentry into the Amusement park side to re stamp your hand. Like--how do you think I got in here? It's dumb.
The reason they refused to take out the animals is because they get Zoo, Arts, and Parks money from the state by having animals there and claiming to be a zoo. I can't go on the train ride because it's so depressing. I won't even go to Lagoon if my company isn't paying for my ticket
@@Scrambles_Deathdealersee, I've heard several different reasons. The general consensus now seems to be that they have tried to rehome the animals, but zoos have extremely strict rules and regulations and can't take them. So now they are simply waiting for the animals to die off and they aren't replacing them. Most of the cages are empty now. Also! They're doing a bunch of new stuff and I'm really excited about it all This is my favorite place, and I think it's awesome. They also lowered the ticket price. Not by much, but it's not terrible
I was not aware of the animal enclosures at this park, that's genuinely such a shame. NO animal should be confined to an enclosure smaller than my apartment.
@@sonofzues- They are not abused, despite the “small cages” they are very well taken care of and better then most zoo’s actually. They are rescue animals and their zoo is a rescue zoo, they’re not there just for their gain.
Those animals live and eat better than you or anyone you've ever known or will know. Maybe you should try talking to the trainers personally instead of spouting of nonsense you know nothing about. The state would leap on the first opportunity to legally remove those animals, how are they still there? Because they live like royalty.
Another Utah native here to say amazing video! Pioneer village is a trip. Lagoon was so much fun growing up, but I can’t justify the cost anymore. Thanks for the commentary. :)
Fully agree with everything said in the video. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life (and live really close by), and it has been extremely disheartening to see prices constantly rising, crowds getting bigger and bigger with no way to handle it, and no incentive to go because of those reasons. I also think they desperately need to improve working conditions + employee payment. I didn’t work at Lagoon myself, but have had many friends who did so (including Frightmares acting), and it just seems horrible to work there. I hope these suggestions get implemented soon!! Great video!!!
Cedar Fair has the same age requirements as Lagoon. You can work at 14, but the rides department requires 16 or older, and some positions/rides require 18 or older.
And some smaller parks too- I believe a couple departments at Canobie Lake Park, like food service and games, allow 14yo to work, but 16 and up for pretty much everywhere else.
We live in Utah Valley. The last time I visited Lagoon, my wife and I were in our sixties. Walking around the park, there were almost no benches and nowhere to sit down. After buying some really bad over-priced undercooked hot dog type thing, we thought we'd try the Ferris wheel because we could get off our feet for a little while. We stood in line for about 45 minutes and were looking forward to sitting and enjoying the ride. When we finally got on the ride, we went around maybe two rotations and then were told to exit the ride. We've both sworn we will never go to Lagoon amusement park again!
The poor Ferris wheel has 2 modes. And you can guess which one is the longest part. Loading/unloading, and the actual ride. The ride itself is like an apology for how long it took to just get everyone on it.
I think that a lot of the flaws would be ironed out if the employees were treated better. I worked there for 3 years, and I was never treated like a human a single time. When they were building primordial, they took away go huge chunk of the employee parking lot to do construction, and they also took away access to the picnic staging lot (where big groups go to unload their stuff). The employees were forced to be shoved into the small employee parking area- and many don’t know that the employee parking lot is also the overflow parking lot- so if you work there and come in later in the day on like a Saturday, you’re like- a good 20min walk away from the employee entrance. Then- there’s the picnic staging lot (referred to as employees as the PC lot). I worked as a supervisor in the picnics department and I had to deal with so so SO many unhappy groups. We had to let them in through a weird little gate that I didn’t have the key to, so we would often have a situation where a guest is yelling at us through a gate and we seriously can’t do anything about it because we literally cannot access the help they need. It also caused a lot of issues where the guests needed to drive through a little neighborhood in order to get in through the back of the park. It was terrible. I didn’t have a completely terrible time, I did get to go to a lot of parties, but there were so, SO SO SO many flaws that seriously don’t make me miss the park at all.
As someone who was born and raised in Utah, I can say this review is spot on! Also, I totally agree with the train ride at Lagoon. It's really not needed and I don't understand why they keep the animals in captivity like that.
I have been to Lagoon about two or three times since moving to Utah in 2015 and each time the prices have gone up to the point that we can't afford to go. I definitely agree that with what Lagoon is, it's a pretty decent theme park. They can definitely do better with pricing and guest experience but they keep the park in running order and "fairly" clean. The food is so expensive so the last few times we were there, we brought our own food. I really do hope what you said at the end comes true; that they improve the passes, pricing, and guest experience.
I went to SLC for a half marathon and added Lagoon to my weekend plan. I didn't look into it much in advance, and I was shocked at the price. I was also solo, so I was pretty disappointed I couldn't ride Jet Star. Cute park but disappointed with several things.
Okay, so about the lockers. I think there are so few because most locals who have been going here our whole lives bring coolers and picnic blankets and bags and leave them under a shade tree in the grassy areas near the water park or by pavilions and no one bothers it. We also just leave our stuff out in the open next to the lockers or on ledges by the flower beds. Just a different and trusting culture. I’ve personally never had a problem doing that and I don’t know of anyone having their stuff go missing. 🤷🏼♀️ I’m sure it’s happened a few times, but I’m guessing it’s rare or people would stop leaving their items unattended. Also, I actually love the water park and we go every time. The tube slides and regular slides are both fun. The lazy river is awesome to just relax in. If you have kids the kids pools are so fun for them. I would hate a remodel on this. It’s also got a waterfall wall that you can sit under and get a shoulder massage. It seems like the lazy river and pools in that area are more of a salt mix, which is really nice. And the slides are more of a chlorine mix.
Agreed. There are a LOT of seating and grass areas at lagoon people just drop their stuff off at. I’ve seen people bring in coolers of beer, tents, strollers and diaper bags, etc and just leave everything unattended for hours.
You're right about how trusting people are. My sister and I have season passes every year with the kids and we'll drop off coolers jackets and umbrellas off at the pavilions in the back of the park. The only thing that's gone through any of it were geese and peacocks looking for food. We never leave anything that we would really miss but we've never had anything stolen
I was a former ride operator from about 15-18. I don't have anything to add to the review but I do have stories. Fun fact, the carousel is older than the state of Utah. Edit: Actually, the whole park is, by about 10 years. I used to run the baby boats in Kiddieland, and on one occasion a peacock leaped over the gates and into the center island, and I had to unload the kids I just loaded in while my manager chased the peacock around the island like a road runner cartoon. The peacock just kind of gracefully leapt back out almost as soon as I was done unloading. Another time, a kid fell into the moat while I was walking another kid out. His mom undid his buckle for him. It's a tiny pool but it's a ride for tiny kids, so he was fully submerged and at one point the boats rolled over where he was. I had to shove the boats back and pull him out. Mom tried to yell at me and I was like 'had you waited like 2 minutes I could have gotten him out safely'. Easily the worst ride to run, if only because of the parents. Carousel was decent though. The bumper cars is also fun and after hours employees have to park them all in lines near the exit. You can reliably drive them backwards, you just have to turn the wheel about 180 degrees, and the steering is kind of inverted. The TerrorRide is one of the locations in the park with a confirmed death. AFAIK, it was an older gentleman trying to get off the ride. The loading area is operator controlled but you have no control over the ride once it enters and exits the building, and if you're not careful with timing, the cart unloading people could be hit by another cart exiting the building. On this occasion, the cart he was exiting was hit by another cart from behind, and the collision broke his hip and he died later in the hospital of complications. Also, my very first time as a ride operator for the TerrorRide, I caught a woman giving her boyfriend a bj and was not remotely prepared. They never told me how to handle that. My sister worked there and I'm pretty sure she was there the night of the 2016 frightmares fire. I can't remember if she said she saw this or a coworker saw this, but she was pretty certain the cause of the fire was a cigarette butt from a customer that caught onto the decorations. All the articles I've found on the fire don't list a cause. Edit: spoke with her to clarify, she saw it. It was in Nightwalk. My grandma used to work there as a kid, and her older brother was a firefighter, and she gave me more interesting stories. She said the Flying Aces used to have a bunch of large signs encircling the ride, and one ride operator got distracted while a little kid was trying to get into the rides and started it prematurely. The kid was just hanging onto the side of the plane, and his legs ended up hitting every sign until the ride operator noticed and stopped the ride. There also didn't used to be a fence around colossus, and one employee took a shortcut home directly behind the ride. She was standing too close to the ride and the force of the carts coming down the big hill ripped her arms off, according to my grandma.
Found a source for that last story. Occurred in 1963 to a woman named Shanna B. Lassen. My sister informed me that my Nana actually SAW this happen, she didn't hear it second hand. mysteryofutahhistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-dark-side-of-lagoon-amusement-park.html?m=1
I remember when admission hit $60.00 and only went one time after that because it was a company thing and I got a big discount. But that's something they would do. They would open the park for special occasions and/or events and it made for a great afternoon with almost no lines. The one thing I always liked about Lagoon was the ability to bring your own food in. Families kind of stake out a table in the pavilions with their coolers and then all you need to do is go to your table and grab a sandwich and hit the park again. So much better than paying for what food they produce in there. Pioneer Village was always a great place to wind down a bit after lunch.
I had literally never thought of this until you mentioned it but I agree with the lagoon owners and vastly prefer the lines in lagoon and how they just extend into the park, the last few parks I’ve been to are universal studios Florida and Disney world ( both a few years ago), and lastly universal studios Japan. Watching people in line in Utah is a way to entertain yourself cause people are going places and idk makes the park feel more alive? Definitely more happy, the only memory of the other parks lines is “look at all these people also suffering in line”
I have never visited Lagoon, but I hope to soon. I knew that it was basically a monopoly, but I didn't know about how it was all affecting guest experience. Those lines on the midway look like a line-jumpers dream come true. I didn't know about the animals. I am totally supportive of zoos and marine parks taking care of animals that need it and such, but they should be properly taken care of. Six Flags over Texas used to have the policy of no single riders in the back row or in whatever row is the furthest back loaded row. In other words, if there are 3 people waiting to ride, and 2 are waiting for the front, the single rider cannot get on, even in row 2. That policy was so that everyone on board has a witness either next to them or behind them. When they realized this was a silly policy that actually does nothing, they discontinued it in 2020.
I've lived in utah my whole life and when I was young I used to go to lagoon with my family pretty often, or as often as one could when barely able to afford a loaf of bread some weeks. It's upsetting that the prices have skyrocketed and we can hardly go anymore, not to mention the workers looking exhausted and fighting to stay standing. Though if you still want to go, try to go during Frightmares (aka the BEST time to go in my opinion). Pioneer Village is haunted during Frightmares if you didn't know, especially at night. I've seen some crazy stuff.
I'm in my fifties and have gone to lagoon ever since I was like 5. When I was 10 my friends and I would just get dropped off and picked up 8 hours later. Everything was very reasonably priced. There have been 2 fatalities there which I think is not as bad as it could be with so many people always there. One was caused by a kid misunderstanding and trying to get out of his kiddie coaster seat before the ride was over. The second one was on the big wooden roller coaster where a girl in the front seat didn't follow safety measures and fell out and then got hit again by the coaster. So safety is very important as it is at any theme park. Growing up going to lagoon was always a super fun adventure I always looked forward to.
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I have lived in Utah since I was a teenager. I am 59 now. That means I have been to Lagoon many times. You have completely nailed it. I hope the owners watch this and take many of your suggestions. Thank you.
Dave Freed and his family owns lagoon
😭😭😭I’m a utahn too and I’m telling you nothing about lagoon is gonna change. They’ve got a monopoly unfortunately
@@Jose-st3fq yeah lagoon hasn't been all that great for years. Sad thing is last good ride was the wicked back in 2007
I’ve lived here in Utah since I was born and never been. I don’t know if it’s still worth it.
@rickymoala7710 no lagoon isn't worth it, go to jail it's free.
Pricing is a nightmare. Like a decade ago it was only $40. A few years ago it was $70. You're telling me it's already $100?
I remember! My family loved going there, but it got way too expensive. Even with military discount it was costing 500+ before gas or food
Sheesh, I’m old. I remember when it was $28 for a day pass. Which seems like only a few years ago, confirming the loss of brain matter.
At this point Disneyland is getting cheaper or is the same price with more perks.
plus on top of that they use cheap straws which may seem small but 100 friggin dollars and i am just trying to get a 5 dollar water and my straw breaks when its 90* outside ruins my mood so quickly
Years ago, they used to have a discount if you went in the evening. Seems like the full price at the time was $30 or $35, and if you went after 5:00 pm, you got in for $10 or $15. A lot of the teens that worked for me would get off work and carpool up and stay till closing several times a week.
I love how you immediately summoned all of us locals with just the title and thumbnail and we proceeded to agree completely. The park has 100% fallen off recently, ever since about 2-3 years after Cannibal opened their prices have skyrocketed and nobody I know has gone more than once or twice since. I had a season pass a couple years after cannibal opened and food pricing was already insane, but the guest experience was still fine and everyone was generally a little nicer than more recently. It’s sad that it has exploited the fact that they can charge whatever they want to because nobody can stop them.
My friends and I would try to go once or twice a year, but after the recent price hikes to $95, we’re done. It’s just ridiculous, and you can’t possibly justify that.
Even as a monopoly, there is a limit to what they can charge before people simply stop going.
#rip to my sister who bought a season pass the other year only to become pregnant in the spring
All of us locals don't agree completely but I guess you can be the mouthpiece for everyone in the state.
Absolutely. My dad works on Hill so the few times I've had season passes a few years ago I'd go through there to get them but they're still pretty expensive. Though going 2 or 3 times more than pays for them. I just wish for more competition. It would really help them for sure. And getting a new park around would be a breath of fresh air as well.
As a Utah resident and previous Lagoon employee I have to say that Lagoon is best if you go on Sunday or on cooler cloudy days. If it's overcast and Sunday you literally get free run of the park and you can just go around as many times as you want on most of the coasters.
Don't park at Lagoon. They have a free shuttle that runs every 30 minutes and there's a park and ride station just across the freeway at the Station Park Mall.
Totally agree about the spider, it's actually my favorite ride next to Colossus the fire dragon, the cliffhanger, the Re-entry side of the Rocket/Re-entry ride, and the Skyscraper Farris Wheel (esp. if you get to the Farris Wheel just about sunset! The light on the Great Salt Lake is truly special.)
The hanging swings, Turn of the Century, is best at night. Love this one too.
I also have to say that The Caverns in Glenwood Springs Colorado is absolutely Awesome! I highly recommend it.
I take the front-runner....cause I was coming from Ogden...but was still WAY CHEAPER Than paying to park there...
As a local bus driver i feel compelled to mention that Davis County pays for the free shuttle, and that the shuttle belongs to UTA.
Great option truly! (Just be careful cause there's a lotta kids using it, too.. they can be annoying 😅)
We always go on Sundays never a crowd
@@christopherjones7717 Of course the LDS is having family time
TIPS FOR LAGOON:
I'm 16 and have a season pass, I know what I'm doing.
1. Best times to be at the park are opening, and towards closing.
2. Run to the rides in the south at opening because everyone runs north to cannibal and Primordial
3. Bring your own food and water
4. If buying food in the park, get it before or after the lunch/dinner rush
5. Go on days that aren't special events such as dance competitions, or school trips
6. If you'd like a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere, pioneer village sits in the back of the park and almost feels like a different park
7. A season pass is equal to about 2 day passes, so get one if you want to go more than twice
8. Most people leave an hour or two before the park closes, so those are prime times to ride other than opening
9. If you're just carrying small items like a phone wallet keys etc... pants or shirts with zipable pockets are very nice to avoid lockers
EXTREMELY helpful! I am very glad you commented this, as I am going to Lagoon on July 20th for my sister's birthday.
Me and my friend went to lagoon at 5 pm we rode so many rides we didn’t wait in line for like any ride it was crazy I believe we rode close to 21 rides in total
Stop supporting these creeps.
Also an extra tip from some with 2 years of season pass experience: if you’re trying to save money, there is a shuttle that takes you from lagoon to the mall across the street, the mall has tons of restaurants and other fast food options, and isn’t that much of a hassle to get from the park to the mall. You can also even park at the mall and shuttle to the park if parking is an issue
The last one is good but my friends AirPods flew out on cannibal with zipper pockets so idk
We've been trying to get that "zoo" closed for decades. It's a disgrace.
How can I help? I’m just a normie with a broken, animal-loving heart, but if I can help them get to a preserve where they can live in safety and peace, I want to do it.
Please point me to the petition or something! I've been so upset about this for over a decade!
i live not even 5 minutes from lagoon and go on the trail all the time, its a great walk but makes me want to cry every time. its horrible what they're doing to them, they need to be rehomed to sanctuaries.
Theres a zoo there?? Ive been there a whole bunch and I’ve never heard about a zoo
@@Nighttime670 its not really a zoo, its only visible from the train and its just a few sad animals in tiny cages, its horrible
I’ve worked at lagoon for years, and you absolutely nailed this. I can’t have family visit me at work anymore because the pricing is too expensive. And just recently too, they gutted the employee parking to give it all to the guests. I have it good there, but that’s only because I work for a 3rd party company, not lagoon itself (I’m a caricature artist). Lagoon used to be so fun when I was younger, and you could get a season pass for $100, but now it’s over $115 for a single adult day-pass alone! Lagoon has become exponentially more crowded the last few years, and lagoon hasn’t been able to keep up. The new CFO is the cause of this, who is the main reason prices skyrocketed a few years ago. And if you ask any lagoon employee, you’ll hear all about the broken labor laws, broken safety codes, unsafe food standards, etc. lagoon is VERY scummy, and has no problem exploiting their employees.
I've worked at Lagoon. At Catapult, I was almost decapitated because the head of the entire maintenance apartment was annoyed because of how long we were taking. So he jumped into the Crane and pulled it at full speed, launching me in the air. I almost was decapitated by the sign. I contacted osha after they osha showed up a week later I was fired. And they only use the zoo as a tax break. They get fined every single year because they abuse the animals.
sounds like an average business to me, all they care about is money, like so many people in this world.
oh my gosh that's terrible but the thing that confuses me is why is it becoming more popular and more crowded if it is getting more expensive ?
@@crazyartist2184 wait what the frack you were almost decapitated by a sign !? and then you got fired !? have you contacted a lawyer because you really should that could be a huge lawsuit.
My friend was a performer for Lagoon for at least a decade. They didn't bring him back this year because of budget cuts. Like where is this money going?!
Living in Utah my whole life, it’s sad to see how much Lagoon has fallen. Every worker looks like they’re ready to drop dead, the prices have gotten out of control and they know it, but they don’t care because they are a monopoly. Utah really needs another amusement park.
@@pat_jones36that doesn’t change the fact that $100 is way overpriced.
@@pat_jones36 🙄
@@pat_jones36 seriously? lmao
@@pat_jones36 with tax, its actually $105
@@andrewplatt7076 Lagoon is still an amazing park, no matter how expensive it is it’s still worth it
I live in Utah and went to Lagoon a ton as a kid! HOWEVER, I haven't been to it in years and won't go again until the exotic animals are given a better home. There have been petitions and people have been encouraging leadership to close that zoo for a long long time. There have have been issues in the past with treatment of the animals beyond just enclosures, and those are public if anyone is curious.
Good review! It's nice to see how it differs from other parks since I have only ever been to Lagoon
Look at you, you are a better person and more concerned about things than other people. Sure there are people dying that you could help or you could actually do something but why would you do that when you can virtue signal on the internet because we all know that is the thing that really makes a difference.
@@thomgizziz??? and you know that they aren’t helping people that are suffering? foh
Coming from a former Lagoon employee, it took 11 months and a call to OSHA to get a genuine safety concern addressed (screws protruding from a wall in Draculas castle and Terroride). No regrets.
“If you ask Utahns what parks they have been to they will answer Lagoon and Disneyland” hahahaha. So true so true
Edit: I did not expect this to get so much attention. I’m glad it’s at least making people smile. I hope you all have been having a good day
Literally me
And Disney World too 👌🏼
@@SkylerBaird yea, true I’ve been there, though you can’t drive there in one day so it’s a little less often…. Most of the time utahs go to Disney land for spring break.
And six Flags
Or in my case, only Lagoon
Some of those buildings in pioneer village are actually historical buildings that were moved to the park. Super cool history.
That is so true like I was saying earlier the train station that was moved there from Kaysville that my grandmother was born in her name was Madge May Rasmussen, Carson Jones, Gleave Moore…She was married like four times, but she was born in the train station that is now in Pioneer Village. At least it was when I was up there last in the 90sand I was sad to hear in this video that the log flume is no longer there because that was an iconic ride😮😢😢😢😢
Meh, it’s only interesting if you’re in the majority “religion” in this state. Everyone else I know thinks it’s advertising for said religion and finds it annoying.
Hey just be thankful they don't throw your ass off of roofs for not joining.
@@RoanokeCrow its not advertizing, its quite literally the history of utah
@@RoanokeCrow Born and raised Mormon, now atheist. This is just not true. I despise the Mormon church as much as the next exmo, but Pioneer Village is simply the history of the state of Utah post American Indian. I've never once gone there and thought "damn, this really glorifies the church." Silly.
honestly there's a huge trust system in lagoon about bags, a majority of people will put them behind fences or in the plants so they don't have to deal with lockers. also for some school districts, we always have a field trip to lagoon in 6th, 9th, and 12th grade. fun stuff man
Lol it's true, faith in humanity slightly restored when it comes to think of it in that aspect.
That’s exactly what me and my siblings did when we wanted to go to one of the coasters together so badly and plants and flowers were our best choices to hide our small, loose items 😂
Same
YES! We leave our bags and money outside with everyone else’s bags🤣🤣
we had a science trip in the 8th grade about physics using roller coasters as an example
The last point about the animals is spot on 👌🏻 I’m a utah native and I used to work in Farmington maybe 5-10 minute drive from Lagoon, and I haven’t actually been able to afford to go since I was 16 a decade ago. There were protests outside Lagoon I think in 2019-2020, maybe 2018? Something about water usage. But overall yeah. You hit the nail on the head.
So glad that you included Pioneer Village. I made it a point to cover it for a documentary back in the 1970's. Wow! The park has sure changed. In the past, it "felt" like an old-time family park; now it's a family-owned thrill ride park! Good job, Lagoon!
I really wish that another chain decided to come to Utah. The market is there and it would instantly improve lagoon.
I feel like a park around Provo or Springville would perform well
@@CoasterStudios yep, an hour south would be perfect!
The abnormally large number of FECs along the Wasatch Front (especially in Utah County) would seem to suggest there's a market for it, but at this point I would think the real estate is probably getting too expensive.
I think a Hershend park would understand the Utah market better than others.
They won't even come to Nashville so I doubt they would go to Utah
I think the lines move at lagoon because they don’t have fast-pass/fastlane/flashpass. Everyone is in the same boat, no preferential cutting in front of the stand by line, so everything moves.
definitely a good point!
That's one thing that I do love to see. The skip-the-line services are such a killer to guest experiences.
Cannibal can usually dispatch every 29 seconds and I’ve seen fire dragon get around 15
I visited this park last summer for the first time and the ride ops were incredible. Another thing bigger parks should adapt is the single rider line. At major parks I see way to many trains not full on busy days. Also they should get rid of fast lane at major parks. I know I jave used them but it just kills wait times.
Yep! We got a taste of this at Disneyland over the COVID years when they had gotten rid of MaxPass and hadn't rolled out Genie garbage yet. And EVERY line hustled. Even Radiator Spring was never more than 20-40 minutes wait. Preferential ride lines are great for the bottom line but absolute trash for the overall guest experience.
I think think this is a great pro consumer review of the park. It’s okay to be critical of things you like and the criticisms seemed fair.
Agreed! Call it bias but Lagoon is one of my all time favorite parks, and I'm glad he reviewed it fairly and pointed out both it's unique charm and waht it could do to be even better.
I worked at Lagoon for a single summer, right smack dab in the middle of 2020, management there is...nonexistent. They forgot that they hired me, I got absolutely no training at all, it was my first job. I was hired as a ticketer, in sales, and they had me go run one of the rides you have to pay extra for.
Because I was not trained at all, SOMEHOW I shut down the system of the ENTIRE PARK!!
Nobody could get in!! Nobody could get out!!! Nobody could even buy their dippin dots!!!!! I could NOT get a hold of my supervisor no matter what I tried, I've never been so stressed at a job in my entire life. I had to call the supervisor of another department just so I could get a hold of mine.
Somehow, I didn't get fired, in fact they asked me to be a supervisor the next season, when I would have been 15
I did not return the following year
oh so that was you, they wrote a small article about that, was funny to see
@@dont8216 they DID???
@@BexOrRebekah yeah
LOLO, so not true. They don't employ 14 year olds and you wouldn't have any access to anything to be able to shut the whole park down and in fact there is nothing that can do so.
@@preciousnic1974 neat...i'm not gonna get you my birth date or pay stubs from when i worked there, so i can't really change what you believe, but me and several of my jr. high friends worked there at 14
Heyo! Utah native and worked at lagoon for a season. A couple things:
The management is suuuper inconsistent. Mostly because people get promoted having learned different things from different supervisors over the years. Also, the standard training is very basic, and is universally applied to every ride even though each ride has different requirements. Its expected that the super leading the training will fill you in. I often got yelled at for doing things one way when another supervisor signed off on it.
Also the different areas. We have 8 areas that we can be assigned to which dictates which rides we will be assigned to train on. There is a handful of supervisors and team leads for each area, and theyre rarely in contact with each other. The only exceptions are the department heads and the top supervisor.
Departments have their own problems too. I only ever worked in rides-which is the department that every highschooler in the valley is pushed towards-but they all have different issues that stem from the same vein:
Landscaping is constant work for exceptionally low pay. I worked with someone who worked several departments in a span of 18ish years, and he told me all about it. How everyone drank several energy drinks a day (which they offer in the employee kitchen) just to keep up with the demand. In the mornings, i saw so many exhausted teens/young adults slumped over on tables and covered in sweat.
Games only works on cash, and the workers have to meet their previous weeks' earnings or more. If they don't, they're written up and eventually fired. Also, lagoon employees are not allowed to play games lmao.
Foods is full of 14-16 yr olds who have no idea what food safety is. I don't even know if all (or any) of them have foods handlers permits. They're overworked, underpaid, and they work long harsh hours. Also, employees don't get free food, it comes out of our $12/hr paycheck 🙃🙃. Food poisoning/health code violations are rampant, and even the employee discount for food outside the employee kitchen wasn't enough. They banned people from going into the kitchen off-shift bc of how many went in on their days off. (Several broke that rule, including me. One of the benefits of working there was free entry and free entry for 8 others once a month. I took my friends there and I smuggled things out for all of us.) One red badger told me how a lot of the highschoolers in foods were constantly high or on nic, even admitting to it themself.
(Speaking of the employee kitchen: everything was expensive! The hot sandwiches they offered were $3-4 each. They also heavily encouraged teens to drink energy drinks, stocking several different monster and bang flavors that were $3 apiece. And while energy drinks are fine in moderation, a lot of teens worked this job the entire summer. Thats way too many monsters.)
From what I've heard, most people who survive maintenance training have little to no empathy. I got food poisoning from the employee kitchen and had to force myself to throw up so i wasnt going to the bathroom every 15 minutes and leaving the ride unattended. Maintenance forced me to stay at odyssea because no one could cover me midshift
Security is severely understaffed, with most of their efforts being in employee areas and the front plaza where first aid and lost items are. There are a few patrolling the parking lot, but I saw them rarely. For employees, you have to get checked off by security to park in employee parking. And to enter, you had to go through a check in. As you said in the video, there's nothing on the guest's side.
Merchandise and tickets are alright from what I've heard. Although at the first employee training they mentioned how they will know if you steal anything. That didn't stop anyone
And finally, rides. Rides was a nightmare for me. And the two rides i got to know really well (double thunder raceway and draculas castle) were some of the better ones to work!
They broke down all the time, safety corners were cut to open the ride on time, there is huge pressure to deliver monologues perfectly (if you have to do them) while keeping the ride going as fast as possible, ect ect. Supervisors that arent operating the big coasters are patrolling the area to see what you're doing wrong. Which, is good for things like checking lap bars, but less good for things that are completely arbitrary like the handstamps. Attendants and operators have to do a specific gesture with two fingers to ask for handstamp verification. Almost no one actually checks for them though, they just do the motion to stay out of trouble. (I actually did get some tickets once of twice though).
And shile there's a promotion pathway, it is _extremely_ hard to progress. If you have a red badge, you're under 16 and cannot work anything above attendant. Black badgers are those 16 up. Most employees start at 14-15 as an attendant, then become an operator for the small rides (ie. not cannibal or colossus) once you turn 16 and get trained. If you do well enough to get noticed by management, you can become a team lead. Team leads work as attendants for the bigger coasters, operating the controls for the cars. Then, if theres a spot and they like you enough, you can become a supervisor and operate the big coasters and train someone. For reference, my friend who is working their third year is being considered for team lead. (Update: that friend just quit bc they kept getting promised a promotion that never came. Plus rides finally pushed them too far)
Another one of my friends working there this year told me about operating the train. I think only team leads can operate it, but still they are high schoolers. This is especially scary because the train operators have to control the temperature and pressure of the boiler. There was a lead last year who was NOTORIOUS for letting the pressure build too high. Boiler explosions are nothing to laugh at. Also, this friend was operating when the engine suddenly caught on fire. He was fine, having used the fire extinguisher, but he told me about how he was sobbing because he was so scared he was going to get fired even though it wasn't his fault.
I, was not a good employee. I had undiagnosed ankle issues and called in for most of july, the hottest month of the year. (In which, as others have mentioned, only operators get fans for. Attendants just have to survive.) I was slow on jumping dragon, so they moved me to dracs castle and dtr (double thunder raceway) because those rides are always in cycle.
(Dracs castle was p bad. It's run down, there has to be a person back there at all times to watch for excessive sparking and fires, and the roof has huge holes in it where rain comes in. They literally told us up front that it's a HUGE fire hazard and that sparking is normal. The back was the only place you could sit down, and if you were at the front you had to recite a speech for each and every guest.)
The clocking in system is less of a mess than it used to be since they switched from chronos, but the phones are still hard to work. Also, you have to request days off like 3 weeks in advance. And you have to call in every day even if you've made it clear you cannot come in. This happened when i had food poisoning and i got a no show mark on my record even after i explained that i had called in both days. Not to mention that one of the rides office employees (the people who oversee the entire department and make the schedules) tried to bribe me once lol
Public transportation is... okay. The frontrunner (our long distance train) is wonderful, even though it doesn't run on Sundays so that sucks. I always had to drive half an hour on those days, borrowing my mom's car. However the buses almost never came after 7-8pm. All the 2nd shift workers get off at 9-10 🙃🙃. I constantly had to walk to the station on my own, which was a half hour walk with the shortcut I was shown by another worker. It was incredibly nerve-wracking most nights, since it takes you away from the main roads and we weren't allowed to have knives or pepper sprey in our backpacks at lagoon. I had to straight up tell guests a couple times that the bus would not be coming and that I knew the way to the train station. Also, the last train south left at 10:46, so sometimes when the bus WOULD come I would be stranded and have to call my parents for a ride.
They also overhire at the beginning of the year, keeping tens of relief employees in case someone calls in. I was a misc/relief a couple times, and everyone just sits on their phones until they get assigned somewhere. As people quit in droves, the relief dwindles and the remaining employees are pushed to work more and more hours. (That's one of the reasons frightmares is the way it is. They have no one left.) Worst of all, they could solve all this wasted money by paying their employees more for a better retention rate! They also hire a ton of immigrants. It always made me feel horrible bc a lot of them couldnt speak english on top of being heavily exploited. I was able to quit, but so many others weren't.
And, lastly, one time i got electrocuted lmao. I tripped on the rail at terroride coming back from my break, skinned my knee, and landed on said rail. I was fine, i had been electrocuted before, but still
TLDR: guest side is okay, especially since utah natives know all the tricks and secrets. The worker's side is horrible, never _ever_ work there
Edits: added some things, clarified maintenance paragraph. The replies are really worth checking out too! I'm certainly not the only one who was mistreated
Hello!! I was a games worker and frightmares scare actor for the 23’ season (also a red badger) and I 100% agree. You constantly feel belittled in games, and I have had many supervisors tell me different things with how to operate different games. Frightmares is worse. The break and relief system is really inconsistent, and I’ve heard from fellow scare actor friends how barely got their break till the end of the night. It also sucks when they ship you off to a different house because someone couldn’t come in. Lagoon totally exploits their workers, and it absolutely sucks. I was extremely prone to leaving early during frightmares from migraines, sharp pains, and overall feeling drained, and games I was barely able to pull through the heat as I was very prone to heat stroke. Another thing is we don’t really have consistent bathroom breaks (in frightmares OR games) because we need to be there constantly if no one can cover us. I have small bladder issues, so I would be constantly running to the bathroom as quick as I could if someone couldn’t cover me, and feeling guilty every time a guest was waiting there or fearing a supervisor would see the game unattended and would reprimand me. Frightmares was worse because you just had to suck it up and pray you could still act, because you would barely get any bathroom breaks despite all the water you were drinking. As much as I love lagoon, it really needs to stop exploiting it’s employees and treat them better.
@@sm1l319 you're absolutely right, the bathroom/relief was a HUGE problem.
As a red badger you are legally required to get 3 breaks a day, one 15min and two 30min (iirc). But the amount of red badgers I saw getting refused breaks was CRAZY. It wasn't much better for black badgers because we can go the entire day with only one break under the law. I was only offered one/two 30min breaks and a small bathroom break, at best. I remember one day I took my only 30min break an hour before closing bc relief was just that strained
I was really lucky to avoid all the bathroom issues bc I'm used to being chronically dehydrated and didn't drink any of the water they handed (brought my own water bottle). I cannot imagine how awful it is to have incontinence issues like that!
I hope you have a better job now, and I really hope lagoon starts paying and treating their employees better
Way to end it with electrocution lol. Dude I hope you’ve got a better job because damn that sounds horrendous. My dad used to work on wild mouse and he never said he’s had to deal with what you and the other guy said you’ve had to ( probably because times have changed and all ).
I was a ride mechanic there....and even that dept had its issues...
And when they were short on you guys running rides they would make us...
But I'll say I'm one of the few who were not an asshat....
We called the rides ppl....RIDES KIDS
@@ericcartman3385 that sounds rough. And I may have been generalizing when I talked about maintenance bc I only met them once and the rest was rumors. Sorry about that. And you were right to call us kids! We're all basically kids! The amount of workers I met that were over 19 I could count on one hand
This is my home park, and I've worked there for a bit in the summer. I want to point out that the handstamps are completely unnecessary, as the employees that I have talked to have never seen ride tickets, even though they have worked there for years.
Saw tickets working there last year. Though as he said that entry pass to buy tickets is gone. They still allow children under 3 or 4 to enter free and then you can buy tickets for them for the rides they can ride.
I do agree the hand stamp is obsolete though, because as an employee, if someone's hand stamp is worn off, you can ask to see their day or season pass, and direct them to guest services to be re stamped, but you aren't allowed to keep them from riding without a stamp or proof of day/season pass. Dumb
Worked there as a ride operator 16 years ago and saw coupons for them from stake lagoon day. Only time I ever saw them. I hardly did a through evaluation of hand stamps because they didn't pay that well and didn't seem to treat their employees well. So only reason I noticed is they were insistent on giving me a coupon I wouldn't have noticed any other way.
Still there as security trust me those handstamps are nessacry there are so many ways for people to get in without a handstamp
@@leesachs4097 Any cedar Fair and six flags park is doing fine without handstamps. They only give them out if you want to leave and reenter the park.
@@leesachs4097 This is what I was thinking. I always assumed this was the main reason. It doesn't seem like the most secure park, so sneaking in and riding rides for free would be an easy thing to do without handstamps.
Lagoon is my home park and I even worked there last year! It’s very underrated but it does have its flaws. Nice to see you do a full review on the park and recognize it!
I forgot all about the animals somehow. It makes me so freaking sad, and even makes me a little sad I got season passes for my family that I've wanted for yearssss. I hope they do away with the animals soon.
I love the animals:)
Yeah I think the animals deserve a better home.
Sadly, Lagoon has been reduced in value as the once great and phenomenal Pioneer Village, which used to feature shootouts, it is now managed my young kids who give off the type of attitude that they don't want to be bothered by customers. Pioneer Village is such a despicably underused area of the park. Quality has been sacrificed for profits, which is a very big reason behind my losing all desire to waste any time at such a disappointing amusement park.
Lagoon won't give up those animals easily. With the animals on-site they can still be classified as a farm. Utah has laws that allow farms to hire people as young as 14. That is a huge part of their labor pool. The second, work exchange college students.
Allegedly.
I'm a local and need to say that you did a great job with this video. And thank you for bringing attention to the horrible way the animals are caged. Unfortunately I have been unable to visit Lagoon for years because of the prices. I remember as a child we used to pay around $25 per ticket if we purchased them at our local banks or Costco.
When you mentioned that you've never been to Laguna Beach, it made more sense why you didn't cover the wristband. If you go to Laguna Beach, they give you a wristband so you still have full access after your handstamp washes off.
When I was growing up, my best friend's family always went to Laguna Beach first for about three-four hours, with coolers for refreshment and lunch. The lazy river and speed slides were my favorite.
Haven't been back in a while, so I still need to try Cannibal. I remember when Samurai and the Rocket first opened up. "Re-Entry" definitely made you question your life choices because they keep you at the top for five seconds to build tension before they shoot you back towards the ground.
Very enjoyable and fair review of the park overall. Not necessarily the most mind-blowing amusement park in the world, but a fun place to go with friends and family if you're looking for a summer outing.
This concept really points out why I was really rooting for Evermore to be an immersive theme park to work out. Sadly, it did not turn out to be that.
ya...I had high hopes for Evermore as well....but this video makes me think I wanna start a themepark.
Doesn't help that they wasted millions on getting authentic decorations instead of just buying replicas. Or that they could never really figure out the guest integration experience. I hope whoever is taking over Evermore has their head on straight because they could easily turn it into something cool that's worth revisiting.
@@LordBrizz To put too simple a nutshell on the nuances, they forgot that ultimately, it still has to be a theme park for it to work.
@@prestonpopp485 absolutely. It also needs to have a functional experience for people that want to be completely absorbed as well as people that are only casually engaged. Evermore could not figure out that Disney magic.
@@LordBrizz What is wild is, even Disney lost that way with the greed and hubris of Galactic Starcruiser.
Lagoon holds nostalgic vibes for me - as a young kid, my dad's company had a "Lagoon Day" for their employees, and we would get to visit once a year. In my teens I spent the money on a season pass, and had a blast with cousins and friends. As a parent, I now grab season passes for my family - we generally get there bout a dozen times a year.
I agree with so many point of your video. One of the things that is interesting to me, is that even with the ticket prices (and reading all the comments about said prices), the dang park is packed just about any time it is open. If it wasn't for season passes, there is no way I would be going - but the season pass price is only about double what a day pass is (no complaints personally). Having the season pass is great, and I don't feel guilty if we only stay in the park 2-3 hours each time - I can still get "my money's worth" by the end of the season.
Pretty much all of your points were valid, justified, and accurate. I would be interested to see how the Lagoon board would react, or what reasoning they would be willing to share were they to ever watch this video with an unbiased view of outside perspective. Great video review - thanks for sharing!
Going to lagoon once a year for your dad’s work Lagoon Day *feels* like a universal experience here in Utah lol. Theres always pavilions reserved for some company’s “Lagoon Day”. My dads company got aquired and now we don’t do Lagoon days with them for my kids now that they’re old enough to go :(
At least they got some good years where they were old enough to ride the fun stuff before they stopped. Now we just go there with his coworker’s family that we bonded with :)
Going to lagoon once a year for your dad’s work Lagoon Day *feels* like a universal experience here in Utah lol. Theres always pavilions reserved for some company’s “Lagoon Day”. My dads company got aquired and now we don’t do Lagoon days with them for my kids now that they’re old enough to go :(
At least they got some good years where they were old enough to ride the fun stuff before they stopped. Now we just go there with his coworker’s family that we bonded with :)
I worked in the games department in 2009 and made $5.75/hour at age 14. The next year I worked rides for $6.25. I made lots of friends and it was fun to get into the park for free, but it was miserable to work long days in the heat. One time the president of Lagoon sent a supervisor over to reprimand me before the park even opened because I finished sweeping/cleaning around my ride early and was leaning against a fence for a few minutes instead of cleaning which he saw on the camera.
$5.75 in 2009? Lagoon committed wage theft then. Minimum wage in 2009 was $7.25/hr for all workers.
@@kyleoates6367 Unfortunately not. If you're under the age of 16 and a seasonal worker, they aren't required to pay federal minimum wage. Most states just don't let people younger than 16 work, so it rarely comes up. I worked at lagoon in 08-10'. And they would use 14-15 year olds during the day. But they aren't allowed to work past 5pm. So they would change shifts to switch to the 16+ year olds. It was genuinely a fun job for a teenager. But they really were scraping the bottom for wages.
For a more recent analysis:
I worked in Lagoon last year, in the Group Events department (most people have never heard of that one lol, but it's real). I was 15 and got paid $10/hr, which imo was actually a little excessive for the amount of work we did. Once I turned 16, I got paid $12/hr, like all other 16-year-olds in my department, and supervisors got $14/hr. Worth mentioning, though: in the Foods department (at least in 2023), every worker got paid a dollar extra per hour. So 14/15-year-olds got paid $11/hr instead of $10, which the other departments complained about endlessly lmao
@@kathystl2110 thats insane i got paid $7.50 when i was 14 in 2021 in food department
But why would wanna work at 14? Was this a parents decision? Or your decision
I live right next to the metal factory that makes the rollercoaster parts for lagoon. Whenever I want to drive anywhere, I always have to drive past it. If you're lucky to get a good view past the huge building and some of the surrounding trees and such, you could see some of the parts they were working on and testing. I remember the most I was able to see was a tallish drop, and then some connecting track that was standing alone and being tested. They literally just had this relatively small chunk of rollercoater running by itself over and over to make sure it was working properly. It was an obscure sight
That rollercoaster section I mentioned was for primordial, and this was a few years before lagoon announced that they were getting a new ride, so everyone that lived in my area knew about the new attraction LONG before anyone else did. I also remember seeing some of the parts for cannibal several years ago. It's really cool to see.
Great review video! Hit everything on the head. Good/great rides.
1. Get rid of the animals.
2. Need security and/or better crowd control.
3. Give some perks to season pass holders.
Those things alone would drastically improve the park experience. Also, I feel like the lagoon a beach cleanliness is always like a 6/10 so we don’t really go there.
There is also a campsite for people to pitch tents or park trailers.
That train ride is about the saddest thing on the planet.
@@aBrewster29the animals are in really small enclosures, I feel sad for them 😔
We do actually have a decent amount of security. The security department is one of the best cared for departments and has the most protective and caring managers. Along with the lagoon security we have city police at the park and have many many more city police on standby.
Also should mention laguna beach is an extra cost
@@ShadeLeedssince when?
Lagoon was actually named after its old location near the Salt Lake. At its beginning it was more of a water attraction then an amusement park. When it was moved to Farmington is when it became more like the park we see today. Also, send the animals to Hogal Zoo already! They are way better equipped to take care of them
Unfortunately they can't, they've actually tried but due to the zoos strict rules they won't take them, the lagoon actually does the best they can to take care of the animals but they definitely aren't equipped for it :(
@@Queen_Bread "the best they can" is a bald-faced lie. why would you lie for them? the best they could do (besides rehoming them) would be to demolish lagoon-a-beach and pioneer village and build actual decent enclosures for them.
@@bharrop8992 I am not lying for them, I know the family that owns the park, and while they aren't doing amazing, they have tried multiple times to get the animals to a zoo instead. Perhaps the best they can is not the best way to word it, but the employees do try to care for the animals, I much do prefer that they would change things though, they haven't been getting new animals to replace them when they die so they probably aren't planning on keeping that place, they just can't find a new place for the animals
@@bharrop8992 nah, that village ain't going anywhere. There's so many artifacts and history there. Worth hundreds of thousands probably, maybe more.
worst part of working at lagoon as a janitor you have to wear black slacks all summer and have to have your shirt tucked in. how no kids working there haven't had a heat stroke and died is absolutely crazy during the 100+ degree summers
I got heat stroke working there, they didn’t care
Makes me think of the parking assistants at Disney World. Just backing out there in the heat and humidity in uniform and on their feet all day. I can’t think of a worse job!
I worked in games about 20 years ago at 14 years old and my 16 or 17 year old supervisor yelled at me for standing in my booth to drink water when we weren't allowed to carry water with us outside of the booth.
I quit since no one seemed to care.
@@giovannagreeff2153 i didnt last a week i used my free family pass then quit I never understood why ride operators beach area and log ride area they could wear shorts but everyone else just gets to cook. The staff act like there above the law like there sue proof or something im sure i was breaking osha laws left and right.
@@rosehoundd6842When I worked there, I had many friends threw up due to heat exhausting, especially at Wild Mouse (that thing is an oven in the summer!). The upper management didn't care because they didn't want to work at the ride or find someone else who could.
You're basically correct on almost everything, but as Utahn, some things I'd like to mention:
- There isn't any park security because it's never been necessary. In my experience, Utah is one of the safest states to live in.
- Many Utahns don't use the lockers at all! We just set our stuff down on the ground outside the ride. Usually it's in plain view of the employees, and there isn't a huge problem in Utah with having your personal belongings stolen. In fact, if your bag goes unattended for too long, you're more likely to have someone turn it in to park security than to have someone steal it
THERE is security but they are in plain clothes just not to throw off the vibe...
But as for the front gate...yeah it's a really mellow safe park....
As a former ride mechanic there I know the ins and outs of that place
@ericcartman3385 oh yeah I never knew about the security in normal clothes, and I honestly completely forgot abt the officers walking around the park occasionally. He said front entrance security/security checks so that's mostly what I was referring to lol
@kathystl2110 Right....yeah it's cause the hierarchy of it went from the front office to safety and security and Maintenance...
We also like security as well too...I mean I had keys to many secure areas and codes to get in and stuff...
But I understand what you mean...
There is park security but you just don't see it and that's the whole idea.
I remember swimming in the actual Lagoon as a child! They had it netted off so the fish mostly stayed on the other side, but more than once a huge 'gold fish' would end up on our side. Always buy the annual pass on Black Friday for better pricing.
As a local who lives about an hour away from lagoon, I go there about once every 2-3 years. You are absolutely right about the prices being too expensive. They charge Disneyland prices for a much worse experience. It really does stink, because you’re right, the park does get very busy still because it’s literally the only amusement park in 5 -10 hours depending on the direction you go. I feel like Utah population has really jumped up in the last 30 years, we’re starved for exciting attractions, and we’re stuck with Lagoon so people cough up $100 a ticket because it’s all we have available
I haven't been to lagoon since 2007 because it list it's fun.
You haven't been to disneyland lately, have you?
Interesting review. The admission price shocked me! I'm not mad that you called out the flaws of this park, as hopefully this will get them to improve on the things that need improving on.
Utah native. I have visited Lagoon since I was a child in the early 1990s. I loved it then, and love it now. Wicked, Fire Dragon (aka Colossus), Cannibal, and Rattlesnake Rapids are a must-ride each time you visit. Wild Mouse (we call it mousetrap) is ROUGH on the neck. Whiplash rough. Don't ride if you have a neck injury. My family has been on every ride, from kiddie rides to Catapault, most of the rides are pretty fun. I agree with the overpriced park admission. They don't need to charge that much. Pioneer Park is a memorium of the pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley in the 1800s. The White Rollercoaster is a neat experience. The absolutely tiny cages the animals have to endure are terrible! I hope the new family generation relocates the animals, and revamps the area for more rides. Overall, I wouldn't change much about Lagoon outside the items I laid out.
Yeah that "Wild Mouse" has actually killed people too. Never should have been allowed to stay in operation. The cages for the animals are definitely sad, but other commenters say that despite that they are VERY well taken care of.
I LOVE Lagoon! It has a place in my heart and I’m excited to take my kids there when they’re old enough. Frightmares is my favorite time to go! The haunted walk throughs are actually decent compared to some of the other local ones (haunted hollow is super lame).
Lagoon raised its prices to try to help with crowd control, but people are still willing to pay the prices! Also, if your hand-stamp washed off, just show your ticket at the front gates and get your hand re-stamped.
There’s always discount tickets at Costco and other local businesses. I think it drops the price to $79. If you’re a member of their email club, you also get deals and discounts that way as well.
The BBQ at pioneer village is the best bang for your buck, food-wise. Get the 2 meat plate and split it.
Pioneer Village is a really cool part of the park. Wandering around the exhibits was a definite highlight the last time I went, there is a miniature circus model that makes me so nostalgic for a time I never lived in. Haven't been in a few years, but will likely get a season pass again next year
Great review. Completely agree with the majority of your insights (good and "needs improvement").
The queue lines spilling out onto the midway has always been super odd and even confusing at times.
Had to laugh when you mentioned that many of Lagoons patrons have only visited Lagoon and/or Disneyland. So true! That really is NOT an exaggeration. Utah has an odd and even unhealthy fixation on Disney IMO.
Also had another laugh when you mentioned the ignorance of so many guests that think that the "White Rollercoaster" is a typical rollercoaster experience and that somehow if any other wooden rollercoaster has banked turns or other elements it must be a crazy new modern type of woody. So many of Lagoons guests just simply haven't been to many other parks.
I love that it's one of the few parks you can still bring in your own food. Can you imagine Disney, Six Flags, Cedar Fair or many other parks/chains allowing this? Very underrated perk especially for families!
I'm guessing that Pioneer Village will get some other new ride attraction to replace the Log ride. I would love to see a coaster built back there. Or even tear down a few of the empty food pavilions to build a new attraction back there. (They have SO many eating pavilions!) Sadly there are residents that live in closer proximity to the back of the park and I'm sure there are constraints regarding noise and sound levels that could restrict rides such as a coaster back there.
Lagoon is scheduled to move their current parking lot to the north end of the park by Primordial. They've already paved most of the new lot. This will likely mean that the old (current) parking lot will be developed in the future. It would also allow them to not have to worry about the noise levels with any attraction built there. It's already closer to the freeway and farther from Farmington residents. In current satellite view on google maps you can see some older satellite images of that construction process.
The Lagoon train is a curious one. It's also been the source of tons of protests from PETA and other animal rights advocates over the years. My family sadly calls the Lagoon animal train the "train of sorrows". THe train is small and cramped as are the animals you see in their cages. It is common to see protests and signed petitions over the Animal Kingdom train annually. What you might not know or didn't mention is that most of the animals that are housed there are rescues. Some were saved only because Lagoon took them in as rescues. Still, many think that Lagoon should not keep the animals. The train is likely a high cost to benefit attraction. Many families ride it thinking it will be fun to see the animals with their kids on a train ride. IMO the train ride truely falls flat and makes me personally feel sad.
The train is definitely a polarizing topic with many Lagoon patrons. With the change in leadership I wonder if we'll see a change. With all the negative pressure and expense surrounding it, it makes me wonder if it was a legacy of some in the family who wanted it to remain.
Lagoon would benefit through having a modern GCI/Gravity Group woody, a ground up RMC i-box coaster, a Zamperla Discovery wheel and a complete overhaul of the water park. The water park really is super out of date by almost 30+ years. Most the attractions are from the early 1990's when it was first opened. I also am one who thinks Lagoon would be better off removing the Animal Kingdom train as well.
Thanks for the thorough Lagoon review.
The idea of expansion is really intriguing especially with the constraints they face. As you said, they couldn’t really expand to the east (back of the park where pioneer village is) because of houses and residents living close by, but I don’t think expanding west (the current parking lot by the freeway) makes sense either. Why not expand to the north where there is a giant empty field that stretches almost all the way to park lane?
Lagoon keeps the animals simply to get the tax benefits of being a "zoo"
@@jordanwilson6490 My understanding is, contrary to what was written above. That while the entrance for parking has moved to the north side of the park, the parking lot itself isn't changing. There are plans to expand the park to the north to further leverage Primordial(as is was but phase 1 of a larger plan), but due to financial constraints it has been put on hold for the time being.
The Lagoon line management is odd. But part of that is history as well. The reason why the line management is so inadequate on so many rides is that for most of Lagoon's history, they didn't need much more than what have currently. So for the older rides, its a makes a degree of sense that they haven't fixed it, as the "already built" portions of the park leave limited options.
As another commenter elsewhere said, some of this is likely due to the park being family owned, and there are generational considerations. Which leads to management decisions of "we've done it this way for decades, we're going to keep doing it that way" mixed with a bit of "and we don't want to be just like all the other parks."
As a long time visitor to Lagoon, I know that by the 90's it was evident that they needed to up their game on line management, but they kept adding rides with comparatively small queues well into the 2000's, and probably a worse offender with the Wild Mouse where they evidently decided that the replacement needed to be built where the previous one had been, without respect to other considerations. As they seemed to be trying to see just how many rides they could pack into the smallest space possible in addition to ignoring line management. The current generation seems to be more flexible, as they've even relocated one ride to the other side of the park no less(but did so in a way that is going to make it very difficult to relocate again) so maybe we'll see them reshuffle some things to try to make it more workable going forward... But its going to be a slow and costly process.
Meanwhile, about the only other thing they can do is try to manage crowding in the park by adjusting the ticket prices upwards... Which isn't exactly a bad problem to have.
Just gotta say, I really want to visit this park now, I feel like you can tell the air is so clear and everything is so beautifully spaced and open😍
That’s very true, everything is spaced out well. And the territory is beautiful
Yes! You should visit the park! Its so much fun
It's a nice park yeah, but annoyingly expensive if you're doing more than two or three people.
Haha you saw it on a good day. The inversion in SLC valley is terrible. Terrible air quality
@@TK4K411 In the summer? Like I know that the wasatch front doesn't have amazing air quality yes, but I can't think of a time during the summer months that there was a day where the air quality was super low. It's almost always a winter thing.
Personally I prefer that the line que spaces are small. It always helped me as a kid to gauge just how close we actually were. It always made it hard to go to Disneyland and jump on a ride that from the outside “has no line” just to wait over an hour for it. That being said the que spaces at Disney are Incredibly immersive and add a lot to the experience.
I have lived in Utah my whole life and have been to Lagoon countless times. You're missing out by not going to Lagoon-a-Beach. Taking the peak heat of the day and going into the water park for a few hours is an amazing way to break up the day and let lunch settle before getting back on the coasters. It's now been many years since I've been to Lagoon though; I've yet to ride most of the newer coasters. The $100 price tag is just too much to justify. I can't spend $500 to take my family for one day of diversion. I'd rather spend a fraction of that on gasoline and drive to one of Utah's myriad natural wonders like the canyons or the national parks. Your summary is spot on; Lagoon needs some competition in the area.
Given the title, this was a lot more positive a review than I expected. Well deserved praise with a lot of issues to deal with.
The hard part I think is that due to the amount of people that go, you run into a supply/demand issue. There are already too many people attending that if the price were lower then the population problem becomes even worse. At that point aggressive expansion or another location are pretty much the viable options.
Hi! I was a games supervisor for 5 seasons. We are responsible for the lockers. I remember getting called multiple times a day to the different lockers across the park. The locker system isn't very clear to the average user. Most of the time those lockers aren't actually in use. Most people don't know they are supposed to hold the end rental button while the door is open to actually end the rental. I would have to go to fire dragon and roller coaster multiple times a day and just open every locker and end the rentals manually to open them up to guests.
Wish there was a better way so that didn’t have to keep happening!
I was a Rides Team Lead and sometimes I would find out the password for the lockers so I could help out. I never understood why the Rides Supervisors and Team Leaders weren't allowed to help with locker issues. It was a pain to always call for a Games Supervisor to help out, especially on busy days.
@@HelloWolfie we gave ride supervisors/managers access eventually. It was because rides supervisors were abusing the password and getting free lockers. We updated the system that would track individual passwords so if anyone did anything it would be logged!
I worked as ride operator in the 2020 season, (kiddie land, pioneer village, and wicked) and my god it was horrible. $12/h for 10-12 hours a day, regularly 90°-100°+. I got heat stroke one day, and instead of sending me home, I was sent to work at rattlesnake in the operator booth (where the fans didn’t work). After making me chug my water I was denied a bathroom break for over 30 minutes. Never. Again.
well they have been alot more laid back about breaks and operating. although the rides have been breaking down more often so its not worth going back to the park (For now)
Games and Rides are the worst areas to work in, but Lagoon pushes advertising for those jobs more because of how frequently people quit or switch to other departments. Commonly foods but the management in foods values child labor more than anything so if your older than 16 good luck getting longer than a 4-5 hour shift and if your younger be prepared to work the maximum amount of hours you legally can :/
I think that's a OSHA violation
@@robertn.4329 Hard to tell. The basic rules are you are allowed to go to the bathroom literally at any time. However, a ride operator is also responsible for safety which means if anyone is on the ride, someone has to be available at the controls. There needs to be better redundancy in staffing in that case.
Definitely something to talk about and find a solution because the goal should be that a bathroom break should be available for anyone at any time.
This is a lay person's understanding of the law and OSHA, but it is certainly more complicated when it comes to ensuring safety of park visitors. Charging $100 and not having the staff is a management problem and should be addressed.
Wow. That sounds illegal
It was so fun to see myself with my family in a few of the shots. Thanks Taylor and Sarah for visiting this quirky amusement park.
lol Dillan, this was a random youtube algorithm video for me and was surprised when I recognized you guys on the Sky Ride!
@@orinlong889This has been showing up on a lot of people's algorithm feeds so I've had quite a few people reaching out. Hey Orin!
if you go to Lagoon on Tuesdays or Thursdays, wait times are not bad. If you go when it rains or during a heat advisory lines for even some of the bigger rides can be under a minute.
I’ve had lagoon Season passes constantly since 2021, me and my family love going there and it’s always a good time. Lines are great EXCEPT, during dance competitions, (yes they hold them there) they have plenty of parking (and overflow parking) the rides are fun all around. They have TONS of pavilions to hold your coolers and other such while you’re riding rides, AND they have lots of trees around the while park which brings shade. They also have grassy areas for kids to run around during lunch time, and they have countless ice cream, shaved ice, dip ‘n dots,and great food places all around the park. ANDDDDD, they have a big restaurant called “the Biergarden”, it has alcoholic beverages, but they also have kid/family friendly dining, twofold is expensive, but they are not greedy with how much food they give you, (also Their German chocolate cake is THE BEST DESSERT I’VE EVER HAD) I don’t get why lagoon is getting so much hate.
All very fair points! I have a love/ hate relationship with Lagoon. It’s a comfort park for me. I love how they mix the old with new, and the generational part, how my parents and grandparents also visited when they were young.
The ride line up is decent for what the park is, but could be better. I also hate how long it takes them to pump out new attractions. Most of the time if they do, it’s just small kiddie/ family rides that get added. I know times are different and Covid happened but in the late 90’s to early 2000’s they were putting out new rides almost yearly. It’s just a bit annoying due to the super high (often rising) prices every year, but very minor updates to the park each year. But at the end of it all, I do dearly love the Lagoon, and grateful to have Cannibal at my home park!
Ps.. the locker situation does suck, but I recommend wearing pants with button or zipper pockets. Lagoon doesn’t force you to remove items before riding most rides. Also.. I’m not 100% sure on this, but if I’m remembering correctly, I think the no single riders in the back seats of coasters (not including jet-star) has gone away. ;)
I grew up going to Lagoon, and I used to love it. The animals have absolutely broken my heart for decades. No animal deserves that treatment....It's now, unfortunately, overpriced. But I do appreciate their propensity towards innovation, and I do recognize how many coasters we have that are cutting edge.
Lagoon abuses animals. There is no excuse for that.
It's because of the Animal abuse that my daughter, myself and all of her friends refuse to support Lagoon.
Yeah it's sad and makes us never want to go either.
I'm a former rides operator and I grew up next to Lagoon. I loved going there as a kid. Lagoon's strength is in their deep history. The Freeds actually did a great job with the park up until the late seventies. One thing that wasn't mentioned was how many big names have preformed at Lagoon. The Beach Boys, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and even The Rolling Stones all played at Lagoon. Pioneer Village was the brainchild of Robert Freed and after his death in the early seventies, his brother Peter made it happen. It opened when I was a kid, and it was really cool. They had two steam trains, a stage coach ride and an afternoon shootout. But as Peter aged and Dave took over in the 80's, Pioneer village became a low priority and hasn't been maintained. I think Lagoon has a lot of potential, but as was mentioned in the review, the current management is fine with the status-quo of hiring high-school kids and charging close to Disneyland prices. I haven't been there for years because of this. Hopefully, things will change for the better.
Went last month when it was 100 degrees outside. It was EMPTY and we had a great time. You can bring as much food and drink you as you want and there is a water park inside. Great Park and lots of fun for the whole family. Tons of seating and places to relax.
The no security thing is great…this isn’t Magic Mountain…if you know what I’m saying.
I grew up going heee and have now taken my daughters there as a single dad and man I LOVE this place but haven’t been in maybe 7-8 years , look forward to this video! 3:56 2 of the rides from my 80’s childhood I’ll never forget! I took a screenshot and saved it so thanks for that and the video!
Oh man the log ride is taken down???? I LOVED THAT ONE!
I love how unique they build their roller coasters compared to other coasters at other parks
Speaking as a local, his is the best Lagoon review out there. Great job!
Excellent review. Lagoon is less than an hour away from my house, so I bought season passes in 2020, 2021, and 2022 before prices got way out of hand. Critiques are spot-on. In addition: the accessibility situation is bad. Not a lot of accommodations for wheelchairs, for example. You'd think the shortage of restrooms would be a real pain point too. Sometimes something shifts in your guts on a ride and you suddenly HAVE to go, ya know? - Furthermore, the lagoon is FILTHY. They used to have paddle boats and other water activities, but I suspect you could catch some freaky microbes from that water.
Wow you nailed it, coming from a local, perfect overview of the highlights and disappointments. I do love the charm and nostalgia of the park, they get a lot right but also a lot of issues you brought up. Most locals only go 1-2 times per year, if that, and I bet there's not a lot of traveling visitors so I do understand why they charge so much.
The western village could offer more and the water log ride should definitely be rebuilt maybe even longer, that was one of my all-time favorites as a kid. The animals on the train ride need to go or else be put in WAY better enclosures, the animals are so miserable and it's more like a prison with the setup. Kids would be just as happy with fake animatronics like at Disney, and the adults would be a lot happier with no more animal cruelty.
I like how they keep adding new rides every 1-3 years, and the new ones are thrilling and unique, and I love the old classics remaining too.
My wife grew up in both New York state and Florida before meeting me and coming to live with me in Utah. She's been to every park on the east coast multiple times. I showed her Lagoon through their website and several TH-cam videos and she said it looked like crap and never wanted to go.
I agree that they need real competition, but I don't see any bigger companies saying "let's go build an amusement park in the middle of the desert!" Plus, most people think of Utah as more of a natural playground, given our numerous national and state parks, hiking, camping, boating and skiing options.
Just came across this video. Loved it 100%. And as a former employee who worked as a ride operator, and tickets/admissions cashier, the way lagoon treats their employees is absolutely terrible. At least the ride operators. Being a ride operator was my first ever job at 14 years old, I had to endure working outside in EXTREME heat, short breaks, and I NEVER got off on time as a ride operator. I worked easily 10-13 hour shifts. I barely lasted one season there. My time working as a tickets cashier was much better. But I’ve heard from other employees that being a ride operator, and games host (ones that are in charge of the carnival games here) are in particular horrifically bad. This place holds a special place in my childhood because it truly is a fun place to go as a customer. But my time as an employee has turned me off from coming back entirely. I’m 19 now and I haven’t been back since I was 16 and I don’t want to return anytime soon
i appreciate what you said about the animals. I've felt this my whole life.
I actually love riding the train to see the animals. Love it. I always have and always will. I also really love places like zoos, aquariums, and Sea World.
@@eristineforever6934 would love it better if it was an actual zoo, and the animals could run around and play. I've seen Mall Puppy's with more space than those wild animals. But go off if you like seeing neglected, bored animals stuffed in the back of an amusement park 🤷
@@ponykazy3725 it’s not that. I’m just the type of person who believes that the animals are being treated well. Always have and always will.
Every time I went to Lagoon as a kid I remember whenever I would go on that I'd always get bummed out by seeing those animals in very poor condition. Why they haven't done away with that after so many protests I just will never understand, like it would be so easy to replace them with animatronics or something and actually send those animals to an actual zoo that knows how to take care of them.
Look at you, you are a better person and more concerned about things than other people. Sure there are people dying that you could help or you could actually do something but why would you do that when you can virtue signal on the internet because we all know that is the thing that really makes a difference... you are a disappointment to humanity.
My friend in Illinois was wanting to take us to Six Flags and so I researched the price, being a Utah resident. I was sitting there dumbfounded as I worked out it would probably be cheaper to go to Six Flags, a park known all over the country, compared to Lagoon. I wish someone would come bring a park to Utah to get Lagoon to settle down.
I think you make a lot of great points. I've been going to Lagoon for years. I've been to parks in other states, so I know there's better options. But I don't hear about people talking about those parks in the same kind of romanticized way people do about Lagoon. If there were another park trying to startup, I think they'd face a unique kind of brand loyalty and stubbornness in attracting customers. One of many add-on effects of having no competition for so many years.
Going to Lagoon for the second time I went with some friends for a fun little trip. We went on Rattlesnake rapids multiple times near the end of our day and got totally SOAKED. Within those multiple times we went through we became pretty good buddies with the operators who would ask us each time “going again?” With a smile. It was a great experience and very fun with every other ride we hit including Cannibal and Colossus: The Fire Dragon. Overall an amazing experience with many great memories. However the one thing that disappointed me was the prices for both park entry and food. Granted every park up charges for food within but $7 for a soft pretzel seemed a little too much. Their yearly cups that allow refills for lower prices seem pretty okay but I went recently and their Primordial cups seemed a little pricey. Of course they are metal but $50-60 for a metal cup that gets you low priced refills until the next year passes is just a little bit of a shame in my opinion.
I have NO IDEA how this got in my feed, but it was really cook video. I was born and raised in SLC (t-ville) and Lagoon was a part of my childhood. Its sad to see how the monopoly has driven it to such a place. I live near Charlotte NC now, and Carrowinds blows Lagoon out of the.....well...lagoon. For half the money Carrowinds is such a better park. I need my family to visit me for once and I need to open their eyes.
Great vid!
Thanks for watching! I LOVE Carowinds that’s a great park with some excellent rides and fun atmosphere. Good food too!
It would be nice to get a season pass with free parking and then a food and drink plan for only 50 dollars more than a season pass is at lagoon with no free parking.
Fair review. Well done. When I moved to Utah in 1986, we saw the Monkees Reunion Tour at Lagoon and it is one of my favorite childhood memories. Lagoon is an amazing place for a kid, and as you grow older, it's amazing how it still finds a way to forge new memories to ponder. Thanks again for your review.
As someone who live in the Seattle area, a theme park desert (Wild Waves does not count), I wish we had a park like Lagoon- even with all its flaws. I visited Lagoon last year and was blown away with the awesome coaster lineup. Cannibal was so fun, Colossus is wildly underrated, and Spider is sneaky good.
As someone who is from seattle I agree 100%
As someone who’s been all over the country riding coasters, I have to agree that the Seattle area is really shockingly pathetic. I’d be travelling to Silverwood a lot if I were a local.
I think the biggest problem with building theme parks in Seattle (besides the cost of real estate) is that it's generally cheap and easy to fly down to LA and go to the parks there instead, so everyone just does that, to the point that I half-jokingly say that Disneyland is Seattle's "home park". We live on the East coast now (so our home park would be Carowinds) but my wife and I had Disneyland APs for several years when we lived in Seattle and generally went several times a year until COVID, and even did WDW APs one year.. I think I've been on SEA->LAX and SEA->SNA flights where half the plane was wearing Mickey ears.
@@thesledgehammerblog a 3 hour flight to go to amusement park is lame as hell. And very inconvenient.
Spider is underrated but ALWAYS BREAKS DOWN. I was a kid when the spider/wicked came out and have fond memories of the first times on this ride
As an operator at lagoon during the 23' season. TLDR I agree with everything you have said.
There needs to be more lockers and the lockers need to be refurbished. They sometimes won't open, some forget pascode,etc. Then the attendant near the lockers has to call someone to open the lockers. The only exception is primordial there are tons of lockers and the attendants can open them with Ipads unless the lockers system is having trouble.
The lines spilling into the midway pisses me off because sometimes the line starts to bleed together and it makes it hard to get around. The lines normally bleed together around cannibal, paratrooper, and skyscraper.
Most attendants barely look at handstamps because if your in, then you paid to get in. I have only ever seen one set of tickets, and I don't know where a attendant got it.
The enclosure of cannibal is beatiful but you can't really see it unless you work it and do a lost Item search at the end of the day.
The best time to ride primordial for the shortest wait time is going to before it closes. It closes one hour before park close. The line can be on average from 50-120 minutes. The line averages 2 hours but can go up to 4 hours. Opening day it didn't finish until 1:00 AM. I didn't work that day but I have worked on primordial to midnight.
The majority of 14/15 year old employees work druning the summer. Some only get shade at their post. They should get shade and a fan like the operators. The supervisors come around regularly to refill water bottles and you get a cold water bottle around midday. During the post season/nightmares it's mainly 16+. I don't like that 14/15 year olds are working in the 90+ degree heat.
Some bigger rides can only be operated by a supervisor.
Hello, games worker and frightmares scare actor for the 23’ season, I completely agree. There were many times when I was warned about a notorious game that had no air conditioning, was in the hottest spot of the park, and all you had for shade was a single umbrella that would barely cover you when the sun was in certain areas. Never again will I work at the mini golf game. I swear I have NEVER ingested so much water before and STILL be dehydrated. I also am very prone to heat stroke, so this was a nightmare for me :,). Throughout games I was also exploited MANY times, especially at some of their busiest games like center ring and gob toss 2 where I would be alone and have to run around when we got a rush as many guests kept wanting to play. Working during frightmares was worse. The scare actors constantly get harassed, the hours are draining, and I would often have to go home early from migraines, sharp pains, or even just feeling drained of my energy to the point I wasn’t acting well. The only benefit was that we got a longer break time (40 minutes) so I could actually eat food as I am a very slow eater, but that just made being relief worse. I luckily had the privilege to not be transferred to a different house when people couldn’t work/called out, but I heard it can be stressful having to improv when you know nothing about the house, nor the room or acting tactics to use in it. Some ups of being a scare actor, however, was the room of the night giveaways. Monitors would give out prizes to what rooms they thought had the best acting throughout the night, and I actually won rotn once when I was a roaming (relief) character!! However, the prizes were a bit weird with how they were distributed. For example, opening night they gave away the skull mugs sold to guests. But when I got rotn, I was given a magnet. I’m not complaining, but still. But odd imo. Overall, Lagoon exploits it’s underaged employees (or just employees in general) and I will never work there again. :) I do love the park tho, and I adore frightmares even more, which is why I will use my knowledge to hopefully educate others about my experiences
I don't like that 40-50 year olds are working in the 90+ degree heat doing hard labor... it is harder on an old person than it is on a teenager. What is wrong with your thinking meat?
for being really the only option for residents in Utah I'm just glad it's a pretty damn good one. I've always had great experiences there with very little to complain about, some of the attractions are unique and bring in alot of people. This place really was alot of my childhood and it does create fun jobs and a culture in high school of working summers with friends. Pioneer village is underrated and makes for a really nice date that isn't just standing around in lines :)
I feel so seen right now. 😆 You even know about how we ALL unanimously still agree to call it the "White Rollercoaster" even though it hasn't been white in years. I love that you know that part of our lore.
16:02 Since the train ride goes around water, they should put a harbor version of Cedar Point's Boneville in place of the animal enclosures.
great idea!
There used to be paddle boats on that pond and functioning fountains, but now it's just there to breed mosquitos and algae.
or animatronic dinosaurs.
Before watching this video, I was a lot more pumped about potentially making a trip to the park. I think it just became a "if I get to it" kind of place now. Cannibal is really the only reason I wanted to go in the first place tbh
Lagoon is a whole ass vibe. This video is really just pointing out all the negatives, but he makes it sound worse than it is. I'd take Lagoon over walking for miles in-between rides like at most other amusement parks
@creaky2436 The name is catapult, its a ton of fun
Lagoon is my home park.. I've been to several Six Flags parks, some multiple times. I've done a few other parks and the Disney and Universal stuff.. Lagoon has its charm but it's not thrilling like a Cedar Point or Magic Mountain if that's what you are looking for. Not even close actually. Cannibal is unique but very average when you compare it to other parks main thrill rides which Cannibal is Lagoons main thrill ride.. With that being said Lagoon has fun enough rides for an entertaining day and the park would be fun for most amusement park enthusiasts.. Lagoon has enough charm and uniqueness that it's worth the visit if you are in the area in my opinion. All parks have issues in some areas and Lagoon is no different.. Still, it's pretty fun for a day out especially if you don't expect it to be Cedar Point or Magic Mountain.
Listen if you do ever go go on a Tuesday or Sunday for some magical reason these are the least busy. I work in security where we’ve been studying guest patterns and most Sundays (which makes since) and Tuesdays (no idea why) it’s almost empty.
I would go just for wicked. It's really so much fun to get propelled into space by same-charge magnets then sucked back down by opposing magnets in a matter of seconds. Theres some cool rides out there and they whole place is very nice looking. Well worth going if youre in the area
i’m really happy you mentioned pioneer village!! it’s my favorite part of the park and got me into history as a kid. it’s a super unique place and it’s typically less crowded than the rest of the park so it’s a good place to chill out a few times a week when you have a season pass.
Hey by the way, I think Lagoon is actually named after the Great Salt Lake spot where it was originally opened in 1886. They relocated it to the Farmington location in 1896. The building at Saltair is a (sad) replica of one of the original buildings.😊
The building at saltair is a replica of saltair... it was a thing before lagoon.
Just a note as someone who has worked at Frightmares, they have employees that are definitely capable of making adults cry but as a former streetmosphere actor, we were told at some points that we had to “tone down” our acting. I had one instance where I sat in a makeup chair for almost an hour and a half and I almost had to take it all off because it was “too scary”. Julie freed herself actually had to come and approve of it. After that we were told by management that we could only walk around the park, we couldn’t even speak or really act.
I worked at Lagoon for three years now. It for sure has its flaws. I feel for the workers who are still there. Quitting was the best decision I ever made 🥰
Why do you say that?
Everyone I’ve known who worked there said similar things. Makes me sad. Maybe Lagoon simply needs more employees and more shifts? Do they pay decently? How else do they keep getting people with that reputation?
@@k.c.4423they value child labor more than actual quality work. As a foods employee I’ve seen it but I can’t really speak for other departments. If your 16+ you get very low hours as they give it all to younger workers who work the maximum amount of hours before it becomes illegal cause they get paid less. You’re doing quality work? You might be promoted but oops sorry you called in once sick so we gave the position to someone else smh. It’s a greedy company who pay low amounts of money (average is 13 for 16+ or 10 if you’re younger) and wastes ungodly amounts of food each night. Returned and quit because I realized I have better opportunities elsewhere. More employees won’t work because they hire in giant interviews which really aren’t interviews. you come and are instantly hired if your old enough. Which makes sense because of how quickly people quit after their first week.
@@k.c.4423 because they hire middle schoolers for $5 an hour, lure them in with a free season pass, they get indoctrinated because they've never had a job and think "this is just what work is", they stay a few years in hopes of making more money being an operator, then they turn 16 or 17 and quit and find jobs that treat and pay them fairly, and the next batch of 14 year olds come in to replace them. It's a perfect cycle 🤣
@@k.c.4423 to put it simply:
1) lagoon overhires at the beginning and treats their employees poorly. When employees quit throughout the season, whoever's left gets worked to the bone
2) I only got $12/hr and had to buy lunch from the employee kitchen with my paycheck. It's expensive too, the hot sandwiches were $3.50~ when I last worked
3) lagoon cuts corners with both hiring and operation. Safety checks are rushed, supervisors are inconsistent with how things are supposed to be done, food poisoning is rampant, ect
4) lagoon operates during the summer months. In Utah that means 100°+ temps for most of July and parts of August/June. They throw out water bottles like candy but deny bathroom breaks. They give fans to the operators but not the attendants.
5) they break child labor laws. When I worked there, I saw 14-15 y/os working their 6 hour shift without the law mandated 3 breaks. As a 16 y/o when I worked, I was guaranteed one 30 min break and a bathroom/water break. Sometimes I did not get that break because there weren't enough relief workers (see 1)
My family has a strong connection to lagoon. In pioneer village there is a train museum that my great grandfather donated. My brother and cousin also works here. We went there last month actually. It's really fun if you know what your doing. We went every other year as we where growing up and it was amazing. I wish we can go more but as he said it's super expensive
I didn’t get to visit the train museum last time I’ll make sure to see it if I go this summer
@@xboys_archive I always enjoy it. It's a fun place to be
I love that train museum.
I have always loved that train museum its always a go to for me anytime I go to the park ever since I was little.
I was explaining earlier to other people that there was a train station. They moved to Lagoon when we went in the 80s and 90s from Kaysville where my grandmother was born. I don’t know if it’s still there now or if they did away with it but it was really historical.❤
Great thoughts, nailed a ton of stuff. Few things I'd like to add that I think drive your points even further:
Demographics in Utah are so much different from any other park in the country. Families and entertainment has astronomical demand. I think in addition to not being incentivized to change, Lagoon is using basic supply and demand and taking huge advantage of it. It's important to note that rarely are theme parks competing with other theme parks, even when in close proximity (few exceptions here and there). They are competing with ever other entertainment offering nearby. While Utah has a large family entertainment offering, it's still really underserved and everything everywhere is always packed. Lagoon has bumped/kept prices high to make the park operable. If it was down at a $50 day ticket, all day every day would be max capacity - even now it's already extremely busy nearly every day. Utah residents will pay the high price for this and similar activities because it's necessary and fit for the family. Lagoon being an Amusement Park monopoly certainly drives that further.
Utah will continue seeing entertainment space improved and added, but their population growth is outpacing all of it. Another amusement park in Utah County area would definitely drive demand out of Lagoon so they could see more reasonable changes. They just wouldn't be investing in Primordial-type attractions anytime in the future (that's okay). I think ultimately they are caught in-between improving guest experience, and managing demand. They're hand is forced to be on the demand-side until it's better controlled, then I'd expect them to swing back to guest experience (which they're kind of trying with new attractions and capacity).
It's a great park, many many flaws, hope to see them make some cool changes and continue investing in these wild in-house attractions!
I definitely agree- the demand for Lagoon has risen a bunch even since I started visiting back in 2016. I've seen the average ticket prices rise $40 at least! Its the same mentality as Disney- they can charge that much because people will pay it. But I agree with you if it was a lot cheaper then it would be well beyond the parks capacity. They simply were not designed to hold as many people as they currently have to deal with.
@@CoasterStudios Absolutely. Great video, keep it up.
@@CoasterStudios It's true, Lagoon is talked about a lot more among people in Utah and it's the "cool" place to go, way more than it was 10 years ago.
Cannibal is the second coaster I've ever ride, the interior of the tower thing is really intimidating. The Farris wheel is a very important memory for me since I went there with my two best friends.
As a Utahn myself, one thing to say about entry is that many people get in through their school with a very significant discount. The only times I have ever gone were purely because my schools (and the others in the district) had gotten us in for 15-20$.
as an previous employee, most of the gear and equipment we use is very outdated and old. they rarely put any money in improving the equipment we use. and they charge over very little things in the break room and the main office, they also dont let us bring in one person in for free which i think isnt very good for the pricing of the park. alot of the equipment we use breaks very often due it being just so old. but its easily fixed (when we call a supervisor because they dont want us fixing it ourselves so that guests dont have to wait in line).
i have gotten written up twice for letting people (the people who wanted to leave on their own) leave the line through the exit gate (by passing through the seats when it was ride that was safer) so that they didnt have to wait hours in line.
at another point someone quit one of the rides as i was operating it and the guests had to wait 1 1/2 hours until someone came over to help.
otherwise the pay was ok and it was a fun place to work. everyone was laid back (except for a few supervisors who shall not be named)
i have heard that other departments are terrible places to work. so if you plan on working at lagoon, either work in rides or games.
I fully understand the crapy equipment i have had so many action rakes break on me also I feel offended you wouldn't add landscaping to your recommended
merchandise is also a great option everyone is very nice and welcoming its just a bit of a smaller department but most of the places you will work have air conditioning
Very valid points on this review. I 100% agree about the animals. I think it would be cool if they put in some animatronics instead of live animals. Like Jungle Cruise at Disney. I hate that there have been movements to remove the animals, but Lagoon has refused.
The price is outrageous, especially compared to other parks--and Lagoon isn't even open year round. Then in the spring and fall, they are only open weekends. I used to buy season passes for my family of 5, but now including parking pass it's about a thousand dollars. Now I get the getoutpass, which includes one trip to Lagoon, and that's the only trip we take there over the summer
The water park isn't great. The ground is rough on your feet, so we always wear swim shoes to avoid injuries. No joke, it's bad. The other thing that's crazy is they ask to see your ticket upon reentry into the Amusement park side to re stamp your hand. Like--how do you think I got in here? It's dumb.
The reason they refused to take out the animals is because they get Zoo, Arts, and Parks money from the state by having animals there and claiming to be a zoo. I can't go on the train ride because it's so depressing. I won't even go to Lagoon if my company isn't paying for my ticket
yeah the animal enclosures are a disgrace
@@Scrambles_Deathdealersee, I've heard several different reasons. The general consensus now seems to be that they have tried to rehome the animals, but zoos have extremely strict rules and regulations and can't take them. So now they are simply waiting for the animals to die off and they aren't replacing them. Most of the cages are empty now.
Also! They're doing a bunch of new stuff and I'm really excited about it all
This is my favorite place, and I think it's awesome. They also lowered the ticket price. Not by much, but it's not terrible
I was not aware of the animal enclosures at this park, that's genuinely such a shame. NO animal should be confined to an enclosure smaller than my apartment.
I’m sick and tired of seeing so many people mentioning the animals at lagoon, they’re just animals so what?
@@drasticfox2008animals deserve to not be abused. You're extremely unempathetic
@@drasticfox2008oof as someone who worked there those animals are heavily abused.
@@sonofzues- They are not abused, despite the “small cages” they are very well taken care of and better then most zoo’s actually. They are rescue animals and their zoo is a rescue zoo, they’re not there just for their gain.
Those animals live and eat better than you or anyone you've ever known or will know. Maybe you should try talking to the trainers personally instead of spouting of nonsense you know nothing about. The state would leap on the first opportunity to legally remove those animals, how are they still there? Because they live like royalty.
Another Utah native here to say amazing video! Pioneer village is a trip.
Lagoon was so much fun growing up, but I can’t justify the cost anymore. Thanks for the commentary. :)
Fully agree with everything said in the video. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life (and live really close by), and it has been extremely disheartening to see prices constantly rising, crowds getting bigger and bigger with no way to handle it, and no incentive to go because of those reasons. I also think they desperately need to improve working conditions + employee payment. I didn’t work at Lagoon myself, but have had many friends who did so (including Frightmares acting), and it just seems horrible to work there. I hope these suggestions get implemented soon!!
Great video!!!
Cedar Fair has the same age requirements as Lagoon. You can work at 14, but the rides department requires 16 or older, and some positions/rides require 18 or older.
And some smaller parks too- I believe a couple departments at Canobie Lake Park, like food service and games, allow 14yo to work, but 16 and up for pretty much everywhere else.
We live in Utah Valley. The last time I visited Lagoon, my wife and I were in our sixties. Walking around the park, there were almost no benches and nowhere to sit down. After buying some really bad over-priced undercooked hot dog type thing, we thought we'd try the Ferris wheel because we could get off our feet for a little while. We stood in line for about 45 minutes and were looking forward to sitting and enjoying the ride. When we finally got on the ride, we went around maybe two rotations and then were told to exit the ride. We've both sworn we will never go to Lagoon amusement park again!
The poor Ferris wheel has 2 modes. And you can guess which one is the longest part. Loading/unloading, and the actual ride. The ride itself is like an apology for how long it took to just get everyone on it.
I think that a lot of the flaws would be ironed out if the employees were treated better. I worked there for 3 years, and I was never treated like a human a single time. When they were building primordial, they took away go huge chunk of the employee parking lot to do construction, and they also took away access to the picnic staging lot (where big groups go to unload their stuff). The employees were forced to be shoved into the small employee parking area- and many don’t know that the employee parking lot is also the overflow parking lot- so if you work there and come in later in the day on like a Saturday, you’re like- a good 20min walk away from the employee entrance.
Then- there’s the picnic staging lot (referred to as employees as the PC lot). I worked as a supervisor in the picnics department and I had to deal with so so SO many unhappy groups. We had to let them in through a weird little gate that I didn’t have the key to, so we would often have a situation where a guest is yelling at us through a gate and we seriously can’t do anything about it because we literally cannot access the help they need. It also caused a lot of issues where the guests needed to drive through a little neighborhood in order to get in through the back of the park. It was terrible.
I didn’t have a completely terrible time, I did get to go to a lot of parties, but there were so, SO SO SO many flaws that seriously don’t make me miss the park at all.
As someone who was born and raised in Utah, I can say this review is spot on! Also, I totally agree with the train ride at Lagoon. It's really not needed and I don't understand why they keep the animals in captivity like that.
I have been to Lagoon about two or three times since moving to Utah in 2015 and each time the prices have gone up to the point that we can't afford to go. I definitely agree that with what Lagoon is, it's a pretty decent theme park. They can definitely do better with pricing and guest experience but they keep the park in running order and "fairly" clean. The food is so expensive so the last few times we were there, we brought our own food. I really do hope what you said at the end comes true; that they improve the passes, pricing, and guest experience.
I went to SLC for a half marathon and added Lagoon to my weekend plan. I didn't look into it much in advance, and I was shocked at the price. I was also solo, so I was pretty disappointed I couldn't ride Jet Star. Cute park but disappointed with several things.
When you say SLC I immediately thought of Vekoma SLC 😂
You just gotta find a random to snuggle with on Jet Star, lol.
Okay, so about the lockers. I think there are so few because most locals who have been going here our whole lives bring coolers and picnic blankets and bags and leave them under a shade tree in the grassy areas near the water park or by pavilions and no one bothers it. We also just leave our stuff out in the open next to the lockers or on ledges by the flower beds. Just a different and trusting culture. I’ve personally never had a problem doing that and I don’t know of anyone having their stuff go missing. 🤷🏼♀️ I’m sure it’s happened a few times, but I’m guessing it’s rare or people would stop leaving their items unattended.
Also, I actually love the water park and we go every time. The tube slides and regular slides are both fun. The lazy river is awesome to just relax in. If you have kids the kids pools are so fun for them. I would hate a remodel on this. It’s also got a waterfall wall that you can sit under and get a shoulder massage. It seems like the lazy river and pools in that area are more of a salt mix, which is really nice. And the slides are more of a chlorine mix.
Agreed. There are a LOT of seating and grass areas at lagoon people just drop their stuff off at. I’ve seen people bring in coolers of beer, tents, strollers and diaper bags, etc and just leave everything unattended for hours.
You're right about how trusting people are. My sister and I have season passes every year with the kids and we'll drop off coolers jackets and umbrellas off at the pavilions in the back of the park. The only thing that's gone through any of it were geese and peacocks looking for food. We never leave anything that we would really miss but we've never had anything stolen
I was a former ride operator from about 15-18. I don't have anything to add to the review but I do have stories. Fun fact, the carousel is older than the state of Utah. Edit: Actually, the whole park is, by about 10 years.
I used to run the baby boats in Kiddieland, and on one occasion a peacock leaped over the gates and into the center island, and I had to unload the kids I just loaded in while my manager chased the peacock around the island like a road runner cartoon. The peacock just kind of gracefully leapt back out almost as soon as I was done unloading.
Another time, a kid fell into the moat while I was walking another kid out. His mom undid his buckle for him. It's a tiny pool but it's a ride for tiny kids, so he was fully submerged and at one point the boats rolled over where he was. I had to shove the boats back and pull him out. Mom tried to yell at me and I was like 'had you waited like 2 minutes I could have gotten him out safely'. Easily the worst ride to run, if only because of the parents. Carousel was decent though. The bumper cars is also fun and after hours employees have to park them all in lines near the exit. You can reliably drive them backwards, you just have to turn the wheel about 180 degrees, and the steering is kind of inverted.
The TerrorRide is one of the locations in the park with a confirmed death. AFAIK, it was an older gentleman trying to get off the ride. The loading area is operator controlled but you have no control over the ride once it enters and exits the building, and if you're not careful with timing, the cart unloading people could be hit by another cart exiting the building. On this occasion, the cart he was exiting was hit by another cart from behind, and the collision broke his hip and he died later in the hospital of complications. Also, my very first time as a ride operator for the TerrorRide, I caught a woman giving her boyfriend a bj and was not remotely prepared. They never told me how to handle that.
My sister worked there and I'm pretty sure she was there the night of the 2016 frightmares fire. I can't remember if she said she saw this or a coworker saw this, but she was pretty certain the cause of the fire was a cigarette butt from a customer that caught onto the decorations. All the articles I've found on the fire don't list a cause. Edit: spoke with her to clarify, she saw it. It was in Nightwalk.
My grandma used to work there as a kid, and her older brother was a firefighter, and she gave me more interesting stories. She said the Flying Aces used to have a bunch of large signs encircling the ride, and one ride operator got distracted while a little kid was trying to get into the rides and started it prematurely. The kid was just hanging onto the side of the plane, and his legs ended up hitting every sign until the ride operator noticed and stopped the ride. There also didn't used to be a fence around colossus, and one employee took a shortcut home directly behind the ride. She was standing too close to the ride and the force of the carts coming down the big hill ripped her arms off, according to my grandma.
Found a source for that last story. Occurred in 1963 to a woman named Shanna B. Lassen. My sister informed me that my Nana actually SAW this happen, she didn't hear it second hand. mysteryofutahhistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-dark-side-of-lagoon-amusement-park.html?m=1
I remember when admission hit $60.00 and only went one time after that because it was a company thing and I got a big discount. But that's something they would do. They would open the park for special occasions and/or events and it made for a great afternoon with almost no lines. The one thing I always liked about Lagoon was the ability to bring your own food in. Families kind of stake out a table in the pavilions with their coolers and then all you need to do is go to your table and grab a sandwich and hit the park again. So much better than paying for what food they produce in there. Pioneer Village was always a great place to wind down a bit after lunch.
I had literally never thought of this until you mentioned it but I agree with the lagoon owners and vastly prefer the lines in lagoon and how they just extend into the park, the last few parks I’ve been to are universal studios Florida and Disney world ( both a few years ago), and lastly universal studios Japan. Watching people in line in Utah is a way to entertain yourself cause people are going places and idk makes the park feel more alive? Definitely more happy, the only memory of the other parks lines is “look at all these people also suffering in line”
I currently work at lagoon and am happy to say that now there are food discounts for season passes
Really?
Yep, it’s new
well look at that, you're right!
better then nothing
portal.lagoonpark.com/lib/docs/spoffers.pdf
@@Danman2103 Where can I find more info on this?
And punch pass discounts for games, I work there to
Definitely a good point that many parks are monopolies in their local area, whether a single park or a big chain rarely makes it different.
I have never visited Lagoon, but I hope to soon. I knew that it was basically a monopoly, but I didn't know about how it was all affecting guest experience. Those lines on the midway look like a line-jumpers dream come true. I didn't know about the animals. I am totally supportive of zoos and marine parks taking care of animals that need it and such, but they should be properly taken care of.
Six Flags over Texas used to have the policy of no single riders in the back row or in whatever row is the furthest back loaded row. In other words, if there are 3 people waiting to ride, and 2 are waiting for the front, the single rider cannot get on, even in row 2. That policy was so that everyone on board has a witness either next to them or behind them. When they realized this was a silly policy that actually does nothing, they discontinued it in 2020.
I've lived in utah my whole life and when I was young I used to go to lagoon with my family pretty often, or as often as one could when barely able to afford a loaf of bread some weeks. It's upsetting that the prices have skyrocketed and we can hardly go anymore, not to mention the workers looking exhausted and fighting to stay standing. Though if you still want to go, try to go during Frightmares (aka the BEST time to go in my opinion). Pioneer Village is haunted during Frightmares if you didn't know, especially at night. I've seen some crazy stuff.
I'm in my fifties and have gone to lagoon ever since I was like 5. When I was 10 my friends and I would just get dropped off and picked up 8 hours later. Everything was very reasonably priced. There have been 2 fatalities there which I think is not as bad as it could be with so many people always there. One was caused by a kid misunderstanding and trying to get out of his kiddie coaster seat before the ride was over. The second one was on the big wooden roller coaster where a girl in the front seat didn't follow safety measures and fell out and then got hit again by the coaster. So safety is very important as it is at any theme park.
Growing up going to lagoon was always a super fun adventure I always looked forward to.