YoshiFan

I just got back from the park, there were a lot more people there today compared to Easter last year. There were some breakdowns. Green Lantern broke down twice the 2nd time it got stuck on the lift and riders had to be walked down the stairs. El Toro was testing with water dummies around 11:30 and when I got back to the ride later in the day the line was to the 60 minute sign and hearing how long dispatches took on Friday, I skipped it today. Zumanjaro broke down when I was at the loading area but reopened around 15 minutes later. Nitro was running 2 trains but there seemed to be problems with the restraints with dispatches taking much longer than normal and restraints having to be rechecked. From the 60 minute sign it took almost 45 minutes when with normal dispatches it would be around 25 minutes with 2 trains.

That's good to hear, it's one of the many reasons I prefer Great Adventure to other local parks.

I have always been allowed re-rides at Great Adventure if there is an empty row. The ride ops usually encourage it if there is no line and empty rows.

I'd be surprised if a new ride ever opens on opening day again. With a larger coaster or major ride I can understand but it was the same with Adventure Alley. Sky Screamer wasn't ready and the bumper cars weren't either but there was no reason Deja Vu and Air Jumbo (especially since Air Jumbo was already at the park in storage) couldn't have been ready. My guess is it's for marketing reasons, that way people who visit early in the season will go back for a return visit to ride the new attraction and maybe buy a season pass instead of a 1 day ticket.

That's great to hear they added that, along with hearing that 3 trains are running on Nitro. They normally don't have the 3rd train ready until late April or early May.

White Lightning at Fun Spot yesterday.

The Dark Knight (Great Adventure) Green Lantern (Great Adventure) Fahrenheit Expedition Everest Runaway Train (Gillian's Wonderland Pier) Pirates Gold Rush Barnstormer Stinger

When we visited on a busy Saturday a few weeks after Zumanjaro opened this is what we experienced. It sounds like it's not typical but it was absolutely the case on at least one occasion. It was also happening on a Friday in October. The line took almost 20 minutes with the line in the station and going to a middle row.

Great Adventure is my home park and I voted for worse than last year but not by much. It was still overall a very good 2014 season but there were more negatives compared to past years: -Zumanjaro opening in July, and then Kingda Ka's capacity being cut in half (I know it's the state that is causing the problems) -No early entry for Gold Passholders all 6 times I went to the park during Fright Fest -Ride lines for every ride in the park closing as much as 30 minutes early, even if there was no one in line. Other times, it was 15 - 20 minutes early, again with no lines. -Much shorter operating schedule compared to past years. They opened 3 weeks later in 2014 than 2013 and there was no season pass night in the fall or any Friday night operating days in September like in 2013 (crowds probably didn't warrant it).

It's sometimes April, sometimes May 2014 was April 25th 2013 was April 26th 2012 was May 4th 2011 was May 6th 2012 was good because the park was open to the public the entire day rather than just the school groups like the other days the event is held.

I think opening weekend except Easter Sunday is going to be very crowded this year if the weather is ok. Normally the park opens the weekend before Easter and not Easter weekend. I went on opening day 2012 which was the Thursday before Easter and it was jammed. I got there at 10:00 and the line of cars to get to the parking booths was almost up to 537 and after getting a few rides at Nitro with no wait, lines started to get bad (even Runaway Mine Train was 30 minutes). Almost all schools should be closed on Friday and the Saturday before Easter is usually crowded too. This year I am going to try to go to the park on Easter Sunday. I went last year and lines were very short, mostly 5 - 10 minutes except for Batman which was 20 minutes. I also went to the park on Easter Sunday 2011 and other than Nitro running 1 train with an hour wait (it had been running 2 trains earlier in the day), lines were short for everything else then as well.

In the US: Cedar Point, Kings Island, Six Flags Over Georgia, Carowinds Rest of the World: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea, Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Mirabilandia (Italy), Port Aventura Also I don't know if they count since I have been to these parks before becoming an enthusiast, and basically need almost all the coaster credits there so it would almost be like a new park Canada's Wonderland (only rode Ghoster Coaster) King's Dominion (only rode Ghoster Coaster and 1 side of Rebel Yell) Busch Gardens (only rode Loch Ness Monster and Wild Maus when the park had it)

Great Adventure probably the 3rd or 4th day they are open. Opening day is on Good Friday this year and from going and I am expecting opening day and Saturday to be very crowded so I'd rather wait a couple of extra days to have shorter lines.

I rarely use them (except at Disney) but I think they are good when you are going to a park that you only get to once a year or even less than that. I have never been to Cedar Point and whenever I get there, I'm not going to even think twice about getting Fast Lane since I want to get in as many rides as possible. I wouldn't use them at my home parks because I go so often and if I happen to go on a day it's crowded when I wasn't expecting it to be, I can always just go back another day. Also because at Dorney, you hardly ever see anyone using Fast Lane so it's a non issue there (and lines are almost always short) and at Great Adventure I like how with all coasters except Skull Mountain and Runaway Mine Train, the Flash Pass lines merge at or before the station so you don't have people going up the exit taking your row. The downside to that for Flash Pass users is that they still have somewhat of a wait. At Kingda Ka for example, it could still be a 20 - 25 minute wait after the Flash Pass merge point.

I hope it happens, it would be fun to go to Atlantic City during the off-season and go to a waterpark and also go to the casinos to play slot machines.

I was really impressed with how fast they were dispatching trains at Batman during Fright Fest. There were times the line was past the tunnel and sometimes into the park area (without the covered switchbacks being used) and it was only a 15 minute wait.

Bizarro would be better off running 2 trains, they would save the wear and tear of running the 3rd train and with the double stacking, the 3rd train doesn't help at all. The few times I have seen the ride running 2 trains, it seemed to work better with little to no stacking.

In early June, in past years Castaway Cove and maybe Gillian's too didn't open until later in the day, around 5 or 6. Once they release their 2015 operating calendars I would check them so you don't end up at Ocean City when the parks are closed.

When I was there in 2012, only the Tiger side was running. Since I really like Lightning Racer and find Wildcat ok, I thought Gwazi would be a good coaster especially with the new trains. I couldn't wait for the coaster to get to the final brake run because of how rough it was. Even if the Lion side had been running, I don't think I would have gone to it. It's a shame they aren't going to demolish it right away.

B&M - Nitro Intamin - El Toro

El Toro at Great Adventure, it was the only coaster I rode in 2014 that was a new credit for me.

Green Lantern and Zumanjaro have them. Green Lantern's isn't until almost the end of the queue so it doesn't save that much time especially if the line is out of the station and on the stairs.

Were the trains on Blackbeard's going out all 10 first row full? If not, maybe they were concerned about the train valleying because of the weather if there were only a few riders and they all went to the back of the train. I have always seen them allow people to sit anywhere on the train even with the train is going out with mostly empty rows except I think last year on a day it was really cold outside and they did the same thing of only loading the front half of the train.

This offseason I am considering buying an annual pass to an indoor water park an hour away. I like water slides almost as much as coasters and it will probably be fun to go to a waterpark in January when it is 30 degrees outside.

On the 2nd page of the thread last December I said Nitro would be my first coaster of 2014 and that ended up being correct. I had hoped Nitro would also be my last coaster of 2014 but hearing how long lines were at Great Adventure today, I went to Dorney instead and Talon was my last coaster of 2014.