Six Flags Discovery Kingdom vs California's Great America

[Dietcokevan]

Um...... I am going to Northern California for about one week over the summer. And I have a choice to go to Discovery Kingdom or Great America. And I can't decide witch to go to. So I need your help to come up with my final desision.

[robbalvey]

I think I would give the edge to Discovery Kingdom. I haven't visited since the re-do, but I've heard it looks great.

 

And coaster-wise, well, they have a B&M (Medusa), their woodie Roar is better than Grizzly, V2 is pretty cool, and then you have a Boomerang and SLC. Not sure when Tony Hawk opens up, but at least that should be a "fun" ride. And they have a decent amount of flats - Frisbee, Top Spin, etc, etc....

 

CGA on the other hand...well, Top Gun is by far the stand out coaster in the park, then you've got Demon which is "ok", an Invertigo, standard Arrow Mouse, a pretty mediocre stand-up, the worst ranked woodie in the world, um...what else? Drop Zone is pretty cool. There are a couple of "ok" flats with the best one being the Frisbee.

 

Honestly, it's kind of a coin toss, but I think DK wins out just a bit.

 

--Robb

[TopThrill182]

I agree with what Robb says but the one thing I will say for Great America is they have a very nice water park. It's small, but nice for a few hours.

[XII]

Yeah, I agree with evreyone else in this thread. Go to SFDK. CGA may have Top Gun and Drop Zone, but SFDK has V2 and Medusa. And Medusa>Top Gun.

[thrillerman1]

SFDK > CGA, but I'd rather spend the day at SCBB and Bonfante err Gilroy Gardens

[SharkTums]

Wow, it's kind of weird that everyone is now in favor of the Six Flags over a Cedar Fair Park!

 

I voted for SFDK as well!

[thrillerman1]

And then there's always Pixieland!

[Mechanic]

These 2 parks are the closest to what I can call our "home parks" and I give the nod to SFDK as well. Looking at it from strictly a "rides" point of view, the parks are relatively equal. Beyond that, CGA includes the water park with admission, whereas SFDK includes a zoo and oceanarium with a number of live animal shows and interactive animal attractions. SFDK is a more immersive experience overall in my opinion, and it's where I'd go if I could only choose one or the other. We've had season passes to both parks for the past several seasons and when I ask the kids which park they want to go to, they usually choose SFDK / (used to be Marine World) as well. So, from everyone that's voted so far, and me, and my kids, it's SFDK. Have fun!

[Team Thriller]

I've been to both and can honestly say that after Stealth got taken down, PGA (At the time) went way down hill and has been for a long time. As for SFDK has been only going up hill.

 

SFDK all the way. Top Gun is an amazing coaster, Medusa is better.

 

--James

[Tmcdllr]

I agree also it is kind of a coin toss. Stand out rides at CGA would be Flight Deck *ugh* Drop Tower, Demon, Invertigo, Vortex...a stand up that beats you to hell, and the water park. Plus it's a slightly larger park. At DK you have Medusa, V2, Tony Hawk if it' open, Roar...a thousand times better than the woodie at CGA, and maybe Boomerang and Kong as standouts. Plus DK also has a small animal park with tigers and such which is pretty cool. I think CGA has a few more flats and some shows plus a Sky Tower as well and a sky ride to get you to the back of the park. Both have similar water rides but CGA also has a log flume. I guess it all really depends on what you are in the mood for.

[Team Thriller]

^

Plus, CGA usally has shorter or faster waits then SFDK. So if you are one of those credit whores, and just want coaster credits, then CGA is probably the park to go to. But if you want quality coasters, then DK is the park you want.

 

--James

[Tmcdllr]

That is a good point James and between the two, Flight Deck is intense but Medusa is a great, smooth, and much longer ride. I agree...for quality coasters go to SFDK. Although on a personal note, between Boomerang and Invertigo, Invertigo is more fun especially if you sit in one of the 'blackout' seats on either end of the train.

[Sticky Nicky]

I said SFDK because I had a really great time and the park had a lot of things to do. CGA just gave me a good time and Top Gun. Though if it were 2009, I would give the edge to CGA for that new woodie.

[dpxtreme]

It all depends what your there for. If you like animals, go to SFDK, if you don't, go to CGA. Once THBS opens at SFDK, both parks (SFDK and CGA) will have 8 coasters, 2 kiddie, and 6 large ones. And since your going in the summer, CGA will be open from 10-10pm the majority of the summer. For me personally, SFDK's falt ride collection fails miserably IMO. CGA has a lot more and they are a lot more thrilling.

 

Back to the coasters. SFDK's best coasters are Medusa, V2, and ROAR, and maybe Tony Hawks when it opens. Boomerang and Kong suck giant monkey balls. CGA's best are Flight Deck, and Invertigo, maybe Demon. But they also have Drop Tower (intamin giant drop) and Delirium. All 3 of CGA's water rides are better than SFDK's IMO.

 

A lot of this stuff was already stated in above posts, but i'm just saying it again.

[coastercrazy216]

Though if it were 2009, I would give the edge to CGA for that new woodie.

 

On a down note, Cedar Fair will probably trim the ride to death.

 

Why do you have to love trims Cedar Fair?

[KGA29]

Here's my opinion:

 

Pros

SFDK: -Better roller coaster collection (+ Tony Hawk's Big Spin, a new roller coaster)

-Animals

-Better shows (killer whale, bird, African acrobat, tiger, dolphin, sea lion)

-Better food IMO ( Panda Express)

-Better atmosphere (theming, trees, it's just more pretty)

 

CGA: -Better flat ride collection

-Better water ride collection

-Water park

-Shorter lines for major attractions

-Longer park hours

 

So based on that, I would recommend SFDK, unless you want to check out the water park. At CGA, it is very possible (unlike some larger parks) to do the whole water park and the whole dry park in one day.

[alpengeist04]

This is a very interesting thread, since I'll be hitting both parks next summer. The pro and cons from everyone are much appreciated.

[Dietcokevan]

I maybe going to both parks. I forgot that I could use my SFMM season pass at SFDK. So depending on how much it costs to get in CGA I might be able to go to both!

[Hand 0f Time]

Discovery Kingdom by far. Any place with a hot chick with snake hairs and V² is considered a fav.

[robbalvey]

Though if it were 2009, I would give the edge to CGA for that new woodie.

 

On a down note, Cedar Fair will probably trim the ride to death.

 

Why do you have to love trims Cedar Fair?

Why would you say that? Did Cedar Fair put trims GhostRider or Renegade? No. Did they trim any of the Michigan's Adventure woodies? No. Did they trim any of the Paramount woodies? No.

 

In fact have they trimmed ANY woodie in the past 15 years? Really, since Mean Streak and Thunderhawk got trims YEARS ago, has there been ANY other trims put on Cedar Fair woodies?

 

Saying that "Cedar Fair loves trims" on woodies is really more of an urban legend.

 

--Robb

[Sticky Nicky]

^Along with the Cedar Fair hates woodies. Bogus!

[Dietcokevan]

How much does it cost to get into CGA?

[Mechanic]

How much does it cost to get into CGA?

 

They don't have a single day admission price listed on the website yet.

[larrygator]

SFDK > CGA, but I'd rather spend the day at SCBB and Bonfante err Gilroy Gardens

 

I agree with this statement.

[Sticky Nicky]

How much does it cost to get into CGA?

 

It's around $52-$53, but you can buy tickets online for around $35. Hope that helps.