California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[XSupremacy]

The food at Taste of Orleans is amazing

I'm so jealous as I experienced Mardi Gras for my first time last year in New Orleans and have been craving some good NO style food since. They would do it the weekend I'm in Florida

I finally had free time to use my platinum pass for the first time next weekend which makes it even more bittersweet.

Anyone have any sweet pictures of the food?! I'd love to drool over them.

The Crawfish Dogs and the Gumbo tied for my favorite

[CrazedZooChimp]

I swung by the festival on Sunday, it was really good stuff. Lots of fun and seemed to get a decent crowd of people wandering through it. The line for sweet tooth seemed to be there the whole 4 hours I was at the park, and lots of food stands were running out of items (although they were quickly refilled), so I hope it was a success for the park! I wrote a full review of it over at www.coaster101.com/2016/07/26/taste-orleans-californias-great-america/ but thought I'd share a few pictures with you guys.

The gumbo and red beans and rice. The gumbo was the definite winner for me, really nice kick.

Lots of lovely chalk art throughout Orleans place.

Oh man, that sign.

Creole meatballs. Could have used a little more spice, but they weren't bad.

One of the cool projections they had after the sun went down.

[cgaridesman]

Man, these Christmas displays go up earlier and earlier every year. That was right in front of the fried chicken restaurant, but most of the decorations were in Celebration Plaza.

 

According to the signs, they were setting up to film some commercials for Winterfest tonight. They put up a big tree and a few wreaths around the carousel and they added lights to a some of the trees in Celebration Plaza.

 

It also looked like they were filming inside the little pink shop between Flight Deck and Delta Flyer. The door was open for a bit and I could see some Christmas trees lit up inside. A while later I saw a woman dressed as Ms. Claus standing around outside.

[laqueefa]

My buddy Ben painted that sign!

[XSupremacy]

Yeah, I saw a bunch of that stuff on Tuesday too. They're also setting up some facades behind the first aid station

[CrazedZooChimp]

Man, these Christmas displays go up earlier and earlier every year.

 

That was right in front of the fried chicken restaurant, but most of the decorations were in Celebration Plaza.

 

According to the signs, they were setting up to film some commercials for Winterfest tonight. They put up a big tree and a few wreaths around the carousel and they added lights to a some of the trees in Celebration Plaza.

 

It also looked like they were filming inside the little pink shop between Flight Deck and Delta Flyer. The door was open for a bit and I could see some Christmas trees lit up inside. A while later I saw a woman dressed as Ms. Claus standing around outside.

 

Neat! I assumed they would repurpose a lot of the lighting stuff they set up for Taste of Orleans for Winterfest (and probably some of the decorations).

[Greatdrift]

Hello, I'm going to be hitting CGA just before I go back home to enjoy some time at Six Flags New England.

 

What are some things I should hit up first or last? What is the best plan for getting on every coaster from open to close?

 

Which rides are more likely to be closed and what areas have the best food?

 

Thanks and I'll be there this Saturday!

[XSupremacy]

Hello, I'm going to be hitting CGA just before I go back home to enjoy some time at Six Flags New England.

 

What are some things I should hit up first or last? What is the best plan for getting on every coaster from open to close?

 

Which rides are more likely to be closed and what areas have the best food?

 

Thanks and I'll be there this Saturday!

First off, Firefall will be closed.

You should hit Gold Striker first and last. That's when the lines will be the shortest. You should be fine getting on every coaster, just expect terrible operations on Grizzly.

I find the best food is the chicken and the garlic fries, which you can find in the Food Court by Demon.

There is only 1 tier of Fast Lane, so if you get it, it will only cost 60$. You shouldn't need it yet

[CrazedZooChimp]

Hello, I'm going to be hitting CGA just before I go back home to enjoy some time at Six Flags New England.

 

What are some things I should hit up first or last? What is the best plan for getting on every coaster from open to close?

 

Which rides are more likely to be closed and what areas have the best food?

 

Thanks and I'll be there this Saturday!

 

Yeah, Gold Striker is really the only one that has any significant wait, but if you go there first/last it won't be that bad (when I was there for Taste of Orleans I think it was maybe a 30 minute wait). You should have no problem getting on everything of interest.

 

I usually eat at the food court near demon, but there are a few decent indoor options too. I haven't eaten at any of them in awhile, but I used to like the fried chicken at Maggie Browns (between Gold Striker and Whitewater falls).

[Greatdrift]

Trip Report!!!

 

I wore my Boston Red Sox hat (I'm from MA) and my cyan Cedar Point t-shirt!

 

I went to the park as it opened and lined up for Gold Striker. I got near the front and they were testing the ride until 11am. I got to sit by myself in the back seat and no one was on the cars ahead of me until about row 9! Absolutely awesome GCI coaster!

 

Went over to Flight Deck and it was a walk on so I went on for two rides. Front seat both times. My favorite type of coaster has to be B&M Inverts on the front seat. This ride was fast and awesome!

 

Next up I went on the flat-rides. I went on the Orbiter (Enterprise), Firefall (Topspin) was open so I went on that. It is old but still thrilling.

 

After a couple other flat-rides I hit up the Psycho Mouse and that was the longest line at the park in my opinion. I spent an hour in line... (stupid me of course).

 

For lunch I went to Maggie Browns and it was alright. I think the price is a bit too much but what can you do...

 

After lunch I hit up Demon. This Arrow coaster is pretty tame but the second tunnel hurt especially sitting on the right side. I think there is a small dip that is banked to the right and it was rough.

 

Grizzly had a long wait because the dispatch was slow. The ride was alright but some drunken guests ruined the queuing experience as they were littering and what not so I was not impressed beforehand.

 

Intamin Drop Tower was great and I went on it two times. Car 6 was not working so only 5 cars were working on the drop tower.

 

Vortex was pretty awesome I got front row both times and although the ride is short, it does pack a punch. I think I managed to hit a plant on the banked turn right before the corkscrew on the farthest right (seat).

 

For dinner I went to the Food Experience by Demon and I had the tenders and fries. Pretty solid and the fries were crunchy so that was good.

 

After, I went on the Tiki Twirl (Zamperla Disk'O "Coaster") and I really liked it. The line was pretty short. The second time however they had to shut down the ride because 10 seats could not get the back restraints to pull back (I think hydraulics might have failed or something). So they closed the ride.

 

Flight Deck again at sunset.

 

I went to grab some fried oreos but they ran out so I had to settle for a churro which isn't too bad.

 

Lastly, I went on Gold Striker at night two more times before I left the park. I got to experience full trains and it was much faster at night. We were flying through the course! Probably one of my new favorite woodies.

 

Overall, I had a great time at the park. The line waits were good, averaging around 20-30 minutes. A lot of the people I talked to in the lines were nice and friendly.

 

Gold Striker x3

Flight Deck x3

Psycho Mouse x1

The Grizzly x1

Demon x1

Vortex x2

 

Cannot wait to hit up my own homepark at Six Flags New England!

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Vortex was pretty awesome

Definitely the first time I've ever heard this.

[Mr. Corn]

I liked Vortex too!

[coasternate]

After lunch I hit up Demon. This Arrow coaster is pretty tame but the second tunnel hurt especially sitting on the right side. I think there is a small dip that is banked to the right and it was rough.

 

Yeah going into the corkscrews you are at a really awkward angle and it can feel a bit rough. I overall love the ride however.

[Vonni]

I usually have good experiences on Coasters that are not typically regarded as a good ride in the enthusiast community as well. The only exception to this that I can think of off the top of my head would be Dragon at Adventureland. I actually like most arrow loopers. That is not saying that they are not rough. Just that I can get past that and enjoy the ride.

[TheJewelOfJool]

Ignore this post.

[WOFanatic]

Ignore this post.

no.

[CrazedZooChimp]

Trip Report!!!

Overall, I had a great time at the park. The line waits were good, averaging around 20-30 minutes. A lot of the people I talked to in the lines were nice and friendly.

 

Gold Striker x3

Flight Deck x3

Psycho Mouse x1

The Grizzly x1

Demon x1

Vortex x2

 

Cannot wait to hit up my own homepark at Six Flags New England!

 

Glad you had a good time at the park! GS is definitely one of my top 5 wooden coasters (it might be top-2). There are rides that keep up their paces as well as it does. I wonder if I should re-ride Vortex, I don't think I've been on it in over a year.

 

Did you get a chance to "ride" the new Mass Effect attraction?

[Greatdrift]

 

Glad you had a good time at the park! GS is definitely one of my top 5 wooden coasters (it might be top-2). There are rides that keep up their paces as well as it does. I wonder if I should re-ride Vortex, I don't think I've been on it in over a year.

 

Did you get a chance to "ride" the new Mass Effect attraction?

 

I did! That ride was unexpectedly pretty awesome! I have played the games so I knew mostly everything before hand but it was pretty good. Gotta give props to the actor at the front, as he did a really good job convincing us we were actually there and everything.

[WayCool64]

I just visited CGA last thursday. The park was pretty light, and everything except for Grizzly, Tiki Twirl, and Psycho Mouse were practically walk-ons.

 

Finally got to ride Mass Effect (or as I like to call, Butt Poker the Ride, because of how many times the seat pokes you), and I have to say, through the cautious optimism and what little I already know of the ME series, I was satisfied for the most part. While I agree that this was a much needed and well worth upgrade to the Action Theater and is much better than its predecessor, I feel that there are some faults with the ride, although this is just from personal opinion. The two problems I have is that the ride film itself feels a bit rushed, like it feels there are parts that could've been expanded upon, but it tries to rush through as quickly as possible to satisfy the capacity. But maybe that could've been solved if both sides of the theater were opened, and they refurbished the unused right side. The other problem I have is more of a personal opinion, I feel like the motion isn't as thrilling as the original system was, probably due to the lack of seatbelts. Also, I feel like they tried to take the quick and easy route and just try to copy Star Tours instead of doing something original. But for what it lacks, it makes up a lot in other areas. The 3D is spectacular (especially during the climax), the theming and effects are rather surprising (even though it feels minimal in the queue), and the live actor(s) are the big highlight of the ride, especially with their improvisation. I could write a whole article about this ride, but overall, despite its shortcomings, its a very fun and enjoyable ride, and a much deserved improvement over the Action Theater's last incarnation. I'd definitely say this should be ridden at least twice if not for the actors.

 

Oh, and another interesting thing I found was at the exit. I saw the doors to the unused right side were slightly ajar. Taking a peek through it, it seems that the area was used pretty much for storage with none of the original ride intact. Then I found this...

It was the evacuation plan for the ride. I dunno if this was around before or after ME opened, but if you look closer, the unused side almost looks like it has seating arrangements. Almost as if they do actually plan to reopen it soon, especially with the planned expansion. I could be wrong though as there are no pointing directions like on the side that's being used.

 

As it has been already mentioned, I did see some of the decorations in preparation for WinterFest and its commercial (as well as made a snarky joke about how Christmas comes too early nowadays). However, I found something more interesting while waiting in line for Grizzly.

Dunno if this is for Haunt or WinterFest as it was still under construction.

 

Also, I've been wondering whatever happened to the land sale, it seemed to be quiet ever since they announced their upcoming park expansion. Did Cedar Fair successfully buy out the land? Does anyone know?

[CrazedZooChimp]

I did! That ride was unexpectedly pretty awesome! I have played the games so I knew mostly everything before hand but it was pretty good. Gotta give props to the actor at the front, as he did a really good job convincing us we were actually there and everything.

 

I just visited CGA last thursday. The park was pretty light, and everything except for Grizzly, Tiki Twirl, and Psycho Mouse were practically walk-ons.

 

Finally got to ride Mass Effect (or as I like to call, Butt Poker the Ride, because of how many times the seat pokes you), and I have to say, through the cautious optimism and what little I already know of the ME series, I was satisfied for the most part. While I agree that this was a much needed and well worth upgrade to the Action Theater and is much better than its predecessor, I feel that there are some faults with the ride, although this is just from personal opinion. The two problems I have is that the ride film itself feels a bit rushed, like it feels there are parts that could've been expanded upon, but it tries to rush through as quickly as possible to satisfy the capacity. But maybe that could've been solved if both sides of the theater were opened, and they refurbished the unused right side. The other problem I have is more of a personal opinion, I feel like the motion isn't as thrilling as the original system was, probably due to the lack of seatbelts. Also, I feel like they tried to take the quick and easy route and just try to copy Star Tours instead of doing something original. But for what it lacks, it makes up a lot in other areas. The 3D is spectacular (especially during the climax), the theming and effects are rather surprising (even though it feels minimal in the queue), and the live actor(s) are the big highlight of the ride, especially with their improvisation. I could write a whole article about this ride, but overall, despite its shortcomings, its a very fun and enjoyable ride, and a much deserved improvement over the Action Theater's last incarnation. I'd definitely say this should be ridden at least twice if not for the actors.

 

Yeah, the things that made me really like it (aside from being a fan of the series) were how good the 3D looked (I think it's the sharpest 3D effects I've ever seen) and how good the live actors are. I'm amazed how good they are at interacting with the effects. I've seen two different actors and they both player it slightly differently which I enjoyed as well. Actually my biggest issue with it was that I found that I can't hear what the actor is saying in response to what's going on-screen with all the other action happening. I feel like I could have used behind the seat speakers or something just for the voices. I do kind of wish that it was longer, which using both sides would have helped with (since they could have been staggered), but I think it doesn't bother me much since I sort of know the background. I guess a longer, indoor, line could have also included more background information (like what the different aliens are).

[WayCool64]

I do kind of wish that it was longer, which using both sides would have helped with (since they could have been staggered), but I think it doesn't bother me much since I sort of know the background. I guess a longer, indoor, line could have also included more background information (like what the different aliens are).

Actually now that I think about it. If they really weren't planning to use the unused side of the Action Theater, they could've probably used it as an extended indoor queue. I did hear rumors that they were supposed to cover the queue in plexiglass, but abandoned the idea because they didn't want the same thing happening like with Gold Striker and Star Tower's vandalism.

[10ryansmith]

Looking into going to the park on 30 Oct. I assume the park is going to be packed for Halloween but how packed is it going to be? Should I skip it (I'll be based in Sacramento) or chance the crowds? Any park planning would be nice as well.

[DILinator]

Vortex was pretty awesome

Definitely the first time I've ever heard this.

 

 

I simply liked this, because anything that involves MacGyver deserves to be liked!

[laqueefa]

Looking into going to the park on 30 Oct. I assume the park is going to be packed for Halloween but how packed is it going to be? Should I skip it (I'll be based in Sacramento) or chance the crowds? Any park planning would be nice as well.

 

If packed was the best word to describe it, then I would have to say it's going to be packed. Stupid packed.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Looking into going to the park on 30 Oct. I assume the park is going to be packed for Halloween but how packed is it going to be? Should I skip it (I'll be based in Sacramento) or chance the crowds? Any park planning would be nice as well.

We actually went October 30th last year (a Friday), but for Haunt, not the rides. We got Fright Lane and even with it, we faced stupid long lines. We barely ended up going through every maze (but not every Skeleton Key room) because the crowds lightened up toward the end of the night. Scare actors were lacking as well; not sure if everyone just quit their jobs before Halloween weekend but the mazes had very few scare actors and a lot of obvious unused potential. I don't go to the park very often, but it's probably the busiest I've ever seen it. I guess it depends on what you're going for. I'd definitely recommend getting Fright Lane if you're going for Haunt and Fast Lane for the rides.