Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

The only blemish I really noticed in the park was the former Two Face location. The dilapidated station looked pretty bad. I hope that area gets cleaned up. I have to say, Jinx was SUPER smooth. I couldn't believe how much better it was than the Flight of Fear models. I think I rode 4 or 5 times in a row (unlike the FoF single rides being enough).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been to the park over the years since its been a Six Flags park and last year was definitely a better visit in my opinion. The staff was more friendly and the park was pretty clean (besides the area where Two Face was) I also can't see people blaming the park for the people who enter the park so I never take that into account. The park seems like it's trying so hopefully one day it will shead it's bad reputation. Great Adventure had a bad one and it turned things around for the most part but it didn't happen over night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love Poltergeist, so I'd really like to ride Joker's Jinx. I think I like Flight of Fear a bit more, since the darkness obviously adds an extra level of disorientation, but I'm glad a couple of these are outdoors. The headchoppers are more intense (they're some of the best out there), and I like admiring the unusually twisted layouts from off-ride.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Joker's Jinx is probably going to rank lower than Poltergeist for you - they launch it slower. Basically, there are three types of "identical" Premier spaghetti bowls:

 

Joker's Jinx launches slower than the others but has no mid-course.

Flight of Fear launches at full speed but has a killer MCBR.

Poltergeist launches at full speed AND has no mid-course.

 

I'd love to see JJ launched faster...the only reason I've heard for it launching slower is because of the extra price for electricity. Maybe one day they'll revamp it now that the park is doing better, but probably not since there's really nothing wrong with it now (I like it better than FoF, anyway!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has nothing to do with Electricity! Moreso with the ride programming. Computer gets the ride up to a certain speed and then lets up... So not all Lims are used on every launch. However you can have it so that all lims fire no matter what... called a "Hot Launch". JJ is programed for a certain speed... and if it goes too fast it will fault. Outside conditions dictate how fast a train travels on its own. It can be pretty hot in TX.

 

I love Jokers Jinx! It's second popular ride to Superman in the park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People are saying nice things about SFA? Is this Opposite Day?

 

On a more serious note, I continue to be impressed with SFA's turnaround in operations, cleanliness and staff friendliness that began in the 2010 season and has continued since. With the exception of the cancellation of "Bring a Friend Free" days last fall, which I ranted about earlier in this thread, I've had nothing but good experiences there.

 

After the "Bring a Friend Free" issue last year, I had said I wasn't going to purchase a season pass for this year... but calmer heads have since prevaled, and we've not only pre-purchased ours again for opening day, but bought one for a friend, as well, to take advantage of a deal that allowed us to pay less for four season passes plus parking than we would have for three season passes plus parking.

 

I've been thinking about giving them another chance but it's much harder to convince my friends to follow suit,especially since one of them does the driving.I do recall of operations being fairly decent until things started going downhill in the middle portion of the last decade & what with the former regime's money grabbing efforts my friends & I had had enough,especially the no loose items allowed on certain ride stations policy used by Shapiro as a means of making money....is that stupid policy still in effect at the park?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Well, I think the No Loose Article policy helps and you can't fault SFA for upholding, by entering the park, you go in understanding the rules. All Gotham City Coasters have lockers, no you can do the trade up thing where you have someone in line hold while you ride, but nothing can be left on the platform and nothing can be brought with on the ride unless its secured. There are Souvenir bottle holders on all plaforms. Minderaser, Roar, and Wildone have cubbies.

 

^^ Superman is a decent mega coaster. The speed it good and the last 4 air times hills are Awesome. Back Seat is the best! (so is the front).

Batwing you are good, I find front row middle seats to the best, (not the outside seats). The middle seats on any row give a decent ride though.

Wild One - classic and just all around goodness, good pops of air and laters in the end helix

Roar - Least favorite right at the park, even less than mind eraser. The ride is not re-rideable in my opinion. I don't know how people withstood it during the Stride-a-thon, ridding non-stop for hours.... I hope the end up retracking. First drop is good and then all hell breaks loose starting at the first turn around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^SFA's Roar is nice and rough itself, though if you go before its had time to wear away its off-season trackwork you can have some decent rides on it! I really do like it, I just can't ride it more than once or twice because there are a few spots where you jackhammer and shuffle like it's nobody's business!

 

Wild One is actually one of my favorite coasters in the park, probably right behind Superman. Fantastic airtime, great laterals at the end, and the only ride at SFA right now that isn't a clone/mirror!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Sounds like SFA and SFDK have more than just a Roar in common. Now that I've ridden a lot of chain park coasters, it's more of a drawback to me that all the coasters at SFDK have clones or near-clones elsewhere (though a couple have unique quirks). Thankfully, that will change shortly, at least for the foreseeable future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Sounds like SFA and SFDK have more than just a Roar in common. Now that I've ridden a lot of chain park coasters, it's more of a drawback to me that all the coasters at SFDK have clones or near-clones elsewhere (though a couple have unique quirks). Thankfully, that will change shortly, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

Most of the coasters in all Six Flags parks are mostly clones. Welcome to Six Flags!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In terms of the roughness of Roar, I rode it last in 2006 and it was pretty rough. In fact each time up until then, it seemed to get rougher. However, a month later I went to Hershey Park and rode Wildcat (GCI's first coaster) which I previously rode in 1996 (the year it opened) and it seemed far rougher than Roar (which I think was GCI's second coaster- it was built in 1998). I agree that Roar needs to be retracked, but I'm not sure it will happen until Wildcat gets retracked. Is the decision to retrack up to each individual park or the ride maker's themselves?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^I'm the opposite of many people with Wildcat; I didn't feel any roughness of note (and I mostly rode in the back), but I didn't feel even the slightest amount of airtime. Although apparently it was much wilder with PTCs, I'm sure I've heard that it still has airtime (I rode in 2011). Maybe it's a front seat ride like other GCIs. Is the front recommended on Roar as well? I do find Roar West downright painful in the back seat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In terms of the roughness of Roar, I rode it last in 2006 and it was pretty rough. In fact each time up until then, it seemed to get rougher. However, a month later I went to Hershey Park and rode Wildcat (GCI's first coaster) which I previously rode in 1996 (the year it opened) and it seemed far rougher than Roar (which I think was GCI's second coaster- it was built in 1998). I agree that Roar needs to be retracked, but I'm not sure it will happen until Wildcat gets retracked. Is the decision to retrack up to each individual park or the ride maker's themselves?

 

When I last rode Roar in 07 it was running so badly that the ops were actually instructed to operate each train at only a half load,the ride would improve greatly with new GCI trains since PTC's don't track well on twister layouts like the type Roar has.

 

When the ride first opened in 98 it became one of my favorites in the park & also never had much of a line but it quickly went downhill & became the 2nd roughest woodie I've ridden being beaten only by KD's hurler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's gotten better in the last few years with constant off-season trackwork in the trouble spots (bottom of first raven turn, photo spot, and last turnaround before the brakes). Still rough, but much more bearable.

 

And as much as I'd love to say that Millennium Flyers would help this, they really only helped Wildcat for the first year or two. It's not as bad as it used to be, but the back is plenty rough again even with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's gotten better in the last few years with constant off-season trackwork in the trouble spots (bottom of first raven turn, photo spot, and last turnaround before the brakes). Still rough, but much more bearable.

 

And as much as I'd love to say that Millennium Flyers would help this, they really only helped Wildcat for the first year or two. It's not as bad as it used to be, but the back is plenty rough again even with them.

 

I swear,that last turn onto the brakerun was the worst spot on the entire ride when last I rode but the photo spot wasn't that bad....sad to hear it's gotten worse over the four years since I last rode it because it was a great ride in it's first two or three seasons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^No, I actually just said that it's gotten BETTER over the last four years. They've been upkeeping the trouble spots and it's really made a difference.

 

I understand what you mean so they started retracking in 08?

 

Unless they get new trains they're gonna have to do constant upkeep on the ride that's gonna prove to be pretty expensive....those PTC's just can't handle that layout very well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven't heard anything which is unfortunate. For a park getting it's first coaster in 10 years I would think they would provide more updates to keep the excitement going. Marketing is going to be key this year to bring in more attendance and spread news of the new coaster. I love when parks let you follow along so I hope SFA kicks up the energy and posts more to let us follow the construction with more consistent updates!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/