CoasterFanatic Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Well folks, I know it has been a while since I did one of these but ... This past weekend, Catrina and I hopped in the car for a weekend trip to New Jersey. Like usual, we found some odd ball things to mix up with the trip and here are the results. Day 1 - Six Flags Great Adventure After the seven hour drive and a good nights sleep at the Willow Grove (Hey, there used to be a park here) Springhill Suites, we found ourselves back in Jackson, NJ. We arrived at the park right before opening and I already have my $15 parking fee ready FTW. First stop of the day. Flash Pass is almost a requirement for those with ADD ... like me. For those who are curious, this is the 2008 pricing breakdown for Flash Passes at Six Flags Great Adventure. If you do plan on utilizing it, I would suggest reserving one online. Our two person regular unit was $4 cheaper online. Flash Pass is really of no use unless you can use it on all the big attractions. Here, you can even use it on the park's Top Spin, Rapids, Pirate Ship and Motion Simulator. Wait ... where are we at again? All these trashcans are confusing me. On our last trip to the park, El Toro was still under construction and the whole area roped off. This means that Catrina had never had the pleasure of experiencing "Rotting Lumber". That had to be remedied. Our next stop and one of the primary reasons for our visit was El Toro. The park had early entry for season passholders this day, but El Toro was still a walk on right into the station. And I swear ... Catrina told me to take this picture. El Toro is a monster sized woodie and all the hype it has received is well deserved. It might very well be the best coaster in the United States. The steepness of the first drop is uncanny. Not even halfway down the first drop and the ride already fells like it wants to kick you to the curb. But it is only beginning ... What follows is a barrage of airtime hills. Just when you think the ride is going to take a break and let you sit down for a second. It smashes you into the lapbar again and through ground level S-curve. Next up was Medusa where they were running ... gasp ... THREE TRAINS. I haven't mentioned this yet, but I was super impressed by the state of the park. Every ride in the park (with the exception of Dark Knight) opened at 10:30 or before and operations were killer. Kudos. After an excellent ride on Medusa, we walked over to the Great American Scream Machine. Catrina had never been on it, but upon further observation decided that she felt "way to good" to ruin it with this ride. So instead we used this opportunity to grab a modest photo. +1 for having the Absolutely Insane running. I think I may have only seen one of these things run before. Now in Gotham and posing with the local talent. Even the Penguin was available for photos. The Virtual Amry Experience appeared to be very popular, but alas, we did not make it inside. Anyone want to enlighten me to what the draw is. I did see people walking around with game discs around their necks. I imagine that each participant got a game demo of some sorts. The Dark Knight was now up and running and thank god for QBot. Other than cool preshow, you can get the same experience at Hersheypark by riding their Mack Mouse with really dark sunglasses on. As soon as we entered the gates of The Dark Knight, I queued up Skull Mountain. By the time we got off the ride, it was ready to go. Skull Mountain just keeps getting better. Not only do you have a fun dark coaster, but you get the extra added awesomeness of death metal, strobe lights and a giant skull staring at you. I can't wait to see what they add next year. Put in a blood river and I am back in a heartbeat. See ... Catrina is still smiling from the awesomeness that is Skull Mountain. Yet another attraction that I had never seen running at Great Adventure. Mr Freeze is probably the best character I have seen yet at a Six Flags park. He was upbeat, quick to a joke and having a blast. He went on and on about how they were the good guys and the Justice League was evil. Catrina also joined in the fun. So long, Six Flags Great Adventure. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Till next time ... eat at Ted's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Day 1 - Jenkinsons Boardwalk Since we got through Six Flags Great Adventure rather quickly (thank you QBot), we headed grabbed a bite to eat and then headed down to the shore. Our first stop, Jenkinsons, was a nice surprise. The rides were pure Carny, but the area was very clean and well kept. For all you Mangels aficionados out there, their Pony Cart was museum quality. Dizzy Dragons. It is a load of fun, but evil ... pure evil. We passed on the first "coaster", Tornado. Pretty much the same idea as the Dragon Coaster at Dorney. Feels more like a flat ride than an actual coaster. I guess the Tattoo parlor moved this season. Moby Dick. If you ever wanted to know what a flying carpet feels like sideways. Then, look no further. The main reason for this stop was the park's Flitzer. Not the biggest coaster in the world, but fun. Well, probably more fun if I had took my long legs and sat in the front of the train. The ride was in perfect shape and I almost felt justified paying the $6 fee. I mean, after all, they had four people working the station. Hairtime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Day 1 - Seaside Heights (Casino Pier and Funtown Pier) With the sun starting to set, we drove a few more miles down the road to Seaside Heights. Not as sparkling clean as Jenkinsons, but boy did this place have character. The Boardwalk at Seaside Heights Also, there was one of those high-tech ski lift thingys that would take you on a scenic stroll down the beach. Big prizes were all the rage on the Boardwalk. Most places, you play for a stuffed animal. Here, you play for Coach Purses, Authentic Jerseys and LCD TVs. Catrina was instantly drawn to the Coach purse crane game. Funtown Pier off in the distance. Sorry Gator. Not really feeling that whorish today. But, I will never pass up the opportunity to ride another Treetop Racers. Upon reaching for the seatbelt, the operator told us "You don't need those. I don't think you will come out." Agreed. Casino Pier at night. Pirate's Hideaway. Part light. Part dark. All crap. Sort of got caught up in everything and forgot about the camera, but we really enjoyed Casino Pier. Well except for the bruises suffered at the hands of it's Wild Mouse. The Star Jet is one of the best placed coasters ever. At night, you could see nothing but water under you. All the sights and a worthwhile dark ride made the whole side trip worth it. Even if the parking ticket will end up costing me an extra $35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Day 2 - Hersheypark After our fun in New Jersey, we stayed the night in Harrisburg before heading to our next destination ... Hersheypark! The main reason for this visit was to review their newest attraction ... Fahrenheit. While that review is still in the works, enjoy these photos. We arrived at the park early, but still managed to get stuck in a queue for the ride. what probably should have been about a 30 minute wait ended up being slightly over an a hour due to some maintenance issues. Nothing major, but the second train was getting hung up right before the platform and maintenance had to reset the ride a couple times. Catrina is looking forward to her turn on Fahrenheit. When you ask anybody about the ride, the first thing they talk about is the lift. And why shouldn't they. I mean ... ... just look at it! Heading for the sky. Detail. The full layout of the ride is very tight and it doesn't take up much space at all. A lot of people are posting disappointment with the ride, but I thought it was pretty solid. I mean ... it isn't Maverick, but I don't really think it is trying to be. This train of riders seems to be satisfied. The ride starts off with a bang due to it's beyond vertical drop. Again, the layout is very tight. Posing with a kiss. Skeeball vendors beware. All your Scoobys are belong to us. Having been to the park recently, we opted to only ride a couple other rides before heading to Chocolate World then home. Wildcat was better with the new trains, but there is still some play there. My guess is that it is carry-over damage from the PTCs, but time will tell. Lightning Racer was still running very well. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Long time, no see, Ted and Catrina--glad to see you back with a fresh TR. The guy you called "Mr. Freeze" is actually "Capt. Cold," and was one of the Flash's arch enemies. (Yeah, I am a fount of geeky, useless knowledge.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacups Make Me Sick Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Funny TR... The comment about seeing the penguin was too funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Yay! A Ted PTR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 The effects in Skull Mountain are actually old. They have been in there since 1996, but they haven't used most of them in years (ocasionally the music will be on). They basically brought back all the effects because of the Dark Knight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 The guy you called "Mr. Freeze" is actually "Capt. Cold," and was one of the Flash's arch enemies. Crap. You are right. Mr. Freeze has the big done on his head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Nice TR, Ted. My first trip to Great Adventure was back in '95 and I thought the place was an absolute dump. I went again last year and loved the place. It's amazing how much they've built the place up in that amount of time. And El Toro is such an insane ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Well folks, I know it has been a while since I did After the seven hour drive and a good nights sleep at the Willow Grove (Hey, there used to be a park here) Springhill Suites, we found ourselves back in Jackson, NJ. I hate the fact that I live less than 10 minutes away (I live about 5 minutes from the Springhill Suites) from what was once a park and I never got to visit , it's a boring mall now with the only ride being a carousel though not the one that used to be at the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Long time, no see, Ted and Catrina--glad to see you back with a fresh TR. The guy you called "Mr. Freeze" is actually "Capt. Cold," and was one of the Flash's arch enemies. (Yeah, I am a fount of geeky, useless knowledge.) Yes, I was about to point that out too and show off my comic book geekness. 5 bonus points if you can name the purple guy to the left. I can do it. My brother can do it and tell you the life history of the character too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyChrist Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Glad you had a great time at Great Adventure! Thankfully Toro got back up and running for Rise and Scream after some huge storms blew through. That guy who plays Captain Cold is really into his character, every time I take one of my VIP tours through the Boardwalk, he's always talking about the Legion of Doom or asking people if they've seen The Flash. I wish you could've stayed to see the Glow in the Park Parade, it is very well done in my opinion, I try and suggest it to everyone that I see. Every tour I've done that's a family loves both The Dark Knight and Glow in the Park. I know a lot of people complain about The Dark Knight as not being an awesome roller coaster, but when I take these families on the ride, they love that everyone can ride it and the kids love it. I hate when people say that its a failure because its not. The whole point of the ride was to make something the whole family can enjoy, and I think they hit that target pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Long time, no see, Ted and Catrina--glad to see you back with a fresh TR. The guy you called "Mr. Freeze" is actually "Capt. Cold," and was one of the Flash's arch enemies. (Yeah, I am a fount of geeky, useless knowledge.) Yes, I was about to point that out too and show off my comic book geekness. 5 bonus points if you can name the purple guy to the left. I can do it. My brother can do it and tell you the life history of the character too. I think he's Sinestro, one of Green Lantern's old foes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugged One Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 ^ You are correct Chuck, it is Sinestro and he's actually become a big part of the Green Lantern universe again over the last year or so. OK, now I'M getting too geeky for my own good! Anyway, it's cool to see members of the Legion of Doom roaming around the Six Flags parks. Awesome TR as usual Ted. I wish I had known that you guys were in the area this past weekend. Kim and I probably could have come out and met up for a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonSomerville Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Loved your TR. Actually,we are going to Hershey next weekend(We have to get our Storm Runner fix again!!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Palooza Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 It's great to see a Trip Report from both of you! Thanks for the info on the Goldbot/flashpass, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_e219 Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Great TR. I agree, Casino Pier and Funtown Pier, all crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shesaidboom Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Nice TR! Glad to see another one from you and Catrina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedmickey Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Great TR! The picture of you and "The Penguin" is classic! Thanks for the laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 ^ Exactly. That pic and caption were hilarious! Great to see a TR from you both again. All these recent Jersey shore TRs make me wanna fly in, hop in the rental, crank up some Springsteen, and check the place out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankees15 Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Hey great photo trip report! I'm glad you got to ride El Toro. One question, where is the love for Storm Runner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImAPrincess Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 We've been on it before and didn't want to wait in the line sine we were just stopping by on our way home. No "no love" just "not this trip" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Clear Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I just got back from my first trip to Great Adventure. El Toro and Nitro were reason enough to go, but we almost didn't get Nitro in because it was broken most of the day. All of the rides kept breaking and then coming back up. This was hugely annoying in such a sprawling park layout, and it also reduced the effectiveness of having a gold flashpass. Granted, some of our dismay may be explained by the fact that the four of us (Natatomic, eBen, televisedconfession) had been going TPR style for the 5 days prior and now we were subjected to a regular ol' day at a park. Natatomic will be posting an amazing trip report soon and will probably give more details as to why I hate Six Flags more than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankees15 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 We've been on it before and didn't want to wait in the line sine we were just stopping by on our way home. No "no love" just "not this trip" That's a shame. How long was the line? I guess it's just because Storm Runner is my favorite coaster that I don't understand how you didn't ride it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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