Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Vonni]

^ Makes me curious if Buccaneer Battle may be on the way out

[Dan the Coaster Man]

One can hope

[CedarFlags]

Trip Report from last weekend.  TL:DR - First visit, very impressed.  Visually beautiful, great coaster collection, solid operations.  This park is extremely slept on.

And the coasters... they ALL slap.  This was the shocker for me.  My home Six Flags park is Magic Mountain, and even though it has 20 coasters, it doesn't have 20 good coasters.  I skip half the park every time I visit.  There are NO skips at Great America.  The closest thing to a skip for me would be Demon, but that's literally it.  Everything else is so good.   Missed out on Maxx Force, Joker, and the red side of American Eagle.

Ride Highlights:

Batman - My dearest love.  The OG.  Loved experiencing it over real landscaping instead of gravel and asphalt.  Also the ride ops were KILLING.  I've never seen another Batman clone ever dispatch without stacking.  I didn't even think it was possible.

Raging Bull - I have to admit, I was a hater based just on videos and my general "meh" ideas on B&M hypers.  But this is a good one.  It's not god-tier for me, but it's definitely solid and fun.  Getting absolutely YEETED off the first drop from the back row... amazing.  Also blazing fast ride ops and dispatches on this, so the line moved very consistently.  Magic Mountain could NEVER.

Goliath - It's funky but I liked it.  I definitely understand why RMC aficionados don't rank this higher, but it's one of those situations where... even a low-tier RMC is still objectively a great coaster.

X-Flight - Surprise hit of the trip for me.  I've only been on one other B&M wing coaster (Gatekeeper) and I didn't care for it.  But X-Flight seemed much less rattly and the pacing is also waaay quicker.  The turns above the water and the roll through the building are great.  Downside was one-train ops.  That line was pretty slow.

American Eagle - Only got to ride Blue, I've heard that Red is the crazier side.  But even still, super fun.  I love the feeling of gaining more speed as you go down the helix and it starts to feel more out of control.  And it's not really all that rough.

Viper - Absolutely slaps, especially in the front.  Definitely a sleeper hit.

Whizzer - Being inches away from the ground on those turns was super exciting.

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Maxx Force reopened today.

[cpfanatik77]

Yeah, I rode Raging Bull last summer for the first time in almost 20 years, and while I didn't enjoy the overall ride as much as I did in my teens, that first drop is still amazing in the back row. The bottom of the train just dropping out from under you is so much fun!

[StatMan22]

Hi all-hoping the group can help me out here. I haven't been to Six Flags Great America in a few years now, but would like to take my 4.5-year old daughter next week in celebration of being done with pre-school. I am aiming for Thursday, June 2nd. Assuming the weather is good, are kids rides (i.e., Little Dipper, Kidzopolis, Camp Cartoon) reliably open even if there's a light crowd? Or would it be safer to go on Friday or even a weekend sometime? Any other advice regarding operations on kid rides (which I have never frequented before)?

The drive to the park is about an hour each way for us, and obviously I don't want to hype it up and then get there and have her be disappointed by rides being closed.

Thank you in advance!

[JT325]

Little Dipper has been open!  I'm not sure about the other kiddie rides, but these folks at Six Flags Great America Junkies on facebook might be your best source https://www.facebook.com/groups/2328379897405728 

 

This past Tuesday, lots of everything was closed, including 4 coasters.  Staffing is low because high school is still in.  Upon exiting the Raging Bull queue, there was a group of young people starting in with eachother, and then it got LOUD and physical.  They were blocking the exit of RB near the on-ride photo booth.  I was there with 2 friends and it took us a bit of hanging back and strategy just to get out of the mess.  Then it nearly followed us, bad times.  I'm a 6-1 grown adult man, and I was scared.  On a side note, everything has a fresh coat of paint, and is running like new, tight and in top condition.

 

Have you considered Santa's Villiage?  It's VERY clean, safe, pretty and fun... they have lots of great rides (including a terrifying drop tower that puts the BIG corporate park towers to shame - not that your daughter would be ready for that.)  Also, Little Amerricka in Marshall, Wisconsin (about another hour north, then west) is a hidden gem.  It's a showcase of 50's rides that all run like new, with a 20 or 30 minute long miniature train ride through the farms - with animals, including a zebra.  Frankly, I often have more fun there than at Great America.  Their Little Dipper called "Meteor" runs all-manual, and you "go round" anywhere from 2-5 times.  Just thought I'd through that in, but if your daugher has her heart set on Great America... then it's gotta be Great America.  I remember waiting to go for the first time as a kid, and it meant everything.  Hope it all works out in your favor and congrats on your daughter's graduation!

[StatMan22]

25 minutes ago, JT325 said:

Little Dipper has been open!  I'm not sure about the other kiddie rides, but these folks at Six Flags Great America Junkies on facebook might be your best source https://www.facebook.com/groups/2328379897405728 

 

This past Tuesday, lots of everything was closed, including 4 coasters.  Staffing is low because high school is still in.  Upon exiting the Raging Bull queue, there was a group of young people starting in with eachother, and then it got LOUD and physical.  They were blocking the exit of RB near the on-ride photo booth.  I was there with 2 friends and it took us a bit of hanging back and strategy just to get out of the mess.  Then it nearly followed us, bad times.  I'm a 6-1 grown adult man, and I was scared.  On a side note, everything has a fresh coat of paint, and is running like new, tight and in top condition.

 

Have you considered Santa's Villiage?  It's VERY clean, safe, pretty and fun... they have lots of great rides (including a terrifying drop tower that puts the BIG corporate park towers to shame - not that your daughter would be ready for that.)  Also, Little Amerricka in Marshall, Wisconsin (about another hour north, then west) is a hidden gem.  It's a showcase of 50's rides that all run like new, with a 20 or 30 minute long miniature train ride through the farms - with animals, including a zebra.  Frankly, I often have more fun there than at Great America.  Their Little Dipper called "Meteor" runs all-manual, and you "go round" anywhere from 2-5 times.  Just thought I'd through that in, but if your daugher has her heart set on Great America... then it's gotta be Great America.  I remember waiting to go for the first time as a kid, and it meant everything.  Hope it all works out in your favor and congrats on your daughter's graduation!

Thank you for the thorough response! I have lots of fond memories of going to Six Flags as a kid-the progression to bigger and bigger rides was great. A shame to hear there are fighting issues at the park-I probably ignored that when I was child-less. Will join the Facebook group as well and keep tabs on how things go at Six Flags-would still like to make it out there this year. If I could be guaranteed everything is open, it'd be great-I just can't roll the dice with a 4-year old.

But I really appreciate the information about Santa's Village! It looks like a more appropriate theme park introduction for a 4-year old, and it's closer to boot. Will probably aim to go next Saturday then, weather permitting. My daughter has been promised Six Flags but is too young to really know the difference, I think Santa's Village will look more appealing to her anyways. Little Amerricka also looks great, but that drive would be too much-perhaps if we're passing through that way someday.

 

Thank you!

[JT325]

^Sure thing.  Driving into the park when I was little... couldn't contain myself in the car!  Rides zipping everywhere (now we play the "is the park open?" game when driving up to any Six Flags; you can often go for what seems like a long time and see NO coasters moving).  I don't think there were many fights when I was little (early 80s).  I so remember people being helpful and friendly, and having fun.  But lines moved FAST, plus it was long before social media and pay-to-cut. 

Hope you guys enjoy Santa's Villiage!  I'm bound to get out there this summer - even us big kids love it!  Don't miss the tree house slide.  YOU can go down it too!

[i305isdaddy]

Does Maxx Force still have an operating curfew due to the noise issue? I know it was 8pm for a while. 
 

Haven’t heard anything this year… but did the new rocks and hill they added solve the problem?

[prozach626]

On 5/26/2022 at 6:25 AM, JT325 said:

Upon exiting the Raging Bull queue, there was a group of young people starting in with eachother, and then it got LOUD and physical.  They were blocking the exit of RB near the on-ride photo booth.  I was there with 2 friends and it took us a bit of hanging back and strategy just to get out of the mess.  Then it nearly followed us, bad times.  I'm a 6-1 grown adult man, and I was scared.

How did you enjoy the new corporate premium experience?

[JT325]

^I think they are doing a great job on the park this year, much better than the past few.  And I typically think Six Flags' parks do everything wrong, so it feels good to say the opposite.  Plus, Great America continues to take immaculate care of our classic coasters and rides, leaps and bounds over the other SF parks.  Down to Whizzer's perfectly upholstered green seats and padding, awesome to see.

A park cannot control all guest behavior.  If they hadn't designed their queues and stations overwhelmingly frustrating*, these things would happen less.  Personally, I'm fine with paying more for a nicer experience.

*Single turnstyle on the exit side of stations - turnstyles belong at station fronts, and there should be multiple station exits.  Six Flags loves super-long exit pathways (keep the guests busy, work up appetite and thirst; this also extends the ride experience (not in a good way).  There are a few things they can do about all that poor design now, but going forward it would be nice to design stuff for crowd flow (see most other parks, including other large non-SF coaster parks).

The Joker coaster was designed with a HUGE back-and-forth queue.  When there is no line, you still are required to walk back and forth a bunch of times; there are no open/close pass-through gates (those typically found at every other amusement park).  This sets up a situation where teenage employees have to stand there annoyingly (including to themselves) and repeat "go around/walk all the way around/don't jump over/don't jump the rails."  Of course people will try to jump over or under, it's absurd to walk back and forth through and empty queue that many times.  Design a system where you don't have to constantly correct your guests.

Six Flags just doesn't have the good daily-working relationship with guests that many other places have.  Hopefully stuff continues to change. 

I got a bit away from your question, but anyway think I made some good points.

[coneyislandchris]

On 6/15/2022 at 11:48 AM, JT325 said:

The Joker coaster was designed with a HUGE back-and-forth queue.  When there is no line, you still are required to walk back and forth a bunch of times; there are no open/close pass-through gates (those typically found at every other amusement park).  This sets up a situation where teenage employees have to stand there annoyingly (including to themselves) and repeat "go around/walk all the way around/don't jump over/don't jump the rails."  Of course people will try to jump over or under, it's absurd to walk back and forth through and empty queue that many times.  Design a system where you don't have to constantly correct your guests.

When The Joker at Great Adventure opened, it had the same sort of extended funhouse queue as the one out here. Same sort of issue. The line never got long enough for people to need to utilize it, and there was no quick passthrough, so it frequently involved a lot of people hopping or ducking over rails.

I believe it was during its sophomore season that they ended up removing a set of rails along the left hand side to allow people to more easily cut through the funhouse section. I'm honestly surprised they haven't done the same at other installations of this ride by this point.

[JT325]

^The Joker queue is just another cherry on top.  This is all decades of poor design, sometimes on purpose; from my one summer as a Six Flags intern "it's good to make them work for it.  Then they will work up an appetite and thirst.  We have a captive audience." 

I always go back to what Will Koch used to say (paraphrasing): 'If you treat your guests and their time with respect, they will come back.  They are the best advertising and they will want to spend money at your park because the product is good.' 

Speaking of Joker, I was there Sunday and a friend and I decided to jump on the ride through the single queue.  We stood there for 5 minutes.. on one train I saw 3 empty single seats (in an 8 person train).  They kept holding the singles and letting one go in each opposite queue every few minutues (making the single rider line longer than the regular line).  He had my friend go right, I was asked to go left.  They didn't make sense.  Sometimes they paired friends who were obviously friends, sometimes not.  Pairing single riders is the job of the loader, not someone standing far from the loading area (and can't see who needs to go where.).  After that, I Just kept walking and waited for my friend.  The level of stupidity is tough to stomach sometimes. 

[prozach626]

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to use the standby queue and experience the ride with your friend instead of strangers. It's a thing.

[tinaalsgirl]

Is there some kind of special price fluctuation for Six Flags tickets? 'Cause I coulda sworn just a day or two ago the one-day tickets for GAm were only $34.99, but now they're $49.99? I'm looking through the calendar on their website, and it seems like the prices fluctuate on a day-to-day basis. Are they pricing based on estimated attendance?

[tndank]

They usually charge more for weekends.  They also started a daily ticket promotion today (B2G1) so it wouldn't surprise me if they raised prices a bit while implementing this new sale.  If you have access to Tickets At Work or Tmobile rewards or similar, you can get weekdays for $36+fees or weekends for $49+fees.

 

 

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Went to the park two weeks ago and single rider line fort Maxx was a savior. Would highly recommend to anyone. I got 3 rides in the first 30 minutes of park open, and they were running one train.

[ilrider]

Multiple people were shot at the park tonight just before close.  Over 5 ambulances requested so far. Waiting on more details. We heard sirens near our house probably headed that way around that time (we live 15 minutes from the park). This place is going downhill fast! Guess this is why they are raising prices. 
 

[Comeagain?]

It was in the parking lot.

[prozach626]

On 8/14/2022 at 7:55 PM, ilrider said:

This place is going downhill fast!
 

Chicago, and Illinois, is going down fast.

After a lengthy investigation involving the majority of the involved parties being uncooperative, the shooters will probably get 3 hard months of juvenile detention center time, where they watch movies and attend counseling sessions. They may even get a couple months of probation after that, before this gets expunged from their record. That's really not even a joke...

[Natalie2560]

I've noticed at some Six Flags parks that some rides have a sort of "Queue Attendant" or "Line Coordinator" that tells everybody which row and seat to wait for.  Is this true at Six Flags Great America, and if so, specifically does Whizzer have a queue attendant, or do they just allow the crowd inside the waiting area to pick whichever lanes/seats we want?  Thanks!

[AmyUD06]

50 minutes ago, Natalie2560 said:

I've noticed at some Six Flags parks that some rides have a sort of "Queue Attendant" or "Line Coordinator" that tells everybody which row and seat to wait for.  Is this true at Six Flags Great America, and if so, specifically does Whizzer have a queue attendant, or do they just allow the crowd inside the waiting area to pick whichever lanes/seats we want?  Thanks!

Been a while since you've been to a SF park, huh?  I haven't seen a grouper at one since COVID times.

Sorry, I can't remember if they had groupers at SFGAm from my trip in 2017.  I don't think so...?

[Natalie2560]

19 hours ago, AmyUD06 said:

Been a while since you've been to a SF park, huh?  I haven't seen a grouper at one since COVID times.

Sorry, I can't remember if they had groupers at SFGAm from my trip in 2017.  I don't think so...?

I've seen groupers countless times in 2022 at Six Flags parks, and considering you live in Delaware and haven't been to SFGA since 2017, perhaps you aren't the best person to answer this question?

[AmyUD06]

8 hours ago, Natalie2560 said:

I've seen groupers countless times in 2022 at Six Flags parks, and considering you live in New Jersey and haven't been to SFGA since 2017, perhaps you aren't the best person to answer this question?

I admitted as much as that I didn't know.  And I haven't lived in NJ for almost 20 years.

Welcome to the forums, newbie.  You're off to a rocking start.