Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Goooose]

here is six flags' pov. Better lighting and unobstructed views. Looks good!

[Coasterguy21]

Whizzer is one of my favorite rides. I just love the nostalgia of it and the layout.

 

It broke down when I was on it the last time I visited the park. To be honest, I could've have asked for a better ride to be broken down on. Pretty comfortable and it was nice to be able to stretch. One train was stuck on the lift and we were stuck on the brake run. They couldn't let us out, but we could just relax. It was maybe about 45 minutes and I took a little cat nap. Once we were off, we got a pass for a free drink and a free front-of-the-line. We went and got our drink then used the front-of-the-line to skip the hour wait on Raging Bull.

[Innumerical]

 

They were using these for Raging Bull today...

[coasterchitchat]

really cheap.

[GigaG]

Wow. I didn't know that boarding passes had been going on THAT long. By the way, is line jumping THAT big of a problem that you need boarding passes at SFGAm and not other parks? And if you, for example, are just a little out of order, would they kick you out?

[Innumerical]

Wow. I didn't know that boarding passes had been going on THAT long. By the way, is line jumping THAT big of a problem that you need boarding passes at SFGAm and not other parks? And if you, for example, are just a little out of order, would they kick you out?

 

Just for today as it's a Sunday and in turn is pretty busy. I was drawing more attention to the existence of Dejavu passes this long after its removal from the park.

[glouthan]

Wow. I didn't know that boarding passes had been going on THAT long. By the way, is line jumping THAT big of a problem that you need boarding passes at SFGAm and not other parks? And if you, for example, are just a little out of order, would they kick you out?

 

The line jumping at Great America isn't that bad - maybe I will see two groups line jump per day when I'm at the park. Also, if the passes are out of order slightly, they are pretty lenient about it, so no worries.

 

I don't really see a problem with them recycling the De 'Ja' Vu passes, as it saves the park some cash, and it's better for the environment.

[coasterfreak101]

They were using Deja Vu boarding passes on Raging Bull when I was there mid-week last month. Only one of the two days I spent at the park, though.

[tribar]

Wow. I didn't know that boarding passes had been going on THAT long. By the way, is line jumping THAT big of a problem that you need boarding passes at SFGAm and not other parks? And if you, for example, are just a little out of order, would they kick you out?

 

No they are just one of the few parks that are doing something about it instead of just ignoring it.

[glouthan]

la Ronde really needs to adopt the boarding pass strategy! That park's line jumping sucks.

[GigaG]

Wow. I didn't know that boarding passes had been going on THAT long. By the way, is line jumping THAT big of a problem that you need boarding passes at SFGAm and not other parks? And if you, for example, are just a little out of order, would they kick you out?

 

Just for today as it's a Sunday and in turn is pretty busy. I was drawing more attention to the existence of Dejavu passes this long after its removal from the park.

 

I know. I actually meant the "Wow." to be in response to that. It's pretty weird, but I guess they need to use them up.

[PKI Jizzman]

Trying to decide on going tomorrow or Tuesday. Any suggestions or will crowds be about the same? What have the wait times been this season?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Trying to decide on going tomorrow or Tuesday. Any suggestions or will crowds be about the same? What have the wait times been this season?

We were there last Monday and Tuesday, and most of the coasters had about an hour wait. The only exceptions were American Eagle and Spacely's Sprocket Rockets, both of which were station waits, and Goliath, which was 1.5-2 hours both days. Definitely recommend the Flash Pass, even on a weekday. I ended up getting one on Tuesday, and it was well worth it.

[Goooose]

With regards to the shorter lines on X-flight-maybe the ride isn't that intimidating from the midway? Maybe it was marketed wrong? Maybe the gimmick of being a wing coaster and the sensation of flight wasn't well executed because of its slow appearance and compact layout? Who knows. Perhaps the tribe has spoken, and Great America's audience is tired of getting compact 2-train B&Ms. I hope this is true...

[glouthan]

^To further prove that point, Batman rarely has a big line whenever I visit. That's the last thing I do at night, and I usually get ten rides in because I get to stay on the train the whole time. During the ay I would be surprised to see the line over 20 minutes.

[tororific]

With regards to the shorter lines on X-flight-maybe the ride isn't that intimidating from the midway? Maybe it was marketed wrong? Maybe the gimmick of being a wing coaster and the sensation of flight wasn't well executed because of its slow appearance and compact layout? Who knows. Perhaps the tribe has spoken, and Great America's audience is tired of getting compact 2-train B&Ms. I hope this is true...

 

Well, part of it is that it is a ride with pretty good capacity (at least compared to Goliath and American Eagle and others), and last time I was there, they still staffed it and ran it pretty efficiently. But I don't disagree that there is also some component of the public not quite responding to the ride the same way they respond to Raging Bull or Goliath or Batman (when it first opened -- it was a HUGE hit). Which is my concern about wingriders -- to-date, they have been fairly mild and people seem to "like" them alot, but don't 'love" them.

[tribar]

With regards to the shorter lines on X-flight-maybe the ride isn't that intimidating from the midway? Maybe it was marketed wrong? Maybe the gimmick of being a wing coaster and the sensation of flight wasn't well executed because of its slow appearance and compact layout? Who knows. Perhaps the tribe has spoken, and Great America's audience is tired of getting compact 2-train B&Ms. I hope this is true...

 

I think a lot of people watch the ride from the midway and determine it's not fast enough. And you know that if a ride isn't fast enough, the GP doesn't think it's any good.

[WildStangAlex]

^To further prove that point, Batman rarely has a big line whenever I visit. That's the last thing I do at night, and I usually get ten rides in because I get to stay on the train the whole time. During the ay I would be surprised to see the line over 20 minutes.

 

I've been to the park 11 times this season so far; all but twice the line for Batman was consistently a full Queue house. They are very good at moving people through that line. Batman is still one of the most popular rides in the park.

[Goooose]

I havent really seen it mentioned here but I think it is really important to mention: Goliath is FLYING these days. The ride is really running a lot faster and better. I rode it three times on media day and then twice last night and I was shocked. There was air /momentum into the dive twist and better positives on the twist and shout. The element rode really quick whereas on media day the twist and shout was so slow that youd sort of feel the sensation of being tilted over the element's supports and it was a definite lul. The airtime hill is no el toro ejector but its a nice long smooth element. People try to compare goliath to other rides based on its pacingor how hard its negatives are but one thing is for sure and that is its forward momentum is already something to write home about. Long story short, the ride is running a lot better now and if you havent been on since May, give it another shot.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Goooose

[WildStangAlex]

I havent really seen it mentioned here but I think it is really important to mention: Goliath is LFYING these days. The ride is really running a lot faster and better...

 

Long story short, the ride is running a lot better now and if you havent been on since May, give it another shot.

 

I could not agree more. I was not impressed in May, and now it resides in my Top Ten Woodies.

[ilrider]

Goliath wasn't open in May. It opened June 19 to the public. I knew what you guys meant, though. Glad to hear it is running well, and I will get on it again soon.

[coasterchitchat]

Nice job Six Flags....

 

Sorry about the horrible experience, Robb. Six Flags just hiring 18 years for cheap labor and makes kids cry. If the HORRIBLE staff is reading, I'd suggest you guys take a reality check at the staff and NOT put in a new ride next year. Instead, we get nice staff. There's our reason for the 8% drop in attendance.

[coasterchitchat]

Here's our reason.

[ilrider]

She got the height band now and all should be well. I though they usually place an ID card gently on a child's head as a straightedge to see where the child is at. Should be an easy call, but sometimes it is a close call as evidenced by the fact she got on Goliath and Eagle okay. That is why the wristband is a good bet before going on rides just to be sure.

[A.J.]

She got the height band now and all should be well.

The point is that stuff like that shouldn't even be happening in the first place!