Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[VF15]

I know no one really likes these posts, but I'll be at Great America on either the 18th or 19th this month. Just a few questions...

 

1) How bad will the lines be for the major coasters? Since some schools might be back in session, I'm guessing lines might not be as bad as I hear, but I'm not sure.

2) Goliath: Does it have a lot of downtime? What's the single rider line situation (I've heard stuff all over the place on that one)?

3) I plan on hitting Goliath and Superman first due to their lower capacity. In what order should I ride everything else?

4) Is Demon worth checking out? I usually like old Arrow loopers, but I hear that this one is a real headbanger.

 

Any input is appreciated.

[batmanfan80]

Lines are unpredictable. Lately they've been insane, even on Mondays according to the newest Yelp reviews. If you haven't read the last few pages here, you should. Be prepared to see anywhere from 100-300 flash passers go ahead of you and significantly increase your wait time on the major rides(like 40%+ wait time increases). July was a big increase in attendance compared to May and June. You guys can read trip reports on here from previous years' Augusts. If you do buy a flash pass, just get the regular one. I never get to the park at opening so I can't tell you how things are then in terms of lines.

 

Personally, I would take Demon over Goliath and Superman Ultimate Pretzel any day. Goliath is like Maverick if it ended before the second launch, maybe not even that cool. And it'd probably be a better use of your time to drive to Cedar Point and ride that instead of waiting hours for a coaster that ends 29 or so seconds after reaching the top of the lift hill.

 

Demon can be a headbanger and a jawbreaker for a lot of people though. Just try to keep your neck loose on the loops and tilt your head some to the right on the corkscrews if you're not tall enough to bypass the restraints.

[ilrider]

I know no one really likes these posts, but I'll be at Great America on either the 18th or 19th this month. Just a few questions...

 

1) How bad will the lines be for the major coasters? Since some schools might be back in session, I'm guessing lines might not be as bad as I hear, but I'm not sure.

2) Goliath: Does it have a lot of downtime? What's the single rider line situation (I've heard stuff all over the place on that one)?

3) I plan on hitting Goliath and Superman first due to their lower capacity. In what order should I ride everything else?

4) Is Demon worth checking out? I usually like old Arrow loopers, but I hear that this one is a real headbanger.

 

Any input is appreciated.

 

1) It will be busy. Many schools in the area will still be on summer break that week.

 

2 and 3: if you can, be there when the parking lot opens around 9:15, then when the gates open at 10 head left to get in line for Goliath first, which will open around 10:30. You should get on Goliath within about 15 minutes by doing this, avoiding lines over 2 hours shortly after the park opens. I have no experience with the single rider line so will let others chime in. If that line is operating, you probably would not have to show up quite so early, and maybe could even hit Superman first instead.

 

If you do ride Goliath first, Superman would be a good second ride, then Raging Bull 3rd I guess, though you will be skipping around the park. After that, I would just circle the park and hit other rides as you come to them. V2 has low capacity too, so you could hit that on the way back to Superman from Goliath as an alternative. Getting there early is a key to some more reasonable coaster lines early.

 

4) Demon is fun, if you have time. The tunnel and theming make it interesting. It has gotten rough, though.

[beenagins87]

I know no one really likes these posts, but I'll be at Great America on either the 18th or 19th this month. Just a few questions...

 

1) How bad will the lines be for the major coasters? Since some schools might be back in session, I'm guessing lines might not be as bad as I hear, but I'm not sure.

2) Goliath: Does it have a lot of downtime? What's the single rider line situation (I've heard stuff all over the place on that one)?

3) I plan on hitting Goliath and Superman first due to their lower capacity. In what order should I ride everything else?

4) Is Demon worth checking out? I usually like old Arrow loopers, but I hear that this one is a real headbanger.

 

Any input is appreciated.

 

Platinum Flash pass is worth it just got Goliath alone, we went for 6 hours onSunday and a full day onMonday and lines for all coasters were at least 45 mins, you'll get tons of dirty looks from people, but between those 2 days we got almost 70 rides in..American Eagle isn't on the flash pass but about 8pm the line died down to about 20 mins for each side.

[beenagins87]

Also about Demon it's not that bad for an almost 40 year old arrow, it's not TN Tornado smooth, but it won't readjust your insides like Carolina Cyclone, it's more fun at night with the tunnel and theming however.

[StatMan22]

I know no one really likes these posts, but I'll be at Great America on either the 18th or 19th this month. Just a few questions...

 

1) How bad will the lines be for the major coasters? Since some schools might be back in session, I'm guessing lines might not be as bad as I hear, but I'm not sure.

2) Goliath: Does it have a lot of downtime? What's the single rider line situation (I've heard stuff all over the place on that one)?

3) I plan on hitting Goliath and Superman first due to their lower capacity. In what order should I ride everything else?

4) Is Demon worth checking out? I usually like old Arrow loopers, but I hear that this one is a real headbanger.

 

Any input is appreciated.

 

The park could be decently crowded those days but it might not be too bad. If you are alone/don't mind not riding with the people you are with, there are single rider lines on Superman, Batman, and Goliath, and I'd highly recommend using all three. My plan of attack is always to head over to Raging Bull, X-Flight, and American Eagle in that order first off. You can slip in Viper before Raging Bull if you like but the line won't be bad later in the day if you want to just go back. You'll be able to hit all of these coasters in quick succession with little to no wait as most everyone goes straight to Goliath. Then if Goliath's line is unreasonable even with single rider (Single rider line only uses the overflow portion), just skip it and you can get in Batman and Superman with the single rider line all before lunch. Goliath's line will probably be a bit shorter after the morning rush, and all you'll have left is Whizzer, Vertical Velocity, Demon and Viper if you want to hit everything-the lines on those shouldn't be too bad if you catch them at the right time. Also, only one side of American Eagle will be open in the morning-if it's blue, make sure to go back and ride the red side later in the day.

 

In my opinion, all of the coasters are worth riding. I generally don't ride Vertical Velocity though since it can be a long wait and isn't exactly unique. Make sure to give Fiddler's Fling a ride as well-across from Goliath. Hope you have a great visit!!

[VF15]

The park could be decently crowded those days but it might not be too bad. If you are alone/don't mind not riding with the people you are with, there are single rider lines on Superman, Batman, and Goliath, and I'd highly recommend using all three.

So Batman and Superman have single rider lines too? I'm surprised I didn't hear about that already.

 

Thanks for all the info.

[StatMan22]

So Batman and Superman have single rider lines too? I'm surprised I didn't hear about that already.

 

Thanks for all the info.

 

They sure do! I've only used Superman's, but I saw the sign for Batman's as well-I think you just go up through the FastPass line for both. For Superman, just tell the FastPass people you are a single rider and they should send you up to the station where you wait for the grouper to put you in line somewhere. I imagine the Batman one is similar but not sure exactly how that works. The single rider line made Superman basically a walk-on. It sounds like they're using those lines as "tests", so they may add more if those go well (or if they don't, I guess they could take them away).

[prozach626]

So will the flash pass gold be worth it next Friday? What kind of wait times will I be looking at?

[HARLEYGUYJB]

Has anyone take the Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago or Glenview to visit SIx Flags Great America? I'm wanting to visit the park but I don't wanna drive. So i'm looking into taking the amtrak then using public transportation to the park. If you have please pm me. Thanks

[tombstone07]

I have taken the train to Chicago and the park is 45 miles north of the station. I don't think there is any public transportation that will take you there.

[beenagins87]

So will the flash pass gold be worth it next Friday? What kind of wait times will I be looking at?

 

I honestly think the Platinum is worth $30 more just for the 2 rides on Goliath, Plus you get consecutive rerides on everything but V2 & Giant Drop.

[coasterdude5]

Has anyone take the Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago or Glenview to visit SIx Flags Great America? I'm wanting to visit the park but I don't wanna drive. So i'm looking into taking the amtrak then using public transportation to the park. If you have please pm me. Thanks

I think your best bet would be to take the Metra to Waukegan and then take the Pace Bus to SFGAm. I've never used the Pace Bus, so I can't speak from personal experience on that, but the Metra system is very nice.

[HARLEYGUYJB]

Has anyone take the Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago or Glenview to visit SIx Flags Great America? I'm wanting to visit the park but I don't wanna drive. So i'm looking into taking the amtrak then using public transportation to the park. If you have please pm me. Thanks

I think your best bet would be to take the Metra to Waukegan and then take the Pace Bus to SFGAm. I've never used the Pace Bus, so I can't speak from personal experience on that, but the Metra system is very nice.

 

 

Thanks for the Info very helpful!!

[DanM64]

Has anyone take the Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago or Glenview to visit SIx Flags Great America? I'm wanting to visit the park but I don't wanna drive. So i'm looking into taking the amtrak then using public transportation to the park. If you have please pm me. Thanks

I think your best bet would be to take the Metra to Waukegan and then take the Pace Bus to SFGAm. I've never used the Pace Bus, so I can't speak from personal experience on that, but the Metra system is very nice.

 

 

Thanks for the Info very helpful!!

You have either that Metra option, or you can take the CTA. I'm PMing you with more info.

[DanM64]

I decided to just go ahead and post the info on here in case others are interested. I STRONGLY encouage public transportation, and though Chicago's is old, it's convenient and gets you everywhere. Plus it's way cheaper than paying for parking at the park!

 

Your first option which works every day of the week is to take the Metra Union Pacific North line to Waukegan which leavs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center.f you came to Chicago on Amtrak you will need to walk 3 blocks north from Union Station to Ogilvie. You can then take Pace bus #565 from the Metra station to the park. The SFGAm bus stop is at Grand Ave and Six Flags Drive, so you'd still have to walk down Six Flags Drive to the park entrance. All easy to do without a rental car.

 

Just FYI- Bus fare is $1.85 each way for an adult. Metra train fare is $6.75 each way for an adult during the week. Weekends are $7 for unlimited rides. If you don't buy a round trip on a weekday downtown and end up needing to buy a ticket on the train for the trip home they only accept cash on the Metra train.

 

The second option is easier but only works Friday through Sunday because the express bus only runs on those days. Take the CTA Blue Line. Fare for the CTA is $2.25. Credit cards are accepted everywhere on the CTA. Take the Blue Line train heading to O'Hare and get off at the Rosemont stop (last one before O'Hare). Once you get there you can take the Pace #284 "Six Flags Great America Express" for $4- exact change only- and that bus will take you directly non-stop from the Rosemont station to the park. This bus stops right at the park entrance, too.

[prozach626]

So will the flash pass gold be worth it next Friday? What kind of wait times will I be looking at?

 

I honestly think the Platinum is worth $30 more just for the 2 rides on Goliath, Plus you get consecutive rerides on everything but V2 & Giant Drop.

 

Thanks for the tip. We've done the gold before when we visit first time parks. I make a good wage, so it's not that I don't have the money to spend on the gold... but just because I make enough money doesn't mean that I can't see that I'm being taken for a ride with that price. My wife and I cringe every time we drop money on the gold passes, just because they are so unreasonably priced. I hate how SF tries to squeeze every every last dime out of your pocket. At least when we buy fast lane passes for anywhere from $45-60, depending on the park/day, we don't feel like we got taken on the deal.

Edited August 9, 2014 by prozach626

[beenagins87]

Probally 2 hours at least, we visited on a Sunday and Monday and it was slammed, so I imagine Friday would be worse.

[prozach626]

^Sundays and Friday's are usually comparable, so at least I know what to expect. How were the lines for everything else?

[beenagins87]

Everything was between 45 mins and an hour.. Raging Bull and X Flight had a pretty much full line all night, even up till close, American eagle I only rode on Sunday, it was a 20-30 min wait. It was quiet a shock to me on Monday as I'm use to SFOG and empty lines on weekdays. Is it always busy like that, or is Goliath having an effect?

[palmerleeberry]

^I guess I wasn't the only one that was "SHOCKED". I was there at the park for two days last week and I managed to ride almost everything in the park ( some rides more than once because they were worth a repeat and that included twice on Goliath. That was one awesome ride!

 

Another ride I want to talk about is American Eagle. Earlier in the day, I rode that coaster twice, first time RED SIDE and second time BLUE SIDE. And on each time, it was a walk up and ride. Now at around 7:30 I was on the Train on it last ride of the day when we pass by American Eagle and I was shocked to see how crowed the lines were. I mean, I was like On the next day, I went get in line for American Eagle and there was a long line that began where the entrance was and filled up each and every line they had. Despite the long line, it moved quickly and I was able to ride up in front on BLUE SIDE. Amazing that even with Goliath, X-flight, and Superman, this coaster still gets long lines. BEAUTIFUL!

[beenagins87]

^I guess I wasn't the only one that was "SHOCKED". I was there at the park for two days last week and I managed to ride almost everything in the park ( some rides more than once because they were worth a repeat and that included twice on Goliath. That was one awesome ride!

 

Another ride I want to talk about is American Eagle. Earlier in the day, I rode that coaster twice, first time RED SIDE and second time BLUE SIDE. And on each time, it was a walk up and ride. Now at around 7:30 I was on the Train on it last ride of the day when we pass by American Eagle and I was shocked to see how crowed the lines were. I mean, I was like On the next day, I went get in line for American Eagle and there was a long line that began where the entrance was and filled up each and every line they had. Despite the long line, it moved quickly and I was able to ride up in front on BLUE SIDE. Amazing that even with Goliath, X-flight, and Superman, this coaster still gets long lines. BEAUTIFUL!

 

 

Honestly, the line that shocked me most was Demon, every park pretty much has that one coaster that's never busy, no matter what, and when I saw an hour line for Demon , my jaw dropped. I was expecting long lines for Goliath obviously, and Superman wasn't a shock either, because the public for some reason creams their pants over it ( personally I'll never wait more than 15 mins for it) Viper, Batman, Dark Knight line length suprised me, X Flight kind of did to, because I heard even though it was the second newest coaster , it wasn't very popular, but I guess those people just went on days where they got lucky with lines. all I can say is thank god for flash pass, because without it I wouldn't have gotten the number of rides in I did, I probally would have gotten enough to get all the credits and a few re rides here and there.

[coasterdude5]

^ I'm always surprised by Demon's full-ish queue as well, especially since people are so adamant that the coaster is unpopular and that the park will remove it "next year."

[beenagins87]

Here's my trip report from two weeks ago [ No Pictures unfortunaly, My phone got wiped somehow]

 

So, originally me and my sister planned on driving to Virginia, and doing a day at Busch Gardens, then doing a day at Kings Dominion, unfortunaly the closer and closer we got to the date, the worse the weather looked, I know you can't always help the weather and stuff, but neither one of us had ever been, and it would suck to pay money just to get rained out, also we would be driving from just outside of Nashville, and according to map quest, it was 8 1/2 to one park, and 9 1/2 to the other, so I started looking around at other parks that we could possibly go to. SFOG is 3 hours away, but we've been there millions of time, and we wanted something new, Dollywood is also about 3 1/2, but I just went back in June with my bestie from work, and suddenly Great America & Goliath dawned on me, I looked it up, and what do you know it's only 8 hours away, which was roughly the distance we were going to travel on our original trip, not to mention the forecasted. I knew with Goliath opening the month before, lines for it would be huge, so since I was going to save on admission and parking with my gold pass, I decide I'd spring for a platinum flash pass just solely for Goliath, little did I know how much the flash pass would come in handy for the day in general.

 

Our first day was Sunday the 19th, we arrived about 3:30, our original plan on Sunday, was to walk around and get a feel for the park, ride a few rides and just get acquainted with our surroundings, well we get back to Raging Bull, and we're greeted with about a 90 min wait, and about a 60 min wait for Viper, so I decide to spring for a gold flash pass, sure it only cuts the time in 1/2, but I knew I'd be getting the platinum the next day, I have to say once we got situated and into the park it was about 4, I got the flash pass about 4:30, so we had roughly 5 1/2 hours, and we managed to squeeze in Raging Bull [X2] X Flight [X2] Viper [X2] V2, Batman, Both sides of Eagle & Demon ,Dark Knight which we maybe would have gotten half of that done without the pass.

 

Monday the 20th, we arrived about 9:45, and once they dropped the ropes, I ran straight to the flash pass office, one thing I liked it they were only letting the people that were paying for the passes into the office, it really helped because you didn't have mobs of people in line with the person buying, so they were able to actually get people in and out real fast, I'm not sure if it's like that at all Six Flags, but I know in Georgia I've seen hoards of people coming in and out, and I can only imange how confusing it is for the workers, and the people waiting inline to purchase. I know a lot of people bitch and moan about people with flash passes and how it's not fair etc.. I try to visit parks at the slowest times possible, so I don't ever really get annoyed with flash passes, because it's usually not to much longer, but I've had to go during busy times flash passless, and it's annoying seeing people get ahead of you, but at the same time, it's not like they got it for free, or were randomly chosen by the park to skip ahead. They cost money and I just happened to have a little extra to splurge, people were extremely rude when we would take our re rides, or when we approached the attendant to scan in, and it's frankly childish imo. Thanks to this bad boy we rode until our hearts were content Goliath [X2] Batman [X8] Viper [X5] V2 [X4] Superman [X3] Dark Knight [X4] Superman [X3] Raging Bull [X8] XFlight [X6] Whizzer [X2] Yankee Clipper [X2] Loggers Run [X2] Roaring Rapids [X4] Giant Drop [X1].. Now onto my thoughts about the individual rides.

 

American Eagle- I actually liked both sides, the queue is a bitch though, I lost probably 5 pounds, before I reached the station. It's much smooth than Thunder Road, which is the only other racing woody I've been on, Also, is there a reason the blue train always seems to win? 8/10

 

Batman: This is my 4th Batman clone, and really what can you say that hasn't already been said time and time again?? These things rock, Smooth, forceful and just all around fun. It was kind of strange seeing it in the middle of the park though, all the ones I've ridden have been sort of in their own area, also since I used a flash pass, I didn't get to experience the theming for the most part which is always one of my favorite things.. Although one thing I wish I didn't experience was the music in the station, you can only hear Kiss From A Rose so many time before you want to tear your eyes out. 10/10

 

Dark Knight: I know these seem to get a lot of hate, and I really don't understand why. It's a mouse in a box, what are people expecting?? Their not made to be 100 mph thrill machines, these types of coaster are just fun in general to me the darkness adds to it. Although, I do wonder if some of the theming elements are a little much for kids, I saw more than one kid come off crying. 8/10

 

Demon: I honestly didn't know what to expect, My most hated coaster is an arrow [ Carolina Cyclone], and considering this is 4 years older, I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth parts of it were, the corkscrews were slightly rough, but nothing to bad, I rode this at night, the tunnel really adds to it, my sister wasn't much of a fan however so we only rode it once. 7/10

 

Giant Drop: I love drop towers for the most part, Acraphobia still scares the bejesus out of me every time I ride it, but Giant Drop didn't do all that much for me, it was just kind of meh. 5/10

 

Goliath: Holy mother of God.. I knew from the looks of it, that this would be amazing, but pictures and videos don't do it justice. Seeing it up close and in person, is just awe inspiring, and the ride is just amazing, the inversions are smooth as can be, and the first drop into the tunnel, is just wow, I thought for a second my testicles were going to lodge in my throat, Words can't describe it. Next year I'm going to get to Outlaw Run & El Toro, and as amazing as I've heard they are, It's going to be really hard to dislodge Goliath from #1. 10,000/10

 

Loggers Run: Usually I only get soaked from shoot the chutes and rapids, this was definitely the wettest I've ever gotten on a log flume, and I loved every second of it.. I also loved how it and Yankee Clipper interact. 8/10

 

Raging Bull: A B&M Hyper is my #1 Steel Coaster [ Goliath], so Raging Bull was probably the ride I was looking most forward to behind Goliath, I wish I could say it didn't disappoint but i'd be lying. Our first ride, was on the second row, and while it wasn't bad I definitely wasn't blown away with it like I expected, but a strange thing happened every time we rode it after, we rode a row further back than the time before, and it seemed to get better every time, This was my forth hyper overall, and my 3rd B&M one, I definitely prefer the out and back airtime hills of Goliath, but Raging Bull is definitely more floaty and twisty, which works on its own. 8.5/10

 

Roaring Rapids: Holy wetness, This one definitely packs a punch, I also like the tunnel, it reminded me of the Grizzly River Rampage from Opryland from childhood. 9/10

 

Superman: This is my 2nd SUF, and to be honest flyers aren't my favorite, the Pretzel Loop, while neat in theory, and well neat in practice, always leaves me feeling a little queasy, but this one didn't. Although I think it had more to do with the fact that every time I ride it at SFOG it's humid and 100 Degrees outside no matter when I go, while this trip it was in the high 70's with no humidity. 8/10

 

V2: This was my first impulse coaster, and it was definitely a treat. Even better in the very back, or next to last row. Which brings me to question, besides the front & back, are impulse coasters fun like say in the middle? You would get the hang time on the spike in the front, and the back you would get the reverse launch, but in the middle it seems like it would be just be a little boring. 10/10

 

Viper: The Georgia Cyclone is one of my all time favorite rides, but Viper blew it out of the water, On our first night, we were on the last train, front row and it was amazing in the dark, another thing that puts it over GA Cyclone is the fact that it's smooth in every seat I rode in.Anything but the very front or back beats me to death on the GA Cyclone, but Viper was an out of your butt, smooth ride in every seat front, back, middle. Although, nothing beats a night ride in the very front. Hoping I get to ride the original Cyclone next year. 10/10

 

Whizzer: I can defiantly see why there was such an uproar back when SUF was announced in Whizzers place. I was a little worried at first because the trains were sort of tight looking, I'm 6'0, and not exactly skinny, but I fit in just fine, even with my sister sitting on my lap [ AWKWARD btw], The spiral lift was neat and one of a kind, and the way it just smoothly moves, and takes curves was awe inspiring. 9/10

 

X Flight: This was my 2nd wing rider after Wild Eagle, and after Wild Eagle let me down, I was worried about X Flight since most people seem to prefer Eagle to X Flight . All I can say is X Flight was relentless from the first drop, and didn't let go till we hit the brake run. I do have one minor complaint though, the vest seem to be tighter on the right side, than the left, It wasn't enough to take away any enjoyment, but it also wasn't the best feeling in the world. 10/10

 

Operations were typical Six Flags, which to say they were great on some rides [ V2, Whizzer, Demon, Eagle] and meh on other ones Raging Bull had stacking issues with all 3 trains a couple of times which shouldn't happen with as many people they had working, and the fact that it's a clamshell train, on the plus side those ride ops were enthusiastic and energetic which helps. The park was pretty, especially the entrance fountain with the carousel behind it, and I've read reports of it being dirty, rundown etc.. but I didn't really see any of that, bathrooms were stocked and clean, I saw employees picking up trash etc.

 

All in all it was an amazing trip, and we definitely plan on coming back In the future.

[Jojo19799]

Regarding on how crowded the park gets, it is really difficult to say. Last Tuesday I was there and it was busy. We ended up with a gold qbot and our wait times were 30 mins, much less than waiting in line still so we were grateful for that. The wait for Goliath alone was about 120 mins, and it looked like the other coasters were about an hour (or more) wait. I went to the park yesterday to meet up with some friends after work, and we waited only a matter of minutes for Whizzer, and decided to do the single rider line for Goliath which was about an hour. The posted wait time for Goliath yesterday was only 90 mins, but it could have been less. I think as you get closer to school starting you'll find that the crowds will be less, but that's just my opinion.