Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Mater]

VR being added to Raging Bull. Lines should be fun if other SF parks are any indication.

 

 

Amazing news! Can't wait for this awesome new tech to be added to such a fun coaster

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

VR being added to Raging Bull. Lines should be fun if other SF parks are any indication.

 

 

Amazing news! Can't wait for this awesome new tech to be added to such a fun coaster

 

Here's the best part: Extremely longer Lines!

Edited June 18, 2016 by SixFlagsAstroworld

[Mater]

I've got all the time in the world for something as cool as a VR coaster

[scottiemon]

If is anything like The New Revolution at SFMM, it will be cool the first time, then you will be like....been there, done that. Dispatch times are atrocious.

[ilrider]

Lines of 2.5 hours on SupermanVR at SFNE today, with 5-10 minute dispatches. I still cannot believe they chose RB for this.

[Ed Farmer]

I still cannot believe they chose RB for this.

Initially, I couldn't either. After giving it some thought, and considering who "they" are, yeah. I wouldn't put it past them at all. I'd almost rather have seen them do this to Goliath, since that line already moves as swiftly as sh!t flowing uphill, and slowing it down more would be less noticeable.

[coasterbill]

Terrible news... hopefully they never add this at Great Adventure.

[yay101]

I went to Six Flags Great America yesterday and here is a trip report:

 

Overall, the park was not too crowded. Lines were pretty short with the exception of Justice League: Battle For Metropolis, which was about an hour. It was also fun because I decided to ride a few rides I don't normally ride when I go, such as East River Crawler and King Chaos as well as a few others. Here is the full list of rides I rode:

 

King Chaos (1x, walk-on)

It is a fun top spin that goes upside 5 times. Not the best but it is very fun!

 

Vertical Velocity (1x, less than 5 minute wait)

I do love Vertical Velocity a lot, even without the holding brake. The launch still scares me to this day.

 

East River Crawler (1x, less than 5 minute wait)

I haven't been on this ride in years, and it was a very fun ride. It is an Anton Schwarzkopf Polyp-style ride (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Batman-the Ride (2x, both about 15 minute waits)

One of the best rides in the park in my opinion. I rode it in the front both times because the wait was very short. It is VERY intense, and even though the entire ride is intense the two corkscrews at the end are the highlight for me.

 

Goliath (1x, about 30 minute wait)

Lots of people say it Goliath is the worst RMC or second worse to Storm Chaser (which I have not ridden), and it probably isn't as good as let's say N-tag or Lightning Rod, but it is still a fantastic ride with a great drop, great airtime, and your body gets flung all over the place. The inverted zero-g stall blew my mind when it was announced, and it still blows my mind to this day. Goliath is still better than all the wooden coasters I have ridden except for Holiday World's Voyage (Goliath is the only RMC I have ridden as of this post).

 

Lunch: Angelo's Pizza and Pasta. I ordered pasta with meatballs and a bread roll of some kind. The roll was very good as well as the butter, but the pasta was horrific, and the meatballs were atrocious and did not taste like real meat. However, I did not come here for the food aha.

 

Superman: Ultimate Flight (1x, about 15 minute wait)

I do like Superman a lot, and the pretzal loop is still one of my favourite inversions. However among locals I feel Superman is very overrated. Most people I know say that Superman is one of the best coasters ever and that Batman: the Ride is just okay, and for me that definitely is not the case as Batman: the Ride is miles better than Superman.

 

The Dark Knight (1x, suprisingly about a 30 minute wait)

I haven't ridden The Dark Knight in about 5-6 years so I decided to ride it. I was really surprised that the wait was a half hour and Superman was only about 15 minutes. I do like The Dark Knight, but I don't love it. I do like the scenery and theme of the ride, and it is very well done, but not amazing.

 

X-Flight (1x, about 15 minutes)

X-Flight is a nice ride, and the inline twist into the tower is an amazing moment. The helix for some reason had a bit of a rattle to it, but the rest of the ride was very fun.

 

Justice League: Battle For Metropolis (1x, 1 hour wait)

I did not like the hour wait, but I did get to see the themed queue line and get to know the storyline better. The ride itself was very fun and very well-done. I knew it would be better than the typical Ghost Blasters dark ride but I did not expect it to be that good.

 

Raging Bull (1x, 20 minutes)

Raging Bull is one of the best rides in the park in my opinion. In particular the airtime off the brake run and the hill following it is very very good.

 

Giant Drop (1x, 10 minutes)

I personally love drop towers, and it isn't nearly as terrifying as StratosFear at Knoebel's but it was very fun nonetheless.

 

Viper (1x, 10 minutes)

Viper is a very good wooden coaster, especially in the back row.

 

Dinner: Primo's Pizza. I ordered a pizza slice with fries. Pizza was okay, but the fries were surprisingly pretty good.

Six Below Frozen Yogurt: I ordered a medium NY Cheesecake flavour with M&Ms and maraschino cherries. It did not taste much like cheesecake, it tasted more like vanilla; however it was very very good. The selection of toppings however were not too good in my opinion, which included selections such as granola, peaches, pineapples, and raisins or cranberries; I'm sure lots of people like them but I personally did not like the selection.

 

Triple Play (1x, 5 minute wait)

A Huss Troika. It was very fun.

 

Whizzer (1x, 15 minute wait)

Whizzer is a classic. I love the spiral lift, its location in the woods, and the part where it flies over a pond. Whizzer is a very fun ride.

 

Demon (2x, walk on)

Demon was a bit on the rough side, but it wasn't too rough. I did enjoy it, and since there was very few people in line the operator let me ride again. From past experiences the front for me was the roughest part so I sit in the middle-back where it isn't as bad.

 

Overall, I had a very good day at Six Flags Great America. Now for some pictures:

Raging Bull

Big Easy Balloons

Vertical Velocity

King Chaos Look at all those people on the ride.

Batman - The Ride

More Vertical Velocity!

Goliath, the most original name for a roller coaster

Demon. I bet absolutely no one has taken a photo like this before

X-Flight

Justice League: Battle For Metropolis. Once again, I am very happy SFGAm got one of these.

Raging Bull

American Eagle. I didn't ride it today as I don't really like it.

Demon and Ricochet

The animatronic talking Cyborg inside Justice League. I really liked the queue line for Justice League.

Giant Drop

Columbia Carousel

Superman - Ultimate Flight

This concludes my Six Flags Great America report! I hope you liked it

[PKI Jizzman]

Thanks for the report! Dare I say I'm excited for my first visit of the season tomorrow night? Hoping the crowds won't be too bad!

[yay101]

^Thank you! I don't think they will be too bad but do beware of Justice League, like I said I waited an hour but it's worth it or you can get Flash Pass or go single rider and take care of the wait. And, what do you mean by "managing realistic expectations" at SFGAm?

[PKI Jizzman]

^Thank you! I don't think they will be too bad but do beware of Justice League, like I said I waited an hour but it's worth it or you can get Flash Pass or go single rider and take care of the wait. And, what do you mean by "managing realistic expectations" at SFGAm?

 

Youuu're welcome. I'll likely wait and ride it Friday morning since I've been on JL at St. Louis last year, and also had to wait an hour. I wouldn't mind waiting that long if it's going to be 100* or raining, but I may just wait for when I do a fast pass day since I'm worrying about it opening on time at 10:30AM.

 

Great America is my new home park since I moved to Chicago last year, and every visit last year was pretty shitty compared to my visits in previous years. Every visit I experienced terrible lines, closures, and awful food/bev operations. Not to say I didn't have a good time at the park - it's just a bummer that you really need a FastPass if you can't visit between M-Th. I mean, even on a Sunday with rain all rides had 45-90 min waits.

 

So what I mean is that although I want to be optimistic about visiting the park with minimal waits, I've got the be realistic about how crappy the combo of overcrowding + slow operations make the day. When you sell annual passes for 60 bucks, you're going to overcrowd the place almost on a daily basis.

[Ed Farmer]

Demon (2x, walk on)

Demon was a bit on the rough side, but it wasn't too rough. I did enjoy it, and since there was very few people in line the operator let me ride again. From past experiences the front for me was the roughest part so I sit in the middle-back where it isn't as bad.

Sit in the very back and enjoy getting just about chucked out of your seat on the first drop. I hope they never do vest restraints on this ride for that reason. It's not something you'd expect from an Arrow looper, but it's a quirk that I think came into existence when they re-profiled Turn of the Century to include the loops following the drop, and it''s some of the best air you'll find at SFGAm.

[DILinator]

Goliath (1x, about 30 minute wait)

Lots of people say it Goliath is the worst RMC or second worse to Storm Chaser (which I have not ridden)

 

Wha??? Who is saying Storm Chaser is the worst RMC? I haven't seen anybody say that yet, while I have seen Goliath consistently in that position. Storm Chaser is absolutely nuts, and a Top 5 coaster for me! If that's really the worst (or even second-worst) RMC, then once I get on all of the RMC's my Top 10 is going to look almost entirely different!

[yay101]

Goliath (1x, about 30 minute wait)

Lots of people say it Goliath is the worst RMC or second worse to Storm Chaser (which I have not ridden)

 

Wha??? Who is saying Storm Chaser is the worst RMC? I haven't seen anybody say that yet, while I have seen Goliath consistently in that position. Storm Chaser is absolutely nuts, and a Top 5 coaster for me! If that's really the worst (or even second-worst) RMC, then once I get on all of the RMC's my Top 10 is going to look almost entirely different!

 

No one said it was a bad coaster but compared to New Texas Giant and Lightning Rod apparently it isn't as good. These comments were mostly through Youtube videos. Personally I have only ridden Goliath so I can't say for sure.

[Password121]

Goliath (1x, about 30 minute wait)

Lots of people say it Goliath is the worst RMC or second worse to Storm Chaser (which I have not ridden)

 

Wha??? Who is saying Storm Chaser is the worst RMC? I haven't seen anybody say that yet, while I have seen Goliath consistently in that position. Storm Chaser is absolutely nuts, and a Top 5 coaster for me! If that's really the worst (or even second-worst) RMC, then once I get on all of the RMC's my Top 10 is going to look almost entirely different!

 

No one said it was a bad coaster but compared to New Texas Giant and Lightning Rod apparently it isn't as good. These comments were mostly through Youtube videos. Personally I have only ridden Goliath so I can't say for sure.

Yeah... avoid youtube comments. I know opinions can't technically be wrong but there's always an exception to any rule.

[Vonni]

King Chaos has to be one of the most tacky top spins I've ever seen

[PKI Jizzman]

Yesterday (Friday) was a great day. Not nearly as crowded as any day last year. Most rides were only 15-30 minute wait, although what should have been a 45 minute wait for Justice League was 90+ minutes. I didn't mind though because it is a fantastic ride. Not sure if I noticed differences between SF St. Louis at all.

 

10:45AM-7PM:

V2 x 1 - Launch was more powerful than I remembered.

Batman x2 - Love this intense ride and love the standard B&M restraints. It's my favorite Batman since it's not over gravel/parking lot.

Swings/Whirlygig

Goliath x1 - Fantastic drop, incredibly smooth, airtime hill that makes me miss Outlaw Run, and that zero g float is so weird and amazing.

Viper x2 - Great wooden coaster!

Whizzer x1 - Rode Thurs night at dusk. It's a classic and could be considered the first laydown/lounge coaster lol.

Raging Bull x1 - The crew was CRUSHING it. 3 trains. So sad that the VR will ruin the ride's consistent impressive capacity. The first drop, MCBR drop, and drop after the helix provide great air. I love this coaster.

Giant Drop x1 - Airtime that makes me giggle like a little anime girl.

Justice League x1 - Great dark ride! You know.

Demon x1 - Rode Thurs night. The ejector air on the first drop is really underrated. Smooth Arrow! Love this coaster.

American Eagle x1 - Front row ride. I always forget how big and fast it is. The drop coming out of the helix throws you violently!

Revolution - This Huss inward facing frisbee melted my face off.

King Chaos - Did it because I never had before. Never again. Ouch. Also super short cycle.

Condor - Must ride on this relaxing classic flat.

 

All in all just not very crowded! Great first impression for the 2016 season.

Edited June 26, 2016 by PKI Jizzman

[Imagineer Josh]

Has anyone seen anything go on in the Ragin' Cajun or Ropes Course (SkyTrail) areas? I feel they are the 2 locations for 2017.

[PKI Jizzman]

Has anyone seen anything go on in the Ragin' Cajun or Ropes Course (SkyTrail) areas? I feel they are the 2 locations for 2017.

 

Nothing going on.

[Vonni]

Has anyone seen anything go on in the Ragin' Cajun or Ropes Course (SkyTrail) areas? I feel they are the 2 locations for 2017.

 

 

I'm still speculating that to be the location of a Star Flyer eventually.

[batmanfan80]

Went last Saturday. Hard to gauge the lines, but they seemed worse than last year at this time until around 5 PM. Passed by Pretzelman and the sign said 60 min, I think. Condor was no wait. Balloons had us waiting a couple cycles. Crawler was no wait and still in perfect order, more spins than ever, prob about 30. Batman's line was completely full. Roaring Rapids had a line all the way down its walkway before it broke for about 20 min. When it got back up, the flash pass line was probably about 50 people who showed up almost all at once. Ride was pretty fluid without as much start and stop as usual. Lots of people walking around with flash passes. Yankee Clipper took around 40-60 min. V2 line looked about 40% full, same with Goliath. Train took us around at about 5 and revealed there weren't really any big lines for Demon(25 min), X Flight(not even at the keyhole), and Whizzer didn't look bad either.

 

Eagle red is becoming almost unrideable, it's that violent in the helix. Almost at Mean Streak level violent. The good parts of the ride are awesome. X Flight is about the same as last year. Still a tad rough and choppy in spots. About 50 flash passers who mostly showed up once we got inside the building. The worker directed them all to the right side and insisted every non-flash passer wait for all of them if you wanted to ride right. NRG was giving one ride flash passes if you signed up, so we did and used it on Justice League. Probably better than anything at Universal except Spiderman. Wish you could see some light coming from your gun. Raging Trimbrake's line was all the way to the back both times we waited for it, and they weren't using all the queue. About 20 some flash passers here. Ride is as good and consistent as ever.

 

Single rider signs at Pretzelman, Goliath, and Justice League. They should do that at every ride bc Justice League's was a walk up. The regular line was at least 2 hours. Raging Trimbrake also has Cedar Point style locking bins now. With all the crazy over-crowding this place engages in, you'd think they could've afforded this years ago.

[kenban]

How are the restraints on Vertical Velocity? The only coaster which I have ever had to do the walk of shame is Wicked Twister at Cedar Point. I felt like the problem on twister was the seat belt but was wondering if I might have a similar problem on V2?

 

Wanted to come back and answer my own question. Huge difference in the seat belt. The length is reasonable and easily 2 or 3 inches longer than the belts on wicked twister.

Edited July 4, 2016 by kenban

[9Armgeddon4]

^^ Yeah that's what Saturday's are usually like. That's why I usually try to go during the week when it's not as busy. So you didn't make it to Viper? If not you should of. It's got some good airtime moments especially in the back row. I have to disagree with you on Eagle and X-Flight though. I don't think Eagle is unrideable and anywhere near the violent level of Mean Streak. But then again I've been riding AE ever since the blue side ran backwards. I'm making my third visit to the park tomorrow. I'm sure with it being 4th of July weekend it's going to be very busy but since my friends are all free we decided we should go.

[JeromyL]

We are making our first trip to great America from Las Vegas today (we are actually flying that direction now)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[9Armgeddon4]

^ I hope you have good first visit. Just to warn you ride operations very from bad to good depending on the ride. I recommend you hit Goliath first then Justice League. So when you get into the park go left at the carousel. Reason why you want to get to Justice League after Goliath is because the line shouldn't be too long. Demon will probably be a walk on, same for Eagle. Other than that I'd expect everything else to have long lines.