California's Great America or Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

[RedLeg21]

OK so I'm going to be in the Bay Area for the very first time from July 14th to July 18th. I think I am only gonna have time to hit one of these parks but haven't been able to decide which is the better park to go to. They are even in coaster count, Six flags seems to have the better coasters, but CGA seems to have a more overall better ride count with an added waterpark, so help me out which is better?

[CoasterTrek]

I would go to CGA just becuase off there waterpark and top gun. But discovery Kingdom has Medusa, so there is no bad choice.

[cal1br3tto]

I definitely recommend SFDK. Personally, I think four out of seven coasters are very good or excellent. (Take that with a grain of salt, since I'm a bit inexperienced.) Those are Medusa, Roar, V2, and Tony Hawk's Big Spin. I don't like Kong, Boomerang, or Cobra.

 

California's Great America isn't terrible, but perhaps a bit on the mediocre side? There are two really bad coasters (Grizzly, Demon--I know some people disagree about Demon being bad) and a kid coaster (Runaway Reptar). In the "good, but nothing special" middle ground is their wild mouse (Psycho Mouse). My favorites were Invertigo (inverted Boomerangs are so much better than standard ones), a stand-up that everyone else seems to hate (Vortex), and finally, one that actually gets some respect from others (Flight Deck).

 

Is a water park the only added draw you're interested in? Because there are a lot of animals and animal shows at SFDK. They're really interesting to watch (even just in their enclosures) and the trainers are friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

 

I've only been to each park one time last month, but on those specific days, SFDK was much more crowded than CGA was when I went there. Don't go only on my word, though--I have no idea what factors made the difference in the crowds. I just thought it was interesting because I made both visits on weekdays and was kind of expecting similarly sized crowds.

[Mechanic]

There's considerable discussion on the topic here: Discovery Kingdom vs Great America poll

 

I'm among those that prefer Discovery Kingdom.

[cal1br3tto]

I didn't want to double post, but right after I posted I realized I actually made the two parks seem about equal, even though that wasn't my intent! I mean, each has two coasters I think are bad, one kid coaster, and four coasters I think are at least good. The only difference is that I haven't heard many complaints about Medusa, Roar, or V2, but I have heard a lot of criticism of Vortex at CGA.

In that case, I can definitely see a water park pushing you over the edge toward CGA.

 

^^^I think I like Medusa just a little more. (It's taller and has more inversions anyway, so why not?) But I absolutely love the theming and atmosphere of Flight Deck. It's also really powerful and intense whereas Medusa is known for being smooth.

[KGA29]

Basically from someone who goes to CGA a ton and SFDK once a year...

 

CGA has:

-A decent waterpark

-Better flat ride selection (some classic ones too)

-All Wheels Extreme stunt show and ice skating show

 

SFDK has:

-Better coasters

-Lots of animals

-Killer whale, dolphin, tiger shows

-Better kids areas (probably not that important)

-Standard Six Flags l0cker policy

-Easier to get discounts

 

Both are very clean, have decent food selections, and will have very short waits if you go on a summer weekday.

[rcdude]

I went to both of these parks last summer around the same time you went and here is what I found.

 

Roller Coasters: California's Great America has two outstanding coasters (Invertigo and Flight Deck), three other must ride coasters (Psycho Mouse, Vortex, and Demon), a good family coaster (Runaway Reptar) and a mediocre wooden coaster (Grizzly). Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has three must ride coasters (V2: Vertical Velocity, Medusa, and Roar), a good family coaster (Tony Hawk's Big Spin), a standard boomerang (Boomerang Coast to Coaster), a mediocre family coaster (Cobra), and one of the worst coasters I have ever ridden (Kong). Personally, I believe the two inverted coasters at California's Great America are better than anything at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, but the three must ride coasters at SFDK are better than anything else at CGA. Overall, I would say SFDK wins for coasters.

Non-Coaster Rides: SFDK doesn't have as many non-coaster rides, but it does have some good ones. I especially like Tasmanian Devil and Monsoon Falls. However, CGA does have Survivor: The Ride, which is a surprisingly fun flat ride, and Drop Tower, an awesome drop ride. Both parks are about tied for non-coaster rides.

Food: I don't know how much of a difference this makes, but I would say that SFDK had better food service. The food was better and it was quicker service. However, it had a smaller selection.

Extra Attractions: SFDK has a few animal shows, as well as a wildlife section in the park. I spent less than a half-hour in here, mainly because I didn't have time to explore it completely. However, I spend about four hours in the waterpark at CGA. I like waterparks better than animal parks, but I think it was mainly the crowds that affected where I spent my time.

Crowds: I was at CGA on a Monday, and I don't think we found a line longer than 15 minutes outside of the waterpark. All the coasters except Invertigo and Psycho Mouse were walk-ons whenever we rode them. I went to SFDK on a Wednesday, and most of the major rides had a 30-45 minute wait for most of the day. One of the roller coasters even had an hour wait when we rode. This meant that we didn't get to re-ride most of the rides, especially due to shorter operating hours. In addition, all coasters were running one train. If you go to SFDK on a weekend, you will likely not get on everything without a flashpass. On a weekday, you don't need it but it helps.

 

Overall, I would say that if you are just going for coasters, SFDK is the better choice. However, CGA is a better all around park. It is up to you, but everyone in my group liked CGA better, so I would pick that in your situation.

[CreditCrazy]

I've been to CGA twice and SFDK three times (all last year) and SFDK is definitely the better park...it's actually one of my favorites.

 

First of all, CGA's waterpark is very small with only about 4 slides, and IMO only one was good. For coasters, only Flight Deck is good. Vortex is a very short and pointless stand up coaster, Demon is very rough, Grizzly is very slow and boring, and Invertigo is one of my least favorite coasters. Psycho Mouse is a pretty fun family coaster, and then you have Runaway Reptar and Taxi Jam. The park looks like it has a decent flat ride collection, but I didn't get a chance to ride any of them. Overall, I'd say it's a nice family park. I think there's two kiddie areas (?), and several family rides. Most of the coasters aren't too thrilling, making for good family coasters. I'd say it has a nice look and a good family crowd, but it just never seemed like the park had any new excitement or anything.

 

Then you have SFDK. SFDK has the nice family atmosphere and good family rides that CGA has (3 kiddie areas!) and another decent flat ride collection (from looks). V2, Roar, and Medusa are all great rides that are fun to ride all day. I find Kong and Boomerang to be much smoother than others of their type, and Tony Hawk also looks like a lot of fun. I know there's a tiger sow, a whale show, a dolphin show, and a sea lion show (maybe more?) and I thought all were good (except the tiger show, haven't seen that one yet). You can also go and look at some zoo animals, and I think the park has a really nice lake in the very back.

 

Both parks are pretty small, and I didn't find either to get too many crowds.

 

SFDK!

[Angry_Gumball]

I haven't been to SFDK since it's name change, and it would really be a tough call for which park as they both kind of even each other out. SFDK's got the animals, CGA's got the water park. Both parks have a nice collection of flat rides, CGA winning over with having a drop tower. SFDK having 2 water rides and CGA having 3 plus the water park, CGA wins on a hot day. The more water rides there are, the more it diverts the crowds. Coaster-wise, I'd say the 2 even out as both parks have some decent (and rough) coasters. Some say that Demon's rough, it depends on where you sit. Kong is rough, not sure if it has any smooth spots. Invertigo is smooth, but can have some rough moments while Vortex is a bit rough depending on where you ride it. The one thing CGA lacks (and needs once again) is a launched coaster to even it out with SFDK's V2.

 

So, if you could, I'd try both out if you could. CGA's got that 'classic' feel to it while SFDK has that safari feel to it (well, it did when I last went there).

[Dietcokevan]

SFDK, I went last year and had a blast! Its like Sea World + Zoo + Amusement Park.

 

Plus not to mention its got more solid coasters, Medusa, V2, and Roar, while CGA has well Flight Deck or whatever it's name is this week.

[PAL]

We're blasting through next Sunday and Monday, planning quick trips to both parks for their coasters. We should hit CGA around 3 or 4 pm (they close at 10). Any tips for an afternoon / evening visit? Same question for DK, but from open at 10:30 to about 4 or 5? To maximize rerides, I think we'll get a Flashpass.

[coasterbear30]

SFDK for sure. CGA sucks balls. It was the worst corporate park I have ever been to and the coasters sucked as well. The only good thing there in my opinion was the flat rides. SFDK was much better!