Flash Pass @ Six Flags Great Adventure

[iplf]

Slowly but surely, I'm finishing the schedule of my trip to the east coast next summer. I know no one can predict the future, but because it's off-season, I thought I'd ask anyways.

 

We scheduled a full day at Six Flags Great Adventure on Thursday 15 July. We'll be there at park opening, and will leave when the park closes, to optimally use our time. We want to get all the credits, and maybe do a reride or 2 on the best rides, but we don't really care about other rides

.

Will we need a flash pass? And will we need the regular one, or the gold one? The regular one is like 48 USD and the gold 95 USD, which is a lot of money, and I don't just want to waste it, if it's not necessary.

 

I'm not asking about specific ride times, just some general advice.

[SharkTums]

July at SFGAd...get the Gold Flashpass.

 

Even if it's not unbearably disgustingly crowded, it will be crowded and the weather may be hot and annoying as well. Having the Gold Flashpass will mean you won't have to run around like crazy trying to get credits, won't have to wait in queues in the hot sun, etc.

[kidcoaster 2]

When we were out their last August we got the Gold Passes. Every coaster had a full Q but we managed to knock out the whole park in 4 hours with several re-rides on Toro. I think it is worth it.

[montezooma]

When I visited the park last year early in the Season I opted for the Gold Flash Pass and I am so glad I did. Not only did I get ALL the credits but I got many re-rides on El Toro, Kingda Ka & Nitro. I would recommend going with the gold pass just so you can get ride after ride on El Toro.

 

Actually I don't go to Six Flags parks anymore without buying the gold flash pass.

Standing in line is so 2000!

[YoshiFan]

I agree the park is going to be crowded in July. I usually won't visit the park from the end of June (when schools let out) until September because the crowds are just so bad in July and August even during the week.

 

Getting there at opening can avoid lines but if it is crowded for the less popular rides but a ride like Kingda Ka can go from no line to a 15 - 20 minute wait in a matter of minutes.

[nitrofan]

I went on a tuesday in july and found out the night before that there was a major concert the day I planned on going. I prepared myself to cough up the $120 for a 2 person flash pass, but I really lucked out with the weather. It was rainy and cloudy all day, but most rides never got lines. Superman and Batman were both running 1 train and their lines were to the end of their queues most of the day (no switchbacks used) but everything else (Bizarro, Nitro, and El Toro included) never got lines out of their station.

 

I got very lucky, but I have heard that the park is normally mobbed.

[Capitalize]

Definitely gotta get the flash pass at SFGAdv if you never get to go out there. The lines are typically massive for all the coasters in my visits. I've never purchased a flash pass, but I get up there every year so by the time I was making my 3rd or 4th visit up there I finally got all the credits done (dead serious, between rides being down and the huge lines it took a few visits over a few consecutive seasons to get on all the coasters).

 

edit: However last year I made a trip to the park on a Saturday when they had a large concert going on. I even arrived at the park 45 minutes after opening and I still got on every single coaster with no flash pass (including several rides on El Toro and Nitro). So it really can be a total crap shoot and you can go on a random good day.

[Skycoastin Steve]

I went there on a weekday at the very end of August last year and got a regular Flash Pass. The lines really weren't terrible at all, I think the longest I ever saw was 30-40 minutes, but we used the Passes anyway. We were able to get several re-rides on El Toro and other coasters without much trouble, and got every credit. The only credit we almost missed was the Mine Train because it was down for mechanical reasons for most of the day, but we got it prior to leaving.

 

However, I did go in early July in 2005 and it was packed.

[therooboy]

Thanks for posting this question as i will there on July 10 & 14 & was wondering how i may go too.

Sounds like a Flash Passes for this & also Magic Mountain (i'm there a couple weeks earlier) are gonna be worth the added expense.

[iplf]

Thanks everyone!

 

I'm taking my girl, who loves themeparks as well, and 2 friends, who are not into themeparks and don't want to pay extra for the flash pass (which I understand), so I guess it's better to let them stay in Philadelphia, cause from what I read here, visiting SFGrAdv on a crowded day isn't really a good themepark-experience.

[scooterdoug]

I visited SFGAdv on the last Sunday in May last year. The crowds were very reasonable, but we had already purchased a Gold FlashPass before we went. It turned out to be totally worth the money. Even with reasonable crowds, the lines for many of the rides (especially El Toro...the best ride in the park...perhaps the country) were long. If I could do it again, I would not hesitate to buy a FlashPass. So, if the FlashPass was a good choice during a relatively quiet day, then a crowded day (which July almost certainly will be) would make it a necessary purchase. Get a 2-person Gold FlashPass and, as for your 2 friends who don't really care, let them hang out in Philadelphia or wait in line...you'll be too busy re-riding your favorites!

-Doug

[YoshiFan]

The only credit we almost missed was the Mine Train because it was down for mechanical reasons for most of the day, but we got it prior to leaving.

 

The ride had a lot of problems last season, on 4 different visits last year the ride was closed at some point during my trip to the park. 3 of those times the train was either empty on a block brake before the curved drop or had people in the train stuck on that block brake

[medic738]

Something else to consider with 4 in your party.

 

The 2-person gold flash pass is something like $120. If you split that cost between the four of you, all you'll need to do is kick in 30 bucks each. Then take turns using it (2 of you ride - as soon as you get up to the flash pass entrance and they scan you, the flash pass can be reset again). Many times on slow to moderately busy days, I've done this and had my flash pass alerting that I can ride again, even before I get off the first ride. So you could get off, give the pass over to your two other friends, and they could ride almost immediately.

 

Keep resetting this as soon as possible each time and you'll get plenty of rides on even the busiest coasters.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^^It ran better than Kingda Ka

[YoshiFan]

I think any ride in the parks runs better than Kingda Ka, I know there was a major issue last season but even on days it was running, I still was in line a few times when the ride broke down.

 

Also about Flashpass pricing, I'm not sure if they are going to keep the higher prices from Frightfest but looking at a picture on my phone from this past October, regular is $78 for 2 people, $140 for 4 people. Gold is $148 for 2 people, $260 for 4 people.

[iplf]

I think any ride in the parks runs better than Kingda Ka, I know there was a major issue last season but even on days it was running, I still was in line a few times when the ride broke down.

 

Also about Flashpass pricing, I'm not sure if they are going to keep the higher prices from Frightfest but looking at a picture on my phone from this past October, regular is $78 for 2 people, $140 for 4 people. Gold is $148 for 2 people, $260 for 4 people.

I really hope the gold will be less than 150 USD for 2, cause for 1 it's 92 USD.

 

That idea about using 2 FP's for 4 is a good idea, but we'll probably just take the 2-person gold for me and my girlfriend, and we'll leave our 2 friends in Philadelphia.

[Steelinwood]

When I went, I was able to go on every ride in the park with hardly any wait at all because I bought a Flashpass. Chances are, the park WILL be packed. Just as everyone else has said, get the Gold Flashpass.