Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[dylanreich]

But yes the back row going over the first drop is epic, you get a nice yank and depending on how tight the restraint is, you can get serious, almost scary airtime. The rest of the ride is just ridiculous (loud heavy metal, strobe lights, a random glowing pumpkin) but I think its a lot of fun and mostly underrated, in a so-bad-its-great kinda way. I'm glad I've shown so many people the light. Hahahahaha

[TBpony414]

Adding to the chorus... Skully: last row, hands up, and you're welcome!

[thefed29]

I am loving all this back row love. Ill have to pencil this in as my first and last stop of the day.

[Genx24]

^ Definitely don't ride it first. Sure it's fun but don't prioritize over that big, unreliable green coaster and the equally big and unreliable orange drop tower built on it.

[larrygator]

I am loving all this back row love. Ill have to pencil this in as my first and last stop of the day.

 

Reality check - Some people here tend to get very carried away with their praise of the Skull Mountain drop from the back row. Now, I'm not hating on it, I like the drop, but that's all you get.

[Rayj]

Any recommendations for a hotel near by with a pool that's $100 or under per night?

[coasterbill]

hotel near by?

 

 

Strangely enough there are none. Like at all. It's ridiculous... not even hotels that meet your criteria, just any hotels.

[Genx24]

Yea, the nearest hotels are all one exit above the park's exit on the NJ Turnpike. And the park is roughly 10 miles east of the Turnpike so yea, Bill is right.

[thefed29]

Any recommendations for a hotel near by with a pool that's $100 or under per night?

 

Hotel I stayed at a couple months back was perfect. Hampton inn in robbinsville. Bout 15 minute drive to the park. Nice hotel, had a pool and all. I looked into getting it again for next weekend, a month back and it was already booked up so we're staying about a half hour away. Can't speak for availability of rooms but that will be my top choice on return trips.

[strz]

Any recommendations for a hotel near by with a pool that's $100 or under per night?

 

Hotel I stayed at a couple months back was perfect. Hampton inn in robbinsville. Bout 15 minute drive to the park. Nice hotel, had a pool and all. I looked into getting it again for next weekend, a month back and it was already booked up so we're staying about a half hour away. Can't speak for availability of rooms but that will be my top choice on return trips.

 

Did not check pricing, however- from a quality/clean/location point of view, these are your best bets:

 

http://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/new-jersey/homewood-suites-by-hilton-hamilton-nj-TTNHAHW/index.html

 

http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/new-jersey/hilton-garden-inn-hamilton-TTNHLGI/index.html

 

Promise you- your best bets, you're welcome......

[Password121]

Is this back row all its made out to be???

Yes

 

 

We're not actually overhyping it (for what it is--keep your expectations in check and you're golden), but don't ride it first. Or last. Ride El Toro or Nitro last. Ride it a lot when the lines are long for everything else, or between 12 and 4.

[boldikus]

I am loving all this back row love. Ill have to pencil this in as my first and last stop of the day.

 

Reality check - Some people here tend to get very carried away with their praise of the Skull Mountain drop from the back row. Now, I'm not hating on it, I like the drop, but that's all you get.

 

I just want to make it clear that yes the back is great but like I said I like SM for its so-bad-its-great quality. Larry is right in that its all there really is to it. The rest of the ride is just turns in the dark with completely random themeing/props and ride-wise is nothing special at all. Hopefully people understand the whole Cult of SM thing is tongue-in-cheek and just being silly. I wasn't sure if that needed spelling out. Its a unique ride and yes that airtime is a nice surprise back there but agreed with others who said do not prioritize this ride. If you're in the area, go for it, and head to that back row.

 

I'd sooner ride many of the other coasters in the park (Toro, Nitro, Batman, Bizarro, etc), but at the same time I'd sooner ride Skull over Ka, Lantern or even Superman. It's a matter of taste but Skull is really just about that pop of air. The rest of the ride is kind of a joke.

[Highridin]

I am loving all this back row love. Ill have to pencil this in as my first and last stop of the day.

 

Reality check - Some people here tend to get very carried away with their praise of the Skull Mountain drop from the back row. Now, I'm not hating on it, I like the drop, but that's all you get.

 

It's a matter of taste but Skull is really just about that pop of air. The rest of the ride is kind of a joke.

 

Yup

[Highridin]

How are Fridays in the summer here (late June-early July, not July 4th weekend)? Going to do what we didn't get to do during HITP (El Toro, Ka, Safari, etc) Never getting on the Dark Knight or Green Lantern again, so I can skip those. To me, Superman and Batwing are close to the same, so I can skip that too. What I will do is ride Batman the Ride and Nitro multiple times. Looking like El Toro too. Can't wait to get my first ever ride on it. If I can skip 'anything', let me know. I'm spending the entire day, but want re-rides on the top performers.

[strz]

Skull over Ka

 

Wow, really? To this day- one of the few rides that gets my heart a pumpin', waiting for that blast from 0 to 128! I get it, not for everyone though.....

[coasterbill]

I'm with you. I love Kingda Ka. It's amazing.

[strz]

How are Fridays in the summer here (late June-early July, not July 4th weekend)? Going to do what we didn't get to do during HITP (El Toro, Ka, Safari, etc) Never getting on the Dark Knight or Green Lantern again, so I can skip those. To me, Superman and Batwing are close to the same, so I can skip that too. What I will do is ride Batman the Ride and Nitro multiple times. Looking like El Toro too. Can't wait to get my first ever ride on it. If I can skip 'anything', let me know. I'm spending the entire day, but want re-rides on the top performers.

 

Any day in the summer is a crap shoot! Best bet is to "risk" heading there when bad weather is in the forecast, and hope that you get a window of no rain....easy for me to say, as I'm only 20- 25 minutes from the park!

 

Here's the bottom line for any visit/any day of the week to SFGA:

- get your ass up early and plan on arriving to the parking lot between 9am- 9:15am

- early arrival gets you through security fairly quickly, and thus be one of the first people in line to get into the park

- once you are in the park, head left and go: Kingda Ka> Zumi> El Toro> Bizarro (it should be around 12pm at that point)

- high tail it to the other side of the park and go: Batman> Nitro> Skull

- at that point, have fun with the crowds! Do whatever it is you like to do.....and keep your expectations low (in terms of wait times)

 

Also:

- you'll get some feedback about "not missing" the Safari, however- you'll need close to 2 hours from start to finish- your call

- if it wasn't "new for 2016," trust me- you wouldn't wait on line for The Joker for more than 15 minutes....it will have the longest line in the park (as it is new/advertised like hell), and not worth giving up on the other coasters I mentioned above

 

Have fun......

[strz]

------

[boldikus]

Skull over Ka

 

Wow, really? To this day- one of the few rides that gets my heart a pumpin', waiting for that blast from 0 to 128! I get it, not for everyone though.....

 

I've said it on here a million times I don't want to come off as constantly trashing Ka. I know people like (or love) it and I have respect for it, and definitely think its a "must do" if you're into coasters. I've ridden it a bunch. I like taking people on it that have never ridden. The restraints suck and cause me pain - Dragster was so much better because of this and the fact that it doesnt shuffle like Ka does. They are both one trick ponies. The wait for Ka is never worth it to me. So I only ride if the park is dead or I really want someone to ride, or if I have FP which is rare @ GAdv anymore. I finally rode it in the front this year and enjoyed it more than I ever have.

 

I'd still ride Skull before I'd wait for Ka. The wait for Skull is never that bad (and if it is I'd likely skip that too) and its just the kind of ride that is stupid fun. Its like that other thread about "coaster hot buttons" or whatever. I just like to have fun. Ka is a hell of a rush and its not my least favorite ride in the park or anything, but the 10 year old in me just wants to giggle at stupid sh!t most of the time.

[Highridin]

How are Fridays in the summer here (late June-early July, not July 4th weekend)? Going to do what we didn't get to do during HITP (El Toro, Ka, Safari, etc) Never getting on the Dark Knight or Green Lantern again, so I can skip those. To me, Superman and Batwing are close to the same, so I can skip that too. What I will do is ride Batman the Ride and Nitro multiple times. Looking like El Toro too. Can't wait to get my first ever ride on it. If I can skip 'anything', let me know. I'm spending the entire day, but want re-rides on the top performers.

 

Any day in the summer is a crap shoot! Best bet is to "risk" heading there when bad weather is in the forecast, and hope that you get a window of no rain....easy for me to say, as I'm only 20- 25 minutes from the park!

 

Here's the bottom line for any visit/any day of the week to SFGA:

- get your A$$ up early and plan on arriving to the parking lot between 9am- 9:15am

- early arrival gets you through security fairly quickly, and thus be one of the first people in line to get into the park

- once you are in the park, head left and go: Kingda Ka> Zumi> El Toro> Bizarro (it should be around 12pm at that point)

- high tail it to the other side of the park and go: Batman> Nitro> Skull

- at that point, have fun with the crowds! Do whatever it is you like to do.....and keep your expectations low (in terms of wait times)

 

Also:

- you'll get some feedback about "not missing" the Safari, however- you'll need close to 2 hours from start to finish- your call

- if it wasn't "new for 2016," trust me- you wouldn't wait on line for The Joker for more than 15 minutes....it will have the longest line in the park (as it is new/advertised like hell), and not worth giving up on the other coasters I mentioned above

 

Have fun......

 

I appreciate it. I kinda want to leave the safari out, but my daughter is looking forward to it. The one at Disney blew her mind since some of the animals came right up to the truck.

[The Yeti]

I am loving all this back row love. Ill have to pencil this in as my first and last stop of the day.

 

Reality check - Some people here tend to get very carried away with their praise of the Skull Mountain drop from the back row. Now, I'm not hating on it, I like the drop, but that's all you get.

 

I just want to make it clear that yes the back is great but like I said I like SM for its so-bad-its-great quality.

 

When I rode Skull Mountain I was thinking it would be a clone of SFOT's, but then I realized the trains were different once I got to the station. Knowing most coasters are better in the back, including SFOT's Skull Mountain, I chose the best seat in the house and oh man, that drop caught me off guard. I am glad I hadn't read anything about it on here first because that was a huge surprise. I was expecting more after that, but it was really just a decent little ride in the end.

[thefed29]

 

I just want to make it clear that yes the back is great but like I said I like SM for its so-bad-its-great quality. Larry is right in that its all there really is to it. The rest of the ride is just turns in the dark with completely random themeing/props and ride-wise is nothing special at all. Hopefully people understand the whole Cult of SM thing is tongue-in-cheek and just being silly. I wasn't sure if that needed spelling out. Its a unique ride and yes that airtime is a nice surprise back there but agreed with others who said do not prioritize this ride. If you're in the area, go for it, and head to that back row.

 

I'd sooner ride many of the other coasters in the park (Toro, Nitro, Batman, Bizarro, etc), but at the same time I'd sooner ride Skull over Ka, Lantern or even Superman. It's a matter of taste but Skull is really just about that pop of air. The rest of the ride is kind of a joke.

 

Haha I appreciate the spelling out, and I completely understand the whole tongue-in-cheek nature of this and all other back row discussions I've seen on here. I will not be making it my legitimate first or last ride in the park, but I will definitely be stopping in on my way to or from Nitro. As I said I was pleasantly surprised with SM.

 

I have only been to great adventure once, (two days) and I would rank the coasters as my favorites like this:

 

El Toro

Nitro

Ka

Bizarro

Batman

Superman

Green Lantern (I did actually enjoy this as it was the only stand up coaster I've ever been on, didn't bother me too much as I've heard tons of complaints)

[Satans Hockey]

I appreciate it. I kinda want to leave the safari out, but my daughter is looking forward to it. The one at Disney blew her mind since some of the animals came right up to the truck.

 

I wouldn't skip it, I've been on the safari 2x this season and have enjoyed it so much both times. We had a giraffe stick his head into the truck and a bunch of the animals were hanging out right near the road. I've been on the animal kingdom one as well and I feel like you are much closer to the animals at the six flags safari. I haven't stopped at camp adventura but you can pay like 5 bucks if you are a season pass holder to feed the giraffes. Its about 40 mins or so if you choose not to get off at camp adventura. I just went on it again this past Sunday and a ton of the animals were swimming and out and about. It was awesome.

 

If she loves animals the safari is a can't miss to me.

 

Some of my pictures...

 

Pregnant zebra

 

Baby bears play fighting

 

 

He almost gave us a kiss lol

Edited June 10, 2016 by Satans Hockey

[coasterbill]

We go to the park quite a bit and ever since it's opened we've never once gone to Great Adventure when Safari was open and not ridden it. It's absolutely worth the time investment. It's an incredible attraction.

[boldikus]

I haven't done the safari since like 1989 or something. LOL

 

We *almost* did it with my nephew late last year but when we asked what he wanted to do - see some animals or go on more rides he picked rides. Needless to say I'm very proud of my thrill seeking 2.5 yr old nephew.