Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[gp1086]

Thanks for the feedback on crowds the 10/29 weekend. I actually went a couple years ago the weekend before and it was super jammed, so was expecting likely the same for that weekend.

 

Does the Dorney Park Halloween attraction / theming compare to SFGAdv as an alternative or not nearly as good?

[boldikus]

Dorney is much better. Go to Dorney. Sure, Greatadv has better coasters but unless you plan to flash pass you won't get to ride many of them anyway.

[gp1086]

Action Park/Mountain Creek Waterpark is about 9014234x better than Hurricane Harbor and it's only like 2 hours north.

 

Hm maybe Ill check that out next year.

 

Yes Do! It's been 5 years since I have been, but the water park has some insane "slides" on a mountain. Some feel like that they probably shouldn't exist cause it looks like tarp laid down the side of a mountain. It's not a traditional commercial park like HH, they have tarzan swings, cliff jumps, and some other unique stuff. It's my favorite water park I have been to.

They actually removed the Tarzan Swings this season for that vertical drop, vertical loop waterslide they're putting in.

 

Fair trade off I guess.

Damn - I loved the Tarzan Swings. I had thought they were abandoning the vertical loop slide. Where did you hear this?

[bill_s]

The fact that anyone would pay for Flash Pass is beyond me. Now if they started giving it for free like Disney, I would def take it up. El Toro is great, but I'm not gonna pay an extra $50 or so just to skip the line!

 

I'd much rather wait in line and catch Pokemon!

 

Actually, for only $50 ("$45" I saw) you still get plenty of time to catch them. Just stand in line for a less popular ride while Flash waiting for a popular one.

 

Be George on Sienfeld in "opposite" mode and do the opposite of what you'd normally do in theme parks and you're set.

 

This is so true at Great Adventure. Remember this in a few weeks because when it's 29 degrees with a gale warning. You're right, there won't be lines but you better get to Nitro fast because it's dispatching at 1PM sharp with or without you and it may or may not make it back to the station so don't miss it.

 

On the last weekend, it could still be mobbed. Still, when I look outside at ugly weather I have trouble believing the park is even open. Of course they are.

[boldikus]

On the last weekend last year it was empty. I was there Friday and Sunday, January 1st and 3rd. Not too many crazies coming out in subfreezing temps but the park definitely stayed open til scheduled closing time, B&M temp recommendations be damned.

[coasterbill]

^ This

 

For the most part, crowds won't be a problem at Holiday in the Park. They bring in plenty of people but the coasters really aren't the big draw. It's a family event so most people gravitate towards family rides, the show(s) and the lights.

[schoup]

Dorney is much better. Go to Dorney. Sure, Greatadv has better coasters but unless you plan to flash pass you won't get to ride many of them anyway.

 

I visited GAdv last week of August for several days during the weekdays and it was great. Nobody seemed to show up till noon. 1st 1 1/2 I got 12- 15 rides every day. Even during afternoon lines were like max 30. most 20 minutes You just have to know when to go to certain rides...ie...Ride El Toro the first 90 minutes of opening, super short line9wak on to 5min for back row. After 8pm was also good and after 9pn it was 5 minutes to a walk on. Nitro was walk on to 10 minutes before noon. The last day I got on Kingda ka 9 times and never waited more than 25 minutes, After 9 pm I got on it 4 times and was last ride of the day, 1 time. I sat 1st row most times and 2nd row every other time. Bizarro is a great choice to ride mid day when lines for other things are peak, it's always max 10 to 15 minutes, usually walk to station and wait 1 or 2 trains.

[boldikus]

^ This is why it pays to read ALL of the posts. We're talking about Halloween events - an ENTIRELY different beast than summer weekdays.

 

Dorney is definitely not a better park unless of course you are talking about cleanliness and security (and crab fries).

[schoup]

^ This is why it pays to read ALL of the posts. We're talking about Halloween events - an ENTIRELY different beast than summer weekdays.

 

Dorney is definitely not a better park unless of course you are talking about cleanliness and security.

 

 

Weekends at any park are a virtual disaster. That's why I never go to FF. Wait 2+ hourse for a ride you can get on in 20 or 30 minutes all season.

[boldikus]

That's why I said Dorney's Halloween event was better, never a substantial wait for the coasters, if at all.

[coasterbill]

That's why I said Dorney's Halloween event was better, never a substantial wait for the coasters, if at all.

 

True story. We watched the Skeleton crew show last year (good show by the way) which is ten feet from Hydra's entrance and went to Hydra as soon as the show dumped and we STILL walked right on to the front row.

 

Also we were completely trashed at that point. We drank a bunch of Hydra's at Chickie and Pete's so we decided it would only be right to ride the drink's namesake. Despite most of my posts I don't generally drink too much at parks but at Halloween events when that cool air hits I have this sudden urge to drink everything in the park.

[jamesinclair]

The fact that anyone would pay for Flash Pass is beyond me. Now if they started giving it for free like Disney, I would def take it up. El Toro is great, but I'm not gonna pay an extra $50 or so just to skip the line!

 

I'd much rather wait in line and catch Pokemon!

 

Agreed. I find the idea insulting.

[coasterbill]

Have fun on your moral high horse. I'll wave while I'm walking by you in the Fastlane line.

[jamesinclair]

Have fun on your moral high horse. I'll wave while I'm walking by you in the Fastlane line.

 

And Ill wave back with all the cash I saved.

[coasterbill]

Have fun on your moral high horse. I'll wave while I'm walking by you in the Fastlane line.

 

And Ill wave back with all the cash I saved.

 

This isn't always the case.

 

If I go to my home park I'm not going to buy a Flash Pass, but if I'm visiting a park I rarely get to then I'm buying all the bells and whistles I possibly can to make my day awesome. Plus in a lot of cases this can turn a 2 day park into a 1 day park, saving the need for an addition nights hotel stay / another day off work / another admission ticket.

[boldikus]

And Ill wave back with all the cash I saved.

And after two hours of waiting in the hot sun you can use it to wipe your tears.

[coasterbill]

And Ill wave back with all the cash I saved.

And after two hours of waiting in the hot sun you can use it to wipe your tears.

 

 

Seriously though, go wait for Nitro around 5 or 6PM on ANY OCTOBER SATURDAY and tell me what you think of Flash Pass. The line routinely spills out the entrance and due to the fact that more than half of every train with exit passes and the Flash Pass line goes all the way to the bottom of the stairs the standby line will always exceed 3 hours.

[boldikus]

^ he's not even kidding.

[Genx24]

I don't find the idea of a skip the line pass insulting in the slightest. It comes down to personal choice. If your one and only visit to Great Adventure is a weekend during Fright Fest and you don't want to spend the money, that's all well and good, but you can't then turn around and complain about how long you waited for the rides.

 

That being said, I'd never buy one at Great Adventure because it's my home park. For my visits to other Six Flags parks, I luckily haven't needed a flash pass yet, but I always budgeted for one.

[Cj1990]

And Ill wave back with all the cash I saved.

And after two hours of waiting in the hot sun you can use it to wipe your tears.

 

 

This was the first time I genuinely every laughed out loud from a post... on any forum lol.

 

See... I did the pass because I've been wanting to go to this park, realistically, about 10 years. That's a decently long time. I also know I won't get a chance to go back for years and years. I think this is the part that people miss. It's worth it to spend the extra money and make the trip everything it's supposed to be. To be able to experience everything and not feel stressed out or rushed. I like to take breaks and have a few drinks. Get a buzz, then head back out for more rides lol.

I also kind of feel like the people that are too stubborn or hard headed to invest into their trips and buy a fast pass... are probably not the kind of people I want to be hanging out with anyways lol. Have a little fun. Spend a little money. We work for a reason lol.

 

With that said. I also wouldn't spend money on fast passes if I was going to a park near me. I go to Cedar point at least once a month. I absolutely don't buy fast passes there much because I go so often and I know when to visit. That is a waste of money. The only time I bought fast passes for CP were when I had family in visiting from California and we went. They are into roller coasters and I wanted their experience to be genuine and not consumed with waiting in lines. By the second coaster, my dad even said to me, " you were right about these fast passes. They are so worth it. We walked right on to that!"

lol.

[boldikus]

^ You are being proactive and very smart. Unless it rains (and likely even if it does) the park will be packed.

[Satans Hockey]

Wow I can't imagine waiting that long. I'll be going during the busy fright fest season but I'm just going for the trails. I've been on the rides enough this season that I have no patience for long lines for them.

 

I haven't done a fast pass at any park yet but I agree, if I was traveling a long way I would definitely get one. Whenever I get to magic mountain I plan on doing the platinum pass for one day and a gold for the next day.

 

It's also easy money for the park. I wish they would raise season pass prices and generate more revenue to put back into the park though.

[boldikus]

^ Hope you get the scare pass for the trails as those lines will be just as bad if not longer.

 

I always budget FP money into any far-away trip I do. I love that its available at most parks (and its the one and only thing I hate about Hershey) so that if its a one-time visit you can make the most of it. To say the flash pass is insulting is hilarious.

 

And on the subject of buying them at your home park - its been a while, but I will even buy FP for Great Adv if I go and its ridiculously crowded. Last time I *had* to get them was opening night of Batman Backwards July 4th weekend last year. Standby line was 2 hours, with a gold pass it was 1. We purposely went to ride it, only had 4 hours to spend in the park and did not go to stand in line for 2 of those hours. So we got gold passes, reserved Namtab, went to do fun stuff like ride Toro and drink a bunch of beer and then walked right onto Batman while all those suckers stood around for half the night. And then we rode more rides elsewhere. Money well spent I say.

 

Have a little fun. Spend a little money. We work for a reason lol.

THIS.

[Satans Hockey]

^ Hope you get the scare pass for the trails as those lines will be just as bad if not longer.

 

I bought the 45 buck express pass even though I plan on going more on Fridays/Sundays but I figured it well be worth it. I don't mind spending the money cause I already think the park is such a good value as it is.

[boldikus]

I don't mind spending the money cause I already think the park is such a good value as it is.

 

Thats another great point. I literally just paid $60 for a pass to the entire Six Flags chain thats good for admission and parking over the next 17 months (15 if you dont count January-March when GreatAdv is closed). Spending another $60 a few times a year to ensure I dont waste my time standing around at the park is not going to keep me from paying my mortgage. But it is going to ensure me having fun.