Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[michaellynn4]

Operations on Zumanjaro are some of the best in the park. They really try to pump out the riders.

 

Unfortunately, that does have a negative effect on Kingda Ka since it can only run trains while Zumanjaro isn't in a run cycle. While I think 2-3 trains every ten minutes is a bit of an exaggeration, it has had an impact on its capacity. I'd say that Ka can get roughly two trains sent in between each of Zumanjaro's cycles, which are about 1.5 minutes each.

[Lightnin Loops]

Kingda Ka's capacity has been cut in half since the addition of zumanjaro. and many of the other rides operations are pretty terrible, since for the most part, all the coasters are run with min staffing. usually except for Green lantern and Ka. get the platinum flash pass. its totally worth it. the worst ride in bizarro. they stack 3 trains all the time, the 2014 bizarro crew stunk, and nitros wasn't so good either. hopefully 2015 is a lot better.

[El Toro_Ryan]

Before Zumanjaro, Ka could launch 60 trains an hour no problem but now it can only do 36 at most. I'm really hoping the park has a fix up their sleeves that satisfies the state of NJ. I want to see the two rides run together like planned!!

[coasterbill]

Operations on Zumanjaro are some of the best in the park. They really try to pump out the riders.

 

Unfortunately, that does have a negative effect on Kingda Ka since it can only run trains while Zumanjaro isn't in a run cycle. While I think 2-3 trains every ten minutes is a bit of an exaggeration, it has had an impact on its capacity. I'd say that Ka can get roughly two trains sent in between each of Zumanjaro's cycles, which are about 1.5 minutes each.

 

Depending on the crews they can send 2-3 but every time I've gone it's been 1. This is a testament to the Zumanjaro crew but unfortunately I wish they'd slow down a little and let Kingda Ka send at least the 2 trains that are loaded and ready between cycles. When we were there last year they were averaging 3 trains every 10 minutes... I swear I'm not exaggerating and it was no fault of either crew.

 

Overall I think Great Adventure has great operations. They're not as fast as a park like Cedar Point but that's more a staffing issue than anything. The operators they do have are almost always really good and every coaster usually runs all of it's trains (except Kingda Ka which doesn't have a reason to). Bizarro is the one exception, that crew is flat out brutal.

[Sfne1313]

What makes the bizarro crew so bad? Do they just take their time? Or do they talk to the other ops and get distracted?

[coasterbill]

Well... one problem is that they're understaffed... they only have one person on each side checking the train. But the bigger problem is that they talk to eachother and screw around all the time to the point where they don't usually even open the gates until the train on the course is in the mid course. I wish they'd just run 2 trains because they stack for so long that they don't even need the third.

 

Luckily that's not typical of Great Adventure. Most of the crews are great and usually they seem to enjoy their jobs. Nitro generally has a great crew (though last year it was just okay) and rides like El Toro and Kingda Ka are always on point. Unfortunately Kingda Ka gets slowed down by Zumanjaro and El Toro gets slowed down by the lap bar sensors that require the operators to constantly go back and re-check entire cars to make sure the bars are down all the way. They do the best they can though.

[El Toro_Ryan]

What makes the bizarro crew so bad? Do they just take their time? Or do they talk to the other ops and get distracted?

 

They take their sweet time. And it is harder to hit cycle times on that ride due to the floors cause they actually slow down dispatches more than you would think. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread but in order to not double stack, you have to dispatch when the train on the course is leaving the MCBR. Any later than that and then the train double stacks. Dispatching that early is completely doable with only two people on the train. Me and a few others were pretty good at it, but most of the Bizarro crew did not care enough. lol

[michaellynn4]

^ Yea, it seems like the main problem is finding staff motivated enough to get through the cycle quick enough. It's definitely doable with only two people and a ride-op, but it seems as though everyone involved needs to be hustling and really on top of their game the entire time, something which not everyone is willing to do. I really wish the park would just staff more, at least on busier days, but that most likely won't be happening.

[MrSum1_55]

Great Adventure is very hit-or-miss with ride operations. ON a few of their top tier rides (El Toro, Nitro, Kingda Ka) they are amazing. Most other rides are typical Six Flags speed. (Especially Superman. Are 4-minute dispatches seriously the best they can do?

[Comeagain?]

Shoulder harnesses with no seat belts and only two people checking the train? That sounds like a lot of fun.

[YoshiFan]

Bizarro would be better off running 2 trains, they would save the wear and tear of running the 3rd train and with the double stacking, the 3rd train doesn't help at all. The few times I have seen the ride running 2 trains, it seemed to work better with little to no stacking.

[El Toro_Ryan]

Great Adventure is very hit-or-miss with ride operations. ON a few of their top tier rides (El Toro, Nitro, Kingda Ka) they are amazing. Most other rides are typical Six Flags speed. (Especially Superman. Are 4-minute dispatches seriously the best they can do?

 

No way, I've seen Superman run without any stacking in the past but in the recent years crews haven't hustled like they used to.

 

Shoulder harnesses with no seat belts and only two people checking the train? That sounds like a lot of fun.

 

Lol it's even worse when you're trying to roll trains and you get to an empty seat where you have to pull down the restraint and fasten the seatbelt. It gets aggravating quick.

 

Bizarro would be better off running 2 trains, they would save the wear and tear of running the 3rd train and with the double stacking, the 3rd train doesn't help at all. The few times I have seen the ride running 2 trains, it seemed to work better with little to no stacking.

 

2 trains is really all Bizarro needs most of the time since it rarely has a line but having 3 trains kind of forces you to hustle a little more. Trust me, if the ride only ran 2 trains everyday, the slow crew members would probably work even slower and the stacking would be worse. Plus having 3 trains gives you the chance to run at a higher capacity if the crew takes advantage of that.

 

Also Batman had a phenomenal crew this year, especially towards the end of the year. They hit one million riders before Toro did I'm pretty sure.

[Comeagain?]

Lol it's even worse when you're trying to roll trains and you get to an empty seat where you have to pull down the restraint and fasten the seatbelt. It gets aggravating quick.

 

I wasn't being sarcastic (unusual for me...). That sounds fun. I loathe waiting for other operators and just checking harnesses and harness straps is easy and fast.

[YoshiFan]

Also Batman had a phenomenal crew this year, especially towards the end of the year. They hit one million riders before Toro did I'm pretty sure.

 

I was really impressed with how fast they were dispatching trains at Batman during Fright Fest. There were times the line was past the tunnel and sometimes into the park area (without the covered switchbacks being used) and it was only a 15 minute wait.

[thesman]

This year was a pretty good year for ride crews. One thing that always bothers me is at the Nitro station the line at the gates gets so long and over crowded its crazy. They need someone there to limit it like at superman kingda ka and El Toro.

[El Toro_Ryan]

This year was a pretty good year for ride crews. One thing that always bothers me is at the Nitro station the line at the gates gets so long and over crowded its crazy. They need someone there to limit it like at superman kingda ka and El Toro.

 

They definitely do but this is Six Flags we're talking here. The only way that would happen is if the flash pass line merged with the regular line at the stairs so that they could just station the flash pass attendant there as the crowd controller. Lol

[Lightnin Loops]

What makes the bizarro crew so bad? Do they just take their time? Or do they talk to the other ops and get distracted?

 

They take their sweet time. And it is harder to hit cycle times on that ride due to the floors cause they actually slow down dispatches more than you would think. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread but in order to not double stack, you have to dispatch when the train on the course is leaving the MCBR. Any later than that and then the train double stacks. Dispatching that early is completely doable with only two people on the train. Me and a few others were pretty good at it, but most of the Bizarro crew did not care enough. lol

 

 

well if they don't care, then supervisors need to yank them off coasters. get people who can do their jobs.

[Lightnin Loops]

This year was a pretty good year for ride crews. One thing that always bothers me is at the Nitro station the line at the gates gets so long and over crowded its crazy. They need someone there to limit it like at superman kingda ka and El Toro.

 

totally disagree. with my 31 visits this season, bizarro and superman were bad like they always are. ka was ruined by the addition of the drop tower. I never seen so much triple stacking on Nitro in one season like this past season. and el toro, with the horrible restraints was terrible. this was one of the worst ride operations yrs ive seen. I also went to a bunch of other parks, and mainly, they were all better, except for SFNE, they sucked. oh well. just hoping for a better 2015.

[El Toro_Ryan]

This year was a pretty good year for ride crews. One thing that always bothers me is at the Nitro station the line at the gates gets so long and over crowded its crazy. They need someone there to limit it like at superman kingda ka and El Toro.

 

totally disagree. with my 31 visits this season, bizarro and superman were bad like they always are. ka was ruined by the addition of the drop tower. I never seen so much triple stacking on Nitro in one season like this past season. and el toro, with the horrible restraints was terrible. this was one of the worst ride operations yrs ive seen. I also went to a bunch of other parks, and mainly, they were all better, except for SFNE, they sucked. oh well. just hoping for a better 2015.

 

Skull Mountain had a good crew. Haha

[coasterbill]

This year was a pretty good year for ride crews. One thing that always bothers me is at the Nitro station the line at the gates gets so long and over crowded its crazy. They need someone there to limit it like at superman kingda ka and El Toro.

 

Nitro's station is a flat out disaster on busy days. Last year during Fright Fest we waited 3 hours and the line was only as few hundred people beyond the entrance sign (near Batman's drop). We had a Flash Pass but we had reserved El Toro so we figured we'd go ride Nitro since it's a people eater but that station is horrible and the line didn't move at all.

 

The Flash Pass line was all the way down the stairs, the amount of exit passes on that ride is insane so the exit path had a huge line too which was blocking people from walking down the stairs when they got off the ride and the stand by line wasn't moving. On busy days they need to do a better job managing that line because it's insanely crowded with people trying to force their way by the Flash Pass people.

 

This is never a real issue except during Fright Fest though but with the boatloads of money they make on Fright Fest Saturdays I agree that they can pay someone a few bucks an hour to make that line flow a little better.

[Keetz]

Being as it's off season and gadv has not gotten a brand new coaster in a few years...

 

I keep thinking about an awesome spot gadv could put a coaster.It would require removing the flat next to skull mountain, and the boat driving attraction. But I think it would be awesome if gadv added an intamin giga coaster that went around switlik lake. It could be a cross between millennium force and i305 with tons of twisties, low lying air time, and a crazy fast run through those woods. Maybe even call it the Jersey Devil. Nitro and El Toro are the air time machines of gadv, and this would be an intense run through the forest. This is just me dreaming though. Is there anthing preventing gadv from building back here? They built on similar land when they built nitro.

[DevilsFlight]

^ Probably the trees. The state would probably dislike the removal of so many. Although it is a great idea and would be an awesome addition the state will find some way to deny it.

[ArgoZ]

So true! It's like the busy intersection that "should" allow all four ways to move, yet without a policeman, no direction moves due to the insanity. Busy days should always had a ride line attendant, as the budget coincidentally allows for it.

[coasterbill]

^^^ I highly doubt they'll be allowed to remove that many trees. Plus that seems like it would be a more expensive coaster than the current management team would generally purchase. They seem to be shying away from the types of huge investments Cedar Fair has been making lately and instead building cheaper coasters and rides.

[Keetz]

^^^ I highly doubt they'll be allowed to remove that many trees. Plus that seems like it would be a more expensive coaster than the current management team would generally purchase. They seem to be shying away from the types of huge investments Cedar Fair has been making lately and instead building cheaper coasters and rides.

 

Fair enough. Well, a lad can dream that the management team sees it, and decides to build it. It would give gadv the possibility of having the #1 Steel and #1 Wood coaster in the world.