Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[Jcoaster]

Six Flags should have never got rid of all their other inverting flats in the first place. Almost every flat they added during "The War on Lines" is gone now. They barely lasted 10 years.

 

As for Rolling Thunder you could have always expanded behind El Toro by going through the large chunk of land that is behind Bizzaro. That area could use the much needed traffic anyway.

[Genx24]

I personally don't like the addition, but whats done is done. For years people were saying Great Adventure needs more flats, and when they add one people still complain. Just accept El Diablo for what it is, and hope that 2016 brings the park something better.

[B&MIntaminGCI]

I'm going to the park on Thursday and hopefully it's dead. I know it's going to rain so I'm putting my phone in a ziplock bag and saying F it, I want to be soaked. I love it, even if I am cold, oh well.

[Ccron10]

I know I may catch some heat for this statement but I hate it lol. It just reminds me too much of a cheap carnival ride. I can't believe they removed Rolling Thunder for this garbage and Zumanjaro's queue. There was no way they could get away with making it shorter?

You could say the same about Deja Vu, but you don't hear many complaining about it since those big Eli Scramblers have been added to other parks. The same is happening with these Ring-of-Fire rides and it wouldn't shock me if they start to blend in as well within a few years.

[boldikus]

I can't believe they removed Rolling Thunder for this garbage

 

I really wish folks would stop insinuating the park removed Rolling Thunder for this. This isn't a personal attack Jcoaster, I just keep seeing it everywhere and its driving me nuts. Think about it. I highly doubt the park had plans two years ago when RT was removed to add a Super Loop of all things and took RT out because they wanted to put that in.

 

Rolling Thunder was removed because THIS

vvv

 

It was in poor condition and was likely very expensive to maintain, took up a massive chunk of valuable land, and had decreasing ridership. Zumanjaro's queue took up a pice of its footprint (which is a far superior ride than RT, even with its crap capacity),

 

Also THIS

 

For years people were saying Great Adventure needs more flats, and when they add one people still complain. Just accept El Diablo for what it is, and hope that 2016 brings the park something better.

 

I would love an new coaster as much as anyone here, but even without one for 2015, we still have one of the best, most well rounded line-ups on the planet, with our top three being pretty big-deal, renowned coasters. If you don't like the new addition, then don't ride it. Plain and simple. Look at it with a glass-half-full-perspective: there is no major huge flashy ride to bring people to the park that wouldn't normally go aka less long lines this year.

 

Also (unrelated) Great Adventure Online posted this, anyone know the story?? LMAO

 

[Jcoaster]

^ Remember when Six Flags added all those flat rides for the "War on Lines"? Then they ripped out those same flats not even 10 years in and now are spending money on MORE flats they could have still had. Looping Starship could have easily been relocated to another area of the park along with many of those flats. As far as Rolling Thunder is concerned, yea it may have been beyond repair but whose fault is that? The park's management. Maybe if they cared about their classic attractions a bit more and put some effort into maintaining them throughout the years those problems could have been avoided. Lets not beat around the bush here, this park has always been plagued by poor management. They do everything backwards. I'm just pointing out the obvious. Be Better Six Flags.

[Genx24]

^^ Looks like a couple of people took a wrong turn.

[Password121]

^ Remember when Six Flags added all those flat rides for the "War on Lines"? Then they ripped out those same flats not even 10 years in and now are spending money on MORE flats they could have still had. Looping Starship could have easily been relocated to another area of the park along with many of those flats. As far as Rolling Thunder is concerned, yea it may have been beyond repair but whose fault is that? The park's management. Maybe if they cared about their classic attractions a bit more and put some effort into maintaining them throughout the years those problems could have been avoided. Lets not beat around the bush here, this park has always been plagued by poor management. They do everything backwards. I'm just pointing out the obvious. Be Better Six Flags.

You're placing the blame of Premier's management on modern day Six Flags. Six Flags in '99 through the early 2000's doesn't even resemble the Six Flags of today. Great Adventure went in over their heads adding more rides than they knew what to do with, could staff, or even maintain. Some of these rides were earlier models, meaning they were very unreliable. These were slowly removed after standing SBNO for a while, while others were replaced with rides you are saying the park needs more of. You know, that little known ride we call El Toro?

Yes, it is true that many were just removed. Shipped to other parks. Packed up into the junkyard. This was the doing of 1999-2005 Six Flags. Not 2010-present Six Flags.

Today, management realizes the park isn't all about coasters. They recognize the importance of a fairly well rounded experience, all done responsibly, meaning not $42 million in a single year.

What I'm trying to say is the past is the past. It's over. Six Flags is doing what they see best for the park, and you know what? I think that's pretty damn good for a park that came within months of folding in the late '80's and filed for bankruptcy less than 10 years ago.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Password121

[Password121]

*Double post

[Jcoaster]

^ Remember when Six Flags added all those flat rides for the "War on Lines"? Then they ripped out those same flats not even 10 years in and now are spending money on MORE flats they could have still had. Looping Starship could have easily been relocated to another area of the park along with many of those flats. As far as Rolling Thunder is concerned, yea it may have been beyond repair but whose fault is that? The park's management. Maybe if they cared about their classic attractions a bit more and put some effort into maintaining them throughout the years those problems could have been avoided. Lets not beat around the bush here, this park has always been plagued by poor management. They do everything backwards. I'm just pointing out the obvious. Be Better Six Flags.

You're placing the blame of Premier's management on modern day Six Flags. Six Flags in '99 through the early 2000's doesn't even resemble the Six Flags of today. Great Adventure went in over their heads adding more rides than they knew what to do with, could staff, or even maintain. Some of these rides were earlier models, meaning they were very unreliable. These were slowly removed after standing SBNO for a while, while others were replaced with rides you are saying the park needs more of. You know, that little known ride we call El Toro?

Yes, it is true that many were just removed. Shipped to other parks. Packed up into the junkyard. This was the doing of 1999-2005 Six Flags. Not 2010-present Six Flags.

Today, management realizes the park isn't all about coasters. They recognize the importance of a fairly well rounded experience, all done responsibly, meaning not $42 million in a single year.

What I'm trying to say is the past is the past. It's over. Six Flags is doing what they see best for the park, and you know what? I think that's pretty damn good for a park that came within months of folding in the late '80's and filed for bankruptcy less than 10 years ago.

 

Did we ignore the part where I said the park has always been plagued by bad management basically meaning every era ever? Look at the park its a gigantic hodgepodge of dead ends and themed area's that make no sense due to the mismanagement of everyone whose ever owned the park. The infrastructure is disgusting, most parts of the park look run-down. How about putting money into that? Look at Movie Town it has been reduced to TDK, Batman and an empty theater to accompany them. Why the hell wouldn't they put a new flat in pathetic movie town instead of backend of the park, an area that has gotten the most attention over the past 5-10 years while they've left the original area of the park to rot with the exception of adding the Sky Screamer a few years back. I will admit I've been a season pass holder for the past 5 years but thats solely due to the coaster collection they have to offer and that I live 45 minutes away. I refuse to sit here and defend Great Adventure being a good park minus its coaster collection.

 

P.S. How about a vending machine that works? My friend couldn't even buy an overpriced soda the other due to the fact that the machine couldn't accept any sort of bills.

[DevilsFlight]

^Like you said, one of the only reasons you get a season pass is because of its coaster collection. Management may want to expand the left side of the park because so many popular coasters are there. People don't come to the park from around the world for infrastructure. They come for the rides. Hopefully next year Old Country will be reborn in a way and make the right side popular again. I agree the park needs work but the primary focus is on the rides because that's what makes people go year after year. Hopefully soon repairs will be done but I doubt it.

[larrygator]

Rolling Thunder and Great American Scream Machine were removed because they were crap. Anything that operates in their place is an improvement.

[Jcoaster]

^Like you said, one of the only reasons you get a season pass is because of its coaster collection. Management may want to expand the left side of the park because so many popular coasters are there. People don't come to the park from around the world for infrastructure. They come for the rides. Hopefully next year Old Country will be reborn in a way and make the right side popular again. I agree the park needs work but the primary focus is on the rides because that's what makes people go year after year. Hopefully soon repairs will be done but I doubt it.

 

The popular coasters being on the left side of the park isn't even necessarily true. Nitro is on the right side of the park, which annually pulls in more riders in a summer season then some coasters do that operate at year round parks. They could do a refurbishment of the neglected looking Congo Rapids but I doubt it. Or perhaps do something about that vacant eyesore that is the waterfront arena, the same could be said about the arena that is vacant in movie town. Instead we got a Super-Loop, because that is the immediate answer to the parks many glaring problems. Make the place look respectable, then add your carnival flat and advertise it as a coaster.

 

I will gladly take Great American Scream Machine and Rolling Thunder over a Super-loop and Green Lantern. Someone before was crying about how the park bounced back from nearly closing in the 80's. You can thank Scream Machine for that or else we possibly wouldn't have El Toro or Nitro or any coaster that has come after that.

[Password121]

Who ever said this ride was the park's answer to its problems? The park stated that infrastructure work is in the plans, its just not in the budget for 2015. Not every park can spend millions upon millions every year. It's called an "off" year for a reason. The park spent a crap ton of money on Zumajaro just last year due to issues that weren't really the park's fault.

I completely understand that Gadv isn't the best maintained park out there. It could absolutely use some work. But the park has a budget, priorities, and people to cater to (not nit-picky enthusiasts like you and me), which requires them to take on one task at a time.

I guarantee that if they spent the 2015 budget on making Movietown look $1 million nicer, you'd complain that they didn't "replace" RT with anything. And you would need a magnifying glass to notice the changes from only a million dollars in a park the scale of Gadv. Just my take.

[Jcoaster]

^ No I actually complain that I can't ride Rolling Thunder anymore. I rather them take that 1 million and give RT a refurbishment, at least there would still be a intermediate coaster for the kids to ride. Thats my take.

[boldikus]

Since this is kind of on topic (lol) - just read on GAdv Connoisseurs Group on FB - park is putting these trains on the RT track with a plaque about the ride in Zumanjaro's queue. Cool shot too. I really hope some more landscaping goes up around the ride, but not holding my breath.

 

[Brassinthegrass]

^ No I actually complain that I can't ride Rolling Thunder anymore. I rather them take that 1 million and give RT a refurbishment, at least there would still be a intermediate coaster for the kids to ride. Thats my take.

 

 

Although I don't want to disagree with your thought pattern hear, we don't truley know the whole story about RT closing. SF doesn't out out explanations and off season info like Cedar Fair does...

 

I'd like to think that the park has spent all the money on the east side of the park, I can only hope it is because what ever is coming to the west side is going to truley spruce up the area... And we already see fences on the pathway to the far end of Movie Town... Maybe we will see more as the season goes on...

[Jcoaster]

Oh good Six Flags is honoring RT by letting its trains rot on the last "unmovable" piece of track left. You can now view it from Zumanjaro's obnoxiously overlong queue line that never even comes close to being filled.

[boldikus]

[Jcoaster]

 

Nope, all I can do is laugh at their stupidity at this point. I gave up on this place with everything besides their coasters.

[tanthonyam]

HOLY CRAP! Just saw the pics of the crowds at the gate. No thank you!

[Nitro1118]

As I mentioned yesterday, there is no question Chiller (2 totally different tracks), GASM and RT (2 similar but different tracks) are better than a Ring of Fire, a themed Wild Mouse that is already dated where the effects only work half the time, and a hand-me-down of B&M's worst style of ride. That's basically going down from 5 to 2 coasters, with 5 of the 6 best of those attractions being the ones we lost.

 

With that said, as I mentioned, the park has made big leaps in the flat department, made improvements to HH, made the Safari a WONDERFUL attraction, and started refurbishing some of the weaker areas of the park. A nice new coaster, dark ride/simulator, new show or two, and connecting some of the park's dead ends will push this park to a new peak in its history. All very feasible goals that the park has positioned itself in by a 3-4 year run of solid additions that have boosted the park in subtle areas of need

[Nitro1118]

So, apparently the Old Country path has been reopened, and some markings on the pavement have been found. Most likely nothing, but there seems to be quite a few of them, and including arrows and abbreviated terms. Let the 2016 rumorv speculation begin!

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of GAHistory.

[Superbatboy]

It's really sad they gave up on Chiller IMO. GASM was understandable, and to a lesser extent RT.

[rcdude]

So, apparently the Old Country path has been reopened, and some markings on the pavement have been found. Most likely nothing, but there seems to be quite a few of them, and including arrows and abbreviated terms. Let the 2016 rumorv speculation begin!

 

There was a rumor last summer that SFGAdv would be receiving an S&S Free Spin similar to the one at SFFT for 2015. From what I've heard since, due to all the delays involved with Zumanjaro Six Flags chose to move El Diablo (which was originally scheduled for Great Escape) to SFGAdv for 2015 and delay the Free Spin by a year. I don't know how true this is, but it does seem to make sense as SFGAdv is due for a new coaster and El Diablo was a bit of a strange choice for the park.