Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[larrygator]

Interesting how all the B&Ms will be "open" except Bizarro

 

Because they are limiting the areas of the park that will be open. Looking at the map boldikus posted, that area of the park will not be open.

 

What's interesting is the Old Country path being open.

Edited September 27, 2015 by larrygator

[Steveg1988]

Been a while but... I know why Bizarro isn't going to be open.

 

They're removing the Arena on that side of the park, the one with the water feature. They are going to be using as much of the nice weather as they can, and having guests going around it will make it harder.

[coasterbill]

The arena was on the other side of the park and it's basically gone already. Bizarro is closed because everything is closed beyond the boardwalk as has already been stated.

[Steveg1988]

The arena was on the other side of the park and it's basically gone already. Bizarro is closed because everything is closed beyond the boardwalk as has already been stated.

 

They are removing the Lake Arena, the fort independence arena, and the Live N Local arena. I keep forgetting what one is what.

[coasterbill]

All 3 were right next to each other by the Lakefront and all 3 are gone now. Also, did Six Flags refer to that live and local stage as an arena? If so LOL!!!

[jburns309]

EL TORO RYAN!!! That was us screaming last night on El Toro.

 

Great time at Frightfest! It was crowded, but the weather was perfect. All coasters were running.

[coasterbill]

Anyway, I have a mini trip report from yesterday!

 

So months ago I surprised my girlfriend with a Safari VIP tour for her birthday. This was our first time doing anything like this and it turned about to be absolutely awesome. Our tour was at 11am and we immediately were greeted at Guest Relations by our tour guide who did a great job. We hopped in our own private truck and were taken on a tour through the safari which included unique perks like a trip through the now closed baboon area, stopping to feed the elephants and giraffes, interaction with a few of the reptiles (that we basically got to pick and choose) and the ability to get right up to the fence with the wardens for the lions and tigers. At one point we were also taken behind the scenes to see some baby giraffes and pet one of the rhinos.

 

The tour was a ton of fun and as stated our tour guide was outstanding. At the end of the tour we were even given a hollowed out Rhea egg to take home. I highly recommend anyone who really enjoys the safari do this at least once. You really learn a ton about the animals and get up close and personal with them and their awesome trainers. The people who work in the safari really know their stuff and they all do a tremendous job.

 

==============================================

 

After our safari tour we headed into the theme park and prepared to brave the Saturday fright fest crowds. I won't get into anything but I'll highlight a few key things I noticed.

 

First the Cons, then the pros...

 

- I felt like the ride staff yesterday was doing a great job but I felt like the park in many cases put them in awful situations by under staffing everything. The crowd yesterday was unbearable, a ton of self entitled people who thought they had the right to treat park staff like dirt every time something happened that they didn't like. Yesterday we saw someone go through the air gates on Batman to yell at the ride ops that "these people have been waiting" and pointed out that the line "wasn't moving fast enough and that was bullsh*t". Ironically the fact that he wouldn't get behind the gate was holding up the line even more. The Batman crew had one train (with only 7 rows), one person on each side of the platform and they were literally almost running to check and dispatch trains as fast as possible.

 

When the train was out on the course I expressed my sympathy to one of the ops and they just replied with something along the lines of "Thank god you realize this isn't our fault. I can't wait until we're forwards again and we have 2 trains". The op then told us that earlier that day someone was screaming at them because they didn't believe there wasn't another train and was demanding that they put it on. The op just pointed at the transfer track looking exhausted and said that they were REALLY trying and didn't know what they were supposed to do. You can tell these people really want to provide the best guest experience possible but they're given nothing to work with.

 

Then over at Kingda Ka we were in line and shockingly (I know... I couldn't believe it either) the ride broke down. It turned out that that it took about an hour but we waited it out because it kept looking promising. They launched a few trains and the brake fins kept moving around, trains kept rolling out so it was obvious the issue would be resolved. As soon as the ride broke a few security guys who I'm convinced have the worst job in the world because they have to deal with these people all day every day came over and explained that the ride was down, they didn't know how long it would be down for and of course informed everyone that they were welcome to wait in line but they didn't know how long it would last... you know the drill.

 

People started b*tching because the idea that a mechanical masterpiece such as Kingda Ka could have a temporary breakdown was apparently too much to bear. About 30 minutes into the wait one of the ride ops came down the ramp and again explained very nicely that she was sorry, the ride was "frustrating" and she knew a few trains launched and they keep re-cycling the brakes but it didn't fix the issue yet so it would be a little longer. I honestly thought that was really nice and they went above and beyond but apparently I was alone in that sentiment.

 

Immediately some entitled girl began explaining that "she understood" the ops perspective but she needed to be "putting herself in her position". She explained that she felt that the park "should really do something for her" because "she had been standing there for an hour and could have been riding other rides" and then went on to complain some more to the point that a security guard came over (who was very nice) to try to make her happy too and they both continued smiling through an insufferable conversation with this entitled idiot and by some miracle finally got their opportunity to leave when a train rolled out and cleared the tower and the ride re-opened.

 

- At the Cantina they had a line of about 30 people and one bartender. The policy put in place is asinine. Despite the 30 minute beer line there was a one drink limit per person (which is kind of good because this crowd was unbearable enough already), everyone tried to get 2 because of the line. Then people were holding tables but everyone needed to come up one at a time and get a wristband saying they were over 21 and EVERYONE needed to show ID even if they were in their 60's or 70's (as we saw) which delayed things as they had to go searching since a few people laughed that they hadn't been carded in decades. Finally some other guy came out with the bartender apron on and proceeded to stand behind the bar doing absolutely nothing for 30 minutes while he watched the other guy drown. They had another register and while Six Flags may have thought having one bartender on a Fright Fest Saturday was saving them money it cost them a ton more because everyone just gave up and got courtesy cups of water from someone else. People siting at the bar couldn't be served so they had to get up and wait another 30 minutes if they wanted another beer. I felt awful for that bartender.

 

I know I've complained a bit so far and that's not my intention. We had a great time yesterday! I'm just trying to express my sympathy for the people that worked at the park yesterday because I was blown away by how great the staff was yesterday despite having to deal with this crap and I figured pointing out some of these things might be a good way to do so. I know nobody who works at the park is going to come on here and agree or talk down about the guests but I really sympathized with them.

 

The Pros (besides the Safari which was amazing):

 

- Namtab was fun! I prefer it forwards and can't wait for the forwards trains to come back but going backwards was really cool. Super smooth, super intense... holy crap! It was much better than expected.

 

- The Bizarro crew was killing it yesterday. They're normally abysmal but they were barely stacking at all despite being hideously understaffed and only having one seat checker per side.

 

- Nitro was flying last night. We got a back seat ride and it was super smooth and produced some really solid airtime. We had one of the best rides we'd had in a long time on Nitro.

 

- El Toro! We rode it once in the afternoon and then ended the night with 3 consecutive rides without getting off (including the last train of the night) and of course the ride was running insane as it always does. We're so lucky to have this ride just 2 hours from our house.

 

So overall we had a great time, the Safari was amazing, the staff was great and we managed to get on all of our favorites, only skipping Zumanjaro, Sky Screamer and Superman. The park was slammed but the longest we waited for anything was 90 minutes (for Batman and Kingda Ka in the front row) which isn't so bad. By the end of the night lines were non existent. Nitro and El Toro were both walk ons. We had a great day!

 

El Toro 4x

Skyway 2x

Namtab 1x

Kingda Ka 1x

Skull Mountain (back row represent lol) 1x

Bizarro 1x

Nitro 1x

 

And a few Safari photos that I pulled from my girlfriend's Facebook because I'm lazy...

[FaithPlus1]

Great report Bill! That backstage tour looked like a lot of fun.

Sucks to hear about the crowd. It seems everyone thinks they have the right to complain about everything.

[Superbatboy]

Awesome pics and report! The Giraffes steal my heart

[boldikus]

Great report and photos Bill. I was enjoying following along on your FB posts yesterday. I haven't done the safari since we would drive through in the 80s, and have been wanting to get the other half to do it with me, this VIP thing might be the move.

 

I am dreading going over to the park for Fright Fest. We got lucky on a misty/almost rainy night in Oct last year and while we got a gold pass the crowds were still heavy and annoying at times.

 

My experiences at Macho Nacho have been great all three times Ive gone. Last time we ordered food, got our little number thing, went and sat at the bar and ordered multiple drinks (while others did) from just one bartender and then ate our food there and continued drinking. Seems like it was really busy.

 

I'm really focused on getting to Dorney for Haunt cause it was just so much better.

[coneyislandchris]

Nice, Bill! I saw the info about Safari VIP when I picked up my memberships, but also saw that we needed to call in advance to set them up. And by the time we got around to making our way to Safari, they had already closed the line. So, next time.

 

My wife and I got our cards at the gate, but the kiddo needed to go over to Season Pass services to get his because no fingerprints. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and we were in and out pretty quick.

 

That being said, since the kiddo is just shy of 44", we ended up mostly doing flat rides and the smaller coasters yesterday. Lots of carousels, pirate ships, round-up, Ferris wheel, and whatnot. Blackbeard was actually surprisingly good for a kiddie coaster! He was less than impressed with The Dark Knight coaster. Turned away at the entrance to Skull Mountain, expected as much, but they were more lenient over at Runaway Mine Train.

 

I did manage to escape twice while the wife took him to the kid areas, and got rides on Nitro and Bizarro. Even though the lines were long, they were moving super fast thanks to running three trains per ride and the ops teams just firing on all cylinders. Didn't wait more than 25 minutes for either ride which was really impressive for the Saturday crowd. No fire effects on Bizarro for some reason, maybe they relocated them somewhere else for FF?

 

As much as I would have liked to get another ride on Namtab before they flip it, the line was all the way back to the entrance gates, presumably because they were only running one train. And then it shut down for a bit. I didn't even bother heading towards Kingda Ka. Tried to get a ride in on El Toro before we left, but it was looking like a 90 minute wait and everyone else was starting to get tired at that point.

 

Overall, a pretty good family day at the park! Will definitely be back many times now that we are members, and hopefully the kiddo can grow a few more inches before next summer to be able to ride El Toro. (Might be a little wishful thinking tho.)

 

Obligatory phone photos!

 

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood!

Ex-Grandstand.

Nostalgia feels!

Welcome to Nitro, enjoy your floater air and 90's techno music!

Love the view from the top of the Big Wheel!

The kiddo really had a great time yesterday.

[larrygator]

I hit up the park at opening today. I got ten rides in on El Toro before finally having to get off the train. The crew was doing an awesome job. Six rides in the middle row of the last car and 4 rides in the middle row of the 5th car. Went to get lunch at Macho Nacho and noticed the TriTip sandwich is no longer on the menu (bummer), but that's OK because I said with my dining pass I was going to try different food places in the park. Settled on a Cheessteak in the Boardwalk area. Not great but didn't suck. Also picked up a chocolate chip cookie somewhere along the way for my snack. I made two laps around the park just for a little exercise and got a walk-on ride on Nitro before leaving the park around 1PM. The park was still pretty dead when I left the park, that nice chill in the morning and overcast skies helped keep the crowds light.

 

This will probably be my last trip of the year to SFGAdv (although I might try Holiday in the Park) but I'm still trying to figure out if I can squeeze in a Sunday morning trip to SFNE in two weeks.

[DoinItForTheFame]

This is such a beautiful photo. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[boldikus]

^ Yeah seriously! *yoink*

 

Thanks for the new desktop!

[coneyislandchris]

Ha ha, no problem, happy to be of service!

 

My wife had the good DSLR and took several photos throughout the day. I'll see if I can get some of those uploaded in the future because they're sure to be much better than the crap I take with my phone.

[TBpony414]

Hey coasterbill, what did that Safari run you and how long did the tour last? My boyfriend surprised me with a penguin encounter and wolf tour at BGW last year during their christmas event and it was awesome! We rode the safari at SFGAdv last year and loved it as well so I bet the VIP tour would be even better. Those pics of you guys petting the rhino and giraffes are great.

 

Too bad about major understaffing at the rides and rude people in the queues. We are planning on going up to Jackson area this coming weekend for something during the day and would pop over to SF in the evenings. Did it last year and ponied up for the grand slam flash passes but got on more rides in a few hours at night than we would have any other time. However, there weren't problems with staffing thenso I hope we have a good experience this year! Thanks for the heads up.

[coasterbill]

First of all... did you say Wolf Tour? Where do I sign up??

(That's a figure of speech before you all send me links to "Let me Google that For You"... don't get any ideas, lol)

 

But anyway the total was $260 for 2 people (including taxes fees and whatever so $130 each). That's the price if you have a season pass, if you don't it's a little more but includes park admission. For us that's a pretty significant chunk of change but for a gift or something it's really nice, and we absolutely recommend doing it once if you're an animal lover. You won't be disappointed.

[FaithPlus1]

Damn this park has so much potential. When I look at some of those pics, I really think Six Flags should be giving this park SFMM financing. I know each park is ran separately, but GADV could easily turn into one of the best parks in the US.

[woolandmammoth]

Damn this park has so much potential. When I look at some of those pics, I really think Six Flags should be giving this park SFMM financing. I know each park is ran separately, but GADV could easily turn into one of the best parks in the US.

 

Welcome to the eternal struggle that has been being a GADV local for the past 8 or so years.

[strz]

Damn this park has so much potential. When I look at some of those pics, I really think Six Flags should be giving this park SFMM financing. I know each park is ran separately, but GADV could easily turn into one of the best parks in the US.

 

Welcome to the eternal struggle that has been being a GADV local for the past 8 or so years.

 

 

DITTO!!!!!!!

[coasterbill]

Damn this park has so much potential. When I look at some of those pics, I really think Six Flags should be giving this park SFMM financing. I know each park is ran separately, but GADV could easily turn into one of the best parks in the US.

 

I guess maybe it's just me but I'm thrilled with how Six Flags has treated Great Adventure lately. We got a ton of great family and flat rides which we desperately needed like Sky Screamer, Fender Bender and Deja Vu, we got SORA which is a complete game-changer and has been an overwhelming success, we got the tallest drop tower in the world, we have a holiday event now that will allow us to ride Nitro and Batman into January and we're getting a coaster in 2016. Remind me again what the problem is... I have no idea what you people are taking about.

[Steveg1988]

Damn this park has so much potential. When I look at some of those pics, I really think Six Flags should be giving this park SFMM financing. I know each park is ran separately, but GADV could easily turn into one of the best parks in the US.

 

I guess maybe it's just me but I'm thrilled with how Six Flags has treated Great Adventure lately. We got a ton of great family and flat rides which we desperately needed like Sky Screamer, Fender Bender and Deja Vu, we got SORA which is a complete game-changer and has been an overwhelming success, we got the tallest drop tower in the world, we have a holiday event now that will allow us to ride Nitro and Batman into January and we're getting a coaster in 2016. Remind me again what the problem is... I have no idea what you people are taking about.

 

 

The problem as i see it, is that GA will get nice stuff like the biggest/bestest ride...but the other sections of the park start to feel lacking. For example there are parts of the park that have not been really altered since the 1980s, the entry area for example was modified in the early 90s or late 80s, and have remained that way since. Meanwhile they keep removing theme elements, like the giant teepee, without replacing it with something big and unique. Basically SFGadv is turning more generic as time goes on. You have too many dead sections of the park, for example you have the Autobhan bumper car building sitting empty on one end of the park along with the torn apart musik express ride.

[YoshiFan]

I have also been happy with what has been added to the park and in addition to the rides they reopened the closed rides Red Zone left SBNO like Tango and Houdini and some a bunch of kiddie rides. Holiday in the Park is something I have wanted for years. Normally it would be just a month to go until the off-season and now if the park opens in March (with Easter early next year) the only month they won't have an operating day is February.

 

Not related to that but I was very surprised to see such low crowds on Sunday. I was there from 1 to 6:30 and other than Superman at 20 minutes and Kingda Ka (didn't ride since it broke down when I was near the ride), I didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything. Even the Fright Fest attractions looked like they had hardly any people in line. It was quite the opposite of 2 weeks ago when Skull Mountain had an almost full queue and Bizarre had a 2/3 full queue.

[toughmudder]

Looks like there's rain the forecast this weekend. Anything I should be aware of on a rainy day at SFGAdv? Are there any rides they shut down due to rain?

[boldikus]

Everything but Skull Mountain and Dark Knight will shut down in thunderstorms/lightning. Everything else EXCEPT KINGDA KA will run in rain without lightning/thunder. KK will not run any type of precipitation. On the plus side, potential rain keeps crowds light so if you want to marathon Nitro or Toro in the rain it shouldn't be a problem.