Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[michaellynn4]

Green Lantern is bad but nowhere near the level of suckage that is Apocalypse. It's bad but it has its moments. The first drop, loop and the pop off the midcourse are great fun.

 

I very much like the second corkscrew and the descent into it, as well.

[coasterbill]

Both rides are terrible but I think Green Lantern might be worse just because it's longer and the suffering seems like it never ends.

[Password121]

They're both terrible but for different reasons. I prefer Green Lantern only because it's more interesting and intense and I've at least had some decent rides on it, while Apocalypse is consistently just not a good ride.

 

If you're tall enough and can ride defensively, headbanging isn't much of an issue with Green Lantern. The more forceful elements make for some ridiculous quad pains. It's quite the trade off for me because it's not a pain you're used to experiencing on coasters.

 

With Apocalypse, the coaster is so small and slow that there are basically no positive g's to speak of that allow pain in your legs. Somehow, even though it takes the elements so slowly and only inverts twice, the headbanging approaches SLC level. If you think Green Lantern rattles you around then you're in for quite a treat with Apocalypse.

[Nitro1118]

Green Lantern isn't that bad...make sure the seat locks while kneeling so you can stand up with the seat making no body contact. To prevent headbanging, just lean forward or force your head to just one side of the restraint. The headbanging on GL isn't so bad that one of those techniques won't work pretty well.

[Superbatboy]

I didn't think Green Lantern was bad at all, though I sat in a middle row and middle seat. I thought Mantis was 10x worse, like being in a blender on the puree setting.

[Suspence1127]

I've never had a headbanging problem on green lantern. The only thing that hurts at all on it for me is the insane amount of positive G's to the point where my legs feel like they are going to fall of (literally no exaggeration there, I had to sit down for a few minutes before I could walk again)

 

It does have a really cool layout though, which is why I wish they put sit down trains on it.

[Physical]

Making the trip out today for HiTP, will report back with crowds and probably go on and on about how good the lights are like everybody else has

 

I'd imagine the crowds are going to get worse leading up to Christmas, hopefully it's not super busy today considering Thanksgiving was this week.

[Highridin]

I had a great time. Attention to detail was magnificent. I'm going to do a partial trip report later on what I thought about HITP and the park itself. Like I said, a partial report on the park. It was my first time going. I can't wait to see it in the summer next year.

[YoshiFan]

I guess most people who wanted to go the park this weekend went on Friday or yesterday with the warmer weather. The park is empty today, walk ons for all coasters.

[Highridin]

Yup. Been nice to go today then. I had 40-45 minute waits on Friday.

[Physical]

I am so impressed with what SF has done for this event. Honestly once the lights came on, I couldn't even believe I was in a six flags park.

 

Operations were impressive, considering how slow they were all summer (in my experience)

 

Nitro was slow in the afternoon, then warmed up as the night went on. Around 5:45ish Train B had an issue with the restraints on row 1 not clearing even though they were all down fully (even after booting everybody off) after maintenance took a look at it, they transferred it off and switched to single train operations.

 

Batman truly was hauling, never seen it run that fast.

 

Nitro and Skull Mountain were running 2 trains, everything else was single train (except Dark Knight, but I'm not sure how many cars they normally run on that, or how many they were running tonight)

 

Overall, I am /seriously/ impressed, even after reading this thread I couldn't bring myself to get hyped for this event, I figured it'd be another Six Flags cash grab. I am very pleased to state that is not the case. If you haven't made your way out to Jackson for this event yet, get your butt out there! This event really is something else.

[strz]

Yesterday (Sunday after Thanksgiving) turned into a nice day to take in some rides!

 

Here's a quick summary of the day:

- arrived around 1pm, and found the park lot (close to) empty

- all roller coasters that early in the day were walk-ons: Nitro (front row, seemed quicker than it probably was due to the cold wind!)> Batman (front row, ran great!)> Dark Night (figured why not?)> Skull Mountain (front row)> Skyscreamer> Green Lantern (which I NEVER go on due to headaches when I'm done with it; we sat in the front, and I kept my head forward the whole ride....it wasn't so bad!)> Superman (that pretzel loop is quite a sensation!)> Nitro (back row this time)

- I had a commitment last night, so had to leave by 4pm....so can't comment on the lights! (I'll be back though!)

 

Couple observations:

- the park was filling up as the day progressed/got closer to night....so (my opinion) the Holiday lights seem to be the #1 attraction, not the coasters

- I think the cold weather helped me "tolerate" Superman and Green Lantern more so than when it is hot out

- what stood out to me the most was all the leafless trees! For example- it was weird to see so much of the park when we were on the top of Nitro....included the back turn of Nitro, that is usually blocked by leaves/trees

 

All in all- parked looked really good (can't wait to see it after sundown); there was plenty of staff relative to the crowd (which was small early in the day)....and I'm happy that my coaster season has been extended!

 

Fingers crossed that this becomes a money-maker for SF, as I'd like to see it succeed, and get bigger and bigger down the road.

 

If you are debating to go- GO!!!!

[michaellynn4]

- the park was filling up as the day progressed/got closer to night....so (my opinion) the Holiday lights seem to be the #1 attraction, not the coasters

 

I agree with this point, and I think it's the most important factor to consider. I haven't seen too much of it here, but I've noticed others elsewhere equating short lines / walk-ons to light crowds and assuming therefore the event isn't successful. However, I've been three times so far, and even though lines for coasters have been short (if not non-existent), the midways have always been packed, primarily once it starts to get dark. Everywhere you look are families taking pictures, taking part in the various HITP additions, filling up the Adventure Theater for Jack Frost, etc. Heck, I've been noticed longer lines for all the "family" rides than the coasters.

 

It's still too early to determine if this event is a true success or not, but there's enough evidence to show that traditional measurements of success like long lines on coasters aren't what should be primarily considered.

[YoshiFan]

Some of the kiddie and family rides even have temporary extra queues set up for the lines. I noticed it at Deja Vu and at Road Runner Railway (I wanted to walk through the Seaport and see the decorations so I'm not sure if the extra queue for that ride is normally there).

[strz]

- the park was filling up as the day progressed/got closer to night....so (my opinion) the Holiday lights seem to be the #1 attraction, not the coasters

 

I agree with this point, and I think it's the most important factor to consider. I haven't seen too much of it here, but I've noticed others elsewhere equating short lines / walk-ons to light crowds and assuming therefore the event isn't successful. However, I've been three times so far, and even though lines for coasters have been short (if not non-existent), the midways have always been packed, primarily once it starts to get dark. Everywhere you look are families taking pictures, taking part in the various HITP additions, filling up the Adventure Theater for Jack Frost, etc. Heck, I've been noticed longer lines for all the "family" rides than the coasters.

 

It's still too early to determine if this event is a true success or not, but there's enough evidence to show that traditional measurements of success like long lines on coasters aren't what should be primarily considered.

 

 

Watching the growth of all the local farms in the area (for both Halloween and now Christmas), I think this event makes sense....as it is a great place to go for families to see a light display, sip on some hot chocolate, and "get in the mood" for the Holiday season! As you pointed out- small lines at coasters doesn't equate to an unsuccessful event! What will make this successful is revenue in food, drinks, etc. vs. operating cost (like that is anything different than what we already knew!) Incremental season pass and dining plan sales would help too!

 

I'm happy this is taking place, and will make it back at least one more time.......challenges the park will face are: 1) weather, 2) people having enough "free time" around the Holiday's to set aside heading to SF.

 

BTW- social media helps get the word out too! (ie- Facebook postings/check-ins)

[strz]

Some of the kiddie and family rides even have temporary extra queues set up for the lines. I noticed it at Deja Vu and at Road Runner Railway (I wanted to walk through the Seaport and see the decorations so I'm not sure if the extra queue for that ride is normally there).

 

My kids are past that age- however, this would be the area of the park I'd expect to have a "crowd" so to say! I saw plenty of strollers in the park as I was leaving yesterday, and many more coming in! That's great for the park, as little kids will want smores, hot chocolate, etc.....

[njcoasterguy34]

Some of the kiddie and family rides even have temporary extra queues set up for the lines. I noticed it at Deja Vu and at Road Runner Railway (I wanted to walk through the Seaport and see the decorations so I'm not sure if the extra queue for that ride is normally there).

 

My kids are past that age- however, this would be the area of the park I'd expect to have a "crowd" so to say! I saw plenty of strollers in the park as I was leaving yesterday, and many more coming in! That's great for the park, as little kids will want smores, hot chocolate, etc.....

 

It's not only little kids who want s'mores and hot cocoa. Big kids like myself (36-yrs-old) like those items, too.

[KarlaKoaster]

Sounds great! So many Christmas events at parks etc are the same where people go for the atmosphere, the food, the drink etc and the rides are a walk on. When I was at Tivoli Gardens once I could hardly move for people, but all the rides were a walk-on. It's the same at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park too. I love it!

[coasterbill]

Dollywood's Christmas event (which is an overwhelming success) is much the same way. On most days the place is very busy but coaster lines are generally not very long. Firechaser usually has a long line because it's a family coaster and Mystery Mine generally has a bit of a line because of it's capacity (and because it's awesome) but Thunderhead (always 1 train at Christmas), Tennessee Tornado (always 1 train at Christmas) and Wild Eagle (Generally 2 trains) are generally between a 10 minute wait and a walk-on. Great Adventure is much the same way but it's not like there are plenty of people riding the coasters. They're still generally filling trains even on slow days and on Friday Great Adventure apparently had 25, 35 and even 45 minute waits for coasters.

 

I really hope this event is successful and they continue to do it though because it's really great. From what I've seen though it seems like they're doing really well, especially for their first year. Food lines, stores and things that make the park money are always busy during this event.

[Highridin]

This event is awesome. As this is my first time at this park, I'm inclined to do a 'partial' trip report (nothing very thorough for now); sometimes coasters run different in the cold, operations, look of the park in full bloom, regular shows, etc., etc. Once again, I repeat, partial No hard feelings in here. I can't wait to finally try the park next summer with everything open. My daughter and my mom were with me. SFGadv seems superior to every other SF I have visited so far though. I couldn't get my eyes off of Kingda Ka over there, or El Toro. I can't wait to ride those.

 

Coasters:

 

Nitro (9/10)- I'm a fan of smooth rides, and this one did not disappoint. I was quite thrilled throughout the ride. I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere halfway through. For coasters like these, I do prefer a serious bank at the bottom. The turn doesn't have to be as devastating as the Intimidator at KD (not that I mine), but something exhilarating like the S:ROS at SFA is good. No complaints though. I need to ride up front the next time I go.

 

Skull Mountain (5/10)- Probably going to piss some people off with this rating, but I'll be passing the next time I go. It was boring ride to me.

 

Dark Knight (6/10)- Blah, it was OK. The blind drops were good, but probably will be passing next time. I can tell the wait times are bad in the summer.

 

Green Lantern (7/10)- I hear CoasterBill on this one. Apocalyse, but longer. I got annihilated on GL. Why 7/10 even though my ears got destroyed? It still hauled. The ride itself was good.

 

Superman (9/10)- Oh yeah, I like this one. I've only been on one other flying coaster (Batwing). I like the Batwing too, but it tends to put some pressure on my chest which is uncomfortable. Loading seemed faster on Superman too.

 

Batman (10/10)- I'm a fan of SLCs. Put it this way, I like the Mind Eraser (most do not). This one may be taking the #2 spot in my list for favorite coasters currently held by Alpengeist. Admittedly, I was surprised that I like this one so much. Was a little dizzy afterwards though, which has never happened to me on any ride; even the Fireballs.

 

Operations/waits:

 

No real complaints. When we first got there, we waited no more than 10 minutes for each ride. We had 30-45 minute waits as the sun started to go down. One train ops on most, obviously. Honestly, I wasn't real crazy about some of the employees. I've been spoiled by SFA and SFOG (I won't even input Disney here. Will not be fair.. )on which I've always have had a superb experience. Maybe it was the MD Terrapins hoodie I was wearing For the first time, I have to come down on the ratings for the employees and walk-around characters (the email survey). My daughter likes everyone, but had a pretty bad experience by one of the walk-arounds (Sylvester)..lol.. Like I said, spoiled by SFA.

 

As for food, I see that SF is slow in every park with SFA being the absolute slowest. So far SFOT has the crown for being the fastest and they were slow too. I'm comparing all of this to KD, Disney, and BG.

 

Parking:

 

Hmm, good enough.

 

Holiday in the Park:

 

A resounding 10! The attention to detail was superb. No other way to put it. The light displays (especially the tree show), the shows, and the placement of props were masterfully done. I've actually contemplated going back up there one more time before the season is over. I really hope that this is a huge success. I need them to do this at SFA next year (3 miles away). Everyone needs to attend this event. The 2h 45 minute drive was well worth it.

 

Maybe someone can fill me in, but let me guess, I will need to get a flash pass in the summer? So far, Cedar Point was the only place where the pass was absolutely necessary for purchase.

 

Again! All of this may change a bit after I go next year. We'll see. I have a nice line-up next year: SFMM, SFGadv, SFOG, Disney, KD, Hershey, maybe Cedar Point, I always go to SFA, and possibly Universal in Florida.

[Suspence1127]

Nice trip report! Did you ride skull mountain back row?

[Highridin]

Thanks! Actually I rode in front.

[YoshiFan]

Maybe someone can fill me in, but let me guess, I will need to get a flash pass in the summer? So far, Cedar Point was the only place where the pass was absolutely necessary for purchase.

 

It depends on when you go in the summer. On a weekend it will probably be needed. You could probably get away without it on a weekday if there are no major events scheduled that day like a concert. If you can go to the park in June on a weekday, that would probably be the best if you pick a day they are open until 9 (usually starting the 3rd week of June). School groups leave by 4 - 5 and it's usually walk ons the rest of the day.

[Suspence1127]

Thanks! Actually I rode in front.

 

That's why. The "insane" ejector airtime on the first drop is back row only. That's where the true experience is

[Highridin]

Maybe someone can fill me in, but let me guess, I will need to get a flash pass in the summer? So far, Cedar Point was the only place where the pass was absolutely necessary for purchase.

 

It depends on when you go in the summer. On a weekend it will probably be needed. You could probably get away without it on a weekday if there are no major events scheduled that day like a concert. If you can go to the park in June on a weekday, that would probably be the best if you pick a day they are open until 9 (usually starting the 3rd week of June). School groups leave by 4 - 5 and it's usually walk ons the rest of the day.

 

That's what I'll do then! I was actually aiming for June.