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Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread


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This is going back to a discussion from a few weeks ago but I just found out Bizarro did one million riders this year. I just find it funny because Rougarou which has way better operations did not hit one million.

 

What's crazy about Rougarou is they were up in dispatches for the season but down on riders.

 

Plus I guess towards the end of the season Bizarro crew was hauling. I only swung by it once the day I visited but they were hailing.

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So for the first time in my life I was able to celebrate my birthday by riding coasters. Last year I visited Holiday in the Park a total of five times but was not able to make it my birthday weekend. With it falling on Friday this year, my plan was to go out for drinks/grub at one of my favorite local joints El Camino Real (mission accomplished) and then on Saturday spend the day at Great Adventure for my first visit to this seasons expanded offerings. I didn't take many pictures during daylight hours but we spent the entire day - 1pm open to 9pm close - at the park.

 

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Half of these huge rides are closed/suck but we're gonna have fun anyway cause its HITP!

Using her 2016 season pass for the very first time this year (lol) the missus joined me in taking the train from Philly up to Trenton where we got scooped up by Bill and Britt and took the quick jaunt over the to park, arriving right around opening. Parking lot was relatively empty and entry was a breeze. As predicted, our first stop was Skybar where we each sampled the seasonal hot spiked ciders.

 

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Gulp

Absolutely scrumptious. Our bartender was kinda nuts (in a good way) and kept singing happy birthday to me. Let's just say this wasn't our last stop at Skybar.

 

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Cheers from the bar!

With warm bellies and a slight day buzz on we headed for a first lap on Nitro - empty station, back row, not quite warmed up yet and a little sluggish in the early morning winds, but a nice first ride.

 

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First of the day

With the dead crowds we just wandered around riding things as we came to them. Hit up Batman for a literal walk on for the front row, then moved back a row for a second lap. Just like last year during HITP, Batman was hauling ass and taking names. I don't know what the hell the deal is - if its these mythical winter wheels or what but after Nitro, it really felt like we were flying.

 

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Face

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The

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Intensity

Stopped at both Skull Mountain and Dark Knight to warm up. No photo evidence I'm afraid. The ride on Skull was notable as I rode for the first time ever in the front row and not only was the "moan" down the drop missing but no death metal either. I liked riding in the front but the missing death metal ruined my entire day. I logged a complaint with guest services.

 

A birthday gift from the missus came in the form of adding a 2017 dining pass to my gold pass so we stopped at GA Cafe and then popped over to Nathans for lunch. While some other places had lines for food, Nathans had no wait and food came out hot and fast. Loaded bacon fries... mmmmmmm. I'm not a huge fan of Nathans but its not terrible either. It sat well which is always nice. No photos.

 

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The almighty Joker!

After another stop back at Skybar where I downed more of that incredible spiked hot cider, we checked out the scene over at Joker. I've only ridden twice so far this year once in September and again once last month, and liked it better the second time with my restraint tighter - I got tossed around too much the first time.

 

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Skyscreamer/Polar Point from Jokers queue. The sky looked neat.

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Looking the other way.

With just a 5 minute wait we got on the purple side and I liked it even more on this third lap. The missus was excited to try this and she absolutely loved it, but agreed with me that its too short. The thing with that is I'm not sure I'd want it any longer. We all liked it so much we ran around and rode it again. Another great ride, we agreed we'd come back later on the way out.

 

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On our way back to Skybar. The blue lights of Polar Point make it hard to see. Or is that the cider.

At some point in here we did check out the baby goats the park had out near Yum Yum Cafe and also stopped in the new-for-2016 Merry Marketplace area where they have firepits, smores you can buy and make, other retail offerings and of course the waffle cart. Apparently you can buy the spiked cider here too.

 

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Artsy or tipsy?

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Greetings from Skybar!

Bill didn't have to do much to convince us all to take a ride on the Skyway to check out the lights so of course I remembered I had a camera on me! The line for this was most of the way through the switchbacks but we were on in around 20-30 minutes. The line never stopped moving which made it a less painful wait. Now for a billion photos from the Skyway.

 

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Since we had more or less completely ignored the Boardwalk except to stop at Nathans for lunch, we popped back over to check out the giant tree they made out of the Parachute tower, and also for a lap with the man of steel.

 

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They decorated a bit more around the bottom of the tree and while its not much it looks nice. I also like the lights they put over the entrances to Superman and Green Lantern.

 

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I did not get a picture of GL because I like to pretend it doesn't exist.

Superman was a blast as usual. It's nothing special but worth a ride when its only a station wait. One train running and windy/cold at this point but a good time. Fun to hear the operator screw up her schpiel repeatedly suggesting guests "go check out Zumanjaro" lol.

 

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On our way back to Joker for our last ride we stopped in Houdini for a little bit of fun. After another round of Joker laps the missus and I stopped in Grannys to get some dinner (no wait at all half hour before closing) while Bill and Brit went off for last rides on Nitro and Batman, where they reported they were both still running in the freezing cold and tearing through their respective courses. We shared a salad and chicken fingers from Grannies, which honestly weren't bad, and the employees were either on drugs or just happy they were almost done because I complimented and thanked them for being so pleasant and helpful with the food order and answered some questions about the dining plan.

 

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Final score:

Nitro

Batman x2

Skull Mountain

Dark Knight

Joker x4

Houdini

Superman

Skybar x3

Nathans

Grannys

 

If it seems like we just drank ciders at Skybar and rode Joker repeatedly, that's what it felt like. LOL! Overall a really, really great day. Nice and relaxing, got a ton of riding in, lots of spirits and laughing. Always great to hang out with Bill and Britt. The park looked and smelled great. After dark the midways were crowded but the rides never got long lines, only Skyway which is perfectly acceptable and absolutely makes sense. Not getting food at the 5pm rush probably helped us avoid long lines there. While it sucks to not be able to ride Toro, etc I kinda like that a good chunk of the park is closed off for HITP as it doesn't feel like forever getting from one end to the other. I truly fell in love with Joker after this visit - every ride was better than the last. My only gripe it that its so short. But its a fantastic addition that offers a unique experience every ride, and I learned to appreciate that by the end of the day. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Sorry I didn't take more pictures. If you are thinking about checking out HITP what are you waiting for? Its easily the best time of the year to go to the park. I already can't wait for closing weekend!

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So for the first time in my life I was able to celebrate my birthday by riding coasters. Last year I visited Holiday in the Park a total of five times but was not able to make it my birthday weekend. With it falling on Friday this year, my plan was to go out for drinks/grub at one of my favorite local joints El Camino Real (mission accomplished) and then on Saturday spend the day at Great Adventure for my first visit to this seasons expanded offerings. I didn't take many pictures during daylight hours but we spent the entire day - 1pm open to 9pm close - at the park.

 

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After another stop back at Skybar where I downed more of that incredible spiked hot cider, we checked out the scene over at Joker. I've only ridden twice so far this year once in September and again once last month, and liked it better the second time with my restraint tighter - I got tossed around too much the first time.

 

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With just a 5 minute wait we got on the purple side and I liked it even more on this third lap. The missus was excited to try this and she absolutely loved it, but agreed with me that its too short. The thing with that is I'm not sure I'd want it any longer. We all liked it so much we ran around and rode it again. Another great ride, we agreed we'd come back later on the way out.

 

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At some point in here we did check out the baby goats the park had out near Yum Yum Cafe and also stopped in the new-for-2016 Merry Marketplace area where they have firepits, smores you can buy and make, other retail offerings and of course the waffle cart. Apparently you can buy the spiked cider here too.

 

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Bill didn't have to do much to convince us all to take a ride on the Skyway to check out the lights so of course I remembered I had a camera on me! The line for this was most of the way through the switchbacks but we were on in around 20-30 minutes. The line never stopped moving which made it a less painful wait. Now for a billion photos from the Skyway.

 

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Since we had more or less completely ignored the Boardwalk except to stop at Nathans for lunch, we popped back over to check out the giant tree they made out of the Parachute tower, and also for a lap with the man of steel.

 

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They decorated a bit more around the bottom of the tree and while its not much it looks nice. I also like the lights they put over the entrances to Superman and Green Lantern.

 

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Superman was a blast as usual. It's nothing special but worth a ride when its only a station wait. One train running and windy/cold at this point but a good time. Fun to hear the operator screw up her schpiel repeatedly suggesting guests "go check out Zumanjaro" lol.

 

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On our way back to Joker for our last ride we stopped in Houdini for a little bit of fun. After another round of Joker laps the missus and I stopped in Grannys to get some dinner (no wait at all half hour before closing) while Bill and Brit went off for last rides on Nitro and Batman, where they reported they were both still running in the freezing cold and tearing through their respective courses. We shared a salad and chicken fingers from Grannies, which honestly weren't bad, and the employees were either on drugs or just happy they were almost done because I complimented and thanked them for being so pleasant and helpful with the food order and answered some questions about the dining plan.

 

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Final score:

Nitro

Batman x2

Skull Mountain

Dark Knight

Joker x4

Houdini

Superman

Skybar x3

Nathans

Grannys

 

If it seems like we just drank ciders at Skybar and rode Joker repeatedly, that's what it felt like. LOL! Overall a really, really great day. Nice and relaxing, got a ton of riding in, lots of spirits and laughing. Always great to hang out with Bill and Britt. The park looked and smelled great. After dark the midways were crowded but the rides never got long lines, only Skyway which is perfectly acceptable and absolutely makes sense. Not getting food at the 5pm rush probably helped us avoid long lines there. While it sucks to not be able to ride Toro, etc I kinda like that a good chunk of the park is closed off for HITP as it doesn't feel like forever getting from one end to the other. I truly fell in love with Joker after this visit - every ride was better than the last. My only gripe it that its so short. But its a fantastic addition that offers a unique experience every ride, and I learned to appreciate that by the end of the day. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Sorry I didn't take more pictures. If you are thinking about checking out HITP what are you waiting for? Its easily the best time of the year to go to the park. I already can't wait for closing weekend!

 

Love the ominous pictures of Batman

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This was the first year in 10 that I had not got a SF pass. I was looking on the website and saw that if you give blood at the blood drive on Sunday the 11th you receive a free ticket. I was thinking of headed down because I miss Nitro very much. The preliminary forecast calls for it to be around 43 when the park opens, does anyone know what the temperature policy is for the coasters? Nitro specifically, it wouldn't really be worth the drive down if Nitro is not open. Last year I know I rode it and it was 31 degrees out at night. Thanks a bunch.

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does anyone know what the temperature policy is for the coasters?

 

Yeah, the policy is sit down, pull down the lap bar and stop asking stupid questions because they're taking you up 230 feet above the clouds and dropping you down reaching hyper speeds of 80 miles per hour . You don't get the highly esteemed title of Six Flags' most explosive coaster by listening to B&M's bullsh*t.

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Awesome report and pics! I want to make the 6 hour drive this weekend on Saturday but the combination of wind and cold tells me maybe we should maybe wait (though it could be worse next weekend, who knows)... I know bill jokes about them running nitro until it valleys but I was screwed over at SFGADV once before due to winds (nitro and many other rides closed, and Toro valleyed that morning) so I know it's not 100% true :-P -- I know to take forecasts with a grain of salt but if the HIGH is 36 degrees with light to moderate winds will they fire the rides up to start the day? I'm just weary because at the park I worked at, you know, we actually follow the temperature rules. Many rides have a start-up temperature but you can keep running if it gets colder... but 36 degrees, honestly I'm not sure how that will work at six flags. Just paranoid since it will be a long journey... I know I would still enjoy myself but i don't know the history of how last year went on the colder and windier days. Thanks!

 

Oh, and most importantly, how much is the spiked cider and where the hell is this majestic place located???? A couple of those paired with Houdini and Joker sounds like a fun time, even if the big rides were to close...

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Awesome report and pics! I want to make the 6 hour drive this weekend on Saturday but the combination of wind and cold tells me maybe we should maybe wait (though it could be worse next weekend, who knows)... I know bill jokes about them running nitro until it valleys but I was screwed over at SFGADV once before due to winds (nitro and many other rides closed, and Toro valleyed that morning) so I know it's not 100% true :-P -- I know to take forecasts with a grain of salt but if the HIGH is 36 degrees with light to moderate winds will they fire the rides up to start the day? I'm just weary because at the park I worked at, you know, we actually follow the temperature rules. Many rides have a start-up temperature but you can keep running if it gets colder... but 36 degrees, honestly I'm not sure how that will work at six flags. Just paranoid since it will be a long journey... I know I would still enjoy myself but i don't know the history of how last year went on the colder and windier days. Thanks!

 

Oh, and most importantly, how much is the spiked cider and where the hell is this majestic place located???? A couple of those paired with Houdini and Joker sounds like a fun time, even if the big rides were to close...

 

Opening weekend last year? Yeah we were there too

 

To be fair the only ride in the Holiday in the Park section that didn't open that day was Nitro and they tried to open it, it just crawled into the midcourse at about 1 MPH (at most), the brakes locked and it took maintenance forever to release it from the midcourse (we were actually next to ride and sitting in the train when they closed it) but winds were over 50 MPH that day, the ride wasn't broken in yet for the season and it most likely had different wheels.

 

I've never once seen them not open a coaster because of low temperatures. I have seen them not open a coaster because of incredibly high winds but the wind this weekend seems like it'll be very manageable.

 

how last year went on the colder and windier days

 

How things went last year on colder and windier days? Things went up 230 feet above the clouds... and then they dropped down reaching hilariously not hyper speeds of definitely not 80 MPH but somehow made it back to the station eventually. No ride closed for weather at any point during last year's event except for one mid day hail storm though. We rode Nitro one night at park close and the phone was showing 29 degrees.

 

I'll say this though. Saturday is forecasted to be the lowest high temperature in Holiday in the Park history. Personally I think they'll run every coaster all day, but if you're worried then don't chance it. Just go Sunday or go next weekend when you'll likely have slightly warmer weather which will be nicer for walking around in.

 

Oh, and most importantly, how much is the spiked cider and where the hell is this majestic place located???? A couple of those paired with Houdini and Joker sounds like a fun time, even if the big rides were to close...

 

It's right over by Sky Screamer at the Sky Bar.

Edited by coasterbill
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Thanks Bill! I'm feeling pretty confident especially since the winds keep dropping every time I check. Your words of wisdom have once again inspired and the spiked cider makes me that much more excited (not a beer guy at all but i LOVE cider). Are refills cheaper for spiked cider with the mug??

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Sadly no But you get a lot of cool cups since you get a new one each time. And no problem, I did some weather-dorking and edited the post a little but I still think it'll be fine. Plus, if you want reassurance just see what happens Friday. The park opens at 5PM, at which point it'll be dark and 35 degrees (unless things change). Just keep an eye on coasterqueue and see if the coasters open. If they do then you're golden.

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Amazingly they were only $10. You get to keep the cup. It's hot apple cider spiked with rum. Our bartender had a thing for me so that may be why but mine were strong. You can get them topped with cinnamon and/or whipped cream (which tasted fine but looked rather unappetizing once it melted around the sides of the hot cup). We got them at Skybar, next to Skyscreamer, but were told they had them in the marketplace next to Joker. It's the perfect drink for this event.

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Okay, I have an important update . First of all, I've heard that hundreds of miles to the south in a much warmer climate, Dollywood's coasters have been closed all day due to temperature. Let's all have a moment of silence for Dollywood's coasters...

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you.

 

Now since there's been some concern this week about some hilarious bullsh*t that goes on at other parks known as "listening to the manufacturer", I figured I'd give you an update since today is the coldest day in HITP history. While we've established that once the coasters open, the park will happily bend the rules a bit (and by "bend" the rules I mean take a huge sh*t on them), I know a few days ago people assumed that they might still pay attention to the "start up temperature" since it was "important" or some bullsh*t. At park opening tonight it was 34 degrees with gusty winds and I've confirmed with my peeps (a highly credible source) that they are currently being taken up 230 feet above the clouds and dropped down reaching hyper speeds of 80 MPH™, so fear not.

 

Hopefully this has cleared up any concerns you may have had.

 

TL:DR: LOL the park opened with gusty winds and 34 degree temperatures and every single coaster is open. Ole' or whatever... we are Six Flags Great Adventure and we will not yield

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