Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[thrillseeker4552]

^Very true. Although the SFGAdv Batman didn't feel any faster or better to me than SFMM's Batman, they're still incredible Inverts.

[njcoasterguy34]

I have a hard time choosing between Batman and El Toro as my favorite coaster at the park.

[KBrylczyk]

^ El Toro. Duh.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Zumanjaro is the most terrifyingly amazing thing I've ever done. 16× later I'm calling it a day.

 

So glad I did it!! A more detailed review will come when I get back to the hotel!!

[coasterbill]

I have a hard time choosing between Batman and El Toro as my favorite coaster at the park.

 

I wouldn't go that far, but I seriously can't pick a favorite steel coaster between Nitro and Batman.

[boldikus]

Zumanjaro is the most terrifyingly amazing thing I've ever done. 16× later I'm calling it a day.

 

So glad I did it!! A more detailed review will come when I get back to the hotel!!

 

Glad to hear you conquered your fear. Now you can ride any drop tower anywhere. Looking forward to the report!

[Jason Maier]

Well when I finally made it back up to GAdv last year (I had went as a youngblood), I was so damn thrilled with Toro, Batman, NITRO, etc.

 

And I was grinning from ear to ear on Zumanjaro

 

I'll definitely be back this season . . . and I'll likely get a FP (does Platinum still offer double rides? If not, it doesn't really matter because the wait time with platinum is short anyhow)

[Vigil]

So the trip with my friend is officially a go! Can anyone recommend any hotels or places to eat in the area? Thanks!

[JT325]

Speaking of Batman clones ... The Batman (Vampire?) at La Ronde was obnoxiously fast. I'm wondering if it's due to the shorter train of seven cars? Perhaps the wheels they are using? I think I've been on most, if not all of the Batman clones, and it was the fastest I've ever been on.

[boldikus]

So the trip with my friend is officially a go! Can anyone recommend any hotels or places to eat in the area? Thanks!

 

Great Adventure is seriously lacking in hotels around the park. Literally. Closest lodging is maybe 20 miles away? Hopefully Michaellynn or someone else very familiar with Jackson can chime in on that. The park is more or less in the middle of nowhere.

 

Food outside the park? There's a Wawa and McDonalds right across the street!

[coasterbill]

^He basically nailed it. Go to Wawa. It's on the left when you leave the park so be sure to turn right. Welcome to New Jersey.

 

As for nearby hotels, do you own a sleeping bag? Otherwise start driving.

[boldikus]

Just do a google map search for "Great Adventure hotels" and bunch will come up. They're not anywhere near the park, but that'll get you started.

 

Go to Wawa. It's on the left when you leave the park so be sure to turn right. Welcome to New Jersey.

 

 

And yeah. F*ck McDonalds. Wawa all the way. Get yourself an italian hoagie.

[JRice92]

So the trip with my friend is officially a go! Can anyone recommend any hotels or places to eat in the area? Thanks!

 

I always stay at the Quality Inn in Cookstown, NJ when I visit Great Adventure. It's about a 15 minute drive away from the park. Nothing fancy, but I've stayed there 3 times in the past year with no problems! http://www.qualityinnmcguire.com/

 

I also recommend Wawa for getting food after park closing. Whenever I'm in a state with a Wawa nearby I always get food from there!

[bill_s]

When I've gone, I've used Monmouth Rd. since I'm coming from the south also. The time I stayed, I was in Wrightstown, about 20 min. not 20 mile away. Actually, if I'd been staying the night after my main day I probably would have gone over there to rest a few in the middle of the day. I've also used the Taco Bell there for breakfast and a late dinner. I live in a state with Wawa but am not a fan.

 

I stayed at the Red Carpet, very cheap but obviously not luxurious, though clean enough and quiet. I actually didn't sleep at all. The bed and pillow was hard, cover artificial. The bigger problem was the air conditioner. Most motel rooms are long with the A/C at the end, this was a small squarish room with a huge A/C on the side. It wasn't hot enough to leave it running, even on low, but its thermostat shuts off the fan and everything, instant hot and sudden silence. I might try it again, and after that experience I'll always bring certain supplies to a cheap hotel room: tape so the vent can be aimed straight up without the curtain going crazy, a fan in case the thermostat must be used, blanket or go ask for one. The TV was OK but the cable didn't allow using Music Choice (why??) so a radio or something also.

[HEADCHEEZ]

I'll be visiting the park for the first time since 2013 this summer. Just a quick question. Are Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka still barred from operating at the same time? If so, is this hampering operations?

[DoinItForTheFame]

...Are Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka still barred from operating at the same time? If so, is this hampering operations?

 

Yes, and yes.

[DoinItForTheFame]

So, as many of you know I hate... hate... HATE drop towers. Like I have miniature panic attacks on these things. So today.... I went to Great Adventure. . . and I had convinced myself that Zumanjaro was going to be the first thing I rode!!! I spent weeks mentally preparing. . . And as soon as I pulled into the parking lot and saw the sheer size of the ride, that whole "ride it first and get it over with" idea went right out the window. There is a HUGE difference in seeing the ride on a computer screen, and seeing it in real life. I mean. . . a 415ft tall drop tower is fu*king massive!! That being said... I did end up riding it. . . a few times!

 

So, throughout the day I made about 30 reservations for Zumanjaro on my Flash Pass. . . I ended up canceling all 30 of them. Nope. Couldn't do it. F*ck that ride. No... No... NO... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! At least that's what I kept telling myself. So later on, I ended up getting a bite to eat near the entrance, and mentally prepared myself for the ride. I made my reservation again, and (after being forced to get a locker because apparently a zipper-pocket isn't good enough.) Into the line I went. O.M.G. I was not prepared for the 30 mile journey all the way back to the ride. That was 30 miles of me contemplating my doom, and trying not to talk myself out of it . . .

 

The Ride:

 

My first ride I ended up siting on the very edge of car 3 BY MYSELF. Omg. Not only am I riding the worlds largest drop tower... But I have to do it alone?? WTF?? No! Just... NO!!! I was shaking so bad I couldn't even buckle my seat belt. The next thing I know I started going up . . . and uppp... and uuuuuupppppppppp. Then, the ride slowed down, and I was like "Hey, this isn't nearly as tall as I thought it was going to be." Yeah, well that's because that wasn't the top. The ride picked up speed again, (not sure why the ride does the weird little slow down thing, but it did it every time I rode it) anyway... before I knew it, I was actually at the top of the tower. I swear it felt like I was up there for an hour. And then BAM!

 

The Drop:

 

Honestly, the drop was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. . . It was actually really freaking amazing!! And it seemed to go on FOREVER. Like I seriously kept saying "OMG! How much farther is there to go?!" Sure you may no get that "free fall" feeling given how restraining the restraints are. That being said. . . It seemed like the first 2/3 of the tower you actually felt like you were falling. . . But the last 1/3 of the drop (not counting the brakes) started feeling like you were being pulled down faster, and faster, and faster. It was weird. I don't know how to explain it, but it was amazing.

 

All in all:

 

Zumanjaro is by far the most amazing drop tower I have ever been on. Again, it's not the "best drop" but the overall experience is amazing!! Terrifyingly amazing! I am so thankful to everyone on here who talked me into riding it!! I got in 16 rides on it today, and would have rode it more, but I needed to leave for the drive back to the hotel. The views from the top of the tower are AMAZING!! Seriously, it makes Nitro look so freaking tiny!! Holy crap!! I am truly jealous of anyone who has this as their home park.

 

(Full photo TR will be posted in my separate thread at a later time)

[Jason Maier]

...Are Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka still barred from operating at the same time? If so, is this hampering operations?

 

Yes, and yes.

 

My recollection of Z & KK is . . . . Z can't be raised until KK clears the hill and KK can't be launched until Z has cleared 3/4 of it's drop?

[Satans Hockey]

Great report and glad you conquered your fear and ended up having a blast! Have you been on any of the tall skyscreamers? The 400+ foot one in new england is one of the few things I ever got a bit nervous on lol

 

Did you tell them yes when they asked you if you had something in your pockets? If you have zippered pockets you should easily be able to tell them no and just keep walking.

[CoasterBill04]

My brother and I are planning on going to Great Adventure on Sunday (30 April) and was wondering if getting FlashPass is worth it. Any tips, advice? I was last there about 3-4 years ago.

 

Also, with the weather slated to be in the low 60s for highs and winds around 10-15mph, will Ka and Zoomanjaro be open? Thanks.

[larrygator]

So the trip with my friend is officially a go! Can anyone recommend any hotels or places to eat in the area? Thanks!

 

If you are not into the trailer park trash food places that are being suggested, Italian Villa is about 5 minutes west of the park at 445 County Rd 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514. Not my favorite pizza in the area but great Italian food.

[coasterbill]

I'll be visiting the park for the first time since 2013 this summer. Just a quick question. Are Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka still barred from operating at the same time? If so, is this hampering operations?

 

It's hampering them, but not a lot.

 

Ride operators can dispatch Kingda Ka when Zumanjaro is running, they just can't launch when Zumanjaro is running. The only time it's ever an issue is if the crew is fast enough to put a train on the launch track and a train in the staging area in which case they obviously can't dispatch the train that's in the station until one of them launches and the rear train advances but they're rarely fast enough for that to matter anyway since they only use 1 load platform (which was the case even before Zumanjaro).

 

Did you tell them yes when they asked you if you had something in your pockets? If you have zippered pockets you should easily be able to tell them no and just keep walking.

 

I've honestly been paying. I know I could easily lie, but it's a dollar. It's really not the end of the world. If it gets to the point where they sell out of lockers (this will totally happen during FF) it'll be a nightmare but I usually avoid Fright Fest anyway since it's miserable so I'm not overly worried about it.

[Satans Hockey]

I've honestly been paying. I know I could easily lie, but it's a dollar. It's really not the end of the world. If it gets to the point where they sell out of fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo (this will totally happen during FF) it'll be a nightmare but I usually avoid Fright Fest anyway since it's miserable so I'm not overly worried about it.

 

I was more just curious cause I haven't seen anyone talk about it much since they first started it. I carry as little as possible on me and never have any issues with zippered pockets otherwise I'd just use the locker. I've been going to other parks a lot more this year even though great adventure is the closest so I still haven't been to the park this season.

[Pseybert]

Why can't I lie with non-zippered pockets? Will they check?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Because even if they don't check, the stuff in your pockets is still subject to Newton's laws of motion. The real question is why you would think it's a good idea to take stuff on a drop tower in an unzippered pocket.