Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[DirkFunk]

11 hours ago, terdferg said:

Seems six flags doesn’t want to pay to properly maintain an intamin. They build their own replacement track segments to save cost (according to el toro Ryan’s video on it)

Intamin doesn't build the track for it. That may actually be part of the problem. Who knows what kind of lead time they were required to have by Cordes Holzbau for getting new track pieces built?

[ricklap77]

36 minutes ago, DirkFunk said:

Intamin doesn't build the track for it. That may actually be part of the problem. Who knows what kind of lead time they were required to have by Cordes Holzbau for getting new track pieces built?

That might be a serious problem for those Plug & Play Intamins.  I don't know who recently retracked Colossos in Germany but apparently it's all good and smooth now.  SF might go to RMC in a not too distant future considering the bad attention the coaster gets from the media.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

We went last month and the turnaround and bottom of the RT hill were unbearably rough. Like, spine and brain-stem compressing, making it hard to re-ride just because of those two spots. The first 10+ years of operation, El Toro was every bit as smooth as Intamin's steel coasters.

I really hope they do a Colossos treatment and re-track the entire coaster. I can't even begin to describe how pissed I'd be if they gave this amazing coaster the RMC treatment, when all they had to do was maintain it correctly in the first place.

F*cking Six Flags, man.

[boldikus]

Official Statement from the park:

Quote

Several guests reported back pain and minor injuries after riding El Toro last evening. Thirteen guests were evaluated at the park, of which five were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation, where they were treated and released. The ride completed its normal cycle and all guests exited the ride without need of assistance. The ride will remain closed for inspection. Any maintenance and repairs necessary will be completed and the ride will be re-inspected by our engineers, maintenance professionals, our 3rd party independent safety inspectors and the state of NJ prior to re-opening.

 

[Zack44]

Geez, right after an extensive safety evaluation last year, THIS happens.

 

I'm getting Son Of Beast vibes, and it's making me feel uncertain for the future of El Toro.

[ricklap77]

5 hours ago, Zack44 said:

Geez, right after an extensive safety evaluation last year, THIS happens.

 

I'm getting Son Of Beast vibes, and it's making me feel uncertain for the future of El Toro.

Yep!  Plus with Six Flags financial situation let's keep our fingers crossed.  It won't reopen anytime soon.

[boldikus]

8 hours ago, Zack44 said:

I'm getting Son Of Beast vibes, and it's making me feel uncertain for the future of El Toro.

Did you miss the official statement from the park posted right above yours where they literally state they are going to reopen it?

 

[SoCalJasonland]

In all fairness, the park rep stated that the ride would be deemed safe before it is re-opened.  They didn't state that Six Flags was willing to pay whatever it costs to fix it or that New Jersey would allow it to re-open.

Lets Knott forget about Xcelerator when we are counting Intamins collecting dust that just can't seem to be maintained.

 

[xVicesAndVirtues]

El Toro was glass smooth for a long time. Now it isn't. The turnaround and bottom of the RT hill are so rough that my fiancé tapped out at 2 rides, I tapped out at 3, when normally I'd be down to ride Toro 20+ times in a row. Even parts of the ride that are still "smooth" aren't as smooth as they once were. A full re-track a la Colossos would work wonders for this coaster. And when I say the park should maintain it correctly, they are building their own replacement track sections instead of ordering them from the manufacturer or the manufacturer's contractor. This seems to be a contributing factor. I know this likely won't happen considering Six Flags' clear position on the issue, but it seems to be catching up to them.

[Garet]

Since Screamscape is now also jumping on the 'serious track issues' of Intamin woodies and how rough El Toro is, and it's just a matter of time before T Express gets hit because it's newest, T Express is in a park that is:

• One of the world's most attended non Disney/Universal Parks
• Open 365 days a year for 12 hours a day, I think it's even one of the only parks that didn't close a single day of the pandemic
• 35C heat and 100% humidity summers and -20C winters which must be tough on the structure
• Runs T Express from 10:00am to 8:30PM, constantly cycling and is one of only two big roller-coasters for all those crowds.

I'd gather even though it's the newest of the 4, it's probably seen a lot more cycles than the other 3 and although not butter smooth, is still very far from rough. The park does 3-5 weeks maintenance in Jan or Feb every year when they can't run it anyway because the temperature never hits the minimum to be allowed to open, so they must be doing something different from Six Flags/Merlin.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Something to also consider is how many skilled carpenters, maintenance workers, etc. have retired or were let go from their respective industries because of the pandemic, and as a result have also taken decades worth of institutional knowledge with them.  Knowledge that will take the less-experienced workers who are now in these roles years or even decades to gain and build back up.  That's also in addition to however many smaller companies who are now out of business that previously manufactured highly-specialized replacement parts for these rides. While those are no excuses to operate rides anyway if they are deemed unsafe, I'd speculate that keeping these rides running in the shape they once were is probably the most difficult it's been in a long time.

[ricklap77]

Wooden coasters in general require a lot a maintenance and the bigger ones even more.  As time goes on they loosen up and become rough.  Parks that own huge wooden coasters must have a very good maintenance program by skilled carpenters otherwise they become so rough and not really enjoyable, and sometimes dangerous.  I think all the wooden coaster manufacturers nowadays design and build good coasters and start off nice and smooth.  Maintenance is what makes the difference in the long run to keep a coaster smooth and safe!  Big woodies are no exeption.

[A.J.]

Hey folks, we have once again had to clean up a thread and issue warnings. Please be respectful to each other.

And as for the incident itself, we will be following the rules Robb set out in the Facebook group and removing posts from now on that do not cite reliable news sources for the cause of the incident. Speculate all you want on El Toro's maintenance needs and / or its future, but please do not post accounts from social media from people looking for their "moment of fame".

As a reminder, the official statement from the park reads as follows:

"Several guests reported back pain and minor injuries after riding El Toro last evening. Thirteen guests were evaluated at the park, of which five were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation, where they were treated and released. The ride completed its normal cycle and all guests exited the ride without need of assistance. The ride will remain closed for inspection. Any maintenance and repairs necessary will be completed and the ride will be re-inspected by our engineers, maintenance professionals, our 3rd party independent safety inspectors and the state of NJ prior to re-opening."

Thank you!

[Jason Maier]

Well I'll be taking a trip up there tomorrow (last visit of the summer season).

Though El Toro is down; at least with lower crowds (as per what I've been reading in this thread the last few pages) I won't need to spend on a Flash Pass

[Rai Fox]

Just got back from a weekend trip to NJ and GAdv with a friend, first time there since...2015 or so, ish.  Holy crap what has happened to this place?  I've heard a lot of negativity about it lately, but kinda took it for just enthusiasts bitching about things; I've heard complaints about a lot of parks, after all.  And Great Adventure used to be one of the good Six Flags parks!  All the others I've been to have been at least decent lately, so GAdv couldn't be THAT bad, could it?

The majority of the place looks like walking around a theme park in Fallout now.  Rides that look like they haven't been painted in a decade, pavement tiles all cracked and broken and out of place.  Nothing looks kept up.  Half of one end of the park is fenced off.  The scenery in the Western area for some reason seems to be in much better shape but the rides there aren't any better off.

We had SIX rides break down either while we were on them or right before we got on.  After we got off the lift hill on The Dark Knight, none of the effects turn on, and they stopped us at the first brake for 10 minute, before turning the lights on and announcing someone would be coming to walk us off the ride...right before the released the car and let us back into the station.

Wonder Woman, Superman, the log flume, Medusa, Kingda Ka, and Zumanjaro (oops...that's seven, not six) all broke down while we were waiting for them; some relatively short breakdowns, some where they completely closed the ride and cleared out the line.

I know no one expects great food at Six Flags but every other one I've been to has at least been acceptable the last couple years.  The burger I grabbed at Garden State Grill was borderline inedible, on top of the staff there having no idea what they were doing.  My friend attempted to order one of the hard ciders they had advertised; the cashier gave him a deer-in-the-headlights look for a while before deciding he couldn't sell alcohol, and going looking for someone who could, which ended up with us getting out of line and into the other register line for someone who could sell it, only to get to the front of that and be told they didn't actually have any.  Then then managed to lose our order; we have to go back up with the receipt later and get them to track it down.  With how upset it made my stomach after I wish I hadn't.

I don't like coming around here to be negative.  There's already enough of that.  I tend to really enjoy even parks that other people look down on; I've gotten amused reactions for posting excited reports from Dorney and Worlds of Fun.  I just can not find much good to say about GAdv now though; I haven't seen a park so badly run and cared for in years.

Good points, I guess, some of the rides there are still pretty great when they're running.  Jersey Devil was fun, Medusa was running amazing (until it broke), Kingda Ka is still pretty awesome.

I don't know if the park needs money, a complete change of management, both, something else...I know it's been a hard time for parks but I've been to a couple dozen the last couple years now anyway and I haven't seen anything this bad.  Someone please save this place before Kingda Ka falls over!

Edited August 29, 2022 by Rai Fox
Because I can't count to seven

[AmyUD06]

Nobody listens to me when I tell them this place is a shithole that happens to have the tallest coaster in the world and a woodie that was once awesome but has deteriorated horribly in the past few years.

I live within an hour and a half of the place and I've been something like three or four times in the past 10 years.

[grsupercity]

If this place has really fallen into this bad of disrepair I wonder if sea world could buy it? It already has the animals and the rides. 

[thrillseeker4552]

I am visiting this park on Friday for the first time since July 2016. Generally speaking the reviews I read online regarding literally anything coaster or theme park related are more negative than what my experience turns out to be, but after what happened last week and what is happening with the chain in general, I am... prepared for the worst? I suppose.

With that being said, I had a great time at SFMM a couple weeks ago. Hot as heck but the park was running great with basically everything open and little to complain about. But of course that doesn't mean this park is the same. Time will tell I guess. I remember it being a great park with decent operations and overall a really good time. But 6 years is a while.

[AmyUD06]

On 8/29/2022 at 7:50 PM, grsupercity said:

If this place has really fallen into this bad of disrepair I wonder if sea world could buy it? It already has the animals and the rides. 

At first I laughed, thinking you were referring to the clientele, then I remembered they had the safari park.

[CaptainUnknown]

^In your defense, the giraffes are probably more civilized than many New Jersians. 

[Jason Maier]

So I did go up yesterday .... damn it was dead.

Coaster count:

 

Kingda Ka 5

Batman: The Ride 3

Nitro 5

Log Flume 1

Medusa 2

Joker 1

Justice League 1 (no 3d glasses)

Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth 1

Skull Mountain 1

Zumanjaro 1

Houdini's Great Escape 1

Green Lantern 1

Jersey Devil 5

Only real wait was Superman: Ultimate Flight because of one train operations.  Never thought I'd see the day where I'd just walk on to Jersey Devil.

Of course, Kingda Ka had a 10 minute breakdown when I was in the station; but I toughed it out dammit. The ride ops were actually making people fill in all rows. Of course I like to scream random nonsense while waiting to launch (Arms up or you're a chode smoker!) and the brake run (Titty sprinkles for everyone! I got a coaster boner!)

[anonymouscactus]

1 hour ago, Jason Maier said:

I got a coaster boner!

[boldikus]

5 hours ago, Jason Maier said:

Of course I like to scream random nonsense while waiting to launch (Arms up or you're a chode smoker!) and the brake run (Titty sprinkles for everyone! I got a coaster boner!)

[AmyUD06]

5 hours ago, Jason Maier said:

Of course I like to scream random nonsense while waiting to launch (Arms up or you're a chode smoker!) and the brake run (Titty sprinkles for everyone! I got a coaster boner!)

Congrats on being one of the enthusiasts that give us all a bad name and make us hesitant to identify ourselves at parks.

[Living_Dead]

I traveled for the first time on Wednesday and I was impressed for the most part. I understand staffing issues during the end of August, so when it comes to several flat rides being closed, I can understand that. I work at a smaller park called Adventure Park and even there, everyone going back to school has forced us to keep a lot of our attractions closed during weekdays. Great Adventure just had some rides closed, most were open. Kingda Ka was almost a miss for me, but it opened last minute and I was able to collect that credit. I was more intrigued to see my friend's reaction since I had already ridden TTD, and she was impressed. I like TTD more I think, but this one was still an amazing experience. A wonderful last ride.

The biggest shock for me was how much I disliked The Green Lantern. Listen, I know stand ups get a bad reputation, but in juxtaposition to those criticisms I've always enjoyed them. Sure, I had only ridden Vortex at CGA and Shockwave at KD, but I thought I had a grasp of what to expect when it came down to them. Green Lantern was just a case of it being too intense for my legs, I felt like they were going to go through the floor. It hurt. I appreciate the ride on one hand because it's a great layout and I do think there's a good ride in the right seat, but I was too strained from that first ride to go and try again. 

I sort of wanted to savor every mundane flat ride this trip as I always just coaster count - but this time I wanted to enjoy the park. The Scrambler, called Deja Vu is a short cycle, but it was my first time riding one since I was like 10 (I'm in my late twenties now) and it packed a punch. I also did Buccaneer, which is an intamin pirate ship, and it packed a lot more punch than the travelling models from Chance. I won't say Huss as those are still my favorite non-inverting ships. The last of the mundane flats I tried was Houdini's Great Escape, a vekoma madhouse, which had 25% of the effects working in the preshow. Still impressive, but even with the motion sickness pills I took, I don't know how much longer I could take. It was disorienting.

Onto the more exciting flats, or seemingly exciting flats, let me start with the Cyborg spin. I heard people talk about it being a let down, but it really just suffers from a poor cycle. When it gets going, it's fun, but then stops. The restraints are far from comfortable either. They needed padding. I was sad that the top spin was closed, I always love those, even the ones with bad cycles. The Spinsanity was incredible, you get some good airtime and hangtime. The biggest thrill about it though was getting pulled back, the amount of speed you feel on the descent. Amazing.

The water rides were all fun, and gave me that nostalgic feeling. I particularly loved the old arrow log ride, it was long, and had decent drops. It's a soaker. That last drop does not play. The only downside was the rumble of the chain lift.

Jersey Devil was a roller coaster I was excited to ride, I'd only ridden Trailblazer, and for me it felt like a more complete version of that. The mid breakrun didn't slow the train that much, so I had a decent amount of speed going through those last elements. I think Nitro was my favorite, it was long and had some great moments of airtime. The most intense part for me however was that helix. I had never ridden a Batman clone before this one, and out of all the intense B&M inverts i've done,. backseat on Batman was so wild. I never gray out on rides, I've ridden I305 on opening day and never greyed out, but this time I definitely felt myself greying out. It could be the difference in my age, but wow. 

Anyways, for a Six Flags park, I was impressed. This has a LOT of roller coasters, but it also has just so many rides for the family. The fact it has so many indoor roller coasters, and a great dark ride (which combined physical and digital sets well) - plus many kids/family rides just show it's a park for everyone. This park has the full package