Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[EastCoastKid]

And since Great Adventure already claimed the "Largest Theme Park in the World" title with the annexation of the Safari,

I just don't foresee them connecting Hurricane Harbor. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it, though.

[Dr. M]

the annexation of the Safari,

 

This made me giggle. Makes me think of, you know, Russia or something.

[Brassinthegrass]

I don't think we will see them add hurricane harbor into the main park. It's just too far away and would end up taking away the extra income the ticket sales come from entering that park. Before you all jump on the "the safari was a ticket as well!" Band wagon, I think it's important to remember that attendance to the safari was falling since people were sick of their cars being walked on by baboons! Even if the park expands behind Kingda Ka (and I think it will) I don't see them connecting to HH...

[Dr. M]

I think it's important to remember that attendance to the safari was falling since people were sick of their cars being walked on by baboons!

 

The last time I did the drive-through safari the monkeys were kept away from your car in an enclosure. Huge disappointment, that was one of the best things about it.

[Password121]

Speaking of SORA, I've never driven through the safari or SORA. I've heard it is almost infamous for nearly 3 hour lines. Why is it so popular, and so much more so than the safari was? Did the transformation make it so much better, along with the trucks, that it is sometimes more popular than every coaster? I don't have much knowledge of what was done in 2013 to SORA, and I'm curious.

[Dr. M]

Speaking of SORA, I've never driven through the safari or SORA. I've heard it is almost infamous for nearly 3 hour lines. Why is it so popular, and so much more so than the safari was? Did the transformation make it so much better, along with the trucks, that it is sometimes more popular than every coaster? I don't have much knowledge of what was done in 2013 to SORA, and I'm curious.

 

I would guess that people always used to just drive past the safari and hurry on to the park, rather than stay in their car for another hour after already driving a long way to get there. Now that it's just like another ride, people are like, "Ooh! A line to stand in! Let's go get in it!" Even though before, you could stay in your nice air-conditioned car the whole time, and now you get to bake in the sun in line, and then bake in the sun some more on the ride. Moral of the story: People are dumb.

[YoshiFan]

It's a good family ride and very low capacity. When you could drive your car it had almost unlimited capacity. Now with the ride taking up to an hour, and 18 trucks seating 35 riders that's only 630 riders an hour with no empty seats.

[Parallax]

Great Adventure posted this to their Facebook.

 

[coasterfreak101]

^Was posted two pages ago.

 

Kind of wish they kept with the blue supports...but I see how it's going to stand out. Can't wait to see it done!

[Dr. M]

Is that big support they added on the left seriously not going to have another support just like it on the right? It looks awful. Couple that with the safety cone-colored rails, and you have quite possibly the world's ugliest retrofit.

[CoasterPrince]

^You seem to bash this park at every possible opportunity. There actually is the same support structure on the opposite side if you look closely and the track itself is orange to differentiate between Ka and Zumanjaro. It'll attract more riders this way and compliments the teal and green very well in my opinion.

[alilstronger]

^ I agree. I think the colors look great against KK.

[RideofSteel]

 

The 2014 map was posted over at Great Adventure History.... I really hope the queue of Drop of Doom won't be too close to El Toro was shown here.

[alilstronger]

Looking at the map it looks like the queue is coming from where the locker storage is for KK. Which makes sense because they can add more lockers there.

[Password121]

You know, I'm still not 100% sure removing RT now was the decision, that will come to me later, but the entire left side looks less, I don't know, busy, than it previously did.

[vertigomkie]

^funny thing, because in reality, the dead spot of the park will still be Movietown by the Chiller's old location.

[XYZ]

So, it still will be a decent walk to go from El Toro to Kingda Ka...

[markysharky17]

It looks like they added a tent or a building or a tent at the entrance of SuperMans queue. Or that's what it appers to look like on the map.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

So, it still will be a decent walk to go from El Toro to Kingda Ka...

 

Is that cut through the tiger area still closed? It was last spring when I was there.

[RideofSteel]

It looks like they added a tent or a building or a tent at the entrance of SuperMans queue. Or that's what it appers to look like on the map.

 

It has been there since before Superman was built. The entrance and gift shop go through it, along with a season pass processing center on the other end.

[Dr. M]

^You seem to bash this park at every possible opportunity. There actually is the same support structure on the opposite side if you look closely and the track itself is orange to differentiate between Ka and Zumanjaro. It'll attract more riders this way and compliments the teal and green very well in my opinion.

 

I bash Six Flags, it's what I do. Bash bash bash. However, I don't make complaints I don't feel are warrented. I was going off of this picture:

 

 

And it appeared to me as though more supports had still not been added, but looking closely at that last picture it appears as though I was wrong. I stand corrected. Still don't think the added supports look that great, but at least they're symmetrical.

 

As for the paint, I could see them having gone with a nice navy blue, or at least a more jungle-y natural color like a sandy tan. If you really think that bright holy-crap orange compliments the teal, and doesn't look like they're bolting on steel left over from some other ride, then we'll have to, well, agree to disagree.

[Password121]

^You seem to bash this park at every possible opportunity. There actually is the same support structure on the opposite side if you look closely and the track itself is orange to differentiate between Ka and Zumanjaro. It'll attract more riders this way and compliments the teal and green very well in my opinion.

 

I bash Six Flags, it's what I do. Bash bash bash. However, I don't make complaints I don't feel are warrented. I was going off of this picture:

 

 

And it appeared to me as though more supports had still not been added, but looking closely at that last picture it appears as though I was wrong. I stand corrected. Still don't think the added supports look that great, but at least they're symmetrical.

 

As for the paint, I could see them having gone with a nice navy blue, or at least a more jungle-y natural color like a sandy tan. If you really think that bright holy-crap orange compliments the teal, and doesn't look like they're bolting on steel left over from some other ride, then we'll have to, well, agree to disagree.

I agree with you on the color situation, I find it strange that the supports of the main tower are much lighter than the navy blue supports on the camel hump/return.

However, as for the supports, I'm not sure it's fair to point a finger at Six Flags on this one. I'm sure the added support structure was designed by Intamin engineers, and while I'm sure Six Flags had some input, it was likely Intamin's decision on how "beefy" the structure needed to be.

[larrygator]

Speaking of SORA, I've never driven through the safari or SORA. I've heard it is almost infamous for nearly 3 hour lines. Why is it so popular, and so much more so than the safari was? Did the transformation make it so much better, along with the trucks, that it is sometimes more popular than every coaster? I don't have much knowledge of what was done in 2013 to SORA, and I'm curious.

 

I would guess that people always used to just drive past the safari and hurry on to the park, rather than stay in their car for another hour after already driving a long way to get there. Now that it's just like another ride, people are like, "Ooh! A line to stand in! Let's go get in it!" Even though before, you could stay in your nice air-conditioned car the whole time, and now you get to bake in the sun in line, and then bake in the sun some more on the ride. Moral of the story: People are dumb.

 

I'm not sure where you assessment of people are dumb comes from based on SORA. While I agree people are dumb, but I don't think that has anything to do with their desire to experience SORA. Throughout the 70's and 80's many patrons were not as self absorbed and in love with their cars, so hey didn't mind driving down a dusty road encountering animals. It has been known for years that many people were unwilling to drive their "nice" cars into the safari and attendance dropped. SGFAdv even tried selling upcharge bus trips a few years ago.

 

In recent years the park has been focusing on families and SORA provides an experience for the whole family to experience together. I have seen many large family groups (ten or more people) queue up to ride together, that's what makes the ride popular. I think they have about 18 trucks (I could be wrong) and if each truck only holds 24 people and the round trip take an hour you are also looking at a low capacity ride.

 

While the shading in the queue is not ideal, I did not find myself baking during the ride. It's a covered vehicle and the are you drive through is shaded in many places. It think most times my driver stopped, we were under a tree for shade, whether the driver knew this is not I'm not certain. And speaking of the tour guides, I found mine quite amusing and informative. The tour guides offer insight that would not not get driving through in your own car so that is a clear improvement over the safari.

[Password121]

Speaking of SORA, I've never driven through the safari or SORA. I've heard it is almost infamous for nearly 3 hour lines. Why is it so popular, and so much more so than the safari was? Did the transformation make it so much better, along with the trucks, that it is sometimes more popular than every coaster? I don't have much knowledge of what was done in 2013 to SORA, and I'm curious.

 

I would guess that people always used to just drive past the safari and hurry on to the park, rather than stay in their car for another hour after already driving a long way to get there. Now that it's just like another ride, people are like, "Ooh! A line to stand in! Let's go get in it!" Even though before, you could stay in your nice air-conditioned car the whole time, and now you get to bake in the sun in line, and then bake in the sun some more on the ride. Moral of the story: People are dumb.

 

I'm not sure where you assessment of people are dumb comes from based on SORA. While I agree people are dumb, but I don't think that has anything to do with their desire to experience SORA. Throughout the 70's and 80's many patrons were not as self absorbed and in love with their cars, so hey didn't mind driving down a dusty road encountering animals. It has been known for years that many people were unwilling to drive their "nice" cars into the safari and attendance dropped. SGFAdv even tried selling upcharge bus trips a few years ago.

 

In recent years the park has been focusing on families and SORA provides an experience for the whole family to experience together. I have seen many large family groups (ten or more people) queue up to ride together, that's what makes the ride popular. I think they have about 18 trucks (I could be wrong) and if each truck only holds 24 people and the round trip take an hour you are also looking at a low capacity ride.

 

While the shading in the queue is not ideal, I did not find myself baking during the ride. It's a covered vehicle and the are you drive through is shaded in many places. It think most times my driver stopped, we were under a tree for shade, whether the driver knew this is not I'm not certain. And speaking of the tour guides, I found mine quite amusing and informative. The tour guides offer insight that would not not get driving through in your own car so that is a clear improvement over the safari.

Thanks for the explanation, I hadn't really thought about the "nice car" issue. I don't know if I'd take the time to experience the safari myself, as my time at the park is limited to about one visit per year, but it definitely sounds like a fun, interesting experience as a good break form the thrill rides.

[larrygator]

Thanks for the explanation, I hadn't really thought about the "nice car" issue. I don't know if I'd take the time to experience the safari myself, as my time at the park is limited to about one visit per year, but it definitely sounds like a fun, interesting experience as a good break form the thrill rides.

 

I had been to the park 8 times last season before I finally went on SORA. Normally, I ride El Toro for my first 60-90 minutes in the park, but El Toro did not open with the park that morning so I went over to SORA before the line got too long. I rode it again later in the summer just to see if my first tour guide was exceptional good but the new tour guide was also good.