coasterfreak101 Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 How should that area be labeled on the map? "The Other Golden Kingdom"? "The Golden Fiefdom"? We should have a naming contest. They should name it Golden Kingdom and connect it to the other half of the area. But, ya know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideofSteel Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Track is almost done! (Credit goes to Great Adventure's instagram). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 ^ The center one wins. Looks like they might be making great time. Now to top off the other two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Remember a couple of years ago when they had the bridge between El Toro and Medusa (now Bizarro) closed off? It's definitely a pain if they don't have the pathway between El Toro and Ka opened, but by making guests walk all the way over to Boardwalk to get between the two rides means walking right past all the games, food stands, and upcharges. We see it as a pain, they see it as a way to make $$$. Good point! It makes more sense from a profit point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Remember a couple of years ago when they had the bridge between El Toro and Medusa (now Bizarro) closed off? It's definitely a pain if they don't have the pathway between El Toro and Ka opened, but by making guests walk all the way over to Boardwalk to get between the two rides means walking right past all the games, food stands, and upcharges. We see it as a pain, they see it as a way to make $$$. I could not agree more! I actually kinda like it the way it is. Would the path make it easier, of course but I'm weird and I like that Ka is back there all by its self sorta like its in own contained area. Also I like walking through the boardwalk area at night when all of the lights are on. I have always said they just need some more rides back there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Also I like walking through the boardwalk area at night when all of the lights are on. I have always said they just need some more rides back there. It makes a nice contrast to the Golden Kingdom where there are no lights at all. It's so dark back there and in the Kingda Ka queue that I almost feel like it's unsafe. If someone trips and falls I could easily see them filing a lawsuit against the park and for once I'd almost agree with them for doing it. The only light in the main Kingda Ka queue comes from a light in the parking lot hundreds of feet away which really doesn't do much of anything and from the moon if it happens to be out that night. This is the darkest guest area in any theme park I've ever visited. Photo from Great Adventure History Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I've never really thought about it, but Ka doesn't have spotlights like Dragster, does it? Missed opportunity there...granted, they might make the trip up on Zumanjaro pretty rough on the eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awclark Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Remember a couple of years ago when they had the bridge between El Toro and Medusa (now Bizarro) closed off? It's definitely a pain if they don't have the pathway between El Toro and Ka opened, but by making guests walk all the way over to Boardwalk to get between the two rides means walking right past all the games, food stands, and upcharges. We see it as a pain, they see it as a way to make $$$. I agree. However, Great Adventure has had a habit of closing off many convenient pathways for some time now. They blocked the path between the carousel and circus tent shops through various methods over the years as a way to funnel people into the boardwalk games area (first it was a planter, then the 'jumping jack flash' flat ride installed in 1999, and now its I believe a paintball booth). The bridge between El Toro and Bizarro has been blocked a few times over the years either be it the Viper/El Toro transition, wood replacement, or just flat out closed off. After tearing down Chiller, Freefall, and Pendulum they shut down that ENTIRE zone and after a couple years eventually moved the 3 remaining flats there into "Adventure Alley". And lastly, the path connecting Ka and El Toro was closed when they closed down the Tiger exhibit and removed the kiddie ride zone. So from the park's business perspective, there's no point in having guests walk down barren pathways with nothing but the remnants of former attractions on them not only because it isn't a good look for the park to have guests to see those dilapidated attractions, but it doesn't earn them any business. Funnel the guests to where they are constantly bombarded with shops, food, and places to spend money. Inconvenient? Sure. But I'm sure those closed off areas will be re-developed in the future once management figures out a respective plan for each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Also I like walking through the boardwalk area at night when all of the lights are on. I have always said they just need some more rides back there. It makes a nice contrast to the Golden Kingdom where there are no lights at all. It's so dark back there and in the Kingda Ka queue that I almost feel like it's unsafe. If someone trips and falls I could easily see them filing a lawsuit against the park and for once I'd almost agree with them for doing it. The only light in the main Kingda Ka queue comes from a light in the parking lot hundreds of feet away which really doesn't do much of anything and from the moon if it happens to be out that night. This is the darkest guest area in any theme park I've ever visited. Photo from Great Adventure History I agree!!!!! That area is dark and I already feel unsafe there with the people that go there so back there would be a frenzy for things to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolandmammoth Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Since Great Adventure is kind of in the middle of nowhere the park has always been very dark at night. I was never sure why there are so few lamps. It gets very dark by the Lakefront, Golden Kingdom, and Frontier Adventures. The areas of the park that are more well lit are still pretty dark by most standards. I personally think it adds a bit of charm to the park. However, the areas of the park with lots of lights (The Boardwalk and Plaza Del' Carnival) are absolutely stunning at night. These areas don't have many lamps and are lit only by the lights on buildings or colorful string lights. It has the "Christmas tree" glow feel if that makes any sense. I would like to see more areas receive similar lighting packages. Also, Kingda Ka used to have a spotlight that actually sat on a picnic table under the tower, however it was removed a few years back. The park is situated between a pretty busy airport and quite a few residential homes. Not the best spot for a giant spot light pointed at the sky. On the topic of dead ends in the park, this has bothered me for years now. Almost everywhere you go in the park is a dead end. It's bad enough that most of the major attractions are on one half of the park while the other is almost completely abandoned (movietown), but now even the parts of the park that have lots of attractions are borderline impossible to navigate. If you don't know about the arcade shortcut, the walk to Bizarro is rough from the park entrance. Then people wonder why the line is so short. If the bridge from El Toro to Bizarro was still closed off, I honestly believe that most first time guests would never find the ride. The Old Country dead end is another nail bitter. Its a shame because with everything reopened, Great Adventure is one of the most fluid and easy to navigate parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. M Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I already feel unsafe there with the people that go there Oh brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrischucktown Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 So, I am going to Great Adventure on the first week in June. This will be a first time for me. Do you guys have any suggestions? Should I splurge on the Flash Pass? I will be there on a Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Flash Pass shouldn't be needed. Crowds are usually low until mid June during the week. There are class trips but not many other guests there, you could always get a Flash Pass at the park if it is more crowded than expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 absolutely splurge on a Flash Pass since its the New york?jersey area and undoubtedly will be crowded regardless that its on a Wednesday.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Flash Pass shouldn't be needed. Crowds are usually low until mid June during the week. There are class trips but not many other guests there, you could always get a Flash Pass at the park if it is more crowded than expected. To add to this comment, if you don't get a Flash Pass BE PATIENT. Many schools trips end by 3PM, so it is much less crowded later in the day. So you should have time to ride everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilsFlight Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Vertical construction completed today. From zumanjaro's instagram page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Just reading back through this thread as I hype myself up for opening day next weekend and noticed so many folks rate Batman as one of their top coasters at the park after Nitro, Toro, and KK. Am I alone in thinking Batman is a really rough ride and that Bizarro is undoubtedly better? Everyone seems to hate on it and I don't understand why. Its my fave at the park after Toro and Nitro. Great layout, smooth yet moderately forceful with some great inversions and elements. Just curious why some folks don't rate it very highly. Also Batman seems like a very short ride compared to Bizarro, maybe thats just my imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 ^I really like Bizarro. Just like you said, it is smooth, reasonably intense, has a nice set of inversions and has a decent length. However I did find Batman completely smooth when I rode it: not one bit of headbanging. And even though it is shorter than Bizarro, its intensity makes up for that (but that's just me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Batman is one of the smoothest looping coasters I've ever ridden. How anyone can consider this ride rough but have an SLC as their avatar is beyond me. Bizarro is a good ride, I always ride it when i go to the park and I like it... but it's not even on the same level as Batman which I find smoother (not that Bizarro is rough) and much more intense. I find Bizarro to be a very mediocre floorless coaster. It's better than Hydra, on the same level as Scream! and not quite as good as Dominator or Batman the Dark Knight (I know I rank this higher than a lot of people but it's actually moderately forceful for a 21st century B&M and has the best zero g roll on any coaster I've ridden not named Kumba). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Batman is one of the smoothest looping coasters I've ever ridden. How anyone can consider this ride rough but have an SLC as their avatar is beyond me. LOL. Yeah, The Great Noreaster is a notoriously rough ride, yet remains one of my all time fave coasters as its my very first SLC/inverted coaster, its practically in my folks back yard, next to the ocean, and the ride has improved considerably with the new Freedom Trains they installed a few years ago. Ive ridden it hundreds of times since it opened. I'd say it rides much smoother than BM @ SFGAdv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterPrince Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 ^Nor Easter is a great ride! I love everything about it. As for Bizarro being better than Batman, I agree. Batman being short and intense is great and the layout is perfect but Bizarro, especially in the front seat is just a better ride. After El Toro, Kingda Ka, and Nitro the rest of the coasters in the park all seem "meh". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 My faves are Nitro, Toro and Bizarro, in that order. After that I guess Kingda Ka but I can't help but feel like its a one trick pony. I would rather wait for the other three than KK. Have yet to ride Green Lantern or Ultimate Flight so don't have an opinion of them but hope to change that on the 12th. I got banged up pretty good on BM:TR last time I was there last yr. They actually asked if we wanted to stay on as there was no line and we chose to go for Nitro again instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeeman311 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I find myself to be one of the few enthusiasts that doesn't like Batman. Personally I find the ride too intense to enjoy because I always walk off it in some kind of pain. I'm not a huge fan of inverts in general but Great Nor Easter is a much better ride imo. It creates a more out of control feeling rather than forceful like Batman and with the new trains I don't walk off the ride in pain. As for Bizarro being better than Batman I completely agree there but I'm gonna throw in Superman and give it some love as the best coaster after the big 3. I know it's the shortest ride with the least elements but no inversion beats the feeling of the pretzel loop to me which is really the point of riding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I'm gonna throw in Superman and give it some love as the best coaster after the big 3. I know it's the shortest ride with the least elements but no inversion beats the feeling of the pretzel loop to me which is really the point of riding it. This is exactly why I want to ride it. We tried last summer but were told the wait was 2 hours and we didnt have the time. Seems its always got a long line from what Ive heard/read. I have yet to ride any flying coaster and to me it seems to be a very uncomfortable position to be while riding but again I can't say that from experience. However, I can only imagine the force of going through that loop in that position, looks like it feels incredibly intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I find Batman very smooth. Even though they clone this all over the place I love the layout a lot, especially the ending. Bizarro is fun as well. I really like that one at night with all the lighting and fire effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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