YoshiFan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I was also there today. It was a little more crowded than normal for Sunday of opening weekend but crowds still were light. My longest wait of the day was 15 minutes for Nitro. They really added a lot more places and choices to use the season dining pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vtafro Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ^Were you with a girl wearing a WCB shirt too? If so I swear I saw you on Nitro and Batman. Yep. Looks like you got a photo as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oryp Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I'm going today, and have never been to the park this early in the season. Will the safari be open already, or are the animals not out yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 It's open... I suggest riding it first thing in the morning before the line gets unbearably long. They cut off the line around 4 PM on Opening Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilsFlight Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 4 PM isn't bad at all. When I went last year by the end of the season it closed at 2:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromowl Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi Guys, We are coming over from the UK on a road trip and will be visiting on 04/26. Are Saturday's busy? Due to only having one day available are we better purchasing a Fast Pass? We last visited in 2003 so there are lots of different rides. Is the best idea to go straight for El Toro and Kingda Ka (providing open!). We will aim to get there for 10 a.m. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. On our road trip we are also going to Kings Island, and Six Flags Great America. Regards Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Saturdays are busy, but you'll have no problem riding all of the coasters without a Flash Pass (assuming you don't ride the Safari as it will take up a huge portion of your day). Still, I would get one as you'll want to re-ride a lot of rides... especially El Toro. Unfortunately Kingda Ka will not be open... but El Toro will more than make up for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Dear El Toro ride ops, when dispatch is sayinb Car6, Car 6 repeatedly, there is not a need to spend 5 minutes stapling everyone in cars 4 and 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_Ryan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Dear El Toro ride ops, when dispatch is sayinb Car6, Car 6 repeatedly, there is not a need to spend 5 minutes stapling everyone in cars 4 and 5 Hey Larry, I'm a ride op at El Toro this season. Sorry about that. Better safe than sorry, right? Most of our crew this year is brand new so we're all getting into the groove of things. Give us some time and we'll be golden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) After a few early morning snarls involving picking folks up and somehow getting a bit lost, we arrived at around 11:30 on Saturday morning to a much more crowded parking lot than expected. It was an absolutely perfect day weather wise so it wasn't too much of a surprise. Joining me was my fiance - a definite coaster fan that has not been to SFGAdv since the late 90s, along with a lifelong friend who is a borderline enthusiast and visits frequently, and another good buddy who is moving across the country in a month so this was kind of a bittersweet send off for him, in a way. Once we got into the park my seasoned SFGAdv buddy spotted Houdini's Great Escape and asked if any of us had ever tried it. We hadn't, and he literally dragged us into the queue. None of us knew what to expect and he wouldn't tell us. Pretty cool but stinks like a really old moldy ride, which bothered me the entire time. OK, now let's do some coasters. Since my fiance hasn't done many of the big dogs here, we knew we had to ease her in. We decided to first check out the season pass processing line (very long! we'll come back later...) and head for Runaway Mine Train. We figured it's the oldest coaster in the park, a real classic, and was a great (albeit rough) warm up before we dove in head first. Walked on, sat close to the front. Noticed this here first and again on a few other coasters, but was a little weird/unnerving seeing so many operators checking their manuals but reminded myself its opening day & better safe than sorry I suppose. My buddy lost his hat to the RMT. Doh! Even though my fiance is a bigger fan of woodies, she was having cold feet about El Toro once she was standing next to it, so we goaded her into going on Bizarro since it was close by and not extreme in terms of height and speed. The line reached halfway down the steps and was very crowded in the station but we didn’t wait long. 15 minutes tops. Very slow dispatches on this gave me worries of what we might experience elsewhere. Once we got on, it rode great, it reminded me why it’s one of my favorites in the park, and my fiance LOVED it. The only effect I noticed working were the fireballs, and maybe its just me but they seemed enormous. Love that zero-G roll. One of my favorite sensations all day. Okay, now we're really warmed up. Come on, let's go ride the bull. It was probably close to 1pm, and was a 30 minute wait for El Toro. We hadn't seen it run very often and at one point after Runaway Train we stood watching Toro and were actually worried it wasn't running at all. We made our way over and once in line trains were dispatching very infrequently. Was worried they were only running one train. Once we got into the station it became apparent they were having issues with the restraint sensors. Watched quite a few people get off (2nd thoughts?) after issues with their restraints. Finally, we were on the move and it was fantastic. That pop after the left hand curve before the twisty part is ridiculous! I had my mind set on Nitro from the moment we pulled up to the park so I suggested we jump on the Skyway for a quick shortcut across the park. Such a perfect day. Great views from up there (including the still ridiculously long line for pass processing, you can see it in the bottom right hand corner of the first Skyway pic below). Line for Nitro was about 20 minutes. On this and Bizarro (and later Skull Mountain) the stations got pretty crowded/somewhat chaotic, I wished they would have had someone at the top of the steps or something to only allow a certain amount of folks in to avoid this. Not a huge deal though. Dispatches on Nitro are a well oiled machine, even on opening day. The ride was amazing as always. It was the fiances first hyper and she felt the restraint was not enough for the rides intensity (this is my favorite part of the experience, we agreed to disagree). I sat 2nd row far left and on that second hill/first turn thought I was being throw off the side for a second there. Amazing We all agreed to skip Batman as it was the only coaster that all of us had done before and we all agreed it was rough and not worth a wait if there was one. Out to the car for a quick bite and break and then back in. We wandered over to check out the pass processing line again (still ain't waiting in that line!) and made a bee-line for El Toro. Line was now twice as long as our first ride so we headed for the Boardwalk as only one of us (not me) had done Superman or Green Lantern before and I wanted to try both. We spotted almost no one in line for Green Lantern and went for it. Walked right on. I learned I am not a fan of stand-up coasters. The thing is smooth, a really nice drop and has some amazing forces but my fiance summed it up mid ride as she screamed "I'm glad I don't have balls!" It’s just not a comfortable position to be in on a coaster. My taint should not bear the brunt of that force, lol. Glad I got the credit, but have absolutely zero desire to do it again. From the lift we were able to see what looked like a decent sized line for Superman so we agreed to skip it. I still have not done a flying coaster. There's always next time. We headed back to Nitro for round two and the fiance sat this one out. Too intense for her. The other three of us did the back row and it was, as expected, even better than the first ride earlier in the day. It was while we were about to board when my eyes spotted that weave on the break run catwalk! LOL. Too funny. Glad someone else noticed it. So what next? Why Skull Mountain of course! No line unless you count the crush of people in the station once got through the queue. Really hot in the station. Waited maybe 10 minutes total and the dispatches were, like Nitro, extremely fast with efficient operators. This is a ridiculous but super fun classic, I don’t care what anybody says. It was getting later and we knew we only had another hour or two before closing, so we hopped the Skyway once again in an effort to get a second spin on Toro. Line was almost nothing at this point and we got on very quickly. Maybe a 10 minute wait. While waiting for this go around, we did hear a very aggressive announcement regarding being ejected by the park for a year if you have loose articles on train, so guessing that was due to the guy getting hit by the cell phone? Were next to board when the dispatcher announced that the train before us was the “lucky train” of the day and would get to go around twice! RATS! If only we’d gotten there a minute earlier. Super cool that they do this, gutted it wasn’t us. Lucky bastards! Rode closer to the back for the first time and JESUS it’s like an entirely different coaster. The entire twisty end section felt incredibly faster. So so so smooth though. I think after Saturday that Toro may have crept into my top spot. If we had more time I would have waited again for the very very back. Next time! By now it was just starting to get dark and since we were in the area we figured we would end the day with one more spin on Bizarro as the sun set. Same wait as earlier the in the day. Line was down the steps, but got on in 10 minutes. Love this coaster. So smooth. The zero-G roll is fantastic. Tempted to jump back in line as by now it was practically a walk on. But the group was collectively getting weary after a pretty full day. Headed out to the car and checked the pass processing one last time. Line was really short compared to earlier so I decided to bite the bullet and get in. Only a 15 minute wait and all sorted and sent me on my way. Overall a PERFECT start to the season, got to ride my three faves twice each, and get my Green Lantern credit in and a few other fun things, and got my pass sorted. I think everything we rode had every train running. Never felt like the park was obnoxiously crowded. And to be honest, didn’t spend much money at all. I did get a funky little key chain while leaving. After that long horrid winter, it definitely feels like summer has finally arrived. Edited April 14, 2014 by boldikus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vtafro Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Dear El Toro ride ops, when dispatch is sayinb Car6, Car 6 repeatedly, there is not a need to spend 5 minutes stapling everyone in cars 4 and 5 QFT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ^ I know everyone rotates around all the time but were you by any chance at the panel on Saturday afternoon? When the ride op said that El Toro was the best wooden coaster in the world, better than Goliath at Great America I figured he must be an enthusiast. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_Ryan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ^ I know everyone rotates around all the time but were you by any chance at the panel on Saturday afternoon? When the ride op said that El Toro was the best wooden coaster in the world, better than Goliath at Great America I figured he must be an enthusiast. lol No, I worked saturday until like 3. I was checking the trains. That was probably one of my supervisors though. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Dear El Toro ride ops, when dispatch is sayinb Car6, Car 6 repeatedly, there is not a need to spend 5 minutes stapling everyone in cars 4 and 5 Hey Larry, I'm a ride op at El Toro this season. Sorry about that. Better safe than sorry, right? Most of our crew this year is brand new so we're all getting into the groove of things. Give us some time and we'll be golden. I realize the crew will get better over time, traditionally the El Toro crew is top notch. I've just never seen it so bad opening weekend before. Granted I was only at El Toro for 90 minutes this morning. I completely understand the better safe than sorry issue. My bigger issue, the attendant at the ride entrance was not stopping people with bags and all these people complained and held up trains once they got to the station. On my last ride, the guy in front of me rode El Toro with his Six Flags refillable bottle filled with Coke. Well not the whole ride since he spilled half of it on his pants. You figure the ride op would see the bottle in his hand when he was checking restraints. Lastly, a lot more idiots taking their phones out during the ride this year, someone will lose an eye if they get hit. After two rides, I told one ride op about two different people doing it and he didn't respond. Edited April 14, 2014 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeeman311 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ^I was actually on a train Saturday when a phone went flying right over our heads near the back. Not sure if this was the incident of a guy getting hit in the face or not but I saw it on Superman too. Completely agree about the bag issue. Also my friend brought his water bottle and put it near the bottle stands on half our rides and nobody seemed to care. I feel like people don't realize good povs come from mounted cameras, not cell phones. My philosophy has always been that you only have a chance at a good video in the front row and even then it probably won't come out good by an amateur with a cell phone. Not to mention it ruins the ride experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intaman Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I cannot believe people can be so careless and unaware of the safety and lives of others and pull out a cellphone during a ride, especially one that is high-intensity (then again, I can believe some people will do that). I experienced this several times last year at SFGA; riders would pull out their cellphone during Raging Bull. If that phone goes flying and strikes somebody, that could really injure them or worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Can anyone shed some insight on the Coasters After Dark thing? Seems from reading about past years that this is closed to public and for season pass holders only? Anyone gone before? All walk ons? How late does it usually go? Work in Philly til 5 so wouldnt get to the park til at least 6. Seriously considering heading back up that night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeeman311 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Can anyone shed some insight on the Coasters After Dark thing? Seems from reading about past years that this is closed to public and for season pass holders only? Anyone gone before? All walk ons? How late does it usually go? Work in Philly til 5 so wouldnt get to the park til at least 6. Seriously considering heading back up that night! I've gone the past 2 years. Absolute best night of the year to go to the park. Every coaster is a walk-on and I've done El Toro and Nitro a handful of times in a row without getting off the ride. Plus GAdv still runs multiple trains on all the coasters for this event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPSFMMCW Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 kingda ka, superman, and el toro are heaven at night. Especially el toro. 3x better at night. 5x better if you're also in the front row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_Ryan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Dear El Toro ride ops, when dispatch is sayinb Car6, Car 6 repeatedly, there is not a need to spend 5 minutes stapling everyone in cars 4 and 5 Hey Larry, I'm a ride op at El Toro this season. Sorry about that. Better safe than sorry, right? Most of our crew this year is brand new so we're all getting into the groove of things. Give us some time and we'll be golden. I realize the crew will get better over time, traditionally the El Toro crew is top notch. I've just never seen it so bad opening weekend before. Granted I was only at El Toro for 90 minutes this morning. I completely understand the better safe than sorry issue. My bigger issue, the attendant at the ride entrance was not stopping people with bags and all these people complained and held up trains once they got to the station. On my last ride, the guy in front of me rode El Toro with his Six Flags refillable bottle filled with Coke. Well not the whole ride since he spilled half of it on his pants. You figure the ride op would see the bottle in his hand when he was checking restraints. Lastly, a lot more idiots taking their phones out during the ride this year, someone will lose an eye if they get hit. After two rides, I told one ride op about two different people doing it and he didn't respond. Yeah, I noticed several people with phones out while I was working. Most of them were just trying to hold onto their precious iPhones it seemed rather than for filming, but I told everyone I caught to put them away. haha Someone on one of the trains addressed me about someone getting hit with a phone the year prior. I'm not sure if that was you or not. Also, we were having issues with lapbars not unlocking Saturday. We only had one train for most of sunday because of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 It is supposed to be for passholders only. During the day, it is Physics Day (and some music competitions as well) and they allow those groups to stay into Coasters After Dark but it still isn't crowded and usually by around 7:00, they have their award ceremonies for the music competition in the stunt arena in Movie Town which makes the coasters even less crowded. Most of the schools leave before the event starts though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_Ryan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 kingda ka, superman, and el toro are heaven at night. Especially el toro. 3x better at night. 5x better if you're also in the front row. Don't forget Nitro. haha The ride stretches out so far out of the park that it's literally pitch black riding it at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Can only imagine Nitro in the dark (!!!) I'm sure Bizarro also looks great in the black of night. What time does the park usually close on this night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilsFlight Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Usually it's at 10. I dont know about today though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Usually it's at 10. I dont know about today though. I mean for the Coasters After Dark event. How late does it go in years past? I ask because I work til 5 and I'm an hour away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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