Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[larrygator]

The reason I don't like Green Lantern is because my crotch hurts when I get off it. I'm pretty sure any stand-up coaster would have that result for me.

 

Another tip, this puts more pressure on your legs during the ride but if you ride with the bicycle seat a little low so it isn't pushing into your crotch, it's way better in my opinion.

 

Exactly, many people don't realize the bicycle seat (even though it is called a seat) is not meant to be sat upon. The coaster is a stand-up coaster and you need to stand-up straight the whole ride.

[yankeeman311]

Anyone know how crowds are right now? Might stop by later today if it's lighter than usual.

[biker7766]

^ Crowds aren't horrible. Zumanjaro only had a 20 minute line when I walked past!

[glouthan]

The reason I don't like Green Lantern is because my crotch hurts when I get off it. I'm pretty sure any stand-up coaster would have that result for me.

 

Another tip, this puts more pressure on your legs during the ride but if you ride with the bicycle seat a little low so it isn't pushing into your crotch, it's way better in my opinion.

 

Exactly, many people don't realize the bicycle seat (even though it is called a seat) is not meant to be sat upon. The coaster is a stand-up coaster and you need to stand-up straight the whole ride.

 

That's also my pet peeve. If you learn how to correctly ride standup coasters, they can actually be quite fun.

[coasterfreak101]

^Agreed. I've never had a problem on them as far as the seats go (though Mantis was significantly rougher last month than I remember it being). Green Lantern is actually my favorite of the three large-scale standups, and I even really enjoyed Vortex at CGA too.

[griffonj2022]

Which weekday would be the best day to go either this week or the first full week of August? I've been trying to figure out when to go by going back 20 pages or so and scanning, but didn't find much. Suggestions? Thanks.

[Canobie Coaster]

^Agreed. I've never had a problem on them as far as the seats go (though Mantis was significantly rougher last month than I remember it being). Green Lantern is actually my favorite of the three large-scale standups, and I even really enjoyed Vortex at CGA too.

 

The saddle isn't my issue with standups. It is the large OTSRs and the headbanging they lead to.

[DevilsFlight]

^Agreed. I've never had a problem on them as far as the seats go (though Mantis was significantly rougher last month than I remember it being). Green Lantern is actually my favorite of the three large-scale standups, and I even really enjoyed Vortex at CGA too.

 

The saddle isn't my issue with standups. It is the large OTSRs and the headbanging they lead to.

Exactly. Basically I just go on the end and stand on the side of the car. Those restraints hurt badly. I had a bad headache after a ride. Hopefully the headbanging will be fixed

[CJStephens15]

Can anyone give me an idea of what crowds/wait times will be like on a weekday in mid august? Looking at a one day trip to GAdv somewhere between Monday 8/11-Fri 8/15, Mon 8/18 or Tues 8/19. Not planning on using flash pass, not a season pass holder, and plan on staying the whole day. Thanks for any help!

[El Toro_Ryan]

Which weekday would be the best day to go either this week or the first full week of August? I've been trying to figure out when to go by going back 20 pages or so and scanning, but didn't find much. Suggestions? Thanks.

 

I would say this week. The park usually gets more crowded in August from what I've seen.

 

Can anyone give me an idea of what crowds/wait times will be like on a weekday in mid august? Looking at a one day trip to GAdv somewhere between Monday 8/11-Fri 8/15, Mon 8/18 or Tues 8/19. Not planning on using flash pass, not a season pass holder, and plan on staying the whole day. Thanks for any help!

 

The park will probably be moderately crowded but nothing over the top. If you're going for the entire day, you should be able to ride everything with no problem. I'd head to Zumanjaro and Ka first since they will have the longest lines and most downtime. After that, it doesn't matter where you go really but I like to hit Toro and Bizarro and then work my way over towards Nitro and Batman.

[CJStephens15]

Can anyone give me an idea of what crowds/wait times will be like on a weekday in mid august? Looking at a one day trip to GAdv somewhere between Monday 8/11-Fri 8/15, Mon 8/18 or Tues 8/19. Not planning on using flash pass, not a season pass holder, and plan on staying the whole day. Thanks for any help!

 

The park will probably be moderately crowded but nothing over the top. If you're going for the entire day, you should be able to ride everything with no problem. I'd head to Zumanjaro and Ka first since they will have the longest lines and most downtime. After that, it doesn't matter where you go really but I like to hit Toro and Bizarro and then work my way over towards Nitro and Batman.

 

Safe to say no more than about an hour wait for Ka (assuming no down time), El Toro, Superman, Zumanjaro, and Nitro?

[El Toro_Ryan]

Can anyone give me an idea of what crowds/wait times will be like on a weekday in mid august? Looking at a one day trip to GAdv somewhere between Monday 8/11-Fri 8/15, Mon 8/18 or Tues 8/19. Not planning on using flash pass, not a season pass holder, and plan on staying the whole day. Thanks for any help!

 

The park will probably be moderately crowded but nothing over the top. If you're going for the entire day, you should be able to ride everything with no problem. I'd head to Zumanjaro and Ka first since they will have the longest lines and most downtime. After that, it doesn't matter where you go really but I like to hit Toro and Bizarro and then work my way over towards Nitro and Batman.

 

Safe to say no more than about an hour wait for Ka (assuming no down time), El Toro, Superman, Zumanjaro, and Nitro?

 

Zumanjaro and Ka could be over an hour due to breakdowns but the rest should be under an hour.

[CJStephens15]

Can anyone give me an idea of what crowds/wait times will be like on a weekday in mid august? Looking at a one day trip to GAdv somewhere between Monday 8/11-Fri 8/15, Mon 8/18 or Tues 8/19. Not planning on using flash pass, not a season pass holder, and plan on staying the whole day. Thanks for any help!

 

The park will probably be moderately crowded but nothing over the top. If you're going for the entire day, you should be able to ride everything with no problem. I'd head to Zumanjaro and Ka first since they will have the longest lines and most downtime. After that, it doesn't matter where you go really but I like to hit Toro and Bizarro and then work my way over towards Nitro and Batman.

 

Safe to say no more than about an hour wait for Ka (assuming no down time), El Toro, Superman, Zumanjaro, and Nitro?

 

Zumanjaro and Ka could be over an hour due to breakdowns but the rest should be under an hour.

 

Good to know. Thanks for the info!

[boldikus]

The reason I don't like Green Lantern is because my crotch hurts when I get off it. I'm pretty sure any stand-up coaster would have that result for me.

 

Another tip, this puts more pressure on your legs during the ride but if you ride with the bicycle seat a little low so it isn't pushing into your crotch, it's way better in my opinion.

 

Exactly, many people don't realize the bicycle seat (even though it is called a seat) is not meant to be sat upon. The coaster is a stand-up coaster and you need to stand-up straight the whole ride.

 

That's also my pet peeve. If you learn how to correctly ride standup coasters, they can actually be quite fun.

 

As I said Ive tried the coaster standing in different positions, both while directly on the seat w/ legs straight, and also with it lower and legs bent so I wasnt really touching it at all, also kind of in between. Ive also tried it all over the train, left side, right, back front, etc. The ride sucks no matter what I try. I know they wont get floorless trains, I personally just think it would make it better.

[netdvn]

So trip was pushed back to the original date (Sunday August 17th).

 

I'm planning to arrive at rope drop and book it straight to Ka. Then work my way around the park from there. I still wanna do the safari, so I considered just doing that last thing in the evening (assuming we leave early to make it back to VA in time) so I can get some great sunset shots and the animals should be back out and about by then.

 

My biggest worries are Ka and Toro since those seem to get the worst lines. Zumanjaro will be hit-miss based on the lines since I have a nasty fear of heights.

 

Sunday crowds mid-August should be manageable right? I know crowds can be messy with families planning last minute trips before school and the weather getting cooler around that time.

 

- So bummed I couldn't make it last weekend.

[DevilsFlight]

^Keep in mind that the safari closes earlier than the rest of the rides. Also try Zumanjaro. It doesn't feel as high as it really is. As for the crowds they should be fine. Have fun when you go!

[mmkaycomputer]

Hi there. I'm going to make my first-ever trip to Six Flags Great Adventure soon, pretty excited about it. I do have a total n00b/kinda paranoid question about Kingda Ka: Just how intense is the launch? The most powerful one I've experienced so far is Full Throttle at SFMM — 70 MPH in 2 seconds — and while I can def. tolerate it, I feel like the acceleration stops just in time before it might become overwhelming. As I try to imagine KK, I imagine the YOLO launch going on for an extra 1.5 seconds and reaching 5Gs and I can already feel the heaviness in my chest!

 

I'm healthy and have no heart issues (though I expect to gray out on KK's vertical ascent given my experience on old shuttle coasters). I know rider experiences can vary for multiple reasons, but has the KK launch ever felt like too much for anyone, or even made them nauseated/sick? (I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but if there is one, please link it and I'll take a look.) Thanks!

[DevilsFlight]

^Ka has a great launch. In theory, YOLOcoaster should have an acceleration of 35 mph per second to reach 70 in two seconds. Using the same theory, Ka goes 128 mph in 3.5 seconds. This means that Ka would be about 36.57 mph per second. I've never been on YOLOcoaster but Ka has probably the most, if not one of the most, intense launches on an accelerator coaster. It's the best launch I've been on (better than Storm Runner and TTD) but you would need to experience it yourself. It's different for everyone. But my guess would be that you'd find it pretty intense. Nonetheless it is really an amazing experience your first time on. Just sit near the front as you'll get less headbanging

[strz]

Hi there. I'm going to make my first-ever trip to Six Flags Great Adventure soon, pretty excited about it. I do have a total n00b/kinda paranoid question about Kingda Ka: Just how intense is the launch? The most powerful one I've experienced so far is YOLOcoaster at SFMM — 70 MPH in 2 seconds — and while I can def. tolerate it, I feel like the acceleration stops just in time before it might become overwhelming. As I try to imagine KK, I imagine the YOLO launch going on for an extra 1.5 seconds and reaching 5Gs and I can already feel the heaviness in my chest!

 

I'm healthy and have no heart issues (though I expect to gray out on KK's vertical ascent given my experience on old shuttle coasters). I know rider experiences can vary for multiple reasons, but has the KK launch ever felt like too much for anyone, or even made them nauseated/sick? (I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but if there is one, please link it and I'll take a look.) Thanks!

 

I've been on it dozens of times- and the wait right to a full launch is intense.....it's all good for me, but I have never forced anyone to ride it, if they aren't up for it.....your call on this one my friend!

[XYZ]

Hi there. I'm going to make my first-ever trip to Six Flags Great Adventure soon, pretty excited about it. I do have a total n00b/kinda paranoid question about Kingda Ka: Just how intense is the launch? The most powerful one I've experienced so far is YOLOcoaster at SFMM — 70 MPH in 2 seconds — and while I can def. tolerate it, I feel like the acceleration stops just in time before it might become overwhelming. As I try to imagine KK, I imagine the YOLO launch going on for an extra 1.5 seconds and reaching 5Gs and I can already feel the heaviness in my chest!

 

I'm healthy and have no heart issues (though I expect to gray out on KK's vertical ascent given my experience on old shuttle coasters). I know rider experiences can vary for multiple reasons, but has the KK launch ever felt like too much for anyone, or even made them nauseated/sick? (I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but if there is one, please link it and I'll take a look.) Thanks!

 

 

Kingda Ka's launch is WAY more intense and much better than Full Throttle's launch. Don't worry about Kingda Ka's launch, it doesn't give any nausea (at least to me) and is my favorite part of the ride.

 

(I have been on both coasters.)

[glouthan]

Hi there. I'm going to make my first-ever trip to Six Flags Great Adventure soon, pretty excited about it. I do have a total n00b/kinda paranoid question about Kingda Ka: Just how intense is the launch? The most powerful one I've experienced so far is YOLOcoaster at SFMM — 70 MPH in 2 seconds — and while I can def. tolerate it, I feel like the acceleration stops just in time before it might become overwhelming. As I try to imagine KK, I imagine the YOLO launch going on for an extra 1.5 seconds and reaching 5Gs and I can already feel the heaviness in my chest!

 

I'm healthy and have no heart issues (though I expect to gray out on KK's vertical ascent given my experience on old shuttle coasters). I know rider experiences can vary for multiple reasons, but has the KK launch ever felt like too much for anyone, or even made them nauseated/sick? (I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but if there is one, please link it and I'll take a look.) Thanks!

 

The Kingda Ka launch is the best in the business. It's very fun to ride, and not nauseating at all. It starts out fairly strong, and works up to 128 mph. I'm sure you'll have a great time on it as it's my favorite coaster.

 

Be sure to ride front row for the smoothest and best experience!

[rcjp]

I'm healthy and have no heart issues (though I expect to gray out on KK's vertical ascent given my experience on old shuttle coasters). I know rider experiences can vary for multiple reasons, but has the KK launch ever felt like too much for anyone, or even made them nauseated/sick? (I couldn't find a previous thread on this, but if there is one, please link it and I'll take a look.) Thanks!

I think the ascent is too quick for you to grey out (although that might be just me). Don't worry about it, it's great fun. I would recommended the front because not only is it the smoothest but it also has the views and (the best part for me) the wind blowing in your face is awesome.

[sirchubs33]

I am in agreement that Kingda Ka is best ridden in the front. The launch is powerful, but nothing has come close to the Air Compressed Launches on S&S Coasters. I have only gotten on Hypersonic XLC and that launch was so intense/painful. I think the official stat was 0-80mph in 1.8.

 

I can't even imagine how Dodonpa is... yikes.

[Coaster Cow]

So I went to the park last Friday and am now just getting around to writing a report.

 

This was my first visit to the park, and so I will begin with some random thoughts based on my expectations and whatnot before I do a rundown of the rides.

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

IMO everyone on this forum who complains about how "terrible" the park and its operations are need a serious dose of perspective. Compared to pretty much every other Six Flags park I have been to (with the exception of SFoT and SFoG, two of the "legacy" parks in the chain), SFGAd was cleaner, better maintained, had friendlier employees, and quicker dispatches. Claims I had read of the park being in disrepair were totally off the mark. Yes, there's a lot of tarmac, but there are many more trees than most Six Flags parks, and each park in the chain has its own version of the Boardwalk section, so hush about that. Sure, I have seen faster dispatches, but the operators were focused and attentive at every ride I went on. The vendors were all friendly and helpful as well. The coasters (minus Kingda Ka, but more on that later) were running as many trains as they could push out given their dispatch times.

 

Essentially, what I saw at the park was just about as good of a Six Flags park as I have seen, on par with SFoT, SFFT, SFGA, SFoG, and IMO MUCH better than SFMM and SFNE, the real black sheep of the big flagship SF parks. Granted, what you have is indeed a Six Flags park, and so with it comes high ticket prices, endless advertising, and many failed or controversial designs to the park structure over its history. (Tangentially, the food was much better in quality, selection, and value than almost every other SF park in the chain) Take this for what you will, but I actually think SFGAd is almost under appreciated by enthusiasts, especially in regards to the park itself (coaster quality aside).

 

A final note, the Kingda Ka/Zumanjaro situation is absolutely horrendous. Kingda Ka was closed for the first few hours of the day, during which we used our Flash Passes to jump on with no wait, but when it opened around noon, the combination of Zumanjaro's horrible capacity and the need to coordinate between the two stations turned lines on both rides into a standstill. We used the Flash Passes to get right into the station of Ka and waited almost thirty minutes from there for about six ride trains to run. The employees could tell that the situation was a cluster fluff, and it was an agonizing time for everyone involved. I can't imagine what the standby line was feeling watching two trains shoot off about every ten minutes or so. Thank god for the Flash Passes.

 

We used our ACE discount for half-price tickets, then used the savings from that to splurge on Platinum Flash Passes. We probably could have gotten away with Gold, but man, the double rides and constant walk-ons into the stations of every major coaster and attraction made all doubts fade away. Highly recommended if you can afford the luxury.

 

RIDE RUNDOWN

El Toro: Yup, this is the real deal. Rode it twice in the second to last row in the morning and twice in the front row in the evening. First half is better in the back, but the OMFG ejector hill at the beginning of the second half followed by the higher-than-expected positive-Gs on the turns made the front of the train my favorite. Arguments aside about the wood/steel designation, this is my #1 coaster overall, trumping my other top rides (and often top-rated) Outlaw Run, Maverick, Expedition GeForce, X2, Voyage, Phoenix, and Ravine Flyer II. 10/10

 

Kingda Ka: Read above for my bit about the operations. Only one side of the station was open and they could only run three trains at a time, with all three sitting motionless for about five minutes at a time while they waited for Zumanjaro. The ride itself is, sorry fanboys, a step down from TTD. The added speed and height is unnoticeable and the restraints made the views more restricted and the ride after the launch less exhilarating. The speed hill was admittedly very cool, more airtime than I expected, and the ride as a whole was a hoot, but these reasons, added to its location away from any good visuals of the launch pad like TTD, makes it an inferior ride IMO. 7/10 for the novelty alone.

 

Zumanjaro: Fun ride! Super slow loader, I felt bad for the standby line, but everyone (ops included) was pretty hyped about the ride. Drop was long but not the most intense of both similarly sized drop towers (ie. third-generation Intamin) and smaller ones too (Mosher, I'm looking at you). Best part was definitely the view. 6/10

 

Nitro: Wow. I feel bad for the ride (I know, it's inanimate, shush), with enthusiasts overlooking it for El Toro and the GP overlooking it for Ka, but this holds its own against all odds. Fantastic floater air, certainly not the ejector stuff on El Toro but constant and strong on every hill. The helix almost made me grey-out on both of my rides. Rode on the A train both times, so I can't comment on the alleged rattle of the C train, but seems to have aged very well so far. Best of the B&M hypers by far. 8/10

 

Green Lantern: Not going to say too much because I'd been on Mantis and Riddler's Revenge (almost the same layout all around), but pretty standard B&M standup. Certainly ridable if you brace yourself and look ahead as you go. Yeah yeah, it's on a parking lot. Still not a bad ride by any means. 5/10

 

Superman:Ultimate Flight: Again, I've been on the other two SF clones so this was nothing new. Nothing much to say except that the queue was hot out in the sun. Couldn't they have rotated the ride so that the station was near the entrance? Whatever. 6/10

 

Batman:the Ride: Again, another clone. Theming was sub-par compared to SFGA's, but this one hauled major a**. Rode in the front row and essentially spent the entire ride in a constant grey-out, which surprised me despite having ridden many a copy before. +1 for intensity over the others for sure. 7/10

 

Bizzaro: Actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Sure, it's layout is similar to Kumba but hey, this is the original floorless and it's aged pretty well, retheming aside. Fire effects were fun too, despite the gimmick. 6/10

 

The Dark Knight: Well the pre-show was grade-A for sure. Had they added live actors to the mix it would have been Universal-quality, without a doubt. Yeah, the ride was a wild mouse in a box, but not as pathetic theming-wise as I had expected given what I've heard from enthusiasts. 4/10

 

Skull Mountain: I was completely lost by this ride. Everything looked all adventure-jungle-esque, and then the only theming on the ride is heavy metal music and a couple pumpkins and skeletons with strobes? Seemed more Holloween-y to me. Anyone have the backstory of the change? Also, the ride was rough, too much fiberglass on the trains and not enough cushion. Flash Passed it, but the wait looked horrible. 3/10

 

(Didn't ride the kiddy coaster or the Tivoli. My crd-ho ways have slowly been declining over the last few years. Maybe I'm growing up. *sigh*)

 

So there you have it! Let me know what you think of what I think. I'm sure I'm forgetting details and thoughts I wanted to say, so ask away.

[strz]

So I went to the park last Friday and am now just getting around to writing a report.

 

So there you have it! Let me know what you think of what I think. I'm sure I'm forgetting details and thoughts I wanted to say, so ask away.

 

 

I think you nailed it....I grew up approx. 15 minutes from the park, and as an adult, now live no more than 20 minutes away.

 

That said- El Toro and Nitro are the standouts; Kingda Ka would be next (for launch purposes), then Bizarro....Batman is much better than people think it is/would be....past that, ehhhhhh- nothing outstanding, nothing horrible either.

 

I agree with Zuma (great view, but that is where the intensity ends).

 

Regarding the park "quality", and us locals being too tough on it.....we will agree to disagree on this one. The "ehhhhh" rides would be a notch better, if theming, landscaping, etc.....were maintained (like a Busch Gardens let's say).

 

Thanks for posting!