Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[TBpony414]

I’ve recently seen the word “extra” used online quite a bit but I’m not 100% sure on the meaning. The only way I’ve used that word it is “I’d like extra Oreos in my McFlurry”

or extra Pepperoni!!

 

Heck yeah!!! Ok I have to ask you - when I was in Philly earlier this year I waited 50 minutes for some donuts from Beiler's at the Reading Terminal Market. Our hotel was right there and we stumbled upon the RTM having never even heard of it. I will say that it was worth every minute standing in that absurd line that wrapped halfway around the building. Having been a lifelong Philly person, are you immune to their greatness? If not, how are you not 600 lbs? It was difficult to get them back to DC without eating the entire enormous box along the way.

 

On topic: I'll be heading to SFGAdv with a cousin who is a newly christened coaster fan in two weeks. Usually I avoid the Halloween stuff like the plague but we need to get our passes processed so I'll pony up for the Gold Flash Pass. Do they have an upgrade from regular FP to FP Gold like Cedar Fair does? I doubt it... we are talking about Six Flags, after all. I have no idea what sort of extra (see what I did there?) perks are even offered these days.

[boldikus]

Heck yeah!!! Ok I have to ask you - when I was in Philly earlier this year I waited 50 minutes for some donuts from Beiler's at the Reading Terminal Market. Our hotel was right there and we stumbled upon the RTM having never even heard of it. I will say that it was worth every minute standing in that absurd line that wrapped halfway around the building. Having been a lifelong Philly person, are you immune to their greatness? If not, how are you not 600 lbs? It was difficult to get them back to DC without eating the entire enormous box along the way.

 

On topic: I'll be heading to SFGAdv with a cousin who is a newly christened coaster fan in two weeks. Usually I avoid the Halloween stuff like the plague but we need to get our passes processed so I'll pony up for the Gold Flash Pass. Do they have an upgrade from regular FP to FP Gold like Cedar Fair does? I doubt it... we are talking about Six Flags, after all. I have no idea what sort of extra (see what I did there?) perks are even offered these days.

 

I'm absolutely not immune to Beilers, they are awesome but honestly as a Philadelphian the RTM is a bit tedious unless you are going for something specific. The only smart time to go there is mid morning on a weekday otherwise the waits for everything are insane. They need a fast pass system - stat!

 

As to your second question, I'm not sure what you mean by an upgrade. They offer three tiers of FP - Regular, Gold and Platinum. The platinum cuts your wait time by 90%, gold by 50%, and regular is the same as waiting in the queue, but not actually standing in it. Flash Pass is only good for the rides. I wouldn't see a point in getting Regular on a Fright Fest night. Depends on weather but even rain won't keep FF crowds away completely. I'd go for Gold but whatever you do, don't buy it in advance. No sense in spending money you don't have to, and they rarely sell out, so if it feels like its picking up, and the waits are becoming unbearable, bite the bullet and head over to FP HQs.

 

Really though as long as you to the park before opening and get right in and hit what you want, and then relax as it gets busier (or leave), its never too bad - the crowds usually don't pick up until mid-afternoon. If staying and you're doing mazes/trails at night, they offer a whole other "express pass" that is separate from the Flash Pass, which is why I suggested trying to hit rides early and then ponying up for a express pass for the trails later. Keep in mind the trails will cost you before you even buy the express pass, so at that point you're paying for the trails, and then an express pass for them on top of that. Its all a big joke imo since the trails blow at this park, so my general FF advice is to go early, ride as much as you can in the morning/afternoon, then bounce. Good luck and godspeed.

 

* If you can wait until the first two weekends in November, everything will be open except Frontier (Bizarro, RMT, SORA, the flume which is already closed anyway, etc) and the FF crowds are gone and the park is quiet. I'll be back then.

[alilstronger]

Heck yeah!!! Ok I have to ask you - when I was in Philly earlier this year I waited 50 minutes for some donuts from Beiler's at the Reading Terminal Market. Our hotel was right there and we stumbled upon the RTM having never even heard of it. I will say that it was worth every minute standing in that absurd line that wrapped halfway around the building. Having been a lifelong Philly person, are you immune to their greatness? If not, how are you not 600 lbs? It was difficult to get them back to DC without eating the entire enormous box along the way.

 

On topic: I'll be heading to SFGAdv with a cousin who is a newly christened coaster fan in two weeks. Usually I avoid the Halloween stuff like the plague but we need to get our passes processed so I'll pony up for the Gold Flash Pass. Do they have an upgrade from regular FP to FP Gold like Cedar Fair does? I doubt it... we are talking about Six Flags, after all. I have no idea what sort of extra (see what I did there?) perks are even offered these days.

 

I'm absolutely not immune to Beilers, they are awesome but honestly as a Philadelphian the RTM is a bit tedious unless you are going for something specific. The only smart time to go there is mid morning on a weekday otherwise the waits for everything are insane. They need a fast pass system - stat!

 

As to your second question, I'm not sure what you mean by an upgrade. They offer three tiers of FP - Regular, Gold and Platinum. The platinum cuts your wait time by 90%, gold by 50%, and regular is the same as waiting in the queue, but not actually standing in it. Flash Pass is only good for the rides. I wouldn't see a point in getting Regular on a Fright Fest night. Depends on weather but even rain won't keep FF crowds away completely. I'd go for Gold but whatever you do, don't buy it in advance. No sense in spending money you don't have to, and they rarely sell out, so if it feels like its picking up, and the waits are becoming unbearable, bite the bullet and head over to FP HQs.

 

Really though as long as you to the park before opening and get right in and hit what you want, and then relax as it gets busier (or leave), its never too bad - the crowds usually don't pick up until mid-afternoon. If staying and you're doing mazes/trails at night, they offer a whole other "express pass" that is separate from the Flash Pass, which is why I suggested trying to hit rides early and then ponying up for a express pass for the trails later. Keep in mind the trails will cost you before you even buy the express pass, so at that point you're paying for the trails, and then an express pass for them on top of that. Its all a big joke imo since the trails blow at this park, so my general FF advice is to go early, ride as much as you can in the morning/afternoon, then bounce. Good luck and godspeed.

 

* If you can wait until the first two weekends in November, everything will be open except Frontier (Bizarro, RMT, SORA, the flume which is already closed anyway, etc) and the FF crowds are gone and the park is quiet. I'll be back then.

 

The Six Flags App currently has a deal to buy one regular flash pass get one free, it was good until 12/31/17. It was only $45 for both my BF and I this past Saturday. We skipped Joker because its the worst of the clones I have ridden and Zumanjaro never had a line more then 15 minutes all day and night Saturday. We rode everything with the normal FP. Yea we had to wait over an hour but we rode flats, ate, and looked in stores to kill the time. Like I am sure most people do as soon as a employee scans my pass I immediately reserve another ride because you are usually still in line a little bit. Ever after reserving Superman we still waited about 30 minutes due to one train operations until we were next. So that helped with the next 30 minute wait we had for Green Lantern.

 

Plus, the FP employees said we could upgrade to gold and just pay the difference. It would have been $105 for two people for gold - not bad at all.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Quick question for you all... When does Great Adventure usually go to "weekend only" operations in the fall?? Trying to plan a trip for next year.

[coasterbill]

Quick question for you all... When does Great Adventure usually go to "weekend only" operations in the fall?? Trying to plan a trip for next year.

 

Labor Day is the end of daily operation.

[B&MIntaminGCI]

Was at the park yesterday from like 3:30 until 9:30. It was pretty busy but not too bad. Got to go on basically everything except Nitro.

 

Only reason we didn’t do Nitro is because I realized my wallet was missing, and came to the conclusion I lost it by leaving it in the lockers by Kingda Ka because I bought the all day locker to move around the park at Kingda Ka (which was the first ride of the day) so I must have forgotten to grab it out of the locker. Luckily for me it’s a small card slide wallet that only holds 6 cards and I just had my debit card, season pass (which is also on my phone), and ID in it. All of it was easy to replace and I got a new phone case wallet on Amazon last night.

 

Kingda Ka was also awkwardly smooth. Rode the front row but even to me the front row of some of the trains isn’t that pleasant but the green train was VERY smooth in the front yesterday.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Labor Day is the end of daily operation.

 

Awesome!! That makes trip plans line up perfectly. Thank you.

[b&mforever]

I was at the park on 10/15/2017. Gotta give huge Kudos to the excellent Nitro crew. They were seriously dispatching trains consistently as soon at the train ahead cleared the block on the top of the lift. The lift motor wasn't even turning off completely. Trains weren't even stopping behind the station which is really difficult to do with a 3 train ride, especially for several dispatches in a row.

[coasterbill]

Yeah, this year's Nitro crew is the best I've ever seen. Great Adventure's operations in general have improved dramatically this year.

[El Toro_Ryan]

Yeah, this year's Nitro crew is the best I've ever seen. Great Adventure's operations in general have improved dramatically this year.

 

The Nitro crew is killing it this year! I wouldn't be surprised if they do nearly 2 million riders with the help of Holiday in the Park. On top of that, a lot of the changes in operational procedures have helped a lot with operations this year.

[Thexmashooker]

Was at the park yesterday from like 3:30 until 9:30. It was pretty busy but not too bad. Got to go on basically everything except Nitro.

 

Only reason we didn’t do Nitro is because I realized my wallet was missing, and came to the conclusion I lost it by leaving it in the fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo by Kingda Ka because I bought the all day fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo to move around the park at Kingda Ka (which was the first ride of the day) so I must have forgotten to grab it out of the fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo. Luckily for me it’s a small card slide wallet that only holds 6 cards and I just had my debit card, season pass (which is also on my phone), and ID in it. All of it was easy to replace and I got a new phone case wallet on Amazon last night.

 

Kingda Ka was also awkwardly smooth. Rode the front row but even to me the front row of some of the trains isn’t that pleasant but the green train was VERY smooth in the front yesterday.

 

Me and my family were at the park yesterday too. I have to agree. Kingda Ka was extremely smooth in the front seat. This was the first time riding for me so I made sure I listened to what others have said on here and did the front seat. WOW....very intense! The photo after was the cherry on top of my sundae Got right back on it for a second time and decided to just jump in the middle since our son doesn't like roller coasters and we didn't want to make him wait long, but that ride was a little rough. Nothing we couldn't handle though.

 

We got there at opening and left right after the parade. Lines were great until about 4:30. People started piling in and I think it was extremely crowded. 70 minute wait for Nitro and they were pumping those trains out fast! We stood in line for Buccaneer 30 minutes and another 30 for Deju Vu. Hubby hates crowds so it was time to leave lol.

 

I was a little disappointed with Buccaneer. Doesn't seem to go very high nor very fast. Deju Vu was also a really short ride

[B&MIntaminGCI]

70 minute wait for Nitro and they were pumping those trains out fast!

 

Really? I've waited in a full queue over flowing 2 Saturdays ago when it was 80 degrees out (the park was M O B B E D) and the line was 30 minutes, we timed it. We got in line at 10:10 and were in the station at 10:40.

[gp1086]

If I'm planning to visit the park with a friend in one of the upcoming Saturdays, is there any reason not to get the 2018 Gold Season Pass for us two vs. just a daily regular ticket? Both seem to be roughly the same price, given the SP sale, around $70-75, but the season pass includes parking as well for 2017 and 2018 and other benefits like Hurricane Harbor access. Recall years back that I had to wait in a long line for processing after I got into the park. Is that still a thing or have they improved the operation?

 

Also, how long are lines for mazes usually? Was going to pick up a regular maze combo wristband, but wondering if the skip the line premium is worth if will likely just want to do a few.

[B&MIntaminGCI]

If I'm planning to visit the park with a friend in one of the upcoming Saturdays, is there any reason not to get the 2018 Gold Season Pass for us two vs. just a daily regular ticket? Both seem to be roughly the same price, given the SP sale, around $70-75, but the season pass includes parking as well for 2017 and 2018 and other benefits like Hurricane Harbor access. Recall years back that I had to wait in a long line for processing after I got into the park. Is that still a thing or have they improved the operation?

 

Also, how long are lines for mazes usually? Was going to pick up a regular maze combo wristband, but wondering if the skip the line premium is worth if will likely just want to do a few.

 

You no longer have to wait in any lines for processing your pass. You buy, they scan it at the gate, you scan your right index finger and they give you your card. You go to the table and sign it and it's yours.

 

Not sure about the maze lines but I'm sure they're pretty long since everything is has long lines during Fright Fest too

[coasterbill]

Get the season pass (or membership) for sure. They're absurdly cheap. Then come back for Holiday in the Park.

 

This Saturday will be one of the busiest days of the season. Get to the park at or before opening to avoid a massive security line (that can easily exceed an hour). You'll need a Flash Pass for sure, personally I'd skip all of the mazes. They're abysmal and I'd skip them even if they were free (I love Haunt mazes but they're SO BAD). That being said, of course they're not free. They're an upcharge and they'll each have wait times of at least an hour... most likely two or more.

 

This weekend and next weekend will be a sea of humanity and the Haunt mazes are terrible but don't hold it against the park too much, come back during Holiday in the Park and you won't believe it's even the same place.

[Thexmashooker]

Really? I've waited in a full queue over flowing 2 Saturdays ago when it was 80 degrees out (the park was M O B B E D) and the line was 30 minutes, we timed it. We got in line at 10:10 and were in the station at 10:40.

 

I can't say for sure if it was really a 70 minute wait. Thats what the app was reporting, but I notice the app is a little screwy at times. Nitro was down a good part of the day...I believe it opened about 3:30 or 4:00? When we headed over, it was saying about a 30 minute wait but there was no way it took that long. I'd say more like 15 minutes.

 

Justice League also was saying only a 15 minute wait, but we were at the sign that said 45 minute wait. Again, not 45 minutes. Line was moving pretty fast. I would say maybe about 25 to 30 minutes.

 

I had to chuckle when the app was report Green Lantern as a 70 minute wait. Still haven't been on that coaster yet...

[boldikus]

This weekend and next weekend will be a sea of humanity and the Haunt mazes are terrible but don't hold it against the park too much, come back during Holiday in the Park and you won't believe it's even the same place.

 

Yeah looking at the stellar forecast for this weekend I can only imagine GreatAdv will be absolutely mobbed both Saturday and Sunday, and I wouldn't be surprised if Friday was busy as hell too. These next two weekends (assuming next weekends weather is as nice as this coming weekend is expected to be) are definitely the two weekends out of the entire year to just straight up avoid if you are trying to actually ride things. If you enjoy giant mobs of teens, full queues, packed midways, bored/indifferent scare actors, overwhelmed employees, excessive line jumping, hour long waits for food, and generally crappy guests, have at it. Don't say we didn't warn you.

 

Smart enthusiasts in the area go to Hershey and Dorney these weekends instead.

[Jason Maier]

This weekend and next weekend will be a sea of humanity and the Haunt mazes are terrible but don't hold it against the park too much, come back during Holiday in the Park and you won't believe it's even the same place.

 

How were HITP crowds last year? I do know that everything beyond the Boardwalk Area (Kinga Ka, Zumanjaro, El Toro, RMT, Bizarro, SORA, Log Flume) was closed for HITP.

[boldikus]

HITP crowds very much depend on temperature. The colder it is, the lighter the crowds, with the coasters lines shrinking accordingly as well, though the coasters are not the main focus of the event and almost never get significant waits throughout. The most crowded I personally have seen it was black Friday the first year (2015) when it was 70 degrees, but even then the longest wait for Nitro was 20 minutes.

 

And with the event being as awesome as it is, you won't even miss any of the rides in Golden Kingdom, Frontier, or PDC. Batman runs like a bat out of hell in the winter, Skull, Houdini and TDK (and now Justice League) are great for getting out of the cold, Superman, Joker and Green Lantern have tiny waits for a change, and you also have the option to marathon an 80mph hyper coaster in December and January. Not to mention the skyride, Sky Screamer, etc.

 

Don't forget to try the spiked hot apple cider. I'd also recommend the waffles but rumors are pretty strong that Waffle De Lys is not coming back this year. *sad face*

[michaellynn4]

^ I agree, you really don't miss the left side of the park at all. So much of the park is open for the event that there is still plenty to ride and occupy your time with.

[Jason Maier]

Duly noted . . . .

 

While I'll definitely be making a trip up from Maryland for one of the bonus weekends in November, if I can MAKE the time . . . I'll also trek up again for HITP.

 

Nitro in cold weather . . . what's not to miss about that

[TBpony414]

You no longer have to wait in any lines for processing your pass. You buy, they scan it at the gate, you scan your right index finger and they give you your card. You go to the table and sign it and it's yours.

That's awesome about not having to deal with season pass processing! We had to go somewhere to get our meal passes put on our season passes but even that took no more than 5 minutes.

 

I'd also recommend the waffles but rumors are pretty strong that Waffle De Lys is not coming back this year. *sad face*

Wait, WHAT?!! Those rumors better not be true. Waffle De Lys is so freaking good and I don't even like waffles!

[boldikus]

Its not confirmed at all but WDL was at the park for Fright Fest last year, but this year they are not, and the park is selling their own waffles at Shore Treats in the Boardwalk. They ARE on the dining pass with some additional charges for toppings. Obviously they are not the same as what WDL was serving. It would not surprise me if they park does not have WDL for HITP but I am hoping I am wrong. Photos by Marc in the Greatadv FB group.

[coasterbill]

WTF is this abortion of a waffle?

 

Also, why would they put this on the dining plan? If they saw that the old waffles were so good that people were buying them even though they had the dining plan, why would you give them away for free? Obviously these won't be nearly as good now since Six Flags is making them, but what's the logic behind this?

[TBpony414]

WTF is this abortion of a waffle?

QFT! Those pictures Boldikus posted are painful to look at after having such an affinity for the WDL cart.