Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[jamesinclair]

Im happy with the location and ride choice.

 

I am disappointed that once again Hurricane Harbor is left to rot. How many years has it been since the last addition, 27?

 

 

BTW, they also added a new rewards program for members. Visits = points. You can redeem for stuff.

[coasterbill]

This is a few days late, but we visited the park on Sunday and I have a super brief trip report of sorts. Generally we avoid the place during the summer aside from a few random 1-2 hour pop-ins when we're in the area but we were meeting up with our friend Nick from Atlanta so we made an exception and we ended up having a great day.

 

Do not adjust your monitors, we're actually at Great Adventure in the summer.

 

First stop!

 

They actually took us through the water on the safari which is rare but really cool. I really like going that way since they built up a berm on either side of the roadway just beyond that where the animals love to congregate.

 

That is the most f*cked up looking panda I have ever laid eyes on

 

They had a few lynx cubs at Camp Aventura which were a ton of fun to watch

 

But the BEST new addition to Camp Aventura was this brand new bar overlooking the safari with tons of high tops. It wasn't open during our visit, but I approve of this type of behavior.

 

The Kangaroos were too hot for our bullsh*t that day so they were super lethargic.

 

The Bizarro crew too hot for our bullsh*t that day so they were super lethargic.

 

Seriously, you won't die if you open the airgates before the train is on the midcourse. lol

 

Holy sh*t! The Golden Kingdom path was open!

 

The park was selling Millennium Force merchandise which was sort of weird.

 

Having a Six Flags day

 

I'm a bit of a photography buff so I tried to get some unique shots for you guys that nobody else has ever taken

 

We didn't have a chance to ride Cyborg, but it's an amazing addition from a visual standpoint. If you're wondering what these people are doing, basically they were all camped out on the ground on the midway watching Cyborg cycle. I don't know how it rides, but between the awesome lighting and super weird looking ride people are in awe of the thing.

 

I've probably ridden Nitro more than any other coaster but our ride on Sunday night was the best ever. We rode in the front (which we never do) and the ride absolutely hauled. The airtime on top of the second hill combined with the swooping turn was flat out nuts.

 

PS: My camera wasn't having it so enjoy these light bars. lol

 

Ending the night right!

 

(Though we had to re-create our excitement as I needed to get the phone out of a locker first to snap this photo, lol)

 

Overall we had a blast and it's always fun showing someone around our "home" park.

 

PS: Nick has a new coaster podcast called "Off the Rails" and after our day of rides and brews we recorded one. It's definitely something a little different for me, but you can check it out

if you're not tired of my bullsh*t yet.

 

Overall we had a great day at the park. Ride crews (Bizarro aside) were awesome and it was cool visiting in the summer and getting that fun, "summer night" vibe that we rarely get at Great Adventure. Combine that with the best ride we've ever had on Nitro and probably the best safari ride in recent memory and it was an awesome day.

 

Ride count:

 

Bizarro 2x

Safari 1x

Liberty Pub 2x

Skull Mountain 1x

Nitro 2x

El Toro 2x

Skyway 1x

Dark Knight 1x

Runaway Mine Train 1x

Kingda Ka 1x... obviously in the front. I love that thing.

[coasterbill]

I am disappointed that once again Hurricane Harbor is left to rot. How many years has it been since the last addition, 27?

 

To be fair they can't staff the lazy river as it is so why add more rides and slides that they won't be able to staff?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Looks like an awesome day. That podcast was fun.

 

"El Toro is the best coaster that's not blue and located in Sandusky."

Agreed.

 

Oh, and where is this Nobles place he's going to? Sounds like a great park.

 

And now you only have 2 more people to get to his channel!

Edited August 30, 2018 by ytterbiumanalyst

[larrygator]

My only hope is that they continue the trend and fill out the last remaining part of the Old Country section with another small flat like an Endeavor and remove some of that fencing they put up along it. I appreciate that the park took the time to add some quick landscaping and cleaned it up a bit (not to mention starting to keep it open full-time now), but it'd be nice to see a return to the more open-style it had when Musik Express and Spin Meister were still in operation. Then that area, IMO, would be perfect.

 

Let's lead the crusade for an Endeavor in Spinmeister's old location!

 

coasterbill - the Golden Kingdom path has been open since May (if not earlier)

Edited August 31, 2018 by larrygator

[michaellynn4]

I’ll fight the good fight with you, Larry!

[boldikus]

Nice update, Bill.

[jamesinclair]

I am disappointed that once again Hurricane Harbor is left to rot. How many years has it been since the last addition, 27?

 

To be fair they can't staff the lazy river as it is so why add more rides and slides that they won't be able to staff?

 

With 7 people per square foot, I dont understand how they arent making more money than the highest end Vegas casino.

 

 

Also, love the pic of folks sitting on the ground.

[Philrad71]

Great report, Bill...love the bar in the safari. I also approve of this type of behavior.

 

And I'm super-psyched to see SF plastering parks with giant frisbees. As I had mentioned in some random post several months ago, I think it should become law that every park has one of these and a Screamin' Swing.

[larrygator]

I thought I was going to go with a membership this year, but after running the numbers it just didn't seem worth it.

 

After looking at the cost of what I wanted (parking and entry to all amusement parks, deluxe dining plan and unlimited drinks) it was $173.13 for the Gold Season Pass, this includes about $20 in taxes and processing fees).

 

The cheapest Membership Gold was $46.96 for the first month plus $17.85 per month thereafter ($8.10 + $9.75). Even if I ignore the first month of the membership (which includes the processing fee) and focus on the per month charge thereafter the Gold Pass is a better deal for me. $17.85 x 12 = $214.20

 

It appears to me that the deluxe dining with unlimited drinks is actually cheaper with a season pass ($84.99) than a Gold Membership (12 x $9.75 = $117)

 

Since I do not ever use BAFF and rarely go to the parks when it is busy I could not see paying the extra $40-$60 just for the special entrance and one time preferred parking. However, the best option is going to vary per person and if this doesn't work for me, I'll try the membership next year.

[B&MIntaminGCI]

Where are you getting the $9.75 for the Deluxe dining membership? Mine was 6.10 and added to my Diamond Pass is 18.20 a month which comes to $218 a year without taxes/fees, but you also get preferred parking every visit which would be $15 a visit, private seating and stuff. So all in all, it comes out to be way cheaper in the long run.

[coasterlvr]

i have the old regular gold membership, but i always buy the full years dining pass and they add it on to my membership. unless they changed something, you can do that. i'll find out in a few days when i go to redeem it. but it's been fine for two years now.

[B&MIntaminGCI]

You can! I asked too when I was weighing my options but I found $6.10 for the deluxe dining membership equals $73.20 a year without fees and taxes, whereas the $84.99 Season Dining is more.

[larrygator]

Where are you getting the $9.75 for the Deluxe dining membership? Mine was 6.10 and added to my Diamond Pass is 18.20 a month which comes to $218 a year without taxes/fees, but you also get preferred parking every visit which would be $15 a visit, private seating and stuff. So all in all, it comes out to be way cheaper in the long run.

 

You are adding Deluxe Dining to a Diamond Membership, I was adding to a Gold Membership, that is the difference between $6.10 and $9.75.

 

I entered what I wanted at the 3 lowest levels and compared the prices. When you add in your taxes and processing the Diamond Membership is about $240 for one year, the Gold Membership is about $215, the Gold Pass is abut $175.

 

I'm not looking for an argument or debate about what is the best option, I stated the best option will vary by person. If I was a different person with different park visiting habits I would jump at some of the other deals, but they are not right for ME.

 

The preferred parking means nothing to me, I have never used it in the past and paying extra to get something for free is not an upsale tactic I generally pursue. I don't use BAFF passes, I think they should be done away with. The private entrance doesn't mean anything to me as I usually go on less crowded days. I'm not sure what the "private seating" is. The skip to line passes would be nice, but again not necessary on most of my visits.

 

The membership rewards program is already broke. You track your experiences online on the honor system and are given rewards for reaching point levels. I'm not sure what stuff they are going to provide, but again I'm not drawn in by shining objects and probably wouldn't need or appreciate the stuff they give me.

Gold Membership Dining Options

Diamond Membership Dining Options

Membership Rewards Program

Edited September 2, 2018 by larrygator

[B&MIntaminGCI]

No one was looking to argue or debate. I was just simply confused and had a lapse of memory that the Dining Memberships change price depending on what Membership level you sign up for. I apologize for the confusion and misunderstanding.

[Rayj]

What if.....superman and green lantern get rethemed to something else, Nitro became Superman, and bizarro gets rethemed. Something needs to happen because these DC characters are all over the place at this park lol

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^

 

It gets me that some people still haven't figured out Six Flags doesn't give a sh*t about that.

[coneyislandchris]

I thought I was going to go with a membership this year, but after running the numbers it just didn't seem worth it.

 

After looking at the cost of what I wanted (parking and entry to all amusement parks, deluxe dining plan and unlimited drinks) it was $173.13 for the Gold Season Pass, this includes about $20 in taxes and processing fees).

I'll be honest, this year my family and I haven't been visiting Six Flags parks as frequently as we have in the past, and I'm not even sure if we've gotten the value out of our 2018 dining passes. We're all still grandfathered in on the Gold Combo memberships at a lower price than the cheapest current offer, so I think we're going to let the dining passes expire at the end of this season, and then just continue to hang onto Gold Combo until they unceremoniously retire it at some point in the future (or cut the included benefits to a point where we'd need to pick up Gold Plus). I can't see myself shelling out the $340 or so for four deluxe dining passes for us if we only go a handful of times.

[Jason Maier]

Thinking about going up on Columbus Day (my off days at my new job are Monday & Tuesday).

 

How nuts are crowds there on Columbus Day?

[Genx24]

Historically, Columbus Day is usually manageable, crowd wise. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on weather.

[anonymouscactus]

As others have said in the past, the crowds at this park make no sense, lol.

 

Exhibit A: Labor Day weekend Saturday: beautiful weather, holiday weekend, no significant lines that I saw.

 

Exhibit B: Labor Day weekend Sunday: same weather, holiday weekend, 10x the crowds (based on what I read, anyways)

 

Typically the holiday Monday itself at ANY other park will yield better than the weekend, but I swear you never know with this park.

[michaellynn4]

From Screamscape today:

 

Park News - (9/10/18) I'm not sure how true this is, but an odd rumor came in over the weekend claiming that El Diablo could leave at the end of the 2018 season. Anyone else heard this, or is it complete nonsense? Personally I’m not buying it just yet...

 

My initial feeling was...

 

 

...but then I thought about it a little bit more and to be honest, when factoring in a couple more things that we know, the claim may not be that far off. We know that they walled off the Splashwater Oasis complex in the Golden Kingdom. Also, at Riding of the Bulls on Saturday, park president John Winkler told those attending that the 2020 attraction will be “tall", "made of steel”, and has been in the works for a while. This heavily hints towards a coaster, which would fit nicely into the potential area freed up by removing Oasis and Diablo.

 

I still lean towards "bulls**t" about El Diablo leaving, but who knows.

Edited September 10, 2018 by michaellynn4

[CoasterAuditor]

^Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2020................surprisingly Magic Mountain is now the only Six Flags park to not have a Super Loop or have one coming next year. Even Great Escape has a Super Loop.

[Canobie Coaster]

Maybe they realized giving an entirely new ride to La Ronde wasn't worth it so they're getting another hand me down?

 

Then again this is Screamscape so everything is taken with a grain of salt.

[Suspence1127]

Maybe they realized giving an entirely new ride to La Ronde wasn't worth it so they're getting another hand me down?

 

Then again this is Screamscape so everything is taken with a grain of salt.

 

I know your kidding, but I read a rumor that this is exactly whats happening

Now obviously there's no way to be sure if its true, (although apparently this rumor also originates from Riding of the Bull, in which one of the staff members told a couple of people it would be leaving) but I honestly won't be surprised if this happens, and then the "big project" for 2020's ride entrance is located where El Diablo is currently.