Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

[Lightnin Loops]

3 hours ago, Zand said:

Excited to finally get on this thing tomorrow! Are they letting you request seats or is it assigned and luck of the draw?

Very low expectations heading into the park tomorrow. Will go right to Devil at opening. If the park is a sh*tshow then that might be the only thing I ride. Not getting Flashpass, but if lines aren't too bad then obviously I'd like to hit the essentials like Nitro, Batman, and El Toro. At least if I quit early, I can stop at Connecticut's best park on the way home (Quassy!). After seeing the horror pictures from the last couple weekends I have no idea what to 

A few friends of mine  have said,  they will let you sit where you want if you ask. 

[JJLehto]

Makes sense, w/ very rare exception have I ever seen anyone be denied if they asked. Yeah I hear crowds are brutal as would be expected on a weekend here w a new ride. Deff going this week, will keep an eye on the weather and try to aim for a day that may be cloudy/rainy but not toooo bad. Hope it keeps some more crowds away. Looks like Mon or Tues are candidates! 

[Zand]

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned but maybe missed it...does it have a single rider line? Feel like they'd want to make sure the train is full every ride when theres only 12 seats, but I haven't heard anyone mention it.

[JJLehto]

I hope! Single rider lines are such a huge break, why don't more places/rides do it? But yeah esp hope so with a 12 person train. 

[YoshiFan]

If it does have a single rider line, hopefully they place it at the beginning of the line rather than close to the station like every other one in the park except Zumanjaro. Many of them barely save any time because you could be in line for a while just to get to where the single rider line entrance is.

[jagnyc]

Everyone is a single rider on Jersey Devil!

[bert425]

^yup

 

its why sfft did away with their single rider line on ww and made it flash pass

once people realized that everyone is single rider?  There was no benefit to that line - which became just as long as standby 

 

so now just used for flash pass 

[Zand]

Still the same concept as rows though. If there's a party of 2, but only 1 seat left, you need a single rider to fill it in order for the party of 2 (or more) to ride on the same train.

[AmyUD06]

I swung by the park today at around 4:30, to find the main parking lot 80% full, Flash Pass sold out (they were giving all-season FP holders 2 skip the line passes,WTF?), And Jersey Devil with a 2 hour line. Yeah I'll try another day LOL.

[Zand]

The convenience store at the Montvale rest stop on the GSP needs to update their mural.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

4 hours ago, Zand said:

Still the same concept as rows though. If there's a party of 2, but only 1 seat left, you need a single rider to fill it in order for the party of 2 (or more) to ride on the same train.

Yes, but I like how SFFT would try to fill 3 trains at once so you could grab that single rider or group of 3 and fill all the trains. Very smart, and very necessary with 8 riders per train.

[coasterbill]

I know that the world isn’t exactly clamoring for another Jersey Devil coaster review but I figured I’d do a brief post with my thoughts.

We went yesterday and got tons and tons of rides all over the train in the morning and at night (the park stayed open an extra hour since they were so busy).

Let’s set some expectations: If you’re expecting Wonder Woman, you’re not going to get it here. I actually feel like the best way to look at this ride is that it’s more similar to the pacing of a regular RMC than one of those old batshit single rails but people positively lose their shit over regular RMCs so that’s not a bad thing.

First off: The ride area and queue are very nice. My expectations for this park in that department are always low and none of it will change your life but it’s better than I expected so kudos on that front.

As for the ride, it was running all four trains and when it got in a groove it’s capacity was better than you would expect. I’m sure it’s capacity is realistically higher than rides with higher theoretical capacities like El Toro and Bizarro on a lot of cycles since the restraints are very forgiving and the boarding never stops. It’s not like El Toro where the train is loaded and then it’s that “recheck 3,5,6... we got 6, lost 6, now just 3 and 5... we lost 2... now just 6... verified” bullshit.

As for the ride itself, I guess let’s just go element by element.

- The view from the lift is great. It’s a really nice view of the lakes and of Nitro. At Sunset, it was crazy. This is where Six Flags should take all of it’s Nitro social media / website / marketing photos from.

- The first drop delivers insane ejector in the back and even solid ejector in the middle. 

- The first inversion is nuts everywhere and just an awesome element overall. 

- The next hill is an ejector hill with insane ejector airtime everywhere in the train. This will probably be a lot of people’s favorite part of the ride.

- The stall following it is a blast. If the ride is running fast it’s wild, if it’s running slow then it might even enhance this element.

- I thought that the turnaround would be a throwaway element but it’s absolutely not. In the back maybe it is, in the front it made me yell out an involuntary expletive. That’s RMC single rail pacing at it’s finest.

- The next inversion is the most underrated thing on the ride. Throw your hands up and just enjoy it. It’s a really cool element where it feels like the world is in slow motion. I guess it’s not that forceful compared to everything that came before it but it’s just as much fun.

I’ll admit that from this point forward, the ride definitely chills out a bit. The pop into the midcourse is nice but nothing crazy. The best way thing about the second half is the visuals. The headchoppers are great. My favorite element of the second half is the left turn after the midcourse because it just feels like there’s no clearance there and the turn is very tight.

Every airtime hill on the second half provides mild floater air. Think “Nitro’s final camelbacks in December” airtime... maybe. The people complaining about this ride are probably judging the entire ride on this 10 second stretch, which is dumb.

I firmly believe that the designers expected this part of the ride to run faster and it’s possible that they can tweak it to get it that way, maybe even just by dialing down the timing and having it sail through the midcourse. Even as-is though, it’s still fun.

Despite ending the review on a low note with those last few hills, the ride is insane. The pacing on the first half is awesome and if the midcourse would have been the final brake run everyone would be blowing this ride. It has ejector air, it has “oh shit” moments, it has a forgiving restraint and a low height requirement and it looks great. It fills a nice niche for Great Adventure.

Everyone is going to love this ride from the regular day-guests to the extreme thrill seekers (unless they’re just jaded as hell). At most parks in the northeast, this would be the best ride in the park. It would probably be my favorite ride at Lake Compounce, Dorney, Six Flags America, maybe Hershey (or at least top 2), Nick U, La Ronde (except it would run one train), possibly Busch Williamsburg... you get the point. I think most complaints about this ride are due to people being spoiled as hell by the fact that it’s not the most intense ride in the park with the strongest ejector airtime in the park but it’s still super intense and has crazy airtime. The problem is that across the park you have the tallest coaster in the entire world that goes 128 mph and one of the best, if not the best Intamin airtime machines ever built. 

We walked in with lowered expectations after reading the reviews but after riding it I realize that every enthusiast in New Jersey is just comparing everything to El Toro which means they’ll just end up hating everything forever. Go in expecting regular RMC Ibox pacing but with the unique ride experience of a single rail and you will love it.

Ranking isn’t my thing, but I’d say that El Toro is clearly the best ride in the park but after that depending on my mood this might be my second favorite. It could also be Kingda Ka or Nitro at any given time. God, we’re spoiled.

Ignore the haters, come out and ride this. It’s wonderful. 

We love Jersey Devil!

A few general park updates:

- Great job by the park staying open an extra hour because of crowds. They filled the parking lot which I’ve never seen outside of Fright Fest. How busy were they? Well...

(we walked by, it was not a typo).

- Now that Kingda Ka can run independently of Zumanjaro, the gloves are off. The crew yesterday was the best I’ve ever seen on that ride. They were practically running.

Also: There is no longer a station grouper and you are free to wait for row one no matter what. We did, as we always do. Amazing ride...

- I’m so used to riding Nitro in the winter that I forget what this thing can do when it warms up. That hill before the swoopy hill into the helix (I named that element just now) was providing borderline ejector air all day long.

- We rode the Flume. We asked if we could not be grouped, we were denied. I should have just jumped in the lake to get less wet. Please stop doing this, nobody likes it. 

- The new temporary dinosaur thing was cool. After 6:00 you can pay 5 bucks and do it as a walkthrough rather than a drive through. It’s better than Dinosaurs alive was. The animatronics are pretty solid.

Overall we had an awesome day (thanks to Flash Pass). Come out and ride this thing, you won’t regret it. Just don’t do it on a Saturday unless you’re getting there at opening, but if you do you should rope drop the Flash Pass building, not Jersey Devil. Flash Pass lines stretched back to the Joker entrance yesterday. They really need to improve that system.

[Zand]

Standing in a line to get into the line. Employee just came by to say it won't be open for at least another hour with guys working on the lift.

That's a...uhhh...good start on the first day open to the public.

Edit: They've changed their wording from "extended delay of over an hour" to "major delay, we recommend you don't wait for it."

GREAT!

Edit again: Closed for the day! Guess I'll ride whatever doesnt have an insane line and head out. Sounds like it ran fine for all 4 days it's been open. Figures once I make a 4 hour drive it shits the bed.

[JJLehto]

Yeah it really speaks about the quality of the lineup when a ride like this is NOT the automatic best in park and people can be let down it isn't "more". I piss on this park a lot, and I will never stop lol, BUT it does have some great rides. Also speaking of being spoiled it is kinda funny how quickly we went from OMG WOW about RMC to now we can gripe that one is less great than others/gotten spoiled that not EVERY RMC is a contender for best coaster lol 

But yeah I'm stoked and yeah kudos/sorry to yall that have no choice but to do a weekend LOL not a chance in hell, least not till later in the season. I'm glad the week is currently free to me. Watching the weather tomm may be too much of a washout, maybe tuesday. 

 

EDIT: @Zand damn! Sorry man That is brutal. Sucks hat happened and yeah it's just shit luck and can't be helped but oof terrible public opening day for sure. Hope ya can enjoy the rest of the rides, maybe next time but man that does hurt sorry

[Zand]

They brought a crane in to work on the lift.

Anyway, after getting kicked out of the Devil line around 11, hopped in a quick 10 minute line for Nitro. Unfortunately I couldn't recreate the Diamondback magic from last week, but it's still a great coaster and they were absolutely cranking trains out today, almost always by the time the next train dropped off the lift.

Headed across the park, seeing huge lines for Joker and FlashPass. Was surprised to get over to El Toro and find it a walk on! Rode it twice, fantastic airtime as always. Getting a little bumpy in the sharp turns but not really that bad at all. 

Headed over to Kingda Ka next but found a line almost to the entrance. Walked around to Zumanjaro and waited about 15 minutes. Not the greatest freefall ride but the height is worth the price of admission and the drop goes on forever. Also got what used to be an impossible visual of a Kingda Ka launch right as we hit the top.

Headed back across the park and saw the crowds are really on the rise. The Boardwalk was mobbed, Joker, Buccaneer had lines out the front, and FlashPass line was stupid considering the park closes in 6 hours. 

Just made my way over to check out the Jersey Devil scene and got the above crane picture. Security confirmed its closed for the day. Wanted to get on Nitro which didnt look to have much of a line but all the lockers are sold out in the area.

Probably gonna call it a day, I get here enough when it's dead to wait in long lines all day. Early departure should mean a couple rides on Wooden Warrior on the way home!

[JJLehto]

Yeah Nitro, last I rode, was starting to become temperamental. Some phenomenal rides some eh, but I hear this happens with B&M hypers, and I had very inconsistent experiences w Diamondback. Glad was running well, was always a fav of mine. When the air is good its just superb, the layout and that helix (had a friend that would always near pass out) what a ride. Sorry it wasn't the best of days for ya. 

Hoping weather holds for Tues. 

[oriolat]

7 hours ago, coasterbill said:

- Now that Kingda Ka can run independently of Zumanjaro, the gloves are off. The crew yesterday was the best I’ve ever seen on that ride. They were practically running.

Sorry, what? Last time I checked wasn't there some kind of local regulation preventing them from running both at the same time? What happened?

Anyway, I am so glad they can run Ka and Zumanjaro independently. I am sure this will boost capacity for both rides as well as provide unique experiences like being on top of Ka with a train rumbling down the launch track, which sounds amazing!

Thank you for the honest review. I am sure, over time, with expectations in check Jersey Devil will fall where it belongs, right in the middle of El Toro and Nitro.

[Satans Hockey]

11 hours ago, coasterbill said:

- We rode the Flume. We asked if we could not be grouped, we were denied. I should have just jumped in the lake to get less wet. Please stop doing this, nobody likes it. 

Ugh thats so annoying, speaking of the flume, apparently there was something with two of them crashing into each other today and people maybe getting hurt. Someone said that one came off the track and the one behind it went into it. Hopefully everyone is ok. 

[wildcattb5]

Yeahhhh there's a whole lot wrong with this post...

(Although technically the caption isn't wrong as long as Kingda Ka operates this week)

[Zand]

https://amp.app.com/amp/7680076002?__twitter_impression=true

Short story about Log Flume accident from the Asbury Park Press.

[KBrylczyk]

29 minutes ago, wildcattb5 said:

Yeahhhh there's a whole lot wrong with this post...

(Although technically the caption isn't wrong as long as Kingda Ka operates this week)

I mean, that headline is correct so long as Kingda Ka was operational.

[coasterbill]

I want to believe that the log flume incident was due to them jamming 800 people into each log and maybe they should stop that.

I don’t know if that was really the cause but I’m hoping it was.

Also, I’m assuming that Jersey Devil never opened today because they dispatched all 4 trains Saturday night and none of them have made it back yet.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

So I'm guesing both Fox 29 and Great Adventure are hiring an editor?

[michaellynn4]

Great Adventure released a teaser this morning for the redone kiddie coaster.

 

[Zand]

Jersey Devil has been open all morning accoring to Queue Times.

Now I know how you all feel when Lightning Rod is closed!

Oh well, try again in a few weeks.