Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

Ended up doing Fright Fest Power Hours last night with the family. This is only the second time I've been here this season, so hard to judge how it was compared to an average Thursday night, but it was absolutely dead. 

The rundown:
Wonder Woman x3 (daughter's first rides on this, 1 cycle with the entire ride to ourselves)
Batman x3 (son & I, 2 front row, 1 back, 1 cycle with the entire ride to ourselves)
The Dark Knight x2 (wife and daughter only)
Jersey Devil x3 (1 back row, 1 cycle with the entire ride to ourselves)
Nitro x1 (son & I only)
Justice League x1 (no 3D glasses)
Reflections of the Dead x1 (no conga line)
Overpriced dinner at Granny's (no meal plan for us this year)
Skull Mountain x1 (entire ride to ourselves)
Fender Benders x1
Big Top Terror Forgotten Carnival 3D x1 (no conga line)
Fears x1
The Manor x1
Superman: Ultimate Flight x1 (son & I only)
Kingda Ka x2 (son & I, 1 front row)
The Joker x2

Green Lantern was scheduled to be open, but never did. All the better for my nether regions. The entire Plaza Del Carnaval and Frontier Adventures sections were blocked off, so no Runaway Mine Train or Medusa either. Skyscreamer was open and they have the skycoaster harnesses available as a $10 upcharge, but by the time we made it over there it was dark and pretty cold so we decided to pass on it for right now. Maybe during the daytime sometime when it's a little warmer.

The haunted houses? Reflections of the Dead had I think three scare actors in it, no video overlays like they have had in the past, and it was pretty short to get through. Big Top Terror has some great setpieces and more actors, but also a lot of dead space. This was my favorite of the houses last year and it didn't really live up to what we remembered. On the other hand, usually Fears and The Manor were disappointments but they really pumped them full of actors this year, and they weren't shy about screaming at the absolute top of their lungs. I think The Manor is my pick of the four this year.

Honestly, it was a pretty good way to kill a few hours on a Thursday night. I hope they continue offering this event in the years to come, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't end up making the cut.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
5 hours ago, Zand said:

Currently in Orlando: 43 degrees. Hulk and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit closed for temperatures.

Currently in Jackson, NJ: 15 degrees. Put a coat on, pull down your lapbar, and enjoy your ride on Nitro.

Screenshot_20221224-130757.thumb.png.42baac56f1c3e61cdca334098310d8de.png

Actually, the park is closed due to the extreme temperatures, as is every other outdoor park in the Northeast that does something for Winter.  You should know better than to trust SF app reporting.

Though it wouldn't surprise me for SF to completely ignore the well-being of their employees and be operating tonight.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, AmyUD06 said:

Actually, the park is closed due to the extreme temperatures, as is every other outdoor park in the Northeast that does something for Winter.  You should know better than to trust SF app reporting.

Though it wouldn't surprise me for SF to completely ignore the well-being of their employees and be operating tonight.

It wouldn't be unsurprising at all, which is why I believed the app lol.

Looks a lot different for New Years weekend...50s and 60s possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They’re not really closed for the well-being of anyone, they’re closed because this year has been a dumpster fire and they know they’d lose a ton of money if they opened the park.

Hopefully they realize that this is not a HITP-specific problem and they run the event again next year. November and December sucked, but so did April through October.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the showers for this weekend will be in and out in time for a mostly sunny New Years Day and temps in the 60s. No cold closing day laps on Nitro this year, but hopefully it will be flying instead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hit closing day for about 5 hours. With the gorgeous weather it was much busier than I've ever experienced for HITP and while the coaster lines were still pretty short, the crowds kinda took away from the "magic" HITP usually brings. I know I always drank way too much Great Adventure Kool Aid with that statement, but the light crowds and family atmosphere always made it worth only having half the park open. Today felt like Frightfest but with half the park open.

I didn't exactly hit a big variety of rides today, but from what I would tell everything was open except Green Lantern. On the other hand, getting food was a bit of a challenge as a lot of stuff was closed and what was open was very busy most of the afternoon. 

One of my favorite HITP traditions was Bacon Wrapped Pork Kabobs and last year on closing day they sold out by like 4pm, so when we got to the park we went right over to Jersey Devil BBQ and the place was already closed and mothballed. Guess having secondary food places open doesn't fit the premium experience mold as we would see quite a few closed and after walking into a mob scene at Granny's, we had to go over to Yum Yum Cafe for lunch that didn't require waiting 20 minutes. 

Around 4:30 we finally started riding stuff. Pretty much just hung out in Movietown, hitting Nitro, JDC, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Skull Mountain. Mostly short waits, but by 7 everything was a walk on. After a couple more JDC rides, I decided to do what I did with Superman on SFNEs closing day and spend an hour parked in the back row of Nitro. Had to relocate to row 8 a couple times and briefly ran off for a front row ride on Batman, but returned for a few more laps including the final ride of the year with fireworks in the background for added effect. There was a temperature inversion which was really neat, as the temp would drastically drop in the valleys but warm up on the tops of the tall hills. Briefly ran into coasterbill and crew a couple times at Nitro, ironically I believe this marks the first time I ever met a TPR member outside of a bar.

Getting out of the park was a real premium experience as they have a grand total of 4 turnstiles for people to go through, but they are too narrow for strollers to fit so people with strollers had to cut across the mob to get to the wider exit path. That said, the usually mundane task of exiting the park couldn't be done without some people yelling at each other and employees yelling at people because New Jersey.

Fun first day of 2023, and keeping the coaster party going tomorrow with a quick stop at American Dream in the works on the ride home.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wish I could've taken a couple Nitro laps or grabbed a beer with you guys but I had just gotten to the park when I first ran into you and I was spooked by how crowded it was and only had like 3 hours left at that point. When I was marathoning Nitro I almost went up front for a ride but had prime real estate locked down in the back row for like 4 consecutive rides and didn't want to get up lol.

The fireworks ride to finish the day was sick. I was surprised they were lighting them off from an open area of the park!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's been some rumors flying around that Nitro is getting renamed "Goliath" next season. Not only that, it's supposedly getting the exact same sign as SFNE's old Goliath and its exact same green-on-blue color scheme. This video has more details.

 

I personally hope it's not entirely true. Nitro has been craving a re-paint for years, but the name "Goliath" is Six Flags' equivalent to the name "John Smith". Nitro is one of a kind and it should stay that way.

 

Also in similar news, B&M just dropped off a bunch of materials to the park a few days ago. Could it be related to this Nitro news or just a coincidence?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The B&M parts are about the right weight for a train, I would think.

As to the name change, very few people outside of the internet even know that other Six Flags parks exist, let alone what rides they may have or what they're called.  No one local will care about the Goliath name negatively because every other SF park has something called that.

BTW, that video is horrible (like most coaster-related Youtube channels).  Saying  "Hey guys, here's everything I've heard as rumors...." and ".... that's everything I know for sure that's happening in 2023" about the same exact content is absolutely nonsensical.  I feel dumber for having listened to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an impossible time believing that Six Flags would buy a fourth Nitro train. There is absolutely no reason to run more than two during Holiday in the Park, and they run three for the rest of the season without issue.

My guess is that the 30,000 lb shipment is either a replacement lift drive and other parts for Green Lantern which was scheduled to be open for HITP but broken for the entire event (lol good) or 30,000 Nitro operations manuals with minimum temperature guidelines that they can use in the Holiday in the Park fire pits next season.

As for the name, it’s dumb but I also don’t care. Just paint it… holy shit does it ever need it.

  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Zack44 said:

There's been some rumors flying around that Nitro is getting renamed "Goliath" next season. Not only that, it's supposedly getting the exact same sign as SFNE's old Goliath and its exact same green-on-blue color scheme. This video has more details.

 

I personally hope it's not entirely true. Nitro has been craving a re-paint for years, but the name "Goliath" is Six Flags' equivalent to the name "John Smith". Nitro is one of a kind and it should stay that way.

 

Also in similar news, B&M just dropped off a bunch of materials to the park a few days ago. Could it be related to this Nitro news or just a coincidence?

I mean...if it's getting SFNE Goliath's signs, that must mean it's getting Premier trains too right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harry over at GreatAdventureHistory (who's always been a reliable source for inside info at the park) indicated that Nitro was actually due to be painted last year alongside Medusa and BTR, but the management shifts and subsequent budget cuts changed those plans. As far as the potential rename, I don't really care what happens but I don't really see the point in switching from one generic name to another. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

95% of me thinks the rumor is complete BS...Nitro is pretty iconic in the coaster world and in the public. Seems pointless to change it to something generic.

The other 5% of me remembers saying the same thing about Superman at SFNE in 2008.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So El Toro is my number 1 coaster after 15 years. I still haven't ridden a bunch of RMC's and other newer Intamins, but I feel like it would still compare favorably with newer classics like Steel Vengeance, Iron Gwazi, and VelociCoaster (will hopefully ride the latter two in the next month or two).

As someone who has struggled with their weight, being able to fit on El Toro was tight back in 2008. When I returned to visit in 2014, I got denied. I haven't bothered to return to the park since. 

I am happy to report that, in the midst of a weight loss journey, today I weighed in at my "El Toro weight". 258 lbs was what I was when I rode in 2008 and I hit that mark today. Here's hoping SFGADv figures things out and I can ride once again in 2023!

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Aw man, that's a bummer. Skyline will be very different now. Glad I convinced my mother to ride it in one of the rare instances she was able to make it to the park with us. I was hoping it'd be around for at least a couple more years so my daughter could experience it, but what can ya do. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean I'm sure it's hard to find replacement parts when you're the last of your ride type within North America lol. It made it 40 years, rides have life cycles. Would've been nice to have it had been announced ahead of time for last rides, but there also could've very well been circumstances preventing that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/