The Great Escape (TGE) Discussion Thread

[booink]

The paint scheme looks good and that makes me think that the park will be keeping it around for a while. I enjoyed my rides last year when they ran the final few cars backwards. Are they still doing that?

 

When I was there in May, they were turned forward again. The signs still said they were backwards, which really confused me.

 

I really need to get back up here next year because Alpine Bobsled was closed during my last visit.

Yeah, get one last ride next season before it meets the wrecking ball!

[Canobie Coaster]

That coaster seems to be a pro at avoiding the wrecking ball despite always being on the chopping block. Just curious, does anyone know what happened to Disaster Transport after it was demolished? I'm wondering if the park may have bought some spare pieces to possibly prolong Alpine Bobsled's lifespan.

[DarienLaker]

^Disaster Transport's coaster was probably scrapped or sent to Kings Dominion for part their bobsled coaster.

[gecomet92]

The paint on Bobsled is absolutely horrendous. If it lives another year the paint job needs a complete over haul. huge sections of paint are falling off, and by huge I mean like 4ftx 4ft pieces.

[booink]

^Disaster Transport's coaster was probably scrapped or sent to Kings Dominion for part their bobsled coaster.

It was scrapped and they gave a piece of track and one or two car to the National Coaster Museum. KD couldn't have used it for spare parts, Avalanche is a Mack and DT was an Intamin bobsled.

[DarienLaker]

^I thought that King Dominion's Avalanche bobsled coaster was made by Intamin.

[YOLO]

Is it just me, or does this park look like one of the best Six Flags parks?

 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think it looks like a beautiful park, it seems layed back, and you don't feel like you have a gun up to your head. Plus I want to really try The Comet.

[coasterbill]

Is it just me, or does this park look like one of the best Six Flags parks?

 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think it looks like a beautiful park, it seems layed back, and you don't feel like you have a gun up to your head. Plus I want to really try The Comet.

 

The park is very nice but it has the worst operations of any park I've ever been to and that takes away from it a lot. The Comet is the only ride that's run efficiently.

[DarienLaker]

Is it just me, or does this park look like one of the best Six Flags parks?

 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think it looks like a beautiful park, it seems layed back, and you don't feel like you have a gun up to your head. Plus I want to really try The Comet.

 

From the pictures of Great Escpae that I've seen from various parts of the internet, it looks like a cross between Darien Lake and Martin's Fantasy Island. The only thing that is going to make me want to go to Great Escape is to get at least one ride on the original Crystal Beach Comet coaster since my other choice which was Nightmare at Crack Axe Canyon is gone ( ).

 

There's story behind the reason why I wanted to ride Nightmare at Crack Axe Canyon. One time when I went to Darien Lake in 1999, I wanted to ride Nightmare at Phantom Cave, but it wasn't there and for years I wonder whatever happened to it and I found it was moved Great Escape and now I probably never get that credit unless I get a time machine and ride it when it was at Darien Lake or Great Escape!

[GwaziBSRider1]

^^ This. Comet is a great coaster, and even its operations aren't the best. I think it was 10 minutes at Canyon Blaster for the ops to dispatch a train. It is a nice park, but you know you're in a Six Flags park when you're there. It's just as commercialized as the rest of them.

[DarienLaker]

Since Great Escape isn't officially "flagged" would it be less commercialized than a Six Flags owned park that is "flagged"?

[GwaziBSRider1]

It's not quite as bad as the branded parks, but it's still very evident. On an unrelated note, I still think it's incredibly ridiculous to charge $20 for parking here. It's ridiculous enough at parks like Magic Mountain and New England, but it's very much over the top at TGE.

[gecomet92]

TBH I think it really is split into two different park's in my opinion. Basically everything past the main bridge to the back half the park is Six flags. Think about it, it's more or less a parking lot. Then there is the other half of the park that includes Story town and ghost town. This part has pretty nice tree cover and ghost town has great themeing IMO. I think they try to keep all the Six flags commercialized stuff outside of storytown and ghost town.

[Canobie Coaster]

I agree that the park has seemed to a good job maintaining the charm in the front half of the park. Screamin' Eagles looks fantastic and then while Sasquatch was installed in the very front of the park and has blatant advertising, the ride has a good paint job and is surprisingly well themed for a S&S tower.

 

My biggest gripe with the park is the super weird layout that has the Comet separated from the rest of the park by the water park.

[GwaziBSRider1]

I agree. It's super easy to get lost trying to get back there, even with a park map. Plus, they even had the gates open to the water park (even though it hadn't opened yet), and I walked inside by accident (and was promptly screamed at by a life guard).

[DarienLaker]

Does Great Escape charge you extra for the water park or is it included with admission?

[coasterbill]

It's included with admission.

[Canobie Coaster]

Does Great Escape charge you extra for the water park or is it included with admission?

 

It would be a royal pain for them if it wasn't since the water park is basically integrated into the ride park. The only way they could ever charge 2 admissions would be if they used a wristband system of some sort, and I don't see that ever happening.

[gecomet92]

Yeah as of right now there is 3 ways into and out of the Water Park. Way to much to monitor.

[DarienLaker]

Do you have to cut across the water park to get to Comet?

[GwaziBSRider1]

Yes and no. There's a "dry" path that leads back there, but the water park is on both sides of you. If you don't know where you're going, it's easy to stray into the water park by accident.

[DarienLaker]

Did Intamin made the Alpine Bobsled coaster?

[3Mutts]

^ A simple visit to RCDB can answer that question...

 

http://rcdb.com/495.htm

[DarienLaker]

Well, that answers my question.

[VF15]

Found these pictures on Screamscape of markings on some trees around Great Escape's Alpine Bobsleds. I wonder if this could be a sign of a possible removal.