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California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread


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Railblazer seemed to be very reliable the one day I was there a few weeks ago. Aside from a late opening where we couldn't ride until 11am (which really isn't a big issue), I don't recall it ever breaking down the entire day.

 

Also, despite running two trains (which I feel will be the usual), the ride really pulls through its line more than I expected it too. Every train went out with 8 riders, and there was absolutely zero stacking the vast majority of the time. Still not a "high capacity coaster" by any means, but I think this type of ride would work fine at most amusement parks that have good operations and manageable crowds.

 

Also, I saw on Instagram that the black/green train is now in operation. I'm not sure if it got switched out with the red or yellow one, or if they're running three trains now, but it's back.

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Also, despite running two trains (which I feel will be the usual), the ride really pulls through its line more than I expected it too. Every train went out with 8 riders, and there was absolutely zero stacking the vast majority of the time. Still not a "high capacity coaster" by any means, but I think this type of ride would work fine at most amusement parks that have good operations and manageable crowds.

 

I don't know how things were when you were there but I didn't feel like a third train would have made much difference at all. It was rarely stacking but I think I only saw once or twice where a train dispatched before the other one was hitting the brake run.

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Also, despite running two trains (which I feel will be the usual), the ride really pulls through its line more than I expected it too. Every train went out with 8 riders, and there was absolutely zero stacking the vast majority of the time. Still not a "high capacity coaster" by any means, but I think this type of ride would work fine at most amusement parks that have good operations and manageable crowds.

 

I don't know how things were when you were there but I didn't feel like a third train would have made much difference at all. It was rarely stacking but I think I only saw once or twice where a train dispatched before the other one was hitting the brake run.

 

Yeah, it is usually very difficult to make three trains efficient on any coaster that doesn't have a MCBR or a freakishly tall lift hill (Fury and Leviathan). That's why I said two trains works out just fine and wouldn't be much of a problem for most medium-sized parks. They would have to be SUPER fast and have the lift hill go very slowly along with a continuous loading station to make three trains worth it (see: Wonder Woman).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Haven't done a trip report in a while, and finally gathered the motivation to talk about my trip to CGA on August 5th.

 

I'd never been to California before going out to visit family earlier this month, and had an amazing time. Though I hoped to visit CGA while I was there, I didn't expect that we would, as it hadn't been brought up much prior. It was very exciting finding out that my family would be cool with going to the park, as I haven't been to a new park since I first went to Lakeside here in CO (back in 2015 I think ). I'll also note that I've been to SFGAm, so it interesting to see the other "Great America".

 

THE PARK ITSELF

 

I was genuinely pleased with the park's appearance as I'd heard from many people that it would be a little sketchy. No such vibe was found, as the park was clean and had few areas or buildings with any sort of "run down" look. It wasn't super crowded, but enough that after riding the coasters with shorter lines, we decided to buy Fastlane for the remaining rides. Staff were mostly friendly and operations were a miracle in comparison to Elitches. The landscaping was great and I think the park looked very well put together. The layout of the park was a lot smaller than I imagined (I guess I thought it'd be closer to SFGAm's size), but was a convenient loop. Food wasn't amazing, but better than what I'd get for the same price at Elitches, and was sufficient. The workers at the American Cafe gave my family member some

difficulty regarding their veggie burger to the point where they got it refunded, but other food staff were pretty kind and quick. Another grip would be not getting to pick your row on most coasters, but I see why it worked for station crowding/capacity. Overall the park had a really nice, relaxed atmosphere and I had a really good time.

 

COASTERS

 

Gold Striker (x2):

We rode this coaster first, and it was another genuine surprise. It was my first GCI, and a lot more out of control than expected. I didn't think it'd be tame or mild, but I also didn't think it would become my favorite wooden coaster (surpassing Timber Terror & Tremors), or to be such an awesomely wild ride. I'd say it whooped my ass in a good way. My first ride was in row 4 I think, and the second was front row. Both were filled with crazy pops of ejector air, hard laterals, and had me all mixed up with the amount of direction changes. For those who've been on other GCI's, let me know if a lot of them are a similar experience, because that would definitely raise their priority on my want-to-ride list. 8/10

 

Patriot (x1):

This coaster was a mixed bag for me. Iron Wolf, this ride's sole B&M predecessor, was my favorite roller coaster back when I lived near SFGAm (hence my name). Patriot is similar but obviously is no longer a stand-up coaster. It was also my first floorless coaster experience. I was expecting a rough or rattle-y ride as many people had noted since the conversion (and prior), but found the ride to be completely smooth in my one ride in row 4. I did enjoy the bit of positive G's from the first drop into the loop, as well as the snappiness of the corkscrew. On the flip side, I thought the layout overall was lackluster and short, and didn't think the floorless aspect contributed as much to the experience as standing would have (though that may be to me not riding in the front row). Patriot to me is the perfect "average" or "meh" coaster. 5/10

 

Demon (x2):

As the only coaster at CGA that has a counter part at SFGAm, and also giving a kick to my Arrow nostalgia, I really enjoyed the Demon. I oddly found the roughest part to be the loops, which now makes me curious how Sidewinder's loop is so smooth. Definitely bumpy but not as bad as the nearby Grizzly or Elitches own Twister II or Mind Eraser. It was a classic with a fun drop, retro themeing, and hardcore SFGAm flashbacks. 6/10

 

Psycho Mouse (x1):

First proper modern wild mouse (only previously been on Mount Olympus' Opa or Lakeside's Wild Chipmunk), and a rarer Arrow one at that. Brakes were on a little bit with a few of the MCBR's but didn't really detract from the experience. All the turns had more laterals than I thought there would be, and the drops were sharp and fun. Definitely a perfect family coaster. 5/10

 

Flight Deck (x2):

We rode this after buying Fast Lane, as it'd been down all morning and the line was long after it reopened. This was my most highly anticipated coaster of the park, even with Railblazer, as I don't remember a lot of B:TR at SFGAm, haven't been on Aftershock since 2013, and have been subjected to a sub-par invert in Mind Eraser for the past 5 years. This was the only coaster where we got to choose our seat, and we got a solid back row & front row ride. People don't lie when they say this ride gets very intense, very quickly. The turn over the station is the only break you get, as the rest of the ride is crazy positive G's and two incredible snaps in the zero-g roll and corkscrew. Aside from the snaps, the ride is smooth as butter and lots of fun. It joins Patriot with being on the shorter side, but makes up for it with doing more and doing it better. Thought it was right alongside with Gold Striker as a really solid coaster. 8/10

 

Grizzly (x1):

This ride was on the disappointing side, but not outright awful. The layout is boring but kinda aesthetic, load times were abysmal but not much worse that Twister II, and definitely some pretty harsh jolts and consistent bumps but not unbearably rough. I did not expect great or terrible, and received neither. I think it is a great step up from kiddie rides to the more intense coasters. 4/10

 

Railblazer (x3):

We were a little worried that we would not get to ride this, as it had a 90+ minute line all morning and went down just before we bought the fast lane (we didn't know it when we bought the passes). It stayed closed most of the afternoon and fortunately we got a decent use out of our fast lane with the Flight Deck rides, our second Gold Striker ride, Grizzly, and our second ride on Demon. Around 9:15 (the park closed at 10) the coaster reopened with one train, and since we were at Demon we literally ran over. All I can say is WOW. First RMC did not disappoint. Every second is jam packed, and you go through every element so fast it doesn't look or feel real. The best airtime I've ever experienced, crazy positive G's, feeling the Zero-G throughout that whole roll, a killer transition going through the dive loop, everything about the ride was absolutely incredible. Fast crew with the one train, and cool themeing that added to the night rides. I really hope more of these Raptors pop up, as Railblazer is assuredly my favorite coaster thus far. 10/10

 

OTHER RIDES

 

Drop Tower (x1):

What surprised me the most here was this ride being a walk-on. Tower of Doom, another Intamin drop tower at Elitches, always has one of the more significant waits in the park, so being able to get on immediately was great. May have something to do with capacity, as this ride was running 5/6 sides with the sixth car sitting in its spot on the platform, while Tower of Doom runs 2/3 sides and the third car hasn't been on the ride in years.

 

Mass Effect: New Earth (x1):

Never been on one of these "4D" rides, but I really enjoyed it. The "host" was funny and didn't break character, and the actually effects were really interesting with a few surprises. I don't know if these always have the same program, but it'd be cool if they could switch up the routes/effects/something to not make it appear as a one-and-done.

 

Carousel Columbia (x1):

I never got to ride this ride's twin at SFGAm, so of course we had to ride it on the second deck. Was cool to be elevated like that on a carousel. The ride was running a dreadfully slow and short program but I don't think most kids would notice.

 

Orbit (x1):

Loved the Orbit at SFGAm, and was under the impression that CGA removed this ride (maybe because I believe SFGAm took out theirs). Was a very short cycle, got to fully inverted and then came back down, but very fun and the most dizzying experience of the day.

 

Tiki Twirl (x1):

Also never been on any of these "Disco" rides, and I actually really enjoyed it. It was odd to feel the spinning motion while facing outwards on the motorcycle-esque seats. Definitely a good (and popular) family ride.

 

Didn't ride anything else but I would like to try the Berserker next time I visit, hopefully next summer. May upload some pictures at some point, but I didn't get any very good shots. Hope you all enjoyed!

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  • 2 weeks later...

^ Great report! Reading about it makes me a little bummed out that I missed out on visiting it a month ago. But on that note....

 

I'm floating the idea of driving back up to NorCal in about a month to visit this park and check out Haunt. I see this park typically charges for Haunt admission, but free Haunt admission is listed as a perk for 2019 Gold and Platinum Pass holders. Does this include Platinum Passes from other parks, or is this a perk solely offered for passes bought through CGA? I bought my Platinum Pass at KBF. Thanks!

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^ Great report! Reading about it makes me a little bummed out that I missed out on visiting it a month ago. But on that note....

 

I'm floating the idea of driving back up to NorCal in about a month to visit this park and check out Haunt. I see this park typically charges for Haunt admission, but free Haunt admission is listed as a perk for 2019 Gold and Platinum Pass holders. Does this include Platinum Passes from other parks, or is this a perk solely offered for passes bought through CGA? I bought my Platinum Pass at KBF. Thanks!

Platinum is Platinum and works for CGA Haunt just like a Gold Pass would. I think KBF is the only CF park to charge a separate Haunt admission even for passholders.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The park is slowly but surely making their Winterfest lineup less terrible even though the park up the road is fully open year round so I don't get this at all and never will.

 

Railblazer will be open and they've added the Wild Mouse and Berserker so most areas are open now except the area from Demon to the Sky Ride. The Sky Ride is still closed for some reason (they know that these are almost always one of the most popular outdoor rides during Christmas events since people want to see the lights from the air right?) as is Mass Effect... the indoor ride with heat in an area of the park that's open anyway.

 

... they'll get there eventually.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I went to the park today. It was my second time this year but the last time I went in May, Railblazer was not open yet. My main goals were to get on Railblazer for the first time and to process my gold pass. I got four rides total on Railblazer. It did not disappoint, especially my first ride on it. Non-stop intensity and positive/negative g's. The second and fourth times I rode it, I got a really bad Charley Horse in my leg. I am not sure if it was from putting my hands up, or slouching in the seats to accommodate the restraints. I am just above average height-wise, yet I still felt uncomfortable in the trains. I was in agony from the cramp from the cutback element until I exited the train in the station. The pain was to the point that it spoiled both of those rides. I am going to make sure I watch my posture on future rides on it.

 

Another unfortunate occurrence was that the ride was only running one train mid-afternoon. The line moved excruciatingly slow which is understandable since only eight people can ride at a time. Honestly, I think they should just close the ride if only one train is available instead of making people wait in the baking sun. To give you an idea (if you are familiar with the queue), I timed with my phone stopwatch and it was an hour wait from the stairs descending below the brake run to when I got on the train. Ugh.

 

Other than that, I did enjoy my rides on Railblazer and the rest of the coasters. Goldstriker was just as exhilarating as I remember it and Flight Deck is still its awesome intense, old-school B&M invert self. Those three coasters make the 2019 gold pass I just bought worth it. I also got some rides on Patriot, Demon, and Grizzly. Those three are good for what they are, supporting coasters to the top three mentioned above. It was a beautiful, warm, fall day in Silicon Valley. The park was pretty slow in the morning but got busier as the day went along in anticipation of Haunt. I didn't wait longer than 10 minutes for anything else besides Railblazer.

 

Overall, I had fun today at the park. I am going to try to return two weekends from now in its last weekend of normal day operation. I hope to get some more good rides on Railblazer without any Charley horses or getting caught in a slow moving line due to one-train operation.

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This last weekend (Sunday to be specific) seemed like a good time to head out to the Haunt. Unlike previous year’s had heard next to nothing about what was going on there. And, in this instance, wound up going with a rather large group of family and friends (13 in all, including my 17 month old and my friend’s 8 year old). While I plan to always be in the main place well ahead of opening, the large group and much more of a crowd than I expected on a Sunday meant it was just after the 7pm opening when we got in.

 

Neither Goldstriker nor Railblazer were operating when the Haunt started… though the later worked out well with our delayed entry. We had planned to head there first, since even if crowds were light, the low capacity would probably make this problematic. Just after being told it was closed, but would open at some point, they started cycling trains… and waiting it out turned out to the be the right thing, as 10 minutes later everyone in our group that wanted to was able to try it out. It was the first time I had rode it after dark, and I can’t say the experience seemed that different. Still a wild ride, and one that was enthusiastically received by those riding it for the first time.

 

By the end of the night we’d make it on Goldstriker a couple times (I think the darkness definitely adds something here), Flight Deck, and a few others. Given the heavier than expected attendance, and just sticking with picking out lines when they weren’t too bad, this was pretty good. Took a similar approach to the mazes… though ultimately wasn’t able to make it through Corn Stalkers or the Wax Museum (both of which have been enjoyable in previous years).

 

The only all-new maze was the Tooth Fairy, which had some creepily cool costumes and similar atmosphere. It replaces Toy Factory, although I think I may still have the Toy Factory song stuck in my head from last year (though surprisingly missed it when I approached that area of the park).

 

Masacre Manor returned in slightly different form this year… it is still running “backwards” as it did last year (likely to accommodate Railblazer’s construction), but was done without any lights other than small flashlights that are handed out as you enter the maze. Was a nice way to change things up, though a shame as this maze has always been one with lots of nice details to see.

 

Zombie High is still fun. I don’t get scared, and rarely am even started by the performers, but the mascot character here did give me my first startle of any kind in years! It is always fun to see the character on the bungie scare people too (similar set up appeared in a few of the other mazes where I hadn’t seen them in previous editions).

 

Chaos House was a new edition last year, and was more disorienting that I recalled (or maybe just that I did it at the very end of the night?)… nothing that I would think is even remotely scary here (if you find these things scary), but quite trippy!

 

Roadkill Roadhouse was much as it was last year, though a little better lit (still among the darker mazes), and Backwoods was back as well (and some great sets, though personally wind up a bit sad when I think of Pictorium being gone).

 

Jester Town and the Fairy Tale themed scare zones returned, with the one near the Demon having a Londish/Jack The Ripper sort of theme. All in all, Cedar Fair seems to put a lot in to getting their special events together and the effort shows.

 

And while this event certainly wasn’t one designed for kids, my tiny one seemed to have much fun wandering around and not knowing things were supposed to be scary (although, it is not like anyone tried to scare him, even if he was oblivious to any such attempts). My friend got his 8 year old a “no Boo” necklace (a light up necklace that signals to performers not to try and scare you), and she took in her first real roller coasters (a couple rides on Grizzly and Pyscho Mouse).

 

All in all, a pretty fun evening, and likely my only visit to the Haunt this year (though will be back for Winterfest before too long).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks! I used it for one of my three rides on Railblazer today, but the last time I was going to ride it, the CGA employee at the front told me “we don’t do that” and turned me away. The line must have been two hours long at that point. Do they shut down single rider line when the standby line gets too long? It was pretty disappointing to say the least since I did single rider earlier that day when the standby was lengthy. CGA needs to stick with one policy or another.

 

Besides that, I had a great day of riding coasters. Got on everything except for Grizzly and Psycho Mouse, which are just not worth the wait for me. The park was pretty crowded today. Maybe because this is the last day of full day operation of the season. I ended the day at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with two sunset rides on Giant Dipper. What a great day!

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^I’d say you just encountered an uninformed employee. When I was there, some of the Fast Lane employees let me right through when I said I was a single rider, while others looked like they had no idea what I was talking about.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I may make a trip tonight to check out Winterfest. How are the crowds for Winterfest typically? Should I expect to wait an hour or so for the big three: Goldstriker, Railblazer, and Flight Deck?

 

Sorry I have been posting so much here lately. Just getting back into the enthusiast scene and I am new to NorCal and the parks here. I appreciate all your guys’ help.

 

UPDATE 12/2: So I ended up breaking down and got a Fast Lane wristband. They were only $42 after fees and I wanted to finally get some good rides on Railblazer without worrying about the long, slow-moving lines that it always gets. The park was dead from 5 - 6:30. All of the rides were walk-ons, including Railblazer. I thought I had wasted my money. However later in the evening I went back over to Railblazer and it had a 45 minute wait. It was very nice to just show my wristband and the ride operator let me choose whatever row I wanted. I got 10 rides on Railblazer, four times in the back, four times up front, and twice in Row 7. Thanks to Fast Lane, I finally fell in love with this ride. In the regular standby line, the ride ops always assign me a row so it was nice to feel like a "VIP" for the night and be able to sit where I wanted to. $42 well spent.

 

The other star of the night was Goldstriker. Holy smokes, that gives one heck of a night ride, especially in the back seat. With those night rides, it almost topped Ghostrider as my favorite woodie, but GR will always have a special place in my heart. Flight Deck was in and out of operation all evening. Not sure if it was from the cold weather, but it was going down quite frequently. Still got five rides on it. Got a few rides on Patriot as well.

 

I got to say, CGA puts on a fantastic Winterfest event. The park was beautifully decorated with Christmas trees, wreaths, and lights everywhere. They also put on several shows throughout the part of the park that was open. I did not stop to watch the shows as I was quickly running from coaster to coaster, but next time I go, I will try to spend some time enjoying the festivities. Only bummer of the night was a run-in with a patron in the Railblazer standby line who cussed me out while I was just about to board the coaster. If you want more of the story, I would be happy to share. Just disappointing behavior by some people, but that is what happens in any public space. Unfortunately, rude behavior by the public is prevalent at many theme parks. No knock on CGA, but I feel for the employees that have to put up with the clientele that comes through.

Edited by alpengeistdude321
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For railblazer go through fast lane as a single rider. Shouldn’t be too long of a wait. You can see Goldstriker’s line from the courtyard. If it’s around the tunnel should be like 15 mins max. Flight deck not sure, it’s such a short ride but takes forever to load and unload. If you can’t see the line just walk up, it should be fairly painless.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of progress, if any, has been made at loggers and yankee harbor as a whole. Last I checked they took out the lake across from roaring rapids and the bridge. That was a left over from yankee clipper? Either way, between that, the Endeavor site, the loggers site and the snoopy show stage site we’ve got a lot to work with. Not to mention the go carts (if they’re also on the chopping block) as well.

 

The other great America could shoe horn in two water parks and 6 coasters with that amount of real estate;-)

 

Have fun & report back your findings!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Went on 12/26. Definitely appreciated the advice to be there at opening (5 pm). Got there a little early and waited for the rope drop. Railblazer had a short line at first. Got a couple rides in before the line got long. Wow, that is an incredible ride. The park got crowded, but probably most of the crowd were families with small kids looking at the lights. At 8 pm Railblazer's line was over an hour. Patriot was a walk on, a modest improvement over Vortex but not that great. Flight Deck was awesome as always and the line was short. Still not a fan of Gold Striker, it was rattly in the last row and I prefer airtime to curves, especially on wooden coasters. Demon and Grizzly were closed, but that wasn't a loss. The Mouse was open but didn't ride. The drop tower was closed, that would have been a great ride in the cold with the lights.

 

Railblazer was in some ways even more intense than the other RMCs (including SV). It does not have a millimeter of wasted track. Intense, Intense, INTENSE.

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I have a question about y'all's railblazer coaster... Do they have to refill air tanks for the restraints quite often on it. The wonder woman almost without fails needs some air every time I'm at it and wondering if it's an issue that just our raptor has or if y'all's has the same issue

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