Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

Ah yes, something else I forgot about...All those recorded announcements to hear over and over all day.

I keep a couple high-quality Bounty paper towels in my pocket (select-a-size, to boot!). When I can't bare it anymore, I go in the bathroom, wet one and fashion a temporary ear plug. It's done wonders for my anxiety, too.

It's odd they blame the guests for not following rules; how can you follow rules when you can't hear anything due to so much music, etc blasting in your face? On many rides (Demon comes to mind) there is an automated recording when a train comes in the station. While that is playing, the ride op starts to speak. It's a mess. Add to that the Demon Theme is playing just out side the station as well. I LOVE that they play that continuously now, but it unfortunately adds to the chaos of the station. Same thing in various areas of the park; "I like to move it" blasting LOUD, game employees yelling LOUD, and all those silly recordings.

A friend of mine commented a couple years ago about all that annoying extra noise and we discussed what we grew up knowing to be the "sounds of the amusement park" - namely - RIDES! Screams and yells... some soft carousel music, etc.

Good thing they finally backed off on the "I like to move it" song. AND I've noticed many park employees have stopped saying "Have a Six Flags Day!" .... The powers that be must have finally clued into how annoying and even offensive that is... or the employees are being a bit rebellious.

For some reason, Great America seems to be getting better and better all-around. Either changes are really happening or I've had some of spiritual awakening or something.... (or maybe it's cuz I stopped taking my meds? You decide...)

[11slatausI think Intamin should make a donkey!]

I've got a question about Yankee Clipper. When in the season does it operate? Great America is my home park and I get there about three times a year, but it's always early summer or FrightFest. Does it only operate late summer, or not at all? I've never seen it operate or even filled with water every time I've been there, although Logger's Run is usually open.

Yankee Clipper's season starts on Memorial Day weekend, but on days when they don't need both flumes open they only open Loggers.

[11slatausI think Intamin should make a donkey!]

^ Okay, I guess I've never gone on a super busy day. Gotta try to ride it sometime. Thanks!

[impala101I Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

I keep a couple high-quality Bounty paper towels in my pocket (select-a-size, to boot!). When I can't bare it anymore, I go in the bathroom, wet one and fashion a temporary ear plug. It's done wonders for my anxiety, too.

Hmmm...I think I'll be taking a few packs of earplugs from work before I leave

Yeah, my memories are of the sounds of rides, screams, and carnival-type music myself. The unique sound of the Whizzer, the motors of Sky Whirl, the clank-clank-clank sound of Eagle's lift hill...And of course, the announcements as you go through the queues.
It's great to hear that the Demon music is playing, I don't recall it being played the last few times I was there. I remember as a kid thinking how cheesy it was; now I can appreciate it as nostalgia.

For some reason, Great America seems to be getting better and better all-around. Either changes are really happening or I've had some of spiritual awakening or something.... (or maybe it's cuz I stopped taking my meds? You decide...)

Maybe it's both????

Yankee Clipper's season starts on Memorial Day weekend, but on days when they don't need both flumes open they only open Loggers.

I'm hoping they have both flumes going. It's been over 25 years since I have ridden Yankee Clipper!

I think I am actually going to leave to drive down earlier on Sunday. Check in to the hotel around 3 or 3:30 then hit the park. Hell, I got the pass, I may as well use it! The park is still open until 10pm that day, so I could get an extra 6 hours in. Plus, I could check out some rides after dark - something I don't think I've ever had the chance to do

[Rollercoaster RiderI own the website www.donkey.com]

Good thing they finally backed off on the "I like to move it" song. AND I've noticed many park employees have stopped saying "Have a Six Flags Day!" .... The powers that be must have finally clued into how annoying and even offensive that is... or the employees are being a bit rebellious.

For some reason, Great America seems to be getting better and better all-around. Either changes are really happening or I've had some of spiritual awakening or something.... (or maybe it's cuz I stopped taking my meds? You decide...)

They stopped playing "I like to move it"? THANK GOD!!!! I love Madagascar 2 but that song is dang annoying.

[Ed FarmerThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

Ah yes, something else I forgot about...All those recorded announcements to hear over and over all day.

The one they play in the X-Flight station is especially awful. I would rather hear Gilbert Gottfried reading the safety spiel on the PA with the volume set to 10.

[JamesMCDonkeys are my way of life!]

Here's the thing.....I don't mind the "announcement" but they need to have like a 20 min loop in the station. Different messages and such. Hearing the same one over and over and over....it's a little much. I'd rather them just get rid of it.

[the_rock401“Fear can make a donkey attack a lion”]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to post anything on my trip to SFGAm on Tuesday, July 3. Some thoughts:

-I was surprised that the park wasn't THAT crowded. The cars had just barely filled the front parking pens.

-It was HOT HOT HOT. Air temp over 100, dew point of 75, and not a whole lot of breeze. This made a lot of the loading platforms absolutely miserable, especially Viper and Eagle.

-I, however, spent much of the day in the waterpark. By doing this, it actually helped keep myself from getting too overheated.

-Last year's installation, the drop slides, are a winner. The crew springing the trap were a bunch of crackpots. This may sound a bit counter-intuitive for a water slide, but the only drawback of these slides is that once you drop out of the phone booths, there's too much water in the slide. Granted Scorpions Tail at Noahs Ark in Wisconsin Dells has the overbanked turn to get through, but one thing that works very well is that there's only enough water in the tube to grease the floor. At SFGAm, they have the big gushers installed immediately below the phone booth. In the weaving drop slides, this means no matter if you time your breath right and are exhaling the whole time, you WILL get a mouthful of water. Including stuff that comes in your nose and goes all the way through the sinus cavity. I don't want to feel like I'm drowning.

-Oddly enough, the busiest the waterpark got was near the close, during the 5 PM hour, just as I was going for one last soaking before going on to the rest of the park.

-The only drawback with me going to the waterpark was that somehow, both of the balls of my feet got some serious blistering. Was able to treat it, but it was just a pain in the rear end the rest of the day.

-During my periodic forays out of the waterpark during the day, I found Raging Bull and X-Flight to be walkarounds or nearly that. I also found that the operators weren't afraid to break the schpiel, and as such seemed to be having a good time. One such operator at Superman challenged the riders of his train to play a game: DON"T LOOK DOWN. Naturally, he said this just as the seats were flipping over forwards. "Oops. You all lose!"

-Met GayCoasterGuy at dinnertime, and was able to get a bunch of cycles in on both Raging Bull and X-Flight, as well as using his season pass to get some onride pictures. A big thank you!

-After nightfall, I power-rode Viper and Raging Bull as long as I could. Went three rides on Viper without leaving the platform, then five on Raging Bull before I had enough (fatigue and heat had worn on me).

-Overall, the park hadn't changed THAT much since I was there in 2007. Viper was still great at night, Whizzer is still Whizzer, and Demon is still an Arrow looper.

-It's a good thing I didn't have to go far to my hotel. I was DEAD afterwards.

^Glad you had a good time. I just realized... or came to terms with the fact - that I have NEVER been in the water park at Great America. I've always been too coaster-rabid. Also... the park never seemed appealing, what with having to RENT tubes and such. I've been spoiled by Holiday World/Splashin' Safari. Heck, even the Ohio park water parks may have spoiled me years earlier.

I will do it next year, though. Must loose a little of the old flab first, though!

Viper amazes me more every time I ride it. Even when it's having a sluggish day, it's still light-years more "on the ball" and smooth than most big park woodies I can think of. The *triple thick* structure really worked for this coaster and has stood the test of time. I think the only thing that keeps it OUT of any of the big "top 10" lists is that it doesn't have the hype of bigger rides. Plus, it's a pain to walk to. And from... So I feel like a RCT peep by the time I get back there "I want to leave," etc. Only 2nd worst walk to a coaster next to American Eagle of course. I'm wondering if there can be some sort of record for that, they would win...