Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

Interesting read about how American Dream may affect SFGA

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4092876-six-flags-lose-25-percent-customers-new-park-meadowlands

So I got a ride on El Toro tonight with the boost feature on and HOLY F**KING SHIT.

It is a thing of beauty isn't it?

Interesting read about how American Dream may affect SFGA

 

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4092876-six-flags-lose-25-percent-customers-new-park-meadowlands

How many times is that article going to be brought up? That place is never going to open.

It's like the tire fire in the Simpsons....

Honestly, by the time this thing opens its going to need to close for updates! Every time I pass it on the thruway, it looks the same, yet there is always construction going on...

Any thoughts?

 

I thought we talked about it ten pages back.

Sorry I was on vacation for awhile and I thought I went back enough!

Appreciate it everyone! With Chicago having two airports there's an option to fly virtually anywhere. So all mentioned airports are possible. If Labor Day doesn't workout, another weekend will given the park's extended hours going into the fall months.

 

The biggest question is wether or not to take advantage of being in the area and hit up Hershey as well. This will all come together soon..

Chicago to NYC would probably be your cheapest option... Low fares can be had out of ORD or MDW...

Last Summer I went to Philly for cheap out of MDW on Southwest.

At the time of that trip, I wasn't driving, so I did SFGAdv via train and Lyft... Getting to the park wasn't a problem, but getting back to Trenton was sketchy. Drivers will be hit or miss since Jackson is in the middle of nowhere.

My legs are still a bit sore from walking around all day (and from walking around at SFNE and Lake Compounce the 2 days before) and my thighs still ache from El Toro's exteme ejector air but as usual it's always worth it for a trip to Great Adventure. Crowds were fairly light so that made for a ton of riding!

El Toro (x21)- Y'all already know the drill, it's one of the best coasters on the planet. However, one ride with the boost feature for the lift turned on and OMFG HOLY SHIT WTF?!?!? The drop is already insane, with the boost it's absurd how nuts it is. Every single element after that felt just a bit more powerful and it ripped through the twister section with more speed than I've ever seen it. You Great Adventure locals are so lucky because you guys got about the best damn coaster on the planet. Kudos to the crew to they were absolutely plowing through trains at a very fast clip.

Nitro (x5)- This ride has its critics but I love this thing, you Nitro haters can keep on hating it's still one of B&M's best hypers All my rides were in the back this time, I normally sit in the front on Nitro but damn is the helix crazy in the back. Greyed out on it on every ride but one. Nitro is also one of the best night rides out there. It's no Boulder Dash or Beast at night but still really good.

Kingda Ka (x2)- Both front seat rides. As been said by many people on this forum, the front is the only way to go. You don't like Ka being rough? Well, sit in the front it's glass smooth up there and as a bonus it tries to rip your damn face off. This ride has its haters too but just like Nitro it's absolutely awesome I can't get enough of it. There's nothing like feeling that 128 mph wind trying to rip your face off and then being 456 feet up and staring at the pavement. Love this thing to death lol.

Bizarro (x1)-Nothing really to report here. Ops we're a little quicker this time then my trip last month. Instead of stacking all 3 trains for 5 minutes every cycle, this time it was more like 2. So kudos to the Bizarro crew I guess

Superman (x1)- It was the end of the night so there was no wait for the back row. As usual pretzel loop makes worth at least one ride every trip.

Batman (x1)- I had only been able to ride this thing once in 2015 and that's when it was backwards. Now I get why there was so much praise for it on this forum. I can't believe a 24 year old B&M is still this smooth especially with how snappy and intense it is. Very underrated, even tho it's a clone they may honestly be some of B&M's best rides.

Skull Mountain (x1)- Sick drop, death metal, a whole lotta awesome. Does this mean I'm a cult Skull member now?

Justice League (x1)- This thing is an amazing addition. The only other dark ride I've ridden is Ghost Hunt at Lake Compounce and this craps all over that. I still suck at this one about as bad as I do at Ghost Hunt tho, I'm awful at these shooter dark rides. I hope now that my homepark SFNE is doing HITP, we get one in the future because it would be a wonderful addition.

Zumanjaro (x2)- It still scares the complete hell outta me lol. Well at least the ascent does, I wish the drop was actually forceful and had some airtime too it. It's just a whole bucnch of speed, the brakes have more force than the drop its self. The ascent is still scary as shit and gets me everytime.

Oh yeah and I hate to open up the can of worms over the loose article policy but it was a bit ridiculous at El Toro. For one, they ran out of lockers over at El Toro so I had to go to Bizarro just to put my stuff in a locker. And two, there was always like a 5 minute wait stacked up at the entrance because they're checking for phones and then just people arguing with the security guards at the entrance over it.

They also stopped a Nitro train on the lift because a guy had his phone out and they went up and took his phone from him, which I thought was hilarious the idiot took his phones out because the Ride ops made an announcement about being banned from the park if you have your phone out a train or 2 before.

All in all, another great day at the park. I can't stress how lucky you locals are. I'm lucky to have SFNE just 5 minutes away but at the same time.... SFNE doesn't have El Toro lol. Sorry for no pictures, I didn't take many and the ones I did take are pretty much all of Toro and Ka lol.

What is this "boost feature" you talk about?

Oh yeah and I hate to open up the can of worms over the loose article policy but it was a bit ridiculous at El Toro. For one, they ran out of fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo over at El Toro so I had to go to Bizarro just to put my stuff in a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo. And two, there was always like a 5 minute wait stacked up at the entrance because they're checking for phones and then just people arguing with the security guards at the entrance over it.

If they ran out on a not crowded day, I wonder what is going to happen on a Saturday during Fright Fest when El Toro has a completely full queue with the line almost to the bridge near Bizarro? Even if people use the ones at Bizarro, that is still probably not going to be enough.

What is this "boost feature" you talk about?

Technically its not really a boost feature. It's letting Toro run as designed.

El Toro's lift was originally designed to not slow down @ the top, as it usually does now. Reason why is after the first couple seasons maintenance apparently noticed significant wear and tear on the track down the drop, hence the neutering.

Lucky for us its a setting on the control panel so occasionally they'll leave it turned up so you don't slow down at the top, you haul ass around the turnaround up top, and the drop and subsequent camelbacks are taken at a ludicrous force/speed compared to what we're normally used to. I've only gotten to experience it a few times, but its a noticeable difference in how fast/crazy the ride feels. I've heard from a few people @ the park that they tend to run it at full speed early in the mornings or on cold days to help ensure it doesn't valley after the twister section.

You can notice the difference just by watching older POVs:

Compared to newer ones:

Skull Mountain (x1)- Sick drop, death metal, a whole lotta awesome. Does this mean I'm a cult Skull member now?

Sure sounds like it.

Zumanjaro (x2)- It still scares the complete hell outta me lol. Well at least the ascent does, I wish the drop was actually forceful and had some airtime too it. It's just a whole bunch of speed, the brakes have more force than the drop its self.

You speak the truth. However, I'm about to change your life forever.

Next time you ride Zumanjaro (or any drop tower), once you reach the top, tilt your head down to your crotch, close your eyes, and don't open them until you're back on the ground. You'll never ride a drop tower any other way again. My only request is that you forever refer to it as: The DBru Method.

El Toro's lift was originally designed to not slow down @ the top, as it usually does now. Reason why is after the first couple seasons maintenance apparently noticed significant wear and tear on the track down the drop, hence the neutering.

It wasn't actually due to wear and tear on the track down the drop but the cable lift trough was actually taking damage at the crest of the lift hill. The trains actually lift slightly at the crest when the lift hill runs at full speed and then slam back down and hit the metal trough the catch car and cable run through. From 2007 to about the end of the 2015 season, there was no way to run the lift hill at its original speed. But at the end of 2015, maintenance added a "boost" button and key which brings that functionality back. Its purpose is only to help with morning test runs on cold days since Toro is a moody bitch (like most Intamins) and can easily saddle on the first few test runs. However the ride will only allow 7 of these "boosts" a day. Once you have used all 7, you can turn the key and push the boost button all you want but the computer will not give you anymore.

The "boost" doesn't really give the train that much more speed through the entire course but it definitely makes the first drop way more wicked. A fully loaded train when the ride is running hot crests the hill into the brake run at about 44 ft/sec and most boosted trains still run through that sensor at 44 ft/sec. It makes more of a difference when the ride is running slower or with less full trains. I have seen trains hit that sensor with as little as 10 ft/sec which is technically a saddle but there are booster wheels (drive tires) at that crest which have saved so many test runs. 14 ft/sec is technically the minimum for a train to not saddle without those booster wheels. These booster wheels are installed from the beginning of the season until about Memorial Day and are placed back sometime in September. (During a downpour, a fully loaded train will hit that sensor at about 48 ft/sec so that's the time to ride!)

If they ran out on a not crowded day, I wonder what is going to happen on a Saturday during Fright Fest when El Toro has a completely full queue with the line almost to the bridge near Bizarro? Even if people use the ones at Bizarro, that is still probably not going to be enough.

It's going to be an absolute sh*tshow, but anyone who goes to Fright Fest should expect nothing less. Personally, I'll see you guys at Holiday in the Park.

^^ Interesting. Was hoping you'd pop in here Ryan since I obviously don't know first hand since Ive never worked there and am only going by hearsay. As always, love your insights on these matters.

Personally, I'll see you guys at Holiday in the Park.

That makes two of us. Fright Fest is for suckers.

Dont listen to the haters, fright fest on a weekday is fine

Yea, I wasn't at the park a single time during FF, where at least one of the trails didn't have a short line. Sure there were some with longer ones, but the Clown one always had a short line and went fast, and Voodoo island was also usually very short.

If they ran out on a not crowded day, I wonder what is going to happen on a Saturday during Fright Fest when El Toro has a completely full queue with the line almost to the bridge near Bizarro? Even if people use the ones at Bizarro, that is still probably not going to be enough.

 

It's going to be an absolute sh*tshow, but anyone who goes to Fright Fest should expect nothing less. Personally, I'll see you guys at Holiday in the Park.

I go to this park almost every year for FF. I always get a flash pass so I never have any trouble.

New passholder email today. Not really any news other than confirmation that our announcement will take place on August 31st and passes go dumb stupid cheap again.

Hey Ryan, great info on the boost feature on El Toro! I've never gotten a boost ride but the ride still kicks ass. It's really fascinating to learn about how various rides work and why certain features occur, including the 7x boost max per day. Thanks for sharing with us!

A teaser has appeared in the park.

Do we know where? I can't think of another gray fence other than Nitro but I'm also braindead right now.

When you call the number it mentions gyroscopes and accelerators. Hmmmmm

I think it's over in Metropolis but I'm prepared to be wrong.

Pretty sure it's on that wall they constructed in Metropolis. You can see the cross-sections of the Old Country building in the background.