Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread

How are the lines so far?

SOMEONE get me a POV PLEASE!

News stations will have it, or PR Newswire after the media day.

From what I've heard on other forums, the lines were pretty long, considering that they were only running one train. I'm not sure the other train has even been put onto the track yet, correct me if I'm wrong. I heard the lines were around 2.5 hours for some people, maybe a little more, little less.

--Tyler

So when I go, what do you guys think I should head to first, KK or ET?

I'd say El Toro. Do you really need to ride an erection?

Heh heh.

Seriously, which one do you think would be more fun for you? Sure, Kingda Ka is the tallest and fastest, but I'd definitely prefer riding El Toro over Kingda Ka. Unless you want to brag to all of your friends about how you rode the record-breaker.

El Toro's launch will be highlighted by roller coaster enthusiasts from six states including New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey taking

part in a "Running of the Bulls." Led by Spanish "Running of the

Bulls" veteran Jesus Urtasun of Willingboro, NJ, participants will

charge toward the coaster dressed in traditional red-and-white Running

of the Bulls attire, and compete to be the first to take on the fierce

El Toro.

Anyone know how you can be one of these people, or is it first come, first serve kinda stuff? Also, have any of you forum members been invited to this event?

Dang it, I missed it by three days. We got to see them test it in the rain several times last Wed. This thing just hauls butt.

The ride was insane. No words. Should have sent a poet.

Man, screw El Toro! I want to go just to see Jesus start the running of the bulls!!!

Colin"Should be an AWSOME ride for the first US Intamin woodie in the last 30 years"C

The ride was insane. No words. Should have sent a poet.

LOL-- Thank you Dr. Arroway

Oh great another supercool coaster and it's as usually very far away...

Anybody whose been on it want to give some really in depth details of how this ride was and where you would place it on your Top 10 list if you would.

Heres a link to an Opening Day clip i found on youtube. Short crappy clip but you can get a glimpse of the speed. The peoples reactions to it flying by are funny, kinda like watching fireworks...

Here is a link to some videos of media day, including POV video (at the end of the soundbites video is a full POV, 3:46 into it).

Looks like an airtime machine

http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/24634/consumer.shtml

I posted this on Great Adventure Updates, but I wanted to share it with you guys. Here is my review of El Toro.

Well after 30 rides on El Toro, all I have to say is I am still debating which I like more, El Toro or S:RoS in SFNE(Yes, it is that amazing).

Lets go back to yesterday morning, where I boarded the train in the back seat for my first time. After being stapled, we exited the station and go around the turn and head up the lift. After hearing the three horns we start to fly up the lift hill(which is 10% faster than MF). You actually even get a little pop of air as you crest the top of the lift, then you have no time to look around before you actually get tugged down the first drop and you get extreme ejector airtime!!

You fly down the lift going 70 miles per hour before bottoming out into an amazing headchopper before going up the first hill getting more amazing ejector air. Then you fly down the hill and no time to breathe enter then second hill even providing more ejector air. It is that insane.

Then you enter the awesome turnaround which is smooth and has some really good banking on it. You then enter the third hill which provides a good pop of air but not as extreme as the drop, first hill or second hill. But it is still good. Then you enter the hill before the bank and fly by the station and get some extreme headchoppers which make you think twice about keeping your hands up.

After all that excitement, you hit the bank turn and you gotta love that little headchopper they made before the hill over RT. Now, this hill is by FAR the best hill ever created! Every seat on this coaster gets the most AIRTIME I have ever expierenced in my life, I can never get enough of that hill.

Then it gets even better, after that hill you hit the twister section which is just crazy. You go left, then you go right, then left and then you hit that 180 degree turnaround. Just talking about it makes me want to go back there and try it again! You then go over a little hill and then slide into the brakes nice and smoothly.

This coaster has everything you need, its soo smooth and its AMAZING! I am seriously trying to decide if it's better than S:RoS in SFNE. It is currently sitting in my number 2 spot overall and it is now my favorite woodie.

GO RIDE EL TORO!!!

I wonder how this will compare to The Voyage? Hmm.....

On weeweeslap.com, there is a guy who went for both rides at their openings, and said Toro is slightly better.

Personally, I can't believe how good the reviews have been for this coaster, I'm pumped for this weekend.

I spoke to someone at Media Day today who also said he preffered ET to Voyage.

I loved ET. It's the best coaster in the park, and my new #1.

Being two GAdv fanboys I can't go by that too much, but personally I wouldn't enjoy being pinned to my seat by the staple nazis if there is such insane air on this thing. I will be riding it for myself in a couple weeks, but I don't see how it is possible to beat Voyage.

Isnt Voyage more of floater air, meanwhile El Toro is more ejector?

It wasn't the two GADV fanboys who said Toro was better either...

I haven't ridden wither one and probably won't get to ride either one for some time, but if I had to chose I'd say El Torro looks like the best wooden coaster of the year.

I'm jealous of those who have already ridden El Toro. I won't be able to ride until 2008!

Let's hope that SFGAdv can maintain this ride, unlike another wooden coaster in the park which shall remain nameless.

Well, at least I got to ride The Voyage, which is my new #1 wood coaster!

14 rides on El Toro and these are my thoughts

The trains lack the T-bar and have more of a staple looking type setup. This is a tight fit for some larger people. It’s not that the bar won’t go down but the all clear is not set till the bar clicks to a certain point. Everyone got to ride but larger people would need some extra help getting stapled in and you do get stapled! Being stabled is not a problem. You feel every ounce of negative g and it’s extreme!! If the bar wasn’t resting on your legs I think you would be in a lot of pain hitting the bar so hard with your legs.

I have not ridden Balder but I have ridden Colossos at Heide-Park Soltau, which is a close cousin of El Toro. El Toro seems to have more extreme and sustained negative g’s on the outward run and the turn around is taken at a much high rate of speed. From the ground you can hear the upstop wheels screaming for mercy at the tops of the large outward hills. This is about the only sound you will hear. After the turnaround there is a pretty good drop in the back and then there a moment of rest with some straight track. I consider this the only weak part if the design. After the straight, you bank into a smooth fast left hander which turns into the hill that crosses Roller Thunder. This crossover hill produces amazing airtime in the back but it’s X3 towards the front. This hill also twists left on the way down which makes for some laterals. At the bottom of the crossover drop is the twister section. I was amazing how well these Intamin trains articulate and track thru this area. It’s fast and powerful and not as controlled as I would have though, which is great!! The last hill or so doesn’t do much, but at this point you are ready for a breather.

The first drop on El Toro is one of if not greatest first drop on any coaster, Expedition G-force included. EG has a nice slow roll-over which is lets you soak in the terror and gives that evil kickoff in the back. El Toro’s lift is so fast it almost seems like a shuttle coaster. The lift doesn’t slow down at the top. In the back of the very long train there are actually some laterals on the lift hill turn around (not Twister Craziness) While the first drop in the front seat is fun, you are going so fast you don’t really get to hang and check out the sites, but this is what makes the back so amazing down the first drop. The drop doesn’t have the large radius MF has and it’s got more speed so the drop is more of a Coney Island Cyclone (in the back) feel to it but taken to another level. You get that out of your seat feeling at the start of the drop but then the ride just presses you extremely hard at against the bar. It doesn’t slam you it more or less feels like it hit the Nitrous button after already being out of your seat. There isn’t a bad seat on the ride. There is air in every seat. I almost forgot to mention the great head choppers this ride has!

The bad news is the second train won’t be ready for a while so prepare to wait.

I’ve been waiting since the year the Beast open at KI for Great Adventure to get a wood coaster you could really brag about. El Toro is really something to brag about! Congrats to GA!! O Lay!

I rode "Colossos at Heide-Park Soltau" last year and I found it to be very smooth until you get to the downward helix which starts to get rough then it goes smooth again for the 3 rabbit hops back to the station.

This coaster produces the most amount of Airtime on the outward hills I have ever had on any coaster, again you can hear the "upstop" wheels when going over the large hills.

I'll have to save for about 6 months before I can afford the flight/hotel and transfer costs to ride "El Toro" as I live in the UK.

It does look a very nice design/layout and i'm sure everyone who rides it, loves it. I wish I lived nearer to the park.