Great Adventure: April 12

I got to the park at one with two of my friends and we got our season passes done in record time. The park was really empty even when the weather got nice. Anyway onto the rides.

NITRO (5 Rides) - Wow! This coaster is amazing, especially the front. When you drive into the parking lot you get a great view of its steep drop. When we got their the line was only about 10 min. and we jumped into a middle seat. The trains are really awesome and the lap bars are cool, very unrestrictive. As you go up the lift, their are signs that tell you what landmarks you are higher than, it definitally helps build up the fear factor for the GP, especially the Niagra Falls one. Anyway the first drop is amazing, great airtime, speed, steep, its perfect. After that, the next two hills provide sick airtime. Next comes the Hammerhead which is awesome. It whips you around fast, is overbanked, and is just fun. After another air-hill, is the S-Curve which provides unique airtime. The S-Curve leads into the intense helix which is followed by perfect camelbacks. NITRO is great and is definitally a top ten coaster. IMO it blows away Steel Force.

Medusa (2 rides)- Still a great looper. However today this thing was roaring. It was the fastest she's ever run. It was so fast I even grayed out in the loop once (which never happens). Medusa could use some matinence on the train b/c the wheels where a bit vicious.

Batman (2 rides) - Great as usuall, could use a paint job.

Skull Mountain (3 rides) - My friends were in the mood for a bit of toned down fun. No wait at all and this family coaster is very amusing. The music inside is pretty cool as is the whip over the first drop.

Rolling Thunder (1 ride) - Hasn't changed one bit.

Runaway Train (1 ride) - Ouch. This is one of Arrow's roughest coasters. It jerks around the turns, shakes violently, and bangs up riders.

Scream Machine (1 ride) - I was impressed. This looper has definitally gotten smoother compared to the previous years. There is now minimal headbanging in the 3 vert. loops and even the boomerang and corkscrews aren't terrible. Also the ride got new padding on the OTSRs. It is much softer than the old hard ones.

All in all my trip to GA today was really great and the park is looking 20 times better than last year. Six Flags is really starting to clean up this park. The new boardwalk looks great, and the park staff is doing a good job. There were even security guards near NITRO and several other coasters controlling the line. Great Adventure is looking awesome this year.

Yea I noticed that when i went on 4/10 how Medusa was really fast, and the wheels are all ruster and caroded. Scream Machine was also quite smoother and Nitro, well, I totally agree with you too. One thing, though, didnt you ride Nitro in the back row? It was sick airtime, I've never had that feeling on the 3rd drop into the hammerhead, my legs and arms were in the air and all that held me in was the lapbar. O, One more thing, Did you like the Location of the on-ride photo on Nitro? I thought it was so cool how they take it right at the bottom of the 2nd drop, on the trim. Dont parks usually put the camera on an element near the station?

I agree with you on the back row, the airtime is amazing. It's also cool when you got sucked over the first drop. I too really like the on-ride photo location, those will be some pretty amusing pics.

I'll be there again tomorrow, around 2 til close.
Looking at my 106th- 115th rides tomorrow...

-rob(who has been going religously since the Nitro
Campout, and has had the privelage of attending
commercial filming, photo shoots, and Media Day..
logging 25+ rides each day...) :)

PS- I'll have my vest on...look for me!

I was there on 14. Nitro just seems to get better every day. I have never experienced any coaster with such amazing floater airtime. I don't know if the restraints are designed for this but I feel like i'm gonna fall out of this seat. I've never had this feeling on all the other coasters I've been on. We got stuck on the brakes and I couldn't believe how much I can push myself up in the seat. Scream machiene was a lot rougher than opening weekend but it's still pretty cool. I can't beleive how bad rolling thunder is.

-------------
"Nippy!! Where the hell are ya?"

I think Nitro was good and well worth the harsh winter months awaiting it. i wacthed that thing from the ground up and it was just asem to ride. medusa did seem a lil faster and i did get the butterfly effect a lil in the loop.batman did get painted but only the suports not the track.the GASM was smoother and i couldent wait to ride it. RT was rough and empty and the board walk looks nice. next time i go the weather would be much nice thou i went opening day it was cloudy cold then hot then cold again so its not a good mix. so you had to keep a jacket on or ud get sick. but all in all it was asem.