Coasters at SFGam

Depending on what time you get there, you might want to go reverse of the crowd. If you are there at opening, the crowd goes straight to S:UF. Unless you are one of the first trains out (which has been opening around 9:45 am lateley), go towards your right (southwest territory). You should be able to hit Wizzer, Viper, Raging Bull, Giant Drop & Demon without any wait. Around noon is when the 3rd train of RB is put on, red side of eagle opens, & Deja Vu opens.

Yesterday, I got there about 10 minutes after opening and was able to ride RB, Giant Drop, Demon, Eagle - blue in the first hour. When I came back to the park around 6pm, the wait for S:UF was a little under 1 hr.

Lots of good suggestions written above. A Monday shouldn't be *too* crowded, but I agree with the suggestion that if you get there early, head back to Raging Bull (Southwest territory area) and hit Raging Bull and Viper and Demon (and maybe even Whizzer en route) and Deja Vu because the lines are almost non-existent in the back of the park early on (because Raging Bull is a fast pass and a good people-eater ride, you may want to concentrate on non-fast pass coasters, especially hit Deja Vu early if it is open cause an apparently short line can be endless). Everyone does head to Superman at the beginning of the day, and although you may get an early quick ride, you are better off spending those early moments riding the non-fast pass coasters in other areas of the park. (I have also found that Superman waits are not that bad - the line generally moves quickly, but the wait for the front row is endless.)

If the park gets very crowded (and time is short), definitely get a fast pass and pay attention to the non-fast pass coasters (hit those early). I think the fast pass is a rip-off, but still on crowded days its worth the $15 to get on some rides quickly.

Have fun.

Yea, Fastapass is extremely helpful on rides like V2 and such. Rides with low capacity. I would not use it on RB if the line is even somewhat short in length because it moves fast, even if they only are running two trains.

S:UFs line also moves very quickly, for the most part. So I would agree with magnum and say that you should hit the non-fastpass rides right when the park opens instead of heading towards S:UF like everyone else.

One Extra Tip: If Deja Vu is open then ride it but if it breaks down, which I don't know how good the ride is doing this year, stay in line! Don't get out because the ride will most likely be up in a short amount of time even though it can seem long when standing in line.

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Don't Fight It, Ride It, RAGING BULL!!!!!!- Six Flags Great America

You must ride the following: Raging Bull Ride it in the last row. It's amazing back there. Viper is a must, but sometimes the lines are long. American Eagle backwards. If you arent a fan of stand-ups, dont ride Iron wolf. I get a headache everytime on that. Superman is a must. Longest I've waited this year was 45 mins. Must hit Batman. Doesnt matter where ya sit really, but if you want the air, sit in the last row. Then again I've been on it 384 times. Whizzer is a good ride, but if the line is long move on. Whizzer is a good warm up ride and cool down ride. Dont forget about the flat rides. Dejavue, well.... To me it isn't all that great of a ride. Thats only My opinion. Others here will dissagree with me on this. The other day my freind and I got in line, jus as we got up the gates, we heard a loud bang. It was down for an hr while the mechnics replaced something on the first tower. V2, if the lines arent long ride it 2x once in the front and once in the back. Lines can get very long at times, other times the park is dead.
*** This post was edited by coastermadness 8/5/2003 12:46:05 PM ***
*** This post was edited by coastermadness 8/5/2003 1:10:10 PM ***

Fastpass is nice but they are charging $15 for 4 rides (or 1 ride each for 4 people) the last time is was there. That and the $15 for premium parking can kill your budget FAST!

Personally the coaster collection at SFGAm is one of the best of any Six Flags I have been to. Most of (if not all) that they currently have are rerideable.

The only exception might be Iron Wolf. But it is worth at least one lap if you have never been on it.

The best coasters in my opinion at SFGAm are (not in any particular order):

Viper (I particularly like the row right behind the front seat. Nice airtime there. Generally I dont get air in the back on this coaster.)

Whizzer (Generally the prettiest scenery on any coater there.)

Raging Bull (Front gets nice floater air on the 3rd hill.)

American Eagle (Top half of helix retracked. Backwards on blue side is a blast. Forwards on red I have found is giving massive ejector airtime about row 2 ish. I was literally hurled up off my seat and onto the seat divider. OUCH!)

Batman (Need I say more?)

V2 (Personally you should ride this twice. Once in the front for the spiral effect. Once in the back for the best effect when the vertical brakes kick in.)

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Zero G Thrills - Moved and Improved

Only one coaster is worth missing, Spaceleys. But for non-kiddies, the only worth possibly missing is Demon, but ride it anyways. The back seat is ok, and for an Arrow looper, its smooth. Skip Giant Drop unless the line is very short. Its not much more than an elevator with chairs,anyways.

But must rides, everything. Iron Wolf included.

Batman, unless you want a front seat ride, take back seat right.

Superman, back row, all seats are good on it, because the flying position gives you great views anywhere.

Viper, first car third bench.

Eagle, last bench to leave the station, blue side. Front seat view, back seat ride, and if the brakes are light before the helix, it will be one of the best coasters of the day.

Bull, back seat, on an edge. Good view, good air. Front seat on Bull is fun, but not as much air. Otherwise, keep it to the back, like on Batman.

Whizzer, any seat. Any seat at all. Don't expect a thrill at all out of this ride. It is, however, very very fun. I guarentee you'll come off with a big smile on your face.

V2, unless you've never been on an impulse, go to the back. The long vertical climb and hold nearly 180 feet high easily beats out the twist. But, if you've never been on an impulse, be sure to get the twist. It's a unique experience.

Deja Vu, go right away in the morning. It's a very slow moving line. If you want to chance it, go for the front seats. It might break down, and maybe not reopen while waiting. If you want to get on it for sure, go for any seat. Even if your first ride is in dead center, middle seats (aka no view of anything but the back of the car in front of you,) it's still amazing.

Now, Iron Wolf. Do ride it, don't let other people make you think it's too rough. Just ride it with your feet back as far as they go, and lean into your harness. Doing that, my worst ride has been hitting my head twice. It wasn't bad at all. Also, ride toward the back. You can see the train move and prepare yourself for what it's doing. If you ride in front, you'll just have to guess which parts of the track provide the most intense direction changes (which if unprepared result in headbanging.)

I took a look at the park map and decided I like the idea of working from Southwest Territory towards County Fair in the back of the park and then work forward from their making S:UF my last stop. Hopefully that will be sometime that evening, perhaps before dinner, and the line will have thinned down a little bit.

Rides I most definetly want to ride:

Raging Bull, B:TR, American Eagle, Viper, Demon, Whizzer

Rides I will make a late decision on:

Deja Vu', V2, S:UF, Iron Wolf

Mostly because I can ride Deja Vu', V2 and S:UF at any number of parks now and I'm working on possibly making a trip to SFoG as a fall getaway so I can ride those clones elsewhere. The only reason why B:TR is a must ride this trip is because I skipped it at SFOT in favor of riding the one at Great America.

Okay, I just decided Deja Vu' is going to be a no go this trip. I have visions of Two Face at SFA and from the way several of you are talking and the trip reports I have been reading, the ride just seems unreliable.

It's unreliable, but if you have time, definitely do it. It's the best ride in the park, in my opinion.

I don't think you're going to have to worry about not getting a ride on everything. If you get there early and can stay for more than just a few hours, riding everything shouldn't be a problem. I agree with most of what people have said about where to ride, except I personally think the back seat of V2 is far superior to the front, and Batman is best in the back left (not right). The ride itself isn't noticably different, but there are several close calls/footchoppers if you sit on the left side of the train.

Most of all have fun! Do what interests you and don't worry about what anyone else really thinks. These are just suggestions; you should know what you like most.

-Nate

I (as much as it kills me to say this) Think you should skip the Clones. (Demon, V2, Deja Vu, Batman, and Superman) Not that these aren't great coasters but you have a better chance at hitting them because they are at other parks. Unless of Course you never want to visit PGA, SFGADv, SFMM, SFOG, or SFMW. Then ride them by all means. I just think you should hit the non-cloned rides first.

EDIT: I didn't include Viper because that is definatly worth hitting.

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Favorite Coasters at SFGAm: 1.)Superman 2.) Viper 3.) Batman 4.) Bull 5.)Eagle
*** This post was edited by Binks Drake 8/5/2003 5:09:37 PM ***

I disagree with Drake, I would not pass up a ride just because it's a clone. It doesn't make sense to just walk right past Batman and V2. I've been on numerous impulses and each and every time they are a blast!

Skipping the clones would be a mistake IMO, no offense Drake. It's up to you though....

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Don't Fight It, Ride It, RAGING BULL!!!!!!- Six Flags Great America

Exactly, why would you skip 5 coasters at a park that you never visited?

Placement of these rides adds to the experience. Even though its a clone, V2 having both spikes over water is a cool visual element. Much better than S:UE at SFWoA.

B:TR also has great visuals with the water and the trees and the feeling of just missing them.

If you havent experienced a Deja-Vu before, by all means, ride the thing. Its much more intense than the Vekoma standard inverted boomerangs. The vertical spikes on this ride alone make the ride a different experience.

Demon only has one other sister. Unless you are visiting PGA in the near future, you should ride the one at SFGAm. I also have heard that the drop on the SF version is alot steeper than the Paramount version. The cheezy theming makes this a must-ride Arrow Looper.

Superman: Well, if you plan on riding one of the other two installations and the line is long (which it will be), you might want to skip it but I would still make the attempt to get at least 1 ride in.

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Arena football has arrived in the Windy City. Go "Chicago Rush"

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SFMW

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While SFMW has a ride called "Vertical Velocity", one of its spikes is no longer vertical...it's a neat ride, especially if you get to stall out upside-down.

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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/

I may be the odd one out, but I have always gotten better air in the front row of RB than in the back, especially on the camelback element! Plus, you get the AWESOME view looking 200 feet down!

D8 -

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"Welcome to Wisconsin... Illinois' Largest State Park."

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'm no spring chicken, so a lot is going to depend on how my body feels as I begin to make it through the day. I can usually handle four - five coasters but six might push my limits a little bit. I think of my coaster riding experience as kind of like dinner, I always like to save room for dessert.

All I can say is... if Deja Vu is open, ride it! You may be visiting SFOG in the fall, but it is always a toss-up whether the ride will be open from day to day at SFGAm, SFOG, and SFMM. Lots of people have been to these parks and never had a chance to ride Deja because it is always down. In my opinion, it is the most thrilling coaster in the park, and it is not a privilege to be taken lightly, because chances are you won't get another chance.

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Buy "Stereotype Be" from Kevin Max at Amazon.com

You can definitlely do all the coasters there in one day. I did except for Deja'vu cuz it was not open then. But here are my suggestions:

Verical Velocity- Back

Raging Bull- Back

Viper- Back

Superman U. F- Back

American eagle- Backwards

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Top 3 favorite coasters I have ridden on:
1. Millennium Force
2. Raging BUll
3. Magnum

My knex coaster website!

www.geocities.com/khendrix23/mattsknexcoasters.html
*** This post was edited by TTD120 8/6/2003 12:24:55 PM ***

Hit every thing all the coasters kick @$$ But make sure you do THE DEMON hahahaha.

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105 DEMON RIDES IN 2003 so far hahaha

"THE DEMON HES GONNA GET YA"