Dexter gets a Q-bot at SFGAdv - 9-01-05
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"How long is this line, do ya think", I asked the Snow cone/Lemonaid salesman.
"Ohhh, I donknow", he laughed, as he put his previous customer's money into his apron. "About an hour and a half, Two hours."
"Really?
He nodded.
I started to backtrack. I had already waited for about 20 minuts. I was looking forward to riding Superman today, but I was not going to wait that long. "Excuse me...Pardon me...Sorry...". I decided to come back later.
It was about 10:30. I arrived at Six Flags around 10 after a long 4 hour drive from State College, PA. I was happy to finaly escape from my job at Target selling college kids futons. I needed a coaster fix and I needed it soon.
"Scream Machine looks like fun."
To my surprise, there was only a one train wait. I would find this to be the only time of the day I didn't have to wait for a coaster until the park prepared to close some 12 hours later.
SM is really fun. It's new paint makes the ride look brand new. A little bumpy in a few places, but wow, it was an exciting ride.
As the train stoped before the station, I noticed the line had grown strangely long, and kept growing. I decided against a re-ride.
After exiting GASM, I looked up at Kinda Ka. It had run not one cycle since I entered the park. I had hopes of riding, but the park was getting so busy that even if it did open sometime today, It would be a very long wait. I knew that KK was more than likely going to have to wait a few years.
It was a beauty, though. Not only did the tophat tower over the entire park, but the huge airtime hill at the end of the ride did too. I don't know what made it prettier than it's kindred, TTD. It demanded attention from the entire collection of guests inside the park, and it wasn't even running.
I headed to Nitro, passing the "Fastlane" building. The thought of getting a Q-Bot entered my mind. I shook it off. "No, Travis. Don't do it", I told myself out loud. I kept going...
Nitro's line was way long. Thinking as I read it that it would help me out, I noticed a sign that said, "Nitro's wait time is _____." "But where is the time?", I asked myself. "Why is that left blank?"
I looked at the line and guessed it to be around an hour.
I approached the Fastlane line with a terrible feeling in my stomach. I had been very vocal against Q-Bot on my favorite discussion baord. The word "hypocrite" kept going through my head. I felt that it would turn out to be an add-on to my ticket, allowing me to ride a few rides while I virtuially waited for another. This was going to be my solution for the crowd that was turning out to be one of the worst I had ever seen as a guest of any park. I was going to contribute to the clogging of the park's lines. Maybe renting one would proove my theories and beliefs right, or maybe it would proove me wrong.
After a long and slow 45 minut wait, I finally reached the desk. $31 and my signature later, I was racing back to Nitro. It was already past noon, and I had only got on one coaster so far.
I scaned my Q-bot at Nitro. It told me to come back for my ride in what I calculated to be an hour and 45 minutes. "Wow", I thought to myself, "That's a long line." I had always heard that Nirto's line was usuially a lot shorter than that.
I was curious about how long of a line Skull Mountain had. I located a sign at the entrance that read, "Skull Mountain's wait time is ______."
"Okay" I exclaimed while I rolled my eyes, "Why don't they tell me how long the line is?"
As I investagated the line's length, I noticed the cool theme and nice sound effects inside the cave. I really liked how a lot of the park and rides was well themed, even more than I remembered it on my last visit 6 years ago in 1999. I realized that everything I had seen so far in the park was newly painted and clean as well.
With each step I took without a line in front of me, I got happier and happier. I finally reached the end of the line very close to the entrance to the station. I waited about 10 minutes.
I got in the back seat. I really enjoyed SM, for what it was. I would best describe it as a cross between Woodstock's Express and Space Mountain. I paid close attention to the layout. I could see the track a little due to some sunlight leaking into the darkened room.
I didn't care for Skull Mountain before, but now that I am a little older, I think I get it. I am really starting to like smaller coasters a lot. The first drop is great if you ride in the back. The twists and turns that follow aren't all that bad and quite enjoyable. I want one of these in my backyard.
Next I was going to go next door to Blackbeards Treasure Train. I wanted the credit because it was closed on my last visit, when it was new. And it was closed now as well. I overheard the friendly maintenance man telling a mother that the ride may be opening shortly.
I continued onward to Rolling Thunder. I was, umm..., "greeted" with a really long, non-moving line, and one train opperation on only the right side. "How long do you think this line is?" I asked the guy at the end of the line.
"Oh, about an hour or 2", he shrugged.
There was no way I was going to wait 2 hours for that. I was starting to get a little irritated with this whole "really busy theme park" thing. I noticed a gentleman in a managers uniform coming from ex-Vipers construction site. I was surprised to see him carrying around a "trashgrabber" tool.
I asked him if he was a manager, and he cheerfully said "yes".
"I have a question. I was wondering why you would run only one train on this caoster when the line is so long."
He so very eloquently explained to me that the park was slightly understaffed due to college kids going back to school. I told him about the job I was escaping for the day, and how busy we have been because of those college kids. We found something in common, college kids going back to school. He was either a sincerily nice man, or has had a lot of practice with this kind of conversation, because when we parted I didn't mind that RT had a very long line. I still didn't ride it.
I scanned Superman and then Chiller on the way to Nitro.
When I got to Nitro, I was having a very hard time finding the Q-Bot entrance. I walked all over the place. It was almost time for me to ride. I needed to find it fast. I asked a girl who worked at the photo booth, and I was on my way up the steps.
This was going to be my very first B&M hyper "Speed Coaster", and boy was I pumped. I got in the very last seat.
The train kept climbing the lift, and I kept wondering when we were going to reach the top. The drop was sudden, but not as fast or steep as I thought it would be. Overall it was a great ride, but i expected a little better. The air was more floater than pops. The ride didn't become one of my favorites, but I would definately look forward to more Nitro rides.
Blackbeard's Treasure Train was open, and it looked like fun. The capacity on this thing is incredible; it was a walk on. Is this ride taller than Skull mountain?
I had never rode the log flume, so i went to see how long the line was. There was the sign. "Saw Mill Log Flume's wait time is _____." There I was wondering again how I was supposed to know how long the line was. I found the rides platform and I yelled to a family on the ride to please tell me how long they waited, and there answer was, "about an hour, but the line looks much longer now".
I couldn't wait that long because Q-Botted Superman was going to be ready for me in about an hour. I walked over to Medusa and found a wonderfully informative sign there that read, "Madusa's wait time is _____." I asked a girl in the photo booth the lines wait time and she told me about an hour and a half. Once again I couldn't wait for the ride because I would miss my Q-botted Superman ride.
So I walked around the park, got a $4.25 bottel of water, and sat on a bench. "Beepbeep", the Q-bot qwerped, wakeing me up from an unplanned nap.
As I walked to the Bot scanner, I noticed a lot of people exiting from the entrance. My Q-Bot vibrated and Beeped. It read "Superman Closed". "Uuuggghhh!"
As I briskly walked to Guest Relations to complain about the absense of wait time signs, which was making it incredibly difficult to plan my day, and the TWO missing chances to ride Superman, my cute little Q-Bot beeped again. It read, "Next ride Superman. Superman ride delayed 10 min." That happened just in time, because I would have been at Guest Relations in 30 seconds.
I made a quick U-turn and started walking back to Superman. I thankfully arrived a few steps to the ride when I heard "Beepbeep" again and this time it read, "Superman Closed". Another U-turn to Guest Relations I made.
The lady at the Guest Relations window looked like she heard it all before. She interrupted me halfway into my sentences as if she knew exactily how I was going to end them. She was not "rude" or "smug", she was just trying to hurry my complaint along. I told her about my unsatisfaction with KK being closed, the really long line at RT due to one train opperation, and the difficulty in planning my day due to lack of wait time signs. She wrote it down and said sorry. I asked her if Superman opens back up if it if the Q-Bot will let me ride, and she wasn't sure and told me to go ask the Fastlane people. I also complimented her on how friendly the opps were, and how clean and nice the park looked. She was pretty nice, but didn't do anything to help me have a better day.
I went back to Fastlane to aks about Superman. I found out there that Superman was about to reopen, but that the Q-Bot was going to start my wait time over. The Fastlane girl told me that after I ride Chiller, Superman's time would start.
After walking around the park for Two hours, noticing Rolling Thunder was closed, riding a few flats and Houdinni, It was time for me to ride Chiller. Robin was the only side that was running, which was okay by me because I had only rode the Batman side before.
I found the Fastlane line and stood there...and stood there...for 45 minutes before being let on the ride. Everyone "BOOed" me when I got on, but I waited longer than they did...Two hours and 45 minutes compared to there wait which was about 2 hours.
Chiller was a great, but short, ride. The powerful launch and the wild in-line twist makes this ride incredible. I think I like the Batman side better though.
My Q-Bot beeped to tell me that Superman would be ready for me to ride in 2 and a half hours. I walked to Saw Mill Log Ride to check how long the line was. It was way longer than before, so I scanned my Q-Bot to ride this after Superman. I sat down to eat some Pizza and went to stand in line for Medusa.
The line was only about 45 minutes. I was falling asleep in line, which looked funny to a boy in line right behind me. I noticed he was watching me and we had a really good laugh before we even said one word to each other. I woke up and he, his family, and I had some really good conversations which really made the time in line fly by.
Medusa kicked butt. I really like this coaster, hardcore. It wasn't as smooth as a brand new B&M, and it has your normal B&M inversion sequence, but it is very good nonetheless.
As I was leaving the ride, standing under the Zero-G Roll a guests cell phone fell from the ride and a shard of broken plastic bounced off of the concrete and landed in my hair. At first I thought that I was hurt. I checked for blood, and there was none. That was a little scary. That ride needs a net under the Zero-G Roll.
Superman was next, and my Q-Bot was a 'bratin'
I climbed up the steps after being let in the line and queued up for the back row. The opps let the one running train leave the station with no riders. than again. I next observed the crew adding another train, then letting both trains run the course with no riders. I was next, but I was just standing there.
45 minutes later and I had still not got on. The sun was starting to go down, and I had been trying to ride this thing since 10AM. Then my hopes died. An empty train left the station and then, "THUD", it stopped on the bottom of the lift.
"BOO!", the 2 Billion guest in line yelled collectively, from the station and from the long Queue on ground level.
The train climbed a few feet. "YEAH!"
The train slammed to a stop. "Boo!"
About 10 "YEAH"'s and "BOO"'s later, the train ran the course, and was moved back and parked into it's transfer shed.
An hour had passed, and I was finally let onto the ride. All I can say about Superman is, "Wow!" This ride was incredible and I wanted to ride it again so bad, but never got the chance to for the rest of the night. I would go as far as saying that it was the best coaster of the day.
Sure it was short, and a little slow around the end, but you really feel like you are a flying superhero. Funfunfun!
As soon as I left Superman, My Q-Bot told me that Saw Mill Log Ride was next in 10 Minutes. It was counting down while I was waiting for Superman, but I didn't know because Superman's station was out of radio range for the bot. What a pleasent surprise. The Q-Bot did a nice thing for me.
I went straight for the log ride. It was really fun. It had Two drops that had no splashdown, made for speed, and it had a final slashdown drop that got me a little wet. Even though it was dark outside, the treetop scenery was very pretty.
I had yet to get on Rolling Thunder. It was closed a few hours ago, but was open now. This time the left side was open instead of the right side like ealier, and the ride was running Two trains. I assume that when it broke down earlier, they simpily opened the other side. I scanned my bot, and even though the line seemed to be about 15 minutes, Q-bot let me go immediatly.
This ride sucks. That is all.
The park was going to close in about an hour. I Q-Botted Nitro for a reride and was told to return in 45 minutes. I stood in line for Batman next.
Batman is and will always be special to me. In 1993 my parents took me to SFGAdv as a graduation present. I didn't know what Batman-The Ride was going to be, I just knew it was a new ride. The first time I looked at it, I shook my head in disbelief. "A suspended coaster can not go up-side-down", I exclaimed to my Mother. I was a "Coaster Expert", and I knew that there was no way what I was seeing could be real. Even at the end of the day, after a few rides on Batman, I was still rubbing my eyes and pinching myself.
Nice 20 minute wait, great ride. Smooth. Powerful. Extreme.
I had time for a spin on the skull themed flat ride, and one more lineless ride on Skull Mountain befor my middle seat ride on Nitro.
Nitro was way different in the middle as compared to the back on my previous ride. The middle had more floater air, but less snap. Still super fun. Still not even cracking into my favorites.
I returned the Q-Bot, which was hard to do. I became attached to the little guy. He helped me the best he could to have a great day. We went thruogh a lot together, good times and bad.
Overall, I had a good time. The crowds made it challenging, and I'm really thinking I won't return for another 5 or 6 years, but that's not because SF didn't try. It's because out of all of the parks I've been to, SFGAdv is the most expensive. from now on, I'll just add the Q-Bot to the ticket price for this SF park, because the lines to me were unbearable. Don't take this the wrong way, because SFGAdv is a great park, but I'd rather go to Hersheypark or CP.
It's pretty easy to see that I have changed my mind about the Q-bot. I used to say all of the time that it "stalls and clogs the lines" because it allows a user to be in more than one line at a time. That couldn't be too much of a problem because I noticed not a whole lot of people had Q-Bots, and I didn't see a lot of users in line.
So I say to anyone who dislikes something that they haven't tried firsthand, try it and experience it, then you can talk bad about it.
I'll be trying to ride Kinda Ka and the new Woody in about 5 or 6 years. 'Till then, "Thanks Six Flags Great Adventure for a fun day".
I thought the same of Batman back in '93 when it was brand new. Still till this day the Batmans are the most intense out of all the B&M inverts. Well, you can feel the blood rushing to your feet. The Great Adventure Batman seems like a kiddy coaster standing next to Nitro, though. :-)
They are truly one-of-a-kind. I still love them. Glad to hear you have fun!
-Tina
Here's To Shorter Lines & Longer Trip Reports!
Second - I primarily bought it to get in a few rides on Nitro. After waiting my 2 hours and arriving at the fastlane entrance - I found that many people (at least 15-20 in the 10 minutes I stood there) were just walking right up the fastlane entrance without a Q-bot. There was noone watching and they were simply allowed to cut in front of everyone in the line.
I informed a security guard of the situation and was told "Oh, they don't staff the fastlane anymore." So I asked if I could just walk up there as well... He said "Well, you are not supposed to... but, noone will stop you."
I would have loved to get the gold service, but:
1. The 100 that they sell were sold out.
2. They are more that twice the price.
3. I don't know if I could find it in my heart to actually be 1 of the 100-600 guests who really "pay to cut" with gold.
I had a brief conversation with a man who was using Gold with his family. He told me that he didin't even have to wait at all for anything all day. He just scaned his bot for a time, scanned his bot to enter, and got on the ride. It was about 1PM when we spoke, and he said he has been on every big coaster and most of them twice.
Thanks for reading. I tried and failed to make my TR short. It took me over 2 hours.
Stupid question....but is there an "off-season" at Great Adventure? PKI is dead in April. Cedar Point has minimal crowds in October. I was just wondering.
I have been to Great Adventure in the Spring, Summer, AND Fall and it's always been packed to capacity.
-Tina
August 2002, Friday - Hot and packed to the point of annoyance and we left after 4 hours.
April 2003, Thursday - Roughly 40 degrees out, the day S:UF opened to the public, empty. Stayed most of the day until the cold beat us. It seemed even worse as the day before we did SFA and it was around 80 degrees all day.
September 2003, Saturday - busy, but not packed. LInes for rides, but not long ones, excellent weather. Still didn't spend an entire day, picked up the credits missed from the first two trips, kids did stuff, we left.
May 2005, Friday - Tried to check out Kingda Ka the day before CBCon. Rained like hell that day. Drove right by the entrance to the park, debated over the weather and decided to pass. Moved on to Allentown and spent the evening at Dorney.
No idea if that's helpful. Our best luck was right after school starts (and before the halloween event) or very early in the season (although I know it was the weather that day).
I just felt like typing. :)
I had no idea q-bots 'sold out'. If anything, that says to me it isn't just the conspiracy/money scam that many accuse SF of. I mean, if there's still more people willing to pay, but they're turned away then there's no running at lower capacity just to make a few more bucks.
I think it's funny that people stood in line to purchase something to keep them from standing in line. :-)
They sold out pretty quickly. It was packed that day (early June) and the Qbot was well worth the money. We wouldn't have been able to ride Nitro, Chiller, or Medusa otherwise. We didn't Bot Kinda Ka, as we got in line JUST as they opened the queue. If it had been running we would of waited about 15 minutes. It didn't open till 2 hours later.
Actually I take that back. We Botted Kingda Ka after our ride for later that afternoon but it kept delaying our "spot" as KK kept breaking down on and off. Finally it told us the ride was closed.
-Tina *** Edited 9/3/2005 6:36:53 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***
It sounds like you'd have to be in the park for about 32 hours to be able to ride all the coasters, even with a Q-bot (Sorry but I still keep thinking of the old Q-bert thing from the 80's).
I think I'll do my part to keep the lines shorter and just stay the hell away from the place. As my years increase, my patience decreases, and I'm liable to shove someone's Q-bot where the Golden Kingdom don't shine.
;)
(just in case ya'll didn't know I was kidding!)
And if you happen lose the Qbot I think my friend told me it cost about $200-$250 to replace, something like that. I could be mistaken.
-Tina
*** Edited 9/3/2005 9:40:13 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***
-Tina
That also goes for if you damage it, but not including normal wear and tear.
Bear, I have been staying away also. I much more prefer Hersheypark's relaxed atmosphere or Kennywood's short lines to their classic rides. It seem to me the closer you get to NYC, the longer the lines are for coasters. I'll go back around 2009 or 2010.
I joked out loud to myself when I was first getting in line to get the bot, "Umm...Can I get a Q-Bot for the Q-Bot line?"
I have noticed that I talk to myself a lot while writing this TR. :)
I wanted to add something to my TR. I am a little disappointed that I didn't see Mr. Six. He could be like Mickey Mouse and be at every park in the chain. I have this very strange "crush" on him. Bugs Bunny just doesn't do it for me anymore (lol). :) I'd just "die" if I found out that "he" was really a "she" in elaborate make-up.
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