Opening Day Inquiries

Hi, I know there's alot of Midwesterners and Easterners that have the unfortune of having to wait out the winter for parks to open, but just out of curiousity, how many of you been to parks on Opening Day? Are they usually crowded. Reason I ask, I'm planning on goin to Great Adventure on opening day. Last year I went some time during April, it was cold, and not so crowded except for Superman where there was a near 3 hr wait. I would really like some past experiences, and I'm not asking for predictions, I know there are some out there that are like sharks that wait for the slightest mistakes to attack on. Thanks. *** Edited 1/26/2005 4:32:48 AM UTC by pk***

Well, to start off with...I've never been to an "opening day"...but a few days after opening day at Six Flags...Superman had only a 30-45 minute wait...so you don't "have" to go to opening day (unless you're one of those types who likes to say they were there on the first day KK ran)...but also, I hear the ride won't be open until May...but then again, you never know with Six Flags...so tread lightly if you're going to SFGAdv for opening day...especially if your main reason is to ride KK...

I have found that weather plays a big role early on in the season. A drizzly day in the Spring can lead to an empty park with hardly any lines. On the other hand, on warm, sunny days, I have seen the parks become very busy, and sometimes, a bit overhwelmed (not planning well enough). Season pass processing can also be a huge drag early on, unless you come well after the gates open (I don't know if you needed that tidbit, but still, a tip).

It all depends on the weather. The last two years I've been to PKD on opening day. In 2003, it was mild and Drop Zone (new that year) was a about a one to two drop wait. Last year I remember it being fairly warm, and the park was pretty crowded. We waited at least 45 minutes for the new Scooby-Doo ride.

From my experience, parks generally have a lot of season passers who like to get a head start on getting value out of their pass, and some hard-core thrill seekers, but hardly anyone else.

As for Superman @ GAdv.... Let's just say I don't have a favorable opinion on the morons who were running that 2 years ago. (In GAdv's defense, however, I must admit that things were much improved on all of my visits in '04).

Whether it's running or not, though, Ka will thin out the lines. A Lot of people who have never seen a coaster near that tall will be gawking and talking, thus spending considerable time NOT in a line elsewhere. I remember seeing a lot of that @ CP in '03 when Dragster was down (and there was a huge sign saying it wouldn't be in operation AND they had a little mid-size-truck-mounted crane moving stuff over/around areas of the launch track with no less than 10 maintenance personell walking on the track, so it was obvious it wasn't going to open that day).