PGA or SFMW? (not a debate)

Fourth of July week, I am flying out to the SF area. One day, however, I am hoping to take in a park. The big question, SFMW or PGA.

I was leaning towards PGA, because: 1)- Proximity, 2)- Number/variety of coasters.

On the other hand, SFMW has 1)- Medusa & Roar, 2)- Wildlife park.

Any feedback would be great. I have a feeling this will be a great trip.

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How much more floorless can they get?

Go with PGA, it has a great variety of coasters and flat rides. SFMW is a great park too, but it gets boring after riding all of their coasters 10 times in one day. Also if you will be there for more than one day, you can get a WOW! card(season pass w/o all the perks) with a 1 day admission.

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"I took the highway to the danger zone"

Any info on crowds? How does PGA handle crowds? From that GRP show on discovery channel last year, it looks pretty crowded.

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How much more floorless can they get?

I just got back from SFMW, and it was of course very nice, but the coaster selection is just plain dull. Medusa is very nice and Roar is intense, but that is about it. It get's boring really quick. PGA has a great selection of coasters, but tends to get very crowded. Invertigo, Top Gun, Stealth can all have 1 1/2 -2 hour waits on weekends. If I had to choose, I might go with PGA, but if you like the overall surrounding and atmosphere, I would pick SFMW.
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"There's no such thing as a mistake. There's what you do, and what you don't do."

Wow, this is one of the few times I have ever hear positive thing about Paramount's Great America.

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
Woodencoaster.com

I would also pick PGA, considering right now V2 isnt open at SFMW and we still dont know when it will be open. Im going down to PGA on Wednesday, and looking forward to a great day. Stealth and Invertigo can have very long lines, Top Gun usually moves pretty quick.

I was very partial to PGA, but both parks are great, I just love PGA alot more though, the sights sounds, and smells a lot more! Awesome atmosphere and rides. PGA is never crowded compared to other parks. 4th of July will be pakced everywere. The park will let guests in at 9:30 and open the front plaza, Vortex, Carosell and The swings should open. I usually get there then to pass up all the lines, this is how you'll do it.

Go ahead and quickly snag a ride on Vortex, if it's crowded it will have a long wait, but not now. After that go left behind the carosel and through the gates of Orleans Sqaure. After the rope drops alot of people will run, but most to Top Gun. Go to Stelth. If you really run the whole way you will be on the day's first train. After that go all the way to the back of the park, don't cut through Kidzville cause you can't. Pass Pyscho Mouse and DZ, you must resits the temptations for now. Then go to Invertigo, back to DZ, and Pyscho Mouse, now it's time to do the motion theaters if you want to. 7th Portal and Meteror Attack are cool with a little wait, the pre show will be shown like 5 times before you get in but now the wait will be 1 cycle instead of several later in the day. If you do not want to ride, you should take a trip on the Sky ride to the other side of the park and Ride Top Gun, after that do Vortex if you want or have not yet. Now go back to Grizzly and Demon, you might want to ride Demon after DZ and Pyscho Mouse, only if its real crowded. The only main coaster I believe is Greezed' Lightin' there is never a wait so enjoy this great coaster, esspecally up front at least once.

Top Gun should be ridden up front, and the in the far left seat, the ride is dramatically affected if you sit anywere else. Invertigo should be done in the back, avoid Grizzly's back seat. Demon is cool up there, and Vortex also must be ridden up front! It is never more than a 1-2 more train wait. Well have fun at my favorite park! Oh, if your eating Pizza, go to Pasta Connections, no one eats there cuase of the name but there is Pizza and Beer :)

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You can't go wrong with either, but if you really want to experience something unique, rather than the cookie cutter clones, you should check out Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk instead. Giant Dipper is easily one of my faves, and just the sights and sounds of the place make it very memorable. There is definitely no place like it on the west coast, or the country, for that matter. On Fourth of July weekend, there should be tons of hunnies there dressed (or undressed) to impress, so you can get a real taste about what those California girls are all about!

I myself would go to PGA. They have more coasters, plus if you've never been there you'll enjoy it. They also have an awesome fourth of july fireworks Show!

For more info and pics try checking out www.greatamericanthrills.com, yes i do take pics for the site but it will give you good info.

No matter which park you choose you will have a good time!

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Yes I do work for the site www.greatamericanthrills.com. Thanx for asking!

okay, yeah. . . I'm raising this thread from the grave, buffy-style.

My choice is the same, more or less, but the timing is a bit different. In three weeks, I'll be in San Jose for a robotics competition, but I have a day free to visit a local park.

So, I can visit Great America on its opening day, Sunday the 29th, or I can visit Marineworld, a week into its season. Great America's big draw, where I was concerned, was Greased Lightnin'. Marine World's was Zonga. Neither, it appears will be open. Since the 29th is Great America's opening day, should I expect that some things may not be open yet?

Two weeks after this trip, I'm headed to Texas to visit Astroworld and Fiesta Texas, so I was considering picking up my season pass at Marineworld.

So, yeah, I'm rambling.

Marineworld Pros: I liked Roar. Medusa is probably fun. V2 looks interesting, though I've ridden Superman: Ultimate Escape. I've heard Marineworld has a lot of Huss flats, which I like, generally. Marineworld offers cheaper season passes.

Marineworld Cons: I have ridden Roar. Medusa isn't *my* Medusa. I didn't like Batman: Knight Flight nearly as much. V2 doesn't excite me all that much. I don't like Top Spins or SLCs.

PGA Pros: All new rides to me, save Invertigo. Stealth is the only Vekoma flyer I haven't ridden. Delirium. The opportunity to experience the worst wooden roller coaster on Earth.

PGA Cons: First operating day of the season. No shuttle looper. Bad wood. Nothing that stands out.

Am I missing anything?

That's a tough choice. If it was me, I'd go to SFMW even though Zonga and V2 won't be open. Simply because I think SFMW has more great coasters than PGA. I thought Medusa and especially Roar were great. PGA everything was OK. Top Gun was pretty good, but one of the worst B&M inverts (read: still greater than most other steel loopers out there), Vortex was a one-ride, Stealth is OK but always with a painfully long wait, etc.

But, it's up to you. Have fun wherever you go!

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- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

-Vertical Velocity will be opened to my full knowledge. The inclined barrel makes this the best impulse out there, IMO, and is such a unique element.

-Roar features over 20 modifications and improvements upon the original at SFA. Plus, you must ride this coaster with the Millenium Flyers!!!

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Besides, would you rather ride the worst woodie in the country? I can save you time and tell you that Grizzly is pure garbage. It has got to be one of the most mocked roller coasters in America. It provides no thrills, no airtime, and the ride is extremely rough. Hey Great America! Can you please replace those square wheels?!!

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-You may have been on SFGAdv's but at Marine World, Medusa is a whole different story. The second half of Medusa west takes the thrown. Also, the Medusa Mining theme doesn't do much for me when compared with the haunted castle on Medusa West.

-Forget about any opinions that you have of SLCs, including the history of migranes you've had and ride Kong. This is such an improvement from the shabby Mind Erasers. The lava rocks, scenery, station house, on ride photo, semi-theming and props, and the new color scheme really brought this ride back to life. I'm would like to hear of your thought on Kong after riding it.

-Fly Skycoaster maya not be as tall as the one at Great America, but Xtreme Skyflyer has nothing against the spectacular location of Skycoaster. The freefall is exhilirating, and the rest of the swinging provides a wonderful (though fleeting) view of the park's tropical landscaping. Soaring over jagged rocks, palm trees, and the falling towards a pond full of flamingos and islands is the best experience in the park. And before noon, you can ride this for $10 alone, or in a group for $5 each.

-Outside of the county fairs, Marine World has the best collection of flats in the state, each with a Oceania/jungle setting and theme. Tasmanian Devil and Hammerhead are my two of my favorite flats, but there's much much more. Jambo, The Ark, Snake Pit, Voo Doo, Monkey Business, Wave Swinger, Thrilla Gorilla, and Scat-A-Bout are all great flats.

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Delirium is a superb ride, but what else is there? Great America has The Berzerker, Clipper, and Fiddler's Fling. Enough said.

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-Crowds can also be a big factor at both parks. Thugs and wannabe gangsters are the rule at Great America. There is nowhere you can turn where you don't see some fools trying to start some trouble. Punks cut in line and swear religiously. This is definitely not the place to take the young ones. On the other hand, Marine World is loaded with young kids and their parents. Sure there are punks around (it is in Vallejo, and most of the customers are from Sacramento), but they are surrounded by nice looking, classy people who are there to have a good time. At Great America, even the worst rides have ridiculously long lines. At Marine World, lines are very, very short, especially on weekdays. In fact, sometimes the ride operators let you stay aboard for another ride.

I was also so used to the rude employees at Great America (I used to work there) that I was taken aback when I was actually treated like a human being at Marine World. The workers are courteous and energetic. That is far more than what I can say about Great America's contingent. Above all, Marine World employs tons of hotties.
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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

Before you convince yourself that the SFMW Roar won't be a new experience after SFA's version, you might want to check the Millennium Flyer thread. I've yet to ride either (I'll be at SFMW on April 4th) but those that have ridden both (including Peabody!) mentioned that the SFMW version is more intense than the SFA one.

For me, the choice was easy. My conference is the first Tuesday-Thursday in April. PGA is not open on Friday, but SFMW is. As it happens, I'm also going to be at SFFT later this season, again for a conference, but not until mid-June.

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

Yeup. You'll want to hit PGA. Though nothing there is Medusa-like or nor is The Grizzly anything 1/3 of what Roar! is, the rest of the coasters there more than make up for it. Plus, throw in the Drop Zone Stunt Tower and the new Delerium, you've got a whole day of fun without boredom.

Choosing between PGA and SFMW is such a tough choice for me, so I'd say screw it and go to SCBB. Giant Dipper, Hurricane's twisted drop, atmosphere...all great.

Basically I don't think anyone could go wrong with any park.

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You are about to discover what lies beyond the 5th dimension, beyond the deepest, darkest corner of the imagination in the Tower Of Terror.

SFMW- Roar is awesome, V2 is incredible, and Medusa is life changing. Throw in the four really good flats (Huss Frisbee, Huss Top Spin, Zamperla Hawk, and Zamperla Joker) and you will have a lot of fun.

PGA- Drop Zone, Invertigo, Stealth, Deamon, Delirium, and Top Gun are all lots of fun. I think Vortex front seat is very, very good. Psycho mouse is also fun and worth a ride right when the park opens (no wait!) Fun, but the quality of the coasters isn't quite as good as SFMW.

SCBB- The best wooden coaster in california IMO. The Hurrican is HORRIBLE (was fun but then got really, really rough) so ride it once to get the credit. Some fair quality flats, nothing really to get excited about. The flume is fun though. Good shopping!

If it was me, I would choose SFMW although the atmosphere at PGA and SCBB surpass it by far. The rides seem to make up for that.
*** This post was edited by GoliathKills 3/1/2003 6:28:01 PM ***

I thought that SFMW was a better park but overall PGA is a better all-around deal. I say that because PGA has a good selection of coasters, though not all of them are of high quality, much more than SFMW. The only stand outs at PGA were, see I have to actually think... Top Gun and I guess Stealth was pretty cool.

On the other hand, Medusa West is one of my all time favorites. With the addition of V2 and Roar, SFMW has some high-quality rides. Also, SFMW has a great selection of flat rides unlike PGA. The park is cleaner and so on.

So, if you don't mind paying the entrence fee for a few good roller coasters, then go to SFMW!
If you want more bang for your buck, then go to PGA. Either way, have fun!

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

Unfortunately, SCBB and SFMW are in two entirely different directions. That's a waste of time for a single day's trip. I'd really like to try to visit both, though.

It looks like SFMW is turning out to be the winner. Roar is appealing, especially with the Millenium Flyer trains. I'd forgotten about those. . . though, I don't like their lapbars. Plus, I'll pick up my season pass there for $60 and save money at Astroworld and Fiesta Texas (and SFGAdv and SFA and SFNE).

Quantity over quality, right? Thanks for the insight.

Chern, when I first moved ot the bay area I was faced with that dilemma. After going to both parks I would say that I had more fun at MArine world. I even chose to live in San Francisco over San Jose (my job is right in between those two cities)just so I can be closer to Marine world ;)

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Welcome to Planet Nupe!

I really think SFMW is a better choice, even though PGA is good too. I think Peabody summed it up the best- SFMW has real standout coasters, while everything at PGA is just OK. A kind of quality over quantity thing.

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Formally Suspended Andrew, proud member since May 2001.