Six Flags Great Adv, 5/23/08

Over all not a bad day at the park. Started out shakey but ended great. I arrived early with my wife, my brother and his Gf. My wife and I had to get our season passes proscessed to get the coupon book to get them in for free.

So first we are sent to the VIP building. After waiting outside for 20 mins, we find out it wont be opening today. So we have to go into the park to the processing building (why have it in the park?. So thats done, we get our books, tell the girl why we are in a hurry and she goes 'oh you know those coupons can only be used on certain dates?'

So then it was off to Guest Relations, where I had a very nice old lady tell me there was a ton of confussion with that promotion, and gave me 2 comp tickets for my brother and gf.

Now we are off, first line of the day. Flash Pass. Wait time 45mins. I upgraded to a gold one. I hate these things, but when you need to do the park in one day, its a must. The last time I had one was 2006, and they did improve them. You know longer have to go to a ride and scan it, its like a palm pilot you use to make reservations. And if you don't make your ride time, no problem, when you get there, your good. If I made the reservations before I got on the ride I was at, the next one was ready by the time we walked to it. We never had to wait.

Now on to the coater run downs:

Fist of the day, Dark night. It was fun, but just an indoor wild mouse with some themeing. I cant believe the line was so long for it.

Next was Batman. Also a good ride. Personally I think it is one of the more intense rides of its type.

The onto Nitro. HEAVEN ON EARTH! By far my favorite coaster. I re-rode this twice, the last 2 being at night. When you go out into the quiet woods at night on that coaster, it is bliss.

After Nitro we did Skull Mountain. I have nothin bad to say about it, but do they need 2 relatively small indoor coasters?

Then it was El Toro. What a great ride. So smooth yet forceful. Also re rode at night.

Medusa- by looking at it I thought it was going to be like Hydra. This is so much better. I loved the ride. It never felt like it was lagging.

The it was rolling thunder. They had the left side open today. This was actually my first wooden coaster ever. man is it rough. It needs major work. I fear this too may not be recieving the proper care it needs, and will be on the chopping block soon. Not my first coaster.

Then, it happened. Kingda Ka. Last time I was at the park it was closed. I was on Dragster, but never the tallest fastest. I only rode once, give me Dragster or even Stormrunner any day. Ka, I thought shook really bad, and didn't really have any themeing like dragster or SR before the launch. but hey, I did it!

After that we went to the 3d thing and watched fly me to the moon. It was a funny story and nice break.

The off to the Great American Pain, opps I mean scream machine. OUCH! I still have brusies on both shoulders from the restraints. Maybe someone can help me out, cuase I don't know the difference. But trains like on Sidewinder at HP and the late Whirlwind at Knoebels had nice leg room and I sat down in the seat with a pretty comfy OTS restraint. Can they put trains like those on scream machine? If not I fear that coaster will be done soon. ,It was walk on!

Then it was superman. I like this ride. It is different and neat the way you face the ground.

All in all, except being robbed for food as usual, it was a pretty good day for Six Flags.

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Medusa- by looking at it I thought it was going to be like Hydra.

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:) Nice to hear you had a good day at GADV. I had the opposite experience, having ridden Medusa before Hydra, I thought the newer coaster would be better, but Medusa blows Hydra away. I could fall asleep and feed my infant daughter on Hydra.

Well, Sidewinder is a Vekoma, and Whirlwind was built by Arrow, but was distributed by Vekoma, so it may have had Vekoma trains instead. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I think GASM will be around for a long time. It may have been a walk-on when you were there, but that's not always the case. Being that it's so massive and has seven inversions, I don't see it leaving the park just yet.

I've never had a problem with the horsecollar restraints, except for some headbanging which is never consistent from year to year.

I second your thoughts about having the Dark Knight when they already had Skull Mountain right down the midway.

I realize that they're totally different concepts--with Skull Mountain having a full train and a twisted layout--versus Dark Knight being a mouse stuck in a square-framed track layout, but still...

I'm glad you enjoyed Medusa. I still to this day don't understand what Dorney/Cedar Fair was thinking when they commisioned Hydra. I mean, I was one of many people who would've been more than happy to have helped them tear down Hercules, but I'm afraid in exchange, they got another dog (one that's a little bit better behaved) on their hands.

People constantly complain about the vibration, and the uninspired layout. I'll never forget at the Coasterbuzz event in 05' before ERT that people looked absolutely bored out of their minds returning to the station on a brand-new coaster. When we did have ERT on it at night, we rode it a few times, and then a large majority of us moved over to Talon instead for some real action.

Hydra you can appreciate the unique layout but its weak. I never felt any vibrations on Kingda Ka before I heard it happens but rode it 3 times maybe I was lucky. I'll be upset if GASM goes its almost a icon in the park yes its rough but it was once the worlds tallest and fastest coaster so far newer technology have exceeded this ride but how many other coasters are there that nearing 200' with 7 inversions?

I don't know what to say about Dark Knight a park this size could've done without it, im on and off about this addition, I get what the ride is and what they tried to achieve and I accept it for being a wild mouse but I feel maybe this fell flat on the GP especially when you get Kingda Ka, than El Toro back to back, the emphasis of family coaster needs to be marketed more.

The Dark Knight did not seem neccessary with Skull Mountain especially since the park is really lacking in flats.

I don't see GASM leaving anytime soon. It is very reliable and still can get a line on busy days.

As for Hydra, it may not be popular with enthusiasts but the GP love it. Every time I am at Dorney I see kids running down the exit ramp to go for another ride.

OK OK, maybe I was a bit harsh on GASM, but I can atleast wish for a new design on the OTS restraint or new trains. I think I was just too tall for it.

But I am going to stick to my prediction for Rolling Thunder. I would hate to see it go, being my first wood coaster, but wow is it rough.

And I agree with jay_rider a bit on Dark Knight. Dont get me wrong, its fun and the first indoor mouse I have been on.

Eh, the line for Dark Knight was long because it's new.
Nitro is awesome after dark. My favorite aspect of it is the lights running along the lift hill that end right at the top. Frightening.
Rolling Thunder is the worst wooden coaster I've ever ridden in my life. It's like the wooden sibling to the coaster Viper, may it not rest in peace for the vicious beating it gave me.