This is why I think Philadelphia may be one of the best places to live as an enthusiast. You have Great Adventure, Dorney Park and Hersheypark within reasonable driving distances.
@@mikiemayo Based off parks from at most 3 hours away, I'd say Philly. The other parks include Knoebels, the NJ parks, the NYC parks, Legoland New York and Six Flags America.
Next time I'm hitting up NJ, I'm hitting this place up no question. The park with the most B&Ms, the best Six Flags coaster, the world's tallest coaster, the list goes on. Definitely one of the best parks out there, there isn't much better in terms of quantity of rides.
I went here without getting the chance to ride El Toro and JDC (both were closed both times I went last year). I still believe this is an awesome park. The b&m’s, Ka, and other flats don’t get enough credit. Not my personal favorite park, but I definitely prefer it to Hersheypark.
El Toro was closed due to an accident that happened in June, and was closed for the majority of the 2021 season. As for JDC, it’s been having issues relating to the chain left, so your chances of riding it is about 50/50. Both great coasters though
@@therock238360 yes I’m aware. The El Toro derailing happened a couple weeks before my first visit last summer. Extremely sad as El Toro looks world class and could have easily been my number 1.
I went in august 2023 and both El Toro and JDC were down for me. It was unfortunate but I still had a great time, it goes to show how GrAdv has an incredible supporting lineup as well. Nitro was a pleasant surprise and ended up being my favorite B&M hyper of the trip (including Diamondback, Behemoth and Candymonium) Batman the Ride was my first time riding a Batman clone and I found it more intense than I thought it would be, and Superman Ultimate Flight was an excellent experience, especially in the dark. I will definitely try to return one day to ride El Toro, JDC and the new Flash ride coming soon.
1:25 Wait.... what? Sat on top of an Arrow OTSR? That's wild man. One, how does even a kid do that. Two, how does no one notice that, like even the person sitting next to them or behind them. That's the crazy accident I've ever heard of I think ha.
My first visit to this park back in July was great, even with el toro closed, but my December visit was on another level. It was 35 degrees with a wintery mix my second day there, so the park was beyond dead. I was able to get zen rides on Green Lantern, Superman Ultimate Flight, Skull Mountain, Dark Knight, Jersey Devil, and Nitro. Everything was running, and I got to ride Nitro 19 times in the snow/freezing rain
Jackson NJ is the largest township in NJ, The area Great Adv is just outside the protected Pine Barrens which is why the area around Great Adventure is not very developed.
I've only been to the theme park, but I do think it's the best one in the Northeast. The sheer depth that their lineup has is unmatched. El Toro is my number 1 in the park, and then below that, there's Jersey Devil, Nitro, and Kingda Ka making for a very solid top 4. And you've still got all 4 B&M loopers as supporting coasters. I agree with your points regarding the operations. It really varies by ride. Nitro and El Toro definitely have the highest throughput. Jersey Devil does pretty well with the moving platform. At Medusa and Batman, it kind of depends on the day. It'll be interesting to see how the single rider lines help things. As long as they can avoid slowing down dispatches, it should increase throughput and allow people the option to have a shorter wait in exchange for giving up the ability to pick their seat. I wish they'd put one on Kingda Ka, since it needs nearly every seat full in order to dispatch, but if it's successful on the other rides, then maybe it gets expanded.
I've had great luck with crowds here. My first day in 2019 was arriving at 1pm on a Sunday with a thunderstorm approaching. I rode all 13 coasters, in under 4 hours, finishing just before the storm hit, and everything was a walk-on. Last year, I had an evening and the whole next day, and there were practically no lines on my full day, even walking onto Kingda Ka's front row. I got almost 50 rides that day, even with a 3-hour storm delay. Everything that this park offers, plus my great experiences, has it neck and neck with Fiesta Texas for my favorite Six Flags park.
"this is my pseudo home park" Damn, the two GOAT coaster youtubers have this as their home park. Imagine running into El Toro and Canobie at the same time lol
I was the supervisor at Superman last season, and unfortunately due to low staffing and the ride having its issues as a flying coaster, it was really hard to even come close to our target for capacity. We always did our best though.
B&M flyers aren't the easiest ride to load. I was surprised only the first few rows were being used for HITP when I was there, but that makes sense if the ride was having issues.
My first big thrill park!! Great American Scream machine and the NEW batman invert were my entry to big coasters. Man, I miss the Chiller. Best premier launch coaster ever. I remember it's opening summer. Lotta downtime. CANOBIE!!! CAN-O-BEAST!!!
@@CanobieCoaster Chiller was a beast. I was 12 when it opened. The lights would dim every time that thing launched out of the station. Never at the same time. It drained the whole township's power when it launched.
I have never been here but, growing up in metro DC, I remember I was right on the edge of the region that would get TV ads for it, and I wasn't 100% clear on where it was. When they opened their rapids ride, then called Roaring Rapids, there was a huge ad blitz for it. I think it was the first I'd heard of a ride like that. It was apparently the second one in the world after the one at Astroworld. Later I and my family became big fans of these rides, so it stands out in my mind. Moving from metro DC to Williamsburg, VA to the Boston area, other major regional theme parks were always a bit closer (or more along the way on trips to visit family), so the trip has been hard to justify except for a hardcore coaster freak.
This is my lifelong home park, and I've undoubtedly been here more than I've been to any other park. If I could put the coasters into tiers, I'd put El Toro, Nitro, and JDC in a Tier 1, Kingda Ka and Medusa in Tier 2, and Superman Batman Green Lantern Joker in Tier 3. I'd marathon anything in Tier 1, I'd ride Tier 2 once or twice, and I frequently skip Tier 3. I wish the drop off from one tier to the next was less dramatic. I think that I prefer Hersheypark, and I'd rank their collection of coasters higher overall.
Growing up, SFGA was *the* coaster park for me; it was like nothing else existed (save for NJ beach trips and the occasional sojourn to Dorney). The one year I had a season pass, it was for SFGA. I've been there a couple times recently (with co-workers who had season passes), but I'd like to take the family at some point; however, it's hard for me to justify getting 4 season passes. I know in the past there've been 'buy one, get one' offers; it'd be nice to be able to take advantage of something like that.
I will say if you don't care about the cold, riding at the end of the season will pretty much guarantee no lines. In fact, on the last day of the season at the end of the night we rode Nitro 7 times without getting out of our seats, they didn't even unlock the train.
My biggest gripe with the park is the guests, I have consistently had bad experiences with the guests here but this park also made an enthusiast so it holds a special part in my heart
try going to six flags new england. their crowds are tougher than NJs!! I've witnessed the cops chasing and tackling down crazy lunatics in the park and there's an obnoxious amount of middle schooler / freshman groups wreaking havoc in the Iines.
El Toro is the only coaster I've ever been on that is smoother in the back than in the front. We went last year on a day that was calling for heavy rain. It only sprinkled for a few minutes twice but the locals stayed home & it was literally like having the park to ourselves. We got multiple rides on everything except Superman UF because it went down as we were strapped in. KK only opened during the last hour but we got 3 rides. We loved this park. It definitely makes my top 10.
Imagine if the Safari was gone! There's massive room for expansion. A Giga Coaster, a Infinity coaster, and even more flat rides. Making Great Adventures a MEGA amusement park.
@@CanobieCoaster Agreed. As long as it stays popular or, more pointedly, PROFITABLE. The new Camping/"Glamping" very expensive experience may make or break it.
Over a year ago, on your video covering Dorney Park, I mentioned Dorney getting either a Rail Coaster or Dive Coaster. I predict in the next 3 to 5 years, Great Adventure will expand in that area.
I live about 2 and half hours from Great Adventure and I always enjoy visiting. It has a strong coaster lineup and some fun flats for good measure. The seculded location causes the park to have some top tier night rides.
What you said about Fright Fest at Great Adventure seems to be true for all of Six Flags' larger parks like Magic Mountain and Great America. Great America hit capacity nearly every weekend in October last year and from personal experience I can reiterate that it's just not worth it - like you said, rowdier crowds, insane waits (Raging Bull hit 4 hours and I don't doubt it for a second having seen the line itself back up all the way to the entrance to SW Territory), and the haunts really don't justify the hassle. I'm not sure what Six Flags can do to change this, or if it's even on their radar since they clearly make a lot of money during Fright Fest, but the guest experience during the event at the moment is way, way lower than it used to be 10-15 years ago. Great Adventure is definitely a destination for a lot of enthusiasts and families alike so it is surprising how little is nearby in the way of restaurants, accommodations, and other tourist activities. I would definitely devote 2 days to this park myself if I managed to visit, though if planned well I think I could make the 2nd day a shorter visit just to get on the last few rides I'd need and find either something else to do nearby or another park in the region I could fit into the plans. I'm glad to hear the safari is still worthwhile - I would have figured the tram-led tour was better from a convenience perspective if it all takes place in the park, but your perspective changed that for me since it's a really long attraction that I now know I'd much rather prefer to take my time in.
Notes from visit to SFGA on Monday June 6, 2022: - All rides were open except water park and Drop of Doom. Kingda Ka was up and down as usual. All major coasters ran 2 or 3 trains. - The ride ops were fantastic. Don't know how this park got the quality of people they had running the major rides, but other parks should take note. Very few teenagers in charge here. - Did about 35 coaster rides, which stacked up great against other Six Flags parks, especially when considering the excellent quality of the rides. - Visited the El Toro/Medusa/Kingda Ka side of the park first, then the Batman/Nitro/Jersey Devil side, and used the Sky ride to revisit each side. Marathoned Superman/Green Lantern at end of the day with no line or very small lines (those rides had long lines earlier). - The Gold Flash Pass was moderately helpful in the afternoon. Didn't need it at all in the morning. Would still have had a good time without it. - It was baffling watching the efficiency of Nitro's crew, and then visiting Candymonium at Hershey Park a few days later, where they struggled to dispatch a B&M Hyper train every 4-5 minutes and stacked trains 100% of the time. I've never understood how one crew can be 2-3 times more efficient than another on the same ride type, but it seems to happen across ride types. - The park looked clean. The clientele was pleasant given the proximity to NYC and Philadelphia. In one wait/ride/exit cycle on Green Lantern, my daughter heard more n-words in 20 minutes than she'd heard in her entire life prior to that, but otherwise everyone was great. There was almost a fight near one of the food stands, but security was on top of things and stopped it before it got going. Overall the park felt very safe. - Best of the West restaurant was closed, so ate at Garden State Grill. High marks for amusement park food, would eat there again. SFGA appears to be on the rise - looks like management has made some wise decisions recently. Ranks second among Six Flags parks I've visited, below Fiesta Texas and above Magic Mountain. Look forward to visiting again.
Thankfully Six Flags Great Adventure is updating their kiddie area by Jersey Devil Coaster it’s being renamed to Jr Thrillseekers and is bringing back some old stuff and actually getting a smaller scrambler
I definitely agree with the fright fest point. From my experience, Six Flags New England is much more of a fright fest park than Great Adventure, with lower waits and in my opinion, better haunts
This is basically my home park. I live an hour away and I like to go every other week. I also like to go if I’m feeling sad about something. It’s basically my happy place. Also I’m not sure if the policies changed after this video was made but zumanjaro isn’t strict with loose articles. As long as you don’t have anything while on the ride, the ride ops won’t ask you to leave the line. Also I’m pretty sure adults can’t ride Lil devil anymore, there’s a sign in front of the kids section saying you ride if you’re under 54’
Great review. I grew up in Cape May County and Great Adventure was a major treat. Nothing will take the place of my love for Hunts Pier in Wildwood, but GA is a close 2nd, as I watched it expand and bring in more attractions.
I had a season pass and went on random weekdays throughout the summer when I could, and was only there for about 2-3 hours each time, but there were nearly no lines and everything was a walk on. Totally worth it if you can get there on weekdays. Shame it closes so much earlier then it used too. I miss when parks were open till 10 PM or so.
i knew my home park had the tallest (And formerly fastest) roller coaster in the world, but didnt know it was also the second largest theme park in the world. Nice.
Haha, when was the one time I went to this park? Fright Feat 2000. Lol. I was so surprised at the time at how crowded it was with how cold it was, and we rope dropped the park that day. It must've been 35°-40° on that day. I feel like we barely rode anything either... I know we rode the wooden coaster that came before El Toro. Torn down since, and forgot the name. So we left and went to the safari. That was even more shocking, looking at all these exotic animals out in the freezing cold!
The loose article policy is ok for me. It only costs $1 for a locker, and the rides that it's enforced at make sense to have it enforced. Better safe than sorry. The reason why it's so strict is because a higher up was visiting great adventure and got struck by a phone from someone who was riding el toro in 2016. Also one of the kids sections were refurbished. It was turned into junior thrillseekers and looks pretty good now.
I hate these loose articles policies. If I were to own and operate an amusement park, I would provide enclosing bins on the ride platform free of charge for small loose articles.
Great Adventure & Magic Mountain are seriously 2 major big draw multi day parks that could benefit from from a hotel complex. Premium & budget. They could partner up with many of of the big chains. Losing out on so much $$$$. GA is nearly 50 yrs. old & has seen a lot. Its locale was that great forest setting. Warner Leroy (MGM producer/director) designed the park. Not a Randal Duell creation. This is why the layout is so convoluted. It DID have over the TOP theming until a few fires & Six Flags took over. Still, it holds its own as a great park for everyone.
With your stand up method and technique, what do you think about those B&M stand up coasters: Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain Green Lantern at Six Flags Great Adventure Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia Vortex at Carowinds Apocalypse at Six Flags America
I’m actually surprised you said don’t go to Ka at park open. That’s usually my first stop every visit when I go, and as long as you don’t have loose articles, you can pretty much pick whatever seat you want. I’ve have very good luck last season on my many visits.
Looks like a really fun park. That Nitro ride looks like Behemoth. Is that right? Good coasters. I'd ride them except Kingda ka, too high forvme. Enjoyed the video.
The loose article article policy with nothing in pocket is due to accident back in 2015 when a phone flew out of El Toro, these Rides that have that is written in to N.J Law and enforced by the NJ dept of Community Affairs which goes hard on Great Adventure for some reason
Lol I have to first comment on your remark about the cheese steaks from Pats and Geno's. As a Pennsylvanian who lives near Philly, I can tell you they are the most overly hyped and overpriced places in the city. There are several lesser known but far superior places to get a cheese steak in Philly. I do think Geno's is the better of the two, but that's not saying a lot. I agree this park could really use some attention in some areas and some of the operations need huge improvement. I have personally experienced ATTROCIOUS operations on El Toro to the point where I've almost walked away in the station after waiting 30 minutes or more for it.
I used to work in 1990 was a trainer for 4 rides...nitro in 2011 was my last employment. Great escape is the best ride ever. But overall I am disappointed in flat rides so few anymore just sad
Just got back from here and I guess I got lucky. Everything was open except king da ka and the longest I waited was a half hour for superman. Everything else was less than 10 minutes. one day was Thursday and then a rainy saturday.
I went here earlier this week. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy El Toro. It felt very shaky and I had a headache after. But I did enjoy king da ka, Jersey devil and nitro.
@@CanobieCoaster I have never been to a six flag. What do you think about staying in a hotel for a few days around the end of July or beginning of August?
I am surprised how many flat rides and roller coasters have been removed over Great Adventure's history. They could make another full fledged theme park with all the removed rides.
Two questions. First you said not to do Kingda Ka when the park opens because chances are it will be closed at first. But if it is operating at opening, should I do it first then? Secondly, I had that same loose article problem at Six Flags New England and it sounds even worse here. Would it be possible to get a locker for the entire day rather than two hours than comeback and get stuff whenever needed (like money for food)?
I still recommend hitting Superman since Ka seems to go through people faster. I believe they have an all-day transferrable locker, but I usually never hit the amount it costs.
Superman easily has the worst operations in the park. For some reason the queue is always PACKED, they most times run 1 train and it always seems to break down. Has happened to me multiple times. It is an ok ride but for me not a must do
I had the absolute worst experience at Great Adventure Last year. I won't be back unless they build a giga. The park's policies and ops are absolutely atrocious. I lost 2hr of my day because I waited in a 30min line for my flash pass but when I got to the front they told me I needed to go to a different location as I reserved mine. I then waited another 1.5hr in a reserved line at a random booth with no signs anywhere for it. I then also encountered a locker shortage, broken down rides, and very rude employees amongst other issues. Honestly I'd say worst park day of the decade for me.
This year I have noticed Medusa with fairly good ops but Green Lantern's ops are god awful. Superman's ops have gotten better but still aren't great and the train usually stacks every cycle.
@@CanobieCoaster If I'm only riding Zumanjaro, and not Kingda Ka, I take my backpaack with me to Zumanjaro, and they allow me to put my items on the side and get on the ride. Now I do believe that if everybody started doing that, they may enforce the no loose article rule.
I'm going for my first time and because of my schedule it's going to be on a Saturday but with some rain. Do most of the parks rides still run in the rain (not stormy rain, but not showers)?
I'm so heartbroken that there are no hotels nearby. I don't drive. What is someone like me supposed to do if they visit alone and want to visit multiple days? I know family in Red Bank but she's in her 80's! This is bad news for me.
@@CanobieCoaster I’d love to see a video on the war on lines man you could also go into how some of the former spots were abandoned for years or just never filled in
@@CanobieCoaster I was like 10 years old and don't remember it really. Just remember the cool entrance with a big skull. It burnt down and unfortunately had some deaths.
I took my son here and it was terrible, due to the wanna be pants at the knees gangsters that just skip to the front of the line. Why people go to a family park just to act like they are still on the streets of Newark. Absolutely ruined the experience.
This is why I think Philadelphia may be one of the best places to live as an enthusiast. You have Great Adventure, Dorney Park and Hersheypark within reasonable driving distances.
Touche'
i live in philly and i feel like Louisville would be better because of KK,HW,KI, and even Dolly
@@mikiemayo Based off parks from at most 3 hours away, I'd say Philly. The other parks include Knoebels, the NJ parks, the NYC parks, Legoland New York and Six Flags America.
@@ethanhcomposer agreed
Don't forget Knoebels too.
Next time I'm hitting up NJ, I'm hitting this place up no question. The park with the most B&Ms, the best Six Flags coaster, the world's tallest coaster, the list goes on. Definitely one of the best parks out there, there isn't much better in terms of quantity of rides.
It really has an elite coaster lineup.
This is my favorite Six Flags park. With the combo of the Safari and the coaster lineup. El Toro!
Understandable.
I went here without getting the chance to ride El Toro and JDC (both were closed both times I went last year). I still believe this is an awesome park. The b&m’s, Ka, and other flats don’t get enough credit. Not my personal favorite park, but I definitely prefer it to Hersheypark.
El Toro was closed due to an accident that happened in June, and was closed for the majority of the 2021 season. As for JDC, it’s been having issues relating to the chain left, so your chances of riding it is about 50/50. Both great coasters though
@@therock238360 yes I’m aware. The El Toro derailing happened a couple weeks before my first visit last summer. Extremely sad as El Toro looks world class and could have easily been my number 1.
I prefer Hershey.
@@therock238360 JD has been doing alright now
I went in august 2023 and both El Toro and JDC were down for me. It was unfortunate but I still had a great time, it goes to show how GrAdv has an incredible supporting lineup as well. Nitro was a pleasant surprise and ended up being my favorite B&M hyper of the trip (including Diamondback, Behemoth and Candymonium) Batman the Ride was my first time riding a Batman clone and I found it more intense than I thought it would be, and Superman Ultimate Flight was an excellent experience, especially in the dark. I will definitely try to return one day to ride El Toro, JDC and the new Flash ride coming soon.
1:25 Wait.... what? Sat on top of an Arrow OTSR? That's wild man. One, how does even a kid do that. Two, how does no one notice that, like even the person sitting next to them or behind them. That's the crazy accident I've ever heard of I think ha.
It didn't used to have the grab bars on the restraint.
My first visit to this park back in July was great, even with el toro closed, but my December visit was on another level. It was 35 degrees with a wintery mix my second day there, so the park was beyond dead. I was able to get zen rides on Green Lantern, Superman Ultimate Flight, Skull Mountain, Dark Knight, Jersey Devil, and Nitro. Everything was running, and I got to ride Nitro 19 times in the snow/freezing rain
i had a similar experience in November.. def a good time to hit the parks to beat the crowds
HITP creates some legendary experiences.
Jackson NJ is the largest township in NJ, The area Great Adv is just outside the protected Pine Barrens which is why the area around Great Adventure is not very developed.
Ah that makes sense, thanks!
I've only been to the theme park, but I do think it's the best one in the Northeast. The sheer depth that their lineup has is unmatched. El Toro is my number 1 in the park, and then below that, there's Jersey Devil, Nitro, and Kingda Ka making for a very solid top 4. And you've still got all 4 B&M loopers as supporting coasters. I agree with your points regarding the operations. It really varies by ride. Nitro and El Toro definitely have the highest throughput. Jersey Devil does pretty well with the moving platform. At Medusa and Batman, it kind of depends on the day. It'll be interesting to see how the single rider lines help things. As long as they can avoid slowing down dispatches, it should increase throughput and allow people the option to have a shorter wait in exchange for giving up the ability to pick their seat. I wish they'd put one on Kingda Ka, since it needs nearly every seat full in order to dispatch, but if it's successful on the other rides, then maybe it gets expanded.
I heard the single rider lines worked well yesterday.
I’m happy that they will update this park for this year
Me too!
I've had great luck with crowds here. My first day in 2019 was arriving at 1pm on a Sunday with a thunderstorm approaching. I rode all 13 coasters, in under 4 hours, finishing just before the storm hit, and everything was a walk-on. Last year, I had an evening and the whole next day, and there were practically no lines on my full day, even walking onto Kingda Ka's front row. I got almost 50 rides that day, even with a 3-hour storm delay. Everything that this park offers, plus my great experiences, has it neck and neck with Fiesta Texas for my favorite Six Flags park.
I prefer Fiesta because of the atmosphere.
Very thorough review!
Thanks!
"this is my pseudo home park" Damn, the two GOAT coaster youtubers have this as their home park. Imagine running into El Toro and Canobie at the same time lol
I've run into ElToroRyan there before.
@@CanobieCoaster glorious
I was the supervisor at Superman last season, and unfortunately due to low staffing and the ride having its issues as a flying coaster, it was really hard to even come close to our target for capacity. We always did our best though.
B&M flyers aren't the easiest ride to load. I was surprised only the first few rows were being used for HITP when I was there, but that makes sense if the ride was having issues.
My first big thrill park!! Great American Scream machine and the NEW batman invert were my entry to big coasters. Man, I miss the Chiller. Best premier launch coaster ever. I remember it's opening summer. Lotta downtime. CANOBIE!!! CAN-O-BEAST!!!
I wish I could've ridden Chiller.
@@CanobieCoaster Chiller was a beast. I was 12 when it opened. The lights would dim every time that thing launched out of the station. Never at the same time. It drained the whole township's power when it launched.
I have never been here but, growing up in metro DC, I remember I was right on the edge of the region that would get TV ads for it, and I wasn't 100% clear on where it was. When they opened their rapids ride, then called Roaring Rapids, there was a huge ad blitz for it. I think it was the first I'd heard of a ride like that. It was apparently the second one in the world after the one at Astroworld. Later I and my family became big fans of these rides, so it stands out in my mind.
Moving from metro DC to Williamsburg, VA to the Boston area, other major regional theme parks were always a bit closer (or more along the way on trips to visit family), so the trip has been hard to justify except for a hardcore coaster freak.
Even the DC area is reasonably close. This park really is in a goldmine.
Momma Floras has been a childhood staple for me for ages. Great review on my home park 🙌🏽
Thanks!
This is my lifelong home park, and I've undoubtedly been here more than I've been to any other park. If I could put the coasters into tiers, I'd put El Toro, Nitro, and JDC in a Tier 1, Kingda Ka and Medusa in Tier 2, and Superman Batman Green Lantern Joker in Tier 3. I'd marathon anything in Tier 1, I'd ride Tier 2 once or twice, and I frequently skip Tier 3. I wish the drop off from one tier to the next was less dramatic. I think that I prefer Hersheypark, and I'd rank their collection of coasters higher overall.
I marathon the same top 3.
Use to be my home park!!!! Love this place!!! Now my home park is magic mountain!! Still a great park but I still prefer great adventure!
Nice!
My night ride front row of Kingda Ka during fright fest power hours remains the best ride of any coaster ever, even if it isn't my favorite coaster
I got an incredible ride during Power Hours. It was so foggy you couldn't see the tower from the launch track.
Houdinis great escape is one of the most underrated rides
It's quite good.
I hope to get back here so I can ride El Toro. It was closed last time I went.
Hopefully you can.
Growing up, SFGA was *the* coaster park for me; it was like nothing else existed (save for NJ beach trips and the occasional sojourn to Dorney). The one year I had a season pass, it was for SFGA.
I've been there a couple times recently (with co-workers who had season passes), but I'd like to take the family at some point; however, it's hard for me to justify getting 4 season passes. I know in the past there've been 'buy one, get one' offers; it'd be nice to be able to take advantage of something like that.
Six Flags seems to be raising their pass prices and I'm fine with it if the experience improves too.
Nice to see a review of my home park! Also, as someone from south Jersey living really close to Philly, Pat’s and Geno’s are kinda tourist traps lol
I realized they were after my visit.
I will say if you don't care about the cold, riding at the end of the season will pretty much guarantee no lines. In fact, on the last day of the season at the end of the night we rode Nitro 7 times without getting out of our seats, they didn't even unlock the train.
It's great for rerides.
My biggest gripe with the park is the guests, I have consistently had bad experiences with the guests here but this park also made an enthusiast so it holds a special part in my heart
The crowds seem the worst at Fright Fest.
@@CanobieCoaster I meant that guests are rude and obnoxious and just not the nicest people
try going to six flags new england. their crowds are tougher than NJs!! I've witnessed the cops chasing and tackling down crazy lunatics in the park and there's an obnoxious amount of middle schooler / freshman groups wreaking havoc in the Iines.
@@willlima1297 I have been the victim of the tap prank joke at sfga
My second favorite amusement park in the country! El Toro right at opening is the way to go! Easily 10 rides without getting off
Nice!
El Toro is the only coaster I've ever been on that is smoother in the back than in the front. We went last year on a day that was calling for heavy rain. It only sprinkled for a few minutes twice but the locals stayed home & it was literally like having the park to ourselves. We got multiple rides on everything except Superman UF because it went down as we were strapped in. KK only opened during the last hour but we got 3 rides. We loved this park. It definitely makes my top 10.
That's weird Toro was smoother in the back. Glad you liked the park!
Imagine if the Safari was gone! There's massive room for expansion. A Giga Coaster, a Infinity coaster, and even more flat rides. Making Great Adventures a MEGA amusement park.
They'll never remove the safari given its popularity.
@@CanobieCoaster Agreed. As long as it stays popular or, more pointedly, PROFITABLE. The new Camping/"Glamping" very expensive experience may make or break it.
Over a year ago, on your video covering Dorney Park, I mentioned Dorney getting either a Rail Coaster or Dive Coaster. I predict in the next 3 to 5 years, Great Adventure will expand in that area.
I live about 2 and half hours from Great Adventure and I always enjoy visiting. It has a strong coaster lineup and some fun flats for good measure. The seculded location causes the park to have some top tier night rides.
That's why I love visiting on Power Hours days for lots of night rides.
What you said about Fright Fest at Great Adventure seems to be true for all of Six Flags' larger parks like Magic Mountain and Great America. Great America hit capacity nearly every weekend in October last year and from personal experience I can reiterate that it's just not worth it - like you said, rowdier crowds, insane waits (Raging Bull hit 4 hours and I don't doubt it for a second having seen the line itself back up all the way to the entrance to SW Territory), and the haunts really don't justify the hassle. I'm not sure what Six Flags can do to change this, or if it's even on their radar since they clearly make a lot of money during Fright Fest, but the guest experience during the event at the moment is way, way lower than it used to be 10-15 years ago.
Great Adventure is definitely a destination for a lot of enthusiasts and families alike so it is surprising how little is nearby in the way of restaurants, accommodations, and other tourist activities. I would definitely devote 2 days to this park myself if I managed to visit, though if planned well I think I could make the 2nd day a shorter visit just to get on the last few rides I'd need and find either something else to do nearby or another park in the region I could fit into the plans. I'm glad to hear the safari is still worthwhile - I would have figured the tram-led tour was better from a convenience perspective if it all takes place in the park, but your perspective changed that for me since it's a really long attraction that I now know I'd much rather prefer to take my time in.
I believe you can get a radio channels for the safari too.
Going there on opening day! Cant wait!
Enjoy!
Notes from visit to SFGA on Monday June 6, 2022:
- All rides were open except water park and Drop of Doom. Kingda Ka was up and down as usual. All major coasters ran 2 or 3 trains.
- The ride ops were fantastic. Don't know how this park got the quality of people they had running the major rides, but other parks should take note. Very few teenagers in charge here.
- Did about 35 coaster rides, which stacked up great against other Six Flags parks, especially when considering the excellent quality of the rides.
- Visited the El Toro/Medusa/Kingda Ka side of the park first, then the Batman/Nitro/Jersey Devil side, and used the Sky ride to revisit each side. Marathoned Superman/Green Lantern at end of the day with no line or very small lines (those rides had long lines earlier).
- The Gold Flash Pass was moderately helpful in the afternoon. Didn't need it at all in the morning. Would still have had a good time without it.
- It was baffling watching the efficiency of Nitro's crew, and then visiting Candymonium at Hershey Park a few days later, where they struggled to dispatch a B&M Hyper train every 4-5 minutes and stacked trains 100% of the time. I've never understood how one crew can be 2-3 times more efficient than another on the same ride type, but it seems to happen across ride types.
- The park looked clean. The clientele was pleasant given the proximity to NYC and Philadelphia. In one wait/ride/exit cycle on Green Lantern, my daughter heard more n-words in 20 minutes than she'd heard in her entire life prior to that, but otherwise everyone was great. There was almost a fight near one of the food stands, but security was on top of things and stopped it before it got going. Overall the park felt very safe.
- Best of the West restaurant was closed, so ate at Garden State Grill. High marks for amusement park food, would eat there again.
SFGA appears to be on the rise - looks like management has made some wise decisions recently. Ranks second among Six Flags parks I've visited, below Fiesta Texas and above Magic Mountain. Look forward to visiting again.
The operations on Candymonium are shockingly bad for a B&M hyper.
Thankfully Six Flags Great Adventure is updating their kiddie area by Jersey Devil Coaster it’s being renamed to Jr Thrillseekers and is bringing back some old stuff and actually getting a smaller scrambler
It's welcome.
I definitely agree with the fright fest point. From my experience, Six Flags New England is much more of a fright fest park than Great Adventure, with lower waits and in my opinion, better haunts
I try to avoid Fright Fest at most Six Flags parks.
This is basically my home park. I live an hour away and I like to go every other week. I also like to go if I’m feeling sad about something. It’s basically my happy place. Also I’m not sure if the policies changed after this video was made but zumanjaro isn’t strict with loose articles. As long as you don’t have anything while on the ride, the ride ops won’t ask you to leave the line. Also I’m pretty sure adults can’t ride Lil devil anymore, there’s a sign in front of the kids section saying you ride if you’re under 54’
Good points about the last two rides. I typically have my stuff in a locker when I do Zumanjaro anyway since I do that and Ka back-to-back.
Great review. I grew up in Cape May County and Great Adventure was a major treat. Nothing will take the place of my love for Hunts Pier in Wildwood, but GA is a close 2nd, as I watched it expand and bring in more attractions.
Thanks!
I had a season pass and went on random weekdays throughout the summer when I could, and was only there for about 2-3 hours each time, but there were nearly no lines and everything was a walk on.
Totally worth it if you can get there on weekdays. Shame it closes so much earlier then it used too. I miss when parks were open till 10 PM or so.
They're open until midnight for Fright Fest some nights!
Coming here in 2 weeks for the first time super excited
Have fun!
i knew my home park had the tallest (And formerly fastest) roller coaster in the world, but didnt know it was also the second largest theme park in the world. Nice.
It's a massive park.
My top 8 here
1. El toro
2. Kingda Ka
3. Jersey Devil
4. Nitro
5. Buccaneer
6. Zulimanjaro
7. Medusa
8. Superman or Batman clone
You have Buccaneer really high! I've never ridden that one.
Haha, when was the one time I went to this park? Fright Feat 2000. Lol. I was so surprised at the time at how crowded it was with how cold it was, and we rope dropped the park that day. It must've been 35°-40° on that day. I feel like we barely rode anything either... I know we rode the wooden coaster that came before El Toro. Torn down since, and forgot the name. So we left and went to the safari. That was even more shocking, looking at all these exotic animals out in the freezing cold!
That's the busiest time of year for them.
Fright Fest in the past used to actually be fun
The times I've been to Fright Fest have always been busy and lacking in the haunt department.
my 2021 nitro crew kept stacking our trains :/ hopefully next time I'll be able to see the efficiency in action
The times I saw it stack was when the ride was short staffed and an attendant had to both group and check restraints.
This channel is super underrated
Thanks!
The loose article policy is ok for me. It only costs $1 for a locker, and the rides that it's enforced at make sense to have it enforced. Better safe than sorry. The reason why it's so strict is because a higher up was visiting great adventure and got struck by a phone from someone who was riding el toro in 2016. Also one of the kids sections were refurbished. It was turned into junior thrillseekers and looks pretty good now.
I wonder if it's NJ law since a lot of other big rides in the state have the same policy.
@@CanobieCoaster its not nj law. It wasn't enforced the way it is now before 2016.
I hate these loose articles policies. If I were to own and operate an amusement park, I would provide enclosing bins on the ride platform free of charge for small loose articles.
It's annoying, but I deal with it.
Great Adventure & Magic Mountain are seriously 2 major big draw multi day parks that could benefit from from a hotel complex. Premium & budget. They could partner up with many of of the big chains. Losing out on so much $$$$. GA is nearly 50 yrs. old & has seen a lot. Its locale was that great forest setting. Warner Leroy (MGM producer/director) designed the park. Not a Randal Duell creation. This is why the layout is so convoluted. It DID have over the TOP theming until a few fires & Six Flags took over. Still, it holds its own as a great park for everyone.
It really is shcoking neither has a hotel.
Great video I Love Your Reviews
Glad you like them!
With your stand up method and technique, what do you think about those B&M stand up coasters:
Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Green Lantern at Six Flags Great Adventure
Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia
Vortex at Carowinds
Apocalypse at Six Flags America
All are fine except Apocalypse.
How does one sit on top of a restraint and a operated does not know neither does the girl or by stander
The restraints didn't used to have the grab bars on them.
I’m actually surprised you said don’t go to Ka at park open. That’s usually my first stop every visit when I go, and as long as you don’t have loose articles, you can pretty much pick whatever seat you want. I’ve have very good luck last season on my many visits.
It usually isn't open right with the park for me while the B&Ms are.
Thank you!! I love stand up coasters are my fave
I like them too.
Looks like a really fun park. That Nitro ride looks like Behemoth. Is that right? Good coasters. I'd ride them except Kingda ka, too high forvme. Enjoyed the video.
It is.
The loose article article policy with nothing in pocket is due to accident back in 2015 when a phone flew out of El Toro, these Rides that have that is written in to N.J Law and enforced by the NJ dept of Community Affairs which goes hard on Great Adventure for some reason
A lot of thrill rides in NJ have strict no loose article rules. Look at Gale Force, Shellraiser, and Sandy's as well.
@@CanobieCoaster yeah
Lol I have to first comment on your remark about the cheese steaks from Pats and Geno's. As a Pennsylvanian who lives near Philly, I can tell you they are the most overly hyped and overpriced places in the city. There are several lesser known but far superior places to get a cheese steak in Philly. I do think Geno's is the better of the two, but that's not saying a lot.
I agree this park could really use some attention in some areas and some of the operations need huge improvement. I have personally experienced ATTROCIOUS operations on El Toro to the point where I've almost walked away in the station after waiting 30 minutes or more for it.
With El Toro, I find the dispatches can be problematic if there are larger guests because of how unaccomodating that ride is.
I used to work in 1990 was a trainer for 4 rides...nitro in 2011 was my last employment. Great escape is the best ride ever. But overall I am disappointed in flat rides so few anymore just sad
I wish they kept more of their flats.
@@CanobieCoaster ever see letsgorides enterprise on RUclips
Just got back from here and I guess I got lucky. Everything was open except king da ka and the longest I waited was a half hour for superman. Everything else was less than 10 minutes. one day was Thursday and then a rainy saturday.
Nice!
I went here earlier this week. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy El Toro. It felt very shaky and I had a headache after. But I did enjoy king da ka, Jersey devil and nitro.
That's a bummer it was shaky for you.
You probably got a wheel car. The wheel cars are super shaky.
@@alecvip7562 I probably did. I was sitting at the back.
What is your opinion on the tickets available? Do you think the Skip the line benefits in some of the tickets is worth the additional cost?
It depends if you're visiting on a busy day. It is if the park is slammed and you won't be back anytime soon.
@@CanobieCoaster I have never been to a six flag. What do you think about staying in a hotel for a few days around the end of July or beginning of August?
I am surprised how many flat rides and roller coasters have been removed over Great Adventure's history.
They could make another full fledged theme park with all the removed rides.
True!
I swear, Great Adventure would have the coaster record with all of the rides in it’s history (I didn’t fact check this, this is just speculation)
Two questions. First you said not to do Kingda Ka when the park opens because chances are it will be closed at first. But if it is operating at opening, should I do it first then?
Secondly, I had that same loose article problem at Six Flags New England and it sounds even worse here. Would it be possible to get a locker for the entire day rather than two hours than comeback and get stuff whenever needed (like money for food)?
I still recommend hitting Superman since Ka seems to go through people faster. I believe they have an all-day transferrable locker, but I usually never hit the amount it costs.
Some enthusiasts thought that many found Green Lantern at Six Flags Great Adventure to be a painful ride, and you?
I don't find it painful with how I ride it.
USA: 4 hour drive (aka 8 hours total) -> day trip.
To me, yes.
Superman easily has the worst operations in the park. For some reason the queue is always PACKED, they most times run 1 train and it always seems to break down. Has happened to me multiple times. It is an ok ride but for me not a must do
It's a popular ride that takes a while to load, so it's no surprise why it has a line.
14:15 it’s now Junior thrillseakers and they made that area much more nicer. I’m assuming you know this already and just got confused
I didn't realize they renamed it since I usually pass through it quickly going to Nitro or Jersey Devil.
I had the absolute worst experience at Great Adventure Last year. I won't be back unless they build a giga. The park's policies and ops are absolutely atrocious. I lost 2hr of my day because I waited in a 30min line for my flash pass but when I got to the front they told me I needed to go to a different location as I reserved mine. I then waited another 1.5hr in a reserved line at a random booth with no signs anywhere for it. I then also encountered a locker shortage, broken down rides, and very rude employees amongst other issues. Honestly I'd say worst park day of the decade for me.
I'm sorry to hear that! The line to redeem flash pass can get shockingly long there.
This year I have noticed Medusa with fairly good ops but Green Lantern's ops are god awful. Superman's ops have gotten better but still aren't great and the train usually stacks every cycle.
Green Lantern is a hard ride to load fast.
@@CanobieCoaster I get that but if the train is stacked for 5 minutes at a time then it's not the ride's nature but the operators themselves.
Great video
Thanks!
Medusa was rethemed a looong time ago to Bizarro.
And now it's Medusa once again.
Looks like a solid park
It's great.
Zumanjaro does allow you to put items on the side.
Ah ok, I thought they had the no loose article sign for a while?
@@CanobieCoaster If I'm only riding Zumanjaro, and not Kingda Ka, I take my backpaack with me to Zumanjaro, and they allow me to put my items on the side and get on the ride. Now I do believe that if everybody started doing that, they may enforce the no loose article rule.
I'm going for my first time and because of my schedule it's going to be on a Saturday but with some rain. Do most of the parks rides still run in the rain (not stormy rain, but not showers)?
Kingda Ka is the only ride that closes in rain.
My favorite northeastern park is hersheypark. Better ride and food offerings, landscaping looks better than great adventure.
I prefer Hersehy too.
Did you mash up the SFGA Logo in the Video Preview?
That's the old one.
hershey is number one this is number 2
I prefer Knoebels to Hershey slightly.
If eltoro or any of the other valleying candidates do valley on the morning test runs, will they be closed the whole day?
With El Toro, they will push it onto the brakes and usually get it open later in the day. The others valley less frequently.
@@CanobieCoaster ok thanks
I'm so heartbroken that there are no hotels nearby. I don't drive. What is someone like me supposed to do if they visit alone and want to visit multiple days? I know family in Red Bank but she's in her 80's! This is bad news for me.
There are hotels 20-30 min away. I've never tried calling for an Uber, but I'd think they're near the park. Worst case, there are taxis.
@@CanobieCoaster Taxis and
Ubers almost cost the same anyway. Where is the closest hotel anyway?
Now that I asked the other question about El Toro's airtime, how do the camelbacks on Timbers compare to Skyrush. I'm just really curious.
I think Skyrush's airtime is and feels more violent, especially because of the restraints.
@@CanobieCoaster thanks
I’ve been going here since I was little so it’s expected I know my way around
Makes sense.
It has top notch coasters but the atmosphere needs some work. I like SFOG better but SFGADV definitely has the better coasters
This park should do what Magic Mountain does and refresh areas whenever they add a new ride.
My favorite ride there is Wonder Woman
That's a fun one. I prefer the coasters though.
@@CanobieCoaster I like roller coasters too, but I started to get into pendulum rides this year
Tomorrow it open again to the public
Yes!
Honestly, how do you manage to sit on the restraint? (Nothing against the woman Rest in Peace and you are loved very much)
Not sure how it happened.
BRING BACK ESCAPE FROM DINO ISLAND AND SCRAMBLER
I've only experienced the Dino Island film once...in a spaceship simulator in Mexico.
This park is now the emptiest even more than Lake Compounce
The lack of crowds this year has been shocking.
Is El Toro's airtime any more intense than Twisted Timbers?
It's like the camelbacks on Twisted Timbers with similar power, but more sustained.
@@CanobieCoaster That sounds amazing!
Give me Knoebel's!
I prefer there too.
cool
Yes
They are building up the new development would it took 23 years for approvals since it’s in the pine barrens
Ah ok.
@@CanobieCoaster yeah, that was a natural field they built in on
My cousin helped build superman ultimate flight
That's very cool!
Why is Twister never opened
I had better luck with it in past years.
@@CanobieCoaster I’d love to see a video on the war on lines man you could also go into how some of the former spots were abandoned for years or just never filled in
How Many acres is hurricane harbor? 🌀
Not sure.
I've been in the Haunted House!
Was it any good?
@@CanobieCoaster I was like 10 years old and don't remember it really. Just remember the cool entrance with a big skull. It burnt down and unfortunately had some deaths.
Can someone tell me whatva b&m is please?
B&M stands for Bolliger & Mabillard. They are one of the premier roller coaster manufacturers in the world.
@@CanobieCoaster oh ok thanks
Me and my dad keep them in our pockets we actually do get away with it we refuse to use lockers we would do it if they were free
I know people try and get around it, but it's not worth the risk and I prefer to just follow the policy.
kewl
Thanks!
I’m more of a Hershey fan
I prefer that park too.
Six Flags Ga is Nothing but concrete and metal. This park is the worst. Do Hershey or Busch Gardens in VA, Both beautiful parks.
I prefer both those parks and Knoebels.
I took my son here and it was terrible, due to the wanna be pants at the knees gangsters that just skip to the front of the line. Why people go to a family park just to act like they are still on the streets of Newark. Absolutely ruined the experience.
I'm sorry you had a bad time!