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Six Flags America-the fishman100 review

fishman100

Mega Poster
Hello all!

Yes, this is my 2nd amusement park in 3 days :p But hey, I'm on spring break and bored out of my mind. So ha!

I've actually been to SFA before, but that was when i was ~4, so that doesn't count. Here's the real account after I could actually ride the roller coasters :p

The Park
Okay, the entrance to the park is pretty well themed, and there's pretty much 1 path to the hub of the park. Maps are distributed in a cart sitting in the center of the road, which is very convenient and easy, so if you lose one you can just backtrack and pick up a new copy. It's a very clean park on the streets, but occasionally I found a crumpled map or soda cup sitting somewhere in rides. For example, I picked up a copy of a map in the empty seat right next to me on a roller coaster. I handed it to the attendant when I found it. Two rides later, I find a map sitting in the bottom of the tracks in the station o_O
The one thing I dislike is how you have to take a very long route to get from one section of the park to the next. After riding Roar, we had to return to the hub and take a different path to get to Mind Eraser. When we were there, we could see the queue house of Roar :p
Overall, a very nice park with an okay layout. Sure, call me lazy, but I want maximum ride time! :D

The Coasters
Batwing
In one word, awesome. Admittedly, it's nothing compared to Tatsu or Manta, but for a Virginia park it's very good :p The OTS restraints are as heavy as the lead apron thing you put on when you get an x-ray, and when the restraints lock and the leg bars snap into place, you can't help but feel secured. Once you descend from the lift hill, you are turned such that you are facing the ground. I found this to be quite exciting, but the best part is the loop. You get a good amount of airtime anywhere on the coaster, but if you sit in the very last row, you get double the air on the loop since you're pulled by the front. Is it just me, or did the whole ride seem faster in the back???
Joker's Jinx
Located a few minutes away from Batwing and very close to Superman, this LIM coaster is easy to find and see. The ride, however, is very good. One might not feel safe traveling through inversions without OTSRs, but that's not the case here. There is a foot restraint that keeps your ankles snug and won't slip out, as well as a seat belt and a large lap bar. So you're secured :) The launch was quite slower than I expected; but it's one of the faster ones in the park. Joker's Jinx is pretty smooth, and the whole ride consists of pretty much turns and slight drops, so this is suitable for a rider who isn't really used to a typical coaster. But keep your head back! I could feel my lips being pulled in different ways when my head was tilted slightly forward :p
The Wild One
This is another coaster that can be seen from a good distance. Tall and white, this is easily distinguishable from the park's other woodie, Roar. TWO isn't terribly bumpy for a woodie; I was quite surprised when I rode it. Maybe I didn't notice it because I was too busy trying not to puke from all those airtime hills, but when the ride was over I didn't think it was terrible. The helix at the end concludes the ride well. It's a nice touch. Also, is this 45 or 60 MPH? Felt like 45 to me. Actually now, I can't decide!
Roar
Alright, this one is slightly OOC:
[OOC]I love Roar! It's a great woodie[/OOC]
Yes, it's true. Roar only has ~3 airtime hills, all of which you can barely feel. The first drop is intimidating because of the steep slope, but when you descend it's really not bad at all. Roar mainly consists of overbanked turns, and the ride isn't really bumpy at all.
[OOC]I rode this one 4 times, and I sat in the front![/OOC]
^ also true :)
50 MPH, I think. Sure seems faster!
Mind Eraser
I was really excited about riding this coaster, but the results were disappointing. This one is an earbanger. Ouch. And the drop looks very scary as you reach the crest of the lift hill. It seems a whole lot faster than 60 MPH o_O Otherwise, I liked the rollover and the interesting chain lift! However, it's not something I would come back for.
Superman:Ride of Steel
Alright, I chickened out from this one :p But the people who rode it said knowing me, I would either puke on the lift hill or pass out on the way down. There are a lot of airtime hills, and combine that with speeds excessing 70 MPH is bad for me. Multiple airtime hills + high speeds =/= happy Fishman100 :p

That about wraps up this review. Unfortunately, the only photo I have is the on-ride photo from Roar, but for some reason it won't scan onto my computer. :(

There are only 5 roller coasters at SFA, but that's easily compensated by the (almost overwhelming) number of arcade games and carnival booths. Of course, the food is waaaay overpriced, but that's fine if you like junk food at amusement parks :)

However, the 5 coasters are of very good quality. It was hard to choose, but my top 3 is:
  • [OOC]1) Roar[/OOC]
    2) Joker's Jinx
    3) Batwing

The lines today weren't bad at all, but as the day came to a close the lines really started to fill up. And I think the only coaster that's worth waiting for there is Superman (yes, even though I didn't ride it). Sorry to say, Batwing isn't worth a 30 minute wait. If you get there right when the park opens, you can get a good hour or two with minimal/no lines. When we rode Batwing in the morning, we had the train to ourselves two times in a row. Then we left :p but having a Flash Pass definitely helps :D


This just about wraps up my review of Six Flags America somewhere in Maryland. (The address always confuses me; what street is it on???) While to coasters there are of high quality, the long lines ruins the fun and the experience altogether. The atmosphere is cheerful, and you won't be hungry unless you lose your money. The ride crew carefully checks to see if everyone's strapped in tight-something I highly appreciate. All in all, go to this park. It's pretty much worth your money :)

As before, please let me know about any wrong info or anything I'm missing. And feel free to add your thoughts below :)

-fishman100
 

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
Nice to see what someone without many parks under their belt thinks of the place & that you felt the park was cheerful & ride ops were good. You're definitely in a minority with those opinions.
 

fishman100

Mega Poster
Yeah, maybe next time I won't chicken out :p

East Coast(er) General said:
Nice to see what someone without many parks under their belt thinks of the place & that you felt the park was cheerful & ride ops were good. You're definitely in a minority with those opinions.
Eh true :\

SFA definitely needs more rides, maybe a steel similar to Dominator or Scream???
 
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