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Seamaur's East Coast Trip! - Hershey, SFA, SFGAdv, Dollywood, SF St. Louis, Kennywood, Amerricka

seamaur

Roller Poster
Day 1 - Lots and lots of driving on the Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike, possibly the worst stretch of highway in the country. It was a very long 7 and a half hours, plus a time zone change. Stayed in a nice cabin in an Ohio State Park about 2 and a half hours from Kennywood.

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Not this time. I still need Superstition Mountain.

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So close, but don't need to go back until after Meaner Streak.

Day 2 - Kennywood

Going into this day, Pittsburgh was supposed to just get wrecked with thunderstorms and hail like all day. Kennywood had posted on there website that due to the weather, there was a good chance many rides would not be open and they would probably close early. Knowing that this was our only day to go, we decided to go anyway. Well, while we were picking up camp, that storm went right over us, putting us about an hour and a half behind. In the back of my mind, I knew if we were able to get to the park before the storm, no body would be there. Boy, was I right. We were blessed with walk-ons and station waits. Even after they came around and told all the ride ops to get ready to get wet and that they were going to close as soon as the storm hit....the storm totally missed us! It rained/sprinkled for maybe a half hour, but all the rides stayed open! Got to the park around 1 and left at 7 to get to our next campground.

On to the rides...
Exterminator
A pretty rough wild mouse in a box. The theme was pretty cool, but Dark Knight is better. My least favorite coaster at Kennywood. Waited 3 cars to board and still wasn't worth my wait. Lol. Sits at number 55. D+

Jack Rabbit
Being the oldest coaster at Kennywood, I wasn't expecting much, even with the double down. Yep, I was wrong. That double down has some of the most amazing airtime ever! The hype is real. Sit in the back and you will get flung over that thing and that seat belt is the only thing holding you there. Jack Rabbit is my favorite woodie at the park and is very re-rideable. Waited one train all three times I rode it. It gets my number 10 spot, bumping down Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom. Solid A-/B+.

Lil' Phantom
Skipped because that is a waste of time when you could be riding its older brother.

Phantom's Revenge
I knew going in that this was going to be pretty amazing, and it still somehow exceeded my expectations. How? The airtime on this has to be the most violent/strong airtime on any ride I have been on. We'll see if that changes with SkyRush, but Phantom is so good! The hill right before the double down is like you are standing up, because of the awesome custom made lap bars from those Arrow trains. Also, this has to be the smoothest Morgan which is really weird because it still uses the Arrow trains. Kind of funny that they really could not care less what you bring on this ride as they just tell you to hold on to it tight. A kid in front of me rode with a backpack on and did they say anything? Absolutely not. This is the star of the show and makes the trip worth is already! Waits ranged from walk on to 10 minutes due to one train op, and the fact that it was closed for a wedding in the middle of the day. (check out Kennywoods Twitter for more on that) The ride gets an A+ and sits at number 3, behind Maverick and Millennium Force.

Racer
This is a pretty fun ride, but is really just a family ride. The racing aspect is neat because you are so much closer (within reaching distance) of the other train. Solid ride, and runs pretty smooth, but is my least favorite woodie at the park. It is pretty cool though that it is the last Mobius Loop in the country (I think :? ). Walk on all day due to both sides running all the time, because they have to. Gets my number 21 spot. Probably a C. Not bad, just not really great.

Sky Rocket
Very meh ride. There was so much potential, but Premier really dropped to ball with this one. The two "dives" give a decent amount of airtime, and the fact that it is so smooth helps, but the launch is average, the second half of the ride just drags, and it really isn't that special. I wish this one was a good strong Premier launcher from the late 90s. Now this ride probably had the best operations in the park, but it never had a line. We went up there one time and they were waiting for riders. This is probably not a good sign for the park. It lands my number 31 spot. B-

Thunderbolt
Now my expectations were probably a little high for this one, but it did not even come close to meeting my expectations. The NAD trains were fun, but it was really rough and the hills that should offer airtime with a buzz bar, did not. The sliding around in the "boat" of teaisn that they were was fun, but nothing spectacular. Once again, one train waits all day. Number 15. Solid B

Notable Flats...

Aero 360
Not a huge fan of going upside down, just for the sake of it, but I really liked the huge Kennywood Arrows on the arms.

Black Widow
We need one - nuf said.

Cosmic Chaos
This Disk-O runs a really long cycle and makes for an enjoyable ride.

Garfield
Waste of time if it wasn't over 100 years old.

Ghostwood Estate
Strong shooter dark ride, but the preshow really slows down the process for this one. Like all the targets worked and I got second in the family.

Kangaroo
If you go to Kennywood, you need to ride this! Airtime galore!

Noah's Ark
This is really fun and seems totally against modern safety standards, but it is so odd and so much fun.

Swing Shot
We need one of these too, but this one is not as good as Skyhawk at Cedar Point or the one at Valleyfair.

Turtle
It's a classic, but doesn't really do anything besides go in a circle. Fun to ride for nostalgic reasons.

Volcano
Had to ride their Enterprise and this thing spins really fast and stays vertical for what seems like forever.

Whip
I wish more parks still had these because these are a ton of fun to ride. Kennywood's is really quick ad provides an enjoyable ride.

Some pictures...

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The very long line to get in. :lol:

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Who needs an airgate? Don't pass the red line of death. The only coaster with air gates was Sky Rocket.

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Aero 360 1
Black Widow 1
Cosmic Chaos 1
Garfield's Nightmare 1
Ghostwood Estate 1
Jack Rabbit 3
Kangaroo 1
Noah's Ark 2
Phantom's Revenge 6
Racer 2
Sky Rocket 2
Swing Shot 1
The Exterminator 1
Thunderbolt 1
Turtle 1
Volcano 1
Whip 1
Total 27
Next is the Hershey Chocolate Tour and Hersheypark at night!
 
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seamaur

Roller Poster
Hersheypark! (It took me a while to do this one due to very slow campground WiFi)

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Hershey is amazing park! Holy cow! Because we were staying at the Hersheypark Campground, we got in at 6:30 the first day. While that might not seem like a ton of time, the park was open until 11, so we were able to pretty much do the whole park. We were greeted with short lines and a very clean and friendly park. The next day, we got early entry because of the campground and that lace was dead. Skyrush was walk on and I rode it 5 times in a row. Pretty amazing! The whole Chocolate World and Founder’s Way sections feel very tourist trappy, while the rest of the park is very pretty. It is truly amazing all the stuff they could fit in the Hollow and Kissing Tower Hill as everything is on top of itself. This is probably my new favorite park and I am so glad that it didn’t end up getting cut.

On to the rides…
Coal Cracker - Didn’t ride, but thought it was interesting that they still run both sides of the drop, unlike Great America. Looked like a very pretty ride built up on the hill.

Comet ran great for its age. The airtime was really solid and the buzz bars made it all the better. Solid attracting and was pleasantly surprised. Maximum wait of 15 minutes, usually less. Solid B.

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Fahrenheit was kind of a let down. Not going to lie. It rattles really bad and I really wish it had one or two more airtime hills. Other than that, solid attraction and had quite a few unique elements. Usually had about a 15-20 minute wait due to the short trains. B-.

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Great Bear is a good old fashioned intense B&M invert. It is very unique with the forceful helix before the drop. The awkward supports from them not being able to go into the water provide really nice leg/foot choppers. Really fun ride! Only problem was that it probably had the worst operations at Hershey due to them not opening the airgate until after the train had cleared the lift and they double checked all restraints. Stacking galore. Should have been about 5 minutes, but waited 10-15. A

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Hershey’s Triple Towers are a really nice addition for this park. I like the options that you have. They all have the new S&S restraints which no longer lake a seatbelt, but you have to push down a full click to release the restraint. Just a tad odd. Kisses was my least favorite and runs a short program of a shot to the top with one moment of floater air. Hershey’s was my second favorite with a shot to the top which had a mix between floater and ejector air and then “drops” from the top. Intamin drop towers are so much better. Reese’s was my favorite which shot up and provided 2 ejector moments and a floater. Really nice drop tower. Hershey’s was the only one with a line and it was like a cycle or 2 wait.

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Laff Trakk was a pretty fun little ride. Surprisingly smooth for a spinning coaster and my first Maurer. This thing was posting 45 minutes and we waited 45 minutes once and about a half hour another time. I thought it was better done than Dark Knight and had a more interesting layout. Very fun ride! B-, very solid for a spinning coaster.

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Lightning Racer is absolutely fantastic! I love myself a good GCI and this is no exception. It is smooth and it is what I wish American Eagle was. The dueling aspect is so fun and seems to be very random, based on weight. Lightning is better than Thunder as I think it has more air and it runs smoother. 2nd favorite ride at Hershey, but favorite woodie as I am writing this. I really wish more parks would put in these dueling GCIs and I wonder how bad Gwazi really was. It never had a line and gets an A+. Also, the chaser lights at night look spectacular. Marathoned it both nights and got a super zen ride (only one on either train).

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Merry Derry Dip Fun Slides did not run very fast. No air over the hills. The one at Bay Beach is still my favorite.

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Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge is a very interesting Sally shooter. It runs on more of a coaster track than just a hotwire. Not all the targets worked, but it was still a pretty fun ride. Not my favorite shooter, but they are always fun rides. 5 minute wait

Sidewinder is a boomerang. I can’t image it without the vests as it was still pretty miserable. 20 minute wait and it was one and done for me. D

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Skyrush is the epitome of ejector air. I have never felt so much painfully amazing airtime in my life. The restraints are not the best, but the ride is so amazing. Also love the fact that they have free lockers for this ride because it is so violent. Best ride at Hershey and my new number one coaster. I wish more parks would install these modern Intamin hypers as long as they fix the restraints. Rode it 5 times in a row during our Sweet Start ERT. Maximum wait of 10 minutes, but usually less. A+

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sooperdooperLooper is a fun family ride and is about the only shirt you can buy in that park. Any color you want, they have a shirt that says, “I survived the sooperdooperLooper.” The loop was pretty good with only the lap bar, but the rest of the ride kind of just meanders. Whizzer is still better. C+

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Storm Runner was probably the biggest surprise of the trip for me. I was expecting just another Intamin Accelerator, but this is probably my favorite. The layout is really unique and it just works. More airtime than you would think and makes a very fun ride. Usually had kind of a long line due to the dual loading station. That ride really needs a group because the station is a mess. 10-15 minute wait. A

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The Claw is a standard Chance pendulum which isn’t as good as a Discovery or Giant Frisbee. For some reason, this ride always had too long of a line. 20 minutes of sitting in a non shaded queue.

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Trailblazer is an old Arrow Mine Train that is set in a pretty area of the park, but is pretty short and tame. Wonky transitions keep it interesting. Walk on. D+

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Wild Mouse was a really fun Wild Mouse. Probably my favorite one. It is interesting that it is a shared lap bar so the person next to you could go flying if you are too big. Walk on. C-

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Wildcat is a bad GCI. Those darn PTCs ruined it and it jackhammers really bad. The layout is pretty good, but it is just so rough. I really want either GCI to completely retrack it, or take the easy out and have RMC Iron Horse it. This ride actually needs it. Not a terrible ride, just rough. Walk on. C

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More pictures...

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Kissing Tower from ZooAmerica.

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Really odd looking arcade building.

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Sausage sandwich I got that that had onions and a ton of red peppers.

Overall it is an amazing park with a really solid top tier of coasters!

Total Rides
Comet 2
Fahrenheit 3
Great Bear 3
Hershey Triple Towers - Hershey 1
Hershey Triple Towers - Kisses 1
Hershey Triple Towers - Reese's 3
Laff Trakk 2
Lightning Racer (Lightning) 17
Lightning Racer (Thunder) 1
Merry Derry Dip Fun Slides 1
Reese's Extreme Cup Challenge 2
Sidewinder 1
Skyrush 12
sooperdooperLooper 2
Storm Runner 5
The Claw 1
Trailblazer 2
Wild Mouse 1
Wildcat 3
Total 63

Great Adventure coming soon!
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
17 laps on Lightning Racer is just absurd. Brilliant!
 

IG9887

Roller Poster
Glad you enjoyed it! Back row of Wildcat is sometimes as good as Lightning Racer depending on the day and really boost its rating IMO. I never seem to get a good day, my max laps on a ride there in a day is 8! I should plan a bit better...
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Total Rides
Comet 2
Fahrenheit 3
Great Bear 3
Hershey Triple Towers - Hershey 1
Hershey Triple Towers - Kisses 1
Hershey Triple Towers - Reese's 3
Laff Trakk 2
Lightning Racer (Lightning) 17
Lightning Racer (Thunder) 1
Merry Derry Dip Fun Slides 1
Reese's Extreme Cup Challenge 2
Sidewinder 1
Skyrush 12
sooperdooperLooper 2
Storm Runner 5
The Claw 1
Trailblazer 2
Wild Mouse 1
Wildcat 3
Total 63

Now that sounds like a lot of fun! Short lines at this park seems amazing when you have Lightning Racer and Skyrush to whore...
 

seamaur

Roller Poster
Six Flags Great Adventure!

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I have heard all kinds of nightmare stories about how busy Great Adventure gets and really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Because we were driving from Hershey, we planned on popping into the park to get lunch using our Dining Pass (ding). Anyway, I got the Mac and Cheese covered in Pulled Pork and when I ran to the bathroom, noticed that Joker had about a 10 minute line. Hopped on quick and then got Harley Quinn out of the way, Took a quick look around and the park was dead! Headed out to quickly set up the tent so I could get back to the park! Great Adventure has a few really pretty areas, and some that look/feel very dated. Adventure Alley needs some help. My favorite section is probably the Boardwalk or Plaza de Carnival. Very solid Six Flags park full of B&Ms.

On to the rides…

Batman is still a very solid invert. Not as good as the original at Great America as it tends to shuffle a little bit. 5 minute wait. Solid B.

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Bizarro is a fun old B&M. It really feels like an ugly stepsister of the park as it is way tucked back in a corner. I’m not a huge floorless fan and while this one was decent, still not an amazing ride. There is no reason that they needed all three trains on this because they were still stacking all of them and they didn’t need to move faster because there was never a line. I bet this is the next coaster to close at that park. No line, B-.

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El Diablo was my first Super Loop and I was pleasantly surprised. It is very cramped, but the is not nearly as uncomfortable as I would have expected. This would be a great ride as part of a package, but would be kind of a disappointment if this was all you got for Great Adventure.I also think it is odd that Six Flags installed rides that are controlled and are not just push a button to operate. Usually had a one cycle wait.

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El Freakin Toro is flipping insane. It is my new favorite coaster. I really wish Intamin was making more of these prefabs. The airtime was amazing and the ride is really a rush. There are a few potholes that could use a little work, but it is so smooth for a wooden coaster. I knew it would be good, but this ride is pretty much pure perfection. I got 8 rides in on it to end the night and they sent the last train at 10:10 even though no one was boarding trains. The employees looked like they were actually having fun and this was an amazing experience! A+ and never really had more than a one train wait.

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Green Lantern is a pretty good stand up, but who wants to get their manhood destroyed on a roller coaster? Not me. I think I may rather still see Great American Scream Machine at this park, but what park would say no to a B&M. I wish they would have sent it to Great America like originally intended and put floorless trains on it to fill the major looping coaster gap in that lineup. Half empty trains all day, C.

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Harley Quinn Crazy Train is a nice family coaster. The train is ridiculously long. I really like the rename to go with the Joker area. Walk on, D.

Houdini’s Great Escape is a very odd attraction. The pre show is pretty cool and the whole thing is just weird. It does not feel like a ride that would be at a Six Flags park. Walk on.

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Justice League had no wait. It is way tucked back in a corner that it appears no one goes to and while the area looks very nice, there was nothing else back there. The first time we were big Cyborg and the second time they were sending empty cars so it was walk on. I really like these new Sally shooters as they are very interactive and fun rides.

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Kingda Ka is not very good. Dragster is so much better. It shakes really bad and still has the old Intamin over the shoulder restraints. I had 2 decent rides on it and one that was gosh awful and pretty much ruined the rest of my day. I bashed my head a few times and it is not all that great of a ride. Longest line of the trip at around a half hour once, and then 15 minutes for the others. Good rides, C+, bad ride D.

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Nitro is my new favorite B&M hyper by far. The floater air is out of this world and it is set in a very nice location back by the trees and the lake. The helix is surprisingly intense and compliments the airtime quite nicely. Overall, amazing ride that I could ride all day. A+, Rode it 5 times in a row without getting off, so there was never a line, yet they continued to dispatch quickly with all three trains.

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Parachute Training Center is a very unique ride as St. Louis and Texas no longer have theirs so I wanted to make sure I rode this one. It is not nearly as thrilling as I thought it would be. The view is nice, but then immediately they bring you back down at a very leisurely pace.

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Safari Off Road Adventure is an amazing attraction for Great Adventure. It is a very high quality safari that really might be better than the one at Disney. There are tons of animals and the workers really seem to get into it and seem to enjoy their job. The animals were all over and provide a one of a kind experience. I was very pleasantly surprised by this, especially since it is a Six Flags park we are talking about.

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Skull Mountain is odd. This being said, the airtime in the back row during the first drop is outstanding! The building is pitch black on the inside which exactly what I would expect from Six Flags for a ride with stuff that doesn’t work on the inside. Interesting Ride. Walk on, C-.

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Skyway is really fun! I really wish more parks still had their sky rides, especially these cabin type ones. Great Adventure’s is very pretty and it is awesome that they still have their double from the World’s Fair. You can totally see old Eagle's Flight/Delta Flyer cars sitting in the boneyard on Nitro.

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Superman is just another clone. I like the one at Great America better. This one did not seem as forceful in the pretzel and shook a little more.

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The Joker is in a really prime location at Great Adventure. I would have much rather seen something original go into that spot. These S&S 4D Freespins are okay, and while better than Great America’s, it still is not a very good ride. 10 minutes, C.

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The Dark Knight is another clone we have at Great America and this one is a tad better. It has a little change in the theming as there is something on the ground and they still run the pre show. Walk on if there was no pre show, C-.

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is not worth the walk all the way back to it. You can call me lazy, but other than the fact that you can tell you are really high in the air, the drop seems the same as Giant Drop. Fun ride, just a waste getting rid of Rolling Thunder to add it.

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This feels really out of place.

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This part of the park feels really stuck in the 70s.

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Really cool, retro architecture.

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Great Adventure has really good food. This is the Philly Cheesesteak Fries.

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Got quite a bit of food from here.

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How difficult would it be for Great America to put these in?

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I'm gonna miss getting Rita's as my snack.

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Didn't get to ride Mine Train as it was down both days and they were welding a section of track in this area.

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This thing looks like it hasn't been used in years.

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This looked really out of place.

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Those tents really smell like mold and mildew.

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I'll close on my Great Adventure money shot.
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Agree with most of what you said :) Your experience on El Toro sounds so awesome! I really wish that Intamin would get more contracts for their pre-fab woodies too...
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
This park is one of those I'd love to get back to at some point [soon]. It was the first park we did on the mega USA Live in 2010 (well, this was an extension to the Live), and at the start of that trip my CC was down in the mid-60s. At the end of that trip, two weeks later, it was approaching 200. El Toro blew me away at the time, and was an instant number one (until I rode Boulder Dash two weeks later), but now it's slipped way down the list and seems to receive some mixed reviews. I'd like to go back and try it out again, and see if it could win any more places back.

Nice report, sounds like a good couple of days.
 

seamaur

Roller Poster
Six Flags America

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Everyone says bad things about this park and they are for good reason. This park sucks. I went in wondering if it really is as bad as everyone says, and it is. I did not enjoy my time there and it was just a huge letdown, especially after Great Adventure. The parking lot is really odd as it seems like they are wasting a ton of space. The trees are nice, but it just feels odd for a Six Flags parking lot. We were greeted with a ton of groups of little kids right away at the front gate. Once we got in, I would say that these groups made up about 60-70% of the people in the park. Even though there were a ton of them, the rides were all still walk on with one train operation. At its current state, I would definitely go to Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens over this pile of trash if I lived in the DC area.
On to the rides…

Apocalypse was cool to ride because it was Iron Wolf, but still nothing to write home about. There are a few points where you really bash your head and it really doesn’t have a great layout, so it is a very eh ride. Rode it twice, once in the front, once in the back and the front was less painful. C-

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Cool fake track.

Batwing is not a good ride. I am not a Dutchman fan as I think they are extremely painful and not enjoyable whatsoever. Even though this one is better than Firehawk, it is still a one and done type of ride. Also, very odd how far back in the middle of nowhere this thing is. While not as far back as Zumanjaro at Great Adventure, they really need to finish off the loop. F, I hate these so much.

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Great Race is a decent antique car ride where you get a great view of the parking lot. I really wish more parks still have these, but gas prices make it an easy decision to take them out.

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Mind Eraser is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. T3 is still by far the worst SLC I have been on. There are a few moments where you smack your head and it is not an enjoyable ride, but still not nearly as painful as it could be. One and done for sure. D-

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Ragin’ Cajun is just your average Zamperla/Reverchon Spinning Mouse. Painful spinning. Our car spun so much more than I ever remember at Great America. That last little bunny hill still hurts like crazy. D

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Riddle Me This is a small Round Up and seems to run surprisingly slow. You can like feel yourself falling before the cage spins around and you are pinned again. They are more fun when they spin faster.

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Roar is the best ride in this park by far. GCI knows what they are doing and it runs surprisingly well for having PTCs. Wildcat at Hershey is much rougher. While they could RMC it, I think that I actually might miss Roar. Fun, old GCI! Solid B.

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Rodeo is an okay ride. It runs pretty slow and has a really short cycle. I really like the cows for cars and it looks nice the that section of the park.

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Superman was a huge letdown. It has an awful layout and provides very little airtime. It doesn’t really do anything. There I really only 2 good moments of air. Also, it rattles really bad the entire ride. Should have gotten a B&M. I have been on great Intamins, and this is not one of them. C+

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Really rusty track.

Joker’s Jinx is an okay ride. I’m not a huge fan of the Premier spaghetti bowls and this one must be launching slower than it should because I can see how it valleys as it moves so slow for a good portion of the ride. It is also weird that they went with such a compact ride when all this park has is space. An original layout would have made this ride better. This one is better than Flight of Fear at Kings Island because of the MCBR and I feel like it is a tad smoother. C+

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This support was totally a different color than the rest.

Voodoo Drop is such a cute little drop tower. It feels so odd because it feels like there should be another second or two of falling, but this one just stops. Still a fun ride as I really enjoy drop towers.

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Wonder Woman may be the best ride in this park. This was my first StarFlyer and it is so much better than Windseekers. You get a ton of air and it spins pretty fast. I like how it comes down and then goes back up. This was a great addition for this park.

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Wild One is my new least favorite woodie. They really should have given this ride more love than just a new sign for its 100th birthday. It jackhammers really bad and there is very little airtime. The double ups and downs don’t do anything. It is extremely painful and I even rode it a second time in a non wheel seat and it was still just as bad. Not going to lie, this is an awful coaster. F-

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Zydeco Zinger runs extremely slow. The one at Indiana Beach has so much airtime and this one does not. Very disappointing as I really enjoy these if they spin fast.

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Intamin Sea Coaster drop.

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Don't think this is going to open.

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Why can't Great America get these?

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Really odd suspension bridge.

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Don't know how their Flash Pass works, but there were all over. I wonder how many of thm they actually sell at this park.

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Best part of SFA.

This is not a destination park at all. I would say the only reason you would need to make it here is to get on Roar before it gets RMC’d, if it does. I will not be coming back until they add something that really blows me away, and in like 10 years.
 
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seamaur

Roller Poster
Forgot to post Great Adventure and Six Flags America ride totals...
Batman: The Ride 1
Bizarro 4
El Diablo 1
El Toro 14
Green Lantern 2
Harley Quinn Crazy Train 1
Houdini’s Great Escape 2
Justice League: Battle For Metropolis - High Score - 134,300 2
Kingda Ka 3
Nitro 8
Parachute Training Center: Edwards AFB 1
Safari Off Road Adventure 1
Skull Mountain 2
Skyway 1
Superman: Ultimate Flight 1
The Joker 2
The Dark Knight Coaster 1
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom 1
Total 48

Apocalypse: The Last Stand 2
Batwing 1
Great Race Antique Cars 1
Mind Eraser 1
Ragin Cajun 1
Riddle Me This 1
Roar 5
Rodeo 1
Superman: Ride of Steel 3
Joker's Jinx 3
Voodoo Drop 1
Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth 1
Wild One 2
Zydeco Zinger 1
Total 24
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Six Flags America was such a "meh" park for me. I got spited by Superman, which didn't help, but the place left me with absolutely nothing positive to say. Nothing outrageously negative either, mind (I've never quite hated it as much as some other members do).

Maybe if I'm ever back in the area I'll swing back past and get Superman... seems somewhat unlikely though.

Seems like you had an okay ride haul, considering your rather damming review of the place! :p
 

seamaur

Roller Poster
Well it was pretty dead and I needed to stick around until I could get my dinner on the Dining Pass. Would have left earlier if I could have gotten my food.
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Agree on most of what you said. I found Superman smooth and mildly enjoyable though, despite the stupid 10 minute operations because of VR. SFA badly needs a good B&M, or anything new from a top class manufacturer!
 

seamaur

Roller Poster
Dollywood!

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I love this park so much. I thought Hershey might be my new favorite park until I stepped back into Dollywood. The atmosphere, the people, it is just amazing. I really wish it was my home park as the park is just outstanding.
The rides…

Barnstormer is a great S&S Screamin’ Swing and these are probably my favorite flats anywhere. I wish this one ran as long of a cycle as the one at Kennywood or Cedar Point, but it is still very fun! A+

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Blazing Fury is a very unique ride aside from its sibling over in Missouri. Very corny ride that really doesn't make sense, but the last three drops provide some pretty good airtime in the back seat. I really wish they kept the water, but it is still a very fun ride. 10-15 minutes, B-

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Drop Line is Dollywood’s new drop tower and I think it may be my new favorite. I love the rotations on the way up and it has a very nice, forceful drop, unlike the S&S towers. It is in a great location and fills the Timber Tower spot. 1-2 cycle wait.

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FireChaser Express was much better than I remember it last year. It is like the perfect new version of the Arrow Mine Train and my only thing wrong with it is the really short trains and the awkward back up into the station. Other than that, it is a very solid family coaster and looks great in Wilderness Pass by Wild Eagle. 25 minutes, C+

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Lightning Rod was the reason I got to come back this year for free so I knew I had to get on it once. Got in line right around 11 and waited longer than I have for any ride ever. 2 hours and 32 minutes. It was painful. One train and knowing it could go down at any moment. Not gonna lie. The ride was kind of a disappointment for all the hype. The launch is okay, but the first drop has floater air, and the quad down is the only other airtime on the entire ride. I would say two were ejector and two were strong floater. You just can’t enjoy a ride worrying your entire vacation that it is going to break down again. While it is a very fun ride, it is currently my least favorite RMC and is my second favorite ride at Dollywood. A

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Does Goliath have a steel transfer?

Mystery Mine is really Dollywood theming at its finest. The ride, unfortunately, is very rough and Dollywood needs to invest in some new lap bar only trains for it. It is very awkward with lots of stopping and starting, but the finale of that ride is absolutely spectacular. 20 minutes, C

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Got evaced off Mystery Mine last year and walked down these stairs.

Tennessee Tornado would be an amazing ride if it was about 700-1000 feet longer. This is my favorite Arrow and it shows what Arrow could have done if they were able to survive. The loops provide insane hang time and the first drop into the tunnel provides some really nice air into that tunnel. This is my favorite steel at Dollywood and I love how it is build into the mountain. 10 minutes, A

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Thunderhead is a really fantastic GCI. It has tons of airtime and the giant banked turns are great. It is running on the rougher side and I would assume that would be because all of the off season work went into Lightning Rod, but this thing is still a great ride. I also love the station fly through, but I’m sure the employees absolutely hate it. 5-10 minutes during day, walk on later, A+

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Wild Eagle is a really fun and smooth ride that does a great job diving behind the mountain. It gives great views and it is different as it has just a regular drop, rather than the wing over. Not as good as Gatekeeper or Thunderbird, but I like it better than X-Flight. I just really wish they would unlock the vests to make it more enjoyable. 25 minutes, A-

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Dollywood has really good food.

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Really cool section of Dollywood with all the Eagles.

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This looks so much better than Bucky Battle at Great America.

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This makes me happy. Gotta love cinnamon bread.

Dollywood is a fantastic park that really seems to excel in all categories. I really want to head out to Branson again as I was really little the last time I went to Silver Dollar City, especially because of the something new they are already building. Herschend is doing something right and the thought of Dollywood just brings a huge smile to my face.

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Lol.

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My phone is awful at taking pictures in the dark, but it is still a cool picture.

Totals...
Barnstormer 1
Blazing Fury 1
Drop Line 1
Firechaser Express 1
Lightning Rod 1
Mystery Mine 2
Tennessee Tornado 3
Thunderhead 5
Wild Eagle 1
Total 16
 

seamaur

Roller Poster
Six Flags St. Louis!

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I'm just gonna leave that here and say nothing else.

It’s been a while, but I finally got back to Six Flags St. Louis on August 1st. It was pretty hot out and I have to imagine that everyone was at the water park, otherwise, that place was pretty dead.I really love the overall feel of the park as it really feels like Great America in the mid 80s I feel. The ride collection is decent, but could really use some more family flats and of course a hyper. I really enjoyed my day and would love to go back.

On to the rides…

American Thunder is a really smooth and enjoyable GCI. It has some nice airtime and has a pretty good layout. This being said, it is one of the weaker GCIs in my opinion. It is amazing that they were able to fit this ride in that location though. Also, I’m pretty sure this is the most popular ride in the park as it was really the only ride with a line, ever. A

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This is my new favorite Batman clone. I like the mirrored layout and think this one was running great. Lots of intensity and speed throughout. Seemed just a tad smoother than the original at Great America. B+

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Boomerang was a surprising hit. I was expecting it to be much worse, especially after riding Sidewinder at Hershey which is awful and has the newer vest restraints. Probably the smoothest Vekoma, rivaling only Everest at DAK. New favorite non-Disney Vekoma for sure. B-

Highland Fling was closed and looks like it hasn’t been open in a while. :(

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Sad that this has been down so much. The future is probably not to bright.

You can tell that this is the first version of Justice League for sure. It feels more budget cut and the graphics are not as good. I would say that this one is the most different of the three that I have been on though. This being said, it is my least favorite of the bunch. The line really crawls on this one as they only run like half of the cars on it.

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Log Flume was pretty fun. Very scenic though a little short. I like the “waterslide” type thing. The drop was not that great, but it gets you the perfect amount of wetness.

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Mr. Freeze was kind of a let down and kind of not. I remember it being much better than it is. The launch is better than Joker’s Jinx for sure. The tight turn is fun and the inverted tophat is pretty good, but it shakes kind of bad and I wish it was longer. B+

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Pandemonium is so much better than its sibling at Mall of America. It is glass smooth and provides a very fun ride. Just the right amount of spinning. 2nd favorite spinning coaster behind Laff Trakk. C+

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River King Mine Ride is a fantastic mine train. Easily my favorite one. It is a pretty long ride, has some nice views along the hill, and has some pretty intense moments in the helix. This is like the perfect family coaster, aside Whizzer. B-

Screamin’ Eagle is a great old John Allen PTC. Great airtime and a very long layout. This is one you have to sit in the 2nd to last row, because some rows are really rough. It could use some track work for sure, but it is a very fun ride. Favorite coaster at the park. A, a little track work gets it the +.

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Skyscreamers are really fun rides and I actually got stuck on this one. You come down about halfway through the ride and at that point, it started to slow down and just kept slowing down slowly until it stopped. Waited for maintenance to come over and lower us down. These are so much better than Windseekers.

Spinsanity has to be my least favorite Disk-O. It is slow, doesn’t go to the ends of the half pipe, and doesn’t spin a ton. These rides can be very fun, like Kennywood’s, but this one is not a very thrilling ride. Good for families with little kids.

Superman Tower of Power is a good old 2nd Gen Intamin tower. Tons of fun and it runs the random drop program that Giant Drop runs during Fright Fest.

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This was odd. Only running three sides today.

The Boss is an interesting one. It has a fantastic layout, but it is so doggone rough. Those Gerstlauer trains feel like they are being destroyed every time the ride is dispatched. It is a very unique ride and would be a Top 10 if it got some nice track work. I know some people are set on it not getting RMC’d, but this one can go and I think RMC could do wonders with this ride. Maybe we can see this for 2019. C

I think I may be the only person on the planet that actually likes Ninja. The 2nd to last row is very tolerable and provides a somewhat enjoyable ride. There is a crazy head chopper exiting the 2nd inversion. It is very aggressive and I would totally ride it again. I totally expect it to be the next ride to go at that park as it doesn’t have a real entrance sign anymore and it is very hidden. I might actually go and ride this one more time if it closes next year. C

Xcalibur may be my new favorite flat. I really wish more of these existed. I want parks to put in the 2nd Gen Enterprise as I feel that is as close to one of these as you can get. Huge fan of this.

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We speak gooder American here in St. Louis. :emoji_laughing:

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Love these tunnels.

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Lots of rain.

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Followed by a rainbow.

Six Flags St. Louis was a really nice surprise. I really would like to get back soon, maybe even for Holiday in the Park. It really feels like an old school park and doesn’t feel like a Six Flags park. Huge thumbs up from me!

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Totals...
American Thunder 6
Batman: The Ride 2
Boomerang 1
Justice League: Battle For Metropolis - High Score - 275,500 1
Log Flume 1
Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast 2
Pandemonium 1
River King Mine Train 2
Screamin’ Eagle 7
SkyScreamer 1
Spinsanity 1
Superman Tower of Power 1
The Boss 4
The Ninja 4
Xcalibur 2
Total 36
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Another good reads here :)

Lightning Rod was the reason I got to come back this year for free so I knew I had to get on it once. Got in line right around 11 and waited longer than I have for any ride ever. 2 hours and 32 minutes. It was painful. One train and knowing it could go down at any moment. Not gonna lie. The ride was kind of a disappointment for all the hype. The launch is okay, but the first drop has floater air, and the quad down is the only other airtime on the entire ride. I would say two were ejector and two were strong floater. You just can’t enjoy a ride worrying your entire vacation that it is going to break down again. While it is a very fun ride, it is currently my least favorite RMC and is my second favorite ride at Dollywood. A

I wonder if the launch on LR has indeed been slowed down to fix the many issues with the ride judging by your review. Or maybe it's the overhype :p

Love the Dollywood pics otherwise. Park looks really pretty and charming, with awesome rides AND food! What's not to like there (except Lightning Rod's downtime of course)?!
 
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