Well last night I went to Great Adventure for the second night in a row. I predicted it to be incredibly crowded, where lines are at a one hour minimum in most cases. Fortunately, it rained yesterday morning, so apparently many people thought it would be a bad day: that's right, the park was rather empty! Not as empty as Friday, but pretty close, and for a Fright Fest Saturday that is really amazing.
Anyway, here are the rides I went on:
Rolling Thunder (Left side)
Rating = 8.6
Since I usually go to the front of the left side, being that that is the best seat IMO, I went on the back seat this time. Airtime was in abundance compared to my Friday ride, but this was a bit rougher, too. It wasn't the usual smooth, semi-graceful trip I would expect from the left side. Then again, if you go in the back, I guess you're asking for a rough ride.
Overall I was a little disappointed, but not that much.
Chiller
Rating = 9.4
The line for this was kinda long, about 40 minutes, so my friend and I didn't feel like waiting for the front (which would have been at least another half hour). So we headed for the back, and it was a great ride. About equal to my ride the night before, but this time I didn't get much of a chance to put my hands up, so it probably was better without my knowing
Another amazing ride here, and I can't wait for the Batman side.
After Chiller, we spotted my cousin and her boyfriend with some of their friends over by the bumper cars and Pendulum. We told them about how good chiller was, and then my mom got talking about my dad being a block away from the WTC on Sept. 11th, and they talked, and talked, and talked about lots of other things for about 15-20 min.
The funny part was one of her friends was trying one of those games where you throw the baseball into that cup-like thing. Well the poor guy spent somewhere around $16, and he just kept losing. Then my cousin's boyfriend got the ball in on the second try (they give you 4 balls for $2, and he got one in on the second ball). It was hilarious, and I bet the other guy felt really frustrated...oh well
Anyway, after our chat interruption, we headed to...
The House of Superstition
Rating = 8.9
I have loved and will always love this ride. It combines an amusing pre-ride video with a fantastic simulation of an indoor/outdoor roller coaster-like ride. It's a really fun ride, one of the best simulators out there (Spiderman obviously takes the cake, but this one isn't too shabby). Unfortunately, we had to sit in the front row, which kind of ruined the view a bit, but it was still really good. I can't wait to ride it again
Great American Scream Machine
Rating = 8.4
Well my last ride on this was really good...smooth and fun. This time, being that there was literally no line except for the front (which had two people in front of us), we went for the front seat. I regret to say that this ride was quite a bit rougher than my last ride on GASM, but it was also a lot more intense. This ride is actually very fast, and if you ride in the front on a cold night, you'll see what I mean. My eyes were tearing more than on Nitro the night before. This was fun...rough, but fun.
Afterwards, my friend and I had this strange encounter...we walked out of Scream Machine and started walking back towards Elvira, where my mom said to meet up with her. Then this guy came over and asked, "Hey, are you guys season pass holders?"
We said, "Yeah..."
Then he asked, "Do you know anything about this Alcatraz: The Ride?"
My friend was kinda clueless, but being that I am a regular on this site, I had heard about it. I thought he was a tourist or something, so I said "Oh, I think it's some kind of simulator or something...like Dino Island."
Then the guy asked "Oh, well they're giving out free rides for a survey. You want one?"
I, being my naive and ride-happy self, and eager to tell you guys and all my friends, just said "Yeah, ok..."
However, my friend was not so trusting...I suppose that 3 more years of experience can give you a lot more foresight, but he thought something sounded strange with the guy. My friend just said, "No, thanks", and started forcing me over away from the guy. Immediately after, I thought about what an idiot I am, and how much trouble that could have been. We later found my mom and told her the story, and she said I should know better, etc., etc., and then we walked back to find out that Alcatraz: The Ride is actually there, oddly located by the bathroom and the NASA scrambler. Part of me thinks this guy was telling the truth, but the other part thanks my friend for what could have been a really bad situation.
Odd Parts
- The guy didn't have a SF Nametag
- He came out of nowhere and went away immediately afterwards
- He didn't ask for proof of whether or not we were season pass holders
Parts that Could be True
- They are supposedly doing soft openings for the ride, or so I've heard on this site.
- It was cold out, so the guy was wearing a jacket, and he could have had a name thing underneath or something
- Alcatraz IS there (I thought it would be over by Medusa or Viper or something), and they were selling stuff, so a free ride might be possible
Honestly, I don't know what to think. Either way, I feel like a dumb*ss, for being so blindly fooled by this guy. Luckily my friend was there, or else I have this feelingthat I might not be telling you this today...
Any thought on this would be appreciated very much.
Anyway, on a lighter note, you must be thinking, "What? No Nitro?". Yep, I didn't get to ride Nitro at Great Adventure...this is the first time in a long time I haven't, at least as my memory goes. Oh well, I'll catch it next time.
Approximate Times
Rolling Thunder: 5 min.
Chiller: about 45 min.
Elvira: Walk-on
GASM: 1 train (basically a walk-on)
Questions? Comments?
--CoolCoasterKid
SFGAdv. - Again?! 
Linear Mode
