Hi I am planing a trip there next Thursday and I was wondering how crowded it would be there, weather the lines will be real long for rides like Superman, El Toro, and Kingda Ka.

I was also wondering witch of those three rides I should ride first in order.


Thanks.

It shouldn't be too crowded. I would suggest getting there early though. Here is the order that you should do the rides.

Nitro
B:TR
Chiller
El Toro
Medusa
Kingda Ka
Superman

Don't go right to ET or KK, as they most likely won't be open first thing in the morning. Give them some time to get going. Ofcourse, you can throw other rides into that schedule, but as far as the major coasters go, I feel as though that is a good order to do them. Also, you should ride Skull Mountain, but that never has a line, so you can throw that in there at any time of the day. Have a great time on your trip. Let us know how it goes.

__________________

Theres lot of info on this site. Check out Trip Reports.

But a real quick synopsis would be:

-Line are generally unpredicatable, expect average crowds, check to see if any events are going on. You are going during the time when a lot of schools are making their annual trips, expect lots of high schoolers marathoning rides.
-Superman is usually a slow line (loading is slow). KK is decent, when the ride isn't on one of its frequent breakdowns. El Toro's line can move if they are not on a one train operation, otherwise its slow too. Chiller is draw.
-Nitros line moves fast no matter what. Same goes for GASM.

My advice would be do the small stuff early on, unless rides are empty, most of the high schoolers will be out of the park by 5-6pm, then it'll be mostly empty for your enjoyment until 8pm when it closes. if you are going on 5/18, its math and science day.

Have fun.

__________________
escape

The lines during the week aren't really that crowded, since schools are still in, so unless a school group or something like that is going, you should be fine.

__________________

Thanks for tips.

Congrats - This is the best time of the year to get to Great Adventure. During the early evening when the school trips clear out it's pure heaven with an empty park to play in. One year I did a 10 ride marathon on Medusa and B:TR when the trips let out.

I too believe you need to come early at opening or start at least by 11. There is enough volume of coasters to take up a lot of your time.
I think you can follow the whole park in the oval. Start right off going to Movietown, ride CHILLER first if you see the crowd's in the building and not spewing down and around the ramp. Ride Batman the Ride next and NITRO. These two B&M's have excellent capacity and quick cycling of guests. It may be one of the best B&M park duos out there. I think there's time not to worry and do Skull Mountain and Blackbeard's Treasure Train next in the Lakefront area. There's never a line for that Zamperla family ride. Across the Lakefront, past the tent stores, make a right into Frontier Adventures. Don't go straight yet to ride El Toro. Do the Runaway Mine Train, Medusa, then El Toro. By then you should be through most of your day. Don't worry - You can get all the other credits still. Rolling Thunder next though you'll see it's night and day with Toro. Kingda Ka follows. Finally swing over to the Boardwalk to do GASM and Superman. Superman suffers from loading slowly and the gimmick of friends wanting to "fly" together. I ride Superman very few times a year. Finally, you'll pat yourself on the back for doing all the major SFGADV coasters. I think there'll be so light traffic you'll be able to pull the credits without a Flashpass. I so wish I had that available day the next two weeks.

__________________
Thrillnetwork Moderator - Rookie Year CHILLERLC1
Philadelphia Phillies - the 2008 World Champions!!!
SF: Obama Windmill Energy Spin Coaster?

Yeah, I'd say don't anticipate Superman toom uch because it always has a long, slow-moving line, and is not worth it as much as others are.
^you were in Korea? Mind if I ask why?

__________________

I went on a trip last month. Before I left, I went to the GA Insider Forums for advice. This was a great post that helped out (it's another take on the order).

++++++++++

Here's what I'd do:

Flying: Arrange for a hotel room and a rental car in Trenton. Fly to Newark Airport, and take the NJ Transit train to Trenton. The park is about 20 minutes from Trenton via I-195 (exit 16A). No toll. Single-day parking is $15, season parking pass is $40.

Driving: It's about 8 hours, long but certainly doable with multiple drivers. Likewise, your best bet would probably be for a hotel in Trenton. There may be tolls on the way.

PACK LIGHT. Don't take anything into the park that you can't fit in your pockets. You don't want to end up having to rent a locker at Kingda Ka, which they WILL make you do if you have a bag.

Before you go to the park, STUFF YOURSELF at Wawa (recommended), McDonalds, Burger King, or KFC. They are all right outside the park. You DO NOT want to buy two meals at the park!

At the park: Arrive 1 hour before opening time, so you can be first in line at the gates. Gates open 1/2 hour before park opening. Go all the way up to the ribbon, on the LEFT side. When the ribbon is dropped, go where everyone else is going: Kingda Ka. Only run once everyone else starts running, usually when you get to the Boardwalk. RIDE THE FRONT ROW OF KINGDA KA. IT IS WORTH ANY WAIT.

When you get off Kingda Ka, BUY A SOUVENIR BOTTLE (99 cent refills!) then go to El Toro. Ride the back row. Re-ride if the line isn't that bad. Ride Rolling Thunder if you want to, then head over the bridge to Medusa. Ride front row the first time, then move to a row with no line (if there is one) and re-ride several times without getting off the train (you can as long as there's no line for your row). When you've had your fill of Medusa, ride Runaway Mine Train then take the Skyride (cable cars) to the other side of the park. Cameras are allowed on the skyride, so make the most of it.

When you get off the Skyride, you've got a bunch of coasters to knock out on this side of the park:
-Skull Mountain. Back row.
-Chiller, if open. Back row on Red and front row on Blue.
-Batman: The Ride. Front row.
Nitro. At least 2 rides. Front row for the first ride and back row for all the rest. The line moves VERY fast, especially if all 3 trains are running.

By this point, you'll probably be very hungry. However you should eat as late as you can stand to, so as not to have to eat again until you keave. The places I highly recommend are:
-Mama Flora's Cucina, behind Chiller. Very good Italian food, but unfortunately no pizza (the pizza at the park sucks anyway).
-Carnegie Deli, by the fountain. HUGE corned beef and pastrami sandwiches. The Woody Allen is a $15 sandwich with corned beef AND pastrami that's so big it'll completely fill up two people. Quite a good deal when you think about it.
-La Cocina, by El Toro. Very good Mexican food.
-Best of the West, by the Log Flume. Great burgers with lots of fixins'

After you've eaten, you've still got two major coasters left: Superman and Scream Machine. Superman is not that good at all, and way too short, just a pretzel loop, a few turns, and a twist. Because of its VERY high visibility from the parking lot, the line is almost always 2-3 hours. Ride it once then forget it exists. Scream Machine is a real headbanger, and its line will rarely extend out of the station. The back row is the best, as you will go through the worst headbanger (going into the block brakes) slower than the rest of the train.

So, now you've finished your first round of coasters. There aren't that many good flats, the only ones I always ride are Space Shuttle and Teacups. Assuming you're staying till closing, start another round of coasters. Try to get two more Kingda Ka rides in, as you'll need to ride it at least 3 times to really remember it. Just make sure you ONLY ride it in the front row, it really makes a HUGE difference. Other than that, concentrate on your favorites, two of which will almost definitely be Nitro and El Toro.

__________________
Something Wicked This Way Comes

Trenton area - generally its suburbs. Who says you can't fly into Philly as well? SEPTA trains will take you to Trenton in about a hour. If the NJT train from Newark beats it that's good.

__________________
Thrillnetwork Moderator - Rookie Year CHILLERLC1
Philadelphia Phillies - the 2008 World Champions!!!
SF: Obama Windmill Energy Spin Coaster?

I agree with what everyone has said about the slow loading on Superman. Close to 15 minutes and it was only a 2 train wait. I found GASM much more rough in the back than the front.

whether*

sorry. pet peeve, kinda

__________________
Vedran

Six Flags Magic Mountain
Summer '08!