Yesterday I went up to SFGAdv for what has become an annual trip. My parents and girlfriend joined me for the trip. Thankfully I wasn't driving so I could sleep all 3 hours while we were on the road to the park.

We arrived at the park about 9:30 and were able to get away with using our SFA passes for free parking, saving $15, very nice. We entered the park and joined the large group of people waiting to get at the rides on the left side of the park. While waiting for the park to open we saw Kingda Ka launch several times so I figured we could run over there first.

Once we arrived at the line we learned they were experiencing technical difficulties, but I figured we were better off waiting. After about 20 minutes they started letting guests into the station. We got over there pretty fast and were on the 6th train out of the station in the front row. I forgot how insanely fast this thing was. All around it was much better then I remember it being in the past. Great, exhilarating way to start the day.

While waiting for Kingda Ka I noticed Rolling Thunder was operating one track, with those being the elusive credits I have never been able to get during any of my past visits I figured I better get over there and finally get a ride on at least one side. I rode in the middle row of the back car with no wait. After all the terrible things I had heard about this ride I was expecting a down right awful ride, but I didn't think it was THAT bad by any means. It was pretty dull all in all (with essentially zero air time), but it wasn't rough. Just a decent little coaster, in my opinion.

Next up was my most eagerly awaited ride of the day, El Toro. The line was only going half way through the first set of switch backs, so it was a very short wait before we were riding in the back row. This is still easily the best coaster I've been on. El Toro has non-stop airtime on every hill, insane high-speed turns that are smoother then 99% of the steel coasters out there. Just an unbelievable ride from beginning to end.

After this we headed up towards Runaway Mine Train and Medusa. The mine train still hadn't opened, so we continued on to Medusa. It was a pretty short line (only going up the stairs to the station), so it didn't take very long to get on the front seat. Medusa is a great, fun coaster. The pacing is good and the elements are all very fun. The zero-g roll is my favorite part.

After this we were feeling pretty hungry so we stopped by Nathan’s to get a huge feast of food; all of it very, very tasty. Highly recommended for those who are down with deep fried deliciousness covered in cheese and wing sauce.

Next we went over to Great American Scream Machine, the line was a bit longer then I would have liked, but it was still only about 25 minutes for a second row ride. This was a good bit rougher then I remembered. A couple of the transitions left the entire train collectively going from “Woooooooo” to “AAAAHHHH OUCH!!!!!” Which sounded pretty funny at least.

After GASM we made our way over to the Dark Night. I knew I was going to be waiting a long time for a ride, and I knew it wasn’t going to be worth it. But oh well… I still wanted the credit and wanted to see what Six Flags latest attempt at a super themed coaster was like. The line was REALLY long, way too long; and it moved at a snail’s pace. It broke down for a little while as well which certainly didn’t help matters. After waiting over an hour we were watching the pre-show. It was ok I guess. The line just before getting on the coaster had a couple fun little surprises in the theming that seemed to amuse people. The ride it self… Well, it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. It’s a decent wild mouse coaster with very little trims and the brakes at the end don’t kill your guts like many wild mouse coasters tend to do. A couple fun drops. The theming was for the most part random and kind of cheesy looking. But oh well, I got the credit and won’t be waiting more then 20 minutes to try it again.

Once we got off Dark Knight we went over to get a ride on the other indoor coaster, Skull Mountain. The line moved quickly and in only about 20 minutes we were riding in the back. The airtime on the first drop while sitting in the back of the train is superb. Apparently between my rides on Skull Mountain last year and this year they added a few random items to “theme” the ride; a giant skull head thing and a pumpkin. The giant skull thing made sense what with it being Skull Mountain, but the pumpkin I have to assume is some cheesy theming left over from Halloween or something. It was still a fun time, though.

We headed over to Nitro next. It took about 45 minutes to get on in the back row. This ride is freaking awesome, love the airtime and the silky smooth ride. The hammerhead still rules, as well. To me the backseat is a must for the great airtime you get back there.

Batman was next; it was a pretty long wait (around an hour) for the back row. Gotta love the relentlessness of these coasters, though. Non-stop forces from beginning to end and very smooth, well worth a long wait.

After Batman we made our way over to the skyway, which took us over to the other side of the park after a 20 minute or so wait.

The mine train was open so we waited about half an hour for a ride in the back seat. Not too shabby, some of the transitions are downright awful and throw you around a whole lot, though. But its still a decent ride with a couple thrilling parts through the course.

I could see Rolling Thunder was now operating both sides so we went over there to get on the left side. Much better then the other side in my opinion. There was a couple pops or airtime on some of the hills, in general still a mostly dull ride, though. It was neat that the crews were racing it.

The sun was setting and it was getting late so it was time for one final ride. I naturally choose the best coaster I’ve ever been on, El Toro. The wait was much longer, taking up the entire line, and flash pass people really slowed things down by coming up in huge groups constantly. After over an hour of waiting we were back on in the back row, though. El Toro gets even better later in the day. Even more fantastic airtime and relentless forces were present throughout the ride. A couple small bumps could be noticed this time, though. Still, El Toro is smooth enough to be the best coaster out there.

We stopped by to grab some food and souvenirs before exiting the park around 8:30. All around it was a fantastic day, possibly the best I’ve had at SFGAdv. The rides, the employees, even the guests all made it a great day all in all.


I almost forgot, the only downside whatsoever, the locker policy... Essentially if its a ride you feel like you must ride, it requires a locker. $1 every time... It becomes very aggravating putting money down for a locker every time I want to ride a major coaster.

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Rebel Yell is better backwards.

Great TR. I loved SFgradv. I went back in May. I cant decide if I want to go back there or SFOG next year. Did you ride superman? I loved that thing, but Im sure it had a long line, I had the flash pass gold when I went, so I got multiple rides. KK was a total dissapointment IMO. It was so rough and lots of vibration. Dont kill me for this, but XLC was SO much better, especially the launch. KK's launch just seemed weak. El toro-omg this thing is insane, major airtime, my favorite seat is back of course. Im glad you had a good time.

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Depression sets in-its the off season!!

I'm very happy for you. You got a redeeming visit that turned out to be more typical of what I can get. Rolling Thunder I think has been running really well this season. Airtime and Rolling Thunder shouldn't be used in the same sentence. haha. I think the pumpkin has been sitting around on Skull Mountain for several seasons. They just decided to turn the lights on during the regular season not just Fright Fest when I think that pumpkin was on.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Rookie Year CHILLERLC1
Philadelphia Phillies - the 2008 World Champions!!!
LZ to SFA?

In the past KK never really impressed me THAT much. I felt it was a let down compared to TTD at CP. But this year it gave a really fantstic ride that really pleasantly surprised me. I always thought it was better then Hypersonic personally, though, XLC had that great launch but after that it couldn't be over soon enough, imo.

I had been on Superman at SFGAdv and SFOG in the past, I like the pretzel loop and all but other then that it just doesn't really impress me much. Basically it always comes down to eaiher waiting 1.5-2 hours for that ride or getting on other rides, i always choose the other rides now that I have the credit.


If you haven't been to SFOG yet, I'd go there. I love that park, the one visit I had there was superb. Mindbender is easilly oe of my top 5 favorite coasters, and although Goliath wasn't open yet when I visited (still under construction) it looks like it could be the best B&M hyper out there.

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Rebel Yell is better backwards.

Yeah it was really fantastic, I was very pleased to have such a great trip. Thanks for the explanation as to whats going on with the pumpkin, I figured it had tohave something to do with fright fest, lol.

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Rebel Yell is better backwards.

See what happens when the weather is good? Glad to know we all made up for your last crappy visit. That's what a real Gadv visit is like.

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