Six Flags Great America opened its gates for the first time this year on the 18th of April, a Friday. Last year I bought my membership and thought I would attend opening day, something I'd never done. I took Friday off work, left for my family's house on Thursday with my darling Pia, and spent much of my day Friday and Saturday at the park. I wish Pia was able to join me this time but I felt very lucky to return to home to my loving girlfriend. I think I would have stayed at the park until close if she was with me. On both days, I left around 4:30 PM after getting my fill given the park conditions.
I spent some time Friday morning getting my food and drink passes in order before heading to the park. I arrived at the south entrance around 11:00 AM. It took 15 minutes to reach the parking attendant to enter and another 10-15 to find where I could enter the queue of people trying to get through security. One line extended beyond the parking lot and to the street connecting to the park's North entrance. I joined the queue amidst a group of people who could not seem to believe that was where the line was and seemed to idle vaguely near the line without actually committing until I made the motion. This was near the start of the lift hill for Superman: Ultimate Flight. Wow! Every person remarked on the length of the line. Waiting through it all to get into the park took 1 hour and 30 minutes and maybe was a little longer thanks to people cutting the line. There was no enforcement against line jumping by the Public Safety personnel who would just watch it happen. I guess it's a different team's responsibility.
I headed straight for Goliath because I wanted it to be my first ride. When I reached it, they were only just concluding tests. I don't remember the length of the line at the time, but I remember everyone cheering when they announced they were beginning (or resuming) operations. I wandered over to Raging Bull to check the line and remember didn't like the look of it -- seemingly about 90 minutes by then already. I waited to see they were only running 1 train and walked to X-Flight, which I had not experienced. Taking all the line lengths into consideration, I thought I would try to ride X-Flight for the first time. This turned out to perhaps be a foolhardy decision, but I don't regret committing. It's nice to know I didn't dissolve my cash if a single day doesn't go quite as planned.
X-Flight was also running one train. They were dispatching roughly every 5 minutes. A ride operators changeover took roughly 10 minutes. If there was a delay with securing riders, that took roughly 7 minutes. At best, they could only give a ride to 384 people every hour with the inclusion of flash pass users. The ride is just over a minute long. I don't think the number of block brakes helps with how few trains they were running. I entered the queue right at the fence to enter the ride area. With an operations delay and a rain delay, I was waiting for 3 hours to get on the ride. Many people left during the rain delay. I was in the station, ready to ride the 4th next dispatch. During the long wait, I noticed Goliath slow and eventually stop on the lift-hill. The operators managed to resume the ride without further issue, and started running subsequent tests before sending trains of passengers. I hoped that didn't persist and that it would stay operating so I could ride.
I rode X-Flight in the back row's outside seat on the right side and felt that it was a nice first choice. I really wanted to experience the right side's wing-over before the drop, which swings down and to the left. I found the forces relatively gentle throughout the ride. It delivered on my hope, which was that the large movements through the elements would feel somewhat lazy and floaty The laterals are quite tame. I thought the hangtime through the inline twist with all the cut-outs was really awesome. The seats are angled upwards in a way that seems unusual but I think really augments the view from the first drop. The restraints feel kind of like parasailing restraints in form but are restrictive against raising arms directly up in the air. However, I got a lot of fun out of sticking my arms and legs straight forward as if I had performed some really epic leap like Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece or Son Goku from Dragon Ball. I think I would like to experience the front row's forces and possibly the left side's wing-over. I definitely would like to ride it again. However, I don't want to wait in line for such time consuming ride operations when only one train is running. I intend to use a Flash Pass for this on my next visit.
4 PM was the end of my first day. I left the park. I thought to myself that I could finally get my add-ons associated with my membership so I could get food and beverage, but the line was a drag. It was genuinely faster to head home for dinner than to wait in multiple lines again at the park. My time to ride from the moment my car got on the park grounds was 5 hours. 11 AM arrival. 11:15 AM through parking. 12:45 through security. 4 PM X-Flight after delays with consideration for extremely lean and lengthy ride operations. I wondered how Superman must have been.
The next day, Saturday, I reached the park around the same time. This time, I entered from the North side. No line to get my parking pass scanned. No line through security. No line through scanning. I thought I might take advantage of the low volume of people and get my add-ons assigned to my membership. The line didn't move quickly and I got too excited to stand there, so I skipped my way to Goliath after deciding I could go a little longer before refreshments. Goliath had a short line. My time to ride on the first day after opening day, from the moment my car rolled onto the park grounds, was 45 minutes. The ride operations teams were working well together and had the benefit of 2 trains. They were dispatching trains roughly every 2 minutes and 30 seconds, with some occasional extra time for focused assistance with rider restraints. They could send a maximum of 576 riders every hour. That's not a lot of riders, to be quite honest, but it was definitely better than X-Flight given its limitations. I think most time is lost to stashing loose articles. I felt that the operators were swift and thorough.
I rode the back row on the left side. It was as rowdy as I remember. It's a bit rough through the valleys, but I love the air-time in the back row and the pull over the drop and into the dive loop. I went through a 30 minute queue for another lap and rode the second row. The drop from the front row doesn't take my breath away like the back row because of how much farther ahead it is when it finally gets rolling, but the force and pace through the bottom of that first valley is quite serious. For the second row, the pace over the airtime hill ejected me from my seat and the hangtime before the loop section of the dive roll felt really thrilling. The front car is also faster into the zero-g stall than the cars that follow and it makes the track rolling very whippy. I feel as though the rotation for the front car into the zero-g stall is faster than the rotation for the back car out of the zero-g stall. I wish the ride was a little smoother but I think I could still lap it a few times. I'm hoping for a day when the park is empty some time this year. I'm going to try when there's a big sports game or something else people might otherwise attend.
While in line for Goliath at the start of the day, I had a nice conversation with a family of coaster heads. Clayton and Jennifer were there from Oklahoma with their daughter Clarissa on a fun multi-day trip. They mentioned they were in line for X-Flight when they called the rain delay. It's funny to have near misses with people and end up meeting them anyway. We talked a lot about coaster in the park, what they were hoping to ride, and my thoughts on rides since they were visiting for the first time. They invited me to ride with them as a single rider and I said I was going for the back row, to which Clayton said "then you're riding with me!". It was quite a fun moment to have with some strangers. They were all very excited and enjoyed the ride. We parted ways after I joined the queue for a second lap and they went off to attempt the X-Flight queue. I hope they liked it. I remarked on the hangtime through the inline twist being really fun and cool.
After my second Goliath ride, I headed over to Maxx Force for a repeat in the back row. I had this funny determination in my head to not have my breath taken away during the launch. It is quite forceful but just being mindful of my breathing made the launch somehow all the more exhilarating. I rode in the back row by myself. Unfortunately, I was hardly in the frame for my on-ride photo. The queue lasted about 1 hour and the chains had zero double-backs, so it was the simplest layout it could have. The ride operators were running two trains, the most this ride can manage, and were dispatching trains roughly every 3 minutes. Stowing loose articles contributed somewhat to the duration, but, the train takes some time to get into position for connection with the dog that launches it. I had a great ride, I love looking down and waving at people watching from the pavement when at the top of the dog tongue. The speedy heartline roll is also incredible. It has very few elements but each one is very fun. For me, the speedy heartline roll is an attraction itself. So fun! The lateral forces through it feel quite gentle, but I love the pace through its total distance. I wish they themed this ride after fighter jets instead of a grand prix car. I guess they don't want to overlap with X-Flight. X-Flight actually has theming around the ride circuit, though.
At this point I headed to guest services to get my passes sorted. Their assistance is required to add-on passes that are not purchased at the same time as a season pass, so, I think memberships always require their assistance. My dining pass thus required their help. They were very swift and the clerk spoke clearly and concisely. I also got an unlimited drink pass for the season but they informed me that I can just take that straight to the concessions stand as the refillable containers have a barcode which is used to validate its use. Basically, if you have one of these, you can use it. So, if you have a friend with one, you could borrow theirs if they're not joining you. I might be that friend, but... if you're going... why wouldn't I join you? haha
I grabbed a beverage nearby to sip on my way to get some food. The passes are quite nice since a slice of pizza with breadstacks would have otherwise cost me $20. For 2 meals a day, all season long, the food pass affords itself easily after only 4 total visits a year. I would like to try and go once a month, but, we'll see. If I end up with enough time available to take off work, I might just try and take a whole week off to go ride stuff in hopes that others won't be there.
I grabbed some pizza near Superman. It is pretty basic. In flavour and consistency, it unfortunately reminds of grade school lunch. Thankfully, the park has many options. I just felt like I needed marinara, bread, and cheese that day. After pizza, I headed to the nearest information signage to find estimated ride times. It suggested that Batman: The Ride had only a 25 minute ride. I felt that, at worst, it's probably 45 minutes. I made the right call. The line was only 35 minutes. The station is a bit congested and so I asked people waiting for other lines if they wouldn't mind letting me pass to queue in the back row. I managed to ride one train earlier by joining a group of three.
The ride is fun overall but the shoulder restraints present the risk for head-banging that is otherwise totally avoidable if not for the rapid, sudden transitions through the wing-overs. I felt the zero-g roll was free of jerks and the two vertical loops were fluid (and awesome, especially visually). I think the most intense forces come from the sweeping turns and helices. It's pretty fun but the head-banging really sours it for me. The wing-overs look great in pinciple, and I love corkscrews, but the transitions into and out of the inversion just banged my head on the side with the shoulder restraints. Still, it was nice to get a ride on something relatively quickly. I have been trying to get a better grasp of timing with the posted queue estimations and by watching ride operations, so, I'm hoping to make more use of that as I visit the park more frequently.
After Batman, it was roughly 3:30. I thought about what I'd like to ride next. Waiting for Raging Bull would have taken an estimated 90 minutes. I really didn't want to wait that long for a ride. I sauntered over to Goliath again and enjoyed a 45 minute queue for my third lap of the day. I rode the 11th row, the second row from the back. It's quite a similar experience as the very back row, although I think the very back is slightly rougher. That was my final ride for the day. I walked back over to Raging Bull and contemplated my options. I felt if I stayed until 6 PM to ride Raging Bull it would advantage me to avoid traffic and simply stay in the park until close. It'd be a little longer after that until I could get my second meal with my pass. Ultimately, I decided that was it. I had my fill. What I really wished was that I'd get really lucky and fine some empty queues. I had no idea how opening day and weekend would be and I didn't expect it to be what I wished anyway. I could go to Six Flags Great America any time, but I felt that I was having a special weekend with my family and my girlfriend that I wanted to experience a little more. I might have gone Sunday if Pia was able to go with me. It would have been really awesome to share 3 days with her experiencing the thrills in the park. But, I know we'll definitely share that some time in the future.
