jollyroger

On 11/30/2022 at 5:55 PM, Gyrotron said:

If the TrailRunner does get used to replace old mine trains, wouldn't it be pretty cool to see it replace Runaway Mine Train? That would be pretty neat to have a park with multiple single rail coasters. 

 

Edit: Just heard about the Racing P'Sghetti Bowl coaster SFFT is getting in 2023, I guess they are going to have multiple single rail coasters in one park!

No, absolutely not, Mine Train should never be replaced, a GA original.  

23 hours ago, 29yrswithaGApass said:

Thanks. It is mind boggling that the original spotlight was over 15 years old!   It is also unbelievable that we have been building this site for 15+ years.  
 

We still have tons of new stuff to share and just as much to update and enhance.  Plenty of great things ahead!

I have to say this site has the most detailed history of any amusement park I've seen, it's easy to navigate and find the history on almost anything the park has had, it's more in depth than any site about Disney parks. So, I really appreciate the dedication that went into building this site. 

I agree with both of you, it is indeed a worthy cause, but it is also not the best-looking wrap for the ride, especially from a distance. Somehow Kia on El Toro blends better with it's regular color, and Skull Mountain was just little stickers, and a few large banners. Twix on Twister looks ok I guess. Stride on El Toro really stood out though, Got 2B on Kingda Ka didn't stand out as much, Twix on Rolling Thunder was okish. Axe (I think) on Scream Machine didn't look the best on it. didn't like Rock Assurance on Mine Train, Polly-O on Mine Train was a little better, but would rather not have it wrapped. M&M's on Skyway is fun I guess, 

We have a Gottlieb's Soccer themed pinball machine, it works as of now, but it ever has any problems, maybe you could help us out. 

Actually, it's only issue right now is when it pushes the ball into the launch area it takes a few tries to get it there, one time it just gave up and left it there.

On 4/9/2022 at 5:42 PM, rj1972 said:

 

While we only ever had season passes, I'm scratching my head as to why they eliminated the memberships. From a business standpoint, memberships produce a more level stream of revenue and remain in place until the customer takes the initiative to cancel.

 

I would agree that there were quite a few drastic changes to admission and dining this year. 

 

Dorney still has an all-season dining plan, but the clientele at Dorney is even scarier that Great Adventure. 

Ha, Dorney can have bad clientele, but imagine going to Great Adventure during Fright Fest and getting harassed and followed for a phone you didn't steal.

On 3/12/2022 at 1:07 AM, The Master said:

 

The best way to repaint something is to first completely strip away all the old paint first but that is not always practical. Even sections that aren't loose now will become loose later as the adhesion failure spreads. Painting over old paint can cause weird issues, one of the worst is when new paint dissolves the old paint layer which is called paint biting. I would imagine they use some type of single stage urethane paint. Not use if they use one part (1k) or two part (2k)?       

It is always best to start fresh, for ride vehicles they probably strip it to bare metal or fiberglass, but for a large roller coaster like that they generally try to blast as much paint off as possible with high pressured water, prime areas that need it and paint over the old stuff it seems. 

12 hours ago, The Master said:

I noticed the last couple of years that the blue paint has been chipping pretty bad off the old green paint. Hopefully they remove the failing blue paint first and not paint over it. 

Well, I'm sure they know to use the pressure washer to clean and strip loose paint. 

These changes are fine, and some are good like Medusa, but I am not a fan of the single rider thing.

1. It never worked at Hersheypark (they don't have it anymore either) because, they will need to station an employee in the station at all times, so on low staffing days those rides will require more employees than before. 

2. Every time single rider line is a thing, it is mostly groups of more than one trying to wait for a shorter line, sometimes they actually do get to ride together, look how great Zumanjaro worked out with that single rider line, it doesn't.

3. I prefer not to go on these rides with a stranger beside me with flailing arms (happens too much) since we go in a group of three sometimes.

5 hours ago, Yoshi said:

Yeah that was a problem even before Covid. 
 

On a Friday night during Hersheypark in the Dark in 2019, 33 rides total were closed. Mostly kiddie rides but also Fahrenheit, Sidewinder, Wild Mouse, 2 of 3 Triple Towers and almost all flat rides. I took screen shots of the app because I couldn’t believe how many closed rides there were.

 

Then a few weeks later I went to Great Adventure on Veterans Day, Jackson schools were in session but they only had 1 or 2 closed rides. I was impressed with how many rides they had open since I expected way more to be closed.

Yes, their staffing issue slowly started getting worse in 2018 and even more rides closed on certain days in 2019. Stationing an employee for FastTrack on a lot of ride did not help that at all, they don't need four seat checkers every time Great Bear is open. They don't have as many employee as they would like for sure, but filling unnecessary spots all the time won't help the issue.

With the new direction Six Flags is going, some things I get, but other things like removing dining plan and Holiday in the park is bad, I hope Great Adventure's Holiday in the Park stays, and if Six Flags America's Christmas event doesn't come back, I'll miss it. I know the fights were a problem at Fright Fest, but cutting days and hours are not going to solve all of their problems.

At least it was better than Green Lantern, if Scream Machine was still there I'd probably ride it often, I only ride Green Lantern a couple times here and there, same with Superman.

I could be wrong, but these parks are probably getting money from the state to use because of the shutdown in 2020, because it seems kind of odd all these coasters suddenly need a repaint. Some really did need it, but Sidewinder at Hersheypark looked fine, and Alpengeist at Busch Gardens VA looked fine, among others that didn't need it that bad. 

Retheming Bizzaro might have already been in the plans though, not sure.

What the heck is a 10-meal dining plan! We want Jim Reed Andersen back from retirement again!  

But, seriously, I'm glad this year I'll have the real dining pass, but if they don't offer the usual unlimited version, I'd consider skipping 2023, Six Flags America is my closest park at 2 1/2 hours away, the main reason I renew Hersheypark's higher prices is because of it being our closest park.

I get it, it seemed like everybody seemed to have a cheap pass that gets you to all Six flags may have not been the best financially, but the price jumped too quickly and discontinuing the Dining pass that a lot of guests got really used to is a bad idea. They are on their fourth version of a 2022 pass now I think, they can't make up their mind, remember the pass that didn't get you into Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park, they had to change that, because that didn't work out, hopefully this 10 meal dining pass doesn't work out and it goes back to unlimited dining plan.

On 6/22/2015 at 1:13 AM, 29yrswithaGApass said:

Reminder, if you are going to be in the park Monday or Tuesday afternoon (Noon to 4pm) stop in the Great Adventure History Museum for its encore display. Here are some photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What did they do with all of that stuff after your museum, like did the ride cars go back into the boneyard, or did they actually keep it in indoor storage, such as the Calypso car for example. I think I remember seeing the kiddie Ferris wheel car in Big Top Terror, which of course took over the same tent.

I like Skull Mountain, but it would be cool if they got Little Spiders to make them new set pieces, restore the rockwork outside, and lights that only go on as you go past. Maybe add some large ceiling fans for the summer too, 

And attached to the fort is Runaway Mine Train and Skyway, and we definitely can't lose those either! 

The links aren't working for me. 

6 hours ago, Ol'FormerRideOp said:

 

It's amazing... The ORIGINAL concrete poured back in 1974, had some moderately big stones in it, and it seemed to last forever without any degradation.  There are many sections of original concrete that exist today, and still look good after all these years.  However, the newer concrete pours have sometimes been problematic - and by trying to go cheap and use tar instead of concrete, they just wind up having to make repairs more often.  I wish they'd stop using tar and go back to concrete.  Yes, it's bit more costly up front, but it lasts longer and doesn't require annual sealing and maintenance.

They have been using concrete lately, only in the back of Movietown and Boardwalk that has blacktop, which was done a good long while ago. I notice they like to do one area with concrete, leave ten feet of the the old pebble style and then back to concrete, go to Sugar Shack and see what I mean.

Probably will be years until they replace it, I know this is Cedar Point, but Dorney's Stinger is still a field. You'd think they would move it, but I can imagine it being scrapped unfortunately. Wicked Twister is not my favorite ride, I would choose to remove that before any of the Arrows at Cedar Point. 

I like Dorney's Possessed more, because it just seems to run smoother. But, I hope to see this relocated to another park though.

14 hours ago, MarioSonic94 said:

I'm guessing this means the NJ Transit bus service will resume soon?

 

Probably around Memorial Day, when full time operations start.

I wish we could stop all city buses from entering the park, call me selfish, but...

On 5/5/2021 at 3:15 PM, Yoshi said:

Happy Birthday jollyroger

Thank you, enjoyed it very much, didn't go to any parks that day, but did go to Hersheypark the Sunday before my birthday though.

On 3/19/2021 at 4:13 PM, XENITH said:

Okay, Great Adventure might have actually done something pretty genius.

 

When I first saw the siding choice for the maintenance barn in today's update, I was pretty skeptical. I was hoping the park would've done something a bit more rustic looking instead of going for a modern, industrial chrome look. I began looking up images online of the station of Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast at Six Flags Over Texas and how the oxidizing on the station actually looked really cool. Oxidation is the process by which metal rusts due to the presence of water or moisture in the air, which gives some metal a more brown appearance over time as these instances accumulate. I began doing further research and I have come to three conclusions as to what may happen with JDC's storage shed over time. Below is a photo of JDC's storage shed right now for reference.

 

 

Possibility 1: LITTLE TO NO CHANGE - it is possible that the park may have ordered oxidation-proof corrugated sheet wall, which would indicate that the metal has been treated to be weather-resistant and avoid rusting. This would hopefully preserve the sleek, chrome look of the shed for a few months or years before the luster of the metal begins to wear off and the shed has a more matte look. The final appearance of the structure would likely resemble that of Green Lantern.

 

 

Possibility 2: Slight oxidation - If fully weatherproof corrugated sheet wall is not what we are dealing with here (meaning it has either been slightly treated for oxidation or not treated at all), the wall is almost bound to be subject to oxidation, where it will develop a more rusted looking appearance over time as a result of exposure to the elements; specifically, rain and humidity. Thus, it would lose the more chrome and luster appearance it has now upon installation. The appearance of the station would be most comparable to the photo below, though probably not as extreme. I would compare the appearance most to Nitro's station, or, with more oxidation, the station of Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast at Six Flags Over Texas. It could also be compared to what Twisted Timbers' station currently looks like over at Kings Dominion

 

Per this graphic, the wall would most likely develop an appearance similar to "Weathered 1 Week" or "Weathered 2 Weeks" in a more extreme case.

 

Possibility 3: Full oxidation (I am hoping this one happens) - If the sheet wall has not been treated at all and will naturally weather, the building will likely develop a similar appearance to "Weathered" on the graphic above. If this is true, the building will probably look most similar to the original concept art for Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion. Personally, I think this would look incredible with the ride's color scheme. If I can, I will try to photoshop some concept images later to simulate each scenario. 

 

I think it is also worth noting that the roof of the station and what will likely be the roof of the maintenance shed are also corrugated metal, so depending on how the sheet wall reacts, we could see similar effects on the roofs of the two structures as well. Something is also telling me that we could see this same corrugated sheet wall lining the bottom half of the station, but I think that the park would have done this before installing the stairs and ramps, so I think the bottom half of the station will remain largely unchanged. I would also love it if the park added some extra theming to the shed just so that it blends a bit better with the area; some thematic signs or structures along the visible exterior would be nice, something on the front face of the building would be cool too.

 

Given Great Adventure's history of corrugated sheet wall stations and structures (Green Lantern, Dark Knight, Batman, Nitro, etc.), I think the most likely outcome is either Possibility 1 or Possibility 2. Given that the most recent installation at the park with a fully corrugated sheet wall structure was Green Lantern 11 years ago and it has aged very well, I think it is likely that the sheet wall on JDC's storage shed will present similar effects. Of course, I am rooting for Possibility 3, although I think it is the least likely since it would likely take some time before the full oxidation effect kicks in. And, in all honesty, if the park wanted a weathered look for the structure, I think they would have had the metal pre-treated, sandblasted, and painted to resemble a weathered appearance rather than letting the oxidation process occur naturally. Nonetheless, I encourage you all to let me know what possibility you think is most likely and how you think each would fit in the context of the Jersey Devil's theme.

 

**Just a side note about the theme; it appears the park may be moving in a more modern-industrial direction with the Jersey Devil theme rather than rustic. It seems they have embraced the character of the devil more than the Jersey Devil folklore itself, as indicated by the reuse of the El Diablo statue, parallax head, and the lead cars. Because of this, I think we'll see the park stray away from a rustic and folklore theme in favor of a modern, steel-driven theme. I think any of the three possibilities would fit this thematical direction, but I feel like Possibility 3 would best suit this since it would include more dark, devilish colors like hints of brown, orange, and red. But generally, based off the silvery and sleek architecture of the area, I think that the park will stick with the chrome steel.

I may have low expectations, but it will probably be silver metal, reused props and maybe some flame cutouts, lets not forget the really nice landscaping they forget to keep up after it's first year.

7 hours ago, XENITH said:

Yeah, this is probably the biggest catch with the theme since it’s theme will probably be closer to El Diablo than it will to the actual Jersey Devil. This could be due to a number of things, but I think one is just sheer marketability. A lot of people (including me) see “devil” and think about the Devil in the underworld associated with flames, demons, and things like that; not a hooved deer with bat wings. JDC, with its 48 inch height requirement, also appeals to younger audiences, so indicating a clearer theme here is beneficial as well instead of trying to explain why the Devil is a deer instead of a demon. Similar to the New Jersey Devils hockey team, as their theme is centered around the actual Devil associated with hell, not the Jersey Devil folklore. But it still ties in regardless, so I think it still works. If I had to guess, a lot of the theming elements from El Diablo are probably going to be reused on this ride, even outside of the ride’s old demon statue. 

I do get what you are saying, but I feel it would have made more sense for the theme to be more focused on the woods, and have the appearance to the creature to be more mysterious. I do appreciate the idea for the ride, but it just looks like they went for The Devil in New Jersey rather than The "Jersey Devil".

8 hours ago, XENITH said:

I'd love to see a very extensively themed station as well, something reminiscent of the Leeds Cabin depicted in the old folklores; very decrepit-looking and rustic.

 

Realistically, I think, we will probably end up seeing little to no Jersey Devil-related theming in the station. In the animation, the station's steel skeleton was a rich brown color and the roof was brown as well, so it appeared as though the station would resemble a cabin of some sorts. The station we have now has a blue-ish steel color with what I think is a brown corrugated roof, so I do not think that they are going for a more cabin style feel for the station. I think the most theming we will see is possibly some rustic style gas lanterns/chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to give off a more rustic feel, but I think that the park may be going for a more modern theme with the coaster instead of an older style one.

 

That being said, I am curious to see how they style the control room and maintenance building, as I'm sure those will indicate if the general theme of the ride leans more towards modern or rustic. Given the park runs with a more modern theme for the ride, I think we will see some rustic elements incorporated into the overall theming of the ride; I think we may see this best replicated in the ride's entrance portal, which is hopefully some sort of brick-columned entrance with an iron-clad gate perhaps to replicate that riders are entering the Jersey Devil's estate. 

 

Another thing to monitor in regards to the station is whether it remains open air or becomes enclosed. I think it is possible that the top of the station could be enclosed with the same steel framing as the maintenance shed, but I tend to doubt this possibility as practically all of the park's coaster stations are open air. I think the most we could see is something like El Toro's station, with an enclosed station and iron-clad fencing to fill the window gaps. I think this would enhance the look of the station nicely, and would also be a nice added safety measure given the station's proximity to the entrance of the zero-g roll. This appearance may be awkward given that the bottom half of the station would not be enclosed, so the park may decide to leave the station mostly open-air and put some relatively tall iron fences up instead. 

 

One underlying reason I don't think we will see too much theming in the station is due to the urgency of the ride's loading and unloading process. Because of the continuous loading, the park likely would not want to distract guests with too extensive or immersive of theming in the station so that their attention is on listening to pre-loading instructions from attendants and quickly and safely boarding the train. Compare this to other rides with continuous loading like Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and The Dark Knight Coaster, where theming in the station is much more toned down compared to the theming in the queue line, and during the actual ride experience. 

I might have low expectations, but we will probably see a steel pavilion with metal roof as the station, and fire cut outs themed to red faced horned devil dude, which is by far is NOT what a Jersey Devil is supposed to be, if they are going to use Jersey folklore, get it right. Jersey Devil is not a literal devil.

I would like to see the mountain rebuild with a package of dark rides inside like the old days (before my time) but we all know that is unlikely the park will ever see a mountain that large built in the park again.

I did like Volcano though, it wasn't my most ridden coaster in the park because it did have more downtime, and the line was usually longer when it was open anyways, but the loss of it really changed the looks of the park.