bgr861509

My top 5 at Great Adventure are: 1. Nitro-- My all-time favorite coaster anytime, lots of airtime and very smooth, it just doesn't let up, love riding this at night, you truly feel like you are in heaven, I usually save this ride, the magnificent Nitro for my last ride of the day/night 2. El Toro "The Bull"-- this is a toss-up with Nitro, very intense, but smooth ride, does not let up, you feel like you are flying out of your seat, if this was March Madness, it would easily be a top (# 1) seed. If I can't close with Nitro, I would close it with this ride, during ROTB this year, I rode it 12 straight times without having to leave the station 3. Kingda Ka-- "The King of all Coasters"- It would be my # 1 if it was longer like Nitro and Toro, but it's just too short. You really get that adrenaline rush, going from 0-128 mph in 3.5 seconds. 4. Bizarro-- very underrated attraction and smooth ride, I like this ride because it flips you upside down 7 times (it doesn't let up), this ride is totally mindblowing at night when the elements take full effect, love the theme and elements that go along with it. 5. Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom-- The worst part is going up, it feels like it takes forever, but there is no greater feeling coming down, I rode this for the first time during ROTB in 2014 and I really loved it, that is why it is in my top 5.

Outstanding pictures, Matt!!! It was very nice meeting you on the Kingda Ka/Zumanjaro/Bizarro tour and it was my third straight Riding of the Bull, I made my ACE debut at ROTB Cinco. I'm glad the weather held up the entire day and night.

I left my house at 5:00 am to attend Riding of the Bull Siete, hosted by the American Coaster Enthusiasts New Jersey Region at Great Adventure. I arrived at the park shortly before 8:00 am, and I had to wait 15 minutes before they opened the toll plaza. After going through the plaza, I picked up my registration envelope and signed up for two of the three tours being offered, they were the same tours for Coaster Con XXXVIII. I signed up for the Houdini/Superman/Green Lantern tour at 12:05, and the Kingda Ka/Zumanjaro/Bizarro tour at 5:20 after lunch. The day began with morning exclusive ride time on Nitro, which ran for 1 hour prior to the park opening. I rode Nitro 8 times without having to leave the station. After Nitro, I went and picked up a flash pass for the day, because I just love using the system, I have used it all 6 visits this season. I chose Kingda Ka as my next ride, I rode that twice, in the second and third rows respectively. Before my first tour, I rode Zumanjaro, because I did not ride it last visit, only 10 days ago. Now, It was time for my first tour of the day, we met at the exit of the Go-Karts, and our first stop was Houdini's Great Escape, We were underneath the ride in the basement. I thought it was a neat way to start the tour. Our next stops on the tour were Superman and Green Lantern, We got to see the storage area for Superman and had many photo opportunities as well. The tour lasted just over an hour and the park was starting to get a little bit busier. I wanted to go on some more rides before lunch, I rode Namtab again with a one-train operation and it moved a little bit slow, I wanted to ride the Dark Knight next, but it was down for minor technical difficulties. I was looking for the next ride with the shortest wait, I chose Bizarro even though it was on the other side of the park. That was the last ride before lunch. Anyways, I would come back to Bizarro for nighttime exclusive ride time as part of Riding of the Bull. It would be offered for one hour starting at 9:00 pm alongside with the Runaway Mine Train and El Diablo. Just like tradition, the lunch was a mexican fiesta buffet, I was in there for an hour and a half break, it was very cloudy and overcast for most of the day, but it did not rain or storm, which was predicted for Saturday afternoon and evening. After Lunch, I rode the Bull before my 2nd tour of the day. This was just a warm-up of what was to come to close out Riding of the Bull. We had two hours of exclusive ride time on El Toro, the signature moment of Riding of the Bull. It was redemption time for me on my second tour of the day, the Kingda Ka, Zumanjaro, and Bizarro tour at 5:20. Our first stop was Kingda Ka, and the last time I did that tour, my camera battery died right as that part was beginning. I had my shot at redemption and it could not have come at a better time. It was the same tour, but in the opposite order. Now that my touring was done for the day, I had one thing on my mind, riding as much as I can before 9:00, the weather held up most of the day, I rode Superman and Green Lantern next, and night was descending upon Great Adventure. Believe it or not, that was the first night rides on GL and SUF for me. To keep the momentum going, I rode Zumanjaro again, this time at night, and my next stop was Kingda Ka for one night ride. My plan was to ride Kingda Ka, Zumanjaro, and Nitro before the exclusive ride time session tonight. It was so humid, I went and got some ice cream to have on the way to Nitro for a couple of night rides, which I love riding at night, by the way. I rode Nitro 2 more times to make it 10 for the day, i rode in the same row. It was 8:30 at this point, I went and retreived my sweatshirt, rain jacket, and souvenir cups from my locker and turned the flash pass in for the day. It was time to make my way to the other side of the park for the final act of Riding of the Bull. I arrived at El Toro at 9:00, but it wasn't quite ready for us yet, so I went and rode Bizarro two more times before heading back to close out on the Bull, That was my plan was to close out by riding El Toro, it is Riding of the Bull after all. I rode "The Bull" 12 consecutive times without having to leave the station. As a result, I broke my previous record from Coaster Con, I rode El Toro 13 times in one day. It was a long and fun 15 hour day at the park, it's so worth it. One family I met from Virginia was nice enough to offer me a ride to the hotel where I would be staying for the night, the Hampton Inn and Suites in nearby Robbinsville. They were staying there as well. In 2015, I have doubled my appearances at Great Adventure and hope to be back before the end of the season, maybe for Fright Fest and Holiday In The Park. Before I close, I just wanted to say thank you to Six Flags Great Adventure for hosting Riding of the Bull Siete and our national convention, Coaster Con XXXVIII. I am proud to call this my home park. I had no doubt that God was with us because it did not rain or storm during our most important aspect of Riding of the Bull. I had another amazing time at my 3rd consecutive Riding of the Bull.

I think it would be pretty cool, it would make it #1. Kingda Ka is in my top 3 at Great Adventure

Last year, I went to Fright Fest the week before Halloween on a Saturday, and the crowds were absolutely insane. When my father went to come pick me up for the night, He stood in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Rt. 537 for 45 minutes, and had to turn around to go on the other side of the road's entrance. Your best bet would be to go on Fridays or Sundays. Not sure if I will go to FF this year though.

I am now up to 85 coasters, gained a few new coaster credits within the last two weeks

I am very happy with the latest addition for next year. It's something different and I am looking forward to trying it out, we already have an outstanding lineup of coasters, this makes it better.

I was at the park today, and they are really making progress, Fort Independence is slowly coming down

I made my 5th visit to Six Flags Great Adventure for the 2015 season on Wednesday September 2, 2015. It was my 2nd park visit in as many weeks, as I went to Hershey last week. My sister came up with the idea because my mother and her were going to Belmar Beach for the day and they invited me to go to Six Flags while they were at the beach. Why not, I have nothing to lose and I have a season pass membership, and that is the whole point of having a season pass to make unlimited visits to the park. I arrived at the park shortly after 10:00 am, and it doesn't look like it's going to be crowded because everyone is starting to get back into the whole routine with school, work, etc. I met Roger, one of the security guards in the front, and he did an amazing magic trick, I was really astounded by it. He had a small cloth in his hand and mysteriously put it in the sleeve of my t-shirt and also had two dollar bills which he turned into a two-dollar bill. I have seen him many times at the park. As soon as I got settled in, I went and purchased a flash pass because I personally love using the system despite the low crowds. It's just me at the park, and I have nothing to lose. I used the gold pass 4 times this season and my next one (my 5th), which will be of course ROTB in 10 days, will be free. On the 5th flash pass, it is free. I have a card which bypasses the training. My first ride of the day was Kingda Ka, I was waiting for the front row because I have not done it before, but since there was an opening in the second row, I settled for the second row, but I will do the front row on KK one day, maybe next visit. It was a good way to start, and I stayed on that side of the park for about an hour. I went and rode El Toro next, and there was absolutely no line at all. It was just a brief wait for the front row on El Toro, I rode the front row for my first Toro ride of the day, and since there was no line, I was allowed to ride again without leaving the station, this time in the back row. I rode the front and back rows on El Toro the day before Coaster Con XXXVIII. After riding Ka and Toro, I made the short walk to Bizarro, and rode twice in the front row. It is dead at the park, and that is what ride enthusiasts live for. After Bizarro, I got a text from my coaster buddy, Stefanie, that she was at the park as well with her children, her friend and children as well. Before I went to work yesterday and knowing I was going to be at the park, I sent a text to my coaster buddy, Stefanie, to see if her and the kids wanted to join me for the day. Sure enough, as she said, it was fate, that we met up at the park. I wanted to meet up with her and she was very happy to see me, I have not seen her since Riding of the Bull last year. I met her at the parachutes and after her kids, Kay and Nick got off the ride, I met them, I wanted to meet her children because we talked about them so much. I walked with her and her crew for the day, and caught up. We walked to the other side of the park and rode some rides in that area. We rode Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train (which I rode for the first time ever), I picked up a new coaster credit, #84, I thought the ride was pretty good, it reminded me of Catwoman's Whip at SFNE. I rode that twice, it allows double rides, I rode the Buccaneer next and that was my first time riding that as well. It was nice for a change of pace. Next, we rode Skull Mountain and after that, they went on some rides, while I rode Nitro twice, that ride is just so amazing no matter what. It was a preview for morning ERT during Riding of the Bull. Next, I rode Namtab: Batman Backwards. It was amazing, and then i rode Nitro again. After Nitro, I rode the Dark Knight, because it was in the area. I met my friend again, and it was good hanging out with her and her two children, it was a pleasure meeting them. It was after 2:00 at this point, I rode Superman and Green Lantern once, and I wanted to ride as much as I can because I was going to leave at 5:30 to head home. I wanted to get a little something to eat and drink, because it was hot and humid at the park today. I got an Oreo churro and a small Coke, I tried an Oreo churro during Coaster Con, and it was delicious. I like to eat small while at the park. After riding Superman and Green Lantern, I had a little time left, and I closed out my visit by riding my all-time favorites, Nitro and El Toro as much as I can before leaving for the day. That will no doubt be, what I will ride most during the exclusive ride time sessions next Saturday. The signature moment of Riding of the Bull is ERT on "The Bull" itself, and that will take place at 9:00 PM for two hours after the park closes to the public that night. I rode that two more times before closing out my visit with Nitro, my all-time favorite at Great Adventure. I rode El Toro 4 times today. My last ride was of course, my beloved Nitro, I rode it two more times to make it five. I always close my visits by riding either El Toro or Nitro. I will close out ROTB by riding the Bull of course. What a fitting way to close out Riding of the Bull Siete. I may even break my records on my two "powerhouse" giants at Great Adventure. I rode Nitro 12 times and El Toro 10 times on Day 2 of Coaster Con XXXVIII. Riding of the Bull is certainly going to feel like Coaster Con XXXVIII Day 2 all over again.

For the first time since Coaster Con XXXVIII, I visited Hershey Park in the sweetest place on Earth, Hershey PA. I arrived at the park around 10:15 am. After having problems with my printer and my phone (which didn't cooperate on the way), I went to guest relations to get my ticket for the day. After I got my ticket, I went to the Hospitality Services center in the main area of the park to see if I could purchase a Fast Track pass for the day to get on the coasters quickly, I was able to purchase the pass. The pass itself is like the Flash Pass System at Six Flags and the Cedar Fair Wristband. It was a sheet that had all the coasters available for that day, but the only con was that you only can use it once, unlike the others, where they allow you unlimited rides. My first ride of the day was Skyrush, which opened in 2012, I used the pass, you gain access to the ride by going up the exit, and they have rows reserved only for Fasttrack users. I was in the middle row for my first Skyrush ride of the day. I thought it was a very good and intense ride just like Nitro. I stayed in the same area for a while, and rode the Sooper Dooper Looper, which is similar to GASM. After I rode Skyrush and Sooper Dooper Looper, I rode the Great Bear, a B&M inverted coaster, similar to Batman and Bizarro. I rode that three times, all in the front, middle, and back rows respectively. I really liked that ride. I did 3 rides in a span of 1 hour. I wanted to walk around Hershey Park to get a feel for the place because I have not been there in 6 years. I visited Hershey 5 years ago on the way to Atlanta for a weekend, but I did not go to the park, I went to Chocolate World for some candy for the ride to Atlanta. I chose the Comet as my next ride of the day after walking around the park for a bit, and it reminded me a lot of the wooden coasters I've been on in the past. As an ACE member, I appreciated the wooden coasters as many of our club members do. There are not too many of them left unfortunately. Now that I've conquered the four coasters in that section of the park, I rode Fahrenheit next, and some of the attendants did not understand the Fast Track system. So, I waited a little bit until I can ride. I met a family from NJ and told them about ACE and convinced them to join, I educated them about it, and they learned something new every day. Fahrenheit reminds me a lot of Kingda Ka, but it was a bit longer. I came here to pick up some new coaster credits, I rode the Wildcat, another wooden coaster, Hershey has a really good selection of wooden coasters. Since it was right across the way, I chose Wild Mouse, and it is a wild mouse style coaster. just like Dark Knight, that ride was a little rough, and I rode it only once. It was around 1:00 at this point, I was walking the park to find Laff Trakk, the brand new coaster for 2015, I found out, I waited 35-40 minutes for the coaster, it had a really cool funhouse glow-in-the-dark theme to it. Now the ride itself, I enjoyed it, it reminded me of Dark Knight and Skull Mountain, more intense than those two combined. I walked around a little more, I chose to ride Lightning Racer, a dueling coaster, reminds me of Rolling Thunder, I rode it on both sides, the Thunder side (green train) and the Lightning side (red train). Our train won the race both times, I heard from another park-goer, that the winner alternates every time. After riding both sides, I used the fast track pass for LR, I stayed on the Lightning side, but this time, I lost the race, but 2 out of 3 is not bad. I really loved this ride, and all the racing coasters, they are so much fun. I was getting hungry and thirsty, I had a hot dog, sausage, and water, normally I don't eat too much at a park, because I would feel very bloated for the day. After a quick lunch, I rode Sidewinder and Storm Runner, both in the same area. Sidewinder is a boomerang coaster, while Storm Runner, is a launched coaster similar to Kingda Ka. Hershey has two rides similar to KK, but not like it. I rode all the 9 coasters on the fast track for the day. I got done with the first go-around right around 3:00. It was now time to do some re-rides, I chose to ride Skyrush again, because I really liked it, I rode that three more times in the front, second, and back rows respectively. I wanted to get all the perspectives. I rode Skyrush 4 times, and it was a walk-on with the exception of the first ride, which I used the pass for. With one hour before leaving for the day, I walked around to see if I could get on a couple more rides, but decided to ride the Lightning Racer, that was one of my favorites. I rode on the Thunder side for my last ride, and our train won. I rode LR 4 times. It was 6:00, that meant time to leave for the day. We had a 3 1/2 hour ride home ahead. Overall, it was a good day to be at Hersheypark, the sweetest place on earth, the crowds were not bad for a Wednesday before school starts. If you are in school, i wish you the best of luck this year. I'm not sure when I will return to Hersheypark again, but I liked the park, it was very clean. I know for a fact, I will be at my third consecutive Riding of the Bull at Great Adventure on September 12th. It is a fun event and so worth the 14-15 hour day. I just hope for nice weather, because it was hot last year at ROTB.

I don't think you should have a problem buying a regular flash pass, when I went for my first visit of the 2015 season, I arrived at the park after 3:30 PM, and there were still plenty of flash passes available. I was able to buy one for the remainder of that day. In my honest opinion, I love using the system and use it often, it is one of the best inventions ever. If you have a season pass, they will ask you for it, and they usually ask for the last 4 digits of your pass. If not, you will need to bring any form of photo identification (ex. driver's license). You should consider buying the flash pass early in the day in case if they run out, but other than that, it shouldn't be a problem.

I know it may be a little expensive, my suggestion would be either the gold or platinum level flash pass. The Gold includes Zumanjaro and Skyscreamer, the Platinum includes the three rides including El Diablo, with that you can wait once and ride twice. When I go, I usually get the gold flash pass and on occasion, the Platinum. I personally love using the system. It is a good idea.

As of July 2015, I have been on 76 coasters in my life, gained many new coaster credits within the last year

Now, that part 1 of Coaster Con at Six Flags Great Adventure is officially in the books. They did an outstanding job hosting the first part of Coaster Con XXXVIII, everyone made us feel right at home for the last three days, I was there four days in a row., It was now time for the second half of ACE's national convention, which will take place in Southern New Jersey. Parts 2 & 3 would take place at Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township (near Atlantic City) and Morey's Piers in Wildwood (near Cape May) respectively. Many of the ACErs wanted to explore Storybook Land, a New Jersey treasure which hosts an ACE Christmas event in December. A Christmas Storybook Land will take place on December 5th, and Holiday In The Park/Winter Adventure will take place the day after, December 6th. It should be a fun and memorable weekend before the mad rush of the holidays. On April Fools Day 2015, Great Adventure announced it would host Holiday In The Park, the Six Flags version of a Christmas celebration. I really want to go to Holiday In The Park this year, it sounds like fun. I didn't go to Storybook Land, I went right to Wildwood. I left my hotel just after 10:30 to head to part 2 of my Coaster Con adventure at Morey's Piers in Wildwood, NJ. I went down the NJ Turnpike to Exit 3 with a pit stop at the Walt Whitman Service Area, I wanted to get some lunch at Roy Rogers and some fries from Nathan's (I absolutely loved Roy Rogers when it was still in business, I also picked up some brochures for Wildwood, Storybook Land, etc.) It was my first time visiting Morey's Piers in Wildwood. After exiting the NJTP, connected with the Atlantic City Expressway (ACE), ACE has more than one meaning apparently, and took the Garden State Parkway to Wildwood. This was the first time I've been on New Jersey's three major highways in one day, I arrived in Wildwood right around 1:30 PM and was able to check in to my hotel right away and they were nice enough to not charge my mother and sister, who joined me for the second half of the convention. They didn't go to the convention, they just wanted to get away for a few days and also go to the beach. My mom came up with this idea. I've checked in to my hotel, and my one thing I want to do is to get a feel for the place because I've never been to Morey's Piers. I walked up and down the boardwalk and I am really starting to like this place. At registration, they gave us wristbands for the three days we would be there, an orange USB port for some ride photos (I didn't purchase any), a drawstring bag, a beach towel, and 20 dollars worth of food vouchers. Morey's Piers made sure we were treated well and made us feel like VIPs. My first stop was at Mariner's Pier and I wanted to purchase a souvenir cup so I could get drinks for the day, it was cooler there than it was at Great Adventure, it was very humid most of the time we were there. I rode the Tramcar many times, and they have a saying "Watch the Tramcar Please", and one of Wildwood's residents came up with that saying. My first ride was Rollie's Coaster at Mariner's Pier, the piers open at 1pm and are open until Midnight, and we would have late night exclusive ride/pier time until 2:00 am at the same site. Next, I wanted to ride Maelstrom, and that is where I had my first issue with a ride attendant's conduct, it was me and two other attendees, they were wearing sunglasses, as I was too, apparently the attendant gave me a hard time about, but gave the other two a free pass. She threw my sunglasses on the platform, and that really ticked me off, she had some kind of an issue against me. Wow, This is off to a bad start, you gotta to be kidding me. It was almost time for our clambake dinner to be held at the Rendezvous Beach Pavilion on Mariner's Pier. I was so livid at this point, how dare she disrespect me and have no regard for anyone's property. My first visit to Wildwood, so far it is off to a rocky start. I talked to Bret Ulozas, the head ACE NJ Representative and some of the Morey's Piers management team about this situation and they said they would look into it immediately. I hope not to have any more issues the rest of the time here, but there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER to mistreat anyone, especially the ACE members who paid lots of money and travelled from all over to put up with that type of nonsense. It was time to settle down at the beach party, held at the Pavilion on the Mariner's Pier. They had lots of amazing food, a live band, a volleyball game, and a sand sculpture. Morey's Piers is really killing it so far, with their welcome to Coaster Con XXXVIII. During dinner, a plane flew over and everyone applauded, because it was welcoming us to Morey's Piers. They really rolled out the red carpet for us. I walked along the beach with my new friend, Paul, and we collected some seashells and took some pictures of the amazing sight. It sure felt like heaven, but it's Wildwood. I can really sense that this night will turn around quickly. Wildwood is so lively at night, it had a NYC feel to it. After the party, we were given a Green bag, and it was a block of wood from the boardwalk.They also gave us a souvenir cup that says Coaster Con XXXVIII on it, so I had two souvenir cups. They had free refills during our stay. Really nice touch from Morey's Piers. Now that we ate and are settled in for the nighttime activities, my friends and I went on some rides on the Mariner's Pier, we went on the Super Scooters (bumper cars), and a ride that reminds me a lot of some of the rides I went on at Disney. This place is really buzzing right now, and we walk down the boardwalk to Adventure Pier to tackle one of the best coasters, The Great White, and I am looking forward to this ride very much. I rode it twice in a span of 15-20 minutes, I absolutely loved this ride, it is one of those classic woodies that ACErs love. The night after, they will be offering ERT on The Great White in the Dark!! Now, that's something I will look forward to after the banquet. We also went in a maze that was absolutely confusing, my friends and I could not find our way out and ended up heading out the chicken exit. My friends wanted to to do the Skycoaster on Adventure Pier, but I did not, and I got to watch a video from it. It was pretty funny. One thing that I like about Wildwood, is that it is lit up at night, taking on a whole different experience. It was getting close to Midnight, which meant one thing, late night ERT on the Mariner's Pier. It was so nice to have the whole pier to ourselves after the general public left. They had snacks for us, nice touch to get us through the two hours. I went on a ton of rides during the ERT session, I went on the Sea Serpent, a boomerang coaster, Riptide (similar to Buccanneer at SFGA), Moby Dick, Maelstrom (it was like the one at Seaside), Wave Swinger, and the Teacups. I picked up some more coaster credits on this day, I decided that it would be time for me to get some sleep, it is a quick turnaround for our first full day at the piers.

I visited Kings Island twice during their last weekend of the 2014 season, I really loved The Beast, Diamondback, and Banshee. Two close friends of mine live right near KI, I really liked the park and it was the best time to go, not crowded at all. As for Cedar Point, I really want to visit there, that is on my bucket list. If I can't get there this year, I will definitely plan on going next year, maybe for Coastermania. I am a part of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and Coastermania is open to all coaster clubs. Nice pictures by the way, and I hope you had a wonderful trip.