dougdrummer

You'd have to have road access to the hotel, for construction, deliveries and emergency.

My wife said it is worth the money so we're probably going to go for it. Opening day is less than two weeks away!

Great feedback. We're trying to decide if the meal plan is worth it to us, because we live only 30 minutes away. So we could just visit for a few hours and not eat or drink much in the park, or get the meal plan, stay longer, and make full use of the plan. But for the two of us it would be about a $350 investment for season pass and meal plan. I've never visited SFGA more than twice in a year, so we'd be in new territory as repeat attendees.

Doesn't SF already have the same ride in some of its other parks?

what is ERT?

It's been a long, rocky road for the Flying Turns bobsled-type ride at Knoebels in Pennsylvania. Imagine it taking 7 years to get a ride up and running! Construction began in January 2006, and in July 2007 the maintenance crew ran the first test car test runs which were completed successfully. In October 2007 the first powered complete test runs were done, The first delay was due to an issue with the roller coaster car's wheels. The wheels were shipped back to their manufacturer in California and the issue was corrected. However, the ride did not open by the end of the 2008 season due to the cars travelling too quickly for passenger comfort. The ride was supposed to be opened during the 2009 season, but had to be re-tracked and profiled to accommodate new trains. In June 2011, Knoebels said "We've been testing the newest version of the Flying Turns ride vehicles and are VERY encouraged. There's still plenty of work to do but this is a very positive step in the right direction." In 2012, a section of track at the brake platform, as well as the brake platform itself, was removed, and these sections were rebuilt to accommodate the newest trains that were being delivered. In August 2012, Knoebels said that they planned on beginning testing for the newest trains soon, and that they believed they finally figured out how to get the trains to run smoothly. On October 5, 2013, the ride officially opened to the public. It operates three trains with three cars apiece, and each car accommodates one large rider or two small riders, with a weight limit of 400 pounds per car. One train is painted green, one is painted yellow and the third is painted mauve. A fourth train is planned.

thanks!

Awesome - thanks for the great insight!

I am stunned by the amazing array of old photos that are posted on this site. You can recreate the history of just about any feature that was ever in this park. The older I get the more I am into history and recreating it through old photos and videos, so I am so glad that I found this site. I am also a civil engineer so threads like this discussing fluid dynamics of a flume ride is right up my alley. KUDOS to GAH and its members!

When I was there for HITP one of the stores had a discount rack, but with items not of much use. We bought Marvel can coolies for the kids for $2.99.

Makes sense since the biggest chain convenience store in the region is Wawa, and they sell Icees.

In all my years of existence I have never paid for a ride photo. There have been several rides where I purposely posed in a funny manner just so I could look at it after the ride, but never actually bought one. I have taken many vids and photos of friends and family members on rides over the years, especially at other parks.

Lightning Loops, or at least half of it.....

That's the one I was thinking of - thanks!

I wonder if the addition of Hurricane Harbor played a part in investing less in water rides? Also, some people (especially older ones) are not interested in getting wet at an amusement park, especially on days when it is not especially hot outside. Walking around with wet pants and footwear is not comfortable, and using lockers to change clothes is a PITA as far as I'm concerned.

Interesting - I wonder what will be sold for under $10? Stuff you would find in a Dollar Store elsewhere? LOL

The website lists season passes at $83.99 for "April Fools" special. Am I missing something? Where do you guys get your price from? I am contemplating getting passes so the difference in price may influence my decision.

My wife and I are contemplating getting season passes and meal plans for 2017, but I have some questions that hopefully members here can help me with. We've never had season passes and have only sporadically attended SFGA over the last several years, and mostly during FF and HITP due to my daughter getting free tickets when she worked there. However, we both have more time now to go (including weekdays), and it is only 30 minutes away. and in the long run it will be cheaper than losing money at the casinos...LOL. 1) The SFGA site lists the price at $83.99, but I've seen people post here much cheaper prices. Do you have to pay tax and any fees on top of that price? Is there any way to get a cheaper price than the $84 listed? 2) With a season pass, the SFGA site says you get $300 in benefits, including passes for friends on certain days. Nowhere could I find out how many passes you get, and the days they are valid for their attendance. I assume not during peak season, or on weekends or holidays? 3) Membership passes at $7 a month seems like a bargain, but it said you have to sign up for a minimum of 12 months. Which ends up as being the same as a season pass. I don't really want to be paying a monthly fee even when the park is closed during the offeason. 4) Are any of the meal plans worth it? It lists the price as $94/person, but says you get a lunch, dinner and drink every day you attend. Is there a limit to how many days you can get these meals. I figured if I spent $15 a day on meals/drinks, then I'd need to go 6 times to make it pay for itself. Less times if you spend more for food on average. I'm not sure if we'd get there 6 times or not. 5) Is the season pass a physical lanyard tag with your photo on it, or is it something you show electronically on your cell phone? What about the parking pass? Can you upgrade in order to park close to the entrance? 6) Are concerts included in the season passes, or are those a separate admission ticket? 7) Any other experiences or feedback on this topic would be much appreciated!

It doesn't give me a lot of confidence in ride safety either. Many bridges like on the NJ Turnpike are designed to rust on the outer layer. I don't think amusement rides fall into that category.....

Speaking of walking, the park should really work on their walkways. Many areas are uneven asphalt and there are some areas where you have a mismatch of different materials with lots of concrete patches where they made modifications. You would never see that kind of shabbiness at Disney or Busch Gardens. Maybe I'm the only one that actually looks down when walking?

There are also two within a half hour drive - Sahara Sam's in Cherry Hill and one other but I forget exactly where.

We got one of these way back in the 80's and we had it on my wife's dresser for a long time. But when I went to look for it recently my wife said we threw it away a while back.....

SFGA ain't no Disney park, but a monorail would give it more of that Disney resort feel. And if they could connect it to a hotel on premise.....

Do you work for the Congressional Budget Office? LOL

I agree, and was being a bit sarcastic.....