Park Review

Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Illinois By Nate Kohlrusch June 7, 2001 Against my better judgment, we decided to brave Six Flags Great America on a Friday, hoping the crowds wouldn't be too unbearable. We woke up after only three hours of sleep for the two-hour drive to the park through endless traffic and road construction. We ended up arriving at the park at about 10:30 and had to wait in line forever to purchase a ticket for my friend. I think entrance fees actually went down from last year (they are currently $39.99) but I could be wrong. Parking is still $8. While SFGAm is better than most of Six Flags parks at handling the traffic coming into the park (specifically referring to the paying for parking attendents), this is the worst park I've ever seen at handling ticket sales. I've bought tickets at parks before and never had to wait in a 30-minute line (and this has happened three times now). They either need to open more booths or speed up their staff. Enough about that - on to the park. As always, I use the Griswold scale (-3 to +5, with 0 being slightly favorable). THE PARK - GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: +4 As I've said in the past, SFGAm is a very nice park. There's a great variety in rides, though a few more flats in the back of the park wouldn't hurt. They've removed two flat rides over the past couple of years, and replacing them with some more modern flats would be a good move. The coaster selection is fantastic - two great woodies, a great inverted coaster, a standup, a hyper, a classic Schwarzkopf, a small looper, and now a great launched coaster and (soon) a fun shuttle. I would like to see a large B&M looper next; though they have Shockwave, I have never liked it and I never will (but we'll get to that). The atmosphere in the park is pleasant. There are some nice ponds, older shady trees, and landscaping that really beautifies the place. Southwest Territory is completely lacking in trees (which does go along with the theme) but that part of the park becomes unbearably hot. The park was fairly clean; there were a few spots where garbage was a problem (especially the overflowing can in the Viper queue!) but on the whole it wasn't a major problem. Unfortunately, Six Flags Great America seems to have completely given up on theming. The park used to do a really nice job here (see SW Territory) but this year it all went downhill. Deja Vu doesn't really fit in the County Fair section of the park, but then neither does Demon or Iron Wolf. I guess I really don't understand that theme; it seems like just a broad title to place on a midway filled with dissimilar rides. Still, it has worked fairly well in the past and I don't think Deja Vu ruins or improves any theming. My problem is with the other side of the park, specifically Yankee Harbor. I do not see how Vertical Velocity, a ride that has a very futuristic look to it, fits in at all. The area is very rustic, and then there are these two bright yellow towers. Batman: The Ride used to fit because of the extensive Gotham City theming that sort of blended into the area, but surrounding the dark and ominous ride with bright colors (the relocated Wave Swinger and the eyesore kiddie jungle gym) does not work. We didn't eat in the park, so I didn't get a chance to check out prices on anything except a 20-ounce bottle of pop ($2.75) and a thing of Dippin� Dots ($3.75). On to the rides (in the order we rode). DEMON - 1976/1980 Arrow 4-inversion loopscrew: +2 Demon isn't a bad ride, but it isn't anything fantastic, either. If all of the original effects were intact and working, the rating would be a little higher. I didn't notice anything different about this ride from previous years, so I'm not going to ramble on about it. It's not smooth, but not painfully rough, either. I enjoy the two vertical loops, but the long pause of straight dead track before the corkscrews seems pointless. The helix is extremely slow, as well, and I much prefer Valleyfair's corkscrew, even without the additional vertical loop IRON WOLF - 1990 B&M 2-inversion standup: +3.5 Iron Wolf is amazingly fast and intense, nothing like the newer B&M coasters (wicked vs graceful). The ride is full of extremely steep drops, furious turns, and (unfortunately) some headbanging. On the plus side, B&M restraints don't hurt nearly as much as, say, Arrow OTSRs so the ride is totally manageable for me. The coaster really picks up in the second half, which is extremely wild and disorienting. There is one of those beautiful B&M snap transitions (like on Mantis and Chang) and this one is just as effective. Iron Wolf is worth riding just for this transition, but that's just me. The headbanging does eliminate the possibility of several re-rides, but (to me) it's an indication of the ride's wicked intensity. It may throw you around less in the front, but I always take the back seat so I wouldn't know. SHOCKWAVE - 1988 Arrow 7-inversion megalooper: -1.5 As I said above, I have never liked Shockwave and I never will. This is one of the few coasters in the world that get a negative rating from me (meaning I would rather wait on the ground than ride). Unfortunately, the two others in my group seem to worship this ride (GP mentality) so we had to take one ride. I made them sit over the wheels. Last year the ride scored a perfect failure from me (-3) but it has improved. The first drop, first vertical loop, and the turn into the two consecutive verticals is remarkably smooth, something I would have never expected. From there it gets bad. The two verticals are taken at excessive speeds (never before have I cried for a trim brake) and the turn into the brakes is the most painful moment on any coaster out there. I will never sit near the front again. The train shuffles and bangs through the boomerang, and the corkscrews are navigated much like any Arrow corkscrew (not smooth, but not painful). I don't enjoy slamming back and forth, I don't enjoy snapping my neck, I don't enjoy blacking out several times, and thus I don't enjoy Shockwave. BATMAN: THE RIDE - 1992 B&M 5-inversion inverted coaster: +4 We took the back seat for this ride because I enjoy the intensity the ride delivers to that seat, but it's not exactly smooth. Both of my friends have their ears pierced several thousand times, and complained on several coasters (this was no exception). B:TR is one of the few inverted coasters that literally attempts to rip your legs off, and it's a wonderful feeling. Though it's not my favorite invert, I enjoy it immensely. I especially enjoy SFGAm's because of the setting (the second half roars through a pond surrounded by huge willow trees), which adds to the excitement. Great ride, despite the 30-45 minute waits. RAGING BULL - 1999 B&M hypercoaster: +4.5 Thankfully, SFGAm is no longer assigning seats on B:TR or Bull, so we managed to get a backseat ride. The first drop gives a great pullover with almost standing air, but that's the best it gets. There's airtime throughout the rest of the ride, but it's nothing spectacular. The trim on the airtime hill is as frustrating as ever, and the trims in the brake run and before the finale kill all the intensity of the second half. Raging Bull is probably the best example of the near-forceless B&M coasters, especially if you get a seat in the front. In the back, the combination of airtime and the "soaring through the air" feeling is fun, just nothing close to intense. And that's just what Raging Bull is - lots of fun, but nothing intimidating. VIPER - 1995 Six Flags, Inc wooden twister with PTC trains: +4 We grabbed a seat near the back for this coaster, as this is my favorite place to sit. The first half of the ride is fun, but there's little to no airtime. The ride picks up in the second half, though, and suddenly you're being thrown out of the train on every hill. There's a double dip-type drop that gives wonderful floating air, and another hill that throws you upwards towards the beams overhead. With a little more speed throughout the first half (to improve the airtime there), this ride would be perfect. As is, it's far above average and already one of the best I've ridden. WHIZZER - 1976 Schwarzkopf speedracer: +3 The setting alone makes this ride a keeper; the ride is an added bonus. What seems like an innocent family coaster is actually quite forceful, and quite fast. The positive Gs on the ground-hugging turns are great fun, and zooming in and out of the woods and around a lagoon makes this one of the best surprises in the park. AMERICAN EAGLE - 1981 Intamin out and back double-tracked woodie with PTC trains: +3.5 Contrary to what most employees try to tell me, I have only seen this ride racing once and that was because they were switching sides and had to move the rest of the line through the blue train before they could run the red side exclusively. The red side ran all day, even though (IMO) the lines were long enough for both sides to run. There's a tremendous amount of vibrations throughout the ride, but overall it's smooth and painless. There's no shuffling, no painful jolts, and the airtime is fantastic. I've never been a fan of the boring helix turnaraound, but it speeds the train up for a strong return run. The final helix is overbraked and, thus, ineffective but I don't ride AE for the laterals, anyway. I'm glad that SFGAm takes care of both its woodies, and it shows in their performance. I could smell the grease while riding both woodies, so they're not running dry like other SF woodies I hear about. UPDATE: June 20, 2001 I made another trip to SFGAm yesterday - I'm going to try to keep this short. The park now has its version of Disney's Fast Pass running called Fast Lane. However, in typical Six Flags fashion, you have to pay to use it. I believe it's the same system that Six Flags over Georgia uses. I was rushed (so I didn't look too closely at the system) but from what I could tell, you pay a fee (probably $15 or so) and get a card with each participating ride listed on it (most coasters have Fast Lanes). You enter the fast lane, where they punch out that ride name (you can only use it once per ride) and go right to the front of the line. IMO, it's an annoyance but nobody really uses it anyway. I finally got a ride on V2, and enjoyed it immensely. I rode Superman: Ultimate Escape last year, but forgot how much I liked it. The setting of SFGAm's is a major improvement, but the lines and frequent breakdowns can go. I ended up waiting more than two hours for that one ride, and here's why: I got in line, and after 25 minutes, it breaks down for 15 minutes. I wait another 25 minutes and it breaks down again. I wait another 15 minutes before they tell us they're anticipating a "lengthy" breakdown and "suggest you leave the line." Fine (there goes 80 minutes). Later, I got back in line and waited for 45 minutes and was NEXT TO GO when it breaks down again. So I had to wait an additional 20 minutes for a total of (drumroll) 2 hours, 25 minutes. What fun. Still, I enjoyed the ride a lot (I took the backseat) and look forward to riding again this season. Hopefully, the kinks will be worked out and Deja Vu's opening will shorten the line for V2. Now if they can improve their crew a little (loading times were 1.5-2 minutes). I got a ride in Viper's "magic seat" (1.3) and enjoyed it, but I still prefer the backseat (but just by a little). I still think the first half is sluggish until the double dip. Raging Bull was running *extremely* well, though desperately needs to have its wheels replaced. It vibrated throughout the entire ride; you could hear how bad it was. The dive under the lift before the carousel turn is very rough (for a B&M). I've found my favorite seat on B:TR - backseat, far left. The wait was 25 minutes all day, which is much shorter than what I'm used to. The team was flying. Shockwave is still running horribly, and I'd be surprised if I ever rode it again (I know...I say that all the time). Both Arrow coasters had no wait all day; the rest of the rides (except V2) had 20 minute waits. Again, Eagle ran one side all day. Iron Wolf is as fun as ever, though I pity anyone with their ears pierced. Those at guest services have been trained to tell guests that "There is no set date for Deja Vu's opening," - frustrating. Workers are still all over the ride filling in dirt, pouring concrete, and erecting queues. There were also a couple of people painting the rails of the ride with what appeared to be water (or nothing at all) - it certainly doesn't need paint, and their brushes left no change on the track. I think it's part of the Six Flags conspiracy to make it look like they're still doing work on the ride when it's actually finished. Still no sign of trains. UPDATE: October 12 & October 28 (Fright Festr & Deja Vu) I meant to write a little review of Fright Fest & Deja Vu after my Friday night visit on October 12, but never got a chance. Thus, this review will draw impressions from both that visit and from my visit last Sunday, as everything was running the same on both visits and impressions I got were similar, if not exactly the same. THE PARK (General Impressions): +4.5 I was blown away by Six Flags' Fright Fest decorations this year. Last year was pretty piss poor; I'm guessing SFGAm's Fright Fest budget was mostly used up on Tiny's little babies on Eagle's structure. (For those who don't know, "Tiny" is a gigantic spider that sits on American Eagle's structure each year for Fright Fest - last year, "Tiny" had 3 smaller babies with her). The park was really decorated, there were some great attractions, and much of the decorations were quite graphic. For instance, the fountain in Hometown Square (near the Orbit) was replaced by a witch�s head, which spouted blood-red water out of her mouth and nose. In the entrance of the Southwest Territory Amphitheater, there was a "monster" hunched over a garbage can that would occasionally spew "blood" out of it's mouth, accompanied by throwing up noises. Unfortunately, one annual Fright Fest piece of decor was missing - instead of turning the waterfall over Demon blood red, the park just decided to drain the pool and shut the thing off for Fright Fest. I was a bit disappointed, but this is a Six Flags park. The entrance plaza looked as good as ever, though, with the carousel pool filled with dark red water, floating coffins, and many burning torches. Out of all the Halloween events I've seen, SFGAm's is best hands down. The park offers no free-of-charge haunted houses, which is a bit annoying (especially when you've already paid $40 to get in and $10 for parking). There were two you could pay to get into: Necropolis/Mausoleum of Terror (in the picnic grove) and Dead and Breakfast (in Southwest Territory). I didn't see how much these cost, but I believe it was between $5 and $8 per person. There were lots of shows for Fright Fest, too, including a hypnotist, jugglers (who juggled knives and fire, among other things), a Halloween parade, a "circus of the bizarre" (which sounded a bit like a rip-off of the old side shows), a zombie band, and the "Love at First Fright" musical. And then some of the rides were "haunted" - the scenic railway train had lots of haunted scenes and monsters throughout the entire course, along with some great effects (including several very large explosions), the same old "Superstition" simulator, the river rapids ride had blood-red water running in it, though I never got over there to take a look, the antique cars were "haunted", the bumper cars were enclosed and (I believe) had a course set up to follow through the "haunted arena", and the whirling teacups were enclosed in a pitch black room with loud raver-esque music (yes!! ;-) and a light show. And then there was trick-or-treating, a petting zoo, and other things for kids along with many, many monsters walking around the park during both visits. The crowds on Friday were extremely light; I was able to walk right on to Iron Wolf, Whizzer, and B:TR with no wait, something that never happens at SFGAm. Raging Bull had a very short wait (less than 15 minutes), but Deja Vu had a steady 1-1.5 hour wait all night. I guess that's max capacity with one train cycling every 5-6 minutes. Sunday was the exact opposite - packed. I waited a half hour for Viper, and hour for B:TR, Iron Wolf, and Raging Bull, and 1.5 hours for Deja Vu. I didn't get a ride on Eagle because the wait filled much of the inside queue and, of course, Six Flags ran one side all night. I'm sorry, but I don't believe anyone who says that Six Flags does run both sides at once sometimes, as I've been there countless times this year and have never seen both sides running unless they're switching operation from one side to the other. I didn't get a ride on either Demon or Shockwave either time, either, but no loss there! V2 was closed for all of Fright Fest due to a blown transformer. Every coaster was running exceptionally well. Whizzer was as good as always, Viper was fast and smooth as usual, B:TR was flying - certainly the fastest I've ever seen it running and as intense as all hell. And even Iron Wolf was running faster than usual. All this helped to make up for the fact that the lines were so long on Sunday. Before we get to Deja Vu, I should note here that I have an odd infatuation with the pineapple fountain in the Batman queue line. Last year the thing looked like crap - it barely bubbled out any water at all and it was stained by the red dye used during Fright Fest. For most of this year the thing looked like it was struggling to pump out any water at all, until my last visit (before Fright Fest) when it was finally clean and running wonderfully. The park opted not to plop in any red dye this year, but the thing was still dirty as heck. I have sincere hope that next year it will be running in the top condition that it was at one point this season. :-) Anyway, onto my Deja Vu review. Throughout both days, I got three rides on Deja Vu - two on Friday night, once on Sunday. On Friday we headed right for Deja Vu, as we were supposed to meet Corey there. I intended on getting to the park at opening, but was delayed by two hours because of a car accident. The line for Deja Vu was only an hour and I was excited to give it a try. So I ended up waiting for an hour for a backseat inside seat - not too bad. Later that night I got another inside seat, this time in the 2nd or 3rd row to the front. And on Sunday I got a back row, outside seat ride. My review of the ride (below) will discuss which seat is best based on these three rides. DEJA VU - 2001 Vekoma super invertigo. +4 As much as I've heard people bash this ride, those who have actually ridden it know that Deja Vu is a wonderful ride. The trains vibrate quite a bit throughout the course, but there aren't any painful bumps or jolts anywhere. The loading procedures are slow and pointless - there is no reason at all that employees have to check the seatbelts before the OTSRs are lowered and locked; they could easily check both at the same time. And even so, it should never take more than 3 minutes to dispatch the train, yet it does every time. Poor loading procedures aside, though, I really, really enjoy this ride. The ride up the first lift is extremely unnerving, especially on an outside seat where you feel very isolated and unrestrained the whole way up. The vertical drop is great and the train is back through the station and into the cobra roll within a few seconds. You don't even notice the platform under the cobra roll as you whip through it, and then fly back down towards the ground. Then comes the loop, which is taken very fast and, thus, is extremely intense. As you rush up the second tower, the catch grabs the train and pulls it up without a hitch - it feels very seamless. Unlike the boomerangs I've ridden, there's a long pause after you reach the top before the catch releases, and you experience another great drop. The loop, again, is very intense but the cobra roll is taken much slower than before. And then it's back through the station and into my favorite part of the ride; in the backseat there is some fantastic hangtime when the catch grabs the train and lifts it back up towards the top. Then you're quickly lowered back into the station, where the floor comes back into place, and you're ushered out of your seat. Deja Vu is fast, intense, and very forceful. It would have been hard to be more surprised by this ride, as it completely blew me away. The backseat is the best for the hangtime, and make sure you get an outside seat (as there is a noticeable difference). I never thought I'd say this, but, "Great job, Vekoma!" I really look forward to riding this a lot next spring. That's really all I have to say about SFGAm, as I've reviewed everything else time and time again. I took a ride on the Vekoma rollerskater for the first time on Sunday and really enjoyed that - these are the best kiddie/family coasters I've ever been on. Here's to next year! -Nate The above park review, and all other reviews contained on this site, are property of Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Geocities and their respective owners. See Yahoo's Copyright Policy for more information.

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