SFGAm Trip Report 10/18/2014

[homestar92]

Boy, oh boy, I need to stop having impulses to go ride new coasters. Thursday evening, I decided that I wanted to go to SFGAm this weekend. Yes, the notice was unbelievably short, but I made it work. I called up a friend of mine who I thought might be interested and not have weekend plans, and he said that he could make it work, so Friday after work we were on our way to Chicago.

I hate Chicago, for what it's worth, and I always have. i have family in Milwaukee, so I travel through Chicago about four times a year. I truly despise that city. And just in case anyone from Chicago is reading this, I'd like to point out that Mike Ditka is overrated, Soldier Field is a dump, and New York style pizza is by far the superior version. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the report.

I found a Motel 6 in Palatine, IL that had been recently renovated and was affordable. I've never been one to care much about where I stay. As long as it's clean, I can take a hot shower in the morning, and there is a bed that is free of any bedbugs, it'll do for me. So, for the price, I can't complain. Bit of a drive to the park, but overall, not too bad. I would definitely stay there again.

We arrived to the hotel around 11:30 PM Friday (Central Time) and after a Taco Bell run, basically just crashed and went to bed. I love my Vue, but not enough that 6 hours of driving (especially when part of that driving involves Chicago travel) is enjoyable, so I was happy to be going to bed.

We got up the next morning and headed to the park. Apparently I-94 is a toll road that only accepts cash, and only COINS at that. I didn't have $1.90 in change, so I had to go online later to pay the toll. I was prepared next time around, though, so when I bought souvenirs at the park, I had them give me change in coins so that I would have it for the way back. Now then, to the review:

The Good:

I've heard a lot about this park. It was my dad's home park when he was my age, so he always praised the rides he remembered there. That set the bar high, but I wasn't disappointed. It was a very clean park, and while I was there for their BooFest, it didn't bug me. There was fog, but only in a few places, and it was kept to a reasonable level. There were scareactors, but they were sparse. This meant that they weren't nearly as annoying, and when you DID see one, you weren't expecting it and the effect was far better in my opinion. I have no complaints with operations. Trains were dispatched quickly and efficiently on most coasters. Vertical Velocity was an exception to this, but we'll get to that later... The food was alright, but I had a hard time finding any that wasn't just something from a national or regional chain, served in the park. When I'm at a park, I want to try something from the park, not Panda Express that they phoned in. But, you get the same thing at all of the Cedar Fair parks I've been to, so I can't really say it's any different than that. The park is very clean, and they claim to be "the cleanest amusement park in the world". Holiday World also makes this claim, so obviously one of them is lying, but it was still very clean. Themed areas felt like they had an identity and I could tell which one I was in simply by taking a look around, something that Kings Island has largely lost in recent years (with the exception of Coney Mall). A recent addition to the park is the Little Dipper, which was relocated from Kiddieland Amusement Park. The park went under in 2009. Six Flags purchased the ride and installed it at SFGAm so that it would stay in the Chicago area. By doing so, they are preserving roller coaster history, and you have no idea how much I respect that. Maybe Six Flags doesn't hate wooden coasters after all.

The Bad:

Goliath didn't open for quite a while after the park, and this gave it time to develop a very long line before it ever opened. I wish there were more exclusive food options. I did not see a single costumed character (scareactors excluded) and I am very disappointed because I wanted to meet Bugs Bunny. The layout seemed confusing to me, but that might be because I'm used to Kings Island, Cedar Point, and Kentucky Kingdom, all of which I know like the back of my hand. Vertical Velocity had one of the most inefficient crews I've ever encountered. They made Hartland ride ops look like the Banshee crew. Many rides were temporarily renamed (going so far as to even change the signage) for BooFest, but the map was not changed to reflect this. This would be a nice touch if you were a local who frequents the park, but as an out-of-towner, it was very frustrating. I searched and searched for the Whizzer, only to give up and ask an employee for directions. Imagine my frustration to find out that this "Biohazard" ride that I had passed five times was actually the ride I had been searching for all along!

The Ugly:

It's near Chicago. It's full of Bears fans. It's near Chicago. It was cold. Almost as cold as Banshee's Media Day, and I was there for 12 hours. It's near Chicago. I had to carry an oversized Tamagotchi around all day and worry about breaking or dropping it, and the privilege to do so cost me 80 bucks. Parking is a staggering $25 for a parking lot that is in almost as bad of shape as Kings Island's. It's on a toll road. I had to pay the Gurnee Amusement Tax, causing the tickets to cost more than they should. Did I mention that it's near Chicago?

Ride reviews:

I'll start by saying that I was unable to ride any flats at all besides the carousel, even with The Flash Pass. I was going to ride Revolution, but I was simply too tired by the time I got all the coasters out of the way. Oh well, just an excuse to visit again, right? But I digress, I'll go ahead and review all the coasters that I rode.

Goliath:

Wow. What a rush. Fantastic first drop. Forceful turns. Decent pops of airtime. Inversions unlike I'd experienced before. Overall, it was a very impressive steel coaster. And yes, my wording on that last sentence was absolutely intentional. The Flash Pass that I purchased was the gold level, so I had to wait in line for this one. The estimated wait was posted as two hours, but it was only about 90 minutes. It wasn't too bad, though because their queue TVs were showing Looney Tunes, including one of my favorite ones, "Ain't She Tweet". It was my first RMC and it did not disappoint.

Batman: The Ride:

I've never been into superhero stuff, but I was impressed by the station. It was well themed and really felt like the Batcave. The ride is absolutely dwarfed by Banshee, but that doesn't mean it isn't great. While not as tall, fast, or long, its shorter height leads to smaller, tighter elements that really pack a punch. B&M built a fantastic invert here, and they nailed it on their first try. Does it beat Afterburn in my book? Oh, heavens no. But then again, I think Afterburn wins points simply because if I'm riding it, it means I'm at my favorite Cedar Fair property.

The Dark Knight Coaster:

I love Wild Mouse coasters. I love indoor coasters. I love themed dark rides. Exterminator is one of my all-time favorite rides. Having high standards for the ride, I expected to be disappointed. I was not. It was a fun, forceful Wild Mouse, and the dark factor made for unexpected turns and drops and made the experience even better. I loved having things to look at for the entire ride, and the surprise at the end just before the on-ride photo was hilarious, and led to some great pictures of the riders! Fun ride, even for someone who doesn't like superheroes.

Superman: Ultimate Flight:

Meh. Firehawk is better. This was my first B&M flyer, and I was sorely disappointed. I found the seating arrangement uncomfortable, especially during the ascent up the lift hill. The layout did not feel like any sort of flight pattern that Superman would be doing, and I don't think the association added anything to the ride at all. If I didn't ride this one again, I wouldn't be upset. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't wait for it. The only thing it has over Firehawk is that it doesn't remind me of being in the dentist's chair, so it wins points for that I suppose.

Raging Bull:

Remember these words, as you won't hear them from me often: I really enjoyed this B&M Hypercoaster, and would gladly wait in line for it to ride again. It offers a lot more things than a newer B&M Hyper like Diamondback. Plenty of floater airtime, good pacing, and good capacity, all as you'd expect. The second half of the ride has some good laterals and a couple of low-to-the-ground helices. The variety of elements cemented this as my second favorite hypercoaster that does not feature any Arrow track. Again, the previous sentence was intentionally and carefully worded.

American Eagle (Blue Side):

Ugh. Train wraps. An ad for a Blue Man Group concert adorned the front of the train. This was a tad disappointing, but it certainly didn't keep me from riding. This was not on The Flash Pass lineup, so I had to wait in the normal line. Estimated wait was posted at 75 minutes. In reality, it was less than 45. The ride was fun, but definitely needs some TLC. Paint is peeling worse than on The Racer, and for a ride that is very, very visible from the Interstate, that isn't a good thing. The ride was OK, but I'll take The Racer any day. I did not ride the Red side, but I wish I had had the time, as the layouts are different. Fortunately, this makes my coaster count simpler, as I don't have to figure out if I would count the two sides separately or not, considering their different layouts.

X-Flight:
I didn't expect to like this one. After being thoroughly disappointed by Gatekeeper, I thought that wing coasters were a gimmick. This one was a lot better. The smaller size means tighter elements and better forces. The keyholes with the tower was fantastic, but using the ride's own support structure for a keyhole element was a stroke of genius. My only complaint is that the restraints still have the tightness problem on the collarbones that we saw on Gatekeeper when it initially opened.

Viper:

Wow, what a great woodie! I rode this at night, and I had not seen any POVs of the ride prior to riding, so I had no idea what to expect. The result of this was a surprising and thrilling ride that I so wish I had had time to reride. It is definitely up there on my list of woodies. I like it more than Mean Streak, and I REALLY like Mean Streak. I don't know if it is as good as Thunder Run, but close. Fast, thrilling, forceful, and not too rough. Great qualities for ANY coaster, especially a woodie.

Demon:

So, I think you know how I feel about this. It's an Arrow Looper, and I adore Arrow Loopers. The themeing was nice, and the lighting effect in the tunnel was awesome. Without these elements, I think it would have been pretty standard for an Arrow Looper, but as it is, it dethroned Viper at Darien Lake as my second favorite Arrow Looper.

Vertical Velocity:

Imagine Wicked Twister, but less exciting, louder, and with a truly awful crew, and you've got this ride. If you don't care about your coaster count and have ridden Wicked Twister, skip this one unless it's a walk-on.

Whizzer:

This thing is weird, but in the best possible way. It has a spiral lift. The lift motor is in the cars themselves, and not the ride structure. The seating arrangements are like you would expect to find on a log flume, and the only restraint is a seat belt. The ride has very good forces, and its forested setting and low seating make it even more thrilling. If I lived closer to the park, I would consider going back just for this ride. It's the last of its kind, and if you can appreciate a unique classic coaster with historical significance, you owe it to yourself to go ride this. Just make sure you are VERY comfortable with your riding partner, or you're bound for a very awkward ride...

I did not ride Little Dipper due to time constraints, but I can comment on the parts of it I did experience. I popped into the queue and took a look around. There are signs pointing out its history and telling its story, complete with old photos. The paint job looks great, and it appears to be well taken care of. I also did not ride Spacely's Sprocket Rockets because they do not allow adults to ride without a child. I have never before seen this restriction on a Vekoma Junior Coaster, and it is admittedly a little disappointing, because those are actually really surprisingly fun rides.

And that's about it... Would I go back? Sure. It's a perfectly fine park, but not one of my favorites. If it didn't involve travelling through Chicago, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about returning, but as it stands, I didn't like it enough to consider driving through my least favorite place in the world any more times than are absolutely and totally necessary.

[malem]

The detail in your trip reports is always appreciated!

My last (and only) trip to SFGAm was in the sixth grade, when I lived just a couple hours away. I was forced to stay with a group that couldn't make up its mind, and the park was packed, so I remember not riding much at all.

[MDMC01]

Good stuff homestar. I went to SFGAm back in '08 and had a blast. Glad you enjoyed Viper as that was one of my favorites when I was there.

[The Interpreter]

Fun fact: Viper, like several Six Flags coasters, is modeled after the Coney Island Cyclone.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I chuckled at your TR... You and I have almost identical feelings towards SFGAm and Chicago, except Goliath wasn't there when I went, Viper and Batman were backwards and subsequently unpleasant, and I didn't like Demon as much. I'd probably say I liked American Eagle about the same as Racer, but definitely not better. There isn't much about the place that justifies a drive through Chicago for me, either.

I'm curious to know what you'd think of Apollo's Chariot. That thing delivers abnormally violent airtime towards the end. It's better than Raging Bull for me.

[LoraX]

We had planned on going to this park in June, but ended up going to WoF and Six Flags St. Louis, quite frankly because the cost of the pass was cheaper at that park (SFSL). Thank you for offering to pick us up to go, had we not had plans, I might have taken you up on the offer.

I have to say I don't think I have been to a Six park without seeing an abundance of costumed characters. I think they are more interactive with guests than other parks.

I love visiting Chicago, but hate the traffic tremendously.

Thanks for the trip report.

[The Interpreter]

During Fright Fest season, most characters work at night...in other roles.

Twas the same at NJFTP.

[Goki32]

You said you were there during Fright Fest hours. I'm not a Six Flags expert but I would guess all Looney Tunes characters costumes are taken off the streets during those hours.