I can go friday, sunday, or monday (if monday is open then, they don't have the schedule up yet). Which day should I go?
About the parks: I am not going to american adventures or white water; I don't want to pay the extra admission, and I also don't see the point, mainly because I can't have fun with stuff like that because I know that there is a theme park nearby. Also, american adventures seems kinda "kiddie"...
About the rides: I mainly know about them (the coasters), and I might ride some of the flat rides. (I DON'T know about the flat rides, though.) I more of need to know where to ride the coasters, and what order. (I'm really psyched that it has 4 B&M's!)
No matter what day I go, I will stay from opening to the end. How far ahead should I get there from opening? I will get in free with my season pass, and I have a coupon for my friend (from my booklet).
Thanks for all of your help in advance!
Of the non B&Ms
Mindbender > Dahlonega Mine Train > the woodies > Ninja
Ninja is easily the worst coaster in the park, though it is remarkably photogenic. The woodies were amazing in their prime, but both are in dire need of some TLC. Scream Machine is the better of the two, but considering Cyclone is a chiropractor's best friend that's not saying a heckuva lot.
The only really notable flats are Wheelie (standard issue Enterprise) and Acrophobia (a pretty sick drop tower). Shake, Rattle and Roll is an interesting indoor scrambler. The rest of the park's flats are really aimed towards the kiddies (Hanson Cars, Rockin' Tug, etc). Their carousel is pretty nice - it's one of the few five-across in existence.
The new thing for 2009 will be the reinvention of Monster Plantation into Monster Mansion. This was a charming (though admittedly bad) dark ride, and there's a lot of excitement to see how they're going to improve it.
Crowds are hit or miss at the park. If you're getting your pal in free, you may want to consider the possibility of splitting a Flash pass. But I'd gauge the crowd level before dropping that kind of cash. Last time I got one, I never encountered a standby line over 20 minutes...
SFOG is a pretty nice park, but the crowds aren't always the most cordial (it's not in the best part of Atlanta, either. The exit directly before it has some of the skeeviest hotels I've ever encountered).
Don't fall for the parking trap, either. When you first get off the interstate, you'll encounter two non-Six Flags parking lots. While they may cost less Six Flags, there's no security and I've heard horror stories of people coming back to their cars and being blocked in.
I'd recommend not eating in the park, in all honesty. There's plenty of food options within 10 miles of the park that are both more enjoyable and less expensive (a personal favorite of mine if The Vortex, which is about 20 minutes away. Unquestionably one of the best burger joints in Atlanta, though be forewarned that it's 18+ at all time (due to Atlanta's smoking policy).
A few things on us, though; I'm actually going with 2 friends, and one of them got a friend (who can't go) to drop us off and pick us up, which is nice.
I'm fine with paying the high prices for food, because I actually barely eat at amusement parks. Because I hate to miss a minute in any amusement park, I'm not going outside to get food.
I've never tried an enterprise or a drop tower-- Everytime I felt like an enterprise, my friends don't feel like it. I'm too scared of drop towers, because I hate the "different" type of suspense.
Another Q-- what type of flash pass system? Gold and the other or just the normal?
Thanks again!
Acrophobia is a very unique drop tower, btw. As the ring reaches the top of the tower, the seats tip forward 15 degrees. It's not as effective as it could be (they should wait until you're holding still at the top before they tip you), but it's a nice cheap thrill.
I feel pretty strongly that the park will be open on that Monday, by the way. Usually they go to a daily operation just after Memorial Day (not Labor Day, as you originally stated).
Do you know how tall Acrophobia is? I might ride it if I feel like more thrills.
How do you split a flash pass? One of us gets to the front or we get a 3rd of the rides up front? They make it kinda confusing...
Do you still think we should go monday if it's open? It might only be open from like 11:00-6:00, but should we still go then? For the much shorter lines?
Oh, and your right, I ment memorial day... sorry.
Thanks again!
The Acrophobia tower itself is about 200 feet, though the drop is closer to 170 feet.
As far as what day to go, it'd be easier to make these decisions when the schedule is published (probably some time this month). It also wouldn't hurt if you kept your schedule open to accommodate for the weather. SFOG is a lousy park to be in when it rains, especially if it's a T-storm.
I kinda get it about the flash pass. So do you get less RIDES when you split the price?
I guess I feel a little bit better, now because I know it's shorter than drop zone....
Why do you think that it's really lousy on a rainy day? I'm fine with that, because then there's way less people...
1 more thing-- how many times have you been?
Thanks!
I don't believe splitting the Flash Pass between multiple people reduces the total number of rides you can get out of it. Total number of rides will really be based on how crowded the park is that day. If you're using the Flash Pass to bypass a 120 minute wait, that's going to be a lot less efficient than if you're using it to skip a 25 minute wait. Mind you, I doubt you'll be encountering 120 minute wait times. I haven't seen those since Goliath's first season. Believe it or not, the longest lines I've seen since then are for Thunder River (it can get pretty hot in that park).
As far as the rain situation, if they close the coasters because of the weather that doesn't really leave you with a lot of options. At that ACE event last year, all the evening ERT was canceled because of rain. It's better to not take the risk with that.
And yeah, Acrophobia is creepier than Drop Zone because of the seat tipping, but it's certainly nowhere near as tall as the one at King's Dominion.
