Bro I come back a day later and I started so much conversation and arguing, what the heck
State of the Park
- Thread starter GASM
- Start date
Okay let's step back here for a second. You're talking about the park during the coaster wars....news flash buddy EVERY major regional park had a focus on coasters back then. It's been 20 years since Great Adventure has been treated like like that type of park. The difference now is that there's really only one park in the entire country that is being treated in such a way, Cedar Point. It's the only park that still is putting the majority of its budget towards coasters.
Kings Island is currently focusing on....families, with Adventure Port, the family boomerang, and now the new Phantom Theater dark ride. Well what's Magic Mountain up to? A Vekoma family thrill coaster and a revamped looney tunes land. Well what about Carowinds? a water ride....which is no doubt meant to appeal to a wider audience. Maybe if we look out of the chain, what are the SeaWorld parks working on? A bunch of B&M family inverts and a Verbolten retheme. Herschend? Nope all family coasters here too.
Phantom Spire is the biggest coaster project in development right now.
Now finally lets debunk that Six Flags take you got there. Yeah Six Flags is known for thrills, what else are they known for? Unruly crowds, crumbling facilities, advertisements EVERYWHERE, a daycare for parents in the summer, and perhaps most importantly....financial instability.
The old Six Flags model is dead because if it wasn't the entire company would drown. They are in a terrible situation financially because of the way they used to do business and if they rolled out that same exact strategy then Great Adventure would die a very painful death like you keep prophesizing.
Idk what to tell you man, my honest advice is try and reorganize your expectations because they are rooted in the past not the present. If you enjoy being upset then keep doing what you're doing but Great Adventure is not going down the path you want it to. And its not because corporate doesn't care about this park but because its not profitable.
The passion, the belittling, the "buddy"... I don't talk to any of you like this. Any attempt at discussion I make just feels like me saying what I think and other people slowly having embarrassing breakdowns in their abilities to respectfully disagree punctuated by the odd freshman debate camp comment. Sorry you don't like what I think.
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I can't... I... ugh, guys....
You're making me side with northdetective over here...
Ok so look, I don't care one way or another if Nitro is renamed / rethemed. If they were to do what people are talking about, I wouldn't have any serious gripes and would be pleased to see the park reinvesting in its existing attractions, refurbishing neglected aspects of the park, etc.
That said, we all know that nearly everyone who isn't a total effin' nerd about this stuff like us will continue to call the thing Nitro. There's not a single person I know who ever referred to Medusa as "Bizarro" during the decade or so it was re-themed.
It's admittedly a dumb, minor thing. Just be prepared to utter the sentence "So technically it's not 'Nitro anymore..." to everyone else in your social circle for the next subsequent decade.
Nitro at least is a unique enough name, not like when Chupacabra overtook Goliath (such a much better name, too). And I'd argue Nitro is more of an iconic coaster, too. Though I guess I305 was iconic, too...
...I don't know, I'm likely way overthinking this (and am gonna leave my running train of thought throughout this post intact for proper mocking). To the Kings Dominion locals, what do you see the GP doing regarding Pantherian? How many are still calling it Intimidator? And I mean regular, normal people, not thoosies.
You're making me side with northdetective over here...
Ok so look, I don't care one way or another if Nitro is renamed / rethemed. If they were to do what people are talking about, I wouldn't have any serious gripes and would be pleased to see the park reinvesting in its existing attractions, refurbishing neglected aspects of the park, etc.
That said, we all know that nearly everyone who isn't a total effin' nerd about this stuff like us will continue to call the thing Nitro. There's not a single person I know who ever referred to Medusa as "Bizarro" during the decade or so it was re-themed.
It's admittedly a dumb, minor thing. Just be prepared to utter the sentence "So technically it's not 'Nitro anymore..." to everyone else in your social circle for the next subsequent decade.
Nitro at least is a unique enough name, not like when Chupacabra overtook Goliath (such a much better name, too). And I'd argue Nitro is more of an iconic coaster, too. Though I guess I305 was iconic, too...
...I don't know, I'm likely way overthinking this (and am gonna leave my running train of thought throughout this post intact for proper mocking). To the Kings Dominion locals, what do you see the GP doing regarding Pantherian? How many are still calling it Intimidator? And I mean regular, normal people, not thoosies.
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Suddenly this will be treated a valid argument because it's not me that's making it.
Maybe I should stop speaking in riddles but it feels patronizing to explain every reference I make. I work on the assumption that you're all smart people..
Maybe I should stop speaking in riddles but it feels patronizing to explain every reference I make. I work on the assumption that you're all smart people..
I don’t agree that having a thrill focus and “many big roller coasters” is a prerequisite for being a flagship Six Flags park (or a great park in general). I would argue that Knott’s is one of Six Flags’ flagship parks despite having a relatively unimpressive coaster collection. The theme and experience matter.
And Knotts' theming, as far as I can see from the east coast, is rooted in Its own history and/or a kitschy simulated version of it. Localism and the integration of history are things I've consistently praised.
Sierra Sidewinder? I can't even imagine my excitement if Six Flags referenced a landform in a great adventure coaster title. Pony Express??????? I see a train and I salivate. Cute and generically western.
It also doesn't look like it feels contrived or hollow and placeless because it doesn't try too hard to make Everything about Something. Xcelerator in particular is a great theme. it's fast. it's an impressive structure. good enough for me. i don't need dr diabolical to whip me while I'm locked in her preshow
Hence why I'm not actually hoping for a boardwalk retheme at Great Adventure, I hope they lean into it further and go for a Jersey Shore or even generically seaside vibe. I hope the tower is a lighthouse. Not looking promising, but hey, WHAT DO I KNOW
I feel like the big difference is that Bizzaro was a half assed “retheme”. It was a blatant attempt to try and advertise it as a new ride and it destroyed the cohesiveness of the area.
If you look at the Jungle X rethemes they are fundamentally different. The rides which were rethemed weren’t the forefront of the marketing campaign, that instead to the new ride in the area. For the first round of rethemes you had Tumbili being the main marketing focus, then Rapterra for the second wave. That’s already one step ahead, then the other big piece is cohesiveness.
Bizarro fundamentally destroyed the cohesion in that area, and I still don’t feel as though the retheme back to Medusa fixed that issue because it too was half assed. Bizarro was a clear downgrade and felt belittling to consumers. Of course people weren’t going to accept the change.
As far as the Pantherian name goes…too early to tell. It’s still very fresh, that said I honestly think it’s a ride that is harder to warm up to than Nitro. Not because it isn’t done well but because I305 was the icon of the park for 2 decades and was actually presented faily well. Nitro is a very popular ride, it’s one of my favorite rides (surprising I know) but it’s presented poorly and really always has been, but has gotten worse with age.
Oh My God. If Bizarro felt belittling to customers... You Must Have Missed A Lot Of Opportunities To Feel Belittled Since
Logging off and getting a caniac combo... don't miss me too much
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I’m not gonna defend any of the parks action from 2008 till like….last year with the improvements that were made regarding the overall quality of the park. There’s a long list of decisions made that frustrate me to no end. And for the record, still disagree with the decision to take down Ka. But that’s in the past and I’m looking at the cards that we’ve been delt.
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You do. I would consider Nitro230 calling you buddy equivalent to you calling Zachary "sweet summer child".
^ I would also consider this belittling ^
I feel bad derailing this thread even more from the state of the park, but it needs to be said that folks will throw back at you exactly what you're giving to them. I respect your passion for the park, your nostalgia for how the park used to be, and your strong opinions for where the park should be going, and I also accept that you have a very particular writing style, but I find it endlessly frustrating when you try and defend yourself with these off base, roundabout attacks and/or wacky logic. I don't know if I have a solution for you, and maybe it's time for me to mute you, but I appreciate a different voice in these threads, so I would love for you to find a way to take people's disagreements and respond with evidence to back up your opinion instead of ad hominem attacks.
Okay, circling back to the state of the park! I think both can be true that Nitro needs love and that the name is iconic. The station and queue as they exist now look like they're themed to a Weehawken exit ramp, which I guess could be a vibe if they leaned into "nitro" as a street racing theme, but for the sake of improving the theming of the park, I would love it if they re-themed the station and queue to be some kind of mining operation (I know there was a pretty big Iron industry in the Pine Barrens) and made "nitro" a reference to Trinitrotoluene (TNT).
LOL you took two messages where I was expressing my genuinely appreciation for others and interpreted them in the worst way possible. I called Zachary a "sweet summer squash" actually because HE'S NICE. He has disagreed with me A LOT and never once been rude or had an outburst. I GENUINELY DO assume the rest of you will get my references in a way that I shouldn't need to be insanely verbose to the point of being patronizing. I could assume the worst in everything you say because you voluntarily support modern slavery, but I don't.
Love me some industrial history, we certainly have had a good number of explosives operations here in New Jersey.
Weehawken exit ramp is a fun recognizable cultural touchstone as well for both New Jerseyans and New Yorkers. Bonus points for geologically accurate Palisades Sill mock rockwork
The exit ramp joke gave me a good laugh. This is actually a really interesting idea for how to solve the issues in the area. It’s also something I think could work if we’re assuming they won’t do anything crazy like a full station rebuild. Not to mention Nitro is often called the “most expensive” roller coaster by the marketing team. Think it could work, do wonder what the color scheme might look like for that type of theme.
ACE ridwithus podcast
03:30 - New boardwalk experiences, food, and retail.
04:20 - Ryan confirms asphalt will be replaced with stamped concrete.
07:45 - Wild safari experience (in park ride) starting 03/28. Basecamp opens 04/03.
08:30 - 03/28-04/12 Safari Spring Break event, bringing team members and educational animal stars to the Dream Street area of Midway. African safari ambiance, entertainment, and dancers.
09:40 - Last year was the first full year of Savannah Sunset resort ('24 was a partial year). Down to a one-night minimum, which should help with the price point and scheduling.
32:20 - All kinds of content creators are welcome, not just coasters (e.g., food and beverage). There is also a goal to reconnect with and rebuild trust in the community, in part by bringing in coaster enthusiast content creators.
I also posted some of these notes in the 2026 boardwalk thread because they overlap.
03:30 - New boardwalk experiences, food, and retail.
04:20 - Ryan confirms asphalt will be replaced with stamped concrete.
07:45 - Wild safari experience (in park ride) starting 03/28. Basecamp opens 04/03.
08:30 - 03/28-04/12 Safari Spring Break event, bringing team members and educational animal stars to the Dream Street area of Midway. African safari ambiance, entertainment, and dancers.
09:40 - Last year was the first full year of Savannah Sunset resort ('24 was a partial year). Down to a one-night minimum, which should help with the price point and scheduling.
32:20 - All kinds of content creators are welcome, not just coasters (e.g., food and beverage). There is also a goal to reconnect with and rebuild trust in the community, in part by bringing in coaster enthusiast content creators.
I also posted some of these notes in the 2026 boardwalk thread because they overlap.
(40:33 - 41:08) "It's funny because coincidentally people always ask me, 'What would you do with Great Adventure?' The one thing about Great Adventure that I say a lot is like through some of the ride removals — because you're you're trying to be the thrill capital, so it's deliberate — but there are some rides that were removed that I think are like 'soul rides.' Like when you don't have them in a park, it's just kind of like the soul of the park doesn't feel the same. Rolling Thunder is like one of those and like maybe people aren't loud about it, but when you have like an old classic wooden roller coaster, there's just something about it that tells you like 'I'm in the Northeast, and this is where we preserve our history.'"
I am very encouraged by the sentiment behind this quote, and even though I feel it's at odds with the park's more recent history, I know that's not his fault directly. The bolded part does make me concerned that the northdetective project's commitment to history and locale has not yet been brought to Mr. Eldredge's attention, but the overall understanding of the importance of respecting both concepts and using them in the development of Great Adventure's future makes me hopeful
*chants* Wild One! Wild One! Wild One! Wild One!
It's such a unique opportunity to bring in one of the oldest coasters in the world. I desperately hope it happens. It fits into Great Adventure's lineup so well, it brings unique nostalgia and clout, it's a family coaster that could follow the Shuttle Strata Spinner, it would be relatively cheap, it would place it right between Wild One's two historic homes, and it could even be used as a way for Six Flags to pay some tribute/respect to Six Flags America to play on some DC/Baltimore fringe-market nostalgia. Imagine Six Flags Great Adventure being able to bring in local DC and Baltimore-area journalists for the reopening of a beloved, defunct coaster. Synergy!
Please Six Flags, please.
It's such a unique opportunity to bring in one of the oldest coasters in the world. I desperately hope it happens. It fits into Great Adventure's lineup so well, it brings unique nostalgia and clout, it's a family coaster that could follow the Shuttle Strata Spinner, it would be relatively cheap, it would place it right between Wild One's two historic homes, and it could even be used as a way for Six Flags to pay some tribute/respect to Six Flags America to play on some DC/Baltimore fringe-market nostalgia. Imagine Six Flags Great Adventure being able to bring in local DC and Baltimore-area journalists for the reopening of a beloved, defunct coaster. Synergy!
Please Six Flags, please.
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As much as I'd love a Big Bear Mountain (which Ryan Eldredge talks about right after that quote), a Gravity Group family woodie is personally higher on my wishlist for Great Adventure, so if I understand how the Zippin Pippin "relocation" went (I *think* it was just rebuilt based on the original plans without moving the structure) I think a similar situation would be great. Hopefully they'd jazz up the layout just a little (I found Wild One a little dull. Sue me) but it would be perfect for that missing milder woodie I feel the park needs. If they put it parallel to the new coaster it would fit perfectly (thematically, idk about geometrically but it's a simple out and back and the plot is long so it'd probably be fine) in the boardwalk area especially painted white.
As an aside, I don't at all think this is a possibility, but it's a fun question: The design of Giant Coaster/Wild One will turn 120 in 2037, which I think would make it a public domain work. Could any park legally just rebuild it at that point?