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GASM

The Arrow Apologist
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Feb 24, 2024
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Just locked in my first trip to the park for May 15th. Super excited to finally check off a bucket list park (and do it with one of my best friends after not seeing him for a year and a half), what kind of order should I be looking at for coasters?

Will likely only have one day in the park, this is almost certainly going to be a “fly in early, spend the day there, fly home the next morning” kind of thing. Ideally we’d like to hit every coaster, but we both grew up close to Great Adventure so missing the clones wouldn’t be the end of the world for this trip. I also absolutely want to hit Condor, being that it’s a small piece of Great Adventure’s history.
 
I haven't been to Great America since before Rakshasha opened, but my suggestion is to work your way around the park counter-clockwise. Start with Maxx Force and Whizzer. From there, probably best to jump on Viper and Raging Bull, followed by Rakshasha, X-Flight and Demon, which I believe is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. From there, make sure you hop on American Eagle followed by Goliath. After that, the only thrill ride left that really isn't too common of a clone is Flash Vertical Velocity. You may also want to hop on the Little Dipper, which is a wooden coaster that is more for kids, but dates back to the 50s at another park in Illinois. To wrap up the day, you can hit the most common clones: Joker, Batman, Superman and Dark Night. Hope that helps, and apart from that, get there early, and use the back parking entrance off Washington Street, as the main entrance off Grand Avenue can by cray cray.
 
Little Dipper is actually a priority, I’m a sucker for PTCs. Batman would be nice to ride being that it’s the original, but I’m really not concerned about missing the other 3 lol.

Flight lands around 9 so that should work out well for getting there early! Thanks for the tips!
 
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I was a huge fan of Viper and Demon when I visited in 2024. Definitely try to hit Maxx Force either first thing or at the very end of the day—the line for it can get brutal.

Whizzer is a must-do, and so is Little Dipper. I’d recommend getting on Little Dipper early too, since that line can build up pretty quickly.

Hope you have a great time!
 
If you have any interest in Superman (you said you didn't but just in case) go there first because it gets the longest line in the park for some reason. Other than that, just start with Maxx force (unless it's down) then keep going counter clockwise. A few years ago they were keeping Eagle closed until noon but I think they didn't do that last year.
 
I went July 5th last year. Started with Maxx force because that was the most important one for me to hit. Whizzer, Raging Bull, Viper, Demon, and X Flight all before 1 PM. Everything else I got in the afternoon with a 30 minute max wait except for Superman which took about 45 minutes. Between my friend and I we had four single use fast lanes but riding every coaster is definitely doable without them. One pair was used on Maxx Force for a second ride and the other on I believe Goliath.

I would say the most important ones to hit are Maxx Force for how unique the launch as well as Whizzer and American Eagle for their ACE landmark status, fun rides too. Wrath was ok, Being in a rear corner seat really rattled my Rakshasha but not too bad. If you like less common flats Ricochet is a nice one and the Giant Drop has an interesting queue to explore. Shoutout to their Batman for having a working fog machine setup and lights in good condition when I was there, much better than the Great Adventure one I am used to.
 
I was a huge fan of Viper and Demon when I visited in 2024.
These are actually two of my priorities, love Arrows (shocker) and the Cyclone.
If you have any interest in Superman (you said you didn't but just in case) go there first because it gets the longest line in the park for some reason.
Painfully aware of SUF’s tendency to get a horrible line, it was always first up for me at Great Adventure.

General consensus being Maxx Force first doesn’t surprise me, had kinda assumed that would be the case. I appreciate all of you!
 
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My most recent visit was in 2023 so I'm not sure how Wrath of Rakshasa may have affected crowd patterns, but here's what I'd say based on my trips to the park...

First off, if your flight lands at 9 A.M., don't expect to be at the park for opening. Depending on traffic, it's about a 45-75 minute drive from O'Hare to the park, so while not impossible you're unlikely to be there by 10:30 (especially if you need to pick up a rental). However, you should be there within an hour of opening, which will give you a pretty full day of coaster riding.

Secondly, don't expect to hit all sixteen coasters in one day without Fast Lane. All three of my trips to the park have been 1.5 day visits, and that's generally been enough time for one ride on each non-kiddie coaster plus a few non-coaster rides to mix it up. Now, I will say that I've only visited in the June - August period so it is possible early season might be less busy, but here are the typical wait times I've experienced at the park...

45-60 minutes: Superman - Ultimate Flight
30-45 minutes: Dark Knight, Goliath, Maxx Force, Raging Bull, X-Flight
20-30 minutes: Batman The Ride, Flash: Vertical Velocity, Joker, Whizzer
10-20 minutes: American Eagle, Demon, Viper

Given that, as well as your priorities, and assuming an approximately 11 A.M. arrival, here's what I'd recommend to make the most of your day (assuming no Fast Lane...if you buy it, just pick a direction and hit things in order):

1. If it is running, hit Maxx Force immediately, even if the line is an hour. Not only is this perhaps the most unique coaster at the park, but it has been extremely temperamental in my experience, so leaving it until later could potentially mean missing out on what I consider the park's second best coaster. If it is not running, however, I'd recommend skipping it for now and either hitting it when you pass by later or jumping in line right before closing.

2. Head to the back of the park (County Fair), bypassing Whizzer for now (unless the wait is really short...20 minutes or less). Five of the park's coasters are clustered together in this area of the park: American Eagle, Demon, Goliath, Wrath of Rakshasa, and X-Flight. You can take them in whatever order you please, but based on where we're going next Wrath > Demon > Goliath > American Eagle > X-Flight would be the least walking. If you want to ride Sky Striker, now is also the time to do it, but I'd recommend skipping it if the line exceeds 30 minutes.

3. Make your way to the Southwest Territory to ride Raging Bull and Viper (in either order). After these two, I'd recommend finding somewhere to get food, as you should be in the sweet spot between lunch and dinner rushes at this time.

4. Loop around the park to DC Universe for Batman The Ride, Flash: Vertical Velocity, and Joker. Even if you've ridden it at other parks, this is the original Batman and should be considered a priority. Joker, on the other hand, is optional depending on wait time and how late in the day it is currently. If you want to ride either of the junior coasters (Little Dipper and Sprocket Rockets), do that en route to DC Universe.

5. If everything has gone well up until this point, you'll now have three coasters left: Dark Knight, Superman - Ultimate Flight, and Whizzer. If you are doing good on time (2-3 hours before closing), I'd recommend doing the two clones first as they are closer, then hitting Whizzer. If time is getting a bit tight, I'd recommend heading to Whizzer first, then deciding between the clones and possible re-rides. Either way, you can hit Condor in passing.
 
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Now that Fast Lane is available for purchase for the season, I’m realizing I have no idea how it works. I’ve never done FL/FP at any CF/SF park, and the last time I even did a Disney FP was 2008.

I know it’s all virtual now, but is the difference between Reserve and Priority that Reserve is fully virtual, where Priority allows you to just kind of show up (and ride Rakshasa/Maxx Force once each)? And am I missing something or is Ultimate just an extra ride on Rakshasa/Maxx Force?
 
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Now that Fast Lane is available for purchase for the season, I’m realizing I have no idea how it works. I’ve never done FL/FP at any CF/SF park, and the last time I even did a Disney FP was 2008.

I know it’s all virtual now, but is the difference between Reserve and Priority that Reserve is fully virtual, where Priority allows you to just kind of show up (and ride Rakshasa/Maxx Force once each)? And am I missing something or is Ultimate just an extra ride on Rakshasa/Maxx Force?
From the FAQ on SFGAm's Fast Lane Website:

Fast Lane Reserve virtually holds your place in line for rides so you can explore the park while you wait. You'll receive a return time to access the Fast Lane for priority boarding.

Fast Lane Priority reduces wait times by 50%.You'll receive a return time that is half the time of the regular wait line.

Fast Lane Ultimate allows you to make an immediate reservation to instantly join the Fast Lane, reducing your wait time by 90%. Fast Lane Ultimate is the best way to maximize the number of rides during your visit.
Basically, Reserve will give you a "come back to ride" time of equal to whatever the app says the standby time is. Priority will give you a time that is 50% sooner. Ultimate will give you an instant reservation. You will still need to use your device to make the reservation.

As for available rides, looking at the "buy Fast Lane" options once you click to try to buy a daily Fast Lane, it appears that the restrictions are as follows:

Reserve - Not valid on Maxx Force / Wrath of Rakshasa
Priority - 1 ride each on Maxx Force / Wrath of Rakshasa
Ultimate - 2 rides each on Maxx Force / Wrath of Rakshasa

Yes, their website is awful and unclear.
 
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Got it, so it’s all reservations at this point, just at different priority levels. Can’t see myself doing Ultimate but Priority sounds like the right move. Thank you!
 
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