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Trip Report
California
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
Weather: Sunny turning cloudy, mid-70s
Crowds: Light
On the whole, Great America is a perfectly lovely park. Along with its Six Flags sister park in IllinoisMagicMountain
Currently the park is the least desirable of the drastically expanded Cedar Fair Empire. Their battles with the city of Santa Clara, local business and the potentially new 49er neighbors belie a park that has an uncertain future, and nothing stagnates investment and improvement like uncertainty. One need only look to the dismantling of the historic GeaugaLake to see the lengths Cedar Fair will go to in the interest of the bottom line.
SixFlagsDiscoveryKingdom, which first moved an entire park across the bay to cheaper land because of escalating property taxes, and then became property of the city it moved to after defaulting on public debts. And that was all before Six Flags came to town, so no blaming them.
In the spirit of full disclosure, Great America has been headed downhill long before Paramount
Without having to make a long trip, and not at all worried about crowds, we left home not too long after 9:30am for the 10am opening, leisurely arriving at 10:15
Between that, the completely empty queue, and unnecessary two train operation, we were able to stay on for three rides in a row. I suppose the DorneyPark
Paramount licensing, Drop Zone has now become the awkward and suspicious DropTowerSilicon Valley and providing a gut-wrenching fall. We stayed on for multiple drops.
We found a less rowdy crowd on the StarTower, and old fashioned slow-rotating observation tower ride. I mildy prefer the oil derrick/free standing platform versions where you can sightsee at your own pace, but this still offered a nice view. The unfortunately grimy windows made for sub par photographs, but the strong gust of air conditioning made the experience more than tolerable.
We had to stall a bit before the rest of our group would be arriving, so we headed into the Sports Bar. How was this place not packed? The opening day for the NFL, and more flat-screens than I ever thought an amusement park would pay for. We had the place to ourselves, along with a couple of beers, a pretzel, and finally those ice waters.
Our friends had finally made it to the park just after lunchtime, and we were off to show them around. Of course the first stop would be Top Gun, though we had to settle for a single ride thanks to a breakdown. We moved onto Firefall, which enticed us with its fog and fire effects. The ride itself was pretty unremarkable, your standard Huss TopSpin with an average program, but it was nice to see the special effects running so late in the season, and for such a small audience.
The group wanted to give Delirium a try, and we were happy to ride a second time. Unfortunately we seemed to once again be stuck in the area of seats that never spun around the peak of arc. Still a fun ride, but we spent most of the time trying to figure out how that was even possible. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk version seems to be much more evenhanded.
To humor the less thrill-inclined among us, some of us hopped on the 3D simulator theater attraction showing SpongeBob. I am absolutely certain I had seen this attraction before, though I struggled to remember where. Either way, it was a tolerable experience, given my mild appreciation for SpongeBob et. al., the story is fine, though the motion is a little on the manic side.
Aside from up our group being split up, we enjoyed the ride as much as one could. The terrain is quite flat, so a small lift to start provided the momentum to travel at ground level, through the decently sized water park. A large lift led to the second half of the ride, which was as much bobsled as it was log ride, thanks to a low water level. The double down drop was a nice change of pace, and no one exited in any sort of dampness-fueled tantrum.
Confounding logic, DropTower
Continuing the loop, I talked everyone into Berserker, a rare Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve. I had never ridden this old school flat ride, which is something like a powered coaster on a circular track simulating the layout of a Himalaya. It was oddly overbanked in some areas, and then underbanked in others, not providing a smooth or really a fun ride. I apologized.
Heading back to the front of the park, the others wanted to ride Vortex, and did so while we enjoyed a trip to the candy store. In addition to a caramel apple (sans peanuts), I picked up a gigantic pickle. By far the best purchase of the day, a great value at $1.39, and something I wish I saw more of at amusement parks, whether oddly located in candy stores or not.
California
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
Weather: Sunny turning cloudy, mid-70s
Crowds: Light
On the whole, Great America is a perfectly lovely park. Along with its Six Flags sister park in IllinoisMagicMountain
Currently the park is the least desirable of the drastically expanded Cedar Fair Empire. Their battles with the city of Santa Clara, local business and the potentially new 49er neighbors belie a park that has an uncertain future, and nothing stagnates investment and improvement like uncertainty. One need only look to the dismantling of the historic GeaugaLake to see the lengths Cedar Fair will go to in the interest of the bottom line.
SixFlagsDiscoveryKingdom, which first moved an entire park across the bay to cheaper land because of escalating property taxes, and then became property of the city it moved to after defaulting on public debts. And that was all before Six Flags came to town, so no blaming them.
In the spirit of full disclosure, Great America has been headed downhill long before Paramount
Without having to make a long trip, and not at all worried about crowds, we left home not too long after 9:30am for the 10am opening, leisurely arriving at 10:15
Between that, the completely empty queue, and unnecessary two train operation, we were able to stay on for three rides in a row. I suppose the DorneyPark
Paramount licensing, Drop Zone has now become the awkward and suspicious DropTowerSilicon Valley and providing a gut-wrenching fall. We stayed on for multiple drops.
We found a less rowdy crowd on the StarTower, and old fashioned slow-rotating observation tower ride. I mildy prefer the oil derrick/free standing platform versions where you can sightsee at your own pace, but this still offered a nice view. The unfortunately grimy windows made for sub par photographs, but the strong gust of air conditioning made the experience more than tolerable.
We had to stall a bit before the rest of our group would be arriving, so we headed into the Sports Bar. How was this place not packed? The opening day for the NFL, and more flat-screens than I ever thought an amusement park would pay for. We had the place to ourselves, along with a couple of beers, a pretzel, and finally those ice waters.
Our friends had finally made it to the park just after lunchtime, and we were off to show them around. Of course the first stop would be Top Gun, though we had to settle for a single ride thanks to a breakdown. We moved onto Firefall, which enticed us with its fog and fire effects. The ride itself was pretty unremarkable, your standard Huss TopSpin with an average program, but it was nice to see the special effects running so late in the season, and for such a small audience.
The group wanted to give Delirium a try, and we were happy to ride a second time. Unfortunately we seemed to once again be stuck in the area of seats that never spun around the peak of arc. Still a fun ride, but we spent most of the time trying to figure out how that was even possible. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk version seems to be much more evenhanded.
To humor the less thrill-inclined among us, some of us hopped on the 3D simulator theater attraction showing SpongeBob. I am absolutely certain I had seen this attraction before, though I struggled to remember where. Either way, it was a tolerable experience, given my mild appreciation for SpongeBob et. al., the story is fine, though the motion is a little on the manic side.
Aside from up our group being split up, we enjoyed the ride as much as one could. The terrain is quite flat, so a small lift to start provided the momentum to travel at ground level, through the decently sized water park. A large lift led to the second half of the ride, which was as much bobsled as it was log ride, thanks to a low water level. The double down drop was a nice change of pace, and no one exited in any sort of dampness-fueled tantrum.
Confounding logic, DropTower
Continuing the loop, I talked everyone into Berserker, a rare Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve. I had never ridden this old school flat ride, which is something like a powered coaster on a circular track simulating the layout of a Himalaya. It was oddly overbanked in some areas, and then underbanked in others, not providing a smooth or really a fun ride. I apologized.
Heading back to the front of the park, the others wanted to ride Vortex, and did so while we enjoyed a trip to the candy store. In addition to a caramel apple (sans peanuts), I picked up a gigantic pickle. By far the best purchase of the day, a great value at $1.39, and something I wish I saw more of at amusement parks, whether oddly located in candy stores or not.
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