9/13/2022
Hi, this is Dustin. First of all, today is my 21st birthday so yay party time. Second of all, I would like to dissect my tier list of Six Flags Great Adventure rides OT members went on during our visit 8/29.
Unfortunately, not all of the rides were available on the tier list maker but I can deal with the Jersey Devil not being featured (it would be high B). A bit of advice to start: visit when school has just started and also after one of the main rides at the park has been closed down for sending people to the hospital with back pain (El Toro). Lines were almost nonexistent, so take rankings with a grain of salt because there was no downside in waiting for a coaster.
Starting with D tier: the Twister. We went on it first because it had literally 0 line and it was right next to the main street. It was almost worth not riding. Definitely don’t ride if there’s a line. It made me feel sick and it was very herky jerky [but a bad kind (See: Joker)].
C Tier: the Green Lantern. It was mid. The standing up coaster gimmick was pretty good but our heads kept getting knocked around which was uncomfortable. Debatable whether it was worth the ride with no line.
B Tier: Skull Mountain was solid. Line area was a bit dank and would not be fun to wait in with a long line but at least it was relatively cool. Needed to be darker to have more fun (too much light got in) so maybe ride after sunset. Ride did not last long. Swing. Always solid, nuff said. The Joker is dependent on which side of the coaster you’re on for enjoyment. I can only speak to the side facing towards the plaza, but other OT accounts say that the side facing the plaza is way crazier which I am interpreting as more fun. Expect flips, but not excessively. Short ride overall, but it was solid. It was between high B and low A but I settled on high B. Elda was also screaming her head off; it was really funny.
A Tier: Superman. This was the first real coaster we rode (fuck the Twister) so it gets benefitted by us not being tired. I was in the first row of the coaster which was very fun. You are positioned in a Superman flying position, so you are suspended from above you. Turns and loops hit different with nothing below you. Very fun overall. The Kingda Ka is probably the most unique coaster in the park. It was weird, but I loved it. If you want to experience it with no expectations stop reading because I think this coaster is good enough to necessitate spoilers. You start slow, but that’s a facade. You burst forward at an insane pace, racing up the giant peak before shooting down the other side. Honestly, the g-force and jolt at the beginning is more exhilarating than the massive drop which says a lot. Great view from the top but there’s not enough time to appreciate it. Worth the hype, and we had no line really, but I’d say worth the wait. Borderline s-tier tbh.
S Tier: Nitro was the best. We rode it near the end of our time in the park when we were tired and dizzy, which is a testament to how fun it was. There’s a sideways loop part about ⅔ way through the ride which caused nearly half of OT to nearly faint, which was scary but also cool? Unsure, I still have to unpack that experience. Unlike the other coasters, I never felt like I was being jostled on Nitro, it was comfortable but still exciting. It was also a longer coaster than the others (or at least it was in my memory).
Takeaways and notes: Best coaster is Nitro; if you can only go on one, ride Kingda Ka; if you want to go to the hospital, El Toro; get a small gelati from Rita’s, it was delicious (tropical paradise or something similar was the flavor I got and it paired well with vanilla); Woody’s diner was tasty on the way to the park.
