No-Boo USA Adventures

[Rojo]

This really wasn't meant to be a park holiday, yet somehow I managed to turn our plans for a 5 day trip to NY and a day trip to Niagara Falls, into a 2 week holiday with a visit to 4 parks.

Due to personal circumstances this trip got bumped twice and 18 months later we finally had something booked. Annoyingly I could now only book October because my new job gets busy in September but that couldn't cause any issues right?.... Well yes it could.

I started planning out a trip that went something along the lines of Niagra Falls, New York, SFGA, Hersheypark, Kennywood, Kings Islands, Cedar Point and home. However it quickly became clear that in my naive thinking I was turning our holiday mainly into a coaster trip and practicality-wise it was becoming a mess. It was surprising to discover how much of America shuts down in the Fall season, which severely limited our options. So after a bit of rejigging we had a plan in place for our holiday which included the following parks;

• Coney Island
• Six Flags Great Adventure
• Canada's Wonderland
• Cedar Point.

All Good? Not exactly. Flights were booked with travel company that went under 1 week before, you may have seen this company in the news. Cursed? Probably but 'tis the season for hexes.

So after resolving that speed bump it was onwards to Coney Island...

 

[Rojo]

24 hours into NY and we're still finding our feet in a city that truly is an assault on each of the five senses. Combine that with jet-lag, we probably could have done without traversing Manhattan to outer reaches the Brooklyn. The journey is simple enough on the Metro, simply head for Downtown Brooklyn and it takes between 45 minutes to an hour, dependent on your starting location. We had 7 Day metro passes so I can't remember the exact price but I am sure it was roughly $5 return. We also had the New York Pass which encompasses a whole host of NY attractions, including Coney Island. I think the basic package for Coney Island is around $45.

Like the days of old at Blackpool the area is free to roam with wristbands or single ride vouchers available for purchase. My comparisons to Blackpool didn't stop there that day but any park on the beachfront, with grey skies, blustering winds, a pier, over priced beer and an aging wooden coaster was always going to invoke some memories of home.
For those not in the know Coney Island is actually 2 parks, Luna Park and Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. Confusingly there's no real boundaries but essentially Deno's is sandwiched between 2 sections of Luna Park and as the name implies Deno owns the big wheel in the middle.

We managed to bypass the actual Luna Park entrance and stumble in via a side street. A side street that easily could have been lifted out of a Tim Burton Batman film I might add. An abandoned ruin of carnie stalls and people staring at us giving it the "you aren't from round these parts, boy" vibe. There was very little life in the area until we reach the Wonder Wheel (Which is also included in the NY Pass).

Wonder Wheel - We opted for one of the swinging cars and got a couple of revolutions around which seems a bit steep for $8. The wheel offers a decent view across the boardwalk and over the parks into Brooklyn, however with the state of the park you might be best gazing at the sea. (currently it's a bit of a building site). The swinging cars are fun and add a splash of thrill to what would have been a pretty OK experience. If I had to pay the $8 to ride again I would probably decline and put an additional $2 towards riding Cyclone again.

At $8 we pass on Spook-A-Rama and nothing else takes our fancy in Deno's. So we head out on to the boardwalk, get a pint of Brooklyn and take in the views across the Atlantic and find the entrance of Luna Park.

Despite it being a special halloween event it was 11am and the park was dead, so we went to guest services to pick up our wristbands and awkwardly avoid the leisure staff as they were desperate to drag us in to make any sale. We got our wristbands only to find out the NY Pass does not include "Extreme Thrill Rides" with Cyclone costing us $10 each. It does include a single use pass for Thunderbolt. So we only missed out on Zenobio, Go Karts and Slingshot, which wasn't a huge loss.

As the park is now essentially Zamperla's showground it's littered with flat rides. Most were good fun but you've probably encountered them all individually on your travels.

Coney Island Hang Glider - The restraints are awful, thankfully nobody made a rollercoaster using them . The ride itself is OK. The thrill mainly comes from the height and I didn't really get a sensation of free flight that Zamperla promises. Zamperla Catalogue

Windstarz - Another circular flat from Zamperla with hang gliders on each arm. You can adjust the height using the bar in the middle. Similarly to Hang Glider it's OK but not overly exciting. Zamperla Catalogue

Endeavor - Endeavor is probably best described as a single seater Enterprise. I thought the exposed nature of the seat would be thrilling vs the old Huss classic, but the OTSR and safety belt really neuter the forces you experience. Still it's actually a decent enough flat and is certainly re-ridable but I personally don't think this is a revolution (Sorry!) Zamperla Catalogue

Coney Clipper - Pirate ship standard stuff, strangely you can get directly underneath the ship in the queueline which seems a bit of disaster waiting to happen. The ride has an apparent story which encourages each half of the ride to scream louder as they raise in the air. I say apparent as we were the only ones on the ride and still lost to the empty side. It's a fix I tell you. Zamperla Catalogue

Luna 360 - A discovery, a bit on the small side especially for the USA. A nice enough pendulum ride to get youngsters started on, nothing more. Zamperla Catalogue

Electro Spin - A tiny Disk'O 16 but the girlfriend loves them so on we go. Meh! Zamperla Catalogue

Atlantic Aviator - Zamperla's latest upgrade to the air race. I think its spins a little faster and the central column now rises but apart from that its the same old air race. All things considering the restraints are quite comfortable and the ride is a little repetitive but quite thrilling. To be honest you spend so much time spinning around the extra height of the new model is hardly noticeable. Still its easily the best flat here. Zamperla Catalogue

Clockworkz - This seemed to have been the only unique flat in the park. I probably should have checked this out before getting on and I might not have been so disappointed in how static the gondolas were. The ride is 4 arms each connected to each side of a column and the columns rotate intersecting with such timing they just miss each other. It's quite amusing to watch off the ride and is a little quirky to ride. What let it down for me is that the 4 seats on each end of the arms have OTSRs, which would indicate some movement but it's fixed so that you stay upright all the way around. Zamperla Catalogue

So with the flats completed it's on to the where I think its safe to say Zamperla severely lag behind their competitors. Rollercoasters!

The Tickler - This is a spinning Zamperla coaster that you would probably find at any festival or fair and feel nervous about riding. I'm not sure if it was because it was plonked in a derelict area or if it was because it was built on a layer of MDF but I started questioning my choice to ride it on the lift hill. Its actually a fun little coaster, smooth but spins quite a bit and the drops pack some (relative) pace. Spinball it isn't but a surprisingly good little coaster none the less. 6/10

Steeplechase - Give me Steeplechase at BPB anyday. I believe the other versions of this ride has bikes but this has nothing on Vekoma's booster bikes. The seat restraints have been lifted from Disk O' and are similar to Booster Bike's restraints but that's where any decent comparison ends. Steeplechase is a launch coaster that kills all of its speed (30mph) in the first banked curve. The rest of the ride is just a series of downhill bends that you saunter around until you get back at the station. 4/10

Soarin' Eagle - Remember those restraints mentioned on the hanglider flat? Well they're back and bugger me they look like a medieval torture device and act like one as well. Anyone who has been on Hero at Mingoland will know the treat I was in for.
You have to climb into the upright restraint on some built in steps and hoist your self in all whilst it is moving. You then have to use the steps to stand on to support yourself on the ride, fail to do this properly and you will be rattled around like Bob the floating widget in an empty Guiness can. The back closes on you and you are then suspended in the horizontal position just before you get to the impressive lift hill.
The spiral lift hill is cool and the actual lying position isn't too bad and then the nightmare starts. In the same way that model coasters fly around tracks at top speed and snap around corners without any control, this Volare coaster has the same kind of feel. It just bundles you round bend, every inversion and you feel every jolt along the way until you slam into the brakes, at which point you don't care how painful that is because everything hurts. That's if you managed to get in properly like I did, fail to get in properly like my girlfriend did and you're going to feel like you rolled your car down a bank. 2/10. (It gets a 1 for the lift hill).

Thunderbolt - This Zamperla thunderbolt coaster is 5 years old going on 20. The hardware looks impressive and mean but the area it seems to have been dropped in...not so much. With more derelict land on one side and a road on the other, if it wasn't connected by the boardwalk you would assume it wasn't even part of Luna park.
The trains 3 rows of 3 which seems an odd choice but I guess Zamperla have their reasons. The restraints are quite roomy over the shoulder lap bars with a seat belt to clip in, sounds good yes? Not really because Zamperla have also fitted 2 over the shoulder straps which I'll whinge about in a minute.
The vertical lift hill and the steep first drop into the loop is good start to the coaster but then you get halfway through the loop and smash into the harsh straps with all your body weight on your shoulders. This would have been less of an issue if Soarin' Eagle hadn't already softened me up. You then inverse, ride a banked curve and inverse to the mid-point. Each time you go upside down the straps either whip you in the face or bear your weight on your shoulders again.
Thankfully its mainly just bunny hops back the station which is the fun part of the coaster with a slight bit of air time, there may be another inversion in there I can't quite remember. Mainly because the brake run was in sight and I was happy to be getting there.
The ride has a strange rattle throughout and feels/sounds like its scraping against the track rather than actually coasting. For a coaster that's 5 years old it feels worse than most Vekoma SLC's, a very poor effort. 4/10

Cyclone - If this coaster wasn't here then I probably wouldn't have entertained the idea of coming to Coney Island (What a ridiculous hobby this is sometimes). I must admit once I laid eyes on the coaster I feared it was going to be rough and having just had a really bad ride on Big Dipper a few weeks earlier, I was concerned!
At 92 Years old this coaster has seen a lot of history including hiring a little person to zap disembarking riders with an electric paddle (yes really)! Built on June 26th 1927 it is mostly responsible for saving Coney Island thanks the "save the Cyclone" campaign after the park previously went bust. Sure it has been retracked recently by GCI but surviving Hurricane Sandy gets you a free pass.
Like Thunderbolt it is adjacent to Luna Park but feels a little less dumped randomly in the street. The queueline has some interesting past photos and some fact cards laid throughout, but it was straight on and into the front row for us.
Atop the lift hill and into the first drop offers another great view over the beach and the Atlantic. A view that disappears at some speed as the old girl has a bit of kick into the first uphill curve, this slows you down before gravity pulls you into a second drop with a long undulated venture to another up hill turn, again you slow to catch your breath before racing the length of the coaster and turning underneath the second turn for another bouncy journey along the coaster. Again it's undulating whilst maintaining a solid pace into another turnaround underneath the 3rd turn, more of the same as it races into the final turnaround. Finally you bounce into the tunnel and into the station from where you started.
It's great coaster and you can see why it has lasted 92 years and received the love it has from Brooklyn. Mandy get GCI to fix dipper! 8/10

Food and drink inside is mainly burger, chips, hotdog and pretzels and it's quite reasonably priced as well. However I'd recommend something from Nathans Famous just a block over from Thunderbolt, it's been there since 1916 and after sampling the food I can see why. A massive chilli-dog with a litre of Coney Island IPA for $14 set me up for the day.

The staff at the park clearly didn't want to be there that day and the lack of people really hampered any kind of buzz at the start. however things picked up through the day and we made the best of it. Lit up at night it's quite the spectacle along the boardwalk.

Would I recommend taking an extra day out of a trip to NY? I'm not sure, being sort of close to SFGA and Dorney it's really difficult to recommend. Without Cyclone and the history it would probably be a straight no, so Zamperla have some heavy work to do and I don't think the 2020 log flume and treetop adventure will cut it.

 

[Rojo]

I should totally get on with the rest of this report. Apologies for the delay, have a bonus weird cred whilst you wait...

 

[Mikw]

Thank you! Really enjoyed reading your report.

Particularly the "widget in a Guiness can" description of Soarin Eagle!

 

[Rick]

@Robert Jones very much enjoying your reports.

I am trying to decide whether to defend Coney Island or not. I guess without its history and the Cyclone (and Wonder Wheel, I'd argue) I'd not have made the effort to go there as it currently stands, but perhaps thats kind of the point. I guess they're not really trying to get international guests, they're there for New Yorkers, of which less than half own a car.

Now Coney Island has been cleaned up, I think it holds a greater appeal to locals, but perhaps less to international visitors. It used to feel quite dangerous, edgy and 'real', but the loss of Astroworld and subsequent build out of Luna Park, it is quite different. Shoot the Freak kind of epitomised the place, even 15 years ago - you don't even have to go back as far as dwarves electrocuting humans or humans electrocuting elephants.

It'll be interesting to see if Zamperla respond to Legoland, I suspect probably not.

 

[Rojo]

Thank you! Really enjoyed reading your report.

Particularly the "widget in a Guiness can" description of Soarin Eagle!

Thanks for reading it and I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm trying to strike a balance between describing each ride with as much respect and humour as they deserve. The less I enjoyed a ride the more sarcastic I'll get

@Robert Jones very much enjoying your reports.

I am trying to decide whether to defend Coney Island or not. I guess without its history and the Cyclone (and Wonder Wheel, I'd argue) I'd not have made the effort to go there as it currently stands, but perhaps thats kind of the point. I guess they're not really trying to get international guests, they're there for New Yorkers, of which less than half own a car.

Now Coney Island has been cleaned up, I think it holds a greater appeal to locals, but perhaps less to international visitors. It used to feel quite dangerous, edgy and 'real', but the loss of Astroworld and subsequent build out of Luna Park, it is quite different. Shoot the Freak kind of epitomised the place, even 15 years ago - you don't even have to go back as far as dwarves electrocuting humans or humans electrocuting elephants.

It'll be interesting to see if Zamperla respond to Legoland, I suspect probably not.

Thanks Rick Wow that's interesting, I saw graffiti and murals referencing shoot the freak, I didn't realise it was so recent.

I can appreciate the sentiments to defend it or not. It would be too easy to just hammer the park but it's not without its quirky charm either. Yes the Wheel is definitely part of the draw too. Though I suppose appearing in a recent spiderman film also helped bump curiosity.

Fully agree its primarily Brooklynites that will be its core market but it's inclusion in the NY pass would suggest someone is pushing for guests further afield. (almost every other attraction is Manhattan based).

Great point I didn't even consider Legoland but I think you're right that they won't see it as competition. I reckon Zamperla would be happy enough to provide hardware.

 

[Rojo]

SixFlags Great Adventure
I think this officially counts as my first Six Flags park but I have been to a few of their former European parks. So it was interesting to compare that SFGA bore similar approaches to theming. Some rides being heavily themed and having impressive stations, where as others are quite bland with a standard station and a few vinyl cutouts in the queueline. It isn't a criticism but I think the ride hardware is more important to the SF business model, its just that type of park. The park does boast some impressive hardware and the 2020 Jersery Devil coaster is an exciting yet superfluous addition to their coaster line up.

Transport
As always driving to the park is often king, especially when it the park is over an hour away. On public transport, the park was easy enough to get to from downtown Manhattan using the NJ Transit from Port Authority bus station. For $80 you get your return travel and entrance to the park. However the information and communication from NJ Transit is poor so I can imagine when it's busy this is a nightmare. The information provided from NJ Transit is sparse and it will fall on you get all the details, if you plan to do it yourself here are some helpful tips.

• NJ Transit Link
• You can't pre-book tickets
• You can't buy tickets from the machine
• You can only buy from the ticket office which is on the first floor
• The buses are on the top floor (3rd?) and the bus doesn't necessarily go from gate 308 (even though the ticket says 308).
• There is a NJ transit desk on the 3rd floor, ask there for advice if stuck.
• The timetable only refers to the last bus, there may be earlier buses on each leg of the journey - Call NJ Transit to confirm.
• Finally we were able to get dropped off in NJ (Newark( by request on the way back, this worked out better for us rather than hitting NY at rush hour.

The park was only open on Wednesday that week and unfortunately that coincided with the worst weather of the whole trip, it's hard to comment on the park atmosphere when crowds were easily low thousands, if not hundreds. The rain was relentless and got worse as the day wore on, as such Six Flags took the decision to close at 17:00 instead of 19:00. To be honest it was one of those days where it was actually a relief and given the low turnout we got on everything that was open before the early closure.

It was cool to see the park dressed up in its Halloween decor but also a relief that it wasn't a fright nights event. My girlfriend is a bit of wimp when it comes to scary things and it meant we could get around without having to avoid scare zones. Our later trips would indicate that Cedar Fair certainly invests a bit more effort into their Haunt nights than Six Flags, if you were looking between the two.

Anyway onto the rides...

Superman:Ultimate Flight - Painted in Supe's traditional blue and red, a huge lift hill and a giant pretzel loop this B&M cloned flyer looks the part. We were straight on and into front row due to the low turn out, annoyingly though we had to wait around for the ride to fill up a little. After 5-10 minutes of waiting we were finally tilted forward and dispatched. Superman seems reaaally slow off the ride but the first drop into that pretzel loop is insane, especially when you flip onto your back. I think I was close to greying out at this point. However the rest didn't match the intensity and was similar AIR's experience. Solid start to the day 7/10

Green Lantern - Unlike Superman this ride had an amazingly themed station complete with a jet prop. This was my first stand up coaster and hopefully my last! I jested to my girlfriend in the queue that if anyone could make a comfortable stand up ride then surely B&M could. Turns out I was incredibly wrong and spent the next 2 minutes feeling like I was in a paint mixing machine. First I had to step into the restraints which awkwardly moved up and down, so I ended having to adopt a weird standing foetal stance to get in. If you have an out of proportion body type I assume these are an even bigger nightmare.
I'd try to describe the ride experience but I genuinely can't remember anything beyond the oddly painted yellow loop on an otherwise green painted track. I was rattled, buffered by the freezing wind and rain and every time I came out of an inversion my quads felt like they were on fire. The ride was offensively longer than it needs to be and was now competing with Thunderbolt for worst ride of the trip. The only consolation I could take from the ride was that we got on the train just before it got stuck on the lift hill for most of the day. 2/10

Twister (Twixsaw) - I wasn't going to make Rameses Revenge before it closed so I couldn't resist the Top Spin. The ride was on a short cycle but still as good as Ripsaw used to be. Even that classic whinging and groaning as the gondola slowed down was present. Shame there was no water effects but I guess due to the weather we were wet enough at this point.

Zumanjaro - We headed over to Kingda Ka with a glimpse of it testing, so my better half convinced me should do the drop tower and we'll hit KK on the exit. I have previously made my thoughts known on drop towers and I'll be honest I am not a fan they just freak me out. So going on one attached to the tallest coaster in the world just seems insane to me. Nevertheless we got straight on and I am strapped in next to what can only be described as Zumanjaro's biggest fan. This guy was chanting "Zumanjaro, Drop of Doooooooommmmmm" repeatedly and we hadn't even started going vertical. After a brief chat he declared it's his favorite ride but he hates it, and it never gets any better. Which totally didn't help with my nerves.
We start going up with more hollering from my new acquaintance, as we are getting higher Emma starts insisting "it's not that high" repeatedly. About half way up she stops and I realize that she is now freaking out and this girl loves a drop tower! We get to the top and all the rides like El Torro and Nitro seem like tiny specks in the distance. It's only when I rode these later on did I actually appreciate just how high Zumanjaro is and even that is ~10-15 feet off the top of KK. The drop to bottom is over in seconds but just a little over half way the gondola seemed to shift and sway to the right a little. I cacked it a bit at that point. In hindsight I actually really enjoyed this one more than I thought and would have happily gone on it again had the weather been a little better.

El Toro - Wow what can I say about "The Bull"... Well a lot!. Firstly we had to engage with an over zealous queueline attendant, who wanted to make sure that we had no pesky items in out pockets. The station is a nice old town Spanish building vibe, with an Instagram friendly Bull statue at the entrance. We got straight on and quickly bagged the back row. Then came whole heap of issues, the restraints didn't lock for most of the train and the ride ops played whack-a-mole in finding out which seats had locked and which didn't. This went on for about 20 minutes before they were happy, seatbelts were finally checked and we finally departed onto the Intamin prefab track.
What followed was 2 minutes of the ride trying to eject me from (hopefully working) restraints. I have never felt so vulnerable on a ride before. The first drop felt like we were fired out of a cannon and yanked down instantly by gravity into terminal velocity before hurtling us at a series of bumps and banked curves, each one felt like bucking bronco in seizure trying to launch me out of my seat. Now I can see why there was concern over the lap bars, these things were working overtime to keep me relatively safe. There's no room to breath as the coaster hits the final section floor hugging banked turns, flipping furiously from right to left back to the station. Think Wodan but on crack.
I wasn't exactly sure of what happened other than I needed to get straight back on it. Emma was less keen and was actually a little put off by the force and lack of assurance from the lapbar. However she braved it and we went straight back on. Curiously the ops were now only boarding the front half of the train (First 9 rows). This helped with getting the trains out faster but there were still issues getting the restraints secured. We got front row and the first drop really sneaks up on you, no POV video will ever prepare you for that heart in mouth feeling as hurtle down. We got another go on El toro before leaving but this was marred with the rain picking up again.
The whole faff with lockers did mean we didn't bother coming back, shame as this was an absolute banger. I think Emma was in the slightly too intense camp, but for me it really was the Toro's Cojones. 10/10

Bizarro - This a 7 looper sit down B&M. I found it had most of the elements of Dragon Kahn and seem to be in better condition than DK. The lift hill gives you nice enough view over the trees and farmland, of which you can see a wonderful piece of coaster track has been recycled for farm use (See pic from YouTube POV). There's a mix mash in theming quality and effects on the ride as you go round. The vinyl stuff detracts and cheapens from the better quality theming such as the fire effects, phantom zone structure and the (Asteroid?) head chopper. The ride is pretty smooth and packs a bit of pace throughout. 8/10




Runaway Mine Train - A very rough Arrow mine train. To be fair leaving this until pretty late in the day was a mistake. We were soaked through and miserable before we got on it. I don't think I've seen a rustier looking coaster and I'm including Knightmare in it's current state. The near misses with the track and surrounding foliage adds to the excitement and the trains hits the drops a lot faster than I expected, especially the one over the lake back into the station. The roughness of the coaster however made the very short ride a plus and when we didn't get a second lap I was quite relieved 5/10

Joker - Joker is the youngest coaster in the park and is a lakeside S&S Freespin. We were really looking forward to this as we missed out on the S&S screaming squirrel on our visit to Gardaland. Looking like a giant Buzz Wire game, it's an eye catching piece of kit in its purple and green livery. From what I've read elsewhere they're not universally loved as most hate the short ride, long queues, ride experience, etc... I must say we both loved it.
Walking on would have been great if the over zealous bouncer on the queue wasn't there. I'm fairly sure I was one flippant remark away from being hung upside and shaken to prove how empty my pockets were. The OTSRs despite having vests are surprisingly comfy but despite only needing an additional seatbelt check the process was slow. This would be nightmare on a busy summers day.
Once you hit the top of the apex of the lift hill the magnets disengage and you spin towards the first drop. It was apparent on re-rides this was controlled heavily by the magnets leading to a similar ride experience on each trip. Unlike the more heavily criticized free rotating ZacSpins.
To be honest the first ride was blur, but given the lack of queue the ride op suggested we swap to the back facing seats and the second trip around was easier to track our progress as we descended down the vertical chicanes. We got an immediate 3rd ride but this may have been pushing it a bit physically and the vests were getting noticeably present. It does offer some great airtime in places but you can get better on El Toro without rattling your brain. I think it's a great ride if not a little gimmicky and repetitive. 8/10

Skull Mountain - Given that this and Justice league were the only indoor rides not closed I could quite easily give this 10/10 just for keeping us dry. Looking like a poundland Valhala from the outside, this enclosed Intamin coaster was a god send. I have to say we encountered the weirdest yet funniest ride op ever, the guy described the ride in Barry White/Chef-esque dulcet tones as he cheered off and greeted riders at the station. Totally bonkers but hilarious. The coaster isn't all that exciting but offers a breather after Joker. As with most indoors it does feel faster than it is and one or two corners are a little jerky but overall it's a cool family coaster. 6/10

Batman the ride - I was really excited for but ultimately I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. To be honest the times we went on it the rain was awful and I struggled to keep my eyes open without feeling like Ebony Maw was torturing me. It was quite the headbanger for most of the way around but not being able to see and brace accordingly was responsible for that. I've had rough rides on Nemesis and Black Mamba but this was just way worse than any suspended B&M. 4/10

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis - An indoor blaster ride that really helped escape the rain. I went in with expectations of this being a terrible blaster ride but in truth it was actually really good. Probably up there with Toy Story/Monsters inc rides for quality. Soo many set scenes and moving parts that all worked. Ok some of the screens were just frantic button mashing as you chased the Joker across Metropolis but on the whole it was decent.

Cyborg Cyber spin - The aesthetically pleasing ABC Tourbillon has piqued my interest for some time. This ride often gets labelled as ripsaw replacement so I was really looking forward to this gyroscope that spins on 3 axis to create an "anti-gravity experience". The ride is themed on the lesser known DC character Victor Cyborg, I say "themed", there's a few vinyls in the queueline and the ride itself is painted in Cyborg's colours. The ride itself is a weird experience the slow rotations as you get started offer some weird forces that you are not used to but once the ride gets into its stride it gets a bit repetitive and lot more tame than you would expect.

Nitro - This is the parks B&M hypercoaster. If this coaster had a theme beyond blasting the Mortal Kombat theme at the station, I missed it. Not a bad thing just an odd choice. It's also plonked at the edge of the park in what is a mix of a very tired looking Looney Tunes area and a building site.
The ride for me is more Shambala than Silver Star in terms of ride experience and then the reverse in terms of operations. It was the only ride that day hitting anything close good operations and this was running on a single train. To be fair it was also the only ride that didn't need additional checks beyond the restraint check. We hit this 4 times in the last 20 minutes of the park being open, with the ride op telling us which rows were clear for rerides as we got back to the station.
The ride carries some fantastic speed throughout and feels great on the inside of one the banked curves, there's some fantastic air time to be had after the MCBR as you bunny hop back to the stations. Whilst the layout is certainly more inspired than Silver Star's out and back, it doesn't really offer anything surprising. 8/10

You may have noticed 2 big omissions from the ride line up. Kingda Ka and Wonder Woman:Lasso of Truth, the worlds largest rollercoaster and pendulum ride respectively.

Kingda Ka, tested intermittently but just couldn't open in the weather and to be honest I'm less gutted than I thought I would be. Sure part of the allure was the tallest cred but once you've done Stealth/Red Force it's appeal is purely the height aspect, which we got a taste for on the terrifying Zumanjaro. Wonder Woman again is another familiar ride but just a bigger version. This was working but the twice we queued up for it, the staff just wondered off. No announcements or any idea of what was going on they just disappeared. Of course I would have loved to have gone on both rides but I would have been more devastated had El Toro shut.

Final points
The food was crazy expensive and the quality wasn't great. I think it was $40 for the two of us for lunch (pizza and Premio hotdog) and 2 very much needed tea's.

I'm not a fan of the militant everything must be in the locker for Joker and El Toro. Wallets, keys and phones in the locker sure I get it, not being able to have park map in a zipped pocket felt a bit extreme.

I don't understand why the park has animals in a tiny enclosures that essentially serve as adverts for their Safari experience. The lions looked incredibly agitated and uncomfortable, the cheery and friendly handler ensured us they were fine but just not enjoying the rain (neither were we to be honest).

This is definitely a personal preference but I'm not a huge fan of the constant station MC'ing in ride stations that seemed prevalent at US parks. Especially when the ride hosts sounds like the muffled Ray Von (Shabba!). Telling us to check out other rides at the park such as Kingda Ka, which never opened felt a bit painful and clearly the op was just repeating his script, which rendered the whole experience a bit forced and cold.

Apart from the above I really enjoyed out time at Six flags. I assume most travelers head there for Kingda Ka but the real star of the show is El Toro.

Next up Canada Wonderland!

 

[Mattmash]

Great trip report! Glad you enjoyed El Toro, it is a beast of a coaster