Wednesday  - July 4th, 2012

Independence Day + Extreme Heat = Crowded Water Park + Smaller Theme Park Crowds
     
     
     
     
The King Cobra track is now finished and the queue line and additional theme elements are being added.
     
King Cobra tubes come in both singles and doubles!  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
    Parking on the grass at the Harbor!
     
   
The Safari animals were trying to stay either in the shade or underwater.
     
     
     
     
The Great Adventure BBQ - an Independence Day tradition.  
     
     
 
     
Nitro hasn't been feeling well lately.    
     
Air Jumbo is temporarily out of commission.
     
  Dancin' in the heat!  
     
  Fireworks tonight!  
    Sling Shot's new pricing attracted more riders.
     
     
Survey markers at Fender Bender.   While the ride will open later than hoped, it will open this year.  Some things are beyond the park's control.
     
Check it out - retro logo merchandise!  Sweet!    
     

Friday - June 29th, 2012
While no additional progress has been made on the Fender Benders Bumper Cars, King Cobra is racing towards a speedy finish with all but two sections of tubing yet to install.  The new slide looks very impressive!
     
Stealth bumpers!
     
  New counters at Attitudes. Queue/fencing for King Cobra awaits installation.
     
Flash Pass stand's counter has been installed.  
     
New family slide tubes.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
     

Monday - June 25th, 2012
A thunderstorm-packed morning resulted in small crowds at both Hurricane Harbor and Great Adventure today.  Below are some of the latest happenings around the parks.
     
Heavy downpours caused small washouts around the parks. The Flash Pass stall inches towards completion.
     
No need for Flash Passes today... everything was walk on. It's nice to see the park's signage getting some rehab.  
     
Most of the work on the King Cobra in the past week has been on its head and installation of the steel support structures.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
The inside of the snake features scales on the bottom and reflective materials above the riders.
     
   
     
Adventure Alley has been added to the status boards.  Nitro was open and Fender Benders should have been tagged as closed. Mr. Six's bus has been reintroduced into the theme park but this time without any mention of him.  Consider it a Great Adventure Retro Cruiser!
     
     
Additional clearing has taken place on the Fender Benders' queue site but still no sign of the new ride.  It looks like the "Late Spring" opening has become "Early Summer".
     
Someone didn't like their hot dog, or Batman The Ride, or both! The Grandstands are being spruced up for the upcoming July 4th fireworks.
     
  Oh, construction equipment.  But don't get excited.  
     
The Lahaway Creek was extra high and flowing strongly today.
    Keeping the Sky Ride rolling!
     
     
  Parachutes now have step stools for the little adventurers.  
     

Saturday - June 16th, 2012

As the summer months approach Great Adventure continues to work on several projects and add some exciting surprises to its parks.  King Cobra construction forges ahead with the waterslide jigsaw puzzle starting to come together.  Over at the theme park we are anxiously awaiting the installation of Fender Benders bumper cars , but the latest big surprise is the addition of the wonderful new Sea Lion Celebration show.  Over the last few weeks Great Adventure has acquired two new sea lions from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California.  Ella and Kenobi will join Anoki, Crystal, and Dichali at Fort Independence in an entertaining and educational show.
     
Electrical service is being added to Hurricane Harbor's newest stand. These were the Flash Pass charges at 3pm.
     
King Cobra parts are being installed on the former site of the park's volleyball beach and assembled on the neighboring lawns.
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  A queue line cover has been installed just in time for the summer sun.  
    The fountain has reopened after a mid-week rehab.
     
     
Park guests were entertained and delighted by Great Adventure's newest show Sea Lion Celebration on its debut weekend!
     
   
     
     
     
     
   
     
Lightning fixtures high up in the trees help to illuminate the Adventure Alley area. Future queue of Fender Benders.
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
     
     
Chevrolet had a fleet of its latest model cars available for inspection.
     
     
A first of its kind video panel has been installed across from SkyScreamer.    
     
     
     
     
     
The lights come on as the sun sets in Adventure Alley!
     
     
     
     
     
Tuesday - June 12th, 2012

Just a brief update today after stopping for a quick walk through the park. 
     
Nothing new at King Cobra. Fountain cleaning time.
   
     
The new Jersey Boys signs may not be attractive but they are eye catching.
     
The first signs of movement (as well as a new sign) on the Fender Benders site.  Ground clearing has started around the former Evolution ride queue pad.
   
Jellyfish and dolphin themed landscaping!    
 
A new sign has been posted at the Twister ride. With the summer months approaching, more and more entertainers can be found around the park.
     
Sunday - June 10th, 2012

Another beautiful weekend brought guests to our local Six Flags park.  Hurricane Harbor had cars as far back as the last row in the parking lot and the theme park was also well attended.  Construction continues at the water park while detail work starts to show up in Adventure Alley and at DejaVu in particular.
     
The new permanent stand starts to take shape in Hurricane Harbor.  My money is still on it being a Flash Pass distribution kiosk.
     
King Cobra's first pieces of fiberglass slide has been installed on the steel structure of the park's newest waterslide.  The entrance of King Cobra will be near the wave pool.
     
     
   
     
  Notice the sockets for the fangs!
     
     
     
     
     
Big Squirt is squirting! This Boneless Wings sign was initially installed on the stand next to Rolling Thunder.  There were two signs side by side and one was removed and relocated here.  
     
     
     
     
   
     
     
 
     
 
     
New musical notes adorn the new DejaVu ride!  Very Musik Express-esque!
     
     
     
  Improvements continue around Movie Town.  
 
     
Did you ever see "Life After People" on the History Channel?   The North Pole - Six Flags style.
     
     
  Grandma's got a new can of paint!  
     
     
     
Waiting patiently!   Insert SWASHBUCKLER sign here.
     
  Jon Corzine's new gig!  
     
   
 

Mr. Sixless Dance Party!

 Ride twice with Platinum!
     
Wednesday - June 6th, 2012

King Cobra has gone vertical!  The race is on to see which ride will open first - King Cobra or Fender Benders (where there is no signs of construction).  Sunny and 70 degrees today... perfect park weather!
     
King Cobra has gone VERTICAL!
     
 
     
  Bottoms Up!  
     
     
   
    This is new... Ouch!
     
  Jersey Boys Sing Along on the Hour -
BE THERE!		  
     
     
 
     
Fender Benders Watch - no movement.    
   
  You can fly, You can fly, You can fly -
three different ways!		  
     
     
    El Toro and most other rides were walk-ons.
 
     
Saturday - June 2nd, 2012

Today's adventures included a trip to Hurricane Harbor and the theme park.  We hoped to go to the Safari but the line was really long - backed up to the toll booths for Hurricane Harbor (and this was at 3pm!).  It was great to see the Safari bringing in the people!
     
This guy wasn't in the Safari but grazing next to the Hurricane Harbor parking lot.    
     
     
 
     
Cheese Wiz on a cheesesteak? Captain Jack from the theme park now rides in Hurricane Harbor.
     
     
Flash Pass scanners are now at all the slides.    
     
My guess is that this will soon be home to a permanent Flash Pass sales stand.  
     
Work on the footers for the King Cobra slide continues.  Workers were busy even today - a Saturday.
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  The railings have been removed from the old rope climb and the planter has been painted in Movie Town.
     
The Hearts Aweigh backdrop has been repainted.  
     
  The paintball building still stands... unfortunately.
     
 
     
     
     
     
Oh no - dolphin related merchandise has been discounted.  
     
Nathans...
...anyone?    
  Frog Bog is back!  
     
 
     
  DejaVu now has lights and they look great!  
     
     
     
  Air Jumbo's lights are LEDs that change colors to match the elephants!
     
     
Fender Benderless!  
     
     
 
     
Saturday - May 26th, 2012

Memorial Day weekend is often considered the kick-off to summer so here is the first trip report of the "Summer Season"!  All three parks are now open at Great Adventure satisfying the needs of thrill seekers, animal lovers, and sun bathers.  Below is a sampling of all the latest happenings at the parks!
     
 
     
Flash Pass is now available at Hurricane Harbor.
     
     
     
 
 
Separate queue lines for Flash Pass and standby guests have been installed.  Both lead to the stairs of the towers where attendants will regulate traffic flow to the rides.
     
     
   
     
   
  New handrails have been installed to the lazy river. Plenty of tubes available today!
     
     
Installation of the King Cobra slide has begun on the former site of the volleyball courts.  Foundations are being poured and all the parts are being stored in the grassy fields across from the ride.  The minimum height requirement will be 48" to ride King Cobra.
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
     
     
     
     
  Johnny Rockets is HurricaneHarborHistory.  
     
  Something is up on the island!  
     
  Jersey Boys promotions are in full swing.  
     
  Are their ears moving???  
    Aqua stadium seems to be in transition.
The walkway damaged by Irene last year has been repaired.  Gone is the asphalt- replaced by nice fresh concrete!
     
No bumpers yet.    
     
If Congo Rapids is open it must mean it is Memorial Day!
     
     
     
The park will be celebrating July 4th with fireworks this year. There are a lot of critters in the water near the Best of the West!  
     
   
     
 
     
Any questions why the lions and tigers are now behind fences?    
     
     
 
     
     
     
     
    A second entrance has opened into the former Safari Exploration Station.