Six Flags Great America

10/22/2007 Posted by luna47

My boyfriend and I went to Great America for Fright Fest on Saturday, 10/20/2007 from 4PM to 10PM. At 5PM and 6:30PM, we walked around the entire park looking for the shortest food line and found that they were all extremely long. We figured the lines must move reasonably fast even though they were long. Several food stands and restaurants were completely closed, despite it being one of the busiest days of the year for the park. We figured the folks behind the counter must be doing the best they could to keep the line moving, so we waited patiently.. For OVER AN HOUR EACH TIME! When we got to the front of the line, we saw that they were completely and totally taking their sweet time, despite a LONG line of hungry, overcharged, tired people waiting in line. I'm fine with waiting a while if the folks behind the counter are doing the best they can, but they were reeeeeeeally taking their time and moving verrrrrrrrry slowly. No sense of urgency whatsoever. None. And the few managers we saw were clearly not telling their employees to pick up the pace. When we were hungry the second time, we thought we got lucky finding a food booth out of the way by the kids land and there was just one lonely nearly elderly woman behind the counter. However, it turned out the line was on the other side of the stand with about 40 people waiting in it. Why would they have ONE person (moving slowly, might I add) working a LARGE food booth? I think that management really just does not care. If they did, they would at least have managers advising employees to move a little quicker. Granted, it was an extremely crowded day, but it looked like they anticipated an extremely slow day, not even an average day. Whoever's job it is to manage these things is either surfing the web all day instead of planning or they are doing it on purpose for some reason, like to keep the lines for rides a little shorter because people are waiting hours just for a water or some food! NOT cool!

Pros: Great atmosphere for Fright Fest!!! Great rides!

Cons: Absolutely the worst food service EVER

10/09/2006 Posted by shecat88

What an awesome park! HOWEVER pack your lunch . I went with a group of five. Fright fest was amazing, but DO NOT get the food, besides being pricey , we ordered hamburgers. . all were over priced and under cooked. My boyfriend had 'problems' (in the toilet) all night after digesitng the "meat" - we should have known but -we were starving - and how can you mess up a burger. But . . . positive speaking - rides are great,. big park- gr8 fun.

Pros: fun rides, games, and activities

Cons: food, long lines, expensive ( games and food)

06/23/2006 Posted by comengo

This park turned out to be a disappointment. At every turn, especially in The Hurricane Harbor, there is someone telling you what to do, and wouldn't you know it - it is for your own safety. I visited with my five-year-old son and it was an extremely negative experience . We were not allowed to go down some water slides together - and he wouldn't go alone - because supposedly the weight would go over some unnamed limit (our combined weight is no more than 205 lbs). It would have been a little bit more understandable had these restrictions been clearly posted BEFORE one bought the tickets. When talking to a manager I was arrogantly told no refunds were poossible and they couldn't offer any other compensation for the unpleasant experience.

Pros: Cannot see any.

Cons: Restrictions not clearly posted before you buy tickets; no refunds.

10/19/2005 Posted by robb2003

It depends on the day you go. If you go on a Saturday in summer or Fright Fest, it gets PACKED beyond belief. Great America can get very crowded but i'm not going to hold that against them, they have awesome/fast operations compared to other Six Flags parks. Speaking of Hurricane Harbor it's VERY well themed. The tropical atmosphere, palm trees, music all flow perfectly. Its very nice to walk through. About Great America, the rides selection is top of the line. They do not have a 'bad' coasters like most parks do, and some of the best coasters in the world like Raging Bull, DejaVu, and Batman. The surprising thing about Great America, most all the rides are open! (very different from other Six Flags parks)...Great America has a wonderful selection of classic and modern flat rides that are a joy and some of the best water rides around.

Pros: Rides (thrill&mild), Operations/Employees, Value

Cons: Line misbehaviour, Slow/expensive food

08/01/2005 Posted by ingalou

two words "fast pass". You must buy this in order to not wait in line for hours. It is worth it but spendy. This brings you to the front of the line within minutes. The rollercoasters are excellent with raging bull being the best ever. Do not go to the waterpark. Way too many people to enjoy yourself. You end up standing in lines for way too long to go on a slide and receive a horrendous sunburn.

Pros: clean, great coasters

Cons: expensive, crowded

07/13/2005 Posted by sarahfrankiewicz

Often when "rural folk" leave the comforts of city limits they become overwhelmed by the diversity and colour the rest of the world offers. When visiting Six Flags one becomes privied to experience what the rest of the world looks like. If you become tired of possum for dinner come check out Six Flags and experience the time of your life!

Pros: great rides, good food, interesting people

Cons: long lines, expensive food, interesting people

06/20/2005 Posted by abren

I travel to Chicago at least four times during the Park's season, and never miss an opportunity to visit! Great coasters, clean and friendly atmosphere, something for every age of patron. Anyone who says this park is expensive hasn't been around much! Only negative is the food - bring your own.

Pros: Friendly, Clean, Great coasters

Cons: Very expensive food

05/08/2005 Posted by leeschill

Go early in the season--May weekends or June,the worst time the last 3 weeks in August. The park is clean but on large crowd days some areas may not have been hit when you happen by, bring your own food save money.What is the newest will have the longest line--do you need to be on the newest thing or ride more rides? Use the train to:overview the park,rest your feet,and move from the front of the park to the back of the park or back to front on busy days.If use must go on a weekend ,go Sunday morning be there by 10 am open. If you see misbehavor report it to security...do not try and get involved yourself . Use the shows as a time to rest and get out of the heat. Some things do cost extra..go-karts,sky-coaster and rock wall. Have fun.

04/15/2005 Posted by lprene

I love this park and this will be my third or fourth year in a row with a season pass. Season pass is an excellent value! My favorite coasters are Vertical Velocity and Raging Bull...both front row, hands up. Deja Vu is also great but it is broken most of the time. With my season pass I spend MANY days and evenings there and I have NO IDEA what these people who talk about how "ghetto" the park is are talking about. Yes, there are people from many races at the park, including a large number of CHURCH groups. Haven't seen the gang bangers though. I do admit it is not as immaculate as Disney World, but the park is clean and a nice environment. Staff is VERY helpful and friendly.

Pros: LOTS of coasters

Cons: Deja Vu often broken

07/10/2004 Posted by rosieangelfish

Anyone who says this park is "ghetto" is completely ignorant and we should all be glad they will not come back to Six Flags! Six Flags is a magical experience, and I make sure that I go at least twice a year. Once with my five-year-old son, and once for myself as an adult, so I can experience the awesome thrill rides. There is so much to do here, it is well worth the price. If you are smart about it, you can find good discounts!

Pros: Fun, Lots to Do, Worth the Price

Cons: , lines sometimes long