Hello everyone and welcome back. It was just a few short days ago that New Jersey announced that amusement parks would be able to open as of July 2nd. I waited anxiously and sure enough, a day later Six Flags announced that it will be opening Six Flags Great Adventure to members and pass holders on July 3rd with the park's official reopening taking place on July 4th. While I am not going to be able to attend the Friday celebration, I quickly nabbed a reservation for the 4th. I've got to admit it is very exciting to be going back to my home park for the first time since Holiday in the Park back in December. Six Flags has done a lot of preparing for the park to reopen and this blog will detail some of the changes that are a direct result of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
The online reservation system that crashed and caused all kinds of problems when the safari first opened seems to have been fixed. I was able to get right on the website with no delay. They have reservation options for pretty much all passes including a section for complimentary passes. Once I entered in my member number the screen brought up a calendar with different dates and times. To my surprise pretty much any time during the day still had availability. Before confirming the reservation you have to review the new health standards and procedures pages. The procedures are pretty simple to follow. Guests (and staff) need to be wearing masks (unless in a pool or water attraction or in designated zones). Upon entry guests will be temp scanned to check for fevers. While in the park social distancing guidelines are to be followed. Food and ride queues will be marked with floor signs that are six feet apart.
Really that is all that guests need to worry about doing. Dining areas are going to have modified seating, rides won't be running at full capacity, indoor attractions will have limited capacity, and the staff will be constantly seen cleaning the park and ride vehicles. The staff at Great Adventure have a monumental task in front of them in following all the guidelines that they need to follow, so please, much like I asked not to harass cast members in Disney, please don't harass the staff at Six Flags.
This is going to be a strange season for sure. Six Flags is opening on July 4th, yet there will be no July 4th Fest. There will be no fireworks. There will be no additional entertainment. The fates of Fright Fest entertainment and Holiday in the Park are currently unknown as the situation continues to evolve. What of the Jersey Devil Roller Coaster? The new ride that was slated to debut this year will not be ready to go for park opening. While construction continued for a time on the ride it did have to stop as New Jersey became a covid hot spot. Six Flags has not put out any word on when the monorail coaster will make it's debut. It will be intimidating to see it above the trees nonetheless. In all the uncertainty there is some positives.
Those who are members are going to enjoy perks they haven't had before. I for one already have my preferred parking booked as I'll be enjoying the free upgrade from Platinum to Diamond for the year. I'll also feel better about buying food and merchandise this year thanks to the additional discounts. Season pass holders will see their passes extended into next season due to the pandemic taking a chunk of their season away. Yes there are people who are upset that the park is reopening and they do not feel comfortable going. I'd hope Six Flags would come up with something for those people, but I have no idea as to whether or not anything is in the pipeline.
With an easy time reserving the day and excitement abound I am looking forward to the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing what changes have been made around the park as the first trip back for a season always unveils some kind of (albeit not big) unexpected change. I'm sure I'll have a review blog up shortly after, but for now thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next blog coming real soon!
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