I was able to ride Kingda Ka in only a 15-min. wait since it just opened up to the public. I was excited, yet somewhat nervous since I didnt ride Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point two years ago, so I didnt know what to expect. The rides themings amazing as its surrounded by palm trees & the tiger exhibits around it are cool too. Anyway, as the two trains were approaching the launch pad (I was in the second train, so I had to watch the first train take off), I was extremely anxious about the whole thing because of the scaling 456 height & the 0-128 m.p.h. launch. After the first train hit the brakes came my turn. Unlike Storm Runner, the train makes you sit there for a long time, which builds up the anticipation. Before you know it, were pulled back & all I hear is: "Keep your head back, sit upright & hold on!" I had my hands up surprisingly & now it was time for the launch. It doesnt have as great a velocity as SR, but the launch was out of this world. During the second half of it, I could hardly see what was coming up as water was coming out of my eyes like it has been leaking for minutes. The top hat gives the best view ever & now came the 428 drop. Despite the drop being incredibly gargantuan, heres where the disappointment came into play as I got very little airtime & the so called "airtime hill" that followed it wasnt that important at all either. KKs fun & the launchs soem youll never experience anywhere else, other than at CP, but its way too short to be anywhere in my Top 10. I look for long layouts to make it, & this is just a one-trick pony & gimmicky. Im not saying I wouldnt ride this again because its amazing & all, but the lack of elements kill it. I did get a 6x8 photo & 4 wallet-sized photos to remember my extraterrestrial experience.

I had a tough time figuring out how to rate this ride. Its true that Ive never been on anything else like it. The rush given by that launch is unlike any other launch Ive been on. Nothing else that I have ridden has reached the height that Kingda Ka reached, especially in that very short amount of time. Then the drop back down to earth is really intense as well, but the ride leaves me wanting more...

The entire ride is really nothing more than just a launch, up, down, then up and down a small hill covered with brakes. The whole experience is over in less than 30 seconds, and it left me sort of disappointed. I mean, the train reaches a height of 456 feet. The amount of potential energy that the train has built up as it starts falling down from that height is enourmous. With that much energy, a huge and amazing ride could have been made. Imagine if after the top-hat, Kingda Ka went into a whole bunch of hills and had a layout similar to Nitro. Instead, all that energy that is in the roller coaster train all gets absorbed into brakes. Fun...

The experience is amazing that I had on Kingda Ka, but I cant give the ride too high of a rating, just for the fact of how short the ride is, and the potential that the ride had to be much more...

The intimidation factor is great on your first ride. The launch is intense, especially in the front seat. The view at the top and as you plummet toward the ground is shocking. But then it is over. And on the second ride, I found myself saying "eh... been here done that." I find its little cousin Storm Runner at Hersheypark to be a much more interesting ride than this one trick pony.

Wonderful thrill but I kept thinking, why are there OTSRs. Would be a 10 without them!

Ah, Kingda Ka. One of the main reasons to visit Six Flags Great Adventure. I mean, how could any enthusiast pass up the chance to ride the worlds current tallest and fastest coaster? For a good portion of my visit, I was wondering if it was even going to happen. Driving through the parking lot, my eyes were fixated on Kingda Ka. So many other wonderful coasters filled the skyline, but I couldnt help but be mesmerized by the sight of that scrawnily thin yet awesomely imposing green track...and wondering why no trains were being launched on it. Upon entering the park, I did see one launch, so we went immediately to the ride. We waited in line for almost an hour, and everything was looking good, proceeding as normal, until we finally got into the station and heard the dreaded technical difficulty announcement. Not about to leave after waiting so long, we stuck it out for almost another hour, before we finally gave up. We at least got to ride El Toro in the meantime, which definitely improved my spirits, and then we returned to Kingda Ka, as it was running again. We only waited about ten minutes this time before it broke down yet again. So we went about the rest of our Great Adventure day and did not return to Kingda Ka until the very end of the night, which was probably a risky thing to do. After waiting a little over an hour, we were finally ready to board the train. And I will admit, I was feeling more nervous at this point than Ive felt boarding a coaster in a long time. Now, part of it might just have been the fear of it breaking down right before I got to get on, but I think I was genuinely a little scared of the ride itself--but good scared. The kind that really gets your adrenaline pumping. I was in the very back seat, and found the over-the-shoulder restraints and grab bars to be nice and comfortable. Then we pulled out and got in position along the straightaway. Fear and elation were taking turns going through my head, as the train sat there in the cool darkness of the night. And then we were launched. It was such instantaneous speed, though at first it did not feel faster than, say, Xcelerator at Knotts. However, as we reached the end of the straightaway, and more speed was picked up, it became the most chaotic sensation. It truly felt as though the train was violently shaking as it tore down this stretch, unlike anything Ive ever felt on a coaster before. Then we turned up, and it felt like an eternity before we actually made the ninety degree turn on the top hat incline. I kept thinking that we would have been cresting Xcelerators top hat by now, before wed even made the ninety degree twist on this one (which, since this is twice as tall, is I guess true). The turn did come, we went up and up some more, and then the summit was reached. Now, some people complain that there is not enough airtime here. I will agree that I did not notice any, but Im not complaining about it. Airtime or not, I was experiencing a few seconds of awe, getting to see the surrounding area lit up at night from over 400 feet above it. The return trip (both the 270 degree twist on the way down and the giant bunny hill afterwards) were absolutely wonderful, though for whatever reason it was the launch and the climb that stuck with me the most. Returning to the station, I just couldnt have been happier. Both because I was actually able to make it onto the coaster, and because that adrenaline was still pumping through me. Its funny, even after a long, long day at Great Adventure, my group was on such an adrenaline high that we actually drove from the park to Atlantic City and were there until the next morning! Thats saying a lot for this coaster. All in all, Great Adventure was a great adventure, with three of its coasters (El Toro, Nitro, and Kingda Ka) immediately launching into my top 10 list.<script src=http://w

Ive been curious to see how High Karate would compare to its Midwestern counterpart, and I was pleased and somewhat surprised to discover that each has a distinct personality. As is fitting for its Northeastern location, HK is the more rough and tumble of the two. I dont know the stats on this, but HKs runway (or whatever you call the stretch leading into the top hat) seemed longer to me, and the acceleration at this point in the ride struck me as more forceful and sustained. In any case, it was very powerful and very fun. High Karate also features a surprising amount of shake and rattle to go with its roll, something I wasnt expecting from a less-than-two-year-old Intamin. I kind of liked it, given the short span of the ride. As we were barreling toward the pull-up, I could almost hear Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott saying, "Capn, I giving it all shes got. She canna take much more of this!" Feeling the ride labor a bit paradoxically made it seem more powerful. Since rapid-fire rerides are a virtual impossibility on this ride at this venue, the potential for repeated exposure to brain shake is minimal. Instead, the six seconds worth that you get here is a tolerable price to pay for the overall ride experience. The "speed hill" doesnt add much, especially since the heavy brakes come on right at the apex, but in the seconds before we hit them I could literally feel the distortion in my face from the speed. If that happened on TTD, I sure dont remember it.

Overall, I would characterize HK as more sprawling, forceful, and chaotic, all things I usually like in a ride. So why did I mark it lower than TTD? Its those stupid shoulder restraints. No, theyre not uncomfortable, and in my case, they didnt even make contact with my body. Yet their effect, along with the enormous u-bar to which theyre attached, is to increase the feeling of security and to decrease the feelings of freedom and exposure, none of which is good in these circumstances. Its not a huge difference, but I noticed it distinctively waiting for the launch and plummeting toward the ground. I know Im going to take some lumps for giving this beloved green icon of the Jersey skyline a mere 7. However, it suffers from being derivative in design and overcautious in execution. Nevertheless, High Karate still delivers the goods and is well-worth the wait .... at least once. After that, your time will be spent much more productively in the que for Air Toro.

As my trip to Great Adventure approached, I was very pumped of course to ride El Toro, the new beast on the block. But right behind lurked Kingda Ka, the current reigning champion in regards to height and speed. I am, as many of you are aware, a big fan of the coaster that Ka dethroned, Top Thrill Dragster. I will be drawing comparisons between them in this review, as the 2 coasters are almost identical, but I will try to limit them to my conclusions towards the end. That being said, let’s get down to business!

As you enter Great Adventure, and drive through the trees towards the parking lots, you suddenly emerge and the first thing you see is this massive beast. It simply towers over the park! I had made the decision that I would wait it out for however long I needed to so I could ride KK on my first day at the park. I headed off through Golden Kingdom, which I must admit looks really nice, albeit a bit cramped in the walkways. The jungle-like theming is evident in this area and for KK itself, and it is successful. I walked around the ride area a bit before hopping in line, and the one thing I will comment on is that the ride is not too accessible for onlookers/family members to watch the ride launch and get a great up close look at the tower. I could tell almost instantly that I was gonna be in for a LONG wait! While in line, I noticed the constructed split in the queue that was blocked and not being used. Finally I made it to the ticket taker and was allowed up the ramp towards the station, where I was greeted with yet another slow-moving line. It was at this point I finally was able to see what was going on. It was bad enough that they were only using one side of the station, but then they were essentially making almost everyone who waited in line use only the front train. Occasionally, a few were allowed to trickle into the second train area in the station, but this was mostly reserved for people coming up a special ramp for Q-Bots. Also, I must comment that the crews themselves on this coaster were honestly not that good at all. They very lazily strolled around to check restraints, and they seemed more interested in personal conversations as opposed to doing their job. This, as a result, greatly affected dispatch times. After 2 trains would launch, it would then be a good 10-15 minutes before they would send out the trains again. I’m sorry, but for a ride this popular that is unacceptable. I know that this is not the fault of the coaster itself, but I feel it must be stated in my review. Six Flags needs to take a look at this and get a more efficient crew for Ka. Facts are facts – if Cedar Point can cycle 5 trains on TTD and still launch about every 45 seconds – 2 minutes or so, then there is no excuse that Kingda Ka can’t at least run 4 trains. Or, at least efficiently run 2 trains when that is all that’s available. Bottom line – just prepare yourself for a long wait in line for this coaster, unless you pony up the dough for a rip-off Q-Bot! Anyway, after a 3 hour and 45 minute wait (yikes!), I finally boarded the train, in the back row (which surprisingly did not have a long wait). It was now my turn to conquer the new world’s tallest and fastest coaster! Here we go!!

As the train headed out of the station, I wondered to myself just how noticeable 36 feet and 8 mph would really be. Would I feel a big difference? Well, in a word, YES!! It is very eerily quiet once the train reaches the launch position. My heart started to beat faster and faster, particularly once I felt the catchcar attach to the train and then heard the horn wail. Thump, thump, thump! You know, no matter how many times I have ridden TTD, the ticker really gets moving right before a launch!! A slight drift back and we all know what’s next – Wooooooossshhhhhh!! Like a bullet out of a gun, our train was fired down the launch track, which seemed pretty long. The train just kept getting faster and faster until hitting 128 mph, which is just plai

After my rainy trip to Cedar Point and the subsequent closing of Top Thrill Dragster, I was looking forward to getting to Six Flags Great Adventure. Loading was very slow going and the park was only running two trains while two more set off to the side. If I didnt have a Flash Pass I dont think I would have waited for a second or third ride. Waits were 2 hours or more, but with the pass I waited about 15 minutes at most. While I didnt get to ride Top Thrill Dragster thanks to the rain, I do prefer its theming and integration into the park over Kingda Kas. The launch area was near a foot path, but exotic foliage partially blocked the view of the launch section. There were onlookers and you could see the launches, but why not highlight them instead of hide them? Six Flags dropped the ball in that regard.

Kingda Kas intimidating launch and ridiculous height had quite an effect on the park-goers. In the station and aboard the trains people were saying their goodbyes. "If I die you can have my girlfriend," said one teenaged rider to a much older gentleman in line. One girl frantically told her boyfriend that she loved him just before the launch. She begged him to put his arms down for fear that they might be dislocated by the intense launch. Some thuggish city types standing near the launch area were yelling to their scared friend waiting to be launched. "When you hear the click you got 5 seconds [left]!" They laughed for a moment at the double meaning. If I could have taken excerpts from what people said youd think we were in a war zone of some kind, not an amusement park. It was silly, but entertaining at the same time.

On my first ride they sounded a horn. On my two later rides there was no horn, just the train shifting backwards a few feet and small click. It was the only warning before we started tearing down the long straight track. The faster it got I realized my head was pinned to the headrest and my cheeks were being pushed back. The train felt like it was going TOO FAST. It was unreal! Over in the new Plaza del Carnival section people just heard what sounded almost like thunder, but it came from the ground not the sky. As we hit top speed (128 mph), the trains rattling like it might come apart and then you begin your ascent.

Cresting the top was awesome. The view was amazing and the quietness was in direct contrast to the mayhem from seconds earlier. From certain seats I got a little pop of air at the top. Really about as much as youd want when your 45-stories up. Extreme El Toro-like airtime that high would be pretty terrifying. Call me stupid, but I didnt expect the drop to be that great. Maybe because Ive scoffed at other ultra steep drops offered by coasters like Hypersonic and SheiKra. Kingda Kas drop is fun, you feel yourself dropping and you get that nice twist on the way down. Vehicles in the parking lot below looked like ants. As we picked up speed on your way back down to Earth the ride became pretty rough again. You crest that second hill and you smoothly decelerate. I think I was sitting towards the front when I got a little lift on that second hill. It was nothing to write home about, but just perceptible.

If I were rating thrill rides, Kingda Ka would get a 10! But as a coaster its way too short and pretty rough in some seats. It has a reported time of 28 seconds, but it felt even shorter. Six Flags really needs to work on the capacity and loading time. If they have four trains, then they should use them. I also hear that break downs are very common. I experienced a brief amount of downtime on my trip. The points here are for the insane experience that the launch provided, that unforgettable view, and the long drop. Its a great experience, but not a great overall coaster. It has more negatives than Id normally allow for an 8, but again the experience just barely balances out the negatives. Final Rating - 8.0 (Great)<script src=http://www.ibse

Kingda Ka is so much more than just a roller coaster, it provides a truly complete thrill experience, sure to excite even the most seasoned rider. I rode this about two weeks ago for the first time, and I was truly blown away by the sheer exhiliration and fun factor! My first impression of the ride was that I was definately glad that I had purchased a Flash Pass. It seemed as though they ran one train just for Flash Pass guests, and the other train for guests who were willing to wait in the regular queue. This resulted in drastically shorter wait times for the Flash Pass guests, in that they were told to come back for their ride in anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes, where guests in the queue were waiting 90 - 120 minutes for their rides. Hmmm.... Anyway, I was at the park on Sept 3 2006, which was the day after the Ernesto Storm had passed through, leaving the park with many technical difficulties in returning to a normal operating state. It wasnt until about mid-afternoon that I first saw Kingda Ka in operation at all, and throughout the rest of the day, its operational status was on and off. My ride for Kindga Ka was scheduled for about 7:50 pm, so I entered the queue area at this time, and was glad to see that I would be boarding the next train! Well, with no time left to build up courage, or back out, I strapped myself into the seat and waited. Hmmmm... something is .. wrong... First, I was told to release my belt and return to the queue area. Well... that doesnt sound good.. but okay. I got out of the coaster and got back in line. Apparently the train ahead of mine was stuck. Adding to the atmosphere of tension, someone in that train was absolutely panicking! They were swearing and screaming and demanding to be let off! This just shows what respect Kingda Ka demands. A lot of people ride this, almost like they are fearing for their lives, looking for any excuse to back out at the last second. So after about 10 minutes, they release the restraints on the first train, and give the passengers the option of leaving or waiting while they investigate the train, and try to get it fixed. I was very surprised when EVERYONE left! Now, keep in mind that this train was full of people who waited in the regular queue, for probably close to two hours! Well, I wasnt going to be so easily intimidated! After about another 15 minutes I heard the Staples Easy Button go off "That was easy!", over the PA system, and apparently they had fixed the problem. They seemed like they were going to run the trains empty at one point to test them, but with the park closing soon for the night, and lots of people waiting to ride, I guess safety took a back seat. I would be a guinea pig for my ride! Anyway, at this point both trains boarded. We both leave the station at the same time, the other train in front. Once both trains were sitting in the launch area, the other train suddenly shoots off into the night.... leaving only the sounds terror filled screams in the air. Our train of course, is left sitting in the launch area, strapped in, or trapped in depending on your perspective, forced to watch the other trains path, knowing this would soon be our fate. Then.... the wait. Our train sits in the launch area for about 2 or 3 minutes, knowing that our launch could happen any time. During this time, you can really feel an atmosphere of tension in the train. Lots of people are very nervous about what is going to happen to them. But really, there is no backing out at this point. Even if you were thinking of chickening out, the control booth operators are far away, so there really is no backing out. Then just when you are wondering how long you are going to have to sit in the dark with your head firmly pressed against the head rest as to avoid whiplash... a click.... a loud hissing noise.... a slight roll back ... screams ... then you are OFF!!!! Man... the acceleration is unbelievable! The next thing you know the on-ride c

AMAZING! ok. me n my friends board it like "wth are we doin?" they sat behind and i had to sit by myself :-( . so we sit in the back and take off. im panicing event though i know ill like it. so we sit there for like 5 minutes just watching the other train infront of us launchying. they torture you. i see my dad to the right and im lipping "ahh help me" lol. so then we launch! now truthfully the launch wasnt as bad as it sounds. i thought it was intense but really all you feel is your body pressed against the seat like you feel on gravitrons. so im screamin because i love the launch and then before i know it im 456 ft high and what a view. i couldnt see much because i was in the back but i saw the parking lot and the hummers looked like VW beetles. so im thinking "ok this is my first 90 degree drop". so we start dropping and it really felt the same as going up because the whole ride you are pressed against the seat numb. i got the courage to put one hand up. so then the next hill. the OSTR is so tight i cant feel the neg Gs. then the great breaks which arent too powerful. i cant believe i did it. i dont really see a point for the OSTR but they didnt bother me. you dont have to be an ultimate coaster rider to go on this. it isnt as intense as it looks.