All set? All clear! 👌🏼 Aaron here bringing you another special trip report for Coasters & Coffee. Today, I’m sharing the first of two reports from my recent trip to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. In this post, I’ll be focusing on the value of the Flash Pass Ultimate—specifically when it comes to roller coasters.
The Start of the Day
I honestly didn’t intend to purchase the Flash Pass when I planned this trip. Since it was a Wednesday during the last few weeks of the school year, I anticipated a few school trips—but I figured most of them would head to the water park. Boy, was I wrong on both fronts. As I attempted to enter the parking lot, I was greeted by a line of at least 50 buses and noticed a sign stating that the water park was only open on weekends.
I still held out hope that I’d be able to avoid purchasing the pass. However, standing first in line at the entrance and seeing that every single gate had a line stretching nearly to the parking lot, I finally accepted the fact that it was a Flash Pass–or–bust kind of day.
The bad news? Spending more money. The good news? More content! After the success of my Hersheypark Fast Track Unlimited Review, I’ll admit—I was a little excited for the opportunity to review another fast pass. As a first time Flash Pass user I want to talk about the pass itself first to save you time, and frustration, then I will talk about the value of the pass for each coaster at the park.
Six Flags Great Adventure Flash Pass Ultimate Review
How to Get the Pass
The Six Flags Flash Pass system works entirely through your phone, so make sure it’s fully charged! You can purchase the pass online or at the Flash Pass Headquarters. The Headquarters is located straight ahead from the entrance, right near the queue for The Joker (the big green coaster). To activate the pass, you must first create an account, then scan a QR code at the Headquarters, and finally log in using the same account information you used to purchase it.
The staff were all courteous and helpful, but they unintentionally sent me on a wild goose chase trying to find the right spot to activate my pass. I ended up spending about 20 minutes just trying to get it working. Save yourself the hassle—go directly to the Flash Pass Headquarters as soon as you enter the park.
Using the Pass
The Flash Pass is honestly pretty convenient and easy to use. For the Flash Pass Ultimate, you use the webpage that the QR code opens and select the ride you want to use the pass for. While the pass doesn’t expire, I recommend activating it when you get to the ride to avoid any potential web browser timeout issues.
Six Flags Great Adventure uses two different approaches for Flash Pass entry. For many rides, there’s a dedicated queue line clearly marked for Flash Pass users. For others, you enter through the ride’s exit. The way to tell is by going to the Flash Pass queue line—if there isn’t an employee there checking for the pass, you’ll need to head up the exit instead.
One thing that confused me was that the park has a pretty strict loose article policy, including phones, so how are you supposed to scan the QR code if you can’t have your phone? Glad you asked! Any ride where you are explicitly prohibited from bringing a phone will have a small locker that you can put your phone in. These lockers are not large enough for bags though, so you will want to leave your bag in a regular locker or with someone who is not riding.
Note: This is based on what I was told by Six Flags staff during my visit. Be sure to follow any instructions given by staff on the day of your visit, as procedures may change.
Now that you know how to get and use the Flash Pass, let’s dive into the value it offers for each roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure! I’ll be covering the rides in the order I experienced them. If you’re interested in my full rankings and thoughts on the park’s coasters, be sure to check out my Six Flags Great Adventure Trip Report.
The Flash Vertical Velocity Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 8/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate fittingly offers very good value for the park’s newest coaster, The Flash: Vertical Velocity. The Flash Pass queue bypasses the entire regular line and takes you directly to the station platform. Along the way, you’ll need to stop at the free lockers in the queue to store your phone. At that point, you’ll also receive a ticket to hand to the station attendant as proof that you’re a Flash Pass user. This extra step is necessary due to the queue layout—after the lockers, there’s still a fairly long walk to the station, and the park has had issues with guests trying to access the Flash Pass queue without actually having a pass.
So, you might be wondering: if you’re getting directly to the station platform, why is the value only an 8/10? That’s because, during my visit, there was a cooldown period for reusing the pass on this ride. My first ride was without the Flash Pass, and I wrapped up the day using the pass for a second ride. However, I wasn’t able to determine how long the cooldown period was, as I left the park before it reset. In my opinion, this limitation lowers the overall value—especially considering the premium price—since you should be able to ride your favorites multiple times without restriction. However, on even a moderately busy day The Flash Pass could be the difference between riding The Flash: Vertical Velocity or not.
As I mentioned earlier, my first ride on The Flash was actually before I had my Flash Pass set up. So, my first official Flash Pass ride of the day ended up being Joker—mainly because it was the closest coaster to the Flash Pass Headquarters.
Joker Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 10/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate offers excellent value for Joker. I’ll go into more detail about the ride itself in my trip review, but for the purpose of this post, I’ll just say it’s definitely not a ride worth waiting more than five minutes for. Fortunately, the Flash Pass makes that possible.
The Flash Pass entrance is located to the right of the ride and has its own dedicated line. This ride has a strict no loose articles policy—including fanny packs and items in zippered pockets. There’s a small set of dedicated lockers available near the entrance, but keep in mind they’re very limited in size—not even a drawstring bag will fit. If you leave any items in these lockers you will need to head back up the Flash Pass entrance to retrieve these items.
Using the Flash Pass got me straight to the station platform—I waited less than five minutes and skipped a line that was likely 30 to 45 minutes long. After leaving Joker I planned to hit Harley Quinn’s Crazy Train, but decided to head over to Skull Mountain instead based on the line at Harley Quinn and where the Flash Pass queue merged with the regular rider line.
Skull Mountain Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 10/10
Skull Mountain was the ride where I learned that if there isn’t an employee at the Flash Pass entrance, you need to head up the exit instead. I made my way all the way through the Flash Pass queue, and when I reached the top, the employee in the booth told me to proceed through the exit. After about 10 minutes of frustration, I was finally able to find it.
The Flash Pass Ultimate offers excellent value for Skull Mountain, as it brings you directly to the station platform and gives you priority seating. I was able to board immediately, saving about 45 minutes. Much like Joker, Skull Mountain is absolutely not worth more than a 5 to 10 minute wait.
As I made my way off Skull Mountain, I decided to head to the next closest coaster—and the credit I was most excited for: Jersey Devil Coaster.
Jersey Devil Coaster Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 9/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate offers great value for Jersey Devil Coaster, especially on a busy day. Like The Flash, Joker, and Skull Mountain, Jersey Devil is a relatively low-capacity coaster. With the Flash Pass, you’re brought directly to the station platform, where you can typically expect a wait of just two or three trains. The ride operators were doing a phenomenal job the day I visited—I waited less than five minutes and was able to get the back row on the third train that cycled through.
After making my way through most of the park’s capacity nightmares, it was time to move on to some of the higher-capacity coasters. As a huge B&M Hyper Coaster fan, it only made sense to head over for a ride on Nitro.
Nitro Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 10/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate offers excellent value for Nitro, as it brings you directly to the station platform. When I rode it, the standby wait was about an hour, but I was able to get the row I wanted—the back row—and waited less than five minutes. The ride operators were dispatching trains efficiently, and I only had to wait for two cycles before boarding. You might be starting to notice a trend here with the value of the Flash Pass. I promise I’m not trying to be repetitive—but up to this point in the day, I was genuinely impressed with how well it was working, despite the slightly clunky start earlier on.
After riding Nitro, I decided to pick up another kiddie coaster credit and made my way to what might quite literally be one of the worst roller coasters in the world—and easily the worst I’ve ever ridden: Lil’ Devil Coaster. I’ll go into more detail in my full park review, but for now, it’s worth noting that Lil’ Devil Coaster does not utilize the Flash Pass.
Mid-Day Ride Break
By this point, I was severely dehydrated. Since the park requires guests to dump their water bottles before entering, I had made it through a few of the credits I wanted and decided it was time to backtrack to my locker to retrieve my water bottle. Unfortunately, I ran into an issue—I was locked out of my locker for about 10 minutes. Thankfully, the security guard stationed near Jersey Devil (who was an all-around awesome employee) immediately radioed for help as soon as I explained the situation. A third-party staff member responsible for the lockers arrived shortly after and was able to unlock it for me.
Even with my bottle in hand, I was still unable to find a refill station anywhere in the park. Multiple staff members did their best to help me locate one, and while they were all courteous and eager to assist, it ended up feeling like another scavenger hunt—much like my Flash Pass adventure earlier in the day. Eventually, I resorted to going through the exit of one of the restaurants and filling my bottle at a soda fountain. I don’t drink soda—and I’m not a thief—so I promise I only filled my bottle with water!
I had planned to head straight from Nitro to Batman: The Ride, but my search for water led me to the complete opposite side of the park, taking me through The Boardwalk. Rather than backtrack, I decided to make my way to the closest coaster—the awkwardly located, and very out-of-the-way, Superman: Ultimate Flight.
Superman: Ultimate Flight Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 8/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate very good value for Superman: Ultimate Flight. The standard rider queue is hilariously large—when I rode it, the wait was about an hour. The Flash Pass gets you to the steps leading to the station platform; however, since load and unload times on Superman are quite long, you may still wait around 10 to 15 minutes. Even so, that 10 to 15-minute wait is likely to save you 20 minutes or more during a busy day, so there’s definite value here even on moderately crowded days.
After making my way back through The Boardwalk, I hung a left to head to the coaster I was second most excited for after Jersey Devil—the iconic El Toro.
El Toro Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 7/10
The Flash Pass Ultimate offers good value for El Toro, as the merge point is at the lockers just before the staircase leading into the station. I’d estimate the wait for Flash Pass users at around 10 minutes or less, while the standard line was about 30 minutes when I rode—so you still save a decent amount of time. One odd thing I noticed, though, was that despite there being only six people in the Flash Pass line, the standard line was always let through first. That’s something I hadn’t seen before, not even at Hersheypark. This did take a way some of the value of the pass for El Toro as it likely delayed me about 1 extra train.
After riding El Toro, I made my way to another credit I was excited to get. Just a short walk away is Medusa, a B&M floorless coaster—another model I really enjoy.
Medusa Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 10/10
Medusa was another ride where the Flash Pass Ultimate offered excellent value. By the time I made it over there, the standby wait was consistently around an hour. Even the Flash Pass queue—which takes you directly to the station—had about 10 people in it. However, all 10 of us were allowed onto the station platform before the standard line was let through. Given the crowds, this genuinely made the difference between missing out on three credits and getting a bonus ride on The Flash. By the time I got off Medusa, I only had about an hour left at the park.
Looking to maximize my remaining time, I made my way back toward the Movie Town/Metropolis area to grab my Batman and Dark Knight credits. I unfortunately missed the chance to ride Runaway Mine Train, as it had been closed all day, but I wanted to check back in on Harley Quinn’s Crazy Train—which still had a queue packed to capacity.
Harley Quinn’s Crazy Train Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 8/10
Full disclosure: I’m slightly projecting this score, as during my visit, Flash Pass users were entering through the exit to access the station platform directly. On a normal day, the merge point for this ride is at the base of the ramp leading up to the station. The ride runs a massive train with excellent capacity, so even on a busy day, you’ll likely get on within one or two cycles using the regular Flash Pass queue—making this a very good value. I go into more detail in my Six Flags Great Adventure Trip Report (link), but this is a legitimately fun kiddie coaster. If you have kids, it’s a great ride to use the Flash Pass with them on.
At this point it was time to get my last 2 credits and hit the road so I made my way to The Dark Knight Coaster.
Dark Knight Coaster Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 6/10
The Dark Knight Coaster offered the worst value of any coaster I rode, as the Flash Pass only takes you to the bottom of the ramp leading to the station platform. Since this is essentially a wild mouse coaster, the capacity is quite limited, and I ended up waiting about 15 minutes—easily the longest wait I had for any ride, including Superman. For an indoor wild mouse with minimal theming, it just isn’t worth the wait.
Sticking with the Batman-themed coasters, it was time to get my last new credit of the day, so I made the very short walk over to Batman: The Ride, one of the original Batman coaster clones.
Batman: The Ride Flash Pass Ultimate Value: 10/10:
The Flash Pass Ultimate was an excellent value for Batman: The Ride, as it takes you directly to the station platform with priority seating. Despite the standard line being a 30-minute wait, I walked right on and got a front-row ride, only having to wait for the train the was in the station to dispatch.
Areas for Improvement
Aside from staff being more aware of the location of the Flash Pass Headquarters, I believe a major opportunity for improvement would be adding clear signage at each ride indicating whether to enter the Flash Pass queue or whether to proceed through the exit. I was not the only guest to be confused by this.
Overall Thoughts
Despite only spending about five hours at the park, I was able to ride every coaster, thanks to the Flash Pass. This included a standard queue ride for my first ride on The Flash, about 20 minutes spent navigating the front of the park to find Flash Pass Headquarters, getting locked out of my locker for 10 minutes, and a 10-minute hunt for water. Even with those delays, I managed to get in 13 total coaster rides—despite not making the most efficient use of my time.
With a starting price of around $100 and reportedly going as high as $400 (though this wasn’t listed on the Six Flags website—only mentioned online), I’d say paying between $150 and $200 offers really solid value. Maybe even up to $250. Anything beyond that likely means the park is very busy, and in that case, you might be better off coming back on a less crowded day.
Six Flags Great Adventure does a great job placing their Flash Pass merge points, and for most coasters, the pass provides good to excellent value. I got 13 rides in just five hours—on a full day with a Flash Pass, 30 or more rides is easily achievable, even with breaks for lunch or occasional issues like the ones I had.
Compared to Hersheypark’s Fast Track Unlimited, I think the Flash Pass at Great Adventure is a better value and more effectively implemented, especially regarding where the queues merge. While I had no issues using the mobile pass, I’d still prefer a wristband option—but that’s just me nitpicking.
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