Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Spring Preview: 5 Things To Know Before ...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will kick off its 2021 season when it opens to the public on Saturday, May 15.

One of the Northeast’s largest and most tropically-themed waterparks, Hurricane Harbor will open Saturday for a two-week spring preview that will feature many of the park’s rides, dining and shopping locations — offering a “taste of summer” prior to its official season launch on Memorial Day weekend.

The waterpark in Jackson, N.J., is located next to Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari.

Here’s a look at what to expect when the waterpark opens.

What are the park hours?

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Memorial Day. If there are no operating hours listed for a particular date, the park is closed.

The waterpark begins daily operation starting June 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

What are some of the amenities and rides?

Hurricane Harbor features more than 30 thrill slides including Big Wave Racer, Tornado and Juhranimo Falls — a massive, million-gallon wave pool, half-mile lazy river, and two interactive, family water play areas.

Its newest addition, Calypso Springs, features a refreshing, 100,000-gallon family activity pool, giant deck for relaxing and sunbathing, and quick-service dining.

What are the health and safety protocols?

Like Great Adventure, the waterpark implemented extensive, new safety measures and hygiene protocols amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for the 2021 season. These procedures will be adjusted on an as-needed basis to ensure compliance with state requirements.

The safety measures, which Six Flags developed in consultation with epidemiologists, meets or exceeds federal, state and local guidelines for sanitization, hygiene and social distancing protocols.

Face masks are required, and advance ticket purchases and reservations will manage attendance and stagger arrivals.

Other new technologies include state-of-the-art thermal imaging for temperature checks, mobile food ordering and advanced security screening technology for touchless bag checks. Six Flags employees are also required to wear a mask and are temperature-checked and health-screened each day. Gloves are worn as appropriate, per guidelines.

Will I need to make a reservation?

To prevent overcrowding, advance tickets and reservations are required using Six Flags’ online reservation system, which will incorporate safety procedures for both guests and team members.

The reservation system will be activated to allow members, season pass holders and single-day ticket holders to make reservations at sixflags.com/reserve. Guests will not be able to buy tickets at the gate, and guests without advance reservations will not be allowed to enter.

Guests will submit their online order number, ticket number, or membership/season pass number, select the day and approximate time they want to visit, acknowledge their understanding of the company’s health policy, order pre-paid parking if needed, and watch a brief video describing new social distancing and sanitization procedures.

What else is open at Six Flags?

Six Flags Great Adventure is open — featuring cutting-edge thrills like Kingda Ka and Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, family favorites like Bumper Cars and Skyway, and chart-topping coasters like Nitro and El Toro.

Guests will also be able to sneak a peek at one of the most anticipated new coasters, the triple record-breaking Jersey Devil Coaster.

Beginning this summer, riders will straddle the thin, monorail track as they soar through the foreboding woods on the tallest and longest single-rail coaster in the world, according to Six Flags. Inspired by infamous New Jersey mythology, the coaster will feature five intense elements through three dramatic inversions.

An opening date for the coaster hasn’t yet been announced.

The Six Flags Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure is also open, allowing guests to see the new rare bongo species, including an adorable calf next month, as well as other adorable babies like four giraffe calves and two Siberian tiger cubs.

The safari takes guests on a self-guided journey through 1,200 exotic animals from six continents. From the safety and privacy of their own vehicle, guests will slowly wind through 11 simulated natural habitats -- seeing animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears and baboons.

The drive is about five miles and takes about one hour to complete.

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