VinTheAttendant

"Tacky" - Weird Al Yankovic

I'll also throw in that JB's is really good, probably the best food I've ever eaten in a Six Flags park. With that being said, just remember that it IS in a Six Flags park, so be prepared to spend some money. ^SFNE will run their rides in rain, even relatively heavy rain. If there's lightning within a 10 mile radius, then they'll close down rides. Depending on the severity of the weather, Houdini, Stage Coach Bumper Cars, Tea Cups, and the Carousel may be open during thunderstorms, and are all fun for what they are.

^ Wednesdays are *usually* not crowded, and I put *usually* in asterisks because there have been some fluke occasions where the park becomes packed on a weekday for no reason. That being said, I was just at the park last Wednesday on an absolutely gorgeous day, and the lines for everything were no more than 20 minutes, including a a few walk-ons. There's no particular order or technique for riding everything, but if you'd like to start on a roller coaster, head for Goliath first. Otherwise, I like to go to the North-most end of the park, start with NESS, and just make your way South to the waterpark. Batman and Mind Eraser have been walk-ons lately, so if it feels like you're spending too much time at the North, don't sweat it. I'm afraid I can't help you with tackling the waterpark as I don't go there as often as I used to, but I did glance at the lines for the slides on Wednesday, and they actually looked pretty manageable. I typically see lines going all the way down the staircases, but most began half way or a third of the way up the complex. And that's about all there is to it really. You really shouldn't have any issues getting everything you want done, and you may even find time for re-rides. After the waterpark closes, lines in the dry park usually swell for 30 minutes to an hour before dying down again. So I hope you have a fun day, and I hope all my advice proves to be correct because I will also be in the park for a few hours on Wednesday

'Twas my day off today, so I decided to spend a few hours at the park. Cyclone was running two trains! I hope this means they will be running both trains on its last day. Got three rides on Cyclone, and each one was lots of fun. I really will miss Cyclone, and I will be there on its last day from open to close getting my last rides on it. Scream was running two towers both in Combo mode! Haven't seen that happen in a long time. Still not the most intense drop ride, but having both shot and drop definitely makes it much more enjoyable. Bizarro is running well with all three mist tunnels working. Tiny bit of shuffling with the trains, and not running "summer heat" fast, but there's still plenty of airtime and plenty of speed. Also, the crew this afternoon was fantastic!! If nobody had to be removed from the ride, the attendants would get the train loaded, checked, and ready to go before the train on the course got to the second helix. Goliath broke down on me just before I boarded and remained down for about two hours. I came back later and got my ride on it. I've ridden the new train many times this season, and I'm trying to put together in my head why the new train is so bad. I never got any real head banging, but it seems to just oscillate rapidly throughout the course. The more Gs the train pulls, the faster it rattles, the more it hurts with up to four times your body weight already pressing down on you. Goliath seems to have become an endurance test, and I really hope the park has acknowledged this issue and works to eradicate it. All in all, today felt like one of the good old days with the exception of Goliath. Ran into some old friends I used to work with, the weather was cooperative, and the lines never got too long; even the water park didn't look too bad.

I was going to a Fourth of July party on Friday in Long Island, and I was supposed to make a stop at Adventureland to get my first and last rides on Hurricane, but Hurricane Arthur had to come along and (ironically) close down the park. I do not blame Adventureland at all, and I'm glad they were concerned for the guests' safety to cease operations, but it was frustrating because that was my best shot at riding Hurricane. On the plus side, I now have a day trip planned where I will get to ride Hurricane and even Thunderbolt at Luna Park. Spending a bit more money, but you can't put a price on these kinds of memories.

^^ While it's undeniable how awesome the original drop was, I'm with Cam in that the drop it currently has is still insane; and that drop in the backseat alone provides a kick@$$ amount of airtime, and I hope that effect can be kept or revamped in whatever happens to the ride next. I've always liked Cyclone, even before the topper track and after the first drop neuter, and I'll be sad to see it go. I'm a sucker for rickety wooden coasters, and Cyclone had just the right amount of shake where it was not too painful but kept an aggressive pace (and I loved watching people freak out when the track that crosses the lift swayed). I will try to make it to the park on its last day, hope to run into some TPR members while I'm at it.

I'm running out of good things to say about Goliath. I've ridden it many times this season and each ride I get has been getting worse and worse. I'm really REALLY hoping that the park can work with Premier to resolve the issues with the train because I do not want to give up on what was once a fantastic ride. A friend of mine will be visiting the park soon to get his first ride on a GIB, and I'm almost embarrassed to encourage him to ride after all the great things I've said about it in the past. When I worked on Bizarro, I found that if the restraint doesn't go down to the closed position, sliding your knees forward can sometimes fix it.

Came across a Facebook post for a smaller amusement park of a woman who was pissed after taking her family to the park during the off season, only to find it closed. Apparently, she saw on the park's website a quote saying "Come join us today" and automatically assumed that meant the park was open. Poor choice of wording on the park's part? Maybe. But all she had to do was click one more button to take a look at the park's operating schedule which has been up for quite a while.

I don't remember if I already posted this, but after today, I feel the need to reiterate: -People who do not know how to drive bumper cars

It's open for season pass holders this weekend, and then it opens to the public next Friday.

I really don't understand people who go right for the door handle of a closed public bathroom door rather than knocking! What if the person inside had forgotten to lock the door? I was in the bathroom on a train yesterday, and some woman kept trying to open the door, even after I said I would be out shortly. She even tried calling over one of the conductors, claiming that the door wouldn't open. When I finished and opened the door, she just had this surprised look on her face and said, "Ohhhh! Someone was in there, that's why it wouldn't open. I didn't check to see if the [occupied indicator] light was on."

Who's up for a New England Sky Screamer review? So today was the very first Season Pass Holder Preview Day of the weekend for New England Sky Screamer; my sister and I had a few hours before I had to drive her to work, so we decided to visit the park for the sole purpose of riding NESS. The weather forecast was predicted to be miserable with a slight chance of ruining-your-day, and we had our doubts about the park even opening the attraction; but the weather never got too out of hand during our short stay. And even with frequent rainfalls and a few gusts of winds, the ride remained open. The parking lot was almost completely empty half an hour before the park opened, but LOTS of buses filled the rest of the lot; and they were packed with high schoolers going to Six Flags' GradNite. As you can see, the weather looks lovely... Goliath was not operating at opening; I haven't experienced the new trains yet, but whether or not I would get my ride today seemed bleak. NESS simply dominates over the North End of the park. So during my trip report on opening day, the sign out front simply said "Sky Screamer." They have now fixed it, and it correctly displays "New England Sky Screamer." The ride was testing upon reaching the northern-most end of the park; it was pretty relieving that they hadn't cancelled the event due to weather. The ride uses Catapult's old entryway. You then go through a series of switchbacks, and then are counted into a bull pen. There are two bull pens so that there will always be a group of riders ready to board at any given time. You are also assigned a seat number; the loading of the ride was actually rather efficient. Personal note: I don't have a fear of heights so much as I have a fear of falling. I can go on Kingda Ka just fine, but Star Flyers from 80 feet to 400 feet still freak me out. The very first run to the public(-ish). My sister and I were stopped just short of being on the first run, but I had been on the first train out on Goliath's Season Pass Holder Preview Day, so I didn't mind. You go pretty high... And you go pretty fast... Tallest in the world! So here's my general consensus of the ride: It fits perfectly in Six Flags New England. With Catapult gone, SFNE was really missing that perfect non-coaster ride that really separates our park from everyone else. I really enjoyed my ride on NESS, even more so than Great Adventure's Sky Screamer. It has a perfect pace where it's not too intense or too boring, and it reaches a height that puts everything in the park and the surrounding areas into perspective. While the view itself is not as spectacular as I had hoped (I was hoping to see Springfield as well as Hartford), it still makes for a very unique experience that not even Colossus could have accomplished. It's a really really really good ride, and one that especially locals ought to give a try. Remember all of those buses? Well, about 95% of the people on those buses were not season pass holders. Thanks to the bad weather, and this being a Friday morning, the line for the event was short! At one point, my sister and I were going to be the only two people on the ride (before they found 3 other people at literally the last minute). The general opinion seemed to be that the ride was really fun. It wasn't "amazing", but it's a very unique attraction for this part of the country and offers an experience unlike anything else in the region. The ride had a series of songs played at random during the cycle including "Ride of the Valkyries," "Come Fly With Me," "Danger Zone," and others. It was an awesome idea to put this ride at the highest elevated area in the park. And now, here are some random pictures of NESS. Goliath had maintenance working on the ride, but with equipment strewn about the station, it did not appear as though it would be opening for the day. Oh well. NESS shirts! Poor Scream! It seriously looks so short now! And by the time we reached the parking lot, the number of buses had just about doubled! I had to leave to get my sister to work, but we accomplished our goal; even getting more than one ride on NESS. Even though it was a short day, I still had a really nice time and even ran into a few old coworkers. But as for New England Sky Screamer, it gets a big thumbs up from me!

I really do like both, but if I had to choose, I prefer the forum. I like watching the discussions, reactions, and feedback to the updates, and since I'm on the forum more than the index, I see them here first; but those are really the only perk (in my opinion) that it has over the park index format. The park index format is classic, and what drew me to the site in the first place. If I feel like marathoning through previous trip reports, then the park index is the way to go.

Last weekend, I caught a midnight screening of The Room with one of my best friends. For those who don't know, The Room is acclaimed as being one of the best bad movies of our time and has become a cult classic. Anyway, I thought I had expectations about what the screening would be like, but boy was I wrong! I really don't know how to describe the experience except that it made an enjoyable bad movie so much more hilarious; it almost made me believe that it was supposed to be a comedy. I highly recommend attending a The Room midnight screening, it WILL be the best movie theater experience you will ever have. My advice: Don't try to enjoy the movie, enjoy the show. By the way, the movie's director Tommy Wiseau made an appearance at the movie theater. I got a poster autograph and he was blessing those who purchased a souvenir pair of underwear He truly is as bizarre as his acting abilities!

"Half Life" - Trocadero

Perhaps the keyword with Volares and SLCs is "favorite"? I'm in total agreement that the worst Volare is better than the worst SLC, but maybe there were just enough people who got a decent ride on an SLC to surpass even the best Volare (using the term "best" loosely). Before Fly the Great Nor'Easter turned into a spine-punching sadist-coaster, I would have ranked it way above my favorite Volare, and maybe even a few other terrible or forgettable coasters. So that's my theory on why SLCs may have ranked higher; I too am surprised to see Volares dead last though.

Went to opening day today; I couldn't stay long because I had other things to do, but I had just enough time to get my season pass processed, take a few pictures, and even get a ride or two in. The park actually wasn't that crowded, but I've experienced a few opening days for the park, and none of them were particularly busy. But as was expected, there were a few hiccups in operations as both the employees and the rides got comfortable with guest throughput. Anyway, onto some pictures. The skyline for the park has changed DRAMATICALLY with New England Sky Screamer. It's so tall that you can see it all the way from the bridge crossing the Connecticut river in Enfield, CT. Driving up to the park, it was pretty breath-taking seeing just how big this ride was. The parking lot wasn't quite empty, but there was still a decent amount of people for opening day. At least it kept the lines down. NESS was all the park goers could talk about. I still find it crazy that the red portion of the tower alone is taller than Cyclone. Hello Bizarro! I've missed you. This is my first to the park since 2012, so you'll forgive me if some of the changes I mention were made for last year rather than this year. The biometric scanners were in place, and gone were the turnstiles. Because so many people were getting their season pass card at the front gate, the line moved a little slowly; but I have a feeling the pace will pick up the further into the season it gets. New maps with NESS on the cover. Season Pass Processing is no longer in its old building, but in the old gift shop of Whistlestop. It was a bit odd seeing the ride operating behind people's pass processing. So aside from the young employees getting used to the system and the expected queue, the season pass processing system is actually fairly quick. I guess since everything is now automated and you don't have to wait for a picture of yourself on a card it really speeds up the process. Overall, it's an improvement over the old system, unless you're one of those types of people who likes to collect old passes containing your photo Thunderbolt is boasting a sexy paint job! The ride looks really good now, very fresh. Despite not having a lot of time in the park, there's always time for Bizarro! The mist in the tunnels were not running, even though temperatures were pushing close to 70 degrees all day. Sorry for the dark picture. I am in need of a new camera soon. In the queue for Bizarro, I was very surprised to see the monitors play an episode of Merrie Melodies. I couldn't hear what was going on, but I'd MUCH rather watch some classic cartoons than listen to some of the stuff they usually play. The lines moved very slowly, but they remained short all day. This is the set of switchbacks right before entering the station. These filled up again a few minutes after I took this picture, but it never got overwhelming for the crew. The lift hill felt like it's been slowed down, and the ride felt a little sluggish. It was still a very fun ride, and the airtime on this hill was still intense, but I hope the summer brings back those powerful rides I've come to know. Well this is awkward... You can pretty much see NESS anywhere in the park. I don't think you could have even seen the skycoaster from this point last year. I can confirm that Twister is gone...... It was a very sucky ride, but now it means that Six Flags New England is completely without an inverting flat ride. I love SFNE, and I'll be the first to come to the park's defense, but I'll also be the first to put in some criticism where criticism is due. SFNE desperately needs flats; but NESS is a good step in the right direction. I didn't ride Mind Eraser, but they seem to have a good, quick crew this year. Then again, for the past few years I've seen some of the best crews at Mind Eraser. Also didn't ride Batman: The Dark Knight, but it's always good to see it running. It looked to be running a little slower than normal, but again, it might just be because it's opening day and only just returning to action. Sorry Scream! You're no longer the high and mighty towers you once were. Goliath was not running, but there was a reason why..... .....Premier train on the tracks. Especially after last year, I'm not holding my breath for the new train taking over, but there were plenty of maintenance workers all over the ride and up the first tower. These fellas sure aren't afraid of heights. Another look at Thunderbolt's paint and a train full of happy riders. They had water dummies in the trains. It didn't look like they were ready to test the ride, at least in the time while I was there, but there is definitely work being done on the train; so hopefully that work is finishing touches. It looks out of place, but I'm really glad Goliath could join Six Flags New England's family. Flashback was up and running. The line was a one-train wait, but I've kind of given up on this Boomerang. I really wouldn't be that upset if Flashback were to go away in the near future, just so long as it actually gets replaced with something worthwhile. Employees can also be seen at NESS. This ride is just massive. Given the years of height restrictions imposed on SFNE in the past, I still can't believe it finally got something like this. The water feature was an extra nice touch. I've been on both Windseekers and Star Flyers, and I prefer Star Flyers. I can't wait to experience New England Sky Screamer later this year. Poor Catapult. It wasn't the most comfortable rides, but it was unique and I always enjoyed it. This archway of sorts was placed above the stairs leading to the north-most end of the park. Didn't ride Pandemonium, but it's still a hit with families. The operator working the ride also sounded very enthusiastic. Goliath may be down, but it is not lacking in attention. It doesn't appear that they've changed the air gates. It's a little hard to tell if those dummies look comfortable in those seats or not. I wish Goliath's crew the best of luck. Whether they succeed or not, I hope to be able to ride Goliath again soon. Very disappointed to see that the shortcut from Crackaxle Canyon to the front of the park has been closed off A lot of the shops on Main Street have undergone name changes. Only a few seemed to cater to a brand name, so I'm not so sure why they felt the changes necessary. Oh well. And a look at their map with the addition of New England Sky Screamer. So that was opening day at Six Flags New England, and it was pretty much everything I expected: New employees learning, frequent ride breakdowns, the "new for 2014" ride not running yet, etc. I certainly had a good day, but there is a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the current flat ride lineup. I really hate to complain, but I seriously hope that SFNE can make a comeback in this department, even if it means putting a major coaster planned on hold. That was really my only big problem, I'm hoping that the smaller problems I had like ride and employee performance (I would say food prices, but I almost never buy food in the park) will improve over the course of the season. The employees were nice, the park was clean, I can still see this being a good year.

Anyone remember the animated short "Bunny"? That touching, Oscar-winning CGI short made animated by Blue Sky Studios before Ice Age? This is the synopsis posted on IMDb:

My top ten? 10. Ghost Rider 9. Revolution (SFMM) 8. Wilde Beast 7. Anaconda 6. Gwazi 5. Flight Deck (CW) 4. Mean Streak 3. Wildcat (LC) 2. Ninja (SFOG) 1. The Coney Island Cyclone! Hands down the most brutal ride I've ever ridden, but I still love it. Past mentions: Great American Scream Machine (SFGAdv), Zyklon Loop (Star City), Cyclone (SFNE) pre-Topper Track EDIT: Forgot to put X2 on there. Another brutal ride that I still love.

I started watching Game of Thrones last week when Comcast had it for free On Demand. Big mistake! Only a few episodes in and I fell in love with the series. Unfortunately, I wasn't even able to finish season 1 before the free period ended, and now I'm stuck without any way to watch it. Time to order it on Amazon.

It took a little bit for this to sink in. I was in the group of people who thought that this announcement was going to be something totally new to the industry; but after getting over that so-called stipulation, it's so obvious now how amazing this ride looks! Not only does this ride look gorgeous in its setting, but this is the real deal for RMC! They're done making prototypes, it's now time for them to really show the world what they can accomplish; and now that I think about it, this exactly the type of attraction I've been waiting to see from them. My only complaint is that it's an entire ocean away from me, but hey, that's my problem. Kolmården has a winner here! Big time!

Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape From Arkham Asylum: Longest Name for a Wild Mouse* In all seriousness though, I'll try to be as basic as I can. It's either going to be an incredibly short list or a stupidly long list. Kingda Ka: Tallest roller coaster The Beast: Longest Wooden coaster El Toro: Fastest Wooden coaster Gatekeeper: Highest inversion *Is there any name for any coaster longer than this?

Casino Pier will be adding three new rides this summer including a Musik Express and an Air Race! Seaside Heights' Casino Pier adds three new rides for summer 2014 March 26, 2014 at 11:10 AM www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2014/03/seaside_heights_casino_pier_plans_three_new_rides_for_summer_2014.html Owners of the Seaside Heights amusement park that was ripped apart by Hurricane Sandy plans this year to replace a ride lost in the storm: the Musik Express. The ride will be one of three added to the pier's lower deck in 2014, according to Maria Mastoris, the marketing manager for Casino Pier. "Everyone loves (the Musik Express)," said Mastoris. "They love the DJ, the sounds, the music. I think a lot of people are thrilled about that just as much as we are." Mastoris said the pier will also have a new ride called the Air Race, which is designed to give thrill seekers the experience of an acrobatic flight, and a ride geared toward younger children called the Jump Around. That ride allows children — and their parents — to take a spin in one of six different four-seat beach buggies. There won't be a roller coaster this year though. "We still have to build our upper deck," said Mastoris, "so that would be the only space to actually have a roller coaster." Casino Pier's Jet Star roller coaster became an iconic symbol of Sandy after the ride plunged into the ocean.

I was looking at amusement parks near the latitude of my hometown. If the following parks were on the same longitude line as me, I would be 20 minutes away from Waldameer, 45 minutes from Conneaut Lake Park, 45 minutes from Cedar Point, 45 minutes from Six Flags Great America, 45 minutes from Adventureland, and 90 minutes from Lagoon.

"There's no 'I' in team, Grif." "Yeah, there's no 'U' either. So I guess if I'm not on the team, and you're not on the team, nobody's on the g*****n team. The team sucks!"