anonymouscactus

I loved the backdrop we got behind the podium. Very 60's cruise ship vibe. As was the entertainment lol. /admitted to watching the live stream

Completely agree. I've been to horror nights several years and some of the cedar fair haunts have been much better for various reasons. Not the same budget, for sure,. but some have really surprised me... and as mentioned HHN is too predictable in my opinion.

Any tips on how to spend the time between day admission and Scarowinds? It looks like they completely close and don't have anything open? Or do they have a special waiting area / can I stay parked and eat somewhere?

I wish Darien lake was still a six flags park strictly for the awesome meal plan six flags has. During their flash sale it's like 64$ for the rest of the current year plus next year, 2 meals a day, plus a snack, plus an unlimited refill bottle? I'd go to the park just to eat! At the very least they should do 2 meals / give the option for a little more $$ but whatcha gonna do

To the person who recommended Lou Malnati's pizza, you were on point. REALLY good. So thank you! As for the park, I must say I was REALLY impressed and all expectations were exceeded (minus the cluster of trying to eat at chop six, and the flash pass stopped working after our first ride we had to exchange it). The woodies were a lot of fun, the metropolis ride left me thinking I wasn't at a six flags park, Goliath was just awesome, and none of the coasters disappointed whatsoever (though I DID skip demon). Glad i didn't attempt the park without a platinum flash pass it was definitely a life saver for that park I would have been frustrated without it. Very impressed and worth the long trip from Buffalo! The CLEANEST park billboards everywhere, with no citation or source, lol... not so sure about that one...

Where does it state that season long flash pass is good for all parks? First I've heard that

We planned on going to 'novelty golf and games' after Six Flags in LincolnWood, looks like Malnati's has a full service dine-in location right next to it (the original! Ooo!). I'll definitely put it on my list if you recommend them for pizza, I'm down for that! Lots of good reviews, too! Thanks! Funny that we planned on being literally 1 minute away (we need to get our cheesy mini golf fix!) -- I think when it comes to downtown we will just walk around and see what catches our eye.

Exactly. More revenue, more budget, more awesomeness! The key rooms have been lots of trial and error. Before, when they were integrated into the maze layout, it really took you out of the maze's element. You would have to find the employee, show your key, then wait for your turn. Then they started to put the rooms in the beginning of the maze to help tell the mazes story. Was it better? Sure. Did it help with crowd control and lines? Not really... With the rooms separated from the mazes all together, it should assist with line backup, and general maze traffic. I hope it streamlines the experience, and adds to the overall haunt. Let's hope the escape rooms are better than the 2nd year of Trapped. Exactly. One of the most frequent operational complaints during Haunt was wait times for the Key Rooms. Because they were designed for small groups, to feel more intimate, the capacity for the rooms was pretty low. This would very frequently cause the guests who bought the Skeleton Key pass (which comes w/ Frightlane) to wait longer in line than guests who hadn't paid for the up charge. Now that the key rooms are standalone, those guests can better take advantage of the decrease wait times at the mazes that they paid a considerable sum for. I find this to be true at many cedar fair parks I visited last year... it was frustrating waiting for the key rooms. Dorney had an awesome stand alone experience and ended up being my favorite of any of the rooms in all the parks I went to. They should do more of that rather than attaching to the houses in my opinion.

I'm just looking for ideas mainly. no chains. I would like to go to one "Chicago" food place that locals go to... whether it be a pizza place or whatever you guys eat We will be in Downtown Chicago so anywhere within walking distance of Millennium Park that is a good local food spot. And then we will be hitting dinner after six flags on Saturday night, so any recommendations near the park would be good. I'm open to ideas just don't really know what's out there and don't have much planning time. Thank you in advance, sorry if I am getting too much off topic.

Anyone have any suggestions for a local place to eat near the park for dinner? Preferably in the southern direction, but I'd go out of my way for something really good 8)

Going for my first time labor day Saturday. Will buy platinum flash passes. When it says single ride on the flash pass page it just means you don't get to stay in your seat and ride a second time, but I can still reserve as many times as I'd like... is that correct? I know SFMM has pulled some one time reservations before didn't know if the same applies here. Also what are some must-rides that are NOT part of platinum flash pass? Thanks!

Looked exactly the same last year when I went. Probably the same garbage.

You people think I'm making this up. See what this guy did? Don't be like him. [emoji38] The problem with your advice, while I did take it to heart yesterday and actually somewhat enjoyed my ride, is everyone else from TPR is taking your advise and I had to listen to a bunch of coaster enthusiasts talk about the stupidest things for 25 minutes... (cell phone grab from the lift and a protein spill is why the wait was so long)

2017 passes on sale. What I find intriguing is on the benefits page for renewals in addition to the free fast lane plus that the other parks also offer, you get a free fall Sunday ticket for a friend. Though when I check out it only lists the fast lane so I'll probably need to call them to see how that works... might actually be better off getting the cedar point platinum pass in USD than the wonderland pass in CAN for this year (the fast lane plus for CP and free ticket are worth 30$ imo)

Anybody remember when they did helicopter rides from the parking lot? It was sometime in the early 90s. Maybe they are testing to bring it back lol

Because the sign is missing!!! (is that really all we have to talk about? lol)

I second that note to be careful what you post (even if it's all positive and you don't let out any secrets whatsoever)... wouldn't be the first time someone lost their job for talking about Darien Lake online! *cough* *cough* -- ahh memories. On another random note, I found a whole bunch of brochures from the 90s in mint condition, I'll have to post some of them soon.

Your trip reports made my day, thank you for the laughs while still being very informative! I went to La Ronde many years ago and I'm sad that didn't have time to take in the city and only had time to endure the park. Subscribed to this thread and can't wait to read more. Also excited to hear your thoughts on Darien Lake... (Moose on the loose!)

Are we all forgetting about the xcelerator accident? I would be pretty frightened...

Yes but mazes are extra $$$

Unfortunately the website is incorrect. Platinum only, no re-ride. -- source: person who went to the park with a platinum pass and didn't get to ride it since it was down 85% of the day

They are roughly 1 hour from eachother

Considering parking is $25 I'd say get the pass. I'm pretty sure you just show them the voucher at the booth and they scan it and it works for one time parking. Correct me if I'm wrong. Of course this only applies to gold passes I'm assuming parking is still included in them. You also get additional perks like bringing a friend for less than 25$ depending on the month.