Six Flags New England (SFNE) Discussion Thread

[cmullin]

The problem is that we can't get to the park any earlier than 11:30, so we will miss the first hour of the day for sure. The only thing that we can do is to get there as early as we can. Hopefully since it is supposed to be hot, the park won't be too crowded, but you never know. But thanks for all the help anyways!

[robbalvey]

Hey, my mom and I are in the area, Boston, and are going to either Canobie lake Park or SFNE. We've already been to SFNE, but never went on Goliath and a few others, because we only went for a few hours. The day we would be going on is either Wednesday or Thursday of this week. How are the lines on a day like this? It's a much longer drive to SFNE than Canobie, but I would much rather go to SFNE. Any advice? Thanks for any tips in advance!

Spring for a Flash Pass. Even if the line is "only 30-45 minutes", IMO, you can get a LOT more riding in with a Flash Pass, especially if you're from California and this might be one of your very few visits. It's a shame you can't get there for opening, but I'd certainly get the Flash Pass!

 

You won't be missing out on anything by coming an hour and a half after opening. The park fills up quickly from 10:30-1, so it's not like there's that "dead" first hour that you get at some parks.

This is some of the single most WORST advice you can give someone, and you can't be more wrong. There has NEVER been an example of any park I have visited anywhere in the world, including Six Flags New England, where getting there early didn't work in your benefit.

 

Please leave giving the theme park advice to the experts that know what they are talking about, thanks.

 

--Robb

Edited July 9, 2013 by robbalvey

[Canobie Coaster]

I usually go on clear weekdays that are usually pretty hot (85-95 degrees) and have found that you can get a few rides in on the big coasters in the first hour before the heavy crowds arrive. Bizarro, Batman, Mind Eraser, Cyclone, and Gotham City Gauntlet should all have minimal to non-existent lines.

 

Goliath will probably have a line immediately since it is the park's newest coaster and really close to the main entrance. While this one has a longer line than the other coasters, I recommend hitting it first before the line reaches 60-90 minutes later in the afternoon.

 

Also, Thunderbolt will probably have a 10-15 minute wait in the first hour. If you want to ride this classic woodie, I recommend doing so during this hour since it only has one train and the line moves incredibly slowly. It can reach 30-60 minutes in the afternoon.

 

So when you get to the park, I recommend hitting Goliath, Thunderbolt, Bizarro, and Batman in that order.

[alpengeist04]

I usually go on clear weekdays that are usually pretty hot (85-95 degrees) and have found that you can get a few rides in on the big coasters in the first hour before the heavy crowds arrive.

 

That's how it is for just about any amusement park in the world, with SFNE being no exception. It's always the first thing I say when giving advice about any park. ...GET THERE EARLY, before opening if possible.

[cmullin]

Thanks for all the help guys!!

[alwaysairtime14]

I would not get a flash pass tomorrow. I just had the most awesome day I can remember at SFNE!!! 4:00 Bizarro was walk into the station. I walked into the first row of Mind Eraser. Goliath had a one train wait. Batman two train wait. Blizzard River walk on and stayed on for 3 more re-rides. Cyclone and Thunderbolt were the fastest and wildest rides I have ever experienced. I was white-knuckle on Cyclone...I've only done that on Goliath and any launch tower. The best part- the forecast for tomorrow is the same. cmullin, I see people have doubted me on my "no dead hour" (which I still didn't notice ) but I am positive you will not need a Flash Pass. The high humidity and high temps are causing huge lines in the waterpark and a dead drypark.

Operations were as I expected. All trains running, Goliath did not break down (I didn't say that at all last year) , only broken ride were the bumper cars for ten minutes. Twister SBNO. Really, I don't say this much. but no complaints for the day.

 

I've been to SFNE a dozen times in the past 4 years. Today, like Bizarro, was #1.

[alwaysairtime14]

Pictures!

Mind Eraser, 3pm

BIZARRO, 4:30 Ya won't see this much!

Goliath! Take note of the empty walkways.

Scream.

No SFNE trip report would be complete without Bizarro spam!

Bizarro on a bizarre day.

[cmullin]

That's awesome! But after some begging my mom decided that it would be alright if we went tomorrow, so just in case it gets tea crowded, but that looks awesome! Hopefully it will be like that when I go! What was the weather like then? And what is their rain policy? I know at Cedar Point even the slightest rain will shut down almost all of the coasters, but I don't think it is the same way here right?

[alwaysairtime14]

Cyclone and Gloiath will shut down when it rains. Everything except Houdini and the bumper cars will be down in a thunderstorm. In the morning it was cloudy and in the low 80s, then the sun came out at 1, and everyone fled to the waterpark. Even before the sun came out Bizarro and Goliath both had short 30 minute waits.

[cmullin]

Awesome! Sounds like it shouldn't be too bad then.

[XYZ]

Pictures!

 

 

Wow, SFNE really needs to put new paint onto Mind Eraser's handrails.

[alwaysairtime14]

^^^^

 

Yeah, I rode the front of Mind Eraser yesterday and noticed that the park really let it go. The seats have lost some of there padding. The brakes are really rusty. The whole station needs a new paint job.

[cmullin]

How many rides did you get in the time you were there?

[alwaysairtime14]

Bizarro 5x

Goliath 3x

Batman 2x

Mind Eraser 2x

Cyclone 2x

Thunderbolt 2x

Flashback 1x

Pandemonium 1x

GCG 1x

 

Only day I can recall where I rode every major coaster.

[alpengeist04]

Very jealous!!! I probably would have camped out at Bizarro for most of that day. Then again, I only get to the park once every 3 or 4 years, so I try and ride Bizarro as much as possible when I do go.

[Canobie Coaster]

^^^^

 

Yeah, I rode the front of Mind Eraser yesterday and noticed that the park really let it go. The seats have lost some of there padding. The brakes are really rusty. The whole station needs a new paint job.

 

That's a shame. I remember a few years ago how they had just repainted Mind Eraser and it looked really nice.

[cmullin]

During my visit on Thursday, I rode Bizarro 7 times,

Batman 2x

Goliath 1x

Catwoman's Whip 1x

The Great Escape 1x

Cyclone 1x

 

We only stayed for three hours, and it was not very crowded when we left, so we could have gotten lots more rides if we had stayed later into the day.

[NegativeGLover]

Quick question for everyone. My wife and I are heading up to the Catskill mountains in August for the National Road Bowling Championships (if you want to know more you gotta youtube it, or just search for irish road bowling). We have 2 extra days in which we plan to head over to SFNE and Lake Compounce. I've never been to either park, and this will most likely be the only trip for a while in this area. We aren't doing the Flashpass unless it is insanely busy for some reason (We're going on a Monday), so we plan to just apply normal methods to get there early and crack off as many coasters as possible. My big question is this - with our 10 month old son in tow, we are going to be using the parent swap. With Parent swap can you choose your own seats? Mainly front/back. I've never had to use parent swap before, as the only park we've been to was Disney and had parents there to watch him when he couldn't ride. Also - are there designated stroller parking areas near the coasters? We'll have our own, but wasn't sure what the protocol for SFNE is. And lastly - does anyone know if the Dunkin Donuts has the discount coupons this year?

[Starr]

To negativeglover, yes, Dunkin Donuts is doing the discount coupons this year.

[Generational]

I went to SFNE a few days ago with a few friends, and we rode Bizarro roughly 5-6 times. Batman once, Goliath 3 times, and the bumper cars like 15 because I couldn't persuade them otherwise.

 

We spent a lot of time in the water park as well, and I am in love with Bonzai Pipelines. Like, normally I'm never nervous to ride anything, but this one gave me the butterflies. It must have either been being closed into a tube, or the floor dropping out, or both, but it was so much fun.

 

One thing that I noticed that, though, is that they have completely forgotten about the special effects on Bizarro. Honestly, the audio never plays, the pyrotechnics never go off, and the scenery now, without the audio, just gets in the way of the ride. I liked it a lot more when it was S:ROS because it felt more raw and organic. It felt like a better experience without the grills and indents ripping hair out your skull every time you put your head near it. Oh, and I went on Kontiki because I completely forgot it was there until I rode Tornado and saw it. It was a good little ride.

[necoastergp]

 

One thing that I noticed that, though, is that they have completely forgotten about the special effects on Bizarro. Honestly, the audio never plays, the pyrotechnics never go off, and the scenery now, without the audio, just gets in the way of the ride. I liked it a lot more when it was S:ROS because it felt more raw and organic. It felt like a better experience without the grills and indents ripping hair out your skull every time you put your head near it. Oh, and I went on Kontiki because I completely forgot it was there until I rode Tornado and saw it. It was a good little ride.

 

The audio rarely works and they took the fire out ( I believe they shipped it to texas). The Bizarro transformation was all for the worse in terms of the ride, imo.

[Blind Idiot God]

I went to SFNE a few days ago with a few friends, and we rode Bizarro roughly 5-6 times. Batman once, Goliath 3 times, and the bumper cars like 15 because I couldn't persuade them otherwise.

 

We spent a lot of time in the water park as well, and I am in love with Bonzai Pipelines. Like, normally I'm never nervous to ride anything, but this one gave me the butterflies. It must have either been being closed into a tube, or the floor dropping out, or both, but it was so much fun.

 

One thing that I noticed that, though, is that they have completely forgotten about the special effects on Bizarro. Honestly, the audio never plays, the pyrotechnics never go off, and the scenery now, without the audio, just gets in the way of the ride. I liked it a lot more when it was S:ROS because it felt more raw and organic. It felt like a better experience without the grills and indents ripping hair out your skull every time you put your head near it. Oh, and I went on Kontiki because I completely forgot it was there until I rode Tornado and saw it. It was a good little ride.

 

The audio sucked to begin with. Also, they've torn out the audio box, so there's absolutely nothing in that spot now. Whether they'll put back the seats that were taken out for it in the first place is beyond me.

[Blind Idiot God]

^^^^

 

Yeah, I rode the front of Mind Eraser yesterday and noticed that the park really let it go. The seats have lost some of there padding. The brakes are really rusty. The whole station needs a new paint job.

 

People have stopped giving a damn about Mind Eraser; seriously, I haven't seen it with anything more than a ten-minute wait in years, and that includes times when the park was getting slammed beyond belief. It's not like the park has an active incentive to spruce it up. Hell, it probably won't even be there in five years at this rate.

[alpengeist04]

The Bizarro transformation was all for the worse in terms of the ride, imo.

 

Agreed!!! They should have just kept it simple. Just rehab the trains, give the track/supports a fresh coat of red and blue, have mist in the tunnels, and audio (Superman theme song) only on the lift hill (speakers on the railings, NOT on the trains). That would have been much simpler and a whole heck of a lot better in my mind.

 

Why screw with what was the best steel coaster in the US?

[3Mutts]

^^^^

 

Yeah, I rode the front of Mind Eraser yesterday and noticed that the park really let it go. The seats have lost some of there padding. The brakes are really rusty. The whole station needs a new paint job.

 

People have stopped giving a damn about Mind Eraser; seriously, I haven't seen it with anything more than a ten-minute wait in years, and that includes times when the park was getting slammed beyond belief. It's not like the park has an active incentive to spruce it up. Hell, it probably won't even be there in five years at this rate.

 

Really because every time we go the queue house is completely filled.