Six Flags New England (SFNE) Discussion Thread

[ioio]

FIRST-TIME @ SFNE... HELP?

 

I'll be going to SFNE on August 24, 2015 (MONDAY)... crossing my fingers the crowds will be light :/

 

I had a few questions:

 

(1) is parking free with a gold pass from a different Six Flags park? I believe it is, but just wanted to double-check.

 

(2) Not sure if/when I'll be back to the park, so I'd like to do multiple runs on Bizarro, but in case I only get one shot at it... is there a generally agreed upon 'best seat' for Bizarro? Back/Front?

 

(3) Same question above but for Wicked Cyclone? My home park is SFMM, and Twisted Colossus' best seat (for me) is the back, so I assume the same will probably be true with Wicked Cyclone? (SUPER EXCITED about riding my 2nd RMC, and doing a very real personal comparison between the two new RMCs).

 

(4) Are there times in the day that either Bizarro or Wicked Cyclone's lines thin out? (sort of how it's generally agreed that X2's line at SFMM thins out around afternoon time, 2-4pm).

 

(5) Are there any other notable rides I should make sure I ride?

 

(6) Does SFNE do early entry for gold pass members like SFMM? If so, would my gold pass work at SFNE for early entry?

 

(7) We'll most likely be eating lunch inside the park... if you had one place to eat, where should it be?

 

(8) We'll be staying somewhere near-ish to the park on Sunday, is there any sights/stuff to see near SFNE? anything notable?

 

(9) any other tips/tricks/suggestions regarding out trip to SFNE that would help?

 

SUPER SUPER THANKS!

[ALT2870]

To answer your season pass questions is yes, but early entry only works if they have it. (I used my gold pass for free parking and early entry at SFMM.)

[coasterbill]

(1) is parking free with a gold pass from a different Six Flags park? I believe it is, but just wanted to double-check.

 

Yup, they just scan the pass like they do at SFMM.

 

(2) Not sure if/when I'll be back to the park, so I'd like to do multiple runs on Bizarro, but in case I only get one shot at it... is there a generally agreed upon 'best seat' for Bizarro? Back/Front?

 

The front is the best seat by far. The line will be long for it but it's worth it.

 

(3) Same question above but for Wicked Cyclone? My home park is SFMM, and Twisted Colossus' best seat (for me) is the back, so I assume the same will probably be true with Wicked Cyclone? (SUPER EXCITED about riding my 2nd RMC, and doing a very real personal comparison between the two new RMCs).

 

It's good in all seats, but you don't get a choice of seat on much of anything at SFNE. The only good coaster where you can choose your seat is Bizarro.

 

(4) Are there times in the day that either Bizarro or Wicked Cyclone's lines thin out? (sort of how it's generally agreed that X2's line at SFMM thins out around afternoon time, 2-4pm).

 

Not really, the only tip I have is to avoid Batman at all costs right after the waterpark closes. Bizarro and Wicked Cyclone are pretty consistent all day.

 

(7) We'll most likely be eating lunch inside the park... if you had one place to eat, where should it be?

 

JB's by Goliath is the only place we ever eat at the park. For a snack the Kettle Corn (in the same area) is great.

 

(9) any other tips/tricks/suggestions regarding out trip to SFNE that would help?

 

Goliath sucks now, but if you want to ride it ride it first thing in the morning because it has terrible capacity and more importantly it's an unreliable piece of crap and you should ride it before it breaks down.

 

(5) Are there any other notable rides I should make sure I ride?

 

lol. Assuming you're riding the coasters already, I've got nothing.

 

 

As far as coasters... Thunderbolt, Batman and Pandemonium are great.

[Blind Idiot God]

Tomahawk's always worth a ride because the line will invariably be wicked short, and Buzzsaw is cool as well. I guess there's also Kontiki, which runs an okay (if not unspectacular) program... and yeah, that's pretty much it. It's amazing how this place used to have one of the best flat selections and now has one of the worst. At least they finally got rid of Twister, which ran a terrible program and was only worth riding if you were killing time while waiting for the Bizarro line to let up a little.

 

As for stuff outside of SFNE, definitely venture up to Amherst and Northampton, as they're awesome little cities with lots to see and do. The area surrounding them (Hadley, Sunderland, Leverett, Easthampton, etc.) is also nice to drive through for sightseeing purposes. I guess there's also the Yankee Candle outlet in Deerfield, but it's wicked tourist trap-y. Avoid Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee like the plague, however; they're nasty, dangerous cities, and your safety cannot be guaranteed in them after dark. Greenfield's also not very nice, but some of the center isn't bad (the rest of the city is a dump, however; rural Western Mass postindustrial deprivation at its worst). If you wanna head really far (>1 hour) north, Brattleboro, Vermont is also pretty cool for the most part, and said city is also right next to the NH border for ample cheap liquor stockup opportunities. Lastly, don't set foot in CT for anything other than Lake Compounce, as it's a terrible state and basically any part of Hartford that's more than five minutes from a highway exit will have you running for the hills.

[necoastergp]

Tomahawk's always worth a ride because the line will invariably be wicked short, and Buzzsaw is cool as well. I guess there's also Kontiki, which runs an okay (if not unspectacular) program... and yeah, that's pretty much it. It's amazing how this place used to have one of the best flat selections and now has one of the worst. At least they finally got rid of Twister, which ran a terrible program and was only worth riding if you were killing time while waiting for the Bizarro line to let up a little.

 

As for stuff outside of SFNE, definitely venture up to Amherst and Northampton, as they're awesome little cities with lots to see and do. The area surrounding them (Hadley, Sunderland, Leverett, Easthampton, etc.) is also nice to drive through for sightseeing purposes. I guess there's also the Yankee Candle outlet in Deerfield, but it's wicked tourist trap-y. Avoid Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee like the plague, however; they're nasty, dangerous cities, and your safety cannot be guaranteed in them after dark. Greenfield's also not very nice, but some of the center isn't bad (the rest of the city is a dump, however; rural Western Mass postindustrial deprivation at its worst). If you wanna head really far (>1 hour) north, Brattleboro, Vermont is also pretty cool for the most part, and said city is also right next to the NH border for ample cheap liquor stockup opportunities. Lastly, don't set foot in CT for anything other than Lake Compounce, as it's a terrible state and basically any part of Hartford that's more than five minutes from a highway exit will have you running for the hills.

All I can say is wow you obviously have a thing against Hartford and our other lovely cities but to trash the whole state which may be expensive but in no way is it a dangerous place to avoid, that's just ignorant. Most of the state is the total opposite of the big cities and their suburbs. I'll leave it at that. ^^^Also to above if you're into basketball the Naismith Hall of Fame is in Springfield the birthplace of the sport is worth a visit.

[BoulderDash]

Its probably better to ride Goliath at the end of the day because by then everyone realized that it is a POS and the line will be short.

 

Be sure to get the front seat on Bizarro for your first ride. It is well worth the wait, the other seats don't have good visibility and are not as good. I would say the same thing for Cyclone but the chance of getting the front is pretty slim.

 

Don't bother looking for flat rides to ride. NESS and Tomahawk are pretty good, but that is basically it.

 

I recommend going to Lake Compounce/Quassy as well. Boulder Dash is well worth the visit.

[Blind Idiot God]

Considering that I've had about five separate friends who have been robbed in Hartford (not to mention the time that someone tried to jump another friend of mine out front at the Webster) and have had nothing but bad experiences with the parts of the state not named Bristol, yes, I have something against Hartford and CT in general. I've seen absolutely nothing that would contradict the notion that it's nothing but suburban sprawl, rural deprivation, and borderline Rust Belt levels of urban decay.

[larrygator]

(5) Are there any other notable rides I should make sure I ride?

 

If you have never done a Mad House / Haunted Swing you should do Houdini's Great Escape.

[necoastergp]

Considering that I've had about five separate friends who have been robbed in Hartford (not to mention the time that someone tried to jump another friend of mine out front at the Webster) and have had nothing but bad experiences with the parts of the state not named Bristol, yes, I have something against Hartford and CT in general. I've seen absolutely nothing that would contradict the notion that it's nothing but suburban sprawl, rural deprivation, and borderline Rust Belt levels of urban decay.

 

A whole 5 wow, let's just tell everyone to avoid every state starting with ct because 5 people got robbed and because of your opinion then. Avoid the cities then, the state is fine and a great place to live, every state has their own problem spots do you honestly feel safe in NYC all the time??? You're entitled to that opinion but don't tell people to avoid the state completely because of ones opinion, ignorance at its finest. Back to SFNE.

[Blind Idiot God]

There's nothing in CT within a stone's throw of SFNE worth seeing. Maybe there is if you want to go prowling around back roads, but realistically, there's more than enough fun to be had in the Five College area of MA. Northampton alone can easily fill up a whole day with stuff to do.

[Vonni]

Yeah maybe they'd replace Flashback with an S&S free spin

 

 

I'd rather see Flashback replaced with a small flat, as to not obstruct the view of WC lol! There are better locations for a free spin.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

Took a trip last Tuesday to SFNE and was shocked to find that the place was completely dead. I visited the website prior to my visit to decide whether to do my Lake Compounce/Quassy day first and SFNE second or vice versa. On the website, they listed Wednesday as some kind of discounted ticket day (forgot what it was specifically), so we chose Tuesday. The longest line all day was for Batman, as they were running just a single train, and we waited about 20 minutes. Bizarro and Wicked Cyclone were 2-3 train maximum waits all day long.

 

Wicked Cyclone was my first RMC and my friend and I were intrigued by how it "tickles" while riding, as theres a constant light vibration when gliding over the track. Really fantastic coaster with a lot of funky bits and great airtime/hangtime. I think there was one time a while back when Robb had responded to someone's question of whether WC or Bizarro was better and he said that the park really just had two star attractions on their hands. Couldn't agree with the assessment more, as I tried to pick a "better" and came up short. Wicked Cyclone was slower and more methodical than I expected, but it had great consistent pace, airtime, and a really good mix of everything. Bizarro was running better than I've seen in years (it was also really hot that day) and felt fast and full of airtime, especially in front. I almost felt like I was riding Superman again.

 

We also went down into Connecticut a couple of times. We left and had lunch in Enfield, as I'm not a fan of Six Flags food and Enfield is only about 10 minutes from the park and full of restaurants, chain and non-chain. We went to LC and Quassy the next day and we stayed the night in Southbury and even went out to dinner in nearby Waterbury as well. While I definitely was not sober for the entirety of the visit, I'm at least 99% confident that we were not mugged, stabbed, robbed, or killed during our stay there. But I could be wrong.

 

As I was staying the week with family in New York, we also drove all the way up Route 8 after Lake Compounce to catch I-90 back at the Lee, MA exit. The route up from Bristol was mountainous and very scenic, very much like (and close to) the neighboring Catskill mountains in New York.

[coasterbill]

Glad you had fun, I agree... Bizarro is running great this year (especially in the front).

[DirkFunk]

(2) Not sure if/when I'll be back to the park, so I'd like to do multiple runs on Bizarro, but in case I only get one shot at it... is there a generally agreed upon 'best seat' for Bizarro? Back/Front?

 

They're all decent. I think the fronts of the cars might have a little more leg room if you're tall. Or like average height. Or anything but a midget.

 

(5) Are there any other notable rides I should make sure I ride?

 

Among the flats, most people pointed out Tomahawk. It's a good Huss Frisbee for a park model. Houdini is excellent if it is open, which it may never be. The log flume is a crap example of the genre. The antiques aren't bad if they're still around. There's also a solid magic carpet style attraction called Buzzsaw I was always a fan of. The Starflyer looks good, but I haven't been to the park in awhile to ride it.

 

(7) We'll most likely be eating lunch inside the park... if you had one place to eat, where should it be?

 

Across the street at the pizza place. Seriously. The park's reputation for rank and terrible food far predates being a "flagged" park. It is actually much better now than back in the day.

 

(8) We'll be staying somewhere near-ish to the park on Sunday, is there any sights/stuff to see near SFNE? anything notable?

 

I also lived most of my life in Connecticut and somehow managed to never get robbed in spite of hanging with friends in Hartford's South End and working downtown for several years. With that having been said, I don't know that any of it is a "must see". There's many historic homes to tour dating back to the 18th century (Mark Twain's is particularly popular) and the Wadsworth Atheneum is a decent art museum but I don't consider them *must* do's. Food might be a little different - Franklin Ave. is home to some outstanding places. Mozzicato's is the gold standard for bakeries in Connecticut (excellent cannoli's), and Modern Bakery is an offshoot of the same family and they're about on par if that place is busy. Carbone's is top notch Italian food. If you want a serious sandwich, Franklin Giant will feed you and an army for fairly little. There's also a lot of very good Puerto Rican and Jamaican bakeries and restaurants if fried food sounds appealing to you.

 

Another suggestion might be to take the Berlin Turnpike and see the CT version of Route 66. Lots of cool old diners, wacky mini golf, and now there's a Stew Leonards for your high end grocery/animatronic needs. Route 8 through Western Mass and CT is a gorgeous drive.

[Paradox]

The log flume is a crap example of the genre.

There is no log flume.

 

Also don't forget about Kontiki! There are never any lines for it because it's tucked away behind some buildings.

[coasterbill]

Yeah they got rid of the Log Flume and replaced it with possibly the worst and ugliest water ride ever.

[ejot]

Buzzsaw is a really solid ride, I'd always skipped it, and when I finally rode it, really wished I'd done so sooner! Very forceful.

[DirkFunk]

Yeah they got rid of the Log Flume and replaced it with possibly the worst and ugliest water ride ever.

 

There you go. There's no crappy log flume. You "missed out". Actually, it looks like most of the good flat rides are gone too. Huh.

[Blind Idiot God]

Yeah they got rid of the Log Flume and replaced it with possibly the worst and ugliest water ride ever.

 

There you go. There's no crappy log flume. You "missed out". Actually, it looks like most of the good flat rides are gone too. Huh.

 

Double Trouble and Chaos ran pretty weak programs and Twister was absolutely terrible. I still miss Nightwing, Time Warp, and Catapult, however. They may have been maintenance nightmares, but they were fun rides that were always worth a go even if Nightwing and Catapult weren't the most comfortable rides for taller men.

[Philrad71]

(5) Are there any other notable rides I should make sure I ride?

 

If you have never done a Mad House / Haunted Swing you should do Houdini's Great Escape.

 

 

Agreed. That was the only non-coaster that we did at the park last Monday....very unique ride.

[njcoasterguy34]

Houdini's Great Escape at SFNE is good, but I prefer the one at SFGAdv.

[coasterbill]

Houdini's Great Escape at SFNE is good, but I prefer the one at SFGAdv.

 

Agreed, Great Adventure has more effects both on the ride itself and in the pre-show area.

[Paradox]

I've never been on the one at SFGAdv but I usually only ride Houdini when I'm hot and need air conditioning.

[Vonni]

^ Does it really make you feel like you are upside down, or is it a pretty weak simulation?

[coasterbill]

It's a great simulation. It's a complete mind f**k. Unfortunately they just don't maintain the pre-show and on ride effects as well as Great Adventure does, the simulation itself is very good though.