Six Flags Darien Lake (SFDL) Discussion Thread

[anonymouscactus]

Don't know 100% but I'm guessing main gate munchies (first major food venue up the hill to the left). If you really must know ahead of time, you can always ask Darien Lake on Facebook Messenger, they are really responsive within a day normally.

[dnn2031]

I would guess Guest Services is the place to go.

 

Kind of a convoluted bunch of prices for the haunted houses:

$10 for each once, $5 for one if you have a Gold Plus, Plat, Diamond, or Diamond Elite SF card (not season pass). Diamond also get access to one free per visit.

 

$25 for the Fear Pass wristband, all three unlimited one night. Diamond Elite member card gets one of these free per visit.

 

$35 All Season Fear Pass. Requires Season Pass, Gold+, Plat, Diamond, Diamond Elite member. Sticker on card that gives unlimited access to all.

 

$50 Fear Pass Express. All three houses once through Fast Pass lane.

[DarienPoint]

^ Thank you!!

 

I don't think it's possible to get "check in" points or purchasing points this year... I did however get the points for visiting the park.

 

 

Wait, where do you see your points and where you earned them? I log in on the computer and it's not the same.

[Jason Maier]

Yeah, I've had issues logging into the membership page and with trying to sign up for rewards.

 

And while you're at the park and in the app, how exactly do you check in to rides/shows etc?

[anonymouscactus]

SPOILER ALERT:

 

Well, I went tonight, mainly to process my fiance's pass, and all I gotta say is Wow.

 

1) Everyone was PISSED at the food plan redemption because they still stopped food at 7:30 even though the park had "just opened" and they had to wait forever to get their vouchers. Felt bad for the kid working there.

 

2) Employees were clueless about my diamond elite stuff even with a cheat sheet right next to them, lol. I literally read the paper word for word to the one employee. Went to another stand and once again did not scan my card but also only gave 1 free house instead of the band. The cheat sheet mentioned diamond clearly but not diamond elite. They need a better cheat sheet (then again I'm probably the only diamond elite card that will ever set foot in the park)

 

Not one person scanned (or even really checked) my card. I could have just kept going around to the different locations to get both me and my fiancee into all the houses, but after going through the Jungle Apocalypse house there was no reason to waste my time getting the rest of my entitlements lol. I thought it would be at least a little like the Fright Fest they held in the Nightmare/Galaxy building that one year, but it was only about 1/10th of the building utilized.

 

3) ugh, had to deal with traffic to a kid rock concert finding a spot to park since I made the mistake of not immediately turning left. Didn't see it on the events pages so I assumed concert season was over... Nope. That was the scariest part of the day, hearing all the people screaming out of their cars, making out in limos, etc. Quality clientele.

 

Park was empty. I got to play fascination which I thought they got rid of, and I got my fiancee to ride Predator for the first time... "I literally thought the ride derailed" lol.

 

$10 per house at full price is absolutely ridiculous, then again I only did the one, but I would feel ripped off had I actually had to pay.

 

No lines as I expected but we got out after eating, going on two rides, and going through the one house. I couldn't bare another 2.5 hours to see the laser show.

 

I'll be going to Haunt at CW tomorrow, utilizing the $9 Canadian ticket (and only charge $1 for processing fee!)... will probably be crowded as balls, but at less than $1.00 USD per house I think I'll get my moneys worth compared to the trash I saw today. Rides being a bonus.

Edited September 29, 2018 by anonymouscactus

[coasterbill]

It’s really nice to hear that Six Flags already has this Fright Fest event living up to the Six Flags Fright Fest standard even though it’s only day one. I’m glad that everyone had themselves a Six Flags day.

[SbSteveZ]

^ I don’t know that I’d say those circumstances are going to be common for this event. First off, any concert at Darien Lake brings out the worst in WNY, that isn’t a fright fest thing. Second, if the rules are that the meal plan ends at 7:30, and you are told that when you sign up, then plan accordingly. Third - of course it was dead there was a Kid Rock concert - I was going to drop by but being a local I know that if there’s a concert and I can avoid the park I will.

 

I will admit that paying as much as they’re asking for 3 houses is ridiculous, I’m off to Halloweekends next week and I can get every single haunt they have to offer included with park admission. However I probably will at least one time pay for the three houses to see what they’re like, and I know I won’t be the only one.

 

Some poor experiences for a Diamond Elite Plus member is not going to be the experiences of most people that will visit the park in the next few weekends. Though I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy yourself and couldn’t stand to stay at the park, I’m certain that at least 90% of whoever else goes to Fright Fest while it’s open will be totally fine and enjoy themselves.

 

This is the park’s first year being a six flags park again and the transition for the employees can not be super simple since they are practically running the park with two different owner’s logistics still at play. It’s confusing for me and I don’t even work there.

 

Sure, it’s Six Flags and everyone loves to hate on Six Flags but look at it this way if anything - Six Flags has extended the operating season back to the end of October, brought in a Halloween event that is probably the biggest in the area (the next closest probably being Wonderland of course) and they’re adding a new 250 foot tall sky screamer next year. None of this would’ve happened without Six Flags coming in.

 

They aren’t the most amazing perfect wonderful operations company out there but they’ve done a lot with a little at the park and a lot of people really seem to like that. Plus having a big name like Six Flags in our backyards once again is exciting for many many Western New Yorkers!

 

I’d be curious to see how the event performs opening weekend before assuming it’s going to be an all out disaster - we already have that with Halloweekends - and we all see how popular and busy that event is for Cedar Point.

[DarienPoint]

^ Right, also they only have gold plus memberships for sale so of course the workers will be a little clueless on the higher membership levels, even if they do have the cheat sheet near them.

[coasterbill]

I’m not hating on Six Flags in general, I’m hating on their atrocious Fright Fest events.

 

If anything I actually expect the Fright Fest experience to get worse as going to a Six Flags Fright Fest event on a night without unimaginable crowds is a very rare opportunity. I firmly believe that Six Flags fundamentally believes that they can put forth absolutely no effort whatsoever with the Fright Fest brand in most markets because it prints money regardless of quality. If what you’re saying is true that this is pretty much the largest haunt event in the region by default due to (clearly) nonexistent competition then I’m sure Darien Lake is in that boat also.

 

It’s awesome that the park is open later in the year now and it’s awesome that this is hopefully a gateway to Holiday in the Park (which is actually a very high quality event) but people should keep their expectations completely nonexistent for a Six Flags Fright Fest event. I haven’t paid for a haunt maze at Great Adventure or New England in years. I would do it without hesitation if they were good but occasionally we get a maze ticket through some promotion they’re running, wait an hour to go through it, laugh at how horrendous it was and go ride El Toro again and that lets us know that the mazes are all still far below even Cedar Fair quality (which is pretty much just average) and we should save our money.

[anonymouscactus]

 

I haven’t paid for a haunt maze at Great Adventure or New England in years. I would do it without hesitation if they were good but occasionally we get a maze ticket through some promotion they’re running, wait an hour to go through it, laugh at how horrendous it was and go ride El Toro again and that lets us know that the mazes are all still far below even Cedar Fair quality (which is pretty much just average) and we should save our money.

 

Exactly what my point is. After going to a few fright fest events and "sampling" them at different parks they are clearly the lowest of the low in the theme park world as far as the haunts and scare zones. It wouldn't be a huge deal if they weren't charging out the @$$ for maze tickets, but they are, and I don't know how they get away with it. I guarantee over the next few days you will see tons of complaints online about the quality of the event...

 

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great they are opening later in the year, but there are clearly no standards. This one was the worst of all the Six Flags parks I have been to. Well, what we saw, anyways. The house we went through we went through by ourselves and saw 4 total actors, so it wasn't a timing thing. We probably got through it in less than 4 minutes. This seems to be the norm for Six Flags.

 

I wasn't mad about the diamond elite thing, I just politely let management know it was an issue. I wasn't expecting any of the perks to even work this year, so I'm surprised they even did the one free house ticket to be honest.

 

Oh and just an FYI Mind eraser was closed in case anyone cares

 

As far as the food plan, I just think it's weird they don't do "1 hour before close" or something like that like most SF parks do. It's just not very customer friendly. I ate before 7:30 so no loss for me, but there were people in line who were not happy for sure because the first thing they had to do was run and eat.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention that was SO SIX FLAGS was that the carousel was running backwards... lol.

 

If anyone wants a free ticket to the park, PM me... I have a free ticket good for Sat. October 13th only (it's a physical ticket, not loaded onto your season pass). That was the promotion date for season pass holders free ticket. Good luck on that date... o.O -- anyways, the offer is there.

[DarienPoint]

^ DId they enclose the bumper cars and make it like a Rage in the Cage ride (like at SFNE)?

[anonymouscactus]

^ nope

[rjr19]

^ DId they enclose the bumper cars and make it like a Rage in the Cage ride (like at SFNE)?

 

^ nope

 

That’s disappointing as it is fairly easy and quick to set up, and a cool experience. Even Fantasy Island is doing that this year for their Halloween Horror event.

[dnn2031]

Surprised they didn't. Enclosing bumper cars is one of the things they do for winter storage anyways.

[DarienPoint]

Got back from Fright Fest, and wow it was pretty fun. Jungle Apocalypse is the dullest out of the 3 haunted houses, didn't do Hotel Terror, and Camp Scumshine was the scariest. There was a plague doctor that I made eye contact with walking to RoS, and he stopped, turned around and started following me, then I turned to my right and he screamed, he really targeted me, walking back from RoS, LEAVING THE PARK (Oh yeah, at the end of the day they all leave their specific areas and scare everyone at the exit). I bought a fear pass so I get unlimited haunted houses so I'll be returning haha.

[Wagon127]

 

I haven’t paid for a haunt maze at Great Adventure or New England in years. I would do it without hesitation if they were good but occasionally we get a maze ticket through some promotion they’re running, wait an hour to go through it, laugh at how horrendous it was and go ride El Toro again and that lets us know that the mazes are all still far below even Cedar Fair quality (which is pretty much just average) and we should save our money.

 

Exactly what my point is. After going to a few fright fest events and "sampling" them at different parks they are clearly the lowest of the low in the theme park world as far as the haunts and scare zones. It wouldn't be a huge deal if they weren't charging out the @$$ for maze tickets, but they are, and I don't know how they get away with it. I guarantee over the next few days you will see tons of complaints online about the quality of the event...

 

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great they are opening later in the year, but there are clearly no standards. This one was the worst of all the Six Flags parks I have been to. Well, what we saw, anyways. The house we went through we went through by ourselves and saw 4 total actors, so it wasn't a timing thing. We probably got through it in less than 4 minutes. This seems to be the norm for Six Flags.

 

I wasn't mad about the diamond elite thing, I just politely let management know it was an issue. I wasn't expecting any of the perks to even work this year, so I'm surprised they even did the one free house ticket to be honest.

 

Oh and just an FYI Mind eraser was closed in case anyone cares

 

As far as the food plan, I just think it's weird they don't do "1 hour before close" or something like that like most SF parks do. It's just not very customer friendly. I ate before 7:30 so no loss for me, but there were people in line who were not happy for sure because the first thing they had to do was run and eat.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention that was SO SIX FLAGS was that the carousel was running backwards... lol.

 

If anyone wants a free ticket to the park, PM me... I have a free ticket good for Sat. October 13th only (it's a physical ticket, not loaded onto your season pass). That was the promotion date for season pass holders free ticket. Good luck on that date... o.O -- anyways, the offer is there.

The thing is, theme parks that do fright fest well, spend all year planning for it. Darien Lake decided to do Fright fest barely 3 months ago. They actually did a pretty good job considering it was rushed. The thing that disappointed me about the jungle is why is it in such a large building. I went in expecting it to be using the entire theatre, and it used barely half the stage area. They should have just put it in a picnic pavillion. I say DL is moving in the right direction here, and will be much better next season!

[SbSteveZ]

An optimist’s guide to Fright Fest at Darien Lake

 

As you guys know, I’m always fairly quick to jump up and defend Darien Lake and what it does. So of course what better way to see an alternate opinion of the park’s Fright Fest event? And what better timing? So without further adieu, here’s my TR. WARNING - I’m gonna be optimistic and I will be complimenting the park.

The entry way sign. It’s a nice touch that I wasn’t expecting and I’m glad to see it there (also, the lights are orange now, freaky stuff)

Since that old park map they had has the incorrect times on it for the operating season (and of course for other reasons) they have these shiny new maps! RMC predator confirmed

Wondering prices? Can’t find them anywhere? Today is your lucky day!

Looks like we got ourselves a creepy fountain. Bloody and all! (I appreciate this take over putting skeletons all over it and calling it a day)

This seemed to be the only one, but they had a Fright Fest themed food stand, which was an unexpected yet nice touch

Something not advertised, an immersive buried alive experience - with a large coffin and a smaller coffin. People really seemed to enjoy this one

At 5:30 the fog started rolling - this alone was cool to see back at Darien Lake and I would’ve been fine if this was all they did

Trick or Treat for the little ones, very nice, though interesting that it completely blocks off one of the paths to get to Tantrum

Mind Eraser Land is closed off completely as well

Did somebody say re-routed Viper exit? No? Well, here it is. A rerouted viper exit, complete and with a rare view of the coaster!

The Awakening - this was a cool way to get people excited about the scare actors, it was also nice to see a crowd from around the area since it is rather tucked aside. All the guests that were there really seemed to enjoy it which is the main point

I know it’s not much but I liked the entryway to the ROS area. I also enjoyed the costumes of the scare actors over there the most.

The Freak Show (for those interested in being totally grossed out and shocked) is a must see. Very well done compared to other shows in the park this year (minus the laser show of course)

Remember those source fours I was talking about last week? All the shaped light on the paths are source fours doing their job!

So one of the bigger things they did for this event that was a neat touch was turning off the lights on some rides - this is Viper. You don’t realize how much darker it is without the simple lights on until they aren’t there. It was a cool experience

Check it out, even the Giant Wheel has its lights out - oh wait...

The little planter / hanger decorations in front of Jungle Apocalypse are some of my favorite decorations in the park - sometimes simplicity is key

Can you believe this entire shadow design on the bumper cars is one single Source Four? Craziness

This type of fog with light in it effect is a fan favorite of mine - in the future I’d love to see much more of this.

Subtle blue light on this guy makes it look really cool in my opinion, plus the occasional burst of fog from behind him

On our way out, there’s two of these guys but I only got a decent photo of the one, they’re pretty large and a nice initial statement as you walk in

At the end of the day, Fright Fest was done fairly well considering the short amount of time Darien had to plan for it - as Well as the fact that it is Darien Lake and Six Flags. There was decor, but it wasn’t intense. There were scare actors, but there weren’t 300 of them. Plus, being that we went on a Sunday, it wasn’t too busy, they didn’t have the laser show and the park closed at 9. But for us and most other guests it was a great addition to the entertainment options at Darien Lake. Also, you may notice I didn’t even set foot into the houses. I felt I didn’t have to. I had just as much fun for free outside of the houses. I heard Scumshine is the ultimate best of the three, so if you can only do one, that’s the one! Overall my group had a great time and I will be back a few more times to enjoy a decent Haunt locally before the season ends!

[rjr19]

An optimist’s guide to Fright Fest at Darien Lake

 

As you guys know, I’m always fairly quick to jump up and defend Darien Lake and what it does. So of course what better way to see an alternate opinion of the park’s Fright Fest event? And what better timing? So without further adieu, here’s my TR. WARNING - I’m gonna be optimistic and I will be complimenting the park.

 

Awesome TR! I can’t wait to get out there whenever I finally can to go check out Fright Fest for myself!

[gearbm95]

Had the chance to check out Fright Fest on Saturday night. We ended up getting to the park at about 7 pm...here's a few quick highlights:

 

- The lighting/fog in the park is really great. The area back by Viper/Bumper cars held the fog really well and made it quite creepy.

 

- Of the 3 haunts, Camp Scumshine is probably the best, had 2-3 legitimate scares in there. Hotel Terror is the longest (10 mins) haunt and most immersive, some good scares in there, but the line was quite long. Jungle Apocalypse was on the shorter side but they packed it with probably 10-12 scare actors.

 

- The outdoor scare zones are a nice addition, the one down by ROS is the best, the costumes/makeup were great.

 

- Lines for the rides weren't too bad (10-20mins) for most everything, ROS was just under 30 mins.

 

- Food service was great, no lines, very quick service. Looks like shutting down the Mind Eraser portion of the park has allowed them to staff most of the park, even with a reduced workforce.

[SbSteveZ]

I forgot to mention one last neat detail they added that they totally didn’t have to. The carousel was running in REVERSE! I am a huge fan of little touches like that. They removed the blue lights from the ride, added some spooky music and put it in reverse. So easy yet so cool for a Haunt event!

[DarienPoint]

- Lines for the rides weren't too bad (10-20mins) for most everything, ROS was just under 30 mins.

Huh, I could get on RoS over and over, don't know what time you waited for it. It was amazing in the pitch black and the wind chill haha.

[DarienPoint]

Also another thing not advertised is that they have some special food! Examples being cider slushies, hot cider, spooky fried dough (spider web outline made with chocolate and marshmallows), walking dead nachos, and devil (super spicy) fries!

[PATTYCAKES]

Congratulations Darien Lake and Six Flags. Even with only 3 mazes, the atmosphere looks amazing and I have to admit, to me and IMO the scenery looks BETTER than Halloween Haunt at Canada's Wonderland, and that is a huge compliment to Darien Lake. Wonderland even dropped the all-you-can-eat Mortal Meal Deal this year. Very disappointing as my group always enjoyed that. Fright Fest will be getting better and better every year from now on. You have received 30 years of Fright Fest experience and it definitely shows. Fright Fest Darien Lake looks amazing. I now wish I had a passport as I would be down there this weekend if I could. I will for sure be at Six Flags Fright Fest Darien Lake next year. That actually sounds awesome to say now. Congratulations again! I hope you all have fun at your new Haunt event.

[Dombot]

[anonymouscactus]

Still can't figure out if Pattycakes is a troll or not... I don't understand how you can say Darien Lake is so much better than Haunt at CW when you haven't even been.

 

One thing I will definitely say is CW was absolutely PACKED to the brim with scaresctors. Both around the park and in the mazes too. Darien Lake was a ghost town on Friday.

 

At CW I don't like how they charged parking even for Platinum Pass holders (apparently they've always done that, but we normally went during the day and stayed at night so we never left the lot), and how the meal and drink plan (despite the website saying otherwise about drinks) was no good at Haunt. It wouldn't have been terrible if it was clearly outlined on the website that meals were no good, but you have to really dig to find it on the accesso store.

 

Anyways, the haunts themselves at CW was probably the worst it's been in my opinion, but still miles ahead of Fright Fest. To say Fright Fest looks better is insulting. Trust me, I want Darien Lake to succeed, but they need to step it up.

 

I'm curious how Fantasy Island will compare...