Six Flags Darien Lake (SFDL) Discussion Thread

[Sk610]

^I was under the impression that the second trains on both ME and Motocoaster were poached for parts, and the park would just about have to buy new trains for both of those much like ROS. ME ridership is low, so one train is probably OK there, but motocoaster can have long waits and a second train there could go a long way

[Sam826]

I know this is a thread for DL, but just incase anyone would like to know, one of my good friends, that works at Fantasy Island, has informed me that they have sold the Gondola Wheel and they are going to open up that whole back corner of the park and put something big there, such as a new log ride or a roller coaster. I don't know how accurate any of this is but the Gondola Wheel is still up right now, so if Martin really did sell it, I don't know when he plans to take it down.

[Janusz]

^^ I know what you mean about ME and Moto's second trains being used for essentially parts alone, that's why I was saying hopefully followed by an and/or, as there is no direct confirmation that either of those rides will be running 2 this season. I do know however that at some point this season Pred. will have two, so we have that to look forward to! I'll be interested to see if they will have repainted the second train they have, since I doubt anything will go good with the disgusting blue that was on voyages train.

[supercoasterfan]

i will be at Darien lake next weekend hopefully i am going to try to get pics of Ripcurl and check up more on the mind eraser paint job

[SbSteveZ]

I know this is a thread for DL, but just incase anyone would like to know, one of my good friends, that works at Fantasy Island, has informed me that they have sold the Gondola Wheel and they are going to open up that whole back corner of the park and put something big there, such as a new log ride or a roller coaster. I don't know how accurate any of this is but the Gondola Wheel is still up right now, so if Martin really did sell it, I don't know when he plans to take it down.

 

http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=1950

 

According to the site the wheel is still up for sale, I'm not sure how quickly they update that website though

[coasterkid124]

I haven't been to Fantasy Island in years, and I probably won't be back unless they have something big to offer. They've taken out some of the better rides they have had to offer, and the operations for Silver Comet are still horrible. I don't even think they added a new ride this year.

 

I wonder who will get a new coaster first. Fantasy Island or Darien Lake? It's been forever.

 

Edit: Looking at Fantasy Island's map, it seems like it was updated for this year, and the ferris wheel is still there.

[Matman-TheRide]

I wonder who will get a new coaster first. Fantasy Island or Darien Lake? It's been forever.

Believe it or not, I think another nearby park will get a new coaster first. I am refering to Seabreeze. They typically add a new ride every other year however this season will be the 2nd without a new ride. With that being said, this year they seem to be going cheaper and doing simple renovations. They are probably saving up for something big coming soon (2017/2018). I have been hearing rumours claiming Seabreeze may add a Zierer tower coaster (with a lift hill so more like Knoebel's Impulse than Lagoon's Wicked) in a skinny sliver of parking lot behind the Whirlwind/Bobsleds/Pavilions.

[Geauga Dog]

^Seabreeze would be the park to come out of left field with a new coaster before the other two. IIRC that area you mentioned is like a bluff with a great view of Lake Ontario and the road located below it? Would make an interesting location if they used it to its full potential.

 

Speaking of the view I'm surprised Seabreeze hasn't added a decent sized Ferris Wheel to take advantage of it, sort of like how Waldameer's does.

 

Between MFI and DL, I would think Fantasy Island would build a coaster before Darien Lake does. With the loss of the old log flume and the supposed sale of their Ferris Wheel that opens up a good chunk of land (unless they decide to expand their tiny water park in that direction).

[dgkallday49]

DL won't get a new coaster till the whole land ownership situation is figured out. No company wants to invest that big into something they don't truly own. LOL at the Cuda' (he who shall remain nameless) post. When I worked at the park we always noticed a lot of people didn't want to walk over to cuda or couldn't figure out how to get there. On another note I'm going to the park Saturday. I'm purchasing a pass this year like last year, along with the meal plan again. I'll take some pics to posts as long as plans for sat stay in place!

[Tackleberry]

From the campground toll gate, ROS's first hill (or the stairs) looked painted... but too far away to tell for sure.

[Tackleberry]

[Geauga Dog]

Is it just me or does that look a heck of a lot better with Ranger gone?

[Philrad71]

The landscaping looks nice, but to replace a flat with a smoking area?

[DarienLaker]

The landscaping looks nice, but to replace a flat with a smoking area?

 

I don't really approve of people smoking in theme parks, but I think a Dippin Dots or a Tim Hortons stand would be a better replacement for Ranger that a smoking area!

[Tackleberry]

No new paint on any coasters btw.

[coasterkid124]

Unfortunately I did not get any pictures, but I did make it out to the park today for a few hours. I won't rag on the park too hard because it's only the first day of operation, but two things that stick out the most were the unmotivated operators and the aesthetics of the park. Forgive me for the long report, but I would just like to update everyone on what has changed.

 

Ripcurl Racer is about halfway done, and there were a couple of guys working on it. It's gonna be a stretch to get it open in two weeks but it looks very nice from the parking lot. It's bright and will be very interactive as people enter the park.

 

Ride of Steel (2x)- The new train looks great. The restraint is a traditional T-bar, and the seatbelt is the double buckle like Millennium Force and TTD have. Unfortunately, the train hasn't really fixed the rattle issue that has developed around the helixes, but it is a lot more comfortable and feels like the ride is running a little faster.

 

Although the train is more of a first generation chassis, the hardware on the ride is second generation. New conductor rails have been added, and the control panels have been updated. The park even had to add two new buttons that state something like "Ensure all restraints are secure and accommodate the largest rider". I know that Maverick and Skyrush have these. These buttons caused problems for the ride early in the day, but it ran pretty consistently for the rest of the day.

 

Predator (2x)- Once again, some very minor track work and structure work has been done just to get the ride running. I don't think I've ever seen Predator running this fast. Part of me wouldn't mind if they keep it just like this because I have never been on such a wild and rough ride. The crew working the ride was one of the slowest, and the ops kept talking and looking around when riders were waiting to board.

 

Viper (2x)- Honestly, Viper is probably one of the smoothest looping Arrows out there. They also removed that annoying railing in front of the station that caused gridlock. Now once you enter the station, you can go to any line immediately. The only complaint that I have with Viper is how horrible the station looks. The shingles are falling off and the paint is peeling all over. I wish they would just put a little money into fixing up some of the buildings that are crumbling.

 

Mind Eraser (1x)- To finally answer everybody's question, no, Mind Eraser's paint job has not been finished. It doesn't seem like any more supports have been painted, and the track hasn't been touched at all. I hate how just like with RoS, they began to paint the ride and just stopped in the middle of it. It makes no sense that the park would paint Cuda Falls before taking it down a couple of years later, and not finish painting their major attractions.

 

'I did not ride Boomerang or Motocoaster, but they were both running. Twister was the only ride down all day, and quite frankly it's probably inevitable that the ride will be the next one out. The ride never runs anymore, and nobody seems to care about it. Sleighride received some new lights, and the tunnel has been removed. It's all open now.

 

One disappointing aspect today was how bad the park looked today. The pavement needs to be sealed or redone completely in many spaces. Even the parking lot could use some work. Also, many buildings and rides are looking worse than ever. Red paint is starting to pop through on Hoot N Holler, and it's only 4 years old now. I will say that it looks a lot better now with Ranger gone, but it's queue is really an eyesore to that area. Maybe some of these things will get attention still before the summer operating season, but some areas of the park are really showing their age.

[Philrad71]

Ripcurl Racer is about halfway done, and there were a couple of guys working on it. It's gonna be a stretch to get it open in two weeks but it looks very nice from the parking lot.

 

This is Western NY...who in their right mind would be riding water slides in May anyway?

 

I haven't been to Darien Lake in years, but it seems like if the slide pools didn't all have heaters in them, it would take until July for the water to be tolerable!

 

Thanks for the report...hope the operations get better as the season progresses. They are having our shop picnic there this year, so I may venture up as they are FINALLY not having it around the 4th of July when most people already have plans.

 

I wouldn't mind going up and getting one of those glamping deals. As much as I hate the word "glamping", those actually look kind of cool, just as long as they are clean and the inside doesn't smell musty.

 

Anyone here ever stay in one of these?

[DarienLaker]

. It makes no sense that the park would paint Cuda Falls before taking it down a couple of years later, and not finish painting their major attractions.

 

If you ask me, that was a waste of money that Darien Lake put into painting the old 'Cuda Falls slides when they could have removed them in 2010 when they expanded the water park. The paint money should have used for painting up Mind Eraser and Ride of Steel!

[Tackleberry]

Corn Popper was down at one point, might have been rotating. Campground had some sod laid down and trailers shifted around. By no means does it look like their done with all the sprucing up.

[supercoasterfan]

i wish i could have gone and i was suppose to go to DL on sunday with my mom but plans change. next time i will have a cancel is in 2 weeks but that is a garuntee as long as don't have a baseball game

[dgkallday49]

Here's a short trip report:

Got to the park at 5 pm, just wanted to process our season passes and check it out for a bit. The park closed at 8 so. Parking lot was at capacity and spilling into overflow lot, campground was bustling with tons of families. One issue is the slide pieces for the new racers are on the parking lot still and take up a lot of room, and also I noticed kids were jumping around in them like they're a playground, hope they get put in place by next weekend or they could risk being damaged. These pieces are totally unprotected, anyone can go into them. Slide complex was about half built. So we purchased a season pass with the meal plan, and also payed the extra 20$ for a cup with free refills all season long. The cup that comes with the pass has $1.25 refills. I technically could go to the park with no cash because I have free drinks and a free meal. The meal plan has a lot of options, more than last year. And you get enough to fill an adult up. So.... ROS; the new train looks great. Looks the same as the old one as far as body, but you can tell it rides smoother. I'm a bigger guy (6'1, 280 lbs) so I was hoping they'd have a test seat at the entrance to see if I could fit comfortably in the seat(last year I was such a tight fit I couldnt ride from being in so much pain from the old leg braces, the guy slammed the damn bar down so hard to get the ride to acknowledge the restraint lock that I couldn't breathe, had to excuse myself and walk shamefully out in front of hundreds of people). To my disappointment there was no test seat, so we didn't ride, didn't wanna wait in line and be embarrassed if I didn't fit comfortably. Hopefully they'll get a new test seat with the new restraints. I've also been going to the gym for a month or so, so hopefully I can drop a few pounds and not have to worry about fitting. The t bar design totally looks more comfortable though. MIND ERASER; looks bad... Real real bad. No new paint, the paint the started last year has already faded, and it looks like they sandblasted parts of the track, leaving it with white spots. I heard a lot of guests make comments about how bad it looks. Viper Boomerang Predator and Motocoaster are all the same. Twister was SBNO, Ranger is gone, Batman building is just a tan building, no signage or anything goin on. All the staff I encountered were friendly, park looks real nice the landscaping was really given some TLC, still no lights on the giant wheel . The park got all new lockers, the new lockers don't need keys that you have to put a deposit down on. You get a digit code and type it in on the keypad on the locker to open it. Nice that you don't have to put a deposit down. Last year I got a season long locker rental with my pass, cost about 25$. This year a season long locker was 42$!, 42 freakin dollars. Couldn't pay that, just a total ripoff. Park said they doubled price because you don't have to put a deposit down so you don't need to have cash on you. Total bs. All in all for 175$ after tax and fees I got a seasons pass, seasons parking, coupon book with 3 bring a friend free tickets, a cup with free refills all season long, a cup with $1.25 refills all season long, and the meal plan(pretty much a burger hot dog chicken sandwich chicken fingers corn dog chicken wrap 2 tacos a burrito or a salad and then fries once per visit). Not too bad of a price I guess. In general id say the park has taken another step forward. In my opinion the major things I'd fix; lights on giant wheel, 2 train ops, add a couple more bathrooms, ROS re-theme(totally looks like they just removed six flags' brand and changed nothing else, kinda an eyesore), add a tester seat outside ROS, and get rid of the blacktop (1/2 the park is nice concrete 1/2 is crappy blacktop)

Edited May 9, 2016 by dgkallday49

[dgkallday49]

Oh and the bucket from hooks lagoon is still MIA. And whoever said they started painting ROS and never finished a few years ago, what the did was paint the lift hill/ beginning track, and then the ending bunny hills so it looked as if they painted the whole ride but really they only painted the parts guests can see up close. I'm not making this up I worked at the park and the time and we all thought it was hilarious how cheap they were.

[Philrad71]

^^ That's really odd that they don't have a test seat at RoS.

 

You would think that they would after the couple of unfortunate incidents that they have had in past years. Not to say it would have prevented those accidents, but it still seems odd...especially on an Intamin that has somewhat small seats/restraints where folks commonly struggle to fit into them.

[coasterkid124]

In all of the years I have visited the park, I have never once seen anyone use the test seat. I'm not even sure it worked there at the end. Mostly it was used as a photo spot for kids who were too short to ride. One thing I didn't see yesterday was anyone having to take the "walk of shame", which is a first.

 

The train really doesn't ride much differently, but there is some more leg room on the sides, which helps a lot because I always carry stuff in my side pockets. The airtime didn't seem as powerful as always, but the train will need some time to work itself in. For a park of DL's size, RoS is really a special ride. The only issues I can see arising this year is from the new electronic portions that were installed. It was causing some issues early yesterday.

[Philrad71]

^ Good point about people not using it anyway.

 

That's what I like about Millennium Force - if the ride attendant thinks that you are too big, you sit in the test seat before queuing. I have to laugh at some of the larger folk that actually get offended when asked to sit in it, although I wouldn't want to be the attendant that has to take crap from people all day because you are actually doing guests a huge favor.

 

And even then...some people still slip into the queue unnoticed and end up doing the walk of shame anyway - not to mention, killing dispatch times and pissing other people off.