Lake Compounce/SFNE on a Saturday

[JDo217]

I usually avoid going to theme parks on Saturdays at all costs but this will be my first time at LC and I really want to get in a night ride on Boulder Dash. Probably gonna go to SFNE in the morning then LC after 5. I've been to SFNE already so I'll mostly just be there for Bizarro and Cyclone. Am I going to want to kill myself over lines at SFNE? I went on a weekday in June last time and Bizarro had a 1-1.5 hour wait

 

I've never been to Lake Compounce before but I think I should be able to do everything in 5 hours

Edited August 8, 2010 by JDo217

[chadster]

SFNE - Invest is a Gold Pass, you'll be glad you did. Can't speak for LC

[odene497]

Lake Compounce will probably be pretty busy, but the Boulderdash crew has always seemed rather efficient. It's a nice park to just walk around and take your time in, 5 hours should be plenty.

[JDo217]

I've actually never used a flash pass before but I might consider it. I don't think we can afford the Gold FP but maybe the regular one.

 

I know Saturday will be super busy but we're really only there for a front and back seat ride on Bizarro. Nothing else at the park was really that interesting the last time I went. I do hope Bizarro will be running more smoothly this time though; last time I went in mid-June, it broke down three times while I was in line and I waited two hours in line for one last ride that never happened because it closed for the rest of the night

[sros1fan]

SFNE has been packing the crowds in all season with the nice weather we have been having so you might want to get the Flashpass. You should have no problems doing LC in a few hrs but if it is crowded you can always use the new text2ride lo-que

 

[Blind Idiot God]

SFNE will probably have steady crowds for most of the day. If a Gold Pass is out of your budget range and you're going to go for the lines, hit Thunderbolt and Bizarro first before they get ridiculous. Scream usually has massive lines all day and is thus generally not worth it, and both of the park's Vekoma torture devices generally have pretty hefty lines. Other than that, they'll be quite manageable. Batman is usually a walk-on or damn close, Cyclone generally has small lines all day, and Pandemonium tends to have steady lines that move very quickly if you've got a good crew (which you probably will). Finally, the flats are all fairly high-capacity and will never have lines beyond a minute, if even. Really, all you have to worry about is the fact that it'll probably be hotter than balls, though Blizzard River never has much of a line. The other two water rides, however, generally have slow crews and massive lines all day.

 

As for Lake Compounce, I wouldn't know. Haven't had a chance to hit it up.

[JDo217]

Ah, anyone know how long Bizarro's waits have been this summer? I'd be fine with just hitting it up right at the beginning of the day then later on. I'm set on waiting for the front and back rows at least once though. Never got a chance to last time and I've heard they're both great

 

Any suggestions where to sit for Boulder Dash?

[sros1fan]

^ weekdays the waits have been between 45mins and an hour but on weekends 90mins to 2hrs.

 

this pic was taken at noon today with my cell

[Blind Idiot God]

They were around 10-15 the last time I went; didn't even exit the queue house. Then again, that was because my girlfriend and I hit it first thing in the morning and then around 3:50 in the afternoon, since I've learned through experience that those are always times when the crowds aren't as bad.

[chadster]

keep in mind the regular pass makes you wait the same amount of time as the advertised wait on the ride, effectively holding your place in line while you ride other things. Expect around an hour wait on Bizarro 30-45 minutes after park opening, and then watch it grow into a "why did I come here on a saturday just to wait around and stare at sky (or ladies) for a long #$% time" line.

 

Chad "I don't go to parks on a Saturday unless it is a coaster event day and then leave between ERT Sessions" Carter

 

**Edit, if you have a SP, you get 10 bucks off a FP**

[Canobie Coaster]

I've only visited Six Flags New England once on a Saturday before and lines were incredibly long for the park's major attractions.

 

Bizarro was a 2 hour wait.

Batman was a 1 1/2 hour wait.

Cyclone was a 1 1/2 hour wait.

Mind Eraser was a 1 1/2 hour wait.

Pandemonium was a 2 hour wait.

Scream was a 1 1/2 hour wait.

Thunderbolt was a 1 hour wait.

Water Park was crowded.

 

So for SFNE on a weekend, I suggest that you immediately head for Bizarro once the park opens to hopefully get a ride on that before lines get really long. Afterwards, hit the Joker's Wildcard and Catwoman's Whip if you wish to ride either of those two rides.

 

Then, hit Thunderbolt if it still doesn't have a long line. Next, use the single-rider line on Scream (at the exit) and it should be a walk-on. Since very few people know about this, you can ride Scream almost all day without a wait. Following Scream, I'd head over to Tomahawk and Houdini and ride those two if you want to because they should still have minimal waits. Then, try Shipwreck Falls if you want to cool off. Plus, it rarely has a line I've found.

 

Now it's time to hit the North End. Flashback would probably have a half hour wait by now, so unless you really want the credit I'd skip it. Pandemonium should have a really long regular line, so I'd use the single-rider line to get on very quickly. Following that, I'd try Cyclone. By now it could have an hour wait, so this may be your first major wait of the day. Also, I'd skip Blizzard River since it will probably have a pretty long wait. Afterwards, take the Skyway back to the center of the park.

 

Then, I'd ride Twister, Buzzsaw, and the Tea Cups since all three usually have minimal waits. As for Batman, Mind Eraser, and Splash Water Falls, all three of those attractions should have really bad waits by now. If you want to, I'd ride Batman. I would skip the other two because they are slow-loaders and simply not worth it.

 

With Lake Compounce, I've found that lines aren't overly bad on any day of the week. Well, except for the water park. Lines at the water park are really bad on hot days, so I advise you to skip Splash Harbor. Boulder Dash typically has a 20-40 minute wait. Make sure you get tons of night rides since it gets way better at night! Other rides worth hitting would be their amazing Thunder River Raft Ride (20 minute wait), Saw Mill Plunge (30 minute wait), Wildcat (20-30 minute wait), Zoomerang (30 minute wait), Down Time (20 minute wait), and Thunder n Lightning (15 minute wait).

[JDo217]

I definitely don't need any of the credits at SFNE as I've been on everything there. I'm mainly going to be doing Bizarro and Cyclone. I want to get as many rides on Bizarro as I can. Is Flash pass usually accurate with the times? If I scan the Flash Pass then get on the standby line for Bizarro, can I do the flash pass line right after? Or is the window for the flash pass not big enough for me to do that? (Does it even work like that >_>)

 

Also, last time I found that the ops at SFNE just did a pretty awful job of loading in general. Cyclone and Batman's lines were just barely out of the station yet it took us almost 30 minutes to actually get on the ride

[odene497]

Any suggestions where to sit for Boulder Dash?

 

It doesn't have a bad ride anywhere, but I find the front to be the best. The hills aren't so big as there are a ton of them, so I think the front is a bit more erratic as it hits the top of each hill.

[Moose]

I was at Compounce this past Saturday, and while it was pretty busy, the lines weren't too bad. Boulder Dash's line was out past the entry sign and the wait was 20 minutes top. The crew was really great, getting trains out before the next was even hitting the brakes!

 

It didn't look like many people were using the text fast pass.

[LcHg5265]

Also, try to do the Sky Ride at Lake Compounce. It is one-of-a-kind!

 

Ghost Hunt is a pretty good interactive shooting ride.

[Moose]

^I've never been able to do the skyride since every time I've gone, someone in my group has been afraid of heights.

[JDo217]

Well I decided I'll probably go with the flash pass on Saturday. And sorry but what's an "SP" discount on the flash pass? I'm pretty psyched to find out what the front row on Bizarro is like, I'll be honest. Also, if I order my flash pass online, is there a certain time I have to pick it up by? I was thinking of making a dash for Bizarro right when the park opened, then pciking up the flash pass after that

[Jayjay719]

Don't for free Soft drinks at Lake Compounce! Make sure you ride Boulder Dash at night, it is amazing.

[JDo217]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. One last question, mostly directed at locals who know the roads

 

I'm going there on a Saturday morning (leaving from Long Island, NY). Would there be less traffic if I took the Throgs Neck Expwy (I-695) to the I-91, or if I took the Hutchinson to the Merritt Pkwy to I-91? I have an exit list in front of me and I know I need exit 47W when I'm on the I-91 but if I take the Merritt all the way to the I-91, would that leave me too far north or am I good?

[JDo217]

Just an update: we decided to push for the gold FPs after all. The expenses won't be pretty that day but the weather is supposed to be great, there's a free concert in the park, and I know there's a deal where you can get 1/2 off tickets. My recent horrid experience at GAdv in August made me never want to experience lines that bad again.

 

On the online order form, it says that pick up time is 11. Do i HAVE to pick it up then or can I get it whenever I want?

 

Also, are most of SFNE's flash pass lines ones that eventually merge with the standby lines or are they ones that use the exit? I find the exit entrance ones to be so unorganized

[Blind Idiot God]

Even on Saturdays, Batman never has much of a wait. Still, the only water ride that won't have a ridiculous line is the Blizzard River. Shipwreck Falls and Splash Water Falls both tend to have excruciatingly long and sluggish lines. Also, I'm going to warn you that on a Saturday, the line-cutting for Bizarro and Scream can get pretty bad. Call them out only if you think they won't come back to get you, because when a park is sandwiched between Holyoke and Springfield, there's bound to be at least a few people who will get their homies to thump you later on when you least expect it if you get them in trouble.

[LcHg5265]

Just an update: we decided to push for the gold FPs after all. The expenses won't be pretty that day but the weather is supposed to be great, there's a free concert in the park, and I know there's a deal where you can get 1/2 off tickets. My recent horrid experience at GAdv in August made me never want to experience lines that bad again.

 

On the online order form, it says that pick up time is 11. Do i HAVE to pick it up then or can I get it whenever I want?

 

Also, are most of SFNE's flash pass lines ones that eventually merge with the standby lines or are they ones that use the exit? I find the exit entrance ones to be so unorganized

 

Wait until you are in the park and judge the crowds...it sounds like a waste to pre-order.

[crazyrider06]

Lake Compounce is Generally more busy during the weekends. Boulderdash's crew definitely works hard to get everyone in and out fast. I find usually riding somewhere in the middle to the back of the train is less of a wait. Last Sunday my friends are i got there at 6:00 and we got 6 rides on bd!

[lfdlt2]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. One last question, mostly directed at locals who know the roads

 

I'm going there on a Saturday morning (leaving from Long Island, NY). Would there be less traffic if I took the Throgs Neck Expwy (I-695) to the I-91, or if I took the Hutchinson to the Merritt Pkwy to I-91? I have an exit list in front of me and I know I need exit 47W when I'm on the I-91 but if I take the Merritt all the way to the I-91, would that leave me too far north or am I good?

 

Take the Hutch to the Merritt, the Merritt/(Wilber Cross Pkwy after Sikorsky Bridge) will dump you onto I-91 in Meriden at Exit 16, so you are well south. Also keep in mind that unlike other states, CT does not use mileage markers for exit number so the ride from 16 to 47W isn't that bad at all.

[JDo217]

Thanks. I've been asking around elsewhere and everyone has said Merritt is rhe way to go too.

 

This is a stupid question but is the flash pass line for Bizarro one that merges with the standby line at the station or one that uses the exit? Also, what about the other rides?

Edited August 6, 2010 by JDo217