We’ve had season tickets to Six Flags New England before but they’ve added a couple of new rides since then, so I set out this summer with three of my minions to see how the new rides measured up to the old.
The four of us: myself, eldest son, age 18, and the twins, age 15, came up with this ranking. Obviously, those with younger children are going to avoid some of these rides.
1. Bizarro
Our unanimous choice as the top coaster. One, it’s a long ride with 5400 feet of track; two, the curves are fast; three, you go through tunnels; and four, by the time you’re done, you’re really done. The ride starts with a 221-foot drop and never lets up. This ride would be the reason for coaster fans to come to this park.
2. Goliath
The newest of the pure coasters, and there was disagreement on this most terrifying of rides. The minions enthusiastically voted “yes,” calling it intense and amazing. I thought it was too much of a drop ride to enjoy as a twisty coaster. Six Flags calls it a “giant, inverted boomerang.” I only know I dislike facing down at the ground to start the ride, especially when I’m up 20 stories into the air. A little too much fear of falling for me to enjoy it.
But it’s also a must-ride for any coaster enthusiast.
3. Batman: The Dark Knight
This ride is tucked oddly near the entrance to the waterpark, so lines aren’t too long. It’s a great, twisty ride, about half as long as Bizarro, with 2850 feet of track, and with a 360-degree loop at the start. This is like riding Bizarro’s little brother, shorter but still excellent.
4. The New England Sky Screamer
This brand-new attraction isn’t a coaster but it is extreme, so I’m including it as Six Flags calls it a thrill ride.
As you can see from the photo above, you go high. Very HIGH. The Screamer is 400 feet tall, twice as high as any other ride in the park. It’s essentially a regular swing ride that takes you up for a beautiful view of the Connecticut Valley while you’re spinning around at a 60 degree angle.
I would have enjoyed the view more if I hadn’t been holding onto my seat in terror. Though I buckled in tight, I still felt exposed, especially with how windy it was. The minions enjoyed the ride, the eldest son pronounced it relaxing, and the other two said while it had a great view, it didn’t go as fast as they hoped. If you’re afraid of heights, avoid this ride.
5. Mind Eraser
Now we get into coasters that are a lot of fun but not long enough or intense enough to be at the top. Don’t skip this on. It’s my favorite ride after Bizarro, but it’s over quickly and sometimes you have to wait to off-load. The ride begins with a 11-story drop to a 90-degree hill, and then you flip head-over-heels twice.
6. Thunderbolt
A classic wooden coaster built in 1941. It’s the only wooden coaster left in the park with the taking down of Cyclone, the more extreme of the two wooden rides. Like many wooden coasters, it’s bumpy, twisty and just pure fun. I’d rank it higher if it was longer.
7. Pandemonium
A classic mousetrap ride that allows four riders on a single car that takes you through a maze. We expected this one to be mellow, especially as it was in a kiddie section of the park, but when you add the car twisting and turning to the drops and spins of the trap, it becomes a lot of fun.
8. Flashback
There’s nothing wrong with this ride to rank it so low, it’s just that Goliath does the drops better and the Mind Eraser spins you around more. A fun ride but not one you need to do again.
9. Catwoman’s Whip
A family coaster. It rides like one. Okay for the younger ones, but not much of interest to adults compared to the other coasters.
10. Gotham City Gauntlet
The only ride we disliked. It’s another mousetrap ride, but this one was far too jerky to enjoy and instead became an ordeal. It looks like a kid-friendly ride, but parents might want to ride it first to be certain.
Of the other thrill rides, we’d ridden Scream before, a classic drop ride, and it’s fine if you like drop rides. We skipped Blizzard River, the one water ride outside the waterpark, because we didn’t bring a change of clothes and you will get wet.
On other experiences in the this park, none match up to the coasters. I find the games over-priced and many must agree because I often see the games vacant. The food and drinks are overpriced, as usual in a theme park, but I would recommend the funnel cake sundae, which you can only buy near the entrance to the park, because it’s only $10.99 and feeds two, making it the most reasonable dinner you can buy inside. Of course, it’s not good for you, but neither are french fries and chicken tenders.
The best part for me besides the coasters? The superhero merchandise located in the stores near Bizarro’s exit. There are a number of unique DC Comics t-shirts, especially of the female characters like Wonder Woman, and I’d wished I had money to spend on them.
One final note: the reasons were we able to hit so many coasters on the same day is because Six Flags recognizes that my twins are autistic. Guest services provided us with a pass that allowed us to bypass the lines and get on at the exit side of the rides. I imagine this could be misused by some people, as the service is free, but without this kind of pass my twins would never be able to enjoy the park, as the long waits would cause meltdowns and turn a fun family adventure into a nightmare.
The alternative for regular visitors to avoid lines is the Flash pass. The prices of the pass seem to vary, but you can count on paying $55 for the first one. Tickets for regular park admission run from around $40 to $59.99, and discounts abound if you know where to find them. AAA members save $5, and there seem to be discount tickets at many of my local grocery stores and even available at my local town hall. The best value is the season pass which costs $50 each during the off-season, and with the purchase of four passes parking is free.
Disclosure: My family of four received free park admission from Six Flags for the day.
