The Twister Is Coming, The Twister Is Coming...Only At Darien Lake, NY!
Written: Jun 21 '03 (Updated Jun 21 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: some very good rides, good prices, near home, not too big and crowded,
Cons: two outdated coasters, tube price for $5 is tacky
The Bottom Line: The park is good for everyone looking for a good time on rides -- great for all ages too.
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| jetbluefan1's Full Review: Six Flags Darien Lake |
Darien Lake is my favorite ‘hot spot’ in Western New York. It’s only 45 minutes away from my house and is great for all thrill seakers. Not to mention, it’s in a rural area with no traffic. Located between Buffalo, New York and Rochester, New York, the park holds the Six Flags title. Ever since it gained its title a few years ago, traffic has really picked up and more rides have been built. Not to mention, admission prices have gone up.
The Park & Parking
Darien Lake isn’t a big park but there are a lot of attractions. Sound weird? Well, a lot of the attractions are very close to each other. I find this as an advantage since one doesn’t have to walk a long way to the next attraction. Also, there is rarely crowding in park -- I find this very weird since it’s usually very busy. I guess it’s because most people are either on the attraction or on the lines.
The park is clean. Besides the gum post below The Predator where everyone sticks his or her chewing gum and the bathrooms near the water park, the park is spotless. Also, the park is well lighted at night.
Parking is located in the front of the park. Unfortunately, there are no trams that take you from the parking lot to the entrance. However, this shouldn’t be much of a problem unless you park all the way in the back of the large 2-section lot. However, you don’t choose where you park. The lot workers direct each car to a certain parking section. Parking is $7.00 which is a bit expensive.
Admission Prices
Note: The ticket prices have been raised but have not been updated on the website yet (www.sixflags.com)
We bought our Season Passes for $49.99 a day before the prices were raised. This includes free admission to the park and water park anytime this summer. After two visits, the pass pays for itself. This truly was a very generous deal -- I guess Six Flags realized that and decided to raise the prices. On top of unlimited visits to Darien Lake, you can use the pass at any Six Flags park in the nation. Regular admission prices are $31. You can also come to the park after 5 p.m for $18.
When First Getting Into The Park...Well, If You Ever Get In
Coolers are not allowed into the park, and there are now metal detectors at the entrance of the park. If you do have a cooler, turn right back around and bring it back to the car. No exceptions can be made. Also, don’t bring anything with metal that could set off the alarm. Once you are a suspect, you will have to be searched by the “magic wand” that they have at the airports.
When you eventually get in, I would recommend going straight to the lockers. Lockers are available right next to the entrance and the water park. It’s $10 for a locker, but you get back $5 when returning the locker key. If you put everything in the locker including your purse (if any), sunscreen, bathing suits and towels, this will save time and you won’t have to lug all those objects around. You can come back to the locker at anytime if you need to get anything, unlike other tacky parks which charge you 50 cents every time you close the locker.
Food
Food is the norm. Here are some samples of food that they have at the park:
- Hamburgers with nothing on them except for a bun for over $2.
- Fries for under $2 if you get the ‘small size.’
- Hot Dogs for just a bit under $3 which are undercooked and small.
- Subway with its moderate prices and good 6-inch or foot-long sandwiches.
- Caramel Apples for $3.99 from the vendors...choices are caramel, chocolate or peanut butter.
There are really no names for the restaurants except for Subway. All the other restaurants basically say “Fries and Soda” or “Pizza and Burgers.” Next to every little restaurant is an outdoor area with tables and attached benches to eat at.
Games
There are the usual coin-toss games where you have to get the coin to land on a certain spot. I decided to play a game for $2. This was the game where the worker had to either guess my age, weight or birthday. I told her to guess my weight. Anything within three pounds of my weight would mean that I didn’t win, and anything else guessed, then I would win. She guessed four pounds below my weight and I won a stuffed dog. Other prizes included pictures of J. Lo, Fabulous, Brittney Spears and other stuffed animals.
Attractions
Superman: Ride of Steel is the most popular roller coaster at the park. Almost all Six Flags parks have a ride with the same name. The roller coaster usually has a very long line no matter how busy it is. It doesn’t go upside down and is a steel coaster. There are several big drops and two very sharp turns that go in big circles at very high speeds. The first drop is almost at a 90 degree angle and certainly is a treat when in the first row. When the ride is finished and you come off the ride, there is a photo gallery where you can buy a picture of your row and the row in front or in back of you for a high price.
Predator is one of the oldest roller coasters at Darien Lake if not the oldest. It’s a wooden coaster and has a very bumpy track. When I go on it, I bounce from side to side and hit my had all over the place. It isn’t a very busy roller coaster and there is rarely a long line for it. Last time I went, we went straight onto the ride. Like almost all wooden roller coasters, it doesn’t go upside down. It’s highest point is about half as high as Superman’s highest point. There are no really big drops, but there are a lot of sharp turns. I never really felt safe on the ride since the lap bar doesn’t always go all the way down.
Boomerang is a roller coaster that almost all amusement parks have. This roller coaster was built in 1998 but there never was a long line or a large demand for it. With only one car operating at a time, the coaster has two cork screws and a couple of drops. The roller coaster does the course forward, then it does the whole course once again but backwards. The best park of the ride is when the coaster does the whole course backwards. You never know what twist or turn will come up next. However, the attraction is fairly short and is not worth a long wait on line.
Viper is another one of the two outdated roller coasters at Darien Lake, joined by The Predator. It’s a steel coaster and used to be one of the most popular roller coasters before Superman and Mind Eraser were built. There are two loops and a couple of cork screws. The roller coaster is built over a miniature golf course where the line also winds around. Some parts of the coaster go really slow -- that’s a sign of aging. A reason I try to avoid Viper is because it’s a very unpleasant ride. My head bumps from side to side like crazy and I usually come off the ride nauseated and with a headache. If you want to take the challenge of going on the ride, be my guest. There is no wait for the coaster whatsoever.
Mind Eraser is the fifth and one of the newest roller coasters at Darien Lake. It’s a suspended steel coaster that has been very popular to go on during hot days. This is because there is a part of the track that sprays mist at you when you go over it. The suspended coaster has many, many corkscrews. There are also a couple of loops. The picture on the Epinions database for Darien Lake is of Mind Eraser. The roller coaster used to have photos taken, but soon it lost business and dropped the whole picture idea. The roller coaster moves at high speeds and is the most fun when in the front row.
Twister is the most thrill packed ride at the park and you really must be brave to go on it. The attraction is on a big, metal “thing” with two rows of 20 or so seats. Once everyone is strapped in this big, metal “thing” (box, I suppose), it starts twisting you around, dropping you, taking you back up, bringing you upside down, etc. Repeat the pattern several times and there’s your ride. Nothing exciting, but the parts where you go upside down and drop make you need to have bravery and courage to go on the ride. If you would like a picture of Twister, cut and paste this link: http://www.rvlifemag.com/images/sixflags10.jpg
Here are some other things to do at Darien Lake that practically every park has:
- Bumper Cars good for kids 8
- Ferris Wheel good for all ages
- Carousel good for kids 8-
- Log Flume good for kids 6 and adults who like to get a little bit wet
There are many kiddie rides at the park in the area marked Toon Lagoon. In this area, there are characters walking around ready for photo opportunities and are willing to hug the children. I have never spent much time in the area so I can’t say much about it.
Water Park
There are two water parks at Darien Lake. One area is with several water slides near the lockers. The slides all lead into one big pool. Once into the pool, you must get out as quickly as possible so the next people coming down the slides don’t hit you. All four slides have turns and drops and are pretty fun. However, there isn’t much of a selection for water slides and I have seen better. There is a wait to get the tubes which either come in a single-rider or a double-rider. Once you get your tube, you have to climb up about 40 or 50 stairs to the entrances of the slides. The entrances for each slide are separated. There’s usually not a long line, but in the rare case that there is, I would recommend skipping that part of the water park.
The other water park is a lot more active and fun to be around. There is a wave pool. This wave pool is very large and usually pretty crowded. The water seems comfortable -- not too warm or cold. The waves come about every 15 minutes and last for about ten minutes. You can rent a tube to float on while in the wave pool for $5. Personally, I think it’s tacky that you need to pay to use the tubes.
Right next to the wave pool is a water jungle gym. There are mini slides, nets to climb up, places to explore, and a bunch of ways to get wet. One thing that I like to do every time I go is to stand under a huge bucket that gets filled up with water. Once completely full, it tips over and all the water comes splashing out onto everyone below it.
Conclusion
Darien Lake...what can I say? Personally, I think it’s a very nice park. The only disadvantage of the park is that some of the rides at the park are outdated. Since the park is fairly old, I would suggest knocking down the older, less used rides and build new rides that will be more popular and fun. Darien Lake is great for all thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. Little kids will enjoy Toon Lagoon also. If you’re in the Buffalo/Rochester area, you have to visit Darien Lake!
Recommended:
Yes
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