How Good is Six Flags New England, Really? Pros & Cons | Agawam, Massachusetts 

We need a ranking of all the ‘Goliath’ named rides. They’re all so different I’d love to see how they stand against one another

This is one of the most topheavy parks in the SF chain. They really REALLY need a good launch coaster

I think its a great lineup. They got their loopers, airtime, intensity, spinner, invert, wood... I think its great but they could use a modern woodie and they should remove the 2 boomerangs for a Premier Dueling coaster, East Coast Racers.

Here’s some insight as an employee: ops were basically all new this summer so there’s reasoning behind it. Supervisors were really pushing for stapling for some reason. I didn’t do that personally. Also Goliath isn’t officially confirmed as removed, according to my supervisor it might be getting replacement trains instead of getting removed. I’m not sure. Also, according to my clicker, the early weeks of July were by far the busiest and worst weeks I’ve ever worked, and might be the worst ever in the parks history. Also since I work the waterpark too, and this is for every six flags park, since we use the same lifeguarding system, don’t strike up a conversation with us. We have to scan the pool. If you have a question, ask a park services team member or a supervisor. Only talk to us if there’s an emergency. Sincerely, every lifeguard working at a six flags park

Another home park goer. I’ve been here at least 20 times, and my experience with ops is different every time (except Batman’s ops being mostly bad). Wicked cyclone’s inconsistent ops are especially frustrating, but my memories here will always make me love this place. Just like I feel about Superman, it’s not close to my #1 anymore, but it will always be my favorite

This park gets so much hate that I’m glad to hear your largely positive review, though I definitely agree with all your criticisms (and my food experience was not as good as yours).

This is by far the most accurate review that I’ve heard! I like having this as my home park. Wicked Cyclone and Superman alone make it worth going as often as I do. The stapling on Wicked Cyclone is preventable from my experience, as long as you sit up and keep your legs pushed forward against the shin-restraints. That usually blocks the lap bar from coming all the way down, giving me a good amount of room to enjoy all the ejector Wicked Cyclone has to offer!

The coaster lineup is honestly fine. If Superman and Wicked Cyclone were not there, it’d still be an ok lineup. I honestly think people are a bit spoiled since Superman and Wicked Cyclone are literally among the best on earth and super elite. Beyond the coasters, staff here really does care, and the food options are fantastic! It really is a fantastic park

This is my home town park! Wicked cyclone was my first major coaster, and I could just feel that ejector airtime on the first drop!

Six flags new england is my home park, and the ops are very inconsistent. I was marathoning wicked cyclone in July this year and the op on the right would staple you to the point that it physically hurt, while the op on the left gave me tons of room

Chris, thank you so much for making a review about my home park! It isn't the *best* Six Flags park in the chain, but it's definitely up there! I'm sorry that you had to deal with a busy crowd, but I always enjoy videos about SFNE.

I went to this park for the first time a few weeks ago. I agree about the stapling and operations. One of my rides on Superman, I got stapled so hard, it felt like the airtime was pulling my leg out of my hip. I also got stapled on Riddler Revenge to the point where it started to cut off the circulation in my legs. Superman was the only ride with decent dispatches during my visit. Everything else stacked every cycle, except Thunderbolt because it was running one train. I went to Great Adventure a couple weeks later and remembered how much better their operations are. That being said, I did like SFNE. Superman was my favorite ride. I guess I'm a sucker for speed. The U bricks also didn't bother me that much. I thought they were better than the Wicked Cyclone restraints. Wicked Cyclone was my first RMC, and I really liked it. It gives you a little bit of everything from ejector to hang time. SFNE is the closest good park to where I live, since Great Escape is kind of lame. I think if they can improve their operations and get a good launch coaster to replace Goliath, it will be much better.

Having grown up only going to Cedar Fair parks, I finally made it to a SF park recently. Good lord, the operations were infuriating! 3 minute dispatches on everything. I have a much greater appreciation for KI now

Really good video, I’m excited for a great adventure one

I love the pros and cons series this park looks cool

A new video?? And it’s on my home park?! AMAZING

My man just never misses. Best run down of this park I’ve seen yet

This is my home Six Flags park and I agree with just about everything. 2021 was a rough year for SFNE, and I’ve had more bad experiences this year than good ones, but I do feel like they are trying to improve because every visit has been better than the last. Wicked Cyclone is world class and that last lap can be great when it’s warmed up. I loved that you mentioned the two kids areas. I know many enthusiasts overlook that, but as an enthusiast with kids, it’s the best. I’ve been taking my kids there since 2017, and they both watched Wicked Cyclone from the balloon ride for years. As soon as they were both tall enough, (which due to covid happened the same year) they both went on it. My daughter just hit 54” later in the summer and was so excited to be “Superman height” that we made a special trip. So grateful these kid’s areas got my kids into the parks so I wouldn’t have to wait longer to ride the coasters I love again. I was 16 when I finally was brave enough and my kids are only 7 and 10. If we had a home park that was more isolated, I think I’d be stuck on the teacups still. 🤣

Superman with original t-bars was MIND BLOWING

One of my favorite parks. I love coming here and doing Superman at dusk in the back as a newfound tradition 👍

Totally recommend going in September it’s a GHOST TOWN! You can get SO many rides on Superman and cyclone!

I was there that day and ran into you! Yeah Wicked Cyclone was running amazing that day, but the ops were super questionable. On Batman I remember a line that should have been 10 minutes took 40 because they were filling the trains straight from the main queue. Overall a good time and super cool getting to meet you!

Superman with the T-bars was a transcendental experience.

I have kids and having multiple kids areas (or even kids rides just spread throughout the park) is a huge plus. If there is only one area with kids rides and entertainment then you end up stuck for half the day in that one area so that the kids can get their energy out but then they are bored for the rest of the day. A great example of doing it right is BGW. They have the Sesame Street area and the Land of Dragons and each one has a play area. But then they also have kids rides throughout Italy and Germany, and they have a Scrambler in New France and even a little horse ride in Scotland. And they also have family friendly shows and animal exhibits. It really makes the day easier for both kids and parents. I think more parks need to take this approach.

This is my home park! Have not watched yet but I really do love it.

This is my home park too (you might tell from my name), and I honestly love the park. Great vid!

I agree with you on Thunderbolt for the most part, but on my most recent ride I got absolutely launched on one of the later hills. It completely came out of nowhere!

Went in late June of this year. They let me use single rider line which I never knew even existed at this park. Was able to lap wicked cyclone over and over again which was fantastic. I’ve been going to this park for years, and each visit has been pretty solid. One of my favorite six flags parks (even though I’ve only been to a couple of them)

Perfect timing for this vid cuz I’m thinking about going to SFNE next year

I've been going to this park since it was Riverside and it's so cool to get a fresh perspective on it!

That Diamond Elite parking is a godsend. It's easily the biggest time saver for all the lots in the Six Flags chain. I thought the park's operations have been good on weekends in 2021, but it sounds like they were struggling with staffing on weekdays.

Loved this.

I got my first ever season pass for Six Flags (my home park being Discovery Kingdom), and early next year I'll be getting a membership so I can visit other Six Flags parks possibly around the country. Thanks for your insightful review on S.F. New England. This is a park that I would like to visit.

Hey I love your stuff dude

HOME PARK WOOOO

This park is amazing! You have Superman and Wicked cyclone as the number ones, and Goliath, flashback, riddler, and etc as good supporting coasters. I totally agree with your picks, but I think it is an amazing park 👍

Thunderbolt is a lot of fun! In my opinion, it’s a little underrated (which is great - meaning no line) and it’s a great family coaster. last time I rode it, it wasn’t totally forceless, just not super intense.

I went this year and it was amazing! My only regrets were that I didn't get more than 2 rides on Wicked Cyclone, didn't get another ride on Supergirl, didn't go on Blizzard River or the New England Sky Screamer, and didn't get to see the rightward side of the park (from the entrance, idk which cardinal direction that it's in). Most of that was due to our tight schedule, the slow operations, and long lines; In the end, Wicked Cyclone was my 1st and only RMC and currently my favorite coaster ever. It brought a tear to my eye when I reached the station again. My family and I would totally go back.

Pandemonium was a surprisingly good time when I went last summer. My fiancé really loved Thunderbolt, as she doesn't like bigger, faster coasters. Thunderbolt is a perfect mild coaster.

I honestly think this is one of the best six flags parks. Superman and wicked cyclone are both fantastic and easily marathonable rides, and I love that they’re each in their own little corner of the park. The atmosphere is also great, very little product placement to be found, which is always a plus

My kid and I visited in August, and we had a great time. It was crowded (especially in the water park) and Superman the Ride broke down while I was staples in those awful restraints on the break run, and our train had to sit in the hot sun for over 15 minutes while they fixed it. I wish those thigh crushers popped up at the end like SkyRush’s do. Those things weren’t enough to mess up our day. The canyon water ride was a lot of fun for both of us, and my kiddo enjoyed Catwoman’s Whip. I do hope to make another side trip the next time we go camping in Vermont!

Those T bar restraints were outlawed in Massachusetts after that accident on Superman you mentioned. That’s why they changed the design and all the other coasters us the lap bars.

I visited here for the first time last weekend and had a blast. Only rode 6 of the coasters because of timing and it was pride weekend so there was a lot of people but I did get to take my 2 year old niece on her first rollercoaster (The Great Chase) and it was so much fun. Still laughed at the 2 boomerangs next to each other. Wicked Cyclone was phenomenal and Superman would be so much better without the U-bricks.

The park was extremely busy for the first month or so. We went opening weekend and then a few weeks later it was a huge difference! Also I agree with the stapling, they are super inconsistent

Been there plenty of times and worked there as well! It is definitely a solid park, and you made very good points. Goliath was ruined with the new trains.

Great video!! Would love to see a Pros and Cons video for my home park, Six Flags Great America 😁

My father's parents lived in Agawam (Well my Grandfather still does, will be 90 next month) so I used to go to Riverside Park all the time. I miss the Log Flume, Pirate's Cove and the Black Widow.

I live a hour away from SFNE. I was there last Saturday and I love it there!

My home park, this park packs a lot of rides in such a small space and have some of the best roller coasters in the world, ( Superman was a little rough a few weeks ago ) still lives up to expectations I think this is in the upper half of the six flags parks! Even though I’ve only been to six flags great adventure and six flags New England

This was my home park growing up and my favorite ride was always Mind Eraser. It always had a very long line but it was by far my fav. Sadly I moved before cyclone was redone and as much as you have hyped it and others I'm dying to get back there. They have poured a lot of money into the park over the years with Superman, Scream, I remember when Batman wasnt there, and redoing cyclone. I imagine they will add another ride here at some point soon. They have the space for it. I view thunderbolt as a kids coaster, and when I do it that way I think it's one of the best kids coasters I've seen. I loved it as a kid. The food is definitely a plus there as well.

my home park! really love this place

I had 2+ days here in 2019, and I loved every minute (except for the minutes I spent riding Goliath). The park was not crowded at all on those weekdays, unlike Lake Compounce, where the entire park was just a big moshpit. I wouldn't have liked SFNE that much if it was that busy, or as busy as your 2021 visit looks. But on my visit, I could get plenty of rides on whatever I wanted, ride ops weren't stapling, operations were quick, and we were allowed to stay on the train if nobody was waiting for our row. It's among the best experiences I've had at any Six Flags park.

This is my home park and this summer was the most I’ve been to it in a year I really enjoy this park

i was just here 2 days ago, amazing as i remember!

This is my home park, now that you mention it I realize they have tended to pin riders in their seats as long as I can remember. I honestly thought it was normal and other parks were a bit relaxed sometimes. Perhaps it's policy due to the incident with Superman. I also do remember liking Mind Eraser initially and then less as it got rougher, but I am glad out of all the SLCs there are this one got overhauled and painted green! I think your opinions of this park are very fair and I was glad to hear Twisted Cyclone is your number four! It's an awesome one that I have had to convince people to get excited about but then they are mad impressed when they actually go on it.

This is my home park, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on what you said. I’ve found that Superman’s restraints are pretty comfortable towards the front of the train, and you won’t miss much if any airtime in the front. I’ve found that the ride ops are pretty good most days, and Superman’s has been crazy fast this year. They also had trouble finding a lot of workers this year, and a lot were new so it’s understandable that some dispatch times take longer than others The park is in dire need of a number 3 option. Batman is a solid ride but it has no business being a top 3 coaster in the park. Everyone says the park “needs” a launch coaster but I’d honestly rather them add a high capacity B&M. Would be happy with anything tho. Maybe I’m just so used to it but the walk from the parking lot to the entrance isn’t bad at all. I wish they’d widen the sidewalk more but that’s about it. Anyway I’m happy you enjoyed our park, most people on the internet seem to shit on it. I’ve always felt lucky that I live so close to a ride like Superman

I visited this park at long last in August 2021, and Wicked Cyclone and Superman immediately became my #1 and #2 coasters. Superman's lap bars just did not bother me that much--to me, they don't feel that different from the RMC restraints on Wicked Cyclone. But these are two amazing rides. My exploration of the rest of the lineup was not that deep. Batman is a solid ride and the best thing about it is the single-rider line. The park's major con for me is the way it absolutely fills up with goofy teenage school/camp groups. But they seem to mostly want to ride Superman over and over, so if you are riding anything other than Superman they're not that big a problem.

I was just there in August. It's currently my 4th favorite of the 6 Six Flags parks I've been to. The setting along the Connecticut River is cool, Wicked Cyclone and Superman: The Ride are two of my favorite roller coasters anywhere, Hurricane Harbor is one of the best waterparks in the chain and they have plenty of other exciting rides in their attraction lineup like the New England Skyscreamer. My only problems were the Typhoon water coaster being closed on my visit and no places to put the bags in the station meaning you have to either rent a locker at the entrance or leave them out and exposed at the entrance and pray that nobody steals them. My advice to that is to either rent a locker for the whole day or leave it in your car. Thankfully there are residents across the street that have empty fields in their backyard where you only have to pay $5 or $10 to park there and it's much closer to the entrance. Also Canobie Coaster recommends visiting Nicky's Pizza down the road for dinner after your visit. I did and it was delicious.😋

My family had season tickets to Riverside Park :) I had alot of fun trips.

Superman was my first roller coaster ever! I rode it back in 2009 when it was Bizarro.

This is my local park. (Around an hour away, I live in ct.) Every time I come here there isn't really "that one ride" this park is known for. Some people would say it's Superman while some would say Cyclone. But coming here so many times, I know a few tricks. 1. Don't park at the main parking, park across the street at one of those businesses. They usually have cheaper parking in the back and it's much closer. Sometimes you can park at someones house for $5. 2. I would recommend going to superman first thing. Personally I think it's a great ride for average/smaller people. I play lots of sports and train so I have some pretty meaty legs. The newer restraints kinda suck with those. Anyways, the lines are usually really short at opening or closing time. 3. Even though I think Batman is a fantastic ride, It's not worth riding if there's a long line. A few times I did this and felt it wasn't worth it. Wait for a short line. 4. DO NOT and I mean D O N O T! ride Goliath if you're just tall enough, or around 5 inches taller than the required height. I made the mistake one time and my thighs were in intense pain the whole time. The ride is only enjoyable if your legs have lots of room in the seat. (Not a tight fit around the bottom of the seat.) 5. Create a plan on what you're going to do. Usually I get there at opening time and go on the popular coasters, then go to the waterpark for a bit, and then return to go on more rides. The line are usually longest around after 1 hour of opening. 6. I hope you read this and remember. It will help you have a better trip.

Not going to lie last year I got stapled so badly on Riddler’s Revenge at this park that I lost circulation in my leg and collapsed at the ride station. The stapling coupled with slow operations just did me in. But that hasn’t happened this year. That said normally operations are fine here. Batman is a tad slow but Superman knows how to keep that line moving. Wicked Cyclone and Pandemonium ops have done some great work as well this year so hats off to them.

I only been once to the park on a short visit about 4-5 hours before they closed. I liked it but the park ops was problem. It was very busy and I thought I would be able to get most of coasters in but I only got 3 done plus Joker was down. Overall it is a great park I can not wait to visit it again. I Love the setting.

This year I’ve noticed the operations are super varied, some rides were rolling trains but then others (Batman) were consistently slow.

I love this park so much, im going again soon

The lap bars on Superman the Ride are so much better for us slimmer riders. Compare that to Wicked Cyclone's lap bars which dig into my thighs every time the ride goes upside down, I'll takes Superman's restraints any day

I agree with this. While I haven’t been there, this feels like one of the quintessential Six Flags parks. It’s not the best, but by far not one of the worst either. It’s just stuck in the middle right now, and feels forgettable for me. I’d love to have this as my home park, but I can see it getting boring after a while. Let’s just hope they get that new launch coaster they’ve been desperately missing.

This is my home park and I’m having my 21st birthday party here on April 10th! Funny story: the first time I went when I was about 6, my then 3 year old brother Patrick threw up on one of the kiddie rides in the area by the main entrance, which believe it or not was then themed to Thomas the Train. Around the same time, Kidzopolis was themed to (get ready for this) The Wiggles. Patrick is now graduating from high school this June 😭

I think that Six Flags México, New England and Fiesta Texas has the best theme of the Six Flags chain

Always try the diamond lot even without a reservation. There's a smaller lot there too. If you arrive early enough there will be room to park right next to the "reserved preferred parking" lot. Guess you'll have to remember that in 3 years when you come back. 😄

Just got off Wicked Cyclone, time for this guy to form my opinions for me lol

Ayee my home six flags park!

SFNE is my home park. Good review. Parking lot is horrible. Superman and Wicked Cyclone are awesome, but a launch coaster would be fantastic......Goliath is sad.......but I was able to ride it a BUNCH when it was open. AND THE RIDE OPS!!!!!! As of late, they're bad on slow days 😔. Love the content. Keep it up

Thanks for the dinner reminder

You know a huge rant is coming when Chris says WELL... 0:17

One of my big issues is honestly the lack of shade. Soooo much blacktop which makes getting around the park brutal on a summer day.

when i went 2 weeks ago wicked cyclone and superman had like a 1 minute wait

My parents met at Riverside Park and they got married. Members of my family has worked at Riverside Park/SFNE. I used to work at SFNE in 2002 & 2003. They fired me in 2003 and I have not been back since!

We went up there in 2016 and your top 2 are spot on. Except that that was the year they used VR goggles on Superman so it made the wait time insane (you don't need VR when the ride is that good!). Wicked Cyclone was perfect. I also love old woodies, and that one (Thunderbolt?) was one of my least favorites. I'm a New Yorker so the Coney Island Cyclone is my standard for old woodies, and I judge them all based off that. That said, Wild One at SF America in Maryland was shockingly good, even though we liked SFNE better overall as a park (SF Great Adventure is our home park that we grew up going to, so I don't even mention that except that EL TORO IS THE BEST! I hope it comes back soon!)

Discord gang

I'd like to comment on the food options, now in 2023 their take six cafe you showed in the video has been converted to a VIP lounge which initially seemed like it was for diamond members, but I was told its $15 for air conditioning, a charging area, some comfy seating, and a bag with snacks and little things. 2 food options near batman have been shuttered, the go fresh cafe I have not seen open, and there was something near the now gone Fireball that I never see open. Still a wide variety of menu items though which is nice. Overall the park is still pretty good and right now they appear to be well staffed. I go frequently and can enjoy it every time. Only weird thing is that the area where Fireball was feels very dead and abandoned. Nothing in Goliaths plot is always sad to see and I hear they have no plans to put anything there anytime soon other than to use it as an entertainment space for various events

I tend to choose going here over the Great Escape as do most people in the Albany area (that's why you see lots of New York plates there) and I agree with everything you said.

I had a lot of fun here. I think they could use a launch coaster. But Wicked Cyclone and Superman are an amazing top 2.

I’m going this summer hoping for the best

This is my home park too! Just started exploring other major parks in the last couple years and in hindsight, seem to have taken this park for granted. Top 2 are elite, and overall, the park is pretty good. I've always been advocating for another large-scale project, as I agree, Dark Knight is not worthy of a top 3 stop at a good park. I'm partial to wooden coasters, so as much as the gp would enjoy a launch, I'd love to see a modern wooden coaster go up in the park. Thunderbolt just doesn't do it for me anymore! Like other commenters, I've experienced a lot of inconsistency with ops, and can attest to the difficulty they've had finding workers this season. I know the food service operations have been even worse than ride ops this year.

The T-bars made it a completely different ride - scarier, more exciting, better air time.

"... And once in 2021 and, well..." I feel you

I grew up at Riverside and then six flags and was a ride operator there. The lower level used to be a speedway. If you’re closer to the front of the parking lot it’s a faster walk than discovery kingdom. Rockville was there with Riverside. Superman is an Intamin coaster not premier rides. The T bar was the best, there was an issue with the original trains on Goliath that’s why they needed to be replaced. It’s one of six flags best parks in my opinion!

This is my home park. Batman is notorious for terrible ops! When I was 13, one summer, I waited 2hrs for a ride!! Insane. All other rides have annoying ops, but Batman takes the cake... It's generally a good park tbh. Def needs 3rd quality coaster...but there is a magical vibe to being on the CT River. New restraints on Superman are sucky, but if you're skinny enough it doesn't matter. To me, Superman has the #1 layout and location for a giga coaster. It's incredible. This ride alone (and now Wicked Cyclone) is enough for me to visit. Wicked Cyclone is a blessing and almost more preferable to Superman. Another masterpiece in the park. And that's the thing, Superman and WC are masterpieces...you don't see this quality and customized nature very often...even at Cedar Point. Just built different, even if they aren't the biggest. Tbh, I'm a bit disappointed at the diminishing quality of theming structures. It was great in 2004, but they haven't maintained and they basically made all walkways this terrible black asphalt that stains my shoes. Waterpark prly has the better theming. Main St. at the upper end is nice, the fishery area is small but cool...Wicked Cyclone's theming is atrocious, unfortunately. This all isn't to say the core of good theming isn't here, it most definitely is...The layout and positioning of all attractions are perfect. It feels very New England-y...just needs to be polished a lot and a little depending where. Again, a Launch Coaster in the place of Goliath and Flashback would be ideal. I do hate to see a vintage Boomerang go...as it adds a certain quality to the park, imo. Maybe they could get rid of Tomahawk and part of the buildings in Crackaxel Canyon for the launch...who knows. However, they def really need to take the time and intention with this one...Could really make or break the park in a big way. Finally, Waterpark is great and well rounded, easily accessible, and never excessively crowded. You do have to pay for it now tho...I don't think it's as much as Great Adventure...but not sure.

also I do have to say, if you can get a good weight distribution that gets you lots of spinning, Pandemonium is number 3 in the park I think. I for example visited the park with my brother and his boyfriend, I was on one side and they were on the other, and since I'm ~125 pounds and they're both ~200 pounds, we had a really uneven weight distribution that got us tons of spinning and it was a blast

We did universal Orlando and six flags New England this year. Six flags is really good.

Decent park but it needs more love from the chain. Land could be the issue for six flags to expanded it with more rides. Theres to much blacktop and the location isn't the best but that's all part of the history. Yeah the parking lot of pretty strange and the buses don't come often!

One of my home parks. Went 4 times this season. Easy to get on Wicked Cyclone more than once. Last time was an hour wait for Superman with 2 trains. Out of the 4 times I was only able to get on Batman and Riddler Revenge once each because the other times they were an hour wait and not worth it in my opinion. Great park but they have to speed up the Ops.

I've only ever rode the Superman with T-bars...that's how long it's been since I've been there and I live in Mass! LOL

I’m just happy that big inverted boomerang isn’t coming to Frontier City.

Wicked Cyclone is incredibly, especially for it's relatively small size. I actually appreciated how it slows down good bit towards the end. My issue with SFNE are the multiple major attractions with maximum height limits. I'm a tall guy, but I've never encountered a park where there were so many max height limits on many major attractions. It's very frustrating knowing that I will never be able to experience Superman, Joker, Riddler, and Supergirl Sky Flier (despite this one technically not having a max height, but also unable to accommodate really anyone over 6'4-ish).

Closest Themed park near my house other than La Ronde. Next trip will be there !

I like the new Superman restraints

They added the vest restraints on Riddler in 2017 with the 20th anniversary of the ride

Six flags new england is my home park, i get a season pass every year. I love the park, its worth the 2 hour drive but it definitely could use some updating. We totally could use a launch coaster, get rid of Goliath and Flashback, etc. You have Superman and Wicked cyclone which are my two favorite rides. I'll be back for fright fest!