Dave and I arrived at the park about 10:30 and there were very few cars in the parking lot. We were able to park right next to the "preferred parking" area that was an upcharge. We hopped on the tram and were towed over to the long staircase that took us over a bridge and onto the entrance plaza. I asked Dave if he brought the season pass that I had gotten him last Christmas. He had no recollection of it. So we headed over to guest services. Dave asked for a day pass and the attendant told him it cost $80. But she said that if he scanned the QR code that was conveniently pasted on the window he could get a discount by buying his ticket online. So I walked him through the process with his phone. Online, the same day pass cost $35. Plus he could spend just $15 more and get a season pass to all Six Flags parks. That was a no-brainer. So in a couple minutes he had himself a new season pass good for all next season (including parking) and it was less than $50.

We headed down Main Street, with its row of gift shops, and stopped at the bottom of the hill in front of the Thunderbolt roller coaster where a large crowd had gathered waiting for the barriers to be removed at 11:00 so they could proceed into the park. It was a strange custom, and I'm not sure why the park corralled people like that. Why not just let people wander through the park once the ticket gates were open? At any rate, 11:00 arrived, the barriers were removed and people flooded onto the midway.

Dave and I figured we'd head directly to the Thunderbolt, since that coaster could have a really slow line. Luckily there were only two kids ahead of us. Since the park didn't allow you to choose your seat on that ride, we ended up in the second seat (which was fine with me) and were sent off as the first train of the day. The coaster delivered its usual punchy ride, fairly smooth and punctuated by sharp airtime. When our train returned to the station, the queue line had filled up. So I'm glad we started our visit with this ride. I wondered where the other Thunderbolt train went. The park always had two, with one sitting on the storage track in the station. But it disappeared a few years ago.

We walked toward the north end of the park, past the newly remodeled Captain Rivi's restaurant. The menu was still the same (hamburgs, hot dogs, chicken strips and pizza) but at least the place looked nicer. And it was all cafeteria-style. Next in front of us was Quantum Accelerator, flanked by a large sign that said vaguely that "due to continued testing" the ride wouldn't be operating. The layout did look impressive, with track twisting in every which direction. There were a few giant concrete pads located throughout the ride. I wondered if those eventually would be populated with scenery. To the right of Quantum was the former Swiss Sky Ride station, now just a large facade with a few shops. It also displayed their usual advertisement for their Halloween Haunted Happenings. Six Flags had recently made an announcement that some of their parks would be doing away with Halloween events this season, which surprised me because Halloween had become a big money maker for most parks. Six Flags also said there wouldn't be any more Christmas events. Giving people less usually isn't a good strategy for attracting more customers.

We took a left and headed up into Crackaxle Canyon. It was a ghost town. There was an airbrush concession and a face painting concession but both appeared abandoned. The Kettle Korn stand was shuttered, as was the ice cream concession. On a plus side, the water wheel was turning. But beyond it was a blockade stating that Houdini would open later in the day. And that was now the only ride in that area. (There also used to be Tomahawk and Rodeo.) There was a beer concession that wasn't staffed. But the barbeque place next to it was open. Across from that was the closed entrance to Quantum. A little further down we could see one of the Quantum trains sitting on the transfer track. I had thought Intamin was taking them back to fix them. The track at the north end of the ride was a confusing knot. Looking past that we could see the launch track which surprisingly was tire-driven. I had thought they were going to use linear magnets. We could also see the other train sitting in the station.

Since we were right next to it, we headed over to the Stagecoach Bumper Buggies. Normally that was a busy ride (since it was the only ride in that area). But it was completely deserted except for the lone ride operator. All the cars had been parked along the sides of the building on an angle. So we each climbed into one and we had the entire arena to ourselves, just cruising around and around. As our ride ended, guests began to line up so at least the ride operator wouldn't be so lonely.

We then headed for the ride that I figured would be the next busiest in the park, the Wicked Cyclone coaster at the far north end. When we arrived at the station, hardly anyone was there. We walked right over and lined up for the front seat. On the next train, we took our seats. Once again, the ride attendant stapled me into my seat, slamming the lap bar into my gut. I don't know why they felt they had to do that, especially when we also had seat belts restraining us. But in short order we were dispatched and rolled up the really steep lift hill. That coaster packed more extreme airtime into its short course than any other coaster I've ridden. I was constantly catapulted into my lap bar. If I'd had a bit more breathing room, it would have been a bit more enjoyable. But it was still fun. Dave was breathless when we hit the brake run. As we left through the exit line, I noticed a trend that was happening at nearly all Six Flags parks: the on-ride photo booth no longer had staffing nor printers. Your crosshatched photo was displayed on a TV screen and you could download a copy of it by scanning a QR code that was displayed, giving the website that it took you to all your personal information and then paying $20. For a blurry digital download, it wasn't worth it.

Next we went nearby to one of Dave's favorite rides, Pandemonium, the park's spinning coaster. As usual, I passed on that one. Because of its low capacity, it usually had one of the longest lines and today was no exception. I found a bench in a shady spot (a rarity) and waited for him. Much like a Tilt-a-Whirl, the amount of spinning you got depended on the weight distribution in the car. It took about 20 minutes for Dave to get seated. His car didn't spin a lot, but one right before him was whirling like a teacup ride. We were both a bit parched by that point. We passed by Take Six, which used to be the best restaurant in the park but was now closed. We stopped at a nearby Icee stand. When I was at the park a few weeks back, the attendant there couldn't get the cash register to work. But today things seemed to be working well. Dave got a small ice cream cone. (The attendant said, "We only have vanilla.") I got a small Frozen Fire, a mix of ice cream and cherry Icee. The total was $20. We sat at a nearby shady table to rest and consume our diabetic treats.

After that refreshing pause, we traveled through the new archway to the DC Universe area. I remember the awe I felt when this area of the park first opened in 2000. I had never seen such attention to detail in a local park, with magnificent landscaping and impressive architecture. In the quarter century since it debuted, the area had become a bit the worse for wear. But it still featured one of the greatest roller coasters ever built: Superman. It also had the longest line we encountered that day, with the entire covered queue area filled. For some reason, there was an attendant just outside the station who was letting only a certain number of people inside at a time. The result was that when we finally entered the station it was practically empty. We queued up for the front seat and after a few trains we took our seats. I noticed that the park had finally replaced the train seats that they had removed years ago when they installed battery packs to allow for their short-lived VR experiment. As usual, Superman delivered an incredible ride filled with sustained airtime and impeccable pacing. The helixes were starting to get a bit rough, but it wasn't too bad for a 25-year-old ride.

We then headed over to Catwoman Whip. (I wish they'd put the apostrophe-S on the sign.) It was the first time I'd seen a line for that coaster. Dave and I were able to sit in the second-to-last seat, which on this coaster was a lot more fun than the front. You got yanked over each hill and could really feel the force of the ride. It was an enjoyable if brief trip. We backtracked a bit and headed over to Gotham City Gauntlet, the half-heartedly themed wild mouse coaster. They allowed only two adults per car, even though each car was a four-seater. But that was no problem for us. As always, what the ride didn't have in airtime, it made up for in ridiculously strong lateral forces. I had heard that this coaster originally was supposed to have a building around it and was going to be in the dark, but the park couldn't get the proper building permits for it. Riding in the dark would have been much more thrilling.

We climbed the seemingly endless stairs up to the Kidzopolis area. The Fossil Fuel stand (where they used to sell veggie burgers) was shuttered. The nearby Mexican food stand was closed. But the two Primo Pizza concessions were open. It that old Six Flags limited menu: hamburgs, hot dogs, chicken strips or pizza throughout the entire park. That's a shame because for a brief time they did have a greater variety of food in the park.

We were going to ride the antique cars (themed to dinosaurs) but passed because of the long line. We continued south. There was a Greek food building, Yamas, but it too was shuttered. Looking down the Rockville midway, it seemed as if the park was nearly empty. I suspected that most of the guests were at the waterpark. Nearby was another of Dave's favorite rides, the Teacups, so he queued up for that. I'm amazed at how he can still go on spinning rides and walk straight afterwards. I'd be flat on the ground.

The nearby Joker coaster, which neither of us had any interest in riding, was down and had a large lift next to it. Harley Quinn, the park's giant Frisbee ride, was also down. That didn't leave many choices in the south end. Dave opted to go on Batman: The Dark Knight, the park's intense "floorless" looping coaster. I passed on that as well. There wasn't much of a line and after about 10 minutes Dave was staggering through the exit. He said the ride had a lot of head banging. That's great for a mosh pit; not so much for a coaster.

By then it was 3:00 and we decided to call it a day. Dave waited in Captain Rivi's while I filmed a new walk-thru video. As we headed out of the park, a clock on Main Street said it was 1:20. And that was, for me, an example of the chief problem with the park: a lack of attention to detail. I knew it could take a few years for the full effects of the Cedar Fair merger to take hold. But even with the new (non-functional) coaster, the park seemed like an afterthought. It was once one of the crown jewels in the chain, and one of the chain's biggest profit centers. As I mentioned in a previous report, it still felt neglected, as if the corporation no longer cared about the park. The new coaster demonstrated that they do in fact care, and the delay in opening it really wasn't their fault. But at the same time they could have spruced up the Crackaxle Canyon section to make the coaster more visually appealing. I thought they were going to give it a steampunk makeover, like they did at Six Flags America. But maybe that's for the future. At the present, the park was a collection of contradictions: some great rides like Twisted Cyclone and Superman, and some mediocre rides. Lots of thrill rides for teens, but not a lot for adults to do. Lots of food concessions, but most of them closed. The park was once really impressive and still had potential. I planned to return next year, if for nothing else than to ride Quantum. Until then I'd cross my fingers for the future of Six Flags New England.