Know Before You Go: Tips and Advice for Six Flag's Flash Pass

Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Thompson

Six Flag’s theme parks are thrilling family outings. Let’s face it, the rides and attractions are exhilarating, waiting in lines, not so much. What if you had an option to skip the lines? Well, my family did just that. Last summer, we gave Great America’s Flash Pass a try. Would I buy a Flash Pass again? Absolutely! Is Six Flag’s Flash Pass right for your family? Well, that depends. . .

First, a quick Flash Pass Overview

Six Flag’s Flash Pass is a virtual ride reservation system. Using a hand-held device, you select ride times for included attractions, like The Joker, Goliath, Whizzer, etc. Then instead of waiting in a line, Flash Pass users can explore the park until they receive the "ride ready" alert on the device. (Keep in mind, the Flash Pass does not eliminate waiting in line. Instead, it holds your place in line.)

There are three different Flash Pass “speeds”: Regular, Gold, and Platinum.  All three Flash Pass levels give you the freedom to spend your waiting time enjoying the park, not standing and waiting in long lines. Each "speed" shortens wait times. The higher the price, the shorter your wait time. Platinum offers the shortest wait times. Platinum also includes some added perks:

• Second rides on specific attractions. This means you can stay on the attraction for two consecutive rides.
• Exclusive access to new and popular rides. For example, Justice League, Virtual Velocity, Giant Drop and Goliath Flash Pass were only available with the Platinum Level at Six Flag’s Great America when we visited in 2016. 

Flash Pass costs how much? 
The 2017 per person prices are $45 (Regular) $80 (Gold) and $125 (Platinum). Check the Six Flag's website for current pricing, ride lists, etc.

Is there really a difference between the three levels?

Yes! The difference is how often you can reserve ride times. With Flash Pass, you can only book one ride reservation at a time, per device. You cannot reserve your next ride time until you check in at the currently reserved ride. Because Regular and Gold have longer wait times, they will wait longer to make their next ride reservation.

Photo Courtesy:
Justin Ramos

Here are general guidelines to illustrate the difference (these are just guesstimates based on a 60 minute wait time)

• Regular is the same at the posted wait times. (But you are free to explore the park until your ride alert. Better than being stuck in a line.)
• Gold shortens the wait time about 50% - so instead of waiting 60 minutes, you'll wait about 30 minutes. 
• Platinum shortens wait time by 90%. So instead of waiting 60 minutes, you'll wait about 10 minutes. 

This is where your Flash Pass level makes a difference. The shorter your wait time, the quicker you check into the ride and the faster you can reserve your next ride time. So, the more rides you reserve = the more rides you will ride.

Beth's Experience

We bought the Platinum Level. We waited about 10-15 minutes on average - and some rides we literally walked on. As soon as we checked into the ride, we made our next reservation. All offered ride times within the next 10 minutes. So as soon as we got off one ride, we immediately walked over to the next one.

The only hiccup was the Demon, which was piloting Revenge of the Gargoyles, a virtual reality coaster. Six Flag's was alternating rides between the traditional Demon and Gargoyles. The problem was the virtual reality ride required riders to be fitted with headgear, etc. I timed it, and it took about 20 minutes to get the Gargoyle riders set up. We were not aware of this until we were already in line, so we did not return to the Demon on that day, as we stood in line 45 minutes, well past our Flash Pass reservation time.

Here are some questions that could help you decide if Flash Pass is right for you.

How often do you visit Six Flags?

If you have a season pass, live close by or visit Six Flags multiple times a season, Flash Pass may not be worth it. You can just hit the rides/attractions you missed on your next visit. But if Six Flags is an annual trip, it may make sense to maximize your time in the park.

Beth’s Experience: Six Flags Great America is about a 2-hour drive for my family. We only visit once every other year. Our goal is to spend time in the park riding rides, not waiting in lines. So, for my family, the Flash Pass made sense.

What are your favorite attractions/rides?
Not all rides/attractions are included in the Flash Pass. Check Six Flag’s website or stop by the Flash Pass Headquarters for details on what rides are included before you buy. Most of the bigger rides and roller coasters are included. It’s also worth pointing out, some of the newer, more popular rides are only included with the most expensive Platinum Flash Pass.

Beth’s Experience: We are huge superhero fans. The virtual reality Justice League Battle for Metropolis was on our must-do list. However, because Justice League was new, only the Platinum Flash Pass was accepted. We decided to splurge for the Platinum Pass so we could guarantee a ride (or two) on the Metropolis ride. And we were glad we did, the wait time was about 90 minutes. We walked on in about 20 minutes. Whizzer, Demon, Logger’s Run, The Dark Knight Coaster and Roaring Rapids are the other family favorites, so it was a good choice. I would guess we waited about 10 minutes, on average.

How patient are you and your family?
If you hate waiting in lines, then Flash Pass may be worth checking out. Keep in mind, you don’t have to jump to the most expensive level. Remember, the Flash Pass reserves your spot in line so you can more spend time enjoying the park and less time standing in a line*. Think about how long you are willing to wait before making your choice.

*It’s also important to mention, Flash Pass does not eliminate waiting in line, it just shortens the waiting time.

Beth’s Experience: With the Platinum level, we pretty much walked on all the rides, except the Demon. During our visit, Six Flag’s was piloting a new virtual reality roller coaster, Rage of the Gargoyles, on the Demon coaster. The ride was split between the traditional Demon ride and the Gargoyle ride. Unfortunately, the wait time for the Demon, despite our Flash Pass, was upwards of 60 minutes. We were not aware of the extended wait time until we were already in the Flash Pass line, so we were stuck. That was a big miss, we did not ride Demon again that day.

How flexible is your date?
If your schedule allows flexibility, use it when planning your trip to Six Flags. Weekends and holidays are known for large crowds and long wait times. If you can plan to visit on weekdays, crowds may be lighter – translating into shorter lines and wait times. You may not even need a Flash Pass or may be able to settle on one of the less expensive levels. But if weekends or holidays are your only option, a Flash Pass may make your visit more worthwhile.

Beth’s Experience: Due to our work and activity schedules, our only open date to visit Great America was a Saturday in July. We waited to buy the Flash Pass until we were in the park and could survey the crowds and posted wait times. Of course, it was a very crowded day, and non-Flash Pass wait times were all upwards of 60 minutes. So, the Flash Pass was our ticket to retaining our sanity.

How much are you willing to pay?
Be realistic with yourself. How much can you comfortably spend on a Flash Pass? Don’t forget, there are three different price levels, and each reduces wait time. Any reduction in wait time is worth it in my book. Can you offset of the Flash Pass cost with admission discounts? Look online and in local supermarkets for discounts. Six Flag’s offers a Read to Succeed Program where students earn free admission – check with your school for participation.

Beth’s Experience: The girls both earned free admission, through Six Flag’s Read to Succeed program. I, also, bought discounted tickets online, so we justified the Flash Pass because we only paid for two admissions instead of four. (However, it was a long wait at customer service to redeem the Read to Succeed vouchers. I guess a lot of people had the same idea that day.)

7 Tips to Know Before you Buy a Flash Pass:

1. Only buy Flash Passes for guests in your party who will use it. If Grandma or Little Susie won’t be riding the Flash Pass rides, don’t buy it for them.
2. If given a wristband, wear it. The wristband identifies you as a Flash Pass rider. The line attendants do check, and I did see people refused entry because they “lost” their wristband. 
3. Request more than one device. If your family likes to divide and conquer, you can request more than one flash pass device for your group to share. However, you will need to divide the riders between the devices. For example, a family of four may choose to have two riders on one device and two on the other. You cannot have four riders on both.
4. Buy the Flash Pass at the park. This is the only way I buy Flash Passes. I like to see how busy the park is, and how long the lines/wait times are before I buy a Fast Pass. This helps me decide which level to buy, too. No sense splurging on a Platinum Fast Pass if the park is not overly crowded.
5. For Platinum Level riders: Use the second ride on attractions that offer it. Yes, you will get the stink eye, but you paid for the pass, and you might as well get your money’s worth. 
6. Give the Single Rider option a try instead of buying a Flash Pass. Many of the attractions have a special Single Rider line. You wait in a shorter, oftentimes faster-moving line. Single Riders fill in open seats to keep the ride moving.  If you don’t mind riding with a stranger, you may be able to get on some of the more popular rides quicker. And maybe make a new friend!
7. A website isitpacked.com has crowd calendars and crowd predictors that could help with planning. They are not 100% accurate, but it could be helpful when choosing your date.

The bottom line is, what seems like an outrageous cost to some, may be a pittance to others. Only you know what you are willing – and comfortable – spending.

If a Flash Pass just isn’t possible, that’s ok. People have visited Great America for many years and had wonderful times without a Flash Pass.

(I want to point out, that I was not compensated by Great America for buying the Flash Pass in exchange for the blog post. My post is completely based on my experience.)