singemfrc

Even being normal, the sound is very loud. I could hear it from the parking lot. It's coming from the front, and in the front car, you really feel the vibration. It's not annoying, though. It ran perfectly today. No breakdowns and it operated with at most a 20 minute wait all day. Yes, still normal. Was very loud on TC when it opened too. It will die down with more cycles.

1) I think that it is the cardholder and their family, but I would have to check 2) No. Sorry 3) Yes X2s line does get shorter in the afternoon. When you get to the park, run(or just briskly walk) to The New Revolution. Ride it with VR in the morning, then in the afternoon you can ride with single rider. They don't allow you to do VR with single rider. But, yes. I would do Revolution, Tatsu, Superman, other rides, and then from 2-4pm, do X2. 4) I have personally never ridden Goliath due to fear of blacking out (yes it's that intense), but everyone else says that it has virtually no airtime, and extremely high g-forces, to the point where people would grey/black out And it's super fun in the front row. It's pretty popular, so after Superman, go ride Twosted Colossus and then Golitah. Hope this helps 1) I'm positive it's not JUST the cardholder, that would be crazy if you think about it, it would eliminate kids from that line completely. I'm not sure if there's a limit on how many people, but I think it's safe to assume your party would be fine if it's of a reasonable size. 2) Actually yes, Riddler's Revenge has single rider. Viper has it too, but it's rare that you'd actually need it. 4) Best time to hit Goliath is early in the morning when everyone else is rushing to X2, TC, and FT. It has maintained a pretty steady popularity and the line isn't often out of control but is almost always pretty steady. Flash Pass works well for Goliath (though running up and down those stairs kind of sucks) If you don't want to grey out on Goliath, tilt your head to the left during the helix, so that your head reminds straight up and down with the ground (tilt your left ear towards your left shoulder). That keeps the blood from running out of your head which is what causes the grey out.

FT may be a bad example. I think it goes down a little more than average. It's kind of hard to judge reliability across all coasters by a manufacturer though, some designs like FT's are more prone to issues. Superman:UF at SFDK (also by Premier) is extremely reliable - though I'm sure it's happened, I can't remember ever seeing that coaster down for technical problems, and it by design only has one train. It's design has now been cloned, which is always a sign of superior reliability. I know the Intamin accelerator coasters are infamous for breakdowns, and the Impulse shuttles even moreso...so Intamin may be at the bottom of the list. Maverick has pretty good reliability, but there aren't a lot of Blitz coasters to compare it to, and the launch isn't as touch as with other designs. Anyway its a short list, because it would be unfair to put RMC and Vekoma in there as both have only recently put out their very first launch coasters. Schwarzkopf flywheel launch shuttles are very reliable, though there are very few left. The one in America at KBF is practically bulletproof, it rarely goes down. (Though when it does, its a lengthy delay). It might be more fair to judge the reliability of the types of launch rather than the manufacturer. Within that I would still say that the coasters designed to just barely launch riders to the top such as FT and Dragster are more prone to issues just by their layout. So let's say for uptime/reliability: Magnetic > Flywheel > Hydraulic probably (and still with an asterisk because I think all of the hydraulic launches are accelerators, so the lack in reliability is not usually due to the hydraulics but rather susceptibility to weather conditions). Is there another type I'm not thinking of?

I hear that a bunch of people will be down to meet up at the mountain on 9/10. You should look into it. Seriously, it's West Coast Bash. No better way to geek out with a couple hundred other coaster enthusiasts and get the mountain all to yourselves.

All those noises are normal, the squeaking/grinding happened on Twisted Colossus when it was brand new too, it seems to be caused by the trains' shocks/springs.

Website isnt updated to show closure, so it's probably not a planned or long term closure; will just have to wait and see.

Oh lol I was the one who posted that. I guess I just dismissed it from my head so fast I forgot about it since I knew I couldnt go those days.

This whole weekend is likely to be very busy at both parks, so if you can get any ERT that's probably a good idea. I didn't see the ERT deal for SFDK but if theyre doing that Sunday, then I would go to SFDK on Sunday at opening to get the ERT and do CGA on Friday.

TR for Sunday - I had just been to the park the previous weekend, but they advertised the special shark experience backstage tour for season pass holders so that enticed me to drive down again Sunday morning despite having a crazy busy schedule this weekend. Got home in Sacramento from San Francisco at 1am Sunday morning, then got up at 7 to drive right back to Vallejo in the morning for the shark tour which was scheduled for 10am. They really didn't do any kind of advertising for the event in the park other than the employees inside of the shark building, but once inside they had tables set up and a couple of their animal staff employees were there answering questions selling raffle tickets and telling people about the event. The backstage tour was advertised in the newsletter as a season pass holder only event, but they actually just let anyone who walked up and was interested go back and take the tour, which I thought was nice since there weren't a whole lot of people. In groups of 10 or so they took us out the back door around the corner and up the stairs that lead to the backstage area for the shark building. We were shown their quarantine tank where they are holding animals that are being separated at the moment, then we went through the kitchen where they prepare food for the animals, and then they took us into the large room above the tanks. There was a green stripe running on the floor about a foot away from the perimeter of the tanks, and we were told to stay behind the green line and that we could not take any photos. Understandable both. She grabbed some fish food from the fridge and tossed it in the tank for the bony fish (the not-sharks) and quickly most of the fish in the area darted up to the top of the tank to grab some food along with the nurse sharks. We were told they have to be careful when feeding around the nurse sharks because unlike the other sharks who won't eat more than a couple times a week, the nurse sharks eat just about anything whenever possible and would basically just eat themselves into a food coma if they were allowed to. She answered some questions that some people in the group had and told us about one of the female sharks that had what appeared to have some damage to one of it's fins. She explained that several years ago when they used to have male sharks in the tank as well, one of the male sharks was attempting to mate with this female who evidently was not as enthused about the idea and was putting up a fight causing some damage to the fin. The trainer told us that they get a lot of questions about it what with the current attitude of a lot of people, but it's something that happens commonly in the wild as well. Interestingly she said that this fin damage actually allows this shark a little bit better maneuverability on the bottom of the tank, so they actually have to be careful that she doesn't steal food away from other sharks that can't move as fast. She told us that they were holding a raffle and that one of the prizes was to get to come back later and go up onto the catwalks and hand feed a nurse shark. I entered that raffle, but the drawing was at 2:30 and you had to be present to win, and I wasn't planning to stay that long. We got out of the shark tour at about 10:25, so I thought great just enough time to get over and ride Joker a couple of times when it opens. Due to the access to the Shark building being necessary, they were doing rope drop in front of the dolphin discovery area rather than over by white rapids where they usually do it, and there were a lot of people waiting. They dropped the rope on time, but unfortunately despite Joker having been running test cycles since 10am, they didn't start loading riders until about 10:45. Lots of people were having trouble following instructions not to put the lap bars down themselves making for slower dispatches than necessary. I got my first ride in the best spot, the back left seat. I then walked around to get a second ride in and noticed that for some odd reason they had open up the long switchbacks that wrap around the prelift track but had blocked off the second half of the shaded queue in the tent. I would have used the tent switchbacks first since they were in the shade. Unfortunately right before I got to the stairs the ride went down so it ended up being about a 60 minute wait for my second lap, so I then decided that the second would be my last. Unfortunately since V2, Kong, and Hammerhead were all down for the day and Joker, Superman, Medusa, and even Boomerang had unusually long lines it kind of left me with nothing I wanted to do. I don't know what's up with V2, it's been down forever and the disassembled train is just sitting in the station in pieces. Don't know about Kong either...last week it was down and they said they were working on getting it back up later in the day, but it never came up that day or since and there was zero activity over there Sunday. Superman was into the upper queue and Boomerang's queue looked nearly full. Medusa's queue spilled out of the station, but I didn't look to see how much they were using the switchbacks or how many people were being held in the station. Medusa can be deceiving that way. With it being so hot and busy in the park I decided to leave before the raffle drawing since I had to be back in Sacramento by 3:30 for a family thing anyway. I decided to take the new buses out to the parking lot that SFDK has now, just like the ones SFMM got not too long ago, and man that air conditioning was sublime. On the way out I noticed the parking lot was almost full. All but a small chunk of the upper G lot was full. When I drove out, I noticed that the fairground overflow lot was being used and there were already quite a few cars in there. Looks like the word got out about the bring a friend free deal. I think this must have been left here since Saturday, cause nothing was running before 10:30 on Sunday. Waiting for Joker to reopen. Hot day for the penguins, but they didn't seem to mind. Am I really this bored? No, not nearly bored enough to wait that long for Boomerang. Lots of cars in the fairground parking lot. Lots of cars in the fairground parking lot.

Yes and yes. We got to go upstairs to the backstage area (hence no photos) but we werent allowed to go up on the catwalks. There was a green line on the ground around the tanks and we were told not to cross it. The raffle winner, however, would get to go up on the catwalk to feed the shark. They did do a little bit of feeding while we were up there which brought lots of fish and nurse sharks up to the top for us to see up close.

All that matters is that you process it at the same park you purchase it at. Once you've processed it, it's not park-centric at all. The platinum pass is a "Cedar Fair" pass versus the others which are CGA passes. When I bought mine in 2013 at CGA, the photo they took at CGA that shows up to staff when you scan your card was visible to the staff at Cedar Point too. I thought to myself never would something that handy work at SF. My only gripe with the platinum pass is the price for those of us on the west coast. They really need a "west coast pass" that works at just CGA and KBF for maybe $120 or so. I visit both of those parks often but almost never the others and I think a lot of people out here are the same. Its hard to justify the cost of a platinum pass unless you're going cross country. I only bought mine in '13 because at Cedar Point the platinum pass gets you an hour early park entry, or did back then so that was worth the price for me then.

Since Superman is already into the upper queue and Joker is about 40 minutes even with both trains running, I think I'll go check it out right now. Especially since I have to stay here until 2:30 for the raffle drawing. Raffle Drawing? What's it for? Along with the backstage tour of the shark house this morning they had a wildlife fund raiser for marine wildlife and they had various raffle prizes including a more in-depth tour of the shark house with an opportunity to hand feed a nurse shark, a free dolphin experience, a signed giants hat, and a dozen other things. It was $5 for 10 tickets to be spread among whatever prizes you wanted. I entered but you had to be present to win at 2:30 and I just couldnt stay and left early. At least my $ is still going to a good cause. Oh well, park was way too hot and way too busy and half the thrill rides were down (not Joker though at least - still two trains - yay!) so I was way too bored. I'll post a full TR later tonight or tomorrow morning. The shark tour was worth the trip down there today though for sure.

Since Superman is already into the upper queue and Joker is about 40 minutes even with both trains running, I think I'll go check it out right now. Especially since I have to stay here until 2:30 for the raffle drawing.

They'll work immediately. If he's coming from another state, he'll probably want all the credits even if he only rides once. Vortex really isn't that bad if you turn your head into the turns. Are you sure? Because I read on another site discussing last year's sale that they were running a deal that you could go once in 2015 with the purchase of a new 2016 Platinum Pass. This was a site discussing KI but I thought Platinum Passes always worked the same. Yeah, I bought a Platinum Pass for an upcoming year and used it right away. I'm not 100% that the same applies to regular or gold, but I know it does for Platinum because I've done it. This was I think 2013, so unless it's changed since then.

They'll work immediately. If he's coming from another state, he'll probably want all the credits even if he only rides once. Vortex really isn't that bad if you turn your head into the turns.

You're right normally no problem, but Sunday the 3rd will probably be extremely busy. You'll still be able to ride all the coasters in one day, but the lines will be longer. I'd expect at least 45 for Flight Deck and 60 for Gold Striker (Btw aim for row 6 on Gold Striker if you get the chance). Demon is a bit unpredictable, usually its not too bad but can get out of hand on busy days. Grizzly if you want to ride it is best to get right when it opens - it is notorious for some of the most ridiculous dispatch times (and thus slow moving lines) on the planet. A station wait can be over 30 minutes sometimes. You won't NEED fast lane, but it might be unpleasant without it. Fortunately the station is covered. Grizzly doesn't usually open until at least an hour after the park, they will post a sign outside the queue showing what time it will open. I usually hit Gold Striker first, then maybe Demon, and then if I want to ride Grizzly it's right about time for it to open. Shade, or lack thereof, can be an issue at this park, particularly in the stations. Demon is the only coaster that really has a mostly shaded queue and station. Parts are in the sun, but overall it's pretty cool. Most of Gold Striker's queue is in the open except the station and one section in a tunnel. Vortex is partially shaded in the beginning but the station is open. Flight Deck's queue is partially shaded in the middle when you go through the buildings, but the station is literally an oven. The sun just reflects and amplifies off of the plywood walls and bakes everyone standing in there, it's miserable. The ride itself is awesome though. Despite being one of the first B&M inverts ever built, it's also one of the best running. CGA has taken incredibly great care of it. Back row highly recommended. With the potential for long lines and with how hot it has been lately, sunburn is a legitimate concern. Attached some photos of stations/queues when I was there on a hot day:

Awesome! I've been trying to find an excuse to get out to Cali to go to SFMM and now it looks like SFDK is on the map as well. Any park with an RMC is automatically brought up a tier because they have an RMC. Now that Joker is open, SFDK is finally settling into that tier. That's so true, any park I previously wasn't excited to visit immediately gets put on my list when they get an RMC.

Great news - I've heard from a friend at the park right now that Joker is running and loading both trains!

Good news, I'll have to take a spin on Sunday

Well now they need to feel bad for making the park busy when I planned to visit by myself on Sunday.

Oh man, Green Lantern ERT!

It has been running green train only since last week. I heard it is platinum only but I havent tried it. In other news, from the newsletter: I think I might check out the behind the scenes shark exhibit event, that might be interesting.

Dollywood and Kolmarden both referred to a notice from RMC that ordered all coasters down until they installed a replacement part. Many people assumed all coasters meant all coasters, but since a lot remained open, apparently only certain ones were affected, and since it was never confirmed people have speculated on what the part was or what coasters were actually affected. I just don't think any Six Flags park would allow an affected coaster to keep running when a part was recalled. SF can be lazy at times, but they're not likely to be that lazy when it could cause a lawsuit. Also both Dollywood and Kolmarden have said that they found no problems and that they had no reason to believe the rides were unsafe at any time, but they're following the recall for safety anyway. It's kind of like when an automobile manufacturer recalls a part that could cause a problem at a later time but hasn't caused a problem yet. There's no problem yet, but you should still replace the part asap so that the problem doesn't occur.

A cylinder that they use for the restraints has changed since last year's model. It was apparently found that a manufacturing defect occurred on on Lightning Rod's trains, and based on the issues Joker's been having, it might be affecting Joker's trains, too. I don't think that's an accurate analysis. SFDK must know about the recall, and that being true they wouldn't intentionally keep running a train with a part they knew to be recalled when RMC specifically said to shut down all affected rides. If it were the same part, Joker would be closed. The fact that it's still open proves that whatever issue Joker is having, it's not the same that caused the recall.

Sounds like the purple train is non-op then since it hasn't been used all week. If they were just choosing to use one train they'd probably alternate. Agree on that first drop, I think Joker cracks my top 3 list for best first drop. 1. X2, 2. Maverick, 3. Joker.