runnerodb83

Sometime 2 years ago the power went out in the area around SFMM and while basic lighting and operation power were restored, phase 2 and 3 power (for small and large rides presumably) remained out. As the people moved to the exit, employees handed out freebie tickets without being asked.

^ they needed to get rid of it so they could add a block and run 3 trains per side...which we all know they do frequently eesh

yup, you did, thanks very much.

I've heard the new coupon books have 4 freebie tickets...can you use them all on the same day? Are there also "friend days" $20 admission coupons as well?

Theres another thread in this forum about that exact topic. I suggest you search for it to find out more. But basically it boils down to budget and operations. Here's a question for everyone...do you prefer SFMM with 16 operating coasters, or MM of the past, with Revy, Collosus, Goldrusher, maybe Ninja and alot of the old classic parts. I mean we are talking before the loop was complete up through rapids camp crossing. I'd be interested to see what people think.

Its arrow...but it might be smoother because... they removed 1 car from each train OR its indoor OR as far as Arrows go, its a relatively new one (1993) Source http://www.rcdb.com/id104.htm

Speed is the smoothest in town, and is alot of fun. Desparado out at Buffalo Bills is fun...you just have to approach it thinking its a 200 foot tall woodie instead of an arrow hyper...it hasnt aged well

I think Scream is a good ride...if it was at a smaller park it would definetly be a big draw...themeing would help too, but its hard to stand out at MM. Medusa at Marine World is a great ride that really hauls through the elements. Great airtime and the first drop is amazing. The seaserpent looks cool, but is a bit awkward when you go through it.

They looked to be quite crowded, and folks in my group wanted to go on rides rather than mazes so we didnt go in any.

A few friends and I went to SFMM for the opening day of frightfest to see what it's all about considering none of us have been during fright fest. After arriving around 11:30, the parking lot was full beyond the "park" area in the middle and it looked like it would be a busy day, much to our dismay. The free coupon that SFMM emailed season pass holders was kind of a joke, it tells you that it is accepted at a turnstile with proof of a valid season pass, what it actually means is you must go wait in the Will Call line to get a real ticket, that was kind of a pain. Eventually we got in, and made the hike up to tatsu...last time i was at SFMM, it was memorial day weekend, shortly after tatsu's grand opening, and the line went down the path toward deja vu as far as the last Jet Stream crossing; today was no different. Also, dispatch times were NOT efficient. So we went on toward Deja Vu, line into the old Shockwave queue, pass! We took a look at Psyclone, well Psyclones trains are on colossus running backward, so no psyclone. We finally squeezed in a ride on Jet Stream after a 15 min wait and then 2 rides on goldrusher, one was a walkon, the other was 1 train wait. That ride really is pretty good with a full train. Next was a 80 minute wait for RR with 2 train operation followed by a 30 minute wait for BTR with 2 train operation. Next was lunch, and it was crowded at the eatery over near goldrusher! We remembered not seeing ninja, so we didnt hike up the hill. Also, STE was running the left side, and making it about 3/4ths the way up; later in the day it was going a bit higher. We headed toward scream, broken down, so we turned around and hit colossus backwards; the rumors are true, as far as intensity, id say it trumps X, definetly worth it. there was 2 train operation on the backward side, and 1 train on the regular side. We then waited about 35 mins in line for 2 train operation scream, it felt as if they reduced the trims a bit and it moves pretty good. We left the colossus county fair with Goliath in our sights...well the line went outside the entrance...so we passed and headed back around the front of the park to give Tatsu a look. This time the line was at the entrance. It was about 5pm and the sun was going down. After making it almost nearly through the switchbacks, the closed the East Station and began to stagger the admission to riders at the beginning of the stairway. However, I do have to commend SFMM for bringing themed characters for frightfest around the line and scaring people, definetly kept the mind of the 10 min wait in between staggers. Finally after 90 minutes we reached the station. 2 train operation was pretty good and the ride in the dark was excellent. They also have put shelving in the station for loose items not put in a locker like shoes and waterbottles, good thinking SFMM, i only wonder how long it took for those to show up, nonetheless it is appreciated, and they are even painted to match the station! after tatsu we walked back down through the ghoul alley area under revolution which was well themed and with about 10 costumed folks running around and jumping out at people. Up till this point, all the rides had been running with lights off, yet as we walked up the stairs to Viper, we noticed viper had its lifthill and other external lights on and tatsu had a light on the pretzel roll. Viper was good as usual (yes im a viper fan) and was running two trains with 1 train waits. We then trudged back to the other side of the park to try goliath and we encountered a similar long wait time. About 90 minutes with 2 train op. It was a great ride in the dark. Finally, we had time for 2 rides on Revy (with 2 train op) which is pretty intense in the dark, for my money, the rides with the 2 most intense inversions are Revy and Tatsu. Finally, as we left the park, I noticed colossus had its external lights on but varying between white and red, nice touch SFMM. Maybe thats always like that and I just never noticed. Aside from some long waits, the park is doing alright. Lines for the mazes were quite long, so it's recommended that you get in line early, they start roping up the queues around 4pm, and thats when people start lining up. As we left we noticed there were cars at the furthest end of the parking lot, but nothing in overflow. The park actually got less crowded in the afternoon, but then filled up by the end of the night. Anyone have any questions?

The OE queue has changed a little and looked as if it would be ready to operate sometime in the very near future...as of oct 7th. Also, see my SFMM trip report for a few more update related topics.

can anyone recall how bad are the lines for rides during the first week of frightfest...on a saturday are we talking like beginning of summer bad?

like with any rollercoaster design, im pretty sure safety was the top priority. i dont think vekoma would design something like the tilt coaster without ensuring a very large margin of safety, moreso than conventional rollercoasters. as for the people who have accused vekoma of not being creative enough to come up with a dive machine, i have to say, this is leaps and bounds beyond the dive machine concept. its visually daunting to the rider as well as the bystander and would probably make any of us or someone of the GP say "holy cr*p" if you saw it in person. there would at least be more appreciation than that of a dive machine...for me anyways.

I'm glad I searched for the BAT. Truly, the Bat was the first ride where riders sat beneath the track. Up until then, no one had pulled it off. I just wish a ride as wild as the Bat supposedly was could be built.

^yes that too...its unfortunate that both arrow and vekoma, which probably created two of the most revolutionary prototypes in the history of rollercoasters (stealth and x), have suffered financially. However, vekoma is making a turn around and s&s will hopefully begin to produce improved arrow rollercoaster products.

^money troubles i think were due to SixFlags suing them for the "Deja Vu" rides' unreliability

yeah really, I know some people in the SCV want the park to stay...apparently its not most of the workers. I feel bad for guys like Jahan who do a good job and take pride in their work (and also the white-haired older gent that works at scream alot, he's hilarious); it just seems like they are the minority. It would be nice if the park was purchased by a firm who closed it for a year, fixed it up (because it really can be spruced up into an amazing park) and hire and train quality employees, and then reopen it. I do really like they way DejaVu is ran sometimes with a ride-seater attendant like disney does. It's just sad to be truthful, I'm not sure even a disney takeover could fix it up. I truly can see shapiros views, its like a car that got in an accident, is it worth it to try and repair it, or just total it and get the money from the insurance company

Those "zipper" rides are more than scary, its like taking a 2 minute trip to hell, and I hope I never see one again.

whoever asked about the Giant Boomer....they are quite smooth, well as far as I can remember. Regular boomers are pretty intense if you sit at the very front or back, but Giant Boomers are fast, wild and a lot of fun. IMO, Deja Vu at SFMM is the 2nd most intense ride behind X.

wow, you sure showed me, i especially like the part where you rub in my lack of knowledge...or your superior knowledge of theme park rumors, i respect that man, you sure put me in my place...im glad i typically avoid people like you

The funny thing about the parking lot lines is that a few years back an employee's head was decapitated by a train during a morning testing run (how the person didnt hear the train i dont know)...actually theres nothing funny about that, its really quite sad and i apologize to everyone. however, MM just put some white bleach down on the pavement to clean up the 'stains'. those who have been will always recognize the big white patch below the helix. quite embarassing really.

haha, well you see, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, the previous owners of six flags decided that having as many rollercoasters as possible was much better than the overall park experience for patrons. in fact, they loved the patrons so much, they decided to place these rides in places that required no earth prep work so as to save the patrons some money....hahah, actually to be honest, this whole talk about parking lot coasters aka car park posters is an on-going joke around here. magic mountain, in all its glory, was so lazy i guess, they didnt even theme their 16th rollercoaster, they just threw it down in the parking lot so they could say they had the record for the most in the world. regardless of the reasoning, its quite ugly, and embarassing for those of us who really love magic mountain. this is NOT normal for american parks, and it is unlikely to happen at a six flags park again since new management has taken over. its too bad too, Scream is a good ride.

I CANNOT ride a "Zipper" style ride...these are death...so it says in the article also... I don't know how common they are, but I rode my first and last at The Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, WA. Link to article with rendering... http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml77/77098.html

While Psyclone isnt THAT bad, and I've never ridden flashback, I do agree that Viper is awesome. Its my favorite ride in the park, no matter how bumpy it gets, its the only ride that is truly intimidating to me. I just wish it wasnt as trimmed through the corks. As much as I'd like to see it, I dont see flashback opening anytime soon. However, maybe under new management and after Tatsu is all said and done, the money they usually get for a new ride will go to rehab. Is DLR getting brand new monorail trains? Maybe SFMM will snatch one or two of the old ones up on Ebay Rollercoasters ....thats a joke, the guage is wrong and the train would get stuck in the tunnels and stations.

^yup, so be wary of when you go...the other vegas rides are open every day most of the day i believe.