John Knotts

I understand that things happen, especially on the off season. But it seems to me like having your rides open with the park should be a job requirement, not a "let's see if we can get everything open by noon" type of thing. Someone is not being held accountable for a lackluster perfomance. Either that or the corporate office should be ripped a new one by the public. The 1-train thing is unfortunate for the guests, but I get it,It's January. But if that's the case, your employees should be hauling ass, period. Sigh. Ok, I'm done. It was one day and I hope it was just one of those things.

If they are smart, adding Green Lantern would be the perfect opportunity to spruce up that area, and add a few small rides and other things to do, along with the new coaster. That seems to be a pretty large area marked off, and it's something the park did when Batman opened. Otherwise, what a waste of time for people waiting for family members to ride a coaster that's going to have BIG TIME waits. Under promise and over deliver, an old saying this park really needs on the doors of the front office. I think it's HORRIBLE that smaller kids have to stand around while the big kids circle the park basically running from coaster to coaster. EDIT: I'm sorry, that pre-show video is so bad it's hilarious! Is it the worst thing in the world to just let the GCI speak for itself?

Hahahahaha...the funniest part is the contrast between her picture, and the "staged" one to the left. Come on SFMM, you've come so far. Please someone stop the leak before it blows into a river.

^ Yikes, incredible "deja vu". It's like 2003 all over again. So sorry to hear this Elissa, but I feared this would happen as soon as they pulled Jay Thomas and started with the budget cuts without any regard for how the park's would operate. If this is what we're going to get this year, I'll make one visit (WCB), and then no more, nor will I invest in a season pass. Just two weeks ago I was hopefull that the so-cal parks would have a great year. Now I have very little desire to visit any of them.

I agree that SFMM probably should have a brief off season to get their act together. But it would need to be brief. I shudder at the idea of only having access to the park from Spring break thru September!

Heard a rumor today that SFDK will be adding a new coaster to their lineup in 2012. It's suppose to be located right next to the Taz topspin, taking the place of the simulator building/area.

^ What Pony Express should have been...

^ SFMM must have been thinking the same thing when they called up Intamin for Green Lantern!

Screamscape has posted what appear to be plans for a new launched coaster for Sea World California with a "Manta" theme. Lance also seems to think we're looking at a Mack launcher. However Calicoasters seems certain it's Intamin, so we'll see. If this is true I am ecstatic that this park is finally getting the coaster they have been trying to build for a decade!

I agree that SFMM hs done a "pretty" good job with their coaster collection. To me it's still a "B" grade line up overall, with a few too many coasters that do almost the exact same thing. Where they have really thrived lately, is the smart decisions to re-market X2 and Superman, and remove the dead weight of Psyclone and Flashback. No other park I can think of has done more to right the wrong of past decisions. Sadly, it seems as though this was mainly under the Shapiro/Thomas rein. I'm not so sure this will continue into the future under new management. Guess this year's WCB will tell us a lot, as I know the question will come up.

Keep in mind that this will be a Euro-fighter with a new restraint system. It makes perfect sense to have a holding brake as opposed to flinging guests over the drop.

Unfortunately, I agree as well. We've seen this happen way too many times at other parks. Star wooden coaster starts to age and tear itself apart. The people in charge of setting yearly budgets refuse to allow funds to fix it. Park has to compensate by building something that over-shadows it in terms of public draw and attention. Wooden coaster fades into memory as yet another coaster that USE to be awesome. Fortunately, there are other options now to restore some of these rides. SFMM started a trend that I hope spreads across the industry. The re-marketing of rides that no longer meet their potential. All I can do is hope that Ghostie is considered in the future.

^ yeah I'm sure it's nothing the park wanted to do, after all, Ghostrider has run free for over a decade. But like most major wooden coasters, it's at that point where it will either get the care that it needs, or fade into a pile of crap. I hope Knotts realizes that no matter what the they build, it's Ghostrider that is "face" of the park (at least in terms of coasters). It seems as though as Ghostrider goes, so does Knotts.

^ I agree. Obviously the ride was designed to run from the mid-course to the brake run even from a dead stop, and It shouldn't completely ruin the second half of the ride no more than Goliath does. However, it can't help but effect the flow of the ride, as well as any major airtime on "the drop" if you're not in the very back car. I didn't ride it last visit, but from what I could see, it had no trouble picking up it's usual speed on the second half. But that stop is just way too jarring...

If this is true, then that stupid woman on the city council must have died! LOL Donna Frye? Her term was up on December 6th. If everything stays on course demolition/construction will be begin by spring. 2014 will be the park's 50th anniversary, and they are already hinting that they are planning something special for that year. So wait I'm confused. Is the Intamin Launch for next year, or 2014? Also, the rumor I heard was that it's a Mack launch, not Intamin. Interesting...

I kept counting the days, and it seems it finally happened. I didn't ride Ghostrider, but we noticed it stopping on the mid-course. I was so dumbfounded that I stood and watched it cycle at least 5 times. Someone on one train yelled out "WTF" and I could hear it. The ride does regain some of the speed on the final turn around, but the effectiveness of "the drop" is all but gone. Unless something major is done to the ride soon (GCI help), we may witnessing a "Beast"-like situation in the making, which (having ridden Ghostie on opening day) makes me very sad.

Whoever thought Six Flags would have more of a clue and more foresight than Cedar Fair? -Removing Psyclone and adding a GCI -Turning Texas Giant into (arguably) the most anticipated ride of 2011 -El Toro Nuff said.

Perhaps my favorite blunder was Mark Shapiro's EPIC FAIL attempt to not only sell Magic Mountain, but to also trash it in the local papers (which of course spread all over the net lol). Not only could he not sell the park, he later tried to backtrack and spent the rest of his tenure trying to squelch it. The park still has not fully recovered. Such a bonehead rookie move.

^ Hahaha... most people will now call it Terminator: Apocalypse!

Just weird... I like the new name, but there's just something a little off-putting about these changes and cutbacks.

-Superman backwards -SFOT (the new Texas Giant brings back the feeling of anticipation I haven't felt since SFNE's Superman) -Holiwood Nights/SFSTl trip -West Coast Bash -Trip to San Francisco (with a side trip to SFDK) - 2012 coaster announcements of course!

The park is due for either a coaster or a big new animal area. A mega-lite or Eurofighter would be a good fit due to the limited size and footprint, and the theater spot is prime for something useful. Let's just hope that after all the cost cutting, the company contiunes investing in their "mid level" parks.

^ Yeah considering the "extra" low capacity for Stealth, and the disaster of Hypersonic at KD, neither ride would have helped CGA long term. CGA needs another stellar B&M (Flight Deck) or something that will attract people to the park, and then DELIVER once they get there.

^ I think you might be right actually. There were rumors of a floorless for SFA, but of course it never happened. lol

If I remember correctly it was SFA.