XYZ

I care about Six Flags themed areas. I feel like without the themed areas, the park would be a total mess. It is OK to put a ride that doesn't make sense in a themed area (Apocalypse in Cyclone Bay?). I do feel like theming makes a coaster better as I really enjoyed Apocalypse (SFMM)'s theming. I never was forced to watch the pre-show, probably because it is no longer Terminator and the line is short.

The last two days, I was at SFMM for the first time in almost a decade. When I went there last, I was too short to ride many of the coasters, but now I have ridden every coaster at SFMM other than Magic Flyer & Canyon Blaster. SFMM definitely surprised me and I had no problems with trash the last two days as the park was very clean. The one thing I have to complain about SFMM is waiting. Pretty much all the major rides have 45+ minute waits in late August which I found surprising. Usually, I wouldn't blame the park for the lines, but SFMM never put the coasters in full capacity. Goliath, Riddler, & especially X2 & Tatsu have ridiculous waits for two-train operation when all these coasters can support three-train operation easily. Superman constantly had an hour wait and they were running one side on Saturday & Sunday! I don't think the other side is closed for maitenance, I just think it is closed because of Six Flags cutting corners. Viper had a full station with ONE TRAIN OPERATION with two trains on the transfer track. How cheap is Six Flags? Other than Six Flags cutting corners, the park was really nice. I didn't get the chance to ride Lex Luthor because I am not waiting 45 minutes for a drop tower. I'm not getting a Flash Pass because of how frequent I'm going there, but I recommend buying one if you are going there for one day and you aren't planning to go to SFMM anytime soon. Here are all the coasters and my opinion of them: Apocalypse: A very good woodie and it seems GCI really perfected the out-of-control feeling since it just leaves Roar in the dust. Apocalypse is starting to get rough, but the roughness is extremely tolerable. The fire was working the whole time. Apocalypse had the strongest airtime of any coaster in SFMM on that small second hill, though Colossus has the most airtime. I really enjoy the theming on this coaster. Apocalypse almost always has a 5 minute wait which I found surprising. Batman: I call Batman the hidden gem of SFMM, I don't care the thing is cloned a million times, it is a very good coaster. I prefer Batman over Riddler as it is constantly intense from start to finish. I think Batman blows Flight Deck (CGA) out of the water. Also, Batman has a 5 minute wait which is very well worth it. Colossus: This was the coaster that exceeded what I expected of this. I couldn't believe how amazing this coaster was. Colossus wasn't very rough and is very re-rideable and has the most airtime out of any coaster. Colossus is my favorite woodie in California (I rode Giant Dipper, Grizzly, Roar, Apocalypse, & this). SFMM did a very good job on maintaining this classic and I could feel how this coaster was built to be a world class coaster. Though, the MCBR has to go. The MCBR kills the last part of the ride and is my only complaint about Colossus. Also, SFMM was just running one side with two trains, so I doubt they will be running 6 trains anytime soon. I think Colossus doesn't need any topper track or Iron Horse track, all it needs is just a fresh coat of paint. Colossus has a 15 minute wait. Gold Rusher: I expected a little more from this coaster, but all it did was push me around like a wild mouse coaster. It had some speed and the final helix is definitely the best part, though I almost get bruised on my legs after getting off of this. Goldrusher was always a walk-on. Goliath: This was one of my favorites and it has a pretty good drop that lasts a long time, sure I prefer a steeper drop but I have to live with this. I really like the tunnel at the bottom of the drop and the coaster has good laterals in the front but surprsingly has no laterals in the back. The floater airtime hill is one of my favorite elements as you have a small airtime feeling for a long duration. Though, I enjoy the part before the MCBR rather than the last part of the ride. The helix of doom or whatever you call it wasn't as intense as I thought and I never blacked out on Goliath. Goliath has a 30 minute wait. Green Lantern: This is the most insane ride I ever went on. This blew Knight's Tournament (Level 5) & X2 out of the water in terms of intensity. I don't know how everyone on this thread is whining about balanced rides as most of the rides are unbalanced including mine. My ride on GL wasn't very unbalanced, but a slight unbalance. The first part of the ride had this weird force that seems like a freefall but it just feels like beyond freefall, I really can't explain it well, but those who have ridden GL should know what I am talking about. Though, after the MCBR was insane. In that final dip, I was inverted and all the blood was rushing to my head. On that last hill which you usually invert at the top on, I had insane airtime on it, but it didn't feel like airtime, it more felt like those padded restraints killing you. GL had massive headbanging even though I tried to put my head to the headrest and I will never ride GL again because I think it is just too intense. GL has a 45 minute wait, though I went on it right before closing and it has a 15 minute wait. Ninja: It was a fun ride but I thought the swinging would be like going on a pirate ship, though the swinging was just like turning on the coaster which I found dissapointing. The coaster does almost go to 90 degrees and is smooth, though you hear rattling which is odd for a coaster that is smooth. I always get sprayed by Jet Stream. (Fix those leaks on Jet Stream, Ice Queen!) Ninja is a fun ride that never has a line over 15 minutes and is sometimes a walk-on. Revolution: Just like Colossus, this exceeded my expectations. I really enjoy Revolution just like Colossus. I never get headbanging as I tightly grasp the OTSRs (Vekoma Death Grasp). It has really good speed and is very smooth and has good forces on the loop and I think this is the perfect coaster for kids who want to go upside down the first time. Revolution is one of my favorites and is very re-rideable. Revolution has a 20 minute wait, but by night time, it can be a walk on. Riddler's Revenge: This is the total opposite of Vortex (CGA) as this is tall, long, and smooth. I enjoyed this more than Scream! which is odd since usually the floorless is better than the stand-up. Riddler does have some minor headbanging. On this thread, people complain how it is tough on your legs from the forces, I did feel the forces but it didn't hurt my legs and it wasn't tough on my legs at all. Riddler has a 45 minute wait. Roadrunner Express: Yes, I just went on this for the credit, but it was a fun little coaster with good forces. Vekoma did a very good job with this coaster and feels exactly like a mini version of Dragon (Legoland CA). Roadrunner has a 5 minute wait. Scream!: I knew this wasn't going to be that good, but this was a terrible coaster. The rattle was much worse than expected and barely gets smooth by the end. It's strange how all the element feel different from Medusa (SFDK). I think this is a better layout than Medusa, but it is much worse. I won't be riding Scream! ever again as it isn't worth it. Scream! has a 10 minute wait. Superman: This slightly exceeded my expectations as this was a very nice coaster. I didn't like V2 (SFDK), but this was a really nice launching coaster. I really would've liked to re-ride it, but it constantly had a long line. Superman has a 60 minute wait. Tatsu: I felt a little uncomfortable on this coaster, especially on the brake run, waiting for Magic Mountain's "amazingly fast" crew. Tatsu had more forces than I expected and that pretzel loop was insane. I'll re-ride Tatsu again to form my final opinion of it. Tatsu had a 45 - 60 minute wait. Viper: This was a very uncomfortable coaster. The trains are plain terrible. I felt like the coaster was designed for people 5 feet tall. The coaster itself was a bit rough and is basically what you would expect from an Arrow looper supersized. Viper had a 15 minute wait even though the line was short because of one train operation. X2: This was insane, not as much as GL, though I actually enjoyed X2. The audio wasn't working at all, though the fire was working. The first drop was crazy and I didn't expect to go upside down on the first drop. The ending of X2 had a lot of headbanging, though the intensity of the coaster overshadowed that. X2 had a 60 - 90 minute wait, I was lucky to have a 20 minute wait because I was rushing there when the park opened. So, there is my trip report, sorry if it is a bit long. I have no pictures because I don't bring my camera to Six Flags parks because of the locker policy. I had a fun two days, but the park does have the Six Flags essence.

Actually, I have to agree on this. The chicken is still way better than the average amusement park food.

I think Knott's is a very good park, but my opinion of Mrs. Knott's Chicken is OK. The chicken isn't bad or good, it's just OK. However, the desserts are amazing at the Marketplace.

You're not shaving this.

Kong (SFDK)

I lived in the San Jose area for 5 years & I lived in the Sacramento area for 5 years and I never ever went to Stockton, Tracy, or Modesto. That area just isn't appealing to Northern Californians. It might work on how far away it is from the Bay Area & Sacramento as some San Jose people drive all the way up to SFDK, so they can probably drive to Tracy. Though, Bay Area people just don't want to go to the Central Valley.

You think farts are amazing, I mean Intamin farts.

From the SFMM thread. You think his caps lock is stuck?

Also, this park talks about how much money Disney is getting and salivating over how much money it makes... If you want to build a park like Disneyland with as much success as Disneyland, good luck! The most recent big park I can think of is Hard Rock Park which opened with a $400 million budget. So, I think this park can be a little conservative and open with a $300 million budget and open with one major coaster to draw the crowds (like HRP). But $1.2 billion! You have to be out of your mind! This will be a dream and stay a dream unless he re-thinks his plan or gets easy-to-persuade investors. Oh, and this is not even thinking about how it is located in Tracy, CA.

Supposedly, a $1.2 billion amusement park resort will be planned for the Tracy Area. Here is a quote from two newspapers: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120822/A_NEWS0803/208220329/-1/NEWSMAP http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_21376248/developer-proposes-theme-park-tracy-four-times-bigger Supposedly, this is breaking news as both articles were posted today. Honestly, I think this will be a flop and never be built since there is not much more demand for another amusement park in Northern California as we already have SFDK, CGA, SCBB, and many smaller parks. I think that Tracy isn't the best location, but I can see this park attract the Bay Area and especially Stockton & Sacramento. But, what do you think?

Weekend-only operation is in the off-season. Here's a link to the calendar I stumbled upon this image of I think it is some app, but it looks really nice. You can see all the employee pathways and everything: http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/069/Purple/v4/7a/98/4f/7a984ffc-9309-dbd8-39db-1aa5e46fa79a/mzl.sylnatol.png

Arrow lift hill for the gold! It just feels like a classic when you hear it while riding it. An honorable mention is when the Intamin Impulse coasters start with "ckckckck", it just freaks you out when standing in line.

^That jacket reminds me of something...

I guess I'm one of the few with a coaster photo...

Perhaps Gotham & part of Goodtimes Square will be combined into being DC Universe. The Flashback & Chute Out locations perhaps can be for a Green Lantern-themed coaster (maybe a ZacSpin?).

Vortex (CGA)

The best way to train your dog.

I find the Skyscreamers to be fun, but Chance Revolutions are still my favorite flat. They seem to pack a lot of airtime in if you find the right seat on a Revolution with the right program.

No. There is almost a 0% chance of an Intamin Impulse replacing Monty. The last one built (not relocated) was Steel Venom way back in 2003. That type of ride is old technology. Perhaps we might see a LSM Impulse in the future at some park in the world, but I doubt it. EDIT: I mistakenly thought Wicked Twister was the last built Intamin Impulse, my bad.

Honestly, I don't see Montezooma going anywhere anytime soon. The coaster is a classic and it takes up almost no space. I hope I'm correct... Though, I do hope Boomerang is going soon.

With all these complaints about the next coaster might not be unique, Knott's has been known to install very unique coasters, a lot known to being the first or one of the first of their kind. Here's a look at all of Knott's coasters and what is unique about them: Boomerang: Well, not very unique. GhostRider: A very unique layout. Jaguar!: One of the longest, if not the longest Zierer Tivoli built. Montezooma's Revenge: One of the first shuttle loops and the first to use a flywheel launch. Supposedly, it's the tallest Shuttle Loop at 148' as most of them are at 137'. Pony Express: One of the first Zamperla MotoCoasters (the 1st Motocoaster at Darien Lake just opened a few weeks earlier) Sierra Sidewinder: First Mack uncontrolled spinning coaster. Silver Bullet: No where near being the 1st B&M invert, however it has a very unique layout especially the overbank. Timberline Twister: The last Bradley & Kaye coaster built, one of the two Bradley & Kaye coasters to still be operating (other one at SFMM). Xcelerator: First Hydraulic launched coaster. ---- Corkscrew: First modern day inverting coaster. Wacky Soap Box Racers: One of the few steeplechase-like coasters. Windjammer: A failed attempt at a Looping Wild Mouse that is found in Asia. Thus, most of the coasters have some type of first and have a unique layout. Wacky Soap Box Racers & Corkscrew both were built by Arrow, but all the present coasters are built by different manufacturers, I think it's more a coincidence.