Mr Stratosphere

The legendary Matterhorn!

This is a real shame. I am not a Star Trek fan but the experience is a must do. Even though Klingon Encounter is a bit dated it is still done really well. I highly recommend doing this if you have a chance to head out to Vegas. It just seems than anything that is family oriented in Vegas is vanishing right in front of our very eyes. They do have discount tickets along the strip at these ticket booths called Tix4Tonight. I believe it is half off for both experiences. And if you have the chance you should do the behind the scenes tour of the experience, it is a must see!! John

One thing I learned from Hershey is to check the weather before going! I was in line for Fahrenheit a few weeks ago and a freak storm came out of no where!!! We were next to get on the ride and glad we didn't get on because we would have been soaked from the down pour. The storm closed the park down an hour early and we had to come back the next day. John

Great trip report! I didn't realize that the bridge on the backlot tour wasn't being used. I loved that part of the tour! As with ponchos on JP we did buy them once, only to have them fly up during the drop and they became virtually useless lol! John

That was a great trip report! Thanks for posting. When I was there unfortunately we didn't have enough time to stop by we had to get to Seattle. I will make it there one day! John

When we drove by Silverwood last week that is was the ride looked like. John

Was it windy at all? Those effects are controlled automatically and if it is too windy they won't fire for safety. John

Yes I've seen Ka and I've seen it many times because I work at the MGM Grand. In my opinion I think it is in the best Cirque show on the strip. Sorry I've been out of touch, been out of town for a few weeks. When booking shows try and stay away from vegas.com and broker websites like that. They have a lot of hidden surcharges. If it is a slow week keep an eye out on the strip for Tix4Tonight discount ticket booths. You will get some shows at a discount, but beware it has its catches, like where you get to sit in certain shows. Also if you want the best seats and best price for shows in Vegas, always go to the source. The ticket counters at the property where your show is at and ask for discounts like AARP, AAA, Military etc. John

Millennium Force @ Cedar Point

X2 on Saturday!

Oh nice lol, I was securing my things in my cargo pocket lol! Was so excited to get up to the ride I forgot to put some of my things away! But the next day I used the lockers so I didn't have to worry about losing anything. You would be surprised how handy those lockers can be! How mad would you be if you lost your phone or wallet while on the ride? John

Here's a couple more photos I'd like to share. This was my ride on X2 back row outside Seat on Train 1. It didn't run bad at all sitting here, and I love being yanked down the first drop!! I also really like the decals on the seats! My wristbands, I didn't know that when you buy a souvenir cup that they give you a wristband for free refills that day! I think that is a great deal!! I collect all of my souvenir cups and I didn't mind buying another one this season, like I said it's a great deal! John

I found these pictures of the dispenser at Knoebels. I really liked this great touch, I still have yet to catch the brass ring though! But that give me an excuse to ride again lol! John

^ I agree with that, X2 isn't just "A Ride" anymore. I can just imagine a first time rider on X2 that has never been on the ride before, think of everything that is going through their mind from watching the monitors in line, to hearing the ride climb the lift hill. And once they are on the ride hearing the audio and all the sayings going up the lift hill. And just imagine the surprise on first time riders who aren't paying attention and have no idea that there is fire on the ride. It is just incredible! I feel honored just to be a part of the rides re-opening! John

^ That is great to hear Robb!! It is still great to hear everything getting better and better at the Mountain! I cannot wait to get back there. John

^ lol, I wonder.. I'm interested, did anyone go to the park yesterday? I wonder how the crowds were yesterday. John

^ Ewww was the water really gross too?? Did you get wet at all on the ride??

My best are Log Jammer at SFMM, Splash Mountain at DLR and WDW. I also really liked Over the Edge at the defunct MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park. My worst is the Adventure Canyon Log Flume at Buffalo Bill's Primm, Nevada. I do like shooting at the targets though. It has a small drop and then meanders through the casino. John

I also noticed that they had photographers taking pictures of people that were in line for X2. The guests could then check out their pictures at Photo Booth on their way out of the park. I think this is a great idea as well!! John

Desperado can be fun, but the last time I rode it was last year and it was really rough and I wasn't even in a wheel seat. John

^ Thanks man! It was great meeting you too! I can't wait to get back out there, probably planning a trip out there again in mid July. Again this trip will be something that will never be forgotten!

^Much agreed! Even from my visits from last year to this trip, I have noticed a huge difference! The employees even had smiles on their faces and they were easy to find in the park. John

I decided to put my camera in a locker while we went to eat dinner and catch a few rides before getting everything out of the car before the camp out. Once we settled in at the camp out Neal Thurman and Jay Thomas announced they had a surprise for us and we would get 90 minutes ERT on X2!! How awesome is this!? A peek inside the station of X2 The patented "X2" hand sign I loved the banners in the station! X2 is Robb Approved! I have a strange feeling that this won't look like this tomorrow morning after the park opens! One of the X2 Signs in the Station Do I still have my eyebrows!?!? Neal Thurman and myself. Thanks so much for your hospitality! Off to Cyber Cafe to post about our experiences on X2!! Group Photo!! Jay Thomas and myself. Thanks for the great surprise tonight!! After some posting, coffee and donuts, it was time to head back to Camp and try and get some sleep. I opted to throw my sleeping bag on top of a picnic table, once i got comfortable I fell right asleep. I awoke the next morning to it raining! I loved it, it doesn't rain much in Vegas so its cool to wake up to the rain. Welcome to Camp!! Some planed ahead more than we did, we just has sleeping bags while others had tents! What a great backdrop to wake up to!! How cool is it to be in the park behind closed gates!? Off to the Mooseburger Lodge for Breakfast! The park had a great spread set up for all of us! Breakfast was great!! After breakfast we packed up all of our gear at the camp site and went to get ready for some ERT! When is the last time you saw this!? On our way to X2 we saw the people waiting for the park's gates to open. On our way to X2 The old X sign. Viper's paint job looks great! (Random Viper Shot) Testing 1..2..3 Just by looking at the employee on the stairs, you can see how massive X2 is! Ohhhh the Lift Motor! FIRE! The old 1st gen X train still sits on the transfer track. And the new X train sits right next to the old one. Another group of happy riders are returning to the station after an amazing ride on X2 Shortly after the park's opening the queue for X2 completely filled up! The monitors in the queue are very entertaining and it was great hearing people's reactions to what was being shown on the screens. Random skyline shot. The queue never ends! See!? The new X2 Sign! By this time the line was almost back to the entrance to Revolution! After some souvenir shopping we went back to the car to drop everything off. Everything was open! What to choose?? The great new Cyber Cafe! It is worth every penny! Yay! The Sky Tower was open and I finally get to check out the Magic Moments Museum!! Random Tatsu Shot! I loved this picture for some reason. The view from up here is great! Wow what a view! I finally had the chance to ride it on its last year of operation! The old Control Panel from Psyclone I really love the idea for the museum inside the Sky Tower. Every time I passed the 3 Point Challenge there was always a line, this is sure a hit! Goliath was running 3 trains Saturday!! They were doing an amazing job checking and dispatching trains! The Camp Site! Before we left the park I decided to get a shot of X2 in action! Then my camera battery died lol. First of all I would like to thank Six Flags Magic Mountain Management and all of the employees who stayed late and opened early for us! The food was great and all of the surprises totally caught me off guard. Six Flags Magic Mountain may be a couple hundred miles from Las Vegas but I consider SFMM my home park! I have a season pass and I intend on coming to the park many, many times this year! X2 is an amazing upgrade to and already amazing ride! You gotta get out there and ride it! You don't know what you are missing out on! For everyone that I met out at the event it was a pleasure meeting all of you! This has been one of the best visits I have ever had to SFMM and one that will never be forgotten! Again the biggest Thank You to everyone!! John P.S. sorry we missed out on the new Batman Stunt Show. Had quite a bit of a drive back home to Las Vegas! But we will be sure to check it out later this year!

Hey everyone! I just finally got settled in back at home after an amazing weekend at Six Flags Magic Mountain! Anyways, onto the trip report. Ever since SFMM had announced X2 I had already planned to head out to the park once it reopened. But when the X2 camp out was announced there was no question that I wanted to attend. My friend Joe and I left Las Vegas on Friday the 23rd of May at 6:30AM. I kept checking the weather reports in Valencia and everything was saying a 20% chance of showers. I really didn't think much of it at first. But in the long run I'm really glad I decided to pack long pants!! Now onto the photos!! I received my X2 camp out ticket two days after I ordered it. I was really impressed by this! So nice to be on the road again! Desperado, talk about a ride that needs a makeover. Hey, I have an Idea! How about Desperado 2 or D2 and then theme it to the Mighty Ducks! Unfortunately, Desperado hasn't been aging too well. I wonder how many people have also taken a picture of this sign? I don't know if many of you remember this random water park in the middle of no where, which was Lake Dolores, Rock-A-Hoola, and The Discovery Water Park. This park was located just north of Barstow on I-15 and clearly visible. As you can see the slides are no more. All that is left is this Coca-Cola Tank. A whole lotta nothing going on here.. Now it's time to get excited! Notice the rain drops on the windshield? I wouldn't let it ruin my day! Where are we again?? Ah! Thanks for the quick response! Man that sign looks great!! What is that I see in the distance? A little closer!! Ah we have arrived!! And man does X2 look great or what!? I plan on making it a great day! We noticed that Tatsu had a bit of a wait and opted to head to the back of the park, since crowds tend to take some time getting back there. Our first ride of the day was Riddler's Revenge, but for some reason I didn't take any pictures over there. The ride was a two train wait for the front row, so I was like why not!? Riddler's still gives an amazing ride! Is that a new Batman Train I see?? Batman was a walk on, it was great hearing the automated spiels and music in the station again! We were able to stay on the train for 4 rides before anyone lined up in our row. They were running 2 trains. I think everyone has this picture, oh well! Next up was Colossus. Hey I see the old Psyclone Trains! They were running only one train on Friday but the wait still wasn't bad at all. The ride was running pretty well. Scream was a walk on as well, a one train wait and we opted for the back of the train. I was really impressed with the Scream! crew. They were dispatching the train in the station right after the train out on the course was in the cobra roll or right before the MCBR. Man I was amazed with this crew! Viper was next and was also a walk on, a one train wait for the front row. This was my first ride on Viper since it was painted and had some work done to it. All I can say is WOW it was the best ride I have ever had on Viper! My friend and I decided to ride a few times in different places on the train, and I was just amazed on how smooth the ride was running! Ninja doing its thing! Next up was Déjà Vu. It had about a 30 minute wait. The crew was doing an amazing job dispatching the ride. While waiting in line it was nice to see Security keeping an eye out for line jumpers. I for one really love Déjà Vu, I have yet to have a bad ride on it. Some vertical loop goodness! Up next was Gold Rusher, this classic is a ride that is a great family ride. Don't the falls look great? A bit tired but it's all worth it!! I can't believe Tatsu is already 2 years old! Part 2 and the Camp Out will be posted soon! I hope you are enjoying the TR so far!

Hey everyone we just left the park and are now on our way back to Vegas. All I can say is wow! This has been one of the best trips I have ever had to the mountain. Everything from the parks operations to the amazing hospitality provided by the park! This trip and camp out will be something I am sure to never forget. Again I would like to extend the biggest bit of gratitude to the parks management and employees! This was such an amazing event! Everyone you must get to the mountain and get on X2! It is not to be missed! I will post my photos and trip report when I get back to Vegas. To those who went it was a pleasure meeting you all and I hope we can all meet again soon! John