Ridewatchers

The midway was also the most "dead" during Haunt when I last attended. I kept hearing the operators saying "yo, any zombies wanna scare my line!?" There was just nothing, and during hot days (like the dog days we're having now), the area seems like a ghost town. Maybe they can draw a little more traffic with some of these refurbs/additions.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin at DLR as a kid on opening day. 4 1/2 hours. Left because ride was in a breakdown state most of the time.

Yes, it's good to have a flexible mindset with things like this. As far as line-jumping is concerned, some people are of the position that extreme line-jumping is acceptable. Here's my position: since I'm usually first in line anyway, who cares? Your position may differ. What's that? You're 207th in line because you didn't plan your trip well? Didn't you make sure to get to the gates 1 hour before opening? Why did you go on ride A then ride B when ride B then A would have cut off a 2-hour wait? With coasting events, I've only been to ones offered by the park. When Twisted Colossus opened at SFMM, gold passholders got ERT for two days. This event was sponsored by the park and was worth it. They kept all the filthy day ticket and regular passholders out and made sure to admit only the very best. Lines were cut to a bare minimum and things moved fast likely since we were joined by senior management and the park wanted to make a good impression. But really, everything was not perfect. The trains sometimes got stuck in the sharp turn out of the station and the maintenance "solution" was to take a garden hose and water the tracks. The train screeched sadly out of the loading zone and whined to the lift hill. Now to me, that's at the very most entertaining, and yes--I am going to make mention of it because it was really stupid. Look, scream! is one ride over, not at the loading area. TC is debuting today, not Scream! But you would think they are re-grandopening Scream! because of the mad squeals and, right, screams coming from the track out of turn one. To me, that's lousy. They had plenty of time to test and the first impression with VIP guests was a sorry whine and multiple breakdown segments. When the garden hose came out, I thought it worth writing about. Having an opinion that differs from a false-grin shouldn't warrant the ban-hammer or the garden hose.

Trip report for Friday, 10/2 The park was a relative ghost town today at opening, with regulars in the gold pass line and no more than 500 at the main gate besides. Ridewatchers first went to Full Throttle. CLOSED. Then it was time for Goliath. CLOSED. Lex Luthor? Looked closed, but nevermind. TC had almost no line, and Ridewatchers was fortunate enough to get 8 or so rides in over the course of the day, although none of them had "double dueling." It was a bit funny to see a security guard at the TC gate looking for line jumpers On one ride, there were only TWO people in line besides myself, and they were waiting for the front row...that's how empty it was! Goliath opened later, but it was a one-train operation, and it took about 15 minutes to get on well in the station. For some reason, the drop doesn't seem so exciting anymore, and it's as if there's more friction on the downhill, but it was fun. Buccanner (called "Buck" by the staff) was empty, and one of the ride ops had to ride with me because of SF's "buddy system." FT finally opened, and the deceptively short line past the switchbacks under the canopy was 20 minutes. Superman was running on the left side, which is rare, and probably for good reason: there was a high-pitched screeching sound on the way up and out of the curve and into the vertical, and it was clear maintenance was needed. But we had a great time, and everyone in our car was cheering loudly, like they actually had fun! Gold rusher: CLOSED. Maintenance people were on the beginning section of track for an unknown reason. Jet Stream: CLOSED. Tidal Wave: CLOSED. Carnival games: CLOSED. Yes, many things were closed, and that's really not fair during a normal operating day--especially during Fright Fest. When it started to get busy at about 3:30, it was time to go, but despite the numerous closures, it was a good trip thanks for plenty of ERT on Colossus and Superman.

They'd never remove Viper since it has a record-setting (and record-holding) 7 inversions for US steel coasters. Ninja needs to go for environmental degradation though.

When you get to the park is a BIG factor. Also, this routing plan has a lot of backtracking: you're going all the way to one end of the park to ride Goliath only to come all that way back to a longer line. IF you plan well, you'll get to the park (meaning you're at the park kiosk) no later than 9:50 or so and be in front when they open the gates. Yolo, X2, Tatsu, Superman, then Goliath would be cheaper IMO. This is a very linear touring plan. Don't forget that walking takes time. But if you come late, this plan isn't good anymore.

Was Log Jammer --> Yolo mentioned yet?

Poor enforcement of line-jumping rules and conduct can make for a particular bad visit and make people feel like the park sucks even though their collection is quite good. Things like line-jumping and proximate matters like holding space for 20 of your friends can get out of hand on really busy days, and you're caught between lackadaisical security and obnoxious (and sometimes dangerous) nose-dripping teenagers while 500 deep in some standby.

Free sports bottles included with every 2016 season dining pass

Got commemorative Revolution button at about 1 PM today! They actually ran out at about 12:30 (after the park president was interviewed by a news crew), and I asked the president if she had any more. She said she'd have to get some, and after about 30 minutes (in the stand-by line...I NEVER do this!), two ride ops with three tough-looking security guards came with two boxes and started handing them out again. Make sure you get yours!

No sports bottle for existing 2015 dining pass holders, correct?

Acura is Honda's luxury line.

TC SR line anecdote. On Sunday, 7/19, I went to TC in the afternoon and saw that the stand-by line was about 75 minutes long: the line went all the way back to the sandwich place. Instead of standing by, I went to the SR line. There was a heavyset security guy there and I had to actually ask to get to the SR line. He seemed reluctant but said "yes." I was 8th in line and waited no more than 15 minutes to board the train. Cutting off 60 minutes of waiting was definitely worth it, so I tried to get back in the SR line after riding. I went by the same guy, but he stopped me and said, "can I help you?" I said I wanted to ride alone, but he said the SR line was "full" I've never gone to an amusement park and been told that the line was full before...what gives!?

Concur regarding FP on summer Saturday at one of Six Flags' better parks. There is a maxim in the travel industry: "Make people in a hurry pay." If you have flexibility, try to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday. If unable, avoid weekends. If unable, avoid Saturday. If unable, get a flash pass. This issue has been discussed again and again over in the SFMM thread, but the rule is the same: don't rot in line and bake. If you're curious, click the link in my siggy for advice we give to the SFMM community, where temperatures are 10-20 degrees hotter and the heat is much drier.

Measure heights in meters, not in feet.

Ridewatchers Trip Report for Thursday, July 9th, 2015 When Mr. Six came down from the thunderheads covering Magic Mountain, he carried a pair of tablets. On one was written: 1. Thou shalt get to the Park early. 2. Thou shalt go to the park on a non-holiday weekday, preferably Tuesday or Wednesday. 3. Thou shalt use thy gold-pass privileges to get in 10 minutes earlier than the general public. 4. Thou shalt use single rider lines. Here is the letter of Ridewatchers to the general public--one book from the bible of Ride More, Wait Less. I woke up late today...after 9:00 A.M., a sin for anyone who wants to get to the Park early from this area. "But Ridewatchers, you have a whole hour and a half before the park opens...that's more than enough time!" Right? Right, but barely. I arrived at the toll booth at 10:05 A.M. "But Ridewatchers, Gold Pass entry doesn't open for another 15 minutes...that's more than enough time!" Right? Right, but barely. I pack pretty minimally for my trips, but as a member of the general public (GP), you will probably bring more. Getting out of cars, packing bags, carrying coolers that they won't let in, making sure you have your phone, walking to the front (or waiting for the bus), passing through security, and passing through the turnstiles at the red gates can take 30-45 minutes. (Because I've done this so many times, it takes me only 15. Don't use this as a baseline.) Thou shalt get to the Park early. After having my pass redundantly scanned, I got in the park at 10:21 A.M. and started my stopwatch. Stay tuned. My first stop on a touring plan established ahead of time was Full Throttle (or sometimes YOLOCoaster). This is the white one with the big top-hat loop opposite the Full Throttle Sports Bar. The scorpion's tail and final descent off the loop never disappoint, especially from the back row, where much of the action is. Stop two was X2. I kept at a steady jog until stopped ("WALK please!") and heard the "frontier music" indicating that the general crowd was being let in. I started up the hill and over the bridge with about 1 minute of lead time over the GP. The path up the Flash Pass route was quicker than walking through the several switchbacks in the stand-by line, and, at this time of day (10:30 A.M.), legal. They had just finished testing when I got up to a group of about 20 passholders already in queue. The ride was smooth but jerky toward the end (as I always find): maintenance must have made rounds. Audio needed work: the speaker on my side was popping while playing that jazzy jazz during the ascent up the lift hill. Total wait: 2 minutes. At 10:44 A.M., it was time for Viper. Yes, the almighty Viper. Viper is a classic rattler from the 1990s, and some defensive riding is needed. Viper seems to have lost some of its venom over the years judging by crowd levels only. What was once the most popular attraction was a walk-on today. Seven inversions, and a jolting "snake's tail" at the end. Wait time: 0 minutes. The next ride was Revolution. Revolution is the first coaster with an inversion in the entire United States. A 10-year-old girl had recently passed away on the ride, and it seems the park made some modifications. I noticed that the ride had less friction and had been slowed down. This seems like a wise decision. Tatsu (Tat-Ta-Tat-Tat-Ta-Tat-Tat-Tatsuuuuuuu) is a flying coaster: you're sealed in a turtle shell and then sent down in spirals and through its record-holding pretzel loop about 2/3rds of the way through. I boarded Tatsu at 10:58 A.M. and came back at about 11:04 A.M. Tatsu's one of SFMM's "Big Six" attractions, but is not in my top three because it's a slow loader and because you are forced to dangle and look down at streaks of gum and spit on the safety platform for about 3 minutes while waiting for the train ahead to be loaded. Wait time: 1 minute. Superman. Superman deserves special mention today because of a rare event. When going into the ice palace, I found, for the first time, the right side closed off. We were going to head left and ride on the left. This was my first-ever ride on the left side. I asked questions of the ride operators, and was told that both sides would be open later in the day when the lines started up. They said that the left side had first opened in 2011, but this is the first I've seen of it. The ride out of the station started out okay, but I noticed an unusual amount of friction on the segments before the quarter-turn to rise vertically. On the way back, I smelled something burning and noticed the same level of friction. Two mechanics happened to be sitting in an open doorway to our right; I looked at them and held my nose and fanned my hand to suggest a problem. It probably wasn't me, but there was a change later in the day. Ninja is a steel coaster that always seems to be in crutches. It tires up the lift, rattles down and goes through a tortuous course with views of Riddler and Batman and Jet Stream, and, until a few months ago, a nice forested area. Today was a one-train day for Ninja--something we in the business call a one-train wonder. Besides that, the forest was cut down and we were left stumped on when nature would restore things. Single trains double queue times, and today that meant Ninja earned 4th place in the Longest Queue Times competition, with a total wait of 6 minutes. Roaring Rapids is a water ride: you will get wet. Mr. Six includes a footnote for this ride: it's the third-and-one-half commandment: 3 1/2: Thou shalt protect thy iPhone from water. Our raft was half-full and it looked like each of us was in the same boat athletically. There was not much action, except at the end when two people who had initially forgotten about their phone were soaked on the last rapid. Light rafts make for light action. Heavy rafts make for heavy action. Ridewatchers hopes you get a good raft and obey all commandments while experiencing Roaring Rapids. "But Ridewatchers, my iPhone was made obsolete due to excessive soaking!" Thou shalt protect thy iPhone from water. Roaring Rapids was a walk-on with a zero-minute wait. Wooden coasters are real favorites, and that is the case for me. Apocalypse is MM's version of GhostRider, a woodie at Knott's Berry Farm (KBF). GhostRider has caught opprobrium for violent rattling, but you'll experience better here. You'll also experience shorter queues if there are two trains running, as was the case today. To make Apocalypse action-oriented instead of a YAWNCoaster, consider the back two rows. I boarded the back row at 11:39 A.M. and saw plenty of good dynamics. Total wait today: 0 minutes. After all that coasting, it was time for a rest. Jet Stream is a 4-minute ride where you can literally put your feet up. It's SFMM's last stand in the log flume department (after YOLO replaced the mountain's only flume), but you won't be riding in logs. I am sorry. Despite all that, you will see two drops--one is a dark drop, the other is a low-g finale that will get you wet. See if you can soak the gawkers toward the bottom. It was finally time for one of my top 3, Gold Rusher. This is the oldest coaster in the park, and a lack of technology actually makes it feel faster than a lot of the fancy steelies. Gold Rusher runs through the center of the park...it actually goes up and over the hill and gives you a view of most of the Park. Beware the one section 50 meters or so after the second lift: it's a quick one-meter descent that will bang up your knees pretty badly if you're not careful. Hold on to the handlebars in front and don't let yourself fly up in this section. The royal flush element at the end is a high-g feature that makes Gold Rusher waiting for...or not. Queue time: 0 minutes. Riding Tidal Wave, Scrambler, and Bumper Cars was a perfunctory gesture: The latter two are flat rides found at most county fares and the former is a quick-drop into a puddle. Scrambler gets you scrambled, Bumper Cars gets you bumped. I had an interesting experience on the cars today: normally the ride is 3 minutes long, but the operator was feeling generous and gave us an extra 1-2 minutes. We also got to go any way we wanted...normally it's a one-way street. Bumper Cars was worth waiting for at 4 minutes. Riddler's Revenge is the bee's knees--as long as you don't break your patella. Here is a safety briefing from the payload of the Ethernet frame in which this part of the review may be contained. Before boarding, minimize wait times by entering through the exit and looking for the blue signs that send you to the single-rider entrance and cut off 20-30 minutes of waiting. No gloating allowed: long queues can cause distress and when people see you getting on the ride via a special chained-off section at the first row, you're likely going to be chastised for cutting the line. After cutting the line, make sure you let the staff know that you'd like your seat lowered so that there is a slight bend in your knees when standing erect. It's now time for you to ride. Ridewatchers did, and had fun following the procedure above. I began the boarding procedure began at 12:28 P.M., one minute after entering the single-rider queue. --o-- Politics is a staple of the American Way. As an arch-conservative, I feel that the punishment ought to fit the crime. It's important to realize that when one wants to wait in long lines, they are acting crazy. But if they do so with full consent of will, they are culpable. Consider the following legal theory: your friend wants to wait in an hour-long standby line for Green Lantern. Because Thou shalt use single rider lines, you call your friend guilty (because he wills his ennui). As an atoning gesture, you show him/her the single-rider boarding area at the ride exit. Instead of waiting for hours, you might wait for five, or even 10 minutes. But your friend thought badly and will need to make concessions. Concede to h/er that Green Lantern is a meatgrinder and that an Intamin vertical can deliver thrills if ridden correctly. Tell your friend to hold on tight and not get scared: it will literally take a minute. Ridewatchers' arrogance in training lawyers got him a 7-minute single-rider wait (12:59 P.M. to 1:06 P.M). Batman was recently serviced and the squeals and screeches are now gone. A great ride that is second only to scream in terms of coaster comfort. Wait: 8 minutes. Flash: Speed Force was called a skateboard ride by the ride op during my visit. Cars that go around in a circle real fast. You'll learn about centripetal force with Flash and Wonder Woman, which is right next door. Phew! Here comes Twisted Colossus (Twiiisted Colaaaahhsus!). Yes--Magic Mountain's flagship and Ridewatchers' second most favorite. Go all the way down to the end of the Screampunk district to find it. This coaster makes two circuits and you'll have two steep drops, along with weightlessness and ejector time. Less action in the front, more action in the back. If you want lots of action, don't wait in long queues. There has been lots of discussion about the single-rider queue on this ride. "It's longer than the stand-by!" "I waited just as long!" "Trains were leaving with empty seats!" "We got on more quickly...." Ridewatchers has advice, too. Waiting times in the single-rider line depend on the number of people ahead of you or your group. When three trains are running (SOP) and the stand-by is at the station entrance, the stand-by wait is 30 minutes. If you are 20th in the SR line, you will have a longer wait. If you're 1st, you'll have a shorter wait. If you're 10th, you may break even. My rule is that there should be no more than 15 people for each hour of waiting in the stand-by line ahead of you in the SR line. For 30 minutes, that means you should be no farther back than 9th. I was 5th in the SR line on my first go and boarded in 10 minutes, cutting off about 15 minutes of waiting. In my second go, I was second and boarded in under 10 minutes. On my third go (1st in SR line), TC was almost a walk-on, but the gate closed before I had a chance to board the train. My 4th and last go had a wait of 5 minutes from 1st in SR; ADA riders were boarding first. Thou shalt use single rider lines, but use discretion here, right here, at Twisted Colossus. And right there, at Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom? Use discretion. If you're afraid of heights, do what I do and say you're not even 150 meters high. Use the metric system and things are more down to Earth. I rode barefoot on an earlier trip (but not this one) because it is easier to count when you have your socks and shoes off. Scream is a comfy steel coaster, and I found that not all flights offer first-class service. But Scream is comfy--180-degree-seat-pitch comfy--even though you are sitting upright. As a Scream! frequent flyer, I find that the rule of action applies: sit in the back for more thrills. Wait time for first-class accommodations: 3 minutes. Time of departure: 1:49 P.M. Buccanner is a pirate ship! Go up and down the arc and feel those butterflies in your stomach. This one never has a wait longer than 10 minutes, so get your fill. I finished the rides portion of my trip at about 2:14 P.M., just after a bit of horsing around on the Grand Carousel. Wait time: 0 minutes. But what about that stopwatch? Right. Here it is: the time taken from the front of the park at gold-pass opening to boarding my last ride for the day was 3 hours and 49 minutes. This is significant because it shows that a flash pass is not needed on a summer weekday, provided you get to the Park early . A poorly-planned trip will see this amount of time spent in line for 3 rides, not 24. Data follow. Anecdotes: -- A kid screamed "I LOVE SIX FLAGS!" while we were over the safety platform on Tatsu. -- TC was almost a walk-on from the SR line at one point, but I was clumsy and did not make it. -- Measure heights in meters, not in feet. -- Superman did something rare and ran the left train this morning. The right train was being run later. -- Swashbuckler is finally in operation again. +-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+ | RIDE | START | END | WAIT TIME | QUEUE | +-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+ | | | | | | | Entry | 10:00 | 10:21 | 0:21 | | | | | | | | | Full Throttle | 10:24 | 10:25 | 0:01 | R | | | | | | | | X2 | 10:32 | 10:34 | 0:02 | R | | | | | | | | Viper | 10:44 | 10:44 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Revolution | 10:50 | 10:51 | 0:01 | S | | | | | | | | Tatsu | 10:57 | 10:58 | 0:01 | R | | | | | | | | Superman | 11:08 | 11:10 | 0:02 | R | | | | | | | | Ninja | 11:16 | 11:22 | 0:06 | R | | | | | | | | Roaring Rapids | 11:30 | 11:30 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Apocalypse | 11:39:00 | 11:39 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Jet Stream | 11:47 | 11:47 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Gold Rusher | 11:54 | 11:54 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Tidal Wave | 12:35 | 12:36 | 0:01 | R | | | | | | | | Bumper Cars | 12:00 | 12:04 | 0:04 | R | | | | | | | | Scrambler | 12:10 | 12:16 | 0:06 | R | | | | | | | | Riddler's Revenge | 12:27 | 12:28 | 0:01 | S | | | | | | | | Batman | 12:44 | 12:52 | 0:08 | R | | | | | | | | Green Lantern | 12:59 | 13:06 | 0:07 | S | | | | | | | | Flash | 13:10 | 13:10 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Wonder Woman | 13:18 | 13:19 | 0:01 | R | | | | | | | | Twisted Colossus | 13:27 | 13:37 | 0:10 | S | | | | | | | | Scream | 13:46 | 13:49 | 0:03 | R | | | | | | | | Lex Luthor | 13:54 | 13:57 | 0:03 | S | | | | | | | | Buccaneer | 14:07 | 14:07 | 0:00 | R | | | | | | | | Grand Carousel | 14:11 | 14:11 | 0:00 | R | +-------------------+----------+-------+-----------+-------+

Do MCBRs count as "ride elements"?

It is quite difficult on a summer weekend unless you get to the park early and hit the headliners first. If you're curious, click the link in my signature for some actual wait-time data. Pay particular attention to "line-rot day": this was when I waited in line on purpose, during a busy non-summer weekend.

TC doodles: Ride stopped at least twice today; saw Kwerk during one of its outages. After that, one or two trains cycled and then one stopped at the bottom of the lift. They took 10-15 minutes to get the ride back online, but after waiting 20 min in 90-plus-degree heat, I just called it quits. SR line was at least as long as the stand-by line.

Potential flash pass (FP) users: FP can be a great way to save time if: -- It is a capacity day (4th of July and one or two other days during summer season, and many October afternoons and evenings during Freight Fest, after 3-4 P.M.) -- It is a busy day (mid-to-late June through August and early September, some October afternoons and evenings during Freight Fest) -- It's a moderate day and you'd like to turn 60 minute waits into 15-20 minutes each FP is NOT a good idea if: -- It's not busy. -- You don't have the money. As far as money's concerned, you may want to start a "trip account" for that one special day you plan to go. Who knows...you might only be in the area during, say, July 10th-July 12th. You can't come to the park except on the 11th--which happens to be a summer Saturday. The heat could easily be over 90 degrees, and the sun will beat down hard. It takes about 15 minutes to start burning. And you're with three others who are not tolerant. Without a flash pass (and without "fast feet" and good timing...), you will spend 5-6 extra HOURS in line. That's 20 rides for a quick person and 10-15 for the average person. If you decide to stand in line, you'll have hot weather, line jumpers, foul language, and you'll be on your feet for 7-8 hours if you stay the whole day. After minute 90 for Goliath or Tatsu, you'll probably be thirsty and want to get a $5 water, and you'll probably wish you had saved for the pass. The bottom line: please scope out the park and see if it's BUSY before heading to FP. You can get a FP any time, and if it's a ghost town, you will have saved lots by not buying one. Please have a look at our wait-time data and articles also. Compare "line-rot" day (Saturday, October 11th--a busy, bu not capacity, Freight Fest Saturday) to an off-peak day to get an idea of how much extra waiting you may do.

One of the trains must have lost momentum.... This is a bad time for SF to be broken, and I let management know about the grinding on TC and loud noises on Batman, GL, Gold Rusher, etc. The problems with Colossus are more than cosmetic and, IMO, are a safety hazard. Rev was closed and Viper was squealing, too.

Six Flags Magic Mountain opened up a new coaster called Twisted Colossus. There is a SR line, but they are not using it yet (why?) Earlier posts said that this could increase occupancy (at the expense of rph), but "TC" has a grouper that assigns seats. They set up the ride in a way that the SR, ADA, and fast pass lines fan in to the stanchions adjacent to the gates. This means that they can grab singles and assign them to rows without slowing down load times. So a good grouper plus SR could _increase_ rph, which is good news for all of us.

My guess is that the curvature of the track is too high for the train: it's just like Amtrak squealing when it goes into a curve. But why it would jam to a stop in that first turn is unknown to me. Maybe they can send it out slower and have it ramp up to normal speed outside of the turn?

At Cyber Cafe now. TC went down about 1 hour and 15 minutes ago. There was trouble with trains squealing badly in the turn right outside the station, and the mechanics took a hose and squirted down the tracks. This solved the problem temporarily, but the squealing came back and there were some bad noises after the first hill after the first drop. Curious if it's because of the same issue? Can anyone comment? Scream went down at about the same time. There was a guy testing the blocks.... Re: ERT today: They did not start boarding until about 10:00 A.M. I was about 225th in line at 9:40 or so, and the wait time from that point to when I got on was 1 hour and 5 minutes. So even with three trains, they were doing no more than 400 rph. It looks like the ride ops were moving quickly, but it's like tatsu, with stuff like "4-6-8-9-12" meaning "tighten those rows." And they were always calling out numbers. I took a couple of data points and found the fastest dispatches to be 2 minutes 15 seconds, and the slowest to be 3 minutes 30 seconds. It looks like that third train didn't really make a difference: it was always stacking. But with zero-train operations, the rph is 0, and there were about 200 people in line. That means the wait time is pretty large.

How many trains today? And are they dueling?