Ridewatchers

Yes...this is very true. And it depends on whether they're doing finger scans or just scanning pass barcodes. The latter saves 5-10 minutes of waiting. I actually take headcounts of people in the GP line, and, once I've found my place, use the following rule, assuming finger scanning: Less than 35th in line: GO for getting in early. 35th to less than 45th: On the BUBBLE. May beat the GP. 45th in line or more: NO-GO. On a busy day, the difference between being 15th and 45th is major.That's only a difference of 5-10 minutes at the gate, but expect 60 minutes or more of extra time waiting in standby queues. Getting to the park early is crucial. CRUCIAL!

You have to wear a down jacket and ear muffs when you order fried food or hamburgers.

I am thankful for Green Lantern. Because of the amazing ride op who (1) noticed the single-rider line, (2) bothered to look for open seats, and (3) was very well-spoken.

This seems strange. Why give up the momentum to a brake run when the train can make it partway up the lift, catch a ratchet, and move up from there? Both lift hills will have ratchets I assume (especially as a safety measure to prevent backsliding)? On another note, X2 and Apocalypse had maintenance done and are running MUCH better than during Freight Fest. Apocalypse had its second train back, too, and it was a walk-on twice.

Is it just me, or do the seats on TC seem a bit small? The admin took a photo of one of the RMC execs and his daughter, and the guy seems to fit into the seat *just right*. Which seems to be a problem, unfortunately, because he looks like a pretty small guy. I think they should seriously consider widening the seats a little so that TC can accommodate "more" of the GP. Those footwells seem small, too...especially in the front.

Prepare for switchback madness and wild turns...in line. That'll generate queues miles long.

Three red lines on shoulder...must be Green Lantern!

It all depends. Going with friends definitely makes stupid things like standing in huge queues and getting crappy food a little easier to...stomach. You'll be able to chat about that awesome B&M hyper you just went on or how that turn-of-the-century woodie makes some rides built 80 years later seem limp and lame. And if you're a hot chick (or are riding with one), you might "see" certain perquisites (from park employees). And perhaps best of all, our tips for riding more and waiting less work in groups! Going alone has benefits, too. You'll have more freedom to do what you want and you'll be able to learn the layout of the park so that next time you and your friend will not be stuck reading maps and spending hours just walking around. Most importantly, you'll be able to do more rides as a "single rider." And this can save hours: head over to our "wait-time data" section for details! Given the choice, going with friends gives a better experience, especially with a plan.

A note for those considering dining at the park--and especially for potential SDP holders. In our 20-plus visits during on and off-peak periods, dining was found to be very hit-or-miss and can be, um, dangerous. Several of the restaurants have a habit of serving cold chicken strips or cold meat. Sometimes they keep those strips under the heat lamp for an hour and still think they're nice and not, but I've had to send them back. Please don't forfeit $10, $11, $12, ..., just for cold food. Another issue is Johnny Rockets hamburgers. I've twice received cold patties that had apparently been idling near a trash can for a long time. Hamburger should never be served cold but the people behind the counter don't care/have managers that don't care. If you're paying nearly $14 for a hamburger and a few onion rings and you're not absolutely satisfied, you should ask them to start afresh and make sure that meat is piping hot. Teen Titans Power Pizza always seems to have a fetid odor emanating from its smoke stacks, so please use discretion and at the very least, insist on hot pizza! Also remember that the SDP is for certain items at certain times of the day and, most certainly, does not include drinks.

Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Rode 35 times in a row and sat in all 30 seats on the train.

ERT on Goliath 11/11 (Veteran's Day) for season passholders! 10 AM - 10:30 AM!

Sadly Six Flags just doesn't compare to Knotts in certain respects.

GOLIATH MADNESS!!! For Halloween, Ridewatchers went TOTALLY MAD and took long queues to the woodshed! Oh, and we did a few rides too. After getting to the gate at 9:45 A.M., I parked in the first row of cars, hopped on the bus, and was 12th in line at the Gold Pass early entry point. A lady was going around scanning new passes and taking an interesting survey: she asked people if they were going to go on any of the "big rides" (like X2, Yolo, Tatsu, Superman, and Goliath). The people behind (and farther behind) said Yes, but Surprise! read on... Entered the park at 10:22 A.M. pacific time and immediately went to Full Throttle with an 8-minute headstart over the general public. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and crew were getting photographed ahead of us, and once they left, I took row 8 and was encountering excellent air time in no time! But it was only 10:28 by the time we got back, so once more! Two precious headstart minutes left and another ride on YOLO without moving. Now the tale darkens! While following the Platinum Rule, I discovered that X2 was closed : ( So despite those surveys earlier in the morning, X2 is out and about and stays closed the rest of the day. So it's off to Tatsu then! The others are busy forming a 45 minute queue at YOLO...already! Keep moving.... So just after boarding Tatsu, Ridewatchers discovers that it does not have a Pen to record wait-time data! And the ride ops don't have any writing instruments to give Ridewatchers! So Ridewatchers flies without luggage! A most interesting circumstance indeed! Ninja was up today, so after a quick ride down the opposite side of the lift hill on Ninja, it's time for superman. But aarrgghhh! "magick issues." The ride is down for 8 minutes because the car is not lining up properly and restraints cannot be released. Good news, though! Ridewatchers now has a carry-on! This thanks to a very nice ride op who bequeathed Ridewatchers a pen during downtime. Up, up, and away! Up, up, and away! Up, up, and away! Three rides on Superman. Now it is time to take a break. Others were chuckling at the idea...there were hecklers everywhere. Who WOULD attempt this amazing feat yet to be discussed? And without a Flash Pass even? Absolutely crazy. GOLIATH MADNESS. Oh. My. What is this MADNESS that which concerns GOLIATH? Maybe it should be called BINGO MADNESS.... ...because I had a goal. To ride Goliath not once, not twice, not ten times, but 35 times in a row!!! The Madness started shortly before 12 noon under a cloudy sky on Halloween day. I boarded the train. And the 255' drop was most excellent from the back seat. But why not try this 34 more times!? In a row! All in under 4 hours? And switching seats each time...so that I sat in EVERY SEAT once. 15 rows x 2 seats = 30. Could it be done? Was this really ERT in disguise? Was my watch a special "black-level" flash pass that made things go 85 mph a lot more often? YES. The first 15 times were from the back half of the train: the back seat gave that "snap of the whip" on the first drop and turned Goliath into the T-REX of roller coasters. YES. The next 20 cycles were in the front half. What about the front? Overrated in my opinion. Why? (1) 15-minute wait for the front when the park is DEAD empty. (2) No air time. (3) All drops very tame. (4) Dangerous side overhang when the train slows on the MCBR. What about rows 4-8 or so? Much more excellent. Why? Good first drop and 5-second air time on the ascent just before the brake run. YES. The final ride was in row 4 on the east side. YES. The line never left the station during the whole 4 hours of "almost ERT." YES. The ride ops started asking me questions and showed me open seats on the train. YES for GOLIATH! Alright back to normal. Lex Luthor was seeing 5-minute waits for 400 feet of vertical distance. At 80 feet per minute, the drop seemed pretty reasonable! SPRQ was not needed. Additionally, Ridewatchers got the courage to raise both arms and stick both legs out and encouraged others to do same. There was decent bumping at Sandblasters, especially when I crashed into the center ring and had noticeable pain for a minute. Batman and Riddler were skipped. Jet Stream was a near walk-on. It seemed much more engaging this time...maybe they added more water? Gold Rusher, the first roller coaster at SFMM, was the unsung hero and featured that jerky mine-cart experience. Apocalypse Now? No. Not with one train operating. Despite the park being a ghost town, there was still a 30-minute wait. Skipped. We'll wait for TC. Green Lantern: two consecutive rides using SPRQ cut off an hour of waiting. Rode with seasoned pros who knew to "HOLD ON." Q: Why does GL hurt? A: the shoulder harnesses are one main cause. There just isn't a lot of padding and it can leave red sores. Ridewatchers wore a jacket and was still not immune. Buccaneer: why not? After GOLIATH MADNESS, this brought the non-Flash-Pass, record-setting Halloween Day ride count to 52 rides total. Left the park at about 6 PM with plenty of data and over 8,000 feet of descent throughout the day. Have a look at our data for this trip here. Ride more, wait less.

Gee...to think they would stop it before the weekend is over. Yes, Saturday is the last day. Friday is Halloween, so expect large crowds.

Saturday is busy, as at least one other has said...have a look here. The park will be less busy on Sunday evening (which is the last day for Fright Fest).

Phew! Some varied experiences today. Got to the "toll booth" at 9:48 A.M. and parked in one of the first rows. Got in the gold pass line at 10:00 and found almost 100 people already lined up--a reminder that getting there early really means "getting there early." (The 50 or so in back were on the bubble or waited longer than the regulars.) Took shortcut to YOLO and boarded second-to-last row. Since I am small, the hip bar does not go down all the way and the leg restraint ends up stapling me in in a very painful way. OUCH! But the hangtime, Scorpion tail, and top-hat exit are always awesome. X2: walk-on!! Zero-minute wait. But this is only because of fast feet. Chatted with a Spanish guy who had done it before. Personally found ride bumpy toward the end and had to lock legs to pad under car to avoid bouncing my legs everywhere. Viper and Revolution were the usual! Tatsu was running a little strange. Found out they put duct tape on the leg restraints because paint was peeling off and staining people's clothes. Got ready to ride, but oops...someone had something they wanted to put down, so down we go and up we go again and then again up the lift hill and so forth. Good views, great flight! Shame on the guy in our row who spit on the platform under the last set of block brakes. It's so filthy down there!! Off to superman for an early flight out on the front seat. Met visitors with overheard discussion of Kingda Ka. 8 minutes for S: EFK today. Ninja: Shame.... Ride was closed entire time I was there for unknown reason. Last saw a mechanic bending over the front car chatting with ride op staff. Later saw park staff riding, but no ordinary people. Green Lantern was the usual: hold on tight and hope you don't get thrown around. Cut off a 30-45 minute line thanks to SPRQ. Goliath: They were already at the zig-zag and the queue was 30 minutes long. Didn't follow the Platinum Rule as I ought to have. But the ride from the back row was excellent. Overall, a very good Fright Fest Sunday with 14 rides, 66 minutes of wait time total, and 183 minutes time-in-park.

On my favorite coaster, too: Giant Dipper. I was about 9 years old and sat in one of the back rows. I flew up about 2 feet just before the train plateaued to do the 180-degree section over the station. Almost came out of the train and fell backwards.

Easily the tunnel on Big Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It's certainly one of the longest timewise for a woodie!

Calculation after calculation seems to show that the back seat on Goliath offers faster drops and more zero-g. Statistics also suggest that the back seat on YOLOCoaster gets more action on the scorpion tail and on the final drop. But data show that the front row of Riddler's Revenge and Batman let you anticipate the turns so you don't box your ears on the restraints. So the jury's still out.

Great report! But what about the TC train situation. Hmm. Park is planning to purchase 4 Morgan trains, right? They really should think about getting that 5th train, as one train will be continuously out of service for maintenance. Then there will be a 2 x 2 duel instead of one miserable train not dueling with anybody.

No better than invective...at a supposedly family-friendly venue.

Great photograph! You might consider sending it to the park....

Get to the park early: that means driving into the park no later than 9:50 AM. You'll park close to the gate. If you're going with a friend, consider buying two gold passes online: this way, you'll save $20 ($10 each) on the price of parking and get in ~10 minutes early via GP VIP. Wait in the gold pass area (red gates, far right) no later than 10 AM. Fast feet? Head to YOLOCoaster first. Click on my siggy for details. Flash pass not recommended.

See what happens when you come on an off day? See??

Disneyland and DCA. They could build an overpass or extend the monorail to cover both parks. One entrance for each, but two (or more) ways to get between parks. To me, California adventure always seemed like an extension ("Caliland") of Disneyland.