ryder

I feel you, we're visiting from Los Angeles in July. However, we've also been to SFOT a fair number of times, so while disappointing if things don't return by then (and they already announced the summer closure of Casa Magnetica, which I was already bummed about), I'm just keeping my expectations in check. Really, we're more going for SFFT, which seems to be much better in terms of operations.

FYI, the first piece of track for Wonder Woman is now up. Saw it in the park just today.

I'm going again this summer as well, and it'll be my first trip there since 2001. Last time I was there, Joker's Revenge (the backwards Arrow) was still a thing. Do they still have that cliff/fireworks show?

I was at the park Sunday, and Superman had both forwards and backwards sides open.

I'm not sure if anyone here has mentioned it so far, but Tidal Twister has actually reopened! Got a ride on it today. Journey to Atlantis is currently closed for refurbishment.

SFGAd just announced a Single Rider line for Jersey Devil... do we think WW:FOC will now have one?

Anyone have any idea of Wonder Woman will offer a Single Rider line? Does Jersey Devil?

^Was in the park today... no noticeable movement on Lex. Tatsu is getting there, but not sure when it'll be completely finished. Superman was up today, but only forwards side. And FYI, at the very moment, the walkway between Tatsu and WCR/Apocalypse is closed due to painting. The new bathrooms going up behind the Flashpass office already have walls up.

Journey to Atlantis doesn't have a covered station either, and it's been that way since 2004. Not sure why every one's suddenly so upset about an uncovered station now.

Can verify Superman is open, was at the park today. However, only the backwards side. Employee claimed it'd be a long time before the forward side would be open again.

SFMM seems to be ending its Membership program. It appears current members will still keep all their benefits, it will just be a name change to "Legacy Members". But no further memberships will be sold, it will only be season passes.

I"d imagine that reopening Montezuma again is mostly because not only did they only give a three day notice, but one of those three days (the last Saturday!) the ride went down all day, so it turned out to be only a two day notice.

I accidentally stumbled onto this small sign placed on the wall of a picnic area in Lagoon. Most random thing ever, and I've been told by locals that's there tons of these nonsensical signs scattered around the park. Would love to know about more of them.

^I'm pretty sure it's been closed even before we got our rains. And we may be headed to nearly a month closed, so it seems like it'd be more than the rain.

I think Superman hasn't been open for weeks. Not sure what's going on with it, but I've gone at least 3 different times in the last few weeks, and it's never opened once, and heard lots of other people reporting it closed recently. I just figured it was refurbishment (possibly unplanned?).

^There was, it's the building by Superman. You can actually see the "The Laughing Dragon" name still painted in the pic on this post. One unique piece of trivia about the Sol Spin (Mondial Space Roller) at Knott's... it's the only one to have 6 across seating. They normally only have 5. This is because it sits on the footprint originally used for Windseeker, which got really bad press when it stalled out for like 3 hours at a high spot. It was removed and sent to I believe Worlds of Fun, and Mondial offered to put in the space roller using the old Windseeker footer, but the standard model was too small for the space... so they customized it just for Knotts.

Nope, you're thinking of the Four Winds/The Laughing Dragon, which was behind it. That particular building was originally a dual station as a terminal point for two different skyway systems (Eagle's Flight) that met there. The building is now used as a haunt space for FF, but they have to build around the enormous concrete footer that's right in the middle of it.

It was recently in the news Delta and United airlines had to cancel a ton of flights due to not having enough staff because they're all calling out due to Covid. I can totally imagine the same thing happening for theme parks... in fact, an inside source told me that an attraction at Knott's had over half it's staff call out for Covid. I think all parks (and possible malls and grocery stores) are going to be finding themselves short staffed in the coming weeks.... bring your patience

Small update: they've torn down the old bathrooms by the Flash Pass center towards the front of the park. Hopefully they'll construct some updated ones?

Yeah, I was there this past Wednesday, and Tatsu, Superman, X2, TC, and Apocalypse (in addition to Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman [flat ride], and Drop of Doom) were all down.

Yes, it's the magic flyer. For a brief time, they built a wooden facade on either side of the tracks to give the illusion it looked like a mini Colossus.

If you're doing fastlanes, all day should be plenty of time for both parks. While Knott's is a small park, there's a lot to see and do if you include shows and food (you must have the chicken, which is really only sold outside the park at the Marketplace... sit down option is the classic Chicken Dinner Restaurant, and if you have the time, do it. If you're more pressed for time, the Chicken To Go will do as a substitute. As for the various SFMM Flash Pass levels, it really just depends on how badly you want to ride FT, X2, and WCR. X2 and FT still get pretty long, slow moving lines. WCR can get long, but shouldn't be too bad on the day you're going--most kids are still in school that day, so it should be relatively dead all day. One caveat: if X2 is in single train ops, I'd maybe get one, even on a slow day. Either that, or run to it first. Burbank airport is generally much easier, though it's a bit of a drive from their to Santa Monica... expect some traffic and parking issues. There's a parking garage, which isn't free, but it's really your best option. If you're already going to the pier, definitely also walk around the famous 3rd Street Promenade. Most of the well known gay bars will be in West Hollywood. While it's not necessarily LGBTQ, The Edison in downtown LA is a very unique experience... it's set in an old abandoned underground power plant, and they left a lot of the equipment still there. Note it does have a dress code last time I went. Also, if it's open by the time you arrive, Clifton's Criteria (also downtown) is another incredibility unique experience, complete with a literally "hidden" tiki bar (you have to push a certain mirrored wall to find it). It's great, but it's also been closed due to COVID for a while. Supposed to have reopened in October, but I still don't think it's open yet--might be by the time you arrive. Other gay landmarks, I suggest this site: https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-lgbtq-los-angeles Traffic is going to be inevitable, so I load up on podcasts to listen to to make the time pass. There's always a lot of unique and interesting happenings and events going on all the time. I recommend sites like welikela.com to find out current happenings. EatlerLA also gives a lot of unique food options.

Wasn't yesterday the day military got in free? If so, that would explain the massive crowds.

One word of note... the first week of January, most kids are still on Winter Break, and won't be returning to school until Jan 10. So if you go before then, it could be considerably more crowded, even on a weekday. EDIT: Just saw it was Jan 18/19, so you should be fine. The park should be pretty dead. But I would expect a few rides to be closed for refurbishment, and JL has been closed for a while, I suspect due to being indoors and Los Angeles regulations requiring masks indoors, and SFMM doesn't want to monitor that.

Not that I'd do something like that at any park, but it would be a lot easier and better at Knott's. A better quality and, mainly, variety of food. SF is mostly just burgers, pizza, and chicken tenders.