PeoplemoverMatt
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Posts posted by PeoplemoverMatt
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I really hope they put a great restaurant on Samarai Summit. Four Winds could be successful if they brought it back, but a new over-the-top restaurant (think Blue Bayou or Mythos) could be a home run.
One obstacle to success for a hilltop restaurant will be the lack of easy access. Hopefully park management has included transportation for the back side of the hill in the five-year plan.
I don't think Blue Bayou/Mythos is possible, given the fact that Six Flags has to give away the gate just to get people in the door. Then they've had to put up those Code of Conduct signs in multiple areas to try and detour those people from screwing up the park & the experience for other people.
Maybe once Magic Mountain attracts the same kind of families with high-limit credit cards that Disneyland does, they can think of investing in a restaurant like Bayou/Mythos, but that's a looooooooong way off if ever.
And location is a HUGE problem with a hill of that size. Orient Express or no Orient Express, anything on that hill is going to suffer from that location. I have a feeling that's one of the reasons Tatsu's entrance is where it is, instead of across from Ninja's entrance. They know more people will walk up through Rapids Camp than trudge all the way up that hill.
I'm not saying it would be impossible to spruce up the Laughing Dragon/Four Winds Restaurant building, and then point to Orient Express as easy access up to that hill and the restaurant. That just wouldn't be consistent with the Magic Mountain we've seen in the past 20 years. They're not doing much to advertise the new Magic of the Mountain Museum that I've seen, why would they do something for a new restaurant even if they thought it was a good investment?
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I hope they put this volcano effect in a visible spot from the entrance road into the park. That would be cool, once all this bloody construction is finally over.
Also what kind of music fits with a volcano-type theme? Are we talking about tribal jungle drums or what?
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Roasted Corn was open last week, should be open on any given day from here on out through the summer.
I thought an ideal location for a sit-down restauarant would be where the new Johnny Rockets Shakes n' Fries just opened at (where the Justice League and about 9 different other names have been). It's in a high traffic location, has a nice view of a small lagoon where Log Jammer's lift hill is, and has abdundant seating area that could easily become enclosed if they wanted to.
But with the Johnny Rockets there now, that's rather unlikely. Oh well.
It would take one heck of an entrepenuer to take the limited resources Magic Mountain has to work with and build the kind of sit-down restaurant experience we're looking for. I don't see how the park could do it without it being an already-established name like Chili's or Islands or something like that, and even they might not like having to work inside the box Magic Mountain would give them.
Still it's something that should be looked into at least. If a place like Mountasia can afford to have the sit-down Farrell's...what's REALLY stopping Magic Mountain?
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The City of Santa Clarita has made giant improvements in the areas of worst traffic here. However construction happening outside the city limits, immediately surrounding Magic Mountain's entrance, is moving forward at a snail's pace. Since quite a bit of commuter traffic passes through that area, it's certainly an area to avoid, no matter what the park's hours are...
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^ Jay...can I thank you for being you? I've never known anyone who's as determined to make Magic Mountain, our park, great as much as you are. As a Valencia local, that means a lot, so thank you.
It was wonderful meeting you and conversing with you at WCB. Hope to see you around more & hope to share with you many tales of greatness improved from our beloved SFMM.
-- PMM
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^^ The candy lady yes, but the bathroom guy I have to respect. He, at least, was thinking things out in terms of prioritizing of funds. He just was unaware of the expense accounting behind all these specific projects, and I can't really fault him for that. However, if after it was explained to him, and to all of us at the same time, if people still don't get it, then what more can you say about it? If that explanation's unacceptable...I dunno, whoever'd think that would just have to be in denial or something.
^ YES! The Sky Tower's an attraction again! Isn't that awesome? I'm loving that. I just wish there was some sort of indicator in the front of the park or someplace that would tell guests when the Sky Tower was open and when it was closed. People aren't going to make that hike if they even THINK that the Sky Tower isn't open. I guess people could watch for elevators or something, but I doubt the general public would in large part think of something like that. Magic of the Mountain Museum is awesome though. Gotta love it!
-- PMM
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^^Considering it goes about 2 miles an hour, I doubt it's that painful for kids...
Maybe but, everytime I watch it, I just cringe. Lots of jerky head travel...
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I wouldn't want to ride Percy, credit or no credit. That thing looks like it's rough enough on the kids' spines. Can't imagine what it'd do to me...
-- PMM
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The sign said "Magic Mountain Left"
So I went home.
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Thing is, we enjoyed something 99% of the general public never get to enjoy. All coasters to yourself for 2.5 hours? Multiple conversations with top park brass in one day? It's unheard of.
The public will enjoy the fruits of the labor regarding the IBU strategy, enhanced reliability of coasters + increased efforts to manage queues to increase overall capacity, increased efforts to keep every corner of the park clean and NOT letting it just sit neglected for years (Jet Stream Plaza), and the elimination of the 6.5 minute rule.
We're excited about that now because we understand that language when it's told to us. The public will get excited when it happens. We're 7 months into it, and it's going pretty strong so far. Hopefully in the next 6-12 months the public regard for SFMM will start shooting upwards.
-- PMM
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Here's my take on it..not directed at anyone in particular so I hope no one's offended...
If my kid wanted the drink cup, but I didn't want to pay the $1 locker fee each & every ride, I'd explain that to my kid, and assure him/her that if I'd get one for them on our way out of the park. If that wasn't a good enough deal, then they probably don't want that souvenir cup as much as they think they do at that particular moment.
I remember countless times at Magic Mountain when I was younger, I'd ask my parents for this or that, and the answer was no because they didn't want to have to carry it around all day. If I put up a fuss, we'd be headed right out the exit and I still wouldn't have whatever I wanted to have.
The parks set systems up like the $1 lockers ultimately to solve the problem of loose articles in a practical way, but its ultimately we the consumer who choose to accept their offering. If going to a park with little ones means a stressful time dragging a bunch of stuff around for them, and using $1 lockers that are undesireable to use, then perhaps going to the park isn't the best thing to do. If the lockers cause that much stress, then the best way to save stress here is to either figure out a way that works without having to use the lockers, or just not go IMO.
This is what I would suggest to anyone who feels inconvenienced by the $1 lockers. I say kudos to the park for at least trying to accomodate people as best they can, keeping their stuff safe as best they can, when they could just deny loose articles of any sort.
That being said, I wish SFMM would at the same time, have some sort of an alternate "no need to use a locker line" so people who don't need to use the lockers don't need to wait for those who do. Similar idea to the 'guests without bags' line at WDW bag check areas. Not sure if it's possible or what, but it would be nice.
-- PMM
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How can we make the same thing happen at other Six Flags parks, such as Discovery Kingdom?
Find a potential President, GM, Head of Op's and the rest who care as much as Jay, Tim, & Neal do, and hire them.
But I wouldn't worry about SFDK that much. That park has undergone a lot of improvements as well & looks much better than it did, say, 3 years ago.
-- PMM
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Zipper pockets > velcro pockets
Zero room for stuff to fall out does wonders for piece of mind knowing stuff physically can't fall out while riding.
-- PMM
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THANKS SO MUCH ROBB and to the Magic Mountain staff for putting this unbelieveable event on for all of us!
The impression that I got coming away from this was that the park still has a ways to go but the culture is changing for the better, and that's so huge that I can't really put it into words. This period of the park suffering has gone on for so long that to see the park President and GM 'get it' as much as they have feels like this is VASTLY a bigger deal for the park than any new coaster ever could be. The Magic of the Mountain Museum is a perfect example itself of just how different and how much improved and better everything is and is going to be now there.
What really stood out to me just how visible Jay and Tim were during the event OUTSIDE of the presentations/Q&A sessions. My friend Johnny and I ran into Jay and crew several times. I've NEVER seen that kind of visibility or that concern for our group and how our day was going, what our reactions were, what we thought of the event, etc etc. They didn't have to do ANY of that. I was just completely blown away by that, and I really saw it filter down throughout the park staff. There'are still some holdovers from the days of lesser standards, but the change just in the past seven months that was magnified yesterday, as Robb has said, it's nothing short of amazing.
I was 1000% impressed by how Jay, Tim, and Neal took the oddball questions like the ones about the souvenir cup and the candy machines. Clearly the people who asked those kinds of questions have a different priority set than they do, but Jay and team handled the questions with a very appropriate attitude and a lot of class, so even more kudos to them.
Jay Thomas even gave me his business card to keep the communication going as to what I see that's done right, where the 'misses' are, who in the park deserves credit, etc. That also speaks volumes about the attitude of these guys and just how devoted they are to doing things right.
During night ERT, Jay asked me what my favorite ride was in the park, and I told him, "That Magic of the Mountain Museum is my favorite place here now. It is a monument to Magic Mountain's history that is absolutely unbeliveable see. To a local like myself, it really means a lot that you guys would do that." In reply he said, "I think it's mine too. I know exactly what you're talking about." (He lives in Newhall.) So there you have it folks...from the Park Pres. himself!
People need to understand that all the improvements can't be done tomorrow, and it all can't be done at once. There's going to be a plan and an order to this, and it's hopefully going to last as long as it needs to in order to do what really needs to be done, and to do it the right way. You may not agree with the priority list, I'm probably not going to 100% agree with the order in which everything's going to get done. However, what I got from that session was that Jay and Tim understand what needs to be done, they understand the tools at their disposal, and they earned my trust that it will get done and done the right way. That's also huge.
It would seem that the days of darkness at Magic Mountain are over! It's getting better every day and it's only going to get better from here on out! It's such a wonderful thing to see, and I can't wait to see more of it.
Big props and thanks to Robb & everyone from the RideWorld/TPR side and definitely to Jay, Tim, Neal & everyone from the SFMM side for putting on one of, if not the greatest coaster enthusiast event to date!
-- PMM
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My guess is they'll feature us in marketing promos somehow & film it while we're there.
-- PMM
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^ Well at least X2 promises to not beat you up as much. Can't say that about Algebra!
-- PMM
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If one of those backstage tours is about X2, that'll be better than riding it IMHO. I guess I'm just that much of a coaster junkie.
Looking forward to seeing everyone & being at my first TPR event since Tatsu Media Day!
--PMM
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Hey R&A...
Rode Joypolis' Spin Bullet a week ago today and about 3/4 of the way through my head got snapped around very hard on one of those evil mid-course bumps. It felt like I had bit my own tonsil when it happened. My head hurt for the next 4 days. My throat's been very sore ever since and continues to be very sore today, although I can sleep unlike last Saturday night when I hurt so bad that I couldn't get more than a couple hours sleep.
This is really the first time I've been hurt on a coaster and I've taken a few hundred coaster rides on some really painful machines, such as Hypersonic XLC, ouch. They were all temporary minor pains, but this seems to be lingering. Though the headaches seem to be gone, the throat is still very sore. The oddest thing of all is that the throat feels better after eating. If I go long periods of time without eating, such as overnight or longer, the throat feels worse & worse.
Is this something I should be concerned about or will this eventually go away on its own? Thanks for the input and I hope to have a big PTR coming soon!
-- PMM
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Well I guess at Six Flags anything goes, right? Hmm...maybe someone should go take a poll of the employees there and ask if an Elephant is larger than an Orca. That is, if you can stand explaining what an Orca is 30,000 times.
Glad to see you're all enjoying the pics folks! Like I said this is basically my first ever TPR PTR (chuckle) and the first time to a park for my new Canon Powershot S800. So any feedback along either lines is always most appreciated.
This camera is going to Tokyo Disney Resort this weekend. Hoping to have some great pictures from there to share with everyone soon!
-- PMM
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Thanks!
-- PMM
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Here's some more pics that won't be in backwards order this time!
Farwell SFDK. If only more Six Flags parks such as *cough* Magic Mountain *cough* could follow your lead here. Hope you all enjoyed the pics! =D
One last shot of the new signage.
Green Lantern and Wonder Woman as park characters??? Wow.
Not a surprise to find Bugs in a Six Flags park
Dolphin doing his best Robb imitation
Foghorn Leghorn too?? This is too much!
Penguin!!!
Lazy mom & pup...
Seal/Sea Lion traffic HONK!
Am I seal or a sea lion? Get it right or I'm totally going to eat that granola bar in your shirt pocket!
They have a penguin named Pong who apparently likes to chase bubbles. Yep, still at a Six Flags park
They even have a drop-off service? This is Six Flags right??
Merch...
Marvin the Martian a park character?!
Few other advertisements around in the park. I didn't mind at all because it's about time a Six Flags park had something to offer worth advertising about, y'know?
Even the directional signs are themed!
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Ok so this is my first Photo TR "TPR Style" so bear with me here. I'd proudly display my rookie stripe, if I had one.
Went to SFDK in Vallejo, CA (little ways north of San Francisco in case you don't know precisely where Vallejo's at) with a friend and two kids. Park opened at 10:30am, we arrive about an hour later. Nice weather for Vallejo. Sunny & warm but not overly so. Park didn't seem like it was overly crowded, but we only rode 1 coaster and a couple flat rides the entire day. Sounds bizarre but today was very bizarre for Six Flags. I had to remind myself that I still was at a Six Flags park because I didn't see any of the general indicators, aside from some sadness in Medusa's queue.
This is all pictured below but just to quickly outline things - I was amazed by all the positive changes since I was last at Marine World/Discovery Kingdom a year ago.
First off, the park was pretty darn clean. No trash or overflowing trash cans that I saw.
Second, the new themeing looked good with all the new signage AND BGM loops! To keep with the whole jungle discovery motif, many places in the park played junglish BGM. So that was a nice surprise - not only did Six Flags create new themes with 'Land', 'Sky', and 'Sea', they also had some BGM created. Good on them I say.
Third, it seemed like all their animal exhibits seemed 100x better than last year. Last year a lot of cages were dirty, underwater viewing windows were dirty & spotty & you could barely see anything through them, and the animal habitats themselves looked neglected. Then the animal shows themselves seemed like a total joke. We didn't go to any shows, but we saw that the shows were all pretty full so there had to have been some improvement there. The animals just seemed happier too. Guess a clean cage and better maintenance means happier critters.
Last note to make was the clientele. Apparently this park has done a great job of creating the pro-family environment because that's what we saw just about everywhere. Lots of families and almost none of the typical 24/7 PDAs, gang banger-type that is usually found at Six Flags parks. Saw a lot of families with kids having a fun time. Maybe that was because we spent 95% of our time looking at animals instead of stuck in the coaster queues, but I found just having those animals to enjoy as well as having a nice compliment of coasters to ride combined with lots of new themeing made for a whole lot better day at a Six Flags park than I've gotten used to living 5 minutes away from Magic Mountain.
Overall park experience - I give a 9/10. Now for the pictures!
(And just to show how much of a rookie I am with this, I attached the pictures in reverse order because that's how the 'preview' showed they would come up even though there's a note that says 'attach pictures in the order you want them posted in'. If someone on the TPR staff could reverse them all for me, that would be most appreciated )
Colorful new entrance marquee with no sign of 45th Anniversary anything. Good way to start...
They still make you park a ways away from the entrance, but it makes for a nice picture of the skyline across the little lake.
The former Zonga footprint is still an empty slab. The very first casuality of PTS back in the day...
Folks having fun on Medusa!
I think the trams were simply repainted, but they look MUCH better this year...
Discovery Kingdom - home of purple Giraffes!
Hmmm apparently killer whales are larger than elephants...
New signage on the roof of the entrance building. No more Marine World here...
Weeeeeeeeeee!
More new signage. Nifty eh? Much more in second installment of pics.
Here's some aminals...first a random goat!
I have a growth on my arm, isn't it funny?
Giraffee taunting the humans looking back at them. His mother sure never taught him any manners!
Hot Giraffe tongue action!
Lazy lionness...
"Hey Lionness! Only awesome cats swim in pools!"
"I even do water exercises so I don't become a lazy, bloated lionness!"
"Oh, leave me alone..."
"That's right, you can't handle my awesomeness."
Creepy lookin' bat...
Cute little baby cougar, maybe a new friend for KidTums? Everyone all together now... 'Awwwwwww'
Elephant bows for the crowd, such a considerate elephant. Much better behaved than that giraffe!
They took out the park's only DDR machine for this! Booooooo!!
Yes this park has a Boomerang, and still painted blue for those nostalgic KBF fans out there. Trains looked repainted, might have been new but I sure didn't ride it to find out.
These people are in such pain at that point...
All Vekoma's should have these right across from their exits!!!
Roar was broken when we actually tried to ride it. =(
Kiddie coaster shot for Robb to enjoy.
Ben & Jerry's for Robb to REALLY enjoy.
Most interactive walrus EVER!
Seriously! He would follow your every move and seemed to enjoy petting motions made on the window glass. I'm also told he enjoys candlelit meals and long walks on the beach.
If you tried to walk away, he would bang his face on the display glass so you'd come back! I've never seen such behavior from a walrus before, it was just bizarre.
Fun for ages 1-7 maybe...
Not much going on...
Looks like future site of a load/unload station for a little track that circles the park's Shark exhibit.
Speaking of, thar be sharks in thar!!
To dark for the camera on non-flash mode...
Whack-a-Pirate! Best midway game EVER! (Vented a lot of frustration that had been built up since Disneyland's TSI was altered to become 'Pirate's Lair')
Closing with some coaster shots! Finally! Here's the new V2 Code Red...
Not so much roar going on, but still makes for a pretty picture.
mmmm woodie goodness...
Dive Loop for all you Dive Loop fans out there! Look for a second installment of pictures hopefully coming later today. It's getting waaay too late to continue this tonight. =D
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You read that right - Visions Fantastic will be broadcasting LIVE from the POTC: At World's End Premiere tonight!
Click Hereto view the live streaming video and audio as the VF Crew broadcasts LIVE to the world via the internet from the World Premier of POTC: At World's End.
Feel free to check out the page all day today folks as before the show there's no telling what glimpses into the going's on of the day you'll be able to see. Also you'll find links to photos, video clips and discussions! Don't miss the LIVE Broadcast direct from the Red Carpet of the World Premiere of POTC: At World's End today! And no registering is needed on VF in order to see it!
Come one, come all, everyone is welcome to share in the fun and the excitement from the comforts of your own home without having to deal with the insane crowds or waiting all day!
Click the picture below to go directly to the LIVE coverage and have a great time.
-- PMM
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Wow...to think I drove on that very bridge a month or so ago...
Well this is going to make visiting my NorCal friends rather difficult. Maybe folks who live in that area can post here what routes are being used as detours and what the new traffic senarios are? I hope it'll still be possible to get over to someplace like Novato coming from the I-5...
-- PMM
The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
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^ Paint a line on the other side and tell riders to throw their shoes past that line?