The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[MrSum1_55]

Get to the park early and run to X2! No exceptions, except for maybe GL, or if you don't mind spending an extra $15 to add to a Gold FP. Even on lightly croweded days, you should still to this. (I was at the park when Tatsu had about a 2 train wait, while X2 had a 30 minute wait!) However, I got lucky then. You really have to be there right when it opens. A 2 hour wait is nothing out of the ordinary, even on moderatly crowded days. Once, just a week after the ride opened, I came to the park to see the line all the back to Panda Express! (A >3 hour wait). Heed this warning; even if you have to blow an air horn into your friends' ears just to wake them up early.

[letsriderides]

^I always manage to ride every ride open when I get there before it opens, never used a FP/ Q-bot. If I had the money, I sure as heck would!

 

edit** and if I did have the money, I would never use a Gold or Platinum on anything other than X2, because that's the only kind acceptable for it. My reason being is because the regular gets u a spot as if you had waited in line, thegold/plt get you in at a much earlier time, which is basically paying the park for me to cut. Very wrong, imo, to pay a park off to break rules and also rude to other visitors.

[cfc]

edit** and if I did have the money, I would never use a Gold or Platinum on anything other than X2, because that's the only kind acceptable for it. My reason being is because the regular gets u a spot as if you had waited in line, thegold/plt get you in at a much earlier time, which is basically paying the park for me to cut. Very wrong, imo, to pay a park off to break rules and also rude to other visitors.

 

I fail to see how paying for a park-offered service could be considered "breaking" the rules.

[SharkTums]

^^Queue skipping programs are not "breaking the rules". You're really just distancing yourself more and more from the regulars here.

 

Go have fun waiting in long lines and eating bad food and loving it. I'll pay for Qbot and go find good food.

[MrSum1_55]

^I always manage to ride every ride open when I get there before it opens, never used a FP/ Q-bot. If I had the money, I sure as heck would!

 

edit** and if I did have the money, I would never use a Gold or Platinum on anything other than X2, because that's the only kind acceptable for it. My reason being is because the regular gets u a spot as if you had waited in line, thegold/plt get you in at a much earlier time, which is basically paying the park for me to cut. Very wrong, imo, to pay a park off to break rules and also rude to other visitors.

 

So, the FP is not worth it? Well, on my last visit, the queues were full for nearly every ride, even Viper. However, I managed the entire day with very little waiting. The highlight of the day was using my Gold FP to ride Batman twice in a row within minutes, in the back, then the front, while the queue was full.

 

And if Six Flags' FP's are "breaking rules," aren't Fastpasses as well? Flashpasses are just electronic Flashpasses that don't give you extremely long wait times, but you have to pay for them.

 

One thing that would really be awesome that I would love to see parks do is combine Disney's Free Fastpass system with SF's Q-bots. If you want to, you can use the paper ticket system, but you should also be able to buy a Q-bot if you are willing to fork up some extra cash.

[letsriderides]

I'm saying that Gold/PT is just like paying the park off for letting you cut in line, which is something I feel is wrong. Not saying it's a bad investment to everyone else, just how I feel about it.

 

edit** \/

let me make it clear that I am not complaining about an upcharge, rather expressing my view on the gold-pt flash pass.

Edited July 22, 2011 by letsriderides

[Jew]

There are three things you can be sure will always pop up in the SFMM thread over and over again (no matter how many times we have discussed them):

 

1. complaints about those things that smartcarte currently operates for the park.

2. complaints about the food quality.

3. complaints about upcharge Q-bots/fastpass/VIP/etc.

 

Please just stop.

 

[cooksta77]

Don't mean to go off topic here but I just got back from the mountain. It was a busy day but not Saturday busy by any means. X2 was down until 1 then the lines hovered at 15 min until people realized it was open. Every line hovered from 1-2 hours in the park. Anyways just some highlights:

Green Lantern:

Wow. I rode it opening day and thought it was great today I was blown away. The g-forces of the drops are absolutely incredible and my 2nd ride of the day I got an unbalanced ride as me and my friend (combined weight about 400 lbs) got two 12 year old girls on the other side so I was flipping from the start. I can see Robb and Elissa's point of Insane how it all depends on the distribution. Also I plunged into a drop upside down and I can honestly say it was the most intense 2-3 seconds of any ride I've been on more intense then Tatsu's pretzel loop and Goliath's "Helix of death". Overall it has become my 2nd favorite ride behind X2 but it's right behind.

X2:

No audio on both trains. No fire effects. It's still a great ride but I feel like it's old X without Metallica but regardless still fun as always.

Superman:Escape From Krypton:

Was running good and even saw some dueling launches but they were launching both off within 10 seconds of each other constantly so glad to see that's still working for them. got to ride in the last row (2 seat row) and it was a fun ride but not worth the hour and a half wait it became.

JB's BBQ:

Got to try this place and honestly it was kinda good. The portions are a good size as I got the pulled pork and it was good. Not worth $11.99 but good. The combo plate was larger then my friend anticipated so it was too much for him but compared to the old BBQ place I'd say it's just as good.

Overall it was a fun day where the parking lot got to the dirt lot by Scream as well as some church groups. Glad to see the new Intamin is breaking in nicely and also the l0cker policy isn't being enforced anymore. It's just people leaving stuff off to the side like old times even on X2 so that's that.

 

Green Lantern-2

X2-2

Batman-2

Goliath-1

Superman:EFK-1

Tatsu-1

-Cookie

[CharlieT.]

^ I'm really looking forward to GL:FF next time I visit the park, which will most likely be at the beginning of august. Thanks for the report.

 

I'm really sad to hear yet again that X2's audio is down, as it was just reported a few days ago that it was back! I truly hope all effects are running during my trip, as I will be taking people who have never experienced rides anything like these.

[805Andrew]

There are three things you can be sure will always pop up in the SFMM thread over and over again (no matter how many times we have discussed them):

 

1. complaints about those things that smartcarte currently operates for the park.

2. complaints about the food quality.

3. complaints about upcharge Q-bots/fastpass/VIP/etc.

 

Please just stop.

 

You forgot the $15 parking

[Tmcdllr]

There are three things you can be sure will always pop up in the SFMM thread over and over again (no matter how many times we have discussed them):

 

1. complaints about those things that smartcarte currently operates for the park.

2. complaints about the food quality.

3. complaints about upcharge Q-bots/fastpass/VIP/etc.

 

Please just stop.

 

You forgot the $15 parking

 

And the "parking lot coaster"

[805Andrew]

^Oh yeah, totally forgot about that. An under-appreciated ride - the ride is great, the setting just sucks. I rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes to ride it when I visit. Its nice to have a ride with a guaranteed short wait that isn't a 20+ year old coaster.

[Tmcdllr]

^Yeah I agree with all of that. SCREAM! is actually a really fun ride.

[coasterfreak101]

I hated Scream when I was there last June - it was like an ugly, rough, rattling version of Medusa/Bizzaro. Maybe it was just hot. But it is ugly!

[liftsifter]

Scream was that coaster that I don't know why Shapiro never did anything about it. He knew it needed loads of work, but never did anything about it..

[John Knotts]

Say what you want about Scream, the ride has some forces, unlike some of its cousins.

[letsriderides]

We all know Scream is a great ride, but riding it is sort of like playing Russian Roulette, sometimes it may be rough and maybe some headbanging, other times its very smooth and painless. Anyone know which are the magic seats on the Scream trains?

[StarTrekGeek]

I loved Scream last time we went to SFMM (last winter). The only con I have is the location over the parking lot. Otherwise, Scream is a pretty decent ride.

[Gmaster562]

I don't see a difference between a ride with a bad location (Scream,colossus,goliath) and an un-decorated ride (The majority of SFMM rides)? IMO, if a rides really fun, it's location , if in a bad location, is just fine in my book.

[AllenA07]

I really think B&M has changed what we consider a "rough" coaster. Even if Scream has a bit of a rattle, I've never had anything ofter then good rides on it.

[Zeppelinfreak]

I think Scream is a great ride in a bad location.

[Zeppelinfreak]

I think Scream is a great ride in a bad location.

[805Andrew]

Scream was that coaster that I don't know why Shapiro never did anything about it. He knew it needed loads of work, but never did anything about it..

 

The only thing Shapiro should have done to it was decorate/cover up/remove the parking lot below it. Maybe theme the ride to a carnival theme since its in Colossus County Fair. The ride itself is not rough at all in my opinion.

 

I think Scream is a great ride in a bad location.

 

I'll take the hard to find, bad location and a short line to ride over a great location and long line, thank you very much.

[MrSum1_55]

There has long been a debate over whether Scream is smooth or rough. As of December 2009, I knew the answer.

 

It all depends on where you sit.

 

On my first visit, I sat in the back. I thought it was really awesome, smooth, and an overlooked ride. However, on my 2009 visit, I rode in the front. It was absloutly horrible! I would say it was comparable to an SLC, and a whole lot worse than Mantis (which I had just ridden 5 months earlier, and actually wasn't too bad!). However, whenever I have returned, I have always ridden in the back, and gotten a glass-smooth ride. Besides, the ride is not really that intense, with the exception of the helix off the MCBR. Scream's cousin to the North does not have a much more intersting layout, but is a whole lot more smooth. Even though Medusa is starting to develop a bit of rattle in certain parts, being next to an SLC and having ridden Sream completely negate the almost unnoticalbe rattle.

 

Although, I have heard that KD's Dominator also has the "Scream" curse (ultra rough in the front, ultra smooth in the back). Is this true? I will be riding it next month, and the front is usually my favorite seat on a floorless.

[coasterfreak101]

^Dominator is the polar opposite - headache in the back, great in the front! Especially on hot days, a ride in the back will put you off the rides for a while.