The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[mrfatwrecker]

Have they addressed the cycle time issue yet? It really looks much slower than it used to, and it seems Jay keeps passing over that question when he posts here.

 

So...

 

Jay Thomas, do you know anything about longer cycle times for X2 and if it can be brought back to its original speed?

[daveydo5172]

They did insure us that morning that the lockers would stay open(the locker desk that is)....a lack of communication, but they did remedy the problem, so I guess it did have two sides....

[almightyfire]

I know the general manager of SFMM reads this thread and i wanted to make a suggestion. I went to SFFT today and they have the same locker policy and I think it is wonderful. It sped up load times tremendously except there were shoes all over the place. I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 98 and they made me SIT on my shoes on their inverted coaster and it those trains were loaded almost by the time the other train made it at the bottomof the first drop. This is a policy I think that all Six Flags parks ought to adapt. People are still running to the other side of the train to leave their shoes and they had to stop the trains all day due to shoes too close to the track.

 

Just food for thought

[PeoplemoverMatt]

^ Paint a line on the other side and tell riders to throw their shoes past that line?

[almightyfire]

There is a line already and they were told. The line is behind the gates on the otherside and people still didnt comply. They need to sit on them. They still are holding the train up by taking their time going over there to the other side.

[ghost007jas]

If someone wants to slip off their skate shoes because they're a loose fit you can't have them sit on them.. I don't see anything wrong with guests tossing their shoes to the other side of the station, it's honestly not slowing load times by a significant amount.

[almightyfire]

Now why would anyone need to remove their SHOES? I dont understand. If they are on your foot, why unlace them and remove your shoes? Also I was told the main reason for making you keep your shoes with you is if for some chance the lift chain stops working and you need to evacuate, your shoes would be with you if u have to walk down the lift. That makes a lot of sense. Just keep them on. Good thing you brought it up, at SFFT only mule typed sandals are allowed to be removed. You must wear your shoes.

[RCFreak]

^It really does though, not so much now at Magic were they don't normally run at optimal efficiency, but it can make a huge difference between hitting interval or not and it's not the ones who just toss the shoes on the other side; it's more the ones who walk over, place their shoes down furthest from their seat, then walk back. Over time it really adds up.

[NYTrojan]

I hit up Magic Mountain this Sunday with my Mom and my wife. Consider this a mini trip report... I have no pictures because I don't bring cameras to theme parks. (Well that's a lie, I bring them to Disney, but not to Roller Coaster parks like SFMM or CP)

 

Observations:

Was a great day at the park, not too warm, not too hot. Not too crowded. There was some sort of cheer leading competition that filled in the gaps but for the most part, no real long waits.

 

We got on Tatsu early, which was good because it broke down somewhere in the middle of the day. They did get it running again. Early in the morning they were only running one train on Tatsu and the line grew FAST. We weren't in line long but by the time we got off of the ride the switchbacks were all full and the line still went down out towards the front of rapids camp crossing. Later on in the day they were running 2 trains and using both stations to do it. Really sped things up.

 

I won't get deep into lockergate again, but I will say this: On every locker ride ride but riddlers (We hit Tatsu twice and scream 3 times, riddler once) there was a ton of stuff off on the side of the loading platform. Usually these were things like midway prizes, Basketballs and stuffed animals far too large to fit in a locker anyway, merchandise bags, hats, etc etc. I have my own opinions on this but in an attempt to keep this from turning into another 15 page disaster I'll just ask this: What will SFMM do about the giant plushies they give out at the midway? They simply can't fit in a locker, so even well meaning people get stuck. I didn't see any signs on any of the midway games offering front of the park item pickup (though I did at the merchandise locations), and you can't expect people who won a prize to forfeit riding any locker rides for the rest of the day... they're supposed to be winners right? This will -never- be a problem for me as I don't do midway games and have no place in my house for a 4 foot tall spider man, but I do wonder what the options are.

 

Goliath was running! My favorite ride in the park (outside of X) I was thrilled it wasn't closed like it was Sunday.

 

Colossus was also closed for a part of the morning, but was open by 12:30 or so.

 

Viper was closed for a large chunk of the day, with a train stopped on the lift, but they got it running by the time the day ran out. I have only good things to say about how it was obvious the park kept working on rides in an attempt to get them running eventually.

 

As we were told earlier, Home Depot isn't a sponsor of the parks anymore, but the signs are still everywhere. They've taken what looks like T Shirt Iron on fabric and covered some of the home depot logos with Six Flags logos. These are already peeling. There are plenty that still have Home Depot on them.

 

Boy am I glad I got one extreme (or platinum?) season pass. Parking is $15.00... and Flash Passes are $25.00 for a set of four. Seems steep to me, but since I get one free, the more people they discourage from using the things the better off I am.

 

Some other comments on the state of the park:

 

The Good:

The pathways were as clean as I can ever remember. You REALLY notice this. Any concerns that the park was 'putting on it's best face' for us at WCB can be laid to rest.

 

The three point challenge is a hit. I honestly can't imagine dropping 10 dollars on a midway game, but then again I am terrible at basketball. People really seem to love this.

 

Multiple Trains on all rides... even Batman. I can't remember the last time I saw 2 trains running on Batman.

 

The Cyber Cafe really looks sharp. The connection was a little slow, but the place was full and it looks like people are actually keeping the things clean. I realize it is brand new, but at the old SFMM these would have been vandalized by now.

 

I didn't go to the Skytower museum at WCB, but I did yesterday and it is fantastic. Mom, who has gone to MM since it opened absolutely loved it. I have nothing but positive things to say about the museum itself. I would like to make one suggestion: the park needs to make it more obvious that the museum is up there. While we were waiting for the elevator a lot of people came by saying things like "this isn't a drop ride right? It just goes up? Can you do anything more than just look around up there?" Someone even asked if it was an elevator that took you down to the base of the mountain. Usually when we said it was a museum folks got interested and wanted to wait for it too. The moral of the story is the GP doesn't read their maps, but maybe a big 'Magic of the Mountain: A museum dedicated to the history of SFMM" banner or something at the base of the skytower would help. This is far too cool an exhibit for people to miss out on because they can't be bothered to read their maps.

 

Katy's Kettle lives! Perhaps I've just had bad luck or have gone in off seasons to the point where they weren't running it, but it was good to see the little Rapids Camp Crossing kitchen up and serving food.

 

The Bad:

People have pointed out to me that there are water fountains all over the park. Paying attention this time, I challenge any of you to find one you'd be willing to put your mouth next to. Fil-THY.

 

The line cutting was out of control. I honestly can't remember a ride we didn't have somebody pushing past us while we waited. Even Goldrusher! I thought that saving places in line "is strictly prohibited and may result in expulsion from the park".

 

Bathrooms. I simply can't wait for the new ones to be put in next year.

 

The 'Gum Fields' you fly over as you leave the Tatsu station and go up the lift have really developed a life of their own. I honestly don't know what the park can do about this aside from cleaning it all the time which may not be feasible. Combine that with the people who absolutely have to spit on their way up the lift and I'm just baffled at how people feel the need to be disgusting all the time.

 

The Ugly:

A few issues came up at Scream. In an attempt to synchronize their party, the group ahead of us asked if we would like to take their spot on the next train. Unfortunately the staff member manning the gate had an itchy trigger finger and, as we swapped places in line, started closing the gates. My wife made it to the loading platform but the gates closed on the rest of us. (This happened again to another group, so I know it wasn't just our tardiness... those gates were fast). Being split up wasn't the big deal though, as my wife turned around and tried to figure out what we were to do, the folks who just rode the ride saw that the row was still empty and ran back on. With no seats left, and closed gates my wife didn't have anywhere to go. When she asked a staff member to open the gate so she could get back in line they refused. She was going to have to stand on the loading platform as the train went by. She asked if she should stand in the taped off 'safety square' that the staff stand in, and they said no. Luckily, due to the problem I'll outline below, the train was delayed and enough people in line (folks we didn't even know) started complaining that it wouldn't be safe for her that they opened the gate and let her back in line. On the next train, the other group that got separated acted more quickly than we did and simply got on the train before others could take his seat.

 

The other problem we had was increased loading time due to constantly moving people around on the train. Apparently scream has a few seats modified for larger riders... which is good and all... Universal does the same for the Hulk. The problem is SFMM doesn't mark which rows these are. There should be some sort of banner indicating which rows you should get into if you're heavy. Twice while I was waiting in line they had to pull a group from the front row and send them to the fourth (I believe). You have to feel for the guy who waited extra to get the front, and have to be pulled out in front of everybody when he could have (and should have) tried his luck in the larger seats, and it effectively doubled the load time on two back to back trains. When it was all said and done a solid 12 minutes went by for both of those trains to be loaded.

 

Overall, the park looks better than it has in years. I am very happy that my worst complaints aren't along the lines of "I got on 3 rides today because they were only running 1 train... and I had to trudge through ankle-deep leaf litter to get through the lines" For all the warts that are left to be removed, the park is definitely on the right track.

[AllenA07]

With no seats left, and closed gates my wife didn't have anywhere to go. When she asked a staff member to open the gate so she could get back in line they refused. She was going to have to stand on the loading platform as the train went by. She asked if she should stand in the taped off 'safety square' that the staff stand in, and they said no.

 

This sounds like something that the park should look into. I would have taken the time to go to guest relations after that and make a complaint. I'm sure that making your wife stay on that side of the gate is not only dangerous for her, but it is going to put the park at risk of increased liability. I'm sure that this is against park policies, and is something they would take seriously.

[Vintage Disneyland Ticket]

Wow, I just caught up on 30+ pages of posts! Glad to the lo#@er controversy has died down.

 

I was thrilled to see that the Mountain’s upper management reads this website, very exciting.

 

Robb, I have a question. I’m only bringing this up because I have not heard an update and I have some new information.

 

Any news on the fate of the Metro?

 

I recently discovered that Hershey Park in PA has the exact same monorail system and it is still in use today. Maybe they could share some maintenance tips with MM???

 

Had to ask... Love your posts & this website.

[AllenA07]

Last I heard Metro isn't coming back and at the same time there are no plans to remove it. Metro is going to be a difficult ride to remove if the park eventually decides that it wants to take it out.

 

I wish they would get it (or anything to replace it) running again. The park is missing transportation style rides, which while boring, are important parts of the park.

[RIP Psyclone]

In the case of Metro, it comes down to money. They would have to spend a lot of money to get it up and running again, and it's something that won't bring in any additional guests, nor can it really be advertised. I've said that before. It's easier for management to say "it's no longer up to code."

[NYTrojan]

To their credit, it wasn't just a lot of money, it was a TON of money. They claimed it was pretty much equal to what they spend on a major roller coaster.

 

That said, I agree that some sort of transportation ride would help... but how on earth can they do it? You'd have to close down huge sections of the park for months on end even if money wasn't an object.

[PURE]

^Besides the money, I don't think installing one would be that big of a construction deal at all, definitly not more than any coaster. And just because there's no transportation ride now doesn't mean one isn't in the planning in the next 5 or so years. The park is getting itself back together, and there are other things that are important and are less of an investment right now.

 

The Bad:

The line cutting was out of control. I honestly can't remember a ride we didn't have somebody pushing past us while we waited. Even Goldrusher! I thought that saving places in line "is strictly prohibited and may result in expulsion from the park".

The 'Gum Fields' you fly over as you leave the Tatsu station and go up the lift have really developed a life of their own. I honestly don't know what the park can do about this aside from cleaning it all the time which may not be feasible. Combine that with the people who absolutely have to spit on their way up the lift and I'm just baffled at how people feel the need to be disgusting all the time.

 

The gum fields on Tatsu should be cleaned by its ride operators EVERY DAY. They are responsible for the cleanliness of the ride from the beginning of the queue, to the cleanliness of the trains. There's no reason they shouldn't be cleaned other than it's a horrible job that nobody wants to do, and in the morning they'd rather sit on their butts than do their jobs. However the block brake also has a floor and it'd be pretty difficult to clean that area.

 

As far as the line cutting, I agree and I think we've discussed on here before that it needs to be addressed. However I've heard that parks like Disney have a hard time reinforcing those rules, so I can't think of how hard it would be for MM to do it as well. All I can think of is a security guard at every ride watching over the queue--but even they don't always do their job.

[nagro5]

NYTrojan, I would would have definitely went to guest relations about the Scream! incident. It is just not acceptable to let someone who has just rode basically cut in front of the entire line. I also had problems with line jumping when I was there. If the ride ops noticed that they definitely should have said something. It's also unacceptable to not let someone that trapped in the loading station in the safety zones. It's dangerous to have a guest be in that situation.

[upfrontjwash]

^Besides the money, I don't think installing one would be that big of a construction deal at all, definitly not more than any coaster. And just because there's no transportation ride now doesn't mean one isn't in the planning in the next 5 or so years. The park is getting itself back together, and there are other things that are important and are less of an investment right now.

 

The Bad:

The line cutting was out of control. I honestly can't remember a ride we didn't have somebody pushing past us while we waited. Even Goldrusher! I thought that saving places in line "is strictly prohibited and may result in expulsion from the park".

The 'Gum Fields' you fly over as you leave the Tatsu station and go up the lift have really developed a life of their own. I honestly don't know what the park can do about this aside from cleaning it all the time which may not be feasible. Combine that with the people who absolutely have to spit on their way up the lift and I'm just baffled at how people feel the need to be disgusting all the time.

 

The gum fields on Tatsu should be cleaned by its ride operators EVERY DAY. They are responsible for the cleanliness of the ride from the beginning of the queue, to the cleanliness of the trains. There's no reason they shouldn't be cleaned other than it's a horrible job that nobody wants to do, and in the morning they'd rather sit on their butts than do their jobs. However the block brake also has a floor and it'd be pretty difficult to clean that area.

 

As far as the line cutting, I agree and I think we've discussed on here before that it needs to be addressed. However I've heard that parks like Disney have a hard time reinforcing those rules, so I can't think of how hard it would be for MM to do it as well. All I can think of is a security guard at every ride watching over the queue--but even they don't always do their job.

 

I agree with you about the fact that the ride ops would rather sit there then clean. Them clean someone gum up day in and day out.

 

Also security was doing a hell of a job on saturday, with crowd control and everything. I was very impressed with them.

[upfrontjwash]

I know its a few days late, but this is my short update from my trip on saturday. Their was a huge cheerleading event at the park so it was very crowded. When i first arrived at the park X2 was testing and looking great. Goliath was not open for the whole day, and when i asked someone what happened they told me that they were not able to get the ride started all day. Viper was stopped on the lift, why i am not sure what happened it looked serious. the train in Bugs Bunny World was on its side and being worked on. Other then that their is nothing more to report so i'm just going to show the few pictures that i have.

 

I started my day of with a long walk from the the parking lot area near Scream and Colossus.

 

I wanted to make goliath my first ride of the day, but it was not working the whole day.

 

 

So i went to Riddlers Revenge.

 

Sorry guys i think i bent the track.

 

me standing in the single ride line for Riddlers.

 

While walking through the kiddie area i noticed that the train was on its side.

 

Poor Viper was not operating after being open for a few hours. For some reason it broke down on the lift.

 

I ended my day with a ride one Tatsu.

[sns2015]

People have pointed out to me that there are water fountains all over the park. Paying attention this time, I challenge any of you to find one you'd be willing to put your mouth next to. Fil-THY.

I've always found the drinking fountain across from Ninja by the summit station of the Orient Express to be a fairly clean one. I rank it in my all time top-10 drinking fountains, but that mainly has to do with its location (top of the mountain) and that it always has cold water. However, yes, most of the drinking fountains could use some cleaning and work. It seems that at the restrooms that have them, only one of the fountains ever works at a time.

[coasterjunkie91350]

Well you can thank me for the orient fountain cause i always wipe it down during the day ill see to it about the ones by tatsu and deja vu thanks for the heads up guys

[GuruGuys]

Does anyone know if Goliath and Viper are operational now. I am in town and will hit SFMM either Tomorrow, Wednesday, or Thursday depending on which rides are operational. Perhaps there is a phone number I can call at SFMM to get this information?

 

-GG

[SharkTums]

Goliath was reopened as of Sunday morning and ran great all day. Viper reopened Sunday around 6pm!

[Absimilliard]

I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and I have to say this... wow, I'm impressed.

 

My first time at SFMM was in 2005 and it was horrible. Never wanted to step foot within 10 miles of the park. Last year WCB was fun and so this time, needing to get my Six Flags season pass, I went...

 

Season pass processing was fast and very efficient, except for one slight glitch: the system where you enter your infos doesn't recognise canadian postal codes (6 characters long, under the format of either letter-number-letter-number-letter-number or the opposite).

 

ALL the coasters were running 2 trains, even if crowds were light. Dispatches were fast and all the employees were nice and helpful. We had dinner at the indoor food court near Goliath and the prices were reasonable and the food was good and tasty.

 

The new museum is an awesome idea, but my mom had one slight complaint: they need to add dates or years to the various items.

 

All in all... for management: Thank you for a great day and keep up the good work.

[PURE]

The new museum is an awesome idea, but my mom had one slight complaint: they need to add dates or years to the various items.

 

Definitly! That way people can really see how and when the park changed into what it is today.

 

And it wouldn't be hard, just a little research. Some of its even easier if you know when a ride existed. That would really make it more of a professional museum especially to the GP, not just a bunch of random stuff.

[wrs28330]

The new museum is an awesome idea, but my mom had one slight complaint: they need to add dates or years to the various items.

 

I am still working on the dates of items, we have the information, it is now just a matter of finishing the work. Some of the maps have "circa 19__" underneath them, we will be changing them to read "Map above: circa 19__".

 

The one other item that still needs its description is the model of the boardwalk area that would have been overlayed on top of Mystic Lake, before Hurricane Harbor was decided upon.

 

Again the dates are in the work.