The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[scooterdoug]

3. I'm reading that X2's line tends to get shorter in the afternoon. Usually we ride X2 first followed by Tatsu and then Superman. Would a better strategy be Tatsu, Superman, rest of park, then X2 in afternoon? I'm certain my family will want to ride X2 twice, and I would rather wait longer for that than Tatsu. Usually we end the day with the second ride on X2.

I've found the short X2 line in the afternoon to be inconsistent. Out of my 3 most recent visits (spread out over 2 years, mind you), only one saw the line shorten. The first two times I tried that strategy, the line was long all day. However, on my third visit, the line was around 15 minutes from entering the queue to boarding the ride. I started checking around 3, and the short line happened around 4:30. I stuck with the ride for 1.5 hours, and the wait stayed short the entire time. I'll be going next Thursday, and I plan on heading straight to X2, as I really enjoy the ride and don't want to deal with a 2-3 hour wait. My usual strategy is to head straight to X2, then to the back of the park (Tatsu usually sports a hefty wait by the time I get of X2). The back of the park (Batman, Riddler's Revenge, Green Lantern, and Lex Luthor) are all bona fide walk-ons for at least an hour, until the crowds make their way back there. That's my personal experience. Hope this helps. Have fun, and keep drinking water all day!

[SFMMGeek27]

If it's really busy, then the line for X2 just plain won't shorten very much because there are so many people in the park. However, I have never been when it hasn't shortened to some extent. Even on super busy days, I've pretty much seen a 90 minute line in the morning shrink to 60 by 4pm. It will usually shrink by a half hour or so.

 

X2 was a walk-on from 3-6 pm yesterday so there should be some luck next week. Also for Tatsu, get in line in the last 15 minutes before closing and you'll have a really short line. Even on really busy days. I've seen a 90 min line shrink to only 20 min right before closing.

[Arthur_Seaton]

I have to agree with a couple of the recent posts questioning X2's line becoming shorter as the day progresses. Although I've certainly seen the line drop down to almost nothing on fairly busy days, I haven't been able to detect any discernible pattern / logic. What I'll sometimes do is jump on Viper and gauge X2's line from Viper's lift hill. The only downside to that is that it means that you have to ride Viper and, potentially, X2.

 

Goliath is similar; I never really see a clear pattern of change in the line. On days when the park's moderately busy, Goliath always seems to have a longer wait than most rides for much of the day. If anything, Goliath seems more busy toward the end of the day with people trying to get last rides in. It's only on days when the park is clearly dead that you stand a good chance of not having to wait at all. Goliath has glacial operations, so even when the line appears to be short, it can feel like it's not moving at all.

 

The only rides that seem somewhat consistent in terms of a guaranteed wait are Füll Thröttle and Tatsu — both of which are usually packed all day long on days when the park is decently filled. Revolution is the same now that they've killed the capacity with the silly VR-masks (ride single rider — it's much better that way), but everything else there seems to vary in terms of wait times. As others noted, the park's other B&Ms rarely garner long waits, although even that's unpredictable as the last time I was there, there was a line for Scream — which I don't think I've ever seen before.

 

Unfortunately, the wait times app on the phone doesn't work for crap, so I wouldn't rely too heavily on that.

[SFMMGeek27]

Yet another dead day at the park today. FT isn't even under the canopy and Goliath's line starts in the station.

[coaster_cliff]

Yet another dead day at the park today. FT isn't even under the canopy and Goliath's line starts in the station.

What, really? I just drove by and saw a ton of cars in the parking lot out to Scream's corkscrews and debated going in. Decided not to. I suppose all the guests are in HH. Guess I'll swing by tonight and get a good lap in.

[SFMMGeek27]

TC's line was only in the last switchback. It only took 15 min at 2pm.

[SFMMGeek27]

Update: Tatsu's line is only to the end of the first switchback as of 3:27. Both stations open.

 

X2 is super short too. Line shrink trick worked today.

Edited July 7, 2016 by SFMMGeek27

[Freestyle23]

wow why isn't it that busy?

[coaster_cliff]

Update: Tatsu's line is only to the end of the first switchback as of 3:27. Both stations open.

 

X2 is super short too. Line shrink trick worked today.

 

I'm here now too. Just showed up and immediately faced a small for FT. Say hi if you run into me.

Edited July 9, 2016 by coaster_cliff

[SFMMGeek27]

Update: Tatsu's line is only to the end of the first switchback as of 3:27. Both stations open.

 

X2 is super short too. Line shrink trick worked today.

 

I'm here now too. Just showed up and immediately faced a small for FT. Say hi if you run into me.

 

I would've but I had to get out around 5 since I had other obligaions for tonight. TNR without VR for the win tho.

[HauntedIndy]

Here's my trip report from Wednesday, July 6.

 

Park was not that crowded. The parking lot was filled to somwhere next to Scream.

Everybody had a great time. Our first time visitor rode all the coasters in the park plus Superman and Drop of Doom. This will be the third year in a row of a good time at Magic Mountain. Looking forward to next year. Justice League dark ride please...

 

All coasters were operating 2 trains. Colossus had 3 trains. Yay!

Here's the day with more details:

11:12 am walked into the park. I was surprised there wasn't more cars packed at the parking lot entrance.

Went direct to Tatsu, but it wasn't open yet. So up the mountain to Superman.

11:20 am entered Superman line. 4 or 5 car wait. Still quite fun. I like the backwards version better than the original.

11:35 am entered Ninja line. Though I enjoy old arrow suspended coasters, this was the first time after riding that I wouldn't mind this being replaced with something else. Maybe Mack could do a version of Helix here, but then Yolocoaster and Superman already have launches...

11:50 am entered Tatsu line. It had some technical issues while we were in line, but we decided to wait since the line would only get longer later on. Fun ride. The motion seems "slow" to me, but it's still fun and the pretzel loop is a great moment. Both stations were being used so we didn'thave to hang in the brake run for 5 min like last year. Definite improvement.

12:41 pm at Revolution single rider line. I'm so glad it has the new trains. This is much more like the Revolution I enjoyed as a kid. Didn't do the VR at all. I like looking at the trees and such.

1:11 pm entered Goliath line. First half exactly as I remember. Then the stop at the mid course brake. I must be getting old, since I grayed out a bit in the helix of gray out.

1:58 pm entered Drop of Awesomeness line. Still the best drop ride like this that I have been on. Going up scares me. Going down is just fun.

2:21 pm entered X2 line. It had technical issues so we went to eat lunch at a nearby In N Out.

Lunch break.

4:05 pm entered Yolocoaster (Full Throttle) line. Everybody really enjoyed this.

4:40 pm back in X2 line. It had technical issues again, but we waited. The line was shorter than when we left before lunch. So the X2 line shortening in the afternoon happened today. This was bumpier than last year, and it bumped me in the head really well at the bottom of the last loop, even though I knew that jolt was coming. Oh well, still a crazy ride, but I think I'm tolerating bumpiness less well than before.

5:26 pm entered Viper line. I really should have sat this out and waited for my family and friends to ride this. After a bumpy X2 ride, this beat me up more. I'm totally ready for this ride to be bulldozed and replaced with something else.

5:43 pm entered Apocalypse line. I was surpised this was about a 25 min wait at this time of the day. It also had technical issues for a bit, but we just waited through them. Yes the ride is bumpy, but I still enjoy it. If you ever rode Psyclone when it was in this spot, Apocalypse is nowhere close to the house of pain that was

6:28 pm entered Gold Rusher line. It is what it is. I don't want it replaced though.

6:37 pm at Riddler single rider line. Yeah, this has gotten rougher over the years. Not Viper rough, but still too bumpy for a B&M.

7:06 pm at Green Lantern. I skipped this because one ride on this two years ago was enough for me.

7:26 pm entered Batman line. Just one moment of headbang in first flat spin. Other than that, normal Batman experience.

7:39 pm entered Scream line. Rode twice without moving seats. Sat out third ride and waited for my family and friends. I think I'm getting old. Fun ride though.

8:02 pm entered Twisted Colossus line. It had technical issues but we waited. We experienced a race for the second half. Wow does that add an extra dimension of fun to an already fantastic ride!

8:44 pm at Yolo for last ride. This is neat with the lights in the tunnel at night.

[MagicAngel94]

Someone have the "exclusive edition tshirt"?

[coasternut]

I'm not sure what happened at opening at the park yesterday - Saturday. The park was scheduled to open at 10am. Security and the metal detectors didn't start working until 9:30. The the poor guy screening the gold passes scanner wasn't working, so he had to key in the numbers. By the time I got into the park the gold pass line was already released. I've not seen this delayed metal detector issue before at the park. It seems it's always something...

[joshfreund]

What rides for e.r.t tonight?

[cwf_777]

What rides for e.r.t tonight?

 

Batman, Green Lantern, and Goliath

[Henry M]

What rides for e.r.t tonight?

 

Batman, Green Lantern, and Goliath

Does SFMM always have ERT on rides or at least often. I have never know a park have ERT so casually.

[singemfrc]

What rides for e.r.t tonight?

 

Batman, Green Lantern, and Goliath

Does SFMM always have ERT on rides or at least often. I have never know a park have ERT so casually.

Sign up for the newsletter, they notify you of most ERT sessions. There's almost always one on July 11th sponsored by the 7-11 convenience store chain.

[mtavenger55]

Question about the New Revolution, do you have to wear the VR headset or can you opt out?

[snapfordakids]

Question about the New Revolution, do you have to wear the VR headset or can you opt out?

 

You can opt out, and that goes for ever VR coaster that has came out this year I'm pretty sure.

[Arthur_Seaton]

Question about the New Revolution, do you have to wear the VR headset or can you opt out?

You can opt out and even skip the line by going to the fast pass entrance. If you're riding with people who want to wear the helmet, you'll have to wait in line though. The only other VR coaster I've ridden allowed you to opt out, but did not have a "skip the line" option when I rode it.

[joshfreund]

7-11 e.r.t rides?

[toughmudder]

Quick question for the SFMM pros. I'm used to going to DL where I can shove backpacks, fanny packs and purses on just about any ride. I'm pretty sure I know the backpack rule...what about purses and fannypacks? Can you get on rides with them on or stick them in a cubby or locker?

 

Are there lockers you can reserve for the day? If so, where are they located?

[SFMMGeek27]

TNR is a disaster. They can't clean and charge the headsets fast enough to fill and dispatch the trains, even with 5-7 minute dispatches. Around half the trains are only sent half full (or with single riders filling the other half). The employees are working really really hard and it's not their fault that everything goes so slowly. They need about three times as many headsets as they have with how many are malfunctioning and how many die every few cycles. About 20% of the riders on each train get to reride because the VR didn't work for them. Plus, I enjoyed my ride in the front row without VR a lot more than any of my rides with VR.

[SFMMGeek27]

Quick question for the SFMM pros. I'm used to going to DL where I can shove backpacks, fanny packs and purses on just about any ride. I'm pretty sure I know the backpack rule...what about purses and fannypacks? Can you get on rides with them on or stick them in a cubby or fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo?

 

Are there fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo you can reserve for the day? If so, where are they located?

 

The general rule is if it doesn't fit in your pockets, it can't ride with you. So no purses or fanny packs. Many rides have lockers at the entrance, or you can put your stuff on the station platform on all rides (except X2, where they force you to pay $1 for a locker). There's a deal where for like $10 you can move your stuff from locker to locker at each of the rides an

Unlimited number of times all day as well. If you want an all-day locker, there are some near the entrance behind Guest Relations next to the Flash Pass Center.

[joshfreund]

Full throttle lockers...lol