The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[cooksta77]

^Well I don't think Magic Mountain would listen to a 15 year olds idea anyway when the ride is open . I just thought I'd post what they "could" do. But I think that putting more people into the preshows could increase the people in the station.

Andrew "Just expressing my thoughts is all" Iorio

[ebl]

I've wondered, too, whether spacing out the pre-shows would have worked. That would also result in a longer indoor queue (not a bad thing) and might allow a backlog of riders to build up---which is needed in order to ensure full trains.

 

Eric

[FrightFest1408]

That will be cool if B:TR and Goliath open on friday cause I'm going friday! Aritime on TS:TR

[austinlee]

Robb, I have noticed the same thing. On most of my TS rides, after you get sent up the final stairway, you walk onto the train and there are not enough people left in line to fill the next train. Sometimes there aren't even enough people in the station to fill the train which has just returned. I feel that the stairway should be kept full at all times.

 

I like the back row the best since I have found it to have more air-time. FrightFest1408, sorry to burst your bubble but SFMM is not open this Friday. They are on their "off-season" schedule right now and are only open weekends and school holidays.

[ebl]

On another note, SFMM is closed on Sunday, February 7, according to their calendar. On the plus side, however, as we get further into the year, the park seems to be staying open a bit later (till 7pm or 8pm).

 

Not too bad for a park during the winter.

 

Eric

[PeoplemoverMatt]

--Robb "Maybe there is a reason a coaster pre-show of this length hasn't been done before?" Alvey

 

Well I'm sure someone probably asked "Maybe there is a reason a coaster never went 100mph or up 40 some odd stories before?" when Superman was having problems. I'm sure someone probably asked "Maybe there is a reason a coaster was never built like X before?" when X was having problems. I'm sure someone probably asked "Maybe there is a reason why a coaster never had a loop before" with Revolution.

 

I am really surprised that, with SFMM's history of coaster firsts, people think that SFMM is either unaware of Terminator's running with empty rows as a problem, or is aware & is just unwilling to do something about it. You know that SFMM is reading your concerns as you voice them. You know that they'd be willing to make changes, but you also know by now that having the guests watch the pre-show in its entirety is something that they do not want to change. I think we could all do well by relaxing a bit over this.

 

One thing I'd also like to see is a little less taking of the pre-show for granted. Being able to mouth the words to it doesn't make the pre-show not worth watching. I've been able to mouth the words to the Haunted Mansion's stretching gallery since I was 8 years old, even the strange, long words like "cadaverous." I agree that it can be frustrating knowing that there are trains with empty rows flying around while you're watching the pre-show, but can we have a little faith that that will not happen forever, and that it's certainly no reason to disregard a pre-show that SFMM worked very hard to create for your enjoyment when they could have just slapped a name on their new GCI woodie and been done with it?

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^Comparing innovation and design to flawed capacity is a bit unfair. Ballpark figures of course, but if each train holds 22 passengers, with the ride having two trains, you'd want to keep at least 44 people in each pre-show area at a time to ensure you have one train's amonut of people loading with one group waiting. Sounds like a simple solution to a simple problem, right? Well it's tricky. One thing you really have to look at is te length of the preshow verses loading time. If it takes 10 minutes for one group of people (the same 44 as previously mentioned) then that would average out to 5 minute load intervals per 22 people. So unless the operations yield to leaving a train sitting in a station to accomodate a lengthy preshow, it's just going to have this problem. As it stands now, it's either lowered capacity by sitting trains, or lowered capacity by half empty trains.

 

Sometimes things don't work out the way you plan them, even if your intentions are good. Termiantor was a good attempt at Six Flags presenting their rides in a better way, but it would be naive to think that the system in place is the bet they could do.

[Skycoastin Steve]

I still think it was hilarious that they themed a wooden coaster after a robot movie.

[gisco]

Maybe they should let people who have just ridden skip the preshow. Make it like a single rider queue. They can fill the empty seats. You would have to go through the preshow at least once. The length of the secondary line would regulate itself. If the line grew to long people would either skip another ride or wait through the preshow. No worse off then what is happening now.

[ebl]

I gave this a little more thought...what if the pre-shows were not only spread out a bit more, but were not so close to the station? That would allow some room for enough of a crowd to form and keep a little backlog on boarding.

 

Another annoyance of mine is that people go into the pre-shows and just keep on yakking like they were still outside. But that happens anywhere---even in the Tower of Terror pre-show and the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion. FACT: People just can't shut up.

 

Anyway, I hope at some point some adjustments can be made to Terminator to keep it running at maximum capacity.

 

Eric

[austinlee]

On another note, SFMM is closed on Sunday, February 7, according to their calendar. On the plus side, however, as we get further into the year, the park seems to be staying open a bit later (till 7pm or 8pm).

 

Not too bad for a park during the winter.

 

Eric

 

I assume that SFMM is closed on 2/7 because it is Super Bowl Sunday. I went there on Super Bowl Sunday last year and the day before the Super Bowl in 2008, and the park was virtually empty both times. IMO, it seems like a cost cutting move. For a long time their website said they would be closed on 2/6 and 2/7. They just posted hours for 2/6 on their calendar two days ago. The 7pm closing times on Sundays in January are nice. That is later than they were open in Jan, 09.

[FrightFest1408]

That sucks Maybe sunday I will go and what happen to SFMM family and kid rides page?

[ImpossiblyBrandon]

Has anyone heard/seen anything about Batman The Ride being painted blue?

[SharkTums]

^Check back a few pages. There are pictures. It's blue.

[cooksta77]

I wanted to go on Super bowl Sunday this year . Darn well now I gotta hope my Eagles make it to the Super Bowl so I go to Miami!

Andrew "I'l be in Dallas this saturday;)" Iorio

[ebl]

Not being a football fan, I had no idea that February 7 is Super Bowl Sunday, so that didn't even click. It's too bad that SFMM will be closed because Super Bowl Sunday is a good day to go out there.

 

Eric

[CreditCrazy]

Another annoyance of mine is that people go into the pre-shows and just keep on yakking like they were still outside. But that happens anywhere---even in the Tower of Terror pre-show and the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion. FACT: People just can't shut up.

 

I disagree. From what I've seen, Haunted Mansion and ToT's pre shows shut everyone up. They are quick and to the point. Terminator's, on the other hand, is basically a back-and-fourth conversation between the two character's. No one really pays attention to it and everyone just talks...and screams. It's really sad, the first time I saw the pre-show I was pretty impressed, but everyone is just ignoring it, and you feel even worse when you find out there are empty trains going around.

[ebl]

^ I've heard people comment about empty trains even before reaching the first pre-show. That's easy to see since part of the queue winds around through the track structure.

 

But I've been in ToT or HM when people are too busy yakking. It isn't every time, but often enough.

 

Eric

[X2coasterfreak]

I went Super Bowl Sunday last year and it was awesome! I rode X2 in the front twice without getting off. Too bad the park is closed this year. I will hopefull be going the week before on Pro Bowl Sunday.

[ebl]

I do understand Six Flags trying to save some money, though. Whatever they save will just be more to put toward lowering their debt and adding new attractions. Maybe I'll just go to Disneyland instead.

 

Eric

[austinlee]

I was planning to go on Super Bowl Sunday this year too. Last year I walked onto every coaster in the park that day, except X2, which had a huge 10 minute line. Most of them had less then 15 people in line and many had less than 5 people. Right before they closed we were able to ride Riddler's Revenge twice, without having the restraints unlocked. There were only 6 people on the train. The ride op asked if we all wanted to go again, then started the ride again immediately when everyone said yes. It was one of the best days I have ever had there.

 

I may go on 1/24, the day of the Championship Games, instead. Sundays in January usually are not crowded anyway. 2/6 might be a good day to go too, even though it is a Saturday. I went to SFMM the day before the Super Bowl on 2/2/08. Tatsu and Deja Vu had 30 minute lines and every other coaster was a walk on.

[atem122]

It's funny how they close it for Superbowl day, yet they kept it open till 10 on the day (Sunday too) after Halloween. Imagine complete ERT aaaaaaallllllllllll day

 

I'm planning on going the 2nd Sunday of February, something makes me think that it could be a really good day to go. Hell, if I get all my winter break work done by Saturday, I might consider going on Sunday, if my experience at Knott's 2 years ago on the day before school gets back tells me anything, that should be a good day to go.

[austinlee]

I think you are right. The 2nd Sunday in February is Presidents Day weekend. I was there the Sunday of that weekend on 2/17/08, and the crowds were very light. Tatsu and Deja Vu were about 45 mins and everything else was a 10 min wait or less. I think Tatsu and Deja Vu were a little longer than they would have been if X2 would have been open. It was closed for remodeling at that time.

[Seijaku]

I finally got around to registering and writing this but I am extremely annoyed at the way Six Flags handled the crowds on the 22nd of December '09. I was on a trip from England to LA and my highlight of the trip was going to be Six Flags MM. Instead when we arrived there had been some booking mix up which took 30 minutes to sort out. While they were issuing our tickets they said absolutely nothing about over half of the rides being closed due to high winds. I knew Batman and Dejavu would be closed for maintenence but what about those other rides that the management would of known about by that time which couldn't open; Scream, X2, Riddler's, Goliath to name a few. What annoyed me more was that the other rides had to be run with only one train when Terminator was running with 2 (infact Terminator was the only ride that was running properly). The queue for Tatsu was 2 hours due to only one train running and only one staff member checking restraints who hardly sprang to action. Why couldn't staff who were supposed to work on other rides which were closed go and help on the open ones. What's more there was no staff member on any of the rides directing the queue at the station so these lines of about 20 people for each row formed on Viper (painful...). The final straw was that we kindly explained our complaint to the guest services and we wanted some kind of refund or tickets with the flash pass gold which we had booked for another day. They declined and even we had visited from England they would only give us normal tickets for another day. We didn't bother using them. I don't think I will be coming back soon (even if I could get a flight).

[thrillgeek]

^Welcome to TPR. I havent been to SFMM in more than a few years but I think you might have just caught the park on a bad day. Remember it is winter time right before christmas so they wouldnt have a whole lot of staff available. They should also have postings of the rides that are closed at the ticket booths. Anyway I think you should give it a second chance. Maybe go after this coming summer.