The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[haiderodes]

Interesting. I was there the same day and also used my drink voucher, but I took it straight to the Cyber Cafe. The host showed it to his lead and they rang it up, no problem and no need to get a date stamp. Maybe they're still working the kinks out.

 

I also used my skip the line pass and it was very odd that it told me to redeem it at Carousel Gifts, which, as most of you know, doesn't exist at the Mountain! So I took it to Guest Relations and they took care of it, no problem. I've also never seen a line for GR stretching about 20 people out the door -- I waited longer there than for some of the rides! If you're redeeming a voucher there on the weekend, go there early.

 

I don't think I've seen it mentioned here, but they now have a preferred parking lot (in addition to regular parking and valet parking); they've converted the tiny RV lot and sent the RV's over to the bus parking area.

 

I redeemed my Skip the Line pass first thing when we got there so I only had a one person wait...same when I went back later in the day. Good think I missed the line

 

I have a feeling they want people to get them "validated" so as to avoid abuse of the system. But here's the thing...

 

For the Skip the Line pass, they actually scanned the voucher to verify, took the voucher and gave me a green pass to use. For the drink voucher, he just stamped it. So in theory I could have made copies and had someone else go in and get a stamp. Perhaps they have to revisit this process. The wording on the voucher for the drinks is wierd as it says present to participating restaurants. It mentions Cyber Cafe as one of them, but nowhere does it mention going to Guest Relations or that the cafe is the only place. I imagine it is cheaper to have people visit guest relations instead of installing scanners at all the participating venues. The main problem is the one of crowding...they only had two people working at GR.

 

I also noticed they converted the old gas station/RV lot to preferred parking. I dont know how I feel about this as its not that much closer. In fact its about halfway (walking distance wise) between the gate and the first tram stop. If you get there early, you would have parked just as close. But it did seem like there were people paying for it, so good for them. I didnt notice if valet was still being used, but somedays that lot is full!

[Sir Clinksalot]

Went to the park for a few hours this morning and met up with EBL.

 

Not much going on as far as Mr. Six. They are still clearing the land, looks like more track has arrived and is behind Terminator (could see it from the lift). They are doing landscaping stuff all the way up the hill towards Roaring Rapids. The Attitudes store (near Gold Rusher) is closed and is being converted into 6 F. Couldn't see into Hurricane Harbor too much (didn't ride goliath).

 

The park was DEAD. We walked on X2, Tatsu, Terminator, Batman, etc. Finally got a front row ride on X2 ...

 

Some pics:

Landscaping still going on

Deja Vu was closed, they are doing some prep work, I'm going to assume electrical work?

Prep work is going on up the hill

Looks like most of the ride will be behind Johnny Rockets?

Attitudes is closed for it's conversion to 6 F

[nitrofan]

Thanks for the update!

 

They are going to have to book it to get it done in about a month for memorial weekend.

 

Does anyone know why they have construction walls around Deja vu? It was like that my visit in 2008 too, and I thought it was closed. I guess it's a permanent thing.

[ebl]

After Gregg took off, I stuck around the park for awhile longer and rode Scream!, Riddler's Revenge, and a second ride on Terminator. I tried to ride Goliath, but it was down for some reason. Hardly anyone was out there, and it started to rain just before I left. On my way out, passing Thomas Town, I got high fives from Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote. And just outside the gate I ran into Neil Thurman and said hi.

 

It was good to get out of the house today.

 

Eric

[atem122]

^Sounds like you had a great little day there, EBL!

 

Is anyone else wondering how the heck they're going to have this entire ride set up in pretty much a month? Like, I suppose they could get all the track in place in a couple days since the ride is so simple to construct, but there are no footers, there's no concrete, and frankly, the construction site has been in the exact same state since December! Does anyone know how long it usually takes to assemble one of these rides?

[allthingsea]

Just so you guys know my school district (CCSD) in las vegas gets out before most schools. We get out June 2nd. Im a senior so we are planning a trip out there right after graduation (on the 7th). We are going on the 9th (its a Wednesday), so we hope it won't be to bad. Also most schools are getting out a week or two after us so I'm sure it wont be bad. Does anyone remember how it was last year around that time?

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ Just FYI, a LOT of CA schools are getting out a week earlier than normal due to budget cuts. My kids were supposed to get out on the 11th, they are getting out the 4th now.

 

^^ EBL and I were discussing this today. Due to the size of this coaster it's probably going to be less work than putting together a K-NEX coaster. I'm sure the footers will be pretty easy to put up, it looked like most of the coaster was there. The lift was sitting behind Terminator (or at least part of it). I would think they have to get power over to that area before they do anything and I am thinking that's what the skip loader over by Deja Vu is digging out for.

 

I'm more interested to see what kind of landscaping they do or if they just have it over a concete slab. It'd be nice if they'd put it over some kind of water or something. The fact that they are digging out stuff from that entire hill area tells me they are doing "something"?

[ebl]

For all we know, they'll be using pre-formed footers (similar to the ones you can buy at Home Depot for building patios and such). With blueprints, their locations can be laid out and placed. While that's going on, the station and queue can be built in perhaps a week (chances are they'll use the same or similar plans that other Six Flags parks with Roller Skaters use).

 

In short, this ride can go up and be tested within a month. Even if it goes into early/mid-June, it will be up and running before we know it. I'm not worried about it.

 

Eric

[SharkTums]

^I would hope you're not worried about it, it's a kiddie coaster. Not really a big deal when it opens to most people. Only a big deal to the freakishly tall children who are tall enough to ride it.

[atem122]

^Haha, I'm more worried about them hitting the deadline than actually riding it. The project honestly hasn't interested me since the ride was announced, I just find it odd that opening day is a month away and no (visible) progress has been made on the site since December. That said, I'm also above 42'', so you can be sure that I'm going to whore it *hopefully* sometime around when it opens

[rcdude]

I don't care when it opens as long as it's ready by mid-July when I'll be visiting the park next.

 

No, really, I'm pretty sure they'll have it up in a month. If I remember right, Castle Amusement Park built their junior coaster in about three weeks so I don't see why Six Flags Magic Mountain can't do the same (assuming we don't get any rain delays of course).

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ I wouldn't expect any significant rain delays this time of the year. Even though the weather this week has been FREAKISHLY abnormal for this time of year, the rain totals haven't really been THAT high.

[coasterking2981]

I just find it odd that opening day is a month away and no (visible) progress has been made on the site since December.

 

Well it isn't exactly a super-awesome brand new 21 million dollar thrill ride that needs to be open in time for the summer crowds

[austinlee]

^Haha, I'm more worried about them hitting the deadline than actually riding it. The project honestly hasn't interested me since the ride was announced, I just find it odd that opening day is a month away and no (visible) progress has been made on the site since December. That said, I'm also above 42'', so you can be sure that I'm going to whore it *hopefully* sometime around when it opens

 

It has not interested me either but I will ride it once when I visit the park in June just to keep my streak of riding every coaster they have had since I started going there alive.

 

Just so you guys know my school district (CCSD) in las vegas gets out before most schools. We get out June 2nd. Im a senior so we are planning a trip out there right after graduation (on the 7th). We are going on the 9th (its a Wednesday), so we hope it won't be to bad. Also most schools are getting out a week or two after us so I'm sure it wont be bad. Does anyone remember how it was last year around that time?

 

I was there on May 27th and June 4th last year. Crowds weren't that bad, except for X2 which had a 90 minute wait. Tatsu and Terminator had 30 minute waits. Deja Vu was 45 minutes. Everything else was 20 minutes or less. It was almost exactly like this when I went on 5/27/08 and 6/6/08 too.

 

Regarding Funatics Rewards, I am having problems again. When I visited the park on 3/23 I didn't get my voucher for the skip the line pass. I e-mailed the park and they said I didn't opt in to receive e-mails which is very strange because the park had already been sending me e-mails. The guy at Guest Relations said that he fixed it so that I would start to receive offers, but I went to the park again on 4/16 and still haven't received the voucher. Next time I go I'm going to ask about this in person.

 

Also, do any of you know which week in May that most colleges get out? I'm trying to decide exactly when to go. I have only been to the park in early May and the week of Memorial Day, except for a few visits on Mothers Day. I would like to know what you think the best week in May would be to go on a weekday. I would most likely want to go the week of May 10th or the week of May 17th. Since there is no new ride which I am interested in opening on Memorial Day weekend, I am going to move up my May visit to a time which should be less crowded.

[ebl]

"...when I visit the park in June just to keep my streak of riding every coaster they have had since I started going there alive." (austinlee)

 

How else would you go there?

 

I wonder when the height requirement will be resolved? There hasn't been anything about that for awhile. Hopefully, between SFMM and Vekoma, they can reach an agreement to allow the ride to have a lower height limit.

 

Eric

[austinlee]

I guess it would be fairly difficult to go there if I wasn't alive. Let's try this.

 

...when I visit the park in June just to keep my streak alive of riding every coaster they have had since I started going there."

 

^ I hope they lower the height requirement too.

[ebl]

^ Sorry for picking at you. That's just the tech writer in me coming out.

 

Today I got my second Season Pass Funatics award---two free regular sodas.

 

This time, you take the voucher straight to the Cyber Cafe and you get two sodas at one time, so this will be good if you have a friend with you. The expiration date on this one is June 11, 2010.

 

Eric

[austinlee]

^ No problem. Glad the rewards are working out for you. I'm frustrated that I haven't got any of them yet and that the problem has not been fixed even though Guest Relations told me it was. Thanks for the info about the free sodas, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get any of the rewards.

[ebl]

^ Season passes have a bar code on them that is scanned upon entry, so there must be a record of your visits. It's too bad that somehow, some way you can't have that verified by Guest Relations.

 

Eric

[austinlee]

^ That is one of the things I plan to ask about next time I go. Also, I signed up for Funatics in December and received some of the offers which were separate from the rewards you receive based on visits. There should be a record that I signed up far in advance.

[AnEscapeArtist]

^You should try signing up for Funatics again, and make sure that the name and email address you provide to the program corresponds with the name and email address that you provided when you bought your pass. I was worried about that too when I had problems with my pass and had to get it replaced, but GR was able to look up my information and I have since been receiving the rewards.

[SharkTums]

^There are going to be a LOT of issues with the program. Especially since when I was in the pass processing office they were repeatedly telling people not to worry about filling in their email address to try and speed up the line!!!!

 

The Season Pass System can absolutely show when and where your pass was scanned. It will have date, time, and what park.

[austinlee]

^^ Thanks, I have already tried that and still didn't receive any of the rewards.

 

^ That's terrible that they would tell people not to fill in their e-mail address when that info is needed for Funatics. I had a feeling that the system would record when and where my pass was scanned. I am hopeful but skeptical that they will be able to verify that I was at the park in March and April when rewards should have been given, and give me credit for the first two rewards which I should have already received. I am going to go to Guest Relations and ask about all of this in person next time I go.

[gforce532]

When I went to process my xtreme pass. The guy had taken my picture and printed it on the pass and handed to me only then to realize he had processed a regular pass not the xtreme which is what I got, and then had me retake my picture and gave me my xtreme pass. Just another error or problem with the processing, but at least the guy caught his error.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I used my pass for the first time on Wednesday and I got my reward email Thursday morning. So it looks like that if you are in the system, they are getting the rewards to you pretty quickly.