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The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread


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This......I think this report of the park warrants a facepalm smiley being created. It's sad to see the park being run like this. I mean we've seen the audio die, the misters never turned on, the ride get a make shift sign that a High School wood shop class could make, and the preshow continue to be enforced with empty trains riding around. I mean just make the preshows apart of the line! Makes me sad to see this.

-Cookie "Happy B-day btw Robb" Iorio

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Oh man, your trip report includes pretty much everything negative I heard about the park in the early 2000s. I still have yet to get to Magic Mountain but I also hope it's just the winter blues. I understand the rides have maintenance periods in the off-season, but Riddler and Tatsu at least have three trains so there is no excuse to just run one. Also, I have a feeling Six Flags forgot that changing all the ride signage and stuff actually costs money. Yeah you're saving for IP stuff but you still have to rebrand your coasters and rides. Unless you just cover them cheaply, which they appear to have done. Tacky.

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I understand the rides have maintenance periods in the off-season, but Riddler and Tatsu at least have three trains so there is no excuse to just run one.

 

Riddler's has only 1 train currently. I can't remember where the first train was off the top of my head, but the other is in NJ for Great Adventure's Green Lantern. It sucks because the last time I went, there was a 1:30 min. wait and a line for Single Rider at least 45 minutes long!

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I understand the rides have maintenance periods in the off-season, but Riddler and Tatsu at least have three trains so there is no excuse to just run one.

 

Riddler's has only 1 train currently. I can't remember where the first train was off the top of my head, but the other is in NJ for Great Adventure's Green Lantern. It sucks because the last time I went, there was a 1:30 min. wait and a line for Single Rider at least 45 minutes long!

 

Forgot about that, thanks. That's a questionable decision anyway, but whatever Six Flags... I'd run my own personal B&M at capacity all the time!

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Well, I'm going to post something positive about my M.M. visit today. Everyone seems so down and I agree with many of the points. My normal rotation for rides is to start at Tatsu and circle the park clockwise. I entered via the Discover entrance at 10:20. That is a great perk! When I found Tatsu was closed I hiked down to Pocky (aka Apocalypse) and was the first one in the queue. They didn't open the door to prestage 1 for me for several minutes. I was forced (with now 4 other people) to watch 1 & 2. I hate the new videos -- too many guys and no babes. I was able to walk right up the steps without stopping to see video #3 and get on the train. I had 7 consecutive rides in the rear of the train without getting off. I did see Robb there and said hello but didn't get a response. My feelings are hurt - just kidding. I got back into the queue and watched all 3 this time, and then had 9 consecutive rides without getting off again.

 

On days like this you just need to be flexible with your rides. I never got back to Tatsu (glad I didn't), rode all the rides I like (Riddler - single rider line, Colossus, Scream, Goliath), and ended up with 47 for the day The nonstop rides on Goliath were amazing. No lines just fun

 

I agree things weren't like they were during the Jay Thomas days (I don't think Shapiro had that much to do with MM operations), but I had one of my better riding days at the Mountain today Things do need to improve especially for the kiddies. This is early in the season, so let's be optimistic and hopefully things will get better. I guess just call me a dreamer.

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Wow...just wow. I had no idea the park has gotten this bad. I really only went once outside of WCB and one night for Fright Fest last year, but that trip report seals the deal...not renewing my SP for 2011. I'll probably go once to check out Superman and GL, but that's it. And that's saying something when the pass is $60 and only going once, whereas I'm also a passholder to Disney and go there 2+ times a month at a tune of almost $400/yr

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I was at the park today and there were a lot of people walking around picking up trash also it seemed like they were training new leads.

 

Apocolypse: The pre-show doesn't seem as long except the first portion but I thought the Main actor was better. I wasn't cringing the entire time being reminded of how terrible McG was at directing. (Last terminator movie)

 

The park as a whole looked a little tired but I felt that was due to the recent weather and their operating hours. No they are not Disney clean but they don't push margins like them either. When I went during the week in December everything seemed good.

 

Employee personality: You could see the leads telling everyone to smile and be up beat but it does feel forced compared to other themeparks. You do see a lot of rowdy guests stepping all over the staff. We saw one lady at the exit of Apocolpse arguing with an employee holding up dispatches for 5-10 minutes.

 

Tatsu & Riddler dispatches are still mind numbing.

 

Does anyone know if they are scored on how many guests they can get through? You see them writting it down every so often but I was curious if they were graded?

 

P.S. The trip report showed a picture of me infront of the Discover Card line.

Edited by DefinitiveDetour
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You missed my point completely.

 

With not one single park in the Southern California market charging this much for a pass (An entry-level Disney passport is less than that), I wish them the best of luck moving units at that price.

 

Yeah, you're right. The cheapest Disney pass is $184. For one year WITHOUT ANY Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, Spring Break, Christmas Vacation or days of the Summer. Those are the quote "baby sitting days" I was referring to.

 

Those are the days when parents just drop their kids at the park, and pick them up later to keep them out of their hair. That way the park doesn't become inundated by people with NO money to spend. In the case of SF, by mid summer, I'd say upwards of 65-70% of all gate traffic are SP holders. They may make money on parking, very little on food, and very little on the lame games. The souvenirs are lame at best. In other words, at the beginning of a season, the numbers look great! That's because of the SP that they have sold. By mid-late season, the numbers are severely dwindling as the per person spending had dropped dramatically, as the food remains crap, and priced out of range of the clientele.

 

Disney made that mistake when DCA opened in 2001. The "Premium" pass had jumped from $159 for one park, to $199 for both parks, no blackout dates. Their heaviest days then became madhouses, with huge lines and the average spending per person went way down. Hence, in very short time, Disney realized that they wouldn't "babysit" on it's heaviest days, and structured the current system, so that on their slower days (the only days open to the "California Select" passholders) they could increase their attendance, and make more money at the same time.

 

The Disney "Premium" pass is now $459, yet they still sell quite a few.

 

It's a business, Disney realizes that. Six Flags lost that idea somewhere along the line, as the quality of the food (not to mention the prices) and other offerings that SF, has are lame at best.

 

I don't think it's the gate price that the park needs to adjust to make improvements. Trying to improve the overall quality of the park and sustain it over the course of more than just one leadership change is imperative. I think that has to happen before any type of dramatic price change can happen.

 

"Overall quality" includes the whole experience. The look, the cleanliness, THE STAFFING, THE FOOD, etc...

 

Things were making improvements with Jay there, but, it seemed as if he was almost working outside the SF hierarchy. Those changes were coming slowly, and well thought out. Now he's gone. Many, if not all, of the licensing agreements have been dropped or modified. Granted, that may save a substantial chunk of change, but in NO WAY enhances the guest experience.

 

Thomas Town being redone is just a crime. Especially, for those kids that visited it in the past. Perhaps they'd like to go again - oops! They can't. IT'S GONE! Parents now have NO reason to spend their money there, unless they want to disappoint their kids because Thomas and friends moved on.

 

I know many people that won't spend one dime more than the have to at MM, as they just don't like what they have to offer, and what they offer is too damn expensive. Buy a pass, ride the rides, eat somewhere down the street. Lord knows you probably won't get on all the rides, as they only run one train on their coasters, even with the longest lines. We, as enthusiasts, know that this is the off season, but the GP at large doesn't care. They just WANT to have fun, and they will spend money if they feel it is worth it.

 

If you want people to spend money, give them something they'd want to spend money on.

 

 

JJ

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Wow...just wow. I had no idea the park has gotten this bad. I really only went once outside of WCB and one night for Fright Fest last year, but that trip report seals the deal...not renewing my SP for 2011. I'll probably go once to check out Superman and GL, but that's it. And that's saying something when the pass is $60 and only going once, whereas I'm also a passholder to Disney and go there 2+ times a month at a tune of almost $400/yr

I would not base your decision to buy or not buy a pass based on one trip report. Like I said, this could have just been a "bad day."

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Hey Robb, I went to SFMM today also to try and say hello but I didn't arrive until 2:30 so maybe I missed ya. I on the other hand had a real fun day today the lines were short as hell. Tatsu was running 2 trains when I got on it at about 3:30, only about 10 min wait for me. X2 was a walk on, went on it 3 times. Apocalypse is still running great, the pre shows I think are worse just because the guy talks a little too much now but what can you do, I stayed on it 5 times without going around through it again. The employees are all kids so they don't give a crap about what they do, IMO just need to find the good ones who enjoy the job which are few. I didn't think that they are staffing the park very well either, almost like a skeleton crew. But for showing up at 2:30 today it was a good day for me. Sorry your day wasn't that that fun.

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You know, I've never been to this park before. I've wanted to for a while. With all the licenses lost, and such... I'm tempted to just wait back for two years and see what happens. What Six Flags needs to realize (quick) is the amount of customers they lose when people like you post these disappointing reviews, or just through heresay. Even if they have a bunch of rides and sections of the park closed down, they could at least make an effort to give people a good time. How hard is it to run two trains on coasters, clean up a little bit, and train your employees so they aren't so confused? I'm only hoping that at this time next year, they'll get their stuff togetehr.

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In regards to Tatsu load times vs. Manta, I just visited Sea World Orlando for my first time on Saturday, and Manta's load times didn't seem any faster than Tatsu. Maybe I was there on a bad day, is it usually quick? Because it sure wasn't when I was there. It took over ten minutes for two trains to dispatch.

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JJMan, I don't think I missed your point. I see where you are coming from...

But the point I'm trying to make is that even back in 2001, when Disney's Premium pass was $200, can you honestly say that Magaic Mountain was worth anywhere near that? And the pass example may have needed more explaining. $184 dollars for a So. Cal Select pass. With Magic Mountain's operating schedule, it's about the same timeframe, though the specific days may play a big role. You may have pulled my card on that one. However I just honestly don't see how raising prices is going to fix the problems the park has. Even Cedar Point's pass is $100. (For the record, I think Cedar Fair has it's own share of issues, so don't think I'm using CF as a golden mean) Point is, Raising prices isn't going to fix All the problems they have, have had, and will have. It's going to take a huge investment in infrastructure and internal overhaul before the average person will say, "sure, I'll buy a $150 Six Flags pass".

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Great update, Robb!

 

I'm suprised by the amount of unused space at SFMM at this point; there used to be so many old rides and attractions sitting and taking up space, and now that many are gone, it makes parts of the park seem slightly empty. The new coasters should fill up some space, but still... a lot of attractions could be added. Today's update certainly shows this.

 

SF's recent loss of several trademark rights also seems to be taking its impact on the park. I can clearly remember when I was at Terminator's opening day, and I really liked the name and theme. But the new name feels kinda cheesy like Flight Deck at CGA: just a quickly made name due to changes in copyrights. The inevitable loss of Johnny Rocket's is kinda sad too, considering I really like their burgers.

 

One little request: if you can get a good picture of Thrill Shot for me next time you're at SFMM, I'd really appreciate it.

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JJMan, I don't think I missed your point. I see where you are coming from...

 

Cool.

 

) Point is, Raising prices isn't going to fix All the problems they have, have had, and will have. It's going to take a huge investment in infrastructure and internal overhaul before the average person will say, "sure, I'll buy a $150 Six Flags pass".

 

No, you're right. But, it will stop some parents from using a pass as the babysitter way out. Doing that, would potentially mean that on the heavy summer days, regular paying guests may have a more enjoyable day at the park. Happy people may want to spend more money. (Even if the food, etc... is crappy.)

 

Even so, only 4 trips to the park (assuming the $49 idea I tossed out) the pass pays for itself. It's that initial cost, that would make a difference.

 

 

The thing that got me on this, was that Robb said that the rides, their signature rides, didn't open with the park. There is absolutely no excuse for this. If they can't open with the park, then the SFMM management is making a HUGE "F"-up!!

 

It's far better to have shorter operating hours, with everything open on time, then to let guests in the park to "hurry up and wait" for the rides to open. Even so, that PAYING guest (pass or not) made a concerted effort (and plan) to get there early to be first in line to make their own day enjoyable.

 

Then the debacle with Tatsu. Not fully staffing IS a MAJOR management F-up, of epic proportions.

 

Of course we, as enthusiasts, see that. But, it is so damn blatant, that the GP see it too. We kind of expect things like that to happen, and get miffed. BUT, the GP genuinely get pissed off.

 

Creates a great athmosphere, ya know?

 

When Green Lantern opens to the GP on the first day, DO NOT be surprised if the same type of thing happens. Yes, they'll want their new, shiny toy to be working at full tilt, but what about the rest of the rides??

 

If past history is ANY indication --don't count on it.

 

 

JJ

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I always thought that moving the park opening time to 10:30 from 10:00 was to help allow rides to get up and running. A lot of times, you'd enter at 10 and some rides weren't ready to open yet. Obviously, that's not the case.

 

If there was just one thing I'd improve about SFMM, it's that the people running rides would be more diligent in getting trains filled and out of the station.

 

Eric

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