The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[triggernel]

As someone how is used to seeing $10-12 parking at my home park, I would be shocked though if I pulled up and saw $25. It might not be enough to keep me from visiting, but next time I'd try to find a local hotel with a free shuttle.

[VTown661]

Perhaps in July 2014 when min wage goes up in California by $1.00 a price bump will come into play at most parks.

[805Andrew]

Perhaps in July 2014 when min wage goes up in California by $1.00 a price bump will come into play at most parks.

 

I'd be glad to pay $1 more if that was the reason why they were raising the price of parking but we all know that's not the case, they may just use that as a scapegoat. And besides, when they raise the price of parking it will be by more than $1.

[coasternut]

^^^ If I'm not mistaken parking at Great Adventure (in New Jersey) is $25. Also they don't have any busses to get you to the front gate. The lot is in bad shape too.

[Jew]

Perhaps in July 2014 when min wage goes up in California by $1.00 a price bump will come into play at most parks.

 

I'd be glad to pay $1 more if that was the reason why they were raising the price of parking but we all know that's not the case, they may just use that as a scapegoat. And besides, when they raise the price of parking it will be by more than $1.

 

Actually, we don't. It *IS* one of the many possibilities that parking was increased to maintain their profit margins while facing the increased cost of wages throughout the park.

[Hoppy]

I've never been so grateful to have Holiday World's free parking than as I am reading about MM's parking fees.

 

Yes that free parking is amazing... and so is the free pop machines and sunscreen! However, HW isn't quite there for me in terms of coasters sitting at only 3... (hopefully 4 soon from the hints we saw!)

[GigaG]

^^^ If I'm not mistaken parking at Great Adventure (in New Jersey) is $25. Also they don't have any busses to get you to the front gate. The lot is in bad shape too.

 

And the only place near the gate at SFGAdv is preferred parking. AKA "either puke up more money to us or break your legs walking what seems like a mile to the gate."

[Xcoaster]

Yeah, my visit to SFGAdv in September 2012 was the last time I worried about the price of parking. I pulled up (planning on only a quick morning visit for a few rides on El Toro and Nitro, before the crowds arrived and I left to visit the soon-to-be-destroyed Jersey Shore), saw that parking was $25, and was very hopeful that they'd accept my SFMM season pass parking. Luckily they did (as they did previously at SFA, SFOT, and SFFT), and since the gold pass now includes parking at all SF parks, I no longer care how much SF gouges people for, other then the brief schadenfreude I get to experience watching someone fork over a couple twenties.

 

My thought is, if someone's visiting without having a season pass, they probably visit only once a year or less, and so they've probably got their car loaded up with all their friends, and they can afford to divide the cost 5 ways amongst themselves. They'll complain about how unfair and ironic it is for a few seconds, but soon enough they'll be shouting YOLO and will have forgotten all about it. If you're a dedicated coaster nerd then you'll have no friends to share the cost of parking with, but you'll have a gold season pass from SFGAdv so it doesn't really matter.

 

That being said, I do think that more than $20 for self-parking is a bit much.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Imagine if they put toll booths on the 210. That's how I see parking at SFMM.

 

 

Buckle up. As of June 2013, there's a proposed project awaiting state approval that would build toll lanes on Interstate 5 between CA 14 and Parker Road in Castaic. That range includes I-5 at Magic Mountain Parkway.

 

Locals here are being given the false choice between having toll lanes built in 5 years versus carpool lanes built in 30 years. Caltrans claims it only has the money to build the lanes in 30 years, but tolls would provide additional funding that could get lanes built faster. Thanks to some bogus meeting down next to Union Station that almost nobody from here went to because it took place at 9am on a weekday, toll lanes were declared to be the "locally preferred alternative" to the 30 years timeline because MTA officials who don't live here declared it to be so at the meeting.

 

Nevermind how badly Caltrans mis-manages the already immense funding they get (it was awesome dealing with a construction zone for 5 years while a carpool bridge at 5/14 was built...not), that's never brought up. It's just 5 years, or 30 years. That's it. And the unknowing populace don't question why that's the only choice. They just dumbly pick the shorter timeline. Santa Clarita officials question the project, but they have limited power to stand up against the MTA board who is pushing for the toll lanes.

 

See the EIR filed here: http://www.signalscv.com/archives/97728/

 

Bear in mind, the tolls are being considered not because they will FULLY fund building the lanes. Tolls are considered to provide the *additional* funding Caltrans claims it needs to bring in a private company to build the lanes so as not to take 30 years to complete the project.

[WFChris]

To be honest I think most Angelino's expect and accept $20 to park.

 

Overnight parking in a hotel in downtown can be upwards of $50 a night, westsiders pay $10 just to valet their car for dinner. $20 is not unreasonable for all day at a theme park. That all being said Disney is still $16 (food and merch is cheaper at Disney too, but you just can't avoid the gate fee there...hence everything else costing more at SFMM!).

[SFMMGeek27]

What park were you at today? Full throttle didn't even have a line back to the canopy most of the day, and Green Lantern was only like 20 minutes when I saw it. Lex was like 15 when I was there. Everything else was a walk on except Tatsu which was a 15 minute wait and Superman before they opened the other side at around 4.

[Vonni]

I would rather parking just not be included in the passes, and the toll be kept at a reasonable $10. But that's just my opinion. if SDC and HW can afford to maintain, and staff a Parking Lot and not charge anything to park, then SF can manage to charge $10.

[ArizonaGuy]

I would rather parking just not be included in the passes, and the toll be kept at a reasonable $10. But that's just my opinion. if SDC and HW can afford to maintain, and staff a Parking Lot and not charge anything to park, then SF can manage to charge $10.

 

I totally agree with you there. I remember back in the day (mid to late 90's) when parking at SFAW was $4 and SFFT was $5.

[Jew]

I would rather parking just not be included in the passes, and the toll be kept at a reasonable $10. But that's just my opinion. if SDC and HW can afford to maintain, and staff a Parking Lot and not charge anything to park, then SF can manage to charge $10.

 

They wouldn't charge $10 in Southern California.

[JeromyL]

They should just up the price of the tickets and offer free parking. Wouldn't they make more money if everyone paid it, instead of each car load?

[TopThrill182]

The Mountain seems to be adopting a fee-oriented business model more akin to what the airline industry is currently using: hook guests with a low admission price, then hit them with fees throughout their respective visits to make up for it. When researching an amusement park trip / vacation, I'd argue the most important determinant in that search (for most people) is the parks' admission prices. Admission to a park is generally the most significant cost and can often be the factor that causes a family to choose one park over another. $25 for parking in this case is, of course, ridiculous, but like having to pay for a tube to use in the lazy river at Hurricane Harbor, I think those fees remain secondary concerns that have less of a capacity to deter guests from visiting than do costly upfront admission tickets.

[Jew]

How dare a business make money!!!

 

Vegas hides its resort fees, airlines publish fares without the fees and taxes, hotels hide their parking fees. Even Buffalo Wild Wings charges for ranch and veggies on their promotion days. We don't like it, but we accept it, and ultimately it doesn't hinder our experience. In the case of SFMM, it's everything else that hinders the experience...

Edited January 2, 2014 by Jew

[TopThrill182]

I fully support SFMM, and any business for that matter, trying to make as much money as it possibly can. But ultimately, given the unapologetically crappy state of affairs at the park currently, I'm not sure how far SF management can really push that envelope...

 

Following the DC Universe revamp, along with other improvements in the years leading up to that, I had hopes SFMM was on the up and up. But after the embarrassment that was / is Full Throttle, I fear the park is regressing to its old ways: attend to its hollow Xtreme Park image while neglecting everything else.

 

With each passing year, the park's infrastructure (in my opinion) looks increasingly dilapidated and trashy (and, as mentioned above, Full Throttle's chain link fence theme isn't helping matters), thereby degrading the entire in-park experience. I love roller coasters as much as the next enthusiast, but I also believe a pleasant park environment is integral to my and others' enjoyment of a park. I'd love the see the park invest more in that environment, but I'm not sure what would ever convince current park management to do so...

[SharkTums]

^Exactly. It's totally fine for a business to make money and if SFMM is making money in its current state than good for them! But more and more of us are going to keep our dollars at other parks or activities until they clean up a bit.

 

Show of hands...who misses Jay Thomas!?!??!

 

::Raises Hand::

[DJeXeL]

[jynx242]

^

[JJ728]

I just called the park to clarify the season pass upgrade deal. The guy said that you must purchase the four passes by January 5th, but you must process them at the park by JANUARY 26TH, and you don't have to process all four of them at one time either.

 

I can't find any information on their website to confirm this.

[coasternut]

^^^^ I totally miss Jay, he was the best. I still go frequently, and enjoy myself with the Ice Queen in charge now. I just go for the rides...

[Manic Monte]

Isn't the current Park management a direct graduate of the Del Holland/Gary Story school of running SFMM? There is your problem right there. That parks doesn't need any more insiders who think it's as wonderful as ever. It needs more outsiders who can clearly see the problems.

 

I'd love to see what someone like Jack Falfas could do with the park.

[singemfrc]

I'm heading to SFMM for the first time in 3 years on Saturday or Sunday...hoping to just get YOLOcoaster, Green Lantern, Lex, and get out of there. Should be entertaining to see how difficult this may be?!?

If you're by yourself don't forget to use the Single Rider lines on Lantern and Lex. Will save you loads of time of there's any kind of queue. You can just hit YOLO first and then use the SR lines, theoretically you could be done in less than an hour.

 

Wow, wish I saw this.

 

I waited an hour for YOLOcoaster, 45 for Green Lantern, and 30 for Lex. Had no idea single lines existed!

 

I also rode Terminator and Tatsu before heading out. Oh yeah and got robbed by an ATM!

YOLO has no SR line, and Lex's SR line can sometimes still be a 15-20 min wait, but you can almost always get on Green Lantern within 5 minutes through the single rider line no matter what kind of que there is. They are pretty hidden though, most people have no idea any of them exist.

 

For future reference, for Lex, walk up the exit and on your left there will be a portable blue sign that says "Single Rider Line In Use Today" and you walk up to the chain in front of that sign and wait for the operator to assign you to a side.

For GL, you walk up the exit and go up the stairway with the blue sign at the bottom, it should take you to directly behind the operator who is dispatching trains. Sometimes you have to get their attention to let them know you're there but try not to distract them from doing their job if possible. When they tell you, you walk right past them and onto the row they specify.

Viper and Revolution never actually need a SR line, but you just walk straight up the exit for those.

 

I'm a huge fan of single rider lines, I often visit parks solo and I like being able to get on faster obviously, but I also like seeing the trains go out full which means everyone gets on faster, everyone wins. The only other parks I know that use them are Disneyland and California's Great America.