The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[PURE]

Wow, it doesn't even look like the same ride! The brown patches in the grass really stand out now, but it looks very slick and even if the ride doesn't improve, the look of it does.

 

I'm very excited in thinking we may get a tour on this ride tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the photos!

[sfmmrules!]

TPR members MIGHT get to go on it for a special preview since they have started testing. You never know. Anything can happen. That sure would be a big surprise. You've got about a 50% chance. I won't get to SFMM until July or August. I sure can't wait to ride X2 first thing. What kind of coaster is it called anyways - a 4D or???

[lapseofreason]

What kind of coaster is it called anyways - a 4D or???

 

It's technically a "4D" coaster, but now with the tunnels and stuff it's being called "5D" (if I remember right from the press release).

 

This is a stupid request, but can someone hug one of the Tatsu supports up on Samurai Summit tomorrow for me? I miss my favorite coaster

[astroworldfan1]

TPR members MIGHT get to go on it for a special preview since they have started testing. You never know. Anything can happen. That sure would be a big surprise. You've got about a 50% chance

 

Again, X2 is NOT the surprise, it will NOT be open for the event.

 

It will still be a really cool event, but please do not get your hopes up for X2.

 

It would be totally awsome if X2 did open, but it would take a major miracle. It still has to be tested, and tested again for saftey purposes.

 

But, you never know! Miracles happen once in a while, if you believe!

 

-Tatum " Got that quote off of a Anne Hathaway movie!" G.

[NYTrojan]

West Coast bash was a ton of fun, but here is a troubling development with the park:

 

Required use of lockers that cost $1.00 a use.

 

That's right, even after getting things right and installing 'cubbies' the way Cedar Point has, with sliding doors only displaying items for riders on that particular train (even though the ride ops just left these half open/open to incorrect sides, etc) they seem to be forcing riders to put everything into lockers or carry items with them on the ride. No more ride side storage.

 

On Riddlers Revenge they had a ride op in the line, holding the line up as they stopped everybody with a purse or backpack and directed them to lockers. They didn't stop me with a sports cup I had, but when I tried to leave by the station exit I was actually stopped on my way back to the train and told to take it with me. On the ride.

 

There are a million reasons to be happy with the fixes the new staff is making to Magic Mountain, but this nickel and dime-ing policy is really nasty. Especially when just about every other park (like Universal Orlando) single ride use lockers are free.

[CaliCoastin]

All SF parks now have/are getting the locker policy on their major rides, from the interviews and conference calls Shapiro has said SF will not be charging enough to making money off of it (in the interview he said "If I wanted to make money, I would be charging more) because of the extra employees they need, as well and installing the lockers.

 

That's right, even after getting things right and installing 'cubbies'

Shapiro said they tried making "cubbies" but the stolen item problem persisted and this would increase the rides capacity because the problems with checking guests height on the platform would be eliminated. He said that it was tested at SFOG last year and necessary adjustments have been made and it will be implemented in all the parks.

[RIP Psyclone]

Wow, I didn't notice the ride locker policy being strictly enforced, but I guess that's because the ride ops must have been told not to with the WCBashers.

 

Also, it is true that the seat rotations on the new X2 train are very jerky. Definately not ready for riders yet. The seats also were jerking back and forth (Devo reference for Robb) as the train hit the brake run.

[NYTrojan]

I only saw it being enacted on Riddler's Revenge. By nighttime ERT they didn't have the extra person by the lockers so perhaps they didn't think it was worth dealing with for the skeleton crew.

 

I understand not wanting anything on the ride, I really do... but a precedent has been set at Six Flag's competitors (Disney, Cedar Fair, and Universal) to either not charge for these items, or provide shelves at the station for them.

 

Personally, the Cedar Point system of shelves with sliding doors is plenty good enough. Magic Mountain seemed to install the shelves, but the ride ops don't seem to bother with the organization part. A real shame... I'd bet it would cut down on the theft considerably.

[ebl]

^ I noticed the seats jerking from the top of the lift and throughout the ride. However, that may be due to there not being any weight in them. Maybe once riders are on the trains it'll smooth out a bit.

 

Eric

[Jhcbiinoc]

^The seats did seem a bit jerky in the rotations-however, the train is still only a week old. Tim did mention that S&S is already making some adjustments to the second train which is on the way which I guess are going to address things like that. I have confidence they will work out any remaining bugs before the ride finally opens.....

[ethans_dad06]

I thought it had looked like the rotations were jerky when I saw them test it on the 6th. But as mentioned above, im sure it has alot to do with the seats being empty and little adjustments that need to be ironed out. They were also making runs with the old trains today (the 10th) and I noticed that the rotations were jerky on the first drop and the top of the first raven turn with the old trains. We will have to wait and see what the final result will be. Oh and I had also seen a crew with a manlift working in the track area, maybe construction is starting on the tunnels???

[robbalvey]

All SF parks now have/are getting the locker policy on their major rides, from the interviews and conference calls Shapiro has said SF will not be charging enough to making money off of it (in the interview he said "If I wanted to make money, I would be charging more) because of the extra employees they need, as well and installing the lockers.

 

That's right, even after getting things right and installing 'cubbies'

Shapiro said they tried making "cubbies" but the stolen item problem persisted and this would increase the rides capacity because the problems with checking guests height on the platform would be eliminated. He said that it was tested at SFOG last year and necessary adjustments have been made and it will be implemented in all the parks.

Jay also said that a main reason for the strict enforcement of the locker policy it to keep people's stuff out of the stations. "The time it takes for people to put their stuff away and come back to the train is seriously impacting dispatch times."

 

He suggested using a belt/fanny pack, keeping items in cargo shorts, etc. If an item is too big for those, get an all-day locker at the front of the park. If they were really interested in making lots of money off lockers, you would think he would have been promoting them, but instead he was offering suggestions on how to keep your stuff secured so you didn't need the lockers.

 

I know people complain about having to put their refill cups in a locker, but IMO, it's still cheaper to buy the cup and put it in a $1 locker than it is to buy sodas not in the cup all day long.

 

Then again, I'm one of those people who never bring an item to a park that doesn't fit in my pocket or pack, and I don't use refill bottles. I'm not sure if I'm in the minority or not, but as long as I can still wear my belt back on a ride, the locker policy doesn't bother me.

 

--Robb

[Meteornotes]

^I agree, being allowed to take items on a ride as long as they're in a belt pack or cargo pocket is an excellent policy. Let's hope that more parks come to their senses and adopt a common-sense policy about "loost item", which I think we can all agree that items inside a zippered pocket are not loose...

 

dt

[mcjaco]

Then again, I'm one of those people who never bring an item to a park that doesn't fit in my pocket or pack, and I don't use refill bottles. I'm not sure if I'm in the minority or not, but as long as I can still wear my belt back on a ride, the locker policy doesn't bother me.

 

--Robb

 

This is sound advice people.

[Hercules]

It is very good advice. Personally, I have never gone to a park with anything that can't fit in my cargo shorts. My camera bag fits in there perfectly along with my camera, keys, cash, ID etc. I just don't see a point in walking into a park with something more than that. And, since these locket policies are becoming pretty much the norm, I don't really see why people can't plan accordingly. You know that the rule is in effect, why fight it and complain about it? Just don't go in with a huge bag. Don't go into the line for Goliath with a refill cup. Don't play the $5 game so you can try to win the stuffed animal that is three times the size of you. These are all pretty simple concepts.

[almightyfire]

I never understood why someone would bring bulky stuff to the park anyway. Also at Busch Gardens they even made me sit on my sandals when i rode Alphengeist when I was there in 1998. That made sooo much sense to do that. It saved on time tremendously.

[NYTrojan]

Don't go into the line for Goliath with a refill cup.

 

Don't ride any of the rides if you buy a refill cup? Kind of defeats the purpose of buying a refill cup doesn't it? How about women with purses... even a small purse with, well let's just call them female necessities (and no not makeup) will cost you a dollar every ride. When I think of my average day at a park, I typically hit between 12 and 15 rides. That's a considerable additional expense.

 

Like I said before, I have no problem leaving my items in a locker. I think it is a great idea.. if it is free like at Universal. I have no problems leaving my items on a shelf with a sliding door... if the ride ops attend the sliding door / bin lid making sure it only allows you access to the items from your train like at Cedar Point. It is customer unfriendly and encourages people to avoid your stores and games.

[Jew]

While I totally agree that it is great when lockers are free, I never quite understood the logic in $1 being too much to ensure the safety of your items. Annoying? Sure. Big deal? I don't think so. Especially when the other options are risking my stuff being stolen (A former friend of mine had a nice digital camera stolen from a cubby at KBF) or waiting longer to get my stuff out/running the risk of there not even being a locker available for me (ever seen the lockers at Universal on a busy summer day?).

[NYTrojan]

I never quite understood the logic in $1 being too much to ensure the safety of your items. .

 

Because sometimes those items aren't worth the $1 you spend in securing them. If you want to charge for lockers, ok... but don't require them. Let me choose.

 

If I'm willing to risk my little plastic sports cup, or that basketball I just won at the midway game, what's the harm?

[Hercules]

I never quite understood the logic in $1 being too much to ensure the safety of your items. .

 

Because sometimes those items aren't worth the $1 you spend in securing them. If you want to charge for lockers, ok... but don't require them. Let me choose.

 

If I'm willing to risk my little plastic sports cup, or that basketball I just won at the midway game, what's the harm?

 

Then go ahead and risk it then. Leave it out somewhere - just don't bring it in line. If the things aren't worth the dollar to protect them, then you won't mind losing them - why complain then?

[NYTrojan]

I never quite understood the logic in $1 being too much to ensure the safety of your items. .

 

Because sometimes those items aren't worth the $1 you spend in securing them. If you want to charge for lockers, ok... but don't require them. Let me choose.

 

If I'm willing to risk my little plastic sports cup, or that basketball I just won at the midway game, what's the harm?

 

Then go ahead and risk it then. Leave it out somewhere - just don't bring it in line. If the things aren't worth the dollar to protect them, then you won't mind losing them - why complain then?

 

Because there's significant more risk in leaving a cup out on top of a bench where hundreds of people go by, rather than on the side of a station where 30 might. Heck I'd expect the cleaning crews to pick it up and throw it away.

[Hercules]

But if it is not worth that much to you, then why are you worried about it?

[Jew]

Here's the thing...You post on this website. You are not the average guest.

 

I can tell you from experience working at SFMM and a park where lockers are free that there is no locker system that will please the average guest.

 

Free lockers: "Do I HAVE to? But my wallet is in there!" "It took too long to get my locker!"

 

Not free lockers: "I have to pay?"

 

Option to leave stuff in station: "Is it safe?" "I will have you fired if this gets stolen!"

 

Option to leave stuff in station and said item(s) are stolen after the park made it clear they are not responsible: "This is f*cking bullsh*t! I demand you pay for all my lost stuff!"

 

There's really no easy way to do it, so SFMM is just choosing the one they feel is best for their operations. Could it be the wrong choice? Sure. If they end up being overwhelmed with complaints like yours, I am sure that they will react accordingly.

[arrowfanman]

-Not having to wait for loose articles to be stored will shave 15-30 seconds off of each dispatch, simply for the time it takes for 32 people to dump their items off.

 

-No longer will operators have to stop their operation to deal with a guest complaint of articles stolen, which unfortunately does happen.

 

-No longer will operators have to signal the panel operator to unlock certain restraints so that a guest can struggle to unravel a backpack that was wrapped around their legs, carry to the side of the station, receive a "if this isn't here when I'll get back, I'll kill you" threat and then recheck the particular restrain.

 

-No longer will operators have to deal with relentless guest pleads to store their articles behind the panel or backstage to assure the safety of the items.

 

-At a ride like Tatsu, a station stop would be used on a busy day every 15 minutes because a guest would hop over the railing to grab an article on the other station side (by nature of running 3-trains, 2-stations, you return opposite from where you dispatched). Not always would the ride be able to recover from the stop without a breakdown on the crews' hands.

 

-Not every ride has this in place right now. Only select major rides where this was an immense problem, such as Tatsu, the Riddler's Revenge, Scream, and when it reopens, X2.

 

 

 

All of the loose article problems that I just listed (and there are more) all result in holding dispatch for 5-60 seconds. And what's even worse is that the frequency of these problems increase with the crowds in the park. So at a time when you need to be cycling as quickly as possible due to a 2 hour line, you end up receiving this most hindrances to operation.

 

I'm very happy that some of you were responsible with your loose articles. That you quickly were able to dump them on the unload side of the station and quickly take your seat. That you had the understanding that if anything were to happen to your articles, the park was not responsible and you wouldn't hassle an operator.

 

But frankly, the majority of guests aren't like that. And just because I think people should be able to walk around naked (I honestly wouldn't mind!), the majority want to see everyone's bits and pieces covered up, meaning I have to be subjected to that rule, unfortunately. That's the way that society works. Would it be nice if the lockers were free for the first hour like at Universal in Florida? Yes. But this is the agreement the park now has with SmartCarte, the lockers company, and this is what we all have in place to work with. While it will take a bit for a precedent to be set, it is my belief that the ultimate result of the lockers-rule will decrease wait times, increase rides experienced per day, which would increase guest satisfaction and park value.

 

 

-Jahan

[ethans_dad06]

^ That was very well said. I personally find it a lil annoying to HAVE to buy a locker if I want to ride their rides, I do understand their reasoning behind it, and after reading the post above I think that six flags is taking a very respectable approach to this. Theres no way to please everybody all the time, and this is one of those times.