The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

Hello all.

 

I'm heading to MM in June, but I only have one day at the park. I have an all-parks season pass, so admission is no cost for me. However, would a Flash Pass be worth it to ride all the coasters, and is there anything else I should do while I am there? Also, what level Flash Pass should I get?

 

Platinum, and add X2 for an additional fee. The only non coaster rides I bother with are Lex Luthor and Jet Stream, both of which are on Flash Pass.

[williamj2543]

Hey guys we are finalizing the trip, we realized 5 platinum passes is way too much money (especially in CAD) and 3 of us will not need to ride EVERY ride. If we decide to get the 3 regular flash passes for them, how would that when we meet up? And realistically how long lines are we expecting march 19th on the Sunday?

 

Last question, are the flash passes transferable? Lets say for example 2 people really want to ride a ride, but the other 2 people are the ones that have the platinum, can they pass them over and trade for that period of time?

 

This system is very confusing and they don't have any people on the phone...

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ No worries, there's a lot you don't know until you've used one. It's not going to be transferrable. The technology is really very simple. It only knows how many people are on a reservation, not who those people are. However, you also get a wristband, and you can't take it off or you invalidate the benefits. Six Flags doesn't want people paying regular Flash Pass prices and receiving Platinum Pass benefits, and I don't blame them. I would be upset if I bought a very expensive Platinum Flash Pass, and then someone who paid a third of what I did got the same benefits.

 

As for meeting up, that's not a problem. The Flash Pass will tell you before you reserve how long the wait will be. If the line is 60 minutes, then the regular Flash Pass will say 60 minutes and the Platinum will say 6 minutes, because it reduces by 90%. So all you have to do is make your Platinum reservation when the wait time equals the remaining time on your regular Flash Pass. Enter the Flash Pass queue together, have the ride op scan both Flash Passes, and you're riding.

[williamj2543]

^ No worries, there's a lot you don't know until you've used one. It's not going to be transferrable. The technology is really very simple. It only knows how many people are on a reservation, not who those people are. However, you also get a wristband, and you can't take it off or you invalidate the benefits. Six Flags doesn't want people paying regular Flash Pass prices and receiving Platinum Pass benefits, and I don't blame them. I would be upset if I bought a very expensive Platinum Flash Pass, and then someone who paid a third of what I did got the same benefits.

 

As for meeting up, that's not a problem. The Flash Pass will tell you before you reserve how long the wait will be. If the line is 60 minutes, then the regular Flash Pass will say 60 minutes and the Platinum will say 6 minutes, because it reduces by 90%. So all you have to do is make your Platinum reservation when the wait time equals the remaining time on your regular Flash Pass. Enter the Flash Pass queue together, have the ride op scan both Flash Passes, and you're riding.

OK and what is the grace period for redeeming (how long do I have to redeem the reservation until it expires)

[SFMMGeek27]

^ No worries, there's a lot you don't know until you've used one. It's not going to be transferrable. The technology is really very simple. It only knows how many people are on a reservation, not who those people are. However, you also get a wristband, and you can't take it off or you invalidate the benefits. Six Flags doesn't want people paying regular Flash Pass prices and receiving Platinum Pass benefits, and I don't blame them. I would be upset if I bought a very expensive Platinum Flash Pass, and then someone who paid a third of what I did got the same benefits.

 

As for meeting up, that's not a problem. The Flash Pass will tell you before you reserve how long the wait will be. If the line is 60 minutes, then the regular Flash Pass will say 60 minutes and the Platinum will say 6 minutes, because it reduces by 90%. So all you have to do is make your Platinum reservation when the wait time equals the remaining time on your regular Flash Pass. Enter the Flash Pass queue together, have the ride op scan both Flash Passes, and you're riding.

OK and what is the grace period for redeeming (how long do I have to redeem the reservation until it expires)

 

There's no expiration.

[coasternut]

Here's a status photo I took today of Tatsu. The lift assembly is still on the ground near the Sky Tower. See for yourself...

Tatsu Lift Motor

[DJeXeL]

^Yep, it'll be open any day now.

[susie zueck]

Here's a status photo I took today of Tatsu. The lift assembly is still on the ground near the Sky Tower. See for yourself...

Hey it looks like they finally assembled the motor. But I'm still gonna say that Tatsu won't be opening until late March or early April at the earliest.Btw, does anybody know what's happening with Apocolypse right now. It's been closed for almost three months now with no visible work being done to it?

[JGuy]

Here's a status photo I took today of Tatsu. The lift assembly is still on the ground near the Sky Tower. See for yourself...

Hey it looks like they finally assembled the motor. But I'm still gonna say that Tatsu won't be opening until late March or early April at the earliest.Btw, does anybody know what's happening with Apocolypse right now. It's been closed for almost three months now with no visible work being done to it?

 

They're saving money. That's what's happening.

[Superbatboy]

I saw a pic last week on IG of them doing track work on Apocalypse

[cparkes92]

I saw a pic last week on IG of them doing track work on Apocalypse

So it is a legitimate rehab. At parks like SFMM, do coasters go down for major (i.e. months long) rehabs every year or do they take turns (with small fixes every year and a major rehab every few years)?

[Nrthwnd]

I'm sorry, but after my mega-PAIN ride on Apocalypse back during last Sept's WCB weekend...

 

#BurnItDown

[MagicMountainMan]

They could still very easily put Tatsu's motor back this week and have it up soon, but it does seem like they have been delayed. The original timeline was to have Tatsu up early March but that was before they even started work on the coaster so who knows what has transpired since then.

 

Apocalypse is down for some retracking. Apparently one of the trains was doing some pretty extensive damage to the track and now they are trying to fix it.

[coasterlvr]

I saw a pic last week on IG of them doing track work on Apocalypse

So it is a legitimate rehab. At parks like SFMM, do coasters go down for major (i.e. months long) rehabs every year or do they take turns (with small fixes every year and a major rehab every few years)?

 

 

i think MM has a different definition of legitimate rehab compared to other parks.

[joelwee]

Apocalypse is very rough, even after last year's retracking. But honestly, it doesn't bother me that much because (1) it's a wooden coaster, and with wooden coasters comes a certain degree of roughness over steel coasters; (2) it's themed as an escape train from the scavengers. Do you think an escape train during the apocalypse would be smooth?

 

That said, it is one of SFMM's few airtime machines and I can't wait until it reopens.

 

It attracts crowds during the day, but people tend to avoid Apocalypse as soon as the sun goes down (maybe because it's in a dark corner in the very back of the park?)

 

Riding 4-5 rounds on Apocalypse and then on Viper will leave your head spinning, but if roughness doesn't bother you, they are both great rides.

[MrSum1_55]

My most recent ride on Apoc was 2 years ago. It is certainly one of the worst, if not the very worst, GCI's. I am truly not certain if it was any better than Wildcat or Gwazi (before that closed). While the latter two did have more roughness, Apoc suffers from having stronger laterals, which can become brutal very easily.

 

Before it got rough, I would say that the layout was okay. Not really GCI's best, but fine for what it was. Now it has kind of lost its specialness with the addition of Twisted Colossus.

[coasternut]

When Apocalypse first opened, it was great! That continued for several years after. It was in my top 10 woodies. I used to be able to "marathon" the ride especially at the end of the day, since there wasn't any line. Now, I don't even ride it anymore. The pounding is just too much for me. I've said this before, inside both tunnels the ride is smooth.

It's a shame. I just guess it's the the jinx of the Psyclone corner of the park.

[coasterbill]

When we went just a few years ago, Apocalypse was one of the best rides in the park. It's a shame they've let it go to hell.

[Cj1990]

None of this surprises me. It's SFMM lol. The maintenance could be so much better across the board at this park. Apocalypse was awesome when it first opened. Had it been open on my trip there recently, I would have checked it out, unfortunately, like with all of the rides in maintenance there, it was closed and had been for a considerable amount of time.

[gerstlaueringvar]

I rode it at the end of December in 2015. While it is rough, it is like the typical GCI roughness that shakes you around but it doesn't jack hammer. I personally don't get bothered by being shaked around since Millennium Force and Banshee do that too. I ended up riding Apocalypse maybe 3 or 4 times because it was awesome.

[JT325]

I need advice!

 

Does anyone know if Revolution will be running without VR in the next few months? I heard it was running as non-VR Revo recently... and I want plan a trip when it is non-VR. Not that I wouldn't want to try out the VR, I want to get some quality ride time on non-VR Revo.

 

I'm going out in July with family, but considering a short trip earlier (perhaps April), to get some Revo rides. And maybe hop down to Knotts for a bit too.

 

Any input is appreciated!

 

^Also, I couldn't help but think about all the recent rain might have been very "nourishing" for Apocaloid. Some woodies have built in sprinkler systems, and I know Boss in St. Louis gets hosed down now and then. Keeps everything a little softer.

Edited February 28, 2017 by JT325

[jonskinny12]

I first rode Apocalypse in August/September of 2014 and while it was a little rough, it was amazing and a huge surprise hit for me. On that trip I rode it more than any other coaster in the park (8 times). When I went back in February 2016 it had sadly gotten quite a bit worse, and then in late September 2016 it was bad enough that twice was almost too much for me. And I put The Voyage at the top of my list along with Maverick and Millennium Force, so I don't hate rough coasters. I actually rode The Voyage 27 times over two days at HWN in 2015.

 

I can only hope that the current work they're doing on Apocalypse makes some amount of difference because it's really a great ride.

[MagicMountainMan]

They are currently reinstalling Tatsu's lift motor so maybe they will actually get it open soon.

[williamj2543]

They are currently reinstalling Tatsu's lift motor so maybe they will actually get it open soon.

Going on the 19th of March, I really hope it will be up!

[edgeboy]

This is probably the price for having so many coasters in one park... while it's great for the fan, the maintenance gets tougher. Imagine spinning plates on the end of poles, like the old circus trick. The more you have, the tougher it is.

 

Even it's nearest coaster count competitor, Cedar Point, has a large off season to maintain. SFMM basically year round, so that makes it even more difficult. In that regard, I'm surprised they manage to keep the rides in as good condition as they are.