The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[sharwoo]

About the advertising...I understand bringing in revenue, and some advertising is reasonable and to be expected. But when the place starts looking like the trashy part of town with billboards and posters plastered all over and everywhere you look is yet another ad, it takes away from the experience.

 

I think most people go to theme parks to get away from their hum-drum daily routine.

 

its an issue of expanded perspective, parks suffer and have to ad adds because throughout their run they had a great interest in profit and numbers without working on all the intricate qualities that make them memorable beyond the immediate exploitation of a quick thrill

 

this is true no matter what you are looking for: Quality is.

 

if the ads are like great adventure then i don't mind them, except there was one place near the mine train that had obnoxiously deafening country music by restrooms(any music at that volume is no good!)

(el toros music is awesome!)

[Guest]

Heres some in park ads I dont consider a big deal

 

 

 

 

 

Now lets look at Viper's ads

 

Banner posted up on the log flume as your walking to the ride

 

Wrapped on the side of the train

 

All of this for one ride, and done with no class

[coasterking2981]

Funny thing is, Schwarzkopf (mostly their hair product side of the company) is actually one of the clients of the company my mom works for.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

^^ That banner is actually on Jet Stream & is relatively far from Viper.

 

I think for most people, advertising isn't a problem as long as the marketing behind it is done well. If it's engaging & entertaining, nobody cares. However, if its a product people don't use or like much, or the ad is, in their opinion, tacky or otherwise sub-par, the complaints start coming.

 

Theme parks have been doing advertising for decades. It's not really a new thing. Advertising makes money & encourages economic activity. If you come across an ad that doesn't quite appeal to you, just give yourself a quick pep talk & you'll be fine.

[wrs28330]

So is there anything new for Fright Fest this year?

 

Yes, there are several new offerings this year for Fright Fest. Once the offerings are finalized, I will ask permission to do a FF offerings update in this thread as I have done for the past few years. Expect the update to be posted within the next few weeks.

[coasterfan21]

Wow those add campaign's are a little over the top. I mean wrapping the side of the train, wow. I have a marketing idea that they should have done. Before they tore down Psyclone they should have gotten Zippo to sponsor its final season. (Bonfire!!!!)

[X2coasterfreak]

So I went to the park Friday and had an awesome time! I don't feel like making a TR so here are some Pros and Cons of the trip.

Pros:

Got my 47th credit on Canyon Blaster, rode Log Jammer for the first time, rode Terminator 4x, FREE water (total life saver), first one in the park and on Terminator and Deja Vu, fog on X2, hardly any wait on anything, got stuck on Terminator while on the lift hill, transfer track, between station and transfer, and station. Heard Take The Tunnel really loudly. And there were lots of families.

Cons:

The people working the pre shows now are sending people through without anyone watching the whole show, and they were just waving you through and not saying things like" new recruits this way!". X2 has pink and yellow showing through in some parts. The Dell Taco X2 ERT was horrible because they had a HUGE party for the county police. The line was so long I only got X2 once during the ERT time. And for the first time ever, X2 kicked the crap out of me, I am bruised from it.

All in all an amazing day. at the beginning it was really smoky from the Station fire. (On the way up the night before it was all fiery in Pasadena). The total ride count was about 24 (including multiple rides). And the funniest thing I ever heard at SFMM, I just got off Ninja and this guy who just got off too, opened up his map and said " Where's Ninja? Oh it's behind Tatsu,".

Rides:

Terminator x4

Deja Vu

Tatsu

Viper

Log Jammer x2

Canyon Blaster x2

Goliath x3

Collosus

Scream (Much better ride than Riddler's)

Riddler's Revenge

Scrambler

Gold Rusher

Jet Stream

Superman

Ninja

X2 x2

 

"Enjoy your ride on Collosus, the sky is yellow"

[coasterking2981]

rode Log Jammer for the first time

 

Seriously?

 

And the funniest thing I ever heard at SFMM, I just got off Ninja and this guy who just got off too, opened up his map and said " Where's Ninja? Oh it's behind Tatsu,".

 

lol Epic fail for that guy

[GivenOneChance]

fog on X2

 

I apologize for asking, but what is this?

 

Also people are lucky when they ride X2 and get the flames....I 've rode it 3 times (as X2 anyway) and only 1 time has the flames worked on my particular train. No biggie though.

 

 

 

The people working the pre shows now are sending people through without anyone watching the whole show, and they were just waving you through and not saying things like" new recruits this way!".

 

Is this essential to your experience? Really?

 

X2 has pink and yellow showing through in some parts.

 

Yeah...that's what it used to be painted.

 

 

And for the first time ever, X2 kicked the crap out of me, I am bruised from it.

 

I love this part of the ride.

 

 

I really think it depends on what part of the train you're seated. The first 2 rides on X2 and I've been flung like a doll near the end...though the last ride I had on it, I didn't get this surprise. Fortunately. I hate that feeling of your legs being flung against the train.

[X2coasterfreak]

Is this essential to your experience? Really?

Well not really, but for people who have not been on it, it makes the total experience better. And my mistake, I mean mist on X2 not fog.

[ebl]

"I apologize for asking, but what is this?" (GivenOneChance about X2's fog)

 

No need to apologize about this one. When X2 opened last year, one of its special effects was (supposed to be) fog at the bottom of the two raven turns. It was there early on, but hasn't been for quite some time. It appears that maybe SFMM is working to get it going on a more regular basis. If done right, it's a cool effect.

 

Eric

[RCFreak]

^it was actually working last Sunday (I was shocked) well "working" in the sense it was on and probably misted the first row as it usually does.

[gotdane]

I understand why Six Flags parks are whoring themselves out to advertisers and it makes PERFECT sense....but, Viper's Got2B trains are ridiculous and hilarious.

 

The banner and wall ad are a bit much, too. They gotta do what they gotta do , I guess.

[ebl]

^ It's been so long since that effect was working during any of my rides on X2. Not that I ride it that much, but enough to have seen it more often than I have.

 

Sometimes I think that a tunnel at the bottom of the first raven turn---mist filled or with strobe lights---would be a nice thing. They were going to add tunnels on X2 (remember that?), but I think those fabric tunnels wouldn't have been that good.

 

Eric

[cooksta77]

^I've always thought that a fog-fillled tunnel with strobe lights at the bottom of the second raven turn would be awesome and they could have incorperated "Take the Tunnel" in the X2 soundtrack.

Andrew "I'll be taking the mist filled tunnel on Sept. 11th" Iorio

[ZeroG001]

The last time I rode X2, the fog was on during my night ride. I felt it and it was freezing. The fire was off, though.

 

I also think it would be cool if they had tunnels at the bottom of the raven turns filled with fog and lights. That would make night rides even better than they are now.

[ZeroG001]

Would anyone happen to know how smoky the air is at the park? I'm watching the news and they're saying there's a lot of smoke in there air, but I don't know how much smoke there is in Valencia.

[cooksta77]

I would like to know about the smoke because the way it's looking it might not be contained when I go and my friend has asthma so If anyone could answer I would appreciate it.

Andrew "Can't wait to go to the Mountain" Iorio

[coasterking2981]

X2 needs...no...it DESERVES the title Holy Rail:

 

http://www.facebook.com/sixflags?v=app_90891003784

 

on an un-SFMM related note, I cant believe how Le Monstre managed to topple two of the best coasters in the world. I know Le Monstre is a favorite of the Canadians, which is cool and all, but still.

 

May X2 avenge his fallen SF coaster brothers...

[itnotfair]

^Wow, that almost made me want to join facebook...almost...

[stuartnz]

I've been voting for X2

[WFChris]

^I was up in Valenica today and to be honest, I didn't find it to be that smokey at all. Sure, you can see it in the distance, but other than that it was not bad. The fire IS expected to be headed closer to the park though (park is in absolutely no danger), so conditions could be different tomorrow.

 

Chris.

[alexinla]

I cant believe how Le Monstre managed to topple two of the best coasters in the world. I know Le Monstre is a favorite of the Canadians, which is cool and all, but still.

 

I read on some messageboard that La Ronde is kinda cheating as they have people with portable laptops at the rides exit and ask guests to vote for the coaster

 

Kinda makes sense as there is no way people would vote just 32 % for X2

[wrs28330]

On Sunday the smoke was blowing much more north than it had on Friday and Saturday. The smoke was a non-issue.

[cooksta77]

^Thank you. Hopefyully they just put this fire out. As for the Facebook thing obviously the best coasters aren't winning. If so it would e X2 vs. El Toro in the finals so I'm not suprised.

Andrew "X2 is still #1 to me" Iorio