Photo TR: Six Flags Fiesta Texas

[haux]

I took a vacation in Austin, and since Fiesta Texas is only about an hour away, I had to visit. My friend Tim drove us there and paid the $12 for parking. The parking lot is pretty large, but it wasn't crowded, so I knew today would be a good day.

 

Right away, I noticed that this was different from the other Six Flags parks I've been to. It had a fairly elaborate entrance, and a fountain had red water for Halloween. I had a coupon for $12 off each ticket. We paid and went in. I wanted to start on Superman Krypton Coaster since I hadn't ridden a floorless coaster since Scream in 2006, and I hadn't been on a good one since Batman Knight Flight in 2003. We missed the entrance since it's sort of buried next to a store. We walked under the giant bleached sign, but we noticed it after turning around.

 

We got in line, and the line was at the bottom of the steps leading to the station. We waited a few minutes for the back seat. Superman has these odd black covers over the tops of the restraints, and I had no idea why they're there. Superman starts with a drop and turn to the left out of the station. At the top of the lift hill, it levels off, banks and turns to the right. Then begins what became my favorite floorless coaster. The first drop dives down the side of the quarry wall. It seems extremely steep, and it's great. The rocks pass by, and you soar into the enormous loop. There's some hang time at the top before it dives down again. It rises up into a helix on top of the wall, which is great. I really got a kick out of the interaction with the wall.

 

The zero-G roll is next, and it's fun. I enjoy these on sit-down coasters. There's a bit of airtime in the beginning of it, and then it quickly flips around, so you're out of your seat the whole time. That was great. The cobra roll is pretty cool, and it's followed by a quick left then right turn into the brakes. The right turning drop out of the brakes is really quick, and I hit my head on the restraint, but it wasn't bad at all. There's a short upward straightaway and it goes into the interlocking corkscrews. It goes into a steeply banked right turn and a hop into the end brakes. There's a hint of airtime in the back, and I'm sure there's some in the front. We only rode in the back, though.

 

We went to Poltergeist next. The previous weekend, I rode Flight of Fear at Kings Island, and I wasn't impressed with the second half of the ride because the block brake nearly stops you. Poltergeist was surprising because it has no brakes! You just soar through the entire course. I really like the layout of these rides. Tim said he kept his hands down because he felt like he'd lose them at every turn. That's a spaghetti bowl for you.

 

Next was Tony Hawk's Big Spin. We waited about five minutes to get on. I really enjoyed this. The spinning was crazy, and the layout is pretty fun. It spins immediately off the first drop and doesn't let up until the end of the ride. There were some good surprises in the coaster, especially in the drop off the last block brake and the airtime hill after it. The side Tim and I were on was going backward, and we got airtime in those two parts. I enjoyed it because I wasn't expecting it, and we were going backward. The helix at the end is quick, and the ride slows to a stop after the magnetic brakes. The cars were stacked, and the device to stop the spinning isn't until the block right before the station. We sat in the block just before it, and we spun and spun and spun. Tim was getting dizzy and a little nauseated. I didn't mind.

 

Tim found some flowers and picked them for his girlfriend, and I went to Johnny Rockets and got chicken fingers for $9. They were good.

 

Next was Scooby Doo Ghostblasters, a Sally interactive dark ride. The line was about 10 minutes. I sucked at it, which I thought was weird because I didn't do well at the Scooby Doo ride at Kings Island, but I did well on Gobbler Getaway at Holiday World. We sat in the back, and the ride favored people on the right. I was on the left. Tim did so well, his total was more than mine and the two people in front of us. Combined. Eh. These are still fun rides, and it's good to get out of the sun.

 

We decided to get Boomerang out of the way. Nobody was in line. I liked that because waiting for a Boomerang is lame. We sat in the middle. So this ride is just like any other Boomerang. Blah blah. Wait. This one was the best I've been on. No joke! I was surprised. It wasn't smooth, but it wasn't horribly rough. How odd.

 

I bought a $4 lemonade from a cart on the midway. Mmmm. It was good and refreshing.

 

Up next was Roadrunner Express, an Arrow mine train that interacts with the cliff wall. I liked this a lot. The drops follow the terrain well and dive through and around Rattler's structure and the cliff wall. It's not as good as Adventure Express, but it's pretty fun.

 

I went to Rattler, and Tim decided to sit out. He rode it in 2005 and absolutely hated it. I've heard nothing but bad about this ride, so I braced myself for a terrible experience. It's really tall, but the first drop is pretty shallow. The walk of the station took longer than what I waited for the back car. The ride turns a little at the top of the lift and drops down. It shakes around a lot, but I held on tight and kept my back off the seat back. The turn after the drop is awful. The worst part of the ride immediately follows that. The track banks heavily to the left, levels out and rises up a straightaway before the triple helix. The track sways like crazy in the heavy banking at the bottom. It's so bad, I could feel it in my car, and it jolted the train around awful.

 

The triple helix is really slow and boring, but it also happens to be rough. Ugh. This ride sucks. It enters the block brake and dives down a horrible drop to the left and into the tunnel. The tunnel is the smoothest part of the ride. It has a quick turn to the right, exits the tunnel and shakes around a lot in another helix. It slams into the brakes and comes to an abrupt stop. This ride is terrible. Ouch. Boo. It's only the third-worst wooden coaster I've been on. Son of Beast tops that list, followed by the now-defunct Hercules.

 

We went to Superman again and rode in the seventh row. I love this coaster. It's easily the best at the park. It's a little too smooth for my liking, but that's just because it's engineered so well. I didn't hit my head in the turn out of the block brake this time.

 

Because I'm a credit whore, I had to ride Rollschucoaster, the kiddy ride. Tim and I sat in the same seat, and he laughed at me for doing it. The train goes around the oval circuit twice.

 

There was a show across from the coaster called "Cornelius: The Not-So-Very Scarecrow." He wasn't scary, all right. He actually was the gayest scarecrow ever. He had a real effeminate voice, which cracked us up. He also used the word "ginormous," which was just dorky.

 

We headed toward Whistle Stop, the train. On the way, the crossing gates went down, and a guy got caught in between them. He walked out, and the train passed. We looked at some koi and then went to the station and got on. It was a nice way to relax. It goes around the park and through part of the limestone wall near Superman.

 

We got off the train and went to Tony Hawk again, but it was down. Instead of waiting, we went to Superman. I noticed odd signage out front, which just includes pictures of Superman getting bigger and bigger and bigger. What the heck? We went to the last row for our final ride of the day. Superman is excellent. We left the park after that.

 

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is unlike any Six Flags park I've ever been to. It's probably my favorite one too. It's got themed areas that it actually pulls off well. The roller coasters are all fun, and Superman, Poltergeist and Tony Hawk stand out. The limestone cliff that surrounds the park keeps it separated from the outside world. I had a lot of fun.

Bigger!

Getting bigger.

To finish, the weird Superman getting bigger thing. Superman is small.

Rattler is not.

Poltergeist is great.

FISH!

Mmm. Expensive food.

The flowers Tim picked.

The best Boomerang I've ridden. What the?

Bloody water

Tony Hawk's Big Spin

Cliff helix goodness.

Anyone know what's up with the black things on the harnesses?

Big freaking loop.

Superman's bleached sign.

The park's entrance is pretty cool.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Nice Photo TR!

 

I assume the black covering on Superman is to prevent people from picking at the restraint.

[Team Thriller]

Nice pics. Superman KC looks really cool!

 

B&M ROCKS

[Primogen18]

Nice pics, funny how superman is in all pink, and the restraints got some kinda bondage kink-thing goin' on

[ErinBrookeTX]

Wow! I agree that superman & poltergist being the best in the park (haven't ridden tony hawk spin yet). I am kindof disappointed at how the park is looking since I last went (around 2002). It looks like it is in need of fresh paint. The park looked brand new condition (almost) last time I visited.

[SLUSHIE]

I think I've seen those deals on the restraints on other rides before (I don't think I'm referring to Manhattan Express, but I could be). I'm pretty sure those are there so people can't see how freaking gross the restrains have become from peoples heads rubbing on them all the time.

[Tanks4me05]

^ I thought they were to guard people from picking at the restraints, which I have seen done on a few coasters before.

[almightyfire]

My sisters and I took their kids to SFFT today and it was a total waste of time. I guess we all have outgrown it. My nephews are 14,13 and 10 and we all are coaster enthusiasts but none of us had a good time. The kids were ready to go after 20 mins and we drove from Houston. The park was kinda light and was getting more crowded as we left. We rode The Roadrunner which is a total bore now, then on to Rattler which is no fun anymore since the style of woodies have changed. After riding the Boardwalk Bullet and El Toro, this thing is a total bore. Not rough at all, just nothing happening. Then on to Superman. This is still a good floorless but after riding it over and over again for 8 years, it looses its excitement. We were all just riding and not even smiling. Then on to Tony Hawk. It is a cheap thrown together carnival style coaster. Not even as good as the basic wild mouse. It was fun but over too quick. Then we went over to Poltergeist. Same reaction. So our attitudes were "BEEN THERE DONE THAT". My nephews said that they dont want a pass for next year because they have outgrown it. So in a nutshell, kids do grow up and graduate to bigger and more thrilling rides. We all love Magic Mountain and the kids are dying to go. They now are ready for some real coasters. The only way a park is gonna last now is to always put something fresh and new and actually more thrillling every year to get people to come back. The main reason Six Flags attendance is down is because of lack of new things. Adults with money will still take their families to the parks if they have rides that grow with them. SFFT is a family park and always has been but it is time to come on with a thrilling ride because it is really becoming boring and tired. Now this is not just the adults saying this, the kids started the conversation not us. GOLIATH isnt gonna do it either.

 

Also we noticed that a lot of the rides needs a major paint job. Poltergeist is just visually horrible and rusted. Superman, Boomerang and a whole lot of other rides are extremely faded. There was a lot of grass growing where it shouldnt have been. This is the first time I have been and seen it looking kinda run down.

 

rides I give a 4

Customer Service I give a 9

 

The load times were perfect and this is the first time I have seeen all 3 trains on The Rattler.

I dont think Shapiro is doing that good of a job IN MY OPINION.

[ghost007jas]

^ If your kids have "graduated" from those rides, they've "graduated" from rides all together. I don't understand how you can "outgrow" a 150 foot floorless coaster, get bored sure but not "outgrow".

 

And the number of rides has nothing to do with Shapiro, that customer service that you talked so highly of, yes, that's Shapiro.

 

Your entitled to your own opinion of course, but I think your making the wrong assumptions, and using the wrong words to describe how you feel about SFFT.

[almightyfire]

No I am using the right words and the customer service was always good even before he got there. Out grown means it is time to move up to something more thrilling. Yes u can outgrow a type of coaster and it is time to move up to a bigger and more thrilling one. That is why parks go bigger, because no matter what anyone thinks, Six Flags success has been because of THRILLS no FRILLS. Six Flags went down because of over spending on buying parks not building big coasters. Rides and amusements are like a drug. The more u use it the lesss high u become so u have to move to the next high.

 

I see u r young and in 10 yrs if ur home park that u visit 10 times a year doesnt upgrade u also will be looking for something different. If a park doesnt get something unique eventually it will lose patrons and lose money. It takes money to make money.

[ghost007jas]

Yes, I'm young and can manage to spell fairly well..

 

There is a difference between "outgrowing" and "growing bored of" a park. I have grown bored of several of my home parks over the years, and that's only normal. But the caliber of rides at SFMM are hardly greater than that of SFFT's, and you will eventually grow tired of SFMM as well, and than what? I suppose I just don't understand your theory of "getting bored and moving on".

 

But whatever works for you.

[socalMAN123]

Yeah, I don't see how you can outgrow a park. If you feel the rides are growing to kiddie, take me for example. My home park is DL, I've been going there for 13 years, and I'm not bored of it. And DL is WAY more kiddish than any SF park. Yes, they have added things over the years, but so has SFFT. I also see that you are entitled to my opinion, so I'm not saying you're wrong in any way whatsoever. Heck, finding out what other people think about parks and coasters is what this board is all about!

 

Anywho, this is a great Photo TR! Thanks for all of the pics and I really enjoyed the writing and captions. Good job!

---Brent

[adc9787]

Yeah...okay. But DL has so much more to offer than thrills. You don't really go there to be "thrilled" in the same way that you would go to a Six Flags.

 

-Andrew