Six Flags Magic Mountain Terminator Salvation: The Ride

[rawrtotheargh]

Those who rode the ride today. How was the volume on the ride? During Media day I heard it was ridiculously loud. And Saturday it was too quiet. Is it in a nice point now?

[Corcoran]

i did ride it again today i told the atendant tht they almost had the volume right just needed to be turned up a bit, in my creative thinking opinion the train could use a sound breaker between the cars on the train ( 2 rubber strips looped to create a flap, one sits on top of the other mounted on the back and front of each car) this would prevent or reduce the amoint of track noise from being funneled up between the cars and canceling / drowning out the audio from the speakers, keeping the audio system from having to be cranked up to the point to where the speakers distort and defeat the purpose of being heard, that and being polk audio 6x9 3-way doesn't help much ether. but the GP are going to eventualy distroy them so i dont blame 'em for doing less costly speakers, on a side note the monitor by the jeep needs to be recalibrated there is to much red that the monitor is displaying, sorry a/v is one of my hobbies, i like to set up home theater systems for fun,

 

ok I'll shut up now

 

greg-

[sixflagsmagicmountain]

Really can't wait to ride. I'm going to try to make it this week.

 

Just for the record, the ride does NOT feature Christian Bale threatening to trash the lights? Lame.

[GivenOneChance]

^Terminator!!!! New credit, and more enjoyable for me, but don't forget to add Tatsu to that list of bad lines

 

What would you say the plan would be if every coaster's a new credit there? I've been researching this question lately for our trip coming up on June 12 and 13 (First time to SFMM!) but with Terminator there now, I have no idea what I should try and get done 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

 

From my experience, if you get to the park when it opens, run to the other end of the park, away from X2. Many people (before Terminator) would run/head toward X/X2. Other people, like me, seemed to glide toward Goliath's end....it's a long walk I guess... lol.

 

Whenever I went, I walked/ran to Goliath first. Rode Goliath several times without any line, then headed to Scream and Colossus. Rode several times as well. Then I headed to Riddlers and Batman...rode once (little line to deal with). Then I moved up toward Superman, Ninja, and Tatsu....rode once From there, I headed to Goldrusher and Deja Vu....rode once.

 

So my suggestion:

1. Goliath

2. Scream

3. Colossus

4. Batman

5. Riddlers

- maybe fit in tidal wave if that's still open lol....the heat is gonna kill ya!

6. Goldrusher

7. Superman

8. Ninja

9. Tatsu

10. Deja Vu

 

I guarantee you'll get all this done by 1:00--2:00 (I did this during a weekday in the summer and on New Years Eve 2006 I recall though).

 

Then make your way to the other end of the park:

 

11. Viper

12. X2 (likely to have a large line to deal with)

13. Revolution

 

Of course, you gotta fit Terminator in there somewhere, but keep in mind I do this (did this) prior to there being a Terminator everytime I visit Six Flags MM; I always make sure to get there at about 9:30 though...that's key...if you're like me and love to ride rides multiple times.

 

Have fun on your trip.

[GivenOneChance]

Just came back from the mountain. The crowds weren't too terrible. I got 3 more rides on Terminator. I'm up to 33 now.

!

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but you've rode it 33 times thus far?

 

Wow.

[robbalvey]

^Terminator!!!! New credit, and more enjoyable for me, but don't forget to add Tatsu to that list of bad lines

 

What would you say the plan would be if every coaster's a new credit there?

So my suggestion:

1. Goliath

2. Scream

3. Colossus

4. Batman

5. Riddlers

- maybe fit in tidal wave if that's still open lol....the heat is gonna kill ya!

6. Goldrusher

7. Superman

8. Ninja

9. Tatsu

10. Deja Vu

 

I guarantee you'll get all this done by 1:00--2:00 (I did this during a weekday in the summer and on New Years Eve 2006 I recall though).

 

Then make your way to the other end of the park:

 

11. Viper

12. X2 (likely to have a large line to deal with)

13. Revolution

I'm sorry, but this is a terrible plan.

 

Why would you WANT to tell someone to go do the ride with the largest possible line in the park...LAST??? And tell someone to go to one of the highest capacity rides with one of the shorter lines for a "major" attraction, FIRST?!?!?

 

Why wait in that X2 line when you don't HAVE to?

 

Here's what I would do. First of all, get a Gold Q-Bot for one of your days. Seriously. It may be expensive, but it will make your day *MUCH* more relaxing.

 

If not, you pretty much want to be at the park an hour before it opens, make sure you're one of the first people at the front gates, and RUN to X2.

 

That ride could get a 2-4 hour line during the day depending on the crowds. No other ride in the park will get this long of a line so if you can get this one out of the way FIRST without waiting in a 2-4 hour line, that gives you 2-4 hours MORE to ride other coasters in the park, or ride the coasters you liked the best multiple times.

 

Other than that, do a search on the site, we have posted many times how to navigate SFMM.

 

--Robb

[Sir Clinksalot]

3) I found myself thinking; had I not just sat through the pre-shows I could have been on the ride 10 minutes sooner.

 

Except for the first rides of the day and when there is absolutely no wait, the idea of the preshow is that it takes up time you'd be spending waiting in line anyway. Whether or not this is exactly the case is up to the park to figure out and, from what Robb and others have said, this is what they're tweaking.

 

If there wasn't a preshow, you'd still have the same amount of people in front of you in line. It just wouldn't be as entertaining.

Exactly. Something that many people don't seem to understand is that the pre-show isn't stopping you from riding, it's keeping you more entertained while you wait in line.

 

Otherwise you'd just be in another sea of switchbacks. I'd much rather have something to look at or watch while I'm waiting.

 

--Robb

 

Fully agreed. Maybe people will finally "get it".

[SuperShawn]

I'm off to the park right now! Here's hoping crowds are light since the weekends over. Can't wait to see the pre-show and see what all the fuss is about.

 

PS I'll be sure to TAKE THE TUNNEL

[piers]

 

PS I'll be sure to TAKE THE TUNNEL

 

I always take the tunnel.

[shepp]

Well, I wasn't going to ask this in this thread, but since people have bringing up scheduling strategy....

 

I've always been to SFMM early in the season, when it wasn't open late. But now I'll be there around 7 till 10:00 closing the night of Monday 6/8, all day Tuesday, then Wednesday until evening. (Don't plan on paying for Q-Bot, since I'll have a few days, schools are just starting to let out...and, hey, as an old guy, a little recovery time spent standing in line isn't always a bad thing.) Since I want to ride Terminator after dark, I figure I'll head for it first thing and grab a couple of rides. But I have no idea what X2's queue is like on weeknights. Understanding that things can vary a lot, does it make sense to walk back to X2 from Terminator, figuring the line will have died down considerably since midday? Or should I just maybe head for Goliath or Tatsu and resign myself to doing the X2 sprint the next morning? Or could I maybe even squeeze in Terminator, Tatsu, and X2? What say you, SFMM experts?

 

Oh, and that famous tunnel. Since I've only visited the park five times, I'm not 100% sure of the terrain. There's an under-the-hill passageway from Revolution's exit to the back of the park, correct? Where, exactly?

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Oh, and that famous tunnel. Since I've only visited the park five times, I'm not 100% sure of the terrain. There's an under-the-hill passageway from Revolution's exit to the back of the park, correct? Where, exactly?

 

Yes there is.

 

Just walk up to revolution as if you were going to ride it. On your right it will say flash pass entrance, go though that and follow the path, it will put you right under neath the lift for Revolution. It will save you at least 5mins of walking and you will be able to beat the crowd at gate opening if you are going to Terminator or Tatsu first.

[Meteornotes]

I always take the tunnel.

 

You'll be happy to know this joke was used in your absence in West Coast Trip Chat this week...

 

dt

[piers]

Amazing, Im glad to hear I was there in spirit, although in real life I was probably face down in a gutter by that point!

[The Cheat]

Forget "Take the tunnel" It's all about. "You at six flags magic mountain".

[ghost007jas]

My personal favorite is: "This is our SALVATION!"

 

Do they know that they're poking fun at themselves? Or is this ride just full of the greatest coincidences known to exist in the theme park world?

[Sir Clinksalot]

Forget "Take the tunnel" It's all about. "You at six flags magic mountain".

 

No YOU at six flags magic mountain.

 

Yeah, that line got a chuckle out of me as well.

[Calicoasters]

^At that point in the pre-show I was expecting the porno music to start. Don't get me wrong, I like the pre-show, but the acting is pretty bad.

[CoasterKings908]

^At that point in the pre-show I was expecting the porno music to start. Don't get me wrong, I like the pre-show, but the acting is pretty bad.

 

Well I agree the acting was bad is if they did the filming in 5 minutes, could have gone better, but as for me the preshow was AWSOME and the ride was good the ride was AWSOME!

[SuperMikeo]

Just got back from an awesome day at the park.

 

Terminator is AWESOME. Definitely a sleeper in the sense that it is quite a bit more intense than I expected.

 

The theming is...well...really good! As much as I would like to try and critique something, myself and the group I was with (non-coaster nerds) were consistently entertained by the queue/pre-show.

 

Regarding the pre-shows - yeah, they are long. But the acting is tongue-in-cheek enough for it to be enjoyable.

 

And yes, I was totally able to request a seat in the front with no issues.

 

The park itself was perfect today - everything was almost a walk-on, and we rode X2 at 3:00 PM to a half-hour wait.

 

Magic Mountain has a VERY solid woodie (stop it) and I think that the "whole experience" works much better than I could have expected it to.

 

And the ride has several awesome pops of air. Twisty, fast, and smooth. Good job GCI.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^At that point in the pre-show I was expecting the porno music to start. Don't get me wrong, I like the pre-show, but the acting is pretty bad.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Moon Bloodgood ... well, I'll just leave it at that.

[rba13]

A co-worker went on Sunday and thought Terminator was just okay. She wasn't impressed with it, since it didn't have loops/corkscrews and was just "boring".

 

Oh well, can't please everyone.

[Corcoran]

i like terminator salvation the ride! It almost simulates my driving when evaiding T-600's

[ebl]

"...it didn't have loops/corkscrews and was just 'boring.'" (rba13)

 

Maybe when they build Son of Terminator, it'll include a loop.

 

Eric

[ghost007jas]

Maybe when they build Son of Terminator, it'll include a loop.

 

You sir, are awesome.

 

The friend I went with to Magic Mountain yesterday had, from the start, critiqued Terminator because "It's so short!" "It's going to be so slow!" "God that looks boring!" etc. But I am happy to say that he was promptly converted upon riding yesterday.

 

I'm hopeful that most will have this same reaction.

[SuperShawn]

So back from a great day at the park and my joy of being a part of the resistance. I got in 7 rides on Terminator while there. My waits where anywhere from walking into the show building, to a 30 minute wait at the height of the day.

 

The coaster its self I love, a ton of fun no matter what row you're in. I like the sound track and the sound bits in there "Take the Tunnel" "Here they Come!" etc. etc.. Every time I got off I wanted to get on again. Something I don't find myself doing with most coasters at the Mountain. One or two goes on say Batman and then I need to switch to something else. Terminator I could ride all day and still have fun. Kudos to GCI and SFMM on a great (and surprisingly amazing) coaster!

 

The pre-show was done with good intent, how ever needs the tweaking that I know the park is working on. 3 times today while I was in the first show room, a guest would open the door instead of waiting for their turn. So clearly a "Do not open door" sign is needed for those who don't get the idea...

 

In the 7 times I went through the shows, I never once caught the entire show, it would be the first half of one part or the second half of another. So timing and flow needs to be worked out a bit more. And since theres no doors to the rooms and all the shows are a bit loud.... it ends up being just too much noise blasting from each room. I'm not against the pre show Idea, I think that maybe in the future it could be simplified into shorter bits on a repeat to get the same idea across with a better flow, and save the staff members ears. The poor girl working the 3rd room had a bad headache from being in there all day.

 

In the end I have a new top 3 ride at the Mountain and look forward to going back to the park, as well as Terminator Day at the end of June. PS if you live in the area and do not have a ticket for the event yet, you're crazy! 2.5 hours of ERT on this is going to be amazing!