Six Flags Magic Mountain Holiday in the Park Preview

[cfc]

I agree with Joey--looks good for SFMM's first shot at a Christmas event. The food looks better than average for Six Flags, too.

Edited December 3, 2014 by cfc

[DoubleDown]

I had no idea they were even offering holiday food in the park. I totally would have tried some of it if I had known.

 

Six Flags marketing: they spend a bunch of money on a holiday event, and poorly inform guests with money in their pockets about the offerings and what's going on. However, even if you would have known about the food, apparently some of the offerings would have been closed anyway.

 

All good points by fatdaddy. I still think everything looks nice by Six Flags standards and will probably visit Magic Mountain with my pass this December. I wonder if they'll leave all the lights in the trees so they don't have to take them down and put them back up next year (seems right up SF alley (I keed, I keed)). THANKS for the update and photos, really a great TR.

 

Shut up Kevin!

[WFChris]

^I can tell you that Six Flags Mexico keeps the lights up all year long. That being said, the ENTIRE park is decked out for Christmas in the Park. It seemed like every building, tree, prop, hillside, whatever was covered with lights!

[MagicMountainMan]

The Christmas lights will be coming down after the holidays.

[mark549]

I am pleasantly surprised to see a photo of Six Flags selling something (beer) in a glass that is washed and reused. Plastic cups are toxic and dispensed by the tens of thousands every operating day (except for the lucky days when there is very low attendance and everything is a walk-on).

 

Perhaps Six Flags will buy some dishwashers and reusable cups and plates for the rest of their food operations. I'd rather have a clean park than another kiddie coaster to make #20.

 

The Pacific Ocean "garbage patch" is a reason this shift is decades overdue.

 

Looking forward to Twisted Colossus.

[WFChris]

[Jew]

I am pleasantly surprised to see a photo of Six Flags selling something (beer) in a glass that is washed and reused. Plastic cups are toxic and dispensed by the tens of thousands every operating day (except for the lucky days when there is very low attendance and everything is a walk-on).

 

Perhaps Six Flags will buy some dishwashers and reusable cups and plates for the rest of their food operations. I'd rather have a clean park than another kiddie coaster to make #20.

 

The Pacific Ocean "garbage patch" is a reason this shift is decades overdue.

 

Looking forward to Twisted Colossus.

 

Aside from the fact the picture was taken at SFMM's sitdown restaurant where it would be incredibly tacky to use disposable cups (which is why I'm surprised SFMM doesn't do it... ), I can't think of any park in the U.S. that does what you suggest.

[cfc]

^Yes, it's unlikely that any park will switch from plastic cups to reusable glasses for walk-up dining and snack wagons. But it is nice to have the option of a glass, as opposed to a plastic cup, of beer at some locations.

[gisco]

I'm still shocked this is Magic Mountain. I might have to check this out if I have a free day.

[DoubleDown]

I believe it was Tivoli Gardens I visited where if you bought any type of drink, they gave you a nice, thick, reusable plastic cup that could be dishwashed. What I found ingenious is that if you brought it back to the stand you got like a quarter or dollar or something just for returning it so they could wash and reuse it for other guests. Or you could leave with it and keep it as a souvenir, it was your choice. I liked this because:

 

1) It helps with the litter upkeep when you reward guests for bringing cups back to the food stands

2) It helps with the amount of useless disposable garbage that gets thrown out every day

 

It would be nice to see some American parks incorporate this kind of system to see how it worked out.

[Jew]

It's a lot more common in Asia and Europe. It just wouldn't work in the U.S. We're stupid, lazy, and cheap.

[fatdaddy]

The stupid thing about the cups at Tivoli was that the cups weren't refillable. So, you got a new cup every time, and a lot of people did leave them around the park despite being able to recycle them for 5 Krone(?). In any case, it was almost 20 bucks for two beers at SFMM, but the quality of the beer and the fact it was served at a bar in frosted glasses made it seem worth it. If I wasn't with my kids I'd probably have had at least one more.

[cfc]

It's a lot more common in Asia and Europe. It just wouldn't work in the U.S. We're stupid, lazy, and cheap.

 

Er, yep.

[RideWoodenCoasters]

My 2014 SF cup was refilled dozens of times this year for 1/3 the price they charge for a new drink each time at several parks across the country in the SF chain, I use it at home, and when it finally dies it'll be recycled in our PET recycling pickup here. Knott's has one good at Knott's only. Disneyland/DCA has NO refillable cup whatsoever anymore, to my knowledge.

 

On this point, anyway, Six Flags wins!

[fatdaddy]

Okay, so many of you may recall that I did a Holiday in the Park food update. Some things were less than amazing and some things not available at all, well let's revisit this subject again. Six Flags Magic Mountain invited Theme Park Review to sample the food offerings at their new holiday event.

 

We headed up to Katty's Kettle and were treated to everything from tamales, to steak sandwiches, to carmel apples, and I must say there wasn't really a loser in the bunch (unless you count Kevin). The food dudes who put all these holiday treats together explained that they had a lot of trial and error getting the holiday menu right and we can probably just chalk that up to growing pains, as this is their first year.

 

We then headed down to Cyber Cafe for a sampling of the offerings on that side of the park. Lots and lots of sugar...OMG! I thought my head was going to explode from all the sweet, rich, creamy...you name it, we ate it, and again all good. Cheesecake, lattes, brownies, etc., and also Holiday Leftover Dogs and Cranberry Wings. Now, last time the Holiday Dog bit back and I was not impressed, but this time they were actually really good, more like what I expected them to be the first time. Also last time I was so stuffed that I wasn't able to eat the cranberry wings, so I just sampled the sauce which I gave a thumbs up. This time I got the full wing treatment and really a great flavor, sweet and spicy, as I said before it reminds me of mexican candy.

 

Lots of other samplings, too much to remember, but many food locations have holiday offerings and you can find them on the back of the Holiday in the Park map, as well as signs posted at locations that have special holiday treats. Again, I kind of did this report before, so we had a little fun with it just to keep it interesting. Okay pictures...

 

Nothing says Christmas like giant killer owls that can camoflauge themselves in the snow.

Two dudes that do foods.

"Happy holidays, I'm a lovable Peep snowman!"

Yeah, after seeing frozen...we don't need no Olaf infestations. Sorry little man made of snow, but you just got's to go.

"I'll be back again some day!"

Holy crap, it's Santa! He knows when your sleeping and he knows when you murder snowmen. Crap!

Steak sandwich, ham, and a tamale...fa la la la la la la la la. It's a song, really.

Kevin, you're on the naughty list! You get broccoli! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Do you like potatos, corn and ham, do you like them Batman-I-Am?

Will you eat ham with your hands, will you eat it while you stand, will you eat it by a trash can, does it taste good Batman-I-Am? Yup, it's good.

Kevins four food groups: Meat, Fruit, Chocolate, and Fudge. Wait, where the hell did Kevin come from!

The pepprmint bark is really good and...SNOWMAN!! Oh, nevermind it's already been staked in the head. I bet he's delicious.

"I has been labotomized...EAT ME!

You'll have to excuse Kevin, he has a drinking problem, he thinks it goes in his eye! Shut up Kevin!

Brown stuff in a cup and a steak sandwich. Can't remember the brown stuffs name, chupacabra or something like that.

Tamales...Awesome! Now, these should be totally available all the time during Holiday in the Park, the lady who sells tameles out of a stroller at Kmart never runs out and she sells them by the dozen. Steak sandwich might be my favorite.

Tamales! Feliz Navidad! Jo! Jo! Jo!

Santa would like tamales and hot chocolate instead of milk and cookies. No tamales, no present...ho! ho! ho!

Thumbs up from Kevin for the tameles...SHUT UP KEVIN!

Pepermint and Gingerbread carmel apples.

Kids, Santa says "Carmel apples are fruit!"

The spead that awaited was pretty extreme, ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, lattes, funnel cake, parfait, rice crispy treats...so much sugar!

The raspberry gingerbread cheesecake...still awesome!

Whole lotta latte, peppermint, english toffee, and pumpkin spice. Ever heard of "Grab-a-latte's"?

These brownies are so rich your head might explode!

Holiday leftover dog, cranberry sauce, stuffing, on a turkey dog.

Santa loves Holiday Leftover Turkey Dogs, fatdaddy is now on the naughty list for not liking them. Seriously, really good.

Spicy cranberry wings are highly recommended, not hot, sweet and spicey.

Cranberry wings are Kevin approved! Shut up Kevin!

 

 

So there you have it, lots of great holiday foods, reasonably priced, and only available during Holiday in the Park. We also got peppermint cotton candy and popcorn, if you need your holiday peppermint fix, well these'll fix ya! Great event and thanks to Six Flags Magic Mountain for inviting us, it was awesome, minus the sugar hangover the next day. LOL!

 

Oh, and that wasn't really Santa, just me in a hat, but FYI...I'm Batman!

Edited December 15, 2014 by fatdaddy

[Nrthwnd]

...SNOWMAN!! Oh, never mind it's already been staked* in the head. I bet he's delicious.

 

*Impaled.

 

Looked like too much fun. And FOOD! of course. The souvenir mug looks great, too!

[fatdaddy]

The sugar crash afterward was epic!