Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) Discussion Thread

[coasterkid124]

Lol Six Flags. It takes them weeks to dig a single hole, when Darien Lake had its Super Loop set up in three days. It is already testing and the park is still a month away from opening. We're in the same boat as you guys, because as you have Hammerhead, we have a Huss Ranger which is always breaking anyways, so we have two rides that basically do the same thing.

[vacoaster09]

Lol Six Flags. It takes them weeks to dig a single hole, when Darien Lake had its Super Loop set up in three days. It is already testing and the park is still a month away from opening.

 

SFDK is in California and DL is in NY .... Differences in State and county board approvals process = No surprise that SFDK is not going up as fast.

Edited April 7, 2015 by vacoaster09

[jray21]

It's definitely a California thing. They have so many different agencies they have to deal with. It's always a nightmare to get anything done.

[Fire2box]

I will be going with my friend, his sister and her friend tomorrow (april 8th). Apparently his younger sister is "okay" riding medusa and I know it terrified me the first like 2-3 times and the lift hill still Kinda does. So I'm not sure what the rides I'll ultimately go on though at worst I'll try to get us all on Roar. I know I was terrified of going on coasters until like 14-15 and I still don't do water slides.

[Fire2box]

Went today, it was alright. Not amazingly good nor amazingly bad. Biggest issue I saw was some ripe OP's changed out on Roar and the new one stacked the trains at the station while the one before hand was sending them out in time or just in time to get the unloading going from the train coming in.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Went to the park today from 11-3, it was busier than I expected due to some band/choir thing going on, I saw some pins that said "Music in the Parks" so I assume that's what it was? Anyway, there were a lot of middle-school aged children roaming around in clever music t-shirts.

 

It looks like Dare Devil is all put up now! Also saw some other areas around the park under construction.

 

Here are my photos. I apologize in advance guys, I was being dumb and took all my photos the dumb way.

Gonna see a few more of these this summer in Florida!

They removed one of the fences, so now Temple of the Tiger is all just one big area! They said they're gonna rotate between Odin and two of the other tigers, siblings. Apparently they can't put two non-related tigers together.

Pretty soon, these guys will be gone It was sad thinking about it.

Seen in the animal area. I think they had a wolf here before. Maybe they're just revitalizing the pen? They were also working on the pens for the animals in the window viewing area across the way, so nothing to see there today either

Glad I've never been sprayed by one of these guys!

Queen

One of the giraffes was trying to eat a stick, this one was nibbling on some plants. So cute. Hope they don't get rid of these guys soon too!

I have no idea what's going on over here

Maybe they're doing something to the theater?

It's awesome to see one of the snakes actually move

I always have to post a dolphin

Or two!

SOAKED. I never learn. At least I didn't go under the waterfall this time! I think I've predicted that if you sit in the far back when the boats are loading, you're likely to go under the waterfall!

I was like WHAA when I saw this. Last time I saw any update about this, they were just moving around dirt. Now it appears fully assembled!

Another view

This is actually a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be

Definitely changes the scenery around here, though I'd much rather have an actual coaster!

[singemfrc]

Heard some sad news yesterday. Zonga, which had been sold to a seasonal park in Aguascalientes, Mexico has been sold for scrap metal and will be dismantled soon.

 

UPDATE: Heard that the original source for this was a simple security guard, so the information may or may not be reliable.

[gerstlaueringvar]

^ That would be really sad if it's true. Thriller is an iconic ride even though it is arguably the worst Schwarzkopf.

[DarienLaker]

Heard some sad news yesterday. Zonga, which had been sold to a seasonal park in Aguascalientes, Mexico has been sold for scrap metal and will be dismantled soon.

 

UPDATE: Heard that the original source for this was a simple security guard, so the information may or may not be reliable.

 

I hope that Zonga gets reincarnated into Cedar Point's new dive coaster!

[Fire2box]

on the newest park maps the area under construction where they had their wolves (a Arctic wolf "Tala"? and Gray wolf "Wyatt?") it show sit as "the wolf den". Last time I was there I looked between the slats of some fencing and they are doing some good stuff behind there but nothing of note. Either way I expect it to be a lot better then just a dirt patch with a few things in it. Just kinda sucks they aren't showing the wolves at all anywhere from what I can tell.

 

also SF:DK is letting go of the asain elephants now too?

[DarienLaker]

Here's what I have to say regarding the rumors of Zonga being scrapped.

There's a glimmer of hope that Gerstaluer would come in and fix up that old traveling coaster and give it a new home where it can thrill riders for years to come!

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

also SF:DK is letting go of the asain elephants now too?

Yes, that's what it said on Screamscape. They're giving them to some elephant preserve

[singemfrc]

CALLING ALL DAREDEVILS! We're shooting a TV commercial of our all-new coaster attraction, Dare Devil Chaos Coaster! We need enthusiastic extras to come to the park on Friday, May 8 between 12 noon and 8 p.m. to help us fill seats! You will only be needed for a couple of hours, then feel free to enjoy the park.

Looking for: males & females ages 15 and up, and over 48" tall

Please email a photo of yourself to social-discoverykingdom@sixflags.com by Monday, May 4. We'll let you know if you've been selected!

[Fire2box]

CALLING ALL DAREDEVILS! We're shooting a TV commercial of our all-new coaster attraction, Dare Devil Chaos Coaster! We need enthusiastic extras to come to the park on Friday, May 8 between 12 noon and 8 p.m. to help us fill seats! You will only be needed for a couple of hours, then feel free to enjoy the park.

Looking for: males & females ages 15 and up, and over 48" tall

Please email a photo of yourself to social-discoverykingdom@sixflags.com by Monday, May 4. We'll let you know if you've been selected!

 

I considered e-mailing them but i'm going on may 1st and the ride doesn't look that appealing to me.

[Fire2box]

Roar ride OP at around 11:30 am ish today "Anyone ridden Kong? It's a YORO ride. You Only Ride Once"

 

anyways todaydespite the park being filled with school kids and all their buses outside the parking lot a lot of the rides I went on were a few mins of wait times or nearly walk on.

 

Medusa x1

Skyscreamer x1

bumper cars x4 or so.

superman (rear row) x1

Roar rear row x1

White water rapids x 1

tsunami soaker like x6

 

also the soft serve vanilla cone I got was around the largest amount of ice cream I ever got in a waffle cone. thinking at least 4 inch cone with a mountain of vanilla ice cream jutting out of it. so glad theres good snacks on the meal dining plan.

 

i also took some (or tried to) of the work being done in "the wolf den". The major change is they got up at least 15 foot tall fence posts around the back just like the ones that encircle odin's tiger show. The tree('s) that were inside the area before are cut down and the stumps still need to be removed if they remove em.

 

Edit: may or may not upload photos. I doubt they are anything to special and it was point n shoot off a iphone 4.

[KBrylczyk]

Just booked my flight and rental car, gonna be in the bay area the 16th through the 18th. Never been to SFDK and was hoping some regulars could give me some pointers. I'll be visiting on the 17th, possibly in the evening on the 16th (hotel in Vallejo) depending on if I feeling frisky. Should I expect the typical Six Flags rule of half the rides being closed? Will I be able to ride Superman? The basics, really, haha.

[scooterdoug]

SFDK is definitely not your typical Six Flags park. Expect everything to be open, including Superman. Operations are decent (not Disney/Busch Gardens efficient, but not SFMM bad either), and the park is clean and nicely maintained. It takes a good hour or so before the crowds start building up. So, bolt straight for Superman at rope drop and get the front row of the first ride of the day. Since they assign seats, that's the only way to guarantee a front row ride. You can ask to wait for the front at other times, but they don't always say yes. Roar and Medusa have decent wait times, while the lines for V2 and Boomerang definitely move slower. Personally, I do not find Kong worth it unless it's a SHORT line (frankly, I haven't ridden it in a couple of years...concussions suck). Take time to explore the back of the park as well, as the animal exhibits are great (and definitely not typical to the average Six Flags park). I haven't been to any of the shows, so I'll let those who are more knowledgeable comment in that regard. It's not a huge park, and while it can get crowded, it doesn't get multi-hour-waits crowded. One day there should be plenty to enjoy everything. I'll post again if I can think of anything else. Have fun!

-Doug

[Fire2box]

1. on Fridays and Sundays i've been there, medusa's station is dead empty around 3-4 pm around 80% of the time. Even on may 1st when there where hundred's of school kids at the park the station was so empty I got on the front row in less then 3 cycles.

 

2. if you get inside the park before the rides open, go directly to Superman, the crews are quick but due to the rides low capacity sometimes you'll need to wait at least 20-30 mins if you try to get on later in the day.

 

3. V2 was still down on may 1st but the train/cars are installed onto the track again. So it might be open when you go.

 

4. The new rework of the sea lion show isn't that good IMHO, Drench is likely the best show you'll be able to see in the park since it's pretty much all dolphin tricks. the Tiger show is pretty good but not amazing. I would skip the bird show unless you like birds and wild life theater is closed down for matience/reworking. SFDK hasn't said why it's down and it might just be due them needing to close it for the refurb of the "wolf den" area they are installing.

 

5. always go see the animals at the rear/north side of the park. the butterfly exhibit is also pretty cool but hot and humid of course. The shark experience is okay but it's not as good as it was in the 90's or even early 00's.

[KBrylczyk]

Cool, thanks for the words of wisdom, guys!

[Canobie Coaster]

I was there twice on Saturdays last summer. I agree with everyone else, head straight to Superman. You should be able to get 3-5 rides in a row with it a walk-on. Later in the day, Superman will definitely be at least a 45 minute wait. Afterwards, I would get on Roar and V2 since they're right there and still should have minimal waits. Later in the day, V2 should still have less than a 15 minute wait, but Roar could be up to a half hour if there's one train operations. If you want to ride the river rapids ride, go on it now since that gets over an hour later in the day. Medusa should be about a 20-30 minute or less when you get to it. The only other ride that could have a sizable wait is the Sky Screamer.

[Fire2box]

I was there twice on Saturdays last summer. I agree with everyone else, head straight to Superman. You should be able to get 3-5 rides in a row with it a walk-on. Later in the day, Superman will definitely be at least a 45 minute wait. Afterwards, I would get on Roar and V2 since they're right there and still should have minimal waits. Later in the day, V2 should still have less than a 15 minute wait, but Roar could be up to a half hour if there's one train operations. If you want to ride the river rapids ride, go on it now since that gets over an hour later in the day. Medusa should be about a 20-30 minute or less when you get to it. The only other ride that could have a sizable wait is the Sky Screamer.

 

yeah the rapids ride should be ridden before it gets hot and therefore packed. If you want to get wet tsunami soaked is the best ride to go on. that ride can hold like 36 people at once I think.

[Fire2box]

Double post, sorry.

[Namttub]

I haven't been to SFDK in a few years, but expect Tasmanian Devil to act like a lawn ornament...

 

(No big loss, to be honest, it's not that good of a frisbee ride.)

[Fire2box]

Also the park has a bit of wasted space now with the last of the elephants being moved out of the park completely. the issue with putting any sort of ride there is that its *right* next to the cougars, across from the wolfs and just south of the future/new wolf den they got a place to show of birds and other animals from the wild life theater show.

 

However Busch Gardens gets away with launch coaster right next/over it's cheeaths, but would SF:DK do the same? It is a big enough foot print for a dark ride, isn't it?

 

 

I haven't been to SFDK in a few years, but expect Tasmanian Devil to act like a lawn ornament...

 

(No big loss, to be honest, it's not that good of a frisbee ride.)

 

it was working last Friday, a lot of people were on it the second time I passed by it. Also Dare Devil Dive doesn't have a reason to not be running as they'll be loaded guests "actors" onto it this Friday for commercial filming. Though I guess it stands a chance to be the worst ride SF:DK likely ever added asides for perhaps Kong.

[Andrewoplis]

I would expect something animal related in that area, although it does seem like SFDK is re-evaluating their animal sections, as they seem to be phasing out any animal or animal attraction that is or could possible be a problem. I dunno, lets just pray for an Aquatrax!