Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) Discussion Thread

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

It used to be (at least with the pizza) that you could line up to pay and order and then wait for your food at a different window. Now, each person gets their food before the next even orders, and I always get stuck behind a family with a large order. I understand why they changed it, I always was concerned someone could easily take my food if they said it was theirs, and I'm sure it happened enough times they stopped giving the food at a separate window.

 

Still, I agree with the sentiment that it is what it is, if you don't wanna wait then eat outside the park (or at your car, which I do a lot). When I do get hungry and want something at the park, I either plan it around non-peak hours, or just say, "Oh well" and get in line.

[TylerLi]

Does anyone know whether The Joker is running on polyurethane or nylon wheels and if it really changes the experience?

Edited September 11, 2016 by TylerLi

[dannyboy13]

Last 2 visits it took basically an hour at Macho Nacho

[j_dreamfinder]

From my experience, most often the long lines at the food stands is because of people that don't already know what they want when they get to the window or are changing their minds at the last minute. Sometimes having so many choices isn't a great thing. I think this is why every time I've been to Macho Nacho the line moves so slowly because there are so many choices before you get to the register (i.e. rice vs. beans, chicken vs. pork, onions? tomatoes? salsa? etc.) GAH!

[JGuy]

Does anyone know whether The Joker is running on polyurethane or nylon wheels and if it really changes the experience?

 

With the exception of the opening weekend, everytime I've gone it seemed to be running with nylon wheels. Assuming I'm correct, then the only differences I've noticed compared to Twisted Colossus (Which definitely uses Polyurethane wheels) is that the nylon give it roaring sound and causes the train to vibrate. I've heard that the nylon wheels also cause it run slower, but I'm not able to confirm that.

[MrSum1_55]

^That might explain the disparity in reviews. Many people who rode near opening described the coaster as amazing, some even saying that it is better than Colossus. But reviews from people who rode afterword have not been so glowing. It is still a great ride, but I never found it to be anywhere near the quality of TC. Those glowing reviews must have come from people who rode with the Polyurethane wheels.

 

I can also confirm that the nylon wheels do cause vibrations, especially in cars 4 and 5. Strangely, the very front and back cars seem to have the least vibrations.

[Noobitizer]

FYI, in any roller coaster application, Nylon, or high speed wheels allow the vehicle to travel faster, while poly wheels generally slow the ride vehicle down. Joker opened on 100% Nylon wheels to assist with break in procedures. However, very similar to Medusa, Joker now runs a mix of Poly and Nylon wheels to "tune" and adjust the overall target cycle time. Hope that helps.

 

Still tuning,

 

Charles

Edited September 12, 2016 by Noobitizer

[JGuy]

^ ^ ^

That definitely explains my last visit, then. Some cars vibrated, and others didn't.

Regardless, I find the ride to be significantly more enjoyable now than I did opening weekend.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

^^Thank you for clearing that up, Charles!

 

Whatever wheels it runs on, it's still an amazing totally marathon-worthy coaster and I definitely like it better than Twisted Colossus! (Although I will admit that TC is pretty awesome when it duels). (Also, I'm more than a bit biased).

Sincerely,

~RAWKIN_(waiting for everyone to appreciate Joker more)_coaster38

[dannyboy13]

I think it's an awesome ride, but it doesn't measure up to TC in my opinion. That said, I've only had 2 rides on it.

[CoastersOnly]

Went on Sunday, brought in two friends for free, and it was basically disastrous. First time I've ever gone on an offseason Sunday with no special event and have had it be extremely crowded.

 

Took an eternity just getting into the park. We then went towards V2 and were surprised there was an actual line (hell, there wasn't even a line last year on that awful cheerleader Sunday!). We waited a little over ten minutes, maybe 15, and got on so it wasn't the worst thing.

 

Then came The Joker which I've never ridden since it didn't even open until Memorial Day (and we got burned trying to go the Tuesday after Memorial Day which turned out to be a high school grad day that led to us leaving as soon as we parked). We waited 45 minutes for it (which honestly looks like it may have been a shorter line than Superman or Medusa which seemed about an hour apiece) and I've got to say that I'm pretty damn impressed. It's no Twisted Colossus as it's a lot shorter and the most clever aspects of that one (dueling trains, steampunk theme) aren't on this one while the ride is about half as long.

 

Everybody was hungry (my girlfriend and I have never actually bought food in the park since a one-off visit back in like 2011), so we headed to the back of the park since there's more options and we would figure the lines would be shorter, but to no avail. Literally would have been about an hour to grab anything so we decided to go to the Medusa area and maybe pick up food on the way. Got in line for the food near SkyScreamer and the line didn't even move for five minutes. I suggested that we just leave the park and go to a restaurant, followed by either try a late excursion to Waterworld (where we could get them in free and have a couple hours if the place wasn't packed) or some mini golf. We went with the latter.

 

All in all, a total waste. The amount of time just spent getting into and out of the park (waiting in traffic, walking over, waiting in security and entrance lines, taking the bus back) along with the half hour it took just going around in a circle through crowds aimlessly looking for food was probably the biggest nightmare of all.

 

We're considering not going back for the rest of the year. We got these passes last fall at the cheapest possible price ($60 - although I think they even had $50 if you buy four or more back on Labor Day 2015) and had a two day coaster marathon at an empty Magic Mountain, so we certainly got our monies worth, but it's not even worth taking the 20+ minute ride over to Vallejo to just get burned once again like we have three out of the last four times. Too many people have caught on to the year-round schedule and having a new, heavily advertised coaster isn't helping matters. It's just not worth rolling the dice and running into this same problem again, especially when the only major things for us are to get some rides on The Joker and VR Kong since we've done everything else to death.

[JGuy]

^ ^ ^

The crowds at this park don't really die down until Fright Fest is over. Then they remain fairly empty until around mid-March. If you ever go again, try to aim for that time.

[Fire2box]

Went on Sunday, brought in two friends for free, and it was basically disastrous. First time I've ever gone on an offseason Sunday with no special event and have had it be extremely crowded.

 

Bring a friend days are always busy especially the ones on weekends.

[Fire2box]

^^Thank you for clearing that up, Charles!

 

Whatever wheels it runs on, it's still an amazing totally marathon-worthy coaster and I definitely like it better than Twisted Colossus! (Although I will admit that TC is pretty awesome when it duels). (Also, I'm more than a bit biased).

Sincerely,

~RAWKIN_(waiting for everyone to appreciate Joker more)_coaster38

 

I've only ridden on TC twice once in row 2 and once in the row in front of the most rear. Only about one or two of the 4 "laps" dueled. But in all honesty, I do perfer TC over Joker. RMC's aren't normally straight and TC having a second lift hill is pretty funny, it gives you a chance to talk about the ride during it and psych yourself up for a duplicate drop.

 

Meanwhile The Joker it just drops you down and never lets up even when it's going slow. I guess the rapid pace and element after element of joker isn't something I really enjoy. It reminds me of Kong in that regard. ::holds up flame shield::

[scooterdoug]

^ ^ ^

The crowds at this park don't really die down until Fright Fest is over. Then they remain fairly empty until around mid-March. If you ever go again, try to aim for that time.

I second this. Don't give up hope, CoastersOnly. Crowds seem to be directly tied to weather conditions. My prime park visiting time is during the "off-season". Since the weather is warm in the Bay Area during September and October, there are more people at the park (though not necessarily crowded). Once Fright Fest is over, which happens to be when the weather cools off and gets dreary, the crowds drop precipitously. Sundays in November through February (even into March, depending on how long winter hangs on) are fantastic marathon opportunities. So, don't get discouraged.

 

Bring a friend days are always busy especially the ones on weekends.

Not necessarily. I've been during plenty of BAFF days during the winter when the weather is cold and cloudy, and enjoyed an empty park. Weather plays a huge role in crowds.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Meanwhile The Joker it just drops you down and never lets up even when it's going slow. I guess the rapid pace and element after element of joker isn't something I really enjoy. It reminds me of Kong in that regard. ::holds up flame shield::

I think that's what I like so much about it. It's just a rush from beginning to end, especially when it's running at its fastest. You get to the break run and can hear everyone audibly take a breath. No, it's not the most intense coaster I've ever been on, but it's extremely rerideable and awesome! Well, to be fair, all the RMCs are (at least that I've been on).

 

I was going to say I hope they do a scare zone over there, but looking at the Fright Fest website, it doesn't seem that way. In fact, it seems even more scaled down from last year. There is one new maze, which I'm guessing might be replacing the one that was at Monsoon Falls, since that one isn't listed. Of course, Slaughter Pig Farms is gone because of Pacific Rim and that was one of the best ones they had. They haven't had a maze at Whitewater Safari in a few years. All the others are returning this year.

 

I really don't understand this. Last year, Fright Fest was absolutely packed when we went. More mazes = more wristbands and VIP wristbands purchased. Am I missing something?

[Domm]

^^it wasn't the date that I was questioning, it's whether I had to be present to renew. I never saw anything on the site that suggested a friend could do it for me. It was unclear to me if I had to be physically (as myself) at the park before Oct 28, but it sounds like I don't as long as someone does it for me (and I found someone who will). To me that was different than anything I read on the site so I appreciate the park's response.

 

Hey there! QQ- My friend bought a flash sale discovery kingdom season pass but can't make it to the park. We are planning to go to magic mountain in a week and after reading your post it sounds like I might be able to process it for him if I go to SFDK?

[scooterdoug]

^^it wasn't the date that I was questioning, it's whether I had to be present to renew. I never saw anything on the site that suggested a friend could do it for me. It was unclear to me if I had to be physically (as myself) at the park before Oct 28, but it sounds like I don't as long as someone does it for me (and I found someone who will). To me that was different than anything I read on the site so I appreciate the park's response.

 

Hey there! QQ- My friend bought a flash sale discovery kingdom season pass but can't make it to the park. We are planning to go to magic mountain in a week and after reading your post it sounds like I might be able to process it for him if I go to SFDK?

Hi. I'm the one processing RAWKIN_coaster38's pass. According to the email response from the park, which she forwarded to me, someone else can process it and pick up the physical card for a friend. Just to be sure, I would email the park and get it in writing, so that you have something to show guest services in case they balk. That's what I plan on doing. Just make sure you process it at SFDK (the park he purchased it from), not SFMM.

[CoastersOnly]

^ ^ ^

The crowds at this park don't really die down until Fright Fest is over. Then they remain fairly empty until around mid-March. If you ever go again, try to aim for that time.

 

Maybe we just got too damn lucky because in 2013 and 2014 we had nothing but awesome times whenever we went. Not a single crowded offseason Sunday at Discovery Kingdom at any point in the year (always avoided Spring Break/Summer, naturally) and we most often went in September and October both years, usually twice each month. Seriously was dead every single time with the worst wait occasionally being Kong at a little over 20 minutes since there's usually one car.

 

To put it in perspective, Superman barely ever got down the little stairs outside of where you board the car. Yes, barely past the stairs. The line never even snaked around in both years we went. Ever!

[CoastersOnly]

Went on Sunday, brought in two friends for free, and it was basically disastrous. First time I've ever gone on an offseason Sunday with no special event and have had it be extremely crowded.

 

Bring a friend days are always busy especially the ones on weekends.

 

Again, just not true either given our past experiences or even this May when we brought friends and waited no more than ten minutes for Medusa (and basically walked on the other two times).

[JGuy]

Maybe we just got too damn lucky because in 2013 and 2014 we had nothing but awesome times whenever we went. Not a single crowded offseason Sunday at Discovery Kingdom at any point in the year (always avoided Spring Break/Summer, naturally) and we most often went in September and October both years, usually twice each month.

 

Those aren't too bad, either.

[jray21]

FYI, in any roller coaster application, Nylon, or high speed wheels allow the vehicle to travel faster, while poly wheels generally slow the ride vehicle down. Joker opened on 100% Nylon wheels to assist with break in procedures. However, very similar to Medusa, Joker now runs a mix of Poly and Nylon wheels to "tune" and adjust the overall target cycle time. Hope that helps.

 

Still tuning,

 

Charles

 

 

Thanks for the info Charles!

 

As for Bring a Friend days, avoid the park at all costs. I made that mistake once as well and it was a nightmare!

[CrazedZooChimp]

FYI, in any roller coaster application, Nylon, or high speed wheels allow the vehicle to travel faster, while poly wheels generally slow the ride vehicle down. Joker opened on 100% Nylon wheels to assist with break in procedures. However, very similar to Medusa, Joker now runs a mix of Poly and Nylon wheels to "tune" and adjust the overall target cycle time. Hope that helps.

 

Still tuning,

 

Charles

 

Really good insight, thanks Charles!

 

I was there this past Sunday, and it was the busiest I've ever seen when at the park, but even then it was maybe a 15-20 minute wait for Medusa, 40ish minutes for Joker. The only thing with a crazy line was White Water Safari (makes sense since it was 90 or so). I normally go in Winter/Spring and rarely have any issues with crowds (except for food), so count me in the camp of "try again on a weekend in November/December.

 

Hey there! QQ- My friend bought a flash sale discovery kingdom season pass but can't make it to the park. We are planning to go to magic mountain in a week and after reading your post it sounds like I might be able to process it for him if I go to SFDK?

 

I can add the data point that I had a friend process other peoples passes a few weeks ago, and this weekend when I processed my pass I didn't need any ID or anything, so I would think it's OK to process a friends (I bet especially if you purchased both).

[singemfrc]

I heard the Kong trains are back on the track and are reportedly not being altered at all for the VR. If true, this will end badly...probably with an injury lawsuit.

[JGuy]

I heard the Kong trains are back on the track and are reportedly not being altered at all for the VR. If true, this will end badly...probably with an injury lawsuit.

 

If that is indeed true, then I can see the ride becoming even less popular with the general public, who for some reason think it's worth waiting 80 minutes for.