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EDITING THIS THREAD: to basically be a catch all for the Six Flags Texas Parks -- mainly Fiesta Texas. . so I can put all the Trip Reports here in one thread, as Fiesta is my main park.

 

 

so we went down to San Antonio today to Fiesta Texas, as it was the final day of Passholder/membership previews for Wonder Woman, before it opens to the general public on 5/12.

 

also going on is the Mardi Gras festival thru May, including lots of street performances, zydeco bands playing, a parade (if you time it correctly (tho we didn't see one)), and the Looney Tunes characters in Mardi Gras outfits.

 

the day was absolutely gorgeous, hitting the high 80's/low 90's, and I figured the park would be packed - tho we went anyways.

 

lo and behold, Fiesta opened up the waterpark! (I wasn't expecting it to open for at least another couple of weeks), but not only was that section open, but it drew the vast majority of the crowd to that section, leaving most of the park with walk ons!

 

I have to wonder if they had planned on opening it, as they certainly seemed a bit surprised by the lack of bodies elsewhere in the park, and Poltergeist was running two trains as a walk on! Scream also was operating two towers (as a walk on). .even Wonder Woman (granted was pass holder only) was ALMOST a walk on for most of the morning. .I got 4 rides in 15 minutes using single rider line).

 

the only ride with any significant wait was Iron Rattler, tho WonderWoman did start stacking the line pretty good when we went back for a 5th ride after 3pm. It was running two trains the whole time we were there.

 

anyways. .what you care about is Wonder Woman, so here's my take on it: SO GOOD I ENDED UP BUYING A T-SHIRT.

the only specific Roller Coaster T-shirt I own (tho to be fair, it's Wonder Woman, and I was wearing a Wonder Woman Tshirt today anyways. . .LOL)

 

it's absolutely freaking insane, they are promoting it as the fastest ride in the park, and I believe it. No trims at all. Absolutely bonkers in the best way possible.

 

the back seat is attempting to kill you, whipping you over the 1st drop and the midcourse drop, with violent air-time that pushed me up (hard) against the shoulder belts. LOVED it.

 

the front seat is also attempting to kill you, with a free-fall that about 1/2 way down feels like someone slammed a large anvil on your back to force you down faster.

 

the middle seats (row 5), shook me around more than the front or back did, but was still a very good ride.

 

loved it, and it's now my favorite in the park (even tho I did get a couple of walk ons to Poltergeist to give me a break, and to decide that yeah, Wonder Woman is slightly better

 

a few notes. . not really "cons" just notes: Again, I LOVED this.

 

1) the design of the ride vehicle, by the nature of the ride itself, is odd, and not exactly comfortable.

It's basically riding the "hump" in the back seat of a car in the 70's. . note - you will be riding basically straddling the track, with your legs spread. After 4 rides back to back, my thighs were starting to hurt, and after the 5th ride and getting home, I'm going to be soaking in a warm tub tonight, as I'm really hurting from the strain of straddling that large track. . . so I would *not* recommend this ride for anyone with hip, or knee issues, as the way one sits in the car will put strain on both of those areas.

 

2) this ride ABSOLUTELY needs a test seat, and it's not good that the park does not have one there.

a friend who was there with us for the 5th ride, was not able to ride, even tho he's only 6'2" because when he got in the seat, his knees went in a way that the restraint would not come down. of course he was disappointed, but mainly because no one had told him at the entrance that it might be an issue, so he wasn't expecting it. a test seat would solve this issue. (and also #1 I mentioned above).

 

3) this ride is FORCEFUL.. .I mean, really, really forceful. At the moment, they do not have any FFBFWMAG, just cubbies on the loading platform that the operator was willing to take hats/cups/backpacks from riders to drop in. . but I can totally see those coming, and quickly. Just on my morning rides? I witnessed a phone go flying (into the water), a wallet go flying (into the water), and someone's Mardi Gras beads go flying (into the face of the person sitting in the seat behind them).

 

the phone and wallet came out of *back pockets*. (and the person with the phone was absolutely crying about the loss).

 

But, yeah, it's lucky that phone did a dive into the water, instead of hitting another passenger. this time.

 

to protect against the stupidity of riders who won't put things in buttoned pockets (or at the very least, front pockets), won't surprise me if FFBFWMAG show up rather quickly by this ride.

 

 

 

4) The coaster broke down twice while I was on it (not in line, ON it. . LOL. . once as I was about to get my 1st ride, and the 2nd time after I got back from my 5th ride - initially they told us to stay in the car, and we'd get to go again, but eventually told us we had to vacate so they could cycle empty trains. No issue from me, we had already gotten our ride, so no complaint, tho would have been fun to ride without getting off).

 

There's a sign at the front gate announcing it's in Technical trials. It's a new ride, that's not officially open.. breakdowns are going to happen. (one of the operators told me it had been down for 3 hours on Saturday). In both cases, the breakdowns were resolved in less than 10 minutes, and the Engineers to fix it were called and arrived in less than 2 minutes. So great on Six Flags for keeping the Engineers close and getting the fixes in place. And bravo for the staffing at Wonder Woman who were great at informing the crowd what was going on, and that we were "safe" and free to remain in the cars while they attempted to resolve the issue.

 

5) the Queue building is still not complete (tho it looks like they are furiously working on it to get it ready for next weekend). The loading building, and the staging area for individual train line-up is done, but the queue appears that it is supposed to branch off into another building (the one that looked like it was going to have a statue of Diana in the plans) that will contain several rows of switchbacks. that building is not ready yet, so today, the line simply bypasses that building to go directly into the staging area.

 

6). . oh, did I mention? Wonder Woman has a SINGLE RIDER LINE (that shares queue with FastPass line). No, I don't really understand this, as everyone has to ride single anyways, but lots, and lots of folks were queuing up in the "non-single rider" side, and as I really was riding alone anyways (Nick won't ride this), I was able to bypass the line to basically walk onto an assigned number and get onto a train in less than 5 minutes for my initial 4 rides. The "general" line was only about 15 minutes anyways, so it was not very crowded due to most being in waterpark section (when we came back later, both lines were about the same, so we just got into the standard line, as by that time I was with friends so wasn't a "single" rider anyways.

 

I can see this being a problem that they will have to address rather quickly tho, as since it's the same line with fast-pass, I can see those who pay for fast pass getting upset by how many single riders are utilizing that side of the line, causing the fast pass users to have to wait just as long as non-Fast Pass single riders. (at first I wondered if it was just for previews, but the signs are up that say "keep to Right side for Single Riders & Fast Pass". . so who knows?).

 

7) the Six Flags staffing at Wonder Woman was fantastic (so were the Engineers), but in particular: the seat assigner - after my 1st 3 rides randomly assigned me to the back seat (they fill up from front, so the back of the car is where typically the single riders end up getting put to fill out the train), I asked, politely, if I could be near the front to try out the coaster in another seat -- and she put me on the #1 spot for the next train (front seat) before the general public. Very cool of her.

 

also very cool? even tho this was "Passholder" and "Membership" preview? Those that asked, were told that if they bought a shirt at the gift shop (only $20), they would treat that as a valid entrance provision, and we saw a few folks do that.

 

Some might complain this was basically an upcharge to allow some to ride, but you know what? it was a preview for special group, and I have no issue that they allowed some of the General Public this work around (tho your mileage may vary on that. .and I'd assume this is *not* Six Flags policy, and the Staff at the front of the ride that was checking credentials was doing what they could to allow more folks who wanted to, to ride. -- also remember, was very slow today, as opposed to yesterday, when the line was apparently really long!

 

 

anyways, gorgeous weather, great attitude from Staff (even the lunch counter guy at Pete's was super nice and cheerful, and comped Nick a soda, when he forgot to punch it in the register with our order -- I pointed out we needed to pay for it, and he insisted we didn't). . . and some good music from the Zydeco band, made for a great afternoon at Fiesta Texas.

 

go for WonderWoman, but ride some other stuff too.

 

my ride count today:

Wonder Woman x 5 (3 in back seat, 1 in front seat, then later in the day row 5)

Poltergeist x 2

Scream x 1

Batman x 1

Train x 1

Goliath x 1

 

and here are pics.. hope you enjoy

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a view of the "staging room" - just to the left of the loading.

 

They fill up 4 trains via the numbers, then clear all 4 trains worth of folks into the short queue to get on the coaster as it comes around. I was at the front of the queue, so got a good pic before she started assigning folks for the next 4 trains.

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back row for 1st ride!

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NOTED

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like the shirts the staff is wearing

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NOTED

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the queue building is not quite ready, but looks like they are getting it close

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now in the shorter queue, as each train pulls in, they unlock and the prior rider steps out to the right, while new rider steps in from the left.

 

Good system, although there were several "chicken outs" that I saw, and at this point there is no option to fill an empty seat, so some trains went out not completely full.

 

Good news is not ONE walk of shame. saw several larger riders with no issues.

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the water is absolutely lovely.

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OMG. . I'm here, and it's open

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really!

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it's Mardi Gras!

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the King, alone on a bench, so I kept him company :)

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Poltergeist, running two trains, was a COMPLETE walk on.

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I'm da king of Mardi Gras

 

(or is that Qween??? :p)

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this band was really good.

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several stilt walkers roaming the park.

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They did a nice job with the theming thruout the park!

This is pavement in Rockville, where there were several street performers, bands, and places to take photos.

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From the train station in Crackaxle Canyon

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the Looney Tunes were dressed for Mardi Gras!

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as we headed out, even the Entrance Plaza was looking festive.

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Great report, as always Bert. Glad you enjoyed WW. We missed it by a week. We will be heading back down in June or July to get some rides. Did you happen to notice if Road Runner Express was running? It was down two weeks ago and someone else mentioned it was not running last weekend either.

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Great report, as always Bert. Glad you enjoyed WW. We missed it by a week. We will be heading back down in June or July to get some rides. Did you happen to notice if Road Runner Express was running? It was down two weeks ago and someone else mentioned it was not running last weekend either.

 

Roadrunner was not up. just a sign out front saying it was not available.

 

(also down, surprisingly, was Fireball. . the train was back on the track, but was not operating)

 

everything else, including the Top Spin, was up and running.

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Great report! I agree Wonder Woman is amazing. I rode it last weekend. I knew there'd be insane air, but I wasn't expecting the positive Gs to be as intense as they were. I started greying out on that aerial slalom section and the pullout from the first drop.

 

Road Runner and Fireball were down last wekeend as well. I didn't even see a train on Road Runner.

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thanks folks.

 

love doing these Trip Reports

 

and the ride is SO dang great, but my upper thighs are SO dang sore from the multiple rides today.

and Nick just pointed out i have some bruising in the shape of the upper shoulder seat belts.

 

yeah, it's great, but it's really intense - in particular in the back seat.

 

 

hurts so good tho. . LOL

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Great report! I agree Wonder Woman is amazing. I rode it last weekend. I knew there'd be insane air, but I wasn't expecting the positive Gs to be as intense as they were. I started greying out on that aerial slalom section and the pullout from the first drop.

 

Road Runner and Fireball were down last wekeend as well. I didn't even see a train on Road Runner.

 

do you agree on the soreness that could result from the weird sitting position? (or is that just me, since I'm only 5'10")?

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Great review! The ride sounds absolutely amazing, but your criticisms were interesting as well. I know they won't please everyone with this, but I like that you could buy a t-shirt to get on the ride.

 

Oh, and I love zydeco.

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Great report! I agree Wonder Woman is amazing. I rode it last weekend. I knew there'd be insane air, but I wasn't expecting the positive Gs to be as intense as they were. I started greying out on that aerial slalom section and the pullout from the first drop.

 

Road Runner and Fireball were down last wekeend as well. I didn't even see a train on Road Runner.

 

do you agree on the soreness that could result from the weird sitting position? (or is that just me, since I'm only 5'10")?

 

I'm 5'10" as well. The seating position was awkward to get into but I didn't find it painful or uncomfortable during the ride.

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oh, and I should credit TPR for the Alpina Blitz hat I'm wearing, as I won that in a "TPR Bag o Crap" a couple of years back.

 

so thanks again, Robb & Elissa!

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Great review! The ride sounds absolutely amazing, but your criticisms were interesting as well. I know they won't please everyone with this, but I like that you could buy a t-shirt to get on the ride.

 

Oh, and I love zydeco.

 

and the shirts were great! several different designs, but most were really well done.

 

heck, I bought one, and I got to ride with just my pass anyways

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Six Flags has been doing the shirt thing for some new rides the past few years. Last year you could buy a Justice League shirt at SFOG during Battle for Metropolis season pass preview for example.

 

It's been 12 years since my last SFFT visit and every trip report I see from there makes me miss it more and more.

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Great TR! But I'm a little concerned. You said your friend that was 6'2 was not able to ride. So, was it because of his size or his height? I'm 6'4, 250lbs...Would you say that this ride isn't made for tall people, or big people?

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Great TR! But I'm a little concerned. You said your friend that was 6'2 was not able to ride. So, was it because of his size or his height? I'm 6'4, 250lbs...Would you say that this ride isn't made for tall people, or big people?

 

it was his knees. .when he sat in the train (again, you sit with your legs straddling the "hump" which is the rail of the coaster), his knees prevented the harness from clicking shut safely, so he could not ride.

 

due to the design of the train, you can't do the "cross your ankles" thing to get one's knees lower (as he did on Poltergeist).

 

I saw other tall folks riding Wonder Woman, so it could just be that the body type he has, his knees just hit perfectly in that spot.

 

that's why I said the ride REALLY needs a test seat.

 

--> as noted under the pics, I did not see ONE walk of shame due to weight. some really large folks were riding with no issue, the seats are very accommodating to larger guests -- but super awkward to get into

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I'd probably be screwed at 6'6" then! There is not a single ride I have not been able to cram into, but crossing ankles is required sometimes... I was thinking it may potentially be an issue on these rides given the size of the vehicles.

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I'd probably be screwed at 6'6" then! There is not a single ride I have not been able to cram into, but crossing ankles is required sometimes... I was thinking it may potentially be an issue on these rides given the size of the vehicles.

 

yeah, sorry, but this is almost certainly going to be a no-go for you . . crossing of ankles is not physically possible on this coaster.. the issue is not with the size of the vehicle, but rather the design (by nature of it being a single rail coaster, needing to straddle the track).

 

couldn't get a pic of the car, due to my phone being well put away by the time you get into the vehicle, but found this pic online of the trains at the RMC factory (back when they announced Raptor track)

 

the way they are sitting, with legs spread? that's how you HAVE to sit. There is a large metal "hump" in the center, where the track goes.. . . so you could not put your legs together even if you wanted to, or cross your ankles.

 

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Great report and photos! I'm very excited to try one of these! Probably Railblazer first, if it opens soon enough for my trip.

 

I'm a little concerned for my boyfriend about the height thing too. He's 6'3'' and skinny as a rail. He's had to cram into some ride vehicles before. They definitely should get a test seat for this!

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Thanks for the reply. I was there in January while it was being built. It was pretty exciting seeing it then not even complete or running. I love SFFT, but I think I'm gonna wait and see some reviews from taller people first before I make another trip down to San Antonio.

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Great report Bert! I had no idea you straddled the rail like that... between that and the bra harnesses it's a really odd setup. Sounds like it packs a punch though. I hope the ride comes to other parks since it looks to be a big hit already! I'm wondering if the single rider line bit is for people who are by themselves and don't have anyone to wait in line with. Groups of 2 or more would probably want to stand in line and chat (or stare at their phones) together whereas a single rider would be by their lonesome. Which isn't a bad thing, you and I can talk to a rock and have a good time LOL! That's the only thing I can come up with.

 

PS - Front pockets don't hold phones, Shawn lost one on Skyrush in a front left pocket a few years ago. Hopefully they crack down on loose articles before someone gets injured!

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Great report Bert! I had no idea you straddled the rail like that... between that and the bra harnesses it's a really odd setup. Sounds like it packs a punch though.

 

when I got out of the shower last night, Nick noticed I have bruises in the shape of the two upper seat belts. . . LOL, so yeah, it 1) packs a punch

2) absolutely needs those upper restraints (or "bra harnesses")

 

 

Which isn't a bad thing, you and I can talk to a rock and have a good time LOL!

Yep. . Nick would totally agree with you

 

but really, tho I think the idea of single rider line is strange, I don't see how they are gonna deal with folks paying for fast pass, then getting stuck in same line with all the single riders. Isn't that going to make customers angry?

 

I've never seen (or noticed) if a skip the line entrance (Fast Pass, Fast Lane, quickqueue etc) has ever shared with non up-pay single riders.

 

 

 

PS - Front pockets don't hold phones, Shawn lost one on Skyrush in a front left pocket a few years ago. Hopefully they crack down on loose articles before someone gets injured!

 

yeah. . that's why I think the Fluffy Bunnies are gonna show up.

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