Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) Discussion Thread

SFDK confirms that Pacific Rim 5D coming to the iwerks theater, with sneak previews starting this weekend

So how much you wanna bet this'll be another Happy Feet at CGA by taking the original film and shortening it to a 5 minute "ride"?

Well, i'm going tomorrow I haven't been back since halloween. There's a storm system that could linger over the city but it should be off and on light showers after 11 am/park opening.

Too bad Discover Kingdom 5D is already outdated. Just across the bay, in San Francisco, they have 7D!!!!!

www.7dexperience.com

I liked Pacific Rim so I think it'll be fun. I'm not expecting anything ground breaking, but I think it's a good movie for that attraction.

^Why am I not surprised that all this stuff is located at Pier 39? I remember when this opened as a high-class shopping-and-dining area when I was a kid.

just got back from SF:DK, it was 100% dead in the park. Everything was a walk on, all day. Even Pacific Rim. Which is.... just a edited verison of the movie to be a ride.

I own the movie on blu-ray. The ride ends with the first and only usage of the gypsy Dangers sword attack and a brief freefall. the screen hasn't been updated and the image was therefore a bit blurry with or without 3d glasses on. sometimes you barely get any mist "rain" on you and other times it hits you square in the face. If you want it in the face, sit in row 5 in the middle.

row 3 4 and 5 are of course the best as they've always been. but row 2 is decent. Row one is the losers row. with how much you'd have to tily your neck to stare up and the motion of the ride when a monster rams trough a skyscraper to attack gypsy, you'll probably experience pain similar to Kong.

It's nice having the theater open again, but this by far doesn't do pacific rim any favors. RIP franchise that never even truly began.

PS: i'd rate it above Stargate but below Dino Island. i'd rather have Dino Island again or 7th Portal. but 7th portal is marvel so that aint happening.

Too bad Discover Kingdom 5D is already outdated. Just across the bay, in San Francisco, they have 7D!!!!!

And In Paris, there's 8D. And it's portable, too!

See? 8D on the Entrée ramp!

And then there's 6D in Play Park, Finland.

just got back from SF:DK, it was 100% dead in the park. Everything was a walk on, all day. Even Pacific Rim. Which is.... just a edited verison of the movie to be a ride.

I thought so! This is exactly what's been bugging me with Simex-Iwerks nowadays. Most of their current library consists of re-edited movies that they label as a ride. I mean, I could give Happy Feet at CGA some fairness as they took parts of the film that seemed the most like a ride. But the other recent "ridefilms" (especially given what I heard about the new PR ride) just looks like lazy effort. I understand making new content can be expensive, but why even bother with using IPs like this at all if you're not going to do something interesting with them?

i'd rather have Dino Island again or 7th Portal.

With the new dinosaur craze going around I wouldn't mind them bringing Dino Island back, although I will say the film (or at least the CG in it) is a tad outdated. Also, wasn't 7th Portal made especially for CGA? Granted I never visited SFDK as much as the other California parks, but did it really play there?

just got back from SF:DK, it was 100% dead in the park. Everything was a walk on, all day. Even Pacific Rim. Which is.... just a edited verison of the movie to be a ride.

I thought so! This is exactly what's been bugging me with Simex-Iwerks nowadays. Most of their current library consists of re-edited movies that they label as a ride. I mean, I could give Happy Feet at CGA some fairness as they took parts of the film that seemed the most like a ride. But the other recent "ridefilms" (especially given what I heard about the new PR ride) just looks like lazy effort. I understand making new content can be expensive, but why even bother with using IPs like this at all if you're not going to do something interesting with them?

 

i'd rather have Dino Island again or 7th Portal.

With the new dinosaur craze going around I wouldn't mind them bringing Dino Island back, although I will say the film (or at least the CG in it) is a tad outdated. Also, wasn't 7th Portal made especially for CGA? Granted I never visited SFDK as much as the other California parks, but did it really play there?

I don't think 7th portal played at SF:DK but I know it was at least fun at CGA and better then the stupid spongebob thing they replaced it with.

5D, 6D, 7D, 8D, what's next 9D?

5D, 6D, 7D, 8D, what's next 9D?

Maybe Dollywood will install the worlds first "Double D" simulator.

5D, 6D, 7D, 8D, what's next 9D?

 

Maybe Dollywood will install the worlds first "Double D" simulator.

5D, 6D, 7D, 8D, what's next 9D?

 

Maybe Dollywood will install the worlds first "Double D" simulator.

Two different meanings here.

double D or Edd with Double D.

5D, 6D, 7D, 8D, what's next 9D?

 

Maybe Dollywood will install the worlds first "Double D" simulator.

Or maybe Dollywood (or some other park) may just skip 9D and go for 10D instead!

So I'm working on coming up with my Summer travel plans... Still just in the idea phase, but I'm considering going out to the Bay area... Just had a couple questions:

- How driveable is the Bay area?

If I go, the main reason for the trip would be the US Men's National Team's Copa America match at Levi's Stadium on Friday, June 3rd... Santa Clara seems to be on the South End of SF Bay... SFDK seems to be on the North end... Based on maps, it seems like 880/580/80 would offer a straight shot of ~55 miles, but I hear driving in CA can be a total bitch... Am I nuts for considering this drive between the two? I'd also do some tourist stuff around San Fran, so I got points of interest all over the area...

- How about the park itself?

1st week of June is the 1st week of daily ops... Schools still in session? Anything to watch out for during that time? Weekday or Weekend days are options (obviously weekday is preferred)... Weather at the park? Also weather in general? I know the Bay Area is pretty screwy and a few miles can make a huge difference in temps...

- Airports?

Seems that OAK, SFO, and SJC are all accessible from Chicago... Anything to consider here?

Thanks for any insight! It's appreciated

So I'm working on coming up with my Summer travel plans... Still just in the idea phase, but I'm considering going out to the Bay area... Just had a couple questions:

 

- How driveable is the Bay area?

 

If I go, the main reason for the trip would be the US Men's National Team's Copa America match at Levi's Stadium on Friday, June 3rd... Santa Clara seems to be on the South End of SF Bay... SFDK seems to be on the North end... Based on maps, it seems like 880/580/80 would offer a straight shot of ~55 miles, but I hear driving in CA can be a total bitch... Am I nuts for considering this drive between the two? I'd also do some tourist stuff around San Fran, so I got points of interest all over the area...

 

- How about the park itself?

 

1st week of June is the 1st week of daily ops... Schools still in session? Anything to watch out for during that time? Weekday or Weekend days are options (obviously weekday is preferred)... Weather at the park? Also weather in general? I know the Bay Area is pretty screwy and a few miles can make a huge difference in temps...

 

- Airports?

 

Seems that OAK, SFO, and SJC are all accessible from Chicago... Anything to consider here?

 

Thanks for any insight! It's appreciated

The only place where driving is a bitch is within the city of San Francisco. Between SFDK and CGA/Levis is no problem. The good thing about San Francisco though is their public transit is pretty fantastic. BART is extremely convenient, you can park at a BART station outside of the city and then take the BART train into the city and/or take MUNI trains and buses to get to tourist spots in the city. Easier than driving (and parking) in the city.

One driving tip I can offer is do not use the 880 during rush hour, it's a parking lot. (And btw if you're going to Levis Stadium anyway, you might as well hit CGA). Weather in June can be tough to predict..it may be mild or it may be scorching.

Airports are a toss up, they're all fine though SFO can be kind of a zoo sometimes. Choose which one otherwise fits your logistics.

Depending on how much time you have you should consider visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boarwalk too. It's a stunning beautiful park with one of the greatest classic woodies ever built and it's only about an hr drive from CGA/Levis. I always go to SCBB the same day any time I go to CGA or vice versa. The drive between the two is one for skilled drivers though, highway 17 goes through some windy hilly roads and there's a lot of wrecks.

So I'm working on coming up with my Summer travel plans... Still just in the idea phase, but I'm considering going out to the Bay area... Just had a couple questions:

 

- How driveable is the Bay area?

 

If I go, the main reason for the trip would be the US Men's National Team's Copa America match at Levi's Stadium on Friday, June 3rd... Santa Clara seems to be on the South End of SF Bay... SFDK seems to be on the North end... Based on maps, it seems like 880/580/80 would offer a straight shot of ~55 miles, but I hear driving in CA can be a total bitch... Am I nuts for considering this drive between the two? I'd also do some tourist stuff around San Fran, so I got points of interest all over the area...

 

- How about the park itself?

 

1st week of June is the 1st week of daily ops... Schools still in session? Anything to watch out for during that time? Weekday or Weekend days are options (obviously weekday is preferred)... Weather at the park? Also weather in general? I know the Bay Area is pretty screwy and a few miles can make a huge difference in temps...

 

- Airports?

 

Seems that OAK, SFO, and SJC are all accessible from Chicago... Anything to consider here?

 

Thanks for any insight! It's appreciated

I'm going to assume you'll be going to CGA too since Levi's is right next door.

As long as you're not trying to make that drive in commute time, your drive will be pretty close to that 55 minutes. First week if June most schools are actually out, but SFDK is only REALLY busy on holiday weekends. You'll never see more than a 20-30 minute wait for anything other than perhaps the water rides on a really hot day. Joker may be longer than that next summer too. Weather first week of June will likely be 70-80, low chance of rain

I'd fly into San Jose since your main reason to be there is right next door in Santa Clara. Since you're a soccer fan, you should see if there is an Earthquakes game when you'll be in town. Their stadium is 20 min or less from Levis. You'd also be reasonably close to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which I'd absolutely recommend visiting.

You should of course visit San Francisco and do as much touristy stuff as you can. A Giants game is highly recommended as AT&T is a gorgeous park and has a great atmosphere despite there being a ton of techie types in attendance. If you don't mind not having a back to your seat, sit in the bleachers. Better fans and a great view of both the field and the water, and very close to great food vendors.

I can give you more recommendations too depending on what exactly you are looking for

Thanks for the insight guys...

I'll be honest on that I never considered CGA... I'm a Six Flags guy by default, ha ha... It would be interesting to see CGA and compare it to SFGAm, my home park... The Santa Cruz Boardwalk also sounds interesting...

One of the first things I did when I started looking into this trip was look at the Giants and A's schedule... Unfortunately both teams are off/out of town June 2nd-6th... I'd love to check out the Giants' stadium, but it just ain't happening here... The Quakes are also out of town during my window...

From there, I figure I can fill a day on the shores of SF Bay... Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge would be must see things... Fisherman's Wharf also seems interesting... Probably some good food to be had down there as well... I'm sure there is no shortage of things to see on the waterfront... Like I said earlier, I'm still kicking around ideas and just starting to do recon...

If you want to do Alcatraz, make sure you buy tickets plenty of time in advance. It's a very popular tour.

Just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is the Marin Headlands, which offers absolutely amazing views of the bridge and SF. Muir woods, a forest of giant Redwoods isn't too far away either.

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are both pretty fun for tourists. There's even some "rides" at Pier 39.

CGA is definitely worth going. Some similarity to your Great America, but enough different to make it worth it. Plus, there's Goldstriker.

Have we heard anything on when this ride is going to open? Do we know if they are going to have a season pass holders events like they did for Twisted Colossus? I would like to make a trip up for the event if they are, or at least be there opening weekend.

Have we heard anything on when this ride is going to open? Do we know if they are going to have a season pass holders events like they did for Twisted Colossus? I would like to make a trip up for the event if they are, or at least be there opening weekend.

I was there this past Saturday and I didn't notice any notable progress being made on The Joker from the last update I saw here or elsewhere online. I'm hopping it'll open in march but six flags corporate likely only demands it's opening day be on memorial day which is may 30th.

One of the first things I did when I started looking into this trip was look at the Giants and A's schedule... Unfortunately both teams are off/out of town June 2nd-6th... I'd love to check out the Giants' stadium, but it just ain't happening here...

I believe they still do tours of AT&T Park and I think theyre free..might be worth looking into. It really is the most beautiful park there is. I love sitting up in right field where you get views of the cove to the right and the bridge to the left while you watch the game.

If you want to do Alcatraz, make sure you buy tickets plenty of time in advance. It's a very popular tour.

 

Just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is the Marin Headlands, which offers absolutely amazing views of the bridge and SF. Muir woods, a forest of giant Redwoods isn't too far away either.

 

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are both pretty fun for tourists. There's even some "rides" at Pier 39.

 

CGA is definitely worth going. Some similarity to your Great America, but enough different to make it worth it. Plus, there's Goldstriker.

if you're also keen to it, this wine tasting tour takes place on a boat and they take you out under the bridges, around Alcatraz, etc. It's really fun, plus, alcohol!

http://www.sanfranciscobayboatcruise.com/wine-tasting-on-the-bay/

I can't wait for Joker to open. I live right by SFDK and love Twisted Colossus. If there is any sort of commercial shoot/passholder event/ ANYTHING where I can ride this thing, I would love to go! When Superman opened, they did this thing early in the morning where passholders could come and ride the ride a bunch before it opened to the general public. I'm really hoping there is something like that for Joker!

I can't wait for Joker to open. I live right by SFDK and love Twisted Colossus. If there is any sort of commercial shoot/passholder event/ ANYTHING where I can ride this thing, I would love to go! When Superman opened, they did this thing early in the morning where passholders could come and ride the ride a bunch before it opened to the general public. I'm really hoping there is something like that for Joker!

I'm right there with you on all points. I already told my son that we might have to camp out before opening day to make sure we're on the first train. And if Rob can't make it out, I'm 100% down to do the media stuff for it too.