Six Flags Fiesta Texas (SFFT) Discussion Thread

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually think Great Adventure and Magic Mountain are both quite scenic. Fiesta Texas has awesome theming, and certainly beats both those parks on that aspect. But go to Magic Mountain, go up the hill to where Ninja is and take a look around at the desert below you. It's incredible. Likewise the lakefront at Great Adventure is so beautiful and really relaxing. Those parks have their flaws, sure, and Fiesta Texas is still the best in the chain, but a lot of Six Flags parks are in really special locations with great natural beauty.

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually think Great Adventure and Magic Mountain are both quite scenic.

I totally agree. The SFMM thread is so rife with moaning that I think that's why it might feel like it's an unpopular opinion. I think SFMM is one of the best-looking parks in the chain with (gasp!) some of the best operations in the chain as well! I need to get back to Fiesta a few more times to really take the place in as I left feeling a bit tepid about its scenery and design. It was pretty packed when I was there as well, but I gave Over Texas the edge in terms of the way the place looked as well as in terms of its ride selection. I agree with Bert's claim earlier that Fiesta would benefit from a classic-style wooden coaster of some kind (that's not a pulverizing RMC), and I wonder how a modernized old-school out-and-back might sit over in that boardwalk area?

Ok Bert, Next time you drive. My buddy took us non 35 route on Sun June 23 and it took from 10:30 and we were there around 1. That night google was saying 3 hrs on 35 but there were traffic jams in NewB and SanM. About scenic Over Georgia is really nice also with hills and giant pine trees. Great Adventure is out in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by river and forest. Some background here, I'm from Ohio and grew up going to Cedar Point. People actually walk around with brooms and pans and you dont see as much as a cigarette butt(surprisingly saw that too as SFGA). Very Disney like.

After moving to Texas and seeing AstroWorld and Fiesta and more recently Over Texas they are dumps. Litter around and under coasters, against fences, all over the park. Grease traps and dumpsters visible and reeking from Superman line. Ceiling tiles in the restaurants stained and falling apart from roof leaks at the beer joint. AstroWorld had tools and grease and rags just laying all over on the brake runs. Fiesta had orange extension cords draped across the midway, rundown entrance gate and buildings. I have a whole folder of pics if you want to see them all, but way sub par. Sidewalks look like they have never been power washed with gum spots everywhere. Dallas was even worse and looks like it hasn't been cleaned or repainted since 1969.

I could have overlooked some of this dump had my friend not been double charged for dinner then couldn't get a hold of an actual person on the other end of the phone for several days. On top of that he got wicked food poisoning there and they had to comp him 4 day passes since he missed work for several days. If you can't see how ugly and run down both Texas Six Flags are I both feel sorry AND envy you. Again, this is coming from a Cedar Point Fanboy.

NOW for the other side of the coin.........SFFT is my home park. I dig Jeff Seibert's presence on Texas Thrill Seekers and yes, I am glad that they choose to spend their money on rides verses upkeep. We are stoked to have many firsts, the s&s freespin, the first raptor, and the new Frisbee. Pirates underwhelmed me however after thinking it would be like JLeague in Georgia. Fog, 3d glasses, motion props such as fire and rolling barrels. I was blown away and hope the one in Dallas is as good. The gold season pass is money as it's let me hit SFOG, SFNE, SFGAD, and I plan on Magic Mountain before years end.

SFOT is stuck in the 1960's, La Vibora/Tea Cups/Sombrero (borderline racist?), needs to burn to the ground still but I really like the back row on Freeze. Titan, Shockwave, and NTG are ok but nothing special, and none of the flat rides really do it for me except for Diablo and The Frisbee. Worth the gas money and a day every other year but not much more. I did notice the same run downness there as Fiesta however. It is clear SF puts the $$$$ in Great Adventure for great rides and upkeep vs it's Texas parks. Won't even start on AstroWorld even tho I loved the SWAT and wish that got relocated to Fiesta. It's the best flat ride ever, IMO. In conclusion, I truly believe Jeff Seibert is great for the park and I am proud to tell others it's my homepark but it still has a long, long, long, way to go to be the best looking in the chain of the four SF I've been to. I would prob say Great Adventure and Over Georgia are the best kept then Fiesta then Over Texas. I mean the quarry wall is cool and good for drops but the park is still surrounded by a shopping center on all sides. Other park chains will at least hide the dumpsters and grease traps behind a nice landscaped fence. Cheers.

You know SF Astroworld has been closed since 2005 right?

^^ so you didn't take I35 (basically, as I surmised, a shortcut that wasn't really a shortcut).

next time just take I35, it's only slow at the merge points.

and if you really feel that you just CANT do I35, Mopac to the new SH45 toll road, which will bring you to 1626, and you can take 1626 almost all the way to Buda (coming out near Cabela's). . . saves you from all that S. Austin traffic.

you're certainly entitled to your opinion, tho I completely disagree. You had one bad experience and it appears to be coloring your view of the park.

tho bringing up Astroworld (which I grew up with, and yes, that was a pretty shithole park) isn't really helping any kind of argument you're making, other than showing you can hold a grudge ?? It closed 14 years ago.

you're welcome to your own opinion on SFFT, although I disagree greatly with you. I do hope you realize you're in the minority on this tho?

Great Adventure is my home park, and though I do think it had some really scenic areas, Fiesta Texas blows it out of the water. Fiesta Texas may not be perfect, but the quarry setting, Rockville, Crackaxle Canyon, and the front section of the park are all gorgeous. Never seen anything like that at a Six Flags park.

I have only been to SFFT twice in 2017 and 2018 (My home park is Over Georgia) and both visits I was blown away with how nice the park looked and at how friendly most of the employees were. Was I there on 'good' days? IDK - but my memories of this park are of a much, MUCH cleaner park than Georgia ever seems to be, and with much better operations, both for rides and food. In fact, my exact thoughts were "I hope Six Flags management in general does not ruin this place."

We took a break from the Texas parks this year to visit SFGA and St Louis. Those parks were not bad either. We will definitely be back to this park, can't wait!

The grass must be greener then or something. Georgia and Jersey and Agawam were all really nice and scenic to me and not run down looking at all. Two of those have really scenic river and forest views from the taller rides.

My day at Fiesta Texas!

[youtu_be]

^ That was pretty fun. I recently visited Fiesta Texas last spring, and it was cool to see the park again (god I gotta get on that TR)

went to SFFT today for about 5 hours.

didn't intend to, we were just gonna drive up, activate our passes, and eat lunch.

But it wasn't really busy, and with the skip the line pass bonus we got for renewing by end of August? I got rides on both Iron Rattler, and Joker. . both with under 5 minute waits (which was SUPER nice).

I even got to try my 1st ever funnel cake, since they now are part of the meal plan, as a snack.

(it was SOOOO sweet, couldn't finish it).

speaking of, bravo to SFFT, the dining pass, and all our upgrades happened at the front gate when we were admitted and given the plastic pass. We went to the Season Pass building, per the directions I had been given to add things to the pass? and the gentleman at the counter told us they were already set up and active (luckily there had been no line. .but turned out we didn't even need to go to the Pass/Membership building to check). . tho we did have to go to Photos to activate the photo pass there (and he DID send us to the Flash Pass building to get us the included skip the line pass. . . but they had all 6 counters open, so were in and out in a . . well. . . Flash).

I'll update with way more pics on my "bert goes to Texas Theme Parks" thread, and link to here. . when I get to it (hopefully in the next month, LOL). . but for now, here's a few pics.

oh. .and for the doubters?

we left our home in Cedar Park (way North Austin) at 11:20AM, and pulled into the SFFT parking lot at 12:47 (so it took us an hour and 27 minutes to get there on a Saturday Morning).

coming home, we left the park at 6pm, and arrived back in our driveway (stopping for gas along the way off of 1604) at 7:36. So it took us an hour and 36 minutes to get home.

braaaaaains

here I am on Joker. . hands up!

and on Screamin Eagle zipline.

was it worth $10? you betcha. . and you can get some awesome pics of Superman & Wonder Woman trains at the same time with a unique viewpoint.

the new ride for 2020. .announcements are up in the park!

the new sign in front of Supervillains Swing.

me on Joker (I had permission of the Operator to pull out my phone at the end of the ride while the platforms were coming back - once I noticed I was facing the control booth and got a great reflection, so I asked her while she was checking restraints).

Strawberry Sundae Funnel Cake & Oreo Chocolate Sundae Funnel Cake. . .both now considered "Snack" on the meal plan.

from the place across from Batman's entrance

while sitting here, I noticed Screamin Eagle had no one in line for it. .it hadn't run for a while. AND that it was only $10 to ride.

so I gave in, and did it!

it does NOT feel very secure.

and I feel that in this pic, I look like I'm sitting on the toilet.

but it was cool and fun, and a good use of $10. (and I appreciated the op snapping this pic).

and you can get some nice pics of Supes and Wonder Woman trains at the same time from the launch pad.

in Hustler.

(the only negative experience of the day. . due to some unruly teenagers in the yellow ball behind us there.. . I'm surprised they were not ejected from the park. but regardless, they resulted in a good 10 minute wait for the ride to start (their shenanigans caused a "spil" and the operator had to clean out that pool ball. . then once the ride actually started, they kept standing up (at one point laying down and sticking their feet out of the ball).. causing the ride cycle to be shortened.

the operator went and talked to them before opening the door to their pool-ball, but they were not removed from the park. . running off towards the boardwalk laughing.

day ended well tho.. on Carousel, of course.

Park President Jeffrey Siebert invited the Texas Thrillseekers on a special night time Cliff Top Tour of Fiesta Texas. There were over 100 TTS members in attendance- myself included. This video contains the entire tour.

[youtu_be]

Great report Bert!

I went to the park for a few hours yesterday afternoon and checked out the Halloween stuff at night. I don’t think anybody expects a lot from a Six Flags Halloween event, but I have a soft spot for low/no-budget haunts, and this falls well into that category. Despite “Is It Packed’s” assertion that the place would be fairly quiet, it was slammed — largely because of the event itself, but also because the park has such limited hours right now. I still have to figure out how to navigate this park's operating schedule as I’m so used to visiting my SoCal home parks on dead days and basically getting ERT all day. I’m not sure that’s going to be too possible here off-season.

Neither the park’s own wait-times app or that crowd-source one online reported any data, so gauging waits was tough. Several of the lines were maxed out, spilling well into the walkways. An employee out front at iRat/Weed Zone told me it’d been over two hours for much of the night (it’s still only running one train, although the employee wasn't aware of that). I did manage to grab an early ride on Goliath as I missed it on my last visit (once-and-done — I like Batman clones but have ridden too many for them to really entice me) and a post-reset ride on Poltergeist (again, more walks of shame and I counted three gnarly rough spots on the ride) but everything else was off the table for much of the night (except for Superman — which chews through lines well). Operations were a bit wacky (only two employees in the Superman station — one on controls, the other on restraints; Wonder Woman still sending out multiple trains with only two or three riders; Scream only running one tower; Goliath only filling one of two running trains), and several of the rides were closed for the night. The focus clearly was on the Halloween stuff, and I'm guessing that a number of the usual ride ops had been reassigned as scare actors.

Nice views from the queue line of this one.

I wanted to try the water chute ride as I missed that last time as well. It may have been a Halloween thing, but there was no signage at the entrance, causing me to question if I was boarding the correct ride. The line was out into the walkway, but because much of the queue is hidden, I had no way of telling how long the wait would be. Turns out it was 95 minutes, in a castle so hot that they had to open up all the emergency exits — which was perfect for the park’s many, many line jumpers. Anyhow, the queue was utter misery but the ride is a blast; a good amount of wetness from two really fun drops. It was shorter than expected, and I could have done without the dragon spraying a continual stream of water directly into the vehicle, but it didn’t really matter as the queue drenched everyone with sweat anyway. Fun ride, but not one I’d wait 95 minutes for again. By the time I got off, some of the mazes had opened and, since the park was scheduled to close just four hours later, I figure I should make them my focus. (For what it's worth, I bought a regular line pass but the employee gave me an express, so I don't really know how long some of the maze lines were.)

Not quite sure what this was, but it was set up by the water/castle-rabbit ride.

Sweating castle-rabbit.

Again, I can’t imagine anybody expects anything truly impressive from a Six Flags Halloween event, and this one had some charm but was clearly done on a shoestring budget. The scare actors were pretty into their roles, but also kind of limited in what they could do (lots of “boos” and shrill screams). I couldn’t quite figure out which areas were "scare zones" and which weren’t as the crowds were so dense (I swear, this place has unusually-narrow walkways), but some were more obvious than others. Probably the scariest part was the number of strollers wedged into major thoroughfares (lots of infants at this event, for what it’s worth). A few thoughts on the mazes from best to worst:

Midnight Museum of the Macabre: A short, compact maze filled to the brim with antiques and random junk. The theme seemed to be an old, exotic apothecary with random stuff filling every square inch of the place. It was brightly lit, so more of a spectacle than a maze. The atmosphere, though, was spot-on which made it a blast. It wasn’t scary, and there weren’t any major set pieces — just rows of shelves — but it was well worth the 15-minute express-line wait.

CarnEvil 3D: I’m a sucker for these 3D circus mazes, and this one had the added twist of using those faulty flashlights that a number of haunts picked up a few years back. Because it was only two flashlights per group, you had to rely on teamwork to navigate the place well. On my first run-through, the team leaders didn’t get that memo, leaving the rest of us literally in the dark and requiring a random clown to help us get back out. The second time through was more orderly. Anyhow, it’s not up to the level of the one Magic Mountain had a few years back, but it was still a blast. No major set pieces aside from a rotating tunnel at the start, but the clowns inside knew how to work with the limited lighting.

Buried Alive: This one’s themed to a mine, and the maze involves stepping into an “elevator” (basically a shaking platform), the illusion of which was ruined by the fact that it had no ceiling and you could clearly see the building’s rafters right above while the platform jostled you around. The rest of it was faux-stone walls and some larger set pieces, but there wasn’t a whole lot happening in there beyond the rampant darkness. The elevator scene decimated capacity, and the line looked harrowing for much of the night.

RockKill High School: Exceptional and very-welcome air conditioning in the entryway. This was clearly set up in a theatre of some kind as you had to walk through it to get to the start of the maze. It was a very long maze with not a whole lot in it beyond a few rooms with löckers and band equipment and whatnot. Basically, it looked like the backstage area of the existing theatre. The theme seemed to be a high school for zombies, but it felt a bit like school was on break. On my second pass through, I ended up with a group of shrieking and sweary tweens. That made it more fun as they seemed to get startled by everything from the nearby bubble machine, to their own hands, to one another’s hair.

Slaughterhouse 6: Despite the Vonnegut-sequel intimation, this was indeed just a standard-fare slaughterhouse-themed maze. It was very short (underneath a coaster station), and there was very little in it. It was basically some plastic sheeting, a few projections, and some dangling foam carcasses. Out of all of the mazes, this felt the most “homemade” — and by “homemade” I mean it was tantamount to something you might find set up in an over-zealous neighbor’s garage.

Blood Bayou: People seemed to leave this one baffled as there was next to nothing in it. From what I could tell, it was the queue line for the rapids ride with some fog and a few characters roaming around. It had one of those cool laser rooms that, when filled with fog, produce a liquid effect that you (or monsters) can duck under. However, the room was more of a covered area, so the fog never stayed inside, killing the effect. So, basically, this maze was more of a scenic stroll in the dark. The best thing about it was that it put you close to iRat’s awesome cliff-dive turn.

So, as a Halloween event, the mazes are what I expected from a Six Flags event (I didn’t do any of the shows as I’m allergic to musical theatre). The only point of comparison I have is Magic Mountain’s event, which obviously has more space and money to work with, even though the mazes are along the same lines. Coming from SoCal, I’m kind of spoiled by bigger-budget affairs, but my expectations were kept in check for the most part.

Although the idea of a 2+ hour wait for iRat was daunting, I jumped in line 20 minutes before park closing as I wanted to ride it in the dark. The same employee was standing out front and said the wait was still 2+ hours. In reality, it was 20 minutes and I think I was the last to ride. As mentioned on my last visit, I’m not a huge fan of the direction RMC has taken in terms of their privileging extremes over basic fun, but this and New Texas Giant are at the top of my RMC list (I've ridden about five or six of them). It’s a fantastic ride that’s not so aggressive that it diminishes enjoyment. I look forward to coming to the park on a legitimately “dead” day so that I can marathon it. Last, getting out of the parking lot at night seems to be a struggle (I noticed this on my last visit). I don’t know if there were street light issues or what, but it took a solid 90 minutes to get out of the parking lot and back onto the freeway — longer than the drive to/from Austin. If that’s the case, then a better parking strategy will be required. The parking lot was a complete sh*tshow, and the staff was really struggling to guide the lines of cars trying to get out.

Can't have a Halloween event without an old school bus.

Still yet to ride this one as the line on both visits has blown far beyond the designated queue.

Despite the insane queues, this ride looks great in the park. I hope Six Flags buys more of them.

Not quite sure what this is, but it was over by the entrance.

One of the high-school zombies? I think this may have been part of a scare zone.

Well-suited for the carnival area, but no clowns actually walking around the areas itself.

Props to Fiesta Texas for trusting guests not to wander into / climb on Superman's track. I'm sure the impulse to do so is strong for some of the park's guests.

^ the queues for Joker are so long, because it's new hotness that's only been open for ~2 months.

when you go back in 2020, the lines will really drop down.

and I give them kudos for keeping all 3 trains on the track for Wonder Woman, even tho multiple seats are blocked off (at the moment). Better to keep all trains running, then pull one to try and fix seats, and make capacity even worse.

ESPECIALLY since Iron Rattler is still running only one train - as you noted. If I didn't have a skip the line pass on our visit a couple of weeks ago? that would have been a 2 hour wait easy. Not sure what the delay was, as both trains were supposed to be back after August.

The park will open daily for spurts until "standard" season, so keep an eye out. I've been getting emails on "bonus" Bring a Friend Free days, so they are hoping to pack the park, and might be why it's been so crowded on your visits (and the line jumper issues you're seeing, as we typically don't see that).

I've NEVER ACTUALLY RIDDEN the bumper cars (across from Skyscreamer), but have been told they are good, if you want to give those a shot. Note: during Holiday in the Park, they turn them into the "ice skating" rink.

^ the queues for Joker are so long, because it's new hotness that's only been open for ~2 months. when you go back in 2020, the lines will really drop down.

Crazanity at MM still gets massive lines too. The fact that they're genuinely good rides probably contributes as well!

and I give them kudos for keeping all 3 trains on the track for Wonder Woman, even tho multiple seats are blocked off (at the moment). Better to keep all trains running, then pull one to try and fix seats, and make capacity even worse.

To be honest, I wasn't that keen on the ride when I rode it last time, so it's no big loss for me. I can't help but wonder if there's a better system they can institute though? It is great that they keep it cycling, but it is bizarre that so many trains are dispatched with so many empty seats.

and I give them kudos for keeping all 3 trains on the track for Wonder Woman, even tho multiple seats are blocked off (at the moment). Better to keep all trains running, then pull one to try and fix seats, and make capacity even worse.

To be honest, I wasn't that keen on the ride when I rode it last time, so it's no big loss for me. I can't help but wonder if there's a better system they can institute though? It is great that they keep it cycling, but it is bizarre that so many trains are dispatched with so many empty seats.

When I was there, two seats were blocked off on one of the trains, so they weren't queuing anyone for those two seats on any of the trains. It effectively reduced to 18 seats...so would having 2 trains for 16 seats be all that much of a loss for the week or so until that third train was fixed?

Here are a few pics I took on my recent visit to SFFT. Most are from the Cliff Top Tour.

^ WOW! Cliff top tours in the evening??? Count me in! Great shots from up there, that you took.

I don't remember if photos of this, at night, were already posted. I'm old. Get used to it.

^ it's a special deal that was offered for the Texas Thrill Seekers Group, Bill.

the Tours are not a "general public" offering

^ That's correct. Park President Jeffrey Siebert invited us on the Tour. It's not something that's available to the general public.

Oh well, it was a nice "possible" thought, all the same.

Dont get bummed you would just have to coordinate it with the TTS and travel accordingly. It's free to join their FB group.

^ its a bonus Mr. Siebert/SFFT also offer sometimes for events.

example, I got to do it when participating in Coasting for Kids for raising a good amount of $$

Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster still looks like a french fry to me. Amazing ejector, though.