Magic Mountain Trip Reports?

[travelmel]

I'm looking for a magic moutain TR..we're going in Dec 09 and I haven't been since Nov 95. I'm guessing some stuff has changed. LOL.

Can anybody point me in the direction of a good TR? I've seen great stuff on Disney (obviously.. even one of my own :laughing:), Knott's, Universal, and Legoland but no pic/TR's of MM?? :confused3

[DisneySuiteFreak]

The only ones I found are older ones in the sub forum of the Disneyland trip report forum:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=132 The sticky about "please check your display options" is inaccurate. I have mine set to 'from the beginning' and it only shows 2 pages of TRs for the sub-forum. I'd like to see some MM TRs so if you find any please post them and I'll do the same if I find any. Thanks!

[travelmel]

The only ones I found are older ones in the sub forum of the Disneyland trip report forum:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=132 The sticky about "please check your display options" is inaccurate. I have mine set to 'from the beginning' and it only shows 2 pages of TRs for the sub-forum. I'd like to see some MM TRs so if you find any please post them and I'll do the same if I find any. Thanks!

Thanks for posting this! Well, if I don't find anything else, this gives me a good reason to do my own detailed TR to help out the other needy Dis'ers. :flower3:

[DisneySuiteFreak]

You're welcome!

[DirkLogan]

I am going tomorrow, so I can give you a little update. I haven't been in a while either. I had Disney passes the past couple of years. Budget and work schedule doesn't allow it this year :(

[DirkLogan]

Well, I will make it short, It is not Disneyland!

Really, they do a nice job of building rides for the most extreme thrill seekers but there is not much for the younger children. My 7 year rode Ninja and thought it was too much for her, we played in Looney Toons land, rode roaring rapids, Log Jammer, Atomic Smasher, Bucaneer, Swashbuckler and the Carousel.

From the start, parking is $15 and the walk in is no where as nice and clean as Disneyland's perfectly manicured entrances. Near the entrance, we went through a metal detector, got wanded and had our bag thoroughly searched. They allowed us to bring in our water and bag of nuts, but not fish crackers or PB&J sandwiches. They went through every single compartment in my backpack too. Once in the park, it was a lot cleaner than outside. We went on Thursday July 9 and it was not crowded at all. For the most part, the CM's or whatever they are called where nice. My wife did ask one where something was and the answer was "I don't know" and they walked off. They had a little character show, that was nice.

We did have fun, it is worth going but it is just not Disneyland.

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks for posting your review of MM. :goodvibes

[travelmel]

Well, I will make it short, It is not Disneyland!

Really, they do a nice job of building rides for the most extreme thrill seekers but there is not much for the younger children. My 7 year rode Ninja and thought it was too much for her, we played in Looney Toons land, rode roaring rapids, Log Jammer, Atomic Smasher, Bucaneer, Swashbuckler and the Carousel.

From the start, parking is $15 and the walk in is no where as nice and clean as Disneyland's perfectly manicured entrances. Near the entrance, we went through a metal detector, got wanded and had our bag thoroughly searched. They allowed us to bring in our water and bag of nuts, but not fish crackers or PB&J sandwiches. They went through every single compartment in my backpack too. Once in the park, it was a lot cleaner than outside. We went on Thursday July 9 and it was not crowded at all. For the most part, the CM's or whatever they are called where nice. My wife did ask one where something was and the answer was "I don't know" and they walked off. They had a little character show, that was nice.

We did have fun, it is worth going but it is just not Disneyland.

Thanks for the review! It's good to know that it was not that crowded. Well, good for us who don't like lines but bad for those who are hoping for big profits and are depending on crowds to keep the park open. :guilty:

While it's definitely not DL it is a big draw for the thrill seekers. I'm looking forward to it!

[Huff]

I plan on going in the next few weeks and hope crowds aren't a problem on a Sat. I have been there in years past with huge lines.

A few years ago they started stricter security measures due to gang problems. Seems to have really cleaned up the place and chased the trouble makers away.

No, it's not DL but doesn't try to be either. It has rides you'll never find at DL. While it does have many rides for kids people go there for the huge thrill rides.

I'm taking an 11yr old girl who has been to DL for 6 weekend trips this year. She loves it but is ready for more thrill. She loves California Scream'n, Big Thunder and Space Mountain. I think she could easily handle Ninja, Viper, Colossus or Revolution. If she does well on those maybe Batman, Scream and Riddler. I won't even think about taking her on X2, Goliath, or Tatsu.

[blackjackdelta]

My kids 16-22 love Tatsu and X2(me also) but I am not sure folks in the 10-12 age group would enjoy the experience. They are not California Screamin.

:confused3Jack

[travelmel]

It so depends on the kid I would imagine.

[Mom of three]

Is Six Flags even open in December??? For some reason I thought they werent. Maybe with limited hours?

We went at the end of April. I agree with everything the previous poster had mentioned in their mini trip report.

Definitly a different kind of crowd as opposed to Disneyland. Alot of unruly teenagers who thought they ran the place and had no manners at all. Alot of foul language (and Im no prude).

Park was clean and not crowded at all. The worst line we had was at X2 (which we expected) so we hit that 1st, right when the park opened. Needless to say the sign said it was a 45 minute wait...turned out to be almost exactly 2 hours. :eek: I kept reassuring the kids that this was the worst of it and everything else would be easy.

There were several rides where we were asked if we wanted to go twice since there was nobody in line. :confused3

We ended up leaving earlier than anticipated because we overextended ourselves, forgetting how exhausting roller coasters can be. We all had headaches and one person in our party actually vomited ON Goliath. :scared1: The great thing is, she was riding solo at the time and nobody saw her or knew it was her. As soon as she got off the ride, she made a beeline for the exit, where I was waiting for her. They made everyone get off while they hosed it down and everyone cheered. :lmao: Nobody ever knew it was her, but we got a good laugh about it.

I just can't do coasters as much as I used to. I was REALLY impressed with Tatsu!!! That was AMAZING!!!! :thumbsup2

Have a great time!!

[travelmel]

Is Six Flags even open in December??? For some reason I thought they werent. Maybe with limited hours?

We went at the end of April. I agree with everything the previous poster had mentioned in their mini trip report.

Definitly a different kind of crowd as opposed to Disneyland. Alot of unruly teenagers who thought they ran the place and had no manners at all. Alot of foul language (and Im no prude).

Park was clean and not crowded at all. The worst line we had was at X2 (which we expected) so we hit that 1st, right when the park opened. Needless to say the sign said it was a 45 minute wait...turned out to be almost exactly 2 hours. :eek: I kept reassuring the kids that this was the worst of it and everything else would be easy.

There were several rides where we were asked if we wanted to go twice since there was nobody in line. :confused3

We ended up leaving earlier than anticipated because we overextended ourselves, forgetting how exhausting roller coasters can be. We all had headaches and one person in our party actually vomited ON Goliath. :scared1: The great thing is, she was riding solo at the time and nobody saw her or knew it was her. As soon as she got off the ride, she made a beeline for the exit, where I was waiting for her. They made everyone get off while they hosed it down and everyone cheered. :lmao: Nobody ever knew it was her, but we got a good laugh about it.

I just can't do coasters as much as I used to. I was REALLY impressed with Tatsu!!! That was AMAZING!!!! :thumbsup2

Have a great time!!

awww.. poor kid! Thanks for the info on the crowds.. I'm assuming you went recently?

I'm 99% sure they're open in December but I will double check the hours, for sure.

I had forgotten about how loud (and headache'y) a roller coaster park can be until you mentioned it just now. We haven't been for awhile! My kids are at DL right now! Bums!

[ukstitch]

They're definitely open in December - I'm planning a trip there when I visit DLR for a week in December so I've checked the dates.

It's weekends only for a lot of it, though I seem to remember they start opening during the week towards the main holiday season.

[disneyfaninaz]

There's an entire forum on "Other California Trip Reports":

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=132

[travelmel]

There's an entire forum on "Other California Trip Reports":

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=132

Ah HA! When I read the description of that it seemed more like "san fran and yosemite" kinda stuff... but I will check it out. Thanks for posting the link :goodvibes

[travelmel]

I have been reading a ton of reviews about Goliath and there are A LOT of people who report experiencing "near blackouts" or gray outs, etc. I'm not in anyway a chicken little type person (the coaster is falling!) but I am leary of this one..

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/six_flags_magic_mountain/goliath/accidents/ (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/six_flags_magic_mountain/goliath/accidents/)

Also, Goliath's-twin coaster called "Titan" riders report the same black out experiences:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/six_flags_over_texas/titan/ (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/six_flags_over_texas/titan/)

Dang... I dunno... I hate to spend money and hurt my self or feel sick all day. It's a great looking coaster..very imposing... but I may end up avoiding it ::confused::

[Spacepest]

I've experienced the near blackouts that people talk about on Goliath personally. And a couple other of people in our group experienced the same thing (blackouts on the ride, spots in their vision, feeling dizzy after they got off). And all of us are younger people in decent shape who have never had any problems riding roller coasters before...if I had any kind of medical problems this is one I'd avoid. Its probably best that you make this the LAST ride of the day if you want to attempt it.

[Huff]

Goliath caused two of us to be a little bit whoozy as we got off the ride. We're coaster fanatics and loved it but its the only coaster that made as feel a bit sick to our stomachs for awhile after. It's caused by a high speed spiraling sequence near the end. As you turn through the spiral several times the turn tightens increasing the G-Forces along the way.

[travelmel]

I've experienced the near blackouts that people talk about on Goliath personally. And a couple other of people in our group experienced the same thing (blackouts on the ride, spots in their vision, feeling dizzy after they got off). And all of us are younger people in decent shape who have never had any problems riding roller coasters before...if I had any kind of medical problems this is one I'd avoid. Its probably best that you make this the LAST ride of the day if you want to attempt it.

Goliath caused two of us to be a little bit whoozy as we got off the ride. We're coaster fanatics and loved it but its the only coaster that made as feel a bit sick to our stomachs for awhile after. It's caused by a high speed spiraling sequence near the end. As you turn through the spiral several times the turn tightens increasing the G-Forces along the way.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm totally bummed about it because it looks like such an amazing coaster! It will be hard to show up at the park and leave that one untouched. *SIGH* But, I don't want to get off with problems and be sorry.. or worse anybody else in our party. Thanks again! :goodvibes

[blackjackdelta]

If you squeeze your gut muscles and grunt while you do the loops you will keep the blood going to your brain and you will not have the "G" after effects. Riding hytech coaster demands abit more than being young and in shape. I am 63 and this coaster... it is a bit of a challenge.

The best,

Jack

[travelmel]

If you squeeze your gut muscles and grunt while you do the loops you will keep the blood going to your brain and you will not have the "G" after effects. Riding hytech coaster demands abit more than being young and in shape. I am 63 and this coaster... it is a bit of a challenge.

The best,

Jack

Thanks, Jack. I did read that screaming is actually helpful... same reasoning. I just wish they wouldn't have made it so physically demanding as to be a scary proposition. For some, anyway.

[MotoXPrincess99]

If you squeeze your gut muscles and grunt while you do the loops you will keep the blood going to your brain and you will not have the "G" after effects. Riding hytech coaster demands abit more than being young and in shape. I am 63 and this coaster... it is a bit of a challenge.

The best,

Jack

Are you talking about Goliath because that ride doesn't have loops.:confused3 It doesn't go upside down.

[blackjackdelta]

MB, bad term. The helix spiral.

Jack

[MotoXPrincess99]

MB, bad term. The helix spiral.

Jack

Gotcha. :thumbsup2 You had me thinking I was missing something all this time.:lmao: I swear I only shut my eyes part of the time.:rolleyes1;)

[stitch1986]

i have some photos fromsix flags went last week!
I havent gone since 2000 and OMG I loved all the rides I though got the flash pass it helped alot with the lines cause when the park opened at 1030 theline for x2 was 60 min so we decided to get the flash pass and it made the park soo much fun and able to walk around.

I didnt get sick on any of the rides however the first time we went I got sick but it was due to me not eating at all there just for breakfast and nonstop riding :) I learned my lesson that day lol
well enjoy some pics.
deja vu from the middle
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp210/nsweetie785/six%20flags/375.jpg
terminator salvation
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp210/nsweetie785/six%20flags/372.jpg
tatsu LOVE the ride
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp210/nsweetie785/six%20flags/368.jpg
x2
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp210/nsweetie785/six%20flags/360.jpg

sorry if this is too many got plenty of others if you want them. :)

[travelmel]

Great pics, thanks! It's good to get some feedback on the flashpass.. I was unsure if it was worth it... it's tempting though!

[stitch1986]

yea I so thought it wasnt worth it but after being in line for over an hr on x2 and then we were not even anywhere close to the ride they shut it down and we talked to a security guard and he said it is worth the money and so we went and got it and wow talk about a different experience with the flash pass we didnt have to worry about waiting forever and all. :)

[travelmel]

yea I so thought it wasnt worth it but after being in line for over an hr on x2 and then we were not even anywhere close to the ride they shut it down and we talked to a security guard and he said it is worth the money and so we went and got it and wow talk about a different experience with the flash pass we didnt have to worry about waiting forever and all. :)

Nice! I think we will go for it.

[stitch1986]

:) cool glad to help make a decision to a fellow dis :) hehe

[travelmel]

UPDATE:

AMGIC MOUNTAIN SUCKS!

I SO should have gone to Disney for Christmas!

Instead.... we decided to try a "thrill" park and went to Magic Mountain... here's how it went:

out of the 8 "high thrill" roller coasters six of them were closed. There were 5 "moderate" rides and 3 of them were closed. So the park was dead but the people who were there were all in line for the same 4-5 rides and so the lines were long. It was totally lame

Most of the rides were closed because of high winds...which is acceptable... providing it was true. Tatsu was open and I have no idea what makes IT more safe than any of the other rides during high wind times. I just don't trust/believe them at all. ...

The thing that really chapped my hide was that two of the big thrill rides were being rehab'ed. Give me a break! Rehabing over Xmas break? I asked and they said, "well there aren't that many people here." SO WHAT?!! Are you telling me there are more people here on a Tuesday in Late January? Why on EARTH would you rehab during the only two weeks of winter where there ARE people here. I felt like Clark Freaking Griswald.

We should have gone to Disney. The bright side.... tickets were only $29 each. The rides we went on were pretty fun but it was just like being double punished. First no rides open, second the rides that are open have unusually long lines. They should have had every train available operating on the rides that were open but NOOOOOO they just sat there watching us all be miserable in 45 min waits for 4 rides. A-holes.

Not to mention the theme'ing there is just non-existant. We went there not expecting much as we knew better BUT when all the roller coasters are DOWN there's nothing else to notice besides the fact that they didn't even have up any Christmas lights or anything festive to appeal to the eye at all. They were selling their water bottles out of a cardboard BOX.. I kid you not. They were pacing around the rope drop with huge card board boxes with Sharpie pen writing on them... UNREAL. Blech, it was so annoying!

On the bright side, we managed to have a good time despite the setbacks. The trip and our Christmas was wonderful overall. I hope everybody else had a wonderful Christmas, too! :santa:

[ukstitch]

Sounds like you get very unlucky to be honest.

I visited on 13th December and had a very good experience. Yes there were rides down - Goliath, Superman, Revolution, Batman... Then again, there were also plenty of rides available as well and the queues for these were very short.

Unfortunately, because Magic Mountain is open all year round, there's always going to be some amount of rehab. I guess that because very few people visit in December and also in January, that this proves a very good time to do major rehabs like they are now (they're repainting some of the rides). It is unfortunate that this includes the Christmas week though, but I guess any other time would start creeping up on busier times.

Glad you had a good time regardless though - I certainly enjoyed my own time there and would go back at some point, although it's not quite the same as a visit to Disneyland ;)

[Huff]

I find it odd that people continue to try to compare other parks to Disneyland. I love Disney and I go there if thats what I want. Magic Mountain and many other parks around the country do not try to be Disney nor should they. I love Magic Mountain as well for a totally different experience. As for rides being down that does suck but I have been to Disneyland many times with numerous ride closures and breakdowns. I've been to California Adventure when TOT, CS, Soar'n and BT were all closed or broken down at the same time.

People seem to complain about ride closures and long lines at other parks but doesn't faze them to wait 45-60 minutes for a ride at Disneyland.

Christmas is a major time for Disneyland but not Magic Mountain. There will be larger crowds at MM over MLK and other winter school breaks than Christmas. Disneyland has had planned closures over Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends which I thought odd. Problem is they can't do the rehabs on all rides at the same time. Theres almost always something down at any given time.

[perlster]

Yes, "it" was true.

The last time I went to SFMM was a special event organized by "another" board, including ERT. People were fully aware that the weather forecast was not looking good - rain and wind. Nevertheless, several hundred paid in advance and hoped for the best. It was cold and wet, but closures were temporary and minimal.

SFMM has a large number of rides that simply cannot be operated safely in certain conditions. So, if you are planning to ride the coasters, (and admittedly, there's not much else to do) checking the weather forecast for Santa Clarita should be on your checklist.