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Six Flags Magic Mountain

Insane that they are not running both stations on Tatsu, but I guess I can't say I'm surprised.

CDC has now formally issued guidance explaining that surface transmission is extremely rare, so hopefully we can also ditch the over-sanitization of vehicles. Woof.

A bit puzzled that Justice League was closed, but is what it is, I guess.
Batman was closed as well! I guess they’re only running the really “high priority” rides on the weekdays and everything on the weekend. Probably a cheap operations move.
 
As I understand it, Batman is down because it's being repainted. JL has been up and down... sometimes it's open, sometimes it's closed. I mean, most of the rides are being pretty temperamental, which is to be expected. They haven't been in full operation for over a year, and there's probably a lot of inexperienced staff running them.

Crazanity hasn't opened at all (as far as I know), but most are suspecting it's because over various Covid-related reasons: difficult to keep guests spaced apart, the high speed and unusual angles may make it more prone to masks flying off, etc. Anyone know if SF has these rides operating at other SF parks?

In a few weeks, once things may have calmed down a bit, I'm hoping to do a weekday visit and see how things are still going.
 
I would rather they push hand sanitizer at the end of the ride because cycling all trains one time to spray 'em and let 'em dry is not practical at all. Disney and Universal in Florida, at least AFAIK, approach all of their ride sanitation as "at your own risk" and offer hand sanitizer. SFMM needs to adapt to this because this just murders capacity. If people are going to really raise this much of a stink about ride vehicles being thoroughly sanitized every four ride cycles, then, I'm sorry, but what are you doing at a theme park?
This, exactly this. As a huge stickler for protection of the virus back when I wasn't vaccinated, even I would still think this is a reach. Surface transmission is so incredibly low that it is not worth the "appearance of sanitation." Sanitize yourself afterward so things can keep moving.
 
Just from experience. You can go in before your reservation time.

I really do not think we should be encouraging this. It makes things difficult for parking attendants and employees. Go when you are scheduled to go plus or minus a few minutes.
 
I really do not think we should be encouraging this. It makes things difficult for parking attendants and employees. Go when you are scheduled to go plus or minus a few minutes.
Yeah, they are not correctly checking reservations, which shouldn’t be exploited but pointed out. It makes things more unsafe for legit everybody and worse for the tms
 
Just got back. Some random thoughts:

  • Big takeaway: I would not feel comfortable if I was not already fully vaccinated. While the park is mostly outdoors, distancing falls apart in just about every queue with little to no policing. Flagrant maskholes with zero enforcement, including a sea of noses and masks on chins. If anyone from the health department came by, they would get slapped with a heavy fine. It's bad.
  • They should probably open the parking lot a little earlier than they are. It turns into a bit of a tailgate.
  • Otherwise, I thought the entry experience was seamless, if not the most attractive thing in the world. No backups anywhere, and their touchless security checkpoint should be the model for all theme parks.
  • X2 opened late (about 25 minutes after park open) for unclear reasons, but I did get to ride on the first train, so I'll take it. No fire towers but on-ride audio worked well. They really need to be loading both sides.
  • Flash Pass, as currently implemented, breaks the park. Many (many) rides are inexplicably running at reduced capacities and cannot handle the amount of arriving Flash Pass guests. Other parks have temporarily ditched their express options. Six Flags needs to do the same, because this is not sustainable.
  • Six Flags also needs to ditch the "every other row" on some rides. Again, it breaks the park, and it's not really helping much in way of COVID transmission. West Coast Racers was routinely sending out cars with 4-6 people on them. Not good, and not something that's going to work in the months ahead as capacity increases.
  • Justice League was running and looked pretty good. No preshows - sent straight through to the ride car. Some projectors definitely need to be brightened/sharpened.
  • Jet Stream was open. Didn't ride, but was happy to see it.
  • Didn't have any issues with food - know there were a lot of reports of it taking an hour or more, but we had our food within 5 minutes of getting in line. Ate at peak lunch hours, too.
That's all that really jumps to mind for now. Had a fun day overall - X2, Tatsu, Apocalypse, West Coast Racers, Justice League, Twisted Colossus, Scream, and the Carousel. Would've gotten on Superman, too, had it not broken down when we were next to board (whomp).
 
X2 opening late is nothing new. It was notorious for never opening with the park for years.

I do agree they should open up the parking sooner. It's supposed to open at 10am, but they've been a bit late on the two days I've been there.

Really, I think any large public space (amusement parks, malls, parks, etc.) are going to be bad about masks under noses, poor social distancing, etc. On a large scale, it's realistically unenforceable. It just has to be up to the individual if it's worth the risk, or ask for the people around you for space.

I don't think there's much they can do about seating every other row... isn't that demanded by the state/county (at least until June 15)? That said, it is odd that some rides are every other row, and some are just one party per car And I understand there's different manufactures, but even within manufactures, there's differences. For instance, Full Throttle and WCR were both made by Premier and have the same cars, but FT does every other row, and WCR was only allowing one/two parties per train.

The Flash Pass is definitely a big problem. They probably should cut it, but I think they painted themselves into a corner by already stating ages ago that they'd be honored, especially as a benefit to members who kept up their payments during the pandemic. To suddenly change their minds would make lots of people angry, but one could just as easily argue there's lots of angry people now. But the latter option still gives them more money, so...

But I will say that they are running two trains on most rides, even Apocalypse. So I gotta give them that.
 
Distancing recommendation. That's right. It's a recommendation, not a rule or law. Magic Mountain does not need to enforce anything according to the rules put out to reopen. All they have to do is have markers on the ground which they do.

Masks - the state policy states, "Use of face coverings is mandatory throughout the park in all settings indoor and outdoor, unless actively eating and/or drinking. Guests who do not comply should be removed from the facility immediately." If MM is going to remove you, they have to arrest you for trespassing. Do you really think they are going to do this?

IDs - "In-state visitors only. Information will be prominently placed on all communications, including the Reservation and Ticketing systems, to ensure guests are aware of Reservation and Ticketing Requirements. At the time a guest makes a park reservation and purchases park tickets, the park operators must obtain an attestation that when visiting the park, the guest’s party size will not contain more than 3 households and the guest, and all members of the guest’s party will be instate visitors. " You know that little box you check before completing your reservation? That is your attestation. MM is not checking IDs.
 
X2 opening late is nothing new. It was notorious for never opening with the park for years.

I do agree they should open up the parking sooner. It's supposed to open at 10am, but they've been a bit late on the two days I've been there.

Really, I think any large public space (amusement parks, malls, parks, etc.) are going to be bad about masks under noses, poor social distancing, etc. On a large scale, it's realistically unenforceable. It just has to be up to the individual if it's worth the risk, or ask for the people around you for space.

I don't think there's much they can do about seating every other row... isn't that demanded by the state/county (at least until June 15)? That said, it is odd that some rides are every other row, and some are just one party per car And I understand there's different manufactures, but even within manufactures, there's differences. For instance, Full Throttle and WCR were both made by Premier and have the same cars, but FT does every other row, and WCR was only allowing one/two parties per train.

The Flash Pass is definitely a big problem. They probably should cut it, but I think they painted themselves into a corner by already stating ages ago that they'd be honored, especially as a benefit to members who kept up their payments during the pandemic. To suddenly change their minds would make lots of people angry, but one could just as easily argue there's lots of angry people now. But the latter option still gives them more money, so...

But I will say that they are running two trains on most rides, even Apocalypse. So I gotta give them that.

RE: X2... that's a problem! It's one thing if it's a one-off, but a chronic issue like that should conceivably be addressed.

They were definitely up and running by 10am, but it didn't seem like many rides were ready to open. Still think it was a smart call to open the gates - prevented any backups or congregations. Again, props for a very smooth arrival experience other than the delayed parking.

I really don't think it's so unenforceable - it requires creating a culture that expects compliance with basic rules. When you have security guards passing through maskless crowds without saying anything, that's a problem. When people see that nothing is going to be enforced, they won't bother to follow the rules. Citywalk has, in my experience, done a fairly good job at this - it's never going to be 100% compliance, but at least some effort could be made. I do agree, though, that you accept a certain level of risk going to any of these parks right now.

I'm not clear if the state/county is actually mandating skipped rows on ride vehicles. If it is, all the more reason to cease Flash Pass until that restriction is lifted. However, some rides were loading every row - particularly Scream and Tatsu. WCR, when I was there, was doing every other row, so up to 6 passengers per train.

I do get the whole "we promised Flash Pass" conundrum, but... I mean, if they only want to please their Diamond Elite and Flash Pass buyers, I guess. But they're going to create long-term retention issues if basic ticket buyers can't have an enjoyable experience at the park.

Definitely agree re: running multiple trains. I believe every single ride was doing this except for possibly Viper. Even Scream, which notoriously has had 1 train in my experience, had 2 going and consequently had minimal queues with every row loading.

Distancing recommendation. That's right. It's a recommendation, not a rule or law. Magic Mountain does not need to enforce anything according to the rules put out to reopen. All they have to do is have markers on the ground which they do.

Masks - the state policy states, "Use of face coverings is mandatory throughout the park in all settings indoor and outdoor, unless actively eating and/or drinking. Guests who do not comply should be removed from the facility immediately." If MM is going to remove you, they have to arrest you for trespassing. Do you really think they are going to do this?

IDs - "In-state visitors only. Information will be prominently placed on all communications, including the Reservation and Ticketing systems, to ensure guests are aware of Reservation and Ticketing Requirements. At the time a guest makes a park reservation and purchases park tickets, the park operators must obtain an attestation that when visiting the park, the guest’s party size will not contain more than 3 households and the guest, and all members of the guest’s party will be instate visitors. " You know that little box you check before completing your reservation? That is your attestation. MM is not checking IDs.

Sorry, we are not going to be looking for workarounds to safety mandates here. I get some of it's theater - but some of it isn't. Distancing and masking are literally the least anyone can do. The park can be fined, penalized, or shut down if they are found to be flagrantly violating state guidelines. (Not saying they would - especially a business of this scale - but it's theoretically possible. It's happened to other businesses.)

MM does not have to arrest or trespass you. They can eject people for any non-discriminatory reason. They can obviously ask you to keep your mask on. Many clearly exhausted and frustrated employees continued to beg guests to keep their masks on over the attraction queue PA's. Anyone who refuses to follow this very simple and understandable rule does not deserve to be in the park and may be endangering other people who have yet to be vaccinated.

What exactly are you driving at here? You seem to only be posting "nudge nudge" suggestions on how to circumvent safety requirements and take issue with people who insist safety mandates be followed for now. If you do not live in California, you should not be coming to the park. Period.
 
RE: X2... that's a problem! It's one thing if it's a one-off, but a chronic issue like that should conceivably be addressed.

They were definitely up and running by 10am, but it didn't seem like many rides were ready to open. Still think it was a smart call to open the gates - prevented any backups or congregations. Again, props for a very smooth arrival experience other than the delayed parking.

I really don't think it's so unenforceable - it requires creating a culture that expects compliance with basic rules. When you have security guards passing through maskless crowds without saying anything, that's a problem. When people see that nothing is going to be enforced, they won't bother to follow the rules. Citywalk has, in my experience, done a fairly good job at this - it's never going to be 100% compliance, but at least some effort could be made. I do agree, though, that you accept a certain level of risk going to any of these parks right now.

I'm not clear if the state/county is actually mandating skipped rows on ride vehicles. If it is, all the more reason to cease Flash Pass until that restriction is lifted. However, some rides were loading every row - particularly Scream and Tatsu. WCR, when I was there, was doing every other row, so up to 6 passengers per train.

I do get the whole "we promised Flash Pass" conundrum, but... I mean, if they only want to please their Diamond Elite and Flash Pass buyers, I guess. But they're going to create long-term retention issues if basic ticket buyers can't have an enjoyable experience at the park.

Definitely agree re: running multiple trains. I believe every single ride was doing this except for possibly Viper. Even Scream, which notoriously has had 1 train in my experience, had 2 going and consequently had minimal queues with every row loading.



Sorry, we are not going to be looking for workarounds to safety mandates here. I get some of it's theater - but some of it isn't. Distancing and masking are literally the least anyone can do. The park can be fined, penalized, or shut down if they are found to be flagrantly violating state guidelines. (Not saying they would - especially a business of this scale - but it's theoretically possible. It's happened to other businesses.)

MM does not have to arrest or trespass you. They can eject people for any non-discriminatory reason. They can obviously ask you to keep your mask on. Many clearly exhausted and frustrated employees continued to beg guests to keep their masks on over the attraction queue PA's. Anyone who refuses to follow this very simple and understandable rule does not deserve to be in the park and may be endangering other people who have yet to be vaccinated.

What exactly are you driving at here? You seem to only be posting "nudge nudge" suggestions on how to circumvent safety requirements and take issue with people who insist safety mandates be followed for now. If you do not live in California, you should not be coming to the park. Period.
Not driving at anything. Trying to set people straight on what the actual rules and laws are.
There have been plenty of false posts put here and on other sites. Just trying to get everybody in line as to what to expect.
 
X2 opening late is nothing new. It was notorious for never opening with the park for years.

I do agree they should open up the parking sooner. It's supposed to open at 10am, but they've been a bit late on the two days I've been there.

Really, I think any large public space (amusement parks, malls, parks, etc.) are going to be bad about masks under noses, poor social distancing, etc. On a large scale, it's realistically unenforceable. It just has to be up to the individual if it's worth the risk, or ask for the people around you for space.

I don't think there's much they can do about seating every other row... isn't that demanded by the state/county (at least until June 15)? That said, it is odd that some rides are every other row, and some are just one party per car And I understand there's different manufactures, but even within manufactures, there's differences. For instance, Full Throttle and WCR were both made by Premier and have the same cars, but FT does every other row, and WCR was only allowing one/two parties per train.

The Flash Pass is definitely a big problem. They probably should cut it, but I think they painted themselves into a corner by already stating ages ago that they'd be honored, especially as a benefit to members who kept up their payments during the pandemic. To suddenly change their minds would make lots of people angry, but one could just as easily argue there's lots of angry people now. But the latter option still gives them more money, so...

But I will say that they are running two trains on most rides, even Apocalypse. So I gotta give them that.
Its why Im telling people not to visit Universal/Six Flags if you don't have an AP

The lines suck because people can literally pay to be in front of you and take up an entire row now because of the laws...which really pushes the normal lines to be over 60 mins within the first two hours of the park being open
 
I have absolutely no evidence for this aside from my own gut feeling, but I'm gambling they're trying to retro fit the Skytower into a giant swing tower ride.

It'd make perfect sense if they can pull it off; the tower is already built, it'd be a great location for it (not only being on the top of a hill, but also in an area that could use another attraction), and SFMM is practically the only SF park that doesn't have one. It also would preserve the integrity of the structure, yet keep it relevant for a thrill audience.

This is all wishful thinking on my end, but assuming it's possible, it's practically a no brainer. They put a drop ride on an existing tower, something I would've never expected before.
 
One major detail you have to keep in mind when it comes to the Sky Tower....

TATSU

Tatsu curves around the Sky Tower at a relatively close range. So a demolition and/or swing ride conversion is very unlikely. Also, it's possible the Sky Tower is a protected landmark (but I'm not certain).

HOWEVER.... MAY 29th, 1971 ...Magic Mountain turns 50. While I don't expect an 18 month celebration like WDW, they might acknowledge it
 
I really want them to reopen the tower but if it comes down to it, removing it for a record breaking swing ride wouldn't be too bad. Especially if they never plan on opening it again.
 
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