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.