KBF and SFMM Questions

X is down as of now. SFMM plans to have all repairs done by july 18, as OSHA will be inspecting X on the 19th. Hopefully it'll be open for your trip (you're going after the 19th....right?)

Yup, I'm sure hoping it's open. I'll be there the 21st/22nd I think so hopefully it will be open (fingers crossed.) I dont want to hype myself for it though because I don't even know if it will be open.

Kool, I don't know the chances of the log flume but I know I'll ride atleast all the coasters, Supreme Scream, and Perilous Plunge, if we can. We should beable to right?

So Knotts has the same deal with Cedar Point where they just like don't close the queue until the close of the park. So anyone already in the queue before close will get to ride?! I will be happy if this is true. I hope to get 2 rides on Xcelerator and 2 on Ghostrider but I don't really know how likely that is lol. Oh yeah one more thing, I don't know if I asked already. But where is Mrs. Knotts Chicken Diner?? Is it right across the street, right next to the park, where? Is it worth it too. I just though since it started the whole thing ya know, it must be good. So I figured I'd try persuade my family to get their earlier to eat, then buy the tickets and get in the park by 4 sharp*!

Thanks

anything else

wipeout is closed at knotts. expect perilous plunge to have it's daily intamin breakdown. run over to the ride when you see no water, or the water come back on for no wait,

Speedy, you are really making it sound bad. Perilous Plunge has been very reliable and has been open every day to my knowledge since it came back.

If you want to go on Plunge without a line, go at night. Just be sure and bring a change of clothes becuase you will be soaked.

Log Ride gets good capacity for a flume ride. The line moves quickly.

Try Ghostrider at night. I can't explain it, its just better!

Remember that Montezooma's and Jaguar close a little early for the fireworks show on the lake. If the park closes at 10, they won't reopen.

The line for Xcelerator closes early, probably at about 9:30 when the park closes at 10.

Perilous Plunge usually experiences downtime. What would you expect from a water ride that opened over 3 months late and was about to be completely rebuilt. Usually it's just something like the boat not connecting to the chain, so it opens back up in less than 1 hour. You will get soaked, but your whole butt and back stay dry because you're strapped to the seat. your shoes stay dry for some odd reason. you'd dry off in less than 2 hours during the day, you'll be a little damp after just about 30 minutes.

yeah, the log ride gets very respectable capacity because the dual loading/ unloading stations and many, many logs.

i think i got confused with the electroblast times and it will close all night if they close at 10 (sun-thurs). if they close at 11 or 12 they'll open it.

ghostrider is much better at night. it's been very rough ever since may. monte still shines.

xcelerator closes at 9 when the park closes at 10 (the line that is)..

What about the line for Ghostrider. I was hoping to get in the line at like 9:55 and just wait for it and ride in the back that night.

What kind of lines does Monte boast. I'll try to ride that, Boomerang, Xcelerator, and Perilous Plunge during the day if possible. Then one night ride on Ghostrider. Because the lines on that thing are always an hour aren't they?

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Top 5:
5) S:ros Sfdl 4) Raptor 3) Apollos Chariot 2) Magnum 1) Millennium Force

What kind of lines does KBF have on a monday in july for Xcelerator, Montezooma's, Ghostrider, Perilous Plunge, Boomerang, and Supreme Scream? Also, what rides should I not miss? Also, How are lines at SFMM on a tuesday in july for the major rides and coasters? Also, what rides should I not miss there

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*** This post was edited by RollrCoastr00 on 7/8/2002. ***

Answers for Coasting Ohio:
Wait until around 8 pm to ride Bommerang. Lines will be much, much, much shorter then. I have never been on it past 7 and waited in a line, it's simply a walkon or 2 cycle wait. Montezumma's revenge should be ridden before 9 pm because the fireworks show shuts it down. I'd definately ride this ASAP.

Perilous Plunge will have a 45 minute wait if the line begins just before the final set of switchbacks (there are 4 rows) if there are 2 boats, it will be like 1 hour 45 minutes if there are 2 boats. Also see how long the cycle times are before you ride. The 45 minutes is if the cycle time is around 6 minutes (one boat disbatched every 6 minutes). If it is more around 4 minutes, lines should be about 35 minutes or even less if the line begins before the final switchbacks. It takes about 1 hour to dry off if you stay outside in the sun and ride some coasters.

Ghostrider all depends on whether or not there are enough ride ops. Go over to the photo booth for the ride, go through it and go up the stairs to the station. Don't enter the station itself though and count the # of people checking lap bars. 4 is optimal. see if they're efficient. If no stacking occurs (you can see the 2nd train near the bottom of the stairs) whatsoever, expect a full station queue house (both levels) to take anywhere from 50-70 minutes. i would reccomend entering the line if you see a show is beginning.

If you want to ride Ghostrider in the back at night you should enter around 9:45 to make sure they won't close off the back car when other rows are beginning to run empty. check with the ride op @ the entrance to make sure they will close the queue at closing time.

Overall, you should definately be able to hit all on your list, plus dinner and supreme scream, and maybe jaguar for your record (no wait at night sometimes)
Rollrcoastr00:
July you mean?
Xcelerator and Montezumma's Revenge should be around 30 minutes, ghostrider 1 hour except at opening (less than 5 minutes if you arrive at 8:45 and run there), perilous plunge should be 2nd on your list, less than 45 minute line, bommerang 45 at day, 5 minutes at night, supreme scream varies because one day there may be chicken guests and the next thrill seekers. all 3 towers (not likely on a monday unless no one calls in sick) means a 20 minute line, 2 towers means a 35 minute line. well worth the wait.

if you have a full day, don't miss any of the thrill rides, and definately ride the log ride and the train. go on bigfoot rapids (it's a people eater when all the boats run which is normal for summer) if you'd like, see mystery lodge, and roam through ghost town. also don't miss hammerhead.

anything else? im going on monday and tuesday. Speedy, are those line times for a weekday?

--sarcasm on--

Ya know, for a nominal fee I can be at the park, hold your hand, and take you to all the rides. And if you're a good little boy I'll buy you an ice cream.

--sarcasm off--

You've already scheduled time to be at the parks. Its summer, so by now you should know that crowds will be larger than at other times of the year. If you've been visiting parks for the last few years it should be relatively easy to figure out which rides will be popular with the park guests or have long lines [coasters, new rides, rides w/ low capacity]. As for ride selection you can easily do research at each park's websites and on rcdb.com, plus you can search C-buzz's archives for trip reports to both parks. In addition, plenty of people have already given you enough advice in this thread, and I'm about to as well.

My advice: go, have fun, and stop worrying about what you'll have time for. If the line at one ride looks long, go ride something else. Neither of those parks are going anywhere. I'm sure if you miss something it'll be there the next time you go. The last time I went to a park and ran around trying to squeeze in everything I could I found I wasn't able to stop and actually ENJOY the park.

I'm sure my post will offend some people but IMHO there is something called "overplanning." I find it ruins the day. There is something to be said for letting the day unfold as it happens.

Matthew

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh on 7/12/2002. ***

Actually, Moosh.......I totally agree. I don't feel I have to have an itinerary in hand when I visit a park. I stroll and enjoy the day and go on rides if the lines are reasonable or do other things if the lines are too long. No biggie.

Something I must add......RollrCoastr00, it really seems kind of pointless to keep posting things like "anything else?" in order to keep bumping your thread back up to the top. If people want to respond, they will respond.

Sorry if I offend anyone...........But things like that just sorta bug me. ;)

LOL Lallen...it actually seems pointless to ask "anything else" when you've been given so much information already!

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson

Here's what the wife and I had at SFMM this past Monday:

Flashback and Ninja - Closed all day.

Psyclone and Gold Rusher - Closed first 1-2 hours.

B:TR - Closed until about 2pm.

No explanation as to why these rides were closed.

Riddler's Revenge: Two trains running but only one train loading early on. Don't know when the second train started loading.

Goliath: One train operation until about 1pm. This caused long lines (over 1 hour wait) until second train was added.

All other rides were running but had long lines due to closed rides; especially Deja Vu which had long lines all day. It was well over and hour wait.

At KBF we only rode Xcelerator and GR. Each was about a 30 minute wait between 4-6 pm.

I know this isn't much but it should help a little.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Favorite Wood: Viper(SFGAm), Legend (HW)
Favorite Steel: MF (CP), Mamba (WoF)

Alright, I happen to be a SFMM and KBF expert. If you get to KBF before it opens you should have no problems with lines. I was there a week and a half ago and Xcelerator didn't open until noon. If it is open at the beginning of the day RUN to the line. When you are done, get back in line and ride it again. This might be the last chance to ride without waiting for over an hour. If it is not open right away, just keep an eye on it. As soon as you see it open, get in line.

After Xcelerator, head to Supreme Scream. It's right next door and this ride has a high crap-your-pants factor.

After SS, I would head to the other end of the park and ride Ghostrider a couple of times. There is no woodie on the west coast that even comes close.

After that I would head back towards the Boardwalk (where Xcelerator is) for Boomerang and Perilous Plunge (you get friggin' drenched on this ride-not wet-DRENCHED! Also, the backs of the seats have a mildew smell to them, I swore I could smell mildew for the rest of the day). Boomerang's lines are some of the shortest in the park (for the coasters, anyway).

Don't forget about Montezuma's Revenge, It's old, but still pretty cool. Jaguar SUCKS! It's more like a tour of the park. You gotta hit up the Tampico Tumbler. That ride makes me laugh uncontrollably and there are some great G's on there too. The Timber Mountain Log Ride is dated but still cool too.
Make sure to drink some Knott's Berry Punch. It's the best! It's boisenberry flavored and it's very hard to find outside the park (they do sell concentrate in the gift shop just after you exit the park). Also, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant is absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. In Southern Cali, nobody even comes close to Knott's when it comes to theme park food.

Ok, now to Magic. First off, do yourself a favor and get to the parking lot an hour before the park opens. That way you can be one of the first people in the park. Trust this piece of advice: You can get more done at MM from 9-11:30 than from 11:30-6. The crowds get real thick between 12 and 6. Now I have been to MM over 100 times in my life so I know the best routine.

If X is open, as soon as those gates open-RUN,FOREST,RUN-to X. Ride it again when you're done if the line isn't too long, otherwise you could be waiting for over four hours with no shade!

After X, pass up Viper and follow the path. It will lead you to Deja Vu (if X is not open, start with Deja Vu). This line can get very long, better to ride it when the crowds are smaller.

After that, do me a favor. Psyclone is right next to Deja Vu. Pour some gasoline around the base and throw a match on it. Thanks. Seriously though, this coaster is a waste of time (unless you're a fan of whiplash). Don't be fooled if there is a short line, they wont dispatch the train if it is not just about full.

Riddler's Revenge should be next. Being a stand-up coaster, the load times can be painfully long.

There is usally no line for Freefall. It's a pretty fun ride. You can see the entrance when you exit RR.

Batman should be next. This is a classic coaster and the line moves pretty fast.

Then work your way around to Goliath, one of my favorite coasters (leave the lapbar loose if you got any stones). This line moves very fast. That is why I suggest it after all the others I just mentioned. After that work your way back around to Viper.

You just completed a big circle, but believe me it the best way to make the most of your time. After Viper, ride Revolution if there is not a long line. Next to Revolution, there is a tram-type of thing called the Orient Express. Ride that up the hill to get to Superman-your legs and feet will thank you (they don't call it a mountain for nothing). Ninja is next to Superman, ride only if the line is short, it's not that cool. Don't forget about Colossus, it's a classic. Flashback is almost never open, and it's really nothing to write home about.

The Mooseburger Lodge by the Giant Redwood has an all-you-can-eat buffet that blows anything else away in the park for around 15 bucks. There is some cool moose animatronics going on in there too. Bring an extra pair of shoes and socks. Even if it is really hot in the daytime, it can get cold at night so bring a sweater. If it is hot, the lines for the wet rides can get very long. Hope that helps.

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Coasters and Chronic
What a Combo!

Magic Mountain's rides with the longest lines are Riddler's Revenge, X, and Deja Vu. Goliath has a QUICK moving line if the ride is running 3 trains (which doesn't happen now b/c a train's in rehab).

At KBF you shouldn't worry too much about crowds. Arrive about a half an hour before opening (they open at 9), park the car in the lot across the street (go under the tunnel), and get to the entrance. there will be about 25 people there. as soon as you get in run to ghostrider because it's 30 feet from the entrance. ride this as long as the line allows and then head to PP. ride it and then go on xcelerator. head to ghostrider again at night.