Magic Mountain in a Day

I'm planning on going to SFMM on June 13. Is it possible to ride all of the big roller coasters and thrill rides in one day, or will take two days to do it?

If all the coasters and both of the thrill rides are actually open in the same day, you probably can manage it in a day.

I'll play devil's advocate and say no.

June 13 is a Saturday during the starting peak of Magic Mountain's summer operations. The crowds swarm the Los Angeles theme park like honeybees to a hive starting late May all the way through late August.

Unless you invest in one of their new premium electronic Flash Passes (Gold Q-BOT), you most likely will not be able to ride all 16 roller coasters (14, if you're not a credit whore going after the two kiddie coasters too) in one day.

I've yet to see the park have any of the coasters closed for reasons such as being understaffed like it was in the past. New management does a great job keeping operations up, and has everything running at full capacity during holidays and the summer months. So during your July 13 visit, you won't have to really worry about whether or not a certain ride will be running more than one train, or whether some rides will be closed...things you'd have to worry about when Six Flags was under previous management.

You can do SFMM in a day.

Just get to the park 1 hour before opening and RUN to X2 first. When you get off of X2, go strait to Tatsu, then Deja Vu. After that it should be easy to get all the other coasters in because every one will be at X2, Tatsu, and Deja Vu.

Good luck.

I agree with the main points in the last two posts, but would also like to add that on very crowded days, such as Saturdays in June, the lines on Goliath and Riddler's Revenge can get pretty long also. I am not sure you can ride them all unless you get a Q-bot, but like RyanTTD said, the most important thing is that you get there before they open, get to X2 as fast as possible, and ride it first. A wild card in this is how long the line for Terminator will be. I would think that on a Saturday, 3 weeks after opening, it will be long also. A Q-bot, preferably gold if you can, would be the safest bet.

add to the end of SFMAddict's post

which is causing the lines to be artificially longer than they should be anyways.

I still don't think one should have to spend a premium exceeding the gate price to be able to ride things.

^ Then don't do it. It's a really simple decision.

If you have an option of going on a non-Saturday, I'd suggest you do so. You shouldn't have a problem getting everything in on a weekday and don't need a flash pass to do it. Sunday should be better han Saturday, but can still draw quite a crowd.

Weekend in the mid-summer.... plan on two days or get the gold flash pass.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FLASH PASS:

Important: Get there early and head straight to X2 (do NO stop at Revolution!) - then Tatsu (Do NOT stop at Viper) - then proceed to the rear of he park for Deja Vu & Terminator (Do NOT stop at Rapids or Splashdown). Head to Riddler, Goldrusher, Batman, Colossus, Scream, Goliath. Then make your way back toward Revolution and Viper (Stopping by Canyon Blaster Kiddie coaster on the way if you are a whore). Take the Orient Express (located near the carousel) up the mountain to Ninja & Superman:TE. If you still have time, go back down the hill to the rear and hit up the non-coaster stuff you passed up as you make your way around to the front again (Or go for a re-ride on something).

I've never gotten a flashpass, so I can't advise on how to plan a busy Saturday using a flashpass, but the order of the rides should be pretty much the same I imagine.

LoadedG nailed it. If you follow that plan for hitting the coasters without a Q-Bot, I'd imagine you'd be able to get all the "adult" coasters in without any trouble. You'll probably be looking at a few pretty long lines in the middle of the day, but in the morning and later at night you'll be making up for it. The only thing I'd add to that plan is skip Riddler if the line has overflowed past the queue entrance, then circle back (come down the hill on the opposite side as Orient Express) after S:TE & Ninja. Riddler is amazingly popular and often has a horrendus line.

Saturdays in Summer are bad pretty much everywhere, but if you have a plan of attack, you're in a better spot than peeps who just follow the circle and get on whatever they are close to.

Thanks for your help, everyone. Quick question. Let's say I go to the park for a day with a regular $39.99 ticket bought online, and then I buy a 3-person unit gold flash pass for $139.99, then will I be able to SFMM in one day, even if it is a Saturday in June?

Three other questions:

Do they have early entry as does a few of the Cedar Fair parks?

Is buying a Gold Flash Pass off of the SFMM website the same as getting a "Gold (Q-BOT)" as listed above?

Do you have to buy an admission ticket first and then a flash pass to utilize the flsh pass?

If you buy a gold flashpass, you'll be on the rides no longer than 15 minutes after you reserve your ride, no matter how long the line is. Yes, gold flashpass will allow you to do the entire park in one day, with so many re-rides your head will spin.

Just save your money and cut in front of everyone without using a flashpass. Everyone does it.

^^ Yes LoadedG nailed it, do exactly what he said, except if you get a Gold Q-bot.

There is no early entry. Gold Flash Pass and Gold Q-bot are the same thing. You must buy admission tickets and flash passes (Q-bots) separately.

I sincerely hate it, that in order to have fun somewhere, you have to sit down and map our your entire day to the minute. I've never really been able to do that. Obviously, I'm able to plan a couple of hours around a showtime, or a sit down meal, but sitting down 3 months in advance and laying down an action plan for being able to ride all the rides? Meh.

Raven-Phile said:
I sincerely hate it, that in order to have fun somewhere, you have to sit down and map our your entire day to the minute.

Yeah, but the request wasn't for a plan to have fun, it was for a plan to hit all of the coasters.

Two different things entirely. :)

It's called overplanning. I used to do it. Now when I travel and visit parks I just let the day unravel as it may. I rarely find I've missed anything (most likely if I do it'll be there on my next visit anyway) and I'm much less stressed and tired from worrying I'll miss something while running from one end of a park and back all day.

What Gonch?

If a coaster enthusiast asks what the best way to get on all the coasters, isn't his intention to have fun? Isn't he really asking the best way for HIM to have fun?

LostKause said:
If a coaster enthusiast asks what the best way to get on all the coasters, isn't his intention to have fun?

I don't know. Is it? Is this a trick question or some wisdom disguised as a riddle like a "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?" sort of thing?

I dunno. 10 centimeters?

Do I pass? Can I have a gold star if I do?

I'm sorry but 10 centimeters is the wrong answer. No gold star for you tonight, Gonch. :) The correct answer is, "Yes".

I'm with Moosh. I like to discover a park, new or not, rather than run from one predetermined attraction to the next. Having your entire day planed out doesn't appeal to me. I might pick my first coaster of the day and run to it as a starting point for the days activities, but after that I find it very enjoyable to decide as I go.

Some people like to run from ride to ride, and that's okay too. I feel that they miss the charm (That's right, I said it. So shoot me.) that some parks can offer when they hurry. There is the worry that one may not get to ride everything that they want in a day, but if you visit a park during less busy days, and if the park is operated correctly, it's very possible to ride everything.

I'm starting to believe my real mistake was ending that post with a smiley instead of a winky.

Perhaps I let my sense of humor drift too far to the dry side there? Meh, the right people get it.