Popping my SFMM Cherry - March!

Happy Monday All!

My roomie and I are headed to the LA area, a few days before the big Bar/Nightclub show in Vegas - the first week of March. I figured this was my one and only opportunity to hit up the Mountain for my first time!

EXCITED - is the understatement of the year. I've been following this board for MANY years now, and have read countless reviews, posts and trip reports about this park...
So I am mucho anxious to get out there and tackle this place.

We live in downtown Chicago, and my homepark is SFGAM. My only question is how can we somehow strike a deal to get discounted tickets - besides the normal SF website?
Do any of you LA locals know?

I'm not here to ask what the best rides are, best times, etc... - I'm aware of all of this.
Just VERY excited to finally get out there - any random tips a first-timer should know about?

Any help is appreciated!
Thanks everyone!

-JC-

If you're planning to go to your home park this year, get a season pass. ;)

That goes without saying - of course. However, my roomie isn't as 'passionate' as the rest of us are... He probably just be looking for a single-day ticket.

Do they do the Coke can discount year-round in Cali?

When I lived there a few years back multiple resraurants were offering discounted tickets. If I remember correctly the restarants always seemed to change all the time.

Well if you get your season pass at Magic Mountain, you should get a coupon or even full comp ticket you can use for your friend. ;). But there's that new for 2011 feature of the parking pass only working for the park you buy your pass at. Are you renewing a GAm pass before you head out to Cali?

There is West Coast Bash on March 19th that would get you ert on all the coasters and it is also the date for Superman Backwards to open. You wont be able to use the Season Pass for that event though

Otherwise, always check the official SFMM Website as ususally you can get 39.99 tickets thru there or during springbreak(late March) sometimes for 29.99

The only place you should be eating inside the park is at Mooseburger Lodge. Trust me on this.

Hahaha - well if that Mooseburger Lodge is anything like the one at SFGAm - I know what you mean... TRUST.

* So I guess another question I may have is - I've noticed thru many trip reports that SFMM doesn't open all of their rides at park opening... Is this true?

We'll be going on a Saturday, so I would hope this is the case...

SFMM doesn't always open all their rides on any given day from my experience.

You've probably already read this, but hit up X2 first. It has crummy capacity. Then again, if you go on a weekday, it may not matter.

Ninja is the one ride at MM that I've found routinely opening late (opr not at all). Since my buddy AV is the world's biggest suspended fan, figured I needed to mention Ninja's accessibility issue. Really IS a very solid ride...and I find the ride downhill more than makes up for the weird lift placement...

Also, Goliath will not dispatch without enough people in the station (17, IIRC)....

I just got back from SFMM. If your flying in from Vegas go to Burbank and not LAX. It is an easy drive to the park from there. North Hollywood way to the 5 and get off at Magic Mountain parkway. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express just on the other side of freeway from the park.

All the rides that were scheduled to be open on Sunday were. Since I started with X2, Tatsu and Apocalypse I have no idea if anything else opened late.

I was there for 6 1/2 hours and got over 20 rides in. If I had wanted to power ride I am sure I could have come close to doubling that. The park was that dead.

You could repost your trip report here on CoasterBuzz, Dave, if you wanted to. CB would appreciate it more than FB. :)

In my limited LA experience, taking a freeway anywhere is a recipe for disaster in terms of time spent traveling.

Amen to that Jeff! I went to Coachella music festival a few years ago and we decided we would spend the early morning at SFMM and we left at 2 to go to Indio which is southeast of the park about 2 hours and it literally took 5 hours to get to Palm Springs which is still 30 miles away from where we wanted to be.

Hahaha - We're staying with my buddy in Studio City, which to my knowledge is a short drive away from the park?

Hopefully he'll be able to provide us with the fastest and easiest way to get there.

I've lived in LA for over 2 years, (holding a season pass for both) and traffic isn't too terrible on the way to the park. From Studio City, I'd say it should take you 35-45 min.

I live south of Studio City in Los Feliz, and sometimes I get there in 30.

Have a blast. I've been to lots of parks, and it is still one of my favorites...