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The main purpose of this trip is a cousins wedding but i thought i would make the most out of it and get some new coasters in. So I am off to SFGADV and SFNE as well.
I have been once to the mountain before- about a year ago and had an absolute ball- the park was quite, very little q'ing and the coasters were all running well excpet X. Now that was a huge disapointment as i was drooling at the prospect of riding it.
So here i was again with Scream now also to ride. I only had about 4 hours in the park as i had to get back to the airport (where i will be in 45 mins) to catch my flight to Philidelphia.
First off the park was quite busy, lots of school kids. This restricted me to only 4 coasters.
Scream- 10 mins wait. 2 train operation (we will get back to that) My first floorless. I enjoyed it, but the floorless experience did not really add anything. I rode twice- once in the 2nd row and once in the back. Nice coaster, the inline twist before the cobra roll is the best bit. Smooth but not silky. 7-10
Goliath- 15 mins wait. 2 Train operation. I love this coaster- great first drop and the helix- well we have all talked about that helix before. The MCBR did seem a bit heavy though. 1 ride near the back 8-10
X- This was basically the only reason i went today. I have another full day in the park on the way back to Aussie but wanted to make sure i got at least one ride on this beast. Q was enormous at the begining (i got to the park at 1 ish) so i did scream and goliath and went back to it later on around 2 ish. They were adding the second train (why not do that at the start of the day??) so some people left the q. The 2 train op worked quite well but still a 2 hour wait. They check and re-check and re-check those restraints. Can never be too safe but slows down those dispatch times.
The ride itself. I was front row right outside (going up backwards). All i can say is that is the best coaster i have ever ridden by miles. I have done a lot of parks and coasters- IOA, BGT, Knotts, Thorpe park, Alton Towers, Dreamworld, Cedar point and more. But nothing compares to this at all. Its intensity is awe inspiring, the first flip and drop just sends you into raptures. Yes it is a bit rough, nothing painfull at all, i think it adds to the experience. It is not a one trick pony unlike some newer rides out there, it does not let up until the end. Just amazing. 1 ride 10/10
Viper- 5 mins wait. 2 train op. A fun coaster, rough yes and horrible restraints, but great inversions. 6/10
Now onto my gripes. What the hell are they doing with Riddler and Batman??? One train ops that resulted in 1 1/2 hr waits. Totally unacceptable. I have heard that they have some sort of Health and safety issue, but i find that hard to believe. B&M's have a near perfect safety record. What is the point of buying these expensive coasters that can literally chew a Q to pieces when operating at its full potential. Customers in Q's are not spending cash on food and stuff are they?
Second major gripe is the Q jumping here in LA. A lot do it- and the line set up does not help. Especially on X why have 2 lines and only use one- it makes for very easy access for line jumpers.
Now comes the good stuuf that i noticed around the park. All the flats were working- yes thats right all of them. Only the monerail, flashback, Observation tower and Superman were down. The first three dont really matter either. So only one ride down, is quite an improvement.
Lots of staff everywhere, cleaners, security guards (not in the Q's though). Place was clean. Season pass was very quick.
All in all a good few hours to spend in between flights- much more interesting than a departure lounge. X made my day- truly brilliant, i will be running to get there first on weds.
Right i am off to the airport, then on to SFGADV for all of tomorrow, then 3 hours in SFNE on thurs beofre meeting up with the folks.
cheers
james
As far as line jumping, that's one of my beefs with SFMM. It really is out of control there and a shame the park doesn't care enough to do something about it. Even though the cost of hiring a security guard to stand at each line would be enormous, it the long run it would be worth the guest satisfaction for those of us park patrons who are decent and civilized enough to wait our turn in line.
If open, I suggest trying to get a back seat ride on Deja Vu when you return. If for no other reason than for the face first 20 story verticle drop, simply brilliant! (and this is from a Vekoma basher!).
As far as the floorless experience goes, after my first ride on Kraken I would have agreed. The floorless nature added little to nothing to the overall feeling of the coaster. UNTIL riding the front row. All the difference in the world. Not mind-blowing, but another level, comparable to the difference between middle and front of B&M inverteds. Substantial.
All kidding aside, sounds like a great day at the Mountian. You went with the right attitude, as a good day at MM is for sure a relative thing.
-Scott
gyjdnb said:Now onto my gripes. What the hell are they doing with Riddler and Batman??? One train ops that resulted in 1 1/2 hr waits. Totally unacceptable. I have heard that they have some sort of Health and safety issue, but i find that hard to believe. B&M's have a near perfect safety record. What is the point of buying these expensive coasters that can literally chew a Q to pieces when operating at its full potential. Customers in Q's are not spending cash on food and stuff are they?
Find it hard to believe? But it's true. The state (CAL OSHA) is the reason why Batman The Ride and The Riddler's Revenge are restricted to a single train operation. Apparently, at their most recent visit (which is months ago), the inspectors felt that the maintenance logs for certain trains were improperly kept and that inspections were not completed at a regular concise interval. I assume the rides will be cleared for multiple train operation the next time they stop by, but who knows when.
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