Six Flags Magic Mountain, 11/25/09. A good day but sort of strange

Hours 10:30-6, but I was there from 11-7. Traffic was very bad, due to the holiday and I did not get to the parking booths until 10:30. By the time I got to the entrance, paid to renew my season pass, had a new picture taken and got my new pass, I didn't get into the park until 11:00. It was the first time I have had a new picture taken since I bought my pass in 2006.

Crowds were moderate for the most part, but the crowd patterns were very strange this time. I got on 24 total rides. Many rides which normally have very short lines were long and some of the ones which are usually somewhat longer were very short. Most of my waits were short but almost every coaster I rode was also skipped earlier or later in the day when the line was much longer. This visit involved much more "hit and miss" with lines than most of the times I go to MM.

At one point Viper, Revolution, Ninja and Colossus had longer lines than X2, Tatsu, Deja Vu or Terminator. The result was that I went in a kind of strange order today, which involved back tracking and skipping rides, rather than hitting every coaster in order like I normally do. I also did not get a Q-bot this time. I have been to MM the day before Thanksgiving before and most of the time the lines weren't too bad so I thought I might not need it. A few times I thought I should have got one.

The Riddler's Revenge also broke down while I was on it at about 5:30. We were stuck on the ride for about 20 mins. At first I was a little frustrated but it turned out well. They gave everyone an exit pass which we could use on any ride we choose on any visit between now and 12/31/10. They also gave us the option to use it on X2 tonight since it was the only coaster which we still had time to get to. This was because the gave us the exit passes at 5:55 and X2 was still running since it still had a long line. MM regularly keeps X2 open after the rest of the park is closed if it has a long line. We were allowed to arrive at 6:00 and ride X2 even though the line had already been closed off. I thought this was great PR and quick decision making, which turned a minor frustration into a good experience. I heard people around me talk about how they were upset at first but ended up happy with the way it turned out.

The area the new coaster will be in has also been blocked off. It will be in between Deja Vu's queue and the Johnny Rocket's stand. The building which was in that spot has been torn down. There were also workers painting Goliath.

Here is the day in order. I was going to ride X2 first if I would have got there before the park opened.

Tatsu: once, 10 mins.

Terminator Salvation: twice, 10 mins each.

Deja Vu: twice, walk ons.

Terminator Salvation: once, 5 mins.

Viper: once, 15 mins. Was going to go again, but line was 4 times as long when I got off. Checked line for X2 from the lift hill. It was about 1 1/2 hrs.

Superman: twice, walk ons.

Gold Rusher: once, 10 mins.

Riddler's Revenge: twice, 10 mins each.

Batman: twice, 10 mins each.

Scream: 3 times, 5 mins each.

Colossus: once, 10 mins.

Revolution: once, 10 mins.

Viper: twice, walk ons, didn't leave my seat.

X2: once, 1 hr.

Riddler's Revenge: once, walk onto front row. This is when it broke down and we got the exit passes. On the way there, Tatsu, Terminator and Deja Vu had long lines and the day was almost over so I skipped them.

X2: once, used exit pass. Nice bonus that I got on a 2nd time.

24 total rides. X2-twice, Viper-3, Revolution-1, Tatsu-1, Superman-2, Deja Vu-2, Terminator Salvation-3, Gold Rusher-1, Riddler's Revenge-3, Batman-2, Scream-3, Colossus-1

Nice move with the exit passes. You got a lot of riding in for a shortened day.

Yes, it turned out well. I lost about 20 mins of time. I was going to ride Riddler's one more time than go to Batman and probably get on twice before the park closed. I way I look at it I lost 1-2 coasters off my overall total for the day and traded two rides on Batman for one ride on X2. Since I had only been on X2 once before that, it's a trade-off I can definitely accept.

Also, in my TR, I forgot to mention that while X2 was running after the park was closed, the Viper was too. X2 was open until 7:00 and Viper was open until 6:30.

SFMMAddict

How much is the discount on the Flash Passes with the Xtreme Play Pass, both the regular and the Gold?

You get a $15 discount on either one. When I renewed my pass they told me it will be the same in 2010 and all other Xtreme Play Pass benefits will be the same too.