Magic Mountain — Local services in San Fernando

I waffled over going to Knott's Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. Most I spoke with said my kids would be happier at MM. Kinda sad we did.

Rides Closed The entire time. Apocalypse GREEN LANTERN: First Flight Viper Tidal Wave

All restaurants and stores in the Apocalypse area (Cyclone Bay) accept one small gift shop next to Dive Devil

Drink locations understaffed. My kids went on Tatsu and I was in line for drinks for almost the entire time. There were more people staffing the ride photo locations (at least the ones that were open). Also many of the freestyle coke machines (like in Studio 4f) were empty of many types of drinks/syrup (day 4 this was better). This was the case at many of these locations.

Restaurants: I understand the need to give students and foreign workers a chance to work, but you don't put them on the cash register taking orders when they don't have the understanding and speaking ability to do it. The person in front of me asked for salt and the counter person got the deer in the head lights look and had to call someone else over. I had a similar issue when I redeemed my purple bottle vouchers. Even the worker who ended up getting called over was having trouble getting her to understand what was needed. That being said, the restaurants had good staffing levels so we did not wait long for our food. And the food was tasty. Price was as expected.

Bathroom cleanliness varied greatly. The ones near the front of the park were clean and well maintained, but the ones in DC area near the Green Lantern & Flash rides were out of toilet paper, water running constantly in sinks, toilets that did not flush, and just overall smelly.

There were no shows in either theater and the Full Throttle Nights wasn't showing either. Everyone I spoke with talked about setting up for Fright Nights. I get it takes planning, but its August!!! Also I only saw a few characters out walking or posing for pictures over the entire 3 days we spent in MM. We also spent 1 day at HH

Hurricane Harbor. An entire corner of the park was closed including Tornado, Tiki Falls, Part of Black Summit Slides and Bamboo Racer. Kids were not happy about Tornado being closed. The other "family" raft ride does not compare. The wave pool is advertised as "king-sized waves" but they weren't today. We've been here before and the waves were much lacking compared to then. However we did enjoy the benefit of cartoons and music while waiting for the ripples. We were looking forward to eating the Hawaiian BBQ but were told when we checked into our cabana that they aren't open on weekdays along with some others. On a positive note, the young lady taking care of the changing room/bathroom near the lockers was doing a wonderful job. I told her so, but cannot...

I live out of state, but grew up near MM and have talked it up to my kids for years. We were coming into town for Thanksgiving and decided to give our kids the opportunity to experience a childhood favorite of mine. The website highly encourages you to purchase tickets online prior to arrival at the park and advertises that it's a money-savings. We had just flown in cross-country early that morning, and purchased our tickets in the car on the way to MM from LAX. MM's website only listed 2 rides as not operating (we checked before purchasing our tickets), and then we spent about $300 on tickets. We had in-state family drive 2 hours to meet us at the park. After also paying $45 more to park, we then go inside and several additional rides were down due to wind. We got in line for Revolution, posted wait time 30 minutes. We were in line for 60+, almost made it on the ride, and it broke down. By this time, only 4 (non-kiddie) rides are open. Long story short, we did not make it on a single non-kiddie ride except Gold Rusher in 6 hours before giving up. We went to customer service to inquire about a rain-check type option since we did not get to ride the main attractions and would be in town a few more days, and were unapologetically refused. We explained that online did not mention any weather issues or ride closures other than the two we saw, and were basically told "too bad." Our family who met up with us purchased the photo pass, which was also down that day (but was not disclosed until after it was purchased), and they were refused a refund or future use pass or anything for the photo pass as well. What should have been a fun family memory was instead a disastrous waste of money. MM's website should have shown weather issues and related ride closures, or we should have been told when we purchased parking or before entering the park that there were additional closures. Our local amusement park offers "rainchecks" if weather prevents riding for 2 hours or more to return another day. At minimum we should have been treated with at least respect when we inquired about any options due to not being able to ride any major...

We love Magic Mountain! Here are some valuable tips that will get you through the day.. Take the orient express. It's called the Honda express now. Located to the left of the carousel at the front of the park, it will save you time and energy to get to the top of the mountain. It only takes about five minutes, and sore feet and legs are sure to shorten your day. Eat before you come. Eat a good breakfast or lunch before entering. The food is steep and lacks proper nutrients. You will easily be down 40$ for a sub par slice of pizza that leaves much to be desired. Get the souvenir cup. A must! An upfront charge pays for itself after it's first use and trust me, you will get multiple refills. You can choose from any of their soft drink choices, but alternate with water to avoid a sugar crash. Yes, it will happen to you also. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. Not flip flops, not brand new sneakers, not boots. I've seen people trying to sit on the queue bars and having to take long breaks due to improper footwear. Your tried and true converse will come through for you yet again. Dress for success. Dress comfortably. It's a long day of walking and fun, wear an outfit that will get you through the day while protecting your skin from the sun. Bring a jacket! It gets chilly at night at spending 50$+ on a hoodie will leave a dent in your wallet. Bring Tylenol! Ibuprofen, Aspirin, anything. They sell it for the price of gold at a few stands in the park, but the last thing you want is to hunt one down with a headache. Some coasters in the park will rattle your brain, and after your tenth one it might be enough to send you hiking back early. Those are just a couple of tips to really extend your day and get to ride the maximum number of rides. You'll be glad you did the extra prep instead of worrying while you're trying to have fun!...