Coaster reviews

Airtimes Fun Duration Harness

My first RMC raptor, and I absolutely loved it! Definitely a back row ride--unfortunately, there is no seat selection--but man does that first drop rip you out of your seat in the back! Tons of airtime and unique elements throughout. Only thing I didn't like about this ride is how the seat positioning makes you straddle a big metal block in the middle--if you have longer legs this might not be a comfortable experience for you.

Fun

Fun kiddie coaster. Goes around the short track 4-5 times.

Location Fun Duration

By far the best alpine coaster I have ridden. I love how they incorporated it into the terrain so well. Surprisingly fast and has tiny pops of airtime too! This ride does have a bit of a slow moving line since it's only one person per car, so ride this early in the day and get multiple rides before the line gets long!

Location Discomfort

Janky little ride, but has some interesting turns and quick drops. Amazing location and views!

First Drop Location Too short

Enjoyable ride in an incredible location. The lift hill and first drop are awesome--on the lift, you are staring up at the clouds, and then the drop has you looking down at the city a thousand feet below! Defiance is a very short ride, but this is likely due to the lack of space on the mountainside. Some have said it is surprisingly rough--I personally didn't experience too much of this, but I did hit my head hard against the restraint on one of the inversions, so brace yourself! Definitely worth a trip up the mountain to ride.

Nice surprise! Location Fun Dead spots

Had a good time riding this coaster for the first time in late March. I’d heard generally negative reviews about this ride and how rough and janky it was so i tried to brace myself the entire ride. However, it was surprisingly smooth and enjoyable! I’m guessing that the new premier rides trains are making a world of difference, since I never rode this coaster with the old trains. Awesome location, some cool and wacky drops and inversions. Slower second half of the ride but still enjoyable. It’s an expensive price tag, and the line was about 40 mins long on a weekday morning, but IMO it’s absolutely worth it for the experience!

Airtimes Fun Smoothness

Apollo’s Chariot marked the beginning of B&M dominating the hypercoaster game, and it doesn’t disappoint! Ridiculous floater airtime throughout. It’s not intense at all, but the airtime more than makes up for the lack of intensity. You’ll be out of your seat on every hill, and the surprise drop at the end will give you several seconds of airtime! A true gem!

Fun Intensity Layout Rattle

Absolutely monstrous invert; it towers above the park! Alpengeist is a blast to ride and doesn’t usually have much of a line. The inversions are massive and forceful, and the pacing is great. Slight B&M rattle but not too terrible.

Inversions Intensity Smoothness

A one-of-a-kind arrow looper. The dome setting has definitely helped shield the track from the Vegas heat and other weather elements, making it butter smooth even decades after opening. Great pacing and whippy corkscrews. Probably the best coaster in the Vegas area.

Discomfort

Another jerky wild mouse clone. The drops are fun, but the first part of the ride is terrible.

First Drop Launch Harness

Another unique roller coaster at lagoon. The vertical launch is exhilarating, as is the airtime on the first drop. The rest of the ride isn’t much to write home about though. The harness can be very uncomfortable on shins and thighs.

First Drop Fun

Short and sweet spinner. First drop is a blast if you can get your car to spin a lot. Great finale as well with the heavily banked turns!

Airtimes Fun Rattle

Fun, classic woodie. Decent pops of airtime here and there. Recommend riding in the front as I found it significantly smoother than in the back, which occasionally jackhammers pretty badly.

Harness Discomfort

Not an enjoyable ride at all. Jerky transitions, and you run the risk of splitting your chin open on the back of the person’s head in front of you! Only ride at Lagoon that I despise.

Inversions Intensity

A classic Schwarzkopf that is a blast to ride. Never has a line either! The double loop is insanely intense and I usually grey out. After that it’s a few tight helices that provide great laterals. Short and sweet!

First Drop Intensity Layout Lap Bar

Cannibal is a one-of-a-kind ride, and if you’re a coaster enthusiast, probably what draws you to lagoon in the first place! The elevator lift is fast and scary, even for a seasoned rider, and the beyond vertical first drop tries to rip you out of your seat! The first part of the ride consists of whippy dive loops, but the show stopper is the Lagoon Roll out of the brake run. Back to back barrel rolls taken at a snails pace, which make you feel the entire weight of your body against the lap bar. It’s just a single lap bar, btw—no seatbelt or anything else! Obviously it’s totally safe, but that component of the ride definitely messes with your mind! If the bar is too tight, you might have your thighs crushed on the inversions and first drop, but that doesn’t take away from the experience too much. Cannibal is such a unique ride with incredible, wacky elements, and is definitely a Coaster you have to experience to believe!

Nice surprise! Fun

Perfect family/kids coaster! Butter smooth, good laterals, surprisingly intense helices! Never a long line either.

Location Headbanging Discomfort

Typical old-school Vekoma junior suspended coaster. Big, bulky harness that is sure to cause some headbanging during transitions! This ride runs a single train, and the ride is very popular for kids, so this is usually the longest line in the park. Not worth the wait if you come on a busy day.

Airtimes Fun Duration Dead spots

The quintessential classic woodie. Good pops of airtime, slow on the turnarounds, long ride! I was sad to see it go, but twisted colossus was a more than necessary upgrade!

Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

The worst roller coaster ever. I only rode it once, and that was MORE than enough for me! Couldn’t have torn it down fast enough!

Fun Duration Harness

Fun dueling coaster that makes perfect use of the limited space around it. Great lateral airtime right out of the first launch, and several enjoyable inversions. The premier ride harnesses/comfort collars are annoying, but they don’t detract too much from the ride.

Inversions Intensity Rattle Headbanging

Monster Arrow looper that is likely on its last legs. I remember marathoning Viper as a kid in the mid-2000’s when it was running great. Nowadays as an adult it’s gotten quite rough, but always worth a ride to experience a classic Arrow.

Location Intensity Discomfort

One of the most majestic roller coasters I’ve ever ridden! Tatsu gives you the perfect sensation of flying. If this is your first B&M Flyer, the lift hill will scare the living crap out of you, as all of your weight is against the (very sturdy) harness! The first half of the layout is smooth, exhilarating and offers incredible views of the park. That gets interrupted by the single most intense element on any ride ever, the enormous pretzel loop! The only negative part of the ride is the discomfort experienced on the brake run. But all in all, Tatsu is an insanely incredible coaster that is a must ride at SFMM

Airtimes Launch Too short

Fun launch, but this ride isn’t worth waiting for if the line is longer than 25-30 min. The airtime at the top of the tower is awesome though!

Inversions Intensity Rattle Headbanging

They should rename Scream to Rattler! This B&M floor less will shake your head up. Some elements are smoother than others, and the ride has on and off days. I would recommend NOT putting your head against the headrest at all during the ride, as the vibrations coming through the train during the rough parts will rattle your brain and give you an instant, and I mean instant headache once you get off. Instead, lean your head forward out of the gap in the restraint and keep it still—it will make Scream much more enjoyable.

Inversions Pace Rattle Discomfort

One of the most photogenic, impressive-looking coasters in the world! If only it rode as well as it looks :) Riddler is forceful and intense, but over the last decade it has developed a considerable rattle. The harnesses are very uncomfortable for men. It’s best to bend your knees to get the harness down closer to the floor of the train, and then stand up once it looks so the groin area has adequate clearance. It’s going to be rattley no matter how you stand, but definitely worth a ride.

Location Pace

Another classic SFMM gem. Blends perfectly with the terrain. The quality of the ride is hit or miss. Some days it is absolutely hauling through the trees, other days it crawls around the turns. When Ninja is running well it’s an absolute blast!

Location Fun Smoothness

Amazing older terrain coaster! Glad SFMM is giving this classic the TLC it deserves. Runs smooth as butter, fun drops and tunnels, and a surprisingly intense loop! Wish they’d remove some of the trims from the hills but it’s still a gem!

Comfort Smoothness Disappointing! Dead spots

As a kid, riding Goliath was quite the milestone in my life, as it was always so tall and imposing. However, 15-20 years later, after riding several B&M and intamin hypers, I now realize what a disappointment this Coaster is. Delivers great positive G’s, but that is about it. First drop is too drawn out and not steep enough, and the rest of the layout is uninspiring. In an ideal world, this would be torn down and replaced with a B&M giga!

Duration Discomfort

Fun, old Arrow mine train with good laterals, and yes, some jerky transitions. Brace yourself and the transitions aren’t too bad, but if you’re caught by surprise you might slam your stomach on the lap bar!