Déjà vu

For those who are not familiar with coasters, there are actually standard designs for roller coasters used in multiple parks. For example, what California’s Magic Mountain calls “Scream” is referred to as “The Dominator” in Virginia’s King’s Dominion. While painted and named differently they are the same ride. Leading into this topic is the coaster in Knott’s Berry Farm called the “Boomerang”.

The Boomerang” is another example of a standard coaster design found in multiple parks. The coaster launches you forward through loops and corkscrews and then, upon reaching the end of the track, launches you backwards through the whole thing again. Jake and I were familiar with this coaster design by the time we reached Magic Mountain. So when Jake and I encountered “Déjà Vu”, and saw that it was a reverse coaster, we assumed it was another Boomerang…he he.
The harnesses should have been the first thing to alert us to our mistake. We didn’t get it at the time, but Jake and I noticed the harness system for Déjà Vu was much more secure and complex than a normal reverse coaster. I believe we actually joked “Lol, what do they think will happen to us”. As we began to ratchet backwards up the first slope I, because I am easily distracted, begin to examine the back of the seat in front of me. I failed to notice the obvious fact that unlike Boomerang and rest of the similar rides, we are now at a ninety degree angle facing the ground. After I came out of my distraction, I realized we are vertically up and down and said to Jake with curiosity, “Jake, I don’t think this is the same ride as Boomerang”.

Jake during my entire time of distraction apparently, being much more attentive than I am, had reached the same conclusion almost instantly and was in the solid grip of terror. After making my obvious statement he exclaimed in a loud and panicked voice, “YA THINK!”, and we were launched straight down towards the ground and through the ride.

-Nate

We were so wrong. Besides being considerably steeper than most Boomerang coasters, Déjà vu is also much taller. At a height of 191 feet, the world looks quite different, especially when you’re looking directly at the ground. I hate looking straight down. The ride is also considerably more intense, which makes sense. Larger drop +greater incline +higher speed = better ride.

Déjà vu also has a unique history. The company that designed Boomerang (Vekoma) designed Déjà vu to be a more intense variant of the ride. Six Flags commissioned three of the coasters from them. Despite the success of the original Boomerang (over 47 duplicates or variants operating worldwide) the new design ultimately proved unreliable. They were continually breaking down, and in one case the train was damaged to such a degree that repair was economically unfeasible. This ultimately led Six Flags to cease buying designs from the company. Only the Déjà vu in Magic Mountain continues to operate on a regular basis, making it an experience that would be unfortunate to miss.

-Jake