Griffindor

I was able to ride Iron Reef during the employee party and I was impressed despite all of the issues. My only real complaint is that I wish it was darker inside. It feels like you can see too much and doesn't really feel immersive. Aside from all the other problems let's hope for the best because as of now the ride has become a thorn in the side of most of the RO's and team leads up there. Apparently yesterday they had only one train operation with a 3 hour queue. I'm just saying this the curse of "rides 25". All of the other rides before Iron Reef that had the radio code rides 25 were Perilous Plunge and Windseeker and look what happened

Rumor has it that GhostRider's long-overdue refurb is going to be next year's big project. It seems to fit the current MO of the park... alternating years of new attractions with fixing up existing ones. Idk what could realistically go in the Windseeker space, because it's such a small footprint. Ghost was supposed to go down this week for rehab but seeing that our last rehab was shortened it wouldn't surprise me if that Ghost doesn't go down at all and we tough it out through the rest of the year until 2016 and they announce something big for it. If not that then perhaps the removal of Boomerang and Riptide. As for the Windseeker space I have no clue but what other park can say they have a whole entire queue for a planter?! As for that ever so elusive Hyper/Giga, if it were to happen it'd have to go around the outskirts of the park if not someway somehow outside of the park. Unless they want to decide to build into the backstage area.

I honestly always have fun test riding Ghostrider in the morning but I've been getting bad test rides lately and find myself fearing the turns because they've been a bit excruciating, mainly the first drop and the turns right before and after the MCBR. Popular word among the older RO's at Ghost is that management was debating giving it either the RMC treatment or topper track but never pulled the trigger. IMO Ghostrider is so iconic to Knott's and Ghost town that I can't really imagine it changing all that much. Now that I really think about it, it's actually a shame that Ghostrider's original 3-4 month rehab period got reduced to a mere three weeks down time.

That makes sense since the ride is so short and they can't even bring train 2 in the station until train 1 clears the top hat. And by the time train two fully parks in the station train one is already on the brake run.

Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I saw the purple train. Same. A friend of mine that used to work at Xcel told me about why they don't run two trains however I don't quite remember why but I believe it was because they're just as efficient if not more efficient running one train then two.

^ Well if those rumors are true about it not being any different than WMG then hopefully it has a drop!

Knott's Berry Farm: Expand Ghost Town! I always get so envious of parks like Kings Island and Carowinds because of all of the space they have around them while Knott's just seems so boxed in. This one may be a long shot but I believe it could be somehow done so bare with me. I would love to see Knott's permanently expand Ghost Town into the backstage area that is used during Halloween haunt. The wall that divides the area by Ghostrider's exit and the backstage area is an eyesore. The backstage area is already lightly themed since it's used during haunt and already fits the Ghost Town theme. My proposal would be to theme the rest of the (highlighted) backstage area to Ghost Town/the wild west and add a coaster. Knott's would have to move all of the employee facilities on that stretch of road specifically such as HR, rides office, hiring, etc to another location. A solution would be to renovate some of the older facilities to become a two or three story building so departments such as rides and or HR can be housed in the same building but just on separate floors. An Intamin Blitz like Maverick along with a flat or two would be ideal for the area. I'm not saying an exact Maverick clone but now that I think about it, it's like Maverick belongs at Knott's haha. Alternative 1: RMC makeover for Ghostrider. I'm actually torn between whether or not I would like to see Ghostrider receive a RMC makeover or not. Call me crazy but I actually love the ride as it is, however; I haven't ridden any of the RMC coasters yet so I can't really talk. Anyways, if it were to be redone I can imagine it having two zero-g rolls. The first one would come after the first turn around and transition you into the third drop and the second coming right before you enter the helix. As for the name, Ghostrider's Revenge doesn't sound too shabby. Idk why but I think purple I-Box track would look amazing. Alternative 2: Ghost Town expansion along with an Intamin Blitz and RMC makeover for Ghostrider! Like I said, it's a really long shot. If we're talking possibilities within a year or two then perhaps removing Riptide in favor of something more reliable as it's been down for a while now. These are the types of things I daydream about whenever I'm standing at fastlane trying to pass the time lol.

I've always wondered if working in upper management/supervision required any sort of degree or not. Unless it is possible to work your way up into upper management strictly through working in your department. I suppose this would be something else to look up.

I remember I was working a closing shift at GhostRider back in December and a couple of the riders claimed they saw a man sitting on the railings of the track near the helix. They even sounded a bit terrified too. We ended up having to call the ride down and our team lead and supervisor had to walk all the way out to the helix with flashlights in hand to check. One of my fellow RO's that was working that night also claims she can feel negative energy and seemed really bothered. Another night we were walking past Bigfoot Rapids a good hour or two after the park closed with another friend of ours and then all of a sudden the spiels and sound effects for Bigfoot started playing as soon as we walked past it and she immediately booked it for the security entrance on Western. I'm not the superstitious type but it does make working at Knott's a bit more fun with the possibility of it being haunted

Weekdays are always dead. I would try visiting before late March since that's when spring break usually starts for schools. Also, Ghostrider is finally back up from rehab. I'm not sure what was done to the ride but it does seem a lot quieter than it was before it went down.

Congrats! Bullet was one of the rides I wanted to get cross trained to after Ghostrider went down because of the fear of going back down to Fiesta lol. Also if anyone is curious; Ghostrider is scheduled to go back up next Thursday...at least so we're told. I wouldn't say it ruins the whole area around it...everything is just a mess of supports and track. I'm pretty sure this has been discussed many times before so I won't say much lol but IMO it's the fact that the lift supports are red is what throws me off for some reason. I mean, would you rather not have Silver Bullet?

Charades app for the Iphone. Passes the time very quickly.

Couldn't have said it any better. As a RO, here's a little insight. Patience is a must and being able to work under pressure is invaluable. You'll deal with unreasonable guests and some co workers who are always being pessimistic. Slow days will have you really bored. Minimal hours during the slow season combined with minimum wage may make it seem like it's not worth working, unless you're fully available then it'll probably be a different story (even then, management may not be the best) Paychecks will be decent especially for someone with no bills to pay (even so, I'm still able to pay for rent and still have money to blow) From my personal experience of working at a theme park, particularly the rides department, it's a fun job to have and I quite thoroughly enjoy it. Be open minded, friendly, and don't be afraid to meet new people and communicate! You meet amazing people and build relationships with your fellow RO's, team leads, supervisors and or even guests ( which is always a good thing). You learn valuable skills to carry forward with you. Benefits are nice but not great; for example free entrance to the park (with Cedar Fair you get free entrance to all Cedar Fair parks), discounts on food and merch, etc. I love my co workers/team leads/supervisors and I love the park I work at and I feel like it makes work not really seem like work. IMO you just have to be a glass half full kind of person to really enjoy working at a theme park because all the good outweighs the bad. As with any job you still need to take work very seriously. One little mistake will cost you your job, especially as a RO. Discipline and Integrity are important as are all company policies. If you're good, you can make team lead in as little as five to six months of working. One of the guys in management here at Knott's started off as a janitor and now he's at the top. Even if you don't want to make a career out of the amusement park industry, just go for it. As a summer job it'll be good because summer days will always be busier and hours will be guaranteed. You're on the east coast so it'll never be as hot as Southern California so you have that going for ya Other than that, you'll honestly probably find yourself staying past summer because holiday seasons are always fun to work. Especially haunt.

Thanks for the update. According to their website, GhostRider doesn't close for refurbishment until January 20. I'm heading to the park this Wednesday, and it'd be a bummer if the ride closed early. I'm going to get some photos while I'm there (specifically of the Voyage construction area) and hopefully post a photo trip report. I'm not expecting many crowds since most schools go back this week (except mine!) and Knott's has resumed to normal operating hours (10-6 on weekdays). Ghost will be open for the rest of the month, at least until the 20th or so. We've been getting different dates on when we go down for rehab but you should be good. Logride is already down though. Expect crowds to be minimal (maybe 4,000-5,000)

If you plan on coming on New Years I definitely recommend getting fast lane. The crowd's we've been getting are upwards of 28k+ so it'll definitely pay off. Feel free to stop by Ghost Rider and say hi

My being a coaster enthusiast all started with Roller Coaster Tycoon. I find being a coaster enthusiast as a teenager is tough though because you're limited to where you can travel and of course the amount of money you have. Me being in my second year in college and in my final two years of being a teenager, I still find it hard traveling anywhere outside of Southern California and Las Vegas due to money being the main problem. Broke college students ftw! I do thoroughly enjoy being a roller coaster enthusiast because it adds more excitement whenever I get to ride coasters. I really want to go to a TPR event but I feel like I'd feel totally left out haha.

"Key Club day," is actually called Fall Rally South. Very very fun event to attend if you're a Key Clubber. I was only able to get in 1 ride yesterday The crowds are HUGE, and unless you like screaming high school kids decked out in spirit gear, then I wouldn't recommend going on the day of Fall Rally lol

Hi! My name is Griffin. I am from La Quinta, California. I just graduated from Palm Desert High School as part of the class of 2012. I am now working on a nursing degree at UC Irvine. I've been on at least every coaster in SoCal...at least at SFMM, DCA, and Knotts. I've been lurking around the website for a couple years, mainly the Magic Mountain thread. I hope to attend a TPR event one day I am very big on basketball and cars. My favorite teams are the Lakers and Warriors. Both teams are going to sweep through the East and West I am currently working on a Nissan 240sx s14 build for drift. My music will tell you a lot about me lol. R&B, Acoustic, and Hip-Hop is my kind of stuff. Oh, and I dance. Choreography and break dance :3 Maybe you guys have seen me before? I was one of those crazy Key Clubbers at Six Flags Magic Mountain for Fall Rally South every year in November.