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In the state of California's eyes, they are the same. They both qualify as major modifications. However, buying new trains will obviously require more extensive testing before the state will buy off on them.

Correct, what I meant was there is indeed a law preventing them from removing them after they have been added, which is why it was half true. Oh man, I'm so happy it's not a Larson loop, although I don't know if we'll be so lucky in 2017. That's not true either. All they ALWAYS needed to do was essentially tell the state "hey, come check out this modification we made. Here's the proper paperwork" and then have them approve it.

My guess is that.... 1. That excuse was complete BS, or 2. The fact that they are getting completely new trains allows it, as opposed to simply taking the harnesses off the existing trains. #2 is correct. It was basically a white lie. The real answer was yes they could, but with new trains. So the effective answer was no, because they weren't going to be adding new trains anytime soon. Actually, it's #1. #2 is just the convenient thing to say now. There was never a law that mandated OTSR's. I always thought it was funny Tim said that. Regardless, it's an upgrade. I'm still totally indifferent because I think the ride is only going to turn out marginally better and the reason people are so excited is nostalgia. But to each their own...at least it's not a Larson super loop.

I believe they are the "original" in the sense that new trains have never been purchased outright, but over the course of time everything has been replaced. A restoration will take the ride from terrible to slightly above average IMO, so I'm totally indifferent about this. Plus, what happened to "state laws preventing this" like Tim Burkhart said all those years ago?

Hopefully it's not a busy weekend when you stay there. I didn't get to park at the hotel (valet or regular) despite the fact I was staying there for EDC weekend because they were at capacity the whole time...

Not knowing much about Star Wars (seen the originals a couple of times), all I care about is having high quality theme park attractions I can geek out on based on the technology (that's how I feel about Potter).

It depends on your definition of major. Realistically, only Disney and Universal could be able to get financing for a "major" new park and still survive. We will probably see more parks in the style of Castle Park in Riverside (giant FEC's), since the costs of starting something like that up are much more reasonable.

That's my point. Instead of "oh, it's more reliable with one train, so the net loss in capacity isn't THAT big of deal" they need to be like "Hey, lets hire whatever controls guy or engineering specialist we need to hire and get this damn thing to run reliably with two trains." Knott's is doing so many thing right I hope that is in their plans in the near future as well....

USH had VIP exclusive things in the past, but that's all I can think of. I agree it's a great concept that adds value. This is a much better way to "upcharge" people than trapped (I'm not a fan of those 'interactive' haunts that make you do dumb stuff. They're definitely fun and totally worth the price IMO, my critique is totally just "over analyzing" theme park nerd types of complaining. I'm just personally not a huge fan of too much "show" in a haunt. I like good scenery, lots of quick scares, and quick vignettes/FX/scenes that you see in passing and don't have to wait for to fully develop. I like it to flow naturally without the "hold on, wait here and wait for this scene to unfold for the payoff..." You'll definitely still enjoy them if you pay for the skeleton key!

^^This is why I'll never really be able to think of KBF as "world class" again. Awesome that they are updating GhostRider and previously updated the Mine and Log rides. However, the attitude of "ehh...the 2nd train isn't worth the hassle. It only hurts the wait time a little" instead of "lets figure out what's wrong so we can provide the best experience for our guest" is so very old school Cedar Fair.

They're fun, but to me, I personally just wanted to go into the rest of the maze! The vignettes take too long to develop IMO. It's a great concept though.

Much like how Arrow survived for so long, the parts/refurbishment business will keep them around as long as they want to be in business. Didn't they try a newer style train awhile back? Or at least market one? I think I remember seeing one at IAAPA?

Not as a full haunted attraction with monsters inside.

Knott's finished up their haunt announcements last week.. Biggest news: Mine ride is back!

But like Chuck said, they have restored quite a bit of that charm these last few years. I look at the cup as half full and not half empty. It's "lipstick on a pig" as far as I'm concerned. What they have done is great, but from Silver Bullet on the park was never the same. That's not necessarily a bad thing since Ghost Town is still awesome, but to me Silver Bullet forever changed the identity from it being the park the Knott's family built to a Cedar Fair owned park.

It will probably sell out since it's the cheapest night.

The crazy thing is that the park is not even close to what it used to be in terms of "charm." A lot of things have disappeared over the years.

It can go as high as 15 minutes, but for the most part this statement will be true.

Easily. I did it last year with no trouble. I went on a Thursday, which definitely helped! I didn't bother with the Boo-fet, either. I was at the gates 5 minutes prior to opening, got inside, grabbed a Special Ops ticket, then went straight to the four haunts behind Ghost Rider. AKA the southeast corner of the park. I did two trips through all of the haunts there and then worked my way through the rest of the park going counter-clockwise. My longest wait was 30-45 minutes for Forevermore and I'm pretty sure that's only because I caught it at a shift change. The line was dead in the water for quite a while but when it got moving, it moved well. Just don't go on a Friday or Saturday and expect the same luck. This won't always apply. The later in the month you go, the busier it gets.

Let's hope there's actually some scares in it this year...

The fact that there are no rumors floating around means it's probably a larson fireball...that's a new "coaster," right?

They will be offering early entry if you arrive before 6:15 (you'll wait in a holding area and get to walk down to the lower lot before the park opens to the rest of the guests), so I would HIGHLY recommend that option if you don't want to purchase the Front of Line pass.

She spent the majority of the article presenting one side with only a small portion dedicated to the amusement industry experts rebuttal. She knew what she was doing.

I wouldn't assume Walking Dead is re-hashed sets. The Stage 28 pad is a huge footprint---John has said it's the largest they've ever done. Personally, if you think that HHN has no value this year---I would avoid Haunted Hayride too. It's not a $40 Haunt IMO. Dark Harbor & Knott's you will get your monies worth. You are also comparing three regular ticket options to the price of HHN's Front of Line pass, so it's not a totally fair comparison. The lines also suck at those other Haunts depending on when you go.

I would do lower lot and then tram, as it is more popular this summer since Fast & Furious is the new attraction. Also, HHN tickets are now on sale! No VIP tours this year.