Trip Report - Knott's Berry Farm - 5/19/08

[Jim1013]

My first trip to Knott's in four years was Tuesday. I had high hopes because the last visit was kind of a disappointment. The park was not busy at all with the exception of tween school groups. Why do tween girls scream about *everything*? Although the crowds were light, it was the noisiest day at Knott's I can remember. On with my TR - photos to come.

 

The Good:

Silver Bullet ride is smooth, thrilling and fun. The only other inverted coasters I have been on are Batman at SFMM and the SLC at Elitch Gardens, both of which are much rougher than SB.

Sierra Sidewinder is unique and fun, a re-ride for us. The ride ops were friendly and professional.

Thirty year-old Monte still delivers the goods.

Supreme Scream also delivers due the suspense of the slow ride up and the wait before the drop - the drop was ok, but the bounce back wasn't strong enough.

I didn't see La Revolucion operate, don't know if it has a mild or wild program, but Fiesta Village offers a family-friendly area of rides that is a nice buffer between Camp Snoopy and the Boardwalk.

The new bumper cars are nice improvement over the old ones.

Although too short, Pony Express looks to be a winner for the family-tween set.

 

The Ugly:

The sad state of the TMLR - I have a feeling this classic is destined for demolition. I base this not only the laughably shoddy job of repairing the ride's caverns, but the general disregard for the ride. The scenes are no longer musty and nostalgic, they are embarrassing and decaying. Old effects aren't being fixed, they are being removed. And while I can understand tacky slobs can't be controlled, for the love of God clean up the gum stuck on the cave walls! Leaving it only encourages more idiots to do the same. Every day this section of the que should be cleaned. I didn't go on the Calico Mine Ride because I can imagine it is as bad or worse.

 

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant - this institution has always been simple and no-frills, so that is not my criticism. I was shocked at the level of filth and disrepair. We were seated in the back portion of the restaurant with stone floors - which were covered with spilled food and stains, both of which looked like they had been there for a long time. The floors were missing stones and the grout/cement was missing in several places. The walls by our table were dirty as well. My niece said the bathrooms were 'ghetto'. We walked out and went to the TGIF across the street. I dislike corporate chains, but at least it wasn't filthy dirty. On my way out I noticed the Snoopy entrance mat looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages.

 

A gnarled mess of coaster tracks - IMO there are no more quaint areas left in the park, except for that one sliver of the Roaring 20's remaining by the Shultz Theater and the bumper cars. The spaghetti bowl of steel track for Sierra Sidewinder, Jaguar, Silver Bullet and Monte is just plain ugly. The rides themselves are great (excepting the rough, noisy and cramped Jaguar) it's their placement that makes them an eyesore. Silver Bullet just does not fit in its spot and dominates the view from the entrance plaza, Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, and Camp Snoopy. Cedar Fair is going to have to address the space issue they are confronted with by relocating the operations buildings between the park and the hotel. That is the only answer on how to place new rides without the complete destruction of sense of place within the park, a job already well underway.

 

Soak City was closed but didn't look like anything special. On my walk back, I noticed a few of the lighting panels inside the tunnel were missing.

 

Closing on a high note: I walked over to the Independence Hall to see how it was faring under CF management. Although it was closed for the evening, it appeared they taking good care of it. Color me surprised.

[winningfreak]

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant - this institution has always been simple and no-frills, so that is not my criticism. I was shocked at the level of filth and disrepair. We were seated in the back portion of the restaurant with stone floors - which were covered with spilled food and stains, both of which looked like they had been there for a long time. The floors were missing stones and the grout/cement was missing in several places. The walls by our table were dirty as well. My niece said the bathrooms were 'ghetto'. We walked out and went to the TGIF across the street. I dislike corporate chains, but at least it wasn't filthy dirty. On my way out I noticed the Snoopy entrance mat looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages.

 

This little bit kind got me raged.

 

1. The bathrooms are not controlled by the restraint but maintained by park services.

2.While I cant say much for the old wall's I walked around the Garden room today (where you said you where seated) and did not notice missing stones or grout... The snoopy mat near the exit gets washed week but has been reused there so many times it does need replacing.

3. Further more, I do not see how that room in considered the back? The Main dinning room in the back (also the biggest) I can see being called put in the back but this room is in the middle of the restraint.

 

 

Now lets ask this.

If you where the manager of that restraint what would you do?

[Jim1013]

Since you asked, if I were the manager of the restaurant, the first thing I would do is realize the are no excuses for filth in an eating establishment. I would pick up a mop, scrub brush, roll of paper towels or whatever is needed and clean it myself before I would let my customers see unclean conditions. Then I would speak with the Director of Park Services and explain that the Chicken Dinner restaurant has been a local landmark for 75 years or so, is a tradition for locals and visitors to the park and that allowing an institution to slide is the beginning of the end.

 

The floor in room where we were seated in (which I now know is called the Garden Room), was indeed missing stones and grout. We were seated in the far corner across from the waterfall. The floor was covered with food and the stones were spotted and stained. This was Thursday evening at around 7:00 p.m. There was no wait to be seated and the room was about 40 percent occupied.

 

I assume you work at the restaurant - if so, I would not be offended by someone else's observations - how are we to improve if we reject feedback? I noticed Disney had researchers roaming Disneyland soliciting comments from guests, apparently using feedback to improve on already stellar operations.

[Looty]

I visited Knotts for the Solace event and I also was not impressed with their food service. We ate at TGI Fridays that evening and I can honestly say that it was the WORST Friday's I have ever been too!

I think a place like Mrs. Knotts should be exceptionally maintained simply due to its reputation.

[n7]

"I think a place like Mrs. Knotts should be exceptionally maintained simply due to its reputation."

 

 

Yeah, you'd think.

 

The last time I went to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant was for the after-Thanksgiving breakfast crowd and I will NEVER go back. I'm one to let a few things go, but this restaurant is doomed to become a negative caricature of itself, just like the rest of the park. Whatever charm was left has been destroyed by years of neglect and the ultimate bottom-line goal of mediocrity.

 

It took about 45 minutes to get a table that morning - my extended family has a tradition of coming to the restaurant the day after Thanksgiving. When we finally were seated, less than half of the restaurant's main hall was filled - I don't know if it was a shortage of cooks, waitresses or whatever, but that was the first red flag I noticed in a morning filled with em. When we got seated, I naturally looked around the building (human curiosity to observe surroundings) and I found a great deal of chipped paint, cracked stones and mortar, burned out light bulbs, sticky floors, dusty picture frames, dirty tables, faded colors, a glass roof that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years, worn out menus, dirty silverware (my fork still had crusted food on it...blech) and spotted drinking glasses. After about another hour, we finally get some of our food - but 2 people got the wrong breakfast, so we waited for theirs, while ours got cold. The food was at best, decent. It wasn't a standout - even the prized chicken was nothing special. The french toast was gooey, the hashbrowns tasted like fried potato paste, the eggs had absolutely no taste at all. It was like paying for a more expensive Denny's breakfast...with a severely cut-back staff. I don't care if I ever step foot in that restaurant again...BY FAR one of the worst dining experiences.

 

It's sad to see more of the history of Knotts deteriorate through corporate neglect - the restaurant used to be a timeless hot spot for the local community. Families would plan their Sunday night to go to Mrs Knott's Chicken Restaurant - it was a treat! Now it's another food service nightmare. I think if the original owners could have seen just a tiny glimpse of what the park would be like under the global corporate umbrella, they would have never, ever signed such a deal. The park is falling apart, catering to the lowest common denominator and filling every open corner with the next big summer attraction.

 

The park used to have an incredible atmosphere, and now all that looms are oversized coasters shoehorned into areas that can't aesthetically support them. The once-charming front plaza is dominated by a disproportionate invert, with a red and brown tangled mass of steel and concrete just behind. There will come a time when half-assed thrills with no proper landscaping or theming won't be able to bring the families back anymore - Maybe I'm just more on the nostalgic side though - after riding SB a number of times, I began to miss the lake and the church that preceded it. After riding Wind Jammer and then Xcellerator, I wondered why the park got rid of the Soap Box Racers in the first place. There is an instant gratification thrill factor in these new rides (i mean, they are fun)...but I see no long-lasting attachment to them. They weren't built to support the theme of the park, they were built to bring in a large crowd for a few seasons. And in the process, have ruined what used to be a historic landmark in the city of Buena Park.

 

Now that's not to say that the park should have never moved forward. That would be a death sentence for KBF - but the new additions for the park could have been more...thoughtful. Instead of stuffing an oversized rocket coaster into the far corner, maybe add something more in line heightwise with the rest of the skyline of the park. Maybe a Rita-ish design instead. Or maybe that should have been the location for a motoracer, instead of the shoehorn job for Pony Express. You know, instead of destroying the sitelines, actually integrate the coasters in.

***********************

 

Ok, I just tangent-ed there. But I guess you know my thoughts about KBF management now though, haha.

[ebl]

"Since you asked, if I were the manager of the restaurant, the first thing I would do is realize the are no excuses for filth in an eating establishment." (Jim1013)

 

Doesn't Orange County have a restaurant letter grading system like L.A. County does? I know the eateries at SFMM have letters posted in front.

 

Letter grades or not, there's never an excuse for a dirty restaurant, regardless of where it is.

 

Eric

[Jim1013]

What I noticed at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant isn't even what goes on behind the scenes, but just bad business practices - missing stones, a worn-out rug, sweeping the floor after a table is cleared. They claim to serve 1.5 million chicken dinners per year: 1.5 mil * $14 per = enough to fix or replace what is worn-out or broken.

 

CF management must realize when long-time patrons walk out for a TGI Fridays, something is wrong. I wonder if they have ever of focus groups?

[winningfreak]

Well, you where right I do work at the restaurant. Most of the money that is made in the restaurant ends up going elsewhere not back to the restaurant witch is part of out problem. Another part of it is lazy employees. Some of the employees (especially the bussers) only seem to care about doing what they have to as quick as they can to get out of there.

 

On a good note,

The main dinning room was just repainted over the last couple weeks but in 3 years of working there this is the only major thing besides replacing the floor s in one of the rooms that has happened. I have never seen anyone take down the pictures for cleaning or spend extra time scrubbing down the walls.

 

And Jim1013, The Restaurants swept and mopped every night after closing and the server's in the area are not allowed to leave without getting there area checked.

 

instead of just getting up and leaving you should ask to speak to a supervisor about it explain what you are not happy about and hope they fix it if you ever return.

 

 

p.s. On your original post you said you have a fealing that TMLR is detained for demolition, I don't think so because the roof had fallen in on it last year and they spent a ton of money to repair it.

[n7]

Well, it's a good thing the hall got a coat of paint. It's a shame the staff has no interest in keeping the landmark in tip top shape though. I really can't blame any of you because I know how it is to work in a place you don't have much control over. You eventually just stop caring.

 

The Ceder Fair business model is going to destroy this park - Knott's requires a much different approach in order to get the most potential out of it. And the globalization of daily processes and a stagnant labor structure is showing its ugly head. If each part of the park was run locally so that people working INSIDE a specific venue held all decision-making power about the venue, you'd find a much higher level of quality, of responsibility, of pride for the places they work. If each attraction and restaurant was sub-divided into a local staff hierarchy instead of a global manager, executive manager, sr. executive manager, that has no idea the dynamics of the ride or dining facility from day to day (if you don't work in it, you can't possibly know how it specifically works), the park would begin to turn around. If you give people power over the area they work, and not to a general manager that doesn't work in the same facility he/she runs, there would be higher efficiency, higher quality, a happier workforce, and a pride for the job.

 

Look at it this way - if you're being micromanaged by a boss that has no idea what you do, and takes for granted how long it takes you to work (especially in a creative field), are you really going to produce your best work? Are you really going to give it your all? No way in hell! At least not to glorify the company or make your ignorant boss look good.

 

Now if you have a boss that works in your field, knows the process and has experienced the work first-hand, you're going to produce a much higher standard of work. Why? Because the boss knows how to deal with job-specific situations and he/she knows how to manage their team to get through it. If you have a good boss, you're going to want to work hard to make him/her look good. You're going to want to come to work period.

 

Looking at numbers, charts, graphs, statistics, codes, reports and bills doesn't make you a boss fit to run a restaurant - It takes first-hand experience in the field to really understand the dynamics of it and manage people accordingly. The evidence of a broken global corporate system is seen everywhere around Knotts and until the change can be made, the park will continue to falter.

[winningfreak]

Every night we have security gard's visit the restaurant and take all the money the restraunt made. Most of that money the restaurant never sees again thats part of the problem. The other part is what N7 had to say. The employee's have no motive to work as hard as they can.

 

If anyone every visits the restaurant in the future come on a Saturday or Sunday for breakfast or lunch and ask to be in Pams station. She has worked at the restaurant for 50 years and was highered by Mrs. Knott her self. She will tell you just how far south this restaurant has gone. Alot of times you might have to wait an extra bit to sit in her station though as she is 81 and alot of people request to sit there.

 

If anyone is interested about her there is an article written a few years ago here:

 

http://www.johnfry.com/pages/KnottsBerryFarm.html

[PURE]

First I wanna say this is an awesome thread and shows the concern of locals and KBF fans who really once loved Knotts and are saddened that its becoming what it is.

 

n7: You're right, all I can seem to make of it is capitalistic society demolishing itself from the inside.

 

I agree with everything that's been said about the park, sad thing is these poor qualities weren't to quite this extent when I worked there (2004) but I could tell at the time that things were only going to get worse.

 

Only thing I can add is that KBF and other types of large cooperate chains run similarly are only making things worse, in my opinion its no way for people in America to work. There's no "hope" working these types of jobs, people accept what they're doing and what they're paid and don't care to do anymore than what's absolutely required. And if you ask me its a damn shame, cause when I have a job I don't feel that way. But as time goes by I could understand some employees just saying eff it and slowly being molded and habitually trained to act like all the other bad seeds.

 

The rub is that I feel like it'd be so damn easy to stand up and say "cut the cheap crap, NOW" if I was a higher up who actually had some sort of impact on what happens with the company and its park. Unfortunately nobody up there seems to care enough.

 

There's just a lot of simple things they REALLY screw up on at Knotts, and the path to getting back on track seems to be getting further and further away.

[RIP Psyclone]

^Yeah, I agree that theme park employee apathy is a definate problem. It seems to be less of a problem at a seasonal park, like, let's say Cedar Point. CP seems to be one of the only major employers for kids in the area, employing them by the thousands during the busy summer season. Some of the kids may come in enthusiastic about the job, and maintain that level of enthusiasm throughout the summer in the hopes of being rehired the following year. For Knott's employees it's just another, year-round job. At a park like Disneyland that is open 365 days a year, perhaps some of that "magic" rubs off on the cast members, although I know the turnover rate is quite high.

[nursemelis374]

This really saddens me as I have grown up loving Knott's. Each year my brother and I got to choose to go to Knott's or Disneyland for the day and I remember it was such a hard decision for us. I can't even imagine that being the case now! I have been craving that chicken, but am seriously doubting even going there.

 

You know what though? If SFMM can turn around, so can Knott's. I just hope they do it before it is beyond repair.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^ To adress the "SFMM Phenonenon".

 

I will be the first to tell you that SFMM has made dramatic changes, but one question you have to ask in that situation is, "Are these changes the average guest would even notice?" I have not seen a dramatic change in management that constitutes a second golden age for the park, or at least not yet. I appreciate the work, but there's still work that needs to be done.

 

As for the KBF issues.

Filling a park with "The summer's next hottest attraction" works so well with other parks, simply because they are "summer parks". Even with a park like SFMM that's open weekends throughout the year, they still make the bulk of their money in summer operation. Knott's has a disadvantage of being open the rest of the year, or at least management makes it a disadvantage.

To the collage of coaster track in Fiesta Village/Ghost Town/Camp Snoopy:

I don't blame the management for clustering rides in this area. Land is not a factor they have to work with, and with SFMM so close of striking distance they have to market something. They can't be too much of a family park because they'd get killed (horribly) by Disneyland. They can't boast themselves as a thrill park, because there is no way they'd ever fit rides like X or Tatsu there. The issue is, after Labor day is over, all the kiddes and college students are back in school, mom and dad have used up all there vacation time, and everyone has seemed to rack up a debt from all there trip spending, Knott's stays open daily while its main crosstown rival stands by its lonesome weekdays. The problem is, they have to find stuff for everyone else to do between September-May. With the erratic way the park is expanding, it's hard for "everyone" to enjoy the park as most people who visit the park in its off-season are in fact elderly people who enjoy it's heritage and I can only guess that looking at eyesore coasters that they themselves would not ride is discomforting. However, the management at Knott's is doing what any business strives to do, which is turn a profit. The Six Flags management of old used similar tactics which didn't work, but you can't blame it on them. They were trying to make a profit the only way they knew how. It didn't work so they rebuilt.

 

As for the theme park turnover rate:

Theme parls have horrible turnover rates for several reasons and can seldomly be pinpointed to one specific thing. For starters, minors from experience do not have the same work ethics as adults, primarily because most of them do not need to work for living income as opposed to expenditure income. I am not saying this is the case for everyone, but let's face it, someone who needs to pay bills is more apt at keeping their job as opposed to someone who works just to pay for the prom. I know Knott's has a horrific turnover rate in the rides department (I am in this statistic) due to extremely strict safety rules and un-empathetic management staff. If you have no sense of job security, you don't work to your best potential.

 

In short, I think Cedar Fair is moving forward, Knott's as it is being damaged, but severe changes like seasonal operation can fix it. A lot of people complain that CF can't run a year round park. So far, they're proving those critics right.

[Teacups Make Me Sick]

I will be the first to tell you that SFMM has made dramatic changes, but one question you have to ask in that situation is, "Are these changes the average guest would even notice?" I have not seen a dramatic change in management that constitutes a second golden age for the park, or at least not yet. I appreciate the work, but there's still work that needs to be done.

 

I went to Great Adventure a few weeks ago with some friends (aka--the GP). They noticed the difference in the park as well.

[evil saltine]

I know Knott's has a horrific turnover rate in the rides department (I am in this statistic) due to extremely strict safety rules and un-empathetic management staff. If you have no sense of job security, you don't work to your best potential.

 

What kind of incentives/rewards are there for ops who do a good job? Obviously you can be reprimanded/denied a raise/etc. if you mess up, but does that go both ways? When supervisors walk around the park do they take note of people who are doing things well in addition to people who aren't?

[cosmic hearse]

"Since you asked, if I were the manager of the restaurant, the first thing I would do is realize the are no excuses for filth in an eating establishment." (Jim1013)

 

Doesn't Orange County have a restaurant letter grading system like L.A. County does? I know the eateries at SFMM have letters posted in front.

 

Letter grades or not, there's never an excuse for a dirty restaurant, regardless of where it is.

 

Eric

 

OC surprisingly doesn't have a letter grading system like LA and San Bernardino counties do. I actually just heard about a week ago that a grand jury is trying to make a push to have a letter grade system for the OC as well.

[Mr.Wood]

I think all we ask is to keep the park clean. In Jan we saw tons of trash cans overflowing at SFMM. So people seeing this just kept throwing trash on the ground. Timber Mtn. queue at Knott's is just sick.Clean the F'ing gum up. It's really not that hard.I do enjoy a lot of the old time employees at Knott's but you all have it correct. Most young employees just don't care. You can tell they were not raised with the saying "If there's a job worth doing there's a job worth doing right." This has even gotten to Disneyland.

[Jim1013]

I just want to say that I love Knott's. When I was a kid I always pulled for Knott's over Disney because they were the underdog and I'm always for the underdog. As someone else noted, that is why it is upsetting to see easy mistakes.

 

"To the collage of coaster track in Fiesta Village/Ghost Town/Camp Snoopy: I don't blame the management for clustering rides in this area. Land is not a factor they have to work with, and with SFMM so close of striking distance they have to market something."

 

I respectfully disagree - there are maintenance buildings between Ghost Town/WWW and the hotel that could be relocated across the street. The administrative offices could be relocated as well, they are single-story and spread out. Yes it would be expensive, but it is the future they are investing in. Some of those admin offices could even be relocated across the street by the Independence Hall. There is one little red brick building in front of the IH that could easily be duplicated to accomodate those offices. CF is just taking the easiest, cheapest way out of the problem.

[n7]

After reading that article, it just makes me even more saddened to see the restaurant the way it is. The Knott family was a family that took hospitality very seriously, always making you feel "at home". Now all that's left are the last few 'old timers', casting their glow in the shell of the once-great building.

 

I don't think Knott's ever had to compete with either park. Six Flags may have been a small threat, over 50 miles away, but nothing to constitute "competiton" with it. KBF is in the middle of a city with a footprint the size of a housing block. Disneyland and the resort pull in over 12 million people a year - locals, tourists...and has been pulling progressively higher numbers for decades. Knott's has always seen the flow of tourism go to Anaheim...it hasn't been an all of the sudden change.

 

I much rather believe it was a quest for Ceder Fair to get a supplemental income on the west coast, doing what they only know how to do. Build up the park with a few staple attractions (an invert, a rocket coaster, a splash down ride, an S&S tower), add in a waterpark, overadvertise a lackluster summer calender, and watch the cash flow in. This works for a few years, maybe even a decade, but when all the potential space fills up, the park will see an overall decline until something is torn out and the next latest gimmik attraction is installed. We saw this happen more dramatically at Six Flags because the location of the park is much less convenient than KBF, meaning people won't go if there isn't a good reason to. But as Six Flags begins its experiment of long-term additions and long-term planning, KBF still maintains the destructive 'summer additions' plan.

 

B&M stated it pretty well - Ceder Fair can run Ceder Point under this structure because the park is seasonal. Not only that, but CP has(had) a ton of room to build on, making the collection of summer additions less of an aesthetic impact on the rest of the park. If you snap a photo of one coaster, you might get another in the background, but it will seem far away. Whereas KBF's steel bowl has packed 4 coasters into close proximity, creating a feeling of claustrophobia at the main gate! Ceder Point has the resources to be a giant coaster capitol - KBF does not.

 

Trying to clone the CP business model to KBF has raped the park of it's identity. It will be a long time and a new radical way of running the park before we can experience the KBF we all once knew.

[Mr.Wood]

I see your point. They already moved buildings when Ghost Ryder was installed. It's kinda funny , I like all the twisted steel in that area. I love Silver Bullet but it is an eye soar. Indian village.......... Here's a GIANT support right in the middle for ya. Look back on when they moved the Church. They took out the last remaining original boysenberry vines. That's a crime But hey we got Silver Bullet. Also they have a problem. Knott's is in a residential area and the neighbors have raised a lot of hell (and lawsuits) in the last few years.Tunnel over GR's drop, Tunnel over Pony X. I just hope they don't lose their charm. Knott's has a whole lot of charm. Hell I'm older and I wish Knott's still had the Haunted Shack and not that stupid Swing. Or Bear-ytales bring back the one ride that was Knott's and Knott's only.

[Jim1013]

^Yeah, that giant support in the middle of the Wagon Camp, they should just move it now, I don't think may people watch the show there anyway? They should just completely remodel the entrance plaza.

[Mr.Wood]

Sometimes I just try not to see it. I still love the place. Just keep everyone away from Sad Eyed Joe.

[RIP Psyclone]

Could you imagine a B&M inverted coaster looming over Main Street at Disneyland? That'll never happen, but it turns out Knott's was not the first. Cedar Fair pretty much did it at Cedar Point with Raptor:

 

[n7]

Yeah, there lies the dilemma.

 

I rode SB a few times with no expectations of the ride and it doesn't compare to a well built B&M scream-machine like Batman at SFMM. SB is slow starting (with that boring first drop turnaround), fairly predictable, and not integrated into the surroundings well. Having the giant cobra roll in the entryway is just bad. The one thing I'll give SB though is the overbank! That's a pretty cool feeling dropping into the cobra like it does.

 

But overall? I prefer the lake and the church and the missions in the tunnel...I liked the fact that I couldn't see Ghost Town from Indian Trails or Fiesta Village. I liked the fact that there was a giant lake that you could watch Montezuma fly over. I liked the way Jaguar integrated with its surroundings - how it added to the atmosphere without becoming distracting. I liked when there were trees instead of giant station houses. I liked when I could stroll along a path of willows gently rocking in the breezes. I liked when I could find shade!

 

I'm a huge roller coaster fan, but I'm more of the kind of coaster rider that likes coasters to integrate into their surroundings - ones that have a ride time of more than 30 seconds, ones that effectively use speed and height to create thrill. Knotts had a few opportunities to add some great coasters around the park without sacrificing the atmosphere. Ghostrider was definitely one of those - in fact, it was probably the best decision KBF made. Unfortunately it hasn't been kept up to a reasonable standard and a once-fantastic coaster has turned to a shaking pile of ... *insert derogatory comment of your liking*

 

Taking out the boomerang and adding a coaster in the land where Perilous Plunge sits would have been a great area to utilize for a long-term investment coaster (coasters that interact with surroundings rather than dominate them). Retaining the Roaring 20's theme in the back would have kept a bit of KBF's identity instead of the generic Boardwalk theme. Maybe another coaster could have fit in the Soap Box Racer's corner (as much as I would have liked to see the original SBR stay) And lastly, the area behind Big Foot rapids could have supported the much-talked about mini hyper - Or an extension of the river rockwork to form a ground-hugging Vekoma mine train - that would add thematic depth behind BFR, add another great family ride to the lineup, and cut down on noise (if the mountain was designed correctly). See? 3 coasters added (one removed) with no shoehorning, no detraction of the skyline, no harsh removal of large chunks of landscaping, and fewer noise complaints.

 

Later on, adding the Sierra Sidewinder coaster in the front of the park, but spreading the layout out more with some medium-sized rockwork to zoom around. Heavily landscape, and design the ride with few tree removals, Maybe even have the track interact around the edge of the lake. There's no excuse why a coaster can't be designed to fit it's current surroundings - it's just harder to do.

 

With my fantasy plan here, the park would have 7 full sized coasters, integrated into the park with only a few peeking out of the skyline (I'd assume the 2 in the Roarin 20's section could go a little higher since the Calico Mine Ride and the Log Flume do well to hide the back section...but still well under SB's top height). It's not a question of can it be done - the park had plenty of space for great, unique coaster additions, it was just interested in turning out a quicker profit by dumbing down the theme to be all inclusive and adding in cliched rides.