TR: Knott's Berry Farm 3-14-09

[rcdude]

Yesterday, Saturday, March 14th, I went to Knott's Berry Farm for my sister's birthday. Despite my advice to her for doing it on Sunday instead, she insisted on Saturday so all her friends could make it. This of course meant that it would be about twice as crowded. Despite the crowds, I still managed to get on 17 rides in the twelve hours I spent at the park.

 

We arrived at the park at about 9:45 and got inside before it actually opened. I didn't know that Knott's did this as I have never seen it before, but they will only let people enter Ghost Town. When the park opened, I went to Pony Express while my sister and all her friends decided to go to Silver Bullet. I think that they made the worse decision as Silver Bullet had a line out the door when I walked by it about ten minutes later. Anyway, here are the rides I ended up going on throughout the day.

 

Pony Express: This is Knott's newest roller coaster. It is the best coaster I have encountered for kids moving up to bigger rides, but is very short and fairly tame. If the ride has a line, I'll usually come back later or skip it, but if there isn't a line I always ride this ride. I went here as soon as the park opened and was on the second train of the day. When I went on it later in the day with my sister and all her friends, the line was about 40 minutes. I do not believe that this ride is worth that kind of a wait, especially once you've been on it, but I chose to wait anyway since I had already been on all the major rides.

Log Ride: Knott's Log Ride is one of the best I have been on (Splash Mountain excluded). It is a classic ride and is something everyone who visits the park must ride. The Log Ride is not that big, and doesn't get riders very wet. When I rode, there was no wait but I did see longer waits for it that I would usually wait in later in the day.

Calico Mine Ride: This is another classic ride every visitor to Knott's has to ride. It is old and some of the jokes aren't so great anymore, but when there isn't much of a wait it is a good way to kill fifteen minutes. I went here early before the crowds arrived, so there was no wait.

Ghostrider: Although the ride is pretty rough, this is my favorite wooden coaster and is a ride I recommend every visitor rides. I have found that the ride gets rougher as the day goes on, so I usually go here first thing. Unfortunately, it didn't open with the park so it was at least a half hour before I got to it. The first time I rode this ride was just after it opened and I only had to wait about fifteen minutes or so, but the second time at the end of the day the line was fifty minutes long. My sister said that they had tried to ride it earlier but upon finding the wait outside of the queue building they decided not to. I am guessing that would have been over an hour wait, althouh I am not completely sure.

Silver Bullet: I do not know why everyone dislikes this ride. It is actually my favorite ride at Knott's (Xcelerator comes very close) and is my favorite of the four inverted coasters I have been on. Silver Bullet is not the most intense ride in the world, but it is still a pretty good ride. Everyone who likes roller coasters should ride this if they ever visit the park, but it is not really a ride you should go out of your way for. I went on this ride twice during the day, waiting about a half hour each time. Coincidently, I sat in exactly the same seat on both rides (same seat, same car, same train).

Sky Cabin: The only reason I went on this ride was to get an idea of where people are in the park. It is just an observation tower, and it had no wait when I went. The ride gives a good view of the park, but is really something that can be skipped easily.

Supreme Scream: I have never been on another S&S Turbo Drop, so I don't have much to compare this to. As far as drop rides go in general, Supreme Scream is on the tall side, but is not as intense as many shorter towers. I do not believe the ride is a true freefall, but rather a controlled drop. It still is, however, definitely worth riding. I went on this ride twice, waiting about twenty minutes each time. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful at convincing my sister to ride this as she is afraid of heights (even though she has ridden the Power Tower at Cedar Point which is only about fifteen feet shorter).

Boomerang: I made the mistake of waiting fifty-five minutes for this ride because my brother's friend wanted to ride. This ended up being the longest wait of the day. The Boomerang is just that, a standard Vekoma Boomerang and is fairly skippable. In fact, I rarely ride it unless it has no wait. I have not been on any others, so I don't know how it compares roughness-wise, but for some reason the roughness doesn't really bother me too much. It might be because I am tall enough that the harness only really contacts my shoulders and holds them in place, preventing headbanging and causing me to only feel vibrations in the track. This means that few Vekoma or Arrow rides really bother me (other than Vekoma's SLC). It does, however, give me sore shoulders.

Montezooma's Revenge: This is the oldest, and probably best, Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop. It is a definite must ride for roller coaster fans. I went on it twice during the day. The first time the wait was bout a half hour, but it was only about half as long the second time. Although I am not a huge fan of shuttle coasters, this one is one of the best that I have been on and is definitely worth a bit of a wait.

Perilous Plunge: For thrills, this is the best water ride I have been on. It is also the only water ride I know of that has a shoulder harness. I went on this ride just after it had reopened from a breakdown so the wait was around twenty-five minutes due to one boat operation. When I got off it looked like the wait had grown to about fifty minutes. This ride is not as wet anymore as it used to be, but still gets your upper body pretty soaked. I would recommend this ride to anyone who likes to get wet.

Bigfoot Rapids: This is a pretty average river rapids ride. It is fairly dry compared to others I have been on, and is really not worth more than the twenty minutes I waited in line for it. However, it is a decent ride and does have a little splashing to cool people off.

Sierra Sidewinder: This ride is really hit or miss. I think it is a great family ride and is good enough that anyone will enjoy it, but my sister's friends had opinions ranging from "It was okay" to "Pony Express is way better". I like Sierra Sidewinder a bit more than Pony Express, but rarely ride it more than once because it is low capacity and has long lines. When we rode it had a thirty-five minute wait and that was at 9:00 P.M.

 

I was at Knott's until after closing due to the wait for GhostRider. Overall, the day was about average compared with my other visits. Both Xcelerator and Jaguar were closed or I would have rode those as well. Unfortunately, Xcelerator has been closed for a long time and it has been over a year since I last rode it. I hope it is reopened in time for my next visit (Mid-May, Senior Picnic). My sister also really wants to give it a try (after Cedar Point she isn't really scared of anything anymore).

 

Overall, I think Knott's is a good park. It isn't the best there is, but it isn't a total waste of time and money either. The park does have some good rides, but without Xcelerator they get boring after a couple rides each. However, one of the best things about Knott's is that they have plently for everyone to do. Camp Snoopy is a better kids area than anywhere else in California, a good number of the parks rides can be enjoyed by families, and the park does have a few great rides for thrillseekers. However, the charm of old Knott's has been disappearing since the 1990's and I hope Cedar Fair stops overbuilding the park by adding a ton of coasters and destroying rides and attractions the Knott's family put in. A park the size of Knott's maxes out at about six coasters and they have just tried to add as many as they can, even if the rides are short and aren't that good. If Cedar Fair can't stop destroying Knott's charm, I don't think they are the right ones to run the park.

[saxman47]

thanks for the TR, I'll be visiting Knott's for the first time in May so hopefully Xcellerator is back up and running by then (I'm assuming it's down for rehab?)

[Jhcbiinoc]

Good TR.....sounds like you had a good time!

 

I was at Knott's from open until close yesterday with my friend who also has an annual pass. He decided not to renew this year and this was the last day his pass was in effect so he wanted to go one more time. He is a shade burned out on the park and says he needs a break from it. I am going to renew my pass again this year; although the fact that they have not added a new "big" coaster since Silver Bullet is a bit disappointing at times, I still enjoy going as I like the rides they have.

 

It was crowded, but not too bad-Ghostrider opening was a bit delayed so we got coffee and waited for it to open and got on the front car of the silver train with about a 10 minute wait. It seems like they did a better rehab this time as it was noticeably smoother.

 

We rode Silver Bullet a few times, the Log Ride a few times, train ride, stagecoach, Montezoomas, and Calico Mine Ride and ate at TGI Fridays before he had to leave at 8, I spent the rest of the night riding the Wave Swinger, Supreme Scream (ran into G Force who I hung out with at Solace a few years ago, he was operating the ride), La Revolucion and Silver Bullet 3 more times.

 

Some random thoughts:

 

-They added an interesting water effect after the first drop of the log ride; it's nowhere near what is used to be but it looks better.

-Operations were very efficient on all the rides the times I rode, crews were doing a great job. Even the service at TGI Fridays was more efficient than usual.

-Employees more than once went out of their way to say hello and ask how my day was going.

-Xcelerator was still down, red train was taken apart and I have no idea why they have all this land cleared over by the brake run. There were people working on the ride most of the day.

-They seem to be making progress rebuilding the buildings in Ghost Town and I think it's great that they are taking the time to restore the classic attractions.

 

Silver Bullet is my favorite in the park as well. The wait did not exceed 30 minutes for me any time I rode, and aside from a little bit of train stacking, the crew was doing a fantastic job all day.

 

Although I wish they would add another major coaster, I do enjoy the park a lot. I don't know where they would find room for one but they would find a way if they wanted to. If they could do so without tearing out any more classic attractions, I think it would balance out very nicely as they already have a nice selection of family and moderate thrill coasters, and with one more "major" one combined with the overall improvements I have seen at the park as far as service and operations, I think they could improve their status as a destination park.

 

I'm interested to see what Solace is like next weekend as I'm going before I head up to West Coast Bash the next day.....I did not have a problem getting a ticket this year like I did last year, and they at least are having some behind the scenes events. Although I look forward to Solace, I feel pretty sure that West Coast Bash will once again blow it away this year!

[ajinaz]

Great reports! I went to KBF the day before WCB last year but we're just going to hit up MM for a couple hours on Saturday this year.

 

Did either of you see Octomom at the park yesterday? I heard that she was there with her other kids. I wonder if she gets VIP treatment.

[ebl]

^ Very Impregnated Person treatment?

 

That woman ought to find a place to hide---and stay there.

 

I gave some thought to going to Knott's, being that I have a coupon for $27 admission, but decided not to because I knew Xcelerator was down and because I didn't know how rough GhostRider was these days (my last ride about knocked my teeth out).

 

Maybe I'll go again before summer.

 

Eric

[ajinaz]

^ Very Impregnated Person treatment?

 

 

Not until the new kids are at least 2 months old.

[CreditCrazy]

That's exactly how I think of Knott's, and they're definately just adding and adding. It's great to see new rides and coasters and you can tell Cedar Fair likes the park by paying attention to it, but in a way they're also hurting the park.

[Rollerman87]

Hi. Which one of you had the TPR sweater with the ACE shirt on? I'm the guy from Pony Express that did the Elmo spiel

 

Glad you had a good day!

[themeparkman25]

So there is still not estimate time of opening for xcelerator? Ill be there next week for spring break and would really like to ride the ride!

[Rollerman87]

So there is still not estimate time of opening for xcelerator? Ill be there next week for spring break and would really like to ride the ride!

 

From little I can say, I can at least tell you it will be up very soon. Heck, if we cross our fingers, maybe the Solace

[ebl]

^ Not to dampen your spirits, but I got an e-mail from our ACE rep saying that Xcelerator will not be up for Solace, and that ERT on Sierra Sidewinder will take its place.

 

Of course things could change, but I'm just saying not to be too hopeful.

 

Eric

[themeparkman25]

Friday? I really hope you aren't kidding me!

[Rollerman87]

^ Not to dampen your spirits, but I got an e-mail from our ACE rep saying that Xcelerator will not be up for Solace, and that ERT on Sierra Sidewinder will take its place.

 

Of course things could change, but I'm just saying not to be too hopeful.

 

Eric

 

I work at the park (not that ride), and so I can't say much. But there is a slight chance it will open. But only time will tell.

 

In the meantime, you get a maintenance tour on my ride Yep, good ole Pony Express, the ride where you can see everything from the station

[themeparkman25]

I misunderstood "Solace" for "Solstice" thinking of the spring solstice on friday, when is solace?

[Rollerman87]

^The Solace is this weekend, the 20th and 21st.

[rcdude]

Hi. Which one of you had the TPR sweater with the ACE shirt on? I'm the guy from Pony Express that did the Elmo spiel

 

It's very likely that was me. I usually wear my ACE shirt to amusement parks where coasters are one of the main attractions, such as Knott's or Magic Mountain. That was actually the first day I wore my TPR sweater to an amusement park, but my guess is that will be what I'll wear when it is cold out.

 

^That was pretty funny. It was almost more fun listening to that than riding Pony Express after a 30+ minute wait

 

ACE Winter Coaster Solace is this Saturday, and West Coast Bash is the next day. I was planning on possibly going to one of them this year but unfortunately I can't go to WCB because of school the next day and I don't really want to go to Knott's twice in the same month. I am, however, about 90% sure that I'll be able to make WCB next year, which will probably be my first coaster event.

[G-Force!]

In regards to Xcel, we almost got it up and running today, did some test shots, and we were even on stand by if it was to go up. Eventually the decision was made to not open it today although the chances of it opening this week, maybe even tomorrow, are good if all goes well. So, I can say that there is a chance Xcel could be open for Solace.

[themeparkman25]

One last question, and thanks for letting me know about the opening of xcel, but what was the reason it closed in the first place?

[Rollerman87]

One last question, and thanks for letting me know about the opening of xcel, but what was the reason it closed in the first place?

 

It was realy, really sick. Why was it sick? The hyrdaulic gods gave it dyrhea.

 

Sadly, that is about all we can say. Cause I know G-Force likes his job too.

[G-Force!]

I can't say exactly, but quite simply the ride needed a break. A lot of things did get touched up though during the downtime however. Including some painting, lights replaced, and some new landscaping. So, it being down this long wasn't a complete lost. ^Yes, I do like my job.

[Der_Wellenflug]

I totally have a question for anyone who works at Knott's now that this topic has been brought up. Why is it that whenever they do maintenance, they mess with the ride program? Example: the Wave Swinger - two months ago it was down for a week because they were doing tests such as lift tests, carousel rotation tests, and things like that. When it opens, it doesn't raise to as high as it used to which is where it tops off and gives riders that jolt. Now, it's back to normal with going full height with the jolt, but when it lowers, the hydraulic lifting pole doesn't stop rotating until it applies the brakes, which I guess is the loud rumbling near the end. It never used to do that before. Why is this?

[Rocket Rodder]

I totally have a question for anyone who works at Knott's now that this topic has been brought up. Why is it that whenever they do maintenance, they mess with the ride program? Example: the Wave Swinger - two months ago it was down for a week because they were doing tests such as lift tests, carousel rotation tests, and things like that. When it opens, it doesn't raise to as high as it used to which is where it tops off and gives riders that jolt. Now, it's back to normal with going full height with the jolt, but when it lowers, the hydraulic lifting pole doesn't stop rotating until it applies the brakes, which I guess is the loud rumbling near the end. It never used to do that before. Why is this?

 

 

I really don't know what to tell you. Sorry about that.

 

And Solace goers! There is a chance that Xcelerator will open for Solace. They were testing the ride (WITH test riders, full train) yesterday and today. I hope it opens. I miss that ride.

[Rollerman87]

^^What Rocket Rodder said. Us Ride Ops just show up to the ride, and run it. If it's acting differently, we just know to pay more attention. But it behaves differently because of whatever maintenance has done.

 

EDIT- I've had several sources say that Xcel will be up by the Solace this weekend. Apparently, no one can say for certain, but there is a very high chance it will be up!

[G-Force!]

Also on a side note, if it does go up, it'll only have one train operation for a while as red train is down for rehab.

[Rollerman87]

Wai, red train is the "newer" one with the black headrests Dang. Maybe the other one will finally be upgraded afterwards