TR: Knott's Berry Farm 11-1-09

[rcdude]

Every November, Knott's Berry Farm has a promotion for veterans. Usually, the veteran plus one other person get in for free, and up to six additional tickets can be purchased for only $15 each. Since my grandfather and stepfather are both veterans, this means that nine of us (grandmother, grandfather, mother, stepfather, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, and I) can all get in for only $75, just over what it costs one person to go to Disneyland for a day. We have gone every year for the past nine years (possibly more) because it is the best deal for any amusement park around.

 

We got to the park at 9:45 to find three ticket booths open and only a few people in line at each one. Since it was the last night of Halloween Haunt, the park closed at 5:30, meaning it was empty all day. I don't think we waited more than ten minutes for anything. Once we had tickets we went inside and headed for GhostRider.

 

GhostRider-Despite its roughness, Ghostrider is still my second favorite wooden roller coaster after Terminator. The ride is long, exciting, and has several spots of airtime. I rode this ride twice, once in car five and once in the front seat. Both times, the ride seemed smoother than it has in previous years. I wonder if Cedar Fair has decided to take care of the ride and is working on a retracking project. Except for the turn following the drop off the mid-course brakes, the roughness was completely tolerable. Not nearly as smooth as the ride was in 2002, but probably the best rides I've had on it since 2004-2005 or so. However, both my uncle and my stepfather said they won't be riding it again.

 

Sierra Sidewinder-I think this is a good family roller coaster, but it is just too short. The ride isn't worth much more than a ten or fifteen minute wait, but it is a unique ride that should be experienced at least once. I rode in the front car and it spun quite a bit, but not enough to make me or my grandmother dizzy. I always enjoy watching the videos my brother and sister make on this ride, because they are usually goofy (this time around, they pretended to be involved in a fistfight with the camera).

 

Silver Bullet-Since Xcelerator was closed, this was the best operating roller coaster. I think it is a good inverted coaster, but not one of the best. Out of the four B&M inverted coasters I've been on, this comes in third. In my opinion, the only things it is lacking are a good first drop and more forceful inversions. My favorite inverted coaster, Raptor, is very similar to what I imagine Silver Bullet would be like with these two things added. Nevertheless, I rode twice since there was no wait anywhere but the front row.

 

Log Ride-This is the best log flume I have been on (Splash Mountain excluded). The ride is one of the few classic Knott's attractions that Cedar Fair hasn't yet removed or altered negatively. I rode the ride twice, and on the second ride the wait was slightly longer but still only about five minutes. Definitely a must ride for any Knott's visitor.

 

Bigfoot Rapids-While the Log Ride is one of my favorite log flumes, this is one of my least favorite river rapids rides. It seems to be a little on the short side and doesn't tend to get riders very wet. Of course, after telling everyone that I got fairly wet, but not completely soaked. The layout also is uninteresting, consisting of a couple switchbacks with rapids placed at random intervals. Worth a ride if there isn't much of a wait, but otherwise it can be skipped.

 

Pony Express-I have never been very impressed with this ride. It is incredibly short, moderately uncomfortable, and has a very boring figure-eight layout. Despite this, we still rode, and it ended up having a ten minute wait (longest of the day). Fun to do once, but not something to bother with if there is a significant wait.

 

Boomerang-This is my least favorite roller coaster in California and I still ride it every time I visit the park if there isn't much of a wait. Today there was a two train wait and I was waiting for a different ride to open, so I decided to ride it. The ride is very rough and has a lot of headbanging, but it isn't as bad as the Windjammer Surf Racers the park used to have. I've heard this is one of the rougher boomerangs, but I haven't been on any others so I have no reference frame. That will change after the IntimidaTour next summer, but for now I'm stuck with this one. My brother thinks they should have kept the Corkscrew, even though neither him nor I got a chance to ride it.

 

Perilous Plunge-This is a great water ride, but seemed to be having issues. It broke down early in the day, and also broke down while we were in line. If it hadn't, the wait would have only been about five minutes. However, it turned into fifteen. Either way, the ride was still fun and got me completely soaked. My aunt, uncle, and stepfather all decided to wear ponchos, and I laughed when the ride op said they had trash bags on. They certainly looked out of place (who wears a poncho on a water ride in 84 degree weather?) but they all enjoyed it as well.

 

Supreme Scream-My favorite S&S tower, although the Power Tower comes very close. I only wish this ride still held you at the top like it used to, but now it can't wait more than three seconds before the drop. I'm pretty sure it used to wait at least twice as long. Oh well, it's still a great ride.

 

Jaguar-This is an okay family coaster. It would be better if it was a little more exciting, but I know that's not what it was designed for. Always a fun ride, and can always be counted on to have no line. The cars are a little small, so adults should probably ride by themselves (especially ones on the larger side).

 

Montezooma's Revenge-Despite being the oldest coaster in the park, this is one of the better ones. The launch is good, and the ride doesn't brake at all when going backward. A little outdated, but a lot of fun. Definitely a must ride, even if you've been on shuttle loops at other parks.

 

Calico Mine Ride-This is another classic Knott's ride. It's fun when there isn't much of a wait, but not worth more than a ten minute wait when you've been on it a number of times. The ride is better without all the Halloween decorations, but it's still good if you need a break. Even though it isn't a roller coaster, many of my family members thought it came pretty close to being one.

 

By the way, I talked briefly to another TPR member while in line. He was a ride operator named Will or William (had both name tags on), but I don't remember his username (if he even said what it was). Heard he got into some trouble on here, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. Seemed familiar too, reminded me of someone operating Pony Express on a previous visit (back in March, I believe) who was using a funny voice over the microphone and made my group then crack up. Just wondering if anyone knows his username, and back on topic.

 

Screamin' Swing-When this ride opened, I said I would never pay $5 to ride it. However, I decided to do so because it will be leaving very soon and I wanted to see how it compared to Skyhawk. Major letdown! Definitely not worth the price if you have been on a larger Screamin' Swing, and even if you haven't it is barely worth it to try once. Demon Drop will be a much better ride for the park than this, and I'd probably consider paying $5 for that if it was an upcharge (for some strange reason). Anyway, I heard this ride is closing in two weeks so it might get around a hundred more riders (at most) before it closes. Nobody seems to ride this thing, and the operator only had three tickets when we rode (around 4), so very few people like this apparently.

 

For lunch, we went to Johnny Rocket's like we usually do. It is better than the food at Knott's other restaurants and only slightly more expensive (if at all), so it is worth it. Xcelerator and the rides containing a haunt maze were closed, but everything else was open and actually running two trains if possible (one boat on Perilous Plunge).

 

Overall, it was a pretty good day at the park. We stayed until almost closing time, and got everything done we wanted to do. Unlike I've heard recently, mostly from West Coast Tour participants, I do not think Knott's is the worst park in California. It definitely isn't the best, but it isn't the worst either. However, the park is overpriced (without a discount) for what it has and is not the park the Knott's Family created. Cedar Fair has attempted to turn the park from a theme park into a coaster park, and Knott's really doesn't fit well into either category. It has nine roller coasters, but only a couple of which are great rides. It also has some theming, but not enough to create a complete environment. It is almost as if Knott's is attempting to compete with both Six Flags Magic Mountain and Disneyland, which is nearly impossible to do.

 

At this point, I really think Cedar Fair should just give up on competing with Disneyland and turn the park into Orange County's Magic Mountain. It may not be what most people want, but if the park got a couple good coasters it will do better than if they add the world's best dark ride. It will destroy the park as the Knott's Family built it, but Cedar Fair has already done enough damage that it is irreversible and today's amusement park crowd just doesn't care for a themed attraction as long as it is a good and thrilling ride.

[the ghost]

Nice TR, sounds like a good day at Californias worst "theme" park(imo, lol see what I did with the slogan?) Also, just to let you know, Ghostrider just came out of track rehab in early october,right before haunt. Glad to hear it is running a little better cause I rode in June and it just hurt, it was fun cause of the airtime, but not worth the "abuse."

[robbalvey]

I fixed your post so it doesn't hurt your eyes when you read it.

 

As a piece of advice to everyone when writing Trip Reports - it's hard enough to get people to read your TR if there isn't any pictures, so if it's just text, try to make it at least READABLE text.

 

Using spaces in between paragraphs. Use the BOLD or UNDERLINE commands to emphasis parts of your report, etc.

 

And please use spell check! Your report was actually pretty good and didn't have too many, but just running it through something like the Google Toolbar spellchecker brought up about 10 words that had typos.

 

Hopefully your report may get more responses now.

 

--Robb "I feel like an internet teacher now!" Alvey

[ebl]

^ You already know my take on that kind of stuff.

 

I installed Mozilla Firefox, and, like Microsoft Word, it underlines words in red when there's a question about spelling. You can right-click on such words to get suggestions for correct spelling.

 

Anyway, sounds like you had a fun day at Knott's. I'm glad GhostRider was "smooth-ish" for you; remember that it had some work done recently. I've never ridden Screamin' Swing, and probably won't get there before it's gone. For whatever reason, riding it just never really interested me---even if it were free.

 

I've been thinking about going down there in the hopes that the Galloping Goose will be running on the Calico Railroad. One of the crew told me last time I was there that they run it in the off season, usually during the week.

 

Eric

[Calicoasters]

By the way, I talked briefly to another TPR member while in line. He was a ride operator named Will or William (had both name tags on), but I don't remember his username (if he even said what it was). Heard he got into some trouble on here, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. Seemed familiar too, reminded me of someone operating Pony Express on a previous visit (back in March, I believe) who was using a funny voice over the microphone and made my group then crack up. Just wondering if anyone knows his username, and back on topic.

 

Yes, that is Will! His username is Rollerman87, and chances are he is the same operator you were reminded of at Pony Express because he operates there too.

 

I've been thinking about going down there in the hopes that the Galloping Goose will be running on the Calico Railroad. One of the crew told me last time I was there that they run it in the off season, usually during the week.

 

The Galloping Goose is operating every weekday now, but if you come on a Saturday or Sunday you can expect to see the Calico Express.

[atem122]

Great review! I loved your take on all the rides, your opinions were very similar to mine.

 

Llet me also vouch for Will, I was lucky enough to meet him operating Calico Mine ride on my last visit, and he was extremely nice and a completely model employee.

[rcdude]

Nice TR, sounds like a good day at Californias worst "theme" park(imo, lol see what I did with the slogan?) Also, just to let you know, Ghostrider just came out of track rehab in early october,right before haunt. Glad to hear it is running a little better cause I rode in June and it just hurt, it was fun cause of the airtime, but not worth the "abuse."

 

Yes, it was a great day. I knew about the GhostRider rehab but not how much they had done to the ride. It certainly felt like most of the rough sections were retracked.

 

I fixed your post so it doesn't hurt your eyes when you read it.

 

I'm sorry it was difficult to read and that you had to take the time to fix it, but thank you for doing so. I didn't know how to make bold or underlined text, and since I haven't had anyone complain about my other text-based trip reports I figured the way I was doing it was fine. I hope to get a digital camera this Christmas so I can start posting photo trip reports instead of a ton of text very few people read.

 

Yes, that is Will! His username is Rollerman87, and chances are he is the same operator you were reminded of at Pony Express because he operates there too.

 

Yep, that's him. Rollerman87 rings a bell, as I remember him telling me that when I ran into him in March. He is a great ride operator and is so far the only person I've met at a park to start a conversation with me because I was wearing my old ACE shirt (other than a couple random ACE members I ditched after a few minutes).

[Calicoasters]

Yep, that's him. Rollerman87 ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings a bell, as I remember him telling me that when I ran into him in March. He is a great ride operator and is so far the only person I've met at a park to start a conversation with me because I was wearing my old ACE shirt (other than a couple random ACE members I ditched after a few minutes).

 

I remember seeing you at Silver Bullet. You have a fro that reminded me of the fro I used to have and love when I was in high school.

[Zenechai]

Pony Express-I have never been very impressed with this ride. It is incredibly short, moderately uncomfortable, and has a very boring figure-eight layout. Despite this, we still rode, and it ended up having a ten minute wait (longest of the day). Fun to do once, but not something to bother with if there is a significant wait.

 

As an operator for this attraction, I agree. The layout is boring. However, Cedar Fair made a bad purchase decision with this coaster. They ran out of money halfway through building it, hence the ride's length (or lack thereof). Here's a tip: When we say to kick your legs back and "lean" forward, we just want you close enough so there is no space between your sternum and the pony. We don't want you lying over the top of your horse. Also, when we ask you to hold on, we mean it. 9 out of 10 people who have a bad experience with the stop (ie, getting thrown forward and having the restraint tighten) have their hands up. If you brace against the backbar, you won't have this issue. ^_^

 

~Zen

 

It will destroy the park as the Knott's Family built it, but Cedar Fair has already done enough damage that it is irreversible and today's amusement park crowd just doesn't care for a themed attraction as long as it is a good and thrilling ride.

 

I love how people hate that Cedar Fair is changing the park and "deviating" from the Knott family vision, but no one ever mentions that this could have been avoided if the Knott family hadn't sold it in the first place. Somehow Cedar Fair ends up as the heartless corporation, but it doesn't matter that the Knotts sold out, as it were. Think of the irony. xD

 

~Zen

[the ghost]

^ The red font does not mix with the background very well. Also, yes, the knotts family did sell it, but they set up the basis of a very nice theme park. Knotts was not like the paramount parks that Cedar Fair bought where when rides are added people are happy. Also, when was the last major coaster knotts got? Silver Bullet in 2004. All the other CF parks are getting or have received awesome wooden coasters (renegade, prowler) or are getting hypers. We are getting a drop tower, we already have one.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I love how people hate that Cedar Fair is changing the park and "deviating" from the Knott family vision, but no one ever mentions that this could have been avoided if the Knott family hadn't sold it in the first place. Somehow Cedar Fair ends up as the heartless corporation, but it doesn't matter that the Knotts sold out, as it were. Think of the irony. I like small boys in tights.

 

~Zen

 

I love how people automatically make a selling party out to be totally in favor of everything the buyer does with the item that was sold simply because it was sold. That's ridiculous logic.

 

Let's say you sold me a painting and I spray painted a racist slur all over it and put it in public. How would you feel if someone came around and said, "Well that would have never happened if Zen hadn't sold the painting!!!"?

 

The Knott's family has exactly zero responsibility for the choices Cedar Fair has made since they purchased the park.

[WFChris]

They ran out of money halfway through building it

 

I am no park exec, but I'm pretty sure the entire ride was planned out before they started building it. The ride is exactly what CF ordered. This logic may work for the vast majority of the people riding the coaster, but I have a feeling it's not going to fly here.

 

Welcome to TPR though, and try not to sound so angry! Jeez!

 

Chris.

[Zenechai]

They ran out of money halfway through building it

 

I am no park exec, but I'm pretty sure the entire ride was planned out before they started building it. The ride is exactly what CF ordered. This logic may work for the vast majority of the people riding the coaster, but I have a feeling it's not going to fly here.

 

Welcome to TPR though, and try not to sound so angry! Jeez!

 

Chris.

 

I'm not trying to put one over on anyone. My understanding of what happened with Pony Express is as follows (what we were told by maintenance who built the ride): The coaster was supposed to weave over more of BFR and WW, but the ride exceeded the budget with the equipment it already had (flywheel, brake/launch blocks, maintenance pit that's larger than usual, etc). So the track length (the easiest thing to cut, apparently) was minimized to keep the ride on-budget.

 

In response to a previous quote...I'm not saying Knott's agrees with everything the park has done, I just don't see how it's valid for people to complain that CF isn't keeping with the "Knott's Family Vision" of the park. Why should they? It's not the Knott's family park anymore, and if the Knott's family wanted to keep it their way, they wouldn't have sold. Going back to the painting example. If I wanted to keep the painting the way it was and prevent you from making changes that people might not like, what would I do? I would simply NOT SELL THE PAINTING. But I do NOT have the right to complain about what you do to the painting after you buy it. It's not my property, nor my decision about what happens to it, so therefore, how I supposedly "would feel" about any changes you made is insignificant.

 

~Zen

 

MOD EDIT: Please use the default yellow font, and in it's normal size. It's easier to read for everyone.

 

Thanks!

[alpengeist04]

^Not to harp on this, but the dark red font is really hard to read. ...Could you please use the default yellow?

[ebl]

I believe that the Knott family didn't have the capital that it would take to upgrade the park in order to be competitive with the other parks in the area. Selling to a corporation was the only way to keep the park going.

 

True, the park no longer belongs to the Knott family. While I have joined others with complaining about what Cedar Fair has done, I also realize---as hard as it may be---that the direction that they have gone is what will keep the park going for years to come. Cedar Fair is introducing rides and attractions that appeal (for the most part) to families, which is where the money is.

 

People's tastes in entertainment are no longer satisfied by the smaller, simple things that Knott's has had in the past.

 

Eric

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^Though I agree that the Knott Family had to do something to to keep Berry Farm realevant, I don't agree that Rides as Cedar Fair has put in was the only way to do it. Look at the Marine based Busch parks. Sea World is getting 4 million visitors a year with much less rides than Knott's. So I don't bash Knott's for selling it outright. I'd bash them for who they sold it to. If they sold it to Six Flags, I'd gripe about that too. Silver Bullet would be a Batman clone, Xcelerator would be 200 feet taller but never open (well more than its not already) and there'd be highlighter shirts everywhere.

[Zenechai]

I've lived in SoCal for 2 years and haven't been to SFMM (I know, I know...heresy), so I wouldn't know about the highlighter shirts (please to explain?).

 

A little sad that I can't type in my signature dark red, but if it makes it easier on everyone, I will happily adjust to the default yellow. ^_^

 

As for the marine-based theme parks, I do prefer them to the amusement parks, simply on the basis of educational value. They offer a little more to kids and families than thrill rides or characters (spake the former DCA CM). You learn things, the exhibits (are they still called attractions?) are interactive, and while they do have rides, the theming is much better done than, say, at Knott's. (IE Bullet: Random backstory + illogical color scheme = theming at Knott's! YAY! And we all know the pioneers headed across the plain to marvel at the world's first air-powered swing....) But the rides are NOT the focus of the park. The animals are. Now that I think about it, I need to go THERE, too.

 

I will say, that the one thing I'm glad CF kept was Haunt. Granted, it's the ONLY thing that keeps the park running (and I am NOT joking here, kids), but they do it extremely well. The Hanging is fun (last year was better, but how do you expect Star Trek to top The Dark Knight), and I've never done the mazes, but the street monsters are amazing and the shows are side-splittingly funny (Bloodlust and Chipper Lowell, anyone?). Not really a family event (though some people insist on bringing their six-year-olds..."He's mature for his age!" "Ma'am, your son is crying because he got chased through the Boardwalk by a chainsaw-wielding Killer Clown and you did nothing to stop it." <--True story!), and revenue was WAAAY down from last year's Haunt, but I'm hoping as the economy stabilizes (knock on wood), more people will be willing to spend their money on entertainment.

 

~Zen

 

P.S. Gonna go TOTALLY OT for a sec....saw an avatar and HAD to comment...Alpengeist was my first "floorless" coaster (can someone remind me what the difference is between "suspended" and "inverted"? In some cases (IE Bullet), aren't they describing the same kind of coaster? The train's UNDER the track, but you're not in a car, you're suspended over the ground....but please correct me if I'm wrong. I know what coasters I like, not exactly all the technical aspects of each one). I rode it at BG when I was, like, 11. Like most first-time-riding-kids, I had my head down and my eyes closed, but it was FORCEFUL.... ^_^

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^30 nights and not a single sell-out. "attendance was down" is an understatement.

[Zenechai]

^30 nights and not a single sell-out. "attendance was down" is an understatement.

 

Understatement? I put THREE A's in that "way". LOL

 

But to be fair, we did go WELL over-budget with a few weekend nights (Saturdays especially). You know, supervision short-sightedly staffed the park for 12,000 guests and we got 22,000. That's always a laugh-riot.

 

I tell you, we do NOT get paid enough to go through what we went through this year. Needless to say, I did NOT offer to work Watt's at Knott's as a Screamin' Swing hocker. Guh.

 

Do you know what the numbers were guest-wise for HH last year? I know I was in Fiesta Village, right by Quarantine, and after my first extended shift (I got extended from an 8.5 to a 13.5 hour day), I wanted to shoot someone. But having lived through it, it's getting better...

 

I am NOT looking forward to TFT this year. Granted, they've done better with crowd control, having people ACTUALLY SPEND over $10 on a toy, and opening it during the week, but I still think the idea is disgusting.

 

I've been giving to Toys for Tots my whole life, just because my parents taught me that it's right to help people when you can. I didn't donate toys so I could get a free ticket to an amusement park and then complain to the ride operators that it's too crowded and demand my toy back (<-- again, true story).

 

I just think teaching people to give so they can get something out of it is what's contributing to the selfishness of people in this country. What kind of example are we setting?

 

Sorry to go OT, but I for one was GLAD Haunt wasn't as bad as last year. Who wants to work line control for a bunch of "entitled" guests? (Not me!)

 

~Zen