The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[thestripedtaco]

I think a fiesta village makeover would be great. The area just kinda falls flat along with the boardwalk which hopefully will get better thanks to the addition. As for a dark ride I guess KOD's building makes them most sense but it would have to be rebuilt from scratch. I don't really know of any other location in the park where a dark ride could be fit in unless they used one of the ware houses that are used for haunt mazes and other stuff.

[XYZ]

What's the problem with Fiesta Village? I have no problems with the area. Sure, some of the flat rides are a bit old, but Windseeker & La Revolucion give enough new life to the area. The theming is really good in the area and plus you got Monte.

 

Honestly, I think that Boardwalk needs a makeover, starting with the 2013 rides. Boomerang should be either removed or have new trains and the original colors. Sky Cabin should get a remodel with the removal of the games around the tower and planting trees in the spot that the games currently are on. Boardwalk is a big concrete area which just has Xcelerator & Supreme Scream as the only two good rides there.

[Wes]

Wasn't there a constant rumor a few years ago that Bigfoot Rapids might be on the chopping block because of downtime/cost to run? That space could accommodate a few good attractions.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

Honestly, I think that if Knotts puts in a large scale attraction, they'd take their time to do it right. Lets just say hypothetically if its a hyper/Giga, more time would be required to file for permits, survey larger sections of land and impact. I don't know what the park has planned for next year if they have anything planned at all. But let me go on record by saying it wouldn't be a shock at all if we see some thing BIG in 2014...

[Jew]

^Rumors are already flying that this 2013 project is to get ready for something bigger. But of course, something bigger for KBF has been rumored for ages now, so...

[thestripedtaco]

^^^ I really don't think Knott's would take out another water ride when they just got rid of one, especially this being California, a generally very hot state. But again this is Cedar Fair so who knows.

 

I have to agree with the people saying that this 2013 project is to get ready for something bigger. It has been a long time since the last major thrill ride and Knott's has slowed down adding the massive attractions like they did the first few years being owned by Cedar Fair, which makes sense considering how much love this park got in it's early years. I feel that 2014 is going to be the year, not that it being a decade since SB has anything to do with that (being serious).

[XYZ]

Yes, I'm looking forward to Knott's 2014, but keep your expectations very low. Knowing Knott's, if you have high expectations, you will most likely be dissapointed with the announcement.

[thestripedtaco]

^ This is very true. Another advantage to having low to no expectations is that you can be happily surprised. I was even happy with the 2013 addition because it just seems like a great fit for the park when I was expecting a towering roller coaster to further ruin the feel of the park. The addition should do the opposite.

[MrSum1_55]

Personally, I would rather have a total Ghostrider renovation than a new giga coaster.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^

 

Ghostrider topper track and new trains for Jaguar > than the B&M Hyper they are likely to get if they ever get a hyper.

[thestripedtaco]

^ I think they should consider just taking out Jaguar and building a real mine train utilizing the temple and still threading Monty's loop. Jaguar is a bit rough and the trains are terrible too. Plus the ride looks bad in the park and dosen't come close to being a good mine train/family coaster. I would take SS and PE over Jaguar any day. I would even take Coast Rider over it if it turns out anything like the other wild mouses I have ridden (which it should).

[XYZ]

^ I think they should consider just taking out Jaguar and building a real mine train utilizing the temple and still threading Monty's loop. Jaguar is a bit rough and the trains are terrible too. Plus the ride looks bad in the park and dosen't come close to being a good mine train/family coaster. I would take SS and PE over Jaguar any day. I would even take Coast Rider over it if it turns out anything like the other wild mouses I have ridden (which it should).

 

Jaguar is a hit for families and takes up very little room. It's not going anywhere. Also, a mine train coaster wouldn't fit in Fiesta Village at all.

 

Plus, Knott's already has a mine train ride: Calico Mine Ride.

[thestripedtaco]

^ You can theme a mine train to Fiesta Village. Look at how Expedition Everest was fit into it's land. I am just using mine train as the term for the type of ride, not for the theming. I should have clarified that better, sorry.

[rcdude]

The biggest issue with Jaguar (and also with Pony Express) is the 48" height restriction. For Pony Express, it is inherent due to the restraint design, but Jaugar ran for quite a while (I want to say six years) with a 42" height restriction before the addition of seatbelts forced it to be raised to 48", and if you're tall enough to ride every coaster in the park except Xcelerator and Silver Bullet the ride no longer holds the same appeal (hence why it rarely has more than a two train wait anymore). It's a decent family coaster that could benefit from a new set of trains, but replacing it with a whole new coaster (especially another family coaster) would probably be a wasted investment.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

^Jaguar was one of my first real coasters as a kid because of that 42" height requirement. I kept riding it over and over because I wasn't big enough for Monte, GhostRider, or Windjammer (when it was there) at that age.

 

Jaguar is a still pretty fun solid ride, but 48" is really steep for a Tivoli.

[Wes]

^ You can theme a mine train to Fiesta Village. Look at how Expedition Everest was fit into it's land. I am just using mine train as the term for the type of ride, not for the theming. I should have clarified that better, sorry.

 

Jaguar basically is an elevated mine train.

[thestripedtaco]

^ Basically, but I think we can all agree that it was at least a poor attempt at one.

[Condor]

^What did you really expect from a park like Knott's in the mid 90s? High quality, near Disney-level theming with artificial terrain plus tunnels and water features?

[thestripedtaco]

^ No of course not but it really just does not hold it's own compared to other mine trains. I would take almost any Arrow built mine train over this Zierer Tivoli. Another thing that just feels off is the tire drives, as well as the super long trains which cause the ride to hardly ever change speeds throughout the layout which makes it feel like a large powered coaster the entire ride.

[MrSum1_55]

Just to reclarify some of the points already made, Jaguar is a family ride. The main problem with it is the height restriction, which Cedar Fair can be blamed for. At the time of its construction, Knott's was a family owned park, and the largest attraction was Montezuma's Revenge. The newest coaster was Boomerang.

 

On another note, with Knott's lately taking the route of building rides of similar scope to their competetion, maybe they could add a mine train to the ghost town. A 785m clone would be a nice addition. If they cannot clear the room for that, then they could go with a custom layout that can be built over walkways. It has always seemed to me that Knott's should have a mine train coaster, and I would really like to see that. Plus, a mine train would be one of few rides they could build entirely over the ghost town, and still have it look nice. Unless they painted the track some obscure shade of orange (which they already did with TWO coasters in that area), that would be a really nice looking addition. It may be a bit expensive, but it would be a fun investment that could offer something of similar quality to a nearby park.

[SharkTums]

The biggest issue with Jaguar (and also with Pony Express) is the 48" height restriction. For Pony Express, it is inherent due to the restraint design, but Jaugar ran for quite a while (I want to say six years) with a 42" height restriction before the addition of seatbelts forced it to be raised to 48", and if you're tall enough to ride every coaster in the park except Xcelerator and Silver Bullet the ride no longer holds the same appeal (hence why it rarely has more than a two train wait anymore). It's a decent family coaster that could benefit from a new set of trains, but replacing it with a whole new coaster (especially another family coaster) would probably be a wasted investment.

 

Jaguar doesn't need new trains, those trains run just fine with a 42" height requirement at the Mall of America.

[Jew]

^What did you really expect from a park like Knott's in the mid 90s? High quality, near Disney-level theming with artificial terrain plus tunnels and water features?

 

Jaguar used to have mist/fog into the station and a fireball, plus the queue/station itself was impressive for its time. So they certainly tried.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Jew

[dippindotsguy8]

The biggest issue with Jaguar (and also with Pony Express) is the 48" height restriction. For Pony Express, it is inherent due to the restraint design, but Jaugar ran for quite a while (I want to say six years) with a 42" height restriction before the addition of seatbelts forced it to be raised to 48", and if you're tall enough to ride every coaster in the park except Xcelerator and Silver Bullet the ride no longer holds the same appeal (hence why it rarely has more than a two train wait anymore). It's a decent family coaster that could benefit from a new set of trains, but replacing it with a whole new coaster (especially another family coaster) would probably be a wasted investment.

 

Jaguar doesn't need new trains, those trains run just fine with a 42" height requirement at the Mall of America.

 

And the Mall of America trains don't even have the seat belt. They just have the lap bar.

[Someotherguyuser]

Jaguar used to have mist/fog into the station and a fireball, plus the queue/station itself was impressive for its time. So they certainly tried.

I forgot about that effect! I remember the mist that those two statue jaguars would spray at you on the final brakes. With the new management, maybe they can bring that effect back fairly soon. Also, what was the fireball? I don't remember that one.

[Mr.Wood]

Mack builds a good ride. Well made fun attractions. The other attractions are fine. Scrambler is getting close to the location where it originally opened. It's a good fit. I wish boomerang was gone and Corkscrew was still there. Make it pretty and break up some of that concrete.

Also a Peanuts themed dark ride about The Great Pumpkin would be cool. They could incorporate Haunt into it as well.