The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[ragerunner2]

Looks really good - knotts has really up their game over the last few years

Edited May 14, 2015 by ragerunner2

[Hilltopper39]

I mean it's not Spiderman or Men in Black, but that honestly look pretty cool! between this and the two new Justice League dark rides it's nice to see more parks investing in these types of attractions.

[Woodie Warrior]

I'm extremely impressed. No, it's not Universal or Disney caliber but looks far better than any other 3D shooter any other parks have attempted. I hope Justice League turns out this good!

[gr8LAboy]

Yah. I rode it a few times this morning also and it also exceeded my expectations. The film seems very interchangeable and adaptable to any of the other parks. We were told that the outcome would differ based upon how you performed in the game but after riding a few times actually trying and scoring many points and then a few times just sitting there and not shooting anything the outcomes seemed exactly the same.

 

The preshow was...interesting (the old man can really dive!)...but it set up the story fairly well.

 

overall it's a pretty solid attraction and a welcome change from an empty building.

[Jew]

^There was a pre-show??

 

I rode this morning before having to head to work. My initial reaction was "WTF???" I couldn't seem to find a rhyme or reason to the story at all. There's really two ways I look at this ride: I'm sure it will still be a hit because the average guest will be like "ooo...3D and shooting stuff...fun!", so in that regard KBF succeeded. However, the theme park person in me seriously wonders how much effort was put into the creative process: very visible projectors, seemingly random monsters, and I never heard how/why we were supposed to go underwater and shoot robotic sea creatures. The finale was very very very lacking too. We also had some downtime on the ride, so the same scene kept looping over and over and didn't appear to be keeping anywhere close to accurate score (no matter what we shot, scores would freeze for a few minutes then randomly go up then freeze again).

 

I did, however, notice a few of the old knott's rides in the background of scenes and thought that was a nice touch. The 3D was better than what those renderings showed, but far from earth shattering.

[DJeXeL]

Downtime is to be expected on a new attraction. You did confirm my fears of it being poorly executed. The GP will love it though.

[gr8LAboy]

Yes there is a preshow. It plays on the monitors in the small loosely themed indoor section of the queue. It loosely explains what is going on. It was very easy to miss this morning as 1) there wasn't a line and 2)the majority of the time the loop shows a collage of pictures of the creature destroying various things. But it's there.

[gr8LAboy]

What wasn't really explained at all though was the significance of shooting the little compass things. The number you shoot are tallied up and is displayed along with your photo and score at the end. Anybody care to venture to guess as to what they mean?

[Jew]

I'd first like to know how/why we are freezing robotic fish underwater....

[DoinItForTheFame]

Here it is:

 

 

It looks really awesome. Only problem is that you can see the projectors quite easily. Also, near the end I could spot what appeared to an exit to the building (someone left the door open?).

OMFG!! I can not believe that you can see the projectors so easily. The should tear it down and build an Aquatrax in it's place.

Seriously though... After watching this video, I think that Knott's Berry Farm has a great addition on their hands. Can you see the projectors?? Yes... but most people who are riding the ride are going to be so focused on the ride that they will not even notice the projectors. I can NOT wait to get out to Knotts and try this ride out.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I stopped trying to make actual sense of theme park attraction stories many years ago.

 

Indy supposedly rescues us ...right back to where started, only to have to keep rescuing us over & over again each ride. Rocket to the Moon and Mission to Mars both had us on rocket ships where we saw Disneyland get left behind through our window as we blasted into space. Curiously no spacecraft was ever seen launched into space by anyone on the outside. Stitch escapes into Magic Kingdom only to escape again over & over again each ride. Somehow as soon as we walk into the Tiki Room, Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion and others, it immediately becomes dark as night and/or thunderstormy outside even if it's the middle of the afternoon. Original Star Tours kept having to blow up the Death Star again & again each ride after Death Stars were blown up in Episodes 4 & 6. Maybe Death Stars were being made on an assembly line by then? The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D supposedly descended into the Las Vegas Hilton's roof at Star Trek: The Experience even though this was never seen by anyone on the outside either. Jurassic Park's dinosaurs are perpetually getting loose and coming after us at Universal Studios. The list goes on. Now there's killer robot sea creatures that want to swallow Knott's even though outside the park seems perfectly safe, and we're freezing the robo-fish underwater... somehow.

 

At some point you just let go and accept that it's a theme park ride and it's ultimately about having fun in what you hope is a high-quality immersive experience. Imagination and what Disney once deemed the "plausible impossible" are to be our guides here. Personally I'm just happy there's a halfway decent looking ride in where Kingdom of the Dinosaurs used to be. Can't wait to see it and finally ride something in that building again tomorrow!

[Jew]

^I'm not really sure where you are going with that. All those examples you gave at least tell a story. It's a given reality is suspended when you are on a theme park ride. Iron Reef doesn't really tell a cohesive story, so you have no idea WHY reality is suspended. It's a giant video game---which as I said in the beginning, I am sure will make many people happy. However, given the great upgrades they did to Mine Ride & Log Ride---this just seemed like they phoned it in to have something to put in the vacant space.

 

^^I would MUCH rather have an Aquatrax in its place!

Edited May 14, 2015 by Jew

[CedarFlags]

One thing the video doesn't do any justice to is how immersive the ride environment is. The screens are huge and the rooms have a ton of GORGEOUSLY done scenery.

 

Considering the absolute shoestring budget Knott's operates on compared to Disney or Universal, I think it's quite impressive. I wish the ride vehicles moved around more though.

[Jew]

The physical sets are definitely the most impressive part, but they are on par with a Sally ride. Not groundbreaking, but still good looking. I can't agree with the immersive part since you see the projectors and the scene ahead of you numerous times. Potential was there, but....

[appleboy007]

I had the opportunity to ride Voyage to the Iron Reef today and would agree it is a giant video game. Albeit, a very fun video game that families will enjoy. One sad note is that the queue moved quite slowly to the point that several people reversed their direction and left. However, for those of us who braved the queue, it was a brilliant family ride for the park. What were you expecting... Spiderman? Now with that out of the way, I am silently praying Knott's will receive a new entrance and a Giga coaster as that seems to be the standard with Cedar Fair as of late. We are in dire need of a couple of new adult (Thrill seeker coasters), Ghost Rider desperately needs an RMC Iron Horse Face lift, add a few adult flat rides and a Chiapas style flume ride and Hell, you would have one sweet jar of jam (Boysenberry of course). What are your thoughts?

[appleboy007]

Now that I think about it, some cold fog, lots of bubble and of course some type of water effect would definitely give "Voyage to the Iron Reef" a more polished feel. Although, even without those things It is not a bad ride.

[dippindotsguy8]

Now with that out of the way, I am silently praying Knott's will receive a new entrance and a Giga coaster as that seems to be the standard with Cedar Fair as of late

Hardly. Two parks that have a much different feel than knott's were given giga coasters. Also, Knott's entrance is perfect the way it is. The locals don't want the park to look less like what they remember from growing up. Response to recent additions shows the opposite. Plus, there is already a prominent B&M inversion right up against the gates, so that box is already checked if you ask me.

We are in dire need of a couple of new adult (Thrill seeker coasters), Ghost Rider desperately needs an RMC Iron Horse Face lift, add a few adult flat rides and a Chiapas style flume ride and Hell, you would have one sweet jar of jam (Boysenberry of course). What are your thoughts?

 

Not sure if you're trolling or serious, but...

1. The park is not in "dire need" of more coasters. While I'm sure an additional one would be appreciated, there are other issues that need more immediate attention like....

2. Ghostrider. It doesn't desperately need an Iron Horse treatment. Not every park needs to be Magic Mountain. That said, they do need to do something substantial to change the ride's status quo. Something that is down for extensive rehabs and track work four times a year should not ride as terribly as it does. Hopefully the park can look in to a more permanent solution than the frequent patch jobs it goes down for. As others have said, RMC's topper track might be great for this, along with a set of new trains. I really would love to see the next "thrill addition" be a restoration of this ride, bringing it back to its former glory in a way that will keep it there for longer than a couple of months.

 

3. No need for an additional flume. The one they have is a classic that they just poured tons of money into.

[Dom497]

Now that I think about it, some cold fog, lots of bubble and of course some type of water effect would definitely give "Voyage to the Iron Reef" a more polished feel. Although, even without those things It is not a bad ride.

 

Fog and bubbles would just screw with the sensors. Guardian used to have fog in its finale but they took it away within the first week of operation.

[VegasBaby]

We are in dire need of a couple of new adult (Thrill seeker coasters), Ghost Rider desperately needs an RMC Iron Horse Face lift, add a few adult flat rides and a Chiapas style flume ride and Hell, you would have one sweet jar of jam (Boysenberry of course). What are your thoughts?

 

I totally agree that Knott's needs a new thrill seeker coaster as the last thrill ride addition was Silver Bullet and that was over 10 years ago. (Windseeker doesn't count since it's no longer there.) However, a RMC rehab of GhostRider seems like a more pressing issue. Like other posters have said, it doesn't need a complete redo like TC, but topper track and new trains would make the ride seem just like new. Heck, it would probably even ride better than when it was brand new. In his opening remarks yesterday, Raffi hinted that next year's focus would be Ghost Town to coincide with its 75th anniversary. So that gives me hope that the GR RMC rehab will be a go next year.

[DirkFunk]

Am I the only person entertained watching people pick apart the "story" of the ride? Why are there sea monsters? Probably for the same reasons there's a pink german castle at the end of a street in a midsized Missouri town.

[Jew]

^It's not the story (even if it is ridiculous) that bothers me, since suspending reality is a given at a theme park. It's that the story is never explained. Thus, from a creative point of view the ride is a mess. Of course since the ride appears to be very low capacity, most people should have plenty of time to watch the queue video multiple times...

[Jerome]

I actually enjoyed the ride.The downside is the capacity. Right now they are looking at 600 people per hour tops. That's all trains loaded and perfect dispatch. They only have 6 trains at 8 people per trains and a three and a half minute ride. Maybe there are two more trains coming, But even running perfect the waits times are very very long. Again It is a nice ride and it fits their direction of marketing to families perfectly.

[DirkFunk]

^It's not the story (even if it is ridiculous) that bothers me, since suspending reality is a given at a theme park. It's that the story is never explained. Thus, from a creative point of view the ride is a mess. Of course since the ride appears to be very low capacity, most people should have plenty of time to watch the queue video multiple times...

 

All attractions anywhere revolve around the rider's willingness to go along with the ruse, otherwise they fail miserably, and almost all the ruses are really, really stupid at their core. Hell, some of the most iconic theme park attractions of all time don't even attempt to tell a story. Pirates of the Caribbean seems to consist of sight gags Marc Davis thought was cool and nothing else. But who cares? My opinion is that if you want a story, read a book.

[Jew]

^Nothing wrong with thinking that. As I said from the very beginning, I am sure many will enjoy the ride. It's a life size video game. As I also said earlier, it's a given you have to suspend reality at a theme park. The problem with Iron Reef IMO is that it doesn't do anything to help sell the "ruse" as you put it.

 

Just falls flat for me on many levels because of the lack of storytelling, cheaply done feel, and terrible ending. Falls extra flat considering the great work the park had previously done redoing the log and mine rides.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Jew

[PeoplemoverMatt]

It's raining pretty good down here. Any word on possible rain-related cancellation/postponement of the preview event today?