The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

Since when did Jaguar! become so popular??? Lol

 

That's the first thing that opened my eyes wider, lol.

It had a longer wait, than Xcelerator had (at that time)!

[Arthur_Seaton]

Yeah, Spring Break just started for a number of schools, so I wouldn't go anywhere near the place for the next couple of weeks.

[coasterlvr]

 

misprint or truth?

[Dombot]

Xcelerator has finally reopened!

Sweet! Good to see it finally back up again.

[tanthonyam]

Avoid this place like the plague during Spring Break.

[thrillseeker4552]

[attachment=0]IMG_3753.jpg[/attachment]

 

misprint or truth?

 

I would be VERY (pleasantly) surprised if HangTime opened this Saturday. There is still quite a bit to do with the queue, entrance, and gift shop. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

[Canobie Coaster]

Has Xcelerator always been called "Xcelerator the Ride" or is "The Ride" part new?

 

Regardless I'm glad the park was finally able to get it back and running. I know Dragster and Ka are taller, but Xcelerator's launch packs a bigger wallop in my opinion.

[CedarFlags]

During February, I was thinking we'd see an end of March opening to Hangtime, but it seems the progress has plateaued a bit. The entrance and gift shop are still unfinished, they haven't tested the lighting package at all, the mural doesn't seem to be finished yet, and the queue and station are also unfinished.

 

I think if the weather stays dry and testing all goes smoothly from here on out, opening by the end of April is ambitious, but realistic. They have been advertising a Summer opening all along, so it seems they are not in a rush. If I were them, I would give the employees some time to get the operations fine tuned with the smaller April/May weekday crowds, rather than open during the super busy Spring Break / Boysenberry Festival weeks.

[SoCalJasonland]

Has Xcelerator always been called "Xcelerator the Ride" or is "The Ride" part new?

 

Regardless I'm glad the park was finally able to get it back and running. I know Dragster and Ka are taller, but Xcelerator's launch packs a bigger wallop in my opinion.

 

My guess is that "Xcelerator The Ride" is what they were able to trademark because "Xcelerator", by itself was deemed too general. If Xcelerator had been used before in any other products or companies; the name would not be available for trademark. But Knott's probably prefers to shorten the name on signage and park maps as there is a self-explanatory ride next to it.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

Has Xcelerator always been called "Xcelerator the Ride" or is "The Ride" part new?

I remember seeing it on a few of the signs for years in smaller text (it's been on the sign in front of the station for the last 4-5 years at least, since pictures from 2002 and 2003 don't show it but videos from 2014 do), but I think the trend of actually calling the ride by that full name is fairly new.

[fatdaddy]

Knott's app says March 31 if you click Hangtime, but seeing it today I doubt they'll hit that mark. It's definitely close to open though, station needs a bit more done to it before it can open.

[edgeboy]

During February, I was thinking we'd see an end of March opening to Hangtime, but it seems the progress has plateaued a bit. The entrance and gift shop are still unfinished, they haven't tested the lighting package at all, the mural doesn't seem to be finished yet, and the queue and station are also unfinished.

 

I think if the weather stays dry and testing all goes smoothly from here on out, opening by the end of April is ambitious, but realistic. They have been advertising a Summer opening all along, so it seems they are not in a rush. If I were them, I would give the employees some time to get the operations fine tuned with the smaller April/May weekday crowds, rather than open during the super busy Spring Break / Boysenberry Festival weeks.

 

I think this is the voice of sanity. Plus, with the way spring break doles out here in SoCal, half the schools have it this week, half have it next week (or even later!). Even if everything was in readiness (and as stated above, I don't think it is either), It'd be pretty bad PR for them to open it this weekend when half of people's spring break would be over.

 

Given not only the spring break crowds, but also the Boysenberry Festival crowds, it'd just make more sense for them to open it after all that's over. Plus, it gives a reason for people to return to visit.

 

Knott's app says March 31 if you click Hangtime, but seeing it today I doubt they'll hit that mark. It's definitely close to open though, station needs a bit more done to it before it can open.

 

I've found their app to be very inaccurate and frequently non-functional. I wouldn't put much stock in that.

[Jew]

^Why would they want to wait to open it? New attraction opening while kids out of school=$$$. It also means greater capacity to help spread crowds around.

[fatdaddy]

Of course, it's never bad PR to open a ride early. That said, they are working steadily to get it open, I was surprised to see work being done on a Saturday. Reality is they could soft open without all the cosmetics complete, and hold off an official grand opening until everything is complete.

[805Andrew]

Of course, it's never bad PR to open a ride early. That said, they are working steadily to get it open, I was surprised to see work being done on a Saturday. Reality is they could soft open without all the cosmetics complete, and hold off an official grand opening until everything is complete.

 

I'm hoping for a soft open during Boysenberry Fest even if they have to close it after Boysenberry Fest/Spring Break to do the finishing touches on the queue, gift shop, etc.

[CedarFlags]

^Why would they want to wait to open it? New attraction opening while kids out of school=$$$. It also means greater capacity to help spread crowds around.

 

Berry Fest pulls pretty big crowds already, so it's not going to be a huge boost to attendance. If they open it during the typically dead weeks following the festival, then there could be a noticeable difference in those numbers.

 

They went through all of Haunt and all of Christmas with only 2 big coasters running, so now that Xcel is back and they are up to 3, the capacity pressure has already been relieved.

 

I'm sure Marketing would like to have some time to actually market the opening day, instead of just posting on Facebook "hey it's open now".

 

And, my original point... any new attraction is bound to have a learning curve. Figuring out that learning curve on a 20,000 attendance weekend is a recipe for chaos and guest complaints. Since it's been slated as a Summer opening since its original announcement, there's no time crunch.

 

They could prove me wrong though, who knows.

[CedarFlags]

Of course, it's never bad PR to open a ride early. That said, they are working steadily to get it open, I was surprised to see work being done on a Saturday. Reality is they could soft open without all the cosmetics complete, and hold off an official grand opening until everything is complete.

 

Opening an attraction that isn't done yet seems like kind of bad PR. Do you think the park really wants their facebook/instagram presence to be exposed/unfinished construction work?

[Manic Monte]

Cedar Fair isn't going to open a ride before it's ready. Either it's ready to go this weekend, or it's not.

[ABW]

It does seem odd as to why Knott's would attempt to reference an earlier than expected date. I did notice that the website changed from "Summer 2018" to "2018" in regards to when HangTime is opening. Still, I don't see March 31st happening...

[edgeboy]

^Why would they want to wait to open it? New attraction opening while kids out of school=$$$. It also means greater capacity to help spread crowds around.

 

Berry Fest pulls pretty big crowds already, so it's not going to be a huge boost to attendance. If they open it during the typically dead weeks following the festival, then there could be a noticeable difference in those numbers.

 

They went through all of Haunt and all of Christmas with only 2 big coasters running, so now that Xcel is back and they are up to 3, the capacity pressure has already been relieved.

 

I'm sure Marketing would like to have some time to actually market the opening day, instead of just posting on Facebook "hey it's open now".

 

And, my original point... any new attraction is bound to have a learning curve. Figuring out that learning curve on a 20,000 attendance weekend is a recipe for chaos and guest complaints. Since it's been slated as a Summer opening since its original announcement, there's no time crunch.

 

They could prove me wrong though, who knows.

 

^Everything he said. Plus, I've been talking with a friend who works for Gerstlaur. While he obviously can't say anything specific, he did say to me today that he'd be traveling to CA for the opening, and that we should meet up and say hi. But he made no mention of traveling to CA this weekend, implying he's not visiting for a little bit. Between all that CedarFlags said above, what my friend didn't say, and seeing the state of the site myself less than a week ago, seriously makes me doubt it's opening this weekend.

 

Also, as crowded as it is with Boysenberry Festival & Spring Break now, with those same people returning just a few weeks later for the new ride = x2 $$$. If they rode it early, why should they come back in the summer? Those same kids are out of school then, too. Knott's would be smarter to lure them back.

Edited March 27, 2018 by edgeboy

[fatdaddy]

Of course, it's never bad PR to open a ride early. That said, they are working steadily to get it open, I was surprised to see work being done on a Saturday. Reality is they could soft open without all the cosmetics complete, and hold off an official grand opening until everything is complete.

 

Opening an attraction that isn't done yet seems like kind of bad PR. Do you think the park really wants their facebook/instagram presence to be exposed/unfinished construction work?

 

Every theme park company has opened something that was less than complete, that's why it's a soft open, not an official opening, and believe me I've ridden many rides long before things were ready for the press release, even Disney does this. If you have any knowledge of the thems park industry you know that deadlines aren't always met 100%. I've seen many a ride open with plywood walls where theming should be and then it's completed over time. I actually know of one ride, which shall remane nameless, that has themeing and lights that were never installed in order to push the opening date up, at this point I wonder if the ride will ever be "complete". Of course, you don't know what's missing and it doesn't effect the ride in any way other than cosmetically, so no one even notices anything is missing. If you really believe they wouldn't soft open a ride because of a little paint and polish, or some lights, you're sadly mistaken.

[Dom497]

I actually know of one ride, which shall remane nameless, that has themeing and lights that were never installed in order to push the opening date up, at this point I wonder if the ride will ever be "complete". Of course, you don't know what's missing and it doesn't effect the ride in any way other than cosmetically, so no one even notices anything is missing.

 

Wonder Mountain's Guardian? Only half the station is actually themed.

[edgeboy]

Every theme park company has opened something that was less than complete, that's why it's a soft open, not an official opening, and believe me I've ridden many rides long before things were ready for the press release, even Disney does this.

 

While this is true, there is a difference between "less than complete" and "the gift shop doesn't even have finished walls, the light package hasn't been sufficiently tested, the station isn't finished, and the entire landscaping is still uneven dirt". Call me silly, but that seems more like "far from complete" from even a soft opening, frequent ride testing notwithstanding.

[coasterlvr]

few pics from today. gift shop looks ready for stucco. more progress on handrails in the station. main queue in the center looks finished. the north side needs some work. all the lights seemed to be installed. i couldn't see any bare areas of the track.

 

[edgeboy]

^Yeah, that does not look ready to open in four days.

 

Edit update: Knott's confirmed on their own twitter account that Hangtime is NOT opening on the 31st as the app says. They did say an opening date would be announced soon.