The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[rollin_n_coastin]

This even is on the front page of our paper-online version up here. I guess because we have a Wind Seeker. Probably an "oooga booga this could happen to you at CW!" rationale for reporting it prominently.

[bostonlva]

Rumor - (9/21/12) Has Knott’s pushed back their rumored mega-coaster project? We’ve heard a terrible rumor for the park’s 2013 project that not only seems to indicate that this may be so, but also that we may only see a couple of flat rides added to the park in 2013.

 

Screamscape

[Chrisrad]

Looks like we're stuck with SFMM for a new coaster in 2013.

 

[azza29]

Thinking of picking up a Cedar Fair platinum pass before the Oct 31st price hike - if I buy now but don't get it processed until I visit in May next year, is that likely to cause any dramas? I e-mailed Knotts a couple of weeks ago but no response as yet

[empires]

Screamscape's new rumor is extremely disappointing. If they really are removing PP and using all of that valuable space for a scrambler and another flat ride, then you probably won't see me at Knotts for a very long time. Sadly Screamscape is usually pretty close to being right!!

[Jew]

^Screamscape has also been terribly wrong plenty of times. I guess we'll see soon enough.

[Manic Monte]

I would think this news would make people very happy. I hear time and time again that new roller coasters continue to destroy what's left of the park's charm. Perhaps the management finally agrees?

[Tmcdllr]

I would think this news would make people very happy. I hear time and time again that new roller coasters continue to destroy what's left of the park's charm. Perhaps the management finally agrees?

 

Yeah I don't get that. People complain when they put in a coaster saying its ruining the park, and they complain when Knott's (possibly) decides not to put in a coaster- complaining because they wanted one. On the one hand they visit the park because of its "charm" and roller coasters destroy that, then on the other they wont visit anytime soon because a coaster is not going in, preserving the charm. Doesn't make sense.

 

I wish they would just jam coasters in there everywhere and be done with it.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Tmcdllr

[Top Thrill Dragster]

If Screamscape is right, I'm SOOOOOO glad I didn't get a Season Pass for next year.

 

 

Just more money to put towards renewing my Disneyland AP.

[Tmcdllr]

If Screamscape is right, I'm SOOOOOO glad I didn't get a Season Pass for next year.

 

 

Just more money to put towards renewing my Disneyland AP.

 

Yep, and there it is.

[Xcoaster]

^^^^ Yeah, except there's not much sacred charm to ruin over there. They'd have to try pretty hard to do worse than PP or the concrete pad we have now.

 

^^^ It's always about balance, and I think really only Silver Bullet has been a big offender on the coaster front. They've also shown they don't need to add coasters to mess things up. And of course, people will always complain about everything, inevitably including complaints about complaining.

 

Anyways, this sounds like the rumor that was posted here a few days ago. The Knott's rumors have been so far across the board (Intamin Giga awesomeness -> B&M mediocrity -> flat rides) to the point that it can be almost anything, and now I'm just waiting to see what they announce.

 

But if we do get flatrides, I'm hoping one is the scrambler in a box.

[rcdude]

Windseeker: I don't know what's up with the ride, but I do think there absolutely needs to be a quicker way to get the vehicle down. Short of a mechanical malfunction that requires outside help for an evacuation, any ride should be able to be evacuated within a half hour. Three hours is unacceptable. I can't imagine the Knott's version is the only one that has this problem, as if it is why wasn't it fixed to work like the others? In California, being stuck at the top of that tower is more of an inconvenience than anything, but what if one of the other ones (such as Kings Dominion's) got stuck and a thunderstorm blew in? I'd say that could potentially be very dangerous. We'll see what happens due to the upcoming investigation.

 

Charm: Silver Bullet is really the only attraction that damaged Knott's charm, but it left such an impact that the whole park no longer feels like it once did.

 

New Attraction(s): At this point, I'm pretty much waiting for an official announcement on what is coming. I don't care if Knott's gets a new coaster or not for 2013, as Cedar Fair is already building two new coasters (GateKeeper and Gold Striker) at parks that are more in need of them. However, once those are complete, Knott's will become the major Cedar Fair park in most need of a new coaster. I do think Knott's needs something more than a scrambler, however, as their current offerings are getting stale (one new ride (a flat) in four years isn't sufficient for a major park). If we aren't getting a coaster in 2013, here's my five year wish list for the park (probably a bit optimistic, but not unrealistic):

 

2013: Return of the Scrambler (either enclosed or outdoors), Splash Battle in the lake used for Perilous Plunge, and one or two additional flats (ideally a Flyers and a Top Scan, but no more than one thrill or one family flat).

 

2014: New thrill coaster, either replacing Boomerang or in the backstage area behind Bigfoot Rapids

 

2015: Dark ride, either where Kingdom of the Dinosaurs was or as a replacement for the Screamin' Swing

 

2016: GhostRider overhaul including topper track replacement and new trains (but no significant layout modification)

 

2017: Camp Snoopy overhaul, including a new family coaster to replace Timberline Twister and new rides to fill in the hole left by Peanuts Playhouse and replace any unpopular and/or dated ones.

 

Changes in Visit Frequency: As long as I live in Orange County, I'll get a Knott's pass and visit at least a few times per year. It's a really good vaule, and even if the park's rides aren't the best they are still good. A new coaster would increase my visit frequency for that season, but not getting one won't decrease it.

[Jew]

The state already determined it was a brake that stuck closed.

 

Windseeker: I don't know what's up with the ride, but I do think there absolutely needs to be a quicker way to get the vehicle down. Short of a mechanical malfunction that requires outside help for an evacuation, any ride should be able to be evacuated within a half hour.

 

It's not that simple when you are talking about a ride that dangles passengers 300ft in the air. I am going to assume that they had to lower the car by gradually releasing the brakes (as it was designed) to ensure that there is little chance of a failure due to someone being careless.

[skydye]

Rumor - (9/21/12) Has Knott’s pushed back their rumored mega-coaster project? We’ve heard a terrible rumor for the park’s 2013 project that not only seems to indicate that this may be so, but also that we may only see a couple of flat rides added to the park in 2013.

 

Screamscape

 

I was at the park Sept. 9, 2012. They were just starting to remove the water ride. I asked a very well informed employee what was going to be put there? He said it was top secrete. I then asked a employee at the train gates and he was more informative. He was upset that they were removing their water ride as it was hot in the park and employees loved that ride. He said that they were planing a New Themed area with two flat rides. This is only a rumor. This is not fact.

[Chrisrad]

Rumor - (9/21/12) Has Knott’s pushed back their rumored mega-coaster project? We’ve heard a terrible rumor for the park’s 2013 project that not only seems to indicate that this may be so, but also that we may only see a couple of flat rides added to the park in 2013.

 

Screamscape

 

I was at the park Sept. 9, 2012. They were just starting to remove the water ride. I asked a very well informed employee what was going to be put there? He said it was top secrete. I then asked a employee at the train gates and he was more informative. He was upset that they were removing their water ride as it was hot in the park and employees loved that ride. He said that they were planing a New Themed area with two flat rides. This is only a rumor. This is not fact.

 

What? It's on the internet - it must be true.

 

In my opinion, nothing is true until it's completely built AND open; testing doesn't count because they might have to make changes before opening.

[SLUSHIE]

Rumor - (9/21/12) Has Knott’s pushed back their rumored mega-coaster project? We’ve heard a terrible rumor for the park’s 2013 project that not only seems to indicate that this may be so, but also that we may only see a couple of flat rides added to the park in 2013.

 

How can they push back something that probably never existed in the first place?

 

We are all roller coaster fans, so every time a park is supposed to get a new ride that is instantly what everyone assumes it's going to be. A hyper coaster has been the rumor for other CA parks in the past as well simply because that's what the vast majority of coaster fans want. Could they have put a coaster there? Sure. Was it ever going to be a hyper? Doubt it.

 

If it does end up just being two flat rides, I would say it's a missed opportunity to make something truly great, but we still don't know what the plan exactly is. Flat rides can be really popular if done right.

Edited September 21, 2012 by SLUSHIE

[Chrisrad]

I wasn't implying that there would be a delay - I was just saying that I don't believe in rumors until I see the actual ride up and running.

[corona79]

The state already determined it was a brake that stuck closed.

 

Windseeker: I don't know what's up with the ride, but I do think there absolutely needs to be a quicker way to get the vehicle down. Short of a mechanical malfunction that requires outside help for an evacuation, any ride should be able to be evacuated within a half hour.

 

It's not that simple when you are talking about a ride that dangles passengers 300ft in the air. I am going to assume that they had to lower the car by gradually releasing the brakes (as it was designed) to ensure that there is little chance of a failure due to someone being careless.

 

Not according to this article:

 

Dills, an engineer, followed up with the safety agency. He said the investigator told him that the agency was looking into the incident and that one of the biggest problems was that it took so long to return riders safely to the ground, a job that should take 30 minutes.

[Tmcdllr]

"If they did their job right, then that ride shouldn't get stuck the way it did," Dills said.

 

 

That is a very interesting statement from the article. I wonder what exactly he was referring to?

[Dom497]

1. The WS at Canada's Wonderland had several malfunctions at the beginning of the 2012 season...for a matter of fact, when I was at the park once, it stalled 3 times in one day. The gondola immediately began to slowly lower on its own as soon as the gondola stopped. It took about 15-20 minutes for the gondola to make it to the bottom of the tower.

 

2. This made me laugh: so I live in Toronto, Canada, and when I was looking at the online newspaper in Toronto (The Toronto Star) they had an article about the Knott's incident. How on earth does something like this end up in Canada!!!!

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1259608--riders-left-dangling-hundreds-of-feet-off-the-ground-for-nearly-4-hours-after-windseeker-fails-at-amusement-park

[1pizza14]

^ I guess they just wanted to point out the exact same ride exists at Canada's Wonderland.. I find it funny how the article uses a picture of a Windseeker not at Canada's Wonderland or Knott's.

[XYZ]

This news is ridiculous. Both my grandmother and my father know about Windseeker being stuck and I didn't even tell them. Seriously, this shouldn't recieve this much attention. Nobody was even close to injury & everyone was safely lowered after a few hours. I think this should've stayed as just one of the events in the local news.

[bostonlva]

This news is ridiculous. Both my grandmother and my father know about Windseeker being stuck and I didn't even tell them. Seriously, this shouldn't recieve this much attention. Nobody was even close to injury & everyone was safely lowered after a few hours. I think this should've stayed as just one of the events in the local news.

 

 

Anytime someone is stranded on a ride past closing and for more then an hour, it will make national news. And if someone happens to get injured........

[Dom497]

Got a WindSeeker update for all of you:

 

ALL WindSeekers in the Cedar Fair chain will remain closed until further notice. Cedar Fair will launch an internal investigation.

 

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-knotts-windseeker-riders-stuck-09201221,0,1284072.story

[Tmcdllr]

This just keeps getting more interesting, so this ride at 5 different parks has had problems, I wonder if it was the same problem with them all.