The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[bostonlva]

Knott's Berry Farm ‏@knotts

 

(1/3) Today a rear wheel detached from one of Knott’s stagecoaches w/ 14 passengers on board (more)...

 

 

Knott's Berry Farm ‏@knotts

 

(2/3) Cont... 3 guests were transported to hospital for minor injuries; 2 have been released (more)...

 

Knott's Berry Farm ‏@knotts

 

(3/3) Cont… The ride will be closed until further notice. Guest safety is Knott’s number one priority.

[cfc]

Well, those unfortunate guests certainly got a true "Wild West" experience. I hope everyone pulls through.

[Condor]

It's like Steel Dragon 2000 all over again.... *shakes head*

[Vffreak07]

[XYZ]

I really hope Stagecoach re-opens. I don't want to lose another classic ride.

[DougMJr]

I'm guessing the future of Stagecoach will rest in the hands of the three guests who were injured. I personally would just want the cost of my medical bills covered and compensation for any lost wages if I was in the hospital for a few days.

 

Chances are the guest who was kept in the hospital will lawyer up, it is the American Way.

[cfc]

Chances are the guest who was kept in the hospital will lawyer up, it is the American Way.

 

Well, if a wheel came off the coach, that is the park's fault (especially if shoddy maintenance is involved). I have no objection to someone pursuing legal action in a case like that, but these matters settle out of court most of the time.

[DougMJr]

^ Yeah, I realize that. It just irks me when people use something like this to "cash-in" and sue for more than they really deserve in compensation.

 

I don't know how serious the injuries are, but like I said before I think the park should be responsible for little more than medical bills, lost wages, and legal fees. And I certainly wouldn't want this to be the end of the ride.

[Jew]

^Unfortunately those costs are not fixed, which is why settlements/judgments always appear higher than what you would assume to be the actual cost. The entire insurance/legal system is broken to begin with---a person doesn't really have a choice but to "lawyer up" to get through what I am sure is a difficult claims process.

 

I don't think it will be the end of the ride, but I have no doubt they will have to make a modification to the stagecoaches to ensure this doesn't happen again.

[jray21]

I know a lot of times a persons insurance company will sue for them. If you injured at a business, your health insurance will try and sue that company so that they don't have to pay. You can guarantee that the people's health insurance will sue Knott's and/or be a party to the lawsuit. But like it was mentioned before, things like this are usually settled.

[thrillseeker4552]

I went to Knott's for the last time today for probably a while. I didn't have any pictures, but I do have some stuff to talk about.

 

The New Years decorations look awesome! I love how they tie it with Christmas. Happy New Years to everybody!

 

I would also like to add that Boomerang is going to fall apart any day now. It sounded like the up-stop wheel axle is falling off every time! This ride is more than 22 years old. Does anyone else agree that this ride should be taken out? We all know Knott's is in desperate need for a new thrill coaster. Is Boomerang next on the chopping block? I REALLY hope so. It's a waste of space. As for the possibility of a new ride, it could be anything. As long as it attracts the public, has good capacity, and of course, is a thrilling coaster. Anyone have any ideas? I think a Eurofighter (Iron Shark technology) would be a great addition! I don't know what a Eurofighter's capacity is like though. I've never been on one!

 

Anyway, everything else at the park was great! It was super crowded, but my FastLane was worth every penny! Silver Bullet ran non-stop, two trains, all day long (oh wait, it's a B&M)! Xcelerator broke (big surprise) and Ghost Rider was running more than one train (even bigger surprise!)!

[JonnyRCT3]

^I'd like to see bigger/higher capacity(two cars per train) El Loco-type coaster. Great replacement for Boomerang.Those have potential, we just need CF to give it the CP treatment. If only Coast Rider was an El Loco......

 

Now for the nitpicking enthusiast inside me, who has to complain about SOMETHING

. Coast Rider.....WHY!? I like the new themed area, I just wish more thought was put into the wild mouse. I know KBF is tight on space, but come on. At-least go with a custom design(my main point), now the farm has two cloned coasters right across from each other. However, its a great fit, and is going to sell to the GP, so my opinion matters to zero.

[thrillseeker4552]

^I'd like to see bigger/higher capacity(two cars per train) El Loco-type coaster. Great replacement for Boomerang.Those have potential, we just need CF to give it the CP treatment. If only Coast Rider was an El Loco......

 

Now for the nitpicking enthusiast inside me, who has to complain about SOMETHING

. Coast Rider.....WHY!? I like the new themed area, I just wish more thought was put into the wild mouse. I know KBF is tight on space, but come on. At-least go with a custom design(my main point), now the farm has two cloned coasters right across from each other. However, its a great fit, and is going to sell to the GP, so my opinion matters to zero.

 

Yah most people either love the expansion or hate it. I would have preferred something else, but I obviously have no control. As much as I hate to say it, KBF most likely will not get a giga coaster because of the space limits. I would enjoy a mini B&M hyper (like the one in Japan) but even that is pushing the possibilities. A park like Knott's would benefit more from something like a Eurofighter, like I said. I'm sure we all would love to see a B&M, but the park is so land-locked they don't have room, unless they have the coaster extend out of the park, but it's still unlikely because it would be so close to residential areas.

[XYZ]

^I'd like to see bigger/higher capacity(two cars per train) El Loco-type coaster. Great replacement for Boomerang.Those have potential, we just need CF to give it the CP treatment. If only Coast Rider was an El Loco......

 

Now for the nitpicking enthusiast inside me, who has to complain about SOMETHING

. Coast Rider.....WHY!? I like the new themed area, I just wish more thought was put into the wild mouse. I know KBF is tight on space, but come on. At-least go with a custom design(my main point), now the farm has two cloned coasters right across from each other. However, its a great fit, and is going to sell to the GP, so my opinion matters to zero.

 

From the IAAPA 2012 video, Mack said Coast Rider will be slightly custom. Though, who knows what will be custom until the coaster is built.

[Wes]

Clone or not, almost any coaster is better than what was there!

[cfc]

^I agree. Perilous Plunge never appealed to me; besides, it was always broken down whenever I visited the park.

[larrygator]

^I agree. Perilous Plunge never appealed to me; besides, it was always broken down whenever I visited the park.

 

I never saw it running either but all my visits were in late September or early October, so not sure if it was just closed for the season at that point.

[DJeXeL]

Perilous was never open during haunt so the park would normally just take it down for rehab 1st/2nd week of September as soon as Summer was over.

[larrygator]

^OK, that makes sense. What I expected to hear. Thanks.

[cal1br3tto]

It's funny to me...it seems like when I first got into theme parks, I got the impression that Perilous Plunge was a signature attraction and must-ride at Knott's. But now that it's gone, I keep hearing it was forgettable or just plain bad. Kind of the opposite of what often happens with other ride removals. It might just be me, though.

[Someotherguyuser]

^I'd like to see bigger/higher capacity(two cars per train) El Loco-type coaster. Great replacement for Boomerang.Those have potential, we just need CF to give it the CP treatment. If only Coast Rider was an El Loco......

 

Now for the nitpicking enthusiast inside me, who has to complain about SOMETHING

. Coast Rider.....WHY!? I like the new themed area, I just wish more thought was put into the wild mouse. I know KBF is tight on space, but come on. At-least go with a custom design(my main point), now the farm has two cloned coasters right across from each other. However, its a great fit, and is going to sell to the GP, so my opinion matters to zero.

 

Yah most people either love the expansion or hate it. I would have preferred something else, but I obviously have no control. As much as I hate to say it, KBF most likely will not get a giga coaster because of the space limits. I would enjoy a mini B&M hyper (like the one in Japan) but even that is pushing the possibilities. A park like Knott's would benefit more from something like a Eurofighter, like I said. I'm sure we all would love to see a B&M, but the park is so land-locked they don't have room, unless they have the coaster extend out of the park, but it's still unlikely because it would be so close to residential areas.

I actually like the expansion. Even though something more permanent and more interesting can occupy that space, in the meantime, I think this is a nice quick-fix for the boardwalk area. Higher-capacity family attractions are certainly better than Plunge. Besides, we heard Raffi say during WCB last year that he talked to some dark ride manufacturers so I'm sure good things are coming for the horizon.

 

Can we finally accept the harsh reality that Knott's will never, ever, EVER get a Giga? Please? It's the rumor that won't die; just like Disneyland returning the PeopleMover or Universal buying the entire golf course next to it.

 

Clone or not, almost any coaster is better than what was there!

[DJeXeL]

^^I always considered Perilous a must-ride for guests visiting from out of town. Problem with PP was that it was a prototype and it had extremely low capacity due to the restraints and that 1 boat operation was the norm. Not to mention it had nearly a 4-5 minute cycle time. The park purchased 3 boats when it was built but unfortunately it wasn't feasible to run 3 due to excessive loading/unloading times. The 3rd boat quickly became a parts donor to the other 2.

2 New boats were ordered and were put into operation summer of '07. The new boats caused issues with the lift chain as it broke shortly after the new boats were delivered. It was plagued with mechanical issues as we all know but its maintenance team really busted their a$$ trying to keep it running as much as possible.

I operated PP for 3 years and I will say that the guests absolutely loved it!

Edited January 1, 2013 by DJeXeL

[Wes]

It was decent with the lap bars.

[DJeXeL]

Yes it was, i'll admit. Problem with the capacity was partially at the fault of the guests honestly. We would spiel numerous times prior to opening the loading gates to NOT pull down on the lap bar until your seatbelt was fastened (XC suffers from this same issue to this day). Every damn boat there's 1 d-bag that sits on his seatbelt and pulls his lap bar down as soon as he sits down. The entire boat has to be unlocked and rechecked. The airtime in the back of the boat was insane and that's what I'll miss most about PP.

[UberBeavis]

Stagecoach reopened.

 

Stagecoach rides were canceled for the remainder of the day on Sunday, but resumed Monday because Knott's keeps a fleet of several coaches.

 

"We have five original stagecoaches and one replica," Blazey said, with some of the originals more than 100 years old. "We've modernized these and added safety features so that they have hydraulic brakes and rubber on the wheels."

 

Park maintenance personnel are examining the damaged coach to see exactly what went wrong. That coach was one that park founder Walter Knott bought years ago after it was used as a movie prop, Blazey said.

 

Like other rides at the park, the stagecoaches get inspected daily before the public arrives, Blazey said.