The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[KBrylczyk]

Sounds like the best game plan is be there at opening, do Ghostrider immediately and maybe a second ride, then don't worry about it anymore.

[Mater]

How cool would it be if the '17 addition was VR for Pony Express?

[KBrylczyk]

^ We have extremely different ideas of "cool," guy.

[Mater]

We sure do, ma'am

[Guy T. Koepp]

^ We have extremely different ideas of "cool," guy.

[coasterbill]

I still contend that Pony Express rules and you haters can keep on hating. When I first looked at it I thought it was the most asinine looking piece of crap I'd ever laid eyes on but it was surprisingly a ton of fun.

[coloradocoasterguy]

I still contend that Pony Express rules and you haters can keep on hating. When I first looked at it I thought it was the most asinine looking piece of crap I'd ever laid eyes on but it was surprisingly a ton of fun.

It's like thirty seconds long. It takes longer to unload than the ride lasts. It sucks precisely bacause it's too short. It needs to be longer. VR might actually make it better.

[Mater]

It's like thirty seconds long. It takes longer to unload than the ride lasts. It sucks precisely bacause it's too short. It needs to be longer. VR might actually make it better.

 

 

That's actually exactly my thoughts on the ride. I think it's actually really fun, especially the latter half over the rapids/through the tunnel. A nice little VR pony ride through a virtual ghost town would just make it a little more worth the time spent waiting in line for it.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^^While I agree that it is way too short. It is a fun ride and VR would just fuck it up! VR brings the major suck to every ride!

[GCI Wooden]

It takes longer to unload than the ride lasts.

Wouldn't VR just worsen this problem? From what I've heard, VR makes load/unload times unbearable and Pony Express isn't going to get any additional ride time from it.

[coasterbill]

I still contend that Pony Express rules and you haters can keep on hating. When I first looked at it I thought it was the most asinine looking piece of crap I'd ever laid eyes on but it was surprisingly a ton of fun.

It's like thirty seconds long. It takes longer to unload than the ride lasts. It sucks precisely bacause it's too short. It needs to be longer. VR might actually make it better.

 

Xcellerator is 24 seconds from launch to brakes. Pony Express is 27 seconds from launch to brakes and Montezooma is 29. You can complain about the ride all you want (I know I'm in the minority for liking it), but don't pretend the problem is ride time if you like Xcellerator or Montezooma. They're all basically the same.

[thrillseeker4552]

While the ride can be a little dull for us enthusiasts, I rather like everything else about Pony Express. It is themed well, perfectly placed with its surroundings, has a good color scheme, and provides unique seating/trains to the area. It's one of the better family rides in the park.

 

And also, I REALLY hope Cedar Fair stays away from VR unless they can develop an extremely efficient system for the headsets.

[tdaun]

I have to agree, Pony Express isn't the fastest or craziest, but it has a fun flow and transition to it. (edit is to isn't)

Edited July 13, 2016 by tdaun

[coloradocoasterguy]

VR is a gimmick to "make" new rides without spending a bunch of money. Revolution was an awesome coaster. Why mess?

[MrSum1_55]

There is some fun to be had if you ride Pointless Express the "right" way. You can arch your back when the back restraint comes up, so during the ride you can maintain a standing arc, if you keep one arm on the handle to keep yourself in position.

 

However, I hope this ride does not go VR. VR could be good fun on the ride itself, but Pony Express does not need a decrease in capacity. It is fairly popular at Knott's, and the wait on the block brake SUCKS if the back restraint compresses too tight. (Which can easily happened due to the angled brakes). Also, the restraint design makes this not the fastest loading ride in general. I would prefer higher capacity over VR.

[coloradocoasterguy]

There is some fun to be had if you ride Pointless Express the "right" way. You can arch your back when the back restraint comes up, so during the ride you can maintain a standing arc, if you keep one arm on the handle to keep yourself in position.

 

However, I hope this ride does not go VR. VR could be good fun on the ride itself, but Pony Express does not need a decrease in capacity. It is fairly popular at Knott's, and the wait on the block brake SUCKS if the back restraint compresses too tight. (Which can easily happened due to the angled brakes). Also, the restraint design makes this not the fastest loading ride in general. I would prefer higher capacity over VR.

I agree with higher capacity. And you're right VR would make loading/unloading even longer. But VR would make it a better ride is all I was saying. With or without VR what they need is to build a second station around the end block brakes and make that the unloading area. I also don't know why it can't make another loop around the course, maybe add a helix at the end, because it's still going a pretty decent speed when it hits the brakes.

[Arthur_Seaton]

Since there's a good chance I'll be visiting three Cedar Fair parks in the next few weeks, I splurged on a platinum pass and headed down to Knotts to process it. The only time I ever really go to Knotts is at Halloween where we usually only get a single ride in on something then spend the rest of the night in the mazes. Today seemed busy to me (30-60 minute waits for most stuff) and the walkways were fairly packed. Jumped on Silver Bullet as soon as I walked in -- a ride I've always liked despite the criticism it seems to draw. But my main reason for going -- aside from processing the pass -- was to check out my old friend Ghostrider's new look.

 

The line for Ghostrider began outside the station building, right at the point where the post-station drop curves to the right. The app listed the wait at 70 minutes, but it was closer to 60. At 6pm, the switchebacks on the lower floor of the station were miserable; a sweat box with only one of the two fans working. Upstairs, only half of the switchbacks were being used and seating choices were a free-for-all. As the back-back had a longer line, I opted for the third seat from back to try and catch some air on the drops.

 

I don't know if the new trains affect the ride beyond the obvious smoothness, but the ride did feel tamer to me. Similar to Six Flags' Revolution overhaul, I'm not sure if the new trains have somehow affected the feel of the ride (aside from the smoothness), or if I'm experiencing some nostalgia for the way it used to be (potentially in my mind). Obviously there's a fine line when it comes to brutal roughness and a ride feeling out of control, but I found the new version had almost none of the out-of-control feeling at all, which is really what made the ride so intense to begin with. Even more surprising was that the hidden drop did nothing for me or my stomach; there was more air on the first camel back, I found. The laterals are still there, but mainly in the final helix. Overall, it maintained much of what made it fun in the past, but I wouldn't call intense anymore -- which it definitely was, even when it ran smooth in its opening years. Don't get me wrong, it's great — a classic-style woodie with modern elements — but I see it leaning more toward a solid family ride now (a good thing for the park, really). Although I hope it does regain a little of its old rough edge, if it's at the expense of keeping it operational, I'd much rather have the attenuated version. Fun, but not quite the monster that it was when it was at its best.

 

Although I was only there for a few hours, Pony Express, Jaguar, and Montezooma were all down (although I got a ride in on Montezooma right before they closed it down). Xcelerator was only running one train and the line was nuts. Supreme Scream -- perhaps the tamest drop tower ever -- caught me off guard. I find that I can have different experiences on drop towers depending on how many other rides I've already been on, and SS was pretty thrilling this time. The last one I rode like this was the launch/drop ride at SFoT -- which I loved, but found mild in terms of thrills. SS felt a little more intense to me this time for some reason.

 

Everything else had too long a line for my liking, so I figured now that I have the pass, I'll go back when schools are in session and take advantage of it.

[thrillseeker4552]

Since there's a good chance I'll be visiting three Cedar Fair parks in the next few weeks, I splurged on a platinum pass and headed down to Knotts to process it. The only time I ever really go to Knotts is at Halloween where we usually only get a single ride in on something then spend the rest of the night in the mazes. Today seemed busy to me (30-60 minute waits for most stuff) and the walkways were fairly packed. Jumped on Silver Bullet as soon as I walked in -- a ride I've always liked despite the criticism it seems to draw. But my main reason for going -- aside from processing the pass -- was to check out my old friend Ghostrider's new look.

 

The line for Ghostrider began outside the station building, right at the point where the post-station drop curves to the right. The app listed the wait at 70 minutes, but it was closer to 60. At 6pm, the switchebacks on the lower floor of the station were miserable; a sweat box with only one of the two fans working. Upstairs, only half of the switchbacks were being used and seating choices were a free-for-all. As the back-back had a longer line, I opted for the third seat from back to try and catch some air on the drops.

 

I don't know if the new trains affect the ride beyond the obvious smoothness, but the ride did feel tamer to me. Similar to Six Flags' Revolution overhaul, I'm not sure if the new trains have somehow affected the feel of the ride (aside from the smoothness), or if I'm experiencing some nostalgia for the way it used to be (potentially in my mind). Obviously there's a fine line when it comes to brutal roughness and a ride feeling out of control, but I found the new version had almost none of the out-of-control feeling at all, which is really what made the ride so intense to begin with. Even more surprising was that the hidden drop did nothing for me or my stomach; there was more air on the first camel back, I found. The laterals are still there, but mainly in the final helix. Overall, it maintained much of what made it fun in the past, but I wouldn't call intense anymore -- which it definitely was, even when it ran smooth in its opening years. Don't get me wrong, it's great — a classic-style woodie with modern elements — but I see it leaning more toward a solid family ride now (a good thing for the park, really). Although I hope it does regain a little of its old rough edge, if it's at the expense of keeping it operational, I'd much rather have the attenuated version. Fun, but not quite the monster that it was when it was at its best.

 

Although I was only there for a few hours, Pony Express, Jaguar, and Montezooma were all down (although I got a ride in on Montezooma right before they closed it down). Xcelerator was only running one train and the line was nuts. Supreme Scream -- perhaps the tamest drop tower ever -- caught me off guard. I find that I can have different experiences on drop towers depending on how many other rides I've already been on, and SS was pretty thrilling this time. The last one I rode like this was the launch/drop ride at SFoT -- which I loved, but found mild in terms of thrills. SS felt a little more intense to me this time for some reason.

 

Everything else had too long a line for my liking, so I figured now that I have the pass, I'll go back when schools are in session and take advantage of it.

 

I agree with your point on GhostRider. Although I never rode it in its "golden days," I can see how it would feel tamer now. But like you said, being much smoother and less intense is probably best for KBF's demographic.

[coloradocoasterguy]

Since there's a good chance I'll be visiting three Cedar Fair parks in the next few weeks, I splurged on a platinum pass and headed down to Knotts to process it. Jumped on Silver Bullet as soon as I walked in -- a ride I've always liked despite the criticism it seems to draw. But my main reason for going -- aside from processing the pass -- was to check out my old friend Ghostrider's new look. I don't know if the new trains affect the ride beyond the obvious smoothness, but the ride did feel tamer to me. Similar to Six Flags' Revolution overhaul, I'm not sure if the new trains have somehow affected the feel of the ride (aside from the smoothness), or if I'm experiencing some nostalgia for the way it used to be (potentially in my mind). Obviously there's a fine line when it comes to brutal roughness and a ride feeling out of control, but I found the new version had almost none of the out-of-control feeling at all, which is really what made the ride so intense to begin with. Even more surprising was that the hidden drop did nothing for me or my stomach; there was more air on the first camel back, I found. The laterals are still there, but mainly in the final helix. Overall, it maintained much of what made it fun in the past, but I wouldn't call intense anymore -- which it definitely was, even when it ran smooth in its opening years. Don't get me wrong, it's great — a classic-style woodie with modern elements — but I see it leaning more toward a solid family ride now (a good thing for the park, really). Although I hope it does regain a little of its old rough edge, if it's at the expense of keeping it operational, I'd much rather have the attenuated version. Fun, but not quite the monster that it was when it was at its best.

 

I agree with your point on GhostRider. Although I never rode it in its "golden days," I can see how it would feel tamer now. But like you said, being much smoother and less intense is probably best for KBF's demographic.

 

Having literally been on the second train to ever take a manned circuit of GR, I feel can truly attest to its original best, including how awesome it was before the MCBR was installed. I'll give a report when I visit later this year.

 

By the way, when I was last out there in February, I took a walk around the part built in the parking lot. All the re-profiling that I could see appeared very minor. Mainly increasing or decreasing the dip and hill angles ever so slightly. I'm wondering if the design of MF trains (shorter single row cars) required slight changes to track.

[JoeDoe13579]

We are thinking of visiting Knott's again in Nov; which month(s) of the year are either of the 3 main coasters (X, S, G) or the log ride typically closed for refurbishment?

[CedarFlags]

We are thinking of visiting Knott's again in Nov; which month(s) of the year are either of the 3 main coasters (X, S, G) or the log ride typically closed for refurbishment?

 

You should be fine with Bullet and Xcel. I've noticed more maintenance days during the lull before and after Spring Break season than I have in the fall. Ghostrider usually gets a little TLC just after Halloween ends, but it may not need much this year with being freshly renovated.

[CedarFlags]

Also: Pony is back open again as of yesterday.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^With or without VR?

[VegasBaby]

We are thinking of visiting Knott's again in Nov; which month(s) of the year are either of the 3 main coasters (X, S, G) or the log ride typically closed for refurbishment?

 

Knott's tends to do most of their ride maintenance in Jan - March, so you should be fine in November. I have been there many times in October and November and can't remember any big rides being closed during that time. (The exception being last year with Ghostrider, but that was almost a complete rebuild and not annual maintenance.)

[Whodey]

Headed to LA this week and wanted to know if I will need Fast Pass on Monday to get all the coasters in by mid afternoon? Thanks. Any tips or advice would be great too. I was planning on Magic Mountain but I don't think I could do that in a 3/4 a day so I'm going to Knott's instead.