The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[VegasBaby]

It is a good week to visit Knott's for the Boysenberry festival. I visited the park on April 9, Tue for a few hours and got to try some of the Boysenberry items. The food was good and there were no lines except for Ghostrider, Log Ride, and the front row of Xcelerator, and I would place each of those at approx 30 minutes. The food stands and other rides might have a 5-minute wait. I checked the park cams today and the park also appears dead compared to the last couple of weeks.

I was there yesterday as well (first visit this year, and local schools / colleges are all back in session), but the longest wait I had was 10 mins for the log ride. Ghost Rider, Xcelerator, and Hang Time were all walk-ons for much of the afternoon/evening with the occasional one-or-two-train wait. Definitely a good time of year to visit!

 

Also, Ghost Rider operations were great. They seem to have fixed that stupid brake run issue, and trains were rolling right back into the station just as the next one was leaving. It's also lost some of the retrack's initial smoothness but seems to be running as it should right now — aggressive and thrilling, but without the violence of the pre-retrack years.

 

 

Good to hear, I'm headed to the Boysenberry festival tomorrow and I was hoping it wouldn't be too packed. What were some of your favorite food items from the Festival? Any items that you would avoid? I really like how they are doing the tasting card this year where you can pick and choose your items instead of just getting one of everything.

[ryder]

^They did it that way last year, too.

[Kyle Coleman]

make sure to get habenero Mac and cheese and if your going with a group grab a fun bun. the flank steak and chicken were really good too.

[Arthur_Seaton]

Good to hear, I'm headed to the Boysenberry festival tomorrow and I was hoping it wouldn't be too packed. What were some of your favorite food items from the Festival? Any items that you would avoid? I really like how they are doing the tasting card this year where you can pick and choose your items instead of just getting one of everything.

I've found that Fridays are hit or miss in terms of how busy the park gets (it's a day that I avoid), but hopefully it's not too packed. In terms of food, I didn't try any as I'm not a fan of theme-park food. I did see a few people wearing big neck tag things though — which I assume were the tasting cards? Anyhow, I hope it's a good day!

[robbalvey]

How many fans of Montezooma's Revenge do we have?

[Nrthwnd]

So classic. Love it, again and again. Great video, Robb!

 

(And I dearly miss my very first one, Tidal Wave, in Marriott's Great America.CA)

[joelwee]

Cool, more WCB footage! My bro and I rode this coaster with Robb right before this video was taken. We were the only ones on the train, IIRC. It was a fun day!

[pǝʇɹǝʌuı]

Absolutely love that ride! The video captures it perfectly, nice job!

[thrillseeker4552]

Everybody has that "special coaster" that sits close to their heart and Montezooma's Revenge is that coaster for me. It was my first looping coaster (and first "big" coaster in general), and to this day is probably my most ridden coaster ever. I'm so lucky I grew up with it at my home park. Hopefully it lives for many more years!

[Arthur_Seaton]

Montezooma's Revenge was acting up when I was there on Tuesday. It was closed for much of the afternoon and, when it did open, a train of riders got stuck on the brake run between the station and the rear spike. Rode it later in the day, though. I hope it's preserved for as long as possible. In fact, I hope all remaining Schwarzkopf rides are preserved for as long as possible.

[Intamin_coyote]

In fact, I hope all remaining Schwarzkopf rides are preserved for as long as possible.

 

Could not agree more.

 

And may their Loopers remain Sooper and Dooper for years to come!

[jlp94]

^^ Well, I mean, who DOESN'T hope that Schwarzkopfs are preserved

[Nrthwnd]

Amen to all of the above.

[Canobie Coaster]

I just saw an article on the Calico River Rapids renovation from the Orange County Register and noticed this interesting nugget.

 

Then comes the wettest part of the ride — but not necessarily for the riders. Dynamite plunger boxes lining a walkway will give spectators the opportunity to trigger a watery explosion amid a pile of TNT barrels along the river. But prankster beware. The water cannons could backfire at any random moment.

 

“Every once in a while when you are trying to get somebody wet on the ride, you actually get soaked yourself,” Butler said. ”We’re going to have some fun surprises.”

 

That is absolutely evil and I love it.

 

Link

[Dombot]

^ That's the best example of karma I've ever seen.

[pǝʇɹǝʌuı]

Finally visited the park again on Thursday after several years and had an amazing time! This park is really unique and I love it. The Boysenberry festival was going on and holy cow some of that food was great! Overall I was really impressed with the theming, especially in the Ghost Town and Boardwalk sections of the park. In addition to all the major roller coasters I did the log flume and the mystery lodge, and those two things alone gave me regret that I didn't take the time to do the other shows or themed rides. The coasters were great, of course, and I'll talk more about them below. But I left feeling that Knott's has so much more to offer than just rides, and that's what makes it so great. Especially during the festival, the rides almost felt secondary.

 

I will say that none of the coasters really standout to me as top 10 material, but I have zero problem with that. I'd rather be on a coaster than not on a coaster, and all the coasters here are "good." Honestly, the fact that no ride here really rises too high above the rest makes the park feel very well rounded. Here are my thoughts from yesterday on what I consider to be the top 5 coasters at the park.

 

5 - Silver Bullet. This used to be my favorite invert, and I actually still really liked it this time around. Among a sea of rides that seem to be squeezed into a small space, it was nice to have a decent sized, intense B&M. The ride is as smooth as I remembered and is definitely unique for a B&M invert. It's lost its place to Banshee as my favorite invert, but it's still a good ride. The only things I have going against it are the first drop (or lack thereof) and the fact that this was the only ride of my top 5 that I felt can essentially be experienced at a park other than Knott's. While it is a unique B&M invert, the ride type is a dime a dozen, so I hardly see Silver Bullet as the park's star attraction.

 

4 - Xcelerator. The launch was fun. These kinds of launches are hard to find. The top hat was fun, and it's nice that the ride doesn't stop there. There was some rattle on the overbanks, but not too bad. I know it's hardly a fair comparison, but I've ridden TTD, KDK, and Do-Dodonpa so I think I went in with way too high of expectations for the launch. Xcelerator is fun and fits in well at the park, but since I've ridden some of the best launched coasters in the world, it doesn't do a whole ton for me. My friend loved the ride and at one point said it was his #1 favorite. I respect it. Just don't go in expecting TTD.

 

3 - Hangtime. This was the only new credit of the trip so I have a few things to say about it. I had very mixed feelings after getting off, actually opposite of Xcelerator. I had heard a lot of really "meh" reviews for Hangtime, and after my first ride I was really conflicted. I got on almost wanting to hate it but ended up really enjoying it. As gimmicky as it is, I enjoyed the holding brake a lot more than I thought I would. The rest of the layout is actually pretty fun as well. This was only my 2nd Gerstlauer after Takabisha, but I really like the feel of their rides. They're not insanely forceful, but twisty enough to have fun. I rode in both the front and the back. Both were fun, but the front was something else. Hanging over that drop with nothing in front of you is an experience worth having if you visit.

 

I adore the theming on this thing, too. I love the ocean and surfing and SoCal and, to be honest, this might be my favorite theming on any roller coaster I've ridden besides maybe Manta at SWSD. Maybe it doesn't stand out that much to others, but iit does to me. Overall, I think the ride is great. I wouldn't consider it to be in my top 10 by any means, but it's really not a bad ride. More than anything, it's another big thrill ride that really helps round out the layout at a park that's not necessarily focused on big thrill rides.

 

2 - Montezooma's Revenge - Man, I wish these things were more common. These shuttle loops really have it all: a decent launch, a nice forceful loop, and a cool stall on both spikes. Rode this in both the front and the back and actually enjoyed the back more. The front starts intense with a ton of force through the loop and climbing almost all the way up the first spike, but isn't as intense going back through. As expected, the back is the opposite. It's not too intense the first time through, but then you get shoved backward through the loop and fly all the way up the back spike. And it was a walk-on! Completely underrated ride!

 

1 - GhostRider - Yep. It's a good ride. It was one of my favorite woodies before the makeover, and it's even better now that it's smooth. As far as looks go, I can't say I prefer the Millennium Flyers to the old PTC trains, but they do ride well so I can't complain too much. The ride hauls all the way through the course. There are a couple of good airtime moments, but it's mostly the speed, the length, and the headchoppers that make this ride good. Obviously it fits in perfectly with the Ghost Town section of the park and if I had to pick a coaster as the defining coaster of Knott's it'd be Ghostrider. It (rightfully) had the longest line in the park all day. While it's not anything like a crazy new RMC, it really does everything you could ask for in a wooden coaster and is just a fun ride experience.

 

Well it appears I've gotten long winded again but I hope these reviews are helpful to someone. They are just my opinions and I wanted to get them out there. I read a lot on here and watch a lot of coaster videos on youtube but don't actually get out to parks much. Thus, when I finally get to ride the rides I've been watching on the internet, I have a lot to say. If I were to say one thing about this park, it would be this: go for the coasters and stay for everything else. This park has a lot to offer in both with rides and with the rest of the theming.

[anonymouscactus]

Cool review. I pretty much agree with everything you said, minus Hangtime because it wasn't open yet. I've ridden Darien Lake'sTantrum and Knoebels' Impulse which I'm assuming is the same manufacturer, and agree that I came off a bit conflicted. The layouts are fine and graceful but for whatever reason I don't know if it's the train size or what but I always just feel they were OK when they look like great rides (granted I've only ridden each twice). I dunno.

 

Anyways, what the heck is Mystery Lodge -- I can't remember if it was closed both times I've been to Knott's or we just walked past it. I feel like I wouldn't have just walked past it because I like quirky things. No spoilers, but is it a ride? Or... maybe it should remain a MYSTERY.

[thrillseeker4552]

^Mystery Lodge is located by Bigfoot Rapids (rather, Calico River Rapids) and is a show/story-telling experience. It's pretty cool but I often forget about it too. I haven't done it in a few years.

[kalikoasterman510]

Ok so what is it with GhostRider being closed on weekdays in May?!?!?! I wanted to go in the middle of the week to beat the crowds! Is this rehab time?!

[pǝʇɹǝʌuı]

Cool review. I pretty much agree with everything you said, minus Hangtime because it wasn't open yet. I've ridden Darien Lake'sTantrum and Knoebels' Impulse which I'm assuming is the same manufacturer, and agree that I came off a bit conflicted. The layouts are fine and graceful but for whatever reason I don't know if it's the train size or what but I always just feel they were OK when they look like great rides (granted I've only ridden each twice). I dunno.

 

Tantrum is a Gerstlauer, but Impulse is actually Zeirer. They don’t have too many thrill rides but they did Wicked at Lagoon too and they do give a relatively similar ride experience.

 

I can’t say I have enough data points to have a strong opinion, but I generally agree with your sentiment. I will say that Hangtime lived up a little more to how it looked than Takabisha(the other Gerstlauer I’ve ridden), but just about that.

[firebird81]

You really hit the nail on the head with that review. Knott's is definitely more about it's atmosphere and events than any individual ride, yet they have some fantastic rides, too. Hangtime looks intense, but really isn't very intense at all. However, it manages to be extremely fun. And if you get a night ride, it's like a whole different coaster. And I could not agree with you more about Ghostrider. It is the crown jewel of Knott's. I'm loving seeing so many people go back and rediscover how truly great that woodie is. They made the right choice doing the retrack. How many woodies can still have two hour lines in this day and age??? My only complaint about Knotts is that Cedar Fair doesn't keep the park open late enough in the summer and on weekends. They used to stay open much later and the park is one of the most beautiful parks around at night. I've been there many times at 10 and the park was still pretty full as they were ushering people out of the gates.

[joelwee]

^ To be fair, the two hour waits are partially due to GR’s abysmal ops. That being said, almost everyone I know who has been to Knott’s - enthusiast or otherwise - LOVES Ghostrider. I’m really glad the park invested in refurbishing that ride instead of scrapping / RMCing it. It has my favorite layout on any wooden coaster and has been glass smooth since the GCI refurb.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[coasterlvr]

Ok so what is it with GhostRider being closed on weekdays in May?!?!?! I wanted to go in the middle of the week to beat the crowds! Is this rehab time?!

 

that sucks. i was thinking the same thing. i'm sure they are doing some kind of work. i don't think knott's closes rides just because.

[thrillseeker4552]

Maybe now that the rehabbed version is pushing three years, they have to slightly increase the frequency of maintenance and track repairs. It is usually not closed on weekdays in May.

 

Kind of a bummer, but I will support anything that keeps the coaster fast and smooth for as long as possible. It is running like a dream right now.

[joelwee]

I stopped by the park yesterday to check out the last day of the Boysenberry Festival. The park was PACKED, especially over by Ghostrider where about half of the food stands were located, but it was still an enjoyable day.

 

This was my first time at the park since WCB. I noticed others talking about a single rider line at Ghostrider (which I didn't use, since my fiancee was with me and she wanted to ride together). Somebody had mentioned that you need to ask a ride op whether they're using it that day.... not anymore! There's now a sign installed outside the queue building, telling riders whether the SLR is open or closed that day.

 

We picked up a tasting card and some good boysenberry eats. We mainly focused on food items that weren't carried over from previous years. Some thoughts:

 

- Boysenberry chicken jambalaya: This was the first item we tried and I had mixed feelings about it. Each bite delivers the flavors of the chicken, sausage, and other spices from the get go, and then the boysenberry flavor is almost an aftertaste. I'm pretty sure they took a good recipe for jambalaya, threw in some boysenberry syrup, and called it a day. That being said, it was delicious; the boysenberry just seemed unnecessary.

 

- Boysenberry habanero baked mac and cheese: I'm a sucker for good mac and cheese. It had good flavor, and the boysenberry flavoring fit well with this one. The only disappointment was, for something claiming to contain habanero, I didn't taste much spice at all.

 

- Pulled pork tostada: This was another one which - though it was delicious - I had mixed feelings about. It was pulled pork, on top of a tostada shell, drizzled with shredded cabbage and boysenberry BBQ sauce. Were they going for Mexican food, or southern BBQ? Either way, it worked really well and I really enjoyed it.

 

- Boysenberry sausage: This was the only carried-over item that we had yesterday, just because it was always delicious in past years, and it did not disappoint. The sausage had great flavor, it had that good snap when you bite into it, and the boysenberry mustard complemented it really well.

 

- Boysenberry chili in a boysenberry bread bowl: Holy cow, this stuff was good! After trying the jambalaya, I was expecting the chili to be a somewhat bland bowl of chili, overpowered by boysenberry syrup. It actually had a decent amount of spice, with just a hint of boysenberry - just the right amount. It was drizzled with cheddar cheese, as well. The bread bowl was boysenberry-colored and also had just a hint of boysenberry flavoring. It was a delicious combination, and I would've gladly gone back for another bowl if the line wasn't so long.

 

- Boysenberry pot roast with boysenberry mashed potatoes: I believe the pot roast was also a carry-over from last year, but I don't recall them serving boysenberry mashed potatoes with it. The pot roast is always delicious - good flavor, and tasted like it had been slow-cooking all day in a pot of deliciousness. The boysenberry mashed potatoes had just a hint of boysenberry and complemented the pot roast really well. It was also drizzled with sliced carrots, which had soaked up the flavor of the roast and were also delicious.

 

- Salmon with mixed greens: This was a lighter entree, which consisted of a small piece of salmon served over a bed of lettuce, topped with berries, and drizzled with boysenberry vinaigrette. The salmon was really tasty, and lacked the fishy flavor that's often found in salmon. The fruits and mixed greens with the vinaigrette were refreshing on a warm day like yesterday, and provided a nice break from the heavy foods we'd been eating up until then.

 

- Cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips with boysenberry ice cream: We finished off with this one, and it was quite a tasty dessert. I love the combination of cinnamon and sugar. The ice cream was soft serve, which made it conducive to dipping the chips in it. Yum yum!