The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[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.

[Dom497]

^I can tell you that the one at Canada's Wonderland would stop but instantly start to lower back down slowly, not stay up there for 3 hours....

[XYZ]

I looked at some of the ride descriptions on Knott's website and they seem pretty hilarious and ironic:

 

Windseeker:

WindSeeker was designed and manufactured by Mondial, a company based in the Netherlands that has been creating thrill rides for the amusement park industry since 1987. Mondial is known for their innovative and unique rides and maintains the highest standards in regards to quality and safety.

 

WindSeeker features 32, 2-person gondolas that will ascend to a height of 301 feet. Once it has reached the top of the tower, WindSeeker will spread it’s metal arms swinging riders for a 60 second flight at a 45 degree angle at a speed of 8 rotations per minute.

 

Due to the long airtime, riders will experience a spectacular sense of weightlessness. This, combined with the fact that riders legs will be unrestrained, will create a sense of exhilaration which will enhance the feeling of free flight.

 

Pony Express:

Named after the famous Pony Express mail service, this coaster rides at speeds never imagined in the Old West! While sitting astride one of the team’s 16 horses, riders leave their post with their steed launching them at a speed of 0-38 mph in less than 3 seconds. The team covers a 1,300 foot route which takes them past Boot Hill and Big Foot Rapids resulting in an exhilarating runaway adventure!

 

Supreme Scream:

One of the world's tallest, most radical thrill adventures. In seconds, you're propelled straight up, 254 feet in mid-air, but there's no time to enjoy it. Suddenly, you plunge straight down at a streaking speed that defies the laws of gravity--more than 50 miles an hour.

 

Butterfield Stagecoach:

Catch an original Butterfield Stage for a rowdy ride back through time. And don't let the bullet holes in the door worry you; that happened long ago.

Yep, Los Angeles isn't too far from KBF...

[SoCalCoasters]

^I don't think any of those descriptions are untrue, but since we are enthusiasts, those words in the descriptions have a different context that's automatically assumed.

[thestripedtaco]

^^ Yah you really just can't read into those descriptions too much. There meant for the GP, not for people like us.

[XYZ]

I know they're for the GP, they just seem ironic to the enthusiasts perspective.

[gforce1994]

I looked at some of the ride descriptions on Knott's website and they seem pretty hilarious and ironic:

 

Windseeker:

WindSeeker was designed and manufactured by Mondial, a company based in the Netherlands that has been creating thrill rides for the amusement park industry since 1987. Mondial is known for their innovative and unique rides and maintains the highest standards in regards to quality and safety.

 

WindSeeker features 32, 2-person gondolas that will ascend to a height of 301 feet. Once it has reached the top of the tower, WindSeeker will spread it’s metal arms swinging riders for a 60 second flight at a 45 degree angle at a speed of 8 rotations per minute.

 

Due to the long airtime, riders will experience a spectacular sense of weightlessness. This, combined with the fact that riders legs will be unrestrained, will create a sense of exhilaration which will enhance the feeling of free flight.

 

Pony Express:

Named after the famous Pony Express mail service, this coaster rides at speeds never imagined in the Old West! While sitting astride one of the team’s 16 horses, riders leave their post with their steed launching them at a speed of 0-38 mph in less than 3 seconds. The team covers a 1,300 foot route which takes them past Boot Hill and Big Foot Rapids resulting in an exhilarating runaway adventure!

 

Supreme Scream:

One of the world's tallest, most radical thrill adventures. In seconds, you're propelled straight up, 254 feet in mid-air, but there's no time to enjoy it. Suddenly, you plunge straight down at a streaking speed that defies the laws of gravity--more than 50 miles an hour.

 

Butterfield Stagecoach:

Catch an original Butterfield Stage for a rowdy ride back through time. And don't let the bullet holes in the door worry you; that happened long ago.

Yep, Los Angeles isn't too far from KBF...

Really?

[skydye]

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.

You make a good point. I've ridden windseeker 15 times since I have season passes. I already knew about it's safety record. But being stuck for three hours at 300 ft? That's too high for too long. I'll ride it again when it opens. But if it gets stuck for over 30 minutes,I'll ask for lifetime passes to all cedar fair parks.... Wish me luck in winning them.

[Jew]

^I hope that was a joke, as that feeling of entitlement whenever something goes wrong on a ride is exactly why we have so much regulation/safety/stupid rules in the U.S. at theme parks!

[Tmcdllr]

^I hope that was a joke, as that feeling of entitlement whenever something goes wrong on a ride is exactly why we have so much regulation/safety/stupid rules in the U.S. at theme parks!

 

Yes, nothing is perfect, stuff happens, just because you get stuck on a ride (and by stuck I mean just sitting there in a normal position and no injury) does not mean that you should automatically get a lifetime pass to all the parks in the chain... that is just ridiculous. I agree with Jew, this is exactly why there are all these stupid rules and regulations in this country, people think they deserve everything when they do not.

[SoCalCoasters]

When you think about it, the reason the ride stopped was because it detected a possible problem, or there was a computer error. So they're basically saying: "I want season passes to your park forever because the safety systems worked properly to avoid incident. I should be compensated!

[skydye]

^I hope that was a joke, as that feeling of entitlement whenever something goes wrong on a ride is exactly why we have so much regulation/safety/stupid rules in the U.S. at theme parks!

Yes,It was a joke. I've got to learn to use smilies.

 

I'm the type that likes it when a coaster stops on a lift hill. I keep thinking I'll have to get out and walk down from so and so height. I'm differently afraid of heights so getting stuck to me is fun.

[ILoveRides]

Last night was the opening night for Halloween Haunt at Knott's Berry Farm (AKA Knott's Scary Farm), and TPR was there! Check out all of our coverage below:

Welcome to the 40th Knott's Halloween Haunt. Knott's Scary Farm was the first theme park Halloween celebration, and it's still the largest.

This trip report is brought to you by Spears, David, and David's gnarly sunburn!

We start off in the Boardwalk Ballroom for the VIP Party. The place was packed!

The event was catered and had more food than you could possibly ever eat.

Mmmmm, food!

More food!

TPR <3's food!

Around the food were lots of cool decorations to get everyone in the Halloween spirit.

There were a bunch of intricately carved pumpkins.

This ice witch was really neat!

What does TPR like more than food? DESSERTS!

There were a ton of cool looking and delicious treats.

Ok, so TPR likes desserts more than food. But what does TPR like even more than desserts? AN OPEN BAR!

It's like TPR heaven.

On our way out of the party we took a picture in front of the Knott's Haunt wall that was set up.

It was almost time for Ed Alonzo's Funhouse, so we headed towards the Charles M. Schulz Theatre.

Mature content, sounds good to me!

Here's a look at the stage for this year's show.

There was an intro video for the show with a cameo appearance by Neil Patrick Harris.

Then Ed Alonzo drives in.

Would you like some poop?

As always, there's lots of cool magic.

Ed is a great magician!

There's audience participation...

Dancing...

Super sexy dancing...

And an awesome acrobatic act.

I just noticed that the way the letters got cropped in this photo makes it kind of R-rated.

And obviously it wouldn't be the Ed Alonzo Show without crazy hilarious moments like this...

... and this!

This show never disappoints! If you go to Haunt, make sure to check it out. Like most of the entertainment at Knott's, it's so much better than your standard amusement park show.

We met a bunch of TPR members and fans throughout the night. Here's a picture with some of them! It was nice meeting you guys!

We decided to check out one of the new mazes, and on the way we snapped this picture of a coffin filled with glowy things for the merchandise enthusiasts.

Here's one of the new mazes for 2012, Pinocchio Unstrung.

All of the new mazes have lots of detail and are some of the best work Knott's has done.

A shot of Spears getting scared in the maze.

We took a trip to Pleasure Island.

And ran into the most evil Pinocchio ever!

Wherever you walk at Knott's Scary Farm there are always monsters lurking in the shadows.

Sadly, the Calico Mine Ride didn't get a haunt overlay this year. Even if scare actors weren't possible it would've been nice to see the fog and decorations return, but alas it wasn't to be.

But the good thing about it not getting a haunt overlay is that the line is short or non-existent! We even got a car to ourselves.

Fortunately, the Timber Mountain Log Ride still got the haunt treatment. But unfortunately, we were mis-informed and thought it was the same as last year, so we ended up not riding it last night. It turns out it has a new theme this year, so we'll need to ride it on a future visit.

On our way to some of the other new mazes we had to pass through the Ghost Town. Here's Spears hesitating to enter into the fog. There are monsters lurking in there!

And a witch!

Brave souls wandering into the fog.

Watch out Spears! She had no idea she was about to be scared.

Spears says, "Ok, you got me!"

"No, really. You got me. You can stop chasing me now. No! Stop! AHHHHHH! NOOOO! AHHHHH!" And then Spears got eaten. Ok, that didn't actually happen.

Hello Mr. Werewolf.

Here's the entrance to Trick Or Treat, one of the new-for-2012 mazes.

You ring the doorbell, just like a trick-or-treater.

I suppose we should've known not to enter into a stranger's house.

Next up, End Games.

This maze isn't new, but it's located near Ghostrider now.

One more shot from End Games.

Next we check out Dominion of the Dead.

This one was really fun. It was a beautiful maze, and there were some unique scares in it that you don't find in most of the other mazes. I would say that aside from Trapped (The new up-charge maze) this is my favorite of the new-for-2012 mazes.

Spears getting ready to enter.

Here we go!

It's hard to see in this out-of-focus picture, but Spears got scared and dropped to the floor! Hilarious!

Another cool thing about Dominion of the Dead is that the exit feeds right into Delirium.

Delirium was new last year. I liked it a lot then, and I still like it a lot now.

Creepy!

Looks like someone didn't pay the cable bill.

One more shot from Delirium.

Now on to the maze that most of you are probably wondering about, Trapped. This is the new-for-2012, up-charge, make-a-reservation-in-advance maze. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but I'll say a little bit about the experience.

You actually have to sign a waiver to go in! Make sure you read all the details before you sign, they're very important!

Ok, so we couldn't take pictures, but here is what you need to know:

 

1. There's a "safe word" in case the maze gets too intense for you. That's how you know this maze is going to be good!

 

2. It's not vegan friendly! (But we did still manage to escape with our vegan powers, yay!)

 

3. It's good! Really good! In fact, it's probably the best maze I've ever gone through. Is it worth the money? I would say yes. Especially if you go with a larger group. If you go with 6 people it's only $10 per person, and it's totally worth that much. You also get a free 5x7 photo at the end.

 

So yeah, that's about all I'm going to say about this maze because if I say more it'll ruin the experience for people. If you're thinking about doing it, my advice is to NOT read reviews of the maze before doing it. It would have been a lot less fun if we knew what to expect.

 

And kudos to the talent working this maze. All of the performers were great, especially the guy working in the bathroom last night.

Next we headed to Calico Square for the Midnight Witching Hour, a homage to the classic hangings of Halloween Haunt past. Space Shuttle Endeavour make a quick fly-over before the show. (Not really)

The show started with a procession marching through the crowd with torches and a prisoner.

The prisoner pleaded that she wasn't a witch.

Nonetheless, a noose was placed around her neck, and the crowd was asked to determine if she was guilty or not.

The crowd found her guilty!

So she was hung!

Smoke and fire burst out...

And suddenly she turned into a real witch in front of everyone's eyes.

She's evil looking!

She even teleported onto the roof of the Saloon.

After some preaching and cackling and fire, she disappeared into the night and the show was over.

We then headed over to the 40th Halloween Haunt Museum.

It's nice to see Knott's honoring the history of Haunt.

There were lots of historical pieces around the room.

Another shot of some of the historical pieces.

This wall had all sorts of information about previous Haunt events.

Next up was the new show in The Mystery Lodge, called "Unearthed."

If you've seen the normal Mystery Lodge show, you probably have some idea of what to expect here.

It was nice to see Knott's use The Mystery Lodge for a Halloween show. Bonus: You also get to see Jeff Tucker's beautiful face throughout the show. (Buy The Sixth Key!)

And there are some fun surprises in the show!

Here's the 40th anniversary Haunt shirt.

Oh, and this is Knott's, so lets not forget there are rides too!

Xcelerator was a walk-on! You can't go wrong with this coaster.

Here's the spot where Perilous Plunge used to stand.

Gathering everyone's opinions together, I'm pretty sure this is what most people want in place of Perilous Plunge. It's called "Pink Bullet" because there's nothing pink about it.

Speaking of bullets of various colors, here's Silver Bullet.

We took a spin on it to round out the night.

Thanks Knott's for inviting TPR to attend the opening night of Haunt. Knott's is always super nice to TPR, and we totally appreciate it! And happy birthday Haunt! 40 years! I'll spare you all the "Over the Hill" cards and decorations.

Thanks for checking out our trip report! Now go check out Haunt at Knott's, it's a ton of fun!

Edited September 23, 2012 by ILoveRides

[Tmcdllr]

Wow that is pretty awesome!

[Manic Monte]

Great job you guys! In your opinion, how does this year compare to last? Last year was amazing!

[ILoveRides]

^ We liked it better this year. Trapped is totally a standout maze, the rest of the new mazes this year are great, and it was cool to see the midnight witch hanging. Plus pretty much everything that was good from the year before is still there.

 

For me, the only 2 negatives this year were:

 

1. The lack of Haunt theming on the Mine Ride. It would've been nice to see some decorations and fog even if there weren't actors. I feel like they could turn it into something like Haunted Mansion Holiday where there aren't scares, but are still decorations.

 

2. The monsters in the scare zones can't pose for photos with guests anymore. I understand the reasoning behind this, but somehow I still preferred to be able to take a photo or two.

Edited September 23, 2012 by ILoveRides

[disney4me2001]

Couple of questions about Haunt:

 

1. I'm planning on going on a Sunday (October 14th to be exact)...how do you think crowds will be? On average, how long would you say wait times for the mazes will be?

 

2. Is Trick or Treat an upcharge maze? I know that Trapped requires reservations, but the Knott's site doesn't mention if there's a charge for Trick or Treat. I thought I had read somewhere that there was going to be a small fee for it.

 

Thanks a lot! Any other tips would be much appreciated- this will be my first time at Haunt!

[downunder]

Wow, thanks for the report. I'm booked in for 2 nights at Scary Farm, I have the option for a 3rd night which I may have to exercise.

[jammy2by4]

That looks fantastic, great coverage, shame I can't actually make it .

 

Love the sneaky goose in the background of the second last picture .

[Jew]

2. Is Trick or Treat an upcharge maze? I know that Trapped requires reservations, but the Knott's site doesn't mention if there's a charge for Trick or Treat. I thought I had read somewhere that there was going to be a small fee for it.

 

You can buy limited edition Trick or Treat bags with some goodies in them to trick or treat in the queue line. I think that is what they meant.

[Mrlittle]

Great report. One of these years I will make the trip out to Knott's Haunt

[Jojo19799]

I'm not really a fan of mazes/haunted houses, I guess it's a "personal space" thing for me. However I'm really interested in Trapped. I can tell you that if I were there, I would probably be curled up in the fetal position crying trying to say the safe word. It wouldn't be pretty, however it would make great video and friends would be making fun of me for the rest of my life.

[Jew]

^You definitely wouldn't like Trapped if you enjoy your personal space.

[SoCalCoasters]

I wonder of they have to act differently when they have groups of minors that come in? Would waivers like those work still?/Would that effect the interaction level at all?

 

I may be doing Trapped in a few weeks so I'm curious...

[Jojo19799]

^You definitely wouldn't like Trapped if you enjoy your personal space.

 

Oh I can already tell you I don't like it, but I'm very curious about it. I really like how parks decorate for Halloween events. And if I did ever get the guts to do Trapped, I can tell you right now it will make for great video.