The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[Wes]

This is definitely a Knotts year for me!

[Kyle Coleman]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

[Nyteowl]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

Our policy on the fiesta flats is yes you can wear them if you have a strap, so I would assume yes. Sunday shouldn't be too bad, you should be able to get all the mazes done relatively easy if you show up at rope drop, but it may be worth it if you want the luxury.

[Jerome]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

Our policy on the fiesta flats is yes you can wear them if you have a strap, so I would assume yes. Sunday shouldn't be too bad, you should be able to get all the mazes done relatively easy if you show up at rope drop, but it may be worth it if you want the luxury.

 

This will my second Year and I'm more interest in both shows and mazes. Are mazes less busy later in the night?

[DJeXeL]

^^Glasses with straps are allowed on Silver Bullet and unless the park got Intamin to modify the operational guide, then glasses with OR without straps are still not allowed on XC.

[haydn12]

I'm pretty sure they allow straps on Excelerator now as I remember wearing one last October when we visited.

 

Jim

[DJeXeL]

This might be true as I know the park was trying to get Intamin to modify the operational guide to state that glasses w/ straps were allowed but they were having difficulties with Intamin agreeing to this. If it finally went through then that's great news as I always hated dealing with guest concerns when I was lead at XC because people that had been on TTD were allowed to wear their glasses but couldn't on XC.

[Nyteowl]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

Our policy on the fiesta flats is yes you can wear them if you have a strap, so I would assume yes. Sunday shouldn't be too bad, you should be able to get all the mazes done relatively easy if you show up at rope drop, but it may be worth it if you want the luxury.

 

This will my second Year and I'm more interest in both shows and mazes. Are mazes less busy later in the night?

In my personal experience, when you show up at rope drop you can pretty much walk on every maze if you just go in a rotation. After that, around 9-10 P.M. the mazes start getting really busy until it gets closer to closing, around 2 or so. Your best bet would be to show up at rope drop and do the prescare dinner if you want to get the early entry.

[Jerome]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

Our policy on the fiesta flats is yes you can wear them if you have a strap, so I would assume yes. Sunday shouldn't be too bad, you should be able to get all the mazes done relatively easy if you show up at rope drop, but it may be worth it if you want the luxury.

 

This will my second Year and I'm more interest in both shows and mazes. Are mazes less busy later in the night?

In my personal experience, when you show up at rope drop you can pretty much walk on every maze if you just go in a rotation. After that, around 9-10 P.M. the mazes start getting really busy until it gets closer to closing, around 2 or so. Your best bet would be to show up at rope drop and do the prescare dinner if you want to get the early entry.

What direction should I go at rope drop. Towards ghost rider or away from ghost rider?

[Nyteowl]

Looking to maybe do haunt this year on Sunday October 20th and was wondering if the crowds have been bad enough in the past to purchase a fright lane pass or if I should save my money? Also, are you allowed to wear glasses on the coasters if you have a strap?

Our policy on the fiesta flats is yes you can wear them if you have a strap, so I would assume yes. Sunday shouldn't be too bad, you should be able to get all the mazes done relatively easy if you show up at rope drop, but it may be worth it if you want the luxury.

 

This will my second Year and I'm more interest in both shows and mazes. Are mazes less busy later in the night?

In my personal experience, when you show up at rope drop you can pretty much walk on every maze if you just go in a rotation. After that, around 9-10 P.M. the mazes start getting really busy until it gets closer to closing, around 2 or so. Your best bet would be to show up at rope drop and do the prescare dinner if you want to get the early entry.

What direction should I go at rope drop. Towards ghost rider or away from ghost rider?

I'd recommend doing the mazes near ghostrider first, then working your way clockwise around the park. I've done this in the past and it's worked out nicely. The reason I'd recommend doing the Ghost Rider mazes first is because they are near the front of the park, so when the crowds arrive later on in the night it's the first place they go so if you put them off until the end you will encounter longer lines at them.

[Jerome]

^ Thanks.

[Nyteowl]

^ Thanks.

No problem! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Hope you have a great time and maybe I'll see you when I'm working haha .

[adamd]

I noticed Knotts is very quiet for 2014 while Six Flags has made announcements and Cedar Fair parks started to and some more parks are about to (Canada's Wonderland is tomorrow) but nothing from Knotts. I cant help but think about those brown supports on the freeway I saw and posted pics of. They're obviously not for Six Flags, but I remember hearing rumblings/rumors of a do over on Ghostrider. Those brown supports (if indeed they were for a coaster) would go perfectly with Ghostrider if they were to do a RMC hybrid conversion.

 

I know Knotts is going toward the family direction, BUT its still also a thrill park and 2014 will be TEN years since a big coaster was added (Silver Bullet). Hopefully they do something big soon! 2014 would be a great year to do it. Nothing big for Magic Mtn, Disney and Universal is getting the Despicable Me attraction, so 2014 would be a year to capitalize and take advantage of that situation. If Knotts does something big in 2014 that could still draw the families AND thrill seekers. 2015 would be hard for them to draw as I'm sure Magic Mountain will get something big (if Knotts does a hybrid to Ghostrider MM probably wouldnt do an Iron Colossus but something else) and I believe Disney has something for 2015?

 

2016 would be even harder as I believe Disney is doing the Marvel area, Universal will open Harry Potter and I'm sure Magic Mtn. would get something new again.

[chickenbowl]

^ I wouldn't expect anything big. But for reference, the Boardwalk expansion was announced in November, and I believe Log Ride renovation announced in January.

 

I would love the topper track to happen, but I really don't think those brown things were coaster supports at all.

[adamd]

^Thats true Knotts makes their announcements later on in the year.

[Jerome]

^ Thanks.

No problem! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Hope you have a great time and maybe I'll see you when I'm working haha .

I go to Knott's one to two times a month. Let me know what ride you work on. I'm guessing that a picture of you in your avatar.

[Jerome]

I noticed Knotts is very quiet for 2014 while Six Flags has made announcements and Cedar Fair parks started to and some more parks are about to (Canada's Wonderland is tomorrow) but nothing from Knotts. I cant help but think about those brown supports on the freeway I saw and posted pics of. They're obviously not for Six Flags, but I remember hearing rumblings/rumors of a do over on Ghostrider. Those brown supports (if indeed they were for a coaster) would go perfectly with Ghostrider if they were to do a RMC hybrid conversion.

 

I know Knotts is going toward the family direction, BUT its still also a thrill park and 2014 will be TEN years since a big coaster was added (Silver Bullet). Hopefully they do something big soon! 2014 would be a great year to do it. Nothing big for Magic Mtn, Disney and Universal is getting the Despicable Me attraction, so 2014 would be a year to capitalize and take advantage of that situation. If Knotts does something big in 2014 that could still draw the families AND thrill seekers. 2015 would be hard for them to draw as I'm sure Magic Mountain will get something big (if Knotts does a hybrid to Ghostrider MM probably wouldnt do an Iron Colossus but something else) and I believe Disney has something for 2015?

 

2016 would be even harder as I believe Disney is doing the Marvel area, Universal will open Harry Potter and I'm sure Magic Mtn. would get something new again.

The direction the gm seems to be going right now is family rides.

[Nyteowl]

^ Thanks.

No problem! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Hope you have a great time and maybe I'll see you when I'm working haha .

I go to Knott's one to two times a month. Let me know what ride you work on. I'm guessing that a picture of you in your avatar.

I currently work the flats in fiesta village, but that will probably change soon.

[_koppen]

I have a question about the death that occurred on Perilious Plunge. I have done some digging around, but information about it is not as easy to find as the accident on the sister ride in England.

 

Was the death a result of the ride attendants not checking the restraints, or was it a result of a flawed design on the restraints?

[CoasterTimmy]

https://www.worldsoffun.com/what-s-new/new-for-2014

 

I wonder if SteelHawk is KBFs Windseeker :/ blah

[disney4me2001]

I have a question about the death that occurred on Perilious Plunge. I have done some digging around, but information about it is not as easy to find as the accident on the sister ride in England.

 

Was the death a result of the ride attendants not checking the restraints, or was it a result of a flawed design on the restraints?

 

Neither. After the investigation, it was found that the victim was too large for the restraint. Here's a report about it, although there's no source listed:

Intamin: Perilous Plunge rider was too big for restraints

 

When the accident occurred, some of the guests who were on the ride stated that not all the seat belts had been checked, but other than this article, I can't find any evidence that this is true (again, no sources listed so I can't vouch for the validity of this article):

Intamin says 'Plunge' is safe; riders say seat belts were not checked

 

While nothing official has been released yet (as far as I'm aware), it's speculated that what happened recently on Texas Giant at SFOT is very similar, if not exactly the same, as what happened on Perilous Plunge.

[disney4me2001]

https://www.worldsoffun.com/what-s-new/new-for-2014

 

I wonder if SteelHawk is KBFs Windseeker :/ blah

 

Interesting...I thought I had read a rumor somewhere (may have been here) that WOF's Windseeker wouldn't be the full 301 feet due to height restrictions, but I guess not! So if Knott's Windseeker is in fact going to become SteelHawk at WOF, then I guess this clears up the rumor as to whether or not the whole tower will be used (it was suggested that maybe not all the tower sections would be used)!

 

What's also interesting is that they gave this one a different name. Guess Cedar Fair is hoping to end the "curse" associated with the Windseeker name!

[TopThrill182]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Knott's will get to keep its Windseeker yet (of course, WoF's announcement doesn't seem a good sign in that regard).

 

Not only has the park not added any major roller coaster since Silver Bullet, but it has also lost thrill rides since then: Perilous Plunge and now, potentially, Windseeker.

 

I appreciate family rides and realize their importance in nearly every theme park setting, but I'm curious as to why Knott's seems content to abandon the thrill seeker market. Moreover, even accepting the fact that Knott's now seems inclined to grow in a strictly family friendly way, I'd still argue the park's recent family additions have paled to those at nearly every other SoCal park.

 

And as evidence of this, Knott's was the only major SoCal player that witnessed a substantial attendance decrease in 2012: 4%. Disney's California Adventure saw a 22% attendance increase; Universal, 15%; and SFMM, 4%. (To be fair, Disneyland saw a 1% decrease in attendance, but that, in my opinion, seems attributable merely to the extreme growth at sister park DCA). I'd argue these numbers call Raffi Kaprelyan's vision into question.

 

I remain interested to see what direction Knott's takes going forward, but can't help but feel that the park's direction is becoming less relevant to me as a childless consumer. And I'd be surprised if other tween / teen / young adult customers at Knott's don't start feeling the same way.

[Nyteowl]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Knott's will get to keep its Windseeker yet (of course, WoF's announcement doesn't seem a good sign in that regard).

 

Not only has the park not added any major roller coaster since Silver Bullet, but it has also lost thrill rides since then: Perilous Plunge and now, potentially, Windseeker.

 

I appreciate family rides and realize their importance in nearly every theme park setting, but I'm curious as to why Knott's seems content to abandon the thrill seeker market. Moreover, even accepting the fact that Knott's now seems inclined to grow in a strictly family friendly way, I'd still argue the park's recent family additions have paled to those at nearly every other SoCal park.

 

And as evidence of this, Knott's was the only major SoCal player that witnessed a substantial attendance decrease in 2012: 4%. Disney's California Adventure saw a 22% attendance increase; Universal, 15%; and SFMM, 4%. (To be fair, Disneyland saw a 1% decrease in attendance, but that, in my opinion, seems attributable merely to the extreme growth at sister park DCA). I'd argue these numbers call Raffi Kaprelyan's vision into question.

 

I remain interested to see what direction Knott's takes going forward, but can't help but feel that the park's direction is becoming less relevant to me as a childless consumer. And I'd be surprised if other tween / teen / young adult customers at Knott's don't start feeling the same way.

I kind of feel the same way, but like you said it's probably because I'm a young adult with no children. A thrilling coaster would be nice, but I'd also love to see a dark ride similar to what CW is getting. After the boardwalk expansion, I think Knott's is pretty solid on Family friendly rides for a few years at least.

[_koppen]

Neither. After the investigation, it was found that the victim was too large for the restraint. Here's a report about it, although there's no source listed:

Intamin: Perilous Plunge rider was too big for restraints

 

When the accident occurred, some of the guests who were on the ride stated that not all the seat belts had been checked, but other than this article, I can't find any evidence that this is true (again, no sources listed so I can't vouch for the validity of this article):

Intamin says 'Plunge' is safe; riders say seat belts were not checked

 

While nothing official has been released yet (as far as I'm aware), it's speculated that what happened recently on Texas Giant at SFOT is very similar, if not exactly the same, as what happened on Perilous Plunge.

 

Thank you!