The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[El Toro_Ryan]

If the park is attempting to run 3 trains at once again, I really hope they also reprogramming the brake run so it doesn't take 10 years for trains to advance through it. Checking restraints quickly is one step of the process but a ride that dispatches/advances quickly is also an important piece of the puzzle.

 

Kudos to the park though if they really are trying to improve the capacity of the ride with 3 train operations. I wonder if Corporate had anything to do with this I know Cedar Fair are fans of good operations. If I had to guess, part of the reason the park went with permanent 2 train operations following the remodel was to cycle the ride less often to keep it smooth. But maybe they are satisfied with how it is aging and are okay with cycling it more often?

 

Also maybe the park is planning to purchase a 4th train from GCI to allow for year round 3 train operations? Can't wait to see how this unfolds.

[joelwee]

^ The only coaster at Knott's with decent operations is Hangtime, so I'm leaning more towards it being used as a trim. But, I hope I'm wrong.

[thrillseeker4552]

If the park is attempting to run 3 trains at once again, I really hope they also reprogramming the brake run so it doesn't take 10 years for trains to advance through it. Checking restraints quickly is one step of the process but a ride that dispatches/advances quickly is also an important piece of the puzzle.

 

Kudos to the park though if they really are trying to improve the capacity of the ride with 3 train operations. I wonder if Corporate had anything to do with this I know Cedar Fair are fans of good operations. If I had to guess, part of the reason the park went with permanent 2 train operations following the remodel was to cycle the ride less often to keep it smooth. But maybe they are satisfied with how it is aging and are okay with cycling it more often?

 

Also maybe the park is planning to purchase a 4th train from GCI to allow for year round 3 train operations? Can't wait to see how this unfolds.

 

I pretty much share the exact same thoughts. Hopefully adding back the MCBR means three train operations, because the ride's layout is so long that two trains will never be efficient, with or without the MCBR.

 

Knott's is one of Cedar Fair's top parks in terms of attendance, and I have always wondered why the operations here are complete garbage but CF's other big parks like CP, KI, and CW have awesome operations. Hopefully they are trying to improve GhostRider because that is definitely the biggest capacity issue in the park, surprisingly more than Xcelerator.

[foss123]

Went to my first West Coast Bash yesterday and absolutely loved it! The park was absolutely dead by the end of late night ERT, so I managed to get a ride on Xcelerator with a train completely to myself. Such an unreal experience. Also won a piece of track from Silver Bullet at lunch, which I still can't get over. Such an awesome souvenir. Thanks for planning such an awesome event, Robb!

[SoCalJasonland]

Went to my first West Coast Bash yesterday and absolutely loved it! The park was absolutely dead by the end of late night ERT, so I managed to get a ride on Xcelerator with a train completely to myself. Such an unreal experience. Also won a piece of track from Silver Bullet at lunch, which I still can't get over. Such an awesome souvenir. Thanks for planning such an awesome event, Robb!

 

I ended up feeling a little dizzy and left before lunch. I think I was dehydrated, but two questions:

 

1. Did Knott's send anyone to the lunch to answer questions and did they address if they are re-adding a block brake on Ghost Rider to run a third train?

 

2. Why do they have extra Silver Bullet track lying around and how big was your prize?

[Kyle Coleman]

No one asked about the gr block brake so it didn't get answered. Surprised it didn't come up now that I think about it.

[coasterlvr]

No one asked about the gr block brake so it didn't get answered. Surprised it didn't come up now that I think about it.

 

does anyone have confirmation of this? sure, there's a crane onsite, but you can't see what's going on near the former mid course brake run area.

 

jeff tucker is in entertainment and probably wouldn't have had a good answer anyway.

[coasterlvr]

West Coast Bash, Knott's Berry Farm day.

 

Knott's Berry Farm really goes all out for West Coast Bash each year.

 

Knott's day was going to be really, really long. It all started at around roughly 7:30am while pulling into the McDonald's parking lot for an sausage biscuit with egg, hash browns and orange juice. Then, onto parking and to registration. Showed my ID and picked up all my stuff and tried not to lose it instantly.

 

The stinkin' badge...

 

Do you see that? 4 freakin' hours of ERT! That's can you even hang, amount of ERT.

 

Look at this awesome shirt.

 

Next while waiting for the gates to open, Robb snapped a quick group photo.

 

Enter the gates and make your way to your first ride of the day. We chose Hangtime. Well, because new hotness for 2018! Then some Xcelerator, a trip on Supreme Scream, and one on the old goodie, Montezooma's revenge. I think we finished ERT off with a number of laps on Xcelerator.

 

 

Once the gates opened, we planned to knock out some rides that might have a line during the day. So, the so so popular Pony Express was our destination. Walking to ride Iron Reef, we realized that there was going to be a group photo at 10:30 we forgot about. It being about 10:28 at the time. We made a dash for Wagon Camp. If it said Stunt Show, I would have known exactly where to go. Anyway, we barely made it into the picture. Disaster averted.

 

 

Some random photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before lunch, I needed a snack, so I got one of these...

 

The cookiewich is so good. But, I think I should have loaded up on Lactaid pills beforehand since I believe this is what made my stomach unhappy while trying to rest for day 2.

 

Next up was lunch and games. I always look forward to this at West Coast Bash.

Jeff Tucker and Robb did not disappoint and had me laughing as usual. A lot of prizes to be won. I don't remember all what happened, but i kind of remember seeing a dance contest, some trivia questions, and a kid take his bare hand and grab a handful of coleslaw and put it in his pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the prizes.

 

 

 

 

I would probably pay for one of those Hangtime road wheels. It would make a cool clock.

 

Although I'm local, I've never watched Mystery Lodge since it opened in 1994. Since it was hot, and we had ridden a ton, a show in air conditioning sounded appealing in the heat of the day. So, Mystery Lodge, here we come. But our first try, we got stuck on the lift hill. So, we had to be evacuated. We came back later to try again, and this time we made it over the lift hill.

 

 

I don't remember when it was, I think fairly late because it was pretty dark by then, but I took a break and went to rest in my car for a bit. Came back somewhat refreshed to finish out the day with our night ERT session.

 

As in the morning, we rode a lot, but did tap out about a half hour early for the hope of getting some sleep before the next day.

 

Another awesome Knott's West Coast Bash. Thanks to Knott's, Jeff Tucker, Robb, and everyone else involved to make West Coast Bash at Knott's so amazing!

[The Great Zo]

sausage biscuit with egg

 

I'll take mine with no egg, thanks.

 

...and a kid take his bare hand and grab a handful of coleslaw and put it in his pocket.

 

Of all the weird things I saw on these two days that made me shake my head, this one is just... I can't even put it into words.

 

But our first try, we got stuck on the lift hill. So, we had to be evacuated. We came back later to try again, and this time we made it over the lift hill.

 

 

This is why it's important to read a coasterlvr trip report very, very carefully.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cookie-wich, which at least looked more appealing than the business end of that stuffed churro of mine.

 

Great post John, great day, had a lot of fun!

[SteVeUrkle]

No one asked about the gr block brake so it didn't get answered. Surprised it didn't come up now that I think about it.

 

does anyone have confirmation of this?

 

I wouldn't doubt it. I was always kind of scratching my head why they removed them anyway?

 

Not that I'd ever want them to even use them during normal operations, but they can atleast be emergency/block brakes to dispatch one train while the other is finishing the course. Also who knows, maybe the trains are beating up the rather newly refurbed track faster than they thought it would? So maybe they've decided they're gonna dumb it down again for maintenance and longevity sake.

 

Which would suck for because every time I've been in town either it was down or I had no time to ride it after the refurb with new trains and no MCBR. I heard it may not have been *AS GOOD* as original Ghostie but hey it would have been nice to be the judge of that.

 

I really wish they would have just plug & played the ride El Toro style which still, I've heard, has a fairly decent track which has never had extensive maintenance, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Even if El Toro's rough it never got Ghostrider re-align your spine rough, and it's a much more intense coaster.

[bert425]

Thanks for the pics, and the fun read John. . yep, I LOL-ed at getting stuck on the lift hill at Mystery Lodge.

 

I really love this picture too, and in my mind, you were thinking of me (ok. . maybe not, more likely Laura) when you posted it.

 

just lovely:

 

[coasterlvr]

I really love this picture too, and in my mind, you were thinking of me (ok. . maybe not, more likely Laura) when you posted it.

 

just lovely:

 

 

yeah, both of you.

[bert425]

I really love this picture too, and in my mind, you were thinking of me (ok. . maybe not, more likely Laura) when you posted it.

 

 

yeah, both of you.

 

awww..thanks

 

[joelwee]

@coasterlvr: Great report. WCB was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I was able to make it. Also, thanks for posting the group pic. My bro and I completely forgot to pick up our copies later in the day. But....holy cow, I have a long neck.

 

Also, I'm planning on going to Scary Farm for the first time this year (despite living an hour and a half away from KBF my whole life). Those of you who have gone before - how packed does it typically get? Do you recommend getting Fright Lane? I'm thinking of going on a Friday night in early October.

[KBrylczyk]

Also, I'm planning on going to Scary Farm for the first time this year (despite living an hour and a half away from KBF my whole life). Those of you who have gone before - how packed does it typically get? Do you recommend getting Fright Lane? I'm thinking of going on a Friday night in early October.

 

Yeah, spend the money for Fright Lane. I'd suggest getting that All Inclusive ticket they're offering that has parking and the Boo-fet early entry. Crowds aren't HHN-level insane but if you'd rather enjoy your night than spend a good chunk of it in line just spend the money. You'll be glad you did, especially since it's unlimited entry. HHN charges an arm and a leg for one-time use.

[defrocker]

Made my first visit to Knott's around Labor Day. Almost everything about this park exceeded my expectations. My wife and I both fell in love with this park and it's probably in my top 5 favorite parks. This is just such a charming place. The foods we tried were really good. I'm not a big fan of berries, but I couldn't be there and not do different berry things so if we came across Boysenberry anything, we tried it and all of it was great. Even though the park is plopped down right in the middle of the town, it does not feel like it's in the city.

 

Now for coasters:

 

Sierra Sidewinder - I've never spun so much on a spinner. Man did I get dizzy on this one.

Montezooma - I am glad to get to ride this one. There aren't many out there.

Silver Bullet - I have never ridden an invert I didn't absolutely love and this one was no different. I actually enjoyed it a bit more than I anticipated. It was less "snappy" than older models but that did not make it better or worse. My wife, who dislikes the snappy inverts said this one was near the top for her.

Jaguar! - Holy crap, why does no one talk about this thing? This thing was such a fun little family coaster and I found myself laughing through most of the course. So many close calls with trees and other things! If I had a list of "favorite family coasters" this would be towards the top.

Xcelerator - Running one train but they were at least dispatching fairly regularly. It broke down when we were close to boarding, but not for too long. Fun ride and I like that it has more to it than TTD. Not as good as Storm Runner though.

Hangtime - I have never really been the biggest of fans of Euro fighters. This one changed my mind a bit on them. Hangtime is a really fun ride and has probably the best fun per square foot ratio to me. Also Boardwalk area + night =

Coast Rider - Apple Zapple at KD with stupid restraints.

Pony Express - I had never ridden a coaster like this. I was kind of surprised at how forceful the launch was. Fun, but short.

Ghostrider - Ok, I have been aware of this ride for years, but have never really been that interested in it. I heard that GCI helped it out a lot but it was one that I did not have any expectations for. This thing turned out to be the hit of the trip for me. I am so glad that RMC did not touch this piece of art. It is just pure fun start to finish. Unpopular opinion time: This was my favorite ride on our CA trip that included KBF, SFMM, CGA, and SFDK. I can't get over how much this ride surprised me. Just. Pure. Fun.

 

Knott's is a fantastic place and I can't recommend it enough for park fans. If you are going just for coasters, you will be missing a lot.

[firebird81]

Glad you enjoyed the park! And you are not alone in being thankful the didn't RMC Ghostrider. It is truly an amazing, legend of a ride that really shows how great CCI was at designing woodies.

[Jew]

Glad you enjoyed the park! And you are not alone in being thankful the didn't RMC Ghostrider. It is truly an amazing, legend of a ride that really shows how great CCI was at designing woodies.

 

I would much rather have Topper Track than the GCI makeover.

[rachelis]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I had such a good time at West Coast Bash this year and wanted to post my first trip report I've been lurking the TPR forums since I was around 14 (a while lol) so WCB was always kind of a dream of mine ever since I was younger. Without further ado...!

 

I go to Knott's a few times a year, but I've never been this early to catch the fog. So beautiful!

Let's get this show on the road!!!

We got to the ticket pickup super early so our behind the scenes tour was at 8:30 am. It was great getting to see the Calico Train behind the scenes. Our guide was awesome, you could tell he was super passionate and loved his job!!

Then it was time for ERT!! My friend rode Xcelerator while I went to ride Hangtime for the first time. I LOVED it! It's such a beautiful and fun coaster. I kept gushing about it to my friend haha.

After that, we both rode Montezooma's Revenge, and then I rode Hangtime again. We both go to Knott's pretty frequently so we weren't in a huge rush to ride a lot of rides during the day. I took the opportunity to take a ton of photos while I wasn't in anyone's way!

One of my favorite rides to photograph. It's so bright and the murals painted on are amazing. It's also gorgeous at night (which I forgot to take a photo of this time )

Artsy hangtime

I love when these Sky Cabin shots come out! (Not pictured: During late afternoon, it was actually clear enough to see Disneyland, or what I'm pretty sure was Disneyland. It was so cool! )

Hangtime is such a pretty coaster. I wasn't too sure about it when it was under construction (especially with the colors so close to Xcelerator), but it's gorgeous now that it's completed!! Especially at night.

Did a lot of these shots while waiting for nighttime ERT. I'm not too confident with night photography so this was a great place to practice!

This coaster is incredible at night. I'm so glad Knott's coasters have more lighting!!

After nighttime ERT started, I didn't take too many pictures. I was too focused on riding as many rides as I could! I've never really been to Knott's after dark, so I tried to take full advantage of it.

 

After riding Hangtime a few times in a row, I was feeling a little sick, so we decided to go back to the hotel. We went to bed as soon as we got to the hotel to prep for a 5:30 AM wakeup for Day 2 of West Coast Bash!!

 

Thank you so much to Robb, TPR, and everyone at West Coast Bash for making my first TPR event so enjoyable! I'm terribly shy so I didn't get to reach out and talk to a lot of people, but everyone was so nice!! Knott's was a great host, the food was great (especially the pie!!) and my friend and I had tons of fun.

[coasterlvr]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I had such a good time at West Coast Bash this year and wanted to post my first trip report I've been lurking the TPR forums since I was around 14 (a while lol) so WCB was always kind of a dream of mine ever since I was younger. Without further ado...!

 

 

 

After riding Hangtime a few times in a row, I was feeling a little sick, so we decided to go back to the hotel. We went to bed as soon as we got to the hotel to prep for a 5:30 AM wakeup for Day 2 of West Coast Bash!!

 

Thank you so much to Robb, TPR, and everyone at West Coast Bash for making my first TPR event so enjoyable! I'm terribly shy so I didn't get to reach out and talk to a lot of people, but everyone was so nice!! Knott's was a great host, the food was great (especially the pie!!) and my friend and I had tons of fun.

 

great report and pics!

[joelwee]

I would much rather have Topper Track than the GCI makeover.

I’d be all for that as long as they keep a similar layout. As much as I love RMC, Ghostrider has my favorite layout on any wooden coaster, and I’d be disappointed if Knott’s had RMC come in and revamp it - especially when there’s another park an hour north that can supply my RMC fix.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KBrylczyk]

especially when there’s another park an hour north that can supply my RMC fix.

 

How on earth have you ever managed to get from Buena Park to Santa Clarita in an hour? Driving at 3am?

[joelwee]

especially when there’s another park an hour north that can supply my RMC fix.

 

How on earth have you ever managed to get from Buena Park to Santa Clarita in an hour? Driving at 3am?

Yeah, basically... those roads aren't bad late Sunday nights.

Also, thanks for answering my question about Scary Farm.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Great report, Rachelis, and welcome! That train shed tour looks really great, and Hangtime at night...

[coasterlvr]

stopped by earlier today to check out Ghostrider since it opened back up today or yesterday. the mid course block/trim/brake is in place. i couldn't feel anything going thru it though. you do hear the air pressure released after going thru it. so i'm not sure if it's just super super light, or the fins don't touch at all. but i'd call the ride experience, unaltered.

 

couple rides on it, and on the other big 3 and was out in an hour. crowds were pretty light. ghostrider sent mostly filled trains while i was there from around 2-3. two trains. silver bullet two trains, about half full each time. hangtime and xcelerator maybe one train wait.

 

anyway, just wanted to do a quick report on ghostrider.