The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[Tmcdllr]

It's not so much of a horrible idea anymore cuz it's not happening. It would be really funny if DD ended up at CGA--- Deja Vu?

[the ghost]

I just read a knotts update at westcoaster. The park is currently in a state of holidaygasm as they have halloween and christmas decorations still up, leading to the simple question why the **** is there still so much haunt stuff up? I know it is a strenous process, but pyromaniax, the parks halloween log flume still has the pyromniax sign over the que. Knotts keeps sending me christmas updates via twitter when their halloween stuff is still up? fail. Disneylands christmas has been open since like November second, the castle, space mountain, small world, and all small halloween details(in all there are probably more than knotts) have been removed besides haunted holiday obviously.

 

Knotts is pulling a Jack Skellington and making two holidays colide which makes me think they should just make the entire park nightmare before christmas themed. Then I will finally have a reason to go to knotts, cause its my favorite movie.

Taken from westcoaster.net

 

See what I mean! pumpkins and snowflakes and thanksgiving =FAIL!!!!!!!!

[ebl]

^^ No, putting Demon Drop at CGA would keep guests on The Edge of their seats.

 

Regarding earlier discussion, I knew that employees have non-disclosure agreements; just didn't know the extent of what was not to be disclosed.

 

I apologize to Zen and others for causing so much disruption in this topic and from now on, I'll keep my nose out of things as rides go.

 

Eric

[Wes]

It should not be that big of a deal to tell someone why a ride is down. At Disneyland they at least tell youhow long a ride will probably be down and stuff. Last time I went to knotts the I asked the ride op how long accelerator would be down(this was in june) and she said "how should I know" and that kind of pissed me off.

 

Fine. It's no big deal, if you can answer me this:

 

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW?!

 

We are TOLD as ride operators, that there is NO REASON the general public needs to know why a ride is down, and that's one policy I agree with. As a guest, I don't need to know what went wrong. I (stupidly, apparently) believe that the park will do what's in the best interest of all the guests. If a ride will be down temporarily, that's all I need to know. I don't need a specific return time (a là Disneyland) because there is no guarantee that's when the ride will be fixed. For example, at Pony a few months ago, we had an issue where the launch trolley was not at the home position when the train went to the launch and the ride faulted. Generally, all maintenance would have to do would be to manually adjust the train's position on the launch block until the trolley has locked in place, and then send a few cycles, which would result in the trolley setting itself in the home position automatically. However, when maintenance showed up to FIX the issue, the guy (who will go unnamed except for his first initial...let's call hiim "G") screwed up royally. See, at Pony Express, we have a light on our panel called the Idiot Light. This light tells anyone in dispatch that ONLY AN IDIOT would try to move the train if the light was on. This light is attached to the sensor on our station's air puck, a small cylinder that releases pressure to the restraint system to open or close them, as needed. When the light is on, it means the puck is in the up position, and the restraints on the train in the station are open. The light comes on to tell the maintenence staff (the ONLY people who can move the train while the puck is up) that the restraints need to be locked, or the puck will be "sheared".

 

So G completely ignores the unlocked restraints on the train in the station, and begins to back the train from the station to the brake block. A few seconds' worth of sickening grinding sound later, and we discover that G has sheared THE LAST PUCK WE HAVE ON PROPERTY.

 

A 15-minute downtime (which DISNEYLAND would have given you) turns into a FOUR AND A HALF HOUR CLOSURE, RESULTING IN THE CREW GOING HOME EARLY BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE A REPLACEMENT PART.

 

Giving you NO DETAILS WHATSOEVER saved our asses that day. Had we done what DISNEYLAND would have done, we would have had Signal 13 after Signal 13 about how guests were "quoted" a certain time, and not only was the ride not up at that time, it took HOURS to find out that the ride wouldn't be opening at all!

 

Also, not to discredit your experience, but I know from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE how few female ride operators there are at Xcelerator (even from June), and ALL of them know their jobs well enough (since they got cross-trained to Xcel) to know better than to even THINK about responding to a guest question with, "How should I know?"

 

So it's not that I don't believe you, but....I don't believe you. And I'm sorry if you're upset by what you're hearing and you think my frustration is unnecessary, but this is a part of my job I take very seriously, and I don't like "entitled guests" thinking they need to be involved in every aspect of my job. If you hate Knott's so much and are so against our policies and the way we do things, fine. Be an agent of change. Get hired, show everyone up with your superiority, get in with management, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

 

Don't just piss and moan from the sidelines at those of us who aren't catering to your every whim just because you throw out a technical term or two, or think you can do our jobs better. Wanna show me up? Put on my suspenders and my hat. Wear my badge for a day. We'll see how you handle it when you're on my end.

 

~Zen

 

Thank you for being honest with me, now let me tell on you and get you fired."

 

Curiosity about a malfunction is just part of the hobby of amusement parks.

 

Eric

And not telling you about these malfunctions is just part of our jobs as ride operators. No matter how you approach the situation, YOU ARE ASKING US TO RISK OUR JOBS FOR THE SATISFACTION OF YOUR CURIOSITY. That's the issue here.

 

If you REALLY know about amusement parks, you know about non-disclosure agreements. You KNOW we can't give you details about what's going on with the ride, and you should respect the person you're addressing enough not to even put them in a potentially compromising situation.

 

If you really respect the amusement park industry, then you'll let us do our jobs while we're there, and when you go home, you can Google "ride malfunctions" or "ride accidents" and read about them like everyone else does.

 

You don't need to know why the ride went down while you were there. It's not essential to the theme park experience.

 

~Zen

 

Many of us here at TPR may not be park employees, ride designers, etc., but we're experienced or knowledgeable enough to know what we're talking about.

 

But I still don't understand something. You claim to know what you're talking about, but you still admit to blatantly disregarding what most coaster enthusiasts (at least the ones I speak to) know as fact: YOU NEVER TRY TO GET DETAILS REGARDING DOWNTIME.

 

I don't care for your motivation. Curious or not, most people (even the GP...can you imagine?) understand that when they get the same answer to more than one question ("We're experiencing a temporary delay), they understand that's the only answer they're going to get/we're allowed to give, and THEY BACK OFF. NO ONE (except CalOSHA, maintenance, and Rides Supervision) needs to know the details about why a ride went down. As an operator, some times all I'll get is "we need a part, so don't load this seat until we clear you to" or something similar, with no details whatsoever. Ride ops get their directions from higher ups, and we pass on what we're allowed to to the general public. That should be enough.

 

~Zen

 

http://www.monster.com

[atem122]

^Wes, even though you probably hate everything about me, you are still the greatest thing coaster nerd-dom ever squeezed out of its birth canal.

 

As for telling about what's wrong with a ride? It's a smart idea not to as it only leads to panic.

 

And as for Demon Drop...well I was actually excited for it coming haha

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^I was more excited of Haunt not selling out a single night this past October...

[Reality15]

And not telling you about these malfunctions is just part of our jobs as ride operators. No matter how you approach the situation, YOU ARE ASKING US TO RISK OUR JOBS FOR THE SATISFACTION OF YOUR CURIOSITY. That's the issue here.

You're already risking your jobs and breaking your disclosure agreement by posting stuff like that on a public message board. Keep in mind: your managers and even their managers read these forums. Posting confidential information (such as you've posted) does break your disclosure agreement. It's not worth arguing anyways, is it? I mean, you're arguing on an online message board...

[RCFreak]

^lol I found this to be funny:

If you REALLY know about amusement parks, you know about non-disclosure agreements. You KNOW we can't give you details about what's going on with the ride, and you should respect the person you're addressing enough not to even put them in a potentially compromising situation.

 

Oh the irony!

 

 

Remember kids you are not as anonymous as you would like to think on the Internet.

[robbalvey]

^ I happen to know at least 3 people who are in management at Knott's that read this thread on a daily basis.

 

--Robb

[CHILLERLC1]

I prefer if Demon Drop stays away and goes to Michigan.

[WFChris]

I think CF should sell demon drop to SFMM. I know a plot of land near Riddler's where it would fit quite nicely!!!

 

Yeah, I miss my freefall, but agree that it does not belong at knotts.

 

Chris.

[Zenechai]

^ I happen to know at least 3 people who are in management at Knott's that read this thread on a daily basis.

 

--Robb

 

Maybe they should get back to work promoting people who don't deserve it. Their time would be better spent.

 

http://www.monster.com

Like you honestly believe it's THAT easy to get a job in this economy....believe me, if it WERE that easy, do you think I'd be wasting my time at Knott's, where the thing I've noticed most prevalent in managment is to ignore people who do their jobs well and promote those who kiss the most ass?

 

Please. I make minimum wage....but that doesn't mean I'm stupid.

 

~Zen

[the ghost]

^

People are FIGURING IT OUT, SUPERVISION!!!!

Take it from a former employee in the rides department...your management team isn't the brightest buch around...

[Wes]

I guess "People Skills" and "Positive Attitude" are not requirements to be hired at Knott's.

[tatertot3710]

 

Yeah...Demon Drop. I, for some reason expect it to go to a park that already has a tower ride. They WERE going to send it to a place that already had one in the first place.

[WFChris]

Until today, I have never seen somebodies employment crash and burn, live!

[cfc]

http://www.monster.com

Like you honestly believe it's THAT easy to get a job in this economy....believe me, if it WERE that easy, do you think I'd be wasting my time at Knott's, where the thing I've noticed most prevalent in managment is to ignore people who do their jobs well and promote those who kiss the most A$$?

 

Please. I make minimum wage....but that doesn't mean I'm stupid.

 

~Zen

 

Then why are you making it even harder on yourself?

[Calicoasters]

So anyways, the next several weeks should be very busy for the Berry Farm with Fire & Police Tribute, and Social Services Promotion Nov. 26-Dec. 20. On top of all that, Toy For Tots also starts December 5-20!

[ZeroG001]

Until today, I have never seen somebodies employment crash and burn, live!

 

Me neither.

 

And on the topic of Demon Drop, Knott's would be smart NOT bringing it to the park. We don't need it, because we already have Supreme Scream, and it would be an eyesore to that area of the park. They should just save money for a larger, more original attraction in 2011.

[King of Ka]

Like you honestly believe it's THAT easy to get a job in this economy....believe me, if it WERE that easy, do you think I'd be wasting my time at Knott's, where the thing I've noticed most prevalent in managment is to ignore people who do their jobs well and promote those who kiss the most A$$?

 

~Zen

 

All YOUR posts seem to have LOTS of ALL CAPS to EMPHASIZE WORDS. It makes it seem like you're TAKING THIS ALL TOO SERIOUSLY. Am I the ONLY one who SEES the IRONY in this coming from a PERSON NAMED ZEN?

[Rotura Violenta]

I always loved freefall at SFMM, so I'd gladly ride it at Knott's.

 

With that said, I totally understand the anachronistic criticism regarding another drop ride in the same park as Supreme Scream; and if it's better business to place it somewhere else, then so be it.

 

But I have to say that for me, the drop on SS does feel less intense than on the old-school freefall rides. Maybe it's something about the watchwork-clunkiness of the car ascending the tower and getting pushed off the edge that adds to the anticipation?

[Crazy4Coasters!]

^ Off subject but your avatar looks like it can be a nice animatronic for the Log Ride at Knott's. A scary one, but a good one...

[Rotura Violenta]

Ha! Yeah!

 

It's from www.crappytaxidermy.com -- some real log-ride treasures to be found there.

[The Disneylander]

This has passed the realms of reality and now is something out of the Twilight Zone...

[atem122]

^Nothing! Even though So Cal is extreeeeemely spoiled, it's kinda lame to see 3 other CF parks get major, brand-spankin new additions, another one get a relocated addition, while we get nothing for a couple years. I can only imagine what CGA and MA fanboys feel like...

 

For the record: I really wanted Demon Drop since I loved Freefall at SFMM, and California greatly lacks airtime