The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[jarmor]

Well, I learned my lesson. . .

[CedarFlags]

Inspired by multiple comments on the article being shared...

 

[thrillseeker4552]

That's a bit of a bummer to hear for us nerds but I greatly appreciate the park (and city) being transparent. And to be fair, those site plans looked very good and looked equivalent in quality to the leaked plans for previous Cedar Fair projects like Orion, Copperhead Strike, Yukon Striker, etc. There was no reason to believe they were true but also no reason to necessarily believe they were false either. Either way, oh well. Maybe someday.

I will say though that Knott's attendance is just astronomical for the size the park is, so I hope another high capacity attraction in the future is still up for speculation.

[Animal]

This is a bummer to hear but not surprising. We’ve been speculating on a hyper/Giga for years and nothing. The real question is what and where will the park build another attraction. I really don't see anywhere feasible in the park. 

[firebird81]

I feel like eventually they will expand the park southward. They already keep opening up that area south of Ghost Rider. It's open all summer this year. I can't see the park staying this size with these crowds for too terribly much longer. As far as attractions, I feel like we'd be more likely to see a Blitz coaster than a giga or hyper, really.

[KBrylczyk]

I don't seriously think this ride is going to happen in any way, shape, or form.  With that out of the way, I'm going to laugh my ass off and probably hyperventilate when Knott's announces a giga but it's just a different layout.

[Nrthwnd]

^ One can only hope and wish for it.

[VegasBaby]

On 6/9/2022 at 8:33 PM, CedarFlags said:

Not surprised by either announcement tbh.

Also, this is the same thing happened to Xcel in 2017/2018, and the same thing that happened to Hangtime last year.  Knott's really needs to figure out a way to stock some more replacement pieces rather than having rides be down for months on end because they need stuff shipped from Intamin/Gerstlauer.

Agreed, these prolonged downtimes are a killer for the park.  They are already down one coaster with the Montezooma refurb, and now another coaster has been down all spring/summer.  I have avoided visiting because I've heard that the crowds have been crazy.

[DLDude]

With all the re-theming and painting going on, what color is Montezuma's Revenge now? I saw some recent (January 2022) photos of the track being orange and the supports being green, however I can also find photos where the track is green and the supports are light yellow. 

[CedarFlags]

8 hours ago, DLDude said:

With all the re-theming and painting going on, what color is Montezuma's Revenge now? I saw some recent (January 2022) photos of the track being orange and the supports being green, however I can also find photos where the track is green and the supports are light yellow. 

The orangey-yellow replaced the green.  Unclear if it's going to get a new color scheme as part of the renovation.

[Animal]

Knott’s posted this yesterday on IG. In addition, I got confirmation that walls are up around the stage area, Papa Loco Fries, and the arcade in Fiesta Village. Let the speculation begin!!! Personally I think this chunk of land will be a another new restaurant and probably a new stage area.

[Animal]

In addition to the work walls up in Fiesta Village it’s now being reported from Screamscape that half of Monty’s loop has been taken down! I think we’re getting much more than a LSM conversion….. are they going to rebuild the ride completely??

[CP_RULES]

^One would hope they are indeed completely dismantling, sandblasting, and rebuilding it. That would signal a long term investment that should be praised!

[ryder]

Looks like the thumbnail image of those clickbait YouTube coaster accident videos

[CP_RULES]

29 minutes ago, ryder said:

Looks like the thumbnail image of those clickbait YouTube coaster accident videos

“Knotty knott’s coaster loses loop, sends riders on a white knuckle ride!”

[KBrylczyk]

...someone should hit the dispatch button.

[SoCalJasonland]

Sorry, couldn't resist.  The word for today is "nostalgia".

 

 

[domirellativegal]

I'm so glad I was able to ride Montezooma when it was in it's original state

[JT325]

I'm hoping they keep everything as original as possible.  If the launch changes, the dynamic of the ride will likely change.  Different launch types feel different; faster or more intense isn't always better.  The weight drop model shuttle loop (Intamin, version 1) gives a great tummy drop tickle that these version 2's don't have.  However, these were less maintenance and more reliable, and have other changes that makes it easier for them to climb all the way up the back spike (where the version 1s were usually braked first).  Tradeoffs.  Many of us are aware of what changing the seats/headrests can do to the quality of a ride (hi, Mind Bender)... Huge props to Knott's for keeping those train details intact; the park LOVES this ride, everyone there loves it. 

It's a huge, expensive deal for them to take it apart carefully, inspect, check all parts/replace/remanufacture, sandblast/prime/paint (as opposed to slapping on a cheap coat of paint, hello SF).  Kudos to Knott's!  Cedar Fair knows they sold off a valuable "old Schwarzkopf" at Worlds of Fun.  They really lost a world class ride, nothing there can fill those shoes.  Schwarzkopfs are special!  Whizzer at SF Great America runs likes new and is more popular than ever (and luckily Great America takes good care of that ride.)

[KBrylczyk]

I love that we're seeing Schwarzkopf coasters from the late 70's still operating and getting refurbed while at the same time we're seeing enthusiasts whine that B&M coasters from the 90s are old and decrepit.

[coasterlvr]

here are a few pictures from today, july 12th.  you can see that the loop is gone.  looks like it was plasma cut off.  i think there are two cranes in the area.  since the loop was hacked off, i'm interested in what all will be kept, if anything.  or, will they weld a new loop in place.  there were a couple contracted workers there.  one walking the track and taking some pictures.  see who can decipher the logo on their shirt. LOL. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hilltopper39]

I'll be honest I've never understood the appeal of Schwarzkopf coasters, I mean they're all fun sure but I've never thought of any of them as being particularly memorable. If they are doing a complete re-furb and keeping the ride as close to the original because people like it that's cool. But if they completely nuke it and build some kind of next-gen shuttle coaster with swing launches and funky twisting spikes and some other cool stuff I'd be fine with that too. 

[AmyUD06]

Just now, Hilltopper39 said:

I'll be honest I've never understood the appeal of Schwarzkopf coasters, I mean they're all fun sure but I've never thought of any of them as being particularly memorable. If they are doing a complete re-furb and keeping the ride as close to the original because people like it that's cool. But if they completely nuke it and build some kind of next-gen shuttle coaster with swing launches and funky twisting spikes and some other cool stuff I'd be fine with that too. 

For me, the appeal has always been the high positive-Gs, particularly in the loops, and minimalist restraints.  And that sound....it's hard to explain, but all of the Schwarzkopfs I've been on except the Wildcats have a very distinct sound as the trains proceed through the course that just screams "this is what a roller coaster is."

The fact that they've cut away the loop makes me kinda nervous for the future of the ride.  I find it very hard to believe they'll install a new loop with the same exact dimensions and profile to keep the 4+ Gs you'd get out of it.

Even more glad I was able to get out there last December to ride it in its original form.

[coasterbill]

Agreed. As inversions go, I always find normal vertical loops to be some of the least interesting. They're never really a highlight of any ride for me, aside from every single Schwarzkopf loop. They're still the best-designed loops ever. This is concerning.

 

[CedarFlags]

I wonder if they're going to sound dampen the loop?  That section of track is the loudest with that hollow box spine, and it can be heard even outside the park.  This renovation downtime would be an opportunity to take the loop apart and fill the spine.