Knoebels Discussion Thread

[DBru]

^This latest plan sounds great, Zach. From your previous posts and trip reports it seems like we have very similar tastes in parks and coasters. I'd be willing to bet you will absolutely love Kennywood and Hersheypark, and 8 hours at Knoebel's will be far more than enough.

[coneyislandchris]

After looking at Phil's old TR, I think the Scooters and Chair lift are also mandatory. Maybe the carousel, but it's not priority, brass ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings or not. Flyers don't do much for me and it's a little too much spinning for my tastes. My main concerns are Phoenix, Twister (x1), and Flying Turns. If I don't get to do Impulse, I won't be upset. Our main priority is not running around in a hurry.

 

How are crowds on Sundays?

Sundays typically aren't too bad, unless there's a special event at the park. I didn't see the exact dates you were planning the trip for, but according to their calendar, the first Sunday of June is "Autism Awareness Day", so it may be a touch more crowded than usual. Saturdays in general are way worse. Aside from Flying Turns, there shouldn't be any majorly long waits, so ty and knock that out as early as possible unless you want to get stuck in line for up to an hour. Even Impulse's waits don't really get that long anymore either.

 

Don't poo-poo the Flyers. Knoebels' are unlike any others you may have been on elsewhere. Even if it's only for one ride, give it a shot.

 

Staying at the Hershey Lodge is a great option. I've stayed there twice and it's a fantastic resort. As mentioned, make sure you catch the free shuttle to the park. And since you're staying on site, just flash your room key at the front gates and they will let you in an hour before the park officially opens. They usually only open up the Hollow area, but that gives you a choice of Comet, SDL, and Skyrush to marathon with no lines. No joke, you can usually get on and not have to give up your seat for at least a half hour. I don't expect it to be super busy on an early June weekday anyway but any time you can save a little bit of time with lines is worth it.

 

Kennywood'a coaster collection is great, here's hoping operations are better for you than the last few times I've been out there. Phantom's Revenge is my second favorite only behind Fury, so I hope you guys love it!

[Canobie Coaster]

A note on Kennywood's operations. They are notorious for closing off queue lines before closing. If you want to get a night ride on Phantom's Revenge (and you totally should) do not wait until the last possible minute to get in that queue. Last time they closed it a half hour before closing, but it can vary.

 

At Knoebels, Flying Turns and Impulse will be the only two rides with any sort of wait. The latter has a single rider line that can save time.

[prozach626]

^Good to know about KW queues. As far as operations go, we plan on getting the VIP pass. I heard it's a really good value at this park and that it's a pretty decent skip the line pass.

 

I'd be willing to bet you will absolutely love Kennywood and Hersheypark, and 8 hours at Knoebel's will be far more than enough.

Good to hear, man. I'm really excited for all three parks in the order you stated!

 

 

Sounds like I may have to give flying turns a try. As far as the Autism day, that's no concern for us. If it's a little more busy it's for a great cause. I tried to come up with a way to say this as politically correct as possible, but we actually take away a lot from watching the faces of people with developmental disabilities as they board and exit the rides. I envy the excitement they get out of the rides and it helps me not take the experiences at these parks for granted.

 

Emily absolutely loved her college internship of working with autism and developmentally disabled individuals. It was one of the job offers she received, but sadly the pay was near poverty level in our area and would have been barely enough to get by.

 

Sorry to derail the subject. I really appreciate all of the advice you guys have given me in reference to all three parks. I will most definitely look back on these posts several times prior to our trip.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

we actually take away a lot from watching the faces of people with developmental disabilities as they board and exit the rides. I envy the excitement they get out of the rides and it helps me not take the experiences at these parks for granted.

That's awesome! I think you know I have a kid with autism, and he's impressed quite a few people with how excited he gets about coasters, especially Outlaw Run. The look on his face really is something special.

[larrygator]

if you stay for more than a few hours, also hit up Exterminator, the Whip (and most everything in "old Kennywood") plus Noah's Ark . . Ghostwood Estates, turtle (if you've never been on this classic. . it's a great break in the day and a throwback ride), and of course, re-rides on JackRabbit. .that double down is amazing.

 

There is nothing special about the Kennywood Whip, but the Kangaroo, that's a must ride! and don't skip the Bayern Kurve (although some think it is too intense)

[bert425]

if you stay for more than a few hours, also hit up Exterminator, the Whip (and most everything in "old Kennywood") plus Noah's Ark . . Ghostwood Estates, turtle (if you've never been on this classic. . it's a great break in the day and a throwback ride), and of course, re-rides on JackRabbit. .that double down is amazing.

 

There is nothing special about the Kennywood Whip, but the Kangaroo, that's a must ride! and don't skip the Bayern Kurve (although some think it is too intense)

 

yep. . but I recommended Kangaroo, Bayern Kurve, the coasters (other than Exterminator), and the nutso program on Paratrooper in my 1st post to him telling him to stop by "for a quick vist"

 

I only added the above if they are able to visit for more than a few hours

 

you should spend more time at Knoebel's. . . but I'm wondering why you aren't swinging by Kennywood while you are in Pittsburgh?

 

even a "quick" stop for spins on Jackrabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Phantom, Bayern Curve, Black Widow, Kangaroo, and the nuts Paratrooper program (ok, and Skyrocket on the way out). . make the trip to Kennywood worth it.

[Taylor Finn]

Noah's Ark is an absolute classic, Ghostwood Estate is a quality shooter with fun effects, and Garfield's Nightmare is a trip (not necessarily a good one). The ride system is unique and a classic, the theme is just off. Auto Race isn't necessarily thrilling since they slowed it way down a few years back, but another classic ride (neat just to watch). If you hit Exterminator early or late, you can avoid a line usually.

 

Some good food to check out... Golden Nugget dip cone, Potato Patch (some are not fans, but it's worth investigating the hype). The Parkside Cafeteria is your other best bet for food, as they have the most variety. Thanksgiving dinner all day every day comes with mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, roll, cranberry sauce, and turkey for like $11.

[Garet]

I once flew out, in 2011, from Korea to see some friends in Canada at Niagara and then went on to stay with some friends in Pennsylvania. They offered to drive me to Cedar Point for 2 days or we could have hit Hershey's (pre-Skyrush) or Knobels for a day instead. Under the assumption I probably wouldn't be back for a good long time to the U.S. I picked Cedar Point but every-time I check on this thread, it always makes me think I may not have made the right choice.

[coasterbill]

Knoebels is re-tracking major sections of Phoenix again even though it's running perfectly because they're Knoebels and that's how they roll.

 

It looks like the double up - double down and turnaround before the final run of airtime hills are all being worked on.

 

 

 

 

From the park's Facebook page.

[thrillseeker4552]

Man, this park really treasures this ride. I need to get out there and ride Phoenix in the next few years!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Wow, that looks like a full rebuild. Awesome. Whatever they're doing, it's working. That ride's for real.

[prozach626]

After further planning, we've decided to push the trip back to July. We want to go to Cedar Point's campout in the park in late May. We pushed our PA trip back in order to space out our fun trips. (CP in May, KI 'guys trip' in June, PA parks in July, Pensacola, FL in August, with others thrown in the mix)

 

Our initial reason for going to the PA parks so early in the year was to beat the summer rush at Hershey, since they had no unlimited skip the line pass. Luckily, that's changed to allow us to be more dynamic with our planning! The good news is that this will give us more time at Knoebels, even if we go in Sunday. The down side that I see is that we won't be able to ride all of the classic wooden coasters after their fresh re-tracks, but I'm sure they'll still be plenty smooth compared to most parks. Of course we all Knoebels is great at their wooden coaster maintenance, but I've heard KW is also top notch.

[coasterbill]

The down side that I see is that we won't be able to ride all of the classic wooden coasters after their fresh re-tracks, but I'm sure they'll still be plenty smooth compared to most parks. Of course we all Knoebels is great at their wooden coaster maintenance, but I've heard KW is also top notch.

 

Phoenix and Twister run like they're brand new every single day of the year. You're fine. There's no such thing as a rough ride on either of them unless you're a complete bitch and think Twister is rough (believe it or not some people actually find it rough... actual, honest-to-god real people that live among us). It "is" aggressive, but not rough. Phoenix is B&M smooth on a classic wood coaster.

[Philrad71]

^^

Monday: Hit Pottsville for the Yuengling brewery tour and hang around the town a bit to let our couple of beers wear off. Drive an hour to Hershey Lodge. We plan on buying the 2-day stay and play pass, with an extra night, being check-in night. Maybe catch dinner somewhere around the area. Possibly visit the park at night, but I don't want to get burned out.

 

You are going to LOVE the brewery tour, Zach - we certainly did!

 

And this is coming from someone that doesn't particularly care for Yuengling beer. The nostalgia of this old brewery is fascinating, the tour is great...and they give you plenty of samples in the end.

 

Can't speak for what else there is to do in Pottsville around the brewery though. In driving in and out of town, it appeared to be your typical blue-collar, redneck coal-mining Pennsylvania town. IE: settled in hilly terrain with a lot of lower to middle income housing, lots of Dollar General/Dollar Tree stores & a couple of Sheetz stores/gas stations sprinkled in for good measure.

[Jcoaster]

*Double post*

Edited February 14, 2018 by Jcoaster

[Jcoaster]

Definitely do the Yuengling Brewery Tour here is a PTR I did a couple years back http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72115&hilit=Knoebels+Yuengling

 

Larry I loved tbe Bayern Curve when I went to Kennywood. It is crazy intense.

 

The retracking for Phoenix is going to be glorious. Can’t wait to take a spin this summer.

[prozach626]

^Thanks for the awesome TR. I remember reading it when you originally posted it, which was the original inspiration for us to eventually go to the brewery.

 

Can't speak for what else there is to do in Pottsville around the brewery though. In driving in and out of town, it appeared to be your typical blue-collar, redneck coal-mining Pennsylvania town. IE: settled in hilly terrain with a lot of lower to middle income housing, lots of Dollar General/Dollar Tree stores & a couple of Sheetz stores/gas stations sprinkled in for good measure.

God, Emily and I love driving through towns and looking at the tell tale signs of shadyness. Quick loan places, tire shops, run down fast food places, small used car lots, run down looking bars, check cashing establishments, convenience marts, and what you mentioned. Toss in a few gun shots and the smell of weed coming from every other car on the roadway and it's just like the small city I work for. I'll feel right at home...

[Philrad71]

^ In that case, Pottsville will be right up your alley.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

God, Emily and I love driving through towns and looking at the tell tale signs of shadyness. Quick loan places, tire shops, run down fast food places, small used car lots, run down looking bars, check cashing establishments, convenience marts, and what you mentioned. Toss in a few gun shots and the smell of weed coming from every other car on the roadway and it's just like the small city I work for. I'll feel right at home...

Having been through that town a few times (a few times too many), this is truth. You do have one of the coolest run down looking bars anywhere though.

[prozach626]

God, Emily and I love driving through towns and looking at the tell tale signs of shadyness. Quick loan places, tire shops, run down fast food places, small used car lots, run down looking bars, check cashing establishments, convenience marts, and what you mentioned. Toss in a few gun shots and the smell of weed coming from every other car on the roadway and it's just like the small city I work for. I'll feel right at home...

Having been through that town a few times (a few times too many), this is truth. You do have one of the coolest run down looking bars anywhere though.

Fast Eddies, eh?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You know it. So great and also awful. Love places like that.

[prozach626]

You know it. So great and also awful. Love places like that.

Quite a variety of people. God help you if you go on a weekend. If you ever find yourself there again, hit me up.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Will do, that'd be fun.

[Habreno]

The down side that I see is that we won't be able to ride all of the classic wooden coasters after their fresh re-tracks, but I'm sure they'll still be plenty smooth compared to most parks. Of course we all Knoebels is great at their wooden coaster maintenance, but I've heard KW is also top notch.

 

Phoenix and Twister run like they're brand new every single day of the year. You're fine. There's no such thing as a rough ride on either of them unless you're a complete bitch and think Twister is rough (believe it or not some people actually find it rough... actual, honest-to-god real people that live among us). It "is" aggressive, but not rough. Phoenix is B&M smooth on a classic wood coaster.

 

Twister, last I rode it, was a fair bit rougher than when it was new. It's not quite incredibly rough, it's still an enjoyable ride, but it's a fair bit rougher than it was when it was new.