Knotts or Universal??

[Funbobbi]

We will be in the DLR area for 8 days. We have a 4 day pass for DL and DCA. We are then planning on going down to Sea World for one day, and shopping one day.. That will give us one extra day with nothing to do yet. I was thinking we should either go to Knotts or Universal. Which would you pick??

 

[rszdtrvl]

No contest. Definitely Universal.

Unless you family does not mind an unkept park and LOVES thrill rides. Then pick Knotts.

We went to both last year and were disappointed with Knotts. My son loves thrill rides though, and had a blast.

DH and I, on the other hand, LOVED Universal! Our son enjoyed it too. (He is 12.)

 

[prncssmel]

I haven't been to either in a few years, but from what I have heard, I would definitely choose Universal. I would also consider an unplanned day for resting or hanging out at the pool.

Another option would be a Hollywood tour. I actually really enjoy going to the Hollywood area and seeing the handprints and stars. Plus, there is the El Capitan Theater and Disney Soda Shop, both worth seeing IMO.

 

[godalejunior]

No contest. Definitely Universal.

Unless you family does not mind an unkept park and LOVES thrill rides. Then pick Knotts.

We went to both last year and were disappointed with Knotts. My son loves thrill rides though, and had a blast.

DH and I, on the other hand, LOVED Universal! Our son enjoyed it too. (He is 12.)

We went to Knotts for the first time this last January and did not see anything "unkept" while we were there. We had a wonderful time with DS (7) who went gold panning, searched for gems, road the AWESOME wooden roller coaster Ghostrider and hung out with Snoopy and friends. We will definitely go back. I did not see any garbage or anything like that laying around. Do a few rides need a new paint job? Probably.
We ate at Johnny Rockets and it was great. We are AP holders and while I love DL, Knotts was great. I have not been to Universal so I cannot speak for which one is better.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I would also pick Universal but I guess it depends on what your family likes. I like Universal because it's interesting to see all the behind-the-scenes movie stuff and Universal City Walk has some interesting stores. I guess it just seems like something a little different than a regular amusement park. Knott's has a lot of roller coasters which are fun so if you're more interested in a lot of rides then maybe that might be better for you.

 

[mystic_path]

I love thrill rides but there are fun rides and shows at Universal, plus Universal has the city walk and its in LA which gives me a reason to head to beautiful LA. For an overall day I would definitely choose Universal over Knotts.

 

[erdons]

If you want thrills and rides then definitely go to Knotts, you will have a lot of fun. IMO universal is only worth for Halloween Horror nights...

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We did Universal last year, and I was disappointed. Besides the tour, and the 3D Shrek show, just didn't have much for me to enjoy. I don't like thrill ride, or rides with big drops, so just wasn't much for me to do. My son and DH enjoyed those rides though. But I was so glad when we got back that evening to DL!

Haven't been to Knotts in years though, I haven't heard good things about it.

 

[perlster]

I answered the OP in the other forum, where, frankly, this question belongs.

To answer the "unkempt" charge. I was at Knott's in December and saw no serious upkeep problems. I have heard reports of that issue at Magic Mountain.

It seems that some people say Knott's Berry Farm is "run down" by judging the condition of some of the Ghost Town buildings. Considering that the authentic Old West wooden structures were built 100-150 years ago, they are in pretty good shape!

 

[Teki]

Depends do you have small kids? If so universal is gonna be a better bet, Univeral is mostly shows, Knotts is mostly coaster, Knotts does has camp snoopy though.

 

[kiwitravel]

We have been to both and would not return to either...

If I had to pick one it would be Universal, we are not that into big thrill rides and Knotts is so disappointing when compared to DL. However Universal is a long way away, we quite liked the Jurassic park ride and the waterworld show is good but the mummy ride is soooo short, the backlots tour is a bit lame now. Shriek 3D was good but all in all just a little disappointing but OK.

As someone else has suggested a rest day might be a better investment...

 

[PinkBudgie]

If you go to Trip Advsior you can look up reviews on both. Currently Universal has 4 stars while Knotts has 3. You can read people's positive and negative reviews. After reading them to my DH last summer, I convinced him to spend an extra day at DLR instead of Knotts. You could also save DTD for your "extra" day. Sleep in, look around DTD, have a nice meal, go swimming at your hotel.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I would pick Knott's over Universal. My DD9 loves KBF and has since she was little. Now that she's bigger she loves the thrill rides. The smaller kids have Camp Snoopy. Depending on when you go, Knott's can have low crowds. When we go we avoid weekends and holiday periods. Weekdays from Sept-May are great (except for holidays). Most rides are a walk on.

Took DD to Universal few years back and there wasn't enough for her to do. It wasn't a warm day so the Nickolodeon area wasn't a choice to make (alot of water, etc.). We actually left a day early and headed to Anaheim to go to DLR!

No, Knott's will not hold up when compared to DLR but if you take it for what it is, it's a great park. I personally avoid Ghost Rider and Boomerang, since they are so painful to ride. But Xcelerator is awesome! Silver Bullet is a blast! Plus I really enjoy the older rides. Stagecoach, Calico Mine Train, Log Ride. Brings back memories of going there as kids. Good fried chicken

One final consideration is Universal is quite a drive from DLR. KBF is much closer and you can even get there without going on the freeways.

 

[Lakewood]

I would do Knott's just for the sake of the relationship the Knott family had with Disneyland in the early days.... That and its way closer to D Land.

 

[SmoothDisneyH2O]

Universal Studios wins hands down. The Backlot tour is way cool and the shows and rides are tons of fun. If your a shopper you'll love CityWalk. It has tons of stores and good resteraunts to eat at.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I would also have to vote for USH. Knotts has some nice coasters, but we are film buffs. My kids are into film making and movies from the 20's-30's. We always do a day if we are in SoCal.

Jack

 

[mechurchlady]

Universal Studios because Knotts has been on a down hill slilde since Cedar Fair took over. For those of you in the area you may remember the Cinco de Mayo Fiasco and Melee. A local radio station offered admission to Knott's for $5 because it was the 5th of May which is Mexican for 4th of July.

Everyone showed up that day. Imagine the dregs of the earth all trying to get cheap admission and then add the usual tourists and boy it was sold out packed and the streets were bogged down. Fights broke out and it was not a pretty picture. That is the day I swore not to go back to Knotts.

I loved the stagecoach but the idiots in management made the circle so that they could not circle around and realign the stagecoaches. That meant that if the stagecoach did not get close enough then they had to ride the ride again instead of taking the stagecoach around the circle and try parking again.

KBF Drama is a former board and they would talk about the health reports and stuff there. It is also not considered allergy safe. I got a long list of things wrong with Knotts but will just sum it up now. It is not the same place it was back when the Knott family run the place.

 

[Sherwin]

Universal will remind you much more of DLR than Knotts will. It's very well themed, and though you need not spend more than a day (or two) there, I'd pick it over Knotts.

 

[perlster]

For those of you in the area you may remember the Cinco de Mayo Fiasco and Melee. A local radio station offered admission to Knott's for $5

KBF offered admission for five cents, and the folks really upset were at area schools. Their state funding depends on average daily attendance, so the thousands of kids who ditched cost theses schools dearly.

I just can't accept the notion that USH is themed "like Disneyland". One obvious point is that there are no "lands" or the equivalent at USH. I've been to all three (and other area attractions) multiple times and taken hundreds of photos of what these parks do in terms of theming.

You can compare for yourself by looking at the pictures in this thread. Nothing in any commercial "amusement" or "theme" park in this country can match Ghost Town (let alone Independence Hall) at KBF.