Sorry OP had such a bad time.
I've been to KBF many times and never experience what they did re: smoking, etc. I would have asked to talk to someone in charge. The young ride ops aren't going to do anything. They also could learn a thing or two from Disney about loading guest quickly.
I enjoy KBF for what it is. It has some great rides-coasters-Silver Bullet, Xcelerator, Sierra Sindwinder, Montezoomas, Jaguar, etc. (Don't like Ghost Rider-too rough). Great nostalgic rides as well-Calico Mine Train, Log Ride, Train.
We don't have one right now but we have had AP in the past. For under $120 I can get AP for my DD10 and myself. Triple that at DLR, with blockout days.
I don't do Knott's in the summer. Too many local kids. But it is an awesome place to go in Jan, May, and Sept. when my DD10 is offtrack. I also enjoy going back for the nostalgia as well. I went to KBF when I was a kid-before they even charged admission (does that date me?). Christmas at Knott's is nice too. They have the craft village which I enjoy. The first picture my DD10 had with Santa was taken there on Thanksgiving day when she was 2 months old. Very cute.
As far as food goes, yes KBF is very expensive-more than DLR!
Plus they serve Pepsi, and I'm a Diet Coke fan. Saves me money, I just don't buy any sodas. We drink water and DD adds those flavor tubes. We always get Chicken at the Chicken to Go. Then we eat it outside. Here's one tip I was given years ago by an employee-when you are ordering your chicken (ToGo) ask them to get it hot from the kitchen. They will gladly do this.
This guarantees that your food will be hot when you eat it. Especially important when the park isn't very crowded and they don't replenish as often.
I just checked their website and
AP are only $59.99 for all ages and are good until 12-31-10. That's a great deal! Only $120 for the 2 of us. No blackout dates. Looks like it's time to get AP again. DD really enjoys going to KBF. Oh, and while I paid $79 to add parking to my DLR AP, I can upgrade DD's KBF AP for only $30 more and not only get parking, but get admission to all KBF Waterparks as well as all Cedar Fair parks. What a deal! Since she's always with me when I go, putting the parking on hers is a good idea. Also they have the same deal for Seniors as well. only $90. Total cost for DD and I to go without blackout days, and inc. parking will be $150. Less than the cost of one So Cal. AP without parking.
Now that she's older she enjoys the coasters. Oh, and unlike OP she has always had her height checked and since KBF height restrictions are more stringent than DLR, and she's small for her age, there have been rides she hasn't been able to go on yet. I think she's finally tall enough to ride Xcelarator-52". She will absolutely love this ride! When she was smaller she loved Camp Snoopy! One day in Sept. she rode 26 rides (we counted). It was a wonderful day.
No KBF isn't Disney. But then only Disney is. We went to Universal about 5 years ago and were very disappointed. Not enough for DD to do-we left early.