My Knott's experience: positive with exceptions

[PHXscuba]

A frequent question on these Disney-centered boards is, “Is it worth taking a day to go to Knott’s Berry Farm?” Of course no one can definitely answer that but YOU, but here’s my experience to add to your research.

My conclusions:
1. Knott’s is a good value for a day trip with some big IFs
2. Knott’s is the most fun for adults or older kids who want to ride roller coasters that are wilder than what Disney offers, but it’s not much different than other roller-coaster parks
3. It will not be Disney-level service. Set that expectation aside.
4. Knott’s would be hard for some families – a lot of splitting up.

All of the rides referenced can be found on the Knott’s map.

I’m a Disney fan who grew up in Southern California going to Disneyland and Knott’s. I like roller coasters. I do not like spinning in circles. I have two tall teenagers, plus two short kids ages 7 and 10, both of whom are between 48 and 52 inches tall.

We took just the teenagers to Knott’s on a Friday in July. We were visiting SoCal for a week and had the option to leave the younger ones with Grandma for the day. We got tickets through Ares Travel for $36 each ($58 is the regular price but there are many discounts). Parking is a Disney-familiar $15 but is pretty close with no tram involved.

 

[PHXscuba]

We arrived before rope drop and went straight to Silver Bullet. When the park opened. There was only a short line. By the end of the day, we all agreed it was the park’s best coaster overall. It’s a nice long track compared to some of the other good rides.

The lines weren’t long the first two hours. I think we knocked out 5 major rides in the first two hours. Unfortunately, two of the “E-ticket” rides – Ghost Rider and Boomerang – were not working all day. Two other sizable rides – Pony Express and the log ride – didn’t open until after lunch. That made for some long lines in the afternoon when the park filled up.

Along with the closed rides, capacity is an issue. Because the rides are so short, the big roller coasters can run no more than two vehicles – one running and one loading/unloading. One of Silver Bullet’s vehicles was partially disassembled on a spur, so it only ran one train all day. When we went back to ride again at sunset, the line was painfully slow.

I have issues with how Knott’s classifies its rides. All three of the water rides are listed as a “5”, the highest thrill. I believe only the Perilous Plunge (steep drop) rises anywhere near that, maybe a “4.” On the other hand, Windseeker, which rises 300 feet into the air and spins you (albeit gently) is a “4.” I’d watch the rides cycle before I trusted the ratings.

 

[PHXscuba]

We only took our roller-coaster-loving older kids with us as I knew my younger kids would be kept off of the major rides. If you are under 52 inches, you can’t ride the five biggest rides in the park. (At Disneyland you can ride nearly everything at 42 inches, and everything at 48 inches). My 7-year-old might have enjoyed Camp Snoopy’s kiddie rides for a couple hours, but my petite 10-year-old wouldn’t have been caught dead there. Most of the mid-sized rides are carnival clones.

For kids at borderline heights, they don’t measure you until you are strapping into the ride. They don’t have the staffing to weed out shorter kids at the ride entrance or even the choke point before loading. This also slowed down dispatch when they pulled kids off to be measured while the train waited.

Having heard that the park had run down some, I was worried that my childhood nostalgia was misplaced. I am happy to report that the park looked clean and well-kept. I got off of Montezooma’s Revenge (my favorite as a kid) and thought “still awesome!” – same with the slightly-cheesy log ride. The staffing was minimal in places, but the employees we interacted with were pleasant and knew where things were and the quickest way to get there. They even helped us hunt down a specific smashed penny for my son!

 

[PHXscuba]

The food is average for a theme park. Many of the outdoor vendors weren’t open the first few hours. Some of the snack and drink prices put even Disney to shame (and they seemed stricter about outside food). We had Johnny Rockets for lunch, slushies and funnel cakes for snacks, and shared pizza for dinner. You won’t go hungry! I’d bring a good amount of cash – many of the food kiosks don’t take credit cards. They have a Downtown Disney-type area outside the gates with more food choices.

I personally wouldn’t remove a Disneyland day for a day at Knott’s unless roller-coaster addicts in the family demanded it, or if cost was an issue to stay longer at Disneyland. Most of the rides are similar to what you’d find at a Six Flags or another Cedar Fair property. But it’s still a fun day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

I’ll try to answer any questions about our experience; I know others might have a completely different experience or opinion about the park. This is not meant to be comprehensive but I hope it is readable.

 

[jillandvaughn]

VERY helpful info! We've decided to make a trip to Knotts during our August trip because we have 7 days for DLR, and only a 6 day parkhopper!
Do you have any advice on a touring plan? We are trill ride lovers, but want to take in everything and have a 9 year old who is very interested in Ghost Town. I want to be wise about which rides we hit first to minimize wait times.

 

[PHXscuba]

The "biggest" rides in terms of lines are probably Silver Bullet, Ghost Rider, and maybe Xcelerator. Xcelerator splits the line for front-car and rest of the train very early, so we didn't wait nearly as long as I thought we might. If I had to "touring plan" it, I might hit Silver Bullet and Xcelerator on one side of the park plus Supreme Scream (slow line if they're only running one tower) and then go to Ghost Rider as soon as possible. It is actually a fairly compact park.

Ghost Town itself is more of a wander-through area with shows at specific times, so I'd save that for mid-afternoon after hitting many coasters.

The lines for the water rides are of course longest in the afternoon. We didn't do Perilous Plunge because it was closed on and off and then it got late enough that I didn't want to be soaked. If you are doing Grizzly River Run at DL you could easily skip Knott's raft ride if the line was long. We waited 40 minutes hoping for a little cool-off, and I didn't get wet at all!

PHXscuba

 

[jillandvaughn]

Awesome! Thanks so much!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Wonderful review. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Glad to hear that it's cleaned up! We went in 2010 & couldn't believe the amount of garbage & filth on the ground & in the bathrooms. I didn't take my camera into the bathroom, but one of them had no floor visible.......it was totally covered in paper towels & toilet paper.....ick!!

We found the kids not big enough (or ready) for the thrill rides were somewhat out of luck. So going with older teens & adults is probably the way to go. My younger ones (who were just a tad to big for the kiddie rides) were bored & most of my family left after just 2 1/2hrs.

The food prices were shocking to say the least!!

I believe the park was going thru a change of management (or just had).....of course I could be totally wrong on that......but hopefully things are better now. I remember going as a child and right after being married & loving it.......I didn't love it so much a couple years ago.

It is a good value, if you have a lot of thrill seekers. Thanx for the review!

 

[DisneytheKid]

Thanks for the great review! Its been a few years since I have visited and its nice to hear about your trip!

 

[DisneytheKid]

Thats unfortunate. A dirty park with high prices is never a good mix!

Glad to hear that it's cleaned up! We went in 2010 & couldn't believe the amount of garbage & filth on the ground & in the bathrooms. I didn't take my camera into the bathroom, but one of them had no floor visible.......it was totally covered in paper towels & toilet paper.....ick!!

We found the kids not big enough (or ready) for the thrill rides were somewhat out of luck. So going with older teens & adults is probably the way to go. My younger ones (who were just a tad to big for the kiddie rides) were bored & most of my family left after just 2 1/2hrs.

The food prices were shocking to say the least!!

I believe the park was going thru a change of management (or just had).....of course I could be totally wrong on that......but hopefully things are better now. I remember going as a child and right after being married & loving it.......I didn't love it so much a couple years ago.

It is a good value, if you have a lot of thrill seekers. Thanx for the review!

 

[PHXscuba]

I don't remember any of the bathrooms being dirty and I also saw janitors servicing them during the day (for some reason we always ended up in the bathroom right under Jaguar, lol) I don't recall seeing trash overflowing from bins or visible litter on the ground. Other than the dime my daughter saw fall from Silver Bullet and picked up!!

Some sample food prices from receipts and memory:
$19.37 total with tax for two funnel cakes with powdered sugar (excellent, though)
$5.79 plus tax for a lemonade slush
4/$10 (plus tax) for water bottles or $2.79 plus tax each
$17.25 total w/ tax for two slices of average pizza and a big soda
$16.49 total w/ tax for 3 Icees

I would say the portion sizes were average. Disneyland charges a lot too but I feel you get big portions.

I think I paid more for food per person than admission.

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Great job, PHX (I got lazy and didn't feel like typing out the "scuba" at the end of the name)!!

You had mentioned to me the other day that you posted your review for Knott's, and I finally made it over here to read it! I think you did a fantastic job of giving detailed, specific information about lines, rides and food, etc., that people would want to know. It's very helpful.

Now for someone who is not a big thrill ride person (me!), is there enough to keep me occupied in the shops, in overall ambiance and in food to make a trip worthwhile? I remember liking the sort of rustic, old mining town feel of Knott's years ago. When I was a kid, going to Knott's meant eating the famous chicken dinner and coming home with some jars of preserves. We would also look in the shops and buy little covered wagon trinkets. If I were to go to Knott's just to 'wander around' and eat, shop, take pictures (of course) and skip the rides (I remember Montezooma's Revenge from childhood!), would there be enough to keep me entertained? One of these days I would really like to see it during the holiday season, even though I know it is nowhere near DLR's level of holiday-ness!

You mentioned Johnny Rocket's. Isn't there also a small Pink's on the property somewhere too - or a place that sells Pink's hot dogs?

 

[PHXscuba]

There is a Pink's, I'm pretty sure it's outside in the Marketplace section.

Sherry, if you did the $38 ticket through Ares, I think you'd find enough to keep you busy walking around, eating, and taking pictures. The chicken dinner is still there, of course. I think the gift shops have a more unique mix than Disneyland -- lots of ride-specific merchandise and Western-type stuff. DS and DH just HAD to visit the gun and knife shop. I think Ghost Town is pretty well themed, the rest of the park just so-so on theming.

Camp Snoopy currently has a light display at night for the summer. It's fairly extensive, but the lights and music are a little in-your-face. If I were a kid I might be overstimulated or scared by it!

PHXscuba

 

[hjgaus]

There is a Pink's, I'm pretty sure it's outside in the Marketplace section.
Sherry, if you did the $38 ticket through Ares, I think you'd find enough to keep you busy walking around, eating, and taking pictures. The chicken dinner is still there, of course. I think the gift shops have a more unique mix than Disneyland -- lots of ride-specific merchandise and Western-type stuff. DS and DH just HAD to visit the gun and knife shop. I think Ghost Town is pretty well themed, the rest of the park just so-so on theming.

Camp Snoopy currently has a light display at night for the summer. It's fairly extensive, but the lights and music are a little in-your-face. If I were a kid I might be overstimulated or scared by it!

PHXscuba

So THE Pink's Hotdogs sell ON Knott's property? There is a Portillo's on Beach Blvd.

 

[hjgaus]

Glad to hear it's cleaned up a bit. I have not been there for at least 10 years but my kids have gone for school trips! Planning on letting my 15 yr old son go with a few friends for Knott's Scary Farm Nite either this year or next. That was my big event to enjoy when I was his age!

 

[perlster]

I have the most recent guide (from a July 4 visit) and was just as puzzled by some of the ride ratings as the OP.

As a base, let me state that Silver Bullet is a real 5 (agressive thrill)- it is the only ride where I have heard the instruction to remove earrings. It's a floorless coaster where you get jostled quite a bit and you experience a dizzying sequence of twists, turns, and dips at high speeds.

Timber Mountain Log Ride is also listed as a 5 - why? You may slide back and forth a bit on the seats - you're not restrained, but I just don't see that the effect on the riders is that great. It really feels like more of a 3 to me - kids can and do enjoy it.

There are several other rides where the ratings surprise me - in almost all cases where I disagree, I would assign a lower thrill rating.


Pink's in at the park, but not inside the gates, as part of the California Marketplace.

The BBQ is a pretty good deal (at least by theme park standards, and when available)- see the flyer on this page


It's really impossible to come up with a morning strategy now - since the introduction of Early Ride Time for hotel guests and annual passholders.
If Ghost Rider is not the ride open early on a particular day, and you would like to ride it, I would go to it as soon as "regular" guests are let in (could be around 9:40) - you should be able to get in line for that ride (and that ride only) before the park officially opens. If Ghost Rider does not interest you, you can go as far toward some other ride as you are allowed before 10AM

On the other hand, if Ghost Rider is the coaster with ERT, it's a lot more complicated. Even after talking with an KBF employee about this issue, I'm not sure - the gates may not open until 10 AM for the "regular" guests. Whenever you are let in on these days, Ghost Rider will probably already have a significant line. Maybe it's better to line up in the mornings - even when ERT riders are already at Ghost Rider, but I have no experience to back this up.

 

[PHXscuba]

Ghost Rider was closed the day we visited so I can't comment on its line or capacity.

My suggestion of going to Silver Bullet first for now is based on its ONE train when I was there. Until they get the second ride vehicle back online, the wait will build quickly and stay long. With them visually frisking everyone for earrings, cameras, sunglasses, bags, etc., plus measuring kids as they load, it takes a long time to get dispatched. Our second ride near sunset, I noticed that the line for the front car was only about three cycles longer than for the rest of the train. We decided after waiting 40 minutes that a few more for the front was worth it. AWESOME!!

While Xcelerator has its Wow fraction-of-a-second of straight up and straight down (DS16: "I think I almost blacked out") I think Silver Bullet's length and the six inversions make it superior overall.

PHXscuba

 

[rsleleux]

Thanks! We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to KBF! We will definitely take your advice and go straight to Silver Bullet!

 

[The Rocketeer]

PHXscuba,

Thank you so much for taking the time to compile this very helpful report. I have not been to Knott's in years and have recently been contemplating a trip back but had no idea what to expect by way of rides, food, etc. Your report will help me to plan a strategy and have an enjoyable time.