Originally Posted By wonderingalice Hi guys... Long time, no see! I'm heading to L.A. in a couple of weeks to spend a few days with my dad. Just purchased nicely discounted online tickets for Knott's Berry Farm. Haven't been there since I was a very little girl and we thought it would be fun to check it out and have a nice chicken lunch. Dad is 74... He wants to ride Ghostrider, but I'm not so sure that he should after reading a Yelp review saying it left a 24-year old with a headache and "wobbly" neck. (Whatever that means... LOL) Both of us are on blood pressure meds and have lower backs that aren't always user-friendly. So, whatcha think? Also, what are some must-sees while we're there? I think it's going to be busy - is Spring Break in mid-April? - as the schedule calendar shows the hours at 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. for the entire week. Hopefully, it won't be obnoxiously crazy busy - won't everyone actually be at Disneyland? ;-) Thanks for your input!
Originally Posted By tashajilek Ghost rider is not a smooth ride at all! In fact i cant think of a coaster that has been bumpier than that coaster. Spring break will always be crowded, mostly the main attractions just like at DL. Dont miss the flume ride and the mine train, they are both classics.
Originally Posted By DlandDug Ghost Rider is pretty intense, and, as noted above, ROUGH. I hit all the major coasters, but tend to skip this one because it's borderline unpleasant.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS Hey! Me and the PBs just bought Knott's passes, too! We were there yesterday. Very pleasant day! Ghostrider is THE ONLY coaster I will never ride again. Mind you, I do ALL of the coasters. I have no fear when it comes to them. But, Ghostrider is a medieval torture device. If you had a football helmet and shoulder pads you'd still be in for a rough ride. It is almost not fun because of that. Your head is tossed all over the place. Do not wear glasses on this ride. You will lose them.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS As for MUST SEES: 1) Ride the train. It's pleasant and a great little rest for your tootsies. 2) Jailhouse. Have dad go back to see in the jailhouse, but tell the old man upfront what his name is. Dad will be shocked that a fake person knows his name. LOL! 3) StageCoach. Always so much fun! 4) Saloon Show (if it's in season). You can sit down, have a beer with dad and see the show. 5) Birdcage Theater: even if there isn't a show in there, the lobby has many interesting photos. 6) Liberty Bell - located across the street, but a great little example of our country's history. The gift shop is a cheesy but interesting browse.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Lol, I love Ghostrider, but it sure does not love me. It is one hell of a ride, and a lot of fun, but coming off I am always beat up. I have high BP (on meds) and slipped a couple of disks a few years ago. I still chance it because I love it, but regret it when getting off too. I totally agree with Haunts' list, but would also add Mystery Lodge (my fav attraction in the park), the museum in Ghost Town, the mine train and log ride. I also love Montezuma's Revenge for old time's sake. Please have some Boysenberry punch and pie and think of us. You can't get any boysenberry stuff in europe, and it is my fav!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Ghostrider is IMO the best wooden coaster in So Cal. But because it's a true woodie it IS rough.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I would add Deb, I think it is probably the best woodie on the planet. I have ridden 29 around the globe, and so far, ghostrider is my fav.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Thanks so much, you guys! I really appreciate all the good stuff you've mentioned! Dave... You're NO help at all re: Ghostrider! LMAO! ;-) I think that based on Doug's and Ms. Haunt's recommendations, I'm going to talk Dad out of that one - even though Deb loves it. ;-) The roughest I've ever been on was "Flashback" - that horrendous thing at Magic Mtn. that's since been torn down. "Psyclone" was pretty rough, too, but tolerable for me - and, of course, torn down. LOL At Disneyland, Dad complained about Indy's roughness and kept insisting that BTMRR was MUCH faster now than it used to be - I had to remind him that he was 30 years younger the last time he rode. ;-) I don't want to take him on anything that might wreck his day at Knott's. I wish that Jaguar was going to be running (it's on the Knott's refurb list) as it's rated less intense on the website. I PROMISE to enjoy all of the wonderful boysenberry offerings... I ADORE their preserves and can't wait to try the pie and, wow... punch! Didn't know about that! Although I was a bit worried about Spring Break, like Tash says, the kids will mostly be lined up for the big stuff like coasters - and I'm not sure if we'll hit any of them. We'll eyeball them and go from there.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Just took another look... "Jaguar" WILL be running again by the time we're there. Yay!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Flashback left me with a sore neck and headache after ONE ride and I was in my 20s (pre-parenthood!), that ride was the worst! I think Psyclone is still there it was just renamed something Batman themed I think. At least there's a big woodwn coaster sitting in its old spot ;-). Ghost Rider is far better than either ride, but if you have back or neck problems I'd skip it or ride it right before leaving for home when you can dose up on the Tylenol PM and use a heating pad.
Originally Posted By tashajilek I agree with Dave about GR being probably one of the best on the Plant. I was really dissapointed to ride magic mountains terminator after GR. If you dad thinks Indy is bumpy stay far away from the thrill rides at Knotts. I think the jaguar will be a good choice.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I'm sorry to hear about Ghostrider. It's been years since I rode it, but when I did, it wasn't that rough. That it's rough now is all about maintenance, or lack thereof. And Dave, if you think GR is a great woodie ( and it is), you need to try The Voyage at Holiday World. That puppy puts GR to shame! Only problem is that it's in the middle of nowhere.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I don't think GR is any rougher than its always been. Wooden roller coaster run rough, it's the nature of the beast.
Originally Posted By crapshoot Ya got's to experience the "honest entertainment" that Knott's offers: -Western Trails Museum -Boothill Cemetery -Assay Office, Wing Lees Laundry, Barber Shop, Sad Eye Joe, Sheriffs Office, Black Smith Shop -Catawampus (Speices Extinct) -Knott's Wild West Stunt Show (arrive early to get a covered wagon) -Rock and Geode Shop -The German barrel organ in the lobby of the Bird Cage Theater (25 cents) -Calico Saloon and Can Can Show -School House -Judge Roy Bean's Saloon -Ghost Town Railroad - each railroad car is very historic -The Galloping Goose will be parked by the engine house -Calico Mine Train and the world famous Glory Hole! -Pan Fer Gold -Grist Mill -Timber Mt Log Ride -If it's a Tuesday: Knott's Chicken Dinner Senior Buffet from 3:00 to 6:00 @ $8/person -The Antique Gas Engines should be on property somewhere puting along -Something should be in the Charles Schultz theater Anyway, that's all I can come up with for now.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Deb...Terminator replaced Psyclone. Awesome list, Crapshoot... Thank you, thank you!
Originally Posted By wonderingalice And I agree, Tash... I watched POV videos on YouTube of both GR and Jag. You could just TELL that GR was kicking the cameraman's patoot! And Jag looks pretty much like a jumbo kiddie coaster - should suit Dad just fine. ;-)
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb That's right Termninator! We started waiting in line for it last December, but the line was ridiculous, so we got out of it. It really wasn't worth a long wait for a sub par wooden coaster. Unless they had another ride hiding amongst the old Psyclone tracks, it's the same ride it was back before MM really started to suck.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Actually, the reason the line was so long is that Terminator was pretty much brand new when you were there. It was built all new from the ground up after Psyclone was removed. I haven't been to MM in a few years, but have seen the construction and ride photos/video on Themepark Review's site.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I went to SFMM last spring on a weekday, so everything was a walk-on. We did Terminator, but it was really underwhelming. The preshow was quite well done, and would have been really fun on a day with a long wait and big crowds, but it just seemed silly to be lead through a maze of hallways and briefing rooms, with videos clearly intended to be shown to more than 2 people at a time, since they addressed the 'group' several times. The ride itself was relatively smooth, but just not a very exciting layout. They tried their best to disguise the underwhelming nature with lots of additonal pizzas (a couple tunnels, a flame thrower, and on-board music), but it really just fell flat. It's interesting that they've rethemed it so soon, since the Terminator-related queue stuff was the best part of it (and that's coming from someone who hasn't seen any of the movies). It's a shame that they had to take out one bad coaster so they could put a sub-par one in its place. On a related note, it looks like the company that made Psychlone also built Mean Streak at Cedar Point, which I thought was the roughest coaster I've ever been on (never been on Ghost Rider, so I can't compare). According to Wikipedia, the ride is basically retracked every single year in an attempt to make it less awful, but it was just plain bad. We rode it twice in a row, because there was no wait and it was not worth coming all the way back there later in the day to do it again, and that was a big mistake. The layout was pretty good, but we all felt like we had shaken baby syndrome when we got off.
