Originally Posted By Ryuki ^ Agreed. The only thing I really liked about Knott's was Xcelerater and Perilous Plunge...but I hated waiting in line for ages for 12 second rides. And you guys make it sound like mouse coasters, merry-go-rounds, swings and the such are new things. They're not. They're classic midway rides that DCA is using to recreate that midway feel. As for Knott's actually having old merry-go-rounds and wooden coasters....those are older than DCA. Of course DCA has newer stuff. All the newer coasters and stuff put into Knott's has the newest technology because it's new. No one wants to build a new obsolete ride. And you know what? When the merry-go-round and Ghostrider fall apart, DCA's rides will still be standing. Then who will be the better park? As for Knott's getting an upgraded mouse coaster, who cares? Those coasters are a pain in the neck (literally). I'm glad DCA isn't spending more money to create a newer way of hurting anyone over three feet tall. I'd much rather see that money going towards something bigger such as Midway Madness, instead of a cheap ride you'll find at a fair. Also, Knott's is going in the direction of being an extreme thrill park along the lines of Six Flags. That new coaster is the kind of thing you'll see at a park like that, not at a Disney park. And as I said before, there's no reason for them to spend money making an upgraded mouse coaster when they need to be using their money for what counts. As for DCA following Knott's....Paradise Pier is supossed to be a recreation of a fair midway boardwalk thing. They're purposely putting rides on it that are like all the other parks because that is what that section of the park is trying to recreate. That's the theme.
Originally Posted By Ryuki Oh yeah, by the way...nothing beats the Giant Dipper or merry-go-round at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Not even your Knott's Berry Farm rides.
Originally Posted By pirviii I agree, I used to work at the Boardwalk. I haven't been there in 15 years. I am planning on taking my kids there someday. We've done Knotts, Disney and Great America so I guess the boardwalk is the only one left (that bastardization of Marine World is not he same as the one I went to as a kid).
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Both DCA and Knotts also have after hours Halloween events. Clearly they are the exact same place, catering to the exact same market.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer >>Both DCA and Knotts also have after hours Halloween events. Clearly they are the exact same place, catering to the exact same market.<< NO WAY... Knott's evening events (as are Universal, Six Flags and the Queen Mary) are designed for "MATURE audiences"... Mickey's Halloween Treat at DCA in the evenings are Kid friendly... Now if you look at the Knott's Camp Spooky weekend day events, and the Six Flags weekend day events, those are designed for kids, as is Universals Citywalk day events.... Those do compare to MHT...
Originally Posted By debtee Either way if you like DCA or not it's best feature is that DL is right next door and DTD down the road! As international guests to the "Resort" we visit the DL property as a whole. We have not bothered made the trek out to Knott's on our last three trips! It would be interesting to see how many international guests even know about Knotts and out of those how many choose to leave DL to go over there and return on a regular basis! We like DCA and think it's only going to get better from now on, it just takes time! So for us there's no comparision to Knott's they are not on the same page!
Originally Posted By debtee sorry that should say "to make the trek out to knott's"...I need new batteries for my keyboard!
Originally Posted By xrayvision >>So for us there's no comparision to Knott's they are not on the same page!<< While not in DCA, Splash seems be from the same page as Timber Mountain Log Ride...the mountain, the look of the final drop, the drop in the dark and the initial lift into a shack-like structure. With Dinosaur in DAK built after Knott's KOD and DCA's California themed areas and attractions that seem to take nods from Knott's, Disney and Knott's parks are on the same page in many ways. And, both theme park organizations were started in OC by a guy named Walter.
Originally Posted By Ryuki I spent one or two weeks one summer going to every theme park in California except for Universal Studios. The only two that were unique to me were Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Disney parks because they were different...although Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was probably unique because it was one a beach and wasn't full of wild roller coasters (just one wooden coaster and one painful steel coaster I didn't care much for). I can tell you that at every park I went to I rode the EXACT same rides, just with a different paint job. Most of the parks had a crazy mouse coaster, merry-go-round, ferris wheel, big swings, big drop ride (although Maliboomer is unique because it shoots you up rather than slowly pulling you up to drop you), etc. The rides you guys are talking about are not unique to Knott's, they're just generic rides. Nothing new. You can also find these same rides at fairs. Paradise Pier is trying to be a replica of a fair, but on a pier. Bug's Land is a toned down, kiddy version of fairground rides. Paradise Pier, to me, is a lot more like Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk than Knott's Berry Farm. SCBB is a walkway on a pier complete with midway games in the middle of it, the big coaster that makes it famous, a smaller painful coaster, and generic rides....much like Paradise Pier. So if you want to compare Paradise Pier to anything, compare it to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Also, the reason I have only mentioned Paradise Pier and Bug's Land is because those are the areas trying to replicate a typical fairground type thing. Have you ever seen stuff like Soarin' or Tower of Terror or anything at any other non-Disney parks (before Disney parks had them)? Also, if you really think about it, most Disney rides are just generic rides. Disney rides just have a cooler theme, nicer atmosphere (you don't have to stand in line on top of heaps of trash while trying to touch the graffitti and gum covered walls or rails, the people working there are nice and actually talk to you and try to make things enjoyable instead of being teenagers with attitude problems, etc.).
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Soarin'.. yes I have seen it elsewhere... I would say the old Race for Atlantis in the Ceasars Palace Forum Shopping Center was close. And then Universal's Back to the Future also uses a IMAX screen and simulators..... Both were built before Soarin'!!!!
Originally Posted By Ryuki Okay then. Take away that paragraph and read what I said in the next paragraph about most Disney rides being generic rides with a Disney theme.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer ^Alas, most rides at DCA don't have a Disney theme... California Screamin' is just a coaster Mulholland Madness is just a Wild Mouse Maliboomer is just an S&S Power Tower (Heck, at IOA, they actually did theme the ride with a show building...) Orange Stinger is just a Wave Swinger The Games of the Boardwalk give generic prizes (why not Disney items?) Sun Wheel is just a copy of a Coney Island ride
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Soarin'.. yes I have seen it elsewhere... I would say the old Race for Atlantis in the Ceasars Palace Forum Shopping Center was close. And then Universal's Back to the Future also uses a IMAX screen and simulators..... Both were built before Soarin'!!!!> I rode both Race for Atlantis and BTTF, and they weren't really like Soarin', even though both were simulators. Soarin' WAS innovative. Much like, say, the Matterhorn was innovative. There had been many coasters before, the the Matterhorn was the first to use a tubular steel track, the first to be use the block-dispatch system that allowed so many cars to be online simultaneously... sure, many coasters had come before it, yet the Matterhorn was undeniably innovative. And there were simulators before Soarin', but its particular system was also innovative.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer I mentioned Race for Atlantis (which IMHO was very similar to Soarin') and BTTF since all three attractions used the IMAX film as its major feature. All three rides place you in a moving seat that matches the IMAX film.....
Originally Posted By Dabob2 But Soarin's system was innovative in the same way the Matterhorn's was innovative - yeah, you can say it was just a car going down a track fast to give you a thrill, just like all other roller coasters, if you want to look at it that way... or you can acknowledge that it was in fact innovative.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer I would call BTTF Innovative since it was the FIRST to blend IMAX with a Motion Simulator.... And I forgot Search for the Obelisk, another IMAX simulator... I like Soarin', but it is basically a IMAX simulator, which has been done many times before....(which is my point in regards to post #29 in this thread)
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt The problem with the attractions that Darkbeer lists compared to Soarin' is that they lack the charm and heart that Soarin' has.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Race for TAlantis had a MUCH better themed queue than Soarin' Search for the Obelisk is better IMHO as a "Thrill" ride, and an IMAX simulator in general. Soarin' is better for a mild "family" ride.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 BTTF was innovative. That doesn't mean Soarin' wasn't. I still don't know of another sim that has its particular system. In terms of the overall experience, Soarin' has them beat hands down, for me anyway. I love thrill rides, but thrill sims are too often just noisy, rough, sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing things. I'd put Body Wars in there, Obelisk too. Star Tours worked great for a long time (though it's certainly time for a new film) primarily because the story was coherent, which is why I liked it better than BTTF, so thrill sims CAN work... but the bottom line is the overall experience, and for me Soarin' is far better than the others mentioned. YMMV.
