FistedColossus
Hyper Poster
As you may have seen in the trip planning forum, I have been away in California for the last 11 days or so. Initially we planned to hire a car and travel up to Yosemite and/or San Fransico. However due to time contraints we eventually opted to add an extra day at Disney and then Six Flags which turned this into a full on cred trip.
Day 1: Arrival - Got an Uber straight from LAX to the Knotts Berry Farm Hotel where we would be staying for the next 5 nights. Ideally we wanted to stay closer to Disney but the hotels around there didn't exactly look great value for money. Plus Knotts do a free shuttle to and from Disney.
Went for an evening walk to Walmart for snacks and Bath and Body Works where Mrs Fisted spent a solid half hour stocking up on quirky flavoured soapy goodness. Popped into Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, these seem to really vary on quality and this one was a disappointment unfortunately. If only I'd known at this point about the apparently famous Knotts Chicken Diner!
Day 2: Knotts Berry Farm
Took a left out of the hotel and walked under the testing Ghost Rider straight to the Knotts main entrance ready for opening at 10am. As per Cedar Fair tradition we honoured the Star Spangled Banner anthem, impressed at the speed and accuracy of which guests turned to face the slightly obscured USA flag.
First impressions of Knotts were basically "this place is cool as ****". As an avid Western movie watcher and general Old West American history nerd, I absolutely loved the authentic Ghost Town area. After a quick mooch around and a couple of "Howdy" exchanges with the wonderful staff, we headed for our first ride of the day.
Xcelerator - The usual 'start at the back of the park' technique would ultimately prove unnecessary today as the park would be a Ghost Town (lol). But still we were able to get a front and back row ride within minutes. After 15 years of Stealth rides under my belt I must admit Xcelerator didn't really do much for me, even with the lap restraints. But it's still a fun and iconic coaster. It looks **** hot with the fresh repaint and the general ride area looks excellent in the sunshine. 6/10.
Hangtime - Or Hangman as Mrs Fisted insisted in calling it, possibly high off the fumes of Avacado Flamingo flavoured hand sanitiser. Again, walked straight on to the front row. This was a good solid ride and one of the smoother Gerstlauers out there. It kind of rides like a family version of Karnan, with a Smilerish layout. Despite the rides name I was surprised at the amount of genuine hanging on some of the Inversions. Decent airtime too. 7/10.
Pony Express - Have never actually been on one of these booster bikes despite us having a few in Europe. Very short ride but was fun while it lasted, even more so when slapping the pony's arse. 5/10.
Had another, slower stroll around Ghost Town before heading to my most anticipated Knotts coaster:
Ghost Rider - This ride gets a lot of hype and I love a GCI so expectations were sky high. Much like Buena Park's Buffalo Wild Wings, this too was a disappointment
For me it failed in pretty much every category. There was next to no airtime, the huge first drop was dull, and it wasn't very forceful.
We did return later on in the day for a few more rides and it did seem to be running a lot faster in fairness. Had a wild front row ride which seems to he the best place to sit. So overall its an average GCI, which all things considered is a good thing. Better than Wicker Man but the likes of Wodan and Mystic Timbers are streets ahead. Although I do appreciate this isn't a ground up GCI. 7.5/10.
Calico Mine Ride - A fantastic piece of history. Great to see it was refurbished and should still be going for a long time.
Silver Bullet - Only actually got on this once and it was as expected. Low to mid tier Invert. The profiling of the first drop is interesting, not steep or curved just long and flat. Nice and intense helix at the end. 6/10.
Sierra Sidewinder - Again only got on this once and didn't get a very spinny ride. Its a fun and fairly forceful family coaster but very short. 4/10.
Timber Mountain Log Ride - Another piece of magnificent theme park history. This would be our longest wait of the day at 20 minutes. Loved the amount of themeing in the indoor sections and the soundtrack is a banger. I've always loved a log flume and appreciate them a lot more now that they're all vanishing in the UK.
Jaguar - Was shocked to discover this opened in 1995 as it rides like its 20 years older and has weirdly long, straight sections. On the plus side it's a very long ride and the layout gives good views of the park. 5/10
So that was all the available coasters completed, unfortunately Montezumas Revenge was down for a big refurbishment. Didn't get a chance to do Thunder Looper but I have been on the one in South Africa which was brilliant.
Sol Spin - Standard theme park Top Scan experience, even on a crap setting they're still a unique and intense ride.
Knotts Beary Tales - Really nicely styled theming and ride with crap shooter hardware.
Calico River Rapids - Brilliant rapids with perfectly acceptable levels of moisture throughout. Immersive queue and plenty of scenery on ride.
Spent the last few operating hours reriding Xcelerator, Hangtime and Ghost Rider. We loved Knotts and had a wonderful day to start off the trip. It's very well run, the staff are great and it's oozing with history. Cedar Fair are a superb operator in my fairly limited experience (CP, KI, Knotts). Especially compared to the complete pillocks at Six Flags. For me it does lack a standout coaster which means I wouldn't be in a huge rush to return. Which is a shame considering the history of the park and the amount of rides they have. The rumoured Giga would be a very much welcome addition.
Non coastery stuff: After Knotts we headed over to the Honda Centre. No we weren't going to buy a Japanese car as our Uber driver queried, we had tickets to an NHL game.
Watching live sport is always a must do for us on US trips and this time it was Ice Hockey season for Anaheim Ducks vs Boston Bruins. Tbh all I know about Ice Hockey is that it's 3 periods and more importantly the players are allowed to stop to have a one on one, refereed fist fight. Much to my delight there was a full on punch up just 3 minutes into the game. I find it mindblowing tbh in the modern world of sport that this tradition still happens. Certainly makes the game more interesting. The arena was fairly empty so we sneaked into some lower tier seats for a better view. Still tired and jet lagged and with 3 full on Disney days lined up we opted to head back to the hotel at the end of the 2nd period.
Not sure why the pics are rotated, just tilt your head I guess.
Day 1: Arrival - Got an Uber straight from LAX to the Knotts Berry Farm Hotel where we would be staying for the next 5 nights. Ideally we wanted to stay closer to Disney but the hotels around there didn't exactly look great value for money. Plus Knotts do a free shuttle to and from Disney.
Went for an evening walk to Walmart for snacks and Bath and Body Works where Mrs Fisted spent a solid half hour stocking up on quirky flavoured soapy goodness. Popped into Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, these seem to really vary on quality and this one was a disappointment unfortunately. If only I'd known at this point about the apparently famous Knotts Chicken Diner!
Day 2: Knotts Berry Farm
Took a left out of the hotel and walked under the testing Ghost Rider straight to the Knotts main entrance ready for opening at 10am. As per Cedar Fair tradition we honoured the Star Spangled Banner anthem, impressed at the speed and accuracy of which guests turned to face the slightly obscured USA flag.
First impressions of Knotts were basically "this place is cool as ****". As an avid Western movie watcher and general Old West American history nerd, I absolutely loved the authentic Ghost Town area. After a quick mooch around and a couple of "Howdy" exchanges with the wonderful staff, we headed for our first ride of the day.
Xcelerator - The usual 'start at the back of the park' technique would ultimately prove unnecessary today as the park would be a Ghost Town (lol). But still we were able to get a front and back row ride within minutes. After 15 years of Stealth rides under my belt I must admit Xcelerator didn't really do much for me, even with the lap restraints. But it's still a fun and iconic coaster. It looks **** hot with the fresh repaint and the general ride area looks excellent in the sunshine. 6/10.
Hangtime - Or Hangman as Mrs Fisted insisted in calling it, possibly high off the fumes of Avacado Flamingo flavoured hand sanitiser. Again, walked straight on to the front row. This was a good solid ride and one of the smoother Gerstlauers out there. It kind of rides like a family version of Karnan, with a Smilerish layout. Despite the rides name I was surprised at the amount of genuine hanging on some of the Inversions. Decent airtime too. 7/10.
Pony Express - Have never actually been on one of these booster bikes despite us having a few in Europe. Very short ride but was fun while it lasted, even more so when slapping the pony's arse. 5/10.
Had another, slower stroll around Ghost Town before heading to my most anticipated Knotts coaster:
Ghost Rider - This ride gets a lot of hype and I love a GCI so expectations were sky high. Much like Buena Park's Buffalo Wild Wings, this too was a disappointment
For me it failed in pretty much every category. There was next to no airtime, the huge first drop was dull, and it wasn't very forceful.
We did return later on in the day for a few more rides and it did seem to be running a lot faster in fairness. Had a wild front row ride which seems to he the best place to sit. So overall its an average GCI, which all things considered is a good thing. Better than Wicker Man but the likes of Wodan and Mystic Timbers are streets ahead. Although I do appreciate this isn't a ground up GCI. 7.5/10.
Calico Mine Ride - A fantastic piece of history. Great to see it was refurbished and should still be going for a long time.
Silver Bullet - Only actually got on this once and it was as expected. Low to mid tier Invert. The profiling of the first drop is interesting, not steep or curved just long and flat. Nice and intense helix at the end. 6/10.
Sierra Sidewinder - Again only got on this once and didn't get a very spinny ride. Its a fun and fairly forceful family coaster but very short. 4/10.
Timber Mountain Log Ride - Another piece of magnificent theme park history. This would be our longest wait of the day at 20 minutes. Loved the amount of themeing in the indoor sections and the soundtrack is a banger. I've always loved a log flume and appreciate them a lot more now that they're all vanishing in the UK.
Jaguar - Was shocked to discover this opened in 1995 as it rides like its 20 years older and has weirdly long, straight sections. On the plus side it's a very long ride and the layout gives good views of the park. 5/10
So that was all the available coasters completed, unfortunately Montezumas Revenge was down for a big refurbishment. Didn't get a chance to do Thunder Looper but I have been on the one in South Africa which was brilliant.
Sol Spin - Standard theme park Top Scan experience, even on a crap setting they're still a unique and intense ride.
Knotts Beary Tales - Really nicely styled theming and ride with crap shooter hardware.
Calico River Rapids - Brilliant rapids with perfectly acceptable levels of moisture throughout. Immersive queue and plenty of scenery on ride.
Spent the last few operating hours reriding Xcelerator, Hangtime and Ghost Rider. We loved Knotts and had a wonderful day to start off the trip. It's very well run, the staff are great and it's oozing with history. Cedar Fair are a superb operator in my fairly limited experience (CP, KI, Knotts). Especially compared to the complete pillocks at Six Flags. For me it does lack a standout coaster which means I wouldn't be in a huge rush to return. Which is a shame considering the history of the park and the amount of rides they have. The rumoured Giga would be a very much welcome addition.
Non coastery stuff: After Knotts we headed over to the Honda Centre. No we weren't going to buy a Japanese car as our Uber driver queried, we had tickets to an NHL game.
Watching live sport is always a must do for us on US trips and this time it was Ice Hockey season for Anaheim Ducks vs Boston Bruins. Tbh all I know about Ice Hockey is that it's 3 periods and more importantly the players are allowed to stop to have a one on one, refereed fist fight. Much to my delight there was a full on punch up just 3 minutes into the game. I find it mindblowing tbh in the modern world of sport that this tradition still happens. Certainly makes the game more interesting. The arena was fairly empty so we sneaked into some lower tier seats for a better view. Still tired and jet lagged and with 3 full on Disney days lined up we opted to head back to the hotel at the end of the 2nd period.
Not sure why the pics are rotated, just tilt your head I guess.
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Next up we had a walk through Radiator Springs which is just incredible. The Cars films are a bit crap IMO but they've nailed the aesthetic of the movie here. Had one of the best meals of the trip here too, Chilli Con Carne out of an edible cone. Radiator Springs Racers had a massive queue so we decided to come back later (not realising at this point it had a single rider queue).
