It is summer, literally the busiest time of the year (excluding holidays) to visit a theme park. It’s also the first year that people are going back to theme parks after the pandemic quarantine and people are hitting the theme parks in droves. A line of over an hour for a popular ride is very normal for summer. If you want shorter lines go to theme parks during the off season.
Many theme parks are prioritizing the riders who pay for extra passes, upgraded passes, etc. Knott’s Berry Farm uses the Fast Lane Pass. They are going to prioritize those riders because they make more money off of them. You have two options: pay for the Fast Lane Pass or wait in line. If you choose to wait in line (which is what I would do because tickets are expensive enough at theme parks) than you can’t complain about wait times especially during the busy season.
I hate paid line cutting as much as the next person. But you can’t go to a theme park in the middle of summer (the busiest time of year) and expect to not wait in lines.
Your not wrong but Ghostrider has been notoriously slow. Which has worsened since the pandemic. Even a short line from inside the station takes up to half an hour. It’s totally a park/ride operation issue that only worsens in the summer.
I disagree. Over an hour for any ride on a weekday is extreme in my opinion. I just went to Carowinds last Wednesday and didn’t wait longer than 15 minutes for any ride and I rode all of the newest roller coasters
Knott’s is a total and complete FAIL when it comes to training and execution of product. The operators are stupid, unresponsive, disinterested and highly disengaged. Once you are in the gate, Knotts (aka Cedar Fair) could care less. The lines move slowly due to poor training, lack of leadership and no accountability. Leadership at Knott’s is worthless, uneducated, underpaid and lack good knowledge and common sense. As an insider is it painful and inexcusable to see and to live with this on a daily basis. And your experience is typical…regardless of the in-park guest total attendance. PITIFUL!
Who are you? Have you gone to Disney? It is worse..and to pour salt on that..they get you by charging extra for rides. Not only is there genie+ but lighting pass. The employees at Knott’s are very well trained and pleasant to deal with. They are knowledgeable and friendly. As far as the rides: it is summer and the normal temperature in So Cal is 85 to 105. These rides are made of metal and heat from the ride and sun could cause issues of safety. I take safety over pisses off people. Go in the winter and you can ride ghost rider 6 times in an hour. I hit most parks after schools open and enjoy my day. Even parks in Europe have lines
My family went and we had a GREAT TIME. First, you must get a fast pass for your rides, then go during the week and when they first open. We were able to get on all rides with 0-5 mins wait. We went on a Thursday even the food/drink lines were hardly no wait. Next time plan accordingly.
I went on Friday August 5. I have an annual pass and rarely go in the summer. I paid for fast lane because I’m not a big enough idiot to go in the summer and expect short wait times no matter what day of the week it is. I got there an hour after the park opened and left 2 hours before it closed. I left to have lunch at city walk as well so I was gone for a good hour and a half. I still rode every ride in the park 3 or 4 times. Granted, Montezuma and Xcelerator were closed. Bottom line… you are a complete moron for expecting better than what you got. Go mid week during the winter when school is in session. Thanks bye.
I literally just got home from Knots… I don’t know what you are talking About… the most I waited is like 30-45 maybe… it’s summer! If the wait is to long go to another ride! They have an app to check on wait times… I hate fast pass holder because I got cut off twice on one ride but I do t go creating a whole ass complaint article. Daily tickets are way cheaper than Disney down the street… you can go there and pay more to wait in long lines… I have 0 complaints about knots. Some people just love to complain! Ps I’m a season pass holder and I plan my trips to avoid crowds… you should try it.
I thought Knott’s Berry was awesome. A couple rides long lines. We had a great time.
I was pissed at magic mountain…. After hour wait street racers broke down, then we got out of line for log type, after 50 minutes we were 1 family away it also broke down. It ruined it for us. Worst experience. We had tickets for the next day .. we just went to Knott’s Berry. List hundreds. We from Oregon. It nearly ruined it
Knott’s Berry was awesome. Wish our second day was there…
1 cranky and negative post, followed by the rest offering great tips and reminders on how to best experience Knott’s Berry Farm!
_don’t go when it’s busy
_get the fast lane pass
_be courteous to Knott’s Staff
_eat at Knott’s or dine nearby outside the Theme Park
You could use those same tips for Disneyland / DCA, except it’s one fee at Knott’s (and a better value with a Season Pass) vs a fee for each queue line …. and getting to your parked vehicle at Knott’s is easier than Disneyland.
Is Knott’s getting more crowded? Well, as less households find Disneyland / DCA too expensive …. more are going to Knott’s Berry Farm instead.
This guy. Hey. Chumpy. I remember summer line rides with sighs stating 180 minutes from this point and that was the entrance. Given your remarks that it was your first time but you went there because you knew it would just get worse is a contradiction. You’ve never been you don’t know. Remember you aren’t entitled to a doggone thing and I’m saddened they even posted this BS
Wow! I can’t believe all the hate.
I agree with OP that the unloading/loading process could be quicker and smoother. I believe this was their point. I timed La Revolucion once and it was over 6 minutes!! I don’t think it had anything to do with safety…..just lack of hustle.
Of course OP should expect lines, but barely moving in 10 minutes?!? That is ridiculous.
They should be alternating the regular line with FastPass. Buying a FastPass doesn’t mean the normal line can just be left out of the rotation.
And my goodness …kindness, please!!!!!
Yeah all he/she said was Ghostrider took super long. And the only take away people got was, “get a fast pass 4head”
People here can’t seem to quantify how sub-standard a 6 minute dispatch is, or are unaware of the issues this ride currently has. There’s a well made video called Problematic Coasters: Ghrostrider which explains the particular issue with Ghostrider loading. It has nothing to with season or day of week, as this came out before the summer season due to the reputation this ride has been building since the pandemic closures.
All i know is safety is number one when it comes to ALL guests. Be patient. You should be thankful your ride attendant takes the time to ensure safety . Be kind. If you cant tolerate the wait…you shouldn’t be there.
The older these rides get, the more maintenance they need to be able to perform outstandingly!
That said, question begs to be answered….”Is maintenance performed by a qualified team of maintainers diligently on each and every ride, as soon as the park closes, up to time for opening for business?”
I work for dorney park&wildwater kingdom in PA as a ride operator which is another cedar fair park and I can confirm that everyday before we open the ride we test it and maintenance has to check if it works very early morning and if there is no sheet with todays date that is signed we can’t open the ride.
Knott’s has one problem Disney didn’t have- line cutting! Whole hordes of teenagers were claiming that their friends were just ahead holding their place in line. No wonder Ghost Rider had a 3 hour wait time! Absolutely no supervision!
Knott’s and Disneyland just keep getting worse and worse, it’s a money grab with little to no attention to the guest’s safety and comfort. I have wanted to visit Knott’s for quite a while now but everytime I read about it, it’s negative! I will NEVER go to Disneyland again and I’m reluctant to visit Knott’s until they can guarantee the safety of all of the guest’s at all times, they can afford it one way or the other.
I love knotts. And I didn’t pay much attention to how old this individual’s story was, but I have to say, I DID experience this last slow season. Once the Christmas season was over and they shortened their hours, they also stopped running multiple cars on most if not all coasters there. Almost all the rides were running one car at a time, so it wasn’t “maintenance issues”. I thought, they must be doing it to save electricity, and since I don’t know technicals of it, thats the only conclusion I came to. It was sucky to be there with almost no crowds and few people waiting in line for rides, and yet, we would have to wait for the one coaster car to do its whole course and come back instead of loading another car while the one did its thing. Huge time waster, but even with that, I appreciate the fact that I have another local park to visit than just Disney. I put this comment in just to give future knotts visitors a heads up to expect this once January comes around.
I recently made my second visit to knotts. I hated it the first time because I waited in line more than I got on rides. So knowing that I paid for the fast pass. 70 dollars for my ticket and 90 dollars for the fast pass. And it wasn’t just me. Put it another way. I spent almost 600.00 dollars for a day of fun at knotts. And guess what? I had fun! I rode ghost rider 3 times within 20 minutes. I probably rode 35-40 rides throughout 10 hours there. I paid for this. You can pay for this too. It’s not cheating. This is their setup. Every theme park has this option. So next time pay more and enjoy yourself.
I go there several times a year and only time I have to wait is when people pretending to be handicap keep going ahead of everyone else. Other times we have to wait is when they are changing shifts which is expected. We always have a good time and continue to be annual pass holders.
The reason the employees are not happy is because they are over worked and underpaid. Remember you have teenagers running these rides you put yourself and your kids on. That would be my concern… Not long lines.
Can’t complain. We visit Knots, pay for season passes, and fast passes. We do this ahead of time so we can get the must of our experience there. However no one complains about Disney which can take up to and hour for all attractions. If you go in the summer buy the fast passes.
Comments for Guest Shares “Absolute Worst Experience” at California Theme Park
SarahELuvsDisney
It is summer, literally the busiest time of the year (excluding holidays) to visit a theme park. It’s also the first year that people are going back to theme parks after the pandemic quarantine and people are hitting the theme parks in droves. A line of over an hour for a popular ride is very normal for summer. If you want shorter lines go to theme parks during the off season.
Many theme parks are prioritizing the riders who pay for extra passes, upgraded passes, etc. Knott’s Berry Farm uses the Fast Lane Pass. They are going to prioritize those riders because they make more money off of them. You have two options: pay for the Fast Lane Pass or wait in line. If you choose to wait in line (which is what I would do because tickets are expensive enough at theme parks) than you can’t complain about wait times especially during the busy season.
Steve
Paid line cutting is a horrible practice. They have a right to be angry with excessive lines. Shame on you.
SarahELuvsDisney
I hate paid line cutting as much as the next person. But you can’t go to a theme park in the middle of summer (the busiest time of year) and expect to not wait in lines.
Anthony
Your not wrong but Ghostrider has been notoriously slow. Which has worsened since the pandemic. Even a short line from inside the station takes up to half an hour. It’s totally a park/ride operation issue that only worsens in the summer.
Michele
I disagree. Over an hour for any ride on a weekday is extreme in my opinion. I just went to Carowinds last Wednesday and didn’t wait longer than 15 minutes for any ride and I rode all of the newest roller coasters
Bill Reynolds
Knott’s is a total and complete FAIL when it comes to training and execution of product. The operators are stupid, unresponsive, disinterested and highly disengaged. Once you are in the gate, Knotts (aka Cedar Fair) could care less. The lines move slowly due to poor training, lack of leadership and no accountability. Leadership at Knott’s is worthless, uneducated, underpaid and lack good knowledge and common sense. As an insider is it painful and inexcusable to see and to live with this on a daily basis. And your experience is typical…regardless of the in-park guest total attendance. PITIFUL!
Helena
Who are you? Have you gone to Disney? It is worse..and to pour salt on that..they get you by charging extra for rides. Not only is there genie+ but lighting pass. The employees at Knott’s are very well trained and pleasant to deal with. They are knowledgeable and friendly. As far as the rides: it is summer and the normal temperature in So Cal is 85 to 105. These rides are made of metal and heat from the ride and sun could cause issues of safety. I take safety over pisses off people. Go in the winter and you can ride ghost rider 6 times in an hour. I hit most parks after schools open and enjoy my day. Even parks in Europe have lines
Mini
Sorry, this person is way too entitled. Absolute worst experience? This person is in for a very painful life, i fear!
Paul
nailed it!
Teresa
My family went and we had a GREAT TIME. First, you must get a fast pass for your rides, then go during the week and when they first open. We were able to get on all rides with 0-5 mins wait. We went on a Thursday even the food/drink lines were hardly no wait. Next time plan accordingly.
Helena
Totally agree. After schools start is also the best time and MUCH cooler.
Tommy
I went on Friday August 5. I have an annual pass and rarely go in the summer. I paid for fast lane because I’m not a big enough idiot to go in the summer and expect short wait times no matter what day of the week it is. I got there an hour after the park opened and left 2 hours before it closed. I left to have lunch at city walk as well so I was gone for a good hour and a half. I still rode every ride in the park 3 or 4 times. Granted, Montezuma and Xcelerator were closed. Bottom line… you are a complete moron for expecting better than what you got. Go mid week during the winter when school is in session. Thanks bye.
Zaiht
I literally just got home from Knots… I don’t know what you are talking About… the most I waited is like 30-45 maybe… it’s summer! If the wait is to long go to another ride! They have an app to check on wait times… I hate fast pass holder because I got cut off twice on one ride but I do t go creating a whole ass complaint article. Daily tickets are way cheaper than Disney down the street… you can go there and pay more to wait in long lines… I have 0 complaints about knots. Some people just love to complain! Ps I’m a season pass holder and I plan my trips to avoid crowds… you should try it.
pam
I thought Knott’s Berry was awesome. A couple rides long lines. We had a great time.
I was pissed at magic mountain…. After hour wait street racers broke down, then we got out of line for log type, after 50 minutes we were 1 family away it also broke down. It ruined it for us. Worst experience. We had tickets for the next day .. we just went to Knott’s Berry. List hundreds. We from Oregon. It nearly ruined it
Knott’s Berry was awesome. Wish our second day was there…
CJ
1 cranky and negative post, followed by the rest offering great tips and reminders on how to best experience Knott’s Berry Farm!
_don’t go when it’s busy
_get the fast lane pass
_be courteous to Knott’s Staff
_eat at Knott’s or dine nearby outside the Theme Park
You could use those same tips for Disneyland / DCA, except it’s one fee at Knott’s (and a better value with a Season Pass) vs a fee for each queue line …. and getting to your parked vehicle at Knott’s is easier than Disneyland.
Is Knott’s getting more crowded? Well, as less households find Disneyland / DCA too expensive …. more are going to Knott’s Berry Farm instead.
Dan
This guy. Hey. Chumpy. I remember summer line rides with sighs stating 180 minutes from this point and that was the entrance. Given your remarks that it was your first time but you went there because you knew it would just get worse is a contradiction. You’ve never been you don’t know. Remember you aren’t entitled to a doggone thing and I’m saddened they even posted this BS
Cinmngirl
Ummmmm last year we had to wait over 2 hours for ghost rider.
B
Wow! I can’t believe all the hate.
I agree with OP that the unloading/loading process could be quicker and smoother. I believe this was their point. I timed La Revolucion once and it was over 6 minutes!! I don’t think it had anything to do with safety…..just lack of hustle.
Of course OP should expect lines, but barely moving in 10 minutes?!? That is ridiculous.
They should be alternating the regular line with FastPass. Buying a FastPass doesn’t mean the normal line can just be left out of the rotation.
And my goodness …kindness, please!!!!!
AG
Yeah all he/she said was Ghostrider took super long. And the only take away people got was, “get a fast pass 4head”
People here can’t seem to quantify how sub-standard a 6 minute dispatch is, or are unaware of the issues this ride currently has. There’s a well made video called Problematic Coasters: Ghrostrider which explains the particular issue with Ghostrider loading. It has nothing to with season or day of week, as this came out before the summer season due to the reputation this ride has been building since the pandemic closures.
C'1234
All i know is safety is number one when it comes to ALL guests. Be patient. You should be thankful your ride attendant takes the time to ensure safety . Be kind. If you cant tolerate the wait…you shouldn’t be there.
Dean
The older these rides get, the more maintenance they need to be able to perform outstandingly!
That said, question begs to be answered….”Is maintenance performed by a qualified team of maintainers diligently on each and every ride, as soon as the park closes, up to time for opening for business?”
Michael
I work for dorney park&wildwater kingdom in PA as a ride operator which is another cedar fair park and I can confirm that everyday before we open the ride we test it and maintenance has to check if it works very early morning and if there is no sheet with todays date that is signed we can’t open the ride.
Dan
Knott’s has one problem Disney didn’t have- line cutting! Whole hordes of teenagers were claiming that their friends were just ahead holding their place in line. No wonder Ghost Rider had a 3 hour wait time! Absolutely no supervision!
Roy Tsutsui
Knott’s and Disneyland just keep getting worse and worse, it’s a money grab with little to no attention to the guest’s safety and comfort. I have wanted to visit Knott’s for quite a while now but everytime I read about it, it’s negative! I will NEVER go to Disneyland again and I’m reluctant to visit Knott’s until they can guarantee the safety of all of the guest’s at all times, they can afford it one way or the other.
Bill
I love knotts. And I didn’t pay much attention to how old this individual’s story was, but I have to say, I DID experience this last slow season. Once the Christmas season was over and they shortened their hours, they also stopped running multiple cars on most if not all coasters there. Almost all the rides were running one car at a time, so it wasn’t “maintenance issues”. I thought, they must be doing it to save electricity, and since I don’t know technicals of it, thats the only conclusion I came to. It was sucky to be there with almost no crowds and few people waiting in line for rides, and yet, we would have to wait for the one coaster car to do its whole course and come back instead of loading another car while the one did its thing. Huge time waster, but even with that, I appreciate the fact that I have another local park to visit than just Disney. I put this comment in just to give future knotts visitors a heads up to expect this once January comes around.
Ben
I recently made my second visit to knotts. I hated it the first time because I waited in line more than I got on rides. So knowing that I paid for the fast pass. 70 dollars for my ticket and 90 dollars for the fast pass. And it wasn’t just me. Put it another way. I spent almost 600.00 dollars for a day of fun at knotts. And guess what? I had fun! I rode ghost rider 3 times within 20 minutes. I probably rode 35-40 rides throughout 10 hours there. I paid for this. You can pay for this too. It’s not cheating. This is their setup. Every theme park has this option. So next time pay more and enjoy yourself.
Fred-a
I go there several times a year and only time I have to wait is when people pretending to be handicap keep going ahead of everyone else. Other times we have to wait is when they are changing shifts which is expected. We always have a good time and continue to be annual pass holders.
Kbfs
The reason the employees are not happy is because they are over worked and underpaid. Remember you have teenagers running these rides you put yourself and your kids on. That would be my concern… Not long lines.
Rob
Can’t complain. We visit Knots, pay for season passes, and fast passes. We do this ahead of time so we can get the must of our experience there. However no one complains about Disney which can take up to and hour for all attractions. If you go in the summer buy the fast passes.
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