Knott's- Summer 2018
Our family has passes here, so we've been many times. I'll just note a few thoughts from our last visit...
1) GhostRider- Since it reopening in 2016, it has retained its status as my favorite traditional wooden coaster. However, dues to slow operations it must be ridden at the very beginning of the day of at the very end of one wishes to avoid a 2 hour + line. (My personal conspiracy theory about the operations; Since the pre-refurb version had the highest turnstile count of any wooden coaster in North America, and the ride, particularly with two trains on the course at once was literally shaking itself apart, a conscious effort was made to reduce capacity, and thus wear and tear. The removal of the midcourse brake effectively prevents two trains from being on the course simultaneously and the long set of block brakes at the end further slows dispatch times, while reducing stress on the structure.
2) Sierra Sidewinder- a great ride with a very low height requirement (42" ). (Hopfeully, we'll see a bigger version of this at SFMM next year.) Due to the increasing popularity of Knott's recent years, it's best to hit this early since the queue can get to over an hour by midday.
3). Hangtime- a great addition that packs maximum thrills into a small area and has decent throughput. The ride also looks awesome at night.
4) Bigfoot Rapids - a solid water ride that is the longest rapids ride I've been on. I'm hope that the rumors of an overhaul complete with animatronics in 2019 come true.
5) Voyage to the Iron Reef. Although this ride gets a lot criticism, my family and I really enjoy it. Although I've never experienced the blurred visuals and resultant gun inaccuracy, I know that this type of situation, caused by the projectors and the ride vehicles not being synched isn't uncommon on JL: BFM. Overall, I view it as a solid attraction that is much more popular the KOD was the end of Berry Tales, which I remember as a perennial walk on when I was a tyke. It might benefit from some TLC, however, as it hasn't had a rehab since it opened in 2015.
6) Xcellerator - Despite my kids not being able to ride it, is my favorite ride in the park. I can only imagine what the version that was initially planned (with a high G helix would have been like. (The helix was shelved as a precaution after the death on SFMM's Goliath, as well as the fatalities on Montezooma's and Perilous Plunge in 2001.)