Knotts Berry Farm questions??

[Bob O]

How busy should the park be the first month of Dec,??
And what is Christmas craft???? I see that the craft part is open 1 hr longer than the normal park hours, is this inside or outside the park??

 

[Sonya in Boise]

I don't think KBF will be very crowded. My mother in law was there for Spring Break last year and all the rides were walk on's, so I would assume an off week in Dec, would be the same.

I don't know anything about the Craft.

I do know that most who have gone to Knotts AFTER being at DL have been very disapointed. Most of the trip reports I have read from people who have spend a few days at DL then went to Knotts, have left Knotts early and spent the rest of the day at DL. The consenus seems to be there is no "magic" at Knotts. The little details that make DL DL are not at Knotts.

I have been to Knotts many times and enjoyed it, but I have never been to Knotts after being at DL, so I don't have any first hand knowledge of this "feeling".

 

[Bob O]

Thanks Sonya!!! Im not worried about any comparsion between knotts/DL.Im going to there to enjoy the great roller coasters like Ghostrider/Xcelerator and im not expecting a experience similiar to DL.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>I've always enjoyed going to Knotts. It has a slower pace than Disneyland, and a charm all its own, in my opinion.

Beginning on Thanksgiving Day, or the day after, Knotts Merry Farm hosts a number of vendors selling crafts in the Ghost Town portion of the park. They charge a nominal price to enter this part of the park, and for additional $, guests can also get tickets to Snoopy on Ice (an ice show featuring Snoopy & friends in the park), and tickets to the Ghostrider wooden rollercoaster. There is also a 'barn' where kids can get a picture with Santa Claus and where they can make wooden necklaces and do other crafts. I go almost every year to this craft show mostly for the atmosphere. Knotts has Dickens carolers, as well as other entertainment during this time, and it's just fun to go.

People with normal park tickets will be able to go into any part of the park, and people with craft tickets can only go into the ghost town area of the park.

As for crowds - yes, there will be crowds on the weekends, but it's very doable.

If you like to try different foods, Knotts is famous for its fried chicken at the Chicken Restaurant (outside the park), and famous for its funnel cakes with boysenberry sauce. These are sold by the log ride and outside the gates in the shopping area.

 

[roymccoy]

Shouldn't be crowded at all, Bob. Knott's gets a little kick up in attendance for Thanksgiving and Christmas with their Crafts Fair, but it's nominal.
The Crafts Fair is a series of booths with various Christmas gifts and decorations being sold. (Glassblower, chainsaw artist, etc.) They usually have a separate admission price if you just want to go to that, or you can pay full admission and go to the Fair and the park. This makes the fair section more crowded than the park but as soon as you walk past the barriers, the park is usually yours. The first week of December should be pretty quiet...the kids are still in school.

Have a blast!

Roy

P.S. When I was a kid, my family had a booth at the Crafts Fair! One of the Knott sisters signed us up!! We sold Christmas bear ornaments that my mom made. It's one of my favorite Knott's memories!

 

[Bob O]

Thanks for the info, i hope this doesnt mean longer lines for Ghostrider. I see that this portion of the park is open 1 hr later, does that mean rides are still open, or just the crafts??

 

[roymccoy]

I might be wrong, but I think Ghostrider is part of the craft fair area, meaning that even people who pay the $3-4 to get into the crafts fair can ride Ghostrider. That's the way it was a couple of years ago but it makes sense that it would be open a little longer hours to make room for all the craft fair people.

Roy

 

[Bob O]

So is Ghostride open later during the xtra-hour??
And is their any truth to the rumor that Camp Snoopy is closed for renovation????

 

[roymccoy]

Don't know about Ghostrider but Camp Snoopy is open....(sort of...) They have closed the Petting Zoo, animal show and airplane ride. They have totally removed those attractions and are going to put in a mini version of their new ride, Accelerator. I for one, was not happy to hear that the animals were removed. Another cost saving cut that takes away a treasured memory. What's next? Remove Ghost Town? I'm sure a big ride would fit nicely in there.

Roy

 

[Bob O]

Is their going to be alot else to do in camp snoopy with the current work being done!!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

There will be tons. Camp Snoopy is huge. You can watch for updates at Westcoaster.net.

 

[Bob O]

Thanks for the link Uncle Buck!!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

You bet. While the affected attractions have been removed, I would expect that it will have little impact on your visit. It's rare for Knott's to begin construction until the holiday season is over. I think their removal was based on timing of offseason and the coming of less favorable weather.

Our 4YO daughter really enjoyed Woodstock's Air Mail, the train, Charlie Brown's Speedway (NASCAR-themed whip ride), and the coaster. We spent an hour-and-a-half on a slow day and didn't come close to seeing everything.

Whatever you do, don't miss the Mystery Lodge!

You'll have a great time. The there are many very talented artisans at the Crafts Festival. It's truly an incredible time to visit Knott's.

 

[roymccoy]

Actually, we heard from a CM at Knott's that the decision to take out the animal attractions in Camp Snoopy now, instead of after X-mas was two-fold.
One, insurance rates were to go up January 1st for any attraction with animals and two, new California State regulations as to the treatment of animals go into affect January 1st and it would have called for more Vet visits and a total refurbishment of the cage areas. He also said that the Stagecoach is living on borrowed time because of the horses that pull it being affected by the same things. It's simply cheaper to build a ride and have a $7 an hour high school kid push a button instead of maintaining an attraction with animals. Ironically, most of the animals were donated to the local 4-H club in Buena Park but they sell most of their animals to continue funding the program. Oh well....that's progress I guess.


Roy

 

[Bob O]

Again thanks for the info, im sure my daughter who is 6yrs old will really enjoy Knotts. escpecially compared to SFMM which will have little for her to do from what i have read.

 

[roymccoy]

my wife reminded me that the CM told us one more reason for the animal show and petting is closing. Some sort of animal resue group had been giving Knotts money in exchange for letting them use their cage facilities. Many of the animals there were from this group. The group has since stopped their association (and funding) with Knott's.

Roy