Jophish said:
Though I wasn't the biggest fan of the place, I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't "my thing" per se. However, I still think it had a good atmosphere.
You were just afraid of riding coasters that don't have seatbelts ;)
I think the true atmosphere of Knoebels lies in the whole lack of the coperate mentality behind it. It is a family business, run by a group of dedicated people that love their park, and it shows. They don't put in a new ride because the statistics say that is what they need to put in, they put it in because they like the ride, and they think their guests will like it.
Sure, the paths may be gravel covered, the toilets may not have seats, the pizza may not be as good as some say (I think those some don't know what good pizza is), but it is more then made up for by the family affair that the park is, and the general quirkiness that has resulted, not to mention rides run the way they were meant to be (well, except the Whipper, it could be faster).
I've been there twice and the last was PPP 2002 or 3 I don't remember. It didn't compare at all to the 2 SRM events I've been too. The only place that everyone was into was the Flyers. The only ride op that was into was the guy on the HSTC. He was great!! The rest of the ops were just working another night.
Maybe it just me but the Phoenix seemed to be running slower than it had with my previous trip the summer a year before. Probably just the 25 degree temp difference.
I doubt I'll make it up there again until they add another coaster.
Cyclonic said:
You were just afraid of riding coasters that don't have seatbelts ;)
That story never gets old :)
BeastFan, I don't generally buy into the GTA's much, but the food at Knoebels was very good and I can see it as being top-5 worth, although I myself prefer the food at Williamsburg and Dollywood. The tacos and chili from the International Food were very good (this coming from someone with way too many good Mexican resteraunts in his hometown to choose from) and the funnel cakes were about as good as it gets as well. Plus, it was cheap. Yea, Universal has some good food in the CityWalk and to me BGW's Trappers Smokehouse is hard to beat even outside of a park, but they both are much more expensive than Knoebels.
The food service employees throughout the entire park didn't seem to want to be there at all, like they were being forced to be there aginst there will or something...
Imagine that you are a god who likes to build amusement parks for all of the cute little humans to visit. This time you create a park, you think it would be cool to just put all of your rides (including coasters), attractions, and buildings into a large cup, shake them around while holding the top of the cup so nothing falls out, and then pour the cups contents out like rolling dice, onto a plot of land that has gravel in place of grass, and trees growing wherever they want to. After picking up whatever fell into the creek/stream and finding a place to put them, and turning any up-side-down things around, you stand back and think what a stupid, cluttered park you have just built. Just as you start to pick up the pieces and start over, little humans flood the admission booth, and start to get on all of those nifty attractions you designed. You decide to let it stay as is, but scratch you head and wonder why the silly humans like such a dump.
Even though I think the "park" has no real atmosphere, I still love some of the great rides there with a passion. Twister is way up there on my list and the haunted house is the best of the best, imho.
People are always saying how cheap the rides are. Buy an all day ride pass, add on the all day coasters pass, add a few dollars for the Haunted House, add a few dollars for the sky ride, add the pool admission, and a few dollars for the waterslides, and then tell me it is any cheaper than Hersheypark or Dorney-even when you factor in the free parking. I do not understand how value is percieved here. A whole day at Knoebels is just as pricy as a whole day anywhere else.
I expect a lot of peoples opinion to differ from mine, and I am not saying you are wrong and I am right. I am saying that I simply do not understand why people hold Knoebels in such high regard...
...At least it's unique.
I will say this, if your idea of "atmosphere" is something conceived in a boardroom with a slick presentation by some advertising agency, featuring cartoon characters from some mass media outlets, and built by some firm who specializes in synergy and other nifty buzzwords, then no, Knoebels doesn't have that kind of atmosphere. And they don't charge $45 to share that atmosphere with you either.
I like the fact that I can just drop by for 2 hours, hop on a few rides, grab a quick bite and drink, and spend maybe 10-12 bucks. And still take tickets home with me-- or maybe hand them to some family. That to me is more important than patterned concrete walkways or theming out the wazoo.
I don't really have a problem with the food, either. I think it compares quite well to the quality and value you get in other parks. And yes, I remember that it is "park" food. If I want a really good meal, there are many other places I can go in the area. (If you want, I can recommend a few).
Knoebels' market is local families and retirees who are more interested in getting value for their money and don't really gives a rat's ass
about style over substance. I read these threads occasionally, and think, yeah a few of the buildings could use some renovation. Then I also realize that until I read it here, I never gave it a thought.
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