Knoebels is anything but lame - 9/14

For my 15th birthday my family and I decided to spend an afternoon at Knoebels. The weather forecast predicted a 40% chance of Thunderstorms, but we decided to head out anyways and take our chances.

Park Experience: Knoebels is easily my favorite amuesment park. It has 2 spectacular wooden coasters, one of the best dark rides, a great selection of flats, fantastic food, and the best (and fastest) employees anywhere. The atmosphere is so unique and different from other parks, and you have to love the free parking and admission, as well as paying per ride.

Food: The food is so cheap here it's scary - $1.25 for a small ice cream that really isn't small, and (I think) $13 for a 18 inch pizza. Not only that, but the pizza is so good, and their slushys don't taste like crap like they do at some parks. It's also just $2.00 for a large soda ($1.25 for a small), and it's the only park that I've been to that has white and blue Birch Beer. You also have to love the employees at the food stands - Norma at the Phoenix junction is so cool. ;)

Employees: Knoebels easily has the fastest employees I have seen. It seems as though right when you sit into the train or seat of a ride/coaster, you're right off. There was absolutely no stacking, and the lines moved fairly well on most rides. Not only are they fast, but they're entertaining and extremely friendly.

Wait Times/Crowds: In the beginning of the afternoon (Knoebels opened at 12:00) I was able to get several walk-on rides on both Phoenix and Twister with one train operation. They did switch to a 2 train operation around 2-3:00 even though the lines didn't seem to be over 10 minutes. I never waited longer than 5 minutes for any coaster, and the lines for the flats never exceeded 8 minutes.

Roller Coasters:

Twister: Twister is now, without a doubt, my favorite wooden roller coaster. Sure, the Phoenix is great, but I love how Twister is so powerful, leaving you buzzing at the end. It also has incredible laterals. The first 2 drops are great, and at the peak of the second hill you'll recieve massive airtime. The ending is exhilirating and the double helix is amazing. Gotta love the tunnel also, and the double lift. 9.2/10.

Phoenix: My first ride on Phoenix was awesome in 1:3. It seemed to be running faster than I had ever seen it run and it was throwing you all around, in a good way. It was also delievering the insane airtime it always does. I just have one problem with the ride. On the final set of bunny hills at every point of airtime I would get slammed forward and my knees would hit the seat ahead of me. It actually became painful after my fourth ride. Otherwise, this is an airtime machine with that little bit of roughness that makes a woodie great. But, I wish it did something else besides airtime (it gets a little repetitive). 8.8/10.

Whirlwind: I really enjoy any type of corkscrew roller coaster, and this is no exception. The corkscrews seem larger and more disorientating than any other, and the curve over the station is very cool. Also, the final curve that is very close to the brush is exiting. By leaning forward I recived zero headbanging. There is an uncomfortable bump at the top of the lift though. 7/10.

High Speed Thrill Coaster: My first roller coaster, and it was a good way to start out my coaster obsession. I swear, this thing is on drugs. The airtime on the bunny hill is remarkable for it being a kiddie coaster and it has some wicked laterals. 6.8/10

Rides:

1001 Nacht: After being dissappointed to see this in pieces earlier this summer, I was very pleased to see it up and running. The Conestoga at Hershey was my favorite flat ride, but this one just seemed to have a little less power than the Conestoga did. It was still a great ride though.

Downdraft: Wow! This thing is intense. I've never seen this type of ride at any other park, but it reminded me of Apollo 2000 at Dorney. There were some very nice moments of weightlessness.

Scenic Skyride: What an amazing view. It's very relaxing and I took some great pictures of the park from it. It's also fairly long.

Pioneer Train: I love this train - it goes far out into the woods and underneath the structure of Twister. I'd love to get a night ride on this.

Haunted Mansion: No wonder why this is the #2 dark ride attraction., this still scared the crap out of my even though I had ridden it before in July. The ending is also pretty freaky. If you've been on it you know what I'm talking about. ;)

Cosmotron: This ride started off great when they were playing DMB - Crash. But, when the ride actually began to move, it became a living nightmare when they began playing Britney Spears - Sometimes. If only they had kept playing DMB!

Flyers: These are, by far, much better than Hersheys flyers. I also love the setting by Whirlwind, so that when a train goes by you feel as if you really will hit it.

Best Ride: Twister - it impresses me more and more everytime. The Haunted Mansion was my favorite non-coaster ride.

Worst Ride: Cosmotron - Why did they have to play Britney Spears?!

Most Suprising Ride: Downdraft - it didn't look to intersesting, but the g's were very powerful.

Final Word: If you haven't been to Knoebels, you MUST go. Everything about it is awesome. If you're an airtime whore, you'll be satisfied with the Phoenix. If you're a lateral pimp, you'll love Twister. There's something for everyone and it is one of the most unique parks anywhere. You also have to love the cheap food and employees. Go to Knoebels. Now. :)

*** This post was edited by 3r1c 9/16/2003 6:36:56 PM ***

Great report! I can't wait till next spring!

Glad to see other peopel feel the power of Twister. The lateral airtime you recieve at the entrance of the Helix is just amazing. Phoenix has a lot of one thing, Twister has a vast assortment of forces that make it second only to Legend IMO. In fact Twister is like a small compact Legend.

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If I was part of a coaster, I would be an upstop pad on an Arrow Mine Train.
MAGNUM HAD MY BABY!

I want to go back to Knobz so bad, I haven't been since the summer they were constructing Twister. My cousins get to go there all the time since they live in PA. I really liked Phoenix and Whirlwind is interesting because its different. I think I would still have to give Phoenix around top spot on my woodies list. When I was there they had a great flat colled the aXs but that's gone now, I think they replaced it with a Zamperla powersurge which looks insane too.

Knoebel's is a great family park. They have everything from an outstanding kiddie section to some supreme wooden coasters (the Phoenix easily as one of the best in the country). I can't wait for the addition of the new coaster. Downdraft made me sick though...I don't think the 3 slices of pizza helped though...!

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"Get busy living or get busy dying"
~Shawshank Redemption

Twister and Phoenix are both awesome, awesome coasters IMO Phoenix is the better of the two though. I really hope i see someone at Phunfest. If you wanna meet please feel free to email me at RiddlersRevenge3@verizon.net if you want to meet somewhere. Great TR though!

I was there about a month ago (first time) and I'll say this about Twister: its one of the roughest coasters I've ever been on. That being said, its also 100% awsome. Has it always run with that much shuffle in the turns, though? I rode in the back and in the front, and in all of the tight turns, like the real real low one under the first big turnaround, the cars shuffled and shimmied violently like it was going out of style. After my first ride, I felt totally violated, lol, but after that I knew what was coming.

I guess it was just because Phoenix was so swift and delightful and Twister was so kick-ass and hell bent on beating the hell out of me. :) In a good way.

It's not rough, its just violent in an excellent way, like Legend which I compare it to so often.

Twister hurts good, it just kicks your ass in such a great way it leaves you wanting more.

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If I was part of a coaster, I would be an upstop pad on an Arrow Mine Train.
MAGNUM HAD MY BABY!

Heh, I made my first trip to Knoebel's 6 weeks ago and am finally glad to see these opinions as I too can now "come out" :)

I thought Twister was better than Phoenix also. I hadn't seen that anywhere before this but it's nice to know others share that opinion.

As far as the roughness, I wouldn't call Twister rough at all. Once you ride a rough coaster, you'll realize how Twister is powerful as opposed to rough. My daughter didn't have a problem on it and she's 5. (then again she's been on Hercules and Mean Streak too :) )

I guess everyone has different tastes, but I'd be hard pressed to call anything about Twister "rough".

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Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 17

It's good to see that others here like Twister (though I'm not sure hwo it compared to Mr. Twister). I agree that the laterals entering the helix are insane. I also agree that Twister has the good kind of rough that leaves you buzzing rather than leaving you with a headache.

Phoenix is a great ride, but I guess I'm just not an airtime whore. There are some pretty wicked laterals on the turn arounds though. :)

BTW, does anyone know what happened to aXs?

*** This post was edited by 3r1c 9/17/2003 5:00:30 PM ***

The Zamperla Mixer moved to a seaside park in New Jesey, I believe. I have video of the ride from one of those "Extreme Rides" shows on Discovery, and it didn't look all that exciting. I don't know if they did it on a regular basis, but in the footage they ran a fog machine which really enhanced the lighting package underneath the seats. Power Surge is awesome, and probably a better ride.
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aXs was a pretty fun ride [ at least the one time I was on it]. I always wondered why they took it out. I hope they stick with Zamperla for 1 more flat [my favorite]: the Hawk 48 [Meteor]. For some reason I think Hawk 48s are awesome, so much fun. I would really be happy if a Hawk was added, but a HUSS Top Spin would be nice as well...

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3r1c said:
It's good to see that others here like Twister (though I'm not sure hwo it compared to Mr. Twister).

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I recently meet a guy who had ridden both the Twister and Mr Twister (I am sure there are actually many people out there who have). He said, while Twister's layout is significantly different, it gives the same kind of ride that Mr. Twister gave, the ride experiance is the same, which is what Fetterman was after.

Which does he like better, he said Mr. Twister, but only by a hair, and probably only because of nostoga reasons.

Personally, I'll take the Phoenix's airtime anyday :)

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Ask yourself; When was the last time YOU visited Conneaut Lake Park?

Bah! The Phoenix is the superior ride. ;) Of course, I am definitely an air whore, so Phoenix delivers in spades.

TalonJosh - If you want to meet people at PPP, it's not hard. Check people's profile pcitures, figure out what they look like, and introduce yourself when you see 'em at the park. (You will. It's a pretty small park area-wise and at least 30 'buzzers will be there).

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

....but with all the costumes, some of them may be hard to recognize....;)
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You summed up everything that's great about Knoebels, from the food (omg, the ice cream...) to the coasters, to the flats, to the free admission and parking. Well done!

While I personally prefer the Phoenix, I'm also more of an airtime whore than a lateral fan.....but Twister still rocks. :)

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Harry Baer IV

"It's not going to stop 'til you wise up..."
*** This post was edited by Baeritone 10/2/2003 11:01:31 AM ***

Knoebels decided to trade Axs for Power Surge because they had maintanance problems with it, and it became too much I guess. The thing I don't like is that they didn't build a new foundation for the ride, its just sitting on top of the one built for Axs. Oh well, haha, glad you had a great time. As Baeritone said, you pretty much summed up everything great there is! I can't wait untill 2004, since the "tent" is up at the website, "Do Not Disturb Untill 2004", although Dick is prone to letting a little something out at PPP ;-)

knoebels is awesome....

phoenix is amazing, twister was sweet, and the park was just overall pretty darn kool

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