SFMM or Knotts Berry Farm?

Watch out. The crowds are insane at DL this time of year. I understand there was gridlock on Main Street a couple weeks back. That is, nobody was able to move. Panicked people called 911 and they had to let people backstage to relieve the crowding. Even after that it took a half hour to clear out.

That being said, there's a good reason for the crowds.

Go to Knott's before all the charm is gone.

What, does CF have a history of killing a park's atmosphere or something? ;)

One more vote for Disneyland. I'll take one day at DL over a week doing all the other SoCal parks. (Hey, I did just that past July.) Besides, it's the 50th and what they've done is AMAZING

I'd go back just to ride Space Mountain, as it was closed when I was there. Maybe by the time I get back, the Rocket Mountain evening program will be running as well.

Oh my Gosh, the new Space Mountain is in my top 10. It's SO much fun! I rode the WDW version a few weeks later and was really disappointed in comparison. THe thing feels like a B&M, the music is amazing, and the effects are great!

I couldn't agree more. Space Mountain is in my top 10 as well. This ride is the whole package.

I personally like Knott's better. But SFMM has the most coasters for your buck.

It is freakin cold at this time of the year in Valencia though, and the park is only open weekends.

Knott's will be open every day but Xmas, and the weather is warmer right now.

SFMM if you just want to hit lots of coasters, Knott's if you want to enjoy some shows, flats, and good wood as well.

If you have the choice, park hop between DCA and DL. Be sure to use those fastpasses though, as it has been mentioned, DL is incredibly busy. It's been so busy some days that the turnstiles have closed to DL!

If your'e choice is limited to SFMM or Knott's, it depends on what you are looking for in your day. SFMM is under construction, which has closed Revolution, Roaring Rapids, Ninja and Superman might be closed as well. Operating coasters will be limited to X, Viper, Deja Vu (temp. depending), Riddler, Batman, Scream, and Goliath, Collosuss, Psyclone (avoid, and Goldrusher. Two water rides might be open, Log Jammer and Splashdown, not sure if you'd want to hit Tidal Wave in the winter. Flats are nothing special.

Knott's. Most things should be open, no guarantee on Xcellerator. Coaster wise, Ghostrider and Silver Bullet are standouts, a couple of the older ones are okay - Jaguar, Boomerang (head smasher at times), and Montezuma's Revenge. The flat variety is better - Supreme Scream, La Rev. (although if you are a person of size, tall or broad shouldered may not fit)are unique in our region. Avoid Perilous Plunge, if open, unless you want to be soaked.

Knott's does decorate for the holidays, SFMM does not. Food is better at Knotts, and SFMM is surounded by a huge variety of places to eat 10 min in Valencia, in park food is average.

So, coasters is your focus - absolutely SFMM for the variety. More a light theme park experience with a few good coasters, Knott's. The complete package - DCA/DL park hopping.

Isn't X closed as well due to off-season maintanence?

Is the new Space Mountain better than the old one? I thought that the layout remained the same so I assume that any improvements would refer to smoothness or theming.

The Layout is the same, but it is crazy smooth, seems much faster, the audio is amazing, and the effects are MUCH improved. Overall it adds up to one of the most fun coasters I've ever been on. It's my favorite coaster in California I think! I wish the Florida and Tokyo versions would be given the same improvements.

My southern California trip included all three parks and I liked SFMM the least. They've added new rides since but at the time I was hard pressed to find a thrill that I couldn't find in or near Ohio. I also thought the place was rundown and trashy.

Disneyland was fantastic- I'd been to Magic Kingdom at WDW many times and I couldn't believe how much better DL was.

The unexpected highlight tho, was Knott's. I had an extra day in LA after my friends left, so I chose to go to Knotts by myself. They told me I'd breeze through the park in three hours. I wound up spending the whole day, exploring a beautiful park, riding the rides many times, and eating the best fried chicken I've ever had.

Someone said it a few posts back and I agree- If all you want to do all day is ride coasters then SFMM should be your place. If you want an better overall park experience you absolutely should go with Knott's.

I like the Florida verison of the ride, and even though I have never experienced the California version, I'm not sure I'd want to give up the one I'm familiar with. I like the "Jet Star in the dark" feel of the WDW Space Mountain, very much like a Matterhorn through space. Of course, I wouldn't mind the Disneyland Space Mountain placed in Florida as a different ride, even though that's not likely to happen with Expedition Everest!

Oh well... one of a few reasons to return to So Cal one day.

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janfrederick said:
Watch out. The crowds are insane at DL this time of year. I understand there was gridlock on Main Street a couple weeks back. That is, nobody was able to move. Panicked people called 911 and they had to let people backstage to relieve the crowding. Even after that it took a half hour to clear out.

That being said, there's a good reason for the crowds.

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I was also going to mention that. I agree DL is the best Left Coast park, but I would totally avoid it until after the holidays. They've already had to close the gates several times since Thanksgiving due to the park reaching maximun capacity. Great park, but can be miserable in such crowded conditions. Come back another time and you'll have a great experience, but right now is not the time to go unless you want to deal with the record breaking crowds DL is experiencing this season.

Rob - It is very much the "Jet Star In The Dark" The ambiance is darker so you can't see the track at all, yet somehow the starfield is more intense, thick and bright. It's quite an improvement I thought! Even if they kept the track the same, I wish they would employ the same effect in FL.

Also, about the crowdsat DL, while they are bad, they can be dealt with very well....

Let me play Disney Nerd here for a second....

With proper planning, use of fastpass, and the occasional single rider, one can ride a TON during a busy day. I went the Monday of the actual 50th in July and it was PACKED. I hadn't been in 6 years and wanted to ride everything I could.

Here's what we rode in one packed day that I can remember: Park hours 8am-midnight

Splash Mt. - Twice, Space Mt. - Twice, Indiana Jones - Twice, Big Thunder, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Pooh, Mr Toad, Pinnochio, Matterhorn, Roger Rabbit, Buzz, Tower of Terror, Soarin over California, California Screamin, Mulholland Madness, Fireworks, Fantasmic

Could all that be possible now? Maybe...I couldn'tbelieve we pulled it off on such a crazy day!

Call me naive but I have never been able to get the FastPass system to work to my advantage. Regardless of how I do things, I end up spending more time running to an attraction's FastPass machine, getting a pass, running to another attraction's FastPass machine, getting a ticket, running back to the first attraction to use the pass, running to another attraction's FastPass machine... I'm sure you get the idea.

I like that FastPass makes the lines on some rides bearable but overall, I think the system leads to more problems than solutions. I'm tempted to say that I'd rather there be no FastPass at all, but I admit there are times when it has enabled me to do more than I expected under less-than-ideal cirumstances.

Getting back to Space Mountain, isn't the star field effect employed on the Florida ride too? Or is the star field on the new CA ride much better than the one on the older FL Space Mountain?

I understand....I learned some great tips for using fastpass online and in the unofficial guidebook.

The star field is there in Florida, but the new one in CA is about 25Xs better. It is MUCH more intense and feels completely 3 dimentional. It's like the whole inside is filled with millions of stars swirling in 3 dimentions and the stars are quite bright, yet the overall ambient light level is so low you can't see the track, which I thought was awesome. *** Edited 12/20/2005 10:33:05 PM UTC by Peabody***