We're almost done taking a two-year break from Disneyland. (We have our APs which will start using right after this potentially crowded summer.) Our Knott's Season Passes helped get us through this Disney deprivation.

Here are some Knott's tips:

Bring some frozen water bottles because beverages are even more expensive than they are at our beloved Disneyland. One poster on another site recommended Knott's delicious Boysenberry juice. I concur.
Ride the Pony Express first and if no crowd is there yet and the employees will let you stay on, ride it around twice. (It's so short, it should take everyone around twice--then it's a very good ride.)
Ride the train; beware of robbers.
Ride the Stagecoach.
The bumper cars are not too slow for 10-year-olds and their parents.
Ride Windseeker in the day and again at night during Disneyland's fireworks.
In my opinion, Mystery Lodge has aged surprisingly well.
If it's hot and you see the western stunt show in the outdoor theatre, sit in a covered wagon or--if they're full--sit in the spash area near the stage.
If there is an extreme wheels stunt show, see it as early in the summer as possible. The athletes are amazing, but they are not actors and are unable to fake their enthusiasm as the summer moves into July and August.
See the saloon show in the summer. They have two funny can-can dancers in the show during the summer that might make you miss Disney's pre-Eisner Golden and Diamond Horseshoe Revues.
Jaguar is a great, first, big coaster for kids.
Accelerator is a nice, last, big coaster for aging adults.

Here's a controversial suggestion I only recommend for holders of Knott's (reasonably priced!) Season Passes who live within an hour of Knott's: save on parking by making shorter, more frequent visits. You may park for free for three hours close to (and SE of) the park entrance just past TGIF. So come for the first three hours, then drive away for a better, more reasonably priced lunch (Souplantation, Mimi's) on your way to the beach or a movie in Downtown Disney (with AMC tickets from Costco), and maybe return to Knott's for three more hours later in the day for its less crowded attractions.

Knott's Season Pass might be the best theme park deal in S. Cal.

Return for Christmas and enjoy the small stage shows in Birdcage Theater. My daughter enjoyed the Christmas parade where guest kid marchers (who've rehearsed) add a charming small town-like feel. Snoopy on Ice shows range from good to excellent.

Season passes don't include the phenomonal, transcendent Halloween Scary Farm, which you must experience. (Visit that in late Sept. for shorter lines and fresher monsters.) The Hanging is an insightful chronicle of our times; stand in the "slash area" near the stage.

Many people are hoping for music that matches Knott's large Ghost Town.
(They {RK} currently play pop music there, such as hits from the 1980s.) Maybe General Manager Raffi Kaprelyanis is being paid off by Disney to have this one glaring, audience-insulting flaw that helps make this Cedar Fair park inferior to Disney. It's unfortunate that this is one of the things he will be most well-known for; he's apparently dug in. I'm disappointed that Matt Ouimet doesn't intervene. I still love Knott's though, and I'm glad to read about all of the improvements to a park my daughter, wife and I already loved a year ago.

Hope some of the tips are helpful!
Please add more.



--Tom Sinsky