Friday, June 28, 2024

Camp Snoopy reopened but still needs work!

Yesterday Camp Snoopy was technically re-opened to the public but most of it was in an unfinished state, with construction walls everywhere. They didn't even have an entrance sign...not even the restrooms were open...wtf? 

What they opened - Tenderpaw Twister and Off-Road Rally - look cool but they both suffer from horrible ride capacity, a problem since both attractions occupy the space of two former attractions each. The coaster is also overly constrictive with size limitations - making it difficult for parents to ride with their children - the whole advertised point of this revamp. The coaster space removed a lot of mature trees, resulting in a concrete desert of a queue that looks bad and must be terrible to wait in (especially if you get turned down for size and your child can't ride alone). 

Camp Snoopy is now down three attractions - Camp Bus, Huff n Puff and Woodstock's Airmail. Add to that two unfinished attractions - Camp Swing and Beagle Express - and you're down five attractions with two new attractions featuring horrible capacity. I wouldn't recommend anybody waste their time at Camp Snoopy right now with the state its in.

Let's hope that 2025 features a Phase 2 for Campy Snoopy in addition to the Fiesta Village Phase 2. Would be nice to finish what they started and get rid of that temporary looking area that replaced the theatre. It not only looks worse than the play area they demolished but its downright embarrassing.

Tough Day At The Office For Camp Snoopy Reopen!

Knott’s Camp Snoopy not quite ready for grand reopening

Knott’s Berry Farm cut the red ribbon on the reimagined Camp Snoopy with folding scissors from a giant Swiss Army pocket knife, but the refreshed kiddie land was not ready for the grand reopening with more than half of the new additions unfinished or slashed from the budget.

Camp Snoopy returned on Thursday, June 27 during a media ceremony at the Buena Park theme park after a seven-month refurbishment of the 41-year-old Peanuts themed land.

The plan for the Camp Snoopy makeover called for a new family coaster, super-sized kids swing and outdoor theater and an updated off-road rally race and miniature train ride while removing two original attractions from the themed land that opened in 1983.

Construction delays, adverse weather and shrinking budgets all played a role in the kiddie land debuting to the public in an unfinished state.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Friday, June 7, 2024

Knott's scaling back Campy Snoopy expansion!

So it has come to my attention that Knott's has silently scaled back the previously announced Campy Snoopy expansion scheduled to open this summer. The nicest and most anticipated addition - the new Camp Theater - has been cancelled and replaced with green space. The fate of Woodstock's Airmail and the lookout to be built above the barrel bridge is up in the air but presumed dead.

This is an unsettling trend from Knott's lately, as starting with the Fiesta Village they can't seem to finish a project as planned / announced. Is this bad luck, poor planning, bad management or Cedar Fair budget cutting? Whatever it is I hope they can figure it out

Friday, March 1, 2024

Knott’s Berry Farm launches pay-per-ride option to rival Disneyland

Knott’s Berry Farm has torn a page from the Disneyland and Six Flags playbooks with a new pay-per-ride option that will let riders skip the line on the most popular roller coasters and dark rides without paying for an all-day Fast Lane pass.

Knott’s Berry Farm has quietly rolled out a new pay-per-ride option that charges $7.50 and up per individual ride as part of the Fast Lane front-of-the-line program.


Read the rest at OCRegister

MonteZOOMa reimagining now slated for 2025!!!

Soo there has been a lot of rumors lately causing panic among people concerning the fate of Monte. I haven't reported on them as they weren't even really rumors, just speculation that didn't have me convinced. So what were they:

Last month Knott's updated their park map which didn't include MonteZOOMa on it. The park website still had Monte listed on it and the map doesn't have any of the future Camp Snoopy attractions in it, so to me not an accurate representation of what's to come. Could just be a temporary change to keep public focus on Camp Snoopy.

Cedar Fair's SEC filing mentions a terminated project at Knott's. This is known. Not new. The project as it was and with the manufacturers they were using was terminated. Doesn't mean they stopped looking for new people to restart the project.

When photos of Knott's team surveying Monte surfaced I had a gut feeling it was them getting things in order. It has been too long with nothing said for it to have been cancelled. Now if only I had the same confidence in Mystery Lodge coming back...

Work now "re-zooming" on MonteZOOMa!

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav not ready to make deal for Paramount but options remain on table

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav "is not in deal mode," and his conversations about a potential tie-up with rival studio Paramount Global are said to be more exploratory, suggesting that the speculation of a near-term mega media merger between the two outfits is more wishful thinking than real, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Read the rest at
FoxBusiness


Knott's News: Doesn't seem like it's gonna happen. It does however seem like Paramount Global is on the market, and I wouldn't be surprised if Comcast bought them to bolster Peacock and integrate some of that valuable IP into the Universal Parks. I think Star Trek, Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob have stood the test of time and are safe bets for park integration (SpongeBob and Transformers are already in Universal Studios). 

Once again, all speculation. Would've been cool to see the three IP I mentioned in Cedar Fair parks like Kings Island (I'm a huge Star Trek fan) but Warner still offers them plenty of IP to play with. Its just a question about wether Cedar Fair is serious about immersive entertainment and theming.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Warner Bros. Discovery in talks to merge with Paramount Global

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday in New York City to discuss a possible merger, Axios has learned from multiple sources.

Read the rest at
Axios


Knott's News: Ummm...so Warner Bros has a licensing agreement with Six Flags, which will be extended to Cedar Fair after their merger, buuuttt the question becomes whether that will then extend Paramount Global assets to the parks (Star Trek, Nickelodeon, Ninja Turtles, etc.)? That would be some serious IP to leverage and an interesting return for the former Paramount Parks. All speculation at this point that wouldn't affect Knott's but something to think about.

Monday, December 11, 2023

Last chance to ride Huff and Puff, the High Sierra Ferris Wheel, and the Rocky Mountain Trucking Company on January 7th!

Knott's News: I was hearing rumors that Huff and Puff was going to be part of the Camp Snoopy’s Off Road Rally reimagining of Rocky Mountain Trucking Company. Guess this confirms it. Makes me feel a little better about Monte's status but not enough to let my guard down. Hopefully we have a separate announcement soon to let us know what's going on there. I'm just surprised that they're not even starting demolition until 5 months before opening is scheduled Memorial Day.

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Knott’s Berry Farm adding 4 rides in Camp Snoopy makeover

One goal of the Camp Snoopy refresh is to make Knott’s visitors feel like they are joining the Peanuts characters during a day at camp, according to Cedar Fair Creative Development Director Ken Parks, who headed up the Camp Snoopy makeover.

“How would the Peanuts kids use Camp Snoopy if this were a real camp?” Parks said during an online video interview. “That’s really at the core. It will feel like the kids go to camp here.”

Read the rest at
OCRegister


Knott's News: This will answer a lot of questions people may have: 

Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster is replacing Timberline Twister and Camp Bus. 
Sally’s Swing Along is replacing the High Sierra Ferris Wheel. 
The Meet & Greet Headquarters that was introduced during the 30th Anniversary will be removed and the characters dispersed throughout the land. 
Rocky Mountain Trucking Company will be expanded and renamed Camp Snoopy’s Off Road Rally (no word on whether the expansion will be utilizing Monte's footprint or if its relocating entirely as the video shows it side-by-side with the train).
The Grand Sierra Railroad will be rethemed to Beagle Express with new show scenes and an electric engine replacing the classic steam engine (this explains all the land clearing we've been seeing under Silver Bullet). 
Camp Snoopy Theater will be relocated and redone with a much more permanent setup. 
The Grizzly Creek Lodge will be rethemed to a camp ground mess hall, and Woodstock's Airmail will be relocated as rumored. 

It sounds like it'll be pretty well in-line with the Fiesta Village overhaul as far as creating thematic consistency and expanded storytelling (I love that Sally’s Swing Along will have music to accompany it, much like SolSpin). I think the video they released doesn't give us a great idea of what they're planning, as we don't see the interconnectivity and too much of them look like they were made in Planet Coaster with generic landscaping / theming.

Camp Snoopy - More to Explore in 2024

Reimagined Camp Snoopy opening Memorial Day weekend 2023!

Cross into the world of the reimagined Camp Snoopy and become an official camper, joining Snoopy and the PEANUTS Gang for the camp's annual jamboree, a fun week of camp competitions and activities.

An off-road adventure, a new family roller coaster, a giant swing, and the carefree fun of summer camp bring so much to explore starting in 2024 at Knott’s Berry Farm next summer. Check out these exciting details about the six-acre, reimagined Camp Snoopy, the place where the iconic PEANUTS™ Gang made its first debut outside the comic strip back when it opened in 1983.

Inspired by the California High Sierras, Camp Snoopy allows campers of all ages to become full-fledged Beagle Scouts as they explore new rides, new character experiences, new entertainment, a new dining hall, camp store, plus more seating and ambiance.

Read the rest at
Knott'sBerryFarm

Monday, December 4, 2023

Knott's 2024 Camp Snoopy reveal coming 12/7!

Friday, November 17, 2023

Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto reveals "Rumrunners" dark ride pitch for Knott's Roaring 20's area

Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto reveals a secret nod to Knott's at EDL