Coaster reviews

Fun Intensity Rattle

I liked Hurler far more than most seem to. Hurler was rattly, but not so rattly it was painful. I particularly enjoyed the sweeping turns Hurler did. It feels like it has a lot of speed going, and that makes it fun. It doesn't do anything particularly spectacularly, it's just fun.

Nice surprise! Comfort Rattle Capacity

Nighthawk was far better than I was expecting. Nighthawk isn't the best coaster ever, but it's a pretty solid depth coaster. I rode in the back row and felt a small rattle being absorbed by the seat pretty well. The seat was actually fairly comfortable. The vertical loop was outstanding. Nighthawk does suffer from long lines though, so be sure to hit it up early.

Nice surprise! Intensity

Sierra Sidewinder is a smaller coaster, and it's located in Camp Snoopy. These factors combined to give me pretty mild expectations for Sierra Sidewinder. These expectations were absolutely shattered by my first ride on it. Sierra Sidewinder packs a huge punch for a coaster of its size. It rides very low to the ground at times, creating the illusion that you'll have your face dragged along the ground. All the while, every turn feels way tighter than it needs to be. Sierra Sidewinder is outstanding for a family coaster, but it's not on par with some of the larger stuff at Knott's.

Pace Layout Rattle

Roar is really fun. It's very long, and it's got a lot of great headchopper moments. There are a lot of fun positive g's. Unfortunately, all these years of positive g's have lead to a pretty uncomfortable ride, as it feels like it's grinding against every moment with positives. Roar isn't the best woodie ever, but it's pretty good.

Theming Launch Rattle

Flight of Fear is an incredibly themed launch coaster. The theming in the spaghetti bowl is not fantastic, but the queue is well-themed. This theme isn't super cohesive, but it works. The ride itself is pretty fun, but it does have a noticeable rattle. The layout is pretty whippy. The ride is good, but not great.

Layout Rattle

Roar wasn't a perfect ride, but it was good. The layout was amazing, plenty of length and potentially great moments. It had a lot of positive G forces, but that led to a kinda rough ride. Roar wasn't rough enough not to be fun, but it wasn't outstanding.

Theming Dead spots

Expedition Everest would be an absolutely bizarre, but generally mediocre roller coaster without the theming. Everest isn't amazingly forceful throughout most of its layout. The helix is pretty good. What makes this coaster amazing is the theming. There's a fantastic story told through this coaster. All the dead spots are deliberate to maximize the theming. Everest is a masterpiece blend of theming and thrill.

Location Layout Duration Rattle Discomfort

Loch Ness Monster is an amazing Arrow. The loops are fantastic. The ride is beautiful. The helix is fun. However, there are a few moments where the ride shows its age. There's some rough transitions, particularly after the first hill and after the helix. The trains are uncomfortable for taller riders. However, the ride is extremely fun in spite of its flaws.

Pace Smoothness Too short

Tennessee Tornado is amazing while it lasts, but it's incredibly short. The inversions are a little wonky, but this isn't noticeable from on the ride. It produces great forces through each inversion. There's even some understated theming. Tennessee Tornado just suffers from being far too short. Right when it feels like it should get insane, it hits the final brake run. It's great, but not perfect.

Lap Bar Nice surprise! Launch

Joker's Jinx is great. It's the best coaster at the park. It's kinda loud, particularly during the launch, but the launch is great. The ride is smooth. It's a perfect amount of whippy. Joker's Jinx was much better than expected.

First Drop Smoothness Dead spots Layout

Dominator is a pretty good floorless coaster. Dominator starts off strong, and just diminishes in quality from there. The first drop is outstanding, and the first loop is amazing. By the time you get to the end, the speed is gone, and the ride feels like it should have been over a long time ago. Dominator is incredibly smooth, and it is fun the whole way through.

Inversions Location Smoothness Theming

Silver Bullet is not a spectacular invert, but it doesn't really do anything badly. It has one strong overbank that feels like an inversion, that moment is particularly powerful. The corkscrews at the end are amazing. After the cobra roll, Silver Bullet does pick up in intensity. Silver Bullet is great, but not elite.

Theming Fun Duration Dead spots

Incredicoaster, as with most Disney coasters, is not amazing. However, it is extremely fun. It is one of the longest coasters in the world. The loop is a bit rattly, but fun. The theming, while subpar by Disney standards, is still pretty good. The final helix is extremely fun. You do get a little airtime over the first major hill. Incredicoaster doesn't do anything spectacularly, but it does so much that it is still really fun.

Smoothness Layout Theming

Medusa is super fun. The inversions are great. The ride is smooth. Medusa packs a strong punch. Medusa is a bit on the ugly side, but it's a fun ride nonetheless.

Theming Inversions Launch Too short Reliability

Volcano was a great coaster. The launches were amazing, particularly the second launch. The inversions were all extremely fun.Volcano wasn't a statistical beast or anything. It was just pure fun. The inversions were slow enough that the slowness was fun. The launches were powerful. It was a very well-done ride.

Location Fun Rattle Dead spots

Apollo's Chariot is pretty good overall, but fairly mediocre as far as B&M hypers go. The turnaround is really the star of Apollo's Chariot. The big hills don't consistently deliver. Apollo's second half is quite strong, however. Apollo is also in the perfect location for a B&M hyper. Absolutely beautiful. Apollo is pretty good, but not outstanding.

First Drop Inversions Too short

Griffon is very fun. The first drop, both in the hanging aspect, and just as a drop, is amazing. Both inversions are outstanding too. Griffon meanders at the end a bit, and it's pretty short, but Griffon is a good ride.

Pace Intensity Duration Rattle Discomfort

Thunderhead is an outstanding wooden coaster. It maintains absurd intensity all the way to the final brake run. There isn't much airtime on Thunderhead, but there are a lot of laterals. It does laterals amazingly. Thunderhead is extremely long too. The station fly-by is really fun. Thunderhead in general is just fun.

Lap Bar Inversions Hangtime

HangTime very good. I felt like the namesake drop didn't do much for me. I think that it would be cooler if I hadn't done a B&M Dive before. However, the inversions are spectacular, and give great hangtime. There's even a few powerful airtime moments. HangTime is a little on the short end, but not excessively so. I also don't like vertical lifts, which HangTime does. However, with a lap bar, a vertical lift becomes more tolerable. The lap bar also exacerbates the hangtime found on the inversions. HangTime isn't perfect, but it's pretty good.

Pace Intensity Smoothness Too short

Afterburn is an incredible ride. It maintains great intensity from start to finish. There is no rattle to be seen on Afterburn. Everything Afterburn does is outstanding. The problem lies in what it doesn't do. Afterburn ends far too soon. It has a ton of energy ready to be unleashed, and bam, you're done. The inversions are great, particularly the batwing. It's constantly diving in and out of trenches. All in all, a great inverted coaster.

Nice surprise! Launch Intensity Too short

Xcelerator has the best launch I've ever done. The top hat delivers a great view of Buena Park, and some surprising airtime. Xcelerator, while an extraordinarily intense ride, just doesn't have much layout, as is standard on Intamin Accelerators. Xcelerator is a quick punch of adrenaline that is absolutely worth a shot.

Airtimes Nice surprise! Smoothness Pointless Dead spots

Intimidator is very good. I believe Intimidator delivered better airtime than its neighbor, Fury 325. However, that's really all Intimidator has to offer. All Intimidator does is deliver amazing airtime. It can be a little slow at times. The pacing is not good. However, the airtime is good enough for Intimidator's flaws to be forgiven, as it really is fun from start to finish.

Fun Intensity Duration Dead spots

GhostRider is quite impressive. It has plenty of great moments. The standout moment is the final helix, which draws insane laterals. The airtime on it is pretty good too. It's easily the smoothest wooden coaster I've ever ridden. There's a dead spot where the mid-course used to be, and it's mostly just uncomfortable right there, but other than that, the ride is outstanding. Mostly, it's just really fun. It feels like it goes on forever, doing a great job at being a great coaster.

First Drop Pace Intensity Harness Discomfort

Intimidator 305 is extraordinarily intense, likely the most intense coaster on the planet. You WILL gray out, if not black out, around the first turn. Other than that, it's a series of high-speed turns. It's incredibly smooth, and incredibly fun. The one drawback is there is an unnecessary over-the-shoulder restraint. On occasion this will cause some headbanging around the tight transitions. The restraint is not particularly comfortable to begin with either. Overall, though, incredible ride.

Airtimes Masterpiece Ejectors

Twisted Timbers is an absolute masterpiece. It is statistically lacking, but not experientially lacking. It has extreme ejector airtime through every airtime moment. The inversions aren't spectacular, but they add variety to an already outstanding ride. My one quibble with Twisted Timbers is that I was not a fan of the outward-banked airtime hill. Other than that, it was almost a dream-like ride.

Pace Masterpiece Intensity

Fury 325 is an amazing ride! It's extraordinarily well-paced, and it feels like a rocket as it runs its course. Smoothness is great. Airtime is good, but clearly not the primary focus the majority of the ride. This may be the most intense B&M out there, and that's how it succeeds. A night ride on Fury 325 is spectacular.