"We've gone too far"-A sister trip with surprise guest Irma! Sept 2017 - Completed 4/16

[missjackiemcg]

Pteranodon flyers looks amazing I'd have to force my son to go on it against his will though!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Disneyland Update - Lunar New Year

This year California Adventure has a pretty fun Lunar New Year celebration, involving entertainment, decorations, and food. I think they've had it in previous years, but I've never gotten a chance to see it, and it definitely seems to have increased in size and popularity.

It pretty much takes over half of the previous Paradise Pier area (I think this whole area is going to still be called Paradise Pier and the rest will be Pixar Pier, because that won't make it confusing at all )

A general guide map:

Entrance and balloons (another attempt at an artsy Instagram photo):

Plenty of educational posters and some which helped you find your year. I'm Year of the Ox.

They also have some souvenir booths including mickey ears with a Chinese style cap (didn't get any photos because there was a long line at that booth whenever I walked by); also some things that I think were brought over from Shanghai Disney.

Food:
There are 3 specific food booths, Korea, China, and Vietnam. Also, Paradise Garden Grill has some more Asian menu items (Pho, Japchae, Short Ribs, etc) and there is a cart that is supposed to sell Pork Bao, but they were out.

Here is what I ended up getting:
Yachae Mandu - 야채만두 -Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Sesame-Garlic Soy Sauce [Korea]

Chạo tôm- Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Sweet and Sour Sauce [Vietnam] &
Bánh chưng - Sticky Rice Cake with Pork [Vietnam]

Xiǎo Lóng Bāo - 小笼包 - Pork Soup Dumplings with Black Vinegar and Ginger [China]

The vegetable dumplings ended up being way too spicy for me, and of course, I forgot to buy a bottle of water with them, so I was in pain! The Sticky Rice Cake was weird and too mushy of a texture; I love sticky rice, but the pork was just so fatty and it permeated the whole rice cake, so just was a bit icky when I went to eat it. The shrimp was also a disappointment; I would have preferred whole shrimp, because it was basically a ground mixture and didn't end up with a lot of it, as most of the volume was taken up by the sugar cane skewer. I did like the Pork Soup Dumplings; I mean they weren't the best soup dumplings I've had (we have a Din Tai Fung near our house), and because they weren't steamed right then, it wasn't really liquidy inside, but they were still pretty good. If I was getting anything again, I would get those.

And, because I didn't like any of the marketplace desserts, I went over to Smokejumper's Grill and got their new S'Mores dessert, which was delicious, but impossible to eat without creating a mess!

Characters:
I didn't end up getting any photos as the line was over 1 hr long! They have one character area and rotate around Mulan/Mushuu, Mickey/Minnie, Chip/Dale. I don't know if Goofy meets at all, and despite seeing Pluto on all the decorations (Year of the Dog), I didn't see him around at all (though the press release says you can see him occasionally)! I did take a stalker photo of Mulan/Mushuu and two little girls who were soooo excited to meet them and just giving huge hugs, it was so cute!

Chip also came around and high-fived everyone waiting for the processional, before helping out the CMs direct traffic, which was pretty awesome!

Entertainment:
This is where Lunar New Year shines!

First, Mulan's Lunar New Year Processional. It's not really a parade, as it comes down the walkway then stops and does a whole show in front of the entrance to Paradise Garden Grill. I took some photos, as well as edited together a couple video clips (note-the instrumental Mulan music). Sorry about the ears popping up in front of me; despite getting there 15 minutes early, I got a second row seat (definitely lots of crowds).

Cont in next post​

 

[Lesley Wake]

And of course, don't forget Goofy at the end!

And, GuGu Drum Group, who it was announced came out from Shanghai. They were very talented, so I also pieced together a video.

Some other things I didn't stick around for: ​

• Hurry Home - Lunar New Year Celebration. Basically a mini pre-show to World of Color, but from video clips it looks like they even have low-level fireworks, which is really cool. I just didn't stick around the parks that late to see it!
• Paradise Garden Bandstand - a rotating group of Korean and Vietnamese musicians who play traditional and modern music. I did get to hear one of these guys while I wandered around the Garden Grill, and he was very talented too.
• Arts and crafts - A station to make lanterns, practice calligraphy, as well as free face painting; definitely good for kids!

So in all, pretty fun. I mean, I wouldn't plan a special trip to CA to see it, but if you are going to be here, definitely check it out!

 

[amazingact21]

The cornish pasties at the Three Broomsticks are delicious, but they weren't very filling. I wish I had ordered two when I got them, so you were probably better off getting the fish and chips.

I didn't realize there was a ride just for kids at Universal. That seems crazy. I gotta get my kids back there before they age out!

Lunar New Year looked like it was a fun little celebration. All your DL posts are making me wish I could visit the parks!

 

[missangelalexis]

Thanks for sharing! It looks like a lot of fun if you're able to be in the parks during that time of year!

 

[rosysubmarine]

Just binge-read this entire report, the (lack of) lines are incredible!!

Anyway, thanks for writing this and helping me get through my work day.

 

[Lesley Wake]

The cornish pasties at the Three Broomsticks are delicious, but they weren't very filling. I wish I had ordered two when I got them, so you were probably better off getting the fish and chips.

I didn't realize there was a ride just for kids at Universal. That seems crazy. I gotta get my kids back there before they age out!

Lunar New Year looked like it was a fun little celebration. All your DL posts are making me wish I could visit the parks!

You should absolutely visit Disneyland!

Thanks for sharing! It looks like a lot of fun if you're able to be in the parks during that time of year!

It is cute. I guess they have different groups of drummers come out for that little show, because someone I follow in Instagram said it was an all-female group this weekend!

Just binge-read this entire report, the (lack of) lines are incredible!!

Anyway, thanks for writing this and helping me get through my work day.

Haha, been there!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 7, Part 6 - Exploring the rest of USO

We were done at Islands of Adventure, so headed to take the Hogwarts Express back to Diagon Alley.​

This was the one time we didn’t use the EP but should have! Because, while there weren't many people, the physical line itself is pretty long. The standby line enters the pathway, then instead of going up the half-flight of stairs in the photo above, you go down a winding path into basically the basement of the station. You then have to climb back up a flight of stairs (they have an elevator too), which finds you level with the station floor. The Express Line, instead, just goes up that half flight of stairs, and boom-you're done! If we had taken the EP, not only would it have been less physically to walk, but we wouldn't have just missed a train. But whatever, not like we were freaking out about high crowds!

On the train back we were in a car with 6 other people, so definitely crammed in there! The station manager was filling up cars completely which ended up leaving some empty at the end of the train. But I get it-it is easier to keep track than filling in gaps later!

I do love though how the video is totally different depending on the direction you are going! ​

One thing though I wish Universal could have done - made the train a full loop, rather than the straight show back and forth. A loop would have allowed them to have 2 trains running. Also, you wouldn't have the situation with a train backing into or out of a station, which sort of messes up the magic a bit. Though I'm sure the engineers probably wanted a loop, but just couldn't due to $ and physical space.

We arrived in Kings Cross, headed out of the station and made a quick stop to check on the Ministry. Some kids were very polite as they got there at the same time as us but let us go first (well the middle brother tried to just go in but his slightly older sister said he would take too long and to let us…)

We made another stop in Diagon Alley, where Lauren did some more spells…shocker! I think she was able to do every single spell in both areas that day! ​

It was also super hot, so I made a stop in Florian Fortiscue’s Ice Cream Parlour. So what Harry Potter flavor would I get - Sticky Toffee Pudding, Butterbeer, Strawberry and Peanut-butter, Apple Crumble, Clotted Cream, Chocolate Chilli, Chocolate and Raspberry, Early Grey & Lavender?

... I ended up with Chocolate/vanilla soft serve

But I don't regret my choice one bit, because OMG-it was soooo delicious! Lauren and I devoured it! So creamy and amazing! I think any time I visit Universal, I will have to stop here! ​

We decided to explore Diagon Alley more a little bit later, and hit up the rest of the Studios right then.​

First stop-Men in Black. ​

Normally, you’d think I was the 91,000 and Lauren got the 123,000, but nope-I WON! She was in shock! I explained how I knew from reading @Raeven’s trip report that you need to hit the red button when it tells you to and you get an extra 100,000! So the second it told me, I went for it and got it! So, really, without that bonus she would have been almost 4x my score…​

We walked past the Simpsons area and skipped that ride-we have the same exact one at USH and neither of us are huge Simpsons fans. ​

Another area was set up for HHN, I think it would be the trick or treat area? A bit weird just seeing empty doorways in the bushes but the pumpkins in trees were cool​

Then Transformers. Another one we used the EP but wasn’t necessary. A father/son pair entered standby at the same time we entered EP and we still ended up on the same car. ​

​

Ride was same as Spiderman, just with Transformers. That is something I think Universal needs to be careful about-having one ride like that is super cool, having another is getting a bit repetitive, having every ride like that is much more lazy.

We saw the ET ride and considered walking down to it but decided not to. As we walked a bit farther, I was like-“well, I guess we could”, but then Lauren repeated our common mantra “No, we’ve gone too far already”! So no ET for us!

At this point I don’t have many photos, I was definitely in a lot of foot pain. And it was also really hot-I think the hottest it was all trip. We decided to head towards Rip Ride Rockit, but first made a stop in the Monsters café to just sit in the A/C for a bit. We ended up resting there for about 30 minutes, which was definitely needed!

​

Afterwards, onto Rip Ride Rockit. Another EP not needed! We ended up getting the front row of our car, which was a huge mistake! That just freaked me out! The music was also not working, so it was just us and our screams and the sound of the coaster! It also really banged our heads around, so we weren’t feeling the best afterwards. We had originally planned on doing The Mummy but decided to skip for the time being and ended up not going back later.

​

While walking back towards Diagon Alley we came across the Christmas store. Now, Lauren loves Minions! As in 2 Halloweens ago she convinced our whole family to dress up as the characters from Despicable Me, and painted a bunch of plastic pumpkins to look like Minions. So we were known as the Minion house that year! Well, once we walked in and she saw this she was just overwhelmed with choices! I think she eventually ended up getting 2 Minion ornaments, but it took about 30 minutes of deciding!​

While she was shopping I had to make the decision of stay in the store with A/C, or sit on the bench outside (which was in the shade, but still humid and hot). My foot pain won, so I sweated it out on the bench!

Once that was done, we continued to head to London. We passed by the start of the Flying Fish show, but skipped it and I felt bad for those performers as they were in the blazing sun and maybe 2 people were watching them! Not bad enough to stop, but still bad

Cont.​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 7, Part 7 - Exploring Diagon Alley

Back in Diagon Alley and it was time to explore. We really just wandered in and out of every shop, with Lauren doing the occasional spell!

This was definitely the spell with the longest wait!

We popped into the Money Exchange for a bit, but didn't end up getting anything. I did appreciate the animatronic though!

We stopped at Eternelle’s Elixirs and I ended up getting the Fire Protection potion (I am a Fire Engineer after all)-it was flavored peach/strawberry and was delicious! I kept the vial and it's still in my bedroom at home!

Knockturn Alley was a nice respite as it was so cool! But it took a while for my eyes to get accustomed to the darkness so I missed some of the details in the first area. The spells in that area were also super cool! The last photo has Lauren with a huge skeleton on screen mimicking her motions!

It was time for the Tales of Beedle the Bard, so we went to go and watch. Such a well-done show! I was very impressed! (I actually sat pretty far back because I found an empty spot against one of the columns, so I could rest my back too. Luckily no one came and stood in front of me!

I went ahead and rested my feet some more while Lauren tracked down the final spell locations. There is one in the shop window next to the lockers that she got to work once and couldn’t repeat! It seemed a lot of people had troubles with that one!

We went ahead and rode Escape from Gringotts again, this time using the EP line. Well, it seemed like it actually took slightly longer in the EP line! People in standby were also able to walk directly to the preshow room, and while they had more people, when you excited the elevator pre-show room, the EP people were on the right side, which meant we had to go through an extra turn in the line, which meant all of the standby people got in front of us! Oh well!

This time we rode, the Team Member had to push down a bit more on the lap bar, which made it pretty tight for me! I do have to say, I was very unhappy with the Universal rides being accomodating for someone Pooh-sized. At Disney, I didn't have a problem with anything, including Flight of Passage! But at Universal, there were a bunch of places where I had to suck it in even more and get the CM to do an extra push to make it latch. Yes, I am on the bigger side, but it still bugs me how Universal doesn't seem to recognize people in the country are getting bigger, so maybe make allowances for that? Anyways...

The ride itself was still cool, I don’t think it’s as insane as people who waited for 8 hrs when it first opened!

We checked out more shops and were big fans of this wedding gown which changed designs

We decided then to go ahead and grab an early dinner at The Leaky Cauldron, both ordering the Beef, Lamb & Guinness Stew; I also got a frozen Butterbeer. I much preferred this restaurant layout, as they delivered the food to your table!

We both liked the stew itself, but the bread tasted very stale.

At that point we had done everything we wanted to do and were pretty beat, so about 5pm we decided to head back to Disney! It’s funny how we were worried about the reduced park hours and we ended up leaving earlier anyways. But it was soooo empty that everything was a walk-on, even their showstoppers! I guess we could have done a show, but we decided not to bother. And Lauren didn’t want to bother with Minion Mayhem as we have the same version at home.

Cont... A no-park evening​

 

[Raeven]

But I don't regret my choice one bit, because OMG-it was soooo delicious! Lauren and I devoured it! So creamy and amazing! I think any time I visit Universal, I will have to stop here! ​

I got Butterbeer and it tasted mainly like vanilla in my opinion. But it was really good! I want to try a more interesting flavor sometime.

I explained how I knew from reading @Raeven’s trip report that you need to hit the red button when it tells you to and you get an extra 100,000! So the second it told me, I went for it and got it!

Another area was set up for HHN, I think it would be the trick or treat area? A bit weird just seeing empty doorways in the bushes but the pumpkins in trees were cool

Yeah it was from the movie Trick R Treat. The pumpkins looked awesome at night.

Ride was same as Spiderman, just with Transformers. That is something I think Universal needs to be careful about-having one ride like that is super cool, having another is getting a bit repetitive, having every ride like that is much more lazy. ​

I love Spiderman, but Transformers made me sick so I've only ridden it once

While she was shopping I had to make the decision of stay in the store with A/C, or sit on the bench outside (which was in the shade, but still humid and hot). My foot pain won, so I sweated it out on the bench!

I hate having to choose between air conditioning and sitting down!

This time we rode, the Team Member had to push down a bit more on the lap bar, which made it pretty tight for me!

We hadn't ridden Gringotts in awhile, and the last trip we went on it and it seemed a tighter fit in the leg region It was uncomfortable for both of us and Josh felt like his leg was going to sleep, but we don't remember it being like that in the past.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a lot of Harry Potter fun to end your day! I really wish I tried something from the ice cream shop the last time I was there!

Bummer that your feet were hurting so bad

 

[missjackiemcg]

It stinks that besides the heat your foot was giving you so much trouble Sounds like a no park evening might've been just what the dr. ordered!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I got Butterbeer and it tasted mainly like vanilla in my opinion. But it was really good! I want to try a more interesting flavor sometime.

That was the one I was thinking about trying, but actually it should work for me, since I'm so picky!

I hate having to choose between air conditioning and sitting down!

I wish they had more places to just relax in the A/C. Thankfully the Monster Cafe was pretty empty so they didn't care that we just sat for a while!

Sounds like a lot of Harry Potter fun to end your day! I really wish I tried something from the ice cream shop the last time I was there!

Bummer that your feet were hurting so bad

The ice cream was great! And I don't think that picture does it justice, because it was huge! Lauren and I really dug into it, and we still couldn't finish it! Hurt me a bit to throw the rest out before we could go on Men in Black!

It stinks that besides the heat your foot was giving you so much trouble Sounds like a no park evening might've been just what the dr. ordered!

My feet were just screaming! I tried to do more walking training before going to Florida, but I just couldn't prepare for so many days on end of walking!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I decided to go ahead and finish up this day now, because a) it may take some more time to edit photos for the next day, and b) I'm procrastinating at work! I'm also heading to Knotts Berry Farm this weekend, with my friend and her 2 kids (ages 5 & 3), who I'm basically a defacto Aunt to. The kids love Snoopy and Knotts finished up a Camp Snoopy renovation, plus they have Peanuts celebrations on weekends in February, so you can meet all the characters and see special shows. It should be fun and the first time at a theme park for the kids, so a good primer to taking them to Disney one day!

Day 7, Part 8 - A Chill Evening

On our way out of Universal we came across the Superstar parade, which was cute (is it a parade or dance party or both?). We also had no idea Universal had a parade/street show thing, so it was a nice surprise. But we accidentally got stuck behind it and it cut off our “escape route” so we got to get a good look at it! It was pretty cute, with very detailed floats and great dancing!

Agnes posed for everyone as that float was stopped there for some time! (We realized later if we had just walked a little bit faster we would have made it to the pedestrian crossing before they shut it off for the floats.)

On our way out I looked back at Toothsome, which I had wanted to try, but wouldn’t get the chance this trip! [We were originally planning to meet up with Raeven and other disfriends that evening, but after Irma switched things up, she and Josh weren't arriving until the next day.]​

​

We made our way back to the Uber pickup which was pretty chaotic! Lots of cars not pulling all the way forward, so there was a huge backup. The guys directing traffic were pissed off and really screaming at all of the drivers, rightfully so! Our first uber driver ended up cancelling on us after we had been waiting a while. We finally got someone else and made our way back to POFQ, arriving "home" around 6:15pm. ​

We headed back to the room after making a pit stop to pick up merchandise delivered to Jackson Square. While I tried to rest my feet a bit, Lauren decided to go to the pool and I was going to join her. When I finally got up to get on my bathing suit, she came walking back in dejected because the moment she walked out to the pool deck, they closed for lightning! Too bad!

We ended up chilling in the room for a bit, but eventually got a bit hungry and I still had a mission to accomplish, so made our way back to Sassagoula for a second dinner! By that time it was storming pretty hard-core and we could see lots of lightning. So, the one time it stormed happened to be the one time we were not at the parks! ​

Lauren got the make your own pasta with fettuccine, marinara, and chicken. It was very good and a huge portion! We ended up sharing it and could easily have done with a kid’s size!

Meanwhile, I took Tiana’s advice and got some beignets. They were fine. Probably needed more powdered sugar, which I could have asked for, but even though these were made to order, I didn’t like them as much as the ones you can get at Jazz Kitchen Express at DTD! ​

Lauren also decided she wanted some gelato, but she was conflicted. See, she wanted 2 different flavors and the gelato did come with 2 scoops. But she wasn’t hungry enough for 2 scoops. I told her just to ask for small scoops but she didn’t want to waste food, so she ended up getting a single scoop-even though she told the guy make it small it was still too much for her! She did like it though. ​

​

We also admired more of the decorations at Sassagoula and noticed the Princess and Frog cards. ​

​

Lauren also was flirting with a cute baby in the food court while I was throwing away stuff and as she looked up she realized it was the British family from Day 5 who we rode on the bus with! Yup, we ran into them again! She tried to assure the dad she wasn't stalking them, but he just laughed! ​

We ended up watching Project Runway before falling asleep. So that evening was rather chill. Which I guess we needed!

Cont... Day 8- My weirdest breakfast ever, and would a storm cancel Rivers of Light?​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Edit: Forgot to add my end of day stats for Day 7!

Health data (via app on my phone, not Fitbit):
Walked: 23,413 steps (8.4 miles)
Flights climbed: 10 floors

Attraction count: 14
Escape from Gringotts (2)
Hogwarts Express (2)
Forbidden Journey
Flight of the Hippogriff
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
The Incredible Hulk Coaster
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Men in Black Alien Attack
Transformers: The Ride-3D
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Characters: Knight Bus Driver (1)
Magic Shots: N/A

Oh, and final thoughts on Universal: We definitely both loved the Harry Potter areas. But honestly, if they didn't have those, we probably wouldn't have bothered with USO. I just wasn't as big a fan of the rides, they were all too intense or could cause motion sickness, or whatnot. I think the shows are good, if you are feeling like that, but I'm not so much a show person. I will be going back for a day in December to see all the Christmas stuff, which will be cool, and am still flip flopping about whether to go in February 2019 to see the Mardi Gras stuff, but it seems a high price for one festival! Also, I'm too much of a chicken for the Halloween stuff! However, I am glad we got to go see it all, and I'm happy they provide an alternative experience to Disney, I just prefer Disney!

And since then, Lauren has actually become an Season Passholder at Universal Hollywood! She was going with a friend for a day, and discovered that if you bought through the AAA, a season pass ended up being cheaper than a 1-day ticket! I know her boyfriend, Joey, also got one so they could go together, but I don't think they've had a chance since becoming passholders! ​

 

[Raeven]

(is it a parade or dance party or both?).

I think it's a parade, but they do dance a lot at the end.

On our way out I looked back at Toothsome, which I had wanted to try, but wouldn’t get the chance this trip! [We were originally planning to meet up with Raeven and other disfriends that evening, but after Irma switched things up, she and Josh weren't arriving until the next day.]

I'm still sad about the plans Irma ruined even though we did have a good time on our weekend trip and fit a surprising amount of stuff in.

Meanwhile, I took Tiana’s advice and got some beignets. They were fine.

Those look bigger and fluffier than the ones I got a couple years ago. I didn't care for them much. Josh loved them though because he can't get GF beignets normally.

 

[buzzrelly]

Great update on Universal! I love the Harry Potter areas myself and am not overly impressed with the rest of the rides. Kong was the biggest disappointment for me because I had such high hopes for that ride.

I love all the Princess and the Frog artwork in Sassagoula

 

[missangelalexis]

I am pretty jealous that you're going to Knotts Berry farm for the Peanuts celebration! Would love to see a little update about it

I believe the superstar parade is a little bit of both! I think at other times of the day they bring out the parade units individually and do little meet and greets with the characters.

Sounds like a nice laid back evening!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Disneyland (adjacent) Update - Knotts Berry Farm​

​

As I mentioned earlier, I headed to Knotts Berry Farm with my friend's family: Amanda, Mike (parents), Max (5 yrs), and Alice (3 yrs). I used to work with Amanda in Maryland and it just happened that they moved to San Diego a little before I moved back to California (and our other friend's family moved a few months after me, but they couldn't come to Knotts this weekend). So, I've known the kids their whole life, and basically am a de-facto Aunt, as their whole family is on the East Coast. I'm also their favorite person in the world, which is super cool (but I guess considering every time I see them I usually have a present or something sugary or both, and I also have a cute dog and cat they love)! ​

​

Anyways, the kids have never been to an amusement park, and I'd love to get them to Disneyland. But of course $$$ and I knew Amanda would be extra hesitant to Disney without knowing how the kids would react. So, I ended up suggesting Knotts Berry Farm, as it is a lot cheaper (a day ticket cost me $42), plus plenty of Peanuts things, which the kids loooovvveee! ​

If you don't know, Knotts Berry Farm was originally an actual berry farm; the family started selling fried chicken, then eventually opened up a ghost town, and other tourist attractions. They celebrate their official opening date as 1950 (I just know they are always celebrating an anniversary 5 yrs before Disneyland does). It's only about 5 miles from Disneyland to Knotts Berry Farm, and I usually pass it on the way to DL. In the 90s the Knott family sold it to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which owns a bunch of amusement parks, including Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, etc. Disney actually tried to buy it to create "Disney's America" theme park, but the family refused to sell to them because they figured Disney would ruin everything the original guy built (and knowing Disney's push toward IP, that was a good idea on their part). They also have a water park across the street, but it is only open in summer.​

So, currently there are a variety of rides. Several thrill rides, like Six-Flags types of roller coasters, some historical western-type rides, like steam train, stagecoaches, and a Camp Snoopy Area, with almost exclusively little kid rides. The last time I went was at least 15 yrs ago; I know I went in middle school, but don't remember if I ever went in high school. ​

​

Anyways, on with our trip. (First, I want to say this was a mixed bag experience, as I was severely disappointed in the park itself, but there were also a lot of awesome moments due to the people I was with). I met my friends there around 10am when the park opened. It wasn't too packed, especially considering it was the Saturday of President's Day Weekend.​

​

Weekends in January-February have been having a Peanut's Celebration, with special decorations and Peanuts stuff everywhere, so we stopped to take a few photos in front of backdrops they had at the front. They had kite-eating trees all over the park, which was cute. Also several musical shows, but we only ended up stopping for one. ​

​

And first, into Camp Snoopy! ​

​

I had to take Max's photo with this because a couple of Halloweens ago, after watching The Great Pumpkin over and over and over again, when he was trick or treating, he asked every house for a rock! They also had lots of speech bubbles everywhere in Camp Snoopy, perfect for photos! ​

​

First ride test - a flying airplane. ​

​

This was where I realized I was not at Disneyland. It was sooooo inefficient. This ride had 6 airplanes, each with 2 spots. There was a minimum and maximum height limit, so only kids get to ride. They also had only 1 employee working the ride. That employee was in charge of letting in the people (most parents went and buckled in the kids), then she went around to everyone to check on the belts, then she was responsible for running the ride. Then at the end rather than the ride automatically lowering, it was up to the kids to do it; some kids didn't understand, so she had to walk over there and pull on a wire that was in the center, to be able to manually lower the planes! Then she had to go to each seat individually to unlock the belts using a special key. Finally, after everyone had left, she had to close the exit gate, then go back to entrance and start all over. So even though we only had 2-3 rounds in front of us, it still took 30 minutes! And it was sunny and mid-80s! Not fun! ​

Ok, rant over. ​

But, what about the ride itself? Well the kids LOVED it! Just waving and going up and down! So, first test, passed successfully!​

We took a little train around, which the kids enjoyed, but got a bit bored with, and considering all they had were plywood cutouts, I understand. The audio was also annoying, because it was a long train, but everyone had the same audio track, so while the audio made sense for the cars at the beginning, we wouldn't see the scene until they were already moving onto the next audio sequence. ​

​

Paused for the kids to get slathered in sunscreen; I also had to track down a park map, because they didn't have them at the entrance (another annoyance), so I ended up having to go to the photo booth to ask for them. ​

And second test - character meet. Linus was out, so I was curious to see how they reacted. ​

​

At first a little shy... then, OMG it's Linus! So second test - passed! ​

Also met with Peppermint Patty. (I don't know if you get to meet with most characters during regular park days, or if only Snoopy is out and these guys were for the Peanuts Celebration)​

​

Third ride test - intensity. I took Alice on the Camp Bus which just spins you vertically, but goes pretty far up! ​

​

I don't have photos because I had my arm around Alice, but I could just hear giggles! She LOVED it! Even Amanda didn't want to go on it! Here she is staring longingly at it to ride again! ​

​

Max meanwhile rode the mini roller coaster. He ended up having to go solo because Mike was 1 inch above the max height! ​

​

Another super slow loader (despite only 20 people in front of them, it definitely took over 30 minutes wait. But, he loved it, even going alone, so third test - passed! ​

We did yet another pretty intense ride, which really spins you around and goes up and down, but the kids loved it and wanted to go again and again (but with that line, we headed elsewhere for the time being). They did end up on it again in the evening, so you can see the ride basically rocks up and down and then does full 360s, and then reverses again! ​

​

Another ride which the kids did solo - a truck ride where are basically riding mud-buggies, and it was pretty rough (Adults are allowed on this one but they said they wanted to go alone.) I even took a video and you can hear their squeals of delight! ​

​

Then Ferris Wheel, Amanda chickened out again and Max decided he wanted to ride with me. Afterwards Alice wanted to go on it "2 more times". Both Mike and I were like-well you're going to need to find another adult, because neither of us is going up again! ​

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

We did try waiting for another Snoopy ride, which basically just goes up in a circle and down, and Max was insistent on it. But the loading was ridiculously slow, so after 15 minutes of waiting, and realizing it was probably another 45 minutes to ride, we finally convinced him to give up (i.e. I bribed him). ​

By that time, Lauren had shown up with her boyfriend, Joey, and we were all hungry, so stopped to share a couple burgers and orders of chicken tenders. I also got some Charlie Brown rice krispie treats, which I cut up into a bunch of pieces for everyone to share. Max was sneaky and ended up getting 2 pieces of each, by convincing each of his parents to give him one extra piece while the other was distracted! ​

​

We also met Schroeder and finally Snoopy! ​

​

Went on the steam train which travels around half of the park. Max wanted to sit in the "caboose", and I got put in charge of the children, while the couples got to sit together!​

​

This attraction is fun because they have train robbers show up-Max didn't know what was going on! ​

​

A bit of bad luck, as Max wanted to go on a "twisty ride", i.e. a roller coaster. There was only one real one that he met the height requirements, so Lauren and Joey offered to take him. Alice and I went to line up for a spinny-type ride, but after we all waited for a while, both rides broke down (they were near each other so we thought maybe a circuit overload). ​

Max did get to participate in a game with Western-style Linus, which was cool! Didn't bother waiting for a proper picture with Linus and Franklin though, because there was a long line. ​

​

The little Ghost Town area is cute. There is an alcove with 10 pressed penny machines (unlike Disney, they were all in one spot, rather than throughout the park). I think Amanda loves pressed pennies, because she was adamant about finding it. Max had a mini-fit (combo of sugar, no nap, no "twisty ride"), but after a bit of a time-out, he got in on the pressed penny action. I ended up stepping into the shop and got each kid a pressed penny book, which they clutched for the rest of the afternoon! (no pictures though)​

​

Ended up Stagecoach next, and took up the entire carriage. The kids requested to sit with me in the back row. ​

​

Carousel... Sort of scary because it's all wood and feels very rickety. (A common occurrence with the age of Knott's rides)​

​

Caught a bit of the fiesta show, and Alice refused to dance with the kids-the host even came up directly to her and she confidently shook her head, which caused all the adults behind her to crack up laughing!​

​

The kids had seen the Tea-cup type ride from the Stagecoach, so we stopped there. Lauren and Joey wanted to spin with them and the kids wanted to go fast! And LOVED every minute of it! Lauren took a video!​

​

Back into Camp Snoopy where Lauren took them on the swings. I normally like those, but was worried I would be too big for them. Alice knew she would love it immediately and before it even started she asked to go on it again! ​

​

After a second round on the raft ride, we called it quits on the rides. I offered if the kids were good all day I would get them one toy at the end of the day. So Alice chose a stuffed beagle (one of Snoopy's brothers), and Max got a Lego set. ​

​

No trip to Knotts Berry Farm is complete though, without a Fried Chicken! So, we went to the restaurant for dinner. It's also super inexpensive with huge portions. For $22 each (well adults; the kids ate off our plates), we got a soup, salad, huge basket of fresh biscuits (served with boysenberry jam), huge plate with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn (there were some other options, which I think had cabbage or rhubarb), and piece of pie (boysenberry or apple). We had plenty of leftovers to take home! ​

​

Overall thoughts:
I really thought I'd come away from this trip recommending it as a great, inexpensive option for families with young kids. But I don't think I can do that. ​

Good:
-Unique rides. The full steam engine and stagecoach were cool, and definitely historic.
-Less people. Despite being a holiday weekend, definitely didn't feel the crowd crush you would get at Disneyland.
-Price. $42 for an adult is pretty great. Its only $90ish for a season pass, and you can get season dining (includes an entree and side, 2x per day), or other specials, so if you live nearby, it makes somewhat sense.
-Size: definitely more compact than Disney.
-Our group. The kids LOVED it. And I guess that is most important. ​

So-So:
-Food: Fried chicken was great, and they do have a to-go counter, so you can always get some chicken and have a picnic lunch. But in-park food was pretty standard fare. They also have a full Panda Express (with huge signage and everything), as well as a Johnny Rocketts, which just kills any sort of theme for me. ​

Bad:
-Inefficiency: As I mentioned, they would often only have 1 employee working a ride, at least in the kid areas. Some places I saw maybe 2 people, and maybe the roller coasters had more employees working, but nowhere on the scale of Disney. I guess thats how they keep it cheap-less cost for employees.
-Wait times: Never displayed anywhere! So if you got in a line, you didn't know if it was 15 minutes or 150 minutes.
-App: pretty horrible, without a good map of the park (just boxes where buildings were, not indicating which building it was. Of course no wait times for most rides and the ones that did have a wait time listed (only the big thrill rides), I doubt they were accurate.
-Ride variety: most seemed to be either adult-only or kid-only. Some family rides, but those were more tours around the park, not things like the Disney dark rides where the whole family can enjoy it. Also, even though they had thrill rides, most of those were closed or broken.
-Height restrictions: some could be confusing, as there was one height to ride solo, and one height to ride with someone else. Then there were maximum height limits. Also, Alice was very small, but she was never once measured! (She was just at the 36" line, but really, she and Max should have been measured for safety.)
-Lighting: at night, very little lighting, so hard to find the way around.
-Bottled drinks: so hard to find! They really pushed their $14 unlimited refill cup, so didn't have bottled sodas available many places and we really had to search for it! ​

So, I really wouldn't say it's someplace you need to go. I guess if you like the wild west, it could be fun. But if you are used to Disney, probably just going to be a disappointment. If you want more intense roller coasters, go to Six Flags. If you are looking for a little-kid type of place, maybe Legoland. ​

Feel free to ask any questions! ​