Knott’s Berry Farm had a special grand opening night for the first California dive roller coaster!
What is it?
Themed to a surfer catching waves, the coaster is the first dive coaster of its kind on the western part of the country.
What’s it like?
It looks more intense than it actually is. Hang Time has a vertical lift hill that holds passengers for a few seconds before hurtling them over a 96-degree drop. Then it goes through twists and turns before it returns back to the station!
The most intimidating portion is that first drop. But, it was a lot more fun than scary. It is definitely thrilling. Throughout the rest of the ride, there are some hanging times in the inversions, which helps to give it its name. That means it’s not constantly fast paced but has some moments to suspend the passengers.
The Ceremony
Knott’s hosted us for a special presentation of the roller coaster. The night began with rides open at the Boardwalk, and several food items to chomp down on. Boardwalk BBQ, Johnny Rockets, and Coasters Diner had available tapas-style treats of their commonly available food items. But, special Hang Time cupcakes and milkshakes were handed out.
The ceremony began with a preview of Beach Blanket Beagle – the new summer show coming to Knott’s in June. It will be an homage to beach movies of the 60’s starring the lovable Snoopy! It looks to be a great family entertaining show!
Announcements given as to what else is coming to Knott’s in the summer were given, and we’ll have those later on. After that, the band Ride the Tide played some surf tunes as the coaster cars started traveling through the track. In the background were great fireworks set off to give an explosive beginning to a great ride.
Worth Riding?
Hang Time replaced a fan favorite coaster, Boomerang. It has a lot to live up to. Hang Time is going to be a classic for Knott’s! It has a very unique take on coasters with the dive aspect. But, it’s the moments of suspension of cars that really sets it over the top. It’s surprising how smooth the ride is. It’s not jolting, just fun. As Rob Decker, Senior Vice President at Cedar Fair, they tried to make the ride family friendly and even the height limit is for a bit younger than other coaster attractions. This is going to be a destination coaster for a long time!
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