Forbidden Frontier

I was expecting a "preshow" in the old Shoot the Rapids station that would've outlined a little bit of what to do...

I think some are missing (part of) the point.

It's up to you if you want to get involved and go an adventure. There is no "one way" that it works, or one singular goal, idea, or game to play. I think this is why Tony (and others) expressed they were not really sure how to describe what it is, because it isn't one thing.

If you want to know the story, ask the people who live there what it's all about. The beauty of it is that you can also just walk through without a game/story/quest being presented to you. You're 100% in charge of the experience you have.

What to do is right in front of you, and the mystery is part of it.

If "(part of) the point" is that "[t]here is no 'one way' that it works," then it seems appropriate for people to express their desire that they wanted or needed more of an introduction or more of a "pre-show" without having to read that they are simply "missing the point."

I agree. A simple explanation at the beginning saying “if you want to participate at any time during the course, seek out one of our characters at (said locations)”. That would make more sense in my opinion.

They need that simple explanation at Coasters so people know how to order from those awful kiosks.

Awful kiosks for awful food

Just went through Forbidden Frontier for the first time, or my kids did anyway. I wandered in, rode the raft thing and then found the spot for me. The hammocks. My only complaint is that the hammocks are awfully low, a couple of them actually won't hold you above the frame like they didn't allow for the inevitable stretch of the ropes. my kids said something about having trouble following the adventure aspect that we had missed some events that would have made it fall together better or something I don't know all I know is they were busy and I was on a hammock. I'm also curious why there was a tomato and a cucumber sitting on a bench by the elder's hut thing. If that was one of the clues then whatever the question was my answer would be Bob and Larry.

^Miss Paisley, my son & I went through around 4:30pm, it is a regular stop for him. I thought the same thing about the hammocks, maybe they have more "give" or slack now that they are not so brand new & are rain soaked. We did not see the the tomato & cucumber yesterday, however I could have sworn I heard the elder saying "where oh where oh where is my hairbrush?"

jimmyburke said:
however I could have sworn I heard the elder saying "where oh where oh where is my deodorant ?"

Accurate.

Also a head's up, you need close toed shoes to participate in the playground area (makes sense). The kids had closed toed shoes on, but the 3 year old wasn't tall enough to go in by himself and all of the adults had sandals on, so we couldn't go in. Sadly he had to just watch and wait while his older sister played without him.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the hammock though!

Yes, we found out about the shoe policy the hard way as well... right after our two year old was denied entry into Snoopy Bounce because she's only 36" with shoes on (though that one was on us). Let's just say tears were had that day.

I was a little annoyed by the shoe thing. It's mostly a rope-net climb and I've climbed much bigger ones both in my sandals (at Sea World) and in bare feet (at multiple water parks). I suppose it's too much to hope that they might change the requirement to a strong recommendation...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Since we are about halfway through Forbidden Frontier's first season, how does it seem to be going? While I have seen guests using the various activities (especially the hammocks and the Highground) there have been some times that seem fairly quiet.

It's a wonderful experience but I can see some people not getting the most out of it because it's not what they came for. I personally could spend all day getting to know everyone and competing in every last competition (WAAAAAAA-PI!) and mediating arguments between Chess and Blackjack by reminding them that they built Steel Vengeance together and judging Otis' barnyard beauty contest and going on a wild chain of fetch quests, but not everyone is going to want to forgo a day of coaster riding to hang around and see how the whole story plays out.

(I also, in a struggle to explain the experience to my husband, finally came up with an adequate description. Forbidden Frontier... is like LARPing. The best way to enjoy it is with complete suspension of disbelief and playing the role of a helpful newcomer to the island. )

The biggest problem I see is the attraction’s location. There are a lot more guests that would participate if the attraction was along the Frontier Trail. Knott’s success in Ghost Town Alive is the fact that guests are already traveling through, where as Forbidden Frontier has to be a conscious decision, and if you blink you’d miss it. Connecting the other side of the island to the old Paddlewheel Excursions station may help this in the future, but I think it is used for the actor’s break area.

All of my visits seem to show a very low number of people using the attraction,

We've had the same thought that if foot traffic could flow through the island from Camp Snoopy they might see more activity. As it stands now you really have to want to head out there and for a fair number of guests it might not seem worth the effort (mostly because they aren't sure what's going on out there). Guests could have a convenient path across the middle of the park while allowing for the possibility of more folks to discover the island's offerings.

It seems like those who do engage the island residents and activities have a positive experience. I just wonder what the park will be using to measure the success of Forbidden Frontier considering the number of performers and staff the island requires on a daily basis.

This just crossed my mind earlier. Do you think they'll do the same story every year, or change it up? 'Theft of Treasure Map on Truce Day' is a great narrative, but once someone knows the whole story I can see it getting a little old. Having a new tale for this wonderful cast of characters annually would help keep the experience fresh, plus give people an incentive to go every year so they don't miss that years' story.

If they follow the Knotts formula, it will be a different story line every year.