20 replies to this topic

[drachenfirebgw]

This trip hasn't happened yet, but will this Friday! This is my first visit to Dorney Park, a place I've been meaning to get to for years. Hoping for good weather, and short lines. Hoping to get a lot of rides in before I get exhausted. Will be in Baltimore catching an Orioles day game at Camden Yards the day before.

I'm starting this to remind myself to actually write a detailed trip report. I'm thinking hit Talon several times first. Definitely at the top of my must do list. Then hit Wild Mouse before the lines get insane, which I've heard they do, especially with the adult loading rules in place. If the line is already long then forget it, I'm not stressing over it. I figure though that's the only chance we'll get to ride it. After that Hydra would be next. Another ride high on my must do list. I've heard decent to negative reviews on this thing so I'm excited to give it a go, and gather my own thoughts.

Now I'm sure my brother will start salivating when he see Meteor, but I'm going to pass. It'll probably be hot so I'll try and convince him to hit a water ride before the lines get really long. I have a thing for Arrow so doing White Water Landing would be such a historical thrill for me. Even the the Thunder Creek Mountain (Barr Engineering Log Flume) would be nice.

Then we can go several different directions. We're packing out lunch so we can head out and have that at any time. I'm a sucker for S&S Power combo towers so I'd love to do Dominator. There's also Demon Drop, which from a historical standpoint would be great! I skipped Stuntman's Freefall at SFGAdv, and missed out on the Demon Drop when it was at Cedar Point. I'm not sure how my body would do with it though. I'm not excited for the pull out that lays you on your back. Even the lift hills of Vekoma Flying Dutchman, which have you lying down mess with me.

Steel Force is my absolute MUST hit of the trip. Even if it doesn't live up to my expectations this ride has polarized me since I got into roller coasters in the year 2000 in a similar way that Apollo's Chariot, Drachen Fire, and Millennium Force did. This thing was in its prime and near the hit of every enthusiasts list. I know try to avoid the blue train. Black and red should be a go though. Thunderhawk even though I'd heard its gotten rougher is high on the list also. Always love adding wooden roller coasters to the list.

The Whip, Apollo, and some other flats have caught my eye, and I'd honestly prefer them over the likes of Stinger and Possessed, but I think John may get his way, which means we would do the coasters instead, and I'm fine with that. Those two roller coasters are not high priorities as I've done similar rides, and honestly wasn't a huge fan. Steel Force, Talon, Hydra, and others all may gain reride consideration if we have the time and the line comply.

We plan on stay near that park that night. Any dinner places anyone would like to suggest? Would love to find a local, dinner, drive-in, or dive. I normally don't go into a park with this detailed of a plan anymore, but I also haven't been to a park I've never been to in a good while.

[Ryan Shrout]

Sounds exciting! Can't wait to see your report. Keep in mine we're taking submissions for our Calendar Cover contest till the end of the month.

[drachenfirebgw]

Sounds exciting! Can't wait to see your report. Keep in mine we're taking submissions for our Calendar Cover contest till the end of the month.

I should start taking pictures at parks again. Right when I got really good I quit for some reason. Part of it was because I took over 200 pictures of the Big Bad Wolf during its last week of operation including some fantastic hard to capture shots then lost them all then next week when my computer crashed. I do have some really nice shots of Kings Dominion, specifically Intimidator 305, which would be good entries. I'll look into it. I was definitely planning on bringing my camera to capture the beauty of Camden Yards, but hadn't thought about shooting a bit of Dorney Park.

[Ryan Shrout]

Ooohhhh, I'd love to take in a game at Camden Yards.

[drachenfirebgw]

Now I know to post some photos here of the ballpark as well. As a lifelong Orioles fan it's exciting to see the team winning. Also my first trip to Camden Yards.

There is potential for severe thunderstorms, which should make things interesting. Only a 30% chance so far, but there's a front definitely coming through. It's just a question of whether or not it will hit us. What should I expect from Dorney in regards to rain/thunder policy. Are they hyper-conservative like the other Cedar Fair parks? I'd imagine so. Hopefully, it clears up fully between now and then.

[steel-Rock]

Steel Force is my absolute MUST hit of the trip. Even if it doesn't live up to my expectations this ride has polarized me since I got into roller coasters in the year 2000 in a similar way that Apollo's Chariot, Drachen Fire, and Millennium Force did. This thing was in its prime and near the hit of every enthusiasts list. I know try to avoid the blue train. Black and red should be a go though. Thunderhawk even though I'd heard its gotten rougher is high on the list also. Always love adding wooden roller coasters to the list.

The Whip, Apollo, and some other flats have caught my eye, and I'd honestly prefer them over the likes of Stinger and Possessed, but I think John may get his way, which means we would do the coasters instead, and I'm fine with that. Those two roller coasters are not high priorities as I've done similar rides, and honestly wasn't a huge fan. Steel Force, Talon, Hydra, and others all may gain reride consideration if we have the time and the line comply.

Steel Force and Talon alone will make the trip worth it. Thunderhawk has gotten a ton of re-tracking. They still don't want to buy paint, bt it moved up quite a bit in my ratings and rankings from the last near death experience. For a simple out-and-back, it is much better than many. Stinger and Possessed are ok, but KI and CP offer better ones of those types.

Kennywood and Knoebels seem to have the longest list of flats compared to their coasters. Dorney is not far behind though. Meteor, Revolution, Apollo, Demon Drop, Dominator, and Whip kept me busy, happy, and thrilled almost as much as the coasters did.

[Danny Miller]

As a Dorney employee (I won't see you cause I'll be away), but here is EVERYTHING to expect in terms of rain policies. Only rides with magnetic brake systems will shut down in rain only. Possessed is the only such ride, but the launch area is covered so that is not an issue. ALL major rides will remain open in rain only. The only rides that close in rain only is the Cannonball train, Demon Drop, and the Thunder Creek Speedway go-karts, and maybe a few other small rides, but all of the coasters, Dominator, and other major rides remain open.

Once lightning and thunder comes into the area, everything with water or high altitude will close. Anything with a roof like the Whip and Musik Express will still run, and a few other flats like Tilt-A-Whirl, Monster, Scrambler I believe as well. Dinos Alive I am not sure what their policy is, but that is what you can expect. Typically there is a "bubble" as we call it around the park, and usually 30% chance doesn't cause too much rain if any at all around the park. Mysteriously, rain seems to inexplicably move around us even when heading straight for us.

Now for the coasters. Steel Force still runs very well in my opinion. Don't go in expecting a ride quite as good as Apollo's Chariot, but in the very back seat you get some great whip airtime on the drop because it is double tiered. Talon is either a front or back seat coaster, and most people (me and Tori included) prefer the back seat on the right end seat. Very smooth and very intense all the way. Talon IS the best coaster at the park. Hydra can vary depending on when you ride. I've had rides ranging from really good to really rattly and shaky, so don't judge it from one ride. Ride in the back seat for some AWESOME airtime on the drop, and ride in the front for great hang time on the Jojo Roll.

Possessed is just like the other rides of its kind. I like to ride in the front, and like alot of the other rides, you shouldn't have a ton of long lines because people may be at the waterpark if the weather is okay. Thunderhawk is ABSOLUTELY a front seat coaster. The airtime is incredible on it until you hit the trim on the end run, but up to that point the airtime is great. I always loosen my seat belt the slightest bit . Stinger again depends on where you sit. When you get to the station turn RIGHT and ride on the end seat near the ops booth, as that end is MUCH smoother than the other end. They do go through alot of wheels on that ride, so don't be discouraged if it is closed at some point, because it does open and close from time to time, although it has behaved pretty well recently.

Another little secret about Stinger is that it closes for about 15-20 minutes every day just before 5 o'clock. The electrical supply to the ride switches power grids from the power company (they are still trying to fix this), and it e-stops the ride because of that, so they don't load anyone in right before 5 and they will keep the train in the station until maintenance resets it and then they re-open. They may not even close off the line at that point because it doesn't take long to do, but just be aware if you are there around 5 that they may load slowly, and this is not do to poor ops, because our ops crews are actually very quick and good for the most park.

Anything else you need to know?

Edited by Danny Miller, 26 July 2012 - 08:35 AM.

[Tori Finlay]

Tilt a Whirl and Meteor close in the rain, too, due to accidents in the past with people slipping and falling. And the Ferris Wheel and Wild Mouse close if it's even drizzling. Otherwise, if you can see lightning, the majors are closed. If it's torrentially downpouring, they'll close sometimes, too, just because of people complaining of the pain.

As for dinner, there's a couple diners in the area - one being west of Dorney, on route 100, and another being east in center city Allentown. Allentown is way more confusing, so I'd recommend Starlite, which is the one on rt 100. Applebees is a few miles up Cedar Crest Blvd, which is perpendicular to the road the Dorney is on, and TGI Friday's is across Cedar Crest. The hotel across the street has Linx, which is a bar and I believe they sell food, too.

Also, if you hit Talon first thing, try to head back up there around 1 pm; you should find a dead station, perfect for re-riding.

[drachenfirebgw]

Thanks Danny and Tori! It's incredibly appreciated! Unfortunately there is a 100% chance of thunderstorms at noon. It's 30% chance they rest of the day, last night there were severe storms in the area, and the front has stalled on top of us. Temps. are cooler. Storms are isolated/popping up out of nowhere.

I'd reply more to you message Tori, but we have to leave for the park! Literally. Thanks again, the tips and thoughts are much appreciated.

[Bretten Bailey]

Yeah, I saw that the area was really getting pounded yesterday....tornadoes and the like. That moved through us two days ago and thankfully didn't get that bad.

I hope it clears up for you and you have a blast today. Dorney is a good park. Can't wait to see your report.

[drachenfirebgw]

Yeah CFguy, it was scary looking last night. We were a bit south of where it was reeking havoc last night. Thanks again everyone for the tips and such! Glad to see everyone was so enthusiastic about my trip.

People:
drachenfirebgw, Matthew, my brother, John, and father.

Time in park and weather:
10:30 AM-2:00 PM, Low 80's and overcast.

Crowds:
Really light, not many lines at all, plenty of walk-ons.

Rides:
Talon x1 (Back row)
Steel Force x2 (Front row, back row)
Thunderhawk x1 (Second row)
Dominator (Launch Side) x1
Hydra x1 (Back row)
Stinger x1 (Front row)
Possessed x1 (Middle of the train)

First of all I figured I'd begin by saying this wasn't an easy trip. Some of you may know that despite my young age, my body is beginning to not take roller coaster riding well. Between my lack of sun and humidity tolerance, history with migraines, and others medical issues I don't know how much longer I can do these trips, which for me is difficult. However, the silver-lining is that there is so much more to parks than big, thrilling roller coasters. Dorney in this case offered a lot of charm and shared areas that lend themselves to great photographs. It also means I only ride the rides I really want to ride, which make them more enjoyable to be honest. My days of riding coasters that I won't do me well for credits are almost over.

As you all know I was concerned about the weather, but it held out beautifully. Overcast enough to scare guests away, but not enough to close rides. It was much cooler also than it has been. Our plan with to hit our 'big three' (Talon, Hydra, and Steel Force), before the rains came, though they didn't while we were there. We headed straight for Talon, and waited about 10 minutes for a back row ride. I noticed that in all the rides with lines riders were held outside of the station, except for the front row where the did let a small line form. I thought it worked incredibly well, because they also didn't assign rows.

After Talon we headed to Hydra where we were met with a closed gate, and were told it had gotten off to a slow start and would be up in 15 to 20 minutes. We left as it was beginning to look somewhat ominous and headed towards Steel Force. You can definitely tell the new side of the park from the old side of the park. My question is why can't new sides at least have the potential to be like the older, quaint sides. Instead we see modern, flashy buildings with fading colors and lots of concrete. Anyways, we got to Steel Force, and there were literally two other riders there with us. They were in the front so we took the back. I had a lot of anticipation for this ride, and it didn't disappoint, which I'll get to later. Ran back around and waited a ride for the front row. Only ride we got a reride on today.

We hadn't seen Thunderhawk run all day, but it passed just as we were about to pass on it so we headed that way. Got a front row ride on the classic woodie, took a couple of the signature Thunderhawk in front of Steel Force pictures then headed to Dominator, the S&S Power complex, and rode the launch side while the drop side was down. Couples things to add. I never knew they didn't use the third tower. There was a maintenance worker standing near the top of the drop side working on it during our ride. Our seats were directly facing him so when we were even with him at the top we yelled, "Hey, how's it going?!" We have no clue if he heard us, but it was a blast. Note both of these rides were walk-ons.

We then walked over to Hydra, an intriguing B&M Floorless. This was our longest line of the day. It was starting to get a bit more overcast and the ride before us the ride operator got a phone call and began pointing into the sky, talking weather I assume, which had us nervous, but it held off for a while though. After our ride we headed back towards Stinger and Possessed. Until this point I held up very well with no signs of fatigue or wearing down. My brother had never done any sort of Vekoma Boomerang so I figured I'd give Stinger a try. You'll see in the review that the ride was not pleasant. My father stood off to the side and took pictures as I yelled at him how awful it was. After having my head shaken, I then made the mistake of riding Possessed. While John loved it (and Stinger also) Dad and I were really shaken up after Possessed. I'll explain specifically what did it in the review, but I knew at that point I was done and didn't feel great the whole three hour drive back to family in Delaware. Thus, now I know that avoiding it altogether would have left me fine while testing it didn't.

All in all Dorney Park was a fun little place. I was hoping we'd get to do more flat rides, but we got all the coasters done we wanted to do and got out of there are a decent time. We would have done reride, but Stinger and Possessed did Dad and I did so we called it. It was starting to look all the more ominous as well. Great ride selection. Something for everyone. Cedar Fair has done a great job maintaining the older sections of the park, and while the some of the newer sections are nice. Some just scream cheap amusement park. The Talon midway specifically as well as Stinger and Possesed's midway. I enjoyed that there was a lot of shade, and it seemed fairly clean. Crews were good too! Not much staking though Hydra and Thunderhawk were only running one train despite having the ability to run two, it wasn't incredibly necessary on a day like today though. Ride placement was also fantastic. As someone who studies the industry more than the rides themselves, Dorney Park uses it's more very effectively. Props to Cedar Fair keeping the older section the centerpiece while layering ride throughout it, and in places that would otherwise be concrete. The main midway does have a lot more potential, and could use an upgrade considering it only showed up in the late 1990's/early 2000's. Like I said before though, great experience! Would definitely come back, and it seems my brother and father enjoy it also.

Now for the ride reviews.

Talon: Definitely the best roller coaster in the park, though not the park's signature roller coaster in my opinion despite it's location hanging over the front of the park. One of my favorite colors schemes of all-time. Freshly painted this year too. I couldn't bring myself to rank it in front of Alpengeist and Montu though it will sit firmly in front of Afterburn. Top 20 steel roller coaster for me. The first drop had a nice smooth whip to it, very similar to Dominator at Kings Dominion. Pulled good forces, but not enough to where it was uncomfortable. Zero-g-roll was a gem taken at the perfect speed. It had some floater air, but because we were in the back it pull you back into your seat, before finishing the back end of the roll. The Immelmann was solid then a lazy banked turn into a surprise pop of airtime down into the back half. Like a really nice pop of air. Then the back section screams. Unique and low to the ground with tight turns, great G's, and some surprises. I was just waiting for the corkscrew and then it hit me after it had passed through my mind that it was approaching. The thing that made this ride though was it was smooth as glass. No rattle, no headbanging, no nothing! 8.5/10 here, beautiful, fantastic opening ride to start off my roller coasters riding year.

Steel Force: The ride captured me when I first got into roller coasters in the year 2000. It was at the top of everyone's lists, and was a must ride for its time. This was the must ride on my list because of the rides history and intrigue to me personally. In my opinion it's beautiful. That bright red track with the massive super-structure. The layout is simple yet well done, and with my love of Hyper/Mega Coasters, having not done a Morgan Hyper Coaster yet was starting to get at me. The 1990's Morgan Hypers have this distinct characteristic about them, and that's the straight sections in the middle of the hills. Unlike B&M and Intamin Hypers where the track is usually continuously changing angles, the Arrow and Morgan Hypers often hit a specific angle and that's it til the top or bottom of the hill, which is very different than what I'm used to. The ride provided great views and visibility in the front row. In the back row there was plenty of airtime come off the backs of each drop while the front launched you into airtime as you began to crest each hill and you hung up there until about 1/4 to 1/2 way down the drop. The airtime would be categorized throughout as sustained floater air though instead of smoothly transitioning in and out of your seat there was a distinct pop and fall back into your seat on each hill. The helix was insane, pulled a lot of G's. The transition into the MCBR was a little awful, but the back half was just consistantly solid airtime and flat out fun. I also wasn't expecting the lap bars to not come all the way down, interesting surprise. We rode black train both times too. I am having a hard time ranking this ride, for various reasons, however, it does score a solid 8/10. It wasn't higher because there were some awkward transitions, and the transition from seat to airtime and back was a little rough at times.

Dominator: I love S&S Powers. They are pure, freefall fun. We took the launch side because the drop was down, I'd prefer to take the launch side anyways. Power Tower was better only because of the height. This thing still had all the airtime in the world and then some. My brother was talking and the launch caught him by surprise, which was comical. Compessed air launches, both towers and coasters are rides I've come to love, and I personally prefer them over LIM/LSM Coasters. The hydrolic cable launchers Intamin has put out in my opinion deliever the best launch, but compressed air in my opinion delievers a better experience than an LIM/LSM launched coaster/ride. Another 8/10 here.

Hydra the Revenge: The quirky B&M Floorless was actually a lot of fun. I have a lot of thoughts and insight about how this ride affect B&M and the amusement industry at large, but I've expressed those elsewhere, but will again if someone asks. We took back row at my father's request and the Jo-Jo Roll was a blast! Best part of the ride in my opinion just because it is so different, flipping with sustained airtime, and a slow speed is just... weird! But fun too. My Dad asked why this thing didn't come out with rave reviews, and I talked a bit before he hit the nail on the head. He said, "It just doesn't go as fast as you think it would." Which affects every part of the ride. Personally, I didn't mind it. Each inversion was interesting. You didn't fly through it or drag through it. You just roll through each one without interruption. The track angles that make up these inversions are also quite different than a typial B&M. Some were good, like I thought the V-Shaped Cobra Roll was cool, and some weren't such as the corkscrews. The redeeming quality here was it was smooth (slight rattle occasionally). I wasn't expecting a ton because of the masses reviews, but I came away enjoying it. 7.5/10 here.

Thunderhawk: This rides age is what caught my Dad's attention. This old PTC woodie still had some go in it. We got front row knwoing this was a front seat ride. The airtime definitely caught me by surprise at the top of the two hills before each turnaround. I loved the ride's setting and how the paint fading and the new wood is natural. From a far you can barely tell the difference. The ride pulls off the old look well in my opinion. Speaking of this part of the park the pathway through the middle of the ride is the best park of the whole park in my opinion. I had to hold onto dear life a couple of times, but all in all it wasn't too bad though I could see how this thing would be quite rough in the back. Fun ride with some pops of air, interesting and surprising layout (a lot of the corners are blind), great look, and good lateral G's. 6.5/10 on the Thunderhawk.

Stinger: Ouch. Bad Vekoma! Ouch. Safe to say I would have loved to have seen Laser instead of this thing. The ride looks great, but mad does it ride like a Vekoma. The cobra roll was brutal, and the loop honestly wasn't much better. John rode it well and loved it, while I just couldn't figure it out and probably wouldn't ride it again to try. This was surprisingly a walk-on despite being a brand-new, low capacity ride. 2/10 on this one. It was actually comical how much I didn't like it.

Possessed: Now this ride wasn't comical, I hated everything about it. The launch because it's muted at the beginning didn't have the power a normal full scale launch would. You got the full power after you were going pretty fast, which lead to this awkward jolt as you passed through the station. The G's on each pullup and pullout were insane. Just too much to handle, very disorienting, and they literally pushed my head down off the headrest and pretty far down too. The stop brake on the back spike was weird too. Thrilling yes, but it almost hurt, jus the sudden stop. Going backwards is what sent my head and stomach into a different world. 1/10 here, and I will not be riding another Intamin Inverted Impluse for a while if ever. Also, the sound affects were just a little overkill in my opinion and obnoxiously loud.

The three of us the day before went to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to catch an Orioles day game against the Tampa Bay Rays. I'm an avid Orioles fan so for me this was more of a thrill than Dorney. I also love taking pictures and architecture so I loved the beautiy of Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor. We even got to go into the 3rd floor of the Warehouse on Eutaw Street. The O's won the game, and we had great seats to take it all in. I'll post a small update of Camden Yards and Dorney Park pictues tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to read. This part of the experience is just as fun for me as riding the rides themselves, and I'm grateful people appreciate that. Let me know your thoughts and ask questions! I'd love some discussion.

[biZarRo]

Glad you had a great time! I agree that Talon is the best ride in the park, and I also find it weird that Stinger is almost always a walk on even though it's new and doesn't have great capacity.

[Danny Miller]

Glad to here you had a good day with us. Sorry I couldn't be there to at least strap you in haha. You share the same opinion as me with Talon and Steel Force. SF has aged well and with the exception of two odd transitions is still great. Thunderhawk always runs only one train except for VERY busy Saturdays because it lessens the work of Maintanence slightly. It has always been very underrated I think. Hydra always runs two trains so there must have been a wheel change or something that caused them to only be running one. Sorry to hear the shuttles beat you up, but that's why the lines are probably short. Like I said. Always short lines except for Saturdays. Thanks for coming to the park!

[Tori Finlay]

I see you got Hydra on a smooth day. I've had rides within the same day on the same train (it was running the same train) in the same seat where, on one ride it'll be closing in on SF and Talon for smoothness and then another ride where it's like we're running over glass! I think the wheels they use, and I think Danny thought of this, may be affected by temperature or weather or something.
Also, front seat on Stinger is vastly different from back seat. Back seat (nearest the first lift hill) is smooth and full of G forces. If you go in the second to back or in the front, you're in a world of hurt.
I'm really glad you liked Thunderhawk though. The airtime is almost violent in the front, right? You don't expect it at all from the old girl, especially if you've ridden the other seats, which I did, until a few years ago.
And Steel Force. You hit the nail on the head. She's still fun to ride, even after doing so for 13 years.

[Danny Miller]

^didnt we decide SF was a boy?

[Tori Finlay]

Maybe you decided that. The trains are boys, the ride itself is a girl. I'm not really sure how, but it makes sense to me.

[Danny Miller]

oh ok thats right. i almost forgot our reasoning lol

[steel-Rock]

"Talon is the best ride in the park". What day, which seat? What day for Steel Force, which seat?
Can there be two best? It's a close call. I'll back either one.

You may not want to put a gender on a coaster; that sounds like trouble. (Cars are girls.)
If Thunderhawk is an "old girl", can Son of Beast and Rattler be "grumpy old men" ?

[Danny Miller]

Talon back seat right end at night. Steel force back seat left side at night lol. And the gender thing is an inside joke between me and Tori more than anything . SF is deff a close second however. And I would have no problem calling SoB a grumpy old man despite him not being that old.

[Tori Finlay]

Thunderhawk...has always struck me as a girl. I don't know why. Like a reliable grandmother.
I can see Son of Beast being like this wild adolescent that got what was coming to him for being too extreme. Beast is an energetic old man. Maybe we should open this up for discussion?

Talon back seat closest to the queue line. Steel Force front seat or back seat, but for different reasons. Steel Force in October, because you go down into the fog and emerge above it. Talon during fireworks. Both at night. Both in the morning.

[Danny Miller]

Yes. When people ask me what the best ride is I always tell them Talon, back row, right end. You get just a little more whip than on the left side.