Photo TR: Coaster Palooza 2007 Continues!!!

Coaster Palooza 2007 continues.

 

The dates below have where we went and what we did. There will be a brief re-cap and then the pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

 

Day 0 (just because everyone has one on their trips): Kings Dominion

Day 1: Morey’s Piers, Ocean City Piers, Atlantic City

Day 2: Philadelphia, Victory Brewing, Drafting Room, Dorney and Derek!

Day 3: Knoebel’s, DelGrosso’s

Day 4: Kennywood, Ted & Catrina

Day 5: Idlewild, Lakemont and Rain!!!!

Miscellaneous family/home pictures

 

Day 0 Re-cap:

We came out to Fredericksburg to visit Gyendolynne’s family for 4th of July Holiday and to continue our Coaster Palooza 2007 tour.

 

The Palooza didn’t “officially” start until Saturday, July 7th, but we couldn’t resist heading to Kings Dominion on July 5th. We weren’t expecting much because it is 4th of July weekend, but the crowds were relatively light and we arrived around 12 noon! We only wanted/needed to ride Rebel Yell (backwards), Hurler, Grizzly, and Italian Job Turbo Coaster. All of them were running single trains except for Italian Job. Grizzly however would get its second train when we were next to ride. We had to wait another 15-20 minutes for this!

 

We only spent around 2-3 hours there, but it was plenty of time for us.

 

Here are the photos.

Grizzly, we were happy at this moment until they decided to add the second train while we were next in line. At that point we had to wait another 15-20 minutes!

Ricochet was testing while we waited in line for Hurler.

Just us!

Full queue shot.

Next up...

Rebel Yell backwards queue. About a 10-15 minute wait.

Nope, not running, but it was testing later in the day.

Had to have a shot of the mini coopers

First stop. This wasn't here the last time. I like this one a little better than Kings Island. I think it's just because of the speakers.

Yep, still has Paramount in there. I wonder when they will take it out of the sign.

Today was a big day. We were going to Morey’s Piers for Coastin’ by the Ocean, and then we were heading up the shore to Ocean City and ending our day in Atlantic City.

 

We started out early at 5:30am from Fredericksburg and arriving at 10:30am at Morey’s Piers. It was the first year that they were holding an event like this and their staff didn’t disappoint. The piers are the cleanest we have ever been to. The staff was constantly cleaning if they weren’t loading riders or checking the queue lines. The ride ops did a great job too.

 

For those that don’t know, Morey’s Piers is family owned. Jack Morey is the current owner of the 3 piers (Surfside Pier, Mariner’s Landing Pier, and Adventure Pier). The event started at Surfside Pier with ERT on AtmosFEAR (drop tower), Great Nor’Easter, DooWopper, and Dante’s Dungeon (dark ride). You need to ride AtmosFEAR a couple of times to listen to the different tracks that play. The Great Nor’Easter is a looping, corkscrew coaster that goes through their water park that is at the end of this pier. DooWopper is a mouse coaster themed to old time cars and Dante’s Dungeon is a dark ride with scary things jumping out.

 

There was a bonus ERT on Zoom Phloom, which is an interesting log ride. The ride takes you down a small, less splashy side, then you go under the boardwalk (yes, the song “under the boardwalk” plays and it is interestingly themed, I have no pictures though) and then you head back up for their next steeper, more splashy drop. Yes, you do get wet!

 

Mariner’s landing was our next stop. I rode Sea Serpent, a boomerang ride. We also rode their Rollie Coaster. Lunch was provided as part of the event at the Rendezvous Beach Picnic Pavilion, which is at the end of the pier and another water park is there too. This one is called Raging Waters. Jack Morey spoke at the lunch along with a couple of other enthusiasts. They have a dark ride on this pier call Pirates of Wildwood. It is in 3D and I think this is a take off of Pirates of the Caribbean. They also have a few more flat rides.

 

The final pier is Adventure Pier. Here is where they have their best coaster, Great White. It is actually a neat wood coaster with some airtime. We went through their Mummy 3D maze before we rode this ride. It is a must miss.

 

We left and didn’t come back for the rest of the event. They had ERT on Great White from 12:30am-1:30am and then a focus group the next day for ideas on building a coaster connecting 2 piers. It sounds interesting!

 

We went up the shore to Ocean City for Playland’s Castaway Cove and Gillian’s Wonderland Pier. Both places have 3 coasters along with assorted flat rides. Gyendolynne rode the swings and we both rode the drop tower.

 

Next, we finally ended up at Atlantic City. I wanted to ride their Crazy Mouse ride on the Steel Pier, but it was stuck on the lift hill. We went to Hard Rock Café for dinner and then to the hotel.

 

Below are the pictures.

That does say the USS Arizona. Day 2 is next.....stay tuned.

These next few pictures were in the lobby of the hotel. They looked pretty neat.

This one was just ho-hummm. We still like San Antonio's on the Riverwalk the best!

Can't get enough Hard Rock Cafes.

There was another reason why we stopped here.

They're mouse coaster wasn't even running...GRRRR!!!!

Next stop, Atlantic City. A very dirty place and traffic was terrible.

See????

Gyendolynne rode the swings alone though.

She also didn't want to seem too pathetic in riding a kiddie coaster, yep I rode by myself and it got caught on the lift hill!

Gyendolynne didn't want her brains scrambled, so I rode by myself.

Next coaster with some loops.

Taboggan style coaster. Not the Taboggan though.

They have a neat carousel too. Complete with a rabbit instead of a horse!

First stop....

Hey, we made it!

Especially in the heat.

It's a bit of a walk.

We headed back to Playland's Castaway Cove next.

Stay dry!

Good-bye Gyendolynne...

Of course, there is a log ride.

Kiddie Coaster.

Swings.

Everyone has a ship.

The Carousel.

This is just in off of the boardwalk.

Then we took their skyride to get a good overview of the park.

Here we are on their train coaster.

They have some great rides here and a nice staff.

I always see the smashed penny machines instead.

This is what you see once you get in off the boardwalk.

Gillian's Wonderland, we're here!

We rode this before we rode Great White. After that, we headed to Ocean City for a couple more piers.

So I stuck my head in the sharks mouth instead.

We made it to our third pier for Great White. It wasn't open yet though.

Here is another one of their dark rides. I think they tried to do a Pirates of the Caribbean in 3D here.

I just can't believe how far this is in the heat.

Here is a shot of Great White from the pier.

The next couple of shots are of the long distance to walk to get to the beach.

Another shot of the waterpark.

There was a pirate themed ship skyride that took you around the waterpark too.

I think that is the reason I rode alone.

There was also some great flat rides. I rode this one right after lunch. I am the only one on it.

They had a good water park at the end of both of the piers. This one is called Raging Waters.

I had this funky popsicle

Jack Morey spoke at lunch time.

Gyendolynne getting her feet massaged. This is one of the best things ever!

More smashed pennies.

It's their boomerang coaster.

Time to ride Sea Serpent

I think that's a long way to the beach, but I guess I am kinda spoiled out here in California.

On our way to the next pier.

Smashed pennies, you'll see a lot of this.

Some Classics.

They had a pretty good car show on the Boardwalk as well.

This was where you check-in for the event.

There was a bonus ERT on Zoom Phloom and we did get wet.

Is that who makes it?

Neat theming though.

Here's DooWopper, a mouse style ride.

Coming down.

Going up!!!

I rode AtmosFEAR a couple of times though.

We had ERT on this dark ride, but only rode it once.

See, I told you it was me!

That's my feet in the back row.

We made it to the Great Nor'Easter.

The Delaware Memorial Bridge. I think....

Early morning, sun is rising over DC.

Cool photo TR! I love boardwalks. Their so scenic.

We like to take in History when we can on our trips. Today we would go to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We arrived early and beat the crowds. We were a little surprised by this because it was 4th of July weekend. We got our tickets for the Independence Hall tour and went to see the Liberty Bell. The history here is incredible. I won’t bore you with anymore of this.

 

After the tour, we went to Hard Rock Café to get our souvenirs and then went to meet up with TPR’s Derek Ruth for Victory Brewing and a BONUS brewery! Victory was awesome and Derek is a great tour guide. We went to the Drafting House also since it is so close. It is in the top 50 places to have a beer.

 

Derek led the way to Dorney Park after the breweries. Dorney was crowded, but everyone was at the water park. We were able to ride Hydra in about 10-15 minutes and then we rode Steel Force. It was only a 1 -2 train wait.

 

Thanks Derek for all the help!

 

We stayed in Danville that night on our way to Knoebel’s the next day.

Here is our on-ride photo on Hydra.

Sometimes the most random things are entertaining.

Gyendolynne and Derek studying up on their Dorney history. There will be a test later on.

We rode Steel Force next. I think Derek looks way to happy. Is he really at Dorney?

Couple more of Hydra.

He does look excited about it.

I might have someone else hooked.

Ooooh....

We needed to ride Hydra because it wasn't built the last time we were here.

Next stop, Dorney.

Hi Nicole!

My second beer was Founders.

Gyendolynne had a raspberry flavored beer.

Plenty of beers to choose from.

Next stop, the Drafting Room. Number 45 on the list.

What every house needs.

Getting a case of beer for the rest of the trip.

Self-explanatory.

Thanks for the tour.

However, if Derek was around, you would go to Victory Brewery instead.

Of course, when they were done signing the Declaration of Independence, they went to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Piano.

They would have formal balls and dining here.

Stairs...

The upstairs of Independence Hall.

Another meeting room.

Washington over saw it in this chair.

This is where they argued about the Bill of Rights. It's also where they would sign the document.

Still the old style look.

Other meeting areas for the congress.

We thought this looked impressive.

Upstairs was where the different houses would meet, senate, etc.

Washington actually sat in that chair back there.

Philly's famous son.

The building had to be expanded as they added onto the congress and this was the spot where it was expanded from.

The Ranger did a great job!

This is where the first congress would meet and where Washington was sworn in as our first President.

Here it is from the other side.

Me in the front

from the side.

Independence Hall.

There I am!!!

There's the Liberty Bell and yes, that's my arm.

More history.

We walked through the whole area. I filmed most of it.

Our next stop was the Liberty Bell.

This has more information on the President's house.

They have a lot of street carriages in the area. It was just too hot to ride one and we had limited time too.

This is where the early President's house was. They are rebuilding it.

Nice pictures. That stuff you did in Philly looks really cool, I love historic stuff like that. And man, what a dorky looking tour guide you had for Dorney.

Great Photos and Kudos for the Hard Rock Cafe credits.

"Next stop, Atlantic City. A very dirty place and traffic was terrible."

 

Agreed about it being dirty and the traffic, they are really trying to make the city nicer with more upscale shopping and restaurants but they have a long way to go. I don't even have the credits at Steel Pier and have spent a lot of my past 7 summers about 15 minutes away from there.

 

I hope Python (the Pinfair looper at Playland) wasn't too rough. Last year it was brutal.

Great TR man. Wildwood is such a nice area. From the piers to the beach. We made a trip out there last summer. I don't like Dorney so much, but it is a decent park with a pretty good selection of coasters, and a really good selection of flats. And Philly is pretty nice to. At least the historic parts anyway.

Nice TR so far. I've never made it up that way, but it looks really nice. All that congress stuff looked really neat.

Really great TR, brought back some old memories. When I was growing up I had a "second" family, that lived down the road from me, I spent a lot of time with them. On one of the trips I went on with them was a summer in Philly. We spent 9 weeks in philly, did the tours and seen the liberty bell, even went with a girl to her shool one day, big nightmare. The thing we did the most was drive to the coast, I spent about 35 days, off and on, on the boardwalk that summer loved it. This brought back some good memories. Thanks for a stroll down memory lane.

Awesome TR, looks like you and your wife had a great time going around the east coast! It was a rather interesting TR too.

 

Can't wait for Knoebels!

Wow looks like fun. Hard Rock Cafe's always looks like fun, but I have never been. Do you have any pictures of the Pirate Ship Sky Ride?

ALso are you going to Hershey Park?

^Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the Pirate ship skyride, but it looked very similar to the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland.

 

Thanks for all the responses! I will hopefully get the rest of the report up tonight. I might only be able to add Knoebel's depending on time.

Here's a closeup of the Sky Ships, they are fun but it's very slow loading and can be 30+ minutes easily.

What a great park! We really enjoyed this place. I know so many people talk about it and rave about everything here, but it is absolutely incredible. This is a must park to go to. Phoenix has quite a bit of airtime. Twister is pretty fast and the Flyers snap great. The Grand Carousel is a classic with grabbing for the rings. I only know of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk that has this too. Knoebel’s history museum is a must see. They have signs all over the park about the floods they have survived. The sky ride is really neat too. Thanks for all the tips Derek.

 

On our way to Pittsburgh for Kennywood, we stopped off at DelGrosso’s just north of Altoona. We rode their mouse ride and took some pictures. They have one of the oldest carousels there.

 

That night we stayed pretty close to Kennywood and the hotel had a package deal with a discount off the room and discount tickets!

Here is a shot of the road you come in on from the bridge. We were crossing it as we were leaving. Until the next update.

A photo of their Wacky Worm.

I didn't buy any shotglasses though.

What's in the cupboard? We bought some salsa. Yes, we are from California.

and a classic carousel. Actually one of the oldest ones. I think everyone says they have one of the oldest ones.

Flying Bob's, we love these rides...

Spinning ride, with a kid in full sprint...

They have bumper cars...

Tehee

Nicely themed.

We're here for the Crazy Mouse. Can I count this as 2 because I didn't get on the one at Steel Pier?

We declined to ride the ship though.

Yep, a ship ride.

The castle in the back is the entrance to their kiddie area.

This place is known for its tomato sauce, pizza, spaghetti, etc.

I'm thinking that if the people at Dorney could see how empty this park it, they would make the drive.

They have a water park there too.

Hello DelGrosso's. This is a neat little park in Tipton, just north of Altoona.

Good-bye Elysburg.

Last stop on the way out.

Some of the camping. The park is really neat with houses that are actually within the park.

Seriously, this guy floors the train through the 1 mile of track.

Here we are, ready to ride the FASTEST train I have ever been on.

Real steam locomotive.

This ride always seems cool when your watching it, but then it's just, meh.

I believe that is Twister off in the distance.

This ride gives a really good overall view of the park.

There's Phoenix.

Coming back down.

I can't see the forest through the trees.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.....you should know the rest.

Is that Space Mountain?

We rode the skyride, which was a major accomplishment since I have a fear of heights and a major fear of these rides.

Anyone know where I can get some bread?

We thought this puppy was cute.

Mailing postcards home. No, this isn't from Knoebel's with love.

People walking their dog through the park. Just clean up after them!

I had a cheeseburger. I wish I would have had the pizza! We did get ice-cream later on.

Lunch time, Gyendolynne had crab cakes. It was a special of the day.

Hey guys, when are you going to be done?

Back to Flying Turns for some photos and video.

Next up, make the fliers snap!

Here's our on-ride photo.

Back to Twister for our ride. I don't know what that kid is yawning about.

This one flies right by you while you're waiting in line.

We really like these rides.

Nice queue for Phoenix! We rode it twice.

First ride and plenty of airtime. Twister wasn't running yet.

Pretty cool, you can bring your dog to the park.

Knoebel's has a ton of smashed penny machines and they tell you where the rest of them are!

Here they are, still working on Flying Turns.

Hi Gyendolynne!

We had to get these photos. Although we didn't take any flood photos.

Just clownin' around!

Yes, the sign is inside the park, not at the entrance.

Yeah, I remember when I met you guys back in March that you were hoping to get to Knoebels this year. I am glad that you made it! I am also glad to see another person posting a picture of "Space Mountain Knoebels". Can't wait to see more.

I love DelGrossos. Not because it is the greatest park in the world, but on my last visit ...

 

 

It was the Italian Food Festival and there was a band playing Laura Branigan's Gloria in Italian!

 

Complete with gold lame' bassist playing an Italian flag bass. Ah ... the memories.

Great photo TR! I have not been to the boardwalk in 8 years so it was great to see it again!

 

Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Nice pictures and report! By chance, did you ask the Flying Turns construction crew when they expect opening by?

Awesome report, you guys!!

 

I loved the Philly stuff. You definitely convinced me that I NEED to check that stuff out sooner than later.

 

Derek, is Hydra really that boring? I don't think I've ever seen anyone so unenthused in an onride pic in my life. That was classic!

 

Rick, just how many smashed pennies do you have now? Inquiring minds wanna know.

Damn, and here I was hoping that I'D actually get a postcard this time. lol

I'm totally envious of your growing smashed penny collection. My latest ones were from GL and, if you can believe it, the Ohio Turnpike rest stops.

 

I'm really thinking I have to convince Mr. Monkey Pants to do a Pennsylvania trip.

 

Say hi to Gyendolynne for me!

Very nice photo tr! Can't wait for the Kennywood pics!

I feel ya on the skyride thing... I'm not neccessarily scared of heights but the whole hanging on a little cable makes me uneasy for some reason. The one at Lake Compounce is a nightmare if you have this fear, hehe, rode it once and never again!

 

Great TR so far, I absolutely love Morey's Piers, mainly for their dark rides and it was good to see some photos. What did you think of Dante's Dungeon?

Nice TR. I haven't been to Knoebels in a while. In fact the last time I was there was when Whirlwind was there. Its weird to see how much has changed.

Great TR. That's my son Conner and I on the front of the Dowopper.

The Wildwood beach gets a little longer every year. The water use to be under a portion of the piers.