YoshiFan

Talon 2 days ago

That's how it's been on almost all my trips to Dorney. The only times in around 7 years that I've had to wait more than 5 minutes to 10 minutes for a coaster (not counting Wild Mouse) was when I made the mistake of going to the park on a Sunday in August, closing day 2006 when they were running 1 train on the coasters because of the weather, a Friday in May when there was Music in the Park and 50+ buses and a couple of other days when they were running 1 train because of weather. Even opening weekend last year when Stinger had just opened I waited about 10 minutes for the coaster. At any other park when a new coaster opens, it could easily be at least an hour wait. It seems like unless you go to the park on a Friday in May (at least until around 4:00 or 5:00), a weekend in July or August or a Saturday during Haunt, there will be little to no lines.

The safari can get a 2+ hour line, there are signs at the park entrance and ride entrance warning the wait can be up to 3 hours. I would get there at opening and go to it right away. The only problem with that is since the ride takes over an hour you probably won't be done with the ride until around 12:00 and then will only have a little amount of time to get some rides in without a long wait before the crowds start really picking up. The indoor mazes open at I think 2:30 and the outdoor ones open at either 6:30 or 6:45. I haven't been in any of the mazes so I don't know which ones could be skipped.

Tonight it's even less crowded than Friday night last week. All coasters are a walk on or 1 to 2 train wait. They are set up for big crowds tomorrow though, overflow queues have been added to the coasters that weren't there last Friday night.

I agree about Hydra. I'll admit I liked it a lot more when I first started to become an enthusiast and Hydra was one of the few major coasters I had ridden but now I really don't like the coaster nearly as much. The rattling throughout almost the entire rides just makes me want to ride it even less. I sometimes ride it once a trip to the park, other times I skip it compared to Talon and Steel Force that I try to get multiple laps on each time I am there.

I'm a little surprised to hear ride lines were overflowing. I didn't think it would be as empty as a regular Saturday in September but with it still being early I would have guessed lines would be around an hour at the most. It looks like I'll continue to go on Friday nights where wait times are much more reasonable.

I guess it's starting early to compete with Haunt at Dorney which also starts tonight and because crowds were usually low in mid September and maybe they thought it would bring in more people.

If anyone is going to the park tonight, the website is wrong and they close at 10 and not 11. Also, parking has been raised to $25 for regular and $35 for preferred

The Log Flume might be done for the year. It was also closed when I was at the park last week on Tuesday and Thursday. Last time I was at the ride there was the old sign up that says it only runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I understand the rapids only open during that time but it would be nice to see the Log Flume open in April and May and most of September since it is warm enough most of that time and you don't get soaked unless you get hit with one of the coin operated sprayers.

I haven't been to many parks this year and probably won't get to any parks the rest of the year except Great Adventure and Dorney I have been to: Great Adventure Dorney Kennywood Gillian's Wonderland Pier

The park is empty today, I didn't expect it to be very crowded but I also didn't expect all coasters to be a station wait or a walk on. Tomorrow and Thursday will probably be the same especially since they added these 3 days to the calendar only a few weeks ago so many people probably don't even know the park is open.

I don't think they are having the preview this year since Fright Fest starts so early. The coupon for the free trail that is usually valid on that night is instead valid for all 3 days of opening weekend.

I don't miss Hercules at all, it was such a painful coaster and after 2 rides I had no interest in riding the coaster again. I'm still hoping Dorney gets a new wooden coaster in the next few years.

I thought Rolling Thunder was running well on Monday, it didn't seem any different than the times I have ridden the coaster in the trips to the park in the past month. I actually think its running smoother than Thunderhawk at Dorney this year.

I was there from 5 to 10 and I also thought it was very crowded. Kingda Ka had the switchbacks full and part of the overflow queue was full too. The person at the entrance said it was a 2 hour wait but I don't think it was that bad because the person at Nitro said it was 90 minutes and took only 35 minutes. Even Rolling Thunder had a line almost to the entrance but no switchbacks were being used. In the 5 hours I managed to ride Nitro twice, The Dark Knight, Tango, Bizarro, Skyway, Skull Mountain and The Log Flume once each and Rolling Thunder 3 times (I waited until 9:20 when it was a 2 train wait and then a walk on) and Runaway Mine Train twice.

I didn't realize Sesame Place had gotten so expensive. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid before they had any rides (back then it was all water slides and playgrounds/net climbs) but am glad I did manage to get the credit on one of my final trips there before everyone in my family outgrew the park.

All day pricing is I think $13 and are in Adventure Alley and The Boardwalk. They also have an option for the one time use ones for $8 that allows you to use them as much as you want from ride to ride. I think all coasters allow the cups to be stored in the station except The Dark Knight where the cup holders are right at the entrance to the queue.

I'd miss the parachutes. I usually ride the parachutes almost every trip to the park. It seems like they are running more of the parachutes more often now too with 4 or 6 running instead of only 2 like years ago. I just wish you were up at the top for more than a few seconds before the parachute starts lowering.

It was a rumor last year that the park was getting a major refurbishment along with the new trains but never happened.

When I was there almost 2 weeks ago I noticed the same thing. I paid attention to the signs at the rides that said they closed early and was sure to ride those first but I went to the Whip after 9:00 and found it closed. It wasn't that big of a deal since one of my local parks (Dorney) also has a Whip but I was lucky to go to Noah's Ark when I did since around 15 minutes later it was closed for the night. Neither of those rides had signs saying they close early.

And at the expense of a good family ride (Krazy Kars). I rode Demon Drop a few times in 2010 and 2011 and went right back to Dominator. Even today when the park wasn't crowded Demon Drop was cycling empty cars while Dominator didn't have much of a line but was running with mostly full cars. It's been like that most times I go to the park after the first couple of years Demon Drop was open. I agree with the rest of your post too. I was against Stinger as soon as I heard it was coming to Dorney and tried to give it a chance and rode the coaster during my first few trips to the park in 2012. Since then I have ridden the coaster a couple of times. Besides that I don't like the coaster that much, it isn't fun not knowing if the ride is going to be breakdown for more than a few minutes like it already has multiple times last year and at least once this year.

Sky Rocket at Kennywood on Monday night.

The one time use ones that are near Thunder Canyon and White Water Landing have been trouble for years. I had problems with them eating money and not opening after I went back to it. Even though it's more expensive (even with the season pass discount), I use the all day ones in WWK instead when I am going to WWK and riding Thunder Canyon and White Water Landing. Hopefully they get replaced next year.

Nitro around 6 hours ago.

All the coasters will close for thunderstorms except The Dark Knight and possibly Skull Mountain.