SkyToro

You aren't able to change the speed of the lift. It's programmed to slow down before it gets to the top so I think you were hallucinating lol Like I said, Ryan was able to make it full speed (it didn't slow down at the top). He told us ahead of time he was doing it and it actually happened. It's just a switch on the ops panel.

Visited the park with Physical for a few hours today and got one ride on Bizzaro and 6 on El Toro. Ryan was nice enough to give us 2 full-speed lift hill rides and wow, what a difference!

Cut Throat Island has been relocated to an area that makes way too much sense.

This is the last year for All Wheel Sports. The announcement comes 1 day before the 2017 announcement... could we be seeing a dark ride?

Blood on the Bayou is coming along nicely in the old Desolation building.

My guess is 3 classic flats.

Survey markers in Hang Time's old spot.

It's disappointing that they have to remove Flying Falcoln for this. If Domintor weren't 10 minutes from my house I probably wouldn't care, but since it is this announcement sucks. Chick-fil-a is a welcome addition though.

Dorney's full-timers are messing around with VR...

Looking at the pass holder website, it looks like ERT is only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and starts at 9:30. The only coaster it includes is Talon. Unless there's mechanical issues, all rides are typically ready to go before 10:00 (last year Steel Force was the only exception - it would open by 10:15. Not sure if that's changed).

Quick tip about the Freestyle's: If there's a blinking red light in the upper right corner of the machine, it doesn't have an adequate supply of High Fructose Corn Syrup. That's what makes the drinks taste like that. Also, it can permanently damage the machines.

This happens occasionally. I think they call it a "false launch." From what I understand, it happens when there isn't enough pressure in the system. It's also known to cause the ride to unlock gates and fail to dispatch. After a couple tries, it'll launch slowly and rough and during this ride the holding break doesn't engage. Usually the ride runs normally after this happens once.

I'm probably one in a million here, but Hydra is my favorite ride at Dorney. Sue me.

That's an article from 2012.

I'm at the park right now and got a ride on it today. Just make sure to ride in car 4.

Demon Drop, Wild Mouse, and Ferris Wheel shut down immediately when it starts drizzling. Heavy rain will shut all of the coasters down, and certain flat rides. The Whip and Musik Express are the only 2 rides I can think of that almost never close. 20 minutes of no rain = testing and re-opening of rides.

My bets are on that 2-story Haunt building coming this year.

Yeah, you're probably right. Thunder Creek Mountain was not open, but maintanance was working on/ testing it all night, probably getting it ready for today.

I attended Passholder Preview Night tonight, here's a quick trip report. Rides Ridden: Thunderhawk x3 Hydra x2 Talon x2 Possessed x2 Demon Drop x2 Steel Force x1 Cedar Creek Flyers x1 Enterprise x1 Apollo x1 Dominator Red x1 Notes: First of all, Stinger was down pretty much the entire night (surprise, right?) cause temps were too low to keep it operating without it breaking down every other cycle. Didn't get a ride before it closed for the night, which was unfortunate. After tonight, I have a new found love for Steel Force. I've always found the ride pretty boring and tame (I typically ride in the back), but that 1st row can really provide some awesome airtime. Also, they ran 1 train all night, which made 3 train wait about 10 minutes. This was the most frustrating part of the night. Imo, any coaster with a MCBR shouldn't even be capable of running with less than 2 trains. Moving on, Demon Drop was fantastic, as always. I miss getting the opportunity test riding all 6 cars in a row on short staffed days like I did last year lol. As for the B&Ms, they were also fantastic, as always. I did notice a bit of a rattle on both though. Not sure if the trains need some breaking in for the season? It wasn't terrible, but it seemed like a noticeable change to me. They were also both running 1 train, but it's not a big deal with such high capacity and easy loading/ unloading...unlike Steel Force. Possessed is the only ride (except Thunderhawk) that I rode the same row twice tonight (the 1st, of course), I fell in love with that coaster towards the end of last year and could easily marathon-ride it. I attempted to ride Dominator Green, but it wasn't open for whatever reason and ended up riding the Red tower. Not sure if the Green tower ever opened (it was already later in the night when I rode). And then there's Thunderhawk. Those trains look fantastic, paint looks fantastic, and the ride is gorgeous at night with those new lights. The ride experience is completely different with the new trains than I was expecting. Mike Fehnel did a little speech before the first riders rode and mentioned that the ride was indeed retracked, and it's definitely noticeable. I never thought Thunderhawk would ever ride so smooth, it's incredible. With that said, there was little-to-no airtime in the front row the 2 times I rode there. It does run slower in the cold, so that may contribute to the lack of airtime. (I did hear that the ride was running its course almost 10 seconds faster than the old trains did when it was warmer about a week ago). I also rode in the back, which is now a bearable experience that doesn't result in you nearly breaking your back. I'd say the level of smoothness of the back row with the new trains is nearly identical to the smoothness in the front row on the old trains. It was nice to ride with the sense of higher speed in the back row without feeling like I'll need EMS to be called. I look forward to riding it when it's warmer. All in all, it was a great start to coaster season for me (which will get even better with my Knoebels visit tomorrow). I also have the dinning plan and all-season refill bottle, which is a great program. I got to ride everything I wanted to, with the exception of Meteor, Dominator Red, and Stinger. P.S. - That main midway needs some work. At this rate, Wave Swinger will be gone next year and all that will be left is Talon and the now one and only carousel in the park. R.I.P. Screamin' Swing.

And it made it back. Also, look at that paint. Looks great.

It is miles ahead, it's almost laughable. I can't believe people pay extra on top of the ticket price at Fright Fest, when Dorney's is included and is far superior.

I've heard similar rumors. I have a feeling there's a chance the long-rumored moving of the entrance + a new gate coaster could happen. I only want a gate coaster if Alfundo is involved in some manner. That would actually be amazing. I'd love to see something like that.

I've heard similar rumors. I have a feeling there's a chance the long-rumored moving of the entrance + a new gate coaster could happen.

They're actually neither. These are one of the newer articulating rear axle trains. These should move around the corners much better than the old trains did with the 2 fixed axles. PTC hasn't made any trailered 2 or 3 row trains for quite a few years now. The only ones they make are their 360 trains. I know the buzzbars will be missed, but at least there's no middle seat divider so there should still be plenty of wiggle room. Oh and to also confirm, there will just be standard seat backs, no more stupid headrests! http://www.philadelphiatoboggancoastersinc.com/news.php?NewsId=22 The new trains will have seat dividers.

The red train looks fantastic! The yellow train could use a more prominent red outline around the letters imo, but it still looks great.