Lake Compounce Discussion Thread

[Chasehat]

Stopped in today for about 3 hours before the crowds really picked up. I think this was the first time I haven’t worn a mask while doing something in a public setting since last March. 
 

Anyways, I don’t know what happened between my rides on it this year and last year but Boulder Dash has gotten unbearably rough in some spots. I usually have a pretty high pain tolerance when it comes to coasters but I could only do two rides before I’d had enough. The turn after the drop and the return run along the lake have become just unbearable and I don’t remember my rides from last year being that rough. Hoping it was just the blue train. They finally got the green train on the tracks, it was sitting on the transfer with the water dummies in it. I don’t think I’ve seen that thing in like 3 or 4 years honestly.

 

 

Still had a great day and got on plenty before the crowds picked up around 1:30-2, just really sucks to see Boulder Dash running the way it is.

[DBru]

Unfortunate to hear about Boulder Dash. I'm planning on visiting Lake Compounce for the first time in August and was really hoping it would be in good shape this season.

[Canobie Coaster]

Boulder Dash in the very front row is still incredible, but the ride definitely suffers in other rows from a roughness and reduced airtime perspective.  I will happily wait how ever many extra trains needed for a front row ride on Boulder Dash.  I think all but one of my rides in the past few seasons have been up front.

[BoulderDash]

Few quick updates on the park. Boulder Dash has successfully run 2 trains twice so far this season (6/26 + 7/5). I can see them running 2 trains this Saturday for the fireworks and 10pm closing. Wait time is usually 15-20 minutes for the front row with two trains. The lines for the rest of the park definitely do not move as fast on busy days.

Thunder n' Lightning is undergoing some work, rumor is they are trying to get both arms going at once. Although all the work I have seen so far has been on the side that has been operating recently.

Wave Swinger is going to be down for awhile once again after not running at all last season. Had about 2 weekends this season. 

Haven't had a good look recently since Zoomerang has been closed a lot, but the Haunted Graveyard is being packed up. Appeared that the vampires and banshees area was completely gone and packed up. Hopefully the park has something planned for this October, but I doubt it and I am super disappointed. Quassy posted a teaser for a new Halloween event and it even looked like some of the gravestones from the HG were in that picture which is interesting.

Also went on Venus Vortex once, it is a fun slide. I'll have to try it a few more times, really like the way it looks. You don't really get too wet until towards the end. Definitely seems like the heaver the better for the rafts. And they do have scales, I believe it is around 250-650 pounds max and you need at least 2 people. I think Quassy's water coaster just announced looks like the better ride though.

[Canobie Coaster]

The Haunted Graveyard is no longer working with Lake Compounce.  They are now partnering with Quassy just down the road.  This is a major win for Quassy and their first scary Halloween event.

Meanwhile, Lake Compounce announced Happy Hauntings as a replacement.  This will be a daytime only Halloween event.  The event is catered more towards families.

Lake Compounce losing (what I think is) the best haunted walkthrough to their rival is bad enough, but it also stinks the park will be closing before nightfall most days in the fall now.  That used to be the best time of the year to get Boulder Dash night rides since the park is rarely open late enough.

[CenturyFlyer]

That's too bad, but I'm not surprised. As for Boulder Dash night rides, they were open until 10 most Saturdays this year, with Boulder Dash consistently running two trains.

[Canobie Coaster]

I will have to take advantage of the 10 pm closings next year.  I waited assuming they'd have late hours for Halloween, which isn't happening this year.

[Zand]

Lake Compounce is also losing the "best wooden coaster in CT" competition to Quassy so might as well keep the party going with Haunted Graveyard.

At least Lake Compounce has a really cool Skyr........nevermind.

[abovethesink]

My son and I made our first visit to Lake Compounce on Saturday. We were there maybe two and a half hours. It was an abbreviated visit because we were also cramming in Quassy and SFNE in the same day.

I don't know how much I can judge the park as a whole because we just rode the coasters and the ghost shooting ride, but nothing we did will have us coming back any time soon. I was really excited for Boulder Dash, but it just didn't deliver in the front or the back. It was pretty neat how it absolutely tore through that course and of course the setting was awesome, but despite the ridiculous feeling speed we just got no airtime whatsoever. Worse, there were a couple unexpected moments, especially in the back, where I was very jarringly tossed hard into the side of the car which didn't feel good on the ribs. This isn't some super rough woodie by any means, but it has its moments and just didn't do anything fun with its layout other than the feeling of speed. We took a ride in the back and then the front and decided that was enough. I know from here and elsewhere that it used to run much better and I really wish I got to it back then.

As for the rest, Phobia was my second Sky Rocket II and it was definitely superior to Tigris at Busch Gardens Tampa due to the more relaxed restraint system. I didn't care for Tigris but enjoyed Phobia. Zoomerang was... a boomerang. I will say something felt very off about the restraints in the seat I was in. They lifted strangely high after being locked, much more than I am used to one "click" being in those old restraints. I wasn't worried though. It isn't like you fall into them on a boomerang. You'd stay in the car without them just fine due to the forces of the ride.

Last for the day was Wildcat. It was going to be first, but it broke down when we were next in line. Then it reopened right as we were about to leave the park. This one met expectations. I expected square wheel jackhammering and that is what I got. I knew how to ride defensively (I secure the lapbar tight and then "stand up" with my legs. You can't actually stand up, but this lets my knee joints absorb a lot of the hammering naturally) and got to be entertained by my eleven year old freaking out about how rough the ride was the whole time at least. I am just shy of 200 credits and that was probably my second most intense jackhammering experience behind Predator at SFDL a decade or so ago. 

So yeah, we were underwhelmed.  But at the same time, if they ever add anything interesting or I read Boulder Dash has been returned to its former glory, we will be back. It wasn't a horrible experience by any means. It is also worth noting that the park was well kept and we enjoyed the shooting ride too. 

[Sluggo77]

Lake Compounce announced that for 2022 they are adding a new slide to their classic lighthouse in Crocodile Cove called Storm Surge.  Looks like a pretty cool update/addition. https://www.lakecompounce.com/storm-surge

Storm Surge Preview:

 

[KBrylczyk]

^ It looks like this is not a new slide but instead they just added some new tech to the existing slide.

[Hilltopper39]

8 hours ago, KBrylczyk said:

^ It looks like this is not a new slide but instead they just added some new tech to the existing slide.

That seems to be the thing these days, SeaWorld just did that with their two dolphin plunge slides. 

[Sluggo77]

Yea I believe they had to build a new staircase inside and not sure what else to. It was closed so I guess new features and a reopening of a ride that had been closed is the better way to describe it. 

[teacherkim]

Posted this in the Quassy thread but putting it here too since neither thread seems to have a lot of traffic. So we are going to be in the area in a few weeks and will be visiting Quassy and Lake Compounce on 7/22. Planned on doing Quassy first and then LC. Dining question..........eat lunch at Quassy and dinner at LC OR both meals at LC OR eat lunch in between at some cool, recommended local place? Or doesn't matter because it's all typical theme park food? Anything unusual about either park I need to know about? 

[teacherkim]

So apparently no one checks this thread too often, we were at the park today, arrived about 2:30, found out closing had been moved from 9 to 8 and unfortunately only got one ride on Boulder Dash before this happened around 5:30

[swfan1988]

Uhh...so I take it that's not what's supposed to happen...

[teacherkim]

3 hours ago, swfan1988 said:

Uhh...so I take it that's not what's supposed to happen...

Yeah...... having to evacuate due to a valley is not normal operating procedure. 

Update: We talked to some ride ops, the culprit was a branch that fell on the track and when the train hit/ran over the branch it slowed them enough to cause the valley. The ride ops said they will have to disassemble the train to get it off the track and put it back together on the transfer track. Then I am sure there will be testing, etc. So most likely down for at least the weekend

 

[Canobie Coaster]

Just a warning to anyone going to Lake Compounce the rest of the year, they have had a major issue with ride closures lately.

Last weekend, Wildcat was the only coaster open.  Phobia, Zoomerang, and Boulder Dash were down for maintenance.

Flash forward to this weekend.  3 coasters are currently listed as temporarily closed.  Boulder Dash has a lift issue.  The ride had to be evacuated and it sounds like it's unlikely to be fixed this weekend.  Wildcat valleyed.  And Zoomerang still hasn't been fixed.  Phobia started off listed as closed, but it did reopen.

[Zand]

New in 2023: Floating stage on the lake.

[Chiselphane]

Management just announced that Wildcat will be closed for all of 2023 for restoration.  Their wording implies it might stretch to 2024.

 

"Since 1927, the Wildcat has delighted riders of all ages at Lake Compounce. It is an iconic part of our park's history, and we intend for it to be a cherished part of our park's future. With that in mind, our team has decided to begin a restoration project on the coaster that will create a more enjoyable experience for all riders. Wildcat will remain closed for the entirety of the 2023 season for the start of this improvement project."

[AmyUD06]

48 minutes ago, Chiselphane said:

Management just announced that Wildcat will be closed for all of 2023 for restoration.  Their wording implies it might stretch to 2024.

 

"Since 1927, the Wildcat has delighted riders of all ages at Lake Compounce. It is an iconic part of our park's history, and we intend for it to be a cherished part of our park's future. With that in mind, our team has decided to begin a restoration project on the coaster that will create a more enjoyable experience for all riders. Wildcat will remain closed for the entirety of the 2023 season for the start of this improvement project."

Well, it was possibly the worst coaster I've ever ridden when I went on it last year, so any improvement is welcome.

That said, wasn't it literally just closed for like five years for "complete retracking" in 2016/2017?

[coasterbill]

This is the laugh that I needed today.

[Zand]

Not sure if the email they just sent is the first theyve spoken of it or if I just live under a rock, so forgive me if this is common knowledge, but apparently Boulder Dash got some titan track during the offseason. 

Will have to go check it out. If it's not a lot and the ride still sucks, at least Wooden Warrior isn't far away.

[King of Ka]

Titan Track on Boulder Dash seems like awesome news. Even if right now it's only the first drop, it shows that Palace is willing to put money into maintaining and improving BD.