Moreys Piers Discussion Thread

[grrt]

“We think there should be a restraint system that prevents somebody from falling out,” said Larry Bendesky, an attorney for the Jones’.

 

Pardon if I'm incorrect here... But it isn't like the park is forcing people to stand on a thin wooden board with no enclosement or safety whatsoever. Hearing that is simply ridiculous. There is more than adequate protection on a ferris wheel. The only way you could fall out is by bypassing the safety restrictions. Ferris wheels travel a couple miles an hour, it's not like you're riding a coaster. And a safety belt would, as said, not prevent a thing. It's merely an inconvenience that decreases capacity as it takes longer to check and unlock them in most cases. Anybody can wriggle out of a locked seatbelt if they want, and it's even easier if they aren't locked.

 

The ignorance of the general public never fails to amaze me... 99% of the time, accidents at amusement parks are the fault of the passenger or ride operator, not mechanical failure or bad restraint design.

 

This family needs to stop trying to make money off their dead daughter and move on. I know it's certainly not an easy thing to do, but taking down an entire business and all the people that now have to deal with stricter unecessary regulations because of a singular freak accident, for the benefit of them and solely them, just seems so wrong.. Hundreds of millions of people since its creation have been on ferris wheels and done just fine. The ferris wheel isn't the problem. The people that ride it are.

[jamesdillaman]

You know, I may not be very popular for saying this, but I have never lost a child. I don't even have children, but I've lost a friend before. Losing that friend was pretty horrible to say the least. I was angry with the world! She died kicking a soccer ball in the front yard with her fiance. 20 years old. Slipped on the ball and hit her head on the driveway. When I saw the look on her parents' faces at the funeral, I nearly lost it in sadness and empathy for them. I hope beyond all hope that I will never have to bury a child of mine, it isn't supposed to work that way. It isn't like the family set out to make money by telling her to get out of the gondola and then they planned on suing. If your child was taken away from you, wouldn't you like to think something good came out of it? Placing a restraint system on a ride that saves another parent from the ultimate pain and suffering that you've experienced is a small victory. Plus funerals cost a lot of money, and you know at age 11 she didn't have life insurance! I don't agree with frivolous lawsuits, but this kid was 11. 11 may be "old enough to ride alone" but this is not a rational adult age legally by a long shot.

 

My wife always hates me because I empathize with the other's viewpoints when she's arguing a point, but unless you step into their shoes, you can't understand what their motives are. I don't think they're trying to make a quick buck, I think they're frantically searching for anything that will make their pain go away. The saddest thing of all to me is most likely nothing ever will, but lawyers are telling them what to do, and saying they'll make the park pay for letting their precious child die, and when you're grieving like this, you're up for anything that seems like it would make the day a little easier to bear.

 

Oh, and everyone has a right to disagree with me, I've just trying to make an argument for the other side.

[samisthabomb]

Unless there was something mentally wrong with this girl, I'm sure she had the common sense to know what she was doing. And if they did have seatbelts, people would remove them. Okay, I lost my dad when I was 7. I can say firsthand that the loss of an immediate family member can be devastating. Like James said above, they are probably just trying to find a way to soothe their pain. However, I think if they won this case they would look back at it and realize that what they did was wrong.

[AllenA07]

Such a sad thing to hear, I feel terrible for the parents. I personally hate ferris wheels, for whatever reason they fall into that category of illogical fears for me. Keeping this very short in terms of any legal liability, assuming the ride was working fine (which seems to be the case) the parents are basically stuck with a defective design suit. For reasons I won't go into, those are expensive to bring, they tend to not have a terribly high success rate, and are very time consuming. If Morey's Piers offers funeral costs plus say $10,000-$25,000 I think I would advise a client to give that some pretty serious consideration.

[terdferg]

On a lighter note...

 

I could not fall asleep last night so I took a look at some of the renderings/models of Morey's 2013 coaster, and tried my best to recreate it in no limits. I am not the best with trackwork, and since it was so late I skipped doing the custom supports that will be located under the lift and on the bridge between the piers. Its not great, but it's an idea of what it may look like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dAldnjL2k8

[Big-M]

^ That makes me excited for Morey's new ride. Good work!

[terdferg]

Hey all,

 

I went to Morey's today and boy was it busy. I did not take any photos because it was really foggy, foggy to the point that photography was useless. I did however borrow my brothers iPhone and took a shot of The Great White in the fog.

 

 

Anyways, I did not take any photos of them, but there are markings on surfside pier that seem to be in the same place the new coaster's path will follow (assumption based on the renderings released by Morey's). The new trains on the Nor'easter are worse than the old. With the old trains, I believed it to be one of the smoother SLCs out there. Not anymore, I felt like someone was punching me in the back. The Great White needs to be re-tracked throughout the entire ride, as it was pretty brutal. I finished the day off with a ride on Morey's boomerang, which was smooth as glass per usual.

 

If anyone is heading to Morey's soon, be sure to look for the markings. They are on the way to "IT" if you are heading towards "IT" from the boardwalk.

[johncolon91]

^ I went to Morey's July 5th, which was my first time and boy were the coasters rough for me. Nor'easter was absolutely brutal and the boomerang was ok going forward but was pretty rough for me on the backwards run. Great white seemed to be the smoothest (even though its not actually smooth). We sat somewhere in the middle of the train, front row of the car. I had more fun on Flitzer, Doo Whopper and the small red coaster with the OTSR (I can't remember the name). I did not notice any markings on the pier but I wasn't looking at the time and when we got to the pier with "It" on it, it was already dark out. I think that the new woody should help the park and give them a solid ride.

[BaMiTsPaT]

I agree. The coasters at Morey's are incredibly rough. I went the last week of June, and felt like I was being abused on all three of the big coasters, though I managed re-rides on Great White. That being said, it was still quite a violent ride.

[jray21]

Just saw this in the news...

 

Ride Partial Collapse

 

WILDWOOD, N.J. — Authorities say five people were injured when a ride partially collapsed at a New Jersey amusement park where a girl fell to her death from a Ferris wheel in June.

 

Wildwood police say the center mast snapped on the sea dragon ride Friday night. It’s a pirate ship that swings riders back and forth high into the air. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the mast to break.

 

Officials say a teenager was sent to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening. Four others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

 

The collapse was the second serious accident at the Morey’s Mariner’s Landing Pier this summer. An 11-year-old girl died in June after falling from a Ferris wheel.

 

A park statement said the partial collapse was being investigated.

 

[beatle11]

Not a good year at all for Morey's. Good that no one was seriously hurt this time.

[John Peck]

If it's the part I think they are talking about, the central mast is a "decorative" piece.

 

Below is a link and you can see the mast in the center of the boat sticking up

 

www.flatrides.com/Ride Index/ChanceSeaDragon.jpg

[chadster]

The Wildwood Rec Center has posted pictures of Wildwood and Morey's Piers before and after Irene here for those interested. Doesn't look like much damage, some street flooding, about it.

[chadster]

Looks like Morey's has put their Sky Ride up for Sale on International Rides Management. If I had a guess, I'd bet they were dumping this to move things around for their new woodie.

 

IRM

Pictures are From IRM's Facebook Page

[PSiRockin]

It wasn't open on Labor Day, with all its cars on the ground of the station. It's a fun ride. I can't see much fitting into it's station area, it's somewhat small.

[Ccron10]

Aww. I remember riding that thing back in 2000 and it was one of the scariest skyrides that I was ever on. The steep incline after the station and with it's height being taller than Great White didn't help either. Hopefully it finds a home in another park.

[deathbydinn]

Not just that, Morey's has quite a few rides up for sale right now.

 

Chamber of Checkers, Carousel, Tilt A Whirl, Tornado, Mini Scrambler, Kiddie Helicopter ride, and their Frog Hopper are all on their Facebook up for sale. Kinda seems like a lot to get rid for a coaster, if that is why they're for sale.

[BaMiTsPaT]

Who would buy the chairlift? To me it just fits in that spot on the pier. Wouldn't someone need a similar setup to use it? I am not a chairlift aficionado.

[cal1br3tto]

^^At least it won't be too disappointing if some of those rides sell, since the park has two double decker carousels plus a standard Chance carousel, two Tilt-a-Whirls plus the similar Waltzer, and three kiddie drop towers.

[chadster]

Kinda seems like a lot to get rid for a coaster, if that is why they're for sale.

 

Looking at the drawings, it looks like they might need the space to relocate a few rides from Surfside. Based soley on the drawing, 'it' might not be in the best place, but as much as they seem to be able to pack on their piers (not the drunk guys from England) I could see 'it' not needing to be moved. Suppose we will find out soon enough.

 

NJ.com

[rccrazy23]

The sky ride is on the Wild Wheels pier that already has Great White on it. The new woodie is probably only going to be on surf-side pier and be nowhere near where the sky ride is right now. So that can be completely ruled out as a reason for it being sold.

[chadster]

The sky ride is on the Wild Wheels pier that already has Great White on it. The new woodie is probably only going to be on surf-side pier and be nowhere near where the sky ride is right now. So that can be completely ruled out as a reason for it being sold.

 

Not if they plan on moving stuff around

[larrygator]

Morey Organization to build hotel

 

I missed this article that ran in the Atlantic City Press last week.

 

WILDWOOD - Six years after demolition of the Rio Motel, one of Wildwood's circa-1958 doo-wop originals, a new hotel project is set to occupy the long-vacant lot at the corner of Rio Grande and Ocean avenues.

 

The Morey Organization plans to turn the space along the city's main entranceway into a six-story hotel that will be joined with the neighboring Starlux, a doo-wop-inspired hotel that opened in 2000. The two properties will merge into one hotel with a combined 140 units, including 34 from the Starlux, to be known as the Grand Wildwoodian. Construction is expected to begin in 2012, with a possible opening in 2013.

 

Although it would be smaller than other boutique hotels - such as The Chelsea, a 330-room, 20-story hotel built in 2008 in Atlantic City - it likely would be the largest in the Wildwoods in terms of number of units, said Steve Tecco, president of the Greater Wildwood Hotel & Motel Association.

 

"We see it really working with the convention center," said Morey's planner Clark Doran, noting that studies conducted prior to the 2002 opening of the city's beachfront Wildwoods Convention Center mentioned the need for more modern accommodations on the island.

 

The hotel, expected to cost more than $10 million, would include a sixth-floor banquet facility, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool on three levels, and a ground-floor 124-seat restaurant.

 

The hotel's look, designed by architect Richard Stokes of Philadelphia, would be in keeping with the Starlux and other doo-wop motels known for their angular roofs and kidney-shaped pools.

 

City officials such as Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. had long hoped a proposed 25-story high-rise hotel would fill the vacant lot, but that proposal met resistance from the state Department of Environmental Protection and came about during an economic downturn.

 

In a 2006 letter denying the high-rise application, a DEP official noted that it was possible only because of the destruction of the Rio Motel. "This project resulted in the destruction of a historic or potentially historic property," the report read.

 

Troiano said Wednesday he would have liked to see a high-rise - possibly a 15-story building - in the Rio Motel's place, but given the current economic conditions, which saw new construction and demolitions slow, he welcomed any development.

 

"I'm tired of seeing a vacant lot there. Any kind of new hotel is a plus for the community," Troiano said. "I'm glad to see any building going up."

 

Like Doran, he noted the need for rooms to support the island's convention center, which sits just blocks away from the site.

 

"We need new rooms. We need more rooms," Troiano said.

 

The island has 8,000 motel or hotel rooms, Tecco said, adding that at its height, there were 12,000 rooms.

 

Will Morey, president of the company, said the hotel not only will add rooms but also support the shoulder season - the months before and after the summer that are filled with events.

 

"We have the Starlux and we saw an opportunity to add to that and enhance it," Morey said.

 

After the high-rise proposal stalled, the Morey Organization stepped in with plans for a hotel that would be compatible with the Starlux.

 

The Starlux once was the Wingate Motel, a four-story 1950s motel that has since been redesigned into a boutique hotel aimed at drawing visitors looking for modern features with 1950s style.

 

Morey said the name Starlux will be replaced once the new hotel is built and the two are combined. Planning documents, submitted to the city, use the name Grand Wildwoodian or the Grand Wildwood Inn.

 

During a discussion this week on Wildwood's commercial real estate prospects, Morey spoke of his belief that new projects are crucial for the island's economic well-being.

 

"Growth only comes from investment," Morey said.

Edited October 22, 2011 by larrygator

[gisco]

Nice, that will be good for the area and put a lot of people to work,

[terdferg]

Just saw this post from Morey's on Facebook.

 

http://www.moreyspiers.com/blog/moreys-piers/you-gotta-break-some-eggs-to-make-an-omelet

 

Some very cool and interesting stuff. There are some artist renderings of water park upgrades, as well as this little tidbit:

 

"The Nor’easter has just been re-shaped in order to smooth the ride. If you have not ridden the coaster in a while, please try it next summer. I think you will really enjoy its new smoothness"

 

The post also states that they are moving full steam ahead to prepare for the new coaster!