Eric and Candace's East Coast Trip PTR

[ernierocker]

More Hershey Park!

To get from one side of the park to the other, you have to pass through the new Boardwalk section.

Thanks for reading! Only two more updates to go!

As a result, Dylan was not conceived on it, although that would of been pretty kick a$$. LOL, at all the strollers next to the Kissing Tower.

No Kissing Tower today. Candace was feeling ill, so we passed.

We did get on SuperDooperLooperAliceCooper later that evening.

Everywhere you look there is roller coaster track.

This is the roller coaster tycoon portion of the park. Come to think of it, all of the roller coaster tycoon parks had one-train operations too. What a coincidence!

Comet was an interesting, old ride. I liked it.

This is what you do when the park is crowded and running a lot of one-train operations.

Yeah, that doesn't look promising. We will have to come back to this one later.

Let's check out Revolution East while we are over here. Wait, what is that I see?

The best part of the ride was the unique layout for a B&M invert. Although, I didn't enjoy the one-hour line. (I know a one-hour line is not THAT long, but we were extremely spoiled with lack of lines on this trip)

If you think the answer to that question should be no, than you might be a redneck.

I know what you are asking yourselves. Could this ride be cooler than those awesome ducks?

And finally, the action shot! We now return you to our regularly scheduled trip report.

Here is a rare shot of a duck's butt, also known as the money shot!

We now take a break in the trip report to bring you this...ducks!

I know it is like visiting the Parthenon in Nashville, TN instead of the real thing in Greece, but here is some monorail action for you anyways, Beemerboy.

I don't know why I feel compelled to post a picture of every boomerang on the trip. Probably, the same reason why I posted a picture of every pirate ship named "Sea Serpent".

No Arrow action for us today. Did we really miss that much?

Sadly, the recent expansion of the Boardwalk meant the death of the park's rapid ride. We were actually there on the last day of operation. Somewhere, Rapidsnerd is weeping.

Who ever came up with the idea to dump a huge bucket of water on children is probably very rich right now.

It looked pretty cool, but we weren't in the mood for water parks today.

[Movieguy]

This has really got me psyched for my trip to Hershey in July now. Thanks for sharing such awesome photos!

[YoshiFan]

The park wasn't even that crowded that day compared to what the type of crowds it normally gets. It's just that bad operations like 1 train on Storm Runner and SDL made all the line longer than they should have been. And Fahrenheit having the single rider line closed and only 2 trains running. I was told Storm Runner had a 75 minute wait at one point, I went back later in the afternoon and waited around 45 minutes.

 

The rapids had a 15 minute wait that day when it was usually 45+ minutes easily but that was probably because it looked like it was going to rain.

 

If it had been sunny earlier in the day and the park was as crowded as it usually is, I'd have hated to see how bad the lines were.

 

Rollersoaker wasn't running at full capacity either and the dispatches were slower than they should have been.

 

The main reason we went that day was for the rapids (couldn't get there early enough to join the TPR trip for the day even though ERT would have been awesome since I think they said you had to be there by 8 or 8:15)

[ernierocker]

This has really got me psyched for my trip to Hershey in July now. Thanks for sharing such awesome photos!

 

Glad I could help!

 

The park wasn't even that crowded that day compared to what the type of crowds it normally gets. It's just that bad operations like 1 train on Storm Runner and SDL made all the line longer than they should have been. And Fahrenheit having the single rider line closed and only 2 trains running. I was told Storm Runner had a 75 minute wait at one point, I went back later in the afternoon and waited around 45 minutes.

 

I agree, the park wasn't really that crowded. I think before Hersheypark, we maybe waited on only a handful of rides for more than 20 minutes and that was after eight straight days with some being multiple park days!. And most of those waits were probably at Rye's Playland. With ERT, Gold Q-bots, other queue-skipping systems, and awesome trip planning, I just was spoiled with not waiting in lines and completely dominating parks. So, it was a little bit of shock actually waiting an hour for Great Bear and a few others. We avoided Storm Runner and Fahrenheit for the rest of the day, as we had our feel during ERT.

 

I am hoping to have Dorney Park up tonight.

[stingrock23]

 

Most of the day, I was in a daze and just couldn't really get into the spirit. But, that all changed when our Lightning Racer ERT began. I got this shot of adrenaline that made me forget all about how tired I was and it was one of my favorite moments on the trip. Nothing beats being the only group in the park and just racing each other over and over. It is moments like these that put TPR trips WAY above any vacation you will ever go on.

 

I felt the exact same way. I was just about done before that ERT, and almost decided to skip it, but I'm glad I didn't.

[Emiroo]

I love this picture.

 

Sadly, it reminds me of my original expectations for Pilgrims Plunge. (Ride is great and you get still soaked though.)

[ernierocker]

Two more updates to go!

 

Day 10-Dorney Park

 

I probably had the least expectations for Dorney Park than any other park on the trip. It didn’t appear to be getting favorable reviews in the ECT forum, so I wasn’t expecting much. To my surprise, I actually didn’t mind the park at all! It could have been that I spent more time that day either sleeping or at a bar than in the actual park, but I really came away thinking it was at least a decent park. Besides the horrible operations on the Wild Mouse, I enjoyed every one of the coasters. I’ll get back to this shortly.

 

The day began with us walking across the street for ERT on Steel Force. The late start to the morning was much appreciated after the Hershey Park day. I think being Day 10, the enthusiasm for ERT sessions had waned because the entire group seemed to be sleepwalking. I remember thinking while waiting for a train to dispatch how much different this was than the first ERT session on Boulder Dash. I could tell the ride-ops were a little puzzled by how quiet everyone was.

 

After ERT, we were allowed the first ride of the day on Voodoo. It really helps getting the brand new coaster in the park out of the way especially one with low capacity, so thanks to R&E and Dorney Park for working that out. We decided after Voodoo to skip the backstage tour and instead get as many credits done before lunch. We were able to do all the credits except for Hydra, Talon, and Thunderhawk by noon. We could of done more if it wasn’t for the terrible operations on the mouse. I am sure it is either a safety or maintenance issue, but it is really sucks seeing car after car getting half-filled while you stand and bake in that line!

 

Next, it was time for what I had been looking forward to all day. EST! Exclusive Sleep Time! I think this might have been the best nap I had taken since I was a little kid. I woke up feeling like a new man. Better yet, Candace wasn’t feeling that sick anymore! We decided to celebrate our rejuvenation by walking next door to the restaurant bar at the adjacent hotel. We had a relaxing early dinner (with a few drinks) and then headed back to the hotel. (Thanks again to Richard for buying everyone’s dinner!) Candace decided to stay in the room and try and sleep some more, so Jason and I “walked” across the street to get all the credits we missed. This brings us to an interesting story involving Jason. We were on our 2nd run of Thunderhawk, when some genius wearing a backward's hat decided to stand up while we were climbing the lift hill. The ride immediately e-stopped and a slightly “spirited” Jason made sure to loudly inform said genius that he did not approve of his actions. I think Jason said something like,

 

Jason (to idiot who stood up): Hey backward’s hat! Way to Go!

 

Jason (to self): I am going to get beat up.

 

Jason (to backward’s hat idiot): Way to go douchebag!

 

Jason (to self): Oh, I am going to get beat up.

 

After this, we may have ridden Steel Force again? And did we run into Brent at some point? We also might have gotten on the drop tower. It seems I may have been slightly “spirited” myself. I do know that we finished the night off with Hydra and Talon ERT. So, there you go. The park I had the least expectations for was definitely not my least favorite on the trip.

 

On to the pictures!

One more of Godsmack the Ride. Knoebels is up next!

On the way to dinner, I took some shots of the view from the parking lot.

Here was our hotel for three nights.

This is where my camera battery died. Oh well, it was time to head back for a nap anyways.

I may have ridden this. I can't quite remember. Maybe, Jason can help me here.

A credit whore and proud of it!

This is what the new Dueling Dragons trains will look like. Okay, not really.

We were allowed on Dragon Coaster however.

We were told there was no way we were getting our Little Laser credit but we needed photographic proof to ease the pain.

The water filled containers were slightly intimidating to say the least. I guess they made it portable like this, so they could eventually move it easier?

Although quick, Laser packed a lot of punch. It is a shame that 2008 was it's final season at Dorney.

I always love me a good Schwarzkopf!

I can't remember if people like these with the holding break on or not. I liked it.

I prefer the spirally part over the straight part.

Voodoo was my first impulse coaster. It was a good ride, but I am glad we didn't have to wait very long for it.

The first ever coaster to be named after a Godsmack song.

Here is a "through the trees" photo that is no longer possible.

For every trash can, there are two flower pots. That is a ratio I can live with.

More landscaping! I figured Cedar Fair would of took that out by now.

Such a long, intimidating lift hill. The intimidation ended at the top of it.

Steel Force didn't do much that morning to wake anybody up. It was pretty tame except for the burst of airtime on the last bunny hops.

It was eerily quiet walking up to the station. I think everyone was still dreaming about Lightning Racer from the previous night.

I just now noticed the landscaping around the sign. Pretty impressive for a Cedar Fair park.

I take a lot of photos of the back of TPR member's heads.

While we are here, we might as well go ride that tall roller coaster over there.

I believe it was this park where a group of kids tried to sneak into our group. I believe Elissa put them in their place.

This is the parking lot one hour before opening. I think it is going to be crowded today!

Just a short walk across the highway and we are here!

[YoshiFan]

I think Dorney gets a bad reputation because of its location. If it was somewhere else in the country it would be better received but since it is in between Hershey and Great Adventure, and isn't as good as either of those, a lot of people don't think the park is that great.

 

The Wild Mouse is just Cedar Fair being over cautious. They added seatbelts and rarely run more than 4 cars plus the no more than 2 adults per car rule and a confusing loading station to most people make the line crawl. I have waited 10 minutes just with the line in the station.

 

A lot of rides like Dorney are like that, even though the Camp Bus for example has a weight limit of 440 pounds per row and Morey's, Great Adventure and Gillian's all allow 2 people over 54" in the same row, Dorney doesn't even if it is under the weight limit.

[downunder]

After this, we may have ridden Steel Force again? And did we run into Brent at some point?

 

I'm having trouble remembering myself, I remember we were all having dinner next door, we were drinking those Kitchen Sink cocktails.

 

I vaguely remember riding Thunderhawk at night, I might have been on the e-stop train but I can't remember. I remember ERT. I think those Kitchen Sinks created a lot of memory gaps from that night.

[stingrock23]

I don't think we did the drop tower, at least I didn't.

 

That rest at the hotel was definitely needed, and those kitchen sinks took their toll on me. One thing I really remember is the change of atmosphere at the bar from "restaurant/bar" in the daytime to Club LaVela at night.

[ernierocker]

I think Dorney gets a bad reputation because of its location. If it was somewhere else in the country it would be better received but since it is in between Hershey and Great Adventure, and isn't as good as either of those, a lot of people don't think the park is that great.

 

You are right, it is surrounded by some great parks. I didn't hear too many bad things about Dorney Park from other people on the trip, but then again we had a group that left for most of the day to go to Six Flags Great Adventure. Most everyone else, either slept or went to the water park during the afternoon. I would like to go back sometime, so I can experience some of the other rides.

 

I vaguely remember riding Thunderhawk at night, I might have been on the e-stop train but I can't remember. I remember ERT. I think those Kitchen Sinks created a lot of memory gaps from that night.

 

I don't think I actually had one of those drinks. I believe I just stuck with beer. That is probably why I can remember at least part of the night.

 

One thing I really remember is the change of atmosphere at the bar from "restaurant/bar" in the daytime to Club LaVela at night.

 

Oh, that's right! I forgot you went back over there.

[stingrock23]

^ Yeah, a few of us ended up back over there. Everyone else is dressed for clubbing, then there's this group of coaster guys in shorts and shirts. Definitely very interesting.

Club Pimp

[ernierocker]

Final update!

 

Day 11: Knoebles

 

Our final day of the East Coast trip would see us visiting Elysburg, Pennsylvania, home to Knoebels amusement park. All I can say is what a way to finish a great trip! Knoebels is just flat out fun. Everything in the park is fun. The carousel is fun. The tiny little train ride is fun. The bumper cars are completely dangerous! The flyers are insane. Just a great, great park all around!

 

Morning ERT would be on the newest of the park’s two (operating) wooden coasters, Twister. No one in my group seemed to like this one, but I found it to actually to be pretty good. Afterwards, as we were standing around waiting for the park to open, Robb tells a group of us to head over to Phoenix. Accompanied by Rich Knoebel, we were escorted through the exit of Phoenix and allowed to ride right before they opened the ride to the general public. There was actually a decent line of general public already backing out of the entrance to the line waiting for it to open! So, we ride it once, come back to the station cheering, while the general public jeers up at us. We paused in the station for a moment before they let us go through again! So, we go through the ride again, once again cheering as we entered the brake run, once again the general public jeering up at us, when they sent us right through the station without stopping and back through the ride again! To top it all off, they let us ride again after some people switched seats. It was definitely one of the top highlights of the trip. Phoenix is an amazing ride. There is insane airtime on every hill. I don’t think I ever laughed so much on a ride because it was so good. It is just flat out what a wooden roller coaster should be.

 

After lunch, we headed to the GCI factory where they told us all their deep dark secrets. It was really nice of those guys to take some time to show us around the office. Funny little story: Going in, Candace had no clue what a GCI was, but she got a little excited when I told her it was the guys that built Thunderhead at Dollywood.

 

The final ERT session of the trip would be on Phoenix and what a way to end the trip! Because they were running two trains for us, there was 40 seconds from the time the train would stop in the station before it needed to be dispatched. As a result, after every ride, we would rush out of our seats, go out the exit, back into the entrance, and wait for the next train. This was a LOT different from the other ERT sessions because usually we would stay in the station or never get off the ride. It really made it a perfect way to end the trip, because it turned into a endurance race to see who could make it the full hour of racing on and off the ride. I made it 45 minutes in when I finally had to call it quits. I did go back for one last ride when Robb yelled for everyone to come back.

 

Here is first set of photos.

Well, since I have to prepare to unload, I am going to break right here.

3 out of 4 bikers cried when they heard that the High Speed Thrill Coaster was being removed.

This is pretty much your only opportunity to get an overview of the park.

Time to head back down.

This is the view at the top of the chair lift. Someone will yell at you if you try and jump, so don't try it!

There it is!

Wagner is wondering where the patented pose it.

Hey guys!

Chair lift time.

It was a lot of fun!

It appears that Brent has already succumbed to one of the three adjectives that describe this coaster.

TPR takeover commence.

Gotta love Stefanie's patented pose.

Looks like a TPR takeover is amidst.

Let's try it out.

Head chopper!

And of High Speed Thrill Coaster!

Which offers some great views of people's feet!

Even the lazy river boat ride is fun!

Richard seems to think that Jason is a wee bit off target.

OHHHH...

Um, what is going on here?

This was my second carousel that had the brass rings you could grab.

Such a great atmosphere!

Do not play with the wheel or the slightly effeminate bear will eat your soul!

Knoebels is concerned about your personal business.

The slightly effeminate bear welcomes you to Knoebels!

There are no stereotypes located in this photo.

Yosemite Sam has let himself go.

Even though the rides appear to be just plopped down everywhere, everything just seems to work.

Let's check out the rest of the park. Does that guy have two sets of legs?!?

Today, was a ticket only day.

Although Chris never posts on TPR, he is showing why he chose the screen name, "Darkridelover".

The Haunted House is just a slight step below the Disney Haunted Mansions.

Candace approves.

This line doubled by the end of our third lap.

TPR trips equals VIP treatment.

If I ever take the time to make a top ten list, Phoenix will be on it!

I didn't know Twister was made of wood from a Gum Tree!

I have terrible timing with the point and shoot camera, so I didn't bother waiting for a train to come by.

The ride was appropriately named! Lots of lateral Gs on this one.

OMG, Daniel Faraday was in that movie!

We passed Flying Turns on the way to Morning ERT.

I was looking a little rough on the final day.

You do not get many clues of the greatness that awaits you from the parking lot.

[rollin_n_coastin]

Hey Eric, great TR...brings back some amazing memories. What an fun and unique place. I wish I made it to ride Phoenix in the morning but my camera flew out of my pocket on Twister so spent too much time trying to find that, which I did thank goodness.

 

Mr. Knoebel bragged about the food there and rightfully so, nothing like that pay by water weight pasta at the Italian eatery we were at off the highway lol

 

On a more important note, congratulations to you and Candace on the arrival of li'l Dylan "Roller Coaster" W.! Just incredible.

 

Looking forward to seeing the rest.

 

Cheers,

Jason

 

PS: That night at the Dorney bar was awesome! I remember most...but sadly not all. I do remember walking in with Olivier and there being no one there. I remember you, Jason and a bunch of other people coming in and we were all cemented to that table talking and drinking. Were we that occupied that we didnt' notice it fill in with clubbers until we turned around for a "huh?" moment? Ah, Allentown!

[ernierocker]

Hey Eric, great TR...brings back some amazing memories. What an fun and unique place. I wish I made it to ride Phoenix in the morning but my camera flew out of my pocket on Twister so spent too much time trying to find that, which I did thank goodness.

 

Mr. Knoebel bragged about the food there and rightfully so, nothing like that pay by water weight pasta at the Italian eatery we were at off the highway lol

 

On a more important note, congratulations to you and Candace on the arrival of li'l Dylan "Roller Coaster" W.! Just incredible.

 

 

Thanks for the congrats! And thanks for bringing back up memories of that lovely Delaware toll plaza.

 

Here is the last of the photo updates for the trip!

"I can eat my way out!"

-The End

But then he got an idea!

Then, he got angry.

At first Robb was perturbed that his head was stuck to the structure of Flying Turns.

I didn't know it, but this is how the heimlich maneuver is performed across the Atlantic.

I knew I shouldn't of trusted those three!

We were told this is the only thing holding up Flying Turns from opening. They just can't figure out how to remove this piece of wood.

Here is some close-up wood.

Fortunately for me, some well-timed ninja moves spare me from a fiery death.

Unfortunately, the sudden arrival of Tony sent Allison flying out of control towards a fiery death.

Speaking of creepy, stalker guys, when did Tony show back up?!?

You guys better be behaving down there!

Here is what a view from the top of the lift hill will look like. Just photoshop the dude out of the picture, thanks.

I wonder where Flying Turns gets its name from?

YAY!!!

Hey, there's Robb! I sure hope he does something goofy soon!

His facial expression is either because somebody farted or annoyance from some creepy stalker looking guy filming him.

We were fortunate to get a walking tour of Flying Turns.

Texas shows off his "Look mom, no hands while I am stealing home base" style.

Chris, just sort of got stuck right here.

Richard's profession as a Disney performer comes in handy here.

Brent shows us how they do things down under.

Jason demonstrated much grace during his turn.

Of course, they did!

Dear god, they aren't going to let TPR members on that thing are they?!?

[ernierocker]

This is the last one!

Thanks Knoebels! You were a perfect park to close out an awesome trip!

Hanno is not only an amazing photographer, but he can also pull off a mean body toss.

One last ride on the Phoenix!

And I somehow got stuck with this!

Candace is excited about officially becoming an enthusiast.

Chris was just acting normal.

Jason still hadn't recovered from the previous night.

And after over a week of no sleep and marathon coaster riding, TPR members in a delirious fit of insanity, buy stupid hats.

The offense was punishable by extreme finger biting.

Meanwhile, on the way back from our super-secret mission to the GCI factory, Drew was being punished for another "Max, needs to take a shower" joke.

This old feller still has some of that cocky spirit let in him.

Len kept rambling on about how when he was your age he had to rotate around uphill for two hours, both ways, in 2 feet of snow! Old people.

We found where old carousel animals go to die.

The ride actually doesn't move. The world just spins out of control (and focus) around it.

I didn't know this, but it is so awesome that the Philadelphia Flyers were named after this ride.

The Flyers were amazing.

The magic is gone.

Before, you get excited about this so-called magic, wait until you see Donna.

[downunder]

Nice work Eric, that slide was so old school and so much fun. Knoebels is just so awesome, I reckon it would be fun to camp there (which I believe you can do), though they probably would frown on me putting up my tent in the Phoenix loading bay.

 

That reminds me I should do one more east coast report, I even have a POV of Flying Turns.

[kenshinmac]

Curses to that piece of wood!!! I had no idea...

 

Love the updates... So much fun in so little time.

[philthephorce]

Thanks for finally finishing the TR. I'm sort of glad that it's taking some folks so long to do updates to their trip reports, because every time the memories begin to fade WHAM! another update from that awesome trip appears out of nowhere. Add to that the fact that I'm really not sure when I'll be able to go on another TPR trip and maybe you'll begin to understand how grateful I am for these staggered updates.

 

Thanks again!

[Movieguy]

Knoebels is such a great little park. Phoenix is an airtime gold mine, and just the thought of ERT on that coaster makes me salivate.

 

But when, oh WHEN are they gonna finally open Flying Turns?

[ernierocker]

That reminds me I should do one more east coast report, I even have a POV of Flying Turns.

 

Definitely, you should post it!

 

Thanks for finally finishing the TR. I'm sort of glad that it's taking some folks so long to do updates to their trip reports, because every time the memories begin to fade WHAM! another update from that awesome trip appears out of nowhere. Add to that the fact that I'm really not sure when I'll be able to go on another TPR trip and maybe you'll begin to understand how grateful I am for these staggered updates.

 

No problem! I will be going through trip withdraw come August myself.

 

Curses to that piece of wood!!! I had no idea...

It seems like they could just use the claw end of a hammer right?

 

 

 

I will be doing a final summary of the trip later today to officially close out this report.

 

Also, I finally got around to adding a Park Index. Check it out on Page 1 for easier navigation.

[stingrock23]

It was awesome getting to meet and hang out with you guys for most of the trip. I gotta say, it's been a great experience for me on these TPR trips. On the Midwest trip, I knew nobody going into it, and somehow manged to get into a good group starting on day one. When that trip was over, there was definitely an emptiness after having 10 or 11 days with the same group. Then for the East Coast trip, I had a few friends from the first trip, but managed to meet even more on this trip, and that just made it so much better. I didn't think I'd be able to top the first trip, and this one was just as good, if not better.

 

So for any of you out there in TPR land who are considering doing a trip, . . . doit. It's definitely worth it, no matter how many questions/issues you may have. It will be one of the best weeks or two of your life.

[ernierocker]

I am going to do a little final summary to close out this report. Thanks again to Robb and Elissa (and everyone else who was involved or helped) for an amazing vacation! Like Jason just said in the previous comment, if you are on the fence about doing a TPR trip, just go ahead and send in your deposit today! (If the trip is opened, of course) You will not regret it!

 

Best of the Best

 

Top Three Parks

 

1) Lake Compounce

2) Six Flags New England

3) Busch Gardens

 

Honorable Mention: Moreys Piers, Knoebels

 

Top Three Wooden Coasters

 

1) Boulder Dash

2) Phoenix

3) El Toro (Didn't get enough rides in)

 

Honorable Mention: Lightning Racer

 

Top Three Steel Coasters

 

1) Superman Ride of Steel (SFNE)

2) Stormrunner

3) Nitro

 

Honorable Mention: Griffon

 

Top Three ERT sessions

 

1) Boulder Dash

2) Phoenix

3) Lightning Racer

 

Honorable Mention: SFNE on Friday (First one of the trip!)

 

And finally a little recognition for a park that really blew me away for their hospitality and genuine enthusiasm for their job.

 

Morey's Piers! You can't beat ERT on nearly every ride!

 

So, that is it! Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed the report.

 

P.S. Here is one last photo that I think really sums up what this trip truly meant for us.

Go on a TPR trip and you can have a baby too! (Costs of raising baby not included)

[ebl]

^ What ride was that photo from?

 

Eric

[Voyage_freak]

Really Nice TR, would like to get out to NY and ride the Cyclone some day, so I can add it to my record.