Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Discussion Thread

[eddie200330]

The wife and I crashed at the Knights Inn Palmyra for ECB last year...it wasn't bad.

[cfc]

This Park Inn near Harrisburg isn't far from Hersheypark, and you can get good deals there via Hotwire: http://www.parkinn.com/hotel-harrisburgwestpa

[Rai Fox]

I stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Allentown, about 10 minutes from Dorney, a few weeks back. Very inexpensive ($79 a night or something like that), and surprisingly nice for the price. Well kept up, friendly staff, reasonably comfortable beds. Definitely wouldn't hesitate to stay there again next time.

[CoasterRollin]

Question for you Dorney frequenters/natives.

 

I realized every time I've been to a park I've gone by car and thus had to pay the parking fee. I will be staying at a hotel within walking distance, so will I be able to walk there? The reason I ask is because I've been staring at Google maps for a while now and it doesn't seem like there's an official "sure, come walk in this way!" route to the park.

[sspaz1000]

^ it's most likely not the safest thing to do walking there as you'd be crossing a 4 lane highway and I don't think there are any sidewalks to walk around to get into the park.

[SharkTums]

^^We've stayed at a couple of the hotels across the street from Dorney several times now. You are correct, for some reason they have never bothered to put in any sort of crossing. Each morning you'll see families and teens running across four lanes of 55mph traffic. Not the safest thing for sure, but everyone does it.

[CoasterRollin]

^ & ^^ Yeah, it sure looked unsafe. Even on the Google Street View you can see people standing right across the street who I assume are waiting to run for their lives to get into Dorney, lol. Thanks for the input.

 

Hmmm, I might just suck it up and pay for parking. In that case, at least it will make food easier; I can just pack something and put it in a cooler in my car. I have a big expensive weekend so I'm trying to save as much as possible.

[coasterdude2011]

The boyfriend surprised me with a trip to Dorney Park last weekend and I was so incredibly grateful. Dorney has been a park that I have been eyeing down ever since they got Demon Drop and Possessed. We took the 7.5 hour drive, primarily along I-80 (most uneventful highway) and got to the park around noon. The heat index was supposed to be around 105 degrees so thankfully the park was dead on a Saturday during the day while Wildwater Kingdom took all of the lines. Here's my reviews on the coasters and the park!

 

Possessed (8/10) : First coaster of the day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wicked Twister is one of my favorite rides so I knew I would love this bad boy. The launch was weak compared to Wicked Twister, but the holding brake made up for it. One of the few "I'm gonna die" moments on a coaster I've had in a long time.

 

Stinger (6.5/10) : Second one of the year after traveling down to King's Island. The logo of the ride makes it awesome no matter what, but I found it a tad smoother then its sister in Ohio, but still had some nice Vekoma jerks in it. Nice station music and the GP were eating it up.

 

Steel Force (7/10) : I was really looking forward to it, and it just left me wanting more, It was not bad by any means, but I just kind of felt it was awkward. The airtime was just kinda weird, I can't really describe it other then it felt like floater air time that slammed you back in your seat after. My favorite part was the helix, so good.

 

Thunderhawk (5/10) : Another ride I wanted to love but just really got beat up badly on. It might be because of the fact we didn't ride front, but between the rough jerks, the incredibly awkward first bunny hill and the hard trims at the end one ride was enough.

 

Wild Mouse (3/10) : I have never been so disappointed in a ride crew ever. Every single car was half empty and the line took so long. There was no sense of putting four people in a car, if two people came though the line they got their own car, and instead of the next two going on that car, they got their own. The ride itself was kinda brutal, the hairpins were untrimmed, and everything else was trimmed to stop. Only needed one ride also.

 

Hydra (8.5/10) : Jojo roll. Jojo roll. Jojo roll. Loved every second of that inversion and wish I saw it on more coasters. This was my first floorless, and that being said the floorless effect didn't do too much for me. The ride however was very fun, very smooth, was incredibly rerideable, and thats what I did 5 times.

 

Talon (10/10) : I was not expecting much from this but this thing blew me away. I loved the first half and the typical series of inversions like on my home invert of Raptor. But the second half blew me away all starting with the helix after the immelman, the foot chopper drop into the on ride photo, the intense corkscrew, the even more intense low helix, and the pop of air into the brakes made it amazing. Rode this about 6 times and loved every single ride.

 

Other notable mentions

 

Demon Drop : Such a fun drop ride and wish Cedar Point still had it, glad it has a new home at Dorney.

Dominator : Demon Drop > Dominator.

Thunder Creek Mountain : I believe this is what the log flume was called, I loved it and how it interacted with the coasters and terrain perfectly.

Revolution : Good frisbee with a not so good short program.

Apollo : Biggest flat ride surprise, was a fun little ride that I wish more parks had.

 

Overall the park was very nice, great collection of rides for a park of its size. My biggest problem was the park's clientele. They literally were line jumping, saw two or three fights almost start, and just lots of rude people. However still had a great visit and definitely worth a stop in the area!

[YoshiFan]

The Wild Mouse has a rule of only 2 teenagers or adults per car which is why they were going out half empty. Combine that rule with the added seatbelts, only 4 cars (usually) running and a confusing loading system (with the 4 gates and 2 opening at a time but only 1 gate of riders is supposed to board) and it makes it a painful wait. I usually only ride it once or twice a season. There was actually a time I waited 10 minutes just in the station and what would be a 10 minute wait for The Dark Knight at Great Adventure is easily a 30 minute wait for Dorney's mouse.

 

As for the clientele, that is one of the reasons I don't go on weekends in the summer as I have heard from others in the past that the weekday crowds are very different from the weekend crowds and based on what you saw, it sounds like it is still the case.

[Philrad71]

^^ Possessed seems to have a much weaker initial launch than Wicked Twister and then picks up speed on the second launch. Love the hold brake in the back seat, but doesnt it seem to have a somewhat disturbing grinding sound to it before the coaster comes to a final stop?

 

An unsung hero at Dorney is Thunder Canyon...blows away the one at Cedar Point. Gets you absolutely drenched, is near the water park if you want to go over in your swimsuit and spins like crazy. Be forewarned that if you don't hold on to the invisible grab bar in the center, you will get jacked up when you hit the concrete walls. I had the bruises to prove it, but was tons of fun. BEST RAPIDS RIDE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN!

 

More Philrad's Dorney Park Fun Facts & Tidbit Tips (or just many pointless opinions & endless rants):

 

* I have never ridden the Wild Mouse not because of horrible dispatch & lines, but because...well, they pretty much suck & are not fun unless you're 10 or younger (or act like it). That and the fact that I'm 40 = skip. I really enjoy reading about folks on TPR over 20 years old (without kids) that bitch about the wait times and dispatching on....a fricking Wild Mouse.

 

* Talon's good - I like it better than Raptor, but not as much as Montu or Alpengeist. Inbev > Cedar Fair...or is it the other way? I'm not good with integers unless they look like phallic symbols.

 

* Talon's also better than Silver Bullet or any Batman clone, SLC or Volare, but probably not better than the invert at that Italian park that I've never visited. Bitch if you want, but you know it's true.

 

* I have not ridden Demon Drop in my last two visits since it's relocation despite the fact that I loved the drop (but not the return clunker/spinal alignment checker) when I rode it all those years at Cedar Point. Although I have to ask...WTF did they put it in the valley where it looks like it's only 50 feet tall? Why not make room & put it up by the ferris wheel where it would be higher and more intimidating? If there's no room, just add dirt, cement & a Dippin' Dots!

 

* Jojo roll on Hydra - highly over rated and painful if you have GERD. Yeah it's different, but I personally think it sucks. I actually think the first drop is more fun despite it only being 90 feet diving into a pile of rocks.

 

* Crab Fries Tip - It's imperative that you wait in line for at least a half hour behind the slowest employee you can spot and then throw him/her for a loop (& everyone else behind you) & order them with an additional topping or with chicken fingers. Even if you don't like (or have) crabs, it is mandatory that you order these & throw on a couple packets of salt for good measure - they rule as hard as Talon & Thunder Canyon. For a really fun time, order and eat an entire large order yourself with a beer or couple of sodas on a really hot day...but make sure to not any drink water & stay away from those damned long lines at the water park!!!!

 

* Wildwater Kingdom is a nice water park, but needs to expand to handle the large summer crowds. They also need to expand the bar to include more alcoholic beverages, build a swim up bar & (duhhh) have it open on extremely hot, busy days. I'm thinking swim up bar with big diving boards, slides & swings into 15 foot deep water like Knoebels. But then they'd have to shut down the rides part like Alabama Adventure.

 

* I'm sorry but Steel Force sucks, people. I've ridden him in the front, middle & back and never thought he was any more than just a one day stand. Magnum sucks but at least his first drop, view and endless bucking is a fun time. Rename it Steel Eel and then (and only then) we'll talk.

 

* Thunderhawk in the front right seat - airtime to be had people! Am I the only one here?

 

* Great selection of flat rides. A corn popper, tilt-a-whirl, Whip, Meteor, Drop Tower & lots of other goodies put it in a close 2nd to Knoebels as best flat rides at a park in PA. Kennywood would be 3rd and then Conneaut Lake only because they have 15 minute rides on Witches Stew & insane 20 minute rides on the Paratroopers. I'm sure any park would kill to have 'Best Flat Ride selection in PA'.

 

* Boooo at Dorney for taking out the Samuel Adams beer place, but yay for putting x-tra salty, healthy crab fries in it's place to maintain that family friendly atmosphere! Way to weed out those bad unhealthy people, Dorney!!!

 

* They don't need Disaster Transport, Space Spiral or a frickin Windseeker so don't even breathe a word of it - I mean it.

 

* Upcharge for the Screamin' Swing? Biiiiitch pleeeeeease! Tear it out and put in a moderately priced one that has at least a 10 person capacity - lines would still be short.

 

* I was scared like a little girl on Stinger because I was sure we were going to get stuck on the lift for 90 minutes in 90+ degree temps...without beer.

 

* Fast Lane (or whatever it's called) is probably not worth it (except the special events or school trips) unless they did it for the water park. I have never waited long for coasters or rides at this park in all the years I have been going. Just stay away from the park on these days: June 10th, July 14th, August something, & September 1st @ 11:53 AM. If you made plans to visit on these days or times, you might want to rethink and either buy Q-Bot or just skip the park altogether. You have been warned.

 

* Hey, has anyone ever noticed that White Water Landing at Dorney is really Snake RIver Falls in disguise? It really is!!!!

 

* Dorney's carousel used to be in Frontier Town at CP next to Chick Fil-A and Wave Swinger. Oddball note: If they had Chick Fil-A's at Canada's Wonderland would they be called Chick-Fil-Eh's?

 

I'm goin' to bed, people...

[alilstronger]

^ In response to the above:

 

I LOVE wild mouse coasters and I am in late 20's. Also I do not like act like I am 10. Just because they are not fun to you does not mean they can not be fun for other adults. I am someone who can appreciate all kinds of coasters.

 

I have never experienced pain on Hydra's jojo roll.

 

Them crab fries are not that impressive to me. All they are fries with seasoning on them.

 

I love their screaming swing! I rode it twice last time I was there actually.

 

The Wild Mouse has a rule of only 2 teenagers or adults per car which is why they were going out half empty. Combine that rule with the added seatbelts, only 4 cars (usually) running and a confusing loading system (with the 4 gates and 2 opening at a time but only 1 gate of riders is supposed to board) and it makes it a painful wait. I usually only ride it once or twice a season. There was actually a time I waited 10 minutes just in the station and what would be a 10 minute wait for The Dark Knight at Great Adventure is easily a 30 minute wait for Dorney's mouse.

 

As for the clientele, that is one of the reasons I don't go on weekends in the summer as I have heard from others in the past that the weekday crowds are very different from the weekend crowds and based on what you saw, it sounds like it is still the case.

 

When I went to the park the day of the Coasting for Kids event we had 3 grown adults in one car. The crowds that day were not different then any other park I have been to on the east coast.

[sspaz1000]

^^ someone's a bit cranky about everything huh?

 

If you don't like certain rides, that's fine, but don't go lumping everyone who likes all types of coasters as immature kids who act like their 10. Yes, Dorney's 2 adults rule is stupid and we can complain about how stupid it is, but that does not make one immature.

 

Not everyone is a fan of Chickies and Pete's and I can understand that, but to me Chickies and Pete's expanding outside of South Philly, is a good thing.

 

I'll also agree with the Clientele at Dorney, over the years has gone downhill. Dorney has now become one of the "cheaper" places to go. But I do think in time it will turn itself around like Great Adventure did.

[cal1br3tto]

I just gotta say, I think Kennywood easily has the second best non-coaster ride collection in PA, or possibly even the best. While Knoebels has the edge in thrill value and experience quality for a handful of rides, Kennywood seems to have more rides that are exceedingly rare or even the last of their kind, though they're not all the most exciting.

 

I haven't sampled all that Dorney offers, but I personally think the most interesting, unusual flats are the Whip (run well, but not insane), Demon Drop, and for modern rides, Meteor (though similar rides can be found elsewhere).

[YoshiFan]

^^ someone's a bit cranky about everything huh?

If you don't like certain rides, that's fine, but don't go lumping everyone who likes all types of coasters as immature kids who act like their 10. Yes, Dorney's 2 adults rule is stupid and we can complain about how stupid it is, but that does not make one immature.

 

Exactly, I mean if the line had a long line because it was just popular and had a lot of people in line that's one thing but when the reason that the line is so slow moving because of the policies in place, it's annoying, especially when a line down the ramp from the station is over a 20 minute wait. A supervisor of the ride on a Dorney message board years ago said that on a good day, the ride gets 320 riders an hour when RCDB lists the theoretical capacity at 900 riders an hour (which is probably unrealistic but the coaster should be getting more than 320 riders an hour).

[coasterbill]

^^ Possessed seems to have a much weaker initial launch than Wicked Twister and then picks up speed on the second launch. Love the hold brake in the back seat, but doesnt it seem to have a somewhat disturbing grinding sound to it before the coaster comes to a final stop?

 

An unsung hero at Dorney is Thunder Canyon...blows away the one at Cedar Point. Gets you absolutely drenched, is near the water park if you want to go over in your swimsuit and spins like crazy. Be forewarned that if you don't hold on to the invisible grab...

 

I know people are taking offense to this post but I figured I'd share the fact that I found it hilarious and it made me (literally) laugh out loud on multiple occasions.

 

(I didn't show the whole post in the quote because it's insanely long)

[Philrad71]

^^ Possessed seems to have a much weaker initial launch than Wicked Twister and then picks up speed on the second launch. Love the hold brake in the back seat, but doesnt it seem to have a somewhat disturbing grinding sound to it before the coaster comes to a final stop?

 

An unsung hero at Dorney is Thunder Canyon...blows away the one at Cedar Point. Gets you absolutely drenched, is near the water park if you want to go over in your swimsuit and spins like crazy. Be forewarned that if you don't hold on to the invisible grab...

 

I know people are taking offense to this post but I figured I'd share the fact that I found it hilarious and it made me (literally) laugh out loud on multiple occasions.

 

(I didn't show the whole post in the quote because it's insanely long)

 

Thanks - that was my point...to have some fun based on some of the posts I had read on this thread in the past few months. Guess it can be a tough crowd sometimes, but I understand. My TR's and comments can often come across as a little awkward, but I certainly don't mean to offend anyone - but then again, that's almost impossible to do in this day and age!

 

The post may have come off as a bit bratty, but that wasn't the intent. Actually, I love Dorney and the fact that my sister lives less than five miles away is even better. We always have fun when we go every year.

 

Guess some just don't get my warped sense of humor and cynicism, but it's all good!!

[cal1br3tto]

Personally, I've reached a point where I don't really care for Wild Mice anymore. However, I am over 20 and I do still ride them for the credit (and because the rare one is actually good). What can I say?

[3Mutts]

I have to admit, I don't like the way Dorney runs that wild mouse I mean come on, 2 adults per car that is meant for 4 that is bulls*it! I mean other Maurer Söhne wild mouses run just fine with 4 adults in the car such as GCG:EAS at SFNE why is Dorney's the only one that is run in this dumb fashion?!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I have to admit, I don't like the way Dorney runs that wild mouse I mean come on, 2 adults per car that is meant for 4 that is bulls*it! I mean other Maurer Söhne wild mouses run just fine with 4 adults in the car such as GCG:EAS at SFNE why is Dorney's the only one that is run in this dumb fashion?!

 

Could be because CF is overly cautious from a safety standpoint.

[megametal]

They did the 2 adults per car thing at Carowinds too, but weren't doing it this year for some reason. I've never understood it either. Less wheel and trim wear and tear?

[MrSum1_55]

I have noticed that many Cedar Fair parks have been removing many of their rules and restrictions, except for Dorney Park. For example, last summer at KD, they were not allowing station re-rides. However, this year, they were allowing them. And, at Carowinds, they were allowing 4 adults to ride their Wild Mouse. However, Dorney still enforces both of these rules. It really does feel dissapointing to be kicked off a Steel Force or Thunderhawk train, and watch them leave with 3-5 people on them, while Carowinds will let you ride a coaster as many times as you desire as long as you can find an empty row.

[YoshiFan]

Yeah no re rides is annoying. Not only is Dorney keeping the current rules but adding more rules this year. Now you have to be 8 to ride the Wild Mouse even if you meet the height requirement, Hangtime is not recommended for kids under 10 and kids under 8 can't ride the Music Express unless with an adult.

[3Mutts]

^ 8 years old for a wild mouse, oh Dorney.

[MrSum1_55]

A few years ago, even as soon as last year, I did not view Cedar Fair parks is a very impressive light. Now, I really do believe Ouimet has turned the chain around. Most parks in the chain seem to be getting better, mainly by lowering food prices and getting more ride ops to check restraints. (Now, many Cedar Fair parks have 3-4 ops on more popular rides). Also, like I said before, KD got rid of their no re-rides policy, allowing more potential for a great day.

 

However, the one Cedar Fair that doesn't seem to be getting better is the one we are discussing right now. In fact, I found the food quality at KD at Carowinds to be surprisingly not terrible, but it did seem worse at Dorney. Also, Dorney food prices were higher, unlike the other parks, which I believe lowered them. Like mentioned before, other Cedar Fair parks seem to be removing polices, while Dorney adds them. If there is one good thing I can say about the park, it's that I am glad they were running three trains on Steel Force, even though there were empty rows in the station. (Although, rerides are not allowed). Also, age restrictions do seem a bit unusual, as they are almost unheard of in America.

 

I know little about, and have no power over how things are run at a theme park. But, in my humble opinion, the policies do seem to be a bit overkill. I am no park manager, but I actually do wish I were one so I could know more about how things are run before I judge a park.

 

After visiting all but three CF parks, I actually think DP is my least favorite, mainly due to its policies and major lack of character. But, this is just my opinion. I am not saying you should skip a visit to the park at all, as DP is actually a 'fun' park. However, I wouldn't expect too much in terms of charm.

[cal1br3tto]

^There is something I like about the Dorney atmosphere, though "charm" and "character" are definitely not words I would use to describe the park in its current state. I think I just enjoy the scenery.

 

Dorney isn't quite bad enough to join CGA in my "least favorite" category for CF parks, but I think there's a better "feel" comparable parks like Worlds of Fun (easily) and even Valleyfair (by at least a little) have that Dorney lacks.