Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

Joke question, right?

 

It's Dorney. You might wait 10 minutes for Steel Force, and that's only due to the COVID protocols.

 

Like I just said that wasn't our experience at all last weekend. They took the ride's maximum capacity from 36 with 3 trains to 12 with 2 trains. It's realistically doing like 400 riders per hour and it's capacity is the same or worse than Maverick this year with covid. Most of the coasters had lines between 30-60 minutes even though they all should have been walk-ons or near walk-ons. Also, Demon Drop had a 30 minute wait at the end of the night which was hilarious, but they're also only running 3 cars on it. Dominator down was a walk-on and waiting for riders while that was happening which made me happy though.

 

Oh, and Thunderhawk's new capacity is 8 riders per train... maximum, but they can't group single riders so probably like 6 or 7 all so they can create needlessly long lines of people not social distancing or wearing masks where the park makes no attempt to enforce it in the name of social distancing.

 

Any movement on the old stinger site? I am really hoping CF starts working with Gravity Group

 

They mowed the grass the other day...

Edited August 27, 2020 by coasterbill

[AmyUD06]

Joke question, right?

 

It's Dorney. You might wait 10 minutes for Steel Force, and that's only due to the COVID protocols.

 

Like I just said that wasn't our experience at all last weekend. They took the ride's maximum capacity from 36 with 3 trains to 12 with 2 trains. It's realistically doing like 400 riders per hour and it's capacity is the same or worse than Maverick this year with covid. Most of the coasters had lines between 30-60 minutes even though they all should have been walk-ons or near walk-ons. Also, Demon Drop had a 30 minute wait at the end of the night which was hilarious, but they're also only running 3 cars on it. Dominator down was a walk-on and waiting for riders while that was happening which made me happy though.

 

Oh, and Thunderhawk's new capacity is 8 riders per train... maximum, but they can't group single riders so probably like 6 or 7 all so they can create needlessly long lines of people not social distancing or wearing masks where the park makes no attempt to enforce it in the name of social distancing.

 

*shrug*

 

That's the exact opposite of what I experienced when I visited in July, though it was a Friday. Yes, the social distancing measures were the same (2/3rds of rows blocked on Thunderhawk and Steel Force, half the rows on the B&Ms), but the crowds were just not there. I waited around 15 minutes for Talon and Steel Force but everything else I went on was a walk-on.

[coasterbill]

Yeah it seems like weekends have been much busier, especially with the last minute announcement that people only have a few weeks left to visit this year.

[jconsolmagno]

Before the end of the season, can anyone take a peak at the Stinger location? The coaster is sill likely IMO, but interested to see the area.

[boldikus]

Here you go

 

[AmyUD06]

Before the end of the season, can anyone take a peak at the Stinger location? The coaster is sill likely IMO, but interested to see the area.

 

I posted a picture halfway through my report two pages ago.

[Zand]

Joke question, right?

 

It's Dorney. You might wait 10 minutes for Steel Force, and that's only due to the COVID protocols.

 

Like I just said that wasn't our experience at all last weekend. They took the ride's maximum capacity from 36 with 3 trains to 12 with 2 trains. It's realistically doing like 400 riders per hour and it's capacity is the same or worse than Maverick this year with covid. Most of the coasters had lines between 30-60 minutes even though they all should have been walk-ons or near walk-ons. Also, Demon Drop had a 30 minute wait at the end of the night which was hilarious, but they're also only running 3 cars on it. Dominator down was a walk-on and waiting for riders while that was happening which made me happy though.

 

Oh, and Thunderhawk's new capacity is 8 riders per train... maximum, but they can't group single riders so probably like 6 or 7 all so they can create needlessly long lines of people not social distancing or wearing masks where the park makes no attempt to enforce it in the name of social distancing.

 

That's insane...i feel like Knoebels was doing this right (surprise surprise...) by letting parties sit together on Phoenix and Twister and putting a row between each party.

 

All that's accomplished when you go to extremes like Dorney is apparently doing is you're making the lines longer. And those signs on the ground every six feet in the queue lines might as well say "stand so close to the person in front of you that you literally breathe your Covid directly into that persons mouth" because that's what most people in those lines like to do. Being 12 feet away from the next person on the Steel Force train for 2 minutes means nothing when you just spent 45 minutes with people standing 18 inches away from you.

 

Reading this makes me glad I drove right by Dorney without stopping on my way to Hershey and Knoebels.

[coasterbill]

It's literally a field of grass. We were there a few weeks ago. No markers, no nothing. Nothing is happening. Just a field of grass that would look better as a Schwarzkopf double looper.

Edited August 31, 2020 by coasterbill

[Canobie Coaster]

Yeah it seems like weekends have been much busier, especially with the last minute announcement that people only have a few weeks left to visit this year.

 

Even on a Friday I had lines at Dorney this year. Talon, Hydra, and Steel Force had 20 minute waits. Those rides are worth the wait, but it's still shocking to have to wait at Dorney since I'm spoiled by that park's operations. Even though they could get away with one train operations most summer days (talking pre-covid), they'll still run their rides at max capacity with fast dispatches.

[YoshiFan]

The 2021 Operating Calendar has been released.

https://www.dorneypark.com/explore/calendar-and-hours

They are closed every Tuesday, they aren't even open during the week except Memorial Day until the middle of June and even that is only Wednesday - Sunday. Almost every day of the season is a  7 pm close with the waterpark never open past 6 pm.

I'm glad other parks in the area like Great Adventure and Hersheypark have almost normal operating schedules and will be on daily operations starting at the end of May.

 

[coneyislandchris]

^ Hmm. No dates listed past September 6th. Wonder if that means they aren't planning on operating Haunt again this season.

Good to see Wildwater actually reopening this year.

[AmyUD06]

It says right on the page, "Fall operating days will be announced later this year."

[coasterbill]

I'm just now seeing this because they just posted it on their page again but it's nice to see that they've just entirely given up. Closed every Tuesday all summer? Yesterday was a Tuesday and Great Adventure had hour plus waits all over the park but yeah... whatever.

You guys are doing a great job.

[Canobie Coaster]

If they continue to skip multiple rows between guests, Dorney could have 1/3 of those waits on a Tuesday.

[alilstronger]

Random I know but Possessed is not listed under coasters on Dorney's website. It is listed under thrill rides. Noticed this yesterday.

Anyway... After reading the last page of post from last year I am nervous to go here this summer. If its anything like Dutch Wonderland last summer I will hate it. The lines there were horrendous for such a small park. I wish they would have limited to smaller crowds. 

[AmyUD06]

45 minutes ago, alilstronger said:

Random I know but Possessed is not listed under coasters on Dorney's website. It is listed under thrill rides. Noticed this yesterday.

Anyway... After reading the last page of post from last year I am nervous to go here this summer. If its anything like Dutch Wonderland last summer I will hate it. The lines there were horrendous for such a small park. I wish they would have limited to smaller crowds. 

Aside from Bill's experience, the rest of the posts (including my own) claim minimal waits, so I'm not sure what you're on about.

Anyway, we won't know for certain until they open to see how/if they're doing spacing on coasters.   All of the Cedar Fair parks pages that I've looked at, including Dorney's, have removed the "reduced capacity on rides" text from their COVID-19-prevention actions.  If it's like last year, on a Saturday, yeah you might have some substantial waits.  I'd expect crowds to be a little bit larger than last year, simply because more people are comfortable going out now, but it's still Dorney Park.  If you go on any day but a Saturday you won't have any substantial wait times.

[alilstronger]

On 4/16/2021 at 5:13 PM, Mike240SX said:

Aside from Bill's experience, the rest of the posts (including my own) claim minimal waits, so I'm not sure what you're on about.

Anyway, we won't know for certain until they open to see how/if they're doing spacing on coasters.   All of the Cedar Fair parks pages that I've looked at, including Dorney's, have removed the "reduced capacity on rides" text from their COVID-19-prevention actions.  If it's like last year, on a Saturday, yeah you might have some substantial waits.  I'd expect crowds to be a little bit larger than last year, simply because more people are comfortable going out now, but it's still Dorney Park.  If you go on any day but a Saturday you won't have any substantial wait times.

So I jumped the gun, sue me.

Do they still run a good cycle on the pirate ship, music express, octopus here?

[jconsolmagno]

I think based on this Twitter post, that Possessed will be running this year. There isn't another Intamin at this park, besides Demon Drop, from what I recall. Guess the woody in that spot got cancelled, as it was supposed to be in Possessed's spot.

 

 

[jconsolmagno]

On 4/16/2021 at 4:22 PM, alilstronger said:

Random I know but Possessed is not listed under coasters on Dorney's website. It is listed under thrill rides. Noticed this yesterday.

Anyway... After reading the last page of post from last year I am nervous to go here this summer. If its anything like Dutch Wonderland last summer I will hate it. The lines there were horrendous for such a small park. I wish they would have limited to smaller crowds. 

If you arrive before mid-day you will get on every coaster with no issue. The water park is more crowded than the coasters until mid-day. And if you avoid Saturdays, even better of a chance to conquer the dry side.

Granted I visited the park a lot between 16-19 with no experience last year, but I don't see a drastic change because of that.

[alilstronger]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:22 PM, jconsolmagno said:

If you arrive before mid-day you will get on every coaster with no issue. The water park is more crowded than the coasters until mid-day. And if you avoid Saturdays, even better of a chance to conquer the dry side.

Granted I visited the park a lot between 16-19 with no experience last year, but I don't see a drastic change because of that.

Yea, they I remember that from the water park. Its been about 5 years since I have been here. One of the reasons I love this park is the water park but only when it first opens because it always got so crowded. Kinda like Six Flags America.

[jconsolmagno]

Possessed is on for the map for 2021. Good news for us launch coaster lovers. 

 

https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/assets/dp-en-us/general-information/explore/directions/2021-dp-park-map.pdf

[AmyUD06]

On 4/19/2021 at 1:54 PM, alilstronger said:

So I jumped the gun, sue me.

Do they still run a good cycle on the pirate ship, music express, octopus here?

I haven't been on their Pirate Ship or Octopus for years, but when I was at the park last year, the Musik Express ran a decent cycle.  I believe, but am not positive, that it still has an operator speed-control knob that they can turn up to 11 with a decent rider reaction.  Not quite as awesome as the cycle you'll get with the right operator on Morey's Musik Express, but still good.

You didn't ask, but Apollo and Enterprise still run decently long cycles too.

[alilstronger]

17 hours ago, Mike240SX said:

I haven't been on their Pirate Ship or Octopus for years, but when I was at the park last year, the Musik Express ran a decent cycle.  I believe, but am not positive, that it still has an operator speed-control knob that they can turn up to 11 with a decent rider reaction.  Not quite as awesome as the cycle you'll get with the right operator on Morey's Musik Express, but still good.

You didn't ask, but Apollo and Enterprise still run decently long cycles too.

Thank you! I didn't ask because I find Apollo kind of boring and enterprises are all not that inspiring to me.

[CP_RULES]

Why do you guys keep getting me excited that something is actually happening here? This thread is supposed to be dead like the WOF thread, aren't you guys supposed to be getting a GG shuttle or something? Sheesh! Glad you aren't losing another coaster this year at least... according to speculation. 

[coneyislandchris]

On 4/21/2021 at 4:02 PM, jconsolmagno said:

Possessed is on for the map for 2021. Good news for us launch coaster lovers. 

 

https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/assets/dp-en-us/general-information/explore/directions/2021-dp-park-map.pdf

Somehow I missed this last time I clocked into the thread. Great news! Now here's hoping I dropped enough weight to be able to fit into those restraints this year.

Meanwhile, as of yesterday, it appears that Dorney Park has updated their guidelines for visiting this season, being the last major PA park to do so in the wake of the recently announced statewide changes. Much like the other PA parks, they are no longer requiring vaccinated individuals to wear face masks, either outdoor or indoor. However, they are still requiring unvaccinated individuals 2 and older to wear masks throughout the park. Here's the updated copy from their website:

 

Planning on visiting this weekend, I'll let you all know how it goes!