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Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Discussion Thread

p. 201 - Iron Menace announced for 2024!

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So update to the earlier discussion. You can also get your Dorney pass online, wasn't announced but my friend did it and now has it in the app. So we're good to go as long as neither of us has a freak out in the next two weeks as I am liable to do. (small respiratory disease on my part, though I am way healthier than as a child and my doctor's point was that if I get it I should be fine, and there is a huge chance I already did with my work situation, lot of people here travel around the country, and my trip in early MArch to LA the weekend before everything shut down)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Am I the first TR from Pandemic-Dorney? Sweet.

 

Stopped by the park for about an hour and a half today, just to get some rides in, no expectations.

 

Health Screening - They ask you "the questions" and then its through a thermal scanner. What is the point of the doing the questionnaire through the app first if they're just going to ask you the questions in person?

 

First stop was Talon, which...what the hell...actually had a wait!

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That said, it was 14 minutes for the back row, including ride time. Notably here, they had rows 2, 3, 5, and 7 completely blocked off, and were not doing any sort of "staged exit" from the trains like they are at Kings Island and Cedar Point. Also, notably the only adult rides I saw that were closed all day were the big splash boat, Meteor, and Possessed. Might have missed my last opportunity for that one, if those rumors from the previous pages come true.

 

Next was Hydra, which was a walk on for the back row. Same train "social distancing" procedures as at Talon. After that was Demon Drop, which was again a walk on. This is more like the Dorney I know I and love LOL. Decided to skip the flume since I didn't feel like getting wet. After that it was Thunderhawk, which I waited 7 minutes for the front row - amusingly had the train to myself, and zero people waiting in the station when I got back. Here, their "social" distancing was to close two out of three rows of seats per car - so the first 3 cars had the front row open, while the last car had the back row open. It would be the same thing at Steel Force (14 minutes for front row), so sadly no middle seat rides possible on either. Amusingly, they marked both sets of switchbacks for Steel Force with social distancing markers. Just...LOL.

 

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Walking back from the badlands to the rest of the park, stopped and took a quick snap of this lot that's going to be sitting empty for quite a while...sorry not sorry.

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Took a quick spin on the Whip (one cycle wait) for it's 100th birthday, for which they're celebrating with cakes.

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A nice touch I thought. Anyway, grabbed a quick walk-on on the Enterprise since who knows when I'll be back at a park that still has one, and then called it a day and headed home.

 

In summary? Yeah, it's Dorney Park - a lack of waterpark has not caused the rides side to flood with people. Despite the little wait at Talon, everything else was a walk-on or one/two cycle wait. Social Distancing is easy at this park haha.

 

Will I be back this year despite it being less than an hour and a half away and on my CF Platinum Pass? If they open the waterpark (doubtful), or do a Haunt (also doubtful), sure...but otherwise this one trip was enough.

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^ Nice report. I was at DP on Thursday and my experience was quite similar, although Talon only had a small wait early in the day. After around 2:30 pm, it was a walk on, with slightly longer wait times for Steel Force later in the afternoon. It was nice to see all major coasters running 2 trains even though the place was a ghost town.

 

Hot take: Steel Force is inherently re-rideable, I may even prefer it over Magnum...

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^ Nice report. I was at DP on Thursday and my experience was quite similar, although Talon only had a small wait early in the day. After around 2:30 pm, it was a walk on, with slightly longer wait times for Steel Force later in the afternoon. It was nice to see all major coasters running 2 trains even though the place was a ghost town.

 

Hot take: Steel Force is inherently re-rideable, I may even prefer it over Magnum...

 

I imagine if I had stayed past 1:00 I could've gotten as many re-rides on everything as I wanted...I probably could've gone for 3 or 4 laps on Thunderhawk in the front row without getting up (yes they were allowing this, in non-CF-fashion). That said, the ride is a one-and-done for me since the conversion to clamp-brakes in '93. I'm surprised Steel Force wasn't running all 3 trains (note that the red train was nowhere to be seen, ie. not on the parking track).

 

Yeah, I can get on board with the Steel Force > Magnum theory...the bunny hills have actual curvature to them instead of right angles haha. Dat turnaround on Magnum is far superior though.

 

Since this thread doesn't get enough love, let's start a DP coaster ranking! Including defunct coasters, for me:

 

1. Laser

2. Talon

3. Hercules

4. Thunderhawk (pre-`93)

5. Steel Force

6. Hydra

7. Possessed

8. Thunderhawk (post-'93)

9. Stinger

(Every other kiddie/defunct coaster in Dorney's history)

18. Wild Mouse (current)

 

EDIT: I may or may not be intoxicated at this point.

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I'm surprised Steel Force wasn't running all 3 trains (note that the red train was nowhere to be seen, ie. not on the parking track).

 

I noticed the cars for the red train (covered) down below the final turnaround, same as where the extra train can be seen on Google Maps. This was my first visit to DP; is this where it's normally located?

 

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Based on my first visit - I would rank the coasters as follows:

1. Steel Force - really enjoyed this one, especially up front! The turnaround is pretty forceful and the airtime hills definitely deliver for me.

2. Talon - very solid invert, which actually ended up being #100 for me. I had planned on Steel Force being #100, but it didn't open up until around noon, so I went with Talon instead

3. Possessed - didn't get to ride yesterday but rode this a ton at Geauga Lake, so nostalgia is definitely an influence

4. Hydra - Definitely appreciate the jojo roll and unique layout, but it's pretty shaky, even up front

5. Thunderhawk - quite forgettable, the braking on the final bunny hills really killed the ride

6. Wild Mouse

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I'm surprised Steel Force wasn't running all 3 trains (note that the red train was nowhere to be seen, ie. not on the parking track).

 

I noticed the cars for the red train (covered) down below the final turnaround, same as where the extra train can be seen on Google Maps. This was my first visit to DP; is this where it's normally located?

 

[attachment=0]DP.PNG[/attachment]

 

Yeah, that's normally where un-used trains are parked. Like I said though, today it was nowhere to be seen - black and blue trains cycling through, but red was nowhere...likely disassembled in a maintenance shed somewhere.

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In regards to Steel Force, I haven't seen it run 3 trains in probably over 3 years. And the only time I've seen it run 3 is big holiday weekends (like for the Fourth of July). I visit over 10 times a year so Steel Force only running 2 trains is completely normal.

 

Here's how I rank Dorney's past and current coasters:

1. Talon

2. Laser

3. Steel Force

4. Possessed

5. Hydra

6. Thunderhawk (buzz bars)

7. Stinger

8. Thunderhawk (current trains)

9. Hercules

10. Wild Mouse

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  • 2 weeks later...

In conjunction with the other CF announcements today, Dorney will not be open past Labor Day in 2020:

 

A Message from Michael Fehnel, Vice President & General Manager of Dorney Park

 

August 4, 2020 Update

 

We have been thrilled to welcome guests back to the park this year. 2020 has truly been a unique season, and I thank our guests and associates for making Dorney Park a fun and safe place to visit. We appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation with the park’s new health and safety measures --- we are getting through this together.

 

Because of the ongoing uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, we have had to make some difficult decisions regarding the remainder of 2020. Here are some updates we’d like to share:

 

-Our last operating day of the 2020 season is expected to be Monday, September 7, 2020.

-Our water park, Wildwater Kingdom, will remain closed through 2020.

 

Keep in mind that all 2020 Season Passes and add-on products have been extended through the 2021 season.

 

We look forward to a great year ahead and can’t wait to show you a host of new ways to have fun, including our new beach-themed multi-level interactive play structure, Seaside Splashworks. This new family attraction has more than 75 play elements to engage the entire family for hours with six water slides, interactive spray jets and water cannons, an adventuresome net bridge for climbing, and a splash zone just for toddlers. Season Passes for 2021 will be available for purchase beginning September 8, 2020.

 

We all look forward to having fun safely for the rest of 2020 and beyond. There are many days left for summer fun, and we hope to see you in the park soon.

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It's a shame they couldn't get Wildwater Kingdom open or even a section of it open. That might have boosted attendance more than usual in September with the opportunity to keep the water park open later in the year without Haunt.

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^ Waterparks in the northeast are dead past Labor Day. Hell, waterparks here in Vegas become ghost towns past Labor Day and we'll still be hitting triple-digit temps into October.

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Yeah. And for some idiotic reason all of the pools in Vegas close at like 7-8 PM in the middle of summer. Makes no sense, but that's the way it is.

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Since someone in the Facebook group was asking how Dorney has been, I wrote up a quick report for my visit this past Thursday. Figured I'd crosspost it over here. Shouldn't be too many surprises though, especially if you've read Mike's report a few pages back.

 

---

 

I was just there this past Thursday from opening until about 4 PM. I would estimate there were maybe 500-1000 people there altogether? When I left, the parking lot didn't have cars further back than the first five rows closest to the gate.

 

The entrance process was fun. While they say you need to fill out a health screening on the app prior to entering the park, it's not checked at any point. Instead a security officer screams at you from a safe distance; "DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19?! DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE COVID-19?! HAVE YOU BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ANYONE WHO CURRENTLY HAS COVID-19?! NO?!? OK YOU'RE CLEAR WALK AROUND THE CORNER! NEXT!" Then you walk through the remainder of the tent, through an area that has masking tape marked off on the ground, and apparently that's the temperature check.

 

They were, overall, very good with enforcement of their social distancing policies. Most of the coasters had 2/3s of their rows closed off. In the case of Steel Force and Thunderhawk, that meant that every three-row car they were only seating people in the first row, unless you were in the last car, in which case it was the last row that was opened up. Every single ride, the operators made sure to announce that you need to keep your mask on and covering both your mouth and nose. Several times I heard the operators yell at people who weren't respecting that rule mid-ride, and in one case, actually stop the ride (Sea Dragon) and tell them to get off. That being said, the vast majority of park attendees were respecting the rules and wearing the masks the proper way, and giving each other distance in the queues.

 

With the exception of Steel Force, which had a thirty minute or so wait, everything else was either a walk-on, a station wait, or at most, five minutes. All the major coasters were running two trains. Rides where you would typically be asked to double up with others were no longer enforcing that, and so, I got solo rides on both Demon Drop and Thunder Creek Mountain. (I didn't try the rapids ride to push that conclusion to its obvious limit.)

 

Possessed is currently not running, presumably for the rest of the season. Other rides that were closed were Meteor, Zephyr, White Water Landing, and I think maybe one or two others. As others in the thread had mentioned, Wildwater Kingdom is currently not open, and not planning to open at all for the season.

 

For me, it was probably a good thing that Possessed wasn't running. It's safe to say I've packed on a few extra pounds since the start of the quarantine, to the point where I requested the "big boy" seats on both Hydra and Talon. While Hydra's seat was quite roomy, on Talon, it was still a really tight fit. I have a feeling that I would have been walk-of-shamed off Possessed, were it running. Definitely a heavy motivation to get back to my daily workout routine.

 

The Chickies and Pete's across from Sea Dragon was thoroughly spaced out to comply with social distancing. Where it used to be jam packed with tables, I think there were maybe about five or six inside the entire area, all quite a ways away from each other. The chicken cheesesteak is still my go-to lunch pick.

 

This was my first visit back to an amusement park since the beginning of January, and to say I was nervous going in was an understatement. But overall, I was put at ease with everything they did to make it as safe as could be, I was happy that my fellow park-goers were following those guidelines, and I would definitely return again. Honestly, all I've wanted for the past several months is just a few hours to pretend everything is okay. Even when it's not okay. Even when things are pretty damn far from okay. And to that end, Dorney induced that temporary feeling of escapism in me for just a little while on Thursday.

 

Total ride rundown:

1x Talon

1x Hydra

1x Enterprise

1x Apollo

1x Whip

1x Thunderhawk

1x Steel Force

1x Demon Drop

1x Thunder Creek Mountain

1x Musik Express

1x Tilt-a-Whirl

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I wonder how well wearing a face mask on Thunder Canyon would work, since it's guaranteed to get you completely soaked. I'm pretty sure the masks aren't as effective when they're soaked.

For what it's worth, I switched from my standard double-layer cloth face mask to a disposable mask just before I got on Thunder Creek Mountain because I was worried specifically about that. The splashback wasn't too bad at all, but I still got rid of it after the ride.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Honestly kind of long-ish for Dorney because their social distancing policies are insane compared to other parks. Example: Steel Force isn’t even skipping every other row, they’re skipping 2/3 of each car.

 

I really can’t stand this. I’m glad the parks are open but running rides at such drastically reduced capacities in the name of social distancing so instead people have to wait 45 minutes for a ride that should be a walk-on in a line where nobody social distancing is dumb.

 

We waited 45 minutes for Talon last weekend which is 44 and a half minutes more than I’ve ever waited for Talon.

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Joke question, right?

 

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

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There was nothing happening there when I went in July. Honestly I wouldn't expect any major ride installations at any park for a few years with the hit they've taken due to COVID.

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