Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Discussion Thread

[mayateq]

Sup peeps first time poster (even though i have been registered for a while) I was just wondering if any one here has been to Dorney park on a sunday before. This would be my first time not going on a "busy day" like saturday or if there was a holiday on monday then i guess sunday would be the "busy day". So any feedback would be great like how the crowds and queue lines are and stuff. Thanks ahead for any input.

[Homeboy23]

On a Sunday everything (except waterpark) should be a walk-on, with maybe a 5-10 minute wait at most.

[Wood Dragon 1988]

I went on a Sunday and there were walk-ons.

 

I predict 15 other responces to this thread stating that there will be walk-ons (basd on previous history of Dorny Park threads!)

[Hercules]

Sunday's have been dead for the 21 years I have been going to Dorney.

[coastersrule85]

I went on June 28th and it wasn't bad at all. There were no waits at all until noon. After that we had maybe ten minute waits tops for Talon and Steel Force, but that was because we were being picky about our seats riding either front or back, otherwise it would have been less. If it's a warm day, the wet rides will probably have wait times around a 20 to 30 minutes at the most. The waterpark is another animal. Even though it was FREEZING that day, (Okay, it was around 73, which is freezing by Texas standards especially if you're going to be getting into water) there were lines for everything, even the lazy river. The water was so painfully cold that we didn't stay long anyway. To make a short story long, lol, you'll be fine on a Sunday.

 

...notice I didn't say "walk on"

[Homeboy23]

...notice I didn't say "walk on"

 

You just did

 

Seriously, OP, you should have no trouble at all.

[Groteslurf]

Yep, can confirm.

 

We went on a Sunday late May, no lines at all, except a short one for the mouse.

[mayateq]

Cool beans thanks for all the responses. Maybe it will be a all the time thing going on sundays if it works out to be like yall said.

[YoshiFan]

I went on a Sunday in August in 2006, Talon 40 minutes, Hydra 15 minutes, Steel Force 15 minutes, Wild Mouse looked to be an hour (didn't wait).

 

I will never go on a Sunday in the summer again.

[CHILLERLC1]

Did the Bizarro worm hole open up for you that Sunday?

 

I did early June a Sunday a couple years ago and it was walk on all day. I did Dorney a Sunday in late August to have my goodbye ride on Laser. After getting the other coasters I was out of the park by 2.

[mayateq]

Just thought i would give a update of my sunday dorney trip. All i have to say is WOW especially the water park it was ridiculously crowded but i kinda thought it would be packed but didnt expect it for a sunday. I always went on a Saturday and never saw it packed like that. Just the fact of when we pulled into the parking lot i noticed that there is another lot to the left of the main one and i never really noticed that on before but this time it was all parked up. Plus there where a whole bunch of buses their as well. But as for the Dorney side it wasnt as bad at all maybe the longest wait was for possessed which was like a 20 min wait. So all in all it wasn't that bad i just think that we hit it on a bad sunday when people where taking bus trips there.

 

I might try a hershey park sunday trip in a couple of weeks.

[CoasterNERD502]

Hey TPR!

This Friday I will be going to Dorney Park and I would like to know what should the crowds be like, and the waits on rides like:

Talon

Hydra

Steel Force

Voodoo

and any other coaster the park has.

 

Also what type of flat rides do they have? And how is the waterpark?

 

Please give me some info so I can have the best day possible! Thanks

[Hercules]

Well, I'm pretty sure you can go to their website to find out what kind of flats they have..... http://www.dorneypark.com/public/inside_park/rides/index.cfm

 

Crowds are usually pretty minimal in comparison to, say, Great Adventure or Hershey. I would say you should expect low wait times during the day while the waterpark is open - 15-20 minute waits at most for many of the major attractions. When the waterpark closes, you might see some larger crowds inside of Dorney itself.

 

The waterpark is pretty decent. It has some ok slides. AquaBlast is the main attraction, and you could see a line spanning close to an hour for that.

[medic738]

I visited Dorney this past Saturday - hadn't been there since high school (let's just say a few years ago!).

 

My initial impression was not so good - the traffic jam getting into the park was the worse I've eve seen. I think we ended up parking in the lot in New Jersey so the walk into the ticket booth was a killer. Then there was the 30 minnute wait to buy tickets (definitely go on-line and make your purchase - you'll save some money too!). After buying a ticket we then were shoved through the throng of humanity to get into the gates!

 

However, once inside, things were no worse than any Six Flags park. For a Saturday we had very minimal wait times as most rides were run very efficiently (kudos to their staff!).

 

The only horrible wait was for the Wild Mouse. I was warned about this but needed the credit. I think we ended up with a 45 minute wait or so for a ride that we walked on at most other parks we visited.

 

Possessed went out of service briefly and my son and I hung out in the area and were in the right spot to grab two back to back rides as soon as it re-opened. We also did a walk on for Timberwolf and Steel Force (x2).

 

We grabbed a couple of rides on Hydra (don't miss it) and one ride on Talon. Plus we rode the two train rides.

 

So despite the fact of a crowded Saturday, we got in a bunch of rides and ended up leaving around 5 pm. You should do just as well on a Friday.

 

Comments about the water park were absolutely dead-on. from what I could see it was wall to wall people in every pool and line. I think this helped eased the load on the rides. Despite the first impression, we ended up having a great time and found it to be one of our favorite parks of our trip.

[deguy123]

My initial impression was not so good - the traffic jam getting into the park was the worse I've eve seen. I think we ended up parking in the lot in New Jersey so the walk into the ticket booth was a killer. Then there was the 30 minnute wait to buy tickets (definitely go on-line and make your purchase - you'll save some money too!). After buying a ticket we then were shoved through the throng of humanity to get into the gates!

 

The only horrible wait was for the Wild Mouse. I was warned about this but needed the credit. I think we ended up with a 45 minute wait or so for a ride that we walked on at most other parks we visited.

 

 

I recently went to the park also and the Wild Mouse was the WORST. About 10 people(workers) were loading the ride but sometimes only putting on one person per car. It does say something about having only two adults but then load it up correctly.(There was someone at the gate directing people)

 

The parking lot is a joke....getting out of there was insane. I don't overdue it but when I say we say for 40 minutes not moving I'm not lying. I'd suggest parking closer to the exit of the parking lot even if you get there early.

[Hercules]

I do not have any comments in regard to the parking lot as I have been a season pass holder for years. I do remember some problems with the parking lot a while back when I didn't have a pass, but I don't remember anything nearly as bad as what has been said.

 

I suggest skipping the Wild Mouse as that will definltey eat up a lot of your day. The comments here are very correct in regard to the wait time. Besides, it is a standard, very bad, mouse to begin with. If you are lucky and get a 10 minute wait, go for it. If that is the first thing you want to hit at park open, I would suggest it, however, it rarely opens with the park.

[YoshiFan]

I have had a 10 minute wait for the Wild Mouse with the line maybe 5 people past the turnstyle to get into the station. At TDK or the Wild Mouse at Hershey, that would have been maybe a 2 minute wait. The seatbelts and the 2 adults per car rule and that as few as 4 cars are running make it a horrible wait. I walk by it on most visits and see what would be a 15 - 20 minute wait at another park be at least 45 minutes to an hour at Dorney. It's a shame because operations are usually good on almost every other ride with a few exceptions.

 

Now that the waterpark is only open from 11 - 6, that is going to make lines on the ride side worse since when the waterpark was open until 7 or 8, the ride side stayed emptier earlier but now with people leaving the waterpark earlier, the ride side will be a lot more crowded.

[Mich17mak]

The two times that I went to Dorney happened to be on Wednesdays in August..and the line to purchase tickets were pretty long even during the weekday, however I was lucky enough to get tickets before hand from ebay. I figured that would cut down on the line to get into the park..wrong. The wait to past the entrance was the longest I've ever waited for any park - and it was pretty much just a mosh of people, so someone could cut through to the front..it wasn't very efficient at all (hopefully they fixed that since I've been there..). I'd advise to get there early so you can get a decent parking spot and try to beat the line to enter (and try to purchase your ticket beforehand online!).

 

Anyway, about the flat rides - The one thing that I like about Dorney compared to Six Flags (Great Adv. or America) is that they have great flat rides. I hope you have a chance to go on Dominator, Meteor, Hang Time, and Revolution. They are all really fun (esp. Meteor and Hang Time - really thrilling).

 

My experience w/ parks that also have attached waterparks is that the coasters have less lines mid-day...then once it gets close to the waterpark's closing times, the lines dramatically increase, so try to go on Hydra, Possessed, and especially Talon in the morning if you can (although Talon may have a big line in the morning since it's the closest coaster to the entrance). Anyway, Steel Force usually doesn't have that long of a wait b/c they usually run 3 trains.

[CoasterNERD502]

Thanks guys for all the great advise!

I think my group plans to visit the waterpark while were there. I'll make sure that we leave the waterpark before closing so that we can ride Talon, Hydra, Steel Force and Possessed before the crowds get hectic.

O, and about Screamin Swing, how much does it cost to ride? The website said it has an extra fee, but doesnt tell you how much.

I also plan on checking out those cool flats mentioned earlier.

[tatertot3710]

I don't know about the Screamin' Swing price but I've heard (and seen) that it's a very short cycle. As for flats, great ones include:

 

Dominator - S&S tower. 1 side Super Shot and one site Turbo Drop (reccomended)

Apollo - Classic Swing Around. Fun if you've never been on one.

Thunder Canyon - Very soaking rapids. Really fun ride.

Thunder Creek Mountain - flume

Hang Time - Top Spin

Krazy Kars - A mix between bumper boats and cars.

Revolution - inward facing frisbee

 

The cycles on the flats aren't really the longest, though.

[YoshiFan]

Screaming swing is $5. The park was packed today but it was all in the waterpark. Hydra was 7 minutes, Possessed looked to be around 15 minutes, Talon was closed. I only stopped in for 20 minutes since I was in the area and just rode Hydra. Wild Mouse looked to be at least an hour.

[CoasterNERD502]

Ok cool! Looks like I'm riding Screamin Swing. Wild Mouse is deffinantly out. Doesn't look worth a hour wait.

 

And what are the good slides in the waterpark? Most likely we'll visit the waterpark and I only want to wait for a slide that is worth the wait.

[YoshiFan]

My favorites are Patriot's Plunge tube slides, red and blue are short but awesome. Red has a double down drop that has some air time and white has a huge drop.

 

Aquablast is also a lot of fun (family raft slide), but it gets a huge line so it is best to get to it early.

[Hercules]

There were a lot better slides 10 years ago..... but I digress.....

[deguy123]

There were a lot better slides 10 years ago..... but I digress.....

 

I agree....this year was the first time I'd been to the waterpark side in over 10 years. Although the Green and Yellow slides(enclosed) were fun....not sure what they are called.