coasterbill Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 The funny thing about that flume is you don't get that wet in the front but you get a lot wetter in the back... I find the opposite to be true on most flumes. I never thought Thunder Creek Mountain was overly wet though and I love the fact that it doesn't have those spray guns which I love on Rapids and Splash Boat rides but I hate on log flumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 I think the pre-Cedar Fair Dorney was also the amusement park featured in the climax of Roger Waters' original Hairspray, only under a different name. This was the old entrance sign. It certainly has changed a lot since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skramp Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^Yeah, that sign will give you nightmares! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaellynn4 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^Yeah, that sign will give you nightmares! Eh. I think he looks friendly enough. Then again, I was never frightened by clowns when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
805Andrew Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^I'm not into flat rides, but I do like their old Whip. They also have a very good log flume, but none of us cared to get soaked that day. It follows the terrain and seems more like a "real" river. I missed the Whip at Dorney, having done the two previous Whips at Knoebels and Hersheypark. Had I realized the Whip there was such a classic ride I would have rode it. I rode the log flume and while I got partially wet, I didn't get soaked like I did the next day at SF Great Adventure's log flume. I agree with the general consensus here. Every time I go, I have a good time - clean park, decent rides, nice employees, etc. However, it's definitely a very bland, generic experience. It's a bit of a shame, because when you review the park's long history, there was a great amount of charm to the park originally, but it's been whitewashed away by corporate into the tepid experience it is today. I didn't realize that Dorney was that old of a park until I saw that Thunderhawk was from 1923-1924. You can't tell at all that Dorney is a classic park. Did it original have a different entrance in the lower section of the park? Because the layout of the park is kind of strange with a lot of rides clustered at the bottom far away from the front entrance and the waterpark being right next to the entrance. I agree that Dorney is a run of the mill park with nothing too memorable in the rides section. The included water park is the saving grace of the park. The new water slides were a lot of fun. Walking through the rides part of the park on a Saturday I was wondering "where is everyone?" When I arrived at the water park, I was like "there they are". I was done with the rides section of the park just around 12:15. After lunch, I went to the water park where I stayed until 2:20 (or was it 3:20?). The Water Park is where I could have spent more time as I didn't get a chance to ride most of the water slides that didn't have Fast Lane. Fast Lane really came in handy though on the water slides that had it, as I bypassed lines that had at least 30 minute waits. This was great as Fast Lane was pretty much unnecessary on the rides side of the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaellynn4 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^ The park actually wasn't fully enclosed until the early 80s when local streets were re-routed to no longer pass through the park. The park actually continued to operate with multiple entrances until Wildwater Kingdom was added in 1994 and the midway as we know it today was constructed to serve the higher demand. The lower entrance to the park used to be back by where the Demon Drop is currently located, near the log flume. It's now used as a back entrance for employees. Here's Alfundo (the name dervied from Allentown, fun, and Dorney Park) at night in 1950: The park actually maintains a pretty good timeline of their history with some pictures on their website: https://www.dorneypark.com/media-center/park-history-timeline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^Thanks for the background. I remember reading somewhere that the old park had a street running through it. "Alfundo" looks a little creepier after dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) Ride the Wild Mouse first. Almost any enthusiast will give you this advice, not because it's a particularly good mouse, but because of its very low capacity and slow operations. Are they still enforcing the two persons per car rule? That was such a miserable wait during the 2008 East Coast Trip. That ride was all that stood between me and a much needed nap at our hotel across the street. Edited October 20, 2014 by ernierocker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 The park actually looks appealing to me. Is Talon decent, or is it another Patriot/Silver Bullet Combo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Talon is a pretty solid coaster... it's not nearly as intense as rides like Batman or Raptor but it's much better than Silver Bullet. As far as B&M inverts go I'd say it's pretty average. Personally I really enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^Agreed. Talon is better than Silver Bullet and Patriot, but not as good as Batman and Raptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAZE Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Was Hydra really that bad? It looks like a fun ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Was Hydra really that bad? Hydra's not that bad but it's not that good either. It's just there. I love the jojo roll though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Hydra has a unique layout for a B&M sitdown, but there wasn't really anything memorable about it besides that insane jojo roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) Was Hydra really that bad? Hydra's not that bad but it's not that good either. It's just there. I love the jojo roll though. I think it's a rather rattly "head banger"--like Scream at SFMM. Edited October 20, 2014 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAZE Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Was Hydra really that bad? Hydra's not that bad but it's not that good either. It's just there. I love the jojo roll though. I think it's a rather rattly "head banger"--like Scream at SFMM. What exactly is the Jojo roll? Isn't it that heartline roll placed before the lift hill or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 It's this bit right out of the station. It does deliver a an interesting bit of "hang time." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAZE Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 It's this bit right out of the station. It does deliver a an interesting bit of "hang time." Honestly looks kinda cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 My problems with Hydra are: the idea of the JoJo roll is great, but it was more annoying than fun for me. Didn't help eating beforehand since you go through it so slow. But even on our later ride it was kind of uncomfortable and awkward. Like its a good idea in theory but its no coincidence this element hasn't popped up again on any coaster since... Also, the first drop feels really small to me, and I do love B&M's drops like Nitro's - not curved, and no pre-drop, though it was nice at night as its very dark back there. While the first half of the ride is nice enough it just never makes any moves that blew me away. After the cobra roll it has that wack airtime hill that does nothing and then it just sort of limps through a turn or two into the break run. I wanted to like this ride as I'm a fan of B&M's but its probably one of the lowest rated on my list. It's not terrible, its just... there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesman Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 You said that you liked the sign for steel force. That was actually the original logo for Mantis at Cedar Point when it was called Banshee before being changed to Mantis with it's current logo. (Or now old since it closed yesterday). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAZE Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 My problems with Hydra are: the idea of the JoJo roll is great, but it was more annoying than fun for me. Didn't help eating beforehand since you go through it so slow. But even on our later ride it was kind of uncomfortable and awkward. Like its a good idea in theory but its no coincidence this element hasn't popped up again on any coaster since... Also, the first drop feels really small to me, and I do love B&M's drops like Nitro's - not curved, and no pre-drop, though it was nice at night as its very dark back there. While the first half of the ride is nice enough it just never makes any moves that blew me away. After the cobra roll it has that wack airtime hill that does nothing and then it just sort of limps through a turn or two into the break run. I wanted to like this ride as I'm a fan of B&M's but its probably one of the lowest rated on my list. It's not terrible, its just... there. I see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 You said that you liked the sign for steel force. That was actually the original logo for Mantis at Cedar Point when it was called Banshee before being changed to Mantis with it's current logo. (Or now old since it closed yesterday). Waste not, want not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 My problems with Hydra are: the idea of the JoJo roll is great, but it was more annoying than fun for me. Didn't help eating beforehand since you go through it so slow. But even on our later ride it was kind of uncomfortable and awkward. Like its a good idea in theory but its no coincidence this element hasn't popped up again on any coaster since.. With me it was more like the other way round. I didn't like the concept of the jojo roll at al before riding it (I'm not a fan of hangtime) but after a try I did enjoy it and I do with more coasters had a pre-lift section like that. Was Hydra really that bad? Hydra's not that bad but it's not that good either. It's just there. I love the jojo roll though. I think it's a rather rattly "head banger"--like Scream at SFMM. Interesting... When I rode it in 2013 it wasn't rough (despite having already heard that before). I wouldn't call it silky smooth but there wasn't a spot where my head hit the restraint. I actually enjoyed hyrdra quite a bit. Not as good as talon but still my second favourite at the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickstroberg Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I know a lot of enthusiasts don't rank Talon too high on their lists, but I really find it enjoyable. Yeah, I admit, it isn't super forceful/intense like a BMTR clone, but I thought it was a pretty solid coaster when I rode it. I'd put it right up there with Afterburn and Raptor. The zero-g roll is better than Raptor's IMHO, and I LOVE that big slanted helix directly after the immelman. Not to mention that ground-hugging turn near the wing-over has some really good forces. I thought it was pretty solid. I haven't ridden Hydra since it first opened, but I thought it was pretty good as well. The mojo jojo roll was a pretty cool prelift bit, and the zero-g roll is honestly the ONLY time I feel like I experienced an absolute ZERO-g. It felt like I was stationary, and the vehicle rotated around me. I can't remember which seat I experience this in, as it was a while back. But i thought the layout was interesting/unique, plus the straight drop is a nice bonus, none of that swoopy drop waste-of-airtime bullshit. I can't speak for how it's aged though, but in memory it seemed like a fun little coaster. I'm still SUPER PISSED they did away with Laser though, as it was my first ever experience with going grey on a coaster. Thanks for the PTR, it was really nice seeing how the park has changed/stayed the same since my last visit. Great photos by the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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