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June 15th Trip to SFGAdv, Sesame Place and Dorney


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Since schools were closed in NYC last Friday, I decided to visit some parks. I wanted to go to Knoebels, but realized I needed to save a little more money or my upcoming trip to California so I decided to use my 3 season passes on the same day.

 

The plan was to ride my favorite rides at SFGAdv, then hit Sesame Place to give Oscar's Wacky Taxi another shot and then ride a few coasters at Dorney as a change of pace. Dorney has never been my favorite park and I have not been there in 6-7 years.

 

SFGAdv was a little more crowded than expected but for the most part people were not riding the rides I had on my itinerary. I headed to ElToro right away and had three walk-on ride before getting three more rerides. The problem was there were a lot of first timers at the park and they severely slowed down El Toro. People that were too big or too short were trying to ride, people entered the station with bags that that had hidden. One person took his phone out while on the train before dispatch to take a picture. I love that the ride op made him get off the train exit the station without riding, even though it wasted some time. After Zumanjaro, I rode Cyborg Cyber Spin without a wait, then 8 rides on Justice League. One Justice League ride op grouper (Pat) did all he could to load every car to full capacity and minimize wait times. Then quick rides on Batman and Nitro with 15 minute waits.

 

Grabbed a grilled chicken panini at Metro Grill and ate it on my way to my car. I left around 1:45PM and arrived at Sesame Place by 3PM. Sesame Place was slammed and I only got one ride on Oscar's Wacky Taxi, and I still find Wooden Warrior to be far superior.

 

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After Batman, Nitro and lunch I was at Sesame Place to try Oscar's Wacky Taxi again. This line was about 40 minutes.

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They have a lot of very interesting themeing touches, but I still don't think the coaster packs the same punch as Wooden Warrior

 

 

It took me longer than expected to get to Dorney Park, which was also absolutely slammed. But that's ok because I only wanted to ride a few coasters (Talon, Hydra and Steel Force) take some pictures and grab a meal. I know people have been complaining about Dorney for years and I agree it has been in a big decline since my last visit. I was particularly annoyed about the dining plan.

 

I have the Cedar Fair Premium Dining option, but could not figure what was going on at the Chickie and Pete's at Dorney. First I went to the sit down Chickie and Pete's location and it appeared they had only two options with the plan and two more options at a $3 upcharge. Then I went to the location by Sea Dragon and you could only order at the kiosk. The screen showed that I had only 4 options and each was with a $8 upcharge. As much as I like the cheesesteaks I wasn't going to pay an $8 upcharge. Did I understand the Dorney pricing correctly? If I remember correctly I ordered cheesesteaks (possibly smaller sized) at Carowinds and Cedar Point in the past. So I went back to the other location to order the buffalo chicken strips (which are also awesome, I love the very light layer of breading they use). When the server sat me, the restaurant was practically empty, nobody was waiting for food and most patrons were leaving. For five minutes I sat trying to make eye contact as employees kept walking by. Some were cleaning tables and some were carrying drinks so I wasn't sure exactly who was a waiter/waitress versus busser. A group of 10 was set near me then a few more groups came in. It took 13 minutes for someone to acknowledge that I was sitting there waiting to order. I understand that some patrons make it difficult by constantly looking at the menu or playing with their phone, but I was actively trying to get the wait staffs attention. Yet wait staff addressed 4 tables of people that entered more than 5 minutes after me. At least the food was good and the waiter was semi-apologetic about the long wait. But it just added to my frustration about not knowing what I could order at each location as part of the dining plan. Nor could I find the info on the Dorney app or website.

 

It was a very fun day even though the atmosphere and clientele almost ruined it.

 

I arrived at SFGAdv about 15 after opening to long lines at the security gates and what appeared to be heavy crowds.

 

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The line at the security gates worried me but it moved quickly

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Before heading to El Toro I peeked into the old arcade, formerly known as the short cut. It appears they are nearly finished after completely gutting it and replacing the tent .

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Look how shiny it is

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especially compared to one of the originals. The metal peaks are also starting to oxidize badly with the rust creating holes in the metal

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The path is still open and saved some time getting to Zumanjaro, let's hope it stays this way all year.

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I said hi to the baby cats (one was sleeping inside the black tube)

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Nature is filling in nicely along the Zumanjaro queue

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It's a shame the park couldn't keep up the themeing that started in this gift shop in the Golden Kingdom.

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Path #2 was open, let's hope it stays this way

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I enjoyed Cyborg Cyber Spin but it is not as intense as I thought it would be. My ride had about 6 flips, as did the other cycles I witnessed

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A ride op told me that a customer took umbrage with the Flash Pass/General Entrance signage outside of Justice League.

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My new go to food place at the park

 

 

I wish I didn't have to rip the park, but my first visit to Dorney in 6 years was horrible. They seriously couldn't do anything right. Some things you can't control like the clientele. I like to rag on the clientele that visits SFGAdv, but I'll take those crowds any day.

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I was taking a picture of what I considered the ugliest wheel caps on a B&M invert but I captured some uncultured guests also.

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Not a well received coaster in the enthusiast community, but I enjoy it.

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Love the food, I just wish for better service and clarity on what is available on the dining plan.

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I like the way this picture came out

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As darkness descended upon the park, ninjas appeared

Edited by larrygator
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LOL. . agreed that Dorney sounds like it hasn't changed (we had a similar experience in the Chickies and Pete's. . tho we didn't have dining plan, we TOO went back and forth between the walk up stand, and the sit down restaurant.. eventually doing the sit-down, and having TERRIBLE service.

 

but mainly, all I remember is ALL THAT CONCRETE (tho I did get to ride Possessed when the holding break was being used, so that was cool).

 

 

I think the sheer amount of people would turn me off of Sesame Place, but I do like the adult nods to theming, LOL

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It's really cool to see how the landscaping has grown in around the old Golden Kingdom path. It's been at least a good seven years since it was open on a full time basis, and it practically looks like a full-blown forest now.

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Metro grill?

 

We are hitting sfga up in a few days, and I'm just looking at our dinning options as we have the sf dinning plan. Can't seem to find this place on the parks website or app. What type of foods do they offer?

 

Nice report!

I agree about dorney park. The only reason we ever go there is because we have platinum passes. This could be a great park, but it's lacking a stand out coaster.

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There isn't an upcharge at Chickies and Pete's for the cheesesteaks. That amount shown on the screen shows how much they get reimbursed by Dorney but when you complete the order, it gives a total owed of $0 as long as you don't add anything extras that's not included. I agree it's confusing to see a price on the screen making it look like an upcharge.

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There isn't an upcharge at Chickies and Pete's for the cheesesteaks. That amount shown on the screen shows how much they get reimbursed by Dorney but when you complete the order, it gives a total owed of $0 as long as you don't add anything extras that's not included. I agree it's confusing to see a price on the screen making it look like an upcharge.

 

Good to know as I might stop in for a food break one day.

 

Metro grill?

 

We are hitting sfga up in a few days, and I'm just looking at our dinning options as we have the sf dinning plan. Can't seem to find this place on the parks website or app. What type of foods do they offer?

 

It is located between Batman (indoor mouse) and Justice League, next to the fake bridge. They have a few sandwich and salad options, I like the Grilled Chicken with Applewod Bacon.

Edited by larrygator
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Nice little TR, Larry! I've never been to Sesame Place or Dorney and seeing your report doesn't exactly make me want to go out of my way to visit either of them. I hope the cut through paths at Great Adventure stay open as they really save a ton of time.

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Nice little TR, Larry! I've never been to Sesame Place or Dorney and seeing your report doesn't exactly make me want to go out of my way to visit either of them. I hope the cut through paths at Great Adventure stay open as they really save a ton of time.

 

Dorney Park can easily be completed in two hours if you arrive at opening. Locals flock to the water park and don't migrate to the dry side until the afternoon. But don't ever plan a visit in the afternoon.

 

Sesame Place is actually very nice, especially on a weekday morning.

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