Waldameer Discussion Thread

[alilstronger]

Well, they definitely did get the Monster up and running; I've ridden it in 2016 and 2017. Wasn't quite as good as an older Spider though. I dont know if it's the design or the park's operations or what though; Dorney's Monster seems to run incredibly well but that's the only Monster I've been on that's ever given me a ride like a Spider.

 

I feel the complete opposite. When I was here with TPR our car spun so much that even I felt kinda nauseous and I can handle pretty much any spin and puke. When I rode the one at Dorney it barely spun.

[operative_me]

I've lurked for years and finally decided to post:

 

Tuesday I tried to visit Waldameer for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't even make it in the gate as the park lost power due to a semi truck taking down power lines on 8th street. Disappointing but what can you do?

 

Well I took the advice of this forum and went to Sara's. It was excellent. Spent some time at the beaches on Presque Isle. Rented a boat and zipped around the bay for a few hours. Went to Schickalay's and got the Greek Dog, I loved it. So overall had a nice time in the Erie area even though the main attraction was down for the day.

 

So thanks for the advice, it helped in making it a good day overall. Hoping to get out to Waldameer for another try in a couple of weeks. I've had bad luck lately, I got rained out for Steel Vengeance ERT last week, so I'm due for a good run.

 

P.S. Ravine Flyer looks awesome from the road!

[pryonisys]

Made it to Waldameer for my lunch break and took a quick ride on Ravine Flyer. Only had to wait 3 trains and if I didn't want the back I could have just walked right on. The parking lot was pretty busy today, but I believe most of the patrons were in Water World today as it's a beautiful day.

Ravine Flyer is still riding great this year and it mad for a very good lunch break.

[larrygator]

I've lurked for years and finally decided to post:

 

Tuesday I tried to visit Waldameer for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't even make it in the gate as the park lost power due to a semi truck taking down power lines on 8th street. Disappointing but what can you do?

 

Well I took the advice of this forum and went to Sara's. It was excellent. Spent some time at the beaches on Presque Isle. Rented a boat and zipped around the bay for a few hours. Went to Schickalay's and got the Greek Dog, I loved it. So overall had a nice time in the Erie area even though the main attraction was down for the day.

 

So thanks for the advice, it helped in making it a good day overall. Hoping to get out to Waldameer for another try in a couple of weeks. I've had bad luck lately, I got rained out for Steel Vengeance ERT last week, so I'm due for a good run.

 

P.S. Ravine Flyer looks awesome from the road!

 

Nice to hear that quality comments from others helped you make the best out of a bad situation.

[Philrad71]

I've lurked for years and finally decided to post:

 

Tuesday I tried to visit Waldameer for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't even make it in the gate as the park lost power due to a semi truck taking down power lines on 8th street. Disappointing but what can you do?

 

Well I took the advice of this forum and went to Sara's. It was excellent. Spent some time at the beaches on Presque Isle. Rented a boat and zipped around the bay for a few hours. Went to Schickalay's and got the Greek Dog, I loved it. So overall had a nice time in the Erie area even though the main attraction was down for the day.

 

So thanks for the advice, it helped in making it a good day overall. Hoping to get out to Waldameer for another try in a couple of weeks. I've had bad luck lately, I got rained out for Steel Vengeance ERT last week, so I'm due for a good run.

 

P.S. Ravine Flyer looks awesome from the road!

 

Glad that we could help you out there!

 

I may have even saw you as I was walking on Presque Isle the day that the trucker hit the power lines and the park closed. I love that place and just wish that it was closer to home for me.

 

Best of luck on your next trip to Erie...Waldameer is an awesome little park and definitely worth the trip from Cleveland!

[_s3_]

Decided to stop into the park late today just to take a walk around with the wife. Surprisingly this is the first time I've been to the park this year even though I live less than a quarter mile down the road.

 

The water park definitely looked packed today (not shocking as it got up to about 96 degrees today).

 

Scoped out where the new ride is going next year. For sure looking forward to it. Will definitely be a great addition to the park.

Edited July 2, 2018 by _s3_

[jconsolmagno]

Decided to stop into the park late today just to take a walk around with the wife. Surprisingly this is the first time I've been to the park this year even though I live less than a quarter mile down the road.

 

The water park definitely looked packed today (not shocking as it got up to about 96 degrees today).

 

Noticed that the Spider is still sitting in pieces. I'm hoping for a lighting upgrade (as they have been doing with rides here and there). The Spider has always been run wonderfully and with new LED lighting at night, the ride would be awesome.

 

Scoped out where the new ride is going next year. For sure looking forward to it. Will definitely be a great addition to the park.

 

Huh? 2019 ride?

[_s3_]

^ Yep, it has been announced already that Waldameer is adding a Zamperla Midi Discovery for 2019 named "Chaos". Here is a more detailed quote from AJ from earlier on regarding location, etc.

 

For clarification on the location, Chaos will be located behind the train station as seen in blue and green in the photo below. Without sharing too much information on what we have in store for the future, the Chaos location could be the start of a multi-attraction expansion southward several years down the road contingent on some other things. What may seem off the beaten path for 2019 will eventually come full circle.

 

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

 

Fall operations are not completely off the table, but staffing is a major consideration. If/when the season is extended, the schedule will be similar to Seabreeze or Kentucky Kingdom with the season ending mid to late September. Speaking of staffing, the decline in population in the region is huge red flag going forward as each expansion puts on the extra stress of boosting recruitment efforts.

 

Lastly, if you haven't ridden Ravine Flyer II in awhile, 2018 is the year to do it. Major re-tracking on both sides of the bridge, bottom of the second drop, and tight turn going into the 90 degree bank has dramatically improved three notorious trouble spots.

[operative_me]

Headed back to Erie for another attempt at Waldameer, previous attempt was thwarted by a power outage. Forecast said scattered storms, but since everyone on here has talked about how they will run rides through and EF5 tornado, I was hoping the crowds would be manageable.

 

Pulling into the lot I could see rides running and people in Water World so we're off to a good start! Hit up Comet first, and really enjoyed it. Nothing flashy but a good ride with a cool design. Then it was time to stop screwing around (look I only went on Comet first as a "warm up" for my girlfriend) and go to the main attraction, Ravine Flyer II. I have been wanting to get on this ride for years and I've heard a lot of hype and some warning of roughness. I loved this thing, nice view from the top before you go tearing down the hill and up and over the highway. This ride is fantastic and didn't seem rough to me at all, I got 5 rides during the day in different parts of the train, definitely preferred the back although front seat is worth the experience to check out the view of the lake and beaches.

 

After that we hit up most of the rides in the park. Liked the Skyride for it's length (a little slow for me), Steel Dragon I think is underrated, I think it's a very fun ride with good lateral forces. Musik Express... finally got to ride one of these that's being run correctly! Whacky Shack and Pirates Cove were cool dark rides and the type of unique attractions that make parks like this amazing. Mega Vortex was alright but was kind of uncomfortable.

 

Thunder River, well, all flumes make me happy to be on them. This one was fun, old school, had a good flow, basically everything Shoot the Rapids II at CP was not. Skipped the dodgems because they looked like the same Ninja cars that CP has and those are slow and boring. If I'm wrong let me know and I'll fix that mistake next time.

 

The water park was nice. The new bowl slide is pretty cool and overall the place was pretty clean. The giant hot tub in 90+ degree heat was not really for me but the lazy river was good and lazy. After a few hours we went over to Schickalay's for some food, I got 2 Greek Dogs again. Thank you to whomever recommended them, I love them. Then back to the park.

 

Hit up Comet a few more times, XScream as the sun went down, the ferris wheel as well for a nice view. Then back over to Ravine Flyer II to finish the night. We had dodged rain most of the day, a few sprinkles here and there. But that was about to change. Got a night ride and wow! Love flying around through the dark and into tunnels you can't see the end of. Just amazing. Leaving the station for our second ride the skies opened up. Fun, but kind of painful with the rain flying in your face. Thankfully it was a quick burst so for our 3rd ride it had quit raining but the track was slick. I warned my gf that the slick track would probably change the experience a bit. It did, the train hauled through the course so fast I could scarcely believe it. That was it for my girlfriend, she tapped out for the last two rides. Overall I got 10 rides in and loved the thing.

 

I want to say thanks to those who have posted advice and info over the years, as I have read pretty far back in this thread waiting for the day to come so I could finally visit. It really helps knowing what to expect.

[Canobie Coaster]

Great report! I was about ask what thwarted your first visit since it was very apparent from my visit that they have no qualms running everything even in torrential downpours and they'll stay open. A power outage is something that would shut them down.

 

I actually preferred Ravine Flyer up front since it was the only seat with airtime for the finale. Both are excellent though for different reasons. That first drop truly is amazing in the back.

[Philrad71]

^^ Glad that you were finally able to get there and you and your wife enjoyed your visit!

 

Yeah, that was definitely a fluke thing when the truck driver hit those utility lines during your previous attempt, but as others have said, there isn't a lot that will shut the rides down.

 

I have been pondering the idea of taking a trek out there tomorrow as I could use a spirit boost right about now. The weather looks like it's going to be nice and comfortable, so I may venture out for a few hours and bring the camera along so that I can do a litte PTR for everyone.

 

My plan would also be to hit Schickalay's again. Their Greek dog was very good, but my Dad said that I need to try the gyro. A gyro and a cold can of Southern Tier 2XIPA sounds like a pretty good lunch to me!

[Haymaker]

Rode RFII for the first time today. Having only Predator at DL for a wood coaster I was prepared for a rough ride. Boy was I wrong. I cant believe how fast that thing is. Definitely felt faster than 60. Great ride!

[DarienPoint]

Going down to Waldameer in the very beginning of August, how are crowds? I'm going on the week so I don't think it'd be much, but it is smmer, so who knows.

[Haymaker]

Going down to Waldameer in the very beginning of August, how are crowds? I'm going on the week so I don't think it'd be much, but it is smmer, so who knows.

 

Crowds werent an issue at all yesterday.

[DarienPoint]

^ Thanks!! Pretty excited because we don't have Chick Fil A and Kripsy Kreme in Buffalo, so getting those sometime with the trip.

 

How is their water park? Is it worth the extra money to get all day rides AND the water park?

[jconsolmagno]

^ Thanks!! Pretty excited because we don't have Chick Fil A and Kripsy Kreme in Buffalo, so getting those sometime with the trip.

 

How is their water park? Is it worth the extra money to get all day rides AND the water park?

 

Yes it is. The waterpark is a highlight. Especially the new bowl slide.

[DarienPoint]

Waldameer: An AMAZING family operated park that I recommend stopping at if you get the chance!

 

Got there around 1pm and I did both the dry rides and Water World, which let me say, was AMAZING! The park didn’t have a wait problem and almost every ride was a ride, and get right back on. Water World is an amazing water park that adds to the amazing theme park, the new Cannonbowl slide was pretty fun, along with every other slide, plus that kids Battle of Erie slide play area was super cool! I had a little adventure on that for a while haha.

 

My coaster reviews are very different, though, well at least for the “almighty” Ravine Flyer II, which I was pretty hyped to ride all day, but was lead to a disappointment when I got a headache during and after the ride and a lot of being thrown around...both rides (one of them being in the front might I add). My favorite coaster would have to be Steel Dragon, as it was just super fun and I got different rides every time, going down that first drop backwards is awesome! Ravine Flyer 3 is a pretty cool (and aesthetically pleasing) kids coaster, and Comet was a very family-fun, well kept’ wooden coaster.

 

The food was pretty good, had a French bread pizza (which I was happy to see it being made fresh as my home park, Darien Lake, does otherwise..) which was SUPER good, but the bees were making me have to move like every two minutes lol.

 

The park has amazing scenery and greenery everywhere. The statues of various characters are very picturesque and the flower beds were very pretty. The clocks they have around the park look very classic and add a little charm to its surrounding scenery.

 

Might I add, Sea Dragon, WOW the airtime if you sit on one of the ends haha, I had an awesome time on that. X Scream, their drop tower, MAN that was super fun and that drop feels like your really free falling! Plus, I love a good disko and Mega Vortex didn’t disappoint. The Pirates Cove walk-through attraction was very weird but a fun experience, same goes for the Wacky Shack.

 

Overall, I’d definitely return to this park for another visit. It was so much fun.

 

Count:

 

Ravine Flyer II : 2x

X Scream : 2x

Steel Dragon : 4x

Thunder River : 1x

Comet : 2x

Mega Vortex : 2x

Music Express : 1x

Scrambler : 1x

Sea Dragon : 1x

Sky Swings : 1x

Pirates Cove : 1x

Wacky Shack : 1x

Ravine Flyer 3 : 1x

(Water World slides and etc too haha)

 

And now, onto the photos!

First CREDIT of the day!

The sky ride goes over this tent eating area, and you can see that lots of people drop their scrunchies and bracelets lol.

Funny story, got a wally card and the receipt came out, but the card didn't, so went to guest services and they called someone over to see the problem, turns out the card WAS in there, but it didn't come out all the way, haha.

First ride of the day!!

Operating for a while, I can see how, cause this park is maintained pretty well.

Sky Ride shots!

Hooray!!

A classic...but I skipped it.

Mega Vortex, this was one of my favorites here.

NERD SHOT

Underrated opinion : Better than Ravine Flyer II

The "almighty" Golden Ticket contender Ravine Flyer II....! yay.... ow.

Their water park is super fun, and better, it was dead! I could get right back on. (:

This Spider ride was dismantled for some reason.

Picturesque. :3

Getting wet at night, will I regret this? Most likely..

Definitely my favorite coaster here.

I like these classic clocks a lot, they add to this family-friendly environment Waldameer goes for.

But this is right behind it.

ALI BABA

The various statues around the park are very nice too.

Night rides!!

(Taken before I dropped to my doom, haha.)

This drop tower is unreal, S&S better watch out.

Combo pass is the way to go.

CREDIT!!!

Here we are!!

[AmyUD06]

Nice report. Just a friendly tip: tilting pictures does not make them better 99% of the time.

[alilstronger]

Woooo.... why do so many people tilt their camera when taking pics?!

 

Anyway... good report. LOVE this park. I just created a western PA park tour for my BF and I to do in a year or so, can't wait to hit up all these parks once again.

[DarienPoint]

^ Yea, I tilt the camera, kind of a habit. I'll try and stop myself next time haha.

[Canobie Coaster]

That's a bummer you didn't get the smoothest ride on Ravine Flyer II. I had zero problems with it last year and it's a testament to how well the park takes care of it considering the aggressive layout.

[grsupercity]

Is the midi discovery they are getting the same one as Cyclos at KK? That ride is great and intense

[Myself]

^Yup!

 

They’ve also posted a Facebook teaser for yet another new Water World addition next year as well...color me intrigued!

[DarienPoint]

^ It seems like they're always going for a one dry and one wet ride every year, which is very nice.

[Philrad71]

^ Sorry to hear about your rough rides on RF2.

 

I drove out a couple of weeks ago, bought the Wally card and did two rides on it - once in the next to last seat and once in the front. Both rides were sublime.

 

Didn't do any other rides, but I agree that Steel Dragon is a fun little coaster and maybe even a bit underrated given all of the attention that RF2 gets.