Casino Pier - August 23 2023 - Seaside Heights

I haven't posted a trip report in a while...basically because I haven't been able to ride as much as I want to. I will try to make up for it and I did miss a report on Rye, back in mid-July. I digress,

Weather: Picture Perfect low humidity

Riders: I traveled with my son

Traffic: On the way to Jersey, both decks of the Verrazzano Bridge shut down due to police activity. For those of you who are not from the area, this is a MAJOR crossing and the ride from Long Island took about 3 hours instead of the predicted two. Not too bad at all on the way home.

Parked in the municipal lot next to the water park. (3 bucks per hour...I opted for 5 hours) First stop was the Sky Ride (One way). It did not disappoint. Breezy, fun, gentle, perfect for phone photos from and of the ride. This attraction is 5$ one way and 8 Dollars round trip.

Camera Wave - There are a few webcams on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. I texted my wife who was at home and she saw the two of us waving. I like doing that - even though most passers by must have thought we were nuts waving to the top of a restaurant stand. (Wife recorded us on her phone and showed us later.)

Lunch - We opted for Jimbos on the boardwalk. It was fine for what it was. The food was ok and the time we ate wasn't too busy. The music was a little loud, but after-all, this is SeaSide Heights. The service was good, the waitress was there when we needed something and she left us alone when we didn't.

Casino Pier - Also busy, but not insane. There was a mix of young kids on the kiddie rides and teens and adults on the regular stuff. We did not need to buy tickets. Over the years, I bought ride and slide tickets at the water park. I slid, but didn't ride...so the credits on the cards that I had were still good, including a card I had from 2016. The park honored the card without a fuss. I am glad they did not have an expiration date.

The park was pretty clean. The clientele were well-behaved and there were no people anywhere in our day who messed with anyone else's good time. People were content to just wait their turn and it's odd that I point that out now-a-days, but that's how it happened. We did not have to wait for anything for more than one cycle.

Rides:

Centrifuge: Holy Smokes this is a must do. It is BY FAR the most intense Scrambler I was ever on. The lights and sound were not simply throw-a-ways...this was advanced planning. It was up to full speed in about 15 seconds and people were actually applauding when it was over. Also, there is kind of a very cool "Pre-ride" experience. While you are in the dark, you make a turn and you are on a bridge. Around you is a circulating chamber that rotates at a good speed making you dizzy. The best way to describe it would be the Knoble's Black Diamond effect, but this was ten times more disorienting. I needed to either avert my eyes or focus on the "exit" sign. After the ride, I asked the attendant if they only use one song and light program. She said that there were several. Please note that they do not allow single riders on this. Definitely do this if you like the spinny spinny things.

Ferris Wheel: Very tall and a spectacular view is available from the top. You can see the bridge and Pelican Island. There is plexiglass around the upper part of the gondolas, which cut back on the breeze, but added to the safety aspect. Again, no single riders. (At night, the light show is viewable from one of the web cams)

Bumper Cars: Very sensitive controls, some good hits, small area - but a lot of fun.

Wave Swinger: This one is not like the ones I am used to. Most (Huss, I think) have a small lift and the unit rises as it turns. This one rides first and then starts turning. It's a little more forceful than the regular units, but a lot of fun and the option for double riders on seats closer to the center.

Carousel: A smaller model has a few other animals other than horses, such as a cat with a fish in it's mouth and a bunny. It's small, but nice.

Catch A Wave: Not running

We didn't have a lot of time for some of the others, but that is an incentive to come back.

Customer Service: I took a few minutes to visit customer service. Not to bring up an older thread, but I wanted to ask about the night light programming for the Ferris Wheel. One of the programmers was there and he said that they use software that can scan anything and set it to lights. The only thing though...if a bulb is out and it is needed for the program, that entire section will not light.

Security: There were two armed guards dressed in what looked like combat-ready uniforms. They made a strong, but firm presence.

Museum: At the northern end of the boardwalk, there is a restoration of an old classic Carousel that is being worked on and being treated as a museum. They have been working on this for a long time now, but I hope they get everything together and make it happen soon.

There are a few bathrooms on the boardwalk and a trailer on the amusement pier. They are not exactly five-star clean. The pier also has a collection of fiberglass characters. Some of these hav enot aged well and one, a hobo, kind of looks out of place.

On weekdays, At 4 PM, the town no longer stops to check beach badges. So we walked on the beach a bit. It was nice and clean. The lifeguards go off duty at 5 and swimming is then prohibited. I do not know if these hours change on the weekends.

All in all, we had a nice day. So did everyone else who was there!

Thank you for reading this.

The original and most common Wave Swinger that we see is by Zierer.
Seaside’s and Jenkinsons have identical rides but I’m unsure of the manufacturer. Zamperla makes a popular one but something tells me the one you rode may not be one of theirs.

Edit: Found it. I believe the correct answer is Sartori. They manufacture a lot of kid and family friendly rides.

Richie Reflux:

Please note that they do not allow single riders on this.

Ugh. I think I asked on a FB group about this because Waldameer added this rule to their Scrambler recently and I don't understand the reasoning. Does anyone know why a ride that allowed single riders for years suddenly has a rule against it? I fully understand safety is priority number one. It just bugs me that rides like Ferris Wheels, Flying Bobs, the Reverchon Crazy Mouse at the Ohio State Fair and now Scramblers are not allowing single riders. Heck, the Mouse operators wouldn't even allow you to pair with another group. You HAD to have a partner. Groups of 3 though that were considered "together"? No problem. shrug

Edit: Bertazzon also makes Wave Swingers. Seabreeze has one as do several carnival showmen such as Talley and Reithoffer.