Dania Beach Hurricane/Boomers

Ok guys, What is the word on this place? I'm going to Ft. Lauderdale on a football-related trip and I was just reminded that this ride is there. I went to their website and it said $5.95 for one ride, $13.50 for 3, $30 for 9 rides, $10 for all-day wristband which makes no sense unless they want the guaranteed $10 from everyone but still odd pricing. All these prices seemed just for the Hurricane. So I'd appreciate any feedback on when the best pricing is for riding if anyone has been there. I'll be there Jan. 1-4. Thanks!

Yeah $10.00 for an all day pass, I went their this summer spent the $10 and rode the ride about 23 times. So it is much more in your favor to just spend the $10 and ride until you feel you want to leave. Other than the Hurricane their is mini-golf, a huge arcade, and maybe one of the largest go-cart tracks you will ever see. But be warned the people who operate the ride are like robots and made me walk around every one of those 23 time, even when their was noone else on the ride.

Down that same street once was Pirate World, and Six Flags Atlantis Water Park so that area was a decent hot spot for parks at one time.

It's a pretty cool area. They have a lot more to do than just the coaster. Go-carts, putt putt....all the above. It's a nice little area and can be fairly fun. The arcade is huge with a lot of DDR machines. So, check those out too.

The ride itself, I found to be QUITE fun a few years back when I was there during the winter holidays, as well. I was actually at the park December 26. I think it was in 02. I'm not sure how the ride has held up since then.

I found the best way to get my $10 worth and way more was to arrive early afternoon when the coaster opened, get in a few rides and take some pictures and then disappear off to do other tourist stuff in Miami. I then returned after dark and still had the Hurricane more or less to myself for 20+ dark rides :)

Are you going for the Orange Bowl? I was down there this year for the Colorado/Miami game and had the same idea (although it sounds like you're putting in a little more research than I did). All I knew was that the park was called Boomers and that it was in Dania, but somehow still managed to drive straight to it without directions (wouldn't recommend). There are signs, though-very helpful! :)

I think by far your best option is the $10 price. Boomers is definitely worth the price/drive, you'll easily get plenty of rides. I'd also check out the go-karts (you'll see 'em from the top of Hurricane's lift).

You cant miss it. Its the only rollercoaster on 1-95. ;) If you can, try to go on a tuesday. When I went to college down there they ran a special, where it was 10 dollars for everything, minus the Hurricane. So for 20 dollars you can ride everything you want, play all the video games you want, and ride the rollercoaster as many times as you want. There is a extremely long go-cart track, someone once told me it was the longest, or something. Its kinda lame though as they only let 2 rides go at a time. I used to drag my wife there on nights there was nothing to do. I should warn you though, it doesnt exactly attract the right crowds. Alot of rude teenagers and seedy people if you ask me.

If I recall, the DDR machines, while plentiful, are poor at best according to locals.

But yeah ,everyone likes the hurricane.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yes PT300, I'm a Penn State guy. With who I'm going with I knew a stop in Orlando wasn't possible and I was just reminded of the Hurricane. One of the perks for going anywhere warm during the winter (I live in PA) is to get a few rides in. This is all helpful. Hey, a good new woodie to go ride a bunch of times is always a good thing. I still think the pricing is funny, $30 for 9 rides but $10 for all-day? When I first saw that I thought it looked like they're trying to take advantage of the "lack of common sense people" which would not be a first in the industry.

Those 30 rides can be used by multiple people. The $10 all-day pass is only good for one person. That's the logic behind the pricing.

-Nate

The Dania Beach Hurricane is a suprisingly great woodie. I believe the owner is losing his shirt though. (Boomers doesn't own it. The owner built it thinking it would be super popular and then Boomers would want to turn around and buy it. But, that hasn't happened yet.)

There is talk of building a second coaster in vacant space nearby. Ironically (or not) the DBH sustained no hurricane damage during Wilma.

The pricing is idiotic. Why would anyone buy 3 rides at $13.50 when they can buy unlimited rides for $10.00? Obviously, we got the wristband the two times we went and got 40+ rides both evenings we spent there.

The DBH is, IMHO, one of the best wooden roller coasters around. The first drop isn't much but there is lots of speed and quite a few moments of outstanding airtime. Making things even better (and bad for the owners, no doubt) is the fact that crowds always seem light- very rarely are there enough people riding to fill more than one-third of the 30-passenger train. Too bad the ride ops (who are, at best, unfriendly) make you walk around instead of letting you keep your seat if no one is waiting.

DDR? Why would anyone even care about DDR when one of the best wood coasters in the country is right outside? ;)

Amen, Rob...

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Rob Ascough said:
The pricing is idiotic. Why would anyone buy 3 rides at $13.50 when they can buy unlimited rides for $10.00?

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Ummmm, even though it IS a really solid ride and *us enthusiasts* wouldn't really CONSIDER riding once, you'd be surprised how many people have a birthday party or whatever where a BUNCH of kids all wants to take one ride together...that accounts for what *we* consider "the odd prcing structure."

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Making things even better (and bad for the owners, no doubt) is the fact that crowds always seem light- very rarely are there enough people riding to fill more than one-third of the 30-passenger train. Too bad the ride ops (who are, at best, unfriendly) make you walk around instead of letting you keep your seat if no one is waiting.

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The coaster does what it's *supposed* to do...keeps that mega-arcade HOPPING...sure, as a coaster it's underutilized, but as a billboard, I think it's the best in all of S Florida.

The ops, well, leave a LOT to be desired. I don't even mind walking around THAT much...I can use the exercise. ;) But when I saw the op *riding* the train from the ready brakes into the station by standing on the coupling(!), that was *outrageous*, unsafe in the very least.

DBH is really good, not in my top-notch list, but always a lot of fun, and the ending sequence is crazed, equivalent IMO to one of the legs on Phoenix...well, any of them except the Phoenix Phinale.

Aside: Whatever became of that other CoasterWorks! design, I know they ran into some considerable trouble rebuilding it in Canada...something with neighbors IIRC....

Victim of NIMBY... Even through the water park had a 90 feet tall water slide already, they invoked a town ruling that prevent from building structures more than 20-30 feet tall. Last I heard, Mont St-Sauveur was trying to take the city to court to get the permission to build it.

The fact that you guys don't get the pricing structure only comfirms my suspicions that enthusiasts don't really understand what the average park customer thinks, wants or needs.

Even as an enthusiast, I don't want to ride a coaster 10, 20 or 30 times.

When we did Boomers, the three of us big enough to ride did a total of 10 laps between us. We did 10 laps for $30. That's dangerously close to the '9 for $30' dealy-o.

Also keep in mind that there is the arcade and a small collection of kiddie rides and the go-karts. There's a multitude of package pricing depending on what you do.

The vast majority of visitors don't just go ride the coaster, won't power ride the coaster and don't spend more than a few hours there.

Will all of that said, DBH came in at a solid #9 on my wood coaster poll. Very nice ride.

Exactly, the pricing is definitely clear for a group that doesn't want to power ride. buy a bunch of tickets cheap and divide them among your group. For a power rider the wristband is the way to go. There is probably easy level math that can be done to find the break even between a group buying a ticket package or each rider buying a wristband depending on rides wanted per individual. :)

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dragonoffrost said:
There is probably easy level math that can be done to find the break even between a group buying a ticket package or each rider buying a wristband depending on rides wanted per individual. :)

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You didn't go to a Florida public school, did you? ;)

Even with teachers "teaching to the test" (in this case, the FCAT), scores have been dropping lately. Speaking of...how are things going with "the education president"? ;)

(On the soapbox)

Until a majority of parents take more than a passing interest in the education of their children it doesn't friggin' matter who is the President, Governor or School Superintendent.

(Off the soapbox)

DBH is a great ride.

Applauds wahoo as he steps off of his box. :)

I've always had this wacky idea that in my ideal world, education/intelligence is treated as we treat money. It is valued above all else and passed down from generation to generation through families or obtained by the 'less fortunate' through hard work and a desire for it.

If I relied on the government to teach my kids, they'd be morons.

Come to think of it, that explains a lot... :)

*** Edited 12/7/2005 7:30:03 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

I didn't fail to understand the odd pricing structure because I'm an enthusiast that thinks like an enthusiast- I didn't consider the fact that some people buy ride tickets and give them to other people they're with. I was interpreting the pricing just as it sounds:

1 ride- $5.00

unlimited rides- $10.00

3 rides- $13.50

I agree that there aren't a lot of people that visit the place to marathon on the coaster but both times I was there, more than a few large groups of people purchased wristbands and took at least a dozen rides before calling it quits. Two people admitted that a night on the coaster was a frequent ritual for them, and I could tell they were green to the concept of coaster enthusiasm.

I didn't have a problem with the ride op's disregard for safety (although that is a big thing with me), nor did I mind the fact that they made everyone walk all the way around to ride again- I didn't like the fact that they seemed completely oblivious to the people riding the coaster. One ride op would barely make eye contact with any of the riders and gave simple, one-word answers when asked something while the other would slowly walk the length of the train to check lap bars and seat belts while singing along with the music blasting through his headphones. It actually reminded me of the indifferent employees at Mt. Olympus except for the fact that these employees clearly spoke English because they did carry on conversations between themselves at times.