Dorney anyone?

has anyone been to Dorney Park lately? I was plannig on goin soon and just wanted to know how the park is.

I went in July and I'll try to give you some pointers. Go on a weekday. I went on a Tuesday and the park was so empty I got multiple rides on Steel Force and Talon. Both of those rides are amazing. Talon's near the entrance so you should go there first. Ride it in the back, it's the best there. Up front you get more forces in the loop and Immelmann, but the back provides a better ride and some airtime. The trim brake before the Immelmann isn't on, so you get a good, clean ride.

If you're in it for the coaster count, ride Hercules. If not, skip that hunk of junk. There are trim brakes down the first drop that are on so tight, Mean Streak seems untrimmed. These things hold on until the last car is clear so up front (where I rode) you get horrible hangtime down the drop, and the turn at the base is banked too much to pass through it that slow. My friend leaned into me as the G forces weren't strong enough to hold us into our seats, like originally designed. Yeah, it just sucks. I noticed one tiny pop of airtime, but it just sucks. Not a good coaster at all.

Laser rocks. Incredible forces. If you like Schwartzkopf, ride it. If not, still ride it. It's got a few grey out areas and a nice drop. The lift is incredibly slow, though.

Thunderhawk. This was the oldest coaster I've ever ridden. It's got KILLER ejector air in the front seat but the end bunny hops are killed by a trim. Boo. Front seat's better than the back because of the ejector air.

Wild Mouse: typical wild mouse. Low capacity and great turns. Love riding it with the GP who "swear it's going to fly off the tracks."

Steel Force: Yes! I got 11 rides on it. It's so much fun and the trains are very roomy. There's great airtime and the backseat's the best for the first drop. The turnaround has nice forces and the MCBR is barely on. That's all. It's an excellent ride.

Don't miss out on this park. It's got a great atmosphere with a nice bunch of coasters. Talon and Steel Force impressed me the most, but don't forget Laser, Thunderhawk and Wild Mouse!

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I was asked to describe X in one word. The word? -- OhmygoshwhathaveIgottenmyselfintothisisthescariest
thingintheworldhelpmeIamgoingtodieAHHHH!!!

I went last year and got on all the big boy coasters. I liked every one, Talon being my second favorite coaster behind SROS. I didn't try the back, but the front is wicked awesome. Haux basically said everything. I liked Hercules though, even though the drop is trimmed, i liked the ride because of the roughness. Don't forget about the S&S Tower there.

If you go, go on a weekday and get a two day pass (that's what I did). I got on Talon 10 times and Steel Force 15 times. What luck I had too, one of the days a huge storm was supposed to hit, so there were like 100 people in the park. But because of the threat, some of the rides weren't going.

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I lost my hat on Poison Ivy. How pathetic.

I really hate to add my bias opinion since dorney is my hometown park and I have it in my screenname but I think Dorney is a "swell" park. Not the biggest or best but simply fun. They have some good thrill rides like steel force Talon that put them in the same league as any six flags park, but the park still has a traditional hometown feel(thats not to say thats not slowly dying off). And yes, the park is a coaster lovers dream on hot summer days in the summer. Nearly all the rides are walk-ons. Come five o'clock or so when Wildwater closes, that changes pretty quickly and the queues start filling up. Haux, to comment on what you said. The train goes to slow over the banked turn over the lake. Huh? It has always gone that same speed average of 60-65 since it was built. I highly doubt that speed is too slow. Some may argue and say the turn is banked to heavily and that the turn is too rough but I'v never heard the arguement that the train goes to slow on the turn, that is indefinately wrong. Ranked 4th fastest wooden coaster(tied w a few others) i dont understand how you can say that.

I was saying it was going too slow for the amount of banking it has in that turn. Since the brakes killed much of the possible speed, the turn didn't need to be banked that much anymore. Before the brakes, I'm sure the Gs would hold people in their seats in the turn, but since the brakes were there, my friend (on the left) slid into me and I was resting against the right side of the train.

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I was asked to describe X in one word. The word? -- OhmygoshwhathaveIgottenmyselfintothisisthescariest
thingintheworldhelpmeIamgoingtodieAHHHH!!!

But I'm saying the ride isnt going slow at all at that point in the ride, its going 65 mph. That turn never pulled any g's and dont think the original design concept ever intended that. It was just designed as a high speed turn.

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"Its better to ask then to assume"-me

I've been there a few times this year ;) (see signature)

I think the place is a lot of fun. Certainly worth stopping by.

This is the first year I've been to Dorney so I'm not sure what is was like in the past but I get very different reactions from enthusiasts and locals. Most enthusiasts think the park just keeps getting better and better. Most locals in Allentown tell me how nice the park used to be and how much it's changed in the past few years.

Definitely stop by if you get the opportunity.

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park visits in 2002: 17