Dorney Park 5/21/23

I made a trip to NYC this past weekend to see a friend and a few Broadway shows (Sweeney Todd, Six, and Kimberly Akimbo). But armed with a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass, meal plan, drink plan, and a season pass FastLane+ add-on, I knew there was no excuse to not stop at Dorney Park, situated right off I-78. I've passed it so many times in the past, but this time I'd be stopping in for a few hours before driving back to Columbus, OH. Given the above, the visit was essentially free.

Dorney Park feels like a Cedar Fair park through and through. From the rides to the food, there wasn't much in terms of theming, but there was a pleasantness about the park that made it feel comfortable, even though I'd never been there. Much of the staff were local teenagers who acted like typical teenagers. But there was even something endearing about that, too. I've always considered Cedar Point my home park despite being closer to Kings Island and most of their staff are college age or older. But Dorney felt like it knew what it was. Nothing big, intimidating, or flashy...just a solid park.

Parking was easy and getting into the park was stress free. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so I was shocked that the park wasn't more crowded. FL+ only saved me maybe 30-60 minutes overall. But given my tight timeframe, I was still happy to use it.

Steel Force (2x | walk on): One of my buddies described Steel Force as a polite hyper and I absolutely agree. It was fun, pulled some gentle negative Gs (the most being on the first drop), and some surprising positive Gs (the most on the helix). Still, it wasn't as aggressive or interesting as Magnum XL-200 despite it essentially trying to replicate its magic. Sure, it was far more comfortable than Magnum and the transitions were far smoother, but I found myself liking the original hyper more than this "improved" version. Still, I loved the ride. I'm usually a back-of-the-train kind of guy, but enjoyed being pushed into the elements instead of dragged into them. Either way, this was a solid coaster.

Possessed (2x | walk on): I was excited to ride Possessed for two reasons: the demise of Wicked Twister and the experience of the very large straight (not twisted) vertical drop. I rode in the front row for my first go-round. The launch somehow felt less aggressive than Wicked Twister despite both rides having around the same average speed. But nothing beats going up that spike and feeling the world turn around you. When we hit the max height, I regretted not taking Dramamine, but the twist wasn't bad at all. Riding in the back was a completely different experience. Wicked Twister had two twisted spikes, which some may find more interesting than a straight vertical track. But let me tell you, looking straight down from 180ft up was unreal. And the negative G's you feel at the top of that spike was great.

Thunderhawk (1x | station wait): My original plan was to ride all of the coasters twice, but one ride on Thunderhawk was enough. I like to say that I don't mind a rough coaster, but the tight trains and uncomfortable lap bars made this one hurt. It sucks because the layout is pretty interesting and the coaster looks great. But my legs constantly crashed into the lap bar and the seat divider to the point where one ride was enough. I found out later that is coaster was born out of the 1920s, which makes it the oldest coaster I've ever ridden. For that, I forgive a little bit of roughness, but should I return to the park, I'll likely skip it.

Hydra the Revenge (2x | station wait): One of the two stars of the park. Hydra is so interesting despite it being a typical B&M coaster. The JoJo roll out of the station reminded me of the in-line twist on Banshee, but just way slower. I giggled the entire time and wished this was more of a thing in coaster design. The rest of the ride was a lot of fun. I loved that the coaster stayed somewhat closer to the ground, using the terrain to its advantage. While riding in the front and back were a lot of fun, I enjoyed the back a bit more. Still, the front is the only place to really experience the "floorless" sensation because you barely think about it riding anywhere else.

Wild Mouse (1x | station wait): This was one coaster I hadn't planned on riding, but was glad to have FL+. It was easily the longest wait in the park for everyone in the regular line. I've never been a fan of Wild Mouse coasters, but decided to give this one a shot. I wish I hadn't. The ride ops loaded me in a car by myself despite there being a couple who could have ridden behind me. The sharp turns were okay, but very quickly became painful. This was especially the case when the car made right turns, slamming my leg against the divider. Somehow, this was worse than Thunderhawk. The second half of the ride was what you'd expect. A few quick dips before the ride came to an end. Would not recommend.

Talon (2X | station wait): Talon was down when I finished Wild Mouse, so I used the time to grab some food. Maintenance quickly got the ride up and running again so I jumped in line. Talon is the perfect companion to Hydra...a coaster filled with typical B&M elements, but still wildly interesting. The transitions are snappy, but comfortable. The layout is compact, but there are a lot of elements jammed in there. While I typically love riding in the back of inverts, I loved my front row ride...again being pushed into elements instead of dragged through.

A few other notes:

• Being a Cedar Point guy since the early 90s, I wanted to ride Demon Drop, but it didn't open until I needed to leave.
• Merch at Dorney Park was cheap. I got a shirt for $20...but the bad news is, they didn't have very many shirts and the ones they did have were mostly 2XLs. I still got one though.
• The food was exactly what you find at most Cedar Fair parks. This kind of pains me because I'd love to find fun, unique, and tasty food like we did at Dollywood. Ah well.

I spent a grand total of 3 hours at the park before heading home. I'm not sure I'd go back unless I was on my way home from NYC again. It's not that it's a bad park...it's a pretty great regional park for Allentown. But it's not a destination. Better to tie it with Hershey Park and maybe Six Flags Great Adventure to make it worth it.

Wonder if Thunderhawk has gotten rougher over the years. When I rode it almost 20 years ago it became not only my favorite coaster at Dorney, but my favorite wooden coaster overall.

When I rode it in 2018 it was awful. It would have been better with different trains, but it was tracking terribly.

How was Kimberly Akimbo? Tony nominated Bonnie Milligan went to OSU so she’s a local favorite. She came from New York to District West one Sunday last year to do a Don't Tell Gretta cabaret and brought the house down.
It’s nice to have a Platinum Pass in your pocket while traveling. I haven’t been to Dorney for a while but paid my first visit back in the 80’s when it was still old Dorney, it was pre-Cedar Fair Dorney but post-Where Angels Go Dorney. I got Journey to the Center of the Earth, Lazer, Flying Dutchman, Rocket Ships, Iceberg Cuddle Up, and the wooden Coaster when it was still yellow, had the original trains, and left the station to dive underneath the Dodgem ride. I rode it over and over and loved it. The last visit was before the recent renovation and I still enjoyed the PTC trains with buzz bars. Now I have a feeling I’d feel the same way about the new trains.
I liked Talon a lot better than I liked Hydra.
Talon > Hydra > Hercules

Is Hydra... fixed? It was Iron Wolf rough on my one and only ride, quite literally 14 years ago to the day. Exited with a headache.

It was great in 2018.

RCMAC:

How was Kimberly Akimbo? Tony nominated Bonnie Milligan went to OSU so she’s a local favorite. She came from New York to District West one Sunday last year to do a Don't Tell Gretta cabaret and brought the house down.

Funny you mention Bonnie, I went to OSU with her and even did a show or two with her before she set off to New York years and years ago. It’s been incredible seeing her rise to the point where folks know who she is. When she took the stage for Kimberly Akimbo, folks applauded before she did anything. And she was phenomenal.

Jeff:

...quite literally 14 years ago to the day.

I'm amazed that you remember the exact day you rode Hydra 14 years ago.

I don't, I just looked for the trip report.

I see. Well, that's less amazing. :)

Jeff:

Is Hydra... fixed? It was Iron Wolf rough on my one and only ride, quite literally 14 years ago to the day. Exited with a headache.

I didn't find it terribly rough. It felt like an old B&M, but I have a medium-to-high tolerance for rough coasters, it seems. Folks find Rougarou rough and I don't. Maybe that comes from surviving years of Mean Streak...