Dorney Park 6/4/05

I woke up way to early for this to start. Me and my ultimate riding partner my mom got up at three in the morning Cleveland time.

The drive was alright for being six hours. I hear that Great Adventure is only an hour away, which kinda makes me wanna go after today. Anyhow here it is!

We got there alittle after nine. They had just opened the park as we got there. We decided to stroll over to talon, since im a big B&M fan.

Talon-

This was my second Invert by B&M. I love the Raptor so i thought this was not to be missed. This is so compact. It was not roaring on the rails like a typical Beemer. I mean that just sends chills up my spine. The first ride was in the back. Sadly this ride runs a bit slower to me than Raptor and the high zero g roll seemed a bit lackluster. The rest of the ride was nice and what i did expect of a beemer. 7/10

We decided then to try the Wild Mouse. This was my first of these coasters. I happened to love the sharp turns and the drops were fun nice experience. 7/10

I came out to ride Hydra with all the hype built around it.

Hydra- The jo-jo roll is rediculous. That is something that i have never expereinced before and it lifted me off of my seat nicely. The ride itself was whisper quiet again to the other Beemers i have rode. The ride has some nice elements and has some great force on my body. Good but i think it could be slightly better. 8/10

Then i had to i mean had to ride Steel Force. I am a huge Magnum fan. This is a Morgan design. The train room is amazing in these things compared to my beloved maggie. The ride itself is just like Maggie besides that unbelievable helix near the lake. That is the best part of the ride to me. Great ride. Maggie is still my favorite but this takes my number two now. 10/10 Wish maggie could have the trains wow.

Then we did laser.

I have been on swartzkopfs before, this one just seems kinda strange. That chain lift is so puzzling to me. The loops and drops were nice. I love helixes but this one overdoes it a bit with three.

We then decided to ride the Dominator.

just like power tower without all the high at least it seemed like it to me. Plus they have an empty third tower which has nothing on it. Put one more ride on it whatever is more popular out of the two.

Then we had the experience on the log flume. Wow this one got me wet. I thought the layout was amazing really not giving the ride away. Great drop and i like the concrete outside instead of the plastic chute.

We did thunderhawk this one is amazing to me for a woodie. It has parts of out and back on it and it has like some wild tracking like you would find on a twister. It was surprising throwing me around. But that wasnt nearly the worst woodie i have been on by a long shot. Great ride though.

We also went on the meteor i thought this one was awesome even though it seems like something i have seen at a fair before, but the restraints changed that alot.

Then a few more rides on steel force and hydra and one on talon and we called it a day for being so tired.

I kinda missed the memo on the skyscraper being taken out i saw it on the discovery channel. This was one i wanted to ride. To all that have lucky you.

Good TR. Glad you had fun.

The reason that Talon+ Hydra don't have the roar is that the track is filled with sand because of residential areas nearby.

They can't just put a 3rd tower on Dominator. That 3rd tower is for support I believe. They'd have to completely redesign the 3rd tower.

Hope you thanked your ultimate riding partner for a great day!

Yeah. Moms who ride coasters are the best. My mom takes me and a couple friends to Darien lake a few times during the summer when my dad can't take us.

Even though she doesn't like rides like Mean Streak because of her back, she loves Millennium Force and Raptor. She says she'll try TTD this summer.

She's not afraid of any ride, as long as it isn't too rough, which is understandable as you grow older.

Talon takes a while to warm up, in my experience, and also isn't running as well this season. Last season, at night at the end of a long operating day, I think it beats the tar out of any other custom invert.

Andy thats what i thought too. It was so much better the second time around 1 oclock or so. Thanks for the things you guys left. Dont get me wrong about swartzkopfs but they all seem to be alittle like something out of a portable design. They seem to stick out like a sore thumb at major amusement parks, they seem like a fair could easily carry them.

Anyhow to the part about moms riding. Your mom will have an excellent time on the Dragster, barring the fact of downtime, so first heres a wish for hers and your luck, and then for her to enjoy. My mom awaits her time on Stormrunner for those who care. She has done the TTD many times over, and for that i can say shes a saint, for being a person who really loves these things. She got into it a few years ago when i realized i loved coasters and made it a thing to do. She is the only person i can get to come with me, and being 48 she says she will do it as long as she can, which means for her, whenever, she is fearless so it means a good many years in my honest opinion

Funny thing is I live in the Cleveland Area and did the EXACT SAME THING practically as you did. I got to Dorney at 8:30 and stayed til close riding Hydra-Laser-SteelForce-Hydra-Talon.

I personally though Hydra was awesome and prefer it over Medusa (SFMW), Dominator, and Scream!.

EDIT:
Here's my TR from 6-5-2005 copy and pasted from Geauga Guide

"I got to DP at 8:30 and explored the park a bit while my family got their season passes processed. It was 60* outside and the park was clearing out. Parking is included with the Dorney Park season pass which is a very nice touch.

My first ride of the night was Hydra: The Revenge . I know believe this may be my favorite floorless coaster. Despite hearing some bad things about the ride, this ride sure packs a punch. It is short, but it never loses its great pacing from one inversion to the next. Many reviews I had read complained about the ride being rough. I found that the only place the ride was rough was in the front row, but I believe unlike other floorless coasters, this ride is better experienced near the back (with the exception being sitting in the front for the jojo roll). In all rows but the front, the ride is exceptionally smooth with many unexpected pops of air. It's too bad the ride was a bit unpopular with the crowd, but it made for a nice walk-on ride.

Next, I was off to Laser . This Schwarzkopf double looping coaster was very intense, but not jerky or rough at all. It's not something I'd want to ride over and over again, but none-the-less fun! The ride was a walk-on as were all other rides this night.

I have to say I was a bit dissapointed with Steel Force . I love hypercoasters, but this has to be my least favorite one. It just takes way too long to get down the hill! Unlike Intamin hypers, the shape of the Morgan hill prevents the train from falling steeply till you are almost at the bottom. The ride is exceptionally smooth, but its bunny hills provide little airtime, but as a plus don't hurt the thighs like Magnum. The best part of the ride is the Helix which occurs mid ride which provides fairly strong lateral G's, but nowhere in the neighborhood of the g's produced by Goliath.

Returning back to the front of the park, I rode Hydra again.

My last ride of the day was Talon . This ride is now my favorite invert over Raptor & B:TR! What makes this ride great are the excellent footchoppers (and there are many of them!) and strong intensity throughout. I liked the fact that the ride had a compact layout, without the ride itself being short. The two helixes were the best parts of the ride.

My overall impressions from my first night at Dorney were great. No lines, good weather, and excellent rides! There is a lot more shade than I expected to be and the park has a much more 'welcoming' feel than some SF parks I have been to. The last thing that made a great impression was that all the coasters had night lighting, something I hope is added to GL's ride this year." *** Edited 6/7/2005 5:19:30 AM UTC by SFWoARules!***

good to hear it that someone else thought that this park was fun.

Hydra was good the second time around for me. Much better pacing and alot smoother i thought, but i was in the back row the first time out. Yes also disappointing to see that people stayed away from an attraction that was intended to bring them in this year. But however you stack it, i still see dominator better in my opinion. But God did i love the jo jo roll it was like something out of a ride that holds you upside down for a while, nothing i have ever experienced on a coaster.

Steel Force is something i happened to enjoy emmensely. But to each their own i guess. I agree that the helix is amazing. It reminded me of the one on the beast at the end but then they brake in the middle of the run, thats my question mark to this ride.

Talon- once again to each their own. Second time was much more intense. Good ride though in my opinion. Plus it was my first immelman on a invert, that proved to be a nice touch. The helix at the end was nice too, giving me a nice time with some laterals. Hey im glad im not the only person from cleveland who thought it was worth the drive because it definately was. Thanks for giving out your TR as well.

Now i need to fix the fact that my mom believes some things arent as good as cedar point. She compares everyting to it. Sadly