Hydra and its elements, what did you think?

I took a trip to Dorney Park Opening day to give Hydra the Revenge a try. I rode it in the front and the back and overall its an okay coaster. I was a bit let down with the elements. The coaster did not seem to have any good forces or elements as Talon does have. I am not saying its a bad ride.The coaster was a little rough for being a B&M Floorless. What did you think of it?

The ride was actually better in th front. The jojo was good!

It was pretty rough, I dont recall medusa at Six Flags Great adventures being as rough as this

My wife and I liked it. She commented on a little roughness in the back but I hardly noticed it. I thought the elements were OK. I would call them more fun than thrilling. You do get some nice pops of air on the ride, especially in back on the first drop. The highlight of the elements was definitley the jojo role. I'm looking forward to the ERT at Coasterbuzzcon after the ride has warmed up all day.:)

The front is the best for the Jo-Jo Roll (left side is a little wilder ride), but the back is better for the rest especially for the drop (left side again because you have a couple close brushes with a pair of retaining walls).

If you keep your head against the headrest, you will not bang your head. If not, you might smack it on the second leg of the cobra roll, and that's mainly because it is a very oddly shaped element.

Another element that hasn't gotten much recognition is the zero-g roll. It might be one of the best ones out there with a feeling of weightlessness through the whole element.

I tend to be a positive person for these evals, I go with the intention of liking/enjoying the rides and parks. But many on here what a cut-throat take on these new rides in case someone is planning on travelling long distance to try them. Hydra was just a decent coaster. It did not have the positive G's that you normally get from most B&M's and it really fizzled out after the cobra roll in my opinion. It is a very small coaster, size isn't everything, and I tried not to dwell on that but you don't realize how small a 100 ft steel coaster vertical drop is in the year 2005 until you ride this thing. You heard people making the same comments, it makes you wonder. My guess is to keep the ride compact and as far away from the residential neighborhood as possible. From the publics point of view, people didn't react afterwards with the excitement and "wow" effect that I've been seeing the last few years on major new coasters, then again, maybe none of us expected that with this ride, I don't know. I sensed some disappointment in quite a few people or more of an indifferent reaction at the end after some re-rides or a "That was fun" and that was it. That's too bad for Dorney if word of mouth doesn't take off for this thing because we all want them to build major coasters, increase attendance, and build more coasters! I really hope the public enjoys this ride but from a coaster junkies perspective, it was the first time I was borderline disappointed or unimpressed in a new coaster for many years, I can't even remember when because coasters have been getting better and better.

B:TDK at SFNE rough!?! oh man people. you have to remember that its a roller coaster not a lazy boy chair or whatever you can think of that can move flawlessly. its gonna move, shake and rumble. i think its one of the best parts of the experience.

Solution to everyones problem:

1)Go to Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom

2)Ride Thunderhawk

3)Then head on over to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

4)Ride Hydra:The Revenge

5)Answer the question... Was Hydra rough?

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razore86 said:
Solution to everyones problem:

1)Go to Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom

2)Ride Thunderhawk

3)Then head on over to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

4)Ride Hydra:The Revenge

5)Answer the question... Was Hydra rough?

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Most people who rode hydra also endured the pain of hercules at one point

I was at Dorney on opening day, and I must say I loved Hydra. Got in 2 rides on the front and one on the back. I agree with geneticfreak that the zero-g roll is definitely exceptional, and the jojo roll is great. The second half of the ride is probably my favorite; I really liked the airtime hills and helix. I've also never had any headbanging problems on any B&M coasters, so I didnt notice that, and I thought it was smooth as butter, that brand new coaster feel. My only criticism of the ride is that it could have been a little taller/faster, but other than that, I'm really glad to have this coaster at my home park.

Did you and I ride the same coaster? I found that the bunny hops and helix were just plain slow and boring. This coaster has a really dull ending. This is not to say that it isn't a good coaster, it is, but I don't see it as a great coaster.

It is a little rough too, but not a headbanging bad kind of rough, just some minor jackhammering in places. Indeed, if it were a Vekoma, it would be the smoothest one you would ever encounter.

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Mantis2 said:
people didn't react afterwards with the excitement and "wow" effect .

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As I waited in que, I noticed the same thing on every train after the ride finished. The people riding were for the most part, emotionless. Where to date you will still hear people cheer when steel force or even talon is over. Nothing on hydra, Just blank faces.

Hey nick, did you really have to quote my post when you replied on the next messege. Not trying to be a mod or anything, but It just makes a mess.

Hi everybody,

While i am admittedly probably a little bit biased, living in allentown and watching hydra be built from the ground up, i must say that i thought it was a great ride. yeah, it doesn't go the fastest through some of the elements, but in some ways i think that's almost better, getting to feel the "hang" a little more than on most coasters.

The jojo roll was really cool - a feeling that i've personally never felt on any other coaster. it's so smooth and slow and just plain fun. the first drop isn't bad, and in the back it's actually pretty awesome! the rest of the ride is pretty cool, doing inversions that we're all pretty accustomed to by now, but nonetheless enjoyable. i think the "new" cobra roll is much improved, as it was the first time my head wasn't snapped entering and/or exiting an inversion of that type. finally, i don't know about you guys, but i did feel some good positive g's in that last helix. nothing crazy, but definitely noticeable and fun.

Throughout my visit i rode hydra 7 times, riding in almost every row. in the morning the ride was a little rough like some of you have mentioned, but certainly nothing horrible (a lot better than hercules was!). and actually when i rode it later in the afternoon when it was warmer it was running a bit faster (or so it seemed, at least), and wasn't as bumpy.

I realize that for all of us coaster fanatics, it may not be anything envelope-pushing or mind blowing, but i think dorney got exactly what they wanted, and what they should get. it's a coaster that looks absolutely great from the midway, especially the cobra roll, and is a ride that may intimidate children or non-seasoned coaster riders a bit but not scare the pants off of them. for us die hards, it is a fun ride that can easily be ridden and enjoyed multiple times without giving us bruises or headaches. as i was leaving the platform i did hear a couple people make some negative comments, but all in all i think most people found it to be fun and were happy it is there and that they rode it. just to add some contrast, i heard a group of middle-aged people saying how it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be, and that because of that they wanted to go on it again.

Overall I think dorney has a winner. i know i had fun and i'll definitely ride it every time i'm at dorney. i know this post was long, but since i've been waiting for this coaster for a while and think it's a great ride, i just wanted to add my two cents. thanks!

-danny

razore86

Dont let such a small issue get you all tensed up, I quoted because i agreed with your statment and thats where it ends, Were dicussing hydra not the politics of posting.

I thought the first two-thirds of Hydra were very good. The jojo roll is a very cool start to the ride. I felt all the elements up until the bunny hop come in rapid fire succession.Before you even fully recover from one element,your into the next.Even knowing the layout I felt kind of suprised by the directional changes. After that, the bunny hop itself is taken way to slow to give any real air. The last flatspin is decent but the helix is not forceful enough.As for where to ride,I found the front to be much better than the back. Very cool visuals and much smoother. Overall a good but not great coaster. I will give the crew of the ride a solid A. I thought they were really cranking the people through. I only waited 1/2 hour for a front seat ride on Saturday. If you go to Dorney, don't expect Hydra to be on your top 10 list. It probably won't. Do however, expect Hydra to be a good,fun coaster worthy of re-riding and you won't be disappointed.

I will say hydra is a significant improvement when you take hercules in to the equation. Hydra is not a bad ride at all. Its a "good" ride

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nickpa610 said:
razore86

Dont let such a small issue get you all tensed up, I quoted because i agreed with your statment and thats where it ends, Were dicussing hydra not the politics of posting.

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Ha! O-k buddy...

"Ha! O-k buddy..." razore86

Post somthing that holds weight, Discuss the issue, you previous post has nothing to do with anything, get off the pc, get a life, ride a coaster. Ride hydra again an discuss it! *** Edited 5/12/2005 6:51:50 PM UTC by nickpa610***

There is so much tension around here!