Rye Playland - Exceeded Expectations

After starting Father's Day by finishing up my children's report cards, I decided to hit the parks. Six Flags G Adv would be a bit too far away, especially since I would be leaving Long Island by 12. I thought, it's been years since I went to Rye Playland. They don't have too much, but it might be a good day. In a sense...it was a great day.

After a hige battle with the Traffic and Construction on the Throgs Neck Bridge and I-95, I entered the park by 2 PM. THey have an unusual pricing plan. You can buy a card with "point" and use them in various denominations as you ride or opt for a 6 hour timed bracelet which would set me back about $35. That seemed the way to go.

Dragon Coaster...I am not such a big fan of wooden coaster, but this one sure got a lot of milage out of its one lift hill. THe signs all over say that you can't wait for a particular seat. The wait was about ten minutes and I there was one train running...later in the day two...and then back to one. I was mostly assigned to the back. It was nice, but the smaller hills along the way added nothing. The First drop and the drop after the mist and roaring dragon tunnel were a nice feature, as was the quick drop at the end of the tunnel. (It caught me the first time, but the rest of the day I was ready for it). Oh...once I swear I got a piece of ice with my mist, but I can't be certain. Again it was a nice ride and was long for its size. 5 out of 10

Ultimate Flight - This was a very interesting looking coaster which brought its caged cars to the top of the ramp like a K'nex ball on a helix. Once the ride took off though, my head was taking a pounding. So much so, that I couldn't enjoy it very much. Once was enough. 2 Out of 10

Crazy Mouse...Out of order all day. 0 out of 10

The Flats that Playland has though is a nice tradeoff. The Whip, was loud, noisy, programed for a short run, but tons of fun. Nice fling around the ends. 8 Out of 10.

Derby Racer was a dissappointment. The horses are now bolted to the center, so they don't push ahead and move behind anymore. The guys running the ride kept insisting that we place our right foot on the top strap and the laft one on the bottom. THis made for an uncomfortable ride. He also wanted us to lean to the left. It was faster than Cedar Points' Cedar Downs, but not as much fun. 5 Out of 10

Mind Scrambler - The best scrambler ride I was ever on. Picture a regular scrambler, but inside a blown up igloo. Mirrors, lights, sirens, etc. Also AIR CONDITIONING. (Which we really didn't need today) I know a kid died on it a few years ago, but she must have stood up. THere are now signs in each car warning not to do that anymore.

Swings, Thunderbolt, PIrate Ship - all classics and within a few feet of each other.

I finally tried the kite flyer. I never went on one, but didn't appreciate the molding from the seat going up my behind.

Log flume - Small, cute, but needs paint in some areas. It looked like it needed a little more TLC.

PLayland Plunge - Don't know why I went on it today, but it left a question...why is there a plexyglass sheet to block some of the water from the exit bridge. Isn't that the point?

Double Shot - Not as tall as Power Tower, but a lot of fun.

Wipeout - Very long and rather intense program.

I went on a few more things, but I was impressed with the mostly high school kids as Ride Ops who were pretty much paying attention and keeping things moving. Most were very polite. Some were shocked when I said "Thank You" for opening up my car at the end of a ride.

Food - Lots of fast food stands from established places (Nathan's - Burger King - Ranch 1). Not too over-priced, but not too good eother.

Clientelle - A lot of happy people. Weschester Police - polite and in full force acting as a deterrent.

Other - Fishing Pier was empty - Small mini-golf was hopping.

Parking - 7 Bucks - Also got a park map and a free bumper sticker.

Show - SUb-par dance company singing and moving to an audio track. Good marching band.

ALl in all. If you want coasters, this isn't the place to go. If you want a park that truly tries to have a little something for everyone, especially a good kiddie land, this is a nice stop.

Rye PLayland was much more than I thought it would be and it was a nice alternative to a full day at Great Adventure.

PS- Any comparrisons with this park and Knobles?

Because at that point of the bridge the water force is so strong it could knock you down or if your dumb enough, off the bridge. I saw Plexiglass on BGT's too.

This park and Knoebles are in the same genre, perhaps, and while Rye is a nice place to visit, it really can't compare to the sheer quantity, and quality of rides at Knobles.

BTW, its too bad...it sounds like you missed the dark rides! The water powered one with the trolls underneath the Dragon Coaster is deliriously long and really really awsome (if you're into that sort of thing.) You can see the entrance in the foreground of this pic.

http://www.rcdb.cc/p/picmax/playland-park/dragon-coaster1.jpg

I thought the Dragon was a ton of fun. Shame about the Derby Racer having the horses bolted so they can't move. The intesity was so much better than CP's.

I was their back in 2003, and Hurricane, which was replaced by the Super Flight, was bad as well.

The mouse was okay.
But what a great night-park Playland is!!!!!!!

I like the lift on Super Flight, other than that its torture. Too bad Crazy Mouse wasn't running. And I agree its great there at night. Their beach is decent enough. The park's flat ride collection makes up for their average coasters. Glad you had a great time though, because that's the most important of all.

I'm not so sure those derby horses are bolted in place. Rye's derby has had troublesome years where the "back and forth" motion just simply wasn't working. Its not like replacement parts are readily available. Sounds like a maintenance issue to me.