Associated parks:
None
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to write this or post it sooner.
Weather – Sunny, Warm, Picture Perfect!
Traffic – I guess because it was in the middle of Labor Day Weekend and not on either end we scored big time. NO traffic over the Throggs Neck Bridge, The Cross Island or 95 North. NONE! Same for the ride home. Part of our decision to go was based on the fact that we wouldn’t have to deal with the Staten Island Expressway’s construction and traffic nightmare. More on that later.
We arrived at the park by 3:30 PM and waited for a car to leave near the gate for about 10 minutes. Mrs. Flux is very lucky when it comes to waiting for good spots. I tend to park where and when I can and hoof it to where I want to go. Parking was 10 bucks.
Tickets – As most folks here know, Playland is no longer open admission. You need either a rider ($30) or spectator ($10) to enter. This is a great idea to cut down on teens running amok. Ten dollars for Mrs. Flux to enter is a better than a full admission somewhere else. The line for the wristbands took about 15 minutes.
The park was crowded, very diverse and very happy. It was easy to appreciate the care that goes into maintaining the grounds was evident. Local police and rangers were on-hand to be a presence that was also valued but not really needed. Sometimes a presence is enough.
Most rides had three to four cycle waits which were what you would expect for a nice day on a holiday weekend. Some were longer. Here is how it went…
Mill Stream Ride – Playland is NOT Disney, but the length of this ride is quite decent. That being said it is a slow-loader and I still for the life of me can’t figure out the “story” of this ride. Are we just being invited to watch the dwarves digging and living out there day? I will never know. As you traverse this thing…you can see emergency exits along the way, an entire diorama that wasn’t working and a couple of broken walls that let you see other pathways that you either took or will take. It is also the most narrow trough I have ever seen. Slow loader too. The boats are stopped by a manual handbrake and it does tilt if you get in one at a time with un-even weight distribution.
As we were on-line someone asked if he could ride with us as there is a strict no single rider rule for reasons that I do not want to go into here. The guy who asked was a little “creepy.” I mean I have single rider issues sometimes, but I wouldn’t ask to cut in on an attraction like this. Just sayin.
The Playland Plunge was down for the entire time we were there which was a bummer. Our longest wait was for the log flume which is not in pristine condition, but refreshing and big enough to be a great “tweener” ride. Some mist, a little splash and a nice ride that was shared with a mother and her young son. Rides like this make a lot of people smile. Me too.
Catch A Wave – Just fun and some nice torque. If you have a Moby Dick ride it’s the same thing. Lots of fun!
Mirror House – This isn’t really a maze as the path is laid out for you but there are some really cool (and old) mirrors in the middle of the attraction that still do what they are supposed to. I wish it were more of a maze. We got though it in about 5 miutes.
Wild Mouse – It’s wild! It’s a mouse! It’s cramped in there! Another great tweener ride. Along the end there is a sign that warns you about abrupt stops. Even with the sign I didn’t expect it to be that sudden. OUCH!
Whip – I think this is my favorite ride at Playland and my favorite whip ANYWHERE. This puppy was side-slamming so hard that the cable rope was pushing into the path from the wall for at least 6 inches. I swear I felt like we were lifting some times.
Dragon Coaster – I was very nervous about this one. Not in terms of the ride, but in terms of me fitting on it. We were assigned the third car and even with some heavy pushing into my leg, this was not going to happen. I was about to give up, but one of the ops said that “we sometimes have trouble with that car “ and she asked if someone would change with me. This time…click…click…click…ouch…YES! The ride was quite shaky, but again, a perfect tweener ride. The hills on it are more rounded than steep and it has a nice history. Just needs some T.L.C.
Derby Racer – So much fun. Mom was concerned that Preflux was leaning so hard that he was going to fall off. He didn’t. You must ride this at least once if you go to PLayland.
Carousel – There are signs all over the ride and the entrance touting the 100 year of this ride. I noticed that the organ music was playing, but it was somewhat pre-recorded from a cd. I did not see the figurines moving and playing along to the main organ. The lights were fabulous, the ride was too short..especially when compared to the Derby Racer.
We didn’t have time to do everything, but it was a nice visit and we all had fun. And that’s what matters most sometimes.
Food – Didn’t eat. There are two water fountains. One near the whip and one near the carousel. Usual fast food offerings but the Burger King next to the Nathans was replaced with another chain.
Bathrooms – Not too good. Wet floors (not from mopping) and….just not too good.
On the way out we were going to go to a local diner that we found on Yelp. Turned out the food was very good. What shocked us was that as we were leaving (almost dark) a deer darted out across Playland Parkway and ran into someone’s property. I know a lot of you see deer and other critters all the time, but we don’t and so it was a big deal for us.
Two other reports that I never posted….
DORNEY – About 4 weeks ago on a Saturday with my family and friends.
Spent almost the entire day at the water park. Water was freezing!!!! Park was mobbed.
I would say 80 percent of the time we were in the wave pool near Talon. Also did the lazy river and Thunder Canyon. Got stuck in the arcade – which I don’t care for too much.
Ate lousy lunch and then on the way home stopped at a local brewery for dinner. Almost everyone loved their food. I thought it was so-so, but better than anything at the park.
We left the restaurant in Allentown on or close to 10 pm and we didn’t get home until near two because of the NIGHTMARE traffic and construction on the Staten Island Expressway. It went from 3 to 1 lanes. Horrible.
KEANSBURG With Son – About 6 weeks ago on a Sunday.
It was a nice trip and the same expected experience that I posted in a trip report earlier in the summer. Nice crowd, manageable lines, limited but ok attractions. We both had fun and enjoyed the day.
We loved the bumper cars and hated the Looping Star roller coaster. It is as painful as it looks…only a little more.
On the way home (near dusk) we passed the same deer crossing sign that is at the southern most part of the west shore expressway and I told my son. “We have been driving on this road my entire life and I have never seen a deer in Staten Island.” Two second later, there he was. Nibbling on some radioactive brush on the side of the road. Who knew there are still deer in Staten Island?
That is it for me for my riding season. I love many of the new announcements that have been made for the 2016 season, and I hope to take part in a few of them. I have also started to make progress in fitting into them as well as the third car on the Dragon Coaster.
Thank you for reading this.
Here's To Shorter Lines & Longer Trip Reports!
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