Wildwood - The Next Chapter

Good Evening (Or whenever you are reading this)!

A few years ago, I uploaded a lengthy report about Wildwood...and what was going on there and how happy it made me to be there. This is basically a follow-up. A look at what is going on since before the pandemic started through now...as we deal with the Delta variant. I also enjoy watching the webcams.

I look to go to Wildwood towards the end of August so my visit matches up with their annual baseball card and memorabilia show at the Convention Center. The weekend before Labor Day. In addition to the rides and slides I also enjoy the beach, the boardwalk and a lot of fishing. (And some very good eating that I try to avoid most of the time.)

Ridewise these are some of my opinions - On the Plus Side:

Runaway Tram Car

Morey's hit a home run with this small twisty coaster. It's pretty fast, very smooth and a lot of fun for a family coaster. Even if you are pressed for time, take some to ride this. It was a stand out and a lot of fun. You get two laps around and there are some bonuses along the way. There are official "Watch The Tramcar" announcements (regular and stuttering) and a very nice tribute to the ride it replaced...the Flitzer. The ride is comfortable and has storage pouches inside the car so you won't lose your phone.

Sea Serpent

I don't remember when the new seats or trains came in, but they are an amazing improvement over what it replaced. The restraints were easy to manipulate and the entire ride was butter-smooth. You would think the entire ride is new the view going up is stunning.

Great White

I do not know why this ride doesn't get more love on these forums. This is a brilliant ride that uses its space very well. It can get a little bumpy in spots, but it packs a punch and looks gorgeous. As a bonus, while I was riding this, a storm was coming in and it started to rain. The front-seat layout against ominous skies was awesome.

Atmosphere

Morey's knows that the kids are here because they are here. It is a fun place and most of the employees seemed glad to be there. It gets very crowded at night...because they offer what people want...a good time. There was a ride attendant acting as an actress with the crowd at Dante's Inferno daring them on and she kept in character. She even jump scared a car as it made its way to the open area. That's acting!

Guest Services

Morey's wants to take care of their customers. I got a wristband but didn't get to use it the night before due to some serious thunderstorms and when I showed the receipt, there were no problems...a new band was re-issued. Always hang onto your receipts until you go home.

The Walk

As one point it was raining (though not closing) and people were leaving, I decided to take a walk in the other direction. At no time did I cross any boundaries or go into a restricted area, but I was looking to enjoy the water view from the waterpark side of the pier. I was surprised about how far I was able to go. A few staff members from the water park passed me going the other way, and nobody said anything to me. I was just relaxing in the light drizzle and enjoying the solitude. After a while, I simply returned to where I was coming from. It was a surreal moment.

Ocean Oasis

My love for this waterpark grows every year. The water temperature was pleasant and the beach access was "come and go as you please." They scan your wristband when you leave and when you return. All good. The beach itself is just perfect and if you leave from the waterpark, you do not have to walk to far to get to the water. The hanging chairs near the overhang are perfect and if you can, snag a hammock. The assortment of slides is fine for a few hours, but the adult area is a gamechanger. It would never work at Splish Splash or Hurricane Harbor.

Some Minuses

At every ticket booth there are signs saying that several attractions will not be open. Buying a ticket, tickets or wristband indicates your agreement to this. Truthfully...Wildwood, like many places are hurting for employees. Morey's has also felt the hit. Almost every boardwalk shop has help wanted signs. The same goes for restaurants, gas stations, Wawa, bait stores, even the tram car had a phone number on it looking for additional drivers.

What makes this worse is that if you are a single rider...there are several things that I can't go on. The Ferris Wheel, the Zoom Phoom are two examples although there are more.

I also do not understand why the giant chess and checker sets are gone from the water park. Covid maybe? People touching stuff? I did learn that when they play the doorbell at the water park it means that the life guards need to change positions. It keeps them moving. Good idea.

Scooters

The cars at Scooters all have New York plates and the attraction is set up to run like a midtown Manhattan street. Too many cars. Not enough road. Nowhere to go. The poor guy running it had cycles of two minute rides and fifteen minutes to load, check belts and release the announcements about one way only and no head-on collisions. Once it ran, the new cars were very attractive, well-lit and comfortable. One guy to do all of this is too much to ask. This guy deserved a medal.

Other Stuff

The Ride and Slide ticket was $105. It's reasonable for what you are getting, but the higher prices are not affecting the crowds...so Moreys, taking a page from the Disney playbook, "Open and they will come."

The Ferris Wheel has a few bulbs that are stuck in a position or color. normally this is not an issue, but it took away from what would have been a perfect light show.

Other Boardwalk Stuff

When it rains, the tram cars park. Only south bound trains are sent until they are clear. Once they are clear...if it is passed a certain time...they are done for the night. This messed me up because I was counting on one for the trip back to the motel. It was not meant to be and I had to walk back a long way...against thunderstorms and scary lightening bolts. Bummer. They turn in on the side of one of the piers.

On another night, I saw the legendary "Gig." He is the old timer who has been driving a tram longer than anyone and he is revered by the other drivers and even the police who called out to him and delighted in his acknowledgement. He has his own mini-cart with his name on the license plate. He's a good character.

Countryfest

I didn't go, but this was apparently very successful. So much so that the city contracted with the company who ran it for a few more years. The local boardwalk businesses did not fare much better because once you were in the concert, they had their own venders. There is some interesting youtube video from someone who archives Wildwood events. The hotels did well.

Most Unusual - Human Target

I never wrote about this before, but I saw on the boardwalk a very interesting attraction. Load up with paintballs and blast a human target. This made me think about an interesting backstory for a comic book villain. "You must take everyone's aggression, but you may not be aggressive yourself." How long would you last? How would you interview for that position and how could you use this on a resume. There is youtube footage available for that too.

West Wildwood

Seldom mentioned is West Wildwood. It is a small community of mostly locals. At the western end of the island within an island is a little park. (I found this on Google Maps.) It was there that I took in a fantastic sunset, caught a few fish and a rather large eel. It's a place to get away from it all...when you are getting away from it all.

Quick Ratings (Maximum 1 line):

Sams Pizza - Great slice - lousy soda

Macks Pizza - Ok Slice - Better soda

Dragon House - Fantastic - worth the money

Johnny Scoops - Best ice cream on the boardwalk

Acme - Good supermarket - fresh veggies - found my phone when I lost it.

Jersey Bait - Good bait nice people

Caribbean Motel - Showing its age...but nice and clean enough.

Swing Ride - Well lit...fun...it has been done before and always effective.

Convention Center - Immaculate and a great place to see a show or event.

Wildwood - A very special place

One last thing...I stopped in front of a webcam view and texted my family at home. They were able to see me waving hello. That was kind of neat.

I'm sure there's more, but for now...thank you for reading this!

I was there about a month ago and it was way busier than my previous time.

Agree about the new coaster. Didn't expect much, but it was really fun.

The SLC with the new trains runs well. Re-rideable, even.

I thought those pizza places were way overhyped. I didn't find anything special about ANY food on the boardwalk, actually. The best food on that stretch is at Pig Dog at Morey's.

It'd be nice for some variety in the boardwalk games... 38 basketball games with visually bent rims gets repetitive, like you're walking in an old Scooby Doo cartoon and they are repeating the background to save on animation.

I had a friend who was the "freak" in the "Shoot the Freak" attraction at Coney Island, which sounds like the Human Target. In his case, the job was to try to taunt and insult the person shooting at him. He had trash can lids and various other objects to hide behind. He said it was psychologically a bit tough, at least at first. Sadly, the attraction was removed when Coney went upscale; I don't think it's the image Mayor Bloomberg and the Zamperla folks were looking for.

The first time I saw Shoot the Freak at Coney I was aghast. (And it was the first thing I thought of when I read this post.)
I couldn’t believe there was such a thing and I also couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
The intriguing thing was how much money was being made out of literally nothing. A bombed out empty lot, some barrels, a couple of freaks, and ammo. Done.

Did you dare enter the Ghost Ship?

I've never had a chance to visit Morey's, and as a fan of all things haunted this attraction has always looked really well done.

It is really well done, but it isn't open this season.

I have never been a fan of walk through haunted attractions or ride through of that ilk. I will admit that Horror and especially jump scares frighten me. I know that's the idea...but its not my thing. Huge money maker as back in the 80s many parks tuned from October fests to Halloween attractions.

Hambone - - -> Your friend must have some awesome stories

I never wrote about this before, but I saw on the boardwalk a very interesting attraction. Load up with paintballs and blast a human target

I saw this particularly tasteful version near Casino Pier back in 2006 or so:

https://imgur.com/a/1Yxt1xj