While in Ocean City over the weekend, I decided to take a quick visit to both Playland's Castaway Cove and Gillian's Wonderland. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from my visit, and only rode a few rides, but I did notice some changes from last year. Unfortunately, it seems Gillian's has removed their main roller coaster, the Runaway Mine Train. Last year when I visited the park, the ride ops let me and a couple of my friends ride 3 times for the price of one, and I was hoping to test my luck again. I was sad to see the coaster gone, as it was by far the best deal in the park. A Gravitron and a Moby Dick ride took its place. Also, Gillian's seems to have switched over from tickets to refillable cards. It seems like a lot of boardwalk parks are beginning to make this shift. With Runaway Mine Train being gone, the only ride I ended up going on at Gillian's was the log flume. While it's not that great of a ride, it has a pretty big drop, and it's always nice to see a flume on the boardwalk.
Playland's Castaway Cove was relatively unchanged compared to last year. Unlike Gillian's, they still seem to use tickets instead of the refillable ride cards. The only ride I went on was GaleForce, which now completes two full circuits per cycle. For anyone who hasn't ridden this ride, I strongly suggest you check it out. While the $10 ticket price may seem a little steep, the ride truly delivers a one of a kind experience filled with ejector air. The fact that it now completes two circuits during one ride cycle makes the ride even more worth the price, although I'd definitely recommend a night ride on GaleForce. That concludes my extremely brief trip report from Ocean City. These two parks are always a blast to visit, and I hope to get there again next year.