Dorney Park, 6/29/17

[Yoshi]

I went to Dorney today spending most of the time in Wildwater Kingdom. One good thing about the Cedar Fair Dining Pass is there are no set times and you can get 2 meals as long as they are at least 4 hours apart so getting there at 4:45, I got lunch then and still was able to get dinner later.

 

I got to 11 slides, the larger lazy river and spent a few minutes in Island Water Works. Most of the lines were 0 - 5 minutes except for the Snake Pit slides that looked liked they were 15 - 20 minutes. On the drop box slides, there were a few people that chickened out either at the top of the tower or once they stepped into the drop box capsule.

 

At the slide towers, the lifeguard was asking everyone to look at the safety sign and then asked if we understood all the rules. Thankfully, if you went to a slide tower consecutive times and it was the same lifeguard at the top of the tower, they didn't ask you again. At the lazy river, some lifeguards were really strict about kids playing around and not being in tubes to the point where one lifeguard was practically yelling at a kid. At another part of the river, the lifeguards didn't say anything to the kids.

 

Over on the ride side, I rode Thunder Canyon twice, White Water Landing once and Thunder Creek Mountain and then went to the dry rides.

 

For the coasters, I rode Talon, Hydra, Wild Mouse, Thunderhawk and Possessed once, Steel Force twice and it was a very rare opportunity to get a re-ride as Dorney almost never allows that, even when the station is completely empty. I also rode Cedar Creek Flyers, Whip and the Turbo Drop side of Dominator.

 

Thunderhawk was running great. It seemed faster maybe because the ride had been running all day and I normally ride the coaster in the afternoon and not at night so it was fully warmed up. The trim brake was also off which made the ride better.

 

Cedar Fair has gotten even stricter with seatbelts. Now on the non coaster rides, them ride operators walk around and tighten everyone's seatbelt to the point where it is uncomfortable. This happened at Thunder Canyon, Cedar Creek Flyers and the Whip. On the Whip, they also now put the slack of each belt around the lap bar and it takes close to 4 minutes from when the riders are let into the ride area until the ride starts.

 

This Magic Show is new

 

Game prizes are now being sold at each game booth if you would rather just buy the stuffed animal. This Charmander plush is $100!

$100 wasn't the most expensive as some plush animals were $125. Prices ranged from $4 - $125 depending on the prize.

 

The stations were emptier than normal after the water park closed for the day. Usually the stations are full or a 5 - 10 minute wait.

 

 

A small locker is $15 instead of $20 with the season pass discount. Since I got to the water park just after 5, the price of a small locker drops down to $5 for everyone and you can access the lockers until after the ride side closes.

[Matt Kaiser]

Good to see Stinger open after it just recently valleyed.

[Yoshi]

Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was going to be running or not (I was planning on skipping it anyway) but it is nice they got it open so fast.

[The Master]

When I was there on Monday, only the Cascade slide lifeguard was asking people have they read the safety rules. She had a very long spiel for every group of riders and made her dispatches super slow. The Lightning Fall slides were also slow as the lifeguard dispatches one slider at a time, then walks forward and watches the people completely exit the landing pool, then walks back to load the next sliders. Both Lightning Falls and Cascade share the same landing pool which one guard said is the deepest landing pool in the park. Because of these new protocols, those two slides are now the slowest dispatching slides in the park, probably because the pool is deep from being an older design. Up until this year, the lifeguards would just wait a couple of minutes then dispatch the next guest without walking back and forth across the platform.

 

On the Runaway river, there was a kid out of a tube, walking back and forth though one of the waterfalls crying help me, but the lifeguards were ignoring him. Not sure if the kid was really in distress or being a wiseguy as that river is very shallow, only thigh deep. However, the kid did not look like he was all there.

 

Hydra was also dispatching really slow that day. The crowds were a lot less than during the bring a friend week in early June, but operations are much slower than in previous years.

 

My friend complained that the hot water was broken in the womens change room showers, the hot water worked in the mens change room showers for me. Seems like their upkeep is slipping too.

 

As for the safety rule signs, they do state no footwear is allowed on the slides which stinks. While the signs at Hershey's Boardwalk say aquatic footwear are allowed.

[Yoshi]

I didn't get to Patriot's Plunge on this trip but in past years they used to not look either to see if the previous sliders had exited there too. Maybe there was a problem that caused them to now look to see where the sliders are? I know with the blue slide at Patriot's Plunge, there were times I was told to go and I could still hear the echoes of the last person in the tube and I was never sure if they were at the end of the slide or not.

 

I would like to see aqua socks allowed on the inner tube slides. It was nice to be allowed to wear them on everything at Typhoon Lagoon except the body slides.

[The Master]

They look on Patriot's too, but with its layout the lifeguard does not have to walk back and forth across the platform, while Snake Pit has indicator lights. I remember with the old Torpedo Tube slides it was common to hear echoes of sliders before you. Still happens on Hershey's waterslides but they use indicator lights and tv screens rather than time consuming act of walking and watching the landing pool.

 

Hersheypark, HH, and Sahara Sams allow Aquasocks.

[dougdrummer]

sounds like you got your money's worth at Dorney!

[Viper26]

They look on Patriot's too, but with its layout the lifeguard does not have to walk back and forth across the platform, while Snake Pit has indicator lights. I remember with the old Torpedo Tube slides it was common to hear echoes of sliders before you. Still happens on Hershey's waterslides but they use indicator lights and tv screens rather than time consuming act of walking and watching the landing pool.

 

Hersheypark, HH, and Sahara Sams allow Aquasocks.

I think all of Dorney's slides need indicator lights. This can at least improve their operations. Same goes to Hurricane Harbor.

[The Master]

I think all of Dorney's slides need indicator lights. This can at least improve their operations. Same goes to Hurricane Harbor.

I agree, it is a good way to improve and speed up operations.

[Yoshi]

Yes that would be good. I would also like to see possible separate queues for some of the slides on a tower where the slides are different. I prefer the open body slides at Wildwater Rapids and most people go for the enclosed slides. If I am close enough to the platform I can usually skip ahead of the people waiting for the enclosed slides if no one ahead of me wants the open slides but that doesn't always work.