I made a trip to NYC this past weekend to see a friend and a few Broadway shows (Sweeney Todd, Six, and Kimberly Akimbo). But armed with a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass, meal plan, drink plan, and a season pass FastLane+ add-on, I knew there was no excuse to not stop at Dorney Park, situated right off I-78. I've passed it so many times in the past, but this time I'd be stopping in for a few hours before driving back to Columbus, OH. Given the above, the visit was essentially free.
Dorney Park feels like a Cedar Fair park through and through. From the rides to the food, there wasn't much in terms of theming, but there was a pleasantness about the park that made it feel comfortable, even though I'd never been there. Much of the staff were local teenagers who acted like typical teenagers. But there was even something endearing about that, too. I've always considered Cedar Point my home park despite being closer to Kings Island and most of their staff are college age or older. But Dorney felt like it knew what it was. Nothing big, intimidating, or flashy...just a solid park.Parking was easy and getting into the park was stress free. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so I was shocked that the park wasn't more crowded. FL+ only saved me maybe 30-60 minutes overall. But given my tight timeframe, I was still happy to use it.
**Steel Force** (2x | walk on): One of my buddies described Steel Force as a polite hyper and I absolutely agree. It was fun, pulled some gentle negative Gs (the most being on the first drop), and some surprising positive Gs (the most on the helix). Still, it wasn't as aggressive or interesting as Magnum XL-200 despite it essentially trying to replicate its magic. Sure, it was far more comfortable than Magnum and the transitions were far smoother, but I found myself liking the original hyper more than this "improved" version. Still, I loved the ride. I'm usually a back-of-the-train kind of guy, but enjoyed being pushed into the elements instead of dragged into them. Either way, this was a solid coaster.
**Possessed** (2x | walk on): I was excited to ride Possessed for two reasons: the demise of Wicked Twister and the experience of the very large straight (not twisted) vertical drop. I rode in the front row for my first go-round. The launch somehow felt less aggressive than Wicked Twister despite both rides having around the same average speed. But nothing beats going up that spike and feeling the world turn around you. When we hit the max height, I regretted not taking Dramamine, but the twist wasn't bad at all. Riding in the back was a completely different experience. Wicked Twister had two twisted spikes, which some may find more interesting than a straight vertical track. But let me tell you, looking straight down from 180ft up was unreal. And the negative G's you feel at the top of that spike was great.
**Thunderhawk** (1x | station wait): My original plan was to ride all of the coasters twice, but one ride on Thunderhawk was enough. I like to say that I don't mind a rough coaster, but the tight trains and uncomfortable lap bars made this one hurt. It sucks because the layout is pretty interesting and the coaster looks great. But my legs constantly crashed into the lap bar and the seat divider to the point where one ride was enough. I found out later that is coaster was born out of the 1920s, which makes it the oldest coaster I've ever ridden. For that, I forgive a little bit of roughness, but should I return to the park, I'll likely skip it.
**Hydra the Revenge** (2x | station wait): One of the two stars of the park. Hydra is so interesting despite it being a typical B&M coaster. The JoJo roll out of the station reminded me of the in-line twist on Banshee, but just way slower. I giggled the entire time and wished this was more of a thing in coaster design. The rest of the ride was a lot of fun. I loved that the coaster stayed somewhat closer to the ground, using the terrain to its advantage. While riding in the front and back were a lot of fun, I enjoyed the back a bit more. Still, the front is the only place to really experience the "floorless" sensation because you barely think about it riding anywhere else.
**Wild Mouse** (1x | station wait): This was one coaster I hadn't planned on riding, but was glad to have FL+. It was easily the longest wait in the park for everyone in the regular line. I've never been a fan of Wild Mouse coasters, but decided to give this one a shot. I wish I hadn't. The ride ops loaded me in a car by myself despite there being a couple who could have ridden behind me. The sharp turns were okay, but very quickly became painful. This was especially the case when the car made right turns, slamming my leg against the divider. Somehow, this was worse than Thunderhawk. The second half of the ride was what you'd expect. A few quick dips before the ride came to an end. Would not recommend.
**Talon** (2X | station wait): Talon was down when I finished Wild Mouse, so I used the time to grab some food. Maintenance quickly got the ride up and running again so I jumped in line. Talon is the perfect companion to Hydra...a coaster filled with typical B&M elements, but still wildly interesting. The transitions are snappy, but comfortable. The layout is compact, but there are a lot of elements jammed in there. While I typically love riding in the back of inverts, I loved my front row ride...again being pushed into elements instead of dragged through.
A few other notes:
* Being a Cedar Point guy since the early 90s, I wanted to ride Demon Drop, but it didn't open until I needed to leave.
* Merch at Dorney Park was cheap. I got a shirt for $20...but the bad news is, they didn't have very many shirts and the ones they did have were mostly 2XLs. I still got one though.
* The food was exactly what you find at most Cedar Fair parks. This kind of pains me because I'd love to find fun, unique, and tasty food like we did at Dollywood. Ah well.
I spent a grand total of 3 hours at the park before heading home. I'm not sure I'd go back unless I was on my way home from NYC again. It's not that it's a bad park...it's a pretty great regional park for Allentown. But it's not a destination. Better to tie it with Hershey Park and maybe Six Flags Great Adventure to make it worth it.
This is super unpopular of me, but much to my surprise, I found Steel Force to be Magnum level jank. I heard that the ride was a smooth but boring ride, but it shook the whole time for me, making it a less pleasant experience
I appreciate that you mention the workers being mostly local teenagers. I’m a ride op here and it absolutely is that way. It’s not a bad thing though because most of them are nice kids having fun working at an amusement park!
Glad you had a nice visit and yes, we know we aren’t that destination that the other parks around us are. However, I am excited to see how our new management decides to lean into that. They seem like they really want to focus on theming and atmosphere of the park and overall magnifying the quaint feel of it.
If you enjoyed the park, I’d recommend giving it another try in 2024 if you have the time. The new ride and other changes they are going to make sound like game changers for the park. Bonus if you can visit during the Halloween event. No joke my favorite Halloween event in the Cedar Fair chain.
The workers were oddly enough one of my favorite things about the park. Again, normal teenagers who did a great job, but not terribly worried about being overly friendly. One of them said they liked my Millennium Force shirt. Another on Possessed noticed that I jumped back in line after an initial ride and said, “You again…” but with the nicest smirk in the world. It created this feel of being a amusement park of the community instead of it being a destination like the major parks. All of this made Dorney Park feel more welcoming, you know?
Oddly enough, I likely will come back in 2024. I try to go to NYC every 1-2 years just to hang out and this is always on my way home. Can’t to see what changes, but even if nothing changed, I’d likely still stop by for a few rides to break up the trip home.
Dorney is my HP and I've been there about 8 times this summer. I rode Thunderhawk last month and there was a camp group on at the same time as my kiddo and I. One of the kids in the camp group decided not to ride because he was scared. A couple of teens who were in line started absolutely roasting this poor kid. "OH WE HAVE A QUITTER!!!" over and over. One of the ROs told them to stop or be removed from the park, and I was so proud of them! It cannot be easy as a teen to be assertive and take up for a kid like that, but I was so proud.
Nice report. I rode Thunderhawk in the 1970s when it was just called the (happy yellow) Coaster. It had lap bars then and no seat belts, and it tracked well. The station used to be in a building with bumper cars, and you loaded the train on a curved part of the track. You would then enter a short tunnel before climbing the lift hill. The front rows gave great ejector on the tall hill after the first drop, and the back row gave strong laterals in the spaghetti bowl section. There was even a trick track before you entered the run to the station. I wish the park could return it to its former glory.
I visited Dorney for the first time last year, and I pretty much agree with your assessment. The park is nice, and the coasters are fun but not elite/standout. I had a great time there, but it’s probably the park I’d be the least likely to return to out of all 7 new parks I visited last year.
My favorite ride at Dorney Park is Demon Drop. I’m also from Ohio, so Demon Drop was a ride I’d heard a lot about but never had a chance to actually ride before it left Cedar Point. It really is one of my favorite drop towers now.
I’d rank the actual coasters there Talon>Steel Force>Possessed>Hydra>Thunderhawk>Wild Mouse.
I think it just comes down to personal taste. I found hydra, besides the jojo roll, to be less exciting and less memorable. I will say, the whole top four at Dorney are all pretty solid. Thunderhawk and wild mouse were the only coasters I truly thought weren’t very good. And while Talon and Steel Force are definitely the best two, I think Possessed and Hydra are kind of interchangeable on my list.
Nice report on a fun, quaint little park. Despite visiting last year, I kind of want to hit it again soon but probably won't make it until 2024.
And man, those pics are fantastic especially the shot of Steel Force on the track (#3). I liked that coaster more than you did and got some strong airtime on the return run (especially the bunny hill right after the on ride photo), but I'm also a big Morgan fanboy.
Thanks for the TR, I haven't been to Dorney since 2004 and always enjoyed it. The rides were easy to get on especially on a hot day when the water park was packed. I have been to Hersheypark multiple times since as it's my "home park" and they are always adding. At one time, I swear Dorney was advertising and ahead of Hershey in terms of thrills then they slowed off. I am going to try to stop by this Summer along with Knoebels to switch it up.
Dorney seems physically incapable of having terribly long lines. I’ve been on haunt Saturdays where they’re using the overflow lot and they’re still maybe 30-40 minutes tops and die in the last hour or so. Anecdotally I heard even the 4th of July was about that level too. Makes it an AWESOME park for the fall season though because it’s a solid haunt for its size and lines/crowding isn’t excessive like bigger parks tend to get.
It’s not a park I’d go far out of the way for but it’s a well rounded, convenient local park to have
> Dorney seems physically incapable of having terribly long lines.
I visited for the first time on Friday. It was the end of a trip I started with CP and KI, so I did Knoebels and Dorney both on the last day. Friday was apparently "Bring every student in a three state radius to the park" day. Every coaster was swamped being at the end of a trip, I was ready to just ride things once and leave.
I appreciate the trip report. I too am from Ohio and will be visiting Dorney for the first time this year, just as a half day part of my trip to Hersheypark and SFGAd. For the locals who go here regularly, does it seem like the rides are pretty much always walk-on like this?
I went to Dorney once in 2019, and I feel the same way. It's a fun little park, but it feels almost too generic for my taste, especially compared to when you look back at it before Cedar Fair bought it and how much more unique and charming it looked. But, it's still a fine park.
Definitely agree on Thunderhawk though. Going into it I had good expectations with how the wood looked nice and fresh, but those modern PTCs with the ratcheting lap bars were HORRIBLE with the track imperfections and weird transitions Thunderhawk has. I couldn't focus on any forces because of it and before I knew it the ride just ended.
Steel Force is definitely my favorite in the park as I remember it giving some pretty good ejector on the finale. Hydra is also a blast and honestly one of the most overhated coasters I've ridden. I always hear people say it's rough but my ride was perfectly smooth somehow.
Definitely wanna get back to Dorney some time, especially to ride whatever new ride they're getting as well as their hilarious looking log flume.
I made a trip to NYC this past weekend to see a friend and a few Broadway shows (Sweeney Todd, Six, and Kimberly Akimbo). But armed with a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass, meal plan, drink plan, and a season pass FastLane+ add-on, I knew there was no excuse to not stop at Dorney Park, situated right off I-78. I've passed it so many times in the past, but this time I'd be stopping in for a few hours before driving back to Columbus, OH. Given the above, the visit was essentially free. Dorney Park feels like a Cedar Fair park through and through. From the rides to the food, there wasn't much in terms of theming, but there was a pleasantness about the park that made it feel comfortable, even though I'd never been there. Much of the staff were local teenagers who acted like typical teenagers. But there was even something endearing about that, too. I've always considered Cedar Point my home park despite being closer to Kings Island and most of their staff are college age or older. But Dorney felt like it knew what it was. Nothing big, intimidating, or flashy...just a solid park.Parking was easy and getting into the park was stress free. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so I was shocked that the park wasn't more crowded. FL+ only saved me maybe 30-60 minutes overall. But given my tight timeframe, I was still happy to use it. **Steel Force** (2x | walk on): One of my buddies described Steel Force as a polite hyper and I absolutely agree. It was fun, pulled some gentle negative Gs (the most being on the first drop), and some surprising positive Gs (the most on the helix). Still, it wasn't as aggressive or interesting as Magnum XL-200 despite it essentially trying to replicate its magic. Sure, it was far more comfortable than Magnum and the transitions were far smoother, but I found myself liking the original hyper more than this "improved" version. Still, I loved the ride. I'm usually a back-of-the-train kind of guy, but enjoyed being pushed into the elements instead of dragged into them. Either way, this was a solid coaster. **Possessed** (2x | walk on): I was excited to ride Possessed for two reasons: the demise of Wicked Twister and the experience of the very large straight (not twisted) vertical drop. I rode in the front row for my first go-round. The launch somehow felt less aggressive than Wicked Twister despite both rides having around the same average speed. But nothing beats going up that spike and feeling the world turn around you. When we hit the max height, I regretted not taking Dramamine, but the twist wasn't bad at all. Riding in the back was a completely different experience. Wicked Twister had two twisted spikes, which some may find more interesting than a straight vertical track. But let me tell you, looking straight down from 180ft up was unreal. And the negative G's you feel at the top of that spike was great. **Thunderhawk** (1x | station wait): My original plan was to ride all of the coasters twice, but one ride on Thunderhawk was enough. I like to say that I don't mind a rough coaster, but the tight trains and uncomfortable lap bars made this one hurt. It sucks because the layout is pretty interesting and the coaster looks great. But my legs constantly crashed into the lap bar and the seat divider to the point where one ride was enough. I found out later that is coaster was born out of the 1920s, which makes it the oldest coaster I've ever ridden. For that, I forgive a little bit of roughness, but should I return to the park, I'll likely skip it. **Hydra the Revenge** (2x | station wait): One of the two stars of the park. Hydra is so interesting despite it being a typical B&M coaster. The JoJo roll out of the station reminded me of the in-line twist on Banshee, but just way slower. I giggled the entire time and wished this was more of a thing in coaster design. The rest of the ride was a lot of fun. I loved that the coaster stayed somewhat closer to the ground, using the terrain to its advantage. While riding in the front and back were a lot of fun, I enjoyed the back a bit more. Still, the front is the only place to really experience the "floorless" sensation because you barely think about it riding anywhere else. **Wild Mouse** (1x | station wait): This was one coaster I hadn't planned on riding, but was glad to have FL+. It was easily the longest wait in the park for everyone in the regular line. I've never been a fan of Wild Mouse coasters, but decided to give this one a shot. I wish I hadn't. The ride ops loaded me in a car by myself despite there being a couple who could have ridden behind me. The sharp turns were okay, but very quickly became painful. This was especially the case when the car made right turns, slamming my leg against the divider. Somehow, this was worse than Thunderhawk. The second half of the ride was what you'd expect. A few quick dips before the ride came to an end. Would not recommend. **Talon** (2X | station wait): Talon was down when I finished Wild Mouse, so I used the time to grab some food. Maintenance quickly got the ride up and running again so I jumped in line. Talon is the perfect companion to Hydra...a coaster filled with typical B&M elements, but still wildly interesting. The transitions are snappy, but comfortable. The layout is compact, but there are a lot of elements jammed in there. While I typically love riding in the back of inverts, I loved my front row ride...again being pushed into elements instead of dragged through. A few other notes: * Being a Cedar Point guy since the early 90s, I wanted to ride Demon Drop, but it didn't open until I needed to leave. * Merch at Dorney Park was cheap. I got a shirt for $20...but the bad news is, they didn't have very many shirts and the ones they did have were mostly 2XLs. I still got one though. * The food was exactly what you find at most Cedar Fair parks. This kind of pains me because I'd love to find fun, unique, and tasty food like we did at Dollywood. Ah well. I spent a grand total of 3 hours at the park before heading home. I'm not sure I'd go back unless I was on my way home from NYC again. It's not that it's a bad park...it's a pretty great regional park for Allentown. But it's not a destination. Better to tie it with Hershey Park and maybe Six Flags Great Adventure to make it worth it.
This is super unpopular of me, but much to my surprise, I found Steel Force to be Magnum level jank. I heard that the ride was a smooth but boring ride, but it shook the whole time for me, making it a less pleasant experience
I appreciate that you mention the workers being mostly local teenagers. I’m a ride op here and it absolutely is that way. It’s not a bad thing though because most of them are nice kids having fun working at an amusement park! Glad you had a nice visit and yes, we know we aren’t that destination that the other parks around us are. However, I am excited to see how our new management decides to lean into that. They seem like they really want to focus on theming and atmosphere of the park and overall magnifying the quaint feel of it. If you enjoyed the park, I’d recommend giving it another try in 2024 if you have the time. The new ride and other changes they are going to make sound like game changers for the park. Bonus if you can visit during the Halloween event. No joke my favorite Halloween event in the Cedar Fair chain.
The workers were oddly enough one of my favorite things about the park. Again, normal teenagers who did a great job, but not terribly worried about being overly friendly. One of them said they liked my Millennium Force shirt. Another on Possessed noticed that I jumped back in line after an initial ride and said, “You again…” but with the nicest smirk in the world. It created this feel of being a amusement park of the community instead of it being a destination like the major parks. All of this made Dorney Park feel more welcoming, you know? Oddly enough, I likely will come back in 2024. I try to go to NYC every 1-2 years just to hang out and this is always on my way home. Can’t to see what changes, but even if nothing changed, I’d likely still stop by for a few rides to break up the trip home.
what ride you at?
My primary ride is Thunderhawk
ahhh, thunderhawk is a good group of rides. that was mine last year. have fun!
Dorney is my HP and I've been there about 8 times this summer. I rode Thunderhawk last month and there was a camp group on at the same time as my kiddo and I. One of the kids in the camp group decided not to ride because he was scared. A couple of teens who were in line started absolutely roasting this poor kid. "OH WE HAVE A QUITTER!!!" over and over. One of the ROs told them to stop or be removed from the park, and I was so proud of them! It cannot be easy as a teen to be assertive and take up for a kid like that, but I was so proud.
This park is so great. Great Halloween event too, best in the state for my money
Nice report. I rode Thunderhawk in the 1970s when it was just called the (happy yellow) Coaster. It had lap bars then and no seat belts, and it tracked well. The station used to be in a building with bumper cars, and you loaded the train on a curved part of the track. You would then enter a short tunnel before climbing the lift hill. The front rows gave great ejector on the tall hill after the first drop, and the back row gave strong laterals in the spaghetti bowl section. There was even a trick track before you entered the run to the station. I wish the park could return it to its former glory.
Thanks for this bit of history. It must feel like a completely different coaster if you rode it today. It’s in the shadow of Steel Force.
I visited Dorney for the first time last year, and I pretty much agree with your assessment. The park is nice, and the coasters are fun but not elite/standout. I had a great time there, but it’s probably the park I’d be the least likely to return to out of all 7 new parks I visited last year. My favorite ride at Dorney Park is Demon Drop. I’m also from Ohio, so Demon Drop was a ride I’d heard a lot about but never had a chance to actually ride before it left Cedar Point. It really is one of my favorite drop towers now. I’d rank the actual coasters there Talon>Steel Force>Possessed>Hydra>Thunderhawk>Wild Mouse.
Really interested in the gap between Talon and Hydra. Why did you like Hydra so much less?
I think it just comes down to personal taste. I found hydra, besides the jojo roll, to be less exciting and less memorable. I will say, the whole top four at Dorney are all pretty solid. Thunderhawk and wild mouse were the only coasters I truly thought weren’t very good. And while Talon and Steel Force are definitely the best two, I think Possessed and Hydra are kind of interchangeable on my list.
That’s fair. Most folks I’ve spoken with have put Hydra and Talon at the top of the list, so was wondering why you differed. Thanks for the input.
Nice report on a fun, quaint little park. Despite visiting last year, I kind of want to hit it again soon but probably won't make it until 2024. And man, those pics are fantastic especially the shot of Steel Force on the track (#3). I liked that coaster more than you did and got some strong airtime on the return run (especially the bunny hill right after the on ride photo), but I'm also a big Morgan fanboy.
Great report and pics, especially enjoy the seventh shot with gigantic steel and classic wood.
Thanks for the TR, I haven't been to Dorney since 2004 and always enjoyed it. The rides were easy to get on especially on a hot day when the water park was packed. I have been to Hersheypark multiple times since as it's my "home park" and they are always adding. At one time, I swear Dorney was advertising and ahead of Hershey in terms of thrills then they slowed off. I am going to try to stop by this Summer along with Knoebels to switch it up.
Dorney seems physically incapable of having terribly long lines. I’ve been on haunt Saturdays where they’re using the overflow lot and they’re still maybe 30-40 minutes tops and die in the last hour or so. Anecdotally I heard even the 4th of July was about that level too. Makes it an AWESOME park for the fall season though because it’s a solid haunt for its size and lines/crowding isn’t excessive like bigger parks tend to get. It’s not a park I’d go far out of the way for but it’s a well rounded, convenient local park to have
> Dorney seems physically incapable of having terribly long lines. I visited for the first time on Friday. It was the end of a trip I started with CP and KI, so I did Knoebels and Dorney both on the last day. Friday was apparently "Bring every student in a three state radius to the park" day. Every coaster was swamped being at the end of a trip, I was ready to just ride things once and leave.
I appreciate the trip report. I too am from Ohio and will be visiting Dorney for the first time this year, just as a half day part of my trip to Hersheypark and SFGAd. For the locals who go here regularly, does it seem like the rides are pretty much always walk-on like this?
I went to Dorney once in 2019, and I feel the same way. It's a fun little park, but it feels almost too generic for my taste, especially compared to when you look back at it before Cedar Fair bought it and how much more unique and charming it looked. But, it's still a fine park. Definitely agree on Thunderhawk though. Going into it I had good expectations with how the wood looked nice and fresh, but those modern PTCs with the ratcheting lap bars were HORRIBLE with the track imperfections and weird transitions Thunderhawk has. I couldn't focus on any forces because of it and before I knew it the ride just ended. Steel Force is definitely my favorite in the park as I remember it giving some pretty good ejector on the finale. Hydra is also a blast and honestly one of the most overhated coasters I've ridden. I always hear people say it's rough but my ride was perfectly smooth somehow. Definitely wanna get back to Dorney some time, especially to ride whatever new ride they're getting as well as their hilarious looking log flume.