Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Advice Please

[ArielRae]

DH and I are planning a trip to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom this summer and are hoping we could get some tips from those that have been recently or go alot. I have not been there in over 20 years. We will be getting a hotel nearby so we can be there from open to closing.

So where is the best place to eat at the park?

What rides are a must do first. I love roller coasters.

What can you tell me about the waterpark?

Anything you can tell us would be great. We don't want to waste money on things if we can avoid it if there is a better choice. DH and I have always done Six Flags Great Adventure so we know that park inside and out or we do Hersheypark and figured a change would be great as we get one night away from the baby as grandma has agreed to watch him.

 

[quentina]

DH and I are planning a trip to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom this summer and are hoping we could get some tips from those that have been recently or go alot. I have not been there in over 20 years. We will be getting a hotel nearby so we can be there from open to closing.

So where is the best place to eat at the park?

What rides are a must do first. I love roller coasters.

What can you tell me about the waterpark?

Anything you can tell us would be great. We don't want to waste money on things if we can avoid it if there is a better choice. DH and I have always done Six Flags Great Adventure so we know that park inside and out or we do Hersheypark and figured a change would be great as we get one night away from the baby as grandma has agreed to watch him.

There is a holiday innn across the street from DP. The waterpark is a typical water park...same as everywhere else.

Talon, Hydra, steel force and Voodoo (possible name change on this one) are the big coasters. All of them are good. On hydra, when you exit, you turn upside down and kind of hang...it is cool. On Steel force, if you sit within the first 3 rows, when you reach the top you hang until gravity kicks in....totally freaky.

Eating in the park....I would not. A block down is Ceder Crest BLVD....you will find Perkins, Friendlys, TGI, BK etc. As long as you get a handstamp, you can go back in.

BK usually has discount coupons if you need them.

I live about 10 minutes away, PM me if you have specific questions.

 

[dansyr2514]

Hi,

I would also suggest going on a weekday. The weekends can get packed. Of the coasters I think Talon is the best....but that is just my personal opinion.

Have fun !!!

 

[dansyr2514]

Oh and I checked....AAA discount tickets are 31.99 in case you have AAA.

 

[ArielRae]

Can anyone else offer any advice or tips?

 

[Cindy B]

Dorney Park isn't that busy as compared to Cedar Point, Six Flags or WDW so really you are overthinking it.

Wildwater Kingdom does get crowded and overrun by kids so you may want to just skip it or just stand in the wave pool for a bit. I found the water rides to be more geared to smaller kids and preteens. It really was more for the kids than for adults.. ie no quiet serene places or hot tubs.

As for coasters and ride lines, get there early. I find that is the single most important advice for anyone.. get there early! Steel Force, now old-- still packs a fairly decent punch. Talon is poorly designed IMHO--ride is too short. The wild mouse (is it still there?) has the longest load times known to man.

If you got there at opening, you really wouldn't need to stay until closing or take a hotel. We were Dorney season holders for a long time and we would get there at opening and be done with everything at about 4 pm.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

I live in the Lehigh Valley and grew up going to Dorney Park. I miss the "old" DP.

But, we still go at least once a year with the kids. I have not been to the water park since I was in high school (which was 15+ years ago), so I can't really comment on that part.

And it's been a long time since I really went on the thrill rides at Dorney. They have a nice mix of coasters. Some of the lines get long, but if you can go early on a weekday it won't be too bad.

As far as eating, yes, it's expensive to eat in the park. There are lots of restaurant choice close to the park, but it would really be kind of a pain to go there during the day.

we always eat in a sports-themed burger place when we go to the park. I think it's the Game Day Grille. We enjoy it because it's indoors and has a/c! And the burgers aren't any more expensive than the stuff you buy off a cart in the park. You do have to tip your server, but it's well worth it to get a quiet, cool rest in the middle of the day!

Hope you have a good trip! It can be a nice, fun park at times (I think a lot of us "natives" are hard on the park since it has changed so much. But it's a fun day out).

 

[englishteacha]

We went to Dorney in 2004 and 2005. It was lots of fun. I don't know if it's changed much since then. Avoid weekends. We went on a Saturday night (we bought a season's pass so we could use it at Cedar Point and Geauga Lake, too. That was the big road trip in my signature), and the park was crowded and full of foul-mouthed, yelling teens. In 2004, we went on a weekday and it was quiet, short lines, and all the people we met were really polite.

 

[thebeesknees]

Check the weather forecast before you go. We went last summer and an thunderstorm came in with rain for about 2 hours. Everything shut down, and they said that they do not give any sort of rain pass for a future day if this happens. We hunkered down in a gift shop until it stopped, but it definitely put a kink in our plans for the day!

 

[ArielRae]

Is there an evening show like fireworks or a parade before the park closes for the night?

 

[pamjb]

No parades at all and there are only fireworks on the 4th of July. There are live shows that occur throughout the day. There used to be a stage in the middle of the park, but they have built a new enclosed theater near the parking lot

http://www.dorneypark.com/public/inside_park/shows/index.cfm

If you decide to stay in a hotel across the street (Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn) please use your car to go to the park, despite the $10 parking fee. There have been several accidents where people have attempted to cross the 4 lanes of traffic and failed. We see it every summer, since we go pass the park to get to my inlaws. Entire families playing "chicken" to cross Hamilton Blvd...

 

[Cindy B]

Is there an evening show like fireworks or a parade before the park closes for the night?

I don't remember parades.. only a very 80's like cheesy laser light show, which I think they have stopped doing.

 

[JerseyGirl84]

The wild mouse (is it still there?) has the longest load times known to man.

Yes, it is still there. Waited on that line last year, thought it would start moving at any minute, then I felt like I had invested so much time in waiting in the line that I just couldn't leave. Later on, I met up with my older daughter and her friends and they told me that the number one rule of Dorney Park is NOT to wait on the line for the Wild Mouse. Be Warned!!

 

[ArielRae]

If you decide to stay in a hotel across the street (Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn) please use your car to go to the park, despite the $10 parking fee. There have been several accidents where people have attempted to cross the 4 lanes of traffic and failed. We see it every summer, since we go pass the park to get to my inlaws. Entire families playing "chicken" to cross Hamilton Blvd...

Is there a hotel that you would recommend in the area?

 

[dreamalittledream]

No parades at all and there are only fireworks on the 4th of July. There are live shows that occur throughout the day. There used to be a stage in the middle of the park, but they have built a new enclosed theater near the parking lot

http://www.dorneypark.com/public/inside_park/shows/index.cfm

If you decide to stay in a hotel across the street (Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn) please use your car to go to the park, despite the $10 parking fee. There have been several accidents where people have attempted to cross the 4 lanes of traffic and failed. We see it every summer, since we go pass the park to get to my inlaws. Entire families playing "chicken" to cross Hamilton Blvd...

We have had season passes for 3 years but have not gone yet this year. It's been too cold here! I'm going to try to make it up ther this weekend for a few hours.
FYI the new indoor stage is for the ice show. They took out the picnic pavillion to build it. They still have other singing/dancing shows on the main stage in the park. My girls love to watch them all so we go to at least one every time we go up. I get a funnel cake and we snack on that during the show.

The wild mouse is still the slowest line on earth and pretty scary IMHO. I love coasters but this one makes me feel like I'm going to fall off the tracks. We avoid it most times we go. I cave at least once a season.
There is also a really good Thunder Canyon wet ride, slow loading but cool. They don't subscribe to the "Disney" way of crowd control. Lots of open seats and they let the guests make their own choices. It makes for slower lines. Once you get over that, it is a fun park.

When DH goes with us, we like the Game Day Grille for food. If not, we get food on the drive up and eat in the car. They did have picnic tables scattered in the parking lot. You can pack a lunch and go to the car and eat when you want to drop or pick up swim stuff. There is also a new ll you can eat BBQ meal that I have not tried. I think the 3.00 cotton candy is the best deal going. LOL

I second the weekday. But there will be camp groups and local picnics in July / Aug. Friday evenings are also fun.

I would do the coasters and big rides first, hit the water park early, lunch then more rides. The water park fiills up when it is hot out. You can always go back and forth if you like.

Have Fun!

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

We were there 2 years ago compliments of our Sunday School, that is the last time I will go there at least with my kids. The people are rude and pushy, line cutting like crazy. I am not that into coasters so it really is not the park for me. I think if you are into coasters and are going as an adult only trip then you will enjoy yourself. Hope you get some good advice on things to do.

 

[ArielRae]

Are there any rides in the park where they will not let me ride with my fanny pack (waist pack) on?

 

[kacaju]

have fun!! my dd was just there yesterday with her school. Her and her friends had a blast

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

Are there any rides in the park where they will not let me ride with my fanny pack (waist pack) on?

I am not fully positive, but it might not be comfortable on some of them (like steel force which has a lap bar). They do have the bins on the bigger rides to put your items though. I am pretty sure I've gone on most of them with a backpack, except the coasters where I threw it in the bins.

I have also gotten a locker at the waterpark (since that's usually where you want to ditch your stuff, you realllllly don't want to leave it sitting out as there is a strong possibility of it going missing) and just left stuff in there to go back to; those lockers are open all day even though the wpk closes.... there's other lockers in the regular park, I've just really only used wwk's!

Have fun, DH and I met working there 5 years ago!

Oh, I wanted to mention, if you go on Hydra, stick to either front row, or last 2 rows. Otherwise it seems not so fun... slow unless you're in the back, and the front is just pretty cool experience.

Editing again, because also related to Hydra, MAKE SURE YOUR ITEMS ARE SECURED or just don't bring them on. My friend lost his keys out of his pocket on that and had to wait until after we closed to get them back... and it was employee ride night so yeah it was LATE when he got to leave.