Room for Improvement
Written: Jun 15 '01 (Updated Jul 06 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast Thrill Rides, Splashy Water Fun
Cons: Weak Shows, Lacks Ambiance, Safety Concerns
The Bottom Line: Not a bad deal for local folks, but consider your other options before traveling to Allentown.
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| dglowny's Full Review: Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom |
OK, don't get me wrong ... Dorney Park is a nice amusement park. Perhaps even a tad above average when you add in Wildwater Kingdom. But in some respects it can fall quite a bit short of expectations. Really it's not of the same caliber as a true top-flight theme park. Nevertheless you won't be paying top-dollar admission fees - right? Guess again. Let's take a closer look.
Rides & Attractions
Basically this is a combination between a traditional amusement park and a water park. There is a good diversity of ride types, and especially for older teens there are plenty of faster thrill rides. The grounds are clean and well maintained. The official web site at http://www.dorneypark.com/ gives you a fairly thorough review of the equipment and its capabilities. With luck they might all be open for your visit, although we found that a major water attraction "Wildwater River" was closed for the entire duration of our visit. The park heavily emphasizes rides, and it has only a relatively weak and flimsy offering of entertainment shows. I wish they had a few more like "Dance to the Music" (on Center Stage until August 17, 2003), which was a very nice production. But the problem essentially is there are not enough spaces set aside for such shows, and not enough commitment by Dorney to view this as an entertainment priority for families. Adding an indoor showplace would be a great idea for future improvement.
Where is the Theme?
Aside from Camp Snoopy (which is actually a rather small footprint within the park) what seems like the remaining 95% or more of the park has no theme whatsoever. It is completely lacking the ambiance that one would expect of a seemingly upscale park. In the absence of anything else, the overriding tone seems to be an emphasis on fast-paced action rides served straight-up without any sugar coating. What's missing is the "je ne sais quois" that transports your mind from the everyday experience to another time and place. If you are looking for the experiential factor (you know, the cool parts that you find within a park, in-between waiting on rides, that add up to a lasting and uniquely memorable experience) it will not be found here at Dorney Park. Maybe that is why every trash can (conveniently located every couple of minutes' walking distance) has the name of the park affixed to it, so you don't forget it. Otherwise you might easily confuse this park (at least the traditional "Dorney" side of it) with so many other average amusement parks you may have seen. Rather than the experiential, you might find the Excedrin factor starting to emerge, after heavy doses of swarming thrill seekers crowding around you begins to take its toll.
Water World
It's way better than Kevin Costner movie. This water world, called Wildwater Kingdom, is the flip side of Dorney Park, and it helps to rebalance the value equation with respect to the whole site. There are some great activities here to suit all ages. Our family especially enjoyed the Wave Pool, Island Water Works, and Runaway River. Oh yeah, there are some big slides too. Just be sure to use enough sun screen so you don't get burned. It's very easy to lose track of time here.
Employees
It's not just equipment that makes an amusement park. The attendants and ride operators can have a huge impact upon your enjoyment of any amusement or theme park. In this department, Dorney Park merits only a mediocre score. Too often I noticed the operators were inattentive. They really should not be eating, reading, and stepping away from the controls while a ride is in motion - but I saw all of this during our visit, which really left me wondering about safety. The funny thing is that Dorney has a 46 page "safety guide" and extensive rules that are sometimes interpreted very strictly, yet it is all meaningless when broken by the weakest link in the chain: the operational staff. There definitely seems to be an attitude problem among the workers, particularly on the traditional Dorney side, and it really detracted from our park experience. At the boats, the workers were too busy talking amongst themselves and too distracted to provide us with the flotation vests. Elsewhere, on a number of occasions, the ride operators were occupied with conversations with other peer workers and non-employee friends to such a degree that they ignored patrons. A common theme among the staff was asking guests "What time is it?" and then saying "I'm overdue for my break" or "I can't wait for my shift to be over". These seemingly innocent remarks are actually quite revealing of the attitude among such employees. Guests will begin to realize, either consciously or subconsciously, after seeing and hearing this behavior, that they are not being treated with the full attention and respect that they deserve as paying customers. In fairness, I have to say the staff was a lot more attentive and upbeat on the Wildwater Kingdom side.
Confusing Height Restrictions
As has been mentioned in a few other "epinions", be careful about making assumptions with regard to the height restrictions for rides. Dorney seems to rate its attractions a bit more conservatively than in other parks, so your kids might find their favorites "off limits" here, leading to some unexpected disappointment and frustration. Check the printed information (or the web site) carefully in advance. There are actually 9 height categories, and the map guide is rather poor on explaining this unless you read the fine print. (Too bad they don't show symbols next to the ride names as some other parks have done). The cutoffs are 36, 42, 46, 48, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 77 inches. Plus the 9 heights can be combined in various ways, as in "must be in-between X and Y", or "at least X if unaccompanied, or at least Y in accompanied by a responsible person". This tends to lead to considerable confusion and difficulty in planning who can ride on what. Surely there is a simpler way to rate this stuff in a consolidated scheme without compromising safety.
Inconsistent Safety Practices
- Some of the static "playground-type" activities in Camp Snoopy could be hazardous to children, since the depth of the base material (sand, gravel, mulch, etc.) is not sufficient to guard against injury from falls. It actually is much less than the 6-12 inches called for by the ASTM standard. Dorney Park should read up on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Handbook for Public Playground Safety which is located at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf
- Unwarranted paranoia is juxtaposed with a casual disregard of risks. Zephyr, a low speed sightseeing train, requires that riders be locked in securely behind barred doors and windows. Yet the Balloon Race does not have any seat belts, despite the facts that it is a spinning and tilting ride that lifts passengers 28 feet above the ground.
- There is generally a failure by staff to secure the entry and exit gates on rides, especially in Camp Snoopy. Some of the gates aren't even equipped with any type of locking mechanism to guard against a child accidentally entering the area of a ride while in motion.
Miscellaneous Annoyances
- The background sounds throughout most of the park is an incessant barrage of extremely loud pop music. It's so loud you will have difficulty in carrying on a conversation with your family. You will have to shout just to be heard. I'll bet the teens love it. But it's too loud - trust me. The output was being pushed beyond the acoustic capabilities of the outdoor speakers, resulting in distortion. As a technophile, this is my definition of the dividing line between music and noise.
- There are not enough benches to sit down and rest in some areas. Yes, I know there are plenty of benches on the main drag, but what about the rest of the park? The absence of benches was especially noticeable in Camp Snoopy, where there are virtually none.
- Chance Carousel is touted as offering "themed carousel music" to riders. The organ actually emits quite discordant sounds, and is horribly off key. A small point, to be sure, but one that belies the portrait of a park that is carefully maintained. Dorney ought to spring for a tune-up. What else is in disrepair? Hmmm ...
Prices
The regular admission price for Dorney Park during the summer season is $35.75 per person. Compare that with a top-rated site such as the nearby HersheyPark which charges $35.95 as its regular admission fee. Essentially what you trade off is quantity (the notion that you are getting two parks in one) versus quality (the memorable trouble-free excursion for the whole family). The actual dollar cost seems to be a virtual dead heat. The real questions are whether you get the value and type of experience that you are paying for.
Conclusion
Maybe it's not a bad deal for local folks, particular on a hot summer day when you want to indulge in some water play and a scattered collection of thrill rides. But the park lacks the cohesive theme, ambiance, and overall quality that would make it stand out as a worthy long-distance travel destination. Consider your other options (Hershey in PA, or other major sites in the Northeast) before committing to the trek down to Allentown.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dglowny
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Member: David Glowny
Location: Milford, CT
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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