Episode 39: Dorney Park (Underrated)

On my way home from visiting family and friends in my hometown south of Boston, I stopped in Allentown, PA to complete the eastern Pennsylvania trifecta.  I did Knoebels and Hersheypark in 2023, and this time I stopped at Dorney Park.  Neglected for years by Cedar Fair, they finally added a new roller coaster in 2024, the Iron Menace B&M dive machine. 

From the second I walked through the gate, I was charmed by the atmosphere, charm, and overall quality of this lower-tier legacy Cedar Fair park.  Not only do they have a solid roller coaster line-up, but they've got several great non-coaster rides, with one being elite.  

Join me for my first-time reactions to all the good times to be found at Dorney Park!   

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Transcript

So how do I introduce Dorney Park?  As I begin each episode, my goal is to captivate you, draw you in, use colorful language, so you can’t stop listening.  But this is Dorney Park we’re talking about, known in the enthusiast community not only for dabbling in mediocrity, but defining it; a park long neglected by Cedar Fair before finally adding Iron Menace in 2024, B&M Dive Coaster with modest statistics and a rattly rep.  So how am I doing?  Do you want to hear more?  Not quite yet?  Let’s try another question.

What if I told you that Dorney Park is criminally underrated?  That they have eight roller coasters and not a single one is bad.  In fact most are quite good and rather unique.  Would you believe they have a great collection of non-coaster rides, with one being elite, plus excellent operations, and a charming atmosphere?  What’s more is that you can enjoy all that without waiting more than a few minutes for any attraction in the park.  How did I do?  Do you wanna hear more?  I sure hope so.  Let’s go.                  

Welcome to Episode 39 of Coaster Redux.  My name is Erik, and this is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom. For years, I’d all but forgotten my coaster obsession from high school and college, but since the pandemic, I’ve been on a mission to ride as many new coasters as I can.  I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off a ride they’ve never ridden before.  That’s what I want to share with you. 

And with that, join me for my first-ever rides on Steel Force, Hydra, Iron Menace, Demon Drop, and Talon at Dorney Park as I wrap up my 2025 season on Coaster Redux.    

It was a crisp October morning as I awoke in Danbury, CT.  It was crystal clear with temps in the low 50’s, and I was reminded of New England’s brilliant seasons.  I loaded up my car and fired up the heated seat to beat the chill.  Call me what you will.  It was 9 am, and I had three hours between me and Allentown, PA.  I settled in for a relaxing ride across the Hudson River while avoiding New York City proper.   Marriott breakfast sandwich in hand, it was a wonderful morning drive.  

Dorney Park didn’t open until noon on this Sunday, so I had plenty of time.  I last swung through Eastern Pennsylvania two years ago on a similar road trip.  I visited family and friends in my hometown south of Boston, and visited parks on both the north and southbound legs.  On the way back, I only had time for two parks, choosing Hersheypark for their three Intamins and brand new RMC, and Knoebels for their classic wooden roller coasters and antique flat rides.  Dorney Park had just announced Iron Menace, their new B&M dive machine for 2024, so I figured that was the best one to skip.  Today I’ll finally complete this trifecta.

The park is immediately visible from the highway giving me a clear signal to exit.  Steel Force stands tall with its red camelbacks providing a backdrop for the rest of the park.  You’ve got the yellow spikes of Possessed, and the massive white Dominator drop tower competing for attention, but it was Iron Menace that really stole the show.  It’s front and center as you descend into the valley from Hamilton Blvd towards the parking lot.  The sun kissed the burnt orange paint this afternoon and it’s a stunning structure.  A steep lift hill leading directly into a beyond vertical drop, a remarkably circular dive loop and inclined loop bid me welcome to Dorney Park as I entered a mostly empty lot.

Temps had crept into the low 70’s and there still wasn’t a cloud to be seen.  It was perfect theme park weather.  I lubed up with sunscreen, and headed for the entrance.  

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom share a gate, and from my understanding the waterpark is the real moneymaker here.  It was closed this late in the season, but is prominent to the right.  The entry plaza features a traditional clock tower above the park’s name on a grey building with a teal roof.  The first drop on the Talon B&M invert looms just to the right.  Everything looks clean, and feels proper Cedar Fair.

The park began as a small resort built by Solomon Dorney in the late 1880’s featuring picnic groves, a restaurant, hotel, and playground attractions.  It was purchased by the Allentown-Kutztown Traction Company in 1901 making it another example of a trolley park.  Amusement attractions were continually added over the years.  The Whip opened in 1918 and still operates today.  The Thunderhawk wood coaster was added in 1924, then known simply as “The Coaster,” and the PTC Grand Carousel debuted in 1932.  The park changed hands among several local family owners over the years with the waterpark being added in 1985.  In 1989, the park opened Hercules, a wood terrain coaster built by the Dinn Corporation.  Despite a height of only 95 feet, its first drop was 151 feet, the world’s tallest on a wood coaster until 1991 when Cedar Point built Mean Streak.  

Cedar Fair went on to purchase Dorney Park in 1992, and built the current entry plaza and Main Street to connect the dry park to Wildwater Kingdom.  As the Coaster Wars boomed in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Dorney benefitted from multiple major investments from its parent.  The Steel Force hyper was added in 1997, Talon in 2001, and Hydra: The Revenge, a B&M floorless replaced Hercules in 2005.  Possessed, an Intamin Impulse coaster was relocated to Dorney Park in 2008 after Cedar Fair shuddered Geauga Lake in Ohio.  After years of continuous strong additions, thus began the 16 year drought of new roller coaster construction, though the relocated Stinger Vekoma Inverted Boomerang had a brief stint at the park between 2012 and 2017.  

Finally, Dorney announced Iron Menace in 2023, which finally broke that endless dry spell, signaling that Cedar Fair was once again adding new capital investment to their lower tier properties.  The future looked bright for Dorney and other parks in the chain that faced similar gaps between new coasters.  Would Valleyfair or Michigan’s Adventure be next?  Turns out, that remains to be seen as Six Flags and Cedar Fair merged shortly after Iron Menace made its debut, which brings us to the present state of uncertainty surrounding the entire company.

Anyway, I made my way down the main midway with Talon to the right and the Wild Mouse to the left.  It was pleasant and clean, but was rather deserted.  The antique carousel is front and center, just as it should be.  I entered the day without a plan, content to meander and take the park in at a medium pace.  My first ride would be Talon.  While this coaster dominates the front gate experience, its entrance is tucked down a corner pathway off to the right.  The coaster’s full name is emblazoned in orange as the train streaks through a tight helix above.  Talon: The Grip of Fear.  I love it.

The queue is empty and meanders beneath the ride’s structure.  I can only imagine this being packed full of riders waiting to take on their first inverted coaster back in the day.  While the trains soared above, they were nearly silent as the track was filled with sand to minimize noise.  No B&M roar here.  I climbed the stairs way up into the station, yet despite superlight crowds, you know they were running two trains.  These legacy Cedar Fair parks rarely play the one train game.

I climbed into the back row and took off in the Talon’s grip.  We begin the climb up to 135 feet.  It’s a mid-sized invert with four inversions and just over 3000 feet of track, and my expectations were equally mid.  At the top, you dip down, bank right and begin a whippy first drop, your feet almost scraping the ground before pulling up into the first element, a vertical loop.  You kick the sky, and pull straight up into a zero-G roll right over the station, and it’s a good one.  Smooth, whippy, and plumb with float without a hint of a headbang.  Without hesitation, you dive into a trench before pulling up into an Immelman to reverse course.  You rocket up and bank hard right above that entrance sign in an intense wingover pull, and level out to set up the next maneuver.

You drop sharply below the lift hill, and there’s actually a bit of airtime here before Talon takes things low for its final sequence.  Skimming the ground, you bank hard right and rip through a corkscrew before Talon’s signature photo-op, an aggressive turnaround where you could almost reach out and touch the mulch landscaping below.  You rise up into a twisting bunny hill before entering the brakes.

Now that’s a great invert.  It’s butter smooth, and while not quite as aggressive as Montu or Raptor, it also doesn’t have a mid-course brake so the pacing is excellent.  The first half is fun with its three rapid-fire inversions, but Talon really shines towards the end.  It’s got awesome transitions, while staying low to emphasize the sense of speed and near misses.  It’s a top-tier inverted roller coaster that completely took me by surprise.

I continued my way around the park to the right.  The Maurer Wild Mouse was right across the way, but it had a bit of a line, so I decided to save it for later.  I passed the Thunder Canyon rapids ride and Whitewater Landing Shoot-the-Chutes on the right.  Both were closed.  I began descending towards the back of the park.  Next stop?  Hydra: The Revenge.  

I was intrigued by this one, because the layout is just plain weird.  Pretty much every B&M floorless out there seems to follow an exacting and predictable formula.  Not Hydra.  This serpent slithers through a uniquely twisted series of elements, and there’s nothing else like it.

Like so many Cedar Fair coasters, Hydra’s sign is a masterpiece.  A multi-headed snake with massive fangs greets riders with the coaster’s green zero-G roll in the background.  It’s a cool nod to Hercules which originally occupied this plot.  In Greek mythology, Hercules slayed the hydra, but apparently here at Dorney, it was the hydra who rose to ultimately defeat the great warrior, exacting revenge.  

I stepped into the station, and walked right onto the next train out.  As usual, I chose the back row to get started, and Hydra begins like no other B&M in the world.  

The floor disappears, and we leave the station, but before turning onto the lift, we enter a slow heartline roll, called the jojo roll.  This was the first of its kind, supposedly named for Joe Greene, a longtime maintenance and construction manager at the park who came up with the idea.  Literally hanging in the horsecollars is unusual, and could be perceived as terrifying to the general public.  Personally, I don’t love these elements, but it’s certainly gimmicky and different.  

You level out, turn around to the right, and begin the climb up the 95 foot lift hill.  At the top, you enter the only straight first drop on a floorless without a pre-drop dip.  It’s a steep little plunge and it hits hard with solid air in back.  You rise up and bank left in a hard turnaround before entering a zero-G roll.  It’s got some good whip and airtime, but it’s not the smoothest.  Next up is a right-handed corkscrew directly over the entrance path before you dive down into the wackiest looking cobra roll you’ve ever seen.  The entry and exit tracks are tight together, and flare out wildly on either side.  It rides strangely too, with some laterals thrown in with some headbangs.  

You twist out and climb into a bunny hill turning left, and exit turning right.  There’s a smidge of airtime here, but it’s not strong.  Next is another bunny hill that provides just a hint of float before another corkscrew and a quick upward helix to the left before reversing right back into the station.

So Hydra is definitely something else.  I love the interesting layout, but I wish it was executed better.  The train has a shuffle through the whole thing, and there are some headbangs.  But coupled with that are some unique lateral sensations you won’t find on most B&M’s, a great straight first drop, and a couple moments where you just might get some airtime.  It’s not painful, it just doesn’t run as smoothly as other B&M’s.  I applaud Dorney Park for doing something different here, and the result is a fun ride.

I left Hydra and continued downhill.  My next ride was one of my most anticipated in the park, and believe it or not, it’s one I’ve actually ridden before.  Demon Drop is an Intamin first-generation Free Fall, and the only one still operating in the United States.  It originally opened at Cedar Point in 1983, and I rode it as a budding coaster enthusiast back in 1999.  It was relocated to Dorney for the 2010 season, and is thankfully still going strong after 42 years of operation.

These rides pre-dated modern drop towers, operating more like demented elevators.  Before the advent of compressed air or magnetic brakes, Intamin came up with another way to stop the freefall: rolling riders onto their backs and using friction brakes to slow them down.  The result is a mechanical marvel creating one of the most exciting and terrifying ride experiences of my life.  You see, Demon Drop lacks any semblance of finesse you’d find in a modern thrill ride.  It’s jerky, clunky and raw.  And fortunately for you, you’re listening to a podcast, and the sounds on this ride are what makes it so special.  Let’s give it a shot, shall we?

Demon Drop stands 131 feet tall, painted a dark blue/green.  Again, there’s nobody in the queue.  I walked directly  up to the load station.  The ride has a total of six gondolas, each seating four riders.  They’re made of aluminum.  Basically a square box with four black seats.  Each has minimal foam padding, and a simple shoulder restraint to hold you in.  The park logo is above your head, small windows on either side, and some grating at waist level in the front to keep you from falling out as you climb in.  Since there was literally nobody else in the station, I’d be freefalling solo today.

I climbed into the contraption and lowered the restraint.  It ratchets into position, and the ride ops lower the other three.  With a clunk, the box moves backwards and slams into place.  Now I’m connected to the lift mechanism and I’m going up.  It’s an amazing view with Steel Force, Thunderhawk, Possessed, and Iron Menace off in the distance.

At the top, the lift stops, and the gondola slides forward.  It looks like a demonic PEZ dispenser spitting you out to impending doom, but instead of being plucked out and eaten, you’re preparing for a perilous plunge.   There are more bangs, shimmies, and squeaks as the decades-old mechanisms do stuff, tuned to work in unison as you transition onto the drop track.  I’ve heard of Swiss precision before, I mean, they’re known for making the best watches in the world, right?  Maybe this is like that.  Just a big, giant, loud, watch, ticking down to drop time.  

Then it’s eerily silent for a half second.  I’m sitting up here all alone, just waiting.  Then with a final kerchunk, it releases.  My stomach’s in my throat in the best way possible, and oh yeah, that’s a free fall alright!  It’s only 60 feet in the vertical, but it’s so epic!

Then I roll jerkily onto my back and the ride comes to an abrupt and in-no-way graceful stop.  There are more squeaks and rattles as the ride vehicle dips below the horizontal track and returns to the upright as we lumber back to the station.

Demon Drop lives up to its name.  It’s not the tallest or fastest ride out there, but the feel and sound create a visceral terror like no other.  The build up doesn’t need a story or a music score.  The intricate workings of the ride create a better sense of dread than any soundtrack.  The drop is fantastic.  It’s pure gravity unencumbered, and I absolutely love it.  Demon Drop is elite, and I hope Six Flags continues to preserve this landmark attraction for another forty years.  It’s just so dang good.            

I continued downward reaching the lowest elevation in the park and the original main midway along Dorney Park Road.  Street traffic used to flow through this area until it was closed off in 1980.  A small creek flows just north of the midway, interestingly named Cedar Creek.  My next ride would be the park’s oldest roller coaster, Thunderhawk.  It’s an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, and according to the plaque, it’s the oldest operational coaster built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, and the oldest designed by Herb Schmeck.  

The Coaster originally opened with a straight out and back layout in 1924, but was modified to feature the current L-shaped figure-8 of today.  Painted in a mustard creme color, the ride was long known as the “Yellow Coaster” before receiving its new name in 1989.  The ride operated with buzz bars until 2016 when new PTC trains with modern ratcheting lap bars were added.  

Now I never know what to expect on these older wood coasters operated by corporate parks.  Typically I prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  Thunderhawk landed squarely in the middle.  There were no overwhelmingly rough moments, but there was also nothing particularly good.  It’s a classic wood coaster that’s completely enjoyable.  There may have been some airtime pops, but they weren’t memorable.  It’s here.  It’s historic, and it’s all good.

I walked beneath Thunderhawk along a beautifully shaded pathway in route to Dorney’s biggest roller coaster, Steel Force.  Following the success of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point, this was the second of three Morgan hyper coasters added to smaller Cedar Fair properties, following Wild Thing at Valleyfair and preceding Mamba at Worlds of Fun.  It stands 200 feet tall with a 205 foot first drop, and spans 5,600 feet running the full length of the back of the park.  It dominates the skyline, ensuring its place as a fan favorite.  As for me, this will be my third Morgan, following Steel Eel at SeaWorld San Antonio and Mamba.  

I entered the mostly empty station and prepared to board.  Steel Force has three 36 passenger trains and two were operating.  Unfortunately, due to the low crowd volume, riders were clustered towards the front and back, leaving the vast majority of the middle rows empty.  Train weight can substantially impact a ride’s speed, and I experienced similarly empty trains on both of my previous Morgans.

I hopped into the back row and sat in the fiberglass bucket.  The lap bar ratchets down but it sits relatively high above my thighs.  There’s a seatbelt as well, and we were soon checked and out the door.  The view is amazing as Steel Force clacks upward.  The whole park stretches out to the right, but it’s the greenery of the surrounding Lehigh Valley that’s truly impressive.  

At the top, the train begins to fall.  Now Morgan’s first drops aren’t particularly steep, and they start off gradually.  I would guess you’re at 65 degrees max.  It’s tall and sustained, and you get a bit of float heading down 205 feet into a tunnel.  You’re slightly below grade here, but not fully subterranean.  The tunnel is built of corrugated metal for effect, but it is dark. 

You blast back into daylight and enter the first large camelback and there’s a bit of floating airtime on the descent.  You drop down, passing over Cedar Creek with Demon drop to the right, and pull back up into the turnaround.  This was my favorite part of the ride.  You bank into a tight double helix to the right, rushing past mature trees while the positives come on hard.  

You twist beneath the structure and rise into the mid-course brakes.  Mamba allows the train to cruise through this moment, but Steel Force grabs the brakefin before you enter the finale: four back-to-back bunny hills providing some mild airtime before you turn off to the left and enter the final brakes.

Steel Force was pretty underwhelming for me.  There was some airtime, but it was forgettable, granted, the train was probably three quarters empty.  If this thing powered through the mid-course like Mamba, the ending probably would have been better.  I was surrounded by three young enthusiasts, and one proclaimed this was better than Apollo’s Chariot.  I couldn’t get onboard with that statement.  Even a weaker B&M hyper easily trumps Steel Force for me.

I went around again and rode in row 3.  It’s Magnum’s magic seat, and I had my best ride on Mamba in that same row.  The airtime was a bit better, but I still left wanting more.  People rave about these rides.  Steel Eel was a total dud for me, and Mamba was only slightly better.  Guess I need to ride one with a full train.

I left Steel Force and entered the Steel Yard, a new themed land built around its anchor attraction, Iron Menace.  But I wasn’t headed towards the shiny new B&M just yet.  I wanted me some Intamin launched intensity, so I entered the line for Possessed.  This Impulse coaster opened at Six Flags Ohio in 2000 as Superman: Ultimate Escape.  It’s the standard model Intamin inverted launched shuttle coaster with a 185 foot twisted spike on the front end, and a straight spike of the same height on the back.  Linear induction motors propel the train up to 70 mph over multiple passes providing awesome acceleration and weightless moments.

Cedar Fair purchased what became Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in 2005, operated it for two years, and subsequently closed it for good after the 2007 season.  Superman had been re-named Steel Venom with the ownership change, and was relocated to Dorney Park to become Voodoo for 2008.  Six Flags owned that naming right, so for 2009, the ride became Possessed.  A pretty wild history.

I entered the queue which passes beneath the vertical spike on the back end where riders can choose their row.  I went for the back, and after waiting a train or two I climbed aboard.  This would be my second Impulse following The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great America in Illinois last year, so I knew what to expect.  

I lowered the simple shoulder harness and prepared to launch.  The LIM’s scream to life and the train rockets forward.  In the back, we barely make it into the vertical before we begin the roll-back.  We launch again backwards, bodies pressed against the restraints before beginning that vertical spike.  We go up, looking straight down, and get several weightless seconds before beginning to fall.  The electromagnets grab us again, propelling Possessed all the way up the spiral.  It’s not as twisty in the back as we still climb a mere fraction of the tower before we get one more max boost up the rear spike.  

We slow on this fifth pass through the station, and gradually undulate back to a stop.  As far as shuttle coasters go, Possessed is among the best!  You get whalloped with punchy launches and great floater airtime on that vertical spike.  It’s a rush!

Now I’d never ridden one of these in the front, so with virtually no line, I went right back around to maximize the twisted spike.  While it was really good, you only get one full speed trip going forwards.  The laterals in the twist add to the thrill, but I definitely prefer the back for the straight down visuals, and you get two full speed trips upward each cycle.  Still, you can’t go wrong no matter where you ride.

With Possessed under my belt, it was time for Dorney Park’s latest addition.  The B&M Dive Coaster seems to be the new go-to model for the major chains in the U.S, and with good reason.  They’re reliable, have good capacity, and they’re highly marketable.  In 2022, we saw the first two narrow gauge dives open in the States, Emperor at SeaWorld San Diego and Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, ushering in the age of smaller scale dive machines which naturally come at a more affordable price point.

The available plot for Dorney’s next major investment was vacated by Stinger in 2017.  I heard that the park considered a wood shuttle coaster, but this would have required removing Possessed.  B&M’s proposal ultimately won the day with Iron Menace announced late summer 2023.  The ride would feature a 152 foot beyond vertical drop at 95 degrees and four rapid-fire inversions, an Immelman, a zero-G roll, inclined loop, and an elongated corkscrew before a banked turn into the final brakes.  No mid-course, and only 2,169 feet of track.  It would be the first brand new ground-up roller coaster added to Dorney Park since Hydra in 2005, and that’s a big deal.

Now, I like dive coasters, but I don’t love them.  The big vertical drops are always amazing, but the layouts tend to fizzle after that.  Again, B&M has their pretty standard formula.  But like Hydra, this one does have some pizzazz.  It’s a sequence of four inversions that look grand and flowing.  I’ve always loved the inclined loops on stand-ups, so I was happy to see that element return.  Iron Menace also doesn’t have any kind of turnaround after the lift hill.  You just head straight into the first drop.  So as far as dive coasters go, this one looks like the most interesting and different version I’ve ridden to date.

As has been the trend in recent years, Cedar Fair not only adds a new roller coaster, but re-invigorates the area surrounding it.  The Steel Yard looks the part.  Shipping containers are stacked throughout, and snack stands and a gift shop feature an industrial aesthetic.  The Flying Scooter was rebranded MT Buckets, and while it’s not the best theming you’ll find, it’s clear that some effort and budget was put into the story, including a custom soundtrack.

The queue for Iron Menace takes place in McTavish Steel, an abandoned mill complete with tools, helmets, and supplies strewn about.  Its owner, Hiram McTavish is buried in Ghost Town at Knott’s Berry Farm, and there’s a paranormal research van giving the impression that something spooky is afoot.  The roller coaster itself is McTavish’s greatest creation, a steel hauler called the Iron Menace.

B&M’s as of late have not been known for the smoothest ride experiences.  There’s a shake or a rattle as the trains run the course that wasn’t found on older models.  Dr. D’s even got a strange wobbly moment exiting the zero-G roll, and I didn’t go into Iron Menace spoiler free, so I know it’s got a similar moment right before entering the brake run.  I just hoped that the rest of the ride ran smoothly, and it was time to find out. 

I climbed the stairs into the station, and rows were being assigned.  I ended up in the front left.  The trains are identical to Cliffhanger with three rows of seven each.  I lowered the vest restraint and prepared to dispatch, and we’re met with a final warning.

The weathered gates part, allowing the Menace to begin its ascent, and we’re heading up a super steep lift hill at an impressive clip.  Time is money for McTavish, and we’ve got to get that ore out of the ground.  At the top, you’ve got a breathtaking view of the entire park in front of you, and in typical dive coaster fashion, you’re held at the precipice for a second, peering downward at what’s supposed to be bubbling molten steel before the release.

You plunge down, and I can definitely feel those extra five degrees of steepness.  It’s a phenomenal drop, and you pull up rapidly into the Immelman.  Here, the rattle becomes real.  It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either.  Regardless, I got some amazing whip and hangtime on the exit from the Immelman.  Great start.

Next, you charge into the zero-G roll to the left, and I loved this moment.  You get great floater airtime combined with whip.  This is what Valravn’s roll should have felt like.  It’s not vanilla, it’s got some serious kick.

You exit the roll and enter directly into the inclined loop and the positives come on hard along with the shuffle.  Again, it’s a great moment, but it’s not the smoothest.  Then the final corkscrew offers up more sumptuous hangtime combined with laterals, and you navigate through that strange wiggle before hitting the brakes.

As we glided back into the station, the GP was cheering!  One kid screamed out how smooth the ride was.  And here, I’m afraid, is the problem that will continue to plague B&M’s going forward.  Iron Menace is not that smooth when compared to older B&M’s, or rides from competing manufacturers.  It’s pretty rattly in some moments, and as a coaster enthusiast, that does detract from the ride, but I think we’re in the nitpicky minority.  There’s no doubt in my mind that somebody didn’t carry the one from the square root of pi or properly divide by the circumference of the hypotenuse when they engineered that final turn.  That jolt just shouldn’t exist.

Still, people lined up for Iron Menace more than any other coaster at Dorney, and everybody got off the ride loving it, despite its imperfections.  I’d put myself squarely in that category as well.  I think, more than any other dive I’ve ridden, that it has the most interesting sequence of elements.  They’re not cookie cutter.  There’s whip, there’s float, and there’s spice.  There’s a dynamic kick, a sense of intensity and complexity that’s missing from other new B&M’s.  If you can look past the imperfect tracking, Iron Menace may have my favorite dive coaster layout.  It’s short, but punchy, and every element hits.  And while I lament the rattle, it didn’t stop me from riding four times, and trying out many different rows.  Back right was my favorite for the whip over the drop and through the inversions.  I rode center row center seat and it was the smoothest.  Front is king for the view.  Iron Menace is a great addition to Dorney Park.  It complements the other rides in the park, and the surrounding competition has nothing like it.  I hope it’s a success.

I left the Steel Yard, and began the trek uphill, pausing to watch the Zephyr train crossing the pathway in front of me.  This super miniature railroad opened in 1936 recreating the streamlined Pioneer Zephyr of the period, one of the earliest modern diesel powered passenger trains.  Now painted purple, it’s another wacky homage to years past that’s still pleasing crowds today.  

As I headed upward, I stopped for my favorite park treat, a soft serve ice cream, and sat watching Dominator in action.  This twin tower complex from S&S stands 200 feet tall and you can choose between a Space Shot and Turbo Drop experience.  I usually ride the Space Shot for the upward acceleration, but this time opted for the Turbo Drop.  Here, you get a slow climb to the summit before compressed air launches you downward faster than gravity.  On such a picture perfect day, I was more interested in the view, and it was as great as the drop.  Demon Drop is still better though.

I returned to the main midway to ride my final credit in the park, Wild Mouse.  I waited about ten minutes.  It was a wild mouse, and it’s fine for what it is.  I then made a final lap taking videos, and grabbing re-rides.  I did Talon twice more, and man does this deliver everything you could want from an invert.  It’s non-stop fun and perfectly smooth.  I re-rode Hydra, Demon Drop, Possessed, and Iron Menace, never waiting more than a few minutes, and just enjoying the spectacular weather and classic Cedar Fair vibes in the park.  

One thing I noticed is that the color schemes of Dorney’s coasters are strikingly similar to Cedar Point.  Talon is very close to Mantis before it became Rougarou.  Hydra’s painted exactly the same as Raptor.  Steel Force uses Magnum’s red, and the yellow and teal of Possessed mimics the defunct Wicked Twister, a supersized Impulse built on the Cedar Point shore.  Orange also seems to be the go-to color for Cedar Fair Dive Coaster track.

But yet I digress.  I felt beyond content, and left Dorney Park with an overwhelmingly positive impression.  It’s a beautiful classic amusement park in a gorgeous setting.  Employees were friendly and despite low crowds, everything was running at prime capacity.  The park was clean, and I loved the ride line-up.  There’s really nothing lacking here.  I’d happily come back, and if you’ve never been to Dorney, it’s well worth a visit.  You could probably breeze through and grab all the credits in just a few hours, but why rush?  There’s more than enough here to justify a full day.

As implications of the Six Flags merger continue to unfold, it seems that no park in the chain is fully safe from the chopping block.  It’s no secret that Dorney Park isn’t a top performer, but I do hope it’s doing well enough to weather the storm.  It’s a very solid regional amusement park, and I’d hate to see it go the way of Six Flags America.  The best thing we can do as enthusiasts is visit the park, and just maybe begin to change its reputation.  Dorney surprised me in almost every way possible, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Drop a comment on Spotify and let me know if you’ve been to Dorney Park, what did you think?

I checked into the Sheraton Four Points across the street from Talon’s lift hill and settled in for the evening.  Tomorrow began the two-day drive back home.  Dorney Park would be my last park visit for 2025, as the late fall and the Holidays begin the ramp up to our busy winter season in Florida.  I was consumed by work until the New Year, which was a good thing, as it set me up to begin 2026 with a major trip that I can’t wait to tell you about.

The next episode will be a Redux Rundown with my Top 25 roller coasters as of December, 2025.  I haven’t done a ranking since the end of the 2023 season, and I’ve ridden so much the last two years, the rankings will be shaken up quite a bit.  In fact, I’m still working on them.  So join me for that as well as news on the next big adventures coming to the podcast.  I can’t thank you enough for listening and supporting this passion project of mine, and I promise Season 5 will be the biggest yet for Coaster Redux.