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This Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season, and Dorney Park was ready to celebrate with the opening of the park's second new ride for 2017,
Kaleidoscope. The first of the new rides - the Dodgem bumper cars - opened along with the park at the start of the season.
Located along the park's Main Midway next to the Coasters restaurant, the colorful Kaleidoscope features a custom paint job that was done as part of a full refurbishment of the ride.
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Kaleidoscope comes to Dorney Park from Europe, and is one of several classic flat rides introduced this year across the Cedar Fair chain of parks. The ride mixes different shades of blue on the main ride arms along with red, yellow and green passenger cars - there are a total of 21. The name Kaleidoscope was chosen because of the light package that has been added to the ride, at night it will look very much like a kaleidoscope as the arms spin.
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Know as a
Trokia by trade name, this ride was manufactured by Huss. Each of the 21 cars are able to seat two guests, and when the ride begins the cars spin counter clockwise on each arm while the base of the ride spins clockwise. The three arms then extend upward, resulting in moments of low gravity as the cars spin up and over their peak during the ride cycle.
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Kaleidoscope has a low height requirement, just like the Dodgem bumper cars, with guests only 42 inches tall able to ride with a responsible 54 inch companion. During opening weekend there were plenty of kids lining up to take a spin on the ride, and they certainly seemed to enjoy it by the time the ride was over! It was also nice to see that this is a ride that smaller kids can ride with their parents, a mild thrill that's a step up from what Planet Snoopy offers.
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Another plus of this flat ride is that it has a really solid hourly capacity. These always vary greatly in real life, but you can find this style of ride quoted at anywhere from 800 to 900 riders per hour at other parks. That's sure to keep the line manageable during the busy summer months.
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Also up and running at Dorney Park is the brand new catering area, Parkside Pavilion. We've seen the addition coming together over the last few months so it's nice to be able to check out the finished product. The bottom line here is that groups have a really beautiful place to have a picnic at the park!
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Parkside Pavilion is capable of accommodating up to 2,500 people at a time, though it has partitions that can be utilized to break the sprawling space into different sections. That allows different groups to have privacy as they relax and dine.
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Among many amenities offered in Parkside Pavilion, there is a full Chef's Kitchen in the center that is capable of making just about anything that groups want to have. The menus are very customizable, which is a major upgrade from the park's old picnic offerings. Seen in the photo above, there is also a small platform/performance area for groups to use, not quite a stage but great for award ceremonies and the like.
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Aside from upgraded food, which is a huge plus, Parkside Pavilion offers a really beautiful setting unlike anything seen at the park before. Long gone are the feelings of being in a "grove" like you can find at the local community park, the vibe in the new area is substantially upgraded from that. I think the photos here speak for themselves on that point.
We still have some exploring to do in the water park, with a major new food operation now open, and Cirque Imagine, a brand new live show, set to open later in June. Stay tuned for more on those additions!
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