Dorney Park Opens For 139th Season - Let's See What's New

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Dorney Park opened this past weekend for the official start of its 139th season, the weekend before marked a preview for only season pass holders.  The park is operating pretty much as they did pre-covid which is a nice thing to see - granted some smaller changes (like smoking) that took place during the pandemic stuck, but things are generally back as they were.  I want to write something about being happy I won't be alive in 100 years for the next pandemic, but I'm not ready to risk jinxing things quite yet.

I digress.  The park is open!!  Granted I didn't have the best photo-taking weather but I can't complain.  Let's start at the start and take a look at all that's new or changed for 2022... a tradition we've been doing here on NewsPlusNotes for many years.

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When you approach the parking booths you may notice that the booths are brand new.  Finally!  That capital request must have been lost behind a desk for the last twenty or so years.  I kid.  They look nice and are much more comfortable appearing for cashiers.  Granted we didn't get a really nice structure built over them as we've seen at other Cedar Fair parks in recent years, but it's still a welcome change.

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Always fun to see what the park wanted to advertise on their giant posters... this year we've got season passes, plenty of jobs, and Grand Carnivale. That checks out.  However regarding staffing I will say that on my visit the park appeared very well staffed, and I hope they're able to maintain that during the summer.

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All Cedar Fair parks are cashless now, and that's not really news.  You can find several cash conversion machines throughout the park, with the above one located outside the entrance near the ticket booths.  The process seems about as seamless as you'd expect considering you can do most anything at a kiosk these days.  I have heard a few people mention they feel the cards are only valid at Dorney, obviously untrue, so hopefully the messaging on that will get stronger in time.

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I am not sure why anyone would show up anywhere without having purchased tickets online beforehand, or at least researched purchasing tickets online beforehand... but if you do that at Dorney Park the gate price this year is $70.00.  As always, all the more reason to get a season pass, which is only $109.

 

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I also noticed that the main entrance turnstiles are no longer turnstiles!  Yes, as most parks have in recent years the area has been opened up with lanes for guests to easily pass through.   This makes stroller entry much easier and just makes sense considering most guests just have their phones scanned by the host as they pass by.  Also, and not a surprise, park maps are still a thing of the past as far as I can tell, with them not returning this year.

 

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The park has cleared the mini-stage that was in the middle of the Main Midway just past the Carousel, originally the location of a water fountain, then a planter, then a box stage.  This should help open up the area during Grand Carnivale which is smart.  This part of the park is quite busy during Grand Carnivale season.

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Like the other parks in the Cedar Fair family, Coasters Drive-In has had some renovations take place that make the restaurant much more efficient this year.  Plus, the food offerings are somewhat different and definitely improved.

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The inside of the restaurant features cafeteria style serving, akin to what you find at Tidal Wave Cafe in Wildwater Kingdom.  After the serving area there are 4 different registers that can be staffed, and beyond that a self serve drink station.  This is a giant improvement on operations, it wasn't crowded on my visit but I'm anxious to see how it holds up during the busy summer evenings.  

Food choices were also changed, but still include hamburgers.  Now there are other dishes such as meatloaf, hand breaded chicken tenders and pot roast as well.

 

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There is a chance that some items I note in this article were new last year, and I just missed them, but I'll mention them regardless.  I believe that Talon's on ride photos got a snazzy new sign. 

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The arcade on the main midway has been changed considerably inside.  This comes as Cedar Fair has partnered with an outside company to run the arcades at many of their parks, Dorney included.  There is new paint on the walls, all new games to explore, and a new prize area as well.  It looks great this year, and still serves as an excellent place to get a bit of air conditioning on a hot day.  Also of note, I think the same company is handling the vending style games that are located down by the gift shop across from Possessed.

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Also on the Main Midway is a brand new game, the Soccer Challenge, located next to the Wild Mouse's exit ramp.  Pretty straight forward game, kick the ball through the goal and win!

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White Water Landing has received love in the past few off-seasons, as the ride ages the park is spending considerable cash to keep it in tip top shape.  This year the ride's supports have been repainted a much darker shade than they've ever been before.

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The lighting on the day I visited was poor due to the cloudy sky, so here is a photo from last year that gives a decent comparison to the above photos - you can definitely see the supports rocking their new look.

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The Seasons of Fun marketing message is popular with many Cedar Fair parks, and I don't recall seeing it at Dorney before.  As the year just is getting started, we still have the hot summer season, the fun of Grand Carnivale, and spooky Halloween activity (spooky, thank goodness) to look forward to.

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A look at the live entertainment being offered in 2022 at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom.  The park should be proud, as the Uprights dueling piano show has really taken off and is now featured at several parks in the chain!  I could be wrong, but I think it originated at Dorney.

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The change in pavement here made me think something was new, and yes, this planter is new.  Why does that matter?  It doesn't, I just noticed it was different, then doubted myself, but then thankfully...

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Google Street View to the rescue!  The park has a lot of large mature trees, and unfortunately sometimes they get diseased and have to come down.  Such is life.

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Dorney has been making strides in upping the comfort level of the park, with additional seating in recent years.  They definitely took another step forward this year by adding these nice little covered seating areas for guests to relax in.  I spotted at least 4 of them, and did take a minute to relax at one.  Great improvement!

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I'm not sure if the more permanent sign about Thunderhawk being an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark is new or not, but it was new to me.  The ride will have its 100th season next year, and it's 100th anniversary the following year.  #bringbackthetunnel

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Stinger field is looking.... grassy.  And undisturbed in any way.  However I did notice that the park cleared the treeline that was bordering the entrance road, back behind that green fence you can see.  They planted some small bushes in place of the removed trees, some of which were pretty big.  

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And luckily because I take far too many photos of an empty field each year I have one from last year for comparison.  I put a rectangle around some of the trees you could see along the road that are no longer there.

Does this mean anything?  Maybe.  Probably not.  I'm not ready to get too excited yet... let's wait a bit longer.

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Monster got a brand new entrance marquee, looking good with the tentacle font!  I'd like to use the tentacle font to type these stories, if available please.

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The Whip had some work done to the roof, very noticeable as the facade that was applied to the top of the roof line was removed.  I'm thinking the roof needed some work, or the facade was just at the end of its life, but either way the building has a cleaner, simpler look now.  The inside got some new popcorn lights, I believe.  I adore that the park takes such good care of such a classic ride.

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There is a nice covered seating area (again, might have been last year) that is situated next to the ice cream and funnel cake outlet in the lower part of the park.  Plus, the park relocated the ice cream sign that was located at the soft serve stand which was removed a couple years ago.  That sign is very much a part of older-Dorney, nice to see it back.

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Last but not least, in fact probably most importantly, the park now offers six custom designed Made to Thrill posters.  Alfundo gets his own, Steel Force, Talon, Thunderhawk and Hydra each have one, and Hercules has one too!  Just so awesome.  I cannot reveal how many of them are already in my home!  They're exclusively available at the park, so make sure to grab one, or six, while visiting.

That's it for now, stay tuned for future updates this season!