Coney Island (Luna Park / Deno's) Development Discussion Thread

They already have the star flyer, so a Zamperla drop tower with a similar height would be perfect!

Fixed

^How about the first ever Zamperla Flash Tower in the US? These rides look like they pack some huge ejector air!

Damn, I'm going to be in NYC the last week in March and it looks like everything will be closed. Might as well double up on the Scott's Pizza Tours..

...Or go to TKTS and get yourself a discount Broadway Show!

...Or go to TKTS and get yourself a discount Broadway Show!

Not my thing

Art? Music? Science? History? NYC has world class places for all of those! You can't possibly run out of things to do in New York.

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I don't want to detract from the main thread, but I've already got plenty of things I want to do while I'm there! I'll def reach out in a non-coaster NYC thread if I need more advice. Never been to NYC so I could probably just wonder around aimlessly and find things to do every day haha.

Since Great Adventure was running rides through December, I thought I'd have to a chance to hit up Luna and Great Adventure. I'm so clooose.

You did get a bit unlucky with the late Spring Break this year. Great Adventure and Luna Park are both opening later than normal.

Assuming you know this but Great Adventure opens April 1st. Can you extend your trip into the weekend?

So today Gencx24 and I decided to take a quick trip into Brooklyn for some rides on Cyclone and Thunderbolt. With no traffic Coney Island is about a 15 minute ride from where we live. It was a beautiful day so we figured why the hell not, it was also an excuse to head to the L&B for the best Sicilian slice in the world.

We arrived at Luna Park for opening and there was a moderate crowd at the park but no waits for the coasters. We rode each coaster twice for the cheap price of 40 dollars. Cyclone was running like a dream as usual, the airtime in the back seats were incredible as we were tossed over each hill. This coaster continues to deliever, even at its age. Now I know most people on here are not very fond of the Thunderbolt and I was part of that crowd the year it opened, but I must say it has grown on me majorily since. In the front it is a very, fun, forceful coaster. You just need to lean into the elements so you aren't thrown around like a car crash. My one complaint with today was the seating policy on both coasters, it was an empty day and the operators still wouldn't let us pick our seats, but it is what it is, this minor hiccup did not put a blemish on the day.

On our second ride of Cyclone as we were seated, Nick noticed a familiar face. ConeyIslandChris was living up to his namesake taking a spin on the Cyclone. After we exited the ride we met up with him for a quick chat. Overall it was a fun day to end my spring break on as the reality of work sinks in tomorrow.

Ahh there she is, one of my favorite landmarks in this city we call home.

I really like the post card look of this filter.

New ticket design

90 years of airtime.

Wonder Wheel

A look down the bordwalk. I hope Zamperla will add a drop tower to the park one day.

I don' remember this being there last year but I like it.

Endeavor. I would probably pass away on this.

The Bolt doing its thing.

Thunderbolt card

A different look at Thunderbolt. Does anyone know whats going in the big empty lot next door?

This turnaround is one of the more intense elements I've ridden.

The original. We've come a long way from hotdogs being 5 cents.

The nerve Burger King has putting that next to Nathan's.

More Cyclone.

Being from New York and being of Italian decent I can safely say L&B has the title of best Sicilian slice on planet earth.

Garlic crust, sauce on top and cheese underneath. Perfection.

Gotta top it off with some Spumoni. Thanks for reading!

Great update! I'm also a fan of Thunderbolt. We rode it last fall during a thunderstorm (which I assume was part of the theming) and I don't understand any of the hate this ride gets. We found it to be a lot of fun and perfectly smooth.

I rarely eat Sicilian pizza, but when I do I prefer L&B Spumoni Gardens.

Great update! I'm also a fan of Thunderbolt. We rode it last fall during a thunderstorm (which I assume was part of the theming) and I don't understand any of the hate this ride gets. We found it to be a lot of fun and perfectly smooth.

Its a extremely forceful ride, the first airtime hill out of the turnaround is nuts.

I rarely eat Sicilian pizza, but when I do I prefer L&B Spumoni Gardens.

Great update! I'm also a fan of Thunderbolt. We rode it last fall during a thunderstorm (which I assume was part of the theming) and I don't understand any of the hate this ride gets. We found it to be a lot of fun and perfectly smooth.

 

Its a extremely forceful ride, the first airtime hill out of the turnaround is nuts.

I may have missed this but were there any adjustments made to Thunderbolt after its opening year? I remember most of the people from the mini-East Coast trip in 2014 were not fans.

I agree with the Thunderbolt love.

Speaking of the turnaround element... I'm wondering if Zamperla actually ever created a name for this element? RCDB just list it as a Dive Loop but it's oh so much more than a typical DL.

It looks like a mini dive loop. The forces crush you into your seat and then it sends you flying with that first airtime hill.

I've lived in NYC my entire life and I've never understood the love l&b gets, if I poll the people I know results are 50-50 when it comes to people liking and disliking them so it's always interesting to me lol to me it reminds me of this...

Jcoaster, Genx24, really awesome meeting both you guys today! I still find it a little weird getting recognized out and about but thanks for striking up a convo. Always good to be able to put faces to screen names

I've been on a brief working-from-home stint while my kiddo is switching schools until they get the school bus situation sorted out, and one of the nice things about being able to do that is that I'm only a few exits away down the Belt. So I ducked out for a slightly extended "lunch break" today, got to Surf Ave around 11:45, found parking on the street literally right in front of the main Luna Park gates, and hoofed it down a few blocks to grab some Nathan's for lunch. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure. Two corn dogs and a regular fry later, I'm watching some test cycles of Thunderbolt run, and then the first few riders start taking that drop. Almost every train is being sent out with one or two passengers, so I walk over, pick up a ticket, and hop in the non-existent line. Sure enough, I end up with a train all to myself, front row, dead center. I agree with the rest of the comments above that this ride gets a lot of undue hate. The only thing I'm not really a fan of are the shoulder "seatbelt strap" restraints, they're unnecessary and end up slapping my shoulders on all the airtime moments. But other than that? Fantastic ride with a ton of fun elements. I only wish it was on an unlimited wristband so I could ride it over and over again.

Hit the boardwalk after and passed by the Endeavor. It called to me. I've really enjoyed this model as a fun counterpart to the classic Enterprise, and took another quick solo ride, arms splayed to the sides. If you haven't tried this yet I definitely recommend doing so. After this I made my way to the Scream Zone to check out what was running over there. Oh noooo, Soarin Eagle was down for maintenance. Whatever shall I do? Steeplechase appeared to be up and running, so I hopped onto a mostly-full train with an opening in the second-to-last row that was ready to go. Restraints locked and checked. Aaaaand... fizzle. Restraints unlocked. Re-locked. Re-checked. Aaand... re-fizzle. At this point, half the train gets off and leaves impatiently. The folks in the last row move up to the front row. I hop back one row. They try a third time, now with only three people on the train... and again a fizzle. The ride ops call it in at this point and the three of us are offered refunds, and amazingly they're processed promptly right there at the ride's entrance. Nice one.

I cut my way through Deno's (where the old scrambler has since been replaced with some Triotech simulator themed around zombies) and hit the main section of Luna Park for a few more quick flat rides that toss me upside down; Air Race and Luna 360 both deliver in the disorienting hang time department. 360 and these other mini discovery rides are so underrated. But a quick glance at the time on my phone, rapidly approaching 1, shows that it's time to revisit the legend for my first ride of the season (and hopefully not the last -- definitely want to make a habit of getting over here more frequently this year). I cut through the side streets and run through the queue to get to the Cyclone train still idling in the station... and wake up the ticket-taker from a poorly timed daydream! Tapped him on the shoulder as he was gazing off into the distance. "OH! You scared me!" "Good, guess I'm doing my job then!" It is still running in great shape this season, and the recent paint job has held up really well over the off-season. Just wish I could've taken last row instead of being pushed up towards the front. I seriously doubt me being in the last row would've caused it to valley. Oh well. Next time!

As I was heading towards the exits, the guy in front of me turns around and says... "Hey... Theme Park Review?!" I'm pretty sure I'm not getting mistaken for Robb >_> but sure enough it's Jcoaster and Genx24 who recognized me off of some of the pics I've posted on here over the years. We chat pleasantly for a few minutes on the sidewalk before I realize that my street parking is about to expire; then it's across the street to grab the car and drive east along the Belt once more. An all-too-brief diversion, but on such a beautiful day as today, one that was totally welcome and needed.

I've lived in NYC my entire life and I've never understood the love l&b gets, if I poll the people I know results are 50-50 when it comes to people liking and disliking them so it's always interesting to me lol to me it reminds me of this...

Most people that dislike L&B, don't like any Sicilian slices at all. Comparing the taste of L&B to Ellios is like comparing forces on an Intamin to a Pinfari.

I've lived in NYC my entire life and I've never understood the love l&b gets, if I poll the people I know results are 50-50 when it comes to people liking and disliking them so it's always interesting to me lol to me it reminds me of this...

 

Most people that dislike L&B, don't like any Sicilian slices at all. Comparing the taste of L&B to Ellios is like comparing forces on an Intamin to a Pinfari.

I wouldn't compare the taste of the two, just the look. I'll have to snap some photos of the Sicilians I normally order. L&b doesn't have enough cheese for me and the sauce is meh

Chris, I agree about Cyclone and Thunderbolt being on the wristband. At this point I wonder if it will ever happen. Im not even asking for a lot, maybe a special few days during the season where the major coasters are included with the unlimited rides.

Awesome updates, fellas. It's always pleasant to meet non-creep enthusiasts and sounds like yall were successful in that department.

I really need to do Coney this year. Its really easy for me to get to sans-car, I have just been too lazy to do it. Actually, that's only because if I took the local trains up there (way cheaper than Amtrak) it just takes looooong from Philly. But I could do a day trip at some point. Will I soon lose any window where its not *too* crazy on the weekends?

I've only been there once years ago, I feel like it was in late winter because it wasn't freezing but everything except Nathans was closed. I wasnt a full on geek at that point so I didn't care - we went for Nathans and to fart around and mission accomplished. But since Thunderbolt went up I always toss around the idea of heading up for a day trip (and maybe to see old friends who are in BK) I just need to get motivated.

Also, is it just me (or the pictures) but did Thunderbolt get seriously faded really quickly?

Awesome updates, fellas. It's always pleasant to meet non-creep enthusiasts and sounds like yall were successful in that department.

 

I really need to do Coney this year. Its really easy for me to get to sans-car, I have just been too lazy to do it. Actually, that's only because if I took the local trains up there (way cheaper than Amtrak) it just takes looooong from Philly. But I could do a day trip at some point. Will I soon lose any window where its not *too* crazy on the weekends?

 

I've only been there once years ago, I feel like it was in late winter because it wasn't freezing but everything except Nathans was closed. I wasnt a full on geek at that point so I didn't care - we went for Nathans and to fart around and mission accomplished. But since Thunderbolt went up I always toss around the idea of heading up for a day trip (and maybe to see old friends who are in BK) I just need to get motivated.

 

Also, is it just me (or the pictures) but did Thunderbolt get seriously faded really quickly?

Summers during the week are usually manageable. Avoid summer weekends, the park is slammed. I said that to Nick today that I thought the Thunderbolt severely faded.