Moreys Piers Discussion Thread

New Finale for The Ghost Ship

We have learned a lot since the Ghost Ship opened Memorial Weekend, and the ship itself has undergone a fair amount of change. Because the crew is made up of live bodies, they are always changing their behavior to present newer and scarier material to visitors. The flexibility that the crew has is a huge part in making sure the attraction remains compelling. We have been adding things to the attraction hoping to improve it, but one area that we agreed we blew it on was the ending…….. well, that is about to change.

 

Construction is underway on a new scene that will deviate from the rest of the attraction. Lead designer Russell Bethea has miraculously found some hidden space to create a horrific new finale. The scene is being built by Morey’s in-house spook therapist, Anthony Canzano and local hauntepreneur, Eric Prinz.

 

It is not too late however to make suggestions for what you feel should be included in this scene. Feel free to express any other ideas you may have, as this is live theatre and change is part of the recipe…

http://www.moreyspiers.com/blog/?p=259

I'm guessing this Ghost Ship business completely removed the mini-golf course that was in that building? If so, that's a shame.

Morey’s Piers to host Breakfast in the Sky media day aboard 156-foot high Ferris wheel

 

(July 13, 2010) Members of the media are invited to experience a new way of enjoying breakfast – aboard Morey’s Piers 156-foot high Ferris wheel, the Giant Wheel. On Thursday July 22 from 9:30-10:30 a.m., Morey’s Piers will host a preview of its new morning dining experience called Breakfast in the Sky!

 

Morey’s Breakfast in the Sky Media Day will feature a sampling of menu items, all hand-crafted by Moreys’ new Executive Chef Walter Jurusz. Dishes will include Shrimp and Lobster Omelets, freshly-made Belgian Waffles or Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs.

 

Breakfast in the Sky is the newest out-of-the-box idea from the creative team at Morey’s Piers. Guests will be whisked away on a dream-like adventure, leisurely soaring high above Wildwood on Morey’s Piers Giant Wheel as the sun rises, while dining on culinary delights complete with fine china, white linen tablecloths, and wheel-side service.

 

This unique breakfast experience was one of the last famous ideas of Morey’s Piers’ late founder, Will Morey, Sr. Years later, to sentimentally honor their father’s last whimsical wish, the second-generation Morey Brothers, Jack and Will Jr., have set the dream in motion.

 

Reservations are required at least 48 hours in advance for media. There is a maximum of 30 spots for members of the media; however there is not a limit for the media to view the event.

 

To make your reservation contact Joe Degand of Suasion Communications Group. Call 609-653-0400 x124 or e-mail jdegand@suasionmarketing.com.

http://amusementtoday.com/

New goal in life: eat a formal breakfast on a Ferris wheel.

Seriously, I must do this.

Breakfast in the Sky opened to the public on Friday, and this article gives a nice description of what goes on.

WILDWOOD - It's not exactly in the sky.

 

And they haven't really reinvented the wheel when it comes to having meals in odd places.

 

But a new attraction called "Breakfast in the Sky," debuting Friday about 16 stories up in a Ferris wheel (the Giant Wheel at Morey's Pier, at Schellenger Avenue and the boardwalk to be precise), is a spectacularly unusual place to dine.

 

For $75 per gondola for one or two riders - and $35 each for two additional guests - you can see greater Wildwood, clear down the coast to Cape May. And maybe even catch a glimpse of a few dolphins as you dine on gourmet fare, like shrimp and lobster omelets, smoked salmon, steak and eggs, or Belgian waffles. The menu even includes a down-Jersey option: a locally grown BLT with a fried egg on sourdough bread with herb mayo.

 

Casually dressed engineers secure riders in cars before lowering in a specially made, fold-down table.

 

The waitstaff then sets the table with a white linen tablecloth, heavy silver wrapped in a cloth napkin, and a weighted basket of condiments. Juice and coffee are brought to the table, along with a basket of pastries, croissants, and toast.

 

China plates covered with warmers appear swiftly, containing whichever selections were made from the seven-item menu when the reservation was booked.

 

Then diners are whisked upward to enjoy their breakfast in place at the top of the wheel. Only 16 of the wheel's 40 cars are used for the breakfast experience, which departs between 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. Fridays through Mondays. Regular service resumes when breakfast is over.

 

"It's been a dream of ours for a long time," said Jack Morey, who runs the three-pier amusement company with his brother, Will.

 

Their late father, Wilbert, came up with the sky-high breakfast concept while on vacation at a golf resort more than a dozen years ago. Jack Morey says it's the only amusement of its kind he's heard of employing a Ferris wheel. A "Dinner in the Sky" experience during a summer festival in Toronto in 2008 hoisted 22 diners at a time aboard a giant table via a massive industrial crane.

 

"My father talked about doing something like this in 1997. We came back from our trip, we talked about taking what we had to offer and turning it into an attraction that people could embrace when they visit here," Morey said after Thursday's inaugural run, which was open to reporters and Morey's friends and family members.

 

If early bookings are any indication, visitors are embracing the idea. The company began taking reservations in June, and bookings are already tight. Breakfast will be served through Aug. 23.

 

If all 16 cars are booked to capacity, 64 people can ride and eat at once.

 

Morey's executive chef, Walter Jurusz, brought in last summer to update and refine menu offerings in the restaurants and food stands on Morey's Piers, said creating the "Breakfast in the Sky" menu and creating the dining experience had been challenging.

 

Prevailing winds 160 feet above the boardwalk meant that everything from the heavy metal bread basket to the lidded jar to dispose of used sugar packets had to be well-planned, he said.

 

"It's a fabulous idea," Jurusz said. "But a lot of thought has gone into creating the whole experience, not just from my end of it but from the entire Morey organization . . . the carpenters, the engineers, the creative teams, it's taken everyone to put this together."

 

The chef recalled a Goldilocks-like experience in choosing the coffee mugs.

 

"I have five different mugs sitting on my desk right now. One was too big; one was too small; one was too light," Jurusz said. "It took awhile to get it just right."

Link

$75 doesn't seem like a bad price considering the food and the fact that it's at an amusement park. Hopefully the quality is as good as it sounds though. Hopefully this ends up being a successful venture, and if so, hopefully it will occur again next year.

Thats a great idea, if not a little pricey. It seems like it would be a grand experience to eat a gourmet breakfast aboard a ferris wheel.

I'm guessing the higher price point would be to make up for costs that were lost during the 2 hours or so that the wheel is booked for breakfast. I would absolutely love to try this some day... I hope they continue it!

I went to Morey's last night and went through Ghost Ship. They really did a fantastic job with this. I won;t repeat everything said in the other reviews, but I will say that the claustrophobic room was one of the coolest haunted attraction features I have ever seen. I really liked that part of the ship.

Been on the Ghost Ship several times now. First time I wasn't impressed, I guess I was holding it up to Brigantine Castle standards..... we went again on a Tuesday afternoon to take advantage of the 20 dollar POP, went on it when it first opened at 4 PM and thought it was much better. That clousterphobic thing is cool.

I'm going to be in Wildwood in October for a monster truck show on the beach, and I'm just wondering, is that GCI Woodie project complete?

I'm asking because I heard about it last year while I was in Wildwood, and I got real psyched about it, and since then, nothing came out of it...

I've been on Great White and Sea Serpent, both wonderful coasters (Yes...I said a VEKOMA BOOMERANGE CLONE was wonderful...), but the pier where Great Nor'Easter is is never open when I'm there...Can anybody tell me how much better it is than any other of Vekoma's "masterpieces"?

And I'm still bummed about Castle Dracula...That place was the best...

I believe Morey's is just starting to build the new GCI since they are starting the mini-golf deconstruction, (I think).

As for Nor' Easter, definitely one of the better SLCs out there. Minimal headbanging and an all around good ride thanks to the new trains. I reccommend sitting in the front, but it doesn't actually matter where you sit since any seat is relatively smooth-ish. Morey's really does a good job maintaining their coasters. Sea Serpent is almost a masterpiece, (or maybe a miracle...), considering how smooth it is!

Morey's Piers has sent us a press release abot the upcoming closure of their original Giant Slide known as "Wipe Out."

The Giant Slide at Morey’s Piers, known as “Wipe Out,” will officially slide into history as a memory following a “farewell celebration” slated for Sunday, October 10, from noon-2 p.m., at Morey’s Surfside Pier, located on the Boardwalk at 26th Street in North Wildwood.

 

The public celebration will include photo opportunities, a “Memory Lane” display of historical images, and an exhibit of future attractions. Morey mascot, Sunny C. Gull, will be on hand, and all attendees will receive a complimentary memorial postcard.

 

Through an online lottery system, 200 lucky sliders will have a “last chance” to slide down the Wipe Out. Also during this time, orders will be taken for a memorial piece of the slide for $50 each, with proceeds being donated to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) archive preservation fund.

 

The farewell ceremony will mark 42 years since brothers Bill and Will Morey spotted a giant 12-lane fiberglass slide operating near a shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the fall of 1968. Inspired by what they saw, the brothers purchased a similar ride, called it “The Wipe Out” and officially entered a life long passion in the amusement business.

 

For more information about Morey’s Piers, visit http://www.moreyspiers.com.

I'm sad to see a giant happy fun slide leave, but they ran that one so terribly that I don't think anyone will notice. The last two visits they've only been running ONE lane and it was just a joke.

Plus when there are super happy fun slides like the one at Strasswalchen in Austria no other ones can compare!

I have been to Morey's 4 times and also have never seen more than 1 lane open, it makes having even a few people ahead of you in line a long wait. I like that design with some space in between the drops more than the newer design that is usually 3 lanes and has a bunch of smaller hills but other than that I won't miss the slide.

Here's a video of the event posted on Morey's Youtube. It looks like they were only using two or three lanes. Seems kinda lame to not even open half of them when the whole event was based around the slide. The video also has a short look at the expansion with the coaster model too.

They're reporting the coaster won't open until 2013. Yikes.

http://www.amusementtoday.com/

KMG and Rides-4-U have confirmed that a new KMG Fireball will debut at Morey’s Piers, Wildwood, N.J., in March 2011.

 

KMG's Fireball (aka Afterburner) has proven to be quite successful for the Dutch ride manufacturer. The ride, which seats 24 riders per cycle, stands 78-feet-tall and reaches a maximum swing of 120 degrees in either direction. This new example of the popular attraction is expected to be a great addition to Morey’s Piers not only for its reputation with thrillseekers but also for the improved restraint system, which was developed jointly by KMG and engineers from Morey's Piers. This new system replaces the former over-the-shoulder restraint with single lap bars that offer increased rider freedom with the same degree of security.

 

KMG will introduce the Fireball's new restraint system during the IAAPA trade show (booth 4848). For more information, visit: http://www.rides4u.com.

^Wow, lapbars only, awesome!! Something cool to take a look at during IAAPA!!!!

I really like the direction the industry has been heading with less terrible restraints!

First of all, will it replace Maelstrom by any chance? (I think I'm the only person who doesn't hate Spin-Outs.)

Second, I can't wait to try out a lap-bar-only Fireball! I already love well-run rides of this type, but this rendition might be almost too much for me!

Someone needs to change the sub title of this thread to 'Piers to get Fireball'...

^Except in Piers case, it would be Fireball Whiskey.

I'm not familiar with the KMG fireball, are there other models?

I tried clicking the link and it just took me to the main Rides4you page.

^Try this one

KMG Fireball/Afterburner

Wow...I am just trying to imagine Fireball without OTSR - great idea, but holy crap would this be a wild experience!

Even better about this announcement is perhaps it will decrease the loading time where they don't have to staple people in to get that little light to light up.

While I love 'The Claw 'at Hershey, that ride has one of the worst loading times I have ever seen for a flat. You might have three switchbacks and think it's going to be short line and then it ends up being a half hour because they are always trying to staple someone in to get the light during loading. Fail.

Yeah, we are very excited about our new attraction. Still working on a name... any suggestions? Email me at nick.lassor@moreyspiers.com any time.

PS Did anyone make it out to experience the Ghost Ship? What are your thoughts? Anything that you would like to see next year?

The Fireball is my ABSOLUTE favorite flat ride. We were at the Coastal Empire Fair and rode the one there 4 or 5 times. Without shoulder harnesses - epic! Great job!

David

Especially love them with the strobes and lights working and loud music. I remember the first time I rode one, it actually made me nervous, and Chemical Brothers was playing! Just awesome.