Car rides are often times loved by kids, but not so much by adults; however, I can appreciate a good car ride, and Thunder Alley isn’t half bad at all. Located in the Storyland section near the front of the park, Thunder Alley quite simply put looks great. The park has landscaped the piece of the land the ride occupies very nicely, concealing the layout from view prior to riding. But what really impresses me are the cars which are beautiful in my opinion. Themed to sports cars, each has a vibrant paint job that really stands out and appeals to the eye.
Also in terms of waits, the last time I visited this park was way back in 2000, and I only rode this once with a 5 minute wait, so I really can’t say what the general wait is today. I can guess though that it must be considerably longer since its including on the list of attractions that the park includes on their Flash Pass virtual queue system. Also, I can see why longer lines can be possible for this attraction since back in 2000, the park didn’t have all that many cars on the track, leading to long intervals between dispatches, which is a recipe for disaster on a busy day.
Onto the attraction itself, I really like the layout. It’s nice, relaxing, and a joy to drive thanks to the various twists, turns, and a cool, little bridge towards the end of the ride. While the course in undeniably nice, it’s over far too quickly to be a truly great attraction. Along with that, riders are unable to control the speed of the car as with other car rides. Despite the cars being automatic, the cars definitely travel at a good clip, and the steering is smooth as it should be.
Thunder Alley is a fun, little car ride that looks great, but some shortcomings really hold this attraction back. Namely, it’s the attraction’s unbelievably short length, but the inability to control the car’s speed also plays a role. But the attraction does have its positives in the good layout of what’s actually there and also how great the attraction looks, especially the sleek sports cars. In the end, Thunder Alley equates to an average car ride worth checking out if time allows it while at the park, but skipping it isn’t the end of the world.
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