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 Review of Giant Dipper @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
1 Rating Posted by: shag9004 on 11/18/2007 8:14:00 PM
Date Ridden: Summer of 2006 and Spring of 2007. Times Ridden: 4 with once in the front, once in the back, and twice in the middle portion of the train.
This ride needs a good review. I have been trying to post one per day so if anyone wishes to scan through my ride tracker and make a request feel free since Im out of school this week.
This version of the Giant Dipper is a wonderful and quaint old woodie with a gorgeous backdrop located right along the Pacific Ocean down in Santa Cruz. My first time out here was totally unexpected. We had spent half a day at what was then 6 Flags Marine World and were ready to go somewhere else. We had intended on a full day there but the weather was really warm and there was not much there other than Medusa. We checked the distance and decide it would be nice to make the trek up to the boardwalk and walk around at night. My gf told me about an old woodie that she had ridden as a little girl so I was excited about it. We didnt have but a couple of hours so we bought some tickets instead of the wristband. We each rode the other coasters as well as two rides on the Dipper itself. I was hooked from the beginning. What makes this ride a 9? Well, the opening drop down into the tunnel taking you to the lift hill was a unique experience for me. The ride is not overly tall or fast and does not contain a hint of roughness as some of the other reviews state. It is a smooth ride with small pops of airtime and some nice laterals. The ride itself probably scores more in the 8 range but I always like to take into account the setting of any coaster and this one gets a full point bump thanks to its locale. Our night ride on the very front was a great experience. The station is great. As the train enters from finishing the course, it is possible to high five the people waiting in line as they lean over the track. If you have been there you know what I mean. If not, it is tough to describe as it is not dangerous at all. If you are a lover of woodies and are in the vicinity you should not miss the Giant Dipper. I have since gotten another couple of rides as we are sometimes in the Santa Cruz area and stop in to get a quick ride since entrance to the park is free. We are hoping to get down there (or I should say up there I guess) and stay a couple of days to fully enjoy everything the park has to offer. This is definitely not the tallest or fastest, is not made of pre-fabricated wood, does not threaten to eject you from the train into the ocean beyond, but is still superbly maintained and a wonderful coaster experience. It gets a full 9 from me and lands in my top 10 list of woodies. Not bad for a coaster from the 1920s.
 

Review Comments

hrrytraver on 11/21/2007 12:23:32 PM said:
my impression is that this was sort of "vanilla" for fred church. now it stands out becuase it actually survived the coaster holocaust of the 50s and 60s, unlike the more frantic and fabled twisters like the CI tornado or the riverview bobs. so maybe freds more idiosycratic designs are left for myth, but man, id love to hop on this thing nonetheless. i love surviver coasters and most people report that the giant dipper is well kept and gives a sweet ride. this is actually a destination coaster for me. i hope to hit this when in cali in the coming springtime.
shag9004 on 11/21/2007 7:06:28 PM said:
I dont think I would use the term "vanilla". Although I have had much more thrilling rides on other coasters, there is just something about the Dipper with its oceanside location. Please do all you can to get out there to ride it (as well as the version in Belmont as well...review forthcoming) and you will be pleasantly surprised.
detroit_jc on 3/13/2008 5:12:40 PM said:
ironically last night i watched the movie Lost Boys. i believe this is the coaster featured in the film. but in the movie the city was Santa Carla & not Santa Cruz. Check out the movie & verify if i am correct in this.
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