Home > Ontario > Marine Land > Dragon Mountain > Review Comments


 Review of Dragon Mountain @ Marine Land
0 Rating Posted by: Canobie Coaster on 12/24/2010 12:09:00 PM
Despite how I pretty much had an all-around awful day at Marineland, there are two reasons that I may possibly make a return trip in the future. One was their incredible S&S triple tower, Sky Screamer. And the other reason would be for Dragon Mountain, the park’s 27 year old Arrow terrain coaster that is shockingly pleasant considering its age and the manufacturer.

Nestled in the back right corner of the park, Dragon Mountain’s sprawling layout is almost entirely concealed from view due to the ride hugging the ground, traveling through several tunnels, and flying by a myriad of trees. Because of this, anticipation mounted prior to hopping in line since I heard the terrified screams of riders and the roar of the track, yet I did not see the ride itself. That changed once I entered the coaster’s line since I then saw one of the ride’s beautiful trains navigating the heralded bow-tie element.

Onto the ride’s queue line. After making my way through a long winding path through the woods, I then entered Dragon Mountain’s massive and iconic dragon-head entrance. Pictures simply do not show the sheer size, scope, and detail of this impressive sculpture. It just has to be seen in person! Once entering the dragon-head, an incredibly dark tunnel leads to the dimly-lit station. While I personally thought that the lack of lighting definitely added to the ride’s mysterious atmosphere, I saw several people crashing into walls and struggling to reach the station, so just be careful.

Dragon Mountain turned out to be a walk-on when I visited for every seat except the front. The front row typically was a one or two train wait. Being how Marineland is such a poor park and the fact that you probably are going to record several rides on this coaster, I definitely recommend trying the front row at least once. Also, for those with long legs, definitely grab the front row since there is twice the leg room due to the colossal dragon head on the front of the train. With that said, I personally liked the back row best since it was the most intense. Now when I mentioned that Dragon Mountain had a beautiful train, I was not kidding. Sporting an intricately designed dragon head on the front of the train and flames along the sides of the train, Dragon Mountain’s train is definitely one of the most unique and marvelous trains that I have seen at any park.

The ride itself begins with an incredibly slow climb up a gigantic hill. On the way up, I marveled at the lush landscape that surrounded the train. Upon cresting the long lift (it literally took 1 and a half minutes or so), there is a quick turn and then the real action begins. Dragon Mountain starts it off with a very good, steep first drop. Like most Arrow coasters, the first drop provided a sensational moment of ejector air. Without giving me a chance to catch my breath, Dragon Mountain navigates two intense vertical loops, back-to-back, in rapid fire succession. Both loops had fairly strong positive Gs to boot.

Following that, Dragon Mountain enters a fairly mundane middle portion. This middle section begins with a downward helix housed within a crater. While I thought that the crater was a nice touch, the helix overall just wasn’t very good. It certainly was not rough; it was actually smooth. Unfortunately though it is taken far too slowly to provide any real thrills. Following the sub-par helix are a couple of rough transitions that give some acute jolts of head-banging. Now this head-banging does not ruin the entire ride; however, after four consecutive rides I had a minor headache from the cumulative beating.

Finally, Dragon Mountain slowly creeps into a pitch-black and incredibly long tunnel. Midway through the tunnel, there is a sudden drop that completely caught me off-guard. The drop gave a good pop of air-time in the back of the train. Then I saw the end of the tunnel approaching and Dragon Mountain’s last surprise- the bowtie. Immediately after exiting the tunnel, Dragon Mountain swiftly executes its unique and very disorienting bowtie element. Much to my amazement, this element was glass-smooth, which is a real shock considering the manufacturer’s infamous pedigree. Following that, the train returns to the station, ending the ride.

Overall, Dragon Mountain is a pretty good coaster that was one of the few highlights of my trip to Marineland. Despite the boring middle section and some pesky head-banging, Dragon Mountain is a really enjoyable coaster thanks to the thrilling inversions, two excellent drops, and the ride’s stellar setting. Again, this head-banging wasn’t a bother following my first ride, but after four consecutive rides I had a minor head-ache so I would try to avoid riding this beast several times back to back. With that being said, no visit to Marineland would be complete without Dragon Mountain, as it is not only a great coaster, but it is also one of the few redeeming qualities at an all-around awful park.

Times Ridden: 4
Favorite Seat: Back Row (7:2)
Best Part: Final Tunnel
 
Post Review Comment
You must login or create an account to post a review comment.

 
Clicky Web Analytics