I finally get the chance to review Hydra: The Revenge at Dorney Park. Hercules happened to be one of my favorite woodies of all time so I was hoping it would be good enough to replace it. I sat in 3 rows because I rode it 3 times. Front row, second row, and back row. The opening Jojo roll was brilliant. I have never been on a floorless with that type of opening. It pumped me up a lot for that ride. Then we made the turn and up the lift hill we went. The drop was excellent. One of the best for floorless coasters. You hit loops and corkscrews and Zero G Rolls which were awesome. The helix was great for this ride too. I did not think this was that fast or intense. When we coasted into the station I thought it was a good ride but not perfect or excellent either. So I gave it a good rating. I still wish Hercules was there and that this replaced Laser or something else instead but I still liked this ride. I will settle with an 8 which I believe is reasonable for this ride.

best in the back the drop rocks what else can i say it just rocked for a fourtenn year old i guess

It was a good ride. I liked the inversion before the lift it was fun. Then u go through the inclined dive "loop" it wasnt much of a loop to me it was more like a highly banked turn. Then u go to the second best part of the ride. The zero G roll which was the best place to take pictures of the ride and it was a fun part of a ride then u go through the next inversion then the cobra roll and then thats pretty much it. Thats where all the fun ends all the next part is is one corkscrew and a helix and an air hill which were all pretty lame and boring. Then the ride officialy comes to an end. The ride was a little short and had a boring end to it but it was still a very good ride and a must ride at dorney.

As I exited the Hydra station I just kept wanting for more. The ride was just decent at best and really left me pondering over the fact of why it just seemed so mediocre. So I thought about it element by element and have developed some theories. Starting from the jo-jo roll, this inversion wasn’t really necessary. It looks fun and intriguing while staring at it from the station, but I don’t like the blood rushing into my head feeling that it gives you. Make sure you empty your pockets as well. The first drop is surprisingly intense due to the fact that it’s very steep, but I prefer the swooping drop of other floorless coasters. From then on the ride just puzzles me. One inclined dive loop, one zero-g roll, one corkscrew, a funky-looking cobra roll, another corkscrew, some airtime hills, and a helix (or some sort of turnaround). Based on that the ride should easily be a great floorless coaster, but it just wasn’t. I think the problem with the ride is that you zoom through all of the elements so quickly, that they are impossible to enjoy. The zero-g roll didn’t feel like the one on Medusa because you rush through it so quickly that there is not enough time to enjoy it and pop out of your seat a little. The same goes with the corkscrew. As for the cobra roll, it looks twisted but wasn’t too impressive. The normal cobra rolls found on other rides are more enjoyable. After this disappointment with the inversions, the airtime hill also lacked what it promised, which is airtime. You get a little bit of floating time, but not any real toss-you-out-of-your-seat airtime. Afterwards you shot through another corkscrew and go through a turnaround which does not provide the intensity that it should. What looks like a very unique and fun floorless coaster just does not deliver anything worth bragging about. Give it a try, some people seemed to enjoy it, but don’t be too disappointed if you come off this ride wanting a little more.

Excellent steel coaster that is my favorite looping coaster to date. Replacing Hercules, Hydra looks great, with the track hugging the ground at points and then shooting up into a huge inversion. Well, despite being the new attraction on the year I visited Dorney and it being a Saturday, it had less than a 15 minute wait all day thanks to a 2 train operation and lightning quick loading. The whole ride was very smooth and much more intense than I anticipated. The jo-jo roll out of the station was very cool and gave great hangtime, and the first drop was pure madness and gave great ejector air along with being steep. All of the inversions gave good hang-time as well, especially the zero-G rolls. Also, the drop before the corkscrew is really sudden as well and gave good ejector air to boot. Definitely a great floorless, especially in the back seat.

A real surprise. After seeing how small the ride was going to be and all the so-so reviews I wasnt really expecting much. However, I was very impressed with this ride. The Jo-Jo roll is totally awesome as well as the other zero G roll and having finally been on a floorless with a zero G roll my suspicions have been affirmed that Dominator at Geauga Lake would be one of the best B&Ms in the world if it only had a zero G roll. Besides those two elements, the two corckscrews actually benefited from the lack of speed, really enhancing the floating sensation, a sensation absent on many B&Ms. The cobra roll is also very awesome as it appears to have been designed to come off as one fluid motion while many cobra rolls feel more like two seperate elements. To sum it all up, Hydra is one of the most unique looping rides Ive ever been on and is a welcomed addition to Dorney as it compliments Steel Force and Talon very well.

Finally time to review Hydra. As my second ride of the day I was still excited. There was no line and it was a walk-on for back row. I took an outside and was ready. The OTSRs were as comfortable as any out there and there was even a little bit of space to move. We opened up and the jojo roll was an excellent way to start a ride. Most people like me were excited for it. They even take pictures on it which was awesome. After that I was assuming for it to be an average floorless coaster. We went up the lift hill and everyone in my row went hands up. People screamed as we dropped { Not me I never talk on rides}. The drop was spectacular for an floorless coaster. All the loops and corkscrews were great. It wasnt that fast but it was smooth. I rode it two times in a row and on the second time it was a walk-on for front row. The beginning was great but after that everyone in my row got a dizzy feeling from the wind blowing on us. We got off and drank water which made us fine again. It was a strange dizzy feeling but it was still an awesome ride. The dizzy feeling just nipped it from a 10. Talon still owns the park though.

After reading the bleak reviews Hydra had been getting, I wasnt expecting much from the ride. What I was initially impressed with was the rides amazing color scheme...second only to Dorneys other great B&M, Talon. The ride almost glowed neon green. After taking a few pictures, I jumped in line and after a 1 train wait I was sitting up front head to head with the infamous jojo roll. The inversion is taken extremely slowly, but the hangtime is amazing and not at all uncomfortable as many have complained. Then for the drop, which to many enthusiasts dismay is a mere 100 feet. Now let me tell you, this little drop packs a punch, with some nice floater air the whole way down, until finally leveling off with some powerful forces and strong laterals entering the Inclined Dive Loop (which I personally consider to be an inversion after finally riding it). It was then on to the Zero-G Roll, which was fantastic. I did not touch the seat during the entire maneuver. Pulling out of the G-Roll came the enormous Flatspin, which also packed its fair-share of forces. The cobra roll caused the ride to lose a lot of its speed, unfortunately, but precious airtime was not entirely destroyed on the two hills that follow. Then the final flatspin dishes out yet another inversion and the ride meanders through a tame helix and into the brakes. Quite frankly, I am shocked that this ride has been receiving such dismal reviews. I was completely taken by surprise by this ride. The layout, the visuals, the interaction with the terrain, and the fierce line-up of inversions makes this one of my top rides. Maybe its just because this was my first floorless......but I doubt it. Though its not the most intense or wildest B&M out there, it is still a great ride.

UPDATE 2006

I am changing my rating to an 8. I still think it is a better ride than a lot of people are toting it as, but it definitely lacks in intensity. I see it as more of just a fun ride that pretty much everyone can enjoy, which is precisely what Dorney Park was shooting for

In my original review, made a few weeks after Hydra opened, I said it should be called "Hydra, the mildly annoying" rather than "Hydra the Revenge". I was wondering if it was a case of the actually ride not meeting my anticipation. Well, I rode this again this weekend... and no, it was not a case of "Anticipointment" for my first review... this ride really is that boring. It was almost like Ceadar Fair said... "Okay, we are taking out Hercules... we need something flashy to put in its place... but we dont want to spend all that money on design." The only thing memorable about this coaster is the fact that it has an inversion between the station and the lift hill (Personally, though, I preferred Hercules wild run from the station to the lift more than this). The only other thing memorable about this... for a B&M it is bumpy (not rough... just bumpy). Should have either kept Hercules, rough as it was, or put in a worth while coaster in its place.

INTRO:

Its hard to impress me. With all these huge coasters at Six Flags and Cedarpoint, I wasnt too sure that Dorney would have what I needed. Steel Force always catered to my liking, Talon was up there, but I really didnt do anything else... until this year, when Dorney released Hydra: The Revenge. Wow was I psyched when I heard about this... and finally they removed Hercules. A B&M Floorless was going in its place. Nice.

Well, opening day came, and I watched the reviews flow into different websites including this one. I read the majority of them...

Something had to be wrong.

Mostly everyone was saying "oh its a letdown" and "not too thrilling"... I was shocked. It looked so beautiful. I thought to myself "why am I basing this on other peoples opinions? Ill go ride it for myself".

And thats what I did on Tuesday, June 21st. I hit up Dorney Park.

THE RIDE:

When you first enter the park, you see this green monster towering above all else... or so I wished... its really small and slightly on the short side. Wow, could the reviewers be right?

I entered the queue with disappointment on my mind. It didnt help that no one wanted to ride it with me either. I strapped myself in the chair, sat my head back, and waited for the familiar "dispatch". The medusa-style floor dropout always impresses me. We start to roll...

roll over that is.

This is one of the main highlights of this ride... the JoJo Roll... it hangs you upside-down for just the right amount of time and then lets you loose around a corner and into the chainlift...

When you reach the top, its doesnt look too impressive, especailly if you went on Steel Force beforehand. But the drop packs a mean punch, especailly in the back. You get whipped straight toward the restraints and dont sit back down until youre getting sent around the "dive loop". This is somewhat bumpy, but the pure speed you have going around it is disorienting and extremely fun. Before you have a chance to catch your breath, another element comes up. The zero-g. This one might be the best one Ive ever experienced. Alot better than Medusas to say the least. After you get thrown into that one, you get whirled into a corkscrew with loads of speed to burn. Ive never felt a smoother corkscrew in my life. It was great. Afterwards, the tight cobra roll comes into play... Wow. This thing is wicked. I love it though. In fact, I love all of this ride. The first half is done...

The second half starts with a cool turn that takes you under the lift and swooping over a hill that provides loads of floater air. Youre pretty slowed down by now, but the second corkscrew is still intense... but very smooth. Then you slide into a helix which isnt too slow, but not too fast. Its just right to end the ride with a sweet finish.

When I hit the brakes, I needed to go on it again. The ride is nuts, and deserves more credit than what it is getting. I loved the ride more than anything else in the park, other than Steel Force. This is definately re-ridable.

OTHER DETAILS:

The color scheme looks even better from up close. The colors blend very well with each other. Also, the scenery is pretty cool in the front half with loads of shrubs and trees... When they take your picture, they take it in two places: one upside-down in the JoJo Roll and one coming out of the first corkscrew. Be sure to smile there.

Also, if you want a wicked ride, sit in the very back. Its my personal favorite and its also the wildest. If you want a good view and lots of floater air sit in the front. If you want a little bit of both the middle is the place for you.

Hydra is an excellent ride, do not miss it!
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