Luna Park Review, Zamperla-Owned Amusement Park in Coney Island | New York's Best Amusement Park

Luna Park is the premier amusement park  in Coney Island. Spanning multiple areas,   this Zamperla owned park doubles as the company’s  showground as the Italian manufacturer has added   several prototypes over the years. Not only does  the park have some of Zamperla’s best attractions,   but it also features a rich history and  the legendary Cyclone roller coaster.   So should this amusement park be on your bucket  list? Find out in this review of Luna Park.   The current iteration of Luna Park opened in  2010. There was a former Luna Park that operated   at Coney Island a long time ago. This iteration  is on the site of the former Astroland theme park   that operated from 1962 to 2008. After Astroland’s  owners couldn’t reach a deal with the land   developer for the 2009 season, a series of  portable rides were brought in for the Dreamland   Amusement Park. But that was just a stopgap. In 2010, Zamperla won the bid to redevelop   Coney Island. They would open Luna Park on  Astroland’s former site and also take over the   operation of the Cyclone and B&B Carrousel. And  Zamperla has only continued to expand. In 2011,   Zamperla opened the Scream Zone with a series of  thrill rides. In 2014, the park added Thunderbolt,   a prototype Zamperla thrill coaster. The park  later added another block of amusements and in   2022, the park is adding an expansion with a new  log flume, family coaster, and ropes course.   The set-up of Luna Park is pretty weird. Rather  than having all the attractions in one boundary,   the rides are spread across 7 different blocks.  Further complicating things is the fact that   Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park is wedged between the  Luna Park’s largest section and the Scream Zone.   Many people erroneously visit Deno’s Wonder Wheel  Park trying to use their Luna Park wristbands,   which will not work as they have separate owners. Because of this set-up, Luna Park has countless   ways to enter and exit the park. So they  traditionally have had free admission.   This policy was suspended at points during  2021 due to covid-related capacity limits,   but guests typically can come and go as  they please. If you want to ride anything,   it can be pricey. You have the option to either  pay-per-ride or purchase an unlimited wristband.   The best rides will cost upwards of $10 alone,  so I always go with the wristband. This will cost   you upwards of $60-70 most days. In 2021, the  wristband was only valid for 4 hours of rides,   so I’m hoping the time limit  is relaxed moving forwards.   While the park is pricey, you get what you pay  for. Lines are almost never an issue here- even   on weekends- because of the high price point. Cyclone is usually a walk-on. In fact, it’s   sometimes problematic how few people are riding  this classic coaster. This is a back row ride;   however, you can only ride in the back car if  there’s enough riders to fill the front two cars.   And if the ride does happen to have a line,  you are not allowed to wait for a specific row.   I typically linger outside the main  entrance until enough people fill the train   so I can get the coveted back car. Thunderbolt and Steeplechase are   typically the two busiest coasters and their  waits usually hover around 10-20 minutes.   The rides I would advise hitting early  are two flat rides in the Scream Zone.   Unlike most parks where the Slingshot is an  upcharge, Luna Park includes it on the wristband.   And since it seats just 2 riders per cycle, this  line moves at a snail’s pace. The other one with a   dismal throughput is the Zenobio skyscraper ride,  which is my personal favorite flat ride there.   The only time I’ve encountered substantial waits  here was on Opening Day in 2018 when they had a $5   wristband promotion. Guests came out in  droves and the park was busting at the seam.   Operations here are excellent when a ride has  enough people queuing to fill the entire vehicle.   The coasters have large crews  and if the ride has a line,   they’ll load and check restraints  in the blink of an eye.   On quieter days, you may have to wait a bit  while the operator waits for more riders.   And that’s sort of frustrating here since the  wristband had such a strict time limit in 2021.   Luna Park has an electric atmosphere. The  main section feels like an upscale carnival.   And then this park’s unique placement allows  it to feed off the energy of New York City.   Seeing roller coasters literally built on a street  corner is a different and much louder aesthetic.   On the opposite end of the spectrum, sections  of Luna Park are connected by the boardwalk that   runs along the beach and Atlantic Ocean. It’s a  really scenic location for a park. Although it   does result in there being zero shade, so just  keep that in mind if you’re visiting midday.   Typically, I visit in the evening. Luna Park  has some of the latest hours in the industry.   The park is regularly open until 11 or midnight. I  also love the lighting packages on several rides,   most notably Thunderbolt and how the  entirety of its track is illuminated.   Moving onto the ride lineup, Luna Park has a  very interesting collection of attractions.   The park currently has 7 different roller  coasters with the 8th on the way in 2022.   The star is undoubtedly the Cyclone.  This classic wood coaster opened in 1927   and while the layout has been imitated several  times, none of the clones have been able to match   the intensity and power of the original. Thanks  to no seatbelts and just single position lap bars,   Cyclone allows you to feel all of its forces to  the fullest. Many of the drops in the back deliver   some great ejector airtime, while a handful of  the ascents up front gives some airtime as well.   And then everyone is treated to some of the best  laterals on any coaster. The lack of seat dividers   mean you’ll slide across the entire seat at  several points during the ride. And Zamperla   has invested quite a bit to retrack this coaster  over the past decade, which has it running like   a dream. This is a top 10 wood coaster for me  and I go into more detail in a separate review.   You then have 6 steel coasters. The  best of the bunch is Thunderbolt.   This super-narrow coaster has an exciting  and fast-paced layout with a vertical drop,   4 inversions, and several bunny hills. The initial  drop and bunny hills offer some good ejector   airtime and then the inversions all offer varying  degrees of hangtime. However, the restraints and   trackwork can result in an uncomfortable ride. The  restraints are extremely tight against your thighs   and the trains shuffle throughout the course.  Neither of these are dealbreakers for me since   the layout is so strong, but they are too much for  some. I go into more detail in a separate review,   but I think this is an underrated ride and I’m  excited for the future of Zamperla coasters.   Another often maligned coaster is Soarin’ Eagle,  a Zamperla Volare flying coaster. I’ve never had   an issue with these rides and this one is widely  considered to be more comfortable than the others.   I enjoy this ride’s sudden drops, forceful turns,  and hangtime-filled barrel rolls. And this ride   doesn’t beat me up so I can enjoy that layout. Steeplechase is a launched motorbike coaster.   The initial launch has more power than  you’d expect for a coaster of this scale   and the twisted layout mixes in a few  mild pops of airtime along the way.   Tickler is a spinning wild mouse coaster. The  ride was modified in recent seasons to start   spinning immediately after the lift hill, which  offers a different ride experience than the other   rides like this out there. It’s quite thrilling  if you can spin during the first two drops.   Then you have two junior coasters. The larger of  the two is the Circus Coaster while the smaller   one is Mini Mouse, which was relocated  from Central Park’s Victorian Gardens.   Luna Park as a whole has a nice collection  of kiddie rides. And then there are plenty   of flat rides for older guests as well. The best of the bunch is the aforementioned   Zenobio. This giant booster has a short cycle,  but it offers 3 rotations in each direction.   The second rotation gives some sustained  floater airtime with a flip while the third   rotation gives a faster flip. And then you also  get some decent positive Gs on the downswings.   Add in a stunning view of Coney Island and the  New York City skyline and you have a winner.   Astro Tower is an impressive looking drop  tower. While the ride’s height and rotating   tower offers an amazing view, this is arguably  the weakest adult drop tower I have ridden.   The drops were slow, offering  no airtime nor sensations.   Slingshot is neat how it’s included on the  wristband and if you’ve never tried one of these,   I’d recommend it here since it’s a $20-30  upcharge at most places. The launch,   while sudden, isn’t super forceful, but the  initial flip at the apex is very thrilling.   The B&B Carousell is a very historic attraction.  The ride has a beautiful facade and old-fashioned   horses, but the ride often runs without music  nowadays and it no long features the brass rings.   In the main section, you have a series of  spinning and pendulum rides to satisfy all tastes.   And there are four worth highlighting.   One, Luna 360 is a super forceful inverting  frisbee. This ride really piles on the positive   Gs on the downswings while having some  incredible hangtime on the inversions.   Two, Brooklyn Flyer is a rather  short but still scenic star flyer   because of its placement. The views of  the ocean and Coney Island are marvelous.   Three, Atlantic Aviator is an upgraded  Zamperla air race with added height,   improved visuals, and the same good  hangtime we’ve gotten accustomed to.   Four, Clockworkz is one of the new Zamperla  nebulaZ. This one has a short cycle,   but the near-misses and motion  of this ride are mesmerizing.   The park will finally get  a good water ride in 2022   with the new flume under construction,  although they are still missing a dark ride.   Hopefully Zamperla can add one in the future since  they’ve built them elsewhere around the world.   In terms of food, I typically visit the  restaurants on the main street or boardwalk.   Luna Park knows this is what most guests  do and they don’t try to compete with them.   They use their limited space entirely for rides. Lastly, I want to discuss parking.   Street parking is the cheapest option, but  it can be tricky between the availability   and parking rules. Typically, I pay $20 to park in  the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team parking lot.   It’s well-lit and located just off the  boardwalk down by the old Parachute Tower.   So do I recommend Luna Park? Absolutely! Coney  Island has a really unique atmosphere and any   amusement park aficionado needs to come  here sometime in their life. Cyclone is   an incredible wooden roller coaster and then  Zamperla has filled the park out with a wide   range of their coasters and flat rides. The  flat rides are universally loved and while some   of the adult coasters are polarizing, I genuinely  enjoy them and encourage you to give them a try.   I recommend 1/2 to a full day at Coney  Island. I’d skew towards a half day if you   only care about the coasters and more towards  a full day if you care about the non-coasters   and non-amusements as well. Most of your time  at Coney Island should be spent at Luna Park,   but I also recommend visiting Deno’s Wonder  Wheel Park and the Eldorado Auto Scooter.   So those are my thoughts on New York City’s Luna  Park. What are your thoughts on the premier park   at Coney Island? Do you think Zamperla has done as  good of a job as me turning this property around?   Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. If  you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you   gave this video a like and you considered  subscribing since there will be a lot   more roller coaster and amusement park videos  here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!

Channel: Canobie Coaster

Views: 21,990

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Id: ECA2vxd_QQM

Length: 12min 57sec (777 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 20 2021