Trip Report for Boomers/Dania Beach Hurricane
6/20/04
Crowds/Weather: Light/Cloudy-Showers

Park Rating

Clarisse: 2.75 out of 5
Clarisse’s Park Comments: Even though the coaster is called the Dania Beach Hurricane, the beach is nowhere near the coaster. The beach isn’t even visible from the lift hill on top of the coaster. (I wonder what would happen to the coaster if a hurricane actually hit it…)

At the ticket booth there is a plaque stating that the coaster has been in the Guinness Book of world records. A newspaper article explains that it had a coaster ride where the average age was above 65. The accompanying picture is really cute of the old timers riding it. The Boomers at Dania Beach primarily has go-kart tracks and a serious arcade. We didn’t ride any of the go-karts and I didn’t explore the arcade as much as I wish I did. I had fun though because ddr grabbed on to me and held me there. They have an unprecedented 4 or 5 ddr machines!

Mike: 0.5 out of 5
Mike’s Park Comments: This amusement complex has the small problem that there’s pretty much nothing I want to do here (outside of the coaster) and nothing within easy walking distance. There’s a go kart track and I think mini-golf and a an ok but not exceptional arcade. Nothing comes with the POP except unlimited coaster rides, so if you want to do anything else it’s going to cost you more money.

While this may work fine for them as a very regional joint, it leads to a problem for someone who just drove 4-5 hours from Orlando. Also, the reride policy is to force you to walk all the way around every time, and then they generally wait for a nearly full train. This is kind of a bummer when all you are doing is riding the stupid coaster in the first place.

Somehow, I like to think that if this wasn’t run by a corporate chain of “fun” like Boomers this would be a much more eccentric and interesting place to visit. As it is, we’re only coming back if we are passing through on our way to South Beach or the Keys, but that’s unlikely as we would be likely flying directly in for a trip like that.

Later in the trip, we would go to Timber Falls Adventure Park in Wisconson to ride their wood coaster, Avalanche. Timber Falls is a similar size to this Boomers, however, for $12 (the after 5PM special) at Timber Falls we got to ride Avalanche an unlimited amount of times, we got unlimited flume rides and unlimited mini golf on three mini golf courses. There is a Mexican restaurant next door and an upcharge Skyscraper. The Avalanche coaster allowed rerides if noone was in your seat, and dispatches didn't wait very long for anyone to show up. Timber Falls was a great tiny park, as a comparison to this Boomers.

On a final, unrelated note, Cla rode the coaster here (and then played DDR) in her pajamas. They are matching red pajama tops and bottoms, and are most certainly pajamas to anyone looking. On this topic Cla and I had some disagreement. I feel that wearing pajamas in public is um… the sign of a completely crazy person. Cla feels, on the other hand, that they are “comfy” and what’s wrong with wearing comfy clothes? Regardless of my disapproval, or of the rather amusing sight of a 32 year old woman playing DDR in red pajamas in an arcade in Florida, I was happy that Cla was, in fact, wearing the pajamas. It meant that she felt comfortable being her eccentric self again. In both Dollywood and Carowinds and their surrounding areas, the weirdly blank, occasionally malovent gazes we received had freaked us out enough that we had begun toning down our own slightly erratic and eccentric behaviours and practices. After experiencing Atlanta, Sarasota, Tampa Bay, Kissimmee and Orlando without any problem, we were becoming comfy again. Little did we know that Panama City Beach was just a few days away, where the crazy stares and confederate flag shirts would begin all over again…

Dania Beach Hurricane

Clarisse: 4.82 out of 5
Comments: There is some serious airtime on this coaster. I got flung out of my seat so forcefully the seatbelt dug into me. The bunny hills at the end are sweet. Its definitely good but I thought the coaster looks like it should be more fun than it is.

Mike: 4.5 out of 5
Comments: This very fun wood coaster offers some airtime, but is not as out of control as I would like and is situated over a expressway and go kart track, not the beach as it’s name suggests. This coaster is also hurt by the surrounding Boomers complex which offers pretty much nothing interesting to you or me if you're over 18.

Regardless, this coaster is probably worth your time getting down to if you are within the area and is even possibly worth a drive from Orlando. It’s just very unfortunate that there is NOTHING else to do after you’ve gotten your fill riding it.