What's it like to ride Waldameer's Rocket Blast? Our experience on new 'water coaster'
A warm, late-morning sun is shining on Waldameer Park and Water World.
Water World opens at 11 a.m. By 11:30, a line stretches to the base of the 113-step tower that guests climb to the top of Rocket Blast.
The ride has been open at the park in Millcreek Township for nearly a month now. On 80-degree days like Tuesday, a new raft embarks on the 800-foot cruise every 30 seconds, stiving to keep up with foot traffic on the tower.
Rocket Blast is the main attraction on this day, and on many days.
The feedback from riders? Overwhelmingly positive.
Water World’s new summit
Those 113 stairs take Rocket Blast’s challengers 67 feet in the air. At the ride-s peak, two to four passengers climb aboard a raft that resembles one built for navigating rapids.
The climb is long but so is the line. The view at the summit is worth it, though, offering scenes of Lake Erie, Tom Ridge Environmental Center and a tangled web of waterslides below.
A series of surprises
Rocket Blast has speed ― a lot of it.
Speed builds after an innocent take-off. Less than 20 seconds after departure, riders are propelled up a ramp and subsequently splashed, providing the “water coaster” effect on which the ride was billed.
That feature was a favorite among riders on Tuesday.
“The best thing about it was probably when you go up and then straight down,” said Aiden Daughter, a 10-year-old visiting from Madison, Ohio. “The water would come back onto your head and body; it was so fun.”
The slide re-generates speed at three different ramps, soaking riders before plunging them back toward the ground. The hills are connected by smooth, winding spans of yellow track that keep passengers guessing until they spill into a pool at the bottom.
“I think going up the hills (was the best part) because you get really wet,” said Amy Cohen, 48, from New Wilmington. “I wasn’t expecting that the first time.”
Lengthy ride
At roughly 50 seconds, Rocket Blast is the park’s longest water ride. Its hills keep riders off the ground for longer than gravity would otherwise allow.
But remember – it’s fast.
“It goes quick. It’s quicker than what you think,” said Mike Kyer, a 61-year-old rider from Warren, Ohio. “By the time you get up the steps to it you need to catch your breath, but after that it’s a lot of fun.”
Rocket Blast is Water World’s new centerpiece, its tower raised a stone's throw from the park entrance. It’s a water slide, but it’s not like the park’s other dozen-plus water slides.
Perhaps 20-year-old Kwame Washington said it best.
“It’s like a water roller coaster.”
History: Ever-evolving Water World expands appeal for Waldameer Park
“It was worth it”
Rocket Blast cost $7.5 million in total, Waldameer President and General Manager Steve Gorman said.
The ride welcomed 45,000 riders in its first 22 days. It’s hard to tell whether the ride has attracted people specifically, Gorman said, but it’s often the first attraction chosen by guests.
“I see a lot of people re-riding, which tells me they enjoy it, and all ages, too,” Gorman said. “The challenge is over, it’s installed and now operating, and we’re pleased with the performance and the reception.”
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter@realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Waldameer's 'water coaster' Rocket Blast a hit among guests
