Dorney Park’s Creepy Defunct Boat Ride: Journey to the Center of the Earth

[@standepain]

Loved this ride. Next to the Dutchman this may have been my favorite. Was so bummed out when I went to the park after a few years and saw it gone. That spider thing scared the hell out of me the first few times I saw but grew to love it really fast. Only bad thing was the ride was crowded and did take a long time to just get on the thing but it was worth it.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Oh that's awesome. 😅 It seemed like a good time!

[@don63]

Loved Journey & Bucket of Blood when i was a kid.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thank you for watching my 1,000th video about a boat ride

[@iamagamer_007]

Thank you for posting these kinds of videos and sharing information about parks/attractions that may have otherwise been forgotten about and/or lost in time.

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@iamagamer_007 It's always a lot of fun to dig into these topics!

[@AdventuresWithParker]

I’ve heard about this ride in passing but never knew much about what it was all about! It looks like it would’ve been a fun attraction, and with Dorney being a park that holds their history in such high regard, I think it would be awesome to see a modern take of this attraction.

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@AdventuresWithParker I was thinking that! I wouldn't be surprised if they honored it in some way down the road.

[@SavoirRare]

I grew up in Allentown in the 70’s and rode it many, many times. It is sorely missed. But I’ve lived for over 20 years in Pittsburgh, and our amusement park Kennywood has a very similar boat dark ride, albeit without the drop at the end. It’s also probably twice as long as Journey was. The coolest thing about Journey was the dragon’s red eyes at night and the curved drop at the end. I’ll always remember it fondly.

[@StorybookAmusement]

There's a brief clip of Kennywood's Old Mill toward the end! Gotta appreciate what's still there. 😌 Thanks for sharing your memories!

[@SavoirRare]

@@StorybookAmusement You’re welcome. Something else that was interesting is that the ride was right next to a house in which a member of the Ott’s or Plarr’s family lived. You can see it in some of the photos. It was obviously also located under the main drop of Coaster. All of us kids growing up found it so bizarre that someone could actually live in that house full time with all the screaming and continuous ride noises. I have a feeling that it isn’t the only family-owned park (at the time) that had homes like that. Maybe a future video topic for you to research, as I’ve never seen one on the subject online. It was always so bizarre to be going up the lift hill and looking down at their roof. I know some kids made it a game to leave a “gift” as they rode by. I’m sure the family had to make yearly repairs to the roof at the end of every season, or at least inspect it for the harsh, brutal Lehigh Valley winters. Thanks for bringing back some great memories!

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@SavoirRare Sorry, I didn't see this until just now. This is really interesting! Thank you for the insight.

[@Jason_Moorhees]

Thank you so much for this video. It actually made me emotional since I remember riding this ride in the 80’s until 1992. Like you state in your video, the ride closed without warning and many changes came to the park. It wasn’t until many years later that I learned the park was sold and that was the reason for so many changes. The old videos and pictures featured in this video reminded me of other rides in that same area of the park that I had forgotten about. I was recently there this past weekend for a company picnic and Halloween Horror Nights. It was the first time I was back in 15 years and I was overwhelmed by all the changes since my last visit. I was feeling nostalgic and was mentioning things at the park that no longer exist to my companions. Journey to the center of the earth was one of those rides that I will never forget and why I searched for a video showcasing it and found this. Again I appreciate this very much. I wish there was a way for someone to do a video on The Meteor which was later changed to The Iceberg. Or maybe it was the other way around? It was a teacup dark ride with Scrambler elements. Inside it had a disco vibe with strobe lights, disco ball and it played popular music as you rode it. Sadly there isn’t any footage of this ride that I can find. One of many casualties of the Cedar Fair acquisition.

[@easynhonest]

Thanks for compiling that historic information on that classic ride and park. Yes it was heart breaking to learn they got rid of Journey to the Center of the Earth, but I was devastated when they also tore down The Giant Alfundo 🤡 marquee @ 6:18 and the Skooter bumper car Coaster station along with the tunnel. I'm still bitter today.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Of course! I was really intrigued to learn Cedar Fair completely changed the location of the entrance. I can't think of another park that changed its entrance _so_ drastically in somewhat recent history. It feels like a bit of Dorney Park died when the Alfundo marquee left.

[@SavoirRare]

@@StorybookAmusement I still want to know if they saved the giant juggling Alfundo from the old entrance. No one seems to know. At least one news article from the day says yes. The “sign” they said that was destroyed when it was taken down shows a different image of Alfundo on a steel pole. I seem to remember that there was a big billboard on Hamilton Blvd. that featured the balls and Alfundo from the entrance but I haven’t been able to find an image of that anywhere, which really surprises me; it would’ve been an obvious “Alfundo has been moved from the park entrance to the highway” promo image. If it was ever up there, I have a feeling that they just didn’t have the room and Cedar fair didn’t bother to save it. That image was a huge part of hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. I haven’t been back to the park since they changed the entrance, which is now decades, and I don’t regret it in the slightest.

[@Jason_Moorhees]

@@StorybookAmusementthere used to be two entrances. There was the main entrance at the top of the hill and a second entrance with its own ticket booth at the bottom of the hill where Steel Force now stands. You used to be able to come in the back way and park in that back lot behind Thunderhawk before Steel Force was built. I liked that because it was less crowded and it was easier to leave the park at the end of the day. The park’s Human Resources department is located back there and I think the parking lot is just for employees now. I could be wrong. But I think a revamped main entrance came about when Cedar Fair decided to combine the amusement park and water park and they pushed the “two parks one price” campaign. Either way I will never forget that secret back entrance and secondary ticket booth.

[@adifferentanimal1250]

When I was a little kid I was terrified of this ride, especially at night. I remember being so scared that two girls in line offered to wait with me while my parents went on it. In the Summer after 4th grade I was ready to face my fear and ride it alone, but they took it down. It was great watching this video though! Thanks for putting the work into it!

[@skidawg79]

I loved this ride! I once convinced my little sister that there were care-bears inside so she would ride. She was deathly afraid of things with glowing red eyes. needless to say, she was so mad at me the rest of the day lol 30 years later....she still loves me 🙂

[@StorybookAmusement]

😅 I love stories like that haha

[@olivelucille]

I’m so happy I found a Dorney video. I rode this ride once as a kid but I remember it so well. I also worked at the park for 3 summers in the 90s. It’s nice to get a bit of home while now living in Tampa FL.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Ah neat! Glad you enjoyed!

[@carrie-annmohr7684]

I first rode this ride with my dad as a toddler in the early 60's. The only time I remember being concerned was when the floor of the boat would have a puddle - "Daddy, I think our boat is sinking." Anyway, it remained one of my favorites along with The Wacky Schack, The Gold Mine, The Iceberg, Bucket of Blood, and of course the Coaster - up until Cedar Fair took over and ruined everything. 😫 Thank you so much for this lovely video, though!

[@Dave_Stubbs31]

Thanks so much for sharing this video! In the 80's, this was my absolute favorite ride at Dorney Park! I would go every year to my Mom's work BBQ held in the pavilions there at the time and my friends would always meet up at the beginning of the BBQ to go on Journey to the Center of the Earth first! It was a great ride, fantastic nostalgia.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Ah those sound like great memories!

[@SEJ101]

That drop on the chute genuinely looks so fun with that curve in it, awooga we were robbed

[@StorybookAmusement]

It's like ooOoo we're going straight down WHOOP JUST KIDDING we're going to the right!

[@toplaycool21]

I have been going to Dorney since I was a baby. I have no memory of Journey to the Center of the Earth because it closed when I was 3 years old. My earliest memory of Dorney Park was one of my mom’s friends at the time taking me on the Ferris Wheel and seeing the views of Thunderhawk’s old station (it was still there after Cedar Fair’s purchase but not for long), Laser next to Tot Spot, and Hercules. That was 1993-1994 era when my memory of Dorney Park started kicking in.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Sounds like good times!

[@toplaycool21]

@@StorybookAmusement it was. It was Dorney’s more simpler days. I remember going on the Cedar Creek Cannonball to go to Wildwater Kingdom and berenstain bears area. I feel like once Steel Force came into the picture in 1997, that truly set the stage for where Dorney is today because 1993-1996 had some changes but nothing groundbreaking. It was still a simpler park then.

[@ElleCee62978]

There used to be dummies playing cards on this ride. I remember riding it in maybe 1981-82 with my uncle. I was devastated when they took it out. That and the Iceberg.

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

Dorney Park sounds so cool, and this ride sounded and looked awesome! Too bad I don't have any theme parks near me, because I ADORE learning about theme park history. The closet parks to me were Six Flags New Orleans and Six Flags Astroworld and both closed when I was very little. As for both Cedar Fair and Six Flags, I get super frustrated hearing about neat original stuff they made being replaced by either roller coasters or ESPECIALLY Looney Tunes/DC Comics/Peanuts IP. Especially the original mascots for the parks, such as Cyrus Cosmo for Six Flags Over Texas, all of the Great Adventure mascots, and Marvel Mcfey and his Enchanted Animals [designed by Rolly Crump, based on Micki McClelland's concepts. Had Six Flags just paid McClelland the royalties, the lawsuit wouldn't have happened and Marvel and friends could've at least stayed until the park's end]. And while I'm a 2000s person, I think the Hanna Barbera theming was a better fit for King's Island and King's Dominion then the Peanuts. But on the positive side, I'm glad Cedar Fair brought Knott's Bear-y Tales back. On a different theme park note, I discovered that the classic book The Little Prince has a park in France called "Le Petit Prince Parc" and it looks EPIC! There's so much attention to detail and theming from the book, that I wish parks from the US were more like it.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Yeah the U.S. parks usually lean a bit thrill-heavy with generally light theming. There's a ton of potential out there. We'll see how that Six Flags/Cedar Fair merger turns out!

[@RYMAN1321]

I just found your channel and subscribed! This was a nicely put together video. I was born in 1995 (a few years after Journey was demolished so I never got to see it in person) and went to Dorney Park many times as a kid. I remember hearing a lot about this ride but until recently just decided to look more into it. It looked small, yes and I can understand now why it was eventually removed but it still looked neat overall. Granted I do feel Thunder Canyon and White Water Landing are adequate Shoot the Shoot rides.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thanks so much!

[@bradye21playsIndieHorror]

That facade is awesome! Wish they kept that up at least.

[@StorybookAmusement]

That facade was what piqued my interest on this topic. So well done!

[@michellepodgurski4500]

Loved this ride!!!❤ also i miss Dorneys bumper boats!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Oh those looked fun!

[@scottin360]

Really interesting history of Mill Chute and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thanks for watching!

[@wendymccoy1093]

just discovered your channel and love it! Keep up the good work!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Well thank you so much!

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Loved learning about the theme park history #DisneyDiva ❤

[@Sareil]

I remember riding this as a child. Would go on it with my siblings and my brother would try to scare me.

[@StorybookAmusement]

That's what siblings are for I guess 😆 That's funny

[@darkridearchive8626]

Amazing video!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Well thank you!

[@marchingbandtakemebythehan1887]

Question: where did you find the picture at 3:39? it’s a great historical photo and i’d love to see more of it! great video btw!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Hello! Thank you. That picture can be found on this website: carouselhistory.com/philadelphia-toboggan-co-ptc-carousels/

[@marchingbandtakemebythehan1887]

@@StorybookAmusement thanks! I know this website well haha!

[@jasonwolfsen8757]

Cedar Point ruined Dorney Park. It was great until 1992. They removed all the original themed rides, cut most trees down, the fun original water rides, and replaced everything with pavement and generic rides / roller coasters.

[@Booth81]

Create a motto for Cedar Fair. I’ll start with a few: “Theming? What’s that?” “We really only care about Cedar Point.” “Giant and Generic!”

[@StorybookAmusement]

I can’t argue it too much 😅 but Copperhead Strike kinda breaks that form, and hopefully Iron Menace too!

[@MrDisneyguy]

@@StorybookAmusementdon’t forget worlds of fun and Zambezi zinger, nothing groundbreaking, but certainly an improvment

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@MrDisneyguy Certainly! I love the little safari overlay it has. Definitely better than nothing.

[@brandonpiazza6210]

Was that a golden zephyr ride towards the end? I know there aren’t many of them! 😱

[@StorybookAmusement]

Yes! Dorney Park had some rare gems back in the day.

[@Talesoftheokefenokeefan09]

What replaced this ride????/what’s in that spot now????

[@StorybookAmusement]

I'm not a local to Dorney, so I'm not too familiar with the details. But I've gathered that it's just an improved midway there near Thunderhawk (the wooden coaster). It was mostly removed for being low capacity and high maintenance. Cedar Fair I guess didn't want to invest in it early on.

[@henrykujawa4427]

@@StorybookAmusement-- "High maintenence" was the exact same excuse used for the closing of "The Alpine Sleigh" ride in Astroworld in Houston Texas. I visited that park 3 times in 1971, and later found it was influential on other parks' expansions, notably Hershey Park in hershey, PA. I recently saw a half-hour video on the history of Astroworld, and what happened at the end actually made me CRY. After being sold several time, a big corporation bought it, with the ambition of owning as many parks as possible. Then they had business reversals, and had to SELL many of their bought parks. Astroworld wound up being closed down, and TORN down-- leaving NOTHING like it for people in that huge city. And the demolition cost more than when it was built in the first place. CRIMINAL.

[@standepain]

Sadly nothing replaced it. Park is almost unrecognizable to what it once looked like. ...well before Cedar Fair took over.

[@coyoteartist]

So Disney after a fashion inspired the park to have this ride and years later a Disney park would have it's own.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Time is an endless circle

[@loriwalck8818]

I liked that ride

[@StorybookAmusement]

Oh good! I'm sure you have great memories there.

[@henrykujawa4427]

I believe I saw the 80s "improvements", once. They weren't. If someone wanted to "improve" the ride, the boat tunnel could have been extended, possibly to twice the original length, and the visuals inside should have been made closer to the novel, not COMPLETELY-ignoring it. The comments near the end about the ride being "low volume" says it all. The NEW OWNERS just wanted to make more money faster. Bastards. The company spokesperson having the last name "Blueblood" is just head-shaking.

[@henrykujawa4427]

"Thunderhawk"-- sheesh. Simply calling it "The Coaster" may have been generic, buit also made it unique. Crazy enough, it's not the original. 1960s brochures advertised it had been "RECENTLY COMPLETELY REBUILT". No kidding! If you walked around the base of it, you cold see where original anchors were still embedded in the ground, no longer attached to anything. (That was decades ago.) If somebody WANTED to "maintain" "JOURNEY", they could have. I hate any time faceless corporations buy out things they had NO HAND in creating.

[@rywolf01]

When you could do what you wanted with your before all those regulations and nosey neighbors set in.

[@maggs131]

I had to turn the volume down and turn the captions on. This is what someone trying to hard sounds like. Id rather pour molten glass in my ears

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

What an asshole comment.