Written by Michael Coutermarsh
Edited by Mack aka Pubman
The day is finally here where Canobie not only opens for the season, but has its one day sale. I got off to a slightly late start but managed to get to the park about 5 past 11, just after park opening. I quickly parked and made my way to customer service to buy my season tickets. Canobie has no season pass but instead sells discounted tickets good for the entire season. I bought 3 for $81 dollars and used one to get in to the park.
The first thing I noticed is that security was doing bag checks. This was a first for the main season though it was done the last 2 years during Screeemfest. I expected this though and even talked about it before hand with friends. The screening was quick and really didn’t slow down entrance to the park.
I made my way to Equinox. It’s my tradition to hit the newest ride first. I got in the queue line which is horribly set up. There was a 2 cycle wait which wasn’t bad but the rock music blaring from the rides speakers were a bit too loud and ear piercing! So I got on and made my way to my seat.
My God this is uncomfortable. The seat is only a small pad that goes between your legs. The shoulder restraints would be fine, the belt like shoulder harness is great, but there is an extra bar. This bar is an angled plate of steel with no padding that jabbed straight into my ribs. The ride itself is pretty intense, but there is no sense of direction; you’re just everywhere. I want to try it again which never happened this trip since the ride went down early afternoon.
I made my way to Dodgems and then to Zero Gravity. I group of teens were talking about how they thought Zero gravity was better than Equinox. Good to see so much love for an old school ride. I then passed by cannonball and hit Star blaster so I could attempt to meet up with a few people form Canboiefan. I saw a small group of ACE member on Star Blaster took a second to say hi and did eventually find a group of Canobie fan posters. I opted to go around the park with them for a bit hit Over the Rainbow and Mine of Lost Souls. I then grabbed a drink, Souvenir cup refill $1.08 with tax, while everyone got lunch.
The rest of my day was focused on walking and enjoying the park while I hit rides. Crowds were average with 1-2 cycle waits. I opted to use the single rider line on my last 4 rides on Untamed. The park was clean and prepped for the season. I did see a few crews raking up leaves. Though I did notice none of the fountains were operating.
What’s new and improved
I got a look at the pirate ship while in Old Canobie Village. The ship looks to be a new mechanism. There is a new sign, ship, motor, motor housing, and a new platform. The support structure could be recycled but I’m not positive. Doing some digging, the new ship appears to be a Fabbri Group ship with a traditional ship design. Unfortunately the park filled in the pond that sat in front of the old ship. A new platform and are surrounding area has been created. There is pressed Concrete in front of the ship that carries over to the pathway to the restrooms and behind the ride. The ride has also been set up further over were the old queue line was, so it appears queue will be constructed n front of the ride.
I rode the Sky ride to get a good look at Caterpillar’s spot. The park built a new foundation and has set up most of the ride. The track is in place except for one piece. I found the center mechanism behind Untamed. From what I can see the ride is looking good. The center is a black with an orange/red spiral. Didn’t see the cars, I assume they are still in the paint shop. The only surprise was nothing new was done with the queue area which is way too thin.
Down by the waterfront I checked out the Boathouse Casino and the Dock. The Casino has started its rehab last year but has not been fully converted. Earlier I had found the Jackpot Casino still operating and a number of the old Boathouse arcade games in the Bear Lodge. It will be interesting to see how the inside is rehabbed. The dock has been removed but a new dock has not been installed.
Smaller projects were seen as well. Star Fighter, a kiddie land ride, is being repainted and will be reinstalled soon. The park also redid the main station turn around for the train. The turn is now wider bringing it closer to Wipe Out and Jr. Sports cars. To accomplish this, the park did have to remove some landscaping and redo the path crossings in that area.
Ride count:
Untamed X5, Cannonball X2, and all other rides once; Sky ride, Phycodrome, Skater, DaVinci’s Dream, Star blaster, Round up, Dodgems, Flume, Mine of Lost Souls, Frisbee, Corkscrew, and Equinox.
Overall it was a very good day, except for a couple rides that went down and the rehabbed rides not yet installed. Everything else was running well and employees were working hard. I t stinks they don’t have a season pass; I would really like to go more than 2 more times this year but 3 tickets is all I could afford. Next trip will likely be midsummer for shows and fireworks.
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