It’s been a few months since our last visit to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, so we took a trip out to provide you guys with an update of this superb seaside amusement park. Between the progress their of 2017 project, and one heck of a crowded visit, we’ve gt plenty to cover, so please enjoy the following update.
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We were visiting the Boardwalk on a very crowded Saturday night, so lines around the park were certainty a bit of an issue though. We waited about 45 minutes for Ghost Blasters for example. Fortunately last spring Sally came and touched it up quiet a bit meaning the ride looks great, and all the effects are working. Unfortunate, they didn’t implement any sort of continuous boarding system meaning the capacity is still garbage.
Cave Train on the other hand is a capacity beast and it was showing. They were running both of the two huge trains keeping lines reasonable. The best news however is that Cave Train also received some work, namely, the trippy spinning tunnel has made its return! This is such a cool effect and we’re so glad to see it come back. 
Although it has been open for a while now, we experienced Logger’s Revenge for the first time in a few months. Great ride, awesome views, and a walk on at night. It’s definitely a staple of the Boardwalk and for good reason.
Wipeout, unfortunately, was closed. It’s really too bad because this is one fun ride, and the theme is very well done for a flat ride at a Boardwalk park. Hopefully it has reopened next time we visit.
Of course the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has recently announced that in 2017, they will be receiving a new entrance, Fright Walk will be getting a face-lift, and many more general park improvements will be made. For details and renderings, click here here.
Fright Walk is receiving the largest overhaul, a new entrance sign along with a complete interior refurbishment to spruce up what is a rather outdated attraction It has already closed, and signs have been put up regarding the 2017 plans.
Vault Lazer Challenge will be getting a new entrance also, but the attraction itself will remain the same. Both attractions will be reopening in the summer of 2017
Clown Toss and Stinky Feet, the local midway games have also closed. It is not unlikely that these games will be replaced as they have no reopening date in contrast to the other attractions.
Double Shot and Pirate Ship have unfortunately closed temporarily by the time you’re reading this, due to the construction going on in the area. Too bad, Double Shot is an awesome tower and will be missed during it’s hiatus of operation. Both attractions will reopen next summer.
We can’t wait for the new area. Judging by the art this entrance is going to look great, and it a huge but very wise investment from this smaller sized park.
Moving on to some attractions that are open and will remain so for the foreseeable future, we couldn’t visit the Boardwalk without taking a ride on one of our favorite spinners, Undertow!
Although we waited about 35 minutes, boy was it worth it this time around. They sat the two of us on the same side of the car, with no one on the other side. As soon as the spinning mechanism unlocked we started twirling like crazy. It got to the point where it was actually pretty nauseating. An intense, insane experience on a seaside family coaster, gotta love it!
To finish off the update, we can’t quiet forget about the piece of roller coaster history that is the Giant Dipper can we?
As we mentioned previously, it was a very crowded eveing on which we visited the park, and the Giant Dipper is without a doubt their most popular attraction. The operations on this coaster however are so phenomenal, we never waited more then about 10-15 minutes over the course of the four rides we took. We’re talking 40 second dispatches for this thing. It’s incredible, and not something that should go without recognition.
And of course the coaster itself is just wonderful. It’s got everything, it’s a beautiful coaster to look at and a beautiful coaster to ride. It’s got airtime, it’s got laterals, and it’s got history. The Giant Dipper is the heart and soul of the Boardwalk, and for good reason. We just love it.
That’s about all for this update. Thanks for reading, make sure to check out details on the Boardwalks 2017 plans here, as well as the report from our backstage tour of Justice League and Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest attractions here. Make sure to leave your thoughts below, and we’ll catch you guys next time.
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