Several months ago I began looking at all the roller coasters credits located in nearby New Jersey that I had yet to obtain, with most of them being located throughout the state’s numerous beach towns. I made it my goal to head up to Jersey a few times this year to visit some of these towns, either for the first time, or for the first time in some time. This series will feature many different parks, some of which may only have one or two smaller coasters. Larger parks such as Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) or Nickelodeon Universe at the American Dream Mall, however, will not be featured as part of this series.
After visiting Mariner’s Pier at Morey’s Piers for a few rides in Wildwood, N.J., the crew and I had plans to shoot up to Ocean City, N.J. to claim some other nearby credits. The two towns are only 35 minutes apart, so it made sense to try to get in everything we could during our trip. Plus, Morey’s was open until 11 p.m., so we had plenty of time to head back down and finish off the remainder of our day (and credits) in Wildwood.
The first of our two Ocean City destinations was Gillian’s Wonderland Pier. I have been to this small beach park in the past and already had their Wacky Worm on my credit list. Sam, Greg, and Renee did not, and since we have no shame, we made the stop. We were also looking forward to getting on some of their other rides as well. This is why I bought extra credits from the park during their half price Easter sale a few months ago.
60 Credits Purchased, 60 Credits Used
When I originally purchased the credits, I had only talked to Sam and Greg about this trip. I looked through the park’s ride selection and decided that 60 credits would cover us for what we had planned to do. When I decided to pair our Wildwood and Ocean City trips into the same day, Renee said she was game, but it did ultimately mean we’d be splitting those 60 credits between four people instead of three. Things worked out perfectly, however, as we ended up using exactly 60 credits between our three rides.
Wacky Worm
As I said, we have no shame when claiming credits. This Wacky Worm was a first for both Sam and Greg. Renee had been on the one formerly at Trimper Rides in Ocean City, Md.
The four of us took our seats and did our two laps around the course. We joked that having all four of us sitting in four consecutive rows in the front of the train might make it valley. Thankfully, that did not happen and we didn’t need to be evacuated from the ride. That would have been hilarious. If that ever happens, I hope we have Chance, the Cheapthusiast, riding with us. He’d be so shamed, just like he was riding Lil Phantom at Kennywood earlier this month.
Haunted Dark Ride
I’m a sucker for old school dark rides – especially the kinds you find at beach/boardwalk parks. I love the historic appeal to them and I am always taken to riding them as a kid in places like Ocean City, Md. and Wildwood. As for this one, I had actually never rode it prior to Thursday’s visit. I was honestly looking forward to this ride the most from our Gillian’s stop.
The entire crew ended up loving the ride. The props and painted walls, and even floors, were wonderfully done. It was a very spacious ride too, letting you take in the full view. A lot of these older style dark rides have you up close to the props and you don’t always have time to see everything. Not the case with Gillian’s Haunted Dark Ride. Check it out if you love dark rides.
Canyon Falls Log Flume
The last ride of our Gillian’s stay came on the Canyon Falls Log Flume. Renee said she didn’t want to get wet and would be sitting it out. It actually made things work out perfectly as we only had 24 credits remaining on our card and the ride was eight credits. Sam, Greg, and I jumped on our log and away we went.
The log ride is definitely not as long as something you’ll find at a major amusement park, but they pack in some great theming to make up for it. Dare I say, this is one of my favorite log flumes in that regard. The area inside and all around the loading station is themed with gnomes and rockwork.
The only area of the ride not themed is the lift, turn around, and drop. But what a drop! Renee filmed us going down the drop, which I will be posting it to the We Were Inverted Instagram account (@WeWereInverted_IG) sometime soon. For a smaller flume, we got wet! Sam had wet shoes for the rest of the day.
Final Ride Counts
Canyon Falls Log Flume (1: Patrick, Sam, Greg)
Haunted Dark Ride (1)
Wacky Worm (1)
More to Offer, Short on Time
With plans to visit Playland’s Castaway Cove after Gillian’s and then back down to Morey’s, we weren’t able to stay at Gillian’s for long. That’s the one downfall of trying to cram so many coaster credits into one day. Sure, you get all the coasters, but you don’t get to enjoy all the other attractions, the park atmosphere, or their food, games, etc. I would have gladly ridden a few more rides had we had time. I guess that just means I’ll have to go back again one day, hopefully soon. Parks like these hold a special place in my heart and I hope other enthusiasts take some time to go visit them too – whether for a credit stop, or a full day of fun.
Gillian's Wonderland Pier Photo Gallery - June 24, 2021
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CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Wacky Worm
Greg
Captain
New Credit(s): Wacky Worm
Renee
Commander
New Credit(s): Wacky Worm
