With a trip to Kings Island planned for mid-October, my aim is to make Orion my 400th credit. In order to do so, however, I needed to secure five credits before the trip. My plan was to do a quick tour through New Jersey and visit three never before visited beach parks. Knowing I could run into a ride closure along the way, however, I had three locations on stand by where I could make up a credit if needed. Did I have to use any of those back ups? Did I meet my goal? Find out in my Quest for 399.
My original plan for Saturday’s Quest for 399 was to visit three parks and leave with five new credits. I would start at Keansburg Amusement Park and ride both Looping Star and Sea Serpent. From there, I would head to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk for Tidal Wave and Tornado. Then this stop, Fantasy Island, would be my third and final stop for a new credit with their SBF Visa spinner, Hang Ten. If you’ve been following along, or saw the headline for this entry, you know that things leading up to Fantasy Island certainly did not go as planned.
At Keansburg I ran into both coasters, along with most of their rides, being closed. Starting off that way forced me to insert a back up plan and stop at iPlay America for their SBF Visa spinner, Freedom Rider. When I got to Jenkinson’s I learned that Tornado had been removed earlier this year, which forced me to go to another back up spot in the nearby Casino Pier for Xolo Loca. It too was closed. This is why Fantasy Island went from being my third stop to my fifth.
1 Credit Opportunity, 1 Credit Obtained
I knew going into Fantasy Island that the park was on the smaller side and was mostly a family oriented park. They feature a couple larger scale rides with their Giant Wheel and Sea Dragon, but the smaller flat rides are certainly their specialty. Naturally an SBF Visa coaster is perfect for park like this.
I didn’t know how long I was going to spend at Fantasy Island, especially since I was hoping to squeeze in a quick stop at Steel Pier in Atlantic City afterward. I parked and began filming as soon as I arrived. I wanted to work my way from the front of the park to the back where Hang Ten is located. As I did this, I stopped and picked up enough credits for my ride and struck up a small conversation with the employee in the booth. He, like all the staff I encountered were very friendly.
Once I was back at Hang Ten, I shot some footage of the ride while others enjoyed spinning around the figure eight shaped layout. I shot both photos and video of the ride as the sunlight dissipated in the background. Once the ride emptied, I went up for my turn.
Hang Ten
Over the last few years now I have acquired quite a few SBF Visa spinning coaster credits. Heck, I claimed two prior to this one on Saturday alone. I don’t have much to really say about the experience overall, especially with the figure eight models. I’ve ridden six of them so far with half of those being what SBF Visa designates at their Higher model – model number MX608-E.
All three of the Higher models I’ve experienced feature a small covered station with ride signage above. I do like these Higher versions better because of the extra artwork and lighting found on them. It’s also kind of neat to go through the cutout.
The other figure eight coasters I’ve experienced SBF calls Trailer Versions – model number of MX608-T2. They tend to have a smaller banner with the ride’s name attached to the track over top the loading area. Twist-N-Shout at Fun Land of Fredericksburg is one such model and one you’ve seen featured here in several blogs.
I didn’t end up spinning a ton on Hang Ten, which is always a plus for me. My favorite part of this ride was honestly the time of day I ended up riding. The sun was going down as I rode and the little bit of spinning really let me take in the light packages that were taking center stage throughout the park.
Final Ride Counts
Hang Ten (1)
A Small, Family-Friendly Park
Since I had parked toward the back end of the park, I was going to just head out the back entrance and see if I could make it down to Atlantic City for Steel Pier before they closed. The light show throughout the rest of Fantasy Island, however, was calling to my artistic side. I just had to stick around and film a little bit more. I captured the carousel, Giant Wheel, and a few other rides before heading out. I couldn’t pass up filming this park at night.
If you’re and enthusiast thinking of stopping by Fantasy Island for the Hang Ten credit, just know that this park is a little bit out of the way from all other the other nearby spots. My suggestion is not to try to cram it in like I did. Sure, it can be done, but the two next closest parks, Casino Pier and Steel Pier, are an hour away and both in opposite directions. Fantasy Island is located toward the southern end of Long Beach Island in Beach Haven and is about seven miles away from the only bridge in and out.
What I suggest is to give yourself more time than I did. Look into the area and find some things to do. Maybe find a place to stop and eat. Had I not been in such a rush, this is what I would have done. Things did work out, however, as my later than anticipated arrival did give me a chance to take in this beautiful little park at night, where it truly shined. Nothing like a beach park at night!
Fantasy Island Photo Gallery - September 25, 2021
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Hang Ten
