Dorney Park's Steel Force Ranked Among The Best

Allentown, PA -- Dorney Park's acclaimed Wildwater Kingdom water park and top notch Steel Force roller coaster have both received Golden Ticket Awards presented by Amusement Today, a trade magazine for the amusement industry.

In the category of Top Steel Coasters, Steel Force captured the number four spot, making this the third consecutive season Steel Force has ranked in the top five of this survey. In the category of Best Waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom splashed into the number three spot, proving that Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is the best place in the northeast to combine exciting thrill rides with fun for the whole family.

In order to determine the winners of the Golden Ticket Awards, Amusement Today sent an equal number of surveys to participants in four geographical regions of the United States. Also, a group of international enthusiasts were surveyed for their expertise about parks outside the United States. The Top Steel Coasters ranking was determined by the percentage of people that voted for a particular ride, and the Best Waterpark was determined by the percentage of surveys returned with votes for a particular park.

Standing 200-feet high, Steel Force was the Northeast's first hyper-coaster and it still ranks as one of the tallest coasters in the country. Its 205-foot drop generates an impressive top speed of 75 m.p.h., and more than a mile of track makes it one of the nation's longest coasters. Steel Force has received many awards and acknowledgements including recognition in Amusement Today's 1998 and 1999 Golden Ticket Awards as one of the Top 5 Steel Coasters in the world.

Wildwater Kingdom, Dorney Park's 38-acre water park, has been honored for both its top rated slides and attractions and its safety. It was honored in 1999 with the Gold Safety Award by Jeff Ellis & Associates, a national water park consulting firm. This award is presented to water parks that have performed above the average criteria, including several independent and unannounced audits of the lifeguard staff and the water park's general safety operations, Ellis & Associates has set for its training program. In 1999, Wildwater Kingdom was also honored in the top three of Amusement Today's Best Waterpark survey.