Luna Park is the premier amusement park in Coney Island. Spanning multiple areas,
this Zamperla owned park doubles as the company’s showground as the Italian manufacturer has added
several prototypes over the years. Not only does the park have some of Zamperla’s best attractions,
but it also features a rich history and the legendary Cyclone roller coaster.
So should this amusement park be on your bucket list? Find out in this review of Luna Park.
The current iteration of Luna Park opened in 2010. There was a former Luna Park that operated
at Coney Island a long time ago. This iteration is on the site of the former Astroland theme park
that operated from 1962 to 2008. After Astroland’s owners couldn’t reach a deal with the land
developer for the 2009 season, a series of portable rides were brought in for the Dreamland
Amusement Park. But that was just a stopgap. In 2010, Zamperla won the bid to redevelop
Coney Island. They would open Luna Park on Astroland’s former site and also take over the
operation of the Cyclone and B&B Carrousel. And Zamperla has only continued to expand. In 2011,
Zamperla opened the Scream Zone with a series of thrill rides. In 2014, the park added Thunderbolt,
a prototype Zamperla thrill coaster. The park later added another block of amusements and in
2022, the park is adding an expansion with a new log flume, family coaster, and ropes course.
The set-up of Luna Park is pretty weird. Rather than having all the attractions in one boundary,
the rides are spread across 7 different blocks. Further complicating things is the fact that
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park is wedged between the Luna Park’s largest section and the Scream Zone.
Many people erroneously visit Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park trying to use their Luna Park wristbands,
which will not work as they have separate owners. Because of this set-up, Luna Park has countless
ways to enter and exit the park. So they traditionally have had free admission.
This policy was suspended at points during 2021 due to covid-related capacity limits,
but guests typically can come and go as they please. If you want to ride anything,
it can be pricey. You have the option to either pay-per-ride or purchase an unlimited wristband.
The best rides will cost upwards of $10 alone, so I always go with the wristband. This will cost
you upwards of $60-70 most days. In 2021, the wristband was only valid for 4 hours of rides,
so I’m hoping the time limit is relaxed moving forwards.
While the park is pricey, you get what you pay for. Lines are almost never an issue here- even
on weekends- because of the high price point. Cyclone is usually a walk-on. In fact, it’s
sometimes problematic how few people are riding this classic coaster. This is a back row ride;
however, you can only ride in the back car if there’s enough riders to fill the front two cars.
And if the ride does happen to have a line, you are not allowed to wait for a specific row.
I typically linger outside the main entrance until enough people fill the train
so I can get the coveted back car. Thunderbolt and Steeplechase are
typically the two busiest coasters and their waits usually hover around 10-20 minutes.
The rides I would advise hitting early are two flat rides in the Scream Zone.
Unlike most parks where the Slingshot is an upcharge, Luna Park includes it on the wristband.
And since it seats just 2 riders per cycle, this line moves at a snail’s pace. The other one with a
dismal throughput is the Zenobio skyscraper ride, which is my personal favorite flat ride there.
The only time I’ve encountered substantial waits here was on Opening Day in 2018 when they had a $5
wristband promotion. Guests came out in droves and the park was busting at the seam.
Operations here are excellent when a ride has enough people queuing to fill the entire vehicle.
The coasters have large crews and if the ride has a line,
they’ll load and check restraints in the blink of an eye.
On quieter days, you may have to wait a bit while the operator waits for more riders.
And that’s sort of frustrating here since the wristband had such a strict time limit in 2021.
Luna Park has an electric atmosphere. The main section feels like an upscale carnival.
And then this park’s unique placement allows it to feed off the energy of New York City.
Seeing roller coasters literally built on a street corner is a different and much louder aesthetic.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, sections of Luna Park are connected by the boardwalk that
runs along the beach and Atlantic Ocean. It’s a really scenic location for a park. Although it
does result in there being zero shade, so just keep that in mind if you’re visiting midday.
Typically, I visit in the evening. Luna Park has some of the latest hours in the industry.
The park is regularly open until 11 or midnight. I also love the lighting packages on several rides,
most notably Thunderbolt and how the entirety of its track is illuminated.
Moving onto the ride lineup, Luna Park has a very interesting collection of attractions.
The park currently has 7 different roller coasters with the 8th on the way in 2022.
The star is undoubtedly the Cyclone. This classic wood coaster opened in 1927
and while the layout has been imitated several times, none of the clones have been able to match
the intensity and power of the original. Thanks to no seatbelts and just single position lap bars,
Cyclone allows you to feel all of its forces to the fullest. Many of the drops in the back deliver
some great ejector airtime, while a handful of the ascents up front gives some airtime as well.
And then everyone is treated to some of the best laterals on any coaster. The lack of seat dividers
mean you’ll slide across the entire seat at several points during the ride. And Zamperla
has invested quite a bit to retrack this coaster over the past decade, which has it running like
a dream. This is a top 10 wood coaster for me and I go into more detail in a separate review.
You then have 6 steel coasters. The best of the bunch is Thunderbolt.
This super-narrow coaster has an exciting and fast-paced layout with a vertical drop,
4 inversions, and several bunny hills. The initial drop and bunny hills offer some good ejector
airtime and then the inversions all offer varying degrees of hangtime. However, the restraints and
trackwork can result in an uncomfortable ride. The restraints are extremely tight against your thighs
and the trains shuffle throughout the course. Neither of these are dealbreakers for me since
the layout is so strong, but they are too much for some. I go into more detail in a separate review,
but I think this is an underrated ride and I’m excited for the future of Zamperla coasters.
Another often maligned coaster is Soarin’ Eagle, a Zamperla Volare flying coaster. I’ve never had
an issue with these rides and this one is widely considered to be more comfortable than the others.
I enjoy this ride’s sudden drops, forceful turns, and hangtime-filled barrel rolls. And this ride
doesn’t beat me up so I can enjoy that layout. Steeplechase is a launched motorbike coaster.
The initial launch has more power than you’d expect for a coaster of this scale
and the twisted layout mixes in a few mild pops of airtime along the way.
Tickler is a spinning wild mouse coaster. The ride was modified in recent seasons to start
spinning immediately after the lift hill, which offers a different ride experience than the other
rides like this out there. It’s quite thrilling if you can spin during the first two drops.
Then you have two junior coasters. The larger of the two is the Circus Coaster while the smaller
one is Mini Mouse, which was relocated from Central Park’s Victorian Gardens.
Luna Park as a whole has a nice collection of kiddie rides. And then there are plenty
of flat rides for older guests as well. The best of the bunch is the aforementioned
Zenobio. This giant booster has a short cycle, but it offers 3 rotations in each direction.
The second rotation gives some sustained floater airtime with a flip while the third
rotation gives a faster flip. And then you also get some decent positive Gs on the downswings.
Add in a stunning view of Coney Island and the New York City skyline and you have a winner.
Astro Tower is an impressive looking drop tower. While the ride’s height and rotating
tower offers an amazing view, this is arguably the weakest adult drop tower I have ridden.
The drops were slow, offering no airtime nor sensations.
Slingshot is neat how it’s included on the wristband and if you’ve never tried one of these,
I’d recommend it here since it’s a $20-30 upcharge at most places. The launch,
while sudden, isn’t super forceful, but the initial flip at the apex is very thrilling.
The B&B Carousell is a very historic attraction. The ride has a beautiful facade and old-fashioned
horses, but the ride often runs without music nowadays and it no long features the brass rings.
In the main section, you have a series of spinning and pendulum rides to satisfy all tastes.
And there are four worth highlighting.
One, Luna 360 is a super forceful inverting frisbee. This ride really piles on the positive
Gs on the downswings while having some incredible hangtime on the inversions.
Two, Brooklyn Flyer is a rather short but still scenic star flyer
because of its placement. The views of the ocean and Coney Island are marvelous.
Three, Atlantic Aviator is an upgraded Zamperla air race with added height,
improved visuals, and the same good hangtime we’ve gotten accustomed to.
Four, Clockworkz is one of the new Zamperla nebulaZ. This one has a short cycle,
but the near-misses and motion of this ride are mesmerizing.
The park will finally get a good water ride in 2022
with the new flume under construction, although they are still missing a dark ride.
Hopefully Zamperla can add one in the future since they’ve built them elsewhere around the world.
In terms of food, I typically visit the restaurants on the main street or boardwalk.
Luna Park knows this is what most guests do and they don’t try to compete with them.
They use their limited space entirely for rides. Lastly, I want to discuss parking.
Street parking is the cheapest option, but it can be tricky between the availability
and parking rules. Typically, I pay $20 to park in the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team parking lot.
It’s well-lit and located just off the boardwalk down by the old Parachute Tower.
So do I recommend Luna Park? Absolutely! Coney Island has a really unique atmosphere and any
amusement park aficionado needs to come here sometime in their life. Cyclone is
an incredible wooden roller coaster and then Zamperla has filled the park out with a wide
range of their coasters and flat rides. The flat rides are universally loved and while some
of the adult coasters are polarizing, I genuinely enjoy them and encourage you to give them a try.
I recommend 1/2 to a full day at Coney Island. I’d skew towards a half day if you
only care about the coasters and more towards a full day if you care about the non-coasters
and non-amusements as well. Most of your time at Coney Island should be spent at Luna Park,
but I also recommend visiting Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park and the Eldorado Auto Scooter.
So those are my thoughts on New York City’s Luna Park. What are your thoughts on the premier park
at Coney Island? Do you think Zamperla has done as good of a job as me turning this property around?
Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you
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more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!