Phoenix at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park is the newest roller coaster at Coney Island.
This is the first adult coaster in the park’s 100 year history, so it’s a pretty big deal
for them.
Despite not having a lot of land to work with, Vekoma crammed in an enjoyable suspended coaster
that’s now the best family coaster in Coney Island.
But it also has a few thrilling bits.
So in this video, find out why Phoenix is such a great fit for Deno’s and Coney Island
as a whole.
In January 2020, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park purchased the 12th Street Amusements lot adjacent
to their park for $6 million.
This land was previously home to the Polar Express Himalaya, Ghost Hole dark ride, and
Saturn 6 spinning ride.
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park is currently split into an upper deck of kiddie rides and a lower
deck of adult rides.
This new plot would allow the park to double the size of their adult section.
The owners wanted something flashy that would compliment, not compete with, Luna Park next
door.
But a few months later, the covid-19 pandemic hit and like all amusement parks in New York,
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park was forced to remain closed for the entire 2020 season.
This raised some doubt if the expansion would be delayed, but late in December 2020, Deno’s
announced they would be adding a new Vekoma family suspended coaster for 2021.
And it would fittingly be named the Phoenix, as the park owners believed the ride was rising
out of the ashes of the pandemic.
The coaster would cost $5.5 million, so the Vourderis family was betting on the future
of Coney Island.
In early 2021, the bright red track and yellow supports started rising and the coaster officially
opened for the 4th of July weekend.
And the coaster looks great.
The colors contrast nicely with the teal of the Wonder Wheel.
I don’t believe the station is finished yet since it seemed pretty bare bones, but
I’m glad the park found a way to get the coaster open for the main summer season.
Phoenix costs 10 tickets or $10 per ride without any discounts.
It’s certainly pricey, but it’s inline with the other roller coasters at Coney Island.
I just wish Deno’s offered wristbands so I could get more laps on this coaster, but
that’s not the ride’s fault.
Phoenix has a single train consisting of 10 rows, seating a maximum of 20 riders.
The ride can only run one train since it brakes in the station and that’s perfectly fine
for this park’s crowds.
The high price of ride tickets and the lack of a pay-one-price option prevents massive
queue lines.
On the day I visited, the coaster was a complete walk-on, but it took a while to send out the
train.
When started checking the restraints, the process was swift and easy.
But often the operators would hold the train for a few minutes to try and fill the train
as much as possible.
One of my rides was a solo ride.
On another ride, they kept rechecking the restraints whenever someone new entered the
queue line.
It was clear the park wanted the trains to be as full as possible whenever they cycled
the ride, not due to valleying but to minimize the number of cycles they ran.
However, in the rare cases I saw a full train’s worth of people in the queue line, the crew
quickly loaded and dispatched the trains.
And I love the trains on these Vekoma suspended coasters.
They are extremely open.
You have just a simple lap bar that leaves you very exposed.
These are the same trains as Freedom Flyer at Fun Spot Orlando or Dragonflier at Dollywood.
It’s a stark contrast to the old Vekoma suspended coasters with the bulky over-the-shoulder
restraints that could bash your head.
Those older ones were also rough.
Meanwhile, Phoenix- like all new Vekomas- is very smooth except for one moment depending
where you’re sitting.
As for seat selection, I slightly preferred the front for the visuals.
In terms of forces, some elements were better up front while others were better towards
the back.
So I’d probably give it two rides if you can.
Phoenix begins with a U-turn out of the station and a 68 foot or 21 meter tall booster wheel
lift.
Atop the lift, you get a brief view of the ocean before plunging down the short first
drop.
Essentially, the first element on Phoenix feels like a double down broken up by a U-turn.
The first drop and U-turn offer no forces, but they do have the first of several leg-choppers
with some track later in the ride.
The second drop is the largest on the ride and while it isn’t super steep, the long
trains have some whip towards the back and give a faint floaty feeling there.
That’s followed by a 180 degree turn that pulls some moderate Gs before hitting the
most intense part of the ride.
And I’m not even talking about the subsequent overbank.
I’m talking about the transition between the 180 degree turn and overbank.
This pullout is super sharp and really piles on the positive Gs in the back of the train.
It’s probably the most intense part of the ride if you’re in the back.
You then hurtle through an overbank, which looks darn close to an inversion.
From many angles, it looks more like a cutback or a corkscrew.
That’s how much banking it has.
The front gets pushed through this element, getting some good positive Gs.
The element is a bit less forceful towards the back, but still quite snappy.
That’s followed by a highly banked turnaround that looks sort of like a 270 degree helix,
but it feels more like an overbank on-ride.
In fact, it rides exactly like the prior overbank.
The front gets pushed through it and subjected to strong positive Gs while the back gets
some a smaller dose of positives.
But everyone gets a great leg-chopper with the prior overbank exiting this element.
Phoenix then turns to the side and dips towards the ground.
Phoenix has good pacing for a family coaster, but this is the lone section of the ride that
offers riders a chance to catch their breath.
And it’s probably a smart choice on a family coaster.
The ride has a max speed of just 34 mph or 55 kph, but it uses that speed quite well,
especially on the prior overbanks and turns that pull decent Gs for a ride like this.
The train then whips around the final two turns.
Both are super tight.
They give pretty good Gs up front and stronger Gs towards the back as you’re pulled through
them.
The second to last turn has a bit of a vibration in the back row, but that’s the only shaky
moment on an otherwise glossy smooth coaster so it’s no issue at all for me.
After these last two turns, the ride comes to a stop in the station, ending the 1221
foot or 372 meter long journey.
So what would I rate Phoenix?
I would give this coaster a 7 out of 10.
It’s a solid coaster that offers something for everyone.
The overbanks and turns are all super tight and forceful.
They pulled more positive Gs than I expected going into the ride.
Plus the coaster is glass smooth.
This coaster is a great fit for Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park.
A majority of the park’s rides are more kiddie and family oriented, so the Vekoma
suspended coaster was a great choice.
It has a super low height requirement at 39 inches.
It’s not large enough to frighten young kids, but it has enough thrills- particularly
on the tight turns- to appease older guests as well.
And Phoenix compliments the rides at Luna Park well.
Most adult coasters in that park have 48-54” height requirements.
The only coaster with a lower height limit is the Tickler spinning coaster.
So it’s nice Phoenix gives younger kids another option while offering a much different
ride experience unlike any other on the boardwalk.
Compared to the other Vekoma suspended coasters in America, I definitely prefer Phoenix to
Freedom Flyer or Steel Lasso.
I think Dragonflier has a better start with that sizable drop and forceful overbank, but
Phoenix is more consistent start to finish.
And then it crushes the old ones mostly found at the Cedar Fair parks.
So those are my thoughts on Phoenix, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park’s new for 2021 suspended
coaster.
Have you been on this coaster?
How do you think it compares to the other Vekoma suspended coasters?
I would love to hear what you think down in the comments.
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Thanks for watching!