Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 19 May 2021
The roller coaster is expected to open in time for the 2021 season
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is about to gain its first new rollercoaster in more than two decades, with the historic Coney Island attraction set to welcome the Vekoma-designed Phoenix later in the year.
Currently under construction and scheduled to open in time for the 2021 season, Phoenix is a suspended family coaster and will be located alongside the park’s namesake, the 100-year-old Wonder Wheel.
Once completed, Phoenix will reach 68ft (21m) at its peak, with the coaster reaching speeds of up to 34mph (55kmph) along a 1296ft (395m) track, which also features a 115-degree bank and tighter turns, which will make the ride seem faster than its maximum speed.
Phoenix will operate with a single train running 10 two-seater cars. The ride will have a capacity of 20 passengers per ride and 650 riders per hour.
“We’re going for something that teenagers will still scream for, but kids won’t be intimidated by,” said Deno ‘DJ’ Vourderis Jr, whose family owns and operates Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
“It’s going to be more intense than any family coaster ever built before it.”
The new rollercoaster forms part of a major expansion plan for Deno’s Wonder Wheel, that saw the Vourderis family acquire part of the abandoned West 12th Street amusement lot. Phoenix also represents Deno’s largest-ever investment and is Vekoma’s first custom rollercoaster to be built in the US outside of a Disney park.
“With the year we have all had, we wanted to show some good news is on the way,” said Dennis Vourderis, vice president of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
“Coney Island, and all of New York City, needs a place where we can all come together and heal after so much heartache and division. We are hoping this is the beginning of better times ahead.”
The roller coaster is expected to open in time for the 2021 season
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is about to gain its first new rollercoaster in more than two decades, with the historic Coney Island attraction set to welcome the Vekoma-designed Phoenix later in the year.
Currently under construction and scheduled to open in time for the 2021 season, Phoenix is a suspended family coaster and will be located alongside the park’s namesake, the 100-year-old Wonder Wheel.
Once completed, Phoenix will reach 68ft (21m) at its peak, with the coaster reaching speeds of up to 34mph (55kmph) along a 1296ft (395m) track, which also features a 115-degree bank and tighter turns, which will make the ride seem faster than its maximum speed.
Phoenix will operate with a single train running 10 two-seater cars. The ride will have a capacity of 20 passengers per ride and 650 riders per hour.
“We’re going for something that teenagers will still scream for, but kids won’t be intimidated by,” said Deno ‘DJ’ Vourderis Jr, whose family owns and operates Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
“It’s going to be more intense than any family coaster ever built before it.”
The new rollercoaster forms part of a major expansion plan for Deno’s Wonder Wheel, that saw the Vourderis family acquire part of the abandoned West 12th Street amusement lot. Phoenix also represents Deno’s largest-ever investment and is Vekoma’s first custom rollercoaster to be built in the US outside of a Disney park.
“With the year we have all had, we wanted to show some good news is on the way,” said Dennis Vourderis, vice president of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
“Coney Island, and all of New York City, needs a place where we can all come together and heal after so much heartache and division. We are hoping this is the beginning of better times ahead.”
