Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park — Attraction in New York

Being a huge fan of the film “The Warriors” I planned to go when I was in New York; we were told to stay away as it was a crime hot spot, run by gangs, and a whole lot more… but it was all baloney when we did decide to go, as I suspected; same homeless people around but it was packed with families and safe in my honest opinion. If you turn up early before it opens there’s a few places to eat nearby, but avoid the Mc Donald’s; three mistakes in one kiosk order (so not UK accents based) staff member rude when correcting one too. Anyway in person the ride is awesome and currently $10 per person. No queue for the swinging cars (eccentric wheel) and it frightened the life out of me even at 53 because it looked like the car was going to roll far more than it did (think of roller coasters or ghost train rides where there’s fake track to make you think you will be going off the rails etc. It’s not intentional in this case but I really panicked! lol Lots more to see and do in the parks; it’s a strange set up; the park is split in two where one company has the Wonder wheel and the other is separated by a fence (so you have to leave one and walk 30 secs to the entrance to the other, and this 2nd bit is where the “cyclone” roller coaster is. Rode that too and that was the fastest feeling, roughest old school wooden coaster I’ve ever been on. Really worth trying. Also the shops and arcades are all leasing space and run by separate “people”; we bought a pre pay arcade card in one place only to find it would not work in the other next door arcade! Ended up back with 5 separate pre pay cards for different elements in the park. Cyclone is also $10pp too. Don’t be put off by holiday reps; just go. Only did those two rides due to family issues so advise not buying in advance and just paying as you go for individual things...

Perfect for the younger kids in my opinion. I have one elementary age and one toddler and both love it here. Tons of rides for the kiddos. It's easy access to the public bathrooms down the boardwalk or down the ramp near the Wonder Wheel. Food and drinks are obviously priced for profit so if you're feeling a little light in the pockets, bring your own water, drinks and snacks. No one will look twice at you here for it. There are bumper cars, Tilt-o-whirl and the Himalaya style thunderbolt ride are great for the big kids (er, adults) and of course there's the WONDER WHEEL itself. Just a tip, the moving cages are a little unsettling Ala a mild thrill ride. So if you're family isn't sure about going that high and you need to convince them, get on the stationary white cages. It's much nicer and you can get some really lovely pictures of the amusement parks and beach. Go up just before sunset for the best sights.

For a mild, easy day in an amusement park, it doesn't get nicer than this.

For a bit more intensity, pop over to the more expensive, more crowded, and louder Luna Park.

Dinos has pay per ride tickets or chip cards or unlimited Bracelets. The cards are also refillable at vending machines spotted around the place (two side by side in the video game arcade).

There's a famiglia pizza spot right inside the gate by the boardwalk upstairs with lots of seating.

Take advantage of the summer break and hit the park on weekdays by 2 or 3 for max fun without the traffic or crowds.

If you can't and must do an after work trip, go head first and hard. Make it on a Friday and watch the fireworks at 945 PM just outside the gate on the...

This is why you come to Coney Island. Well maybe not for all but if you’re visiting to see the Ferris wheel, than this is the place for it as Luna park doesn’t include a pass to go on it. Neither the family fun or the thrill seekers pass allow you on the wonder wheel. Which is a shame. If you don’t have kids, or if you have kids that are at least 12 years of age, this side of the park is well worth it. It has everything from bumper cars to spook a Rama to zombie shooter ride to the Ferris wheel obviously. There are some games to play as well and some food options. There is no admission fee but you do need to reserve a spot to enter by heading to the website and choosing a time. As long as your within your two hour time frame you may leave the park and go back in. But once your time is up you’ll need to re-register for a new time slot. That isn’t the big deal though. Since admission is free all you do is pay for the rides you want to do by getting a deno card at the ticket booth. It’s rechargeable at certain stations inside the park. One is behind the Ferris wheel or you can head to the ticket booth and they’ll recharge it. If you spend $40 you get 50 credits. The Ferris wheel is the most as it costs 10 credits. The other rides are 8 credits each.

Update I was just here on the first weekend of October 2021 and you no longer need to register for a time slot for Deno’s wonder wheel. You can go and...