Palace Playland — Attraction in Old Orchard Beach

We came down to Old Orchard Park to do the "Boardwalk" experience. We went on a Wednesday evening in the summer so parking was fairly easy to find. It did cost $15, but that isn't too bad in my opinion. The parking was only a few blocks from the destination so that also made it worth the money. There are rides, carnival games and arcade games at this place. We were there primarily for the rides so didn't do any of the games. You buy tickets at kiosks (either manned or self serve like an ATM). You can either buy a rechargeable card or a day pass (if you are staying for an extended period do time say a week or more, there is a season pass that may make sense as well). We opted for the standard rechargeable card mainly because we wanted to "run out" of credits to make leaving easier with our two 9 year old kids. It was by no means the best financial option. If you are going to spend a few hours or more here, get the day pass. Its $50 per person or so (depends on the day of the week) and it gives you unlimited access to all the rides. Each of the more exciting rides is in the 25-35 credit range and a $50 rechargeable card gives you 210 credits or roughly 6-7 rides. The other thing is that all the games use the card too (cashless) if I am not mistaken so you would have to add cash credits to the card to play the different carnival and arcade games. Being a Wednesday evening it was fairly quiet and the kids got to ride without having to wait long (usually waiting for a ride to finish and unload). We didn't stumble across a ride they couldn't ride on their own. Younger/Smaller kids will have more restrictions. Most of the bigger kid rides you need to be 48 inches tall. It was a lot of fun watching them race to the next ride and scream their...

We used to take the kids there every summer for yearrrrrrrrs and the kids loved the place...but due to life's happenings, we weren't able to over the last few years until this year.

Sadly to say, there was much disappointment. The prices shot way up for the few rides there were (of course by few, I'm comparing to a major park)...and in particular, we were disappointed in the fun house.

The one we recall wasn't much, but the kids loved it - it had a huge blue genie at the top of it which would "bow" to the crowd. The one we saw had been repainted a "realistic"color and it no longer moved..

Oh well, so much for whimsy...we still went in.

Definitely needed a paint job inside..and to either fix or replace the "fun" inside.. No sudden bursts of air on the walkway...no spinning disc on the floor...no music...or flashing lights...even the exit tube was slowed way down...

This Fun House was no longer...fun...

Now that's not to say there weren't some good things there. They invested in a new coaster...replaced the spinning Teddy bears with dragons...perhaps why the prices shot up. Even so, we still couldn't afford to do much.

Games - they have lots of them. This doesn't include the arcade mind you. The games are standard ones...at least one or two allow you to win SOMEthing (provided you buy the larger amount of balls to toss...which is great if you have small kids)

Look, this is an ocean-side amusement park, not Six Flags (don't even get me STARTED on them) ...you're not gonna get too much "razzle dazzle", you'll get the basics which isn't bad after a day on the beach.

Plus across the street you can get pier fries...always...

Great for people watching but that is about all. It opens at 4, which is a little annoying if you have plans to spend the day at OOB. Unless you buy the unlimited pass ($40-$48 per person) then it it not worth the rides. The carnival games are where they get you - they FALSELY advertise that children receive a prize when they play, and after they swipe your card for "30 -80 credits, or $5-$15 per game, they tell you that is an old sign that is out of date - especially at the Darts in the front where the balloon pop is. The woman was downright rude! She roped my two little girls in to play and then laughed when I asked about the "children receive a prize for each play" sign. The kids were very sad. The rides are fun, but not enough are there to justify a $40-$48 ticket, especially for those that do not like thrill rides. The little rode the swings 10 or so times, and did the big slide, and the older one went on a few 48" and up thrill rides, but again, not anything worth writing home about. If I wanted to join them on a ride or two, I had to buy credits, and the cheapest ride is $4.00, but the credit packages start at $50/200 credits. All in all, it was a $300 day at Old Orchard, and IMO a complete waste of money and time. Fire that shady woman at the Dart...