Dragon Challenge

The details on this coaster were amazing.  Just going through the waiting queue was a wonderful experience.  It was originally designed to look like an old castle that was demolished by dragons.  After a decade, it was remade with a Harry Potter theme.  It featured the Weasleys' crashed flying car and lots of details referencing the Triwizard Tournament.

The coaster originally had a huge waiting queue with some reports indicating that it was the longest line for any amusement park ride.  After about a year of operation, parts of the waiting area for this ride were removed.  Thanks to its high capacity of over 3,000 riders per hour, the ride rarely had a long line, so sections of the queue were no longer needed.  That newly opened space was used to build the Flying Unicorn coaster, a Vekoma junior coaster that opened in late 2000.  That ride also got the Harry Potter make-over and was renamed Flight of the Hippogriff at the same time Dueling Dragons was renamed Dragon Challenge.

©2020 by Joel A. Rogers.