My son and I returned to Wildwood these past couple days for another brief Wildwood trip. We would have come in the middle of the week to avoid larger crowds, but I had to meet a refrigerator repairman on Saturday, so we came down on Friday and left Sunday afternoon. The weather was nice and this was our first experience with the rides and arcades open this season. Here are some pictures and observations.
Randy's Retro Arcade was open, and as with all arcades and shops, you need to wear a mask while inside. Everyone was complying with that, which was nice. There was a crowd of people playing Randy's boxing games on Friday night. Enough people were there to play Fascination, so my son played for about 40 minutes. Randy automated his Fascination machines and now he doesn't need any help in there. They take quarters and tokens, and they pay out tickets. He also put up some additional displays.
A lot is happening at the old Olympic Casino block and soon Randy may have some competition. They are putting a Fascination type game back into the old casino there called Roll-A-Bingo. They even had a line of them set up outside, but we didn't see anyone playing it and we weren't sure if it was going to be like a race game where people are trying to win a plush. They did put a new roller-race game there and the high-striker is all LCD now.
We played for a little while in Gateway. They have one door open for the entrance and exit and someone keeps track of how many people enter the arcade. They only allow about 600 people in the arcade at a time. You also need to wear a mask in there. They are giving away a 2017 Mustang convertible this year...which surprises me because they will probably not have a very strong season. Their computer system was down for several hours on Sunday and they couldn't put any money on any of the cards or redeem any tickets. When we left, it still wasn't working....which is the first time we saw that happen.
The two Ed's Funcade locations that were open had very good safety precautions in place. Plenty of dividers between games, a hand washing sink. And ticket cue for redemption. They even put in new Skee Ball machines in both locations...and the real Skee Ball brand machines too...no junky Ice Ball. We even got a Toto at Ed's on this trip.
Mariner's Arcade also had excellent safety precautions in place.
We rode some rides on Morey's Pier and Mariners Landing on Saturday. They are allowing about 1700 people on each of the two open piers at a time. You can make reservations in advance, but we did not and had no problem getting on the pier. We didn't buy season passes this year, just ticket cards during the holiday sale. You must wear a mask at all times while on the pier, even while on the rides. It really wasn't an issue for us and most people were complying with the guidlines.
Not all the rides were open, including the Tilt-a-Whirl, Dante's and the Zoom Flume. According to customer service, these rides will be opening later in the season. None of the big coasters were operating while we were down either.
They moved the location of the souvenir photos booth on Morey's Pier.
You need to keep 6 feet apart in the cue lines.
Some new plaques were installed on the Runaway Tram cue line.
They returned Gig to the back of the coaster, but they still didn't put on the canopy on the engine.
Workers wipe down the train after each ride and only every other seat is being used.
They haven't put the roof on the new pavilion yet, but it is getting use.
The Pirates of Wildwood was open and it was also getting regular cleaning.
They didn't fill the pool under the Giant Wheel this season.
The new Rio Grande entrance seems complete now. This is the new digital sign at the large sea wall.
I have yet to see a big line at Sam's Pizza this year...maybe people are finally realizing that Mack's is better.
Mack's seemed to be busy during our entire trip. I got two slices on Saturday and they were excellent.
The Pierogie Place is now open....but we didn't see many people there.
Sam Shepard is selling his Castle Dracula prints in one of the gift shops in North Wildwood.
They are now using projectors in the Ripley's Mirror Maze.
They moved the ticket booth for Splash Zone back and now they have live music under the old ticket area.
Jersey is still not supposed to have indoor seating at restaurants, but the new Capt'n Jacks is seating people in their new second floor area at the Boardwalk Mall.
The arcade at the Boardwalk Mall is open now, but there is no safety precautions and it is still a dive. Look at the redemption prize display.
Part of the neon on the Coke sign is out again...and I don't picture it getting repaired anytime soon.
Well, that is all for this trip report. Although things are very different down the shore, we still had a good time and we felt like good safety precautions were being taken on the piers and arcades. Still not many people are wearing masks on the boardwalk...but if you visit during the week the crowds shouldn't be too bad.
My favorite little corner of the world.
Really enjoyed the report and the great pics. Thanks for posting.......Warren
Very nice post. I like the handwashing stations. I would definitely only visit the boardwalk during the day and no way would I go up on the weekend.