Roller Coaster Guide to Dutch Wonderland: Every Coaster Ranked

Dutch Wonderland calls itself a Kingdom for Kids, and its coaster lineup is exactly that: three rides engineered as a perfect first-coaster ladder. This is not a thrill park and does not want to be one. It might be the best park in America at turning a nervous five year old into a coaster kid by closing time. Here is every coaster ranked, and how to use them in the right order.

1. Kingdom Coaster

The park's signature ride and its biggest: a classic wooden coaster standing about 55 feet tall at the back of the park.

• Ride experience: a real lift hill, a genuinely fun first drop, and a fast out-and-back romp across the park's edge with a few honest pops of airtime. It is a true wooden coaster experience scaled down just enough. Adults will grin; kids will feel like heroes.
• Height requirement: 46 inches minimum to ride. The park uses a wristband measuring system at the entrance gate that settles this once for the whole day.
• Best seat: middle of the train for nervous first-timers, back row for the drop once they are hooked.
• Best time to ride: first thing in the morning, then again right before close when the line disappears.

2. Merlin's Mayhem

The park's 2018 family inverted coaster, themed to a dragon chasing Merlin's runaway magic.

• Ride experience: feet dangle, the train swings gently through swooping turns above the midway, and the pacing is brisker than it looks from the ground. This is the ideal step between kiddie coaster and the Kingdom Coaster's wooden rumble.
• Height requirement: around 39 inches with an adult; taller kids ride alone. Verify at the entrance board.
• Best seat: front row for the flying feeling, and the view of the park is genuinely nice.
• Best time to ride: early. Suspended trains load slower than the ride's popularity deserves, so the line builds by late morning and stays.

3. Joust Family Coaster

The starter coaster: a compact steel oval with a small dip, themed to medieval tournament flags.

• Ride experience: one minute, one gentle drop, zero trauma. This is where the day begins for most families, and the operators are saints of patience.
• Height requirement: small, most walking kids qualify with an adult along. Solo adults should note that pure kiddie coasters sometimes require a child companion, so ask the operator before queueing for the credit.
• Best seat: wherever your kid wants. That is the entire point of the ride.
• Best time to ride: whenever the line is short, which is most of the time outside peak Saturday hours.

The Ladder, Used Correctly

Dutch Wonderland's three coasters are a progression system disguised as a ride lineup:

• Joust proves coasters are fun
• Merlin's Mayhem proves heights and speed are fun
• Kingdom Coaster proves drops are fun

Run the ladder in that order with a hesitant kid and you will watch confidence get built in real time. Skip levels at your own risk.

First-Timer Order

1. Joust as the warm-up, ideally within the first half hour
2. Merlin's Mayhem before late-morning lines form
3. Kingdom Coaster around lunch, middle seats
4. Kingdom Coaster again at closing time, back row, for the victory lap

Enthusiast Order

Credit collectors, here is your efficient truth: arrive at opening on a weekday, ride Merlin's Mayhem, Kingdom Coaster, and Joust in that order, and you will have all three credits inside 45 minutes. Ask nicely about Joust's adult policy, be gracious either way, and enjoy Kingdom Coaster twice. It is a legitimately good little woodie and deserves the second lap before you drive the 30 minutes to Hersheypark for the rest of your day.