Whirlwind is a steel sit down roller coaster. (Mouse) It was built in 2004. It was built by Maurer Sohne. It is fast, fun, rerideable, it has a large capacity, and a long duration.

Until my visit to Seabreeze, I had been yet to ride a Mauer Sohne spinning coaster. Previously, I had sampled Six Flags New England’s Pandemonium, a Gerstaluer model, and Disney’s Primeval Whirl, a pair of Reverchon models. Due to being an avid fan of both spinning rides and roller coasters, I was incredibly eager to try Whirlwind since I had always heard that the Mauer Sohne models were the best spinning coasters. I can safely say that this statement has some merit since Whirlwind is not only the best of spinning coasters I’ve been on, but it also is one of the most enjoyable roller coasters I’ve ever been on.

Replacing the park’s Quantum Loop, Whirlwind sits in the west most portion of the park. Sporting a royal blue and mustard yellow paint scheme, the Whirlwind definitely stands out. Personally, I was not a fan of the mustard yellow color, but despite this, the freshness of the paint scheme definitely made the ride look good. Additionally, all of the cars sported a sleek sky blue paint job, which contrasted perfectly with the royal blue track if you ask me.

As for capacity, Whirlwind did not disappoint. While each car only seats four riders, the operators really loaded the cars and dispatched them at an incredibly fast rate, as the operators would seemingly check the restraints in unison each time. Ultimately, I probably waited about 10-15 minutes each ride, which is well worth it for the park’s best attraction if you ask me. When one boards the vehicle, one has a choice to ride forwards or backwards. For reasons I will describe in a little bit, I would personally select the backwards side as often as possible since it provides a much more thrilling experience.

The ride begins with an incredibly swift lift hill. After cresting the lift, great views of Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario. But before I got lost in the views came my favorite part of the ride, the first drop. A steep, curved plunge, the first drop provided an extreme rush riding backwards since I would be anticipating the plunge, and each time it would catch me by surprise. Additionally, it provided an amazing stomach-dropping sensation. Riding forwards, the drop is still very thrilling thanks to the steepness of it and the speed attained at the bottom. Don’t be fooled by the ride only being 50 feet tall, as this drop is arguably one of the best I’ve experienced on any attraction.

Following that, Whirlwind zips up a curved hill and then the cars unlock and the spinning begins. Then the car navigates two quick hairpin turns that allow for the spinning to really pick up. Following that is a zippy, curved plunge and a unique horseshoe element. In this brief element, the car literally is perpendicular to the ground, as some riders are staring straight at the ground while the other two are staring straight up into the sky. Personally, this is a really unique element that I had not experienced before and thanks to the spinning, the position while at 90 degrees was different each time.

Then following a quick brake run is another quick drop and then a section of trick track. Having never before experienced trick track, I was really impressed by the rapid changes in direction. Plus, with the vehicle’s spinning, which rivaled that of a tilt-a-whirl by this point, the element was even more disorienting. Following that comes an incredibly disorienting downward and tight helix. Finally, there was yet another brake run, and following a series of small drops, the cars made it to the final brake run.

Overall, Whirlwind is not only my favorite attraction at Seabreeze, but it is also one of my favorite roller coasters anywhere. With a thrilling drop, sensational spinning, and several unique elements (highlighted by the horsehoe), the park has a real winner on their hands. Personally, I am shocked that more parks have not added these Mauer Sohne spinning coasters since they have an incredibly small footprint and jam tons of thrills into that footprint. Finally, while the ride definitely spins a ton, the spinning did not seem to bother my father, which says a lot since he refuses to ride tilt-a-whirls or tea cups anymore. Unless one is not a fan of roller coasters, this simply can not be missed in a visit to Seabreeze.

Times Ridden: 8
Favorite Seat: N/A
Best Part: First Drop

I love the ride, but i hate it when you go around so sharply at the top! if you are sitting in the inside seats, then it feels like your going to fall out! D:

Who would have thought my favorite ride at Seabreeze, a quaint little community park in upstate New York just brimming with nostalgia, would be this new-fangled, brightly-painted, European whiligig? By jingo, it was a gas, I tell you, a regular Jet Star meets a Virginia Reel. That ol' jitney the Jack Rabbit was all wet, by comparison. My, it was a high old time aboard the Whirlwind!

I'm not exactly a spinning-coaster connoisseur, but this was certainly the best of the breed that I've encountered. This little shaver would have a decent layout for a compact coaster even without all the 360-degree flim-flam. Add that to the mix, however, and it's almost enough to give a body pause. I'm pretty much habituated to the typical roller coaster experience at this point, but launching from a dead stop, darkness, and going backwards can still raise a little dew on my palms. Now I guess we can add spinning to that list. Whilwind was a double threat in this regard, as during one ride I traveled up the lift and down the tolerably steep first drop backwards, and then before I could recover from that manuever, the car commenced a-spinning. Another swell element was the section of vertical track following the dive from the Wild-Mouse like turn-around; we were hitting on all eight right about then.

Until recently, I had only one other spin-coaster as a basis of comparison, that being the Zamperla Wild Mouse at Beech Bend. That, too, was a pretty game bangtail, but I paid rather dearly for hands-up rides by cracking my elbows and ribs against the hard plastic and stainless steel of the big, four-across cars. The tune-up was exacerbated by the Zamperla's spinning action, which was abrupt, almost violent. The pods on the Whilwind, by contrast, seat two sets of two riders back-to-back in cushiony, well-enclosed comfort, and the vertical, lateral, and centrifugal hijinx all meld famously along its merry way. On both models, achieving the proper weight distribution seems to have a lot to do with getting the maximum spinning action. This means that some rides are relatively tame, but the variety gives the ride some added personality.

Without a doubt, Whirlwind is a gimmick coaster, but a gimmick that works is one definition of an inspiration. It's a fun, slightly nerve-wracking, occasionally nausea-inducing variation on a themepark classic. I have to be strict with my numbers, but this rattler gets the highest of 7s. EP on the bing, and that's the crop!

I have to say much better then the version at Waldameer, which I hate to say since I like Waldameer so much. APPEARANCE-6 A stock model ride with not much going on other then the cars. Nice view though. CAPACITY-7 Didnt seem to have as many cars running as Waldameer, but still moves the line pretty well. RIDE QUALITY-8 Delivered an excellent ride with good speed a spinning. My ratings of the stock model are hurt though by my overseas experiences. FUN-8 Good laughing and overall just good times. RERIDE-10 I was in a rush to move through my day so I only got one trip on this fun ride, however I enjoyed the park and expect to visit again in the near future. OVERALL-39 AVG-7.8 I will go with the 8 and again stste that this one seems better then the one at Waldameer. I will need to double check my review of that ride also.

This ride is the best of its kind that I have ridden. There are a few sections of track that where the cars dont spin that could have caused me to downgrade the ride a notch. However, because of the rides location in the park, the non spinning sections of track allow for great views of Lake Ontario on clear days, so this feature proves to be a bonus. The cars travel pretty quickly through the track which is deceptively long for a coaster with such a small footprint. The ride looks a lot shorter and slower from the line, compared to when you are riding it yourself. This ride is fun, family friendly, and a great addition for this small traditional style park.

SUCH A FUN RIDE!!!!!!! YOU HAVE TO RIDE!!!!! -not for the weak stomached....i give it a 9!!

This is a grate addition to the park becausem i heard that the old roller coaster was slow but this ride is fast and insain you never get the same ride twice

this ride just looks like fun as you are waiting to ride. And after riding I realized it really was fun, more fun than the spinning car Crazy Mouse at Steel Pier. Unfortunately the trip mechanism that releases the cars and allows spinning doesnt kick in until after the first drop. It would be great if the cars spun on the first drop, but with that said you should ride in the car facing backwards, it is a unique feel on the first drop. Great re-rideability since each ride is different. This is the exact concept Id like to see in a suspended coaster.

This is one fun ride. The cars have seats that face forward and backward, and they spin throughout the entire ride. The first drop is great, and the helix at the end is a lot of fun. But the thing that sets this wild mouse apart from all others is the speed - this ride seemed faster and wilder than any other wild mouse coaster Ive ridden. Easily the best of its kind.