Hydra the Revenge is a coaster that certainly has generated some buzz since its opening in 2005. Looking at the reviews here, it seems that Hydra is one of those coasters that you either really like or are generally disappointed with. Well, you can color me into the "really like" column. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from some of the stories I’ve heard), I never had the chance to ride Hydra’s predecessor, Hercules. Therefore, I cannot accurately comment on how good a replacement Hydra is. What I can do, however, is give some insight into why I do enjoy this mythical coaster and what it brings to the table. This floorless coaster, despite claims to the contrary, is a thoroughly enjoyable ride with many pluses, at least to me anyway!

Perhaps expectations for this ride were too high before its opening, or perhaps many have been spoiled by the mammoth B&M floorless installations in the past (a la the Medusas and Dominators and Screams of the coaster community). For whatever the reason, it seems the reception Hydra has gotten from enthusiasts is lukewarm at best. To each his own, I guess, which is one of the things about coaster riding that is so neat – different coasters and styles appeal to different people. Having now ridden Medusa, I will agree that Medusa is a superior coaster, but for me riding that only strengthened Hydra’s place as a unique and thrilling mid-sized floorless. The slick lime green track color works perfectly with the coaster’s namesake, the mythical creature Hydra. This coaster looks tremendous, and when walking up to it you can see a wide variety of inversions packed into its compact layout. Lines are usually not much of an issue on Hydra, as I for one have never waited more than 10-15 minutes to snag a ride. And unlike most other floorless coasters where the front is the money seat, for this one I give the nod to the very back row.

Exiting the station, the train crawls through the amazing JoJo Roll, as dubbed by someone who obviously has a weird sense of humor! This element is truly fantastic, as you go through it so low to the ground and at such a low speed, coming right out of the station. This is one of the ride’s highlights, and I give a thumbs up to the thought of having an inversion right off the bat! The first drop is a bit smaller, I will admit, but in the back row it still packs a huge punch! It is extremely steep, and the train is simply yanked over, providing some powerful floater airtime the entire way down the drop!! The train then hits an inclined loop, a nicely executed zero-g roll, and a great corkscrew (that provides a little floating time as well), before diving into the rock-strewn valley to tackle the warped cobra roll. The cobra roll is very nice, but not quite as forceful as the standard ones, which was a bit of a surprise after looking at how tilted (for lack of a better term) the track was. Still, it is a well-placed element that keeps the flow going nicely. Next is the s-curved hill, followed by a great bunny hop with some excellent floater air in the back. At this point, I do feel that the ride sputters, with an ending that does take some away from the first action-packed half. There’s another corkscrew, although it is less forceful than the first, and a relatively weaker helix, which failed to give many forces. A tighter, longer helix would have been great here, and why not replace that second corkscrew with a smaller standard vertical loop? It would’ve kept with the uniqueness that hits riders throughout the first portion of the ride. As I hit the brakes, I am always very pleased and thrilled, but just wishing that the last portion had a little more "ooomph". That is where the ride drops a point for me. However, Hydra is most importantly a good deal of fun and I always feel the need to hop back on for rerides.

Overall, Hydra is a great floorless coaster. The layout is intriguing, and the inversion right out of the gate is a superb idea that is executed<

I am easily impressed with coasters but this one was just...boring. Nothing special, just a smaller version of the floorless coasters. Wasnt really worth my time. I was expecting something much more because of how everyone was making such a big deal over it.

Im surprised more coasters have not tried to have more than 1 photo op, like this one has. Seems like a good way to cash in to me. The ride is solid across the board, but there is no defining moment that leaves enough of an impression to send you back into the lineup for re-rides. It makes you appreciate Talon and Steel Force all the more.

i loved this coaster
it was not too rough or intense and a very smooth ride
the first slope was steep and insanely fun
the whole loops and things jumbled up in the middle of the ride were great

I enjoyed this ride quite a bit. Was it the best B&M I have ever been on? Definitely not. But it did keep my attention throughout its course. I am not fully sold on the virtues of the floorless design. is it a gimmick or does it truely add to the overall ride experience? Would Hulk at IOA be better floorless, or Dominator or Kraken be less of a ride in a standard carriage? Who knows, but the elements on HtR flowed nicely, the ride was relatively smooth in the back, and the first drop was great. But what I really took away from this ride was the Jojo roll. Descending out of the station and into the deliberate, rolling hang-time, it almost felt mechanical in its execution. If you could usher an unknowing rider into the back, this could take them by surprise (like the first drop of the Kennywood TBolt.) Sadly, I could not convince my wife to take a ride and pull the same stunt as I had on the TBolt. Anyhow, I had fun on this ride, and although I really would have preferred to have seen a woodie replace Hercules, this was a fun ride any park would be happy to add to its line up.
**July 2008 Update**
I successfully pulled off the back seat surprise
on my 10 y/o son this year. Although not as startling as the T&#39.Bolt (which he will get next year) the JoJo roll still produced a hearty &quot.whoa!&quot.

"Aww, it was like a little baby looper!" Those were my exact words coming off this little mish-mosh of inversions. Hydra never seemed very hyped to me and for good reason I guess, its just a little looping coaster to give Dorney a bit more pizzazz. Plus its probably more appealing compared to the wooden mountain that was Hercules. The line for Hydra was zilch; practically a walk on really. I noticed that the seats were a bit more comfortable than other B&M coasters for some reason. The little "free sunglasses for employees roll" was interesting yet ridiculous at the same time. I should have done a slow motion yell during the roll. The drop was OK; it was pretty steep but I didnt feel a thing going down it. The first element was kind of odd...kind of like a really steep helix as opposed to an actual inversion. The back to back corkscrews were cool, especially since they were in opposite directions which threw me off a bit. Next was the weirdo cobra roll, which probably shouldnt even count as an inversion since you dont actually roll completely over. The rest of the ride was just a little jaunt into Hercules burial grounds complete with a little angled helix-like turn that showcased some empty pilings...Hercules tattered remains. All in all, Hydra was an OK coaster; it seemed a bit bumpy actually, and the ride was a bit too short. Itll never supplant Medusa in my book. One thing is for sure though, Hydra definitely isnt what killed Hercules...because Hydra is just a little wimp apparently!

Something was just missing here. The initial jojo roll was interesting, but kinda pointless - there is no thrill in a roll at 5mph. The first drop was more than I expected (someone stated it was a 68 degree angle - perhaps thats it), giving a significant thrill. The rest just died. There was also some headbanging in the back seat, none really in the front on the reride. Id love to trade that slow jojo for a surprise cobra at the end. Edit: I made an error here, and really mean a corkscrew, not a cobra - sorry! Its a good coaster, just not a great one in my limited experience.

Firstly, let me just say that the jojo roll was absolutely excellent, and easily the best part of the coaster. So that means that everything after the station exit is a letdown. The ride is quick and smooth, but it lacks intensity. There are a couple of pops of airtime, and the giant corkscrew is neat, but thats really it. Not even the best coaster at the park.

For my 1st floorless, it wasnt that bad. The experience was very unique & I loved how the whole design of Hydra is. The jojo roll was very surprising as Ive felt a lot of hangtime. The 105 ft. drop at 68 degrees was soem else. I knew that the drop wasnt going to be very big, but on my 1st ride in the back seat, it had some great airtime going down it. All of Hydras 7 inversions were great. The 1st zero-g roll was a lot of fun as Ive got some good airtime on that. The cobra roll was great too b/c of its small size which made it intense & just the uniqueness of it looking oblong. After the cobra roll though, Hydra fizzles out towards the end. I didnt like that small drop it did after coming out of the cobra roll & the hill b/f the final flat spin wasnt all that great either. The last flat spin was cool though & the spiral was OK. Overall, Hydras a good coaster & would be a great one to try out if youve never been on a floorless b/f since its the smallest & slowest floorless out of all of them, but it definitely doesnt compete w/the likes of Steel Force or Talon: Grip of Fear. Dont let my opinion though turn yall away from riding it though. I still think that Hydras a great floorless, but Hydra was kinda overrated to me & I guess that I still had some high anticipation for it to be in my Top 10 like BGTs SheiKra. Oh well.

Ive read this quite a few times over this season, and I REALLY want to love this ride, and want it to be as good as Talon, but, simple fact IMO it isnt. Its fun, and Ill ride it anytime, but there are little to no forces which makes it somewhat boring. Also, in the front seat (well, just Ive found especially "bad" in the front seat) its kind of bumpy with odd transitions, and my ears hurt after a ride in the front. I didnt read any of the other reviews through so Im not sure if its just me or not. The JoJo roll was fun though, and very unique. Its definitly an origional ride, but IMO not as good as Talon and average. One thing that did suprise me though was the airtime on the first drop, and on a little hill after the cobra roll if in the back, which was fun.