Palace Playland
Palace Playland
3.8
About
The only beach front amusement park in New England. Lots of fun rides and food for the whole family.
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The area
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- Old Orchard Beach Station • 3 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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3.8
575 reviews
Excellent
159
Very good
211
Average
162
Poor
27
Terrible
16
P&K USA
Orlando, FL1,846 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
PALACE PLAYLAND is a beachfront amusement park at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, which opened in 1902. It features a mix of modern family, kiddy and thrill rides plus a rollercoaster or two, along with many tempting food vendors.
We visited Palace Playland twice - on Friday August 2 and Saturday August 3, 2024. Upon arriving at Old Orchard Beach on the Friday mid-afternoon, we were surprised to see that the park was closed. We went for drinks in the nearby Pier Pub and as we sat watching the coastline, saw the amusements open around 4pm but as it was at the height of summer, thought it would have been open a lot earlier for the many visitors walking around Old Orchard Beach.
We love amusement parks and travelling fairs; Palace Playland had the feel of the latter. We thought that the rides were not being operated correctly - nothing dangerous, just not in a thrilling or fun way. In fact the park had a subdued atmosphere. Maybe we only noticed this because we have showmen friends who travel with rides and know how to give riders the best experience. It should be noted that other visitors were having a good time and, to be fair, it was early into its opening. We decided not to ride on anything, however, and were happy to spectate.
Our second visit was later in the evening, on Saturday night the next day, and it was great to see the park all lit up. The colorful signs for food tempted us in and there was an impressive range on offer to choose from: hand-dipped corn dogs, pretzels, cotton candy, pizza, hot dogs, fries, turkey legs, jumbo fried dough, subs and more.
We decided to try something we’d never had before in America - the iconic staple of fair food - the corn dog!
😋 Corn Dog x 2 = $10.00
💰Total = $10.00
The food was made to order, so there was a little wait, but we took the opportunity to see what others were enjoying: the jumbo fried dough intrigued us and came dusted with powdered sugar but was diced up into manageable pieces. A lucky little kid had a whole portion to himself! We watched the young staff, who were clearly seasonal workers, prepare a Philly cheesesteak sandwich - it looked reasonable but we have had the real deal before. We can’t be sure, but the cotton candy didn’t appear to be handmade and came pre-prepared in a sealed bucket.
Our corn dogs arrived piping hot in a stylish ‘State Fair’ paper wrapper. For the uninitiated, a corn dog is a sausage on a stick deep fried in a sweet cornmeal batter. We drizzled ours in French’s mustard and Heinz ketchup and devoured them! They weren’t as big as we expected but they didn’t disappoint. Yummy!
So no rides for us at Palace Playland, but we enjoyed our snacks and a taste of the American carnival!
We visited Palace Playland twice - on Friday August 2 and Saturday August 3, 2024. Upon arriving at Old Orchard Beach on the Friday mid-afternoon, we were surprised to see that the park was closed. We went for drinks in the nearby Pier Pub and as we sat watching the coastline, saw the amusements open around 4pm but as it was at the height of summer, thought it would have been open a lot earlier for the many visitors walking around Old Orchard Beach.
We love amusement parks and travelling fairs; Palace Playland had the feel of the latter. We thought that the rides were not being operated correctly - nothing dangerous, just not in a thrilling or fun way. In fact the park had a subdued atmosphere. Maybe we only noticed this because we have showmen friends who travel with rides and know how to give riders the best experience. It should be noted that other visitors were having a good time and, to be fair, it was early into its opening. We decided not to ride on anything, however, and were happy to spectate.
Our second visit was later in the evening, on Saturday night the next day, and it was great to see the park all lit up. The colorful signs for food tempted us in and there was an impressive range on offer to choose from: hand-dipped corn dogs, pretzels, cotton candy, pizza, hot dogs, fries, turkey legs, jumbo fried dough, subs and more.
We decided to try something we’d never had before in America - the iconic staple of fair food - the corn dog!
😋 Corn Dog x 2 = $10.00
💰Total = $10.00
The food was made to order, so there was a little wait, but we took the opportunity to see what others were enjoying: the jumbo fried dough intrigued us and came dusted with powdered sugar but was diced up into manageable pieces. A lucky little kid had a whole portion to himself! We watched the young staff, who were clearly seasonal workers, prepare a Philly cheesesteak sandwich - it looked reasonable but we have had the real deal before. We can’t be sure, but the cotton candy didn’t appear to be handmade and came pre-prepared in a sealed bucket.
Our corn dogs arrived piping hot in a stylish ‘State Fair’ paper wrapper. For the uninitiated, a corn dog is a sausage on a stick deep fried in a sweet cornmeal batter. We drizzled ours in French’s mustard and Heinz ketchup and devoured them! They weren’t as big as we expected but they didn’t disappoint. Yummy!
So no rides for us at Palace Playland, but we enjoyed our snacks and a taste of the American carnival!
Written September 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holly @ LoveAtFirstSite.blog
Orlando, FL488 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We took the plunge this 4th of July and bought the unlimited passes for our two teen and preteen girls. While paying 40 something each, that really is the going price for an amusement park. And since we had the whole day, they definitely go their money's worth.
We went early in the day on the 4th and it was perfect. Not many lines causing more than a 5 minute wait for a ride. They got to ride every ride they wanted as many times as they wanted.
We were camping nearby so decided to go back to camp to eat dinner then come back down for the fireworks and more rides. When we got back down there around 7 pm the amusement park was very crowded. They then had to wait 20 to 30 minutes to get on a ride. This was to be expected since it was 4th of July fireworks night and we were told it was the most amount of people they'd had there since pre-covid. We were just glad they had gotten to ride so many rides earlier on in the day.
As the evening went on and the fireworks finished, we had to wait a bit for the campground trolley so our girls did do more rides. But this time of night the park got rowdier with fights and drunks. Definitely not a nighttime scene for kids.
All in all, we had a great time and will be visiting again, during daylight hours.
We went early in the day on the 4th and it was perfect. Not many lines causing more than a 5 minute wait for a ride. They got to ride every ride they wanted as many times as they wanted.
We were camping nearby so decided to go back to camp to eat dinner then come back down for the fireworks and more rides. When we got back down there around 7 pm the amusement park was very crowded. They then had to wait 20 to 30 minutes to get on a ride. This was to be expected since it was 4th of July fireworks night and we were told it was the most amount of people they'd had there since pre-covid. We were just glad they had gotten to ride so many rides earlier on in the day.
As the evening went on and the fireworks finished, we had to wait a bit for the campground trolley so our girls did do more rides. But this time of night the park got rowdier with fights and drunks. Definitely not a nighttime scene for kids.
All in all, we had a great time and will be visiting again, during daylight hours.
Written August 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DadFromMaine
Maine458 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We went last evening. There are some fun rides, for almost all thrill levels. (However, they should get a few more rides for those who like medium-level thrill stuff.) It's not too sketchy and lines aren't bad (ferris wheel looked a 20-30 minute wait). But man, have prices gone up. $100 for our family of five. That lasted us a little over an hour. We even had to be stingy about which of us got to go on which rides. So if they keep on raising prices, we're out. We would just stick with Funtown/Splashtown.
Written August 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amusementparkguy1
104 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
Having been many years since we were here, a friend and I put it on our itinerary for this year. The amusement area has many rides put close together much like a carnival or state fair. Individual tickets or a wristband is available. The rides seem to be in good condition. Employees could be a little friendlier. One drawback is there are no water fountains. You have to pat for even tap water. This is wrong, management. I'm going to call you on it. Tap water should be free. Bottled water can be charged.
Written July 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Pidge
Wayne, NJ612 contributions
Jun 2023
Don't let its rough appearance fool you, this is a fun little amusement park with something for just about everyone. There are spinning rides of all kinds and the Sea Viper roller coaster packs a bigger punch than is expected. There's even a massive indoor arcade for when the weather gets iffy. I can't wait to return.
Written June 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gene R J
Silver Spring, MD11,261 contributions
Jun 2021
We stopped here to see this 1902 amusement park noting its something we once did with our grandchildren. Nearby is the more adult oriented Pier, rebuilt many times over the years due to storms. Its 800’ length is beautifully perched over the beachfront below. Parking here is a short walk across from the park at $10, inexpensive for this active area.
On our departure we stopped 2 blocks to the west to see the 1926-1957 St. Margaret Catholic Church with its distinctive "lighthouse" entry.
On our departure we stopped 2 blocks to the west to see the 1926-1957 St. Margaret Catholic Church with its distinctive "lighthouse" entry.
Written June 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
prettykitty1966
Nashua, NH82 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Great time but games are pricey. Water gun game was $5.00 per person, frog game also $5.00 per person. Cost of rides were even worse. Arcade was fun but once again most games started at $2.00 a game. You will need to purchase a Palace Play land card and apply money to the card. In order to play the arcade games you need to swipe the card.
Written July 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristens_on_Vacation
Lakeville, MA1,089 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
This is a large piece of the entertainment scene in OOB.
It has not changed much since I was a kid.
The arcade is like any other, point system on a card so you don't truly realize how much you are spending in actual $ to stop the light 🤣
Truth be told we had fun for sure but all kids were disappointed in the prize options. My son had thousands of points. He ended up with 2 plastic boomerangs, 2 whoopee cushions, bubbles and a few other junky things.
The outdoor area was blocked off in a way to keep capacity very low so there were no lines. Staff did a great job especially cnsidering most were working multiple game booths.
Rides open were the ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel and the big boat. Tickets are $1.50 each and rides are 2-5 each.
It has not changed much since I was a kid.
The arcade is like any other, point system on a card so you don't truly realize how much you are spending in actual $ to stop the light 🤣
Truth be told we had fun for sure but all kids were disappointed in the prize options. My son had thousands of points. He ended up with 2 plastic boomerangs, 2 whoopee cushions, bubbles and a few other junky things.
The outdoor area was blocked off in a way to keep capacity very low so there were no lines. Staff did a great job especially cnsidering most were working multiple game booths.
Rides open were the ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel and the big boat. Tickets are $1.50 each and rides are 2-5 each.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveloraptor
Quebec City, Canada92 contributions
Aug 2022
Some rides for everyone. The 'bracelet' pass is the best deal as rides are at a minimum 2 tickets each, and those are for toddlers, otherwise it's 4 tickets per ride, which make the day pass worthwhile very quickly. Not much wait at all between rides, which is great with kids. Lots of concession stands for food, accessible to all.
Written August 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MCS78
Chicago, IL8 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Staff at the arcade was surprisingly rude. My wife and 4 year old were trying to cash in tickets for a prize and the guy behind the counter ignored them for 10 minutes while chatting with somebody. Never seen anything like it. I even asked if we could get some help and he just said he was busy. I know it’s hard to hire good people these days but who does that to a 4 year old?
Written June 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can I get discount coupons for Palace Playground (and other OOB Attractions for that matter) for end of summer 2018 somewhere?
Written August 12, 2018
Many motels have discount packages. Pick up a copy of OOB travel guide at the information office at the Amtrak station.
Written August 12, 2018
Bonjour Suzie, Que voudriez-vous savoir à propos de cet endroit ou cette activité? je sais le prix pour les maneges mais on voit pas les prix pour les arcades
Written July 18, 2018
Will the arcade be open if it is rainy?
Written July 6, 2017
many within an easy walk, both on & off the beach..
Written June 28, 2017
According to the palace playland website the 2 day passes are $49.75 and $35.50 for kiddie.
Written June 25, 2017
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