bill_s Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Hersheypark plus Knoebels sounds like 2 day trip. Made me look it up, I may have to make that trip myself some day, it does work just not in that little time. There's the nearly 3 more hours of driving (KD adds 2 minutes), plus BGW can be done faster than Hershey and KD is a better highlights-only park. It would also be good just to stay 'til close at BGW, but I would find the entire daytime more than enough time and moving on to KD puts you towards DC. Shade by day, asphalt by night ... of course even that could be taxing of your companions and even yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaygood259Ozz Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Depends on you. If you like fast pass kings Dominion. I'd stay away from Busch gardens. It's beautiful and the coaster's are great, but everything else is a nightmare. Hershey has some really unique rides and diversity though. A giga wing coaster, a vertical 97 degree drop coaster, an Lim launch coaster that's awesome, a wooden racer, an inverted clone, a boring looper, a wild mouse. Eh, Hershey really has some unique rides though, I still say kings Dominion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGoddess Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) Hi BGW has a dark ride DarKastle that is 3D. Hershey's dark ride is a slow moving chocolate tour thing. For me, I wasn't too thrilled or impressed with Hershey Park. I had fun but I wasn't too thrilled. The same year I went to BGW and had much more fun and the same thing goes with Kings Dominion. Also from DC if you have the time you'd love, love, love Six Flags in NJ. It's not too much farther of a drive and well worth it, and they have dark rides too! Check out the parks list of rides on their websites for current as may be some new additions I'm not aware of. So for that area I really liked BGW, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags NJ. Hershey is fun, but comes in easily last place IMO. Edited August 18, 2016 by CoasterGoddess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djackson Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Depends on you. If you like fast pass kings Dominion. I'd stay away from Busch gardens. It's beautiful and the coaster's are great, but everything else is a nightmare. Hershey has some really unique rides and diversity though. A giga wing coaster, a vertical 97 degree drop coaster, an Lim launch coaster that's awesome, a wooden racer, an inverted clone, a boring looper, a wild mouse. Eh, Hershey really has some unique rides though, I still say kings Dominion. Not trying to be a jerk but you must not know that much about coasters. Hershey does not have A Giga Wing Coaster. Hershey does Have A hyper coaster. Nor do they have an inverted clone or Lim launch coaster. Great Bear is actually a unique b&m invert. And storm runner is an intamin accelerator coaster which uses a catapult launch like Kingda ka and Top thrill dragster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGoddess Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Depends on you. If you like fast pass kings Dominion. I'd stay away from Busch gardens. It's beautiful and the coaster's are great, but everything else is a nightmare. Hershey has some really unique rides and diversity though. A giga wing coaster, a vertical 97 degree drop coaster, an Lim launch coaster that's awesome, a wooden racer, an inverted clone, a boring looper, a wild mouse. Eh, Hershey really has some unique rides though, I still say kings Dominion. Not trying to be a jerk but you must not know that much about coasters. Hershey does not have A Giga Wing Coaster. Hershey does Have A hyper coaster. Nor do they have an inverted clone or Lim launch coaster. Great Bear is actually a unique b&m invert. And storm runner is an intamin accelerator coaster which uses a catapult launch like Kingda ka and Top thrill dragster. Yeah, I read that too and just shrugged it off. Really a "Giga wing" coaster? I haven't yet heard of a Hyper wing coaster that has a 200ft or more drop. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. I also recommend to consider what time next year you'll be visiting as some new 2017 rides may be open then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VACoasterdude Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Looks like its an even split between BGW and Hershey. Both parks are great and I think your group would enjoy either park. Hershey has a great selection of coasters that even non-coaster people may enjoy. They also have the waterpark within, so if you are visiting on a hot day, the non-coaster people can hang out there. BGW has the landscaping, shows, food and ambiance that non-park people would find appealing. Depending on the timing of your visit, crowds at both parks will be about equal. All that being said, it would be a shame to visit Hershey and miss Knoebels or BGW and miss KD. Both are worth the extra time, but Knoebels....to be that close and not go!!!! I am not traveling with little kids. 1/2 of my family doesn't like coasters,so they like parks like Disney. They are looking for dark rides, good shows, and things to do inside the park besides rides. The other 1/2 of our family is looking for airtime coasters and luanch coasters. The other thing mentioned was things to do outside the park at night, and yes, thats important too, as we'll probably go to the park one day, then have to kill about 6 hours before we'd get on our flight Based on your comment, "...then have to kill about 6 hours before we'd get on our flight." It sounds like you are you talking about visiting a park in the morning and then flying out later the same day. That would really change the opinions on which park you should visit, as imho both BGW and Hershey require more than a few hours or 1/2 a day. Are you flying back to the West Coast? You may want to firm up your travel plans before deciding on a park. As someone who coordinates travel as part of my job, I can tell you airports near Williamsburg (Norfolk or Newport News) and Hershey (Harrisburg, PA) do not offer a whole lot of non-stops to the West Coast. Mostly they offer region service to a larger airports (think Atlanta or Charlotte) for connections and options would be limited later in the day. DC area airports offer the best selection of non-stops to the West Coast and I have taken non-stops flights to CA from Washington Dulles as late as 10pm. Also, the cost of flying back from a different city might be a deciding factor, as it usually gets priced by the airlines as two one-way fares instead of a roundtrip. Not to mention one way rental car fees can be triple the cost versus picking up and dropping at the same airport. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living_Dead Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I prefer Busch Gardens, but only because I like to do non-coasters and I also prefer parks that have theme over parks that have none. I feel like I'm on a mini holiday everytime I go to Busch Gardens because of all the wonderful theme that is put into the place. It feels more sophisticated than most day parks. Also they have some really cheesy but mega awesome dark rides that I adore. That one castle dark ride, and Escape from Pompeii are really fun. The coaster's are cool. The food is fine. It's just a really fun time. I also like the layout more than Hershey. Hershey is good, but I prefer Busch Gardens due to the theme, the environment, the staff, and the shows. I feel there is a higher quality at Busch Gardens that Hershey has yet to provide. I do like both parks though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrachenfireOP Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 My home park is Hershey. I've had many amazing trips to BGW as well. If I had to pick one over the other I'd have a lot to consider. Are you taking little kids along? Are you looking for a big coaster lineup? What kind of atmosphere appeals to you? On trips with my little ones, I would say BGW because it's more shaded, good food, more for my little ones while I ride the handful of awesome coasters that they have. I haven't had a bad ride on any of their coasters ever. If you are traveling with adults and want the big lineup then Hershey by far has it. 3 great Intamin coasters, Lightning Racer, Great Bear, etc. They do lack in some areas. The coasters are generally shorter in length. Some are just not rideable (cough~Wildcat~cough). I find the food to be mediocre except at the Smokehouse. It really does just depend on what your preferences are. I am not traveling with little kids. 1/2 of my family doesn't like coasters,so they like parks like Disney. They are looking for dark rides, good shows, and things to do inside the park besides rides. The other 1/2 of our family is looking for airtime coasters and luanch coasters. The other thing mentioned was things to do outside the park at night, and yes, thats important too, as we'll probably go to the park one day, then have to kill about 6 hours before we'd get on our flight Based on this comment alone, I'd go with BGW. It has coasters fairly on par to Hershey when you take some of the crappier Hershey coasters out. Every BGW coaster is a winner. Plus, the shows and flat rides at BGW will be better for your other guests, and the historic triangle is great too. Also, no one seems to be mentioning water country, which is an absolutely awesome water park only 10 minutes away that your whole group might enjoy if that's up your alley. That said, if you choose Hershey, you'll still have a great time as it's a great park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Busch Gardens is my vote. Like others have said, their top coasters are on par with Hershey's top coasters, but the atmosphere is so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Corn Posted August 20, 2016 Author Share Posted August 20, 2016 Looks like its an even split between BGW and Hershey. Both parks are great and I think your group would enjoy either park. Hershey has a great selection of coasters that even non-coaster people may enjoy. They also have the waterpark within, so if you are visiting on a hot day, the non-coaster people can hang out there. BGW has the landscaping, shows, food and ambiance that non-park people would find appealing. Depending on the timing of your visit, crowds at both parks will be about equal. All that being said, it would be a shame to visit Hershey and miss Knoebels or BGW and miss KD. Both are worth the extra time, but Knoebels....to be that close and not go!!!! I am not traveling with little kids. 1/2 of my family doesn't like coasters,so they like parks like Disney. They are looking for dark rides, good shows, and things to do inside the park besides rides. The other 1/2 of our family is looking for airtime coasters and luanch coasters. The other thing mentioned was things to do outside the park at night, and yes, thats important too, as we'll probably go to the park one day, then have to kill about 6 hours before we'd get on our flight Based on your comment, "...then have to kill about 6 hours before we'd get on our flight." It sounds like you are you talking about visiting a park in the morning and then flying out later the same day. That would really change the opinions on which park you should visit, as imho both BGW and Hershey require more than a few hours or 1/2 a day. Are you flying back to the West Coast? You may want to firm up your travel plans before deciding on a park. As someone who coordinates travel as part of my job, I can tell you airports near Williamsburg (Norfolk or Newport News) and Hershey (Harrisburg, PA) do not offer a whole lot of non-stops to the West Coast. Mostly they offer region service to a larger airports (think Atlanta or Charlotte) for connections and options would be limited later in the day. DC area airports offer the best selection of non-stops to the West Coast and I have taken non-stops flights to CA from Washington Dulles as late as 10pm. Also, the cost of flying back from a different city might be a deciding factor, as it usually gets priced by the airlines as two one-way fares instead of a roundtrip. Not to mention one way rental car fees can be triple the cost versus picking up and dropping at the same airport. Hope this helps. The main reason I said that is were also looking for things to do in the town outside the park. For example, we'll do the park Wednesday, spend the night, wake up, and kill sometime Thursday before getting on the flight again. My entire family would like to spend sometime in the town the day we fly out because I usually get later flights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 BGW gets my vote. BGW is such an amazing park, with a great collection of attractions. Don't get me wrong, Hershey is a good park, but overall (IMO) it doesn't even compare to BGW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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