seasonic

Both these rides are made by ProSlide, and the one is marketed is a Water Coaster.... so it is a coaster. Hard to not to call it one. Now if they called it a roller coaster on the other hand, there would be some problems. I think complaining about it being their 14th coaster is just splitting hairs. These should hopefully bring additional capacity to the boardwalk and cut down on some of the wait times for their other water slides.

Fahrenheit is the only coaster there with that high of a required temperature to start at. I think it is 55 degrees? I've seen the past two years heaters there, Wildcat, Lightning Racer, and sooperdooperlooper to get them up and running quicker.

The Claw is just getting repainted and some maintenance done. Unsure if a new light package is included. I think I saw the arm of the claw in the parking lot, and it was purple.

Hersheypark is owned and operated privately by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, they are a separate company from The Hershey Company. The connecting factors are HE&R is owned by The Hershey Trust Company and they have a voting majority in The Hershey Company. Hershey's Chocolate World (run by The Hershey Company) has a some what symbiotic relationship with the park. HE&R obviously gets licensing for Hershey products to use at their properties as well, but these job reductions wouldn't affect the park.

Too bad they don't open Great Bear for the Holiday event. It's totally possible. Also, I find it strange that Lightening Racer isn't open for it either if Wildcat is. Fahrenheit has a manufacturer set temperature limit at which point the attraction is allowed to run. The park is required to follow that. I believe the same is for Great Bear. As for Storm Runner and Skyrush, I believe those aren't open for the fact that it would be very uncomfortable for guests. Lightning Racer isn't run because of concerns of stopping mid run. Wildcat there isn't that concern because of the dynamics of the ride. Yes Intamin temp limit blah blah blah. Great Bear can certainly run if Great Adventure is running B&M's in January and I can't see how much a difference in "dynamic" LR is than Wildcat. I think as mentioned before it has more to do with location. Lightning Racer has valleyed before in Hersheypark in the Dark due to low temperatures; its not location. Different rides have different dynamics, just because it is built by the same company doesn't make it the same.

Too bad they don't open Great Bear for the Holiday event. It's totally possible. Also, I find it strange that Lightening Racer isn't open for it either if Wildcat is. Fahrenheit has a manufacturer set temperature limit at which point the attraction is allowed to run. The park is required to follow that. I believe the same is for Great Bear. As for Storm Runner and Skyrush, I believe those aren't open for the fact that it would be very uncomfortable for guests. Lightning Racer isn't run because of concerns of stopping mid run. Wildcat there isn't that concern because of the dynamics of the ride.

This is inaccurate. When it first starts to rain, Skyrush, Storm Runner, Cocoa Cruiser, and Wild Mouse will close. If it gets to heavy rain the other roller coasters will close, except for Laff Trakk. If there is lightning in the area, rides will closed based on the distance. This gives the park time to clear the water attractions and tall / hard to reach rides before the storm really hits. As for their return policy due to weather, the website currently says: "There is no need to let the threat of rain in the forecast keep you away! Hersheypark remains open during inclement weather conditions such as rain, wind, and lightning. During these conditions, Hersheypark offers a variety of indoor activities including entertainment shows, dining options, shopping, game arcades, exhibits at ZooAmerica, as well as rides under cover while you wait for the weather to clear. In the event the inclement weather conditions cause our major rides and attractions to close for a continuous 60 minutes, a Return Visit Voucher will be issued for a return visit for the same current operating season. Please present your ticket stub or receipt of purchase to the Guest Services building located outside of the main entrance of Hersheypark to receive your Return Visit Voucher. Hersheypark makes every effort to reopen the rides and attractions as quickly and safely as possible after the inclement weather conditions cease. The Hersheypark Mobile App features a real-time listing of closed rides and ride wait times."

Hersheypark's summer season ends in September and then there are usually two weeks of being closed to the public before Hersheypark in the Dark. The one weekend are private events, and the next week the parking lot is used to host a huge auto show. The auto show has been there for like 50 years or something. There are usually only 3 weekends of Hersheypark in the Dark. And yea this year the three wooden coasters and Laff Trakk are dark rides for the last hour. The woodies have their tracer lights turned off and Laff Trakk has its black lights turned off, making it completely pitch black.

I didn't see anyone post this, Hersheypark expanded their Christmas Candylane this year. Laff Trakk, Wildcat, sooperdooperlooper, and most of the Midway area will now be open. Last year Cocoa Cruiser was open, so they have a total of 4 roller coasters open during the event. More information in the link: http://www.hersheypark.com/seasons/christmas.php

I believe because it is Laff Trakk's first year it isn't part of the program; maybe in future years? Skyrush's first year it wasn't part of the program. The rows closed off are also used for the park's accessible program, and any other vip program access they have. Employees should obviously be filling in the rows when not used however.

Skyrush does have individual seat belts that need to be checked though...

Don't forget to ride the three wooden coasters during the last hour. For Halloween they turn off the track lights for the last hour. Its definitely a different experience. I know Knoebels does it as well with Phoenix.

I push on my restraint during the whole ride and it works for me. I also just make sure that it is only flush with my legs and not pressing on them.

I am a bit familiar with Hersheypark's weather plan from working there before, so I will try to elaborate. Generally speaking when lightning is within 15 miles the water park closes. Once it is in 5-10 miles larger rides (roller coasters, ferris wheel, log flume, etc) will close. Once the storm is actually there, heavy rain can close non-covered rides, and if the storm is really bad (lightning over head, hail, tornado warning, strong winds, etc) possibly all rides will be closed. Once the storm begins to pass, rides that were closed due to the wind or heavy rain should reopen, while management would have to wait for the lightning to be far enough away. If the storm was really bad, rides might need to be checked out by maintenance for any debris, which would take the ride longer to reopen. All the rides are put in 'phases' as to when they are closed for weather. Management who are a National Weather Service SkyWarn Certified Storm Spotter use various weather radars, and lightning detection systems to make the calls. These are then pushed out to all the rides, but that can take some time. The whole complex is StormReady by the National Weather Service, so they take it very seriously. Some requirements to close are set by the manufacturer, such as temperature and wind speeds. As for just rain, Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Cocoa Cruiser all close. The first two due to the speed of the attractions, the second due to ride issues. Some other rides are known to close for extended rain showers, such as their mini himalaya, mini pirate, ladybug, teacups, and pirate. Looper was a big deal in 1977, a single loop was great then. The ride didn't need anything else.