AmyUD06

Yes, Field of Screams is absolutely incredible. Still working on my report from Hersheypark's event, but "legit" is not a word I would use. Yes, the mazes were well designed and built, but the number and quality of actors was kinda lacking. The scare zones were very disappointing (Midway Mayhem had a grand total of 2 decorations), and the only "show" was a slider demonstration. That said, ride lines will be non-existent.

ProTip: If going to Hersheypark on the night of a sold-out show at the Stadium, which is likely to let out right at Park closing, leave earlier. I've moved maybe one car length in the last half hour. Ugh LOL. Update: It took me just over an hour to get out of the lot.

Please no spoilers, but do you think someone who hasn't seen a single part of the series will enjoy it?

The contract had a 5-year extension clause that they chose to utilize. This contract was initially agreed upon in 2017, so "still just" an 8 year deal. Nobody said anything about them "re-evaluating the license" then because it's a stupid idea driven by click-bait and division-inducing philosophy. Don't encourage it. You can dream all you want, but there is no rational reason to believe that SFEC is actively considering not continuing to have Peanuts-themed kids areas at Legacy CF parks at any point in the future.

Seriously. What's worse is how much some other forums will just take these 1-in-a-million unsubstantiated rumors and run wild with them. Example: There is a thread with 24 posts on another forum focused on a singular Legacy CF park, in the subforum "Coming Attractions" (which is described as "Discuss what's coming to [park name redacted] in 2024 and beyond!" to discuss actual announced projects) entitled "Looney Tunes Planet Snoopy Retheme Concept". The original post contains custom made graphics, a photoshop of the Looney Tunes mascots from a SF park in front of this park's most recognizable landmark, and suggested re-namings for every single ride and theater in this park's Peanuts section. It assumes that the contract was not being renewed as a fact. Though most of the responses were not on board with this idea, one person actually created their own crude photoshop instead turning Planet Snoopy into a DC-themed area. This is why I love TPR. Wild, ridiculous speculation is frowned upon here, like it should be.

To touch on this, it is now official: Peanuts licensing contract extended. Surprising absolutely no one, except the click-baity YouTubers who threw everyone into a panic over the contract "being allowed to expire because SFEC is going bankrupt!!!!!11!!!" https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250910481132/en/Six-Flags-Entertainment-and-Peanuts-Worldwide-Extend-Licensing-Agreement-to-2030

If that includes park admission, $87 sounds a little low for a park haunt with a skip-the-line for the haunted attractions, a tiny bit high if no admission. I've paid $85 for a Fright Lane pass at Cedar Point before haha. It's a little high for an independent haunt, even with skip-the-line, but not too much higher (typically like $60-70 max for an independent haunt with 4 attractions and skip-the-line).

Dorney's Haunt is always solid (for a park haunt), but this year you've gotta pay extra for the haunted mazes (scare zones and shows are included in admission). I've never been to Hersheypark's Halloween event ("Dark Nights"), but I will be on the 19th/20th, so I'll be able to provide perspective then, and I've never been to the NY parks for their Halloween events. EDIT: I just noticed that you said your daughter was "just old enough" to start going to haunt-type stuff, so I'm going to guess in the 13-14 year old range (or younger). In that case (especially if younger), I'm going to suggest that you actually start out with a park-based haunt and see how she does before taking her to any local independent one. They are definitely going to be more intense in every way. I'm going to leave the below text for reference, though, just in case you decide to take her to one of these too. I can universally say that you should check out local, independent Halloween attractions though - they are almost all better than what Cedar Fair/Six Flags parks have done. I don't know of any in NY, but this website can help you find some: https://www.newyorkhauntedhouses.com/ I have been to a few that are within your "3-4 hour drive" limit, and here's my mini-reviews in order of awesomeness. Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, PA (4 hours) I visited this attraction on October 26th last year and had hands down the best haunted walk-throughs I've ever seen. Absolutely everything was incredible here and it is well worth the price; I can't say anything about it without spoiling it. It is just absolutely incredible and makes any Cedar Fair haunted attraction look like it was put together by elementary school kids. VIP skip-the-line tickets are highly recommended because this place gets PACKED. I cannot say enough positively about this place. Field of Screams in Mountville,PA (4.25 hours) I visited this park on Halloween Tuesday in 2023 as the second ever "local haunt" I had been to and it absolutely blew me away. From the animatronics, actors, set design, everything was just awesome. Shocktoberfest in Sinking Spring, PA (4 hours) I visited this attraction on November 8th last year, so outside of the main season, and it was very cool. The enthusiasm out of the actors was great, with long mazes with elevation changes and spectacular animatronics There's also Reaper's Revenge in Blakely, PA (about 2 hours from Syracuse) that I've never been to. Mind you, all of the ones I've listed and most of them in general do not have rides or games (or sometimes even more than basic food) available, so if you're looking for the park experience too, than Dorney and Hershey are your best bets.

Yeah, you're looking at the 2025 Pass add-on, not the 2026 Pass add-on, which is what everyone was talking about. You want this page:

Supposedly the Peanuts license for the chain concludes at the end of this year, with an option to extend it to 2030. No one really knows if they have extended it or not, and with the doom and gloom surrounding SFEC as a whole, people are speculating that since it's supposedly cheaper to rebrand everything to Looney Tunes (or just de-brand everything), that's what they're going to do. It's just more frustrating speculation based on rumors and hearsay if you ask me. IMHO, if they were going to let the contract expire, they wouldn't have installed Peanuts-themed things this year, but I'm not an "industry insider" who gets paid by generating clicks on my videos/articles, so what do I know, right?

In their defense, SF did keep Monster Mansion at SFoG operating wonderfully, even pre-merger. And yes, it is going in the Boo Blasters building, which is where the original Phantom Theater ride was.

Great report as always! I rode Crazy Crab at Steel Pier for the first time last Friday and also encountered a weird rule: There must be at least 3 people in the car. So me, as a single rider, had to wait for others to go on it. Oddly enough, my ride was completely unbraked throughout the whole thing, but we didn't spin much either until the end. I also found it amusing that there are no escape platforms at any of the braking points along the course. But yeah, it's awful, and you're lucky to only have to spend $4 on it haha.

Thank you. @tndankand @john10693, I apologize as I have now been proven wrong.

No worries...just trying to make sure you don't get bitten by this company's inability to clearly communicate to its customers LOL. As for the all-season, all-park, I know I had it for a few years straight, both before and after COVID (in 2020 it was the the only way to get FL at a bunch of parks period), but I'm a single person. You're right that I can't see families going for it.

On another note, it looks like they've raised the prices for the "All Season Haunted Attraction (Express) Pass" at many of the parks, some parks seeing two price increases within a day. Guess they realized that charging just slightly more than a one-day pass wasn't a smart move. I'm honestly amazed that the All-Season, All-Park Fast Lane Plus is still only $1,000....it's been that price for like 5 years or more now.