Magnum PA

Drove past the park today. Five observations I made about the proposed coaster site. 1) It looks like the creek has been pretty much drained, not a whole lot of water in it at this point. Don't know if that's typical for this time of the year or if it means construction is starting soon. 2) It looks as if a path is being constructed from Comet Hollow, under the Comet, and back into that area. I think a walking path from Comet Hollow to the park entrance would be a great idea. 3) There is a crane inside the park near the stroller rental, which, of course, is right next to the construction site. 4) A new wider double gate has been added to the park's fence along Park Blvd. I don't remember seeing it before, and it's all shiny and new. I'm assuming it will be the construction entrance for the area, as there are tire tracks all over the ground there. 5) Finally, there was a man running what looked like electric wire through the area near the dam. It seems to me that we can expect construction to begin soon, if it hasn't already.

I think that HE&R knows they need to expand the park in the not too distant future, and I'm sure many different options have been drawn up. It probably should have been done years ago, but they were afraid to pull the trigger due to the cost. Had they done it back then, we wouldn't be stuck with the Boardwalk where it is. The park can't expand toward the old golf cousrse. Imagine walking from there to Lightning Racer. Hersheypark is already very "skinny". Any expansion should be to "widen" it. I think ideally, the easiest way to expand would be to demolish Hersheypark Arena, move the employee parking, and eventually demolish Hersheypark Stadium. Not that I'm a proponent of removing these older buildings, but logistically, it makes the most sense. There has been talk for some time about a new entance to the park going in that general area, and it would make sense, considering it is right smack in the middle of the park. However, that would most likely mean the end of Tudor Square, Carrousel Circle and Rhineland - the most charming areas of Hersheypark. Can you imagine the Carrousel in a different part of the park? They'd have to move it to the new entrance, right? The new entrance would be better equipped to handle the large crowds Hershey attracts. Guests would no longer have to chug up and down the hills at the park's current entrance. It would allow for waterpark goers to head directly to the left. Fahrenheit would now be at the front of the park. Look at the major logistical changes that have taken place along these lines over the years: - Giant Center is built, parking lots are greatly expanded. - Golf course closes down. - Museum moves to downtown Hershey. - Waterpark takes over Midway America. Add them all together, and you can kinda' see where they're headed. I was inside the Arena not too long ago, maybe a little over a year. The place (pehaps purposefully?) is really falling into disrepair. The ceiling is falling apart and leaking, and it looked like it had been that way for a while. It's used for storage by the park. Two, maybe three people were ice skating. There is so much character in that place, but it's just a hollow shell of it's former self. I thought there was some sort of government protection or landmark status. But if it continues to fall into disrepair and is deemed unsafe, it will go away. I think HE&R wants it to go away. Most of the executives are outsiders anyway. They probably don't care about the building as much as the locals do. I'm sure it's on the chopping block, and it will probably be sooner than later. It will be sad to see it go. But let's face it, it's already been replaced by the Giant Center. If Hersheypark Stadium eventually comes down (probably for additional parking), I can totally see a new stadium/outside concert venue being built in the old golf course area, near Giant Center. Then you would have the park on one side of the complex and the sports/music on the other. As far as inside the park goes, now that Boardwalk is there, they need to continue to expand it. If there was a realistic way to move Lightning Racer, I'm sure they would do it, and I would be all for it. Look for Wild Mouse to move for sure in the next few years. With growing attendance from the waterpark and from Attraction 2012, I'm sure the hope is to generate enough revenue to bring the new entrance plans to fruition, within the next 5 years.

That's a good point. I 305 only runs two trains, and I was surprised at first. But the cable lift is very fast, as is the average speed of the entire ride. The train leaves the station and it's back in a little over a minute. Really no need for a third train there. Also, the staff was really pumping the trains out the day I was there - something I don't see a lot of at Hersheypark. I 305 can operate at a high capacity with two trains. Most hypercoasters cannot.

I wouldn't be surprised one bit if this new ride only runs two trains. In fact, I'd be surprised if it ran three. To operate three trains on a coaster you need to have an additional block brake, whether it's in the middle of the ride's course or at the end of the ride. At Hersheypark, Looper has a series of block brakes at the end of the ride, and I believe it ran three trains at one point. Trailblazer has a mid-course block, and I remember it having three trains at one point, but I doubt all three were ever used at once. I've always wished Hersheypark would run three trains on all of their coasters, because Wildcat, Lightning Racer, and Great Bear all have a series of block breaks at the end of their rides. It could be done. I remember being disappointed with the station set up of both Storm Runner and Fahrenheit. I feel both of those rides run at poor capacity, and that could have been corrected by designing the stations differently to allow more trains. Storm Runner could run two on each side of the station, much like TTD runs six, if they would have ended the ride differently and extended the station. With Farhrenheit's short trains, a fourth should have been added as well. Though I will say that when there are three trains on Fahrenheit, they do seem to move them through pretty quickly, without stacking them. 12 people per train is just a really bad idea for a park this size. Like I've said before, this new ride really needs to have three trains, especially if it uses a traditional lift. But I will most definitely not be surprised if there are only two, which will be disappointing. Two trains on a hypercoaster makes for a long wait.

I have yet to be fully impressed with any Hersheypark addition since Lightning Racer. I was impressed with the announcement of Fahrenheit, because I was expecting something a lot smaller. But ALL of Hersheyparks steel coasters are too short, with the one exception maybe being Great Bear - but let's face it, there's a lot of dead track on it. Storm Runner is the worst at Hersheypark when it comes to length. Launch or no launch, it just comes to an abrupt end right when it should be getting good. At least with KK and TTD you know going in that they are one trick ponies. Xcelerator at Knotts, even though it's shorter than Storm Runner, is the perfect launched coaster for me because it feels like a complete ride, and it never gets old. I just have this uneasy feeling, and it seems I'm not alone in this regard, that 2012 will bring us another steel coaster that just doesn't live up our expectations because we've ridden better, more complete hyper coasters at other parks. I like the latest Eric-rendering, except the length of the ride and the first drop. I would much rather prefer a straight first drop to a curved one. There is much more of a sense of free fall on a straight drop. What will impress me is a 5000+ foot out & back airtime/capacity machine, with three 32-36 passenger trains. That would be a break from the norm at Hersheypark. I also find it funny how everyone here hates the Boardwalk. We just can't escape complaining about it.

There's definitely a mix of feelings as you walk around a place like this. You feel a bit of happiness, sadness, eeriness, and coolness because it is really neat to see how things once were. My wife and I actually had our wedding reception there a few years back. People were free to walk the grounds. We even have a picture with the Wildcat train, with me in my tux and my wife in her wedding gown. Had the train not been so dirty, we would have sat in the train for a picture. Looking back on it, I wish we had. It would have been a cool picture, and clothes can be cleaned. Oh, and I found one more picture from our wedding photos. Looking down toward the river past the carousel house. The place can be gorgeous.

The recent photo tour of the old Lincoln Park reminded me that I had these pictures on my computer from the summer before last. We gave ourselves a tour of the property (no breaking and entering - it was open). Rocky Springs Park is now a bed and breakfast. Many of the old park's buildings are in tact, including the gorgeous carousel building. Enjoy! This is the view looking up at the park and carousel house from the bank of the Conestoga River, where the original Lady Gay boat would drop guests off. A peek inside the carousel house. Massive. A look at the ceiling of the carousel house. Looks like work has been done. Rumor had it, a few years back, that the original carousel was heading back this way to return home. It never happened. Old snack stand, which now has a timeline history of the park posted inside. Old, weathered restrooms. Spooky. I never noticed the word 'Dies' in 'Ladies' until I saw this sign in this eerie context... Still, this is just a small example of the intricacies of an old amusement park. Even the bathrooms had stone-carved signs. Old arcade/games building. I love the old-school name. Old ticket booth. 15 cent rides? Yes please. The star of the show is sitting to the right of the booth... The train from Rocky Springs 1928 Wildcat. They don't make them like that anymore. It's on display under a pavilion as you enter the property, near where the coaster stood until the early 90's. Wildcat's wheel assembly. A little TLC and this thing could still ride... Doubt it, but it's a nice thought. An old brochure I found somewhere online that I saved years ago.

I just drove past there about an hour ago. The markings I'm refering to are on the west side of Park Blvd bridge (across the road from the park, and they are still there - some flags and paint. However there is nothing in the entire area around the old lighthouse. That's not to say that this ride is already completely physically plotted out, but it may be evidence that this thing will stop at the park's fence. Thinking more about it, I'm starting to doubt that this ride will cross Park Blvd. That would be a really tough sell for the township to approve, and there has been no mention of it in any of the township meetings. Even if HE&R owns the land on both sides, crossing a public road is not something they can just do. It's a shame too. I feel a hyper-coaster needs to be about 5000 feet long, anything else would feel too short. In hyper-coaster terms, the distance from the Comet to the park's border just isn't long enough for an out & back design, especially if you consider the lift hill. You can't really get adequate length on a ride in this area if you don't turn it around in the lighthouse area. Assuming it will not cross the road, the only options I see for a 212 ft coaster are the following, which I list from worst case to best. 5) A hyper coaster that is way to short, adding to HP's collection of too-short steel coasters (all of them). 4) A B&M dive machine 3) A lift heading up past the Comet's queue and dropping behind the Comet's current exit, then out and back along the creek. See my previous post about polluting Comet Hollow with more supports. 2) A Raging Bull/SFMM Goliath-like hyper twister isolated along and around the creek. 1) Some sort of double out and back with a ton of air, that is completely along the creek with three sweet turnarounds. In all likelihood, judging by what we've seen so far, I think we're looking at #3.

Great pictures! Looks like the layout will be more of what most of us are hoping for. I think the stakes are most likely footers. Additionally, for what it's worth, there are stakes/markings across the road in that area as well the last time I drove by the park. Very encouraging.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you are 18, then Great Bear was installed when you were 5-6 years old, which means you might not have the best recollection of Comet Hollow before Great Bear. Granted, I'm not an old fart either, but I was your age when Great Bear opened. While I loved the ride, and was ecstatic to have a B&M inverted coaster so close to home, I vividly remember the impact all of those support columns had on the area in my eyes. Unique? Absolutely. What I love about Great Bear is the uniqueness of its layout. And it's a blast flying over everyone and everything. But that doesn't diminish the impact the ride had/has visually and audibly on Comet Hollow. I have Hersheypark memories dating back to when I was 5-6, and I remember pre-Great Bear Comet Hollow very well. Perhaps that has something to do with the difference in opinion.

Comet Hollow is my favorite part of Hersheypark. While I love Great Bear because of it's interesting layout, I feel Hershey totally raped that area of the park to install it. I would be sick if this new ride again raped the area, and my precious Comet, with supports columns all over the place. There are markings near the sky ride, along the games in front of the Comet, and in and around the Comet's exit area. I'm praying those are survey points and utility markings for the new attraction, not markings for support columns. If it were to go in that direction, it would have to be a tall part of the ride, like a lift. I just can't picture how you can effectively run a lift up that direction (toward the Skyride) and turn it to drop back toward the creek. I have no problem with the station going where the Tilt-a-Whirl is now. But I really want this ride to be an out & back, heading back along the creek, cross the road, do it's turn around, and head back - basically out of the way. Hersheypark, please don't ruin the Comet/Comet Hollow anymore.

This isn't directed at you, Eric. A few people on here have said something to that effect. ^ Is Dutch Wonderland a threat to Hersheypark? No, it doesn't do anywhere near the numbers Hersheypark does. Is DW in competition? Absolutely - very much so. You would be surprised how many people Dutch Wonderland puts through the gates every year. You'd be surprised how many families travel to Lancaster to go to Dutch Wonderland. Try traveling down Rt. 30 on any summer day. Dutch Wonderland is very popular, not only with the locals, but with young familes in the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and of course Pennsylvania markets. A lot of familes, when presented with a choice between paying Hershey's rates or paying Dutch Wonderland's rates, will choose Dutch Wonderland. In many ways, you get more bang for your buck there, and there's a lot more to do in Lancaster than in Hershey. And all that money, instead of going into HE&R's pockets, now goes to Palace. That's competition in my book. Plus, the two parks are in direct competition for group business, which is a huge thing in this industry. There is more room than you'd think to expand at Dutch Wonderland, and I think we'll see it happen now with Palace at the helm. If Dutch Wonderland can "keep" more of the profits it generates, I look for them to expand their park and increase their capacity. I think we'll see Dutch Wonderland become a slightly larger park, aiming for 8,000-10,000 people per (busy) day, up from the 5,000-7,000 they do now.

Ugh. They are similar, but I think Fahrenheit kicks Storm Runner's ass though. Weird. Automatic dollar signs...

There is no way this will be a Maurer coaster. Largest project in the park's history = Maurer? Probably not. I guess Maurer can make a decent coaster, but if this isn't B&M or Intamin, or someone else with hyper-experience, I have to say I'll be very disappointed. There is a huge difference between any Maurer coaster I've ridden and any B&M or Intamin hyper I've ridden. I know parks don't cater to me or any of us, but I reserve my right to be disappointed in this coaster if it's not a B&M or Intamin ride.

Season passes are $142, which is way too high. I think it's the most expensive season pass in the nation, behind Disney. (There's that 'D' word again!) That's almost $40 more than Cedar Point, and almost twice the price of any Six Flags park, and you get every park in the chain for that price. If I wanted to add Dutch Wonderland to my pass, it would cost me $192 next year. Cedar Fair's Platium pass is only about $20 more than Hersheypark's single park season pass. I'd get more value out of that, hitting up Dorney twice and King's Dominion. Single day admission is pushing $60 now, which is also crazy. Sorry, I just feel it's all overpriced. As much as I like Hersheypark, it is not the best park in the country. It shouldn't be priced as such.

I agree whole heartedly. The latest Hershey regime came in with a real elitest mentality, and it shows in just about everything that's been done since then and in everything they continue to do. Pricing is through the roof on everything from rooms, to food, to park admission (including season passes). Hershey is pricing themselves out of the local market, trying to cater to the wealthy, as you said. The problem is, the wealthy from the region would just as soon fly to Florida for a much better experience. Hershey desperately wants to be Disney. which is a shame. They have/had (depending on your point of view) something special. The park always had a certain feel to it - one that was really unique to Hersheypark. While a lot of the park still has its charm, parts of it feel so corporate now. I also agree that Hershey needs to build a large <$100/night hotel, something more affordable for families, complete with shuttle service to the park. Hershey considers the Lodge to be their 'low-end' hotel, but it too is ridiculously expensive. Hershey needs to be careful about turning their backs on the locals and lower-income families. Dutch Wonderland, rather than being an asset, is now competition for local dollars, and DW still has a company with deep pockets to market the park regionally. Palace can certainly add attractions to draw more guests while keeping the park geared to young familes.

While there certainly wasn't a 'For Sale' sign in Dutch Wonderland's front yard, I don't believe that it was totally cold. There has been word for the good part of a year that HE&R was considering selling the park, which probably means they were looking for offers. Palace saw a good opportunity, and made it happen. Additionally, you have to play the PR game with these things to appease the locals. "Oh, we didn't want to sell, but this was a good opportunity blah, blah, blah..." "This was a difficult decision yadda, yadda..." Bottom line is HE&R is hungry for cash. While the Entertainment side (park, stadium, Giant Center) continues to perform financially, the Resorts side keeps sh-tting the bed. The company invested a ridiculous amount into the Hotel recently, but they're still having trouble putting heads in the beds. What better way to bring in cash than to sell a profitable park that you picked up relatively dirt cheap? HE&R did a wonderful job at Dutch Wonderland and built up a lot of equity in the property since 2001. I'm sure there is a nice ROI on this sale. Buy low, sell high. From that perspective, selling the park makes sense. Focusing all energy and assets on the properties in Hershey wasn't just a line. That's the truth. However, it seems to me that Dutch Wonderland became a nice little cash cow over the past few seasons - sending millions up the road every year while getting little in return. From this perspective, the sale makes no sense. Why sell off one of your few profitable assets, when others are bleeding you dry? (not that selling a different property is an option) Why not keep the cow? This is a great acquisition for Palace, and I think being sold will be a great thing for Dutch Wonderland and its future. I hope Palace is willing to invest in the park and pay for the upgrades it has grown to need in recent years. I don't see a lot of other changes. Think of it this way... when I'm riding a hypercoaster in Hersheypark in 2012, I'll think to myself "This is the coaster Dutch Wonderland paid for." Regarding the combo season pass, it will be honored and sold for the next three seasons, according to a friend who works in Hershey.

The dead end will not be resolved ever, unless they go without a service road behind Lightning Racer and Roller Soaker, or remove some cabanas. The path that used to lead from Storm Runner to Lightning Racer is now cut off by the cabanas and lazy river. It was a horrible decision to close that off - now there are two dead ends in the park (LR and Storm Runner). But, they wanted only one entrance to the Boardwalk/Seaquel Area. The waterpark is a total cluster f---, and is the worst decison the park has ever made. I have no problem adding a waterpark - it's drawn an incredible amnount of people. But it should have been built where the old pool was located, near Chocolate World and away from the park. It could/should have been a separate gate. It's not big enough to handle Hersheypark's crowds, and it's completely landlocked. The rapids won't be the only ride the park will lose as the waterpark expands. Not only has the waterpark created a loooong dead end at Lightning Racer, but it's a nightmare to navigate through. The crowds are horrendous. Even in the summertime you have to walk all the way around to get to Lightning Racer, unless you want to fight the Boardwalk crowds. It makes me sick to my stomach whenever I go back there to think of how Midway America has been ruined.

Not a whole lot of stress on the incline of the second hill, which is the section that has been removed. I do think we're looking at Kings Dominion re-working the first turn to lessen the positive G's. I'm all for an overbanked turn, like Millennium Force, above Rebel Yell's turnarounds. I hope that's what's in store. Kings Dominion can't be happy with the ride in its current state, with the trims on the first drop. That is the marketable part of the ride, and the best part. That drop was the best I've ever experienced back in April. It's totally neutered right now. I applaud Kings Dominion for recognizing the problem and being willing to spend the money to fix it. A new coaster should have no need for trims. If they get this to work, without shaving any speed off the ride, they may have the best steel coaster in the world on their hands.