bert425

We were there just over a week ago on a Tuesday, and although they had the sign saying Phantom was only running one train (and sorry for the inconvenience), by noon they had two cars running and the line moving quickly. in fact, everything in the park was running except for Volcano, and we loved the park. . . spending a good 8 hours there and riding everything (except for 4 things we agreed to skip: the Meteor/Kennywood Arrow, Bumper Cars, Pirate, and Supreme Swing). . .but did all the coasters multiple times, and even rode some of the flats multiple times. I dunno about on a Friday, the kids are for sure out of school in July, and the lack of large groups (and the weather forecast) certainly helped us out. but we had a grand time regardless -- Jackrabbit just might be in my top 2 all time coasters.

as others said, and I can confirm as we were just there 3 days ago -- the fast lane reserved seats are in the middle of the train for all the coasters. granted, the weather kept the parks dead in the evenings, but we saw NO ONE using them last Thursday. hope that helps.

you're gonna hate me now. . . I HATED (with the passion of a thousand burning suns) Skyrush. rough, rough, rough coaster. and I felt "unsafe". . like if I didn't hang on for dear life, I would fall out of it. did not like it at all! and one ride was enough. at least I can say I did it. but loved Storm Runner, and SuperDuperLooper. . and we both enjoyed Lightning Racer immensely.

I'd kill off the animal attractions for sure (they are overpriced, and not really something you can't get anywhere else). as for shows, you really can't go wrong with any of the Cirque shows in Vegas (tho the Criss Angel Believe one is boring to me, and we disliked the majority of Zumanity). Mystre is a good "starter" show, as it IS the first Cirque show they brought to Vegas -- and they have updated it within the past few years with a few new acts. for my money tho?. . I'd go for either "O" or "Love". . the two best shows in my opinion. for food, my standard recommendation for the past several years is Wicked Fork at Cosmopolitan. It's a gourmet buffet, served tapas style. . . so it's not the standard Vegas buffet. Yes, it is sorta pricey, but yes, it's worth it.

We were gonna try this on Thursday night (the mixed grille). . . but it was closed! Guess because the park was so dead from the weather forecast. I actually pointed out the KosherMart while we were in line for the KettleCorn, but mr fuddy-duddy I'm with was determined that we get back to the hotel before the rain really hit. . so we didn't stop.

We're still on the trip, but decompressing after a great (and crowded) day at Knobel's in the lobby of our hotel (yay free internet with computer provided!). thus far, we loved the food at Kennywood -- eating potato patch fries, Lemon Periogies from the stand near log jammer, the Philly Cheesesteak at the midway stand, and tho we wanted to try the peperoni rolls. . we simply couldn't find the stand. We did buy some fudge on the way out, and that was excellent too. the only Kennywood misfire was the deep fried Oreo. It was soggy, sweet, and way too rich. We didnt' finish the order (and instead got the Lemon Periogies that we loved from the same place). In HersheyPark, we didnt' try Chickie and Peete's as we are going to eat there at Dorney, but we did try the Smokehouse, and just weren't that impressed (we completely understand that being from Austin, Texas, our BBQ standards are pretty high . . and it wasn't BAD. . it just didn't WOW us for the cost). The Periogies from the midway cart near Wildcat were OK. . not amazing, not bad. . just. . eh. The Kettle Corn at Hershy is amazing. . . we still have a 2nd bag with us to munch on for the next few days!. we at a couple of main meals at the Hershy Lodge where we stayed. . and both places were great. The Bear's Den is themed to an ice rink, and we had Philly Cheesesteak and a Rueben. At the Hershey Grill (more upscale), we had the Lobster "corndogs" and an amazing coconut Chicken Salad. at Knobel's. We've eaten our way thru the park (as suggested), loving the Birch Beer, the Fried Pickles, the Cheese on a Stick, the Old Mill Salted Caramel Sundae's, as well as the Crabcake Burger and fried veggies (from the stand in front of Phoenix). We have up in the room, a small bag of kettle corn, and a bag of Cotton Candy we bought on the way out for tomorrow in the car. Honestly?. . the only misfire at Knobel's was the taco pizza. . which folks raved about to us in line, and so we tried it. If I'm being honest?. . it tasted like a burp (ewww). . and we ended up not finishing it. . . but everything else was excellent. Tomorrow we are off to Philadelphia, and then on Monday up to Allentown for Dorney. . so that's when we'll hit Chickie and Peete's. thanks again for the suggestions everyone!. . it's made for a great trip thus far!

it was WONDERFUL. . and most of the carts were selling CDs of the music they were playing. Some of them were a bit too close to each other, resulting in some bleed (but I loved they used the empty PowerSurge pad for one of em. . of COURSE I got a pic, right next to the sign saying Power Surge was out ). the place was PACKED. . I mean. . really, really, really packed. It poured last night, but luckily we were able to squeeze in a few of the big things (Phoenix, Black Diamond, Haunted House before it got so bad. . so the only real "wait" we had today was Flying Turns. . and we knocked that out early, so the wait was only from opening, until they got it up and running at around 11:30 am. when we left, it still had a 2 hour plus line. . not worth 2 hours, but I enjoyed it as the first thing we rode today. all in all, a great park, and i loved almost all of the food we tried!

We're still on our trip, but were just at HersheyPark on Thurs. the only thing that saved it from being PACKED was the poor weather forecast, which kept a lot of folks away in the evening . . so everything was a walk on. I'd absolutely recommend doing the 2 1/2 hour preview the night before your first day (3 1/2 hours if you're staying on property, as we were). the park was DEAD at 6:30 pm on Wed night. . Skyrush, Storm Runner, Great Bear, Comet, and Wildcat were all walk-ons (Farenheit was down for the evening). we also did a bunch of flats on the preview night, so the next day in the morning when it was so packed, we didn't feel bad skipping things we had done the night before. (tho we did multiple rides on Super-Duper-Looper. . what an awesome, and non-busy coaster!). as to food. . unfortunately, other than the kettle corn, we felt the food in the park was overpriced and just not that good. the Perogies from the Americana cart (across from Wildcat) were OK. . but got blown out of the water the next day at Knobel's. if you're able to get to Hershey Lodge, both restaurants we ate in there (Bear's Den, and Hershey Grill) were fantastic, and resonable. one thing that surprised the heck out of us, is although the park is beautiful, the maps are COMPLETELY useless. We had to continuously ask park employees for directions, as what it *looks* like on the map, only brings you close to the ride, but not the actual entrances (which can be from a completlely different direction). to close on a big positive? I've never, ever been to a park that gets it's down rides up and running so quickly. There were multiple rides that went down while we were in the park for two days, and all of them were back up and running (most of them within 20 minutes of going down!). They also no longer shut down rides due to rain. Unless there is thunder/lightning.. . everythig will run, even in a downpour (as we saw was the case with StormRunner and Wildcat). have fun. . we did!

we've enjoyed it in the past, but agreed, not worth it for full price. HOWEVER (and I mention because if he gets to take in a show, he might be at the booth anyways) you'll see "Tix4Tonight" booths all up and down the strip, offering discount tickets to shows -- as well as restaurants. and they happen to offer cheap tickets to Madame Tussaud's. I think the last time we went, back in 2012, the admission (bought from a Tix4Tonight booth) were only $13 each. for that price, it was a worthwhile hour spent looking at wax figures:

I think you're going to be fine on the woodies, they all have old school fixed position lap bars, and Thunderbolt doesn't even have seat belts. good to know. I used to not worry about the wood coasters (even if folks were much thinner back then!). then we went to Knotts, and that padded box they call a seat on Ghost Rider just about did me in. I mean. . I FIT. . . but sheesh, was it an uncomfortable and not fun experience! I figure as long as I can fit in an airplane seat, I should be able to fit in a ride, right? (but yeah. . do need to go on a diet).

For what reason do you not recommend it? Is it mainly because of how high up it is, or is it just a bad experience? i don't have any plans for visiting Vegas, but if it comes up, then I was thinking of getting down that way! I'd rather take that way down then the elevator! It is super expensive ($120 per jump!), and it just frightens the crap outta me. . that's why I'd "never ever" do it

well, we're actually pretty excited. . as it appears that our trip to Knobel's next weekend is going to coincide with: "the Carousel Organ Festival" sure, it likely will make the park more crowded, but how wonderful that it just worked out that we're in the park that day!

I dunno, but it's free at Idlewild and Lakemont Ok ok... I'm teasing. Are you guys going to any more Cedar Fair parks this year? The platinum pass they offer ($165 when I got in back in 2011) is a good value if you're traveling to other parks, and includes parking at them all. You could also go to Dorney for the Starlight admission; it's $13 cheaper than a whole day and the park is always nicer later in the day (especially when the sun goes down!) most likely not for the rest of his year (I go to Atlanta for Dragon*con for Labor Day weekend), and then together a likely Caribbean cruise (with my Parents!) in late October. the upside of being forced to take vacation (use it or lose it) from my job. . LOL

$15 for regular, $25 for preferred. You are allowed to leave and re-enter the lot once with the receipt. thanks! we just might take up some of the suggestions and leave the park to eat (Sue's links sound YUMMY), and then go back in the afternoon. Just depends on how the day goes!

We're not doing Lakemont or Idlewild, as we wanted a good mix of "classic" and "corporate" parks, and I had to factor in enough "down time" for my partner, so we don't wear him out. (and just yesterday, got a WONDERFUL Pneumonia diagnosis from his Oncologist who immediately put him on two different antibiotics and wanted us to stop by for an X-ray on the way to the airport on Monday -- he said "hell no". . so the day after we get back, we go to the doctor. . . whee!). anyways. . .. LOL. . yeah, I'm not a "credit" person, and neither of us are waterpark people. . so I don't think we'll need FULL day at Dorney, but we wanted to do it, as we drive to Allentown from Philly, so it's a nice drive and at worst, if we don't care for it, we'll head back to Philly for the evening. the only real sucky part, is that Dorney considers "Senior" much higher than the other parks! So it's going to cost more for a park that everyone is warning us about. but we ARE going to be there on a Monday, so hoping it will be dead, and we can take our time and still get in everything I (and he) want to ride. but sounds like we only have really one good food option inside the park. how much is parking at Dorney?. . doesn't mention it anywhere on site!

Robb is dead on correct about Buffalo Bill's. Desperado is fun, but not if you drive out there (really only about 45 minutes if light traffic) and nothing's open! if you're not terrified of heights (or spending money), the rides on top of Stratosphere are fun -- tho I would never, EVER do the repel down the side of the tower- regardless of how popular it is!). But Big Shot and Insanity (the claw) are not to be missed -- if you're not scared of heights. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] $100 or $150 at Blackjack (if you've never gambled) likely won't last more than 5 minutes. . seriously, most of the tables on the strip are $10-$20/ hand, and it goes fast if it's not a full table. If you want to gamble, I'd suggest the quarter slots. . . they are fun, and the money will last longer, so you'll get more enjoyment out of it. Personally, we LOVE the Wicked Spoon buffet at Cosmopolitan, but a friend just went and told us it was $37 per person. Still worth it, but yeah. . not cheap buffet at all. Edit to add: The High Roller which opened behind Flamingo/Harrah's/Quad looks spectacular (some folks have done trip reports on CBR). . I'd ride that!

thanks again folks. all suggestions are noted, and my partner particularly likes the idea of fresh Peperoni Rolls in lost Kennywood!

Monday we fly to Pittsburgh, and Tuesday we are at Kennywood. Wed Evening/Thursday we are at HersheyPark Friday Evening/Saturday we are at Knobel's Monday we are at Dorney. Wednesday, we are back home and exhausted

We're gonna be there Wed Evening, and Thurs (ONE WEEK!) so I'm hoping for a sorta empty park. if it's not crowded? I'm gonna just think of the queues as exercise

thanks again all for the awesome suggestions! I Googled "Chickie and Petes" and it appears the one ya'll are saying to go to in Dorney is the "Sportsbar" one. I'm not sure what crabbiefries are.. but they are touting them as good? edit: and Coasterbill likes em. . ok, sold!

Eat outside of the park. I don't think we're gonna have that option, unfortunately. we're driving from Knobel's on Sunday direct to Philadelphia Hotel, then on Monday, driving to Allentown from Philly to spend the day at Dorney - so I expect we'll be at Dorney by 10am, and stay until closing at 8, since we drive back to the Philly hotel that night. so a bit too early to eat on the way there, and too late to eat on way back. So we're gonna have to grab something in the park. is there any "least worst" options you know of?

I'm writing all this down, to bring with! thanks thus far, and keep em coming.

YOLOssus Colos-tomy! So awesome, you get handed a bag to crap in?

We're planning an evening sojourn to the park after checking into our hotel (about 25 minutes away), and then full day the next day (Saturday). I expect most of the eating will happen on Saturday -- same day we're gonna ride a lot of things (so yeah, not a GREAT plan. . LOL). . but hey, there's always time to digest while playing Fascination)

Ok. . so our big 10th Anniversary trip starts Monday! We have no current dining plans (except that we are planning for one evening meal at Hershey Lodge, as we've been told the food onsite is good). and I know for sure that at Kennywood we need to get something from the Potato Patch. but what are the Recommended places to eat in the parks? we tend to be "foodies" so something other than Pizza/Burger would be good, and something local to Penn. would be awesome. We're going in knowing that Knobel's in particular is known for it's food. so . . . any suggestions?