CNYCoasterguy11

Just got back from a weekend getaway to Hershey for the final day of Springtime in the Park, it has been seven years since I last visited when Fahrenheit was brand new. It also was my daughters first real trip to an amusement park and at only 18months old she did very well and even rode her first kiddie ride alone (does a dad proud). The weather couldn't have been nicer in the high 60's and a slight breeze and crowds were manageable if not small. Most coasters with a few exceptions were running two trains which kept waits down, however the regular rides were somewhat slow going, possibly being because it's the second weekend. Due to time restraints (park was only open 10-6) and having an 18 month old I was only able to get rides on Fahrenheit, Wildcat, Great Bear, Trailblazer and Skyrush along with several flats. My daughter rode the pony carts marking an important milestone in her future roller coaster/theme park adventures with her old man. We all rode the Turnpike which took forever to load but was enjoyable, the kissing tower, Ferris Wheel,Carousel, railroad and monorail. My daughter and I also enjoyed rides on the mini Himalaya, convoy and fun slide. The coasters I was able to get in were all running very smoothly and operations were good and efficient. Trailblazer and Wildcat were as expected and average rides. Fahrenheit was better than I remembered and I was able to ride in front and back providing different experiences with the front making the first drop better but the back provided much better airtime. Great Bear was running better than ever before and was more intense than any previous ride on it, even when it was fairly new. Every turn and inversion felt fast and intense, especially after the inline twist leading to the turn over the water and along the bank. I don't remember it ever being so intense or fun. Finally I was able to get my first and only ride on Skyrush and lets just say it was worth the wait and easily is my new number one (and I have been on I305 right after it opened). The airtime was unreal and the first drop from the back was unworldly ejecting me out of my seat like nothing before. I personally didn't mind the restraints but I'm also somewhat short and small. The station was a bit bizarre with everyone loading and unloading on one side which did slow things down a little but not a major hiccup. All in all it was a good day and I cannot wait to back especially when Laff Track opens up.

Im planning on visiting Hershey from April 9-12 for their Springtime in the Park event. I have never been to Hersheypark other than the usual summer season so I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the crowds are like during the springtime event, are they worse, better? thanks

I used to love riding the old Nightmare at Crackaxle Canyon roller coaster at Great Escape. I know I was just an off the shelf model, but being in pitch black just made it all come together. Kind of like a poor mans Space Mountain. I also love any top spin, just the flipping around is enjoyable to me, especially the hang time.

This is going to be a good draw if it gets the same reaction as the frozen summer events and the movie itself, but could also see some mixed reactions like we are already seeing. Malestrom was in need of an update, I think that's a given. Disney has a movie now that plays into that theme so why not use it to renovate an outdated attraction? Its a smart move by Disney from a business standpoint, it gives them a "new" attraction and way to sell going to Epcot. As for the ride itself, I'm sure it will be a rethemeing but with new effects and surprises (I do hope they keep the drop). As for the movie at the end, they will probably turn that into a meet and great since I'm sure they won't need a movie now, or they will extend the ride into it. And a real long shot would be to make it a new entrance if they redo some of the ride layout itself. Either way it will be interesting and in my opinion a good change that s a little better representation of Scandinavian nations even if it isn't specifically Norway but is still based off a real fairy tale from those parts. As I always say though any new addition is better than no new addition, even if I may not like it (American Idol).

I know they cater to mostly families, specifically young children, but even this is a sad attempt at something new. Essentially it is a makeover of Noah's Sprayground, they could have just refurbished it and added a new kiddie ride(s) or continue to expand its market by adding more thrill rides like Sasquatch and Supernova or even better a coaster, even a family coaster would be nice. I also would like to someday have a dark ride in the park again, and no blizzard doesn't count. A nice spinning coaster would be perfect for this park and wouldn't cost a ton or take a ton of room.

It is really sad that Six Flags has decided to try and trick the GP into thinking these Larsen Loops are roller coasters. Each park is saying its their 10th or 13th etc coaster which is just a flat out lie. Its also a pretty lousy addition for such big parka seeing how these are all too common at fairs and field days. Pretty pathetic for the marketing team to use such dirty tricks. But I have seen plenty of people commenting that it is not a coaster so there is some hope. Kind of a down year compared to last year.

Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in Sylvan Beach, NY has a tip top still, it doesn't look nearly as nice though.

When reading the newest clue it seems that it will obviously be an indoor ride, possibly a spinning flat although it could be a dark ride like buzz lightyear at Disney, maybe not a shooting ride since they already have tue xtreme cup challenge. And since re reading the clues it is definitely going in Midway America and will have a funhouse theme. There's also the long shot it could be an indoor spinning coaster, either a mauher sohne or a spinning mouse.

Looking to visit in September on a Sunday, what are the crowds usually like at this time of year since it is somewhat the offseason and the boardwalk are closed is it less crowded or still pretty bad being a weekend?

I have too say this may be one of the worst moves made by the park in a long time (Personally I wish they had kept BBW), They have a chance to really make a great new addition to their lineup and Im not so sure this is the right fit for the park. It seems like it is too low capacity even with a third car, and it also seems like too short a ride for s big Park like Busch Gardens. Now if they wanted to do a more custom model that could hold more people hourly I could see that. The theme of the ride also seems strange given that Festa Italia is suppose to be themed around Marco Polo's travels not a modern carnival. Just seems strange overall this new project, wish it was going to be something else but anything new is better than nothing new.

Hershey just released the second clue for their 2015 addition, and based on the first two clues in going to go out on a limb and say that it could be an indoor coaster with a vertical drop track like Verbolten or Th13teen. It speaks of a full house falling and being in the dark. It definitely wont be a drop tower now being in the dark.

Absolutely amazing, a huge improvement over the old building and a much better fit in Africa than the old camp Minnie Mickey. In my opinion Africa is the best themed area/land in any US Disney park and one of the best in the entire park system, such great details. Is the seating basically the same as the old theater with four large bleachers with one on each side and the open corners for the floats? I also wonder if they will eventually attach Africa to Pandora with a new Bridge like from the Everest area to dinoland, it would only make sense to.

They have really only lost two flats because scramble was removed for rowdys ridge, and I'm not sure they could put a frisbee in the ufos location due to the arching of the ride unless they had it go well over the walkway. I could see them putting scrambler in ufos location(I think they still have it). Either way I hope this doesn't mean the coaster project is dead, both would be nice but they really need the coaster more.

Not necessarily true. Heesheypark adds big new coasters pretty regularly, and they have been really landlocked. All it takes is some imagination. That's very true, and now with herschend running the park it's going to be easier to build new rides, my only thing is that hershey and Darien lake are still not quite in the same league( but getting much closer if they build lake monster). I would hope they find a way to keep predator but if they look for an easy solution this may be the last season for it : (

Unfortunately if their going to Open a new coaster this big they are going to have to remove one, and Predator is the most likely since they may be able to reuse the station location and proximity to the lake. There's not a lot of room to work with for putting in a big new coaster, if they had been looking to put in a smaller steel coaster they could probably remove the old theater by viper, but this is going to be a good move for the park which hasn't added a serious coaster addition since RoS in '99. This could be the shot in the arm this park needs to really make it a true competitor. The only thing I'm worried about is congestion in that part of the park with the two biggest rides being in the same area.

I just visted on Sunday the 21st and the crowds are light if you don't plan on visiting Wildwater Kingdom, I was able to hit all 8 coasters with multiple re-rides on some and a few flats as well in about 2 1/2 hours and that was taking my time. My suggestion is to ride Wild Mouse first as it has a low riders per hour. After that any order is fine, Talon tends to get the longest lines but that's not saying much, I waited maybe 10-15 minutes. Of course they were running two trains on Talon, Hyrda and Steel Force which also helps.

Took my first trip to Dorney Park Today, from everything i have heard or read about this park, I wasn't expecting much more than a stop for credits. Boy was I wrong, I mean it's not a park I would travel the 4 hours too every year or so but for a once in awhile thing it was really good. Let me just say if you want to get credits here but are on a time crunch, just make it to the park at open. We literally rode every coaster (some twice) in 2 1/2 hours and that was taking our time and riding some flats in between. The lines were short all day for the park because as people have said before everyone heads for the waterpark. Overall the park was very clean and the staff was friendly. Food was ok, a little overpriced and the games were plentiful. The flats were ok for the most part, nothing really wowed me and most ran short circuits. I was somewhat disappointed with Revolution it seemed very slow, maybe thats because Ive ridden the same type of ride at the NYS Fair which is cranked up faster. However the Whip is one of the best I've ridden, it really sends you around the corners. Thunder Canyon was also a pretty good Raft ride, it was close to 90 most of the day and this ride does get you wet and it felt amazing afterwards in the heat. Now for the coasters in order of Least to most Favorite: Woodstock's Express 2/10- Basic Kiddie Coaster, not much else to say. Wild Mouse 3/10-Worst Wild Mouse I've ever ridden, it was weird that they wont allow more than 2 adults per car which contributes to it's slow loading and long lines. My tip is to ride right away instead of the higher capacity coasters. Stinger 5/10- Just a basic boomerang but under the track, only real nice thing was it was very smooth for a SLC like Mind Eraser at Darien Lake. Not very forceful either. Thunderhawk-5/10 Just slightly better than Stinger but thats not saying much, very short and just a little to rough for my liking, decent first drop and some sir at end, but after riding Twister and the Phoenix the day before from Knoebels it kinda shows this rides flaws. Possessed- 6.5/10 Fun ride and I do love a good launch, the straight spike was more fun because of the force and hang factor, however very short, It could stand to let it launch once or even twice more but fun nonetheless. Steel Force-7/10 Not bad for being the Old guy (besides thunderhawk) of the coaster lineup, at one point this was probably one of the premier rides on the East coast, but it just can't compete with the newer hyper and giga coasters. Its first drop was kinda unimpressive for it's height, however the Helix saves the ride and the few hills after have some good airtime, the back row or middle are the best seats for me. Hydra- 7.5/10 Actually not as bad as I had been reading about, yes its smaller than most other Floorless, but its basically a continuous inversion, I rode in the front row and back row, and the front gives good views but this is a coaster that needs to be ridden in the back, its much more force-full and you actually do get some airtime especially of the first hill, I was off my seat the whole way down. Talon-9/10 Hands down the best coaster in the Park, no contest. Makes it into my top 10 of coasters (I have only about 100 to choose from), very intense inverted coaster, and I've been on Alpengeist and the Great Bear but this one is better than both, the loop was amazing and I loved the helix. Only coaster we had to wait for and that was only about 10 mins.

So just want to give everyone a heads up, my name is Eric and this is my first ever Trip Report. I'm new to the Forums but have followed the site for awhile now. I'm a Coaster Lover (duh) and I love checking out the pictures and reports everyone does. This is easily my favorite coaster site. I figured I would join the forums and post a trip report of my own from my 2010 trip to Virginia. Along the Way I visited two major parks and a small Go-Kart park among other visits to historical Williamsburg and a day at Virginia Beach. I have to say I've been to Kings Dominion when it was a Paramount Park and a Cedar Fair park and I have to say it was a better experience as a Cedar Fair Park. I did however miss the movie references and themes but the service was actually pretty good on my trip. Intimidator was brand new when I visited and it certainly impressed me, it was unlike anything I have ever ridden before, easily a top ten of mine. We also visited Go-Karts Plus for a little credit whoring on the kiddie coaster : ) since we staying right in Williamsburg, on a side note it was also my first Disk-O ride. Among the amusement parks we also had a great day at Water Country USA which is by far one of the best waterparks I've ever been too. It certainly was a Busch Gardens owned park as even on opening day the gardens looked amazing. I was a little disappointed however by Meltdown, so much potential but it was pretty slow. The main reason aside from intimidator was to visit Busch Gardens Europe, my favorite non-disney park, a park I hadn't been to since 2003. I was sad that the Big Bad wolf was gone but Griffon certainly helped ease my pain : ), and Curse of DarKastle was pretty good, and very well themed. Busch Gardens was amazing as it always is and even though we ran into a bit of spotty weather it didn't dampen our day, we were able to ride Escape from Pompeii 4 times in a row after the storm rolled thru, needless to say we were pretty drenced. So i will now let the pictures do the talking and add some descriptions along the way. Please comment and let me know how I did on my first TR, and hopefully next time I can do even better next time. Here we are Kings Dominion with the obligatory Eiffel Tower shot. Volcano-a great ride that is too short and has a bad loading speed But still a great ride Back-lot Stunt Coaster was an ok ride, the finish was the best part but they only had two trains running which meant long lines Intimidator 305, my first giga coaster I was surprised how fast the lift hill was for such a tall coaster Over the top we go.......!!!!! Shot from the Eiffel Tower I love shooting dark rides and Boo Blasters was pretty darn good Very Well themed and no line : ) Dominator, it was a little rougher than I had expected but the loop was really good nonetheless. Mandatory Sign Shot Massive Loop Spongebob Squarepants, an ok 4-D ride, the 3-D could have been better Whats that I see? Oh it's just Shockwave : ( I love spinning rides....my wife not so much A nice looking Carousel Americana El Dorado Why not just name this part of the park Geauga Lake Skycoaster, still have yet to ride one Drop Tower, the most creative name ever! What Goes Up....... Must Come Dowwwwwwwnnnnnnn!!!!!! Volcano from the Eiffel Tower Dominator So long Kings Dominion Till Next Time Go-Karts Plus for credit Whoring! Didn't get a pick of the coaster but here's the Disk-O, my first ever Kiddieland, I worked at Sylvan Beach for four summers and we too had a kiddieland Busch Gardens...Yay!!! I have always loved the themeing here Scotland from the Skyride Griffon from the Skyride Amazing Coaster and my first Dive coaster too Love the first drop hang from the front row It's nice to see an Theme Park give back especially when it's to help protect wildlife Sesame Street Forest of Fun a great addition to the park for families Im glad they didn't have to remove land of the Dragons like Tampa had too. Credit Whoring credit #2 (I have my hands up lol) Grover was pretty fun for a kid coaster might be better with a second circuit. Best Shoot the Chute Ride Ever This is the only one I will ride and not mind getting wet SPLASH!!!!! Once again incredible themeing and the inside is awesome Tea-Cup Ride Little Balloons Italy Like no one has ever taken this shot before Or this one Rhine River Cruise One Loop.... .....Two Loop I miss you Big Bad Wolf : ' ( Rhinefield Land of the Dragons, so many memories of when I was a kid here Daytime Nighttime Kiddie Wheel The Kinder Carousel...not to be confused with the meaner carousel Curse of DarKastle entrance Love this statue, that's all for me, I hope to have an even better TR next time, and sorry for not having any Alpengeist or Apollo's Chariot Photos, next time I will take more pictures. Thanks For reading