ytterbiumanalyst

YES! DO IT! Knoebels is absolutely a park worth traveling 1,000 miles to get to. Get Bill to kidnap you for a weekend and go ride the hell out of everything. Every ride there is awesome. Every single ride.

That launch scares the bejesus out of me too. Same with TTD. Roller coasters are supposed to be scary. Most really aren't, but those two I have to take a deep breath and mentally prepare. It's what makes them so good. And yeah, there's only one row on Ka. You might think you see other rows, but your eyes are deceiving you. Wait the extra 20 minutes and get a good ride.

Thanks everybody! Glad you're still enjoying the report. Totally agree. You still have time for Hershey! They're open until 12/31. Very cool to get to do Gettysburg for that long. I would assume that he would have taken you play-by-play through the three days of the battle, which would be quite the experience I would think.

A water coaster would be the best addition to this park in years.

Toy Story is my favourite Disney movie, and I cannot wait to see this thing up and running. It looks like a great family-friendly coaster that all of us would have fun riding. Definitely a must-do on our Orlando list.

I do consider myself adventurous with food, but I don't think that I would ever eat a cricket burger. You're braver than I. I did find some cricket candy at Morey's Piers a few weeks ago, but I wasn't brave enough to try it.

My Skyrush souvenir T-shirt. When was the last time you bought costume jewelry?

Day 5: Rainy Days and Mondays I awoke early in the morning, as one does while camping. I’m not sure how or why this happens, but I can rise at 6 AM while camping and be perfectly rested. I took my time in the morning and went into the camp store when it opened for some coffee and souvenirs. Souvenirs. I love these characters. When the buses started running, I made my way there and was taken to the entrance. It began to sprinkle a bit, but nothing amounting to anything at all. So I took a seat under an umbrella and waited for it to open. I saw a few characters walk by, with their handlers holding umbrellas for them. I got a mini parade before opening. And I guess this is as good a place to say this as any: There’s a freaking huge rain cloud hanging out over Hersheypark that would last until about 3. Not a thunderstorm, just a rain cloud. Rain for half the day on a Monday no less. I have full reign of Hersheypark with NO. LINES. EVER. I began the early entry going straight to Skyrush, and only then did I realize it doesn’t open in the rain. That does make sense, with as crazy as it is. Okay, I’ve got some other early entry rides and an hour to do them all. My first coaster of the day was Sooperdooperlooper. It’s really, really good. I will say that I preferred Revolution, with its loop at the end of the ride rather than the beginning. Revolution felt like it was building up to a grand finale, while SDL felt like it petered out at the end. Next up was Comet, and holy crap did this ride blow away all expectations! I had heard good things, but I had no idea. I love this ride, and I went back immediately for a second lap. Brilliant layout, great sense of speed, good airtime, it’s got everything you would expect of a wooden coaster of that age and more. Skyrush was down for rain. First coaster of the day! Entrance noted for later. Beautiful little plaza here by the Kissing Tower. Love the keystones! Zoo entrance Hershey's Tower was very fun. Next I climbed up the hill to the new hotness, Hershey’s Triple Tower. This was my first opportunity to ride a combo tower, and it was absolutely great. I also rode the other two, and the Kisses Tower had the expected Doubleshot extreme airtime, but the Reese’s Tower had air as well, which I did not expect. Well done, Hershey! The idea sounded weird, but they pulled it off! Only a few more minutes of ERT left, so I began to make my way toward the rope drop, but not before I stopped off at the Skyride. Skyride! Storm Runner cannot run in storms. Bumper cars and skee ball Well, I can't rush the sky, but I can still view it. Once the rope dropped and the park was officially open, all ten of us guests ran for Laff Track. This was a great ride! I don’t normally like spinners at all, but for some reason this one was actually a lot of fun. I rode twice in a row, first going forward up the lift and then backward. If you only get one ride on this, try to go backward, there’s a nice surprise. Park's open! Time to laff! He he hee Ha ha haa Ho ho hoo Well, while I’m back here, I might as well ride Lightning Racer again. To my surprise, they were actually running both sides! Just one train on each of course, but I’m impressed nonetheless. There is no way that the expected attendance today justifies this, but I am so glad they did. The ride wasn’t running as fast this morning, what with nearly empty trains, but it’s great nonetheless. Had to do both sides again. I then went down to Trailblazer and noticed Storm Runner was ironically the other coaster not running in the rain. Everything else was open. Repeating just for emphasis: Everything but Storm Runner and Skyrush was running. This is so awesome. Trailblazer was okay; as previously mentioned, I’m always disappointed by every mine train I ride. There’s only one Thunderation. Back up the hill now for Coal Cracker, Great Bear, and Kissing Tower. Coal Cracker was pretty great. Nothing like riding a log flume in the rain. Great Bear was even better than I expected. It’s not very intense, and the back half does feel a bit drawn out, but as much as people might say it does nothing in the second half, that’s just not true. It’s a fun ride, and since it isn’t very intense at all, it’s easy to ride several times in a row. I might have done that on about 3 separate occasions that day. Okay, so that’s all of the coasters now. That didn’t take as long as I had expected. Um...lunch? I went out to the Hersheypark Place Restaurant for a chocolate burger. It was very good, as was the beer selection. Yes, I’m drinking alone at 11 AM. That’s the sort of thing normal, responsible people do on vacation. Pretty good beer. Great burger. They serve it to you sideways. Now back in the park, I went to Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge. I looked all over the ride, but I never could find the missing E. The ride is a ton of fun, though, and you get a free peanut butter cup! I went on the monorail next and got a nice scenic view of the park. I’ve actually never been on a monorail before (Disneyland’s was closed when I was there). It was really fun. I went from there to the train, which was pretty good too, but certainly not the best theme park train. I'm a little nervous. I hear these things are awfully loud. Genuine, bonafide, advertised, six-car monorail. All right, great first monorail ride! The famous Music Box Theatre And now it's time for a ground-level train. Headed west! It was time to get to know Fahrenheit better. The only operating Intamin in the park had a 5 minute line practically all day. I rode this many, many times throughout the day. No more fooling around with rides not made by Intamin. Headed to the back now. Lightning Racer is so far from all the other awesome stuff at this park, but it's so worth the walk. Especially when I'm not waiting in any lines. Lightning Racer is so good. Yeah, that's right. BOTH TRAINS. Tidal Force was next on the agenda. Yes, I was cold and wet already from the rain, so you’d think this would be one to skip. I do love this ride type, though, and it was tough to get any wetter really, so why not? It was fun. Skloosh! Yeah, I did that. After Tidal Force, I needed a place to sit and warm up, so I headed back up to Kissing Tower Hill, and where else but the beer garden? I got a pretzel at first, but it wasn’t that great, so I grabbed some crab fries from the nearby Chickie’s and Pete’s and took them back to the beer garden for some quiet and local brews. Really liked Yard’s. I thought about getting some of that Bblz stuff, but it was the same price as a beer, so... Yeah, beer. For some reason I took a photo of this pretzel from the beer garden and not the crab fries. No idea why. Time for more Coal Cracker and more Great Bear! I headed down the hill for another spin on Superdooperlooper, then went up to the loop to get a photo. It was just then that I noticed…Skyrush was testing! Ah, yeah, this day was already running on all cylinders, and now it just hit the nitrous. Wheee! Holy crap, it's testing! And Storm Runner's open now too! Best Day Ever! The Claw was really great. Not as good as "it," but nothing is. So much fun. The rest of the day was a blur of a ton of Skyrush, Comet, Great Bear, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit, with a brief stop in the back for a couple more laps on Lightning Racer. Hershey is an incredible park, with something for everybody. The rides are great, the atmosphere is great, the food is great, and not to mention CHOCOLATE EVERYWHERE. This is such a special park, and it sits proudly on my list of parks I would go back to right now, even if they added nothing else. And the very next day I found out they are doing very much the opposite of adding nothing else—that new water coaster looks amazing. I never went to the waterpark, or actually any waterparks on this trip, but it did look pretty good, and that will be a great addition to it. Kozmo threatened, er, I mean, strongly encouraged me to return to Knoebels soon or else, so I’m sure I’ll be back in this area before too long. Hershey will definitely be on the itinerary when I do. This has been such a great day. So much attention to guest experience. This photo right here pretty much sums up what Hersheypark is all about. Bravo, Milton Hershey. I think you'd be proud of what this place has become. And I was so lucky to be here.

It really was great outside of that first day. I think you're planning on most of the same places too, so have fun. All of these parks were worthwhile. Dorney was the weakest, but I think you know that going into it. Hershey was really great, and I'll have more on that next time. Hopefully will have that segment up tomorrow.

Report looks great so far! It's fine if it's light on photos. I always enjoy reading your reports, since you've been to so many places and really appreciate a park for what it is.

I think that as a construction company, RMC will likely be competent enough to acquire the necessary equipment to construct all the things they have contracts for.

the Fear

I for one enjoy Rapids Rides, but I do not enjoy being on them. I think they're as good for the general atmosphere as they are at pleasing some riders. I love to be around the water or hear it rushing. I also love the clean smell of chlorine it gives the area. Water is life. It's just nice to be around, as quirky as it may sound. Like much of what I enjoy about parks, these water rides are nice to look at and be around, despite having no desire to ride. That's a good point. A lot of parks have a "riverfront" area or something of the sort, and the rapids ride becomes theming for the area. I always prefer the parks that are more than just running from one ride to another and standing in queues all day. The parks that have an atmosphere are fun even if you're not on a ride.

Damn, Andrew. Sorry I'm late to this awesome thread. The aforementioned quote makes me wish you could go on a ride-along with me on a Saturday night. I probably wouldn't be able to top The Badlands, but it would definitely change your perspective. Heh, I'm sure there are some spots in E. St. Louis that might rival it.... But yeah, if there's anything I've learned in the last year, it's that I don't really understand a whole lot about how the world works. I've assumed that my experience is pretty average, and I'm finding out it's definitely not. I've been fortunate. I haven't had to deal with any of the sh*t that a whole lot of people deal with on a daily basis. I've been too busy trying to help people and stand with people, and not busy enough listening to people and understanding people, so I don't even know what kind of sh*t they deal with. Maybe knowing that I don't know is a good starting place.

Outta

Best deal right now is the Valleyfair Cares ticket for $35 through their website, plus they donate $1 to the 30 Days Foundation, which I'm not familiar with but appears to be a poverty relief charity.

More

^ You know, I've wondered about Thunder River, especially since Six Flags America is hinting at something with theirs, and Six Flags over Texas might be too. I'm hoping it's not the removal and rather something exciting about these rides. I love rapids rides myself, but more importantly they're popular everywhere, so that would be a good reason to renovate. On the other hand, they're expensive, so if Six Flags goes the cheap route, I can see them getting the axe. I'm hoping, but really it's hard to tell what's going to happen.

Man, this is terrible for this park. I had it on my theoretical NYC trip itinerary (no concrete plans at this point, and 2020 would be the earliest I could make that happen), but I'm rethinking it now. Boulder Dash was my main reason for going, so if it's running badly to begin with, and on top of that they have a boneheaded snafu like this.... Might just hit Quassy and skip this place. We'll see what happens between now and when I actually get to New York.

Great photos, especially that last one with the sunset. It is a fun place with proper expectations. Since you know what to expect, looks like you had a good time.

Day 4 (continued): Choclit! My preview day at Hershey began with the Factory Tour at Hershey’s Chocolate World. I could think of no better introduction to the Sweetest Place on Earth. The queue was long but moved quickly and had plenty of colourful factoids to keep guests entertained. The ride itself was hilarious, with singing cows and the Hershey characters. I really could taste the love all over the world. I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready! Mmmm....choclit. Mini chocolate bar and ticket in hand, I made my way to the entrance of the main park for the main goal of the day, Skyrush. Yes, it’s on the early entry list, but I couldn’t wait that long. (Spoilers: it’s a good thing I didn’t wait). I went directly for back row, left wing seat. Skyrush is one of the most amazing coasters I’ve ever ridden. I do understand the nickname, but I didn’t experience any pain at all. Yes, there was definitely pressure on my legs, and yes it was an intense experience, but not painful. It just threw me around like it had a vendetta, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. With Maverick, I could throw myself at the turns, but in a wing seat on Skyrush, that isn’t possible. I just had to sit there and take it. And I loved it. Stockholm Syndrome? Maybe. If it is, then call me Swedish. The entrance plaza was surprisingly small. Oh man, I love the Skyrush. I hear it's over yonder in that there holler. Yup, seems it is in this here holler. I'm here! This is how you do mandatory fluffy bunnies. I had a precise strategy for this night, and that was to hit all the low capacity coasters: Storm Runner, Fahrenheit, Wild Mouse, and Laff Track, plus Lightning Racer to be sure I was able to ride with it racing. This was a Sunday night, and knowing most parks will only run one side at time on lower attendance weekdays, I wanted to hit it while it was still a weekend. Storm Runner is also incredible. A little bit of Maverick, a little bit of Xcelerator. Loved it. On to Fahrenheit next, which I can best describe as “Intamin Builds a B&M Looper.” This park is 3/3 on their Intamins. I could ride all three of them all day. Next up, the love child of Maverick and Xcelerator. 3...2...1... Launch! Nice little plaza for this ride. Ah, they have one of those too. But I have priorities. Wild Mouse was posting a 5 minute wait on Hersheypark’s well designed app, so I went there next, then followed that up with Wildcat since it was a walk-on. Nothing super remarkable about either one, fun but nothing special. Of course, I just got off three wild and crazy Intamin guys, so maybe that coloured my perspective a bit. Love this lighthouse. Wild Mouse was at least a short line. Laff Track was still posting an hour wait, with an hour left to go in the night. I didn’t feel like spending the rest of the night on it, so I went on to Lightning Racer. I rode both sides and won both times. This is an absolutely incredible ride. I think I prefer Thunder, since you can see Lightning’s train better from it than vice versa, but both are super fun. I went on to the Whip next. This was my first ride on a full size whip, and the first of three on this trip. I’ve ridden the miniature ones with my kids and loved them, so I was looking forward to trying out the big version. It was just what I expected: the same ride, but more intense. Wish there were more of these around (and closer to me would be nice too). Maybe tomorrow.... The Whip was so much fun. Didn't actually ride the Music Express ever. I like these rides normally, but I skipped both Morey's and this one for some reason. Other things I like better I guess. The king of all racing coasters. Thirty minutes left in the day, and Laff Track had a thirty minute wait. Eh, I’ll ride it tomorrow, I want some more Skyrush! (More spoilers: really good decision) This time I waited a bit longer for the front row, so it was the ride to close out the night. It’s awesome in the front as well, nothing like the death seat, but really great in a different way. Everything looks like it’s coming directly at you and super fast. In all, it was a great way to start off my Hershey visit. Seven roller coasters and the whip already in the bag would certainly make my day a lot less hectic. I headed back to the campsite and pitched a tent by car headlights. Little did I know then what glory awaited me in the morning.

I don't think they need a classic woodie, not when they're working on SteVen's erection around back.

I know my kids would love it. A high capacity children's coaster would be wonderful for CP, whenever they do decide to build one. There's absolutely nothing this park needs--they virtually have one of everything already--but something like this would really do well for sure.

I don't know of very many children's coasters that have a second train.

Oh cool, that's the guy who made the GCI in the Shoot the Chutes location. Pretty imaginative guy.