havenli Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 So, for Fall Break I decided to take a vacation, and since I've worn out all of my friends on coaster trips, I went along with my mom. I'm a girl, so I can do that without being sad and pathetic. I'd never even been to Pennsylvania before, let alone any theme parks there, so we just sorta played things by ear. We arrived early evening Thursday, so after checking into our average Comfort Inn, we went to drool over the Hotel Hershey and explore the rest of the town. Goll, the Hershey factory smells like a brownie. Mmmmmm. The next day, since the park didn't open until 4:00pm, we killed time by shopping at the Outlet Mall and going to Chocolate World. Yes, shopping and chocolate. Honestly, doesn't this just sound like the most estrogen-driven trip EVER? Finally, we headed over to the park and ended up getting there a few minutes after the park opened. I bee-lined it over to Storm Runner only to find out that the train had JUST had a roll back. Had I arrived when the park actually opened, I would have been on that train. Oh, the regret. I had to wait about 10 minutes for the ops to get the ride back up and running, which ended up being just about the longest wait of the night. Once it was all fixed, I was able to ride it three times with absolutely zero wait. My mom doesn't do those kinds of coasters, so we went on to do the rest of the park, and like I said, there was little-to-no wait for any of the rides, which led to multiple rides on just about every coaster, except for Wildcat since I wasn't wearing six sports bras at the time. But anyway, on to the pictures. And coming soon...Dorney Park. Wildcat lights of doom Oh yeah, their big Halloween thing was going on This is what happens when I try to take a picture from a Wild Mouse When pretty lights move in a continuous circle, you can't help but stare... I'm telling you, this park was EMPTY Great Bear from above And ice cream! In 40 degree weather! (We couldn't even finish half of it) Time for a ride on Skyview More Storm Runner Flyers. I barely got a tiny pop out of them. Is it just me or are these unpopable? My very first boomerang. Woooo! First things first. Storm Runner. Admire the near-empty train. But let's get on to the important stuff... ...Where there are lots of good chocolate things to eat Next day - Chocolate World... Apparently, my mom and I both enjoy leaning to the right Inside the Hotel Hershey Hi PKD! I'm all ready to go! Then we hit the road For some reason, the very first picture isn't working, so here it is again. I can't deny you a picture of my dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjgx Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Great TR! Looks like you had fun... I need to get to Hersheypark sometime or another... Because Intamin Rocket coasters are my favorite type of coaster (since riding Xcelerator), and Storm Runner looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Great job so far. I can't wait for the Dorney pics, even though I've been to the place so much (not going to happen this year though!). And don't worry, those flyers are pretty much unsnapable. They are no where near as bad as the ones at Lake Compounce though. Don't feel bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 I think that if someone actually managed to get Hershey's flyers to snap, it would be one of the last signs of the apocalypse, and the sun would explode. Looks like you had a good day. Hersheypark rules! dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Looks like you had fun. I'm having to postpone my Pa parks trip to next spring. Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Great report so far! This is defienetly a "Lou" kind of trip report. Chocolate, rides and fancy hotels go down very well with our resident British porn star! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NitroRider Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 and Storm Runner looks great. It is! Can't wit to get back there with my school in June. HersheyPark awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niiicolaaah Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Aww cute doggy! Nice photos.. can't wait to see what you think of Dorney! I've never been to Hersheypark, but I would like to go. Maybe next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 My girlfriend and I are going to go to Hershey next year for a coule of days because of the Boardwalk. It is going to be great. I didn't go this year, which sucks, but I can't wait for next year. Does anyone have an idea of how much the Hotel Hershey is, say, in May? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havenli Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 Does anyone have an idea of how much the Hotel Hershey is, say, in May? I don't know how much the prices vary per month/season, but I know it was about $300 per night last weekend, which is why we didn't stay there. We're just two poor southern women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 ^ When I looked into it last year, I think it was well above $200/nt (mind you that would have been a Friday night!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havenli Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 We pretty much did the town of Hershey by day two, so we weren't exactly sure what to do with our last full day. Luckily, being the brilliant and cunning daughter that I am, I was able to convince my mom to drive an hour north-ish for a Day at Dorney. When we got there, Talon and Hydra were both closed due to high winds. The rest of the coasters were open, which I suppose means that while B&M coasters are built to withstand various high levels of g-forces and the literal TONS of weight each train carries as they continuously travel and maneuver along the track, 25 mph wind is enough to send riders to their deaths as the ride collapses beneath them into a big, fiery ball. Does any one know why this is? Luckily, the wind died down long enough for them to reopen both rides, so I was finally able to obtain my very first floorless credit. Yay for that. Also, let me just say that Steel Force has the slowest lift hill I've ever been on. EVER. I'm pretty sure that Jesus was killed, buried, and resurrected in a shorter time span than it took for me to get to the top of the lift. Lines weren't overly long. Other than the Wild Mouse which had a 30 minute wait due to the addition of time-consuming seat belts, no line was longer than 10-15 minutes, so I was able to get on all the coasters within a matter of a few hours. While Dorney was nice and it had some decent rides, I much preferred Hershey (as did my mom, since she doesn't do anything that goes upside down or is taller than 100ft), mainly because Dorney was probably a little too glorified-state-fair-esque for me. I'm more of a theme park lover than an amusement park fan. Of course, both parks were well kept, clean, and had a good variety of rides, so I can't complain. Anyway, because we got done with Dorney so quickly, we decided to head back to Hershey - my treat, since my mom basically paid 30-some dollars just to ride a woodie and a wild mouse in Dorney. Hershey was MUCH more crowded Saturday than the night before, so there were no walk-ons. Still, we waited no more than probably 20 minutes for anything, including Storm Runner. And that's all. Thank you Milton Hershey! ...and Halloween lights More Wildcat lights... All warm and padded in our four layers of clothing each Wondrous Millenium Flyers Where it is much more crowded tonight than last night But back to Hershey And in the restaurant, they had this certificate on the wall Just in time for the sun to set, but first we need dinner... Lovely sky Heading back to Hershey Alright, bubye Dorney. There it goes! And Talon...? Is that a TRAIN going through the Jo-Jo Roll? But wait! What's that?!? If I can't ride the B&Ms, I might as well be a credit whore Yet another wild mouse. One day I hope to find a civilized mouse. Or a sane mouse. I'll even settle for a bipolar mouse. Let's not stereotype the mice, okay? Looks like someone has a tumor on his head. Or an extra nose. First coaster of the day At least I'll get SOME credits. Thunderhawk appears to be suffering from some form of dwarfism. You mean to tell me that HYDRA IS CLOSED TOO?! I drove ALL this way and both B&Ms are CLOSED? Psh. Losers. What? Talon is closed because of WIND? Well, at least I'll still get my first floorless credit. Talon as seen from the parking lot. Why don't I see any trains, Talon? First sight of the park Despite the wind, it was a gorgeous, brisk day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissorkill2night Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 i love that place..i wish it was that empty when i went...whenever i go that stupid christian fest seems to being gong on but hopefully next year ill be able to go later since ill be outta school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 You have some great pics there! I think I remember hearing in 2001 a group of people doing that. They were air lifted to each of the parks. Great TR. -Chris- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 ^Wait, so Talon and Hydra were closed due to winds, but Steel Force was running during them? Sounds like they caught the Cedar Fair flu! Hersheypark looks like it offers a whole lot more to do than Dorney does. It looks really nice when it up at night time too. Glad you had a good time out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havenli Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 ^Wait, so Talon and Hydra were closed due to winds, but Steel Force was running during them? Exactly, I didn't understand that either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Woah, two of my three favorite parks in one TR! Steel Force's lift hill is one of the four that my dad and I have dubbed "Eternal Lift Hill." The others are Mamba, Wild Thing, and Magnum XL-200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Did you ride Laser? That has an even slower lift hill, especially at the beginning. It's so slow that it takes a good 4 - 5 minutes from one dispatch to the next even though the part after the lift hill until the brakes is around 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Glad to see you had a good time, got to visit 2 new parks, and managed to do it all with minimal lines. Love your analysis of Dorney compared to Hershey, it really is a glorified carnival now, whereas in the past it used to have its own charm. Glad the winds died down enough for you to get on Talon and Hydra, even though they are pretty weak for their respective styles. I'm guessing they close for the winds because they're on the top of the hill instead of in the valley like Steel Force? Hopefully you took some chocolate from Chocolate World back home with you. Nothing says awesome quite like a 5lb Hershey bar. I know someone's mom who will be getting one of them for Christmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadley Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 You are very lucky to have a mom that'll go to parks with you. My mom still gets woozy just watching coasters or spin-n-puke rides. Great TR, never see much, (at least IMO), of Hershey or Dorney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havenli Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 You are very lucky to have a mom that'll go to parks with you. My mom still gets woozy just watching coasters or spin-n-puke rides. Well, my mom is the same way pretty much. She can't go on rides that go in circles, too high, or upside down. Else, she gets nauseous. BUT, I got her to try taking ginger pills (Mythbusters anyone?) and I was able to get her on SooperDooperLooper at Hershey and Laser at Dorney without a problem. Plus, she rode all the woodies, wild mice, and the mine train. And I'm sure she could have handled the kiddie coasters as well, but she said it was much more fun to watch me make a fool of myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Derek - They do close down Hydra and Talon because they are at the top of the hill. I was told one time that Talon closes because they don't want the high winds to screw with the inverted design, or hit someone's legs in case of possible debris. I would assume that is the same reason for Hydra closing too - the possiblity for debris. I went once last year and Hydra was closed because of wind and I found it kind of odd, then I thought of the explanation that I received for Talon a couple years ago. I don't know if that is the real reason, but it is the one that I received. Great pics on this report. I'm glad that you had a good time. And yes, Dorney used to be so much better. I won't think about it now though. Now that the Mets just lost I'm depressed enough already. Joe - That is kind of what I was figuring. I'm going to have to hold off on the trip until 2008 I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 ^Debris?!? LOL! What kind of debris is going to be flying around in those winds that will inflict serious harm to people riding a coaster, trash cans?? If thats the case, Steel Force should be closed too, debris could hit you in the head there, you've only got one of them as opposed to 2 legs. The more stupid CF policies I hear, the more I wish they'd go bankrupt and have to sell Dorney off so it could be good again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havenli Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 ^Debris?!? LOL! What kind of debris is going to be flying around in those winds that will inflict serious harm to people riding a coaster, trash cans?? If thats the case, Steel Force should be closed too, debris could hit you in the head there, you've only got one of them as opposed to 2 legs. Good thing CF doesn't own Busch Gardens, else they'd have put cages around each car of Apollo's Chariot after the Goose-Meets-Fabio incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 I know. I was wondering what kind of debris could possibly going that high and with that much force. A park map maybe? Paper cuts on the legs can be hell I guess, isn't that right Joe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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