Which Park(s) should I visit for the first time?

[Vekoma Fan Boy]

Since i'm the only die-hard coaster fan in my immediate family, I usually wind up picking the places we go to on trips. Now this year Me, My Mom & Dad are probably going to his Lake Compounce for the first time (Boulder Dash!!!) and Canobie for the third time, and next year I am stuck between going to Hershey Park & Dorney park for the First time or SFGAdv, now I've been to SFGAdv like 4 times before, but I was only 4-5 years old, so I could hardly ride anything. So I'm going to let TPR help me decide. Also, I've added a poll to keep track of who says what.

[RollerC]

Hershey and Dorney. I mean you get twice the amount of coasters with less waiting time and the atmospheres are much better than GAVD

[Canobie Fan]

Why cant you go to GAdv.. and Dorney? Dorney isnt even 2 hours away from GAdv..

 

Anyways I think I would pick Gadv just because I love Medusa and El Toro... I kinda hate Dorney but I like Talon...

 

Hershey is cool but everything they have but Storm Runner is on the tame/family side.

[imbordisux]

IMO, SFGAdv has a better collection of rides than either Hershey or Dorney (or, for that matter, both combined), but you'll also likely spend MUCH more time on line, due to the over-crowding and down-time.

 

If you only have one day, and don't want to shell out for fast-pass, you might not get on several of the rides you likely want: Kingda Ka, El Toro, and to a lesser extent, both Superman: Ultimate Flight and The Chiller all experience a lot of down-time and long waits. Might not be the park for you if you don't have a lot of time.

 

On the other hand, while Hershey and Dorney aren't as "exxxtreeeme!!!11" as SFGAdv, they still offer a lot of really good rides, with the added benefit of keeping their already-smaller crowds moving at a very quick pace. Plus, there's Chocolate World, gotta love that.

 

I'd say it comes down to two things:

1) How much time you have.

2) If you're willing to pay for fast-pass systems.

 

I think SFGAdv probably has the best collection of coasters in the world, but if you're going on a Summer weekend, and plan on standing in line for the rides, you really need two days to hit everything. The other two, though, can each be completed in a day even at the busiest of times.

 

Another thing to consider, if you're gonna be up by Compounce and Canobie, you should definitely hit SFNE if you've never been. Superman: Ride of Steel is almost universally considered the #1 coaster in America, Pandemonium is a surprisingly great little ride, they have two awesome woodies, and a great collection of flats (Catapult!!!).

 

Edit: I just realized that if you're willing to pony up for both Hershey AND Dorney, you might as well use the money to buy fast-passes for the entire family. With that in mind, I'd go with SFGAdv.

[YoshiFan]

Hershey is my favorite park because of the great variety of coasters and other fun rides and I think Dorney and Hershey provide an overall better experience even though Great Adventure probably has the strongest collection of coasters of the 3 parks (bad operations, high prices and long lines at Great Adventure).

 

Regardless, if you go to Dorney and don't care about Wildwater Kingdom I would try to do the starlight plan as 5 hours is easily enough time to get on all the coasters and major flats at Dorney. I usually spend 3 - 4 hours at the park and average about 6 rides an hour including walking through the park and through the usually empty queues.

[larrygator]

I would choose Dorney and Hershey just cause you can get more done and your family will enjoy the non-thrill factor at HersheyPark. Unless your family is willing to spring for the Flash Passes at SFGAdv.

[robbalvey]

This is a really hard call because we don't really know much about what YOU are into. Sounds like this will basically be the first time for you at all parks considering that you were too young to ride anything at Gadv.

 

If you're into more "Family" style attractions then Hershey and Dorney is your better bet.

 

But if you want more "high end" rides, you really can't beat El Toro, Kingda Ka, Medusa, Nitro, Superman: Ultimate Flight, Chiller, and Batman.

 

I mean, just look at that collection of rides right there! That's a really hard line up to beat!

 

Stack that up against Hydra, Talon, Steel Force, Lighting Racer, Great Bear, Storm Runner, and Wildcat and it's just no comparison.

 

Sure the latter is also a great collection of rides, but man, El Toro and Nitro versus Lightning Racer and Steel Force? You gotta go with Great Adventure.

 

Now, had you said you've been on all those rides at Great Adventure before, I'd tell you to do Hershey and Dorney in a heartbeat.....

--Robb

[SharkTums]

Um, El Toro.

[DATman]

Um, El Toro.

 

Truth.

 

El Toro is worth it alone, even for a long wait.

[Guest]

Personally, I'd go off the board and say Knoebels and Kennywood, two of the five or six best parks I've ever been to (and I've been to most in the U.S.). Robb is right though, it really depends upon what you're looking for in an experience.

 

With Great Adventure, you get one of the best collections of steel coasters around, as well as El Toro, which many people love (I'm not as fond of it, personally, but to each his own). On the down side, it's expensive, the crowds can be a little more rude/aggressive than at many other parks, operations are often suspect, and the only traditional wooden coaster in the park, Rolling Thunder, isn't a particularly good example of the genre.

 

With Dorney/Hershey, you do get a better sense of variety and atmosphere, but (as others have said) rides that perhaps don't push the envelope quite as much as Great Adventure. Both parks have traditional roots, and as such, some evidence of their past still remains (the Whip at Dorney would probably be the best example of that). Additionally, if you're a fan of video games from the 1980s, Hershey's arcade (the one nearest Great Bear) has an impressive collection.

 

As for my suggestion, Knoebels and Kennywood, I love these two places because it's not just about the coasters with them. You're not going to get a lot of "extreme" rides (though many would claim that Phoenix and Phantom's Revenge can hold their own against some of the best), but you are going to get the "total park package" as it once was and as it really should be. Knoebels has some of the best amusement park food anywhere and Kennywood isn't bad in that area either. The real highlight, though, is the atmosphere and flat rides. With Knoebels you get the Flyers, Haunted Mansion, and best bumper cars anywhere; and with Kennywood there's the Kangaroo, Noah's Ark, and Old Mill. These are just some of the highlights at both.

 

Whatever you decide, if your parents are AAA members, there may be some discounts available for some/all of the parks under discussion, so don't be afraid to take advantage if you can. Good luck and have fun!

 

-Jason

[imbordisux]

I'll second Kennywood as a "must-hit" park - judging by the original post, I thought this was limited to the far-eastern side of the U.S. (lower NY, NJ, eastern PA, New England), but if you can get out to Pittsburgh, then do it. While they don't have a ton of coasters, I'd still rank their overall collection as being better than either Hershey or Dorney (but not up to the level of SFGAdv), and the overall atmosphere is one of the nicest of any "large" park you'll likely visit.

 

Phantom's Revenge is just absolutely AMAZING in every single way you could imagine, they have two awesome woodies, a well-themed (and kick-ass) spinning mouse, a Screaming Swing, and a decent collection of flats. They don't have a lot, but they definitely strive for quality over quantity.

 

Oh, and they have awesome food. I'm big on food.

[307]

I picked Dorney + Hershey, however I'll say right now my opinion's biased because I hate New Jersey and have never been to SFGAdv

 

I'll agree with what everyone else said about Hershey + Dorney. Their attractions aren't nearly as "mind blowingly extreme" as SFGAdv's, however the atmosphere in Hershey is really nice. It's just a generally good place to be. And as someone else mentioned, there's the Chocolate Factory! So if your parents aren't big on rollercoasters, you can always take a ride through there, and pick up some awesome candy. Plus, Hershey has Storm Runner and Lightning Racer, two coasters that are awesome. Dorney isn't nearly as good as Hershey but has a nice collection of decent -> good coasters [Talon, Hydra, Steel Force, Lazer].

 

But again, as others have said... it depends on your preferences, or maybe your family's preferences, your time considerations, and your cost considerations. If you want family rides in more leisurely parks, mixed in with a bit of very good coasters, Hershey + Dorney. If you want crazy extreme rides in a less family-indusive environment, SFGAdv.

 

Long-wind, ahoy!

[DerekRx]

I would base the trip off of exactly when you would be going (and since you're talking about NEXT year, maybe you should hold out on this poll until next year's attractions are announced, you may change your mind). If the only day you could take a trip somewhere is on a Saturday in the summer, I'd stay far away from Six Flags.

 

Dorney is a park that is really easy to accomplish in a short amount of time if you get there at opening, and both that and Hershey are more family oriented than Six Flags is. However, Six Flags has the better coasters. It's all a matter of how many people are in your family, what they're into, and exactly when you'd be going.

[alpengeist04]

I would do SFNE this year with Lake Compounce and SFGAdv. next year, that way you get to ride the two best coasters in the US. Intamin rules baby!!!!

[hemmy]

Never been to any of the parks, but based on what I have seen in pics/movies I would vote SFGAdv simply because i enjoy coasters much more than anything else

[redfoot12]

Since you're already planning for next year, why not plan for 2009 as well? Do Hershey/Dorney next year with your family. Go for SFGAdv the next.

[Little Coaster Girl]

I vote going to all of them.

[itsme102]

Like many others have said, it all depends on time, family preferences, money, ect. If you can fork over the money and go on a day other than a saturday (NEVER go on a saturday), I would go with GAdv. But if you want a more laid back trip with multiple re-rides, go with Hershey and Dorney. Dorney's got a nice waterpark and Hershey has Chocolate World.

 

Of course, you have Kennywood and Knoebels only a few hours away, both of which are amazing parks.

Wow, I'm really glad to have such a wide variety of parks in such a close range!

[alpengeist04]

^...rub it in why don't you.

 

With that said, outside of Florida I think the northeast has the best collection of parks/ coasters in the country.