Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[caffeine_demon]

You rode Skyrush 5 times? And not one compliant about how bad your thighs were hurting afterwards?

 

I had a 30 min ERT on it with CF a few weeks ago. The whole group lasted all 30 minutes - 7 or 8 rides each, a few complaints of sore legs, but almost everyone loved it, and those who didn't love it, did like it!

[Commando]

 

Best advice on what to hit and in order is this:

1. Fahrenheit: First or last rows are the best with the front giving you a great view of the track ahead of you and the back giving you hangtime going down the first drop.

2.Lightning Racer: Both coasters more/less perform the same way, but get on them both. Front row is a recommended seat, but the back does produce some airtime or both sides. Little to no wait makes it a good ride to hit on those busy days.

3. Wildcat: The front is the most comfortable.

4. Wild Mouse: any seat.

5. Storm Runner: Go for the front, but the back rows provide a great ride as well.

6. Sidewinder: Front or back rows.

7. Trailblazer: any row.

8. Great Bear: Front row (if line isn't too long), but back row does provide an intense ride.

9. Sooperdooperlooper: back row for some floater airtime going into the final helix, but front is good as well.

10. Skyrush: Front row on the edge seats and middle seats provide a great ride, but if you want the extra pop of airtime on the first drop, try the last row.

11. Comet: last row is pretty good.

12. Roller Soaker: if you plan on riding it, do it about an hour before the Boardwalk closes at 8pm.

 

Thanks for the advice! I will defiantly follow this , especially going to Fahrenheit at the start of the day .

[JJLehto]

Seriously, the lines for Skyrush have not been that bad.

They move really quick, and even on opening day it was only 45 minutes later in the day!

 

Went on 6/30 and the waits were under half an hour all day (though it did break down once).

A friend of mine went a this weekend and said he managed to walk on once, and the waits werent bad overall.

 

Could be luck of the draw but really for a new ride they havnt been bad!

 

Deff best to hit fahrenheit early. The line is ALWAYS swamped!

I dont get it....I wasnt a big fan (shrugs)

[UrbanLegend]

...I will defiantly follow this...

Should be interesting to watch

[thepoint4life23]

So When im at hershey or around the park is there any food or beers i must try?

[amy_mel]

^ when leaving the park make a right onto Hersheypark Dr and go past the outlets. Troeg's has a gigantic brewery on the right. I'm pretty sure they do tours and such. They are a local favorite in the area. I'm not a beer drinker myself so this is the opinion of friends and family who are fans. Also there are small microbreweries in the Harrisburg area. Appalachain Brewing Company is pretty popular and I've always had good food there too.

 

edit: I looked up their website. They do free self guided tours or for $5 they have tasting tours which include tasting and a free glass.

[JayB18]

Just got back. Ended up riding Skyrush 6 times and waited 15-20 minutes most of the time. The new restraints didn't bother me much but after 3 rides I started to feel some discomfort but nothing bad. Honestly El Toro's restraints caused me more discomfort and even they didn't bother me. Still plenty of people were complaining about how much their legs and thighs hurt so who knows if there will be any more modifications after this.

 

First drop in the back seat is my favorite first drop on any ride due to the sudden and unexpected pull to 85 degreeswwhich is a total OMG moment. The negative gs on the hills are similar to El Toro, maybe a bit stronger or weaker. I do remember El Toro's transition to negative gs being more sudden if that makes sense. The turns before and after the 3rd hill felt very shaky which was somewhat annoying but I had a headache so I probably noticed it more than I would have otherwise. Finally it was a bit short but it did feel like a complete ride. Overall great ride though with a nice mix of intense positive, negative, and lateral gs. It joins my top 5 steel which include I305, Phantom's Revenge, SROS/Bizarro, and Nitro which I have no idea the order other than Bizarro is number 1 and Nitro is number 5.

 

Still haven't ridden Fahrenheit since I didn't feel like waiting for it instead of hitting Skyrush again. Lightning Racer was a bit more skaky than I remember but again that could have been my headache bothering me. Storm Runner was fun as usual and remains my favorite launched coaster.

Edited July 11, 2012 by JayB18

[JJLehto]

Just got back. Ended up riding Skyrush 6 times and waited 15-20 minutes most of the time. The new restraints didn't bother me much but after 3 rides I started to feel some discomfort but nothing bad. Honestly El Toro's restraints caused me more discomfort and even they didn't bother me. Still plenty of people were complaining about how much their legs and thighs hurt so who knows if there will be any more modifications after this.

 

First drop in the back seat is my favorite first drop on any ride due to the sudden and unexpected pull to 85 degreeswwhich is a total OMG moment. The negative gs on the hills are similar to El Toro, maybe a bit stronger or weaker. I do remember El Toro's transition to negative gs being more sudden if that makes sense. The turns before and after the 3rd hill felt very shaky which was somewhat annoying but I had a headache so I probably noticed it more than I would have otherwise. Finally it was a bit short but it did feel like a complete ride. Overall great ride though with a nice mix of intense positive, negative, and lateral gs. It joins my top 5 steel which include I305, Phantom's Revenge, SROS/Bizarro, and Nitro which I have no idea the order other than Bizarro is number 1 and Nitro is number 5.

 

 

People will NEVER be satisfied totally, and it must be part mental. New restraints were great.

It is a shame that Skyrush is so short...it could easily be my favorite coaster if longer. Those negative Gs! Lots of positive Gs, what a fun ride.

Dude, yes! Back row was just wicked. I had floater over the top and extreme air going down the drop. Not sure I've felt such a thing.

[NJCroMag]

^ when leaving the park make a right onto Hersheypark Dr and go past the outlets. Troeg's has a gigantic brewery on the right. I'm pretty sure they do tours and such. They are a local favorite in the area. I'm not a beer drinker myself so this is the opinion of friends and family who are fans. Also there are small microbreweries in the Harrisburg area. Appalachain Brewing Company is pretty popular and I've always had good food there too.

 

edit: I looked up their website. They do free self guided tours or for $5 they have tasting tours which include tasting and a free glass.

 

I'll second this.

 

In fact, I'd skip any idea of going to ABC and just do Troeg's instead.

 

There isn't much to the self-guided tour at all, so I'd suggest ponying up the duckets for the tasting tour.

[alpengeistfan1]

I have a quick question for anyone who knows about buying tickets from Giant.

 

Can you buy the tickets days in advance? I'm going Sunday and I want to buy them today to save time when I'm down there.

[willh51]

I think part of the problem, and I haven't actually ridden Skyrush, is that a lot of people think a roller coaster is supposed to be no more forceful/uncomfortable than sitting on their couch. Should a ride beat the hell out of you? Probably not. Are roller coasters for everyone? Again, no.

[NJCroMag]

Can you buy the tickets days in advance? I'm going Sunday and I want to buy them today to save time when I'm down there.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can. I distinctly recall buying tickets on a Friday a couple years back and then going to the park the next day. So I'm pretty sure you can just buy the tickets, then use them whenever you want.

[ahecht]

I think part of the problem, and I haven't actually ridden Skyrush, is that a lot of people think a roller coaster is supposed to be no more forceful/uncomfortable than sitting on their couch. Should a ride beat the hell out of you? Probably not. Are roller coasters for everyone? Again, no.

 

Are you talking about the lap bars again? As someone that has ridden plenty of forceful (i305, El Toro, The Voyage, Bizarro at SFNE) and uncomfortable (Ghostrider, Psyclone, pre-retracking The Voyage, Shockwave at KD, Zamperla Volare, etc.) roller coasters, I can say that the Skyrush problem is unique. The old restraints (I haven't tried the new softer ones) for many people put a lot of pressure on a very tiny part of your thighs causing quite a bit of pain and bruising after a few rides. The experience was similar to having the skinny side of a wooden ruler jammed into your legs over and over again. I can't wait to try the new softer restraints -- hopefully they spread the pressure out over a larger area.

[JJLehto]

Agreed, never felt such things on any other coaster, (though also true coasters are not for all and even some coasters arent for all!) If someone doesnt like they can just avoid.

Softer restraints are way better though.

 

 

And the only issue was I guess my fault. I like to wear bathing suits to the park for the freedom/less sweat/to quickly hop on water rides... but on the first drop the Gs pushed my restraint down another notch and yeah...with just swim trunks and the netting being there it was a bit, tight! >_<

[IanKgtr]

I got a chance to try out the new restraints yesterday. They are the exact same shape, size, and color as the old ones, and contact the exact same area of your thighs. The only difference is that the material is a little bit squishier, and it definitely helps.

 

I'll need to go back again when both trains are running to evaluate it again, because we all know that sitting on the brake run behind the station is where the tightness of the restraints really sinks in. Only one train was running yesterday (while the other one was presumably receiving the same modifications), and zooming right back into the station instead of spending two or three minutes on the brake run made all the difference.

 

Although the new restraints help somewhat, off-season modifications are probably necessary.

[coasterfreak101]

All I want in life now is for the park to put a locker bank right underneath the brake run. There's plenty of room along that path at that corner of the station, and it would do wonders for getting trains loaded and checked. Make them free for two hours, just like Universal does, and nobody can even complain about being forced to pay.

 

Honestly, they could even get away with the one-side load and unload with a solution like that. Padded restraints and no loose articles in the station (aside from flip flops and glasses). Simple solutions to make everyone's time that much more enjoyable...

[JJLehto]

I got a chance to try out the new restraints yesterday. They are the exact same shape, size, and color as the old ones, and contact the exact same area of your thighs. The only difference is that the material is a little bit squishier, and it definitely helps.

 

I'll need to go back again when both trains are running to evaluate it again, because we all know that sitting on the brake run behind the station is where the tightness of the restraints really sinks in. Only one train was running yesterday (while the other one was presumably receiving the same modifications), and zooming right back into the station instead of spending two or three minutes on the brake run made all the difference.

 

Although the new restraints help somewhat, off-season modifications are probably necessary.

 

Excellent point about sitting on those brakes.

If so what mods would you expect?

I just hope they dont touch an inch of that track!

 

It's such a great ride they better not think of watering it down.

[cal1br3tto]

I think part of the problem, and I haven't actually ridden Skyrush, is that a lot of people think a roller coaster is supposed to be no more forceful/uncomfortable than sitting on their couch. Should a ride beat the hell out of you? Probably not. Are roller coasters for everyone? Again, no.

I've long been surprised that people are so willing to ride rough rides of all sorts. Sometimes I wonder if word just doesn't get around and people focus on the good, but at least at parks I hear people complaining about pain. Or maybe people take roughness for granted, given that these are major machines that require a lot of maintenance and it may be cost-prohibitive or impossible to ensure smoothness. But then again, plenty of rides (yes, even wooden coasters) are anywhere from very to perfectly smooth. Maybe it's simply that the pain is worth it?

 

All I want in life now is for the park to put a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo bank right underneath the brake run. There's plenty of room along that path at that corner of the station, and it would do wonders for getting trains loaded and checked. Make them free for two hours, just like Universal does, and nobody can even complain about being forced to pay.

That sounds like an ideal compromise. I know we've debated this ad nauseam over the years, but I still find myself resistant to paying even a tiny token amount of money for those things. But we always hear about the capacity benefits, plus you can enjoy near-complete trust that your stuff is safe, instead of taking a risk by leaving it out.

[willh51]

The last post I made came off a little douchy, but I didn't intend it as so. I wasn't talking specifically about the lap bars, just the wild ride Skyrush gives in general. I very much believe people on TPR about a ride's quality and comfort, so the comments about the lap bars on Skyrush, rattle on Oziris, etc. I assume to be true. I've just had some funny experiences at theme parks where people will complain about ANYTHING.

[cal1br3tto]

^If you're referring to my post, I was just segueing off of yours. I guess it came off as stating the opposite of what you said, but I didn't really mean I disagreed per se, just noticed something that happens to be a bit different.

[A.J.]

I go to the same two parks every year (take a wild guess which ones). I'm willing to deal with their coasters' little "problems" because I've ridden them so many times. What can I say? I'm a universalist. If I don't straight-up hate a coaster, I am willing to ride it over and over again. Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure is the only coaster I've ever ridden that I legitimately don't like, only because of the severe jolt into the right-hand turn at the far end of the circuit.

 

That being said, I am really looking forward to riding Skyrush and not worrying about what my life will be like for the two minutes I will be sitting on the brake run.

[TyRush]

I must say Skyrush is a true Machine!

My favorite part of the entire ride(other than the awsome airtime ) is at that last turn down by the Catering area, it really whips you out of the seat if your on left wing.

[JJLehto]

The last post I made came off a little douchy, but I didn't intend it as so. I wasn't talking specifically about the lap bars, just the wild ride Skyrush gives in general. I very much believe people on TPR about a ride's quality and comfort, so the comments about the lap bars on Skyrush, rattle on Oziris, etc. I assume to be true. I've just had some funny experiences at theme parks where people will complain about ANYTHING.

 

You are 100% right though. Many people really DO complain about anything, which is a shame when it makes what is a real issue for some, like the Skyrush restraints, a really really big deal. I'll be really peeved if they did something like trim the hills (rage face) or altered the ride in any way because of it.

 

But yes, that's generally the "masses"... people here on TPR seem much better informed and just better opinionated about coasters.

OK now that sounded douchey ha

 

I must say Skyrush is a true Machine!

My favorite part of the entire ride(other than the awsome airtime ) is at that last turn down by the Catering area, it really whips you out of the seat if your on left wing.

 

Does it ever!

I am a hands up guy but even after a few rides I had to grab something.

Skyrush is one of the times I let out true, full bodied screams too. What a wicked experience.

[JayB18]

I had my hands up during my 1st ride. The 5 other times I rode I was holding on to the grab bars the entire time. Something I didn't mention was that I really liked that they were trying to fill all seats. They were sending single riders with groups of 3 and trying to get 2 groups of 2 together so the empty seat issue they originally had seems to be resolved.

[JJLehto]

I had my hands up during my 1st ride. The 5 other times I rode I was holding on to the grab bars the entire time. Something I didn't mention was that I really liked that they were trying to fill all seats. They were sending single riders with groups of 3 and trying to get 2 groups of 2 together so the empty seat issue they originally had seems to be resolved.

 

Eventually I managed to do hands up the whole ride...I just had to be comfortable with "I will NOT fly out"

Yes that was great to see, and the line really moves pretty quick.