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Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread


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I rode Skyrush for the first time last night; I got in three rides - two in the center seats in front and one on a wing (left side) seat. I found the wing seat to be a bit rougher than the center seats, which isn't surprising, since even on many B&Ms the outer seats tend to be a little rougher. I found the restraints to be uncomfortable but not really painful. But they weren't so bad that I didn't want to do repeat riding. I did really enjoy the freedom of not having any kind of shoulder harness or vest or anything around the upper part of my body, so the vice-grip on the legs is, I suppose, a fair enough trade off.

I did, however, find this to be the absolutely most mind-blowing-ly intense steel rollercoaster I've ever set foot on! I didn't even know that the lift had been slowed as it seemed extremely fast to me, or maybe that was because I took my first ride after dark. My friend rode it right before I did (we separated and then met up later to ride it) and I found her sitting shoe-less on the bench in front of the entrance! The ride op let her sit on her flip-flops (she didn't think to put them in the storage area) and when she came back, they were long gone. Never heard of a coaster so potent that it could rip your flip-flops right out from under you, especially with the way the lap bar pins you down (well, I suppose it could also happen on El Toro). Every time I rode I also noticed that my t-shirt (which was a bit loose on me) kept creeping up around the back of my neck - conceivably if I had my hands up it could have ripped my shirt right off! Either way, I would rank it in my top 5 steel even though I don't think I could handle too many rides in a row on it.

 

As for all the walking in the park - that was a major complaint my friend and I had yesterday - we were seriously wore out by the end of the day! What they need is something (like the skyride at BGE) that actually moves people around the park, not just a scenic monorail and a skylift that brings you back to where you started out at.

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Hersheypark Trip Report 6/9 + 6/10

This was my first time to Hershepark and the park really exceeded my expectations! My family and I didthe preview the night before and we bought our tickets at Giant Food Store who also gave us a free parking pass. We saved $15 a ticket and parking! We arrived at the park at 10:30 and one thing I didn't know about the park is how pretty it is. This park is landscaped beautifully and I enjoyed the atmosphere of it.

 

Ok to the rides. We first headed to Skyrush to see what the line was and it was pretty long so we did the swings nearby haha. Then we rode Comet (about a 10 minute wait). This crew was fast at dispatching for Comet and they were moving fast at getting people in and out. Comet (rode the front) was pretty smooth and overall was a fun ride! After Comet we went to Skyrush and the line died down a lot, except for the front row. We went ahead and did the back row and only waited about 5 minutes! I rode the right wing seat and all I can say is WOW! It was my dirst time on this ride and I can't believe this ride went faster because it was just hauling! Airtime I never experienced on a coaster before. Yes the restraints tightened a bit and the bottom of the drop was a little rough but the rest of the ride was pretty smooth. This ride is very intense and very good. While we were waiting for the other train to dispatch, they released the restraints a bit which was nice after the tightness. People should not complain about this ride as it is just the most intense and airtime filled ride I have been on and is definitely my new number 1. After Skyrush, we walked on Great Bear (back row), Frontier Flyers, Storm Runner (front), The Claw, and Fahrenheit (front row). I feel that Storm Runner doesn't get enough credit imo. It hauls and is very thrilling. After that it was 10 and we went back to our hotel.

 

The next day we wake up and it is pouring rain outside . We brought our ponchos just in case though. There was nobody at 10 am for the opening. We headed to Skyrush first and it was closed and they said it would only open if the rain stopped. I wish it sid stop as I wanted a front row ride but thats ok. We then went to Lightning Racer and nobody was on. We got to ride both Thunder and Lightning by ourselves! Great ride and fast in the rain . Then we did the music express and the whip in that area. Then we did Wildcat (front row). This ride isnt as rough as people make it out to be and this ride flew so fast prob due to the rain! I enjoyed this ride. Wild Mouse was just scary. They basically didnt use any brakes for the first part of the ride before the drop and it felt like the train was going to fall off for how fast it was going! This ride scared me a lot haha and I have been on about 5 of these. This was out of control. Storm Runner and Skyrush were closed the whole day . We did a few more rides on our way towards the entrance. Reeses Xtreme Cup was terrible. I couldn't see where I was shooting at all! Overall there was nobody at the park because of the rain though! After that we left around 12 because we did everything we wanted to. We then went to the Chocolate World and bought $45 dollars worth of candy and souvenirs haha!

 

I had a great time at Hersheypark and hope to visit again in the future! Such a great park! Pics coming soon!

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^ ^^ Good to hear you enjoyed the park! I think Storm Runner gets enough credit, it was like 23 on the Hawker poll which is pretty good to me! I think Skyrush will move up even further in rankings after this year since, mostof the complaining on the lapbars has stopped. Even people at school are talking about how fun it is which was surprising.

 

And the Cup Challenge is plain out stupid

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At the park now, actually hotel taking a break. Crowds are very minimal and wait times are pretty much all less than 10 minutes. Going back in tonight hoping it looks like last night when there were about 20 cars in the lot and NO BUSES!!!!! Using 2 day flex ticket tomorrow for Boardwalk as it looks to be even nicer weather wise.

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Heading for a day trip from DC up to the park today (Wed), looking forward to it! My coaster first trip of the season. Can't wait to haul ass on StormRunner (my fav. ride by a mile) and trying not to dislocate a rib while whipping around on Skyrush LOL. I never had a problem with the tightness of the restraints last year but am glad others are noticing and appreciating the changes made. Perhaps a few storms might pass by but other than that it looks to be a good day for hanging out at HP.

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Heading for a day trip from DC up to the park today (Wed), looking forward to it! My coaster first trip of the season. Can't wait to haul A$$ on StormRunner (my fav. ride by a mile) and trying not to dislocate a rib while whipping around on Skyrush LOL. I never had a problem with the tightness of the restraints last year but am glad others are noticing and appreciating the changes made. Perhaps a few storms might pass by but other than that it looks to be a good day for hanging out at HP.

 

As of right now the weather is awesome.

 

Does anyone else notice a "washboard" feeling when riding Sky Rush? I made my first laps on it yesterday and it pretty well shook the shit outta me. I was in wing seats each lap if that has a direct bearing on it. Don't get me wrong, the ride is freakin amazing, just really bumpy.....not something to marathon for an ERT session.

 

Also, to anyone headed this way, after 6 or 7 the park this week has been basically empty. Most coasters never had full trains!!!!

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bumpy? I really wonder sometimes about people's roughness expectations for new coasters. It throws you all over the place but bumpy is not one word that would ever come to mind as a description of this ride. Glad you like it, but If you ever get invited to a Skyrush ERT I'd be happy to go in your place.

 

Also, you have discovered one of the secrets of Hersheypark. If you are there on the weekend, get there early for Fahrenheit and the back of the park... and then do SOMETHING ELSE during the middle of the day when it's miserably hot and all you will be doing is standing in line. Come back around 4PM and stay until closing and you will have no trouble getting all the rides you want after ~6. I have never experienced crowd problems being there late. The place attracts so many families with little kids that a good chunk of the people at the park will be on their way home by 4.

Edited by vdejarnette
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^^The washboard feeling could certainly be from a bad wheel or joint in the seats you were in. Also, on all of these 'wing coaster trains' the outside is always going to be bumpier.

 

It actually almost felt as if a wheel was"chipped" so to say and it vibrated like a SOB.

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^^The washboard feeling could certainly be from a bad wheel or joint in the seats you were in. Also, on all of these 'wing coaster trains' the outside is always going to be bumpier.

Yes and the back seat is certainly bumpy or just uncomfortable Sometimes but its still isnt like, ouch that hurt! If you sit in the middle in the back there is little to no problems. Its just with the wings. And it only happens in the last 3 rows.

 

And it is always vibrating in the gray corner, but thats the only spot

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Just left for a rest at the hotel....place is PACKED!!!!! Many many tour/school buses!! Going back later after 6 like last night. By that time yesterday all the buses where gone.

Worst part of Hersheypark, you can NEVER guess how many buses will be there

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Me and my sister will be heading up to Hershey sometime late next month and I'm looking for a reasonable place to stay. We're not looking for anything too fancy since we're on a budget, but my sister doesn't wanna stay in a dump so no Motel 6's and Super 8's. Something mid-range would suit our tastes. Does anybody have any suggestions?

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^^The washboard feeling could certainly be from a bad wheel or joint in the seats you were in. Also, on all of these 'wing coaster trains' the outside is always going to be bumpier.

Yes and the back seat is certainly bumpy or just uncomfortable Sometimes but its still isnt like, ouch that hurt! If you sit in the middle in the back there is little to no problems. Its just with the wings. And it only happens in the last 3 rows.

 

And it is always vibrating in the gray corner, but thats the only spot

 

I may be going back to HP in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering how the middle and back center seats on Skyrush compare to the very front center seats. I rode a wing seat in the front and I found the increased forces a bit hard on my back, but I had no problem with the center front seats. I'm just trying to figure out if I want to risk riding towards the back in the center seats (I'd like to experience the back seats just to see how the airtime is back there, but don't want to aggravate my back).

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^^The washboard feeling could certainly be from a bad wheel or joint in the seats you were in. Also, on all of these 'wing coaster trains' the outside is always going to be bumpier.

Yes and the back seat is certainly bumpy or just uncomfortable Sometimes but its still isnt like, ouch that hurt! If you sit in the middle in the back there is little to no problems. Its just with the wings. And it only happens in the last 3 rows.

 

And it is always vibrating in the gray corner, but thats the only spot

 

I may be going back to HP in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering how the middle and back center seats on Skyrush compare to the very front center seats. I rode a wing seat in the front and I found the increased forces a bit hard on my back, but I had no problem with the center front seats. I'm just trying to figure out if I want to risk riding towards the back in the center seats (I'd like to experience the back seats just to see how the airtime is back there, but don't want to aggravate my back).

 

The wing seats are definitely more intense than the center seats no matter where you sit. The center seats in the back definitely don't throw you around as much as the wing seats in the back, however, I don't ride in the front very much so I guess I don't have much of a comparison. Also, after my second visit to Hershey this year, I can say that even though they slowed down the lift, Skyrush is still just as insane as last year and the slowdown is only noticeable at the top of the lift. Also I don't know if it has been mentioned, but I believe they replaced those ugly nets in the spray ground with actual tarp to block the sun, and it looks much nicer now (sorry didn't have a camera so no pics).

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The front seat is a very interesting experience. It's incredibly open-air, more so than the rest of the train (obviously because it's the front seat).

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Had a great time at the park today for my first visit. Longest wait of the day was 30 mins for Fahrenheit and practically everything was 15mins or a walk on. Skyrush is amazing in so many different ways. The EJECTOR air on the back wing seats is almost scary and the restraints make it a little less enjoyable. Finished the night on a middle seat in the front which was spectacular and two straight rides in the back row middle which was less insane than the wing seats but still incredible. Rode every coaster at least once with 6 rides on Skyrush.

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"Washboard" describes Skyrush's outer seats very well. I rode it last year right after opening and yes the restraints were tight but I didn't have a major problem with them, but this year the new padding does improve the experience. The lift slows considerably at the top compared to last year and because of this I found the ride to be more tolerable. It still hauls ass around the course but I didn't get off it feeling like I had my shoulder pulled out of its socket when flying through the twisties. I love a super fast crazy coaster but the trains don't offer the rider any support and it's rough on my body because of that. It's a good ride and hasn't been ruined at all due to the modifications. For those wondering about the front vs. back, the back is definitely more intense but the front is a bit more controlled and therefore more enjoyable IMO.

 

Even though there were a LOT of buses in the parking lot, the actual park was empty all day today and we waited no longer than 15 minutes for anything. The weather was perfect. We didn't even arrive until 3pm and rode:

 

Skyrush 1x

Comet 1x

Swings 1x

SooperDooperLooper 1x (the new trains are great!)

Coal Cracker 1x

Great Bear 2x

Flying Falcon 2x

Trailblazer 1x

StormRunner 6x

Wild Mouse 2x

Lightning Racer 2x

The Whip 2x

Wildcat 1x (Ouch. RMC treatment please?!!!?)

Himalaya 1x

The Claw 1x

Sidewinder 1x

 

Probably going back with a friend in 2 weeks. Hoping for another fun trip although this one was hard to beat!

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I'm glad fewer people enjoy the back wing seats. It means they're always open for me whenever I get into the station.

YES, it seems people do avoid the back seats sometimes. I probably ride back seat 80% of the time on Skyrush.

 

To answer how it is in the middle...

I have not yet been in every row since i have my glory seat, but I have ridden in rows 1,2,4,6,8 atleast 2 times. Row 4 was to me the most powerful in +g forces but what you really want are the -g forces, obviously on this puppy.

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Hey guys and gals! My friend and I will be making our first trip to Hershey Park on July 13th! I'm crazy excited but was wondering if any of you local enthusiast would be interested in showing us around the park? I'm worried I wont get my credits in with it being a Saturday so having someone who knows the park would be a big help! Either way PM me! It will be a blast!

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