Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[mr. cockblock]

Hersheypark has such a great mix of coasters that the only thing missing is a hyper. My gut feeling is that it'll be a B&M hyper with a water feature like Diamondback.

 

I agree 100%! Regardless of what Hersheypark gets, im sure it will be amazing. I will definitely making a trip out there when this opens.

[YoshiFan]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Dive Machine but it seems strange they would go

for that when they just got a coaster with a steeper drop.

[RollingRunner]

^ But still, a B&M Dive Machine would be twice as tall and have a much better capacity. Most of the GP would see it as 'Fahrenheit x2' instead of 'just another steep drop'. I should really wait until for information is available to wait and see if it is a coaster, but if it is, predict it will be an Intamin hypercoaster that borrows much from the recent Mega-lite/i305 style.

[Synshine]

Hersheypark has such a great mix of coasters that the only thing missing is a hyper. My gut feeling is that it'll be a B&M hyper with a water feature like Diamondback.

 

They don't have a flyer, or stand-up coaster either.

 

^ Considering B&M has been very consistent with the heights of their last 3 hypers, and only 'new model' hypers, at 232, 230, and 230 feet, I'd say it's a Dive Machine...if it's even a B&M at all.

 

 

They were all bought by Cedar Fair, so that may have something to do with that coincidence.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Hersheypark has such a great mix of coasters that the only thing missing is a hyper. My gut feeling is that it'll be a B&M hyper with a water feature like Diamondback.

 

They don't have a flyer, or stand-up coaster either.

 

A Flyer is a possibility, but not likely, in my opinion. And considering it's been 11 years since the last stand-up was built, I think that era was over a long time ago.

 

^ Considering B&M has been very consistent with the heights of their last 3 hypers, and only 'new model' hypers, at 232, 230, and 230 feet, I'd say it's a Dive Machine...if it's even a B&M at all.

 

 

They were all bought by Cedar Fair, so that may have something to do with that coincidence.

 

Yeah, but there is the fact, like I said, that they are all the new model with the new trains. B&M is very "cookie-cutter" with their coasters.

 

 

 

 

You also have to put into perspective that the 3 major steel coasters at Hershey: Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, and Great Bear all cost about the same ($12.1m, $12.5m, $13m respectively), so I highly doubt they are going to suddenly have a change of heart and spend $20+ million on a B&M hyper.

 

Even Goliath at La Ronde, which is 174 feet tall, was $16 million. Doing the math, another 38 feet would be roughly $3.5 million more, which is $19.5 million total...and that was in 2006, it will be even more in 2012. Griffon was only $15.6 million and SheiKra was $13.5 million, which leads me to believe this could very well be a B&M Dive Machine. If it is a hyper, I'm going with what was said above in that it will be an Intamin, because Ride of Steel at DL was only $12 million.

[KPfreak519]

You guys, I think it's pretty obvious. It's clearly the world's first Hyper-Aquatrax.

[HPCrazy]

Someone over at Keystone Thrills posted this which I thought was interesting:

 

Just found an article in the Lebanon paper. With key info such as...

 

The Zoning Hearing Board has 45 days to make a decision on the request.

 

and

 

 

"No one is more excited to talk about the coming attraction than we are, and soon we'll be ready to share information with the public, but not quite yet," Gallia said after the meeting.

 

http://www.ldnews.com/news/ci_15826822

 

I'm now wondering if we're heading towards a 2011 project after reading the quote "No one is more excited to talk about the coming attraction than we are, and soon we'll be ready to share information with the public, but not quite yet." That almost sounds like they are almost ready to make an announcement on this thing which could possibly be as early as September/October at the latest.

 

And there are still possibilities that this may continue to be a 2012 project after all, especially some of the stuff that "knowit" has been informing us on. As of this time, it could be one or the other. I'm still not ruling that out, but wanted to share some of that interesting info with you all.

[knowit]

If this turns out to be a 2011 attraction, no one will be more surprised than I. I have have a feeling that they possibly will introduce an attraction for 2011, perhaps a 212 ft drop tower? Bwahahahahaha. I still say coaster 2012

 

 

You guys, I think it's pretty obvious. It's clearly the world's first Hyper-Aquatrax.

 

I laughed out loud when I read this. I was wondering how long it was going to take for someone to say this.

[HPCrazy]

Well I think at this point, I wouldn't rule out either 2011 or 12. Over at Keystone Thrills, CoasterBGW made a good point:

 

One thing to think about is that it might just be labeled Attraction 2012 on the paper work to give the ample time to complete any construction needs. For instance, they built a large housing development across the street from me. In the town paper work they had the project completion date as 2012, but in reality they completed enough construction to open the complex in January 2011. Setting the 2012 construction completion date in the paperwork gives them extra time to allow for any delays. If they were not able to complete the project for whatever reason by the completion date then they have to go back through the entire government approval process again.

 

So at this point, it could be possible. But again, it could still open in 2012. And like the quote I posted from another Keystone Thrills poster about how HERCO said that they will be announcing this soon, so I'll don't know what they consider "soon". Soon as in Sept/Oct...soon as in next year? Other people have said that this is weird that all of this discussion is going on for an attraction that wouldn't be opening until two years later. So I don't know. I guess people can take it at how they want it.

[wildemu]

I just went to the park yesterday (8/20) and it was my first visit in over 10 years. The park was very crowded today, but I always anticipate a lot of people on Friday, Sat+Sun. One of the rides I was really looking forward to was down the whole day, and that was Storm Runner. The park teased the crowd with test runs throughout the day, but the ride never opened up the public,very disappointing.

 

Great Bear- 25-30 minute wait. It's a great ride but I've ridden too many of these B&M invert clones to really be wowed by it anymore. Still a fun ride and the placement of it next to the water and SDL was interesting.

 

Lightning Racer x 2- 40 minutes. Great Ride, one of the more smoother woodies I have ever ridden. Green Side seemed to dominate today as I really didn't see red get off to a good start on the hill at all. Still, it was fast, smooth, and the drop was great.

 

Fahrenheit- 90 minute wait. This was the first ride on our list and by 10:30 am, the snake lines were all the way back to the sign. The lift and drop was a first-time experience and it was a great, but my body really took a beating after the drop, specifically cobra roll. The coaster gets complaints of being too slow after the drop, but I felt it was flying throughout the whole track today. Great ride, but 90 minutes was way too long.

 

Trailblazer- 5 minutes. Great kiddie ride, enjoyed the turns towards the end of the ride.

 

Sidewinder- 30 minutes. Wow, this ride hurts. I remember the rush on the Chiller ride in great adventure, so I thought I would give this boomerang a try. They need to change the restraints because a person of my height just gets destroyed.

 

SuperDooperLooper- 5 minutes. Not a bad ride for its age, and I think it could've benefited from a better drop into the loop. Otherwise, it's a fun one and I'm sure it was a technological achievement back in the day. Always fun to go through a loop without shoulder restraints.

 

Roller Soaker- 60 minutes. Just looking at the ride, i knew it wasn't going to be worth the wait but this was the most anticipated ride from the family. Very random ride in terms of getting wet. Sometimes you will get drenched, and other carts may not get those small geysers to pop up at all. It would've been funnier if you could drop water on the crowds going from the log flume to the water park.

 

Sunoco Speedway- 30 minutes. Something for the kids, really not worth the wait at all except to see their smiles.

 

Didn't get a chance to ride Comet, the line was moving at a snail's pace (over an hour wait) and I just got my woodie fix in at Lightning Racer instead. The Water park seems nice, but it was so packed that the family didn't want to get burned waiting for a 20 second slide. One odd thing I noticed was that there was a line for the wave pool there, first time I've seen that in a park. Maybe on non-crowded days there isn't a line, but I just found it funny that you were forced out of the pool after a specific amount of time.

 

All in all, it was a fun day and we just tried to ignore the fact that Storm Runner wasn't operating. Maybe one day we'll get to ride it, but it's a long driving distance and not worth the risk of coming just to see if it's running or not. Apparently, there was going to be a huge concert on Saturday with I believe Rihanna performing, so I hope the park didn't give Storm runner a day off just for it to be ready on that concert day. It would've been a bush league move on their part, and I'm curious to see if anyone can confirm the ride's status.

[xmichellex]

^ wildemu - I was at the park Tues. and Weds. On Weds., I was next in line for Storm Runner with my bf when the friggin' cable broke! Luckily we got on it the day before and earlier on that day... I'm surprised they already have it up and running, but it looked worse than it was I guess (at least it was fixable!). I took some pics of it... hope to post a TR soon.

[wildemu]

Thanks for the explanation michelle. It's a miracle in itself that they were launching the ride for tests runs yesterday if they had a cable break. I'm assuming they are feeling the pressure of having the ride up and running since this could be the busiest day of the year with Rihanna in the park. It'd be interesting to see if anyone was at the park today.

[xmichellex]

Yeah, from the looks of what the cable looked like after, I was guessing that might be it for Storm Runner for a while... but that's great that they were able to get it repaired so quickly! The cable was hanging down from the track towards the ground and was also draped over the side of the track close to where the top hat is. Looked like some of the launch components/mechanics were also knocked out of place. No one on the ride seemed too phased about it, the worst part was the loud bang it made... will post pics soon!

[eltorobaby]

Glad I'm not going to Hershey this Thursday and am instead going to Dorney as I've never been to Dorney and now with the storm runner being down. (I love the ride) It looks like I made the right decision.

[knowit]

Well I think at this point, I wouldn't rule out either 2011 or 12. Over at Keystone Thrills, CoasterBGW made a good point:

 

One thing to think about is that it might just be labeled Attraction 2012 on the paper work to give the ample time to complete any construction needs. For instance, they built a large housing development across the street from me. In the town paper work they had the project completion date as 2012, but in reality they completed enough construction to open the complex in January 2011. Setting the 2012 construction completion date in the paperwork gives them extra time to allow for any delays. If they were not able to complete the project for whatever reason by the completion date then they have to go back through the entire government approval process again.

 

This is interesting they can kind of post date the construction plans. It's actually really good idea, and keeps their butts out of trouble I have to wonder though if they are actually trying to throw people off with the "we want to tell people soon" spiel. If what my sources tell me are true, it's going to take a while to clear some land for this ride as well as make the necessary engineering changes to existing rides, hence the 2012 launch date.

[Blind Idiot God]

The height is inconsequential when you consider that the park has the topography required for a good terrain coaster. I doubt it'll be a dive machine, as the GP would blow it off in the face of Fahrenheit.

[knowit]

The height is inconsequential when you consider that the park has the topography required for a good terrain coaster. I doubt it'll be a dive machine, as the GP would blow it off in the face of Fahrenheit.

 

Very good point. Back to back coasters with vertical drops is not something any theme park would do. I believe this ride will hug the terrain very well.

[Hersheypark08]

Are you not including accelerators because...

Hershey did do that, and CP did it.

Edited August 22, 2010 by Hersheypark08

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ I was going to say the same thing. Hell, the last FOUR coasters built by Cedar Point have had a close to vertical, vertical, or more than vertical drop.

 

Hershey:

-Storm Runner - 90 degree drop - 2004

-Fahrenheit - 97 degree drop - 2008

 

Cedar Point:

-Millennium Force - 80 degree drop - 2000

-Wicked Twister - 90 degree drop - 2002

-Top Thrill Dragster - 90 degree drop - 2003

-Maverick - 95 degree drop - 2007

[Synshine]

Neither park has a dive machine, either.

 

Lightning Racer x 2- 40 minutes. Great Ride, one of the more smoother woodies I have ever ridden. Green Side seemed to dominate today as I really didn't see red get off to a good start on the hill at all. Still, it was fast, smooth, and the drop was great.

They are well designed and wins generally seem to go back and forth, though I've personally seen Thunder run better in hotter weather, while Lightning seems to dominate in cool or wet weather.

 

Didn't get a chance to ride Comet, the line was moving at a snail's pace (over an hour wait) and I just got my woodie fix in at Lightning Racer instead.

 

The Comet always seems to load very slowly. Half the problem is dealing with the skid brakes, but loading and unloading is fairly slow paced too.

 

No Wildcat love?

 

The Water park seems nice, but it was so packed that the family didn't want to get burned waiting for a 20 second slide. One odd thing I noticed was that there was a line for the wave pool there, first time I've seen that in a park. Maybe on non-crowded days there isn't a line, but I just found it funny that you were forced out of the pool after a specific amount of time.

 

It's not a very big wave pool, so it does fill up on very crowded days. In fairness though there is rarely a line at all for it unless the water park is absolutely packed.

[HPCrazy]

I found some more interesting info over at News Plus Notes. Ccron10 shared this over at Keystone Thrills, but I wanted to share it here as well:

 

Link source: http://newsplusnotes.blogspot.com/ - includes aerial image of the site to help with what they're saying.

 

Lame jokes aside, Hersheypark went to the Derry Township Zoning Board to seek approval for a new "marquee attraction" in the Comet Hollow section of the park for the 2012 season. Judging from how early they are seeking approval, one might think this is going to be a large project.

 

And you'd be right! Not many details came out of the meeting, but we do know the attraction will be 212.2 feet tall. It will also have 32 support columns in the area of Creekside Catering, which will be removed. The supports will be over a man-made pond, which sounds interesting.

 

This is the area that looks to be affected. Comet Hollow is on the far right, where plenty of survey markers already exist. The removal of the Tilt-A-Whirl located here is rumored for a possible starting point of the coaster. Oh did I say coaster? No one has confirmed that, but really, what else could we be talking about here?

 

On the far left is the Creekside Catering area (to be removed), and across Park Boulevard is the old golf course which is rumored to be impacted by the ride. I would think crossing a road would have come up at the planning meeting, though. There are also plenty of markers and stakes located along the Comet's upper portion, running along Spring Creek. The article points out that the tree-line along the road will stay in place.

 

Hersheypark has added some unique coasters in the past decade - that combined with the tall, long layout we're seeing develop makes me wonder if this ride will be some variant of a hyper coaster, but that's nothing more than a guess. I can't wait for more details to leak out...

[KPfreak519]

At this point, I have learned not to doubt Hershey's ability to squeeze rides in tight spaces, but really I don't see how there can possibly be enough room to fit a station where the Tilt-a-Whirl is...I mean there's probably room for the station building itself but between Comet, the midway, Great Bear, and SDL I really don't see how they could fit a brake run, return to the station, and lift/pre lift there as well...they'll prove me wrong with some ingenious design if the station is indeed going there though.

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ Someone from Pittsburgh, of all people, shouldn't have a tough time fathoming that at all because of the size of Sky Rocket's station/brake/transfer area.

[wildemu]

No Wildcat love?

 

I just ran out of time to get on Wildcat. That trip report lasted until 7:30, 8 and the family was already drained from such a long day. It looked like a fun woodie but I don't have any regrets missing it like I do with Storm Runner.

[xmichellex]

Posted the pics of the SR cable incident in my TR here.