Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[Coaster Studios]

Trailblazer may be removed soon.

[Ccron10]

Trailblazer may be removed soon.

I highly doubt that considering it is still a popular family ride.

[neil009]

Trailblazer may be removed soon.

 

Where'd you hear that? If they remove Trailblazer before Wild Cat I'd be shocked. It fills in an important spot in their coaster line-up and what else would they do with that hilly heavily forested terrain? Wild Cat, as much as I love it, is on a big clear plot of land, is allowed to sit in relative disrepair, and is overshadowed by two much more popular woodies.

[TyRush]

Wildcat would benefit from a re-track/make-over. I don't think it would be removed considering it to be GCI'S first

[neil009]

Wildcat would benefit from a re-track/make-over. I don't think it would be removed considering it to be GCI'S first

 

I very sincerely doubt that matters much to Hershey.

[coasterfreak101]

^Agreed. I doubt it's going anywhere any time soon, but it being GCI's first ride is irrelevant to Hershey's business decisions.

[rcjp]

^It wouldn't be a bad candidate for a RMC hybrid treatment

It already has the speed and twistyness.

[TyRush]

^It wouldn't be a bad candidate for a RMC hybrid treatment

It already has the speed and twistyness.

Exactly. Just thinking of this, the first curving drop, maybe they can make it a little taller, then the first little turn around after the drop could be one of the 90+ banked turns, then a killer airtime hill, then another overbank.....ect.

[CPmillenia94]

In all honesty wildcat runs just fine, and isn't getting any worse each year. It still gets decent ridership, almost as much as lightning racers. Although neither of them get great ridership being at the far end of the park..

[rcjp]

^Maybe it has its ups and downs because when I rode it last August (25th) it was extremely rough. Only surpassed by coaster express, in my experience.

The roughness wasn't like some big and pronounced jolts but more like a constant and very unpleasant vibration.

[TyRush]

In all honesty wildcat runs just fine, and isn't getting any worse each year. It still gets decent ridership, almost as much as lightning racers. Although neither of them get great ridership being at the far end of the park..

Like you said they get horrible ridership back there because the only people that are that far back in the park are there for the boardwalk. So I have without doubt the next thing built will be back there. I do like the idea of Ironcat

[PaTim]

I can only speak from personal experience, but based on my visits to Hershey(which are frequent) both Wildcat and LR get very low ridership. One big problem is obviously their location, they reside in prime areas for the Boardwalk to expand, and doesn't seem inconceivable to question both coaster's roles in the future of the park. I always wondered if the non-enthusiast community looked at both rides as somewhat similar experiences, because in all honesty they are. On a side note, I always though that when it comes to HP wooden coasters, a brake-less Comet would be the best of the three.

 

The park expansion is certainly necessary, as Hershey has become a major player in the amusement industry and to say it gets ridiculously packed would be an understatement. I mentioned before that as a park it has the unique distinction of having the infrastructure and draw of a large Six Flags/Cedar Fair park but offering a somewhat superior family atmosphere.

[Rotura Violenta]

I was at the park today for the first time (here for work, but visiting some theme parks while I'm at it). It was really quiet and every ride was a walk on virtually all day. I rode almost everything 5+ times and rode Skyrush 15 times (not back to back, though).

 

Beautiful park—very impressed with it. Will write more soon

 

EDIT: Also, re. the Trailblazer discussion on the last page: It was closed today, but they were working on it. I saw it run once from the Stormrunner station, but when I asked earlier in the day, the guy at the gate told me it wouldn't open today at all.

[neil009]

In all honesty wildcat runs just fine, and isn't getting any worse each year. It still gets decent ridership, almost as much as lightning racers. Although neither of them get great ridership being at the far end of the park..

 

Oh it runs like garbage, year after year, and there's no reason for it to be that way, IF they were intending to keep it long term, which I doubt. I don't mind my coasters rough and enjoy it a lot, but when I see people coming off of it looking like they'll never ride it again, I can hardly blame them.

 

I can only speak from personal experience, but based on my visits to Hershey(which are frequent) both Wildcat and LR get very low ridership. One big problem is obviously their location, they reside in prime areas for the Boardwalk to expand, and doesn't seem inconceivable to question both coaster's roles in the future of the park. I always wondered if the non-enthusiast community looked at both rides as somewhat similar experiences, because in all honesty they are. On a side note, I always though that when it comes to HP wooden coasters, a brake-less Comet would be the best of the three.

 

I agree the location is an issue, but it's not like they're the only rides back there, you've also got the wild mouse, whip, musical express, and a few others. Assuming you count LR as one ride then I'd say it gets at least twice the ridership of Wildcat since I usually wait a bit longer for it and it has double the capacity. IMO LR is also just too good a ride to remove, it's unique and they use photos of it in a lot of their advertising, it perfectly fits their image of a high-class family park. I don't see them iron horsing Wildcat, not enough for them to market (no records to break, etc). I think the best thing for them to do is clear it out and build a new, better coaster to draw the crowds back to that side of the park and to LR. That's my personal prediction, if the next major coaster installation doesn't go in that spot, then the one after that will. I mean keep in mind, Hershey is VERY short on space.

 

Also, a brake-less Comet would potentially be one of the best wooden coasters in the world, but unfortunately we won't see that happen in this or any other lifetime.

[YoshiFan]

I wouldn't be that upset if Wildcat ever got removed. I haven't tried the coaster in a few years since the last few times I have ridden it, I got a headache from it even with the Millennium Flyer trains. I still don't think it was as bad as Gwazi though.

[Hayzle]

With the new land this park will open up in the next year or two I could see one of two things happening; moving the water park to the new expansion area and using the boardwalk for a dry park expansion; or moving the rides behind the boardwalk to the new land and expanding the boardwalk to take over the land occupied by Wildcat, Lightning racer etc.

I'm not sure Wildcat would survive if they chose to move the dry rides as its on some pretty unique land. I would be a little upset, but if it means Lightning racer gets to survive and not only that but thrive, I would be okay with that

[A.J.]

With the new land this park will open up in the next year or two I could see one of two things happening; moving the water park to the new expansion area and using the boardwalk for a dry park expansion; or moving the rides behind the boardwalk to the new land and expanding the boardwalk to take over the land occupied by Wildcat, Lightning racer etc.

I'm not a big fan of huge speculation anymore, but I think that a relocation of Lightning Racer and / or Wildcat is more likely than a relocation of the Boardwalk attractions.

[bert425]

put us into the group that hated WIldcat, but loved Lightning Racer.

 

Wildcat was way, way too rough.

 

In thinking about it, I'd say it's slightly worse than GhostRider.

 

it's the last thing we rode on the Preview night, as we were ready to leave after getting THAT shaken up. . and we avoided it the next full day and just went to LR and loved it.

[CPSFMMCW]

Not a wildcat fan. HUGE Lightning Racer fan!

[PaTim]

In all honesty wildcat runs just fine, and isn't getting any worse each year. It still gets decent ridership, almost as much as lightning racers. Although neither of them get great ridership being at the far end of the park..

 

Oh it runs like garbage, year after year, and there's no reason for it to be that way, IF they were intending to keep it long term, which I doubt. I don't mind my coasters rough and enjoy it a lot, but when I see people coming off of it looking like they'll never ride it again, I can hardly blame them.

 

I can only speak from personal experience, but based on my visits to Hershey(which are frequent) both Wildcat and LR get very low ridership. One big problem is obviously their location, they reside in prime areas for the Boardwalk to expand, and doesn't seem inconceivable to question both coaster's roles in the future of the park. I always wondered if the non-enthusiast community looked at both rides as somewhat similar experiences, because in all honesty they are. On a side note, I always though that when it comes to HP wooden coasters, a brake-less Comet would be the best of the three.

 

I agree the location is an issue, but it's not like they're the only rides back there, you've also got the wild mouse, whip, musical express, and a few others. Assuming you count LR as one ride then I'd say it gets at least twice the ridership of Wildcat since I usually wait a bit longer for it and it has double the capacity. IMO LR is also just too good a ride to remove, it's unique and they use photos of it in a lot of their advertising, it perfectly fits their image of a high-class family park. I don't see them iron horsing Wildcat, not enough for them to market (no records to break, etc). I think the best thing for them to do is clear it out and build a new, better coaster to draw the crowds back to that side of the park and to LR. That's my personal prediction, if the next major coaster installation doesn't go in that spot, then the one after that will. I mean keep in mind, Hershey is VERY short on space.

 

Also, a brake-less Comet would potentially be one of the best wooden coasters in the world, but unfortunately we won't see that happen in this or any other lifetime.

 

Good point about the other rides being back there. It's interesting to speculate because based on recent attendance figures Hersheypark is beginning to bury its competition. Now I'm wondering about the whole Midway America section in regards to the future of the park. It seems that water park additions and expansions are fail-safe ways to increase attendance, and it would make perfect sense if Hershey were to follow Holiday World's model and go crazy with the Boardwalk. Of course in order to do that the whole MA section, or at least a big part of it, would have to be compromised. The challenge is, like you said, the fact that LR is a very good ride with marketability. Also, Wildcat runs horribly(also like you said), I would go as far as to say it ran better with the PTC's. Throwing a more "submissive" train like MF's on a track that's already warped seems to only make the ride rougher(see Hades 360). It's kind of like driving on a Pennsylvania road with a small car compared to a big one, you feel every bump in the small car.

 

The brake-less Comet is one of the coolest, yet non-business friendly ideas for the park. Could you imagine how crazy that second half would be? But as we all know the Comet in it's current state remains one of the most popular rides in the park.

[neil009]

With the new land this park will open up in the next year or two I could see one of two things happening; moving the water park to the new expansion area and using the boardwalk for a dry park expansion; or moving the rides behind the boardwalk to the new land and expanding the boardwalk to take over the land occupied by Wildcat, Lightning racer etc.

I'm not sure Wildcat would survive if they chose to move the dry rides as its on some pretty unique land. I would be a little upset, but if it means Lightning racer gets to survive and not only that but thrive, I would be okay with that

 

Has any park ever relocated a major wooden coaster from one side of the park to the other? Like, ever in the history of amusement parks?

[eddie200330]

I think in my mind after riding Wildcat a few weeks ago that it is more "intense" and not rough. That thing seriously hauls ass through the course and I'm sure it throws some pretty good +G's at you. A few years back it did have the jack hammer/ pot hole effect, but that seems to have disappeared. I kinda like it the way it is.

 

As far as moving coasters across the park, I really don't see that happening.....what I would like to see happen has been overstated here and elsewhere, and that is the removal of The Boardwalk and put the whole damn thing somewhere else. Also, bring in some kind of transport ride to get from one side of the park to the other.

[Brassinthegrass]

With the new land this park will open up in the next year or two I could see one of two things happening; moving the water park to the new expansion area and using the boardwalk for a dry park expansion; or moving the rides behind the boardwalk to the new land and expanding the boardwalk to take over the land occupied by Wildcat, Lightning racer etc.

I'm not sure Wildcat would survive if they chose to move the dry rides as its on some pretty unique land. I would be a little upset, but if it means Lightning racer gets to survive and not only that but thrive, I would be okay with that

 

Has any park ever relocated a major wooden coaster from one side of the park to the other? Like, ever in the history of amusement parks?

 

 

I can't think of one that moved from one side of the part to another, but there have been plenty that moved to different parks. If it's a major expansion, it might happen. But I think they would do without the move as it is a bit of an unnecessary cost. I could see them removing wildcat for future expansion of the Boardwalk, and building a high speed transportation type ride (possibly a LIM system of some sort) and building out into the new land.

 

That, or we could see them move the boardwalk area (which would make more sense) into the new land area and use that space for future park expansion, but that just causes us to be stuck in the corner of the property again....

[TyRush]

There is no way they would move the Boardwalk...

[scbt]

I doubt that there are any plans in the works for moving the woodies out. I would expect them to turn that half of the park into more boardwalk area, but not until Wildcat and LR are taken out (hopefully not for a while).