Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[rcjp]

^Same here. It almost feels like they didn't think for a second about how the lap bars would do in practice. Having said that, I still have some hope that something will be done because then it would be my favourite coaster by a long way.

[Ccron10]

^Are Sunday's the rest of the month generally about the same low crowd level? I'm hoping to make one more trip to Hershey this month. Would love to marathon some Skyrush/Stormrunner

This past Sunday wasn't too bad. Skyrush had a 20 minute wait at opening, but later it died town to a 5 minute wait. Everything in the back was pretty much 5 minutes or less and Fahrenheit was about 30 minutes. These were probably even less later on.

[fraroc]

^Are Sunday's the rest of the month generally about the same low crowd level? I'm hoping to make one more trip to Hershey this month. Would love to marathon some Skyrush/Stormrunner

This past Sunday wasn't too bad. Skyrush had a 20 minute wait at opening, but later it died town to a 5 minute wait. Everything in the back was pretty much 5 minutes or less and Fahrenheit was about 30 minutes. These were probably even less later on.

 

Skyrush from what I experienced, ranged from a 15-20 minute wait to a complete walk-on that Sunday. Stormrunner had almost no line (SCORE!!) and shockingly, Sidewinder was also a walk-on. (Sidewinder and Farenheit don't have the best capacity, mind you.) In years past, Lighting Racer was always a walk-on and Wildcat had a wait....this time both GCIs were walk-ons.

 

And let me tell you something about Wildcat, it's a fun ride....albeit pretty rough....but I'm sorry to say but with Lightning Racer in the park, it really has no reason to be at the park anymore. It's not a one-of-a-kind attraction for Hersheypark anymore. Lightning Racer has proven itself to be the superior GCI....It's like if Six Flags Great Adventure got a second B&M Invert that was more like Banshee or Alpengeist but they kept Batman-The Ride....That's exactly how I feel about Wildcat at Hershey.

 

Honestly, Hershey really ought to think about RMC for Wildcat...Its a fun ride as is, but making it into "The Steel Cougar" or something like that would make it a one-of-a-kind once again.

[TBpony414]

^ I've been hoping for years that HP would give Wildcat the RMC treatment. Wildcat used to draw huge crowds and yes, Lightning Racer is super fun, but Wildcat has a great layout and I really believe RMC could transform it back to the beast it used to be. Hopefully some day they'll do it but with Laff Trak and also the park expansion happening I doubt it's in the cards anytime soon.

[hey...hey]

I am sure someone has mentioned it before, but what is the park's policy with rain?

[Ccron10]

I am sure someone has mentioned it before, but what is the park's policy with rain?

Storm Runner, Skyrush, and sometimes Cocoa Cruiser close when it starts drizzling. The rest of the coasters close when it starts to rain heavily or when a storm is approaching. All reopen once the weather has passed. The major rides have to be closed for at least an hour for Return Visit Vouchers can be issued as it states on the website.

[Philrad71]

Honestly, Hershey really ought to think about RMC for Wildcat...Its a fun ride as is, but making it into "The Steel Cougar" or something like that would make it a one-of-a-kind once again.

 

Steel Cougar conjures up an image of an older roller coaster that is only interested in having younger men ride it.

[John Peck]

We went to Hersheypark last Saturday (the 6th), and I want to say it was one of the WORST theme park experiences I have had in recent memory. There was no fault to the park, the park did fine except that I don't really like how they block off seats for the fast pass, but they did make an attempt to fill them.

 

Our problems were a bit uncontrollable: It was HOT and the waterpark had closed for the season, so the ride lines were outrageous, (poor planning, as I would assume they would be lighter after Labor Day). My wife wasn't feeling her best, so she couldn't move fast, and I did not want to push her and make her worse, so she skipped a few rides. To make matters worse, there was a storm in the area and whereas the park didn't get hit, all the high rides closed... for about 2 hours. Oh, and in a hurry to get into the park, i forgot where we parked, so I spent about 20 minutes looking in the wrong lot for the car... in the hot sun.... so, yes, an overall bad day with poor planning. So in the end, we wound up skipping a few rides that I wanted to get one (Fahrenheit, the kiddie coaster, the kissing tower, condor, Star jets and the Wildcat—though the first two I have never been on)

 

We don't have passes, but since my wife is a travel agent, we got tickets half-price, so even at $69.00 for both, we still dropped at lot and didn't do much. We also left at 7:00 since we had a 3 hour drive back to a hotel which was an hour of Kennywood.

 

So for future planning, I have 3 questions: There is a path that runs along the creek to see Skyrush's track and such. It looks like it starts near the front gate, but does it actually connect with Skyrush? That might have saved us time, if we took it, if it exists. My other question How lenient is the park on letting adults ride the kiddie coaster? The brochure mentioned only with a kid, and I didn't want to drag the wife around to it. I also see they still have the night before preview (where you get in 3 hours before the park closes and you get admission for the next day), so with this, do you have to par for parking twice?

 

Any help is appreciated to make our next trip better.

 

JP

[A.J.]

The path goes directly to Sooperdooperlooper and Skyrush. After you go under Comet's support structure the entrance to Skyrush is on your left, and a games stand and Sooperdooperlooper are straight ahead.

[bert425]

The path goes directly to Sooperdooperlooper and Skyrush. After you go under Comet's support structure the entrance to Skyrush is on your left, and a games stand and Sooperdooperlooper are straight ahead.

 

and it pretty much wipes out having to go up/down that HUGE hill into the Hollow section (we discovered that on the 2nd day and were VERY thankful for it by the end of the day).

 

I'd suggest if you go back, to stay on property.

 

The Hershey Lodge was very reasonable (about the same cost as a Marriott), but included a free shuttle to/from the hotel to the park, also 3 hours on preview night (the night before you go for the full day), and 1 hour early entry the day you go to the park.

 

it was very much worth it for us to stay "on property"

 

if you don't stay on property, the admission the night before is an hour less.

 

if you DO drive (and don't stay on property), the parking cost you pay for preview applies the next day.

 

tho as I said, it was easier for us to stay at Hershey Lodge (the onsite restaurants were great), and not have to mess with parking at all.

 

[fraroc]

We went to Hersheypark last Saturday (the 6th), and I want to say it was one of the WORST theme park experiences I have had in recent memory. There was no fault to the park, the park did fine except that I don't really like how they block off seats for the fast pass, but they did make an attempt to fill them.

 

Our problems were a bit uncontrollable: It was HOT and the waterpark had closed for the season, so the ride lines were outrageous, (poor planning, as I would assume they would be lighter after Labor Day). My wife wasn't feeling her best, so she couldn't move fast, and I did not want to push her and make her worse, so she skipped a few rides. To make matters worse, there was a storm in the area and whereas the park didn't get hit, all the high rides closed... for about 2 hours. Oh, and in a hurry to get into the park, i forgot where we parked, so I spent about 20 minutes looking in the wrong lot for the car... in the hot sun.... so, yes, an overall bad day with poor planning. So in the end, we wound up skipping a few rides that I wanted to get one (Fahrenheit, the kiddie coaster, the kissing tower, condor, Star jets and the Wildcat—though the first two I have never been on)

 

We don't have passes, but since my wife is a travel agent, we got tickets half-price, so even at $69.00 for both, we still dropped at lot and didn't do much. We also left at 7:00 since we had a 3 hour drive back to a hotel which was an hour of Kennywood.

 

So for future planning, I have 3 questions: There is a path that runs along the creek to see Skyrush's track and such. It looks like it starts near the front gate, but does it actually connect with Skyrush? That might have saved us time, if we took it, if it exists. My other question How lenient is the park on letting adults ride the kiddie coaster? The brochure mentioned only with a kid, and I didn't want to drag the wife around to it. I also see they still have the night before preview (where you get in 3 hours before the park closes and you get admission for the next day), so with this, do you have to par for parking twice?

 

Any help is appreciated to make our next trip better.

 

JP

 

Saturday was rough, however the following Sunday was fantastic.

[boldikus]

Is it realistic to assume Id be able to hit most (if not all ) of the coasters on an October Friday night between 5-10pm w/o fast pass? I'm thinking not, but if someone has an optimum plan of attack let me know. Also whats the deal w/ their FP? Is it true its just good for one ride on 5 different coasters? Are those specific or just 5 that you choose? Seems confusing.

 

Potentially planning my first trip to the park in October (and it has to be a Friday night), some advice/insight from here would be helpful. For what its worth we'd be going for coasters, not haunt stuff.

[A.J.]

It is true that the evening pass only lets you on five specific coasters (not sure which ones) but it's half-price compared to the day pass. I'm not sure it'll be necessary based on when you're going, but I didn't expect Busch Gardens Williamsburg to get so crowded last Saturday either...

[Ccron10]

Is it realistic to assume Id be able to hit most (if not all ) of the coasters on an October Friday night between 5-10pm w/o fast pass? I'm thinking not, but if someone has an optimum plan of attack let me know. Also whats the deal w/ their FP? Is it true its just good for one ride on 5 different coasters? Are those specific or just 5 that you choose? Seems confusing.

 

Potentially planning my first trip to the park in October (and it has to be a Friday night), some advice/insight from here would be helpful. For what its worth we'd be going for coasters, not haunt stuff.

If I remember correctly, Fridays in October would be pretty dead as the park is only open for several hours, high school football is going on, and it is a school day. Fast Track Pass really wouldn't be needed on those days, but still do Fahrenheit first to get it out of the way.

 

The Evening Fast Track Pass allows you to ride one time on each of the five coasters from one pattern. There are two different patterns to choose from:

-Skyrush, Comet, Great Bear, Sooperdooperlooper, and Storm Runner.

-Fahrenheit, Sidewinder, Wildcat, Wild Mouse, and Lightning Racer.

[YoshiFan]

I went to the park the first Friday night in October they were open last year and it was empty. The only coaster that was more than a 5 minute wait was Storm Runner since they were only running 1 train (15 minute wait).

[boldikus]

Wow thanks, that's encouraging. I know SFGAdv can get really crowded on weekends during FF and I don't know if they really do anything at that level @ HP. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the park, shame as its pretty close I just have never been.

 

I really only know they have a great line-up of stuff I've been itching to try, I haven't even really researched the park at all. The 3 Intamins and Great Bear are must dos IMO and then whatever else we get on would be a bonus. Any other must dos or must eats beside the coasters? Its looking like later in October though (24th maybe?) so I don't know if it being closer to Halloween will increase the chance of it being more crowded. Just don't want to waste time in lines if we're only there for 5 hrs.

[ejot]

I would try to pick up all three GCI credits, but at the very least make sure you get on Lightning Run, Thunder side (left station). While overrated, it IS a good ride.

[YoshiFan]

Wow thanks, that's encouraging. I know SFGAdv can get really crowded on weekends during FF and I don't know if they really do anything at that level @ HP. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the park, shame as its pretty close I just have never been.

 

I really only know they have a great line-up of stuff I've been itching to try, I haven't even really researched the park at all. The 3 Intamins and Great Bear are must dos IMO and then whatever else we get on would be a bonus. Any other must dos or must eats beside the coasters? Its looking like later in October though (24th maybe?) so I don't know if it being closer to Halloween will increase the chance of it being more crowded. Just don't want to waste time in lines if we're only there for 5 hrs.

 

Crowds usually stay away on Friday nights since there really aren't any Halloween events in the park except trick or treating for kids 12 and under. The park is decorated with lots of lights, Halloween props and the ride names are given Halloween names. Other than that, there really isn't much else with no mazes, trails or scare zones. If you get there at 5, you should be able to get all the coasters and get re-rides plus ride anything else you want to.

[Nickstroberg]

Boldikus! Make sure you get on SooperDooperLooper! It was my girlfriend's "surprise favorite" of the trip. And the new trains they bought for it ride like a dream! Hershey is probably my second favorite park I've ever been to. With the 3 intamins (sky rush being my top coaster, ever), Great Bear, and SooperDooperLooper, the park has a really solid line up. Plus 3 woodies, a boomerang with the new style trains, and a wild mouse. The only thing I feel like they're missing, is a couple more thrilling flats, and of course a drop tower. Really though, love the place, great atmosphere, and a great coaster collection. The area by Comet and Skyrush is so unique, everything is packed so tight, its really a marvel to look at, favorite area of the park.

 

 

P.S.- Theres a path that cuts through from the main gate to Skyrush, which saves a ton of walking, AND lets you get right underneath Skyrush. Would recommend this shortcut. If I remember correctly, its right where the main path turns left, the cut through is on the right, next to a building with lockers(?), if my memory holds true. Have fun!

[coasterbill]

Boldikus! Make sure you get on SooperDooperLooper!

 

This. It's a very underrated coaster. It won't blow your mind but it's a lot of fun.

[fraroc]

Boldikus! Make sure you get on SooperDooperLooper!

 

This. It's a very underrated coaster. It won't blow your mind but it's a lot of fun.

 

The Gs on the loop are pretty powerful for such an aged coaster.

[boldikus]

OK guys GCIs and SuperDooperLooper added to must-do list. SDL seems kind of slow and uneventful from the POVs, but I'll give it a shot if you guys say so. If everything is a walk on, Id like to do everything, except maybe for the Wild Mouse, I hate them. Anything special about it?

[coasterbill]

OK guys GCIs and SuperDooperLooper added to must-do list. SDL seems kind of slow and uneventful from the POVs, but I'll give it a shot if you guys say so. If everything is a walk on, Id like to do everything, except maybe for the Wild Mouse, I hate them. Anything special about it?

 

It's a little faster than the others as the brakes don't come on quite as hard but the difference is minimal... there's no problem with skipping the mouse. Personally I think Wildcat is awful too so if it has a line it's worth skipping. Lightning Racer is great and is almost always a walk on so that one needs to be ridden, maybe even on each side. Comet is a very good ride but it can get some long waits.

[DJeXeL]

^Agreed with everything you said. Mouse and Wildcat are definitely optional if strapped for time.

[terdferg]

Great Bear is definitely a must ride. Right now I think it is my number 3 invert behind alpenghiest and montu. SDL is unique and fun. Nothing amazing, just fun. Wildcat can definitely be skipped, and IMO if you have been on a mouse before you have been on all of them.