Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[rcjp]

I'll never understand the hate for Great Bear. I think it's nice to see B&M build an original layout for once and personally I love the ride. The flatspin / corkscrew (whatever) at the end of the ride is a great moment too since the train makes you feel like you're turning in the opposite direction of the inversion right before you hit it. Because it's an invert you can't see this coming at all unless you're in the front seat.

 

Great Bear is awesome, don't listen to the haters.

Great bear is my least favourite B&M invert but that's totally not a bad thing as I would classify all the others I've ridden as "Awesome" or "very Good". I would say it is a pretty good ride. My favourite at the park after storm runner and skyrush (fahrenheit is really close, though).

Te pre drop helix is fairly forceful, the loop and immelmann are what you'd expect from a pre-2000 B&M invert, the zero g is surprisingly fast and for some reason I love the turn over the river as you get a slight pop of air as you enter it and it's pretty forceful. The only parts I'm not a fan of are the straights before and after the corkscrew (I think I would tolerate the one before if after the inversion there was something else (another corkscrew, a helix,...)

[Jcoaster]

I'm really looking forward to riding Great Bear this weekend. This a B&M that has always stood out to me, it's unique layout, weird foot chopper supports and awesome use of terrain, it's just been one coaster that I've always wanted to ride. Plus I love B&M Inverts and I would really like to see how it compares to the other four I've been on (Alpengeist, Montu, and Dragon Challenge).

 

All four of those Inverts are better than the Great Bear. I'm not hating on it, the first half of the ride it terrific and forceful, its just the end. I understand the ride is built in a tricky location so adding a helix or something else would have been difficult but if it did have a better ending Great Bear could have been one of the best inverts out there. This is just my opinion of course, it is a fun ride you'll enjoy it.

[redfoot12]

To me, there's just something about Great Bear that I really enjoy. However, I probably only rank it higher than Talon, Batman clones, and Silver Bullet as far as other B&M inverts go.

[mike541x]

Today was pretty busy. I'm going back tomorrow but hopefully it won't be as bad since it's Sunday. I'll write a review once I get home Monday. All I can say is that I'm definitely visiting this park more often.

[neil009]

Rode Skyrush today. Everything was as it should be, the final twist/airtime hill were sufficiently crazy. I did not feel any trims getting grabby. I don't think it's running as balls-to-the-wall this year as it did in 2012/13 but I think that's mainly inertia lost due to shuffling (the train shuffles a LOT now) and not due to anything Hershey has done. It reminds me of how SFNE Bizarro runs, like the roughness is just holding it back a little. If the trains see some maintenance during the off-season it should go back to running like new. That's my take on the situation, having ridden it a lot at the beginning and end of this season and both prior seasons. But even in its current state it's still hard to beat in terms of intensity, the airtime is nearly the same, it's mainly the twists that have dulled slightly. I can't honestly tell you I like the ride less since obviously the more intense it runs, the more painful it is.

 

The day was chilly but beautiful, everything was a walk-on or station wait. Really awesome day. And I was reminded of how crazy Fahrenheit's first drop is in the back.

[Ccron10]

The day was chilly but beautiful, everything was a walk-on or station wait. Really awesome day. And I was reminded of how crazy Fahrenheit's first drop is in the back.

Everything was a ten minute wait or less. I got there an hour before closing and managed to ride Fahrenheit with just me and a friend on one train, Lightning Racer with just me being the only one Lightning, a second row ride on Great Bear, and a two train wait for the front to end the night on Skyrush. I really love visiting the park when it is like this during the season.

[GwaziBSRider1]

I was at the park on Saturday for the first time since 2008, and I forgot how much I missed the place. Everything was running great, and the crowds weren't too terrible. A few things I noted:

 

• Great Bear is still one of the most under-appreciated B&M's. It still delivers one of my all-time favorite night rides.
  
• Wildcat was nowhere near as rough as I was expecting. I actually didn't find it to be bad. I can remember it being MUCH rougher with the PTC trains.
  
• Sidewinder is much better with its new trains. It was easily the best experience I've had with the new Vekoma trains.
  
• I love the new trains for Sooperdooperlooper, and I'm so glad that they haven't added seatbelts to it.
  
• Food service was absolutely horrible. I've seen better at Six Flags parks.

All-in-all, I had a great visit. Skyrush, Fahrenheit, LR, and Storm Runner were all fantastic. My only regret is waiting until the evening to ride Cocoa Cruiser (I had to wait 30 minutes for it).

[hey...hey]

^I have said it before, and will say it again...I love Wildcat. It is usually the only ride, other than maybe Skyrush, Great Bear, and Fahrenheit (depending on the lines) that I go on. However, it always get the "HATE" on here. I guess, to each their own, right!

[boldikus]

Looks like we are definitely heading up to the park Friday night for my first ever visit. I'll try Wild Cat for sure and let you guys know what I think. Does it compare to Roar @ SFA? I only say that because they are both GCIs and both from around the same time period. Roar wasn't terrible but I certainly wasn't begging for a second ride.

 

Overall I'm really stoked to ride some of these, especially the 3 Intamins!

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ I personally like Roar more than Wildcat, but I've always been a fan of Roar. After riding both this year, they're about the same in terms of roughness to me.

[bert425]

Wildcat = car with square wheels going down a dirt road full of pot-holes.

 

ride it LAST, or you will regret it.

 

 

you can tell how rough it is, even from the parks OWN POV:

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

[mike541x]

Sunday was in fact a perfect day at the park, great weather and walk-ons. It was my first time back since 2004, and that was during December. The park has definitely changed since then, and I could tell even with what little memory I had of previous visits. I still have yet to visit during the summer but that will change next year. I took a lot of picture but of course knowing my luck, my phone doesn't want to charge anymore to I have no more phone for me in the mean while. I'll end up finding a way to post them but in the mean time I'll just share what I thought.

 

One thing I noticed about the park was how family friendly it was which was a nice change from visiting parks like Kings Dominion and Six Flags which seem to attract a lot of obnoxious teens. They had plenty of rides for the younger ones and a great line up of coasters to keep everyone happy. The staff was another thing that stood out. While other parks usually have people of younger ages working there, I was surprised to a lot of older people to be working rides and game booths. But importantly they were a great at their jobs and I could tell they loved doing it too. The park itself was great, and I absolutely love HP for adding that walkway off to the right as soon as you enter, right by the stroller rentals. Not a lot of people know about it so it's never crowded, it gives amazing views of Skyrush, and best part is that it takes you right by the entrance for it instead of having to walk around. And for the new credits here's what I thought:

 

Skyrush-Wow! This has to be one of the craziest roller coasters I've ever been on. The airtime coming off the lift hill is amazingly terrifying in the last row, left outside seat. This is actually one of the few rides I had to hold on for dear life at certain times. I'm usually the type of person to have my hands up at all times on rides, but it took me a few times to actually ride it with my hands up the whole way. The only thing was that I was very surprised how much it rattled for how new it was. Overall I really liked this one! 8/10

 

Comet-I'm a sucker for these classic in and out woodies, especially Wild One. Comet wasn't anywhere as intense, but it was still a fun ride. It was also cool riding a coaster that still had buzz bars and skid brakes. 7/10

 

SooperDooperLooper-Meh. I used to think it looked like a cool ride due to it's use of the terrain but the trim brakes really killed the pacing of the ride. It's still worth riding when there's no line, especially at night. I'd give it a 5/10

 

Great Bear-Honestly this actually might be my favorite ride in the park and a reminder of why I love B&M inverts. Other than the abrupt ending, I really don't see why this coaster gets any hate. The ride was way more forceful than I expected, especially the helix. I also love the way the ride goes from going over the midway, to the other side of the river next to SDL taking advantage of the terrain around both rides. And the corkscrew is a great ending to the ride. It's a shame there wasn't enough room to make it longer but hey it's still an amazing ride. 10/10

 

Storm Runner-Probably my second favorite ride at HP, pretty close to GB. The launch is awesome and the flying snake dive is one of the coolest elements I've experienced. Too bad there aren't more roller coasters out there with this inversion. One thing that really bothered me was the fact they had the last two cars closed off for the fast pass users. I understand some of the rides had one row or car for the fast pass users, but two cars seemed too much. Not like it mattered yesterday as it was dead. I even got a train to myself earlier in the day.9/10

 

Sidewinder-This is actually my first Boomerang ever (not including Two Face obviously), and after finally getting on one, I'm not to upset I missed out on this. 5/10

 

Trailblazer-This was the only ride that wasn't new to me. It wasn't any different when I was there in 2002 other than Storm Runner being added nearby. Still bumpy and not very thrilling but it's perfect for the little ones. It was also the first roller coaster my dad rode in ten years, due to some health problems and fear of heights.4/10

 

Fahrenheit-This turned out a lot better than I expected. It wasn't a ride I was pumped up for before my trip but it turned out to be pretty fun. 7/10

 

Wildcat-Not a bad ride. I like the layout a lot better than Roar's but I still think Roar has a better first drop. It's not as rough as people make it out to be thanks to millennium flyers. It's still a better ride than Gwazi too so that's a major plus. 7/10

 

Wild Mouse-Did it for the credit, nothing special. I also didn't appreciate getting slammed into the side of a metal restraint on each turn. 2/10

 

Lightning Racer-Such a fantastic ride. A dueling/racing coaster, can't get any better. A lot smoother than Wildcat as well, and there's rarely ever a line. 8/10

 

I also got to ride Flying Falcon and The Claw and rode the monorail and train. I like rides that give scenic views, to be honest. Overall, I had a great two days at the park and I will definitely be visiting again this summer.

[rcjp]

Wildcat = car with square wheels going down a dirt road full of pot-holes.

 

ride it LAST, or you will regret it.

 

 

you can tell how rough it is, even from the parks OWN POV:

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

That was the last coaster I rode which made me wish it would end. It was pretty nasty (at least that day)

[seasonic]

Looks like we are definitely heading up to the park Friday night for my first ever visit. I'll try Wild Cat for sure and let you guys know what I think. Does it compare to Roar @ SFA? I only say that because they are both GCIs and both from around the same time period. Roar wasn't terrible but I certainly wasn't begging for a second ride.

 

Overall I'm really stoked to ride some of these, especially the 3 Intamins!

 

Don't forget to ride the three wooden coasters during the last hour. For Halloween they turn off the track lights for the last hour. Its definitely a different experience. I know Knoebels does it as well with Phoenix.

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ I don't understand why the park is only doing it on Friday nights. I was REALLY excited to get a pitch black ride on Lightning Racer, and I was extremely disappointed to see it was only on Fridays.

[boldikus]

Really excited to hear the crowds have been on the lower side recently, I guess without a major Halloween event everyone goes to Dorney/GAdv. I will definitely check out the woodies last, since they seem to be off in their own area, and I can't resist dark night rides. I can't wait til Friday, weather is looking good, just have to shake this nasty cold I got over the weekend.

[Nickstroberg]

I'm sure you'll have a good time man, Hershey is probably my second favorite, if not my absolute favorite park ever. Its got a really unique atmosphere, and they have some incredible Intamins. Ride Skyrush in the back row, in the left-most seat. Its seriously my favorite coaster ever, and I'm pretty sure you'll absolutely love it...

 

...or absolutely hate it haha.

 

Enjoy yourself man.

[mike541x]

^The back left on Skyrush is definitely insane and that pop of airtime over the lift hill is breathtaking. I can see why some people don't like Skyrush, but for me I thought it was great.

 

Really excited to hear the crowds have been on the lower side recently, I guess without a major Halloween event everyone goes to Dorney/GAdv. I will definitely check out the woodies last, since they seem to be off in their own area, and I can't resist dark night rides. I can't wait til Friday, weather is looking good, just have to shake this nasty cold I got over the weekend.

 

Just as long as you avoid Saturdays around this time, you should have no problem with getting rides on everything this Friday. I also did the same, hitting up the two woodies last since they're all the way near the back of the park. You'll also might get a glimpse of Laff Track's progress in that area too. Also I really don't understand why people think Wildcat is bad. It's a little rough but not terrible (It's a wooden coaster people, what do you expect? ), and I've been on a lot worse.

 

^ I don't understand why the park is only doing it on Friday nights. I was REALLY excited to get a pitch black ride on Lightning Racer, and I was extremely disappointed to see it was only on Fridays.

 

Another thing I don't understand is it not mentioned on the website? I didn't even know it was a Friday thing until I saw the signs outside of WC and LR. What a bummer that was!

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ It is on their website under the rides list, but it doesn't mention that it's only on Fridays.

 

LINK

[mike541x]

^Yeah, that's what I meant. I just doesn't make sense they would advertise about the dark rides on the website but no mention that it's only on Fridays until you see the signs at the park themselves. I was really thinking they would turn the lights off every night at the last hour....oh well.

[mike541x]

Sorry for the double posts but I got a new phone this week so now I can finally share some pictures from this past week.

The entrance kinda reminds me of BGW

Thighcrush, I mean Skyrush!

My favorite ride at Hershey. Great Bear!

Almost a perfect shot.

This was great sight.

If it weren't for the trims, this ride would've been a lot better.

This ride turned out a lot better than I thought

Storm Runner

Theme parks and fall foliage, can't get any better than that.

Wildcat! I might be one of the few who enjoyed this ride.

Random trashcan next to Skyrush's support lol

Such a fantastic ride.

I really like the way the Monorail leaves the park.

Night rides on Skyrush!

See you next summer Hersheypark!

[boldikus]

Awesome photos, getting stoked over here!

[mike541x]

Thanks. Trust me you'll have a great time. When both days when I left the park, I couldn't help but ask myself why it took me so long to revisit Hershepark again. I'm definitely making a trip during the summer, in fact it's the only season I've yet to visit Hershey in. Their waterpark looked great as well and Coal Cracker looked like a very fun ride.

[coasterbill]

It's a shame Coal Cracker isn't open this time of year... it could be because it doesn't get you wet at all. That being said it's still a lot of fun.

[DJeXeL]

Great report. Glad you liked Fahrenheit. Sucks Intamin hasn't sold more of those "Vertical Lift" coasters.