Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[CoasterPete]

Wouldn't it be funny if all of these markings were part of their game to throw everyone off and get fans in an uproar? Doubtful, but a thought nonetheless.

 

Pete

[Ccron10]

Does anyone know if Hersheypark has a height limit for their rides?

200ft, but the park was granted permission to build this new attraction at 212.6ft, but one of the articles said 200 to 350 ft for this permit.

[Magnum PA]

The compacted feel of Comet Hollow is kind of why I kind of like the area and the reason why Great Bear is a decent ride. There aren't many parks where you can do this in, which make this area unique (which I's rather see than just ordinary). Adding another coaster in there would make that area just more interesting and thrilling IMO.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you are 18, then Great Bear was installed when you were 5-6 years old, which means you might not have the best recollection of Comet Hollow before Great Bear.

 

Granted, I'm not an old fart either, but I was your age when Great Bear opened. While I loved the ride, and was ecstatic to have a B&M inverted coaster so close to home, I vividly remember the impact all of those support columns had on the area in my eyes.

 

Unique? Absolutely. What I love about Great Bear is the uniqueness of its layout. And it's a blast flying over everyone and everything. But that doesn't diminish the impact the ride had/has visually and audibly on Comet Hollow.

 

I have Hersheypark memories dating back to when I was 5-6, and I remember pre-Great Bear Comet Hollow very well. Perhaps that has something to do with the difference in opinion.

[coasterfreak101]

^Very true. I'm not the one you quoted, but I share his view. I've been going to Hersheypark since I was seven or eight, so all the time I've spent in Comet Hollow has been with Great Bear around (and overhead). I never knew Comet Hollow when it was (I imagine) a quaint and quiet area, with the only screams coming from Comet itself. Now, I agree that the B&M roar of Great Bear - as much as I love the B&M roar in general - is a bit overpowering in that area. But I like the ride itself there - my favorite part of Comet Hollow is where the barrel roll finishes and the track turns over the path and then hops down to the creek. Like you said, though, I don't know any different.

 

I don't, however, think that another ride belongs in that area. Not at all.

[eddie200330]

Those were the days..... I also remember when Midway America first opened and all that was back there were a few carny rides and a snack stand. Look how that built up so fast. It seems like most of these changes happened overnight although it has been quite a few years. I for one also miss the old days of walking down the hill to ride the Comet and SDL first thing in the morning. I agree that a big new coaster is going to look out of place at first, but give it time to grow on you. It is kind of hard for them to expand much in any other direction due to the town and highways around the park. In order for progress to be made I guess we have to sacrifice a few things along the way. There isn't much more they can do to squeeze in rides on top of what is there now, and I'd hate to see them get rid of anything else.

[Ccron10]

Update:

During Christmas Candylane, the park opens the Creekside Catering Area for Dog Sledding demonstrations. Since this area is on the chopping black for Attraction 2012, I thought it would be ineresting to see what's down there.

 

What I found is that the path of stakes come down the hillside next to Comet's far-end turnaround, cross the dam, continue halfway to the main bridge to the catering area, go through it without coming close to the buildings and then go up the other side of the creek back towards Sooperdooperlooper.

 

There's a stake next to the cone and behind the dog on the far left of the photo.

 

 

I think the dam is staying, but the new fence ends here.

 

This is Creekside Catering. As you can see the stakes go no farther than the one just off to the photo on the left side. Makes me wonder why they're taking out these buildings then....

 

3 stakes in a row. There was another one just off the photo on the left.

 

The geese love the lake.

 

Ground Zero for Attraction 2012. Looks pretty big if you ask me.

 

Many more stakes are over on that hillside.

 

This one next to Tilt-A-Whirl's queue is broken in half.

 

In other news, the park now has wi-fi internet in Tudor Square and Rhineland. I hope that they plan on expanding it to the rest of the park so that the iPod App becomes even more convenient.

[Magnum PA]

Great pictures! Looks like the layout will be more of what most of us are hoping for. I think the stakes are most likely footers.

 

Additionally, for what it's worth, there are stakes/markings across the road in that area as well the last time I drove by the park. Very encouraging.

[Ccron10]

Additionally, for what it's worth, there are stakes/markings across the road in that area as well the last time I drove by the park. Very encouraging.

If they were right before the bridge on Park Blvd. I remember seeing some roadwork happening there a few weeks ago. I kind of doubt that it was anything park related.

[Magnum PA]

If they were right before the bridge on Park Blvd. I remember seeing some roadwork happening there a few weeks ago. I kind of doubt that it was anything park related.

 

I just drove past there about an hour ago. The markings I'm refering to are on the west side of Park Blvd bridge (across the road from the park, and they are still there - some flags and paint. However there is nothing in the entire area around the old lighthouse. That's not to say that this ride is already completely physically plotted out, but it may be evidence that this thing will stop at the park's fence.

 

Thinking more about it, I'm starting to doubt that this ride will cross Park Blvd. That would be a really tough sell for the township to approve, and there has been no mention of it in any of the township meetings. Even if HE&R owns the land on both sides, crossing a public road is not something they can just do.

 

It's a shame too. I feel a hyper-coaster needs to be about 5000 feet long, anything else would feel too short. In hyper-coaster terms, the distance from the Comet to the park's border just isn't long enough for an out & back design, especially if you consider the lift hill. You can't really get adequate length on a ride in this area if you don't turn it around in the lighthouse area.

 

Assuming it will not cross the road, the only options I see for a 212 ft coaster are the following, which I list from worst case to best.

 

5) A hyper coaster that is way to short, adding to HP's collection of too-short steel coasters (all of them).

 

4) A B&M dive machine

 

3) A lift heading up past the Comet's queue and dropping behind the Comet's current exit, then out and back along the creek. See my previous post about polluting Comet Hollow with more supports.

 

2) A Raging Bull/SFMM Goliath-like hyper twister isolated along and around the creek.

 

1) Some sort of double out and back with a ton of air, that is completely along the creek with three sweet turnarounds.

 

In all likelihood, judging by what we've seen so far, I think we're looking at #3.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Magnum PA

[CoasterEricHP]

^ Nice post and ideas. 200+ feet and VERY compact. If it wasn't for the games Hershey has started to play with our heads I would think we're looking at a 212 foot tall drop tower replacing the Falcon and kiddie coaster running along side of the creek.

 

Maybe they are going to reprofile the Comet..

[johncolon91]

Although it would not be 212ft, an Intamin Megalite would look purrty in that area.

[CoasterEricHP]

Here's my next idea! Eventually I'll have one that's close right?

 

This one is perfect for Hershey.. very short Intamin with a first drop similar to Expedition G Force, cable lift, a few airtime hills, and an overbank.

 

I really have no idea where this thing crosses back over towards the Comet.. let me know and my next one I'll try to reflect where the markers are.

[HPCrazy]

Cool! Where did you get the updated aerial photo? (it appears to be more recent). Seems like most of the sites I go to have aerial images dating 2007 or back.

[CoasterEricHP]

That picture was from Bingmaps (formerly Virtual Earth). I think the date of the images changes when you rotate or even zoom sometimes. My apartment complex turns into a bunch of trees when you zoom out a little.. it's weird and cool at the same time.

[Gigalyte]

That would look awesome at Hershey, They are not allowed to build anything in the water right? That's why great bear has those weird supports right? If so, to bad Id love to see one or two of these Intamin corkscrew hills over the water before it hits that over banked turn in your drawing.

 

Also if Hershey wanted Intamin to build them a 212 foot tall megalite I'm sure Intamin wouldn't refuse with the funds available I'm sure they'd build whatever you wanted lol

 

Maybe the crossover the comet will be like a steel version of the El Toro crossover one could only hope

[CoasterEricHP]

True.. I guess they cant put supports in the water since it would freeze? Hmmm..

 

I was thinking about having another out and back across the creek but I can't see that happening and I had to go to work. Are we thinking its going to cut next to the comet like that or go over the Comets turnaround more torwards the carousel?

[eddie200330]

Wasn't there something posted somewhere about filing a permit that required I believe 32 supports that went into water or something like that? Hell, maybe I was dreaming about it but I am sure I read it somewhere.....

[Josh Linn]

Here's my next idea! Eventually I'll have one that's close right?

 

This one is perfect for Hershey.. very short Intamin with a first drop similar to Expedition G Force, cable lift, a few airtime hills, and an overbank.

 

I really have no idea where this thing crosses back over towards the Comet.. let me know and my next one I'll try to reflect where the markers are.

 

I'm thinking (well, hoping) it's more along the lines of a SFOG Goliath type ride.

[alpengeist04]

This one is perfect for Hershey.. very short Intamin with a first drop similar to Expedition G Force, cable lift, a few airtime hills, and an overbank.

 

 

I actually really like this idea a lot. ...Maybe even lapping the lake once more before coming back to the station.

[Ccron10]

I still don't think that the stakes out there now are the layout of the coaster. I think they are more like a circle on where the layout will be confined inside of.

Eddie, your're right. 32 footers are supposed to be built down near the catering area.

[coasterfreak101]

32 footers in the water all near the far end of the construction zone? Sounds like maybe two laps around the creek (and therefore two turnarounds together at the end) might be a possibility! Regardless, I'm truly excited to see what's happening for 2012. I've yet to be fully disappointed by Hershey, excluding the Boardwalk. But that's another story and rant.

[Synshine]

I don't know if I would call the Boardwalk disappointing, it's just unfinished at this point. It's still growing, like Midway America before Lightning Racer.

[coasterfreak101]

Maybe not what's in it, but it as an area. I hate its placement, I hate that it took over one of the best rapids rides in the country (IMO), I hate that it's so cramped, and I hate that it's destroyed the entire feel of Midway America. I'm glad I got to ride a toilet bowl slide - that's not disappointing. But I'm disappointed in Hershey for ruining the back of the park like that.

[CoasterEricHP]

^ I agree with you completely! I hate the Boardwalk and don't understand why Hershey didn't build it separately. Sigh.. but like I said somewhere before, the attendance since the Boardwalk was built can't be argued with.. it's bringing in people like crazy.. too bad it's so ugly and misplaced.

[deguy123]

Maybe not what's in it, but it as an area. I hate its placement, I hate that it took over one of the best rapids rides in the country (IMO), I hate that it's so cramped, and I hate that it's destroyed the entire feel of Midway America. I'm glad I got to ride a toilet bowl slide - that's not disappointing. But I'm disappointed in Hershey for ruining the back of the park like that.

 

I agree also about the rapids ride but I'm over it now, they did make a good decision for them but not for people who have been going to the park for years. I remember when the rapids ride FIRST opened....it's the ride people ran to because the line would be extremely long! I do have video tape on it that they used to sell....one day I'll download them to put online.