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^

 

 

Thinking about heading to the park tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what I should expect crowd wise for a Saturday in the 80’s mid June?

 

On a serious note it can be extremely crowded in the summer. I've seen 2-3 hour waits on some coasters. The water park can get worse. I've seen an hour wait just for the lazy river.

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Preview is an awesome feature! We had a little trouble getting in and were able to get:

 

Comet

Skyrush

Superdooperlooper

Great Bear

Trailblazer

Storm Runner

Fahrenheit x 2

Wildcat

Laff Trakk

Lightning Racer

 

We got the last ride of the night on LR. Most everything was a walk-on or station wait. Laff Trakk was only real wait at about 20 minutes. Fun, but one and done.

 

Wildcat should be burned to the ground. Truly awful.

 

Looking forward to re-rides on many of the others tomorrow.

 

The Preview night is a great feature at Hershey and everyone should take advantage of it, especially since the park is open until 10pm. We went a few years ago in mid-June and the park really emptied out around 8pm each night. I did the preview night by myself bc the wife and kids were tired and I got about 5 rides each on Skyrush, SR, and Fahrenheit in about 2 hours. The early entry is great too if you stay at one of the Hershey properties, it's basically like an hour of ERT on Skyrush, Comet, and SDL.

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You don't have to be there at a certain time, but they won't let you in until two and a half hours before the park closes. So you can go in any time you want after 7:30 PM on most days, as the park closes at 10 PM.

 

Weekends when the park closes at 11 PM, you get three and a half hours (same 7:30 PM entry time). If you're staying at one of their resorts you get even more time.

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The last few times I've been to Hershey have all been weekends and it works great. Buy a ticket for Sunday and you have 3 1/2 hours for preview Saturday. Not to mention the last couple times I've been they've kept rides near the center open an extra 30+ mins (including Fahrenheit) so that's even more of a bonus. I find the crowds to be surprisingly manageable on Saturday nights there. Skyrush will have a big line but LR, Wildcat, SDL all very short lines and even Storm Runner was a walk on last time I was there.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Made our first trip to Hershey in 9 years, and I just had to share some thoughts on Skyrush.

 

It took a few rides on Skyrush for it to click, and for me to “get it,” and realize its brilliance. Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of rides in, including some stay in my seat night rides.

 

The air time is up there with the best of them. I don’t know if it’s stronger than El Toro or not, but due to the open-air seating, and the way the restraints are, it feels like it’s trying to throw you out to your death, which is hilarious! The first drop in the back seat at night made me giggle in a way that only a Steel Vengeance night ride has this year - for a split second, I really thought I was going to die. Instead of you coming up against a traditional lap bar, which you know will hold you in, you feel yourself sliding out of the restraints; it’s a unique sensation on a coaster.

 

Yes, the restraints are uncomfortable. On my first few rides, they were so uncomfortable, and the sensations were so unfamiliar, it distracted from the ride. But once I learned the layout and could prepare myself properly, I really started enjoying it. Skyrush demands active participation, which not everyone is going to be down for understandably. But I do think it would be better if the lap bar simply came down across your lap, rather than your thighs. Thankfully, while you're sitting on the brake run, the restraints actually pop open about an inch or two, to provide relief before you roll back into the station.

 

The rest of the park was great too. We went on Monday. The weather was beautiful, the park was pretty packed, but the lines weren't bad at all. Lot's of parents with strollers... Stayed the full 12 hours.

 

A few photos:

 

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SR.thumb.jpg.b9ad550d43572ce8a4b2487689010364.jpg

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^ Skyrush is amazing.

 

In other Hershey news...

 

After 3 riders fall off rafts, Hersheypark reminds people how to ride new water coaster

That headline

 

Hersheypark confirmed Monday that three riders of its new water coaster, Breakers Edge, fell off the rafts since the ride began operating May 26. The riders all ended up in the ride's slide area, which Hersheypark spokeswoman Kaylee Dugan said is much like a water slide. None of the three was injured, therefore Hersheypark was not required to report it to the state Department of Agriculture, which oversees inspections of rides, Dugan said.

 

"Like all amusement rides, Breakers Edge requires that riders adhere to the required ride protocols -- such as, in this instance, holding on to the raft's handles during the ride," Dugan wrote. "We are aware of 3 occurrences when a rider let go of the raft handles and ended up on the ride's slide area."

 

Still, the state Department of Agriculture says Hersheypark did report the incidents, even though they didn't meet the threshold for required reporting, which is having a rider sent out of the park for medical assessment or treatment.

 

Shannon Powers, Agriculture department spokesman, confirmed there were three instances reported by Hersheypark in which riders fell off of the raft when they weren't following instructions to hold on.

 

"The park added lifeguards as a precaution after a rider fell off the raft during the testing period," Powers said.

 

The Breakers Edge ride was inspected and approved before it was open to the public, Powers said. The ride was inspected May 25 and June 22, which were required monthly inspections, she said, adding that the park may do more frequent inspections of its own.

 

The ride has passed all safety tests and is inspected by park operations and maintenance personnel daily, Dugan said in an email.

 

Guest safety is a priority at the park, Dugan said.

 

"As we do with every ride, we are monitoring usage and the ride's operations daily, which will allow us to make ongoing refinements and improvements to the ride and rider experience," she said in the email.

 

I won't be surprised when they install seatbelts.

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Guest safety is a priority at the park, Dugan said.

 

I always love the common sense copy/paste safety statement. It's good to see that the park is covering their ass and also standing its ground vs. shutting the ride down indefinitely to add bubble wrap.

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"After 3 riders fall off rafts, Hersheypark reminds people how to ride new water coaster"

That headline

Yeah, that is low key hilarious.

 

Guest safety is a priority at the park, Dugan said.

 

I always love the common sense copy/paste safety statement.

Not saying this to personally disagree, but just to randomly riff of that: I f--king hate those statements, to the point of irrational ire. Conversely, I love that 1 in 100 article or press release where a park has good cause to say something like that, but doesn't (or it isn't obnoxiously and condescendingly overemphasized).

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After my first ride on the water coaster, I can see how some people would instinctually take their hands off the handles. It continuously sprays water in your face the entire ride. They also make children ride behind the parent. My 8 year old was extremely nervous about it. I stressed to her no matter what to not let go but it was nerve wracking with her being where I couldn't see her without turning around. In the end she kept her eyes closed and I yelled back to her what was coming next. She held on but she said she wanted to let go to wipe her face. I'll probably ride again (minus the 120 minute wait some days) but she says she won't.

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It took a few rides on Skyrush for it to click, and for me to “get it,” and realize its brilliance. Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of rides in, including some stay in my seat night rides.

 

Yes, the restraints are uncomfortable. On my first few rides, they were so uncomfortable, and the sensations were so unfamiliar, it distracted from the ride. But once I learned the layout and could prepare myself properly, I really started enjoying it. Skyrush demands active participation, which not everyone is going to be down for understandably.

 

This is exactly how I feel. I rode it 23 times over two days this week and it only cemented why it's been my favorite for so long. Active participation is the perfect way to describe it. I had to devise a method for riding it, but once I figured it out, it reached a thrill level that nothing else has quite matched for me. This is why Skyrush is so polarizing and why I love it.

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Hey everyone!

 

Tonight is the next Derry Township planing committees monthly meeting.

 

What that means is the minutes from the previous meeting will be released, the same one where the park presented the 2020 stuff.

 

So we should get sum new info tonight or tomorrow, along with a bunch of GP news articles telling us things we’ll already know.

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Sorry for the doublepost bbuuuuttt

 

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2018/07/hersheypark_2020_attraction.html

Hersheypark has big plans – and some potential thrills - in store for 2020.

 

The park is proposing its largest expansion in recent memory on 23 acres west of the existing park.

 

In June, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts submitted a preliminary land development and final subdivision plan outlining the project to the Derry Township Planning Commission. Maps obtained by PennLive from Derry Township provide a few clues, including a possible ride. The plan also calls for reconfiguring the park's entrance gate and drop-off and pick-up areas, creating access roads, demolishing existing buildings and infrastructure, constructing several buildings and making plaza improvements.

 

Where is the land?

The swath of land for the proposed expansion falls west of the park closer to Chocolate World. It is adjacent to the Skyrush roller coaster. The terrain is hilly and tree-filled. Spring Creek cuts through the property. The land takes over a portion of the former Parkview Golf Course, as well as a former ballroom and swimming pool, which Hershey Entertainment owns.

 

The 133-acre golf course closed in 2005. About 35 acres of the golf course was used to carve out parking for the Giant Center about 10 years ago. The maps show a major expansion, more than one-third the size of the current park. Currently, the park totals 121 acres, including the 11-acre ZooAmerica.

 

The biggest takeaway the maps is that plenty of land is available to accommodate growth in the coming years for attractions. There is no indication that all of the land will be developed by 2020. Most likely, Hershey will gradually add rides in the coming years.

 

First, they moved a road.

Before Hershey Entertainment could forge ahead with its park proposal, a major barrier -- Park Boulevard -- had to be relocated. The road borders the park. The $9.7 million project shifted Park Boulevard south to run along the railroad tracks to the intersection with Park Avenue near ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park. Park Boulevard connects Hersheypark Drive to Ridge Road and Park Avenue. The project included additional improvements, including construction of a new, 126-foot bridge crossing over Spring Creek, signalized connections and a new, shared-use sidewalk. It was completed in 2016. Proving it was vested in the project, Hershey Entertainment donated about $9 million worth of land for the realignment.

 

Hershey submitted 100 maps to Derry Township.

Like any land-development plan, the maps are extremely detailed. They provide some information but don't paint a complete picture. They outline utilities, stormwater runoff, erosion and lighting details, as well as details including planters, fences, flagpoles and landscaping. Several new buildings are part of the plan, but the structures are not labeled. We can guess they might be shops or food stops, storage or entrance/exits for rides. Two of the biggest elements on the maps include a reconfigured park entrance and potential new rides.

 

A new park entrance

Today, visitors enter the park by walking past a Bavarian-style village with shops leading to the admission gates. Officials have said the land-development plan relocates the park's entrance and tram drop-off closer to Chocolate World. Maps show an open plan with stairs, a flagpole, fountains, planters and several buildings, including a circular building.

 

What about rides?

This is the million-dollar question. Unfortunately, the maps do not name new rides. But there is plenty of speculation. Roller coaster enthusiasts have been exchanging ideas on social site Reddit, ranging from roller coasters to dive coasters and possibly more water rides. “Big drops are always great, but if they can’t go high, it would be cool to see a launch coaster like TTD or KK that just stays low to the ground the entire ride, turns, helixes, low to the ground corkscrews, maybe a loop, long underground/tunnel sections with second launch halfway through from inside a pitch black tunnel,” said one commenter. “If it is a wing coaster I hope it's similar to thunderbird,” said another.

 

Others, like Daniel Reinford have posted their vision for a new Hersheypark coaster on YouTube. The sophomore at Cumberland Valley High School and avid roller coaster enthusiast attended the Derry Township planning meeting in June and created the video above based on Hersheypark's plans. He said he thinks the park will add a hyper coaster about the same height as Skyrush but with a different design. It will be less intense than Skyrush and be designed to appeal more to a general audience, he said.

 

The maps only offer clues to a potential roller coaster.

They show more than a dozen structural support elements leading up to a building, what could possibly be a building housing a ride entrance/exit. Unfortunately, Hershey Entertainment isn’t likely to reveal details soon. It typically makes new ride announcements on its own terms. Last year Hersheypark dropped clues on social media leading up to the announcement of new water rides, Breakers Edge Water Coaster and Whitecap Racer. "We really look forward to sharing those exciting plans at a future date after the approval process," said Garrett Gallia, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts spokesman after the June meeting.

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I'm getting strong B&M Hyper vibes when looking at the footer map in that last picture. Even a helix around a new plaza/fountain? Very cool.

 

Hershey's lineup is already stacked, a B&M Hyper would elevate them even further

They already have a hyper. Why would they add another? Perhaps it's a giga.

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^Height restrictions. No giga. A B&M hyper would offer a vastly different experience from Skyrush.

 

Re-theme of the dark ride for 2019?

A big new B&M hyper and front gate for 2020?

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^ Wasn't aware of the height restriction. Still, I personally don't think they'd add another hyper, different experience or not.

 

I'd gladly eat my words though, they're still pretty damn fun.

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