Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[anonymouscactus]

I havent been in 8+ years, and am considering going this summer with a friend...
The catch is, my friend is large. 350lbs large. Is there a point in attempting this? Will there be enough rides they will be allowed on to?

Strictly speaking for the coasters, of all the parks I've been to, Hershey definitely has the most restrictive rides that I can think of. Not just some, but a huge majority. I'm 250ish/6ft and in 2019 I baaaaarely made some of the rides.

Even rides that have the same manufacturer / seat designs as other parks are wildly different at Hershey due to shorter seatbelts or necessary "clicks". Not fluffy friendly at all in my experience, unfortunately.

Flats I'm not too familiar with, so I can't help you there.

[tndank]

Fahrenheit can be really tight. The belts are short.  This was after riding TTD and MF the week before.  I will agree with anonymouscactus.  Oddly enough, Skyrush, the most intense, has the easiest fitting restraints. 

 

[disownedpear]

Storm Runner down this weekend as well

[IanKgtr]

Howdy everyone! I can't believe I'm asking for advice on the park I grew up going to and worked at, but...

I'm making a quick trip home for Mother's Day, and I haven't been to the park in at least 3 (!!!) years. Only day I can visit is Friday, May 7th. Seems like a sweet spot (ha) between the Springtime in the Park insanity, and the school trips that pick up in late may and June and CRUSH the park with people. Even though I have a good memory of how people flow through the park and what to hit when (start with Bear then the older Intamins, work backwards, hit Rush and Candy in the afternoon)

Should I bother? If average queues exceed 30 minutes, (obviously except for Rush, which always seems to be a station, stairs, or one-switchback wait)... I'm out.

[CNYCoasterguy11]

1 hour ago, IanKgtr said:

Even though I have a good memory of how people flow through the park and what to hit when (start with Bear then the older Intamins, work backwards, hit Rush and Candy in the afternoon)

Should I bother? If average queues exceed 30 minutes, (obviously except for Rush, which always seems to be a station, stairs, or one-switchback wait)... I'm out.

Usually weekdays, even Fridays are not too bad, the only difference this year may be pent up demand causing larger crowds. I would actually start with Fahrenheit due to its low capacity and then either Storm Runner or Great Bear. Or if when you first get there and Candymonium has a short wait hit that first before lines build up. The rest shouldnt be too bad other than maybe Comet and/or Sooperdooper because they are closer to the front of the park.

[YoshiFan]

I visited on a Friday in May a few years ago, it was crowded with Music in the Parks and regular school trips. The big coasters had up to 90 minute waits.

https://www.musicintheparks.com/WhereWhen
It looks like Music in the Parks will be there that day.

 

[disownedpear]

Unless there's rain HP always seems to have massive waits, not sure if their dispatches are still as bad as they used to be but that affected it too. 

[jconsolmagno]

On 4/10/2021 at 10:53 AM, IanKgtr said:

Howdy everyone! I can't believe I'm asking for advice on the park I grew up going to and worked at, but...

I'm making a quick trip home for Mother's Day, and I haven't been to the park in at least 3 (!!!) years. Only day I can visit is Friday, May 7th. Seems like a sweet spot (ha) between the Springtime in the Park insanity, and the school trips that pick up in late may and June and CRUSH the park with people. Even though I have a good memory of how people flow through the park and what to hit when (start with Bear then the older Intamins, work backwards, hit Rush and Candy in the afternoon)

Should I bother? If average queues exceed 30 minutes, (obviously except for Rush, which always seems to be a station, stairs, or one-switchback wait)... I'm out.

Here's what we waited last week last Saturday, was there from open to close

Skyrush - 1 hour each time

Candymonium - 2 hours

Great Bear - 30 minutes each time

Wildcat - 1 hour wait, didn't wait

Comet - 45 minutes

Gas Sunoco Cars - 20 minutes

Food lines were long, but very fast

Here is some video of the trip so you can get an idea if you want - 

 

[boldikus]

Way to walk around vlogging with your masks off all day.

Also, some constructive criticism: the music in your vlogs absolutely blows.

 

[IanKgtr]

On 4/10/2021 at 12:12 PM, YoshiFan said:

I visited on a Friday in May a few years ago, it was crowded with Music in the Parks and regular school trips. The big coasters had up to 90 minute waits.

https://www.musicintheparks.com/WhereWhen
It looks like Music in the Parks will be there that day.

 

Good catch! I had no idea at all that was a thing. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.

Do you recall if you went in early or late May? I grew up in the area and remember my HS field trips were in late May, hence why I was thinking I could get away with an early May trip. 

Hate to be leaning no, but that’s kinda where I am at the moment. 

[YoshiFan]

It was May 20th 

[C.O.]

Hi folks!

A friend and I are looking to drive up from DC this Saturday to make our first ever trip to Hersheypark! We're trying to take advantage of the April operating hours while the weather isn't blisteringly hot and the crowds aren't too bad, but I know the park is always busy all year so I was hoping to get some advice for a first-time visitor.

1) Should we get the Fast Track? It's $100 for the unlimited this Saturday, and while that's pretty steep to me, it might be worth it if I should expect every line to be at least an hour long all day.

2) Does the park tend to empty out around dinnertime? My friend and I have a hotel room booked for Saturday night so we plan to stay until park close - it would make the Fast Track decision a lot easier if we knew we could take our time making a lap around the park during the day and lap our favorites at night.

3) What's the best plan of attack for park opening? I saw some people recommend starting with Fahrenheit and/or Candymonium above, but would love a first 3-4 coaster plan of attack from people who know the park really well.

4) Other than the coasters, are there any must-do experiences/flats/desserts around the park a first-time visitor should definitely do?

Thanks in advance for the advice, y'all! 

[bert425]

^ drive up Friday night, and take advantage of the preview.

2-3 hours before close on the day before your ticket, you get in.   Crowds will be light at end of day, and you can knock out the "big" rides you want. . then the next day:

1) you won't feel so rushed
2) you'll have a better idea if you feel you need to get Fast Track (I would, just because everything's been so crowded, but if you knock stuff out on Preview night, you might not feel that you must get fast lane)
3) your parking on Friday night for preview will still be good on Sat (so you only pay the 1st time)
4) if you get there too early?  kill time in Chocolate World and ride the dark ride there - free. . until it's time you can enter the park.

info from the HersheyPark website:  (under "Preview Plan")

https://www.hersheypark.com/tickets/free-extra-hours.php


the recommendation for Fahrenheit is a good one, because capacity is terrible and it will get a line.  (same with Laugh Track). . so always good to try to knock those out 1st (personally, I'd do those on Preview night).      I think StormRunner is still down, unfortunately, as that's my favorite coaster in the park.

I've heard many times that Skyrush lines tend to really die down towards the end of the day, but will be long in the morning, as the Hollow area is one of the "morning preview" areas that's open.

as to what not to miss?   well. . it's going to depend on personal tastes.   
For me?  I wouldn't miss:  the Monorail (if it's running. . it brings you out over downtown Hershey and past the original factory), the Kissing Tower (a lovely observation tower with great views), ZooAmerica (included with every ticket, and accessible via raised walkway over the road near the kissing tower), and the short, but fun, skyride over the lake in the Hollow.

also don't miss Coal Cracker. . a flume ride that has airtime after the drop.

 

have fun.

[VegasBaby]

1 minute ago, bert425 said:

^ drive up Friday night, and take advantage of the preview.

2-3 hours before close on the day before your ticket, you get in.   Crowds will be light at end of day, and you can knock out the "big" rides you want. . then the next day:

1) you won't feel so rushed
2) you'll have a better idea if you feel you need to get Fast Track (I would, just because everything's been so crowded, but if you knock stuff out on Preview night, you might not feel that you must get fast lane)
3) your parking on Friday night for preview will still be good on Sat (so you only pay the 1st time)
4) if you get there too early?  kill time in Chocolate World and ride the dark ride there - free. . until it's time you can enter the park.

info from the HersheyPark website:  (under "Preview Plan")

https://www.hersheypark.com/tickets/free-extra-hours.php

Bert nailed it here, you definitely want to take advantage of the preview night.  The park tends to empty out later in the evening with all the families, so the lines really die down the last 2 hours or so.  The last time I visited, I was able to knock out 3-4 rides each on Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit during the preview period.  Laff Track tends to be one of the longer lines in the park due to the lower capacity and its wide appeal, so that's another one you may want to ride during the preview period or first thing in the morning.

[tndank]

Fast Track at Hershey isn't my favorite of the skip line systems.  It's great for Fahrenheit and Great Bear.  Many of the others sort of depend on the groupers and where they stop people.  

Preview night and a full day is probably enough to knock everything out and get a good number re-rides.

Laugh Trak and Fahrenheit hold the worst lines typically.  Knock those out first.  Skyrush and the woodies are often station waits or better the last hour of the day.  

[Canobie Coaster]

The park is not open this Friday, so the preview plan doesn't appear to be an option in this case.

Since they are not doing early entry in April, I would ride Candymonium right away only if you're at the front of the line in the morning.  This is the most sensitive ride at the park to close due to winds, but it doesn't look windy on Saturday so you'd probably be fine anyways.  That line dies in the middle of the day.

Since this is your first visit, I would recommend hitting Skyrush early just in case it pulls an Intamin and goes down for whatever reason.  If you want the front row, this may be your best chance since the front row queue starts ridiculously early so it often backs up.  I much prefer the back anyway.

From there, your priority should be to get back to Fahrenheit and LaffTrakk as soon as possible.  It's possible to hit Great Bear or Comet on the way if they haven't built up lines yet.  Those two coasters will likely have the worst lines for the remainder of the day.  If you haven't gotten on Comet yet, I would hit that in the final hour when the line is its shortest.  And then if you plan to do the dark ride, jump into the queue right before close.  It has a painstakingly slow moving line and I hate burning time in the middle of the day for it.

The park should be doable without Fast Track this early in the season, but you can always buy it if needed.  My issue with their Fast Track is that the merge point is pretty far back on quite a few rides.

[AmyUD06]

Yeah, the Fast Track will really only provide a major help at Great Bear and Fahrenheit (drops you in the station), and to a lesser extent Skyrush and Candymonium (provided there is queue built up on the ground).  For most other rides the merge point is too far back to really make much a difference.

[bert425]

^^ oh, that sucks . . maybe he can shift his visit a day so full day in park on Sun, with preview on Sat (looks like hours are the same both days: 11-7pm)

[C.O.]

Thanks so much for the help, everyone! We've got everything booked for Saturday (and I need Sunday to do school work) so we won't be able to take advantage of the preview days, but it sounds like we'll be rushing back to Fahrenheit and Laff Trak first before hitting everything else. If we see Skyrush/Candymonium with really short lines we'll head there early too. Looking forward to my first visit and I'll report back on how crowds are! 

[coneyislandchris]

Hersheypark posted a preview video of their new upscale eatery on the park grounds, The Chocolatier. One thing jumped out at me... and that's this veritable ferris wheel of appetizers. 

 

[boldikus]

Ooooh that's fun.

I need to know if it actually spins tho. I'd like to use it to launch chicken tenders across the room at Karens and/or smelly enthusiasts.

[Alex Sutcliff]

Hi all. I'm travelling from the UK and visiting HP for the first time on 30th August. I am in two minds if I should purchase the fast pass or if I will not need it? I know that we can preview the night before but it will have been a long day of travelling from KD so we may not be up for it. I don't know how long the lines usually get up to for the main rides so any input would be appreciated.

[YoshiFan]

That's the first day of school for some local districts so it shouldn't be too crowded. I'd expect up to 30 - 45 minute waits for the big rides at the worst (in a normal year I would have said lower wait times but that's factoring in reduced capacities). I would also expect some non coaster rides to be closed as that time of year the park really struggles to have enough staff for everything to be open.

[JJLehto]

Someone mentioned a few days ago they were here and Storm Runner was down. Just checking, its been generally operating so far, correct? I know it was down when I went last July and believe it was for the whole season. 

[tndank]

Word is water dummies are now on the Storm Runner trains. That's about it so far.