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p. 438: Twizzlers Twisted Gravity announced for 2025!

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Does anyone know where the steel for Wildcat's Revenge is being fabricated? Does RMC fabricate everything in Idaho and ship it to the site?

I live in western Maryland and could guarantee I saw 3 pieces of WR track headed east on I-68. I got really excited and my wife just looked at me like I was crazy. We were headed west, so I could not get a picture. 

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4 hours ago, MartinU said:

Does anyone know where the steel for Wildcat's Revenge is being fabricated? Does RMC fabricate everything in Idaho and ship it to the site?

I live in western Maryland and could guarantee I saw 3 pieces of WR track headed east on I-68. I got really excited and my wife just looked at me like I was crazy. We were headed west, so I could not get a picture. 

Yes its made in Idaho and yes you are crazy for being really excited about coaster track sitting on a truck. 

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Hersheypark has announced that Wildcat's Revenge will be opening on June 2nd!

wildcats-revenge3.thumb.jpg.5184b1e8e9bd87581b6a0e7b72c0ff2f.jpg

https://stories.hersheypa.com/wildcats-revenge-hybrid-coaster-to-open-june-2-at-hersheypark/

WOOD AND STEEL COASTER FEATURES FOUR INVERSIONS WITH WORLD’S LARGEST UNDERFLIP

Hersheypark amusement park today announced that Wildcat’s Revenge hybrid coaster will open to the public on June 2, 2023, as part of a historic summer in The Sweetest Place On The Earth. The wood and steel hybrid will be the first at Hersheypark as part of an impressive 15-coaster collection. With the debut of Wildcat’s Revenge, Pennsylvania’s largest amusement park is now home to the most coasters in the Northeast.

Hersheypark will be open daily starting Thursday, May 25, with the 11-acre Boardwalk At Hersheypark water park opening Saturday, May 27. Hersheypark summer tickets include three parks in one featuring 70 rides and thrilling coasters, a full water park and a zoo, with summer getaways and entertainment throughout the destination. 

UNIQUE HYBRID COASTER EXPERIENCE

The first hybrid manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) in Pennsylvania, Wildcat’s Revenge adds an all-new steel track with unique elements to the wooden framework for a one-of-a-kind thrilling ride experience found only at Hersheypark. The debut of Wildcat’s Revenge comes 100 years after the first Wild Cat ride opened at the Park, the first coaster purchased by founder Milton S. Hershey. 

The 2-minute and 36-second experience begins as riders climb a 140-foot hill, plunge into an 82-degree drop and hit a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour along 3,510 feet of red track on a black steel and wood structure. The pursuit continues as riders stalk their prey through four inversions, including the World’s Largest Underflip, an inversion that begins with an upward climb, followed by a counterclockwise 270° roll and a dive down towards the side. 

Located in the Midway America region of Hersheypark, Wildcat's Revenge features a fully renovated coaster station with a design that harkens back to the iconic 1923 Wild Cat station, with low-pitched gables around the roof's perimeter. Guests of Hershey’s height requirement and taller (48 inches and above) will sit in one of three custom trains, showcasing fully-dimensional black, charcoal and silver wild cats exacting revenge on their wooden predecessor. 

 

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June 2, weeelllll I'm gunna be heading back from Dollywood and I have to go by the Hershey area on the way back to NJ, I'd be in the area on the 3rd. This works out quite superbly! I am stoked. Hershey's lineup just gets better and better with time

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My family and I will be heading to Hershey either June 22nd or 23rd.  None of us have ever been so any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Is Fast Track mandatory if we only have one day and likely won't be returning in the next five years?  Is the all day dining deal worth $38?  Thanks!

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You shouldn't need Fast Track on a Thursday/Friday unless you plan on doing the waterpark, which is woefully small for the demand it gets.  Budget for it in case crowds are more than anticipated, though.  I would definitely go on Thursday.

Also, don't forget about Preview Night - with your tickets, you can get in to the park 2 hours before close on the night before your main day at the park.  That is a good time to knock some things out.

Either way, Fast Track or not, go to Fahrenheit first, then Wild Mouse, the Laff Track, then Wildcat.  The first three have awful capacity and the third is the new hotness so will obviously be in demand (and possibly have some kinks still being worked out).  If you or the family are fans of shooting dark rides, I'd also work Reese's Cupfusion somewhere in there early as well....its supposedly one of the better examples of the genre, but I've personally never seen the big deal.

Also, the Chocolate World ride located outside the main gate opens an hour (maybe 2?) before the main park, so that's a good time to knock it out if you're interested.

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1 minute ago, tndank said:

Just for future reference, your preview night does not have to be the night before your visit.  Might help someone in the future. 

Really?  That's what is explicitly says on their site.

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2 hours ago, AmyUD06 said:

Really?  That's what is explicitly says on their site.

It could be worded better, I agree.  Most people probably assume "before" means the literal night before.  In reality, it's one entry on any night during preview hours before you use it during normal operations.

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Budget for the Fast Track.  If you're a once every five years visit, you've never been before, and you want to ride all the coasters and rides and maybe get some re-rides on the better stuff it's worth it. They have a lot of low capacity coasters (for a park/coaster of that size) and I think it's worth it.  I'm not usually a fan of the 'all day dining' deals as they limit what you can get and I'm picky. 

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Hello! I came here to ask about Fast Track. I see someone recently asked about it. I’ll be at the park on 7/3. I know that’s a Monday but the holiday the next day I assume the park could be crowded. Even though I only live an hour and 45 minutes away I don’t get here often. Plus I’m one of those people who rides everything and I’d like multiple rides on all the major coasters. Plus, I’ll be enjoying the water park. We already will be there the night before for the preview nights, I never miss that. 
 

Anyone been on or near the holiday and think Fast Track is worth it. I see it’s $135 per person that day.

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1 hour ago, coasternut said:

I've been at Hershey for the past 2 days, and Wildcat's Revenge has been closed. No information on this at all. Another RMC with issues????

When you push the envelope, sometimes it gets broken.  Enjoy your uninspired B&Ms.

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On 7/20/2023 at 10:05 PM, AmyUD06 said:

When you push the envelope, sometimes it gets broken.  Enjoy your uninspired B&Ms.

I rode WR at the end of June and WOW that coaster is awesome!  But it is quite intense and it made me question myself; when  will they reach the limits?  I mean as intense as it is and with the structure swaying like crazy, some parts must be getting loose after a short while.  I know it has to sway but maybe not so much.  It must be a maintenance nightmare, and the ride is new.  The elements, the pacing, etc, is perfect on that ride but I just can't see some RMCs standing very long (20 plus years) because they might become too problematic.  I hope I am wrong because I think it is right now one of the best if not the best coaster manufacturer-designer on the market.  I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing more and more RMCs with a steel frame like Arie Force One.

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Well it's not the weekend anymore. So we'll see if the status of Wildcat changes. I'm making a trip to the park this coming weekend. It's my second trip this year and I rode Wildcat plenty the first trip. However, I'm bringing my mother this time and would feel terrible if Wildcat is closed after telling her over and over again how amazing it is. Fingers crossed!

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Just got done with 2 days at the park and wanted to share some thoughts. Of note: I was previously at the park in 2006.

Wildcat was closed both days. The only sign of life it showed was I maybe heard some work going on. The park was advertising a limited time run of lights out night rides for a small handful of rides-wildcat included- that started tonight.

Laff Track was a neat idea, but flawed execution. I think the park could've added more theming to the standard model spinner. 

Why the hell has no one really bought another vertical lift coaster from Intamin? Love Fahrenheit. 

I'd heard the "Thigh Crush" jokes before and thought they were a tad hyperbolic. But now I realize that if you don't come off the ride without bruises, you probably didn't ride Skyrush. No wonder the park wanted a nice, floaty B&M.

I wasn't able to ride Stormrunner back in 06, but I made up for it this trip. Nothing quite like an accelerator launch from Intamin. And I quiver to think about how the flying snake dive is on Ride to Happiness compared to the original here.

The park could use more flat rides. An S&S Screaming Swing and a Starflyer immediately come to mind.

Small thing, but I loved how many easy places the park had where I could fill up my water bottle with ice and cold water.

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From Hersheypark's Facebook page, Wildcat's Revenge is set to reopen today. As for my opinion on the coaster. I prefer Wildcat's Revenge over Steel Vengeance. While Steel Vengeance has the length, Wildcat's Revenge is an aggressive ride, making the most of its ride time. Plus the 3 train system is a welcome sight.

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Since this current Summer season was drawing to an end, I wanted to make one more trip down to Hershey Park. I decided to go on Wednesday, and the crowds were relatively quite slow. The other reason for this trip was to buy the Scrambler coaster-dynamix model as a gift for my friend/boss who owns Adventure Park USA, as we have a scrambler at our park, and his birthday is coming up. 

I went with a coworker who had gone with me at least 2 times over the year, which made the trip a lot more relaxed. We didn't feel the rush to get every credit, we could just do what we wanted to do. We did Fahrenheit first as it was a walk-on, and we rode the front seat. I've ridden the back seat of Fahrenheit before, and it was amazing. The front seat is less intense, but I did enjoy the hangtime on the inversions. That one airtime hill after the the double corkscrews/overbank was powerful, but I still prefer the backseat.

Fresh from a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure where my friend and I had ridden El Toro for the first time, we went onto Wildcat's Revenge afterwards. We've ridden it before, but now we had something to compare it to. While front row on El Toro was great, I don't know if I prefer Wildcat's Revenge more. I think both have great finales, but Wildcat's Revenge is more enjoyable. The aggressiveness with the airtime is easier to take in when the track is butter smooth. El Toro wasn't rough by wooden coaster standards, but I'm also not sure how many times I could ride it. The finale where the airtime hill goes into a sharp turn is the part that I found a little bit uncomfortable. In contrast, Wildcat's Revenge rips you out of your seat, but there isn't any part that I find rough. I've only ridden Joker at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom out of the other hybrids, and I will say that I prefer this over that. 

We rode Lightning Racer next. We got the front row of Lightning Racer and while it was a little forceless - it was a lot smoother than any other seat. The coaster definitely banks on it's interactive elements, but I do wish that the little hills throughout the attractive gave some airtime. I don't really notice a huge difference between Lightning and Thunder other than Thunder feeling slightly rougher. In a couple of years', I do think a retracking might be in order. Not unbearable, but more noticeable than years' prior.

Afterwards, we went over to ride the Hershey Drop Tower. It's not a bad drop tower, and gives you a full experience. I do think the launch feels weak, but I do like the view and length of the attraction. We then did Coal Cracker. We ended up doing this twice throughout the day. I'm a sucker for log flumes. Next to roller coasters, I'm a huge log flume enthusiast. Out of the log rides, it's not the most special, but it definitely is cool to interact with the other attractions as you float along. I also enjoy how throughout the ride, the little waves in the current can splash over your boat. It's not quite to the extent of a rapids ride, but it's more than you usually get on a log ride. The airtime hill at the end isn't bad either.

Next was Great Bear. Last month, my friend and I had done Talon at Dorney Park. My friend hated Great Bear the last time he came, and he didn't have too much of a reason other than it feeling so/so. I didn't understand the criticism, but I sort of do now? I love Great Bear, but I do think it lacks a finale. Talon might be less intense, but it feels more full. I don't know if it's a fair criticism though since the space Hershey had to work with wasn't ideal. We got to ride the front seat, and I liked it a lot. I just wish there was more of a finale into the brake run. 

Our next rides were on Superdooperlooper, and Skyrush. These are the only two rides my friend hadn't ridden yetThe loop on Superdooperlooper is still very intense, and then the ride sort of just interacts with the park. It's fun in that way, but not much. I do wonder how the ride runs without the trim brake before the helix. Skyrush was a front-row ride, my first time in the front row, to-be-exact. It was great. I have a love/hate relationship with this ride. This time? I liked it. The airtime is great, it has one of the best first drops on a roller coaster, but I'm not the biggest fan of those trains. Part of me would probably prefer the ride with the same cars used on Superman:ROS. My friend didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. 

Comet was our next ride, and we got the back-seat. Words cannot describe how awesome the airtime on Comet can be. The back seat ensures that during that first half, you're going to not be in your seat. The second half does have some dull moments, but once you enter the two last humps before the brake run - it's back. Underrated wooden coaster.

We decided to do the Scrambler because we wanted to compare it to the one at the park we work at. There's no comparison. The Scrambler at our park is naturally very tame. It takes about 4 minutes to get to its' full speed, and about one minute to stop. I love the thing, but it is what it is. The one at Hershey Park is a lot faster, and its' surreal to ride an attraction the way its' meant to be run. After that, we rode Candymonium. As far as B&W hypers go, Nitro/Mako are the ones that rein supreme in my heart. I haven't ridden too many B&W hypers, but Candymonium is probably better than Apollo's Chariot for me. The ride feels full, and the floater airtime is great. For Hershey, it's one of the standouts for me. I think the lack of intensity helps it out, and makes the attraction feel a lot more drawn out. While Hershey has a lot of great coasters, a lot of them are compact, speedy, and really snappy. This ride takes its' time. For me, Wildcat's Revenge and Candymonium are the best additions for Hershey. They feel like full rides. You have a great start, a great middle, a great finale.   

We went to get drinks at the The Chocolatier. We got the Chocolatier martini, the smores' martini, and another friend who joined got a martini combo. I liked the Smores' martini, and one of the chocolate martinis' in the martini combo. (i just forget the name of it). I don't think they were that strong, but I didn't want them to be either. I got Shrimp tacos to match it, and I think my friends' got burgers. The food was good, not great, but a needed break in the system.

Still a little tipsy, we went back to Coal Cracker. It's peaceful, and not too intense. My third friend really wanted to do Tidal Force. We had ridden it before, he didn't. I know how soaked you get on that ride, but I'm also cognizant that you can dry if you only ride it once. You can also take your shirts/shoes off. I only really had to take my shirt off, and my shoes stayed dry. As far as chutes go, it's large, but the hill doesn't have the punch that other larger chutes have. I think Dorney's had a better drop, even it had trims on it. We went back on WIldcat's Revenge, which had just broken down, but by the time we got in line - it started working again. If you see a ride testing, a lot of the time, it's going to open back up. My advice for breakdowns is to put a ten-minute timer on your phone, if it bypasses 10 or 15 minutes, get out of line. It's saved time, and frustration. 

We finished the day on Stormrunner/JollyRancher. Stormrunner is my favorite accelerator from Intamin. I loved TTD, but it's a one-trick pony. Plus, the launches on both KingdaKa and TTD are drawn out. The punch on Stormrunner's launch is what keeps me going back. A fuller layout really benefits the attraction. I prefer Maverick, but I'm not sure what that's considered. That feels like a completely different attraction. For a Boomerang, I do think JollyRancher is one of the better ones. I rode in the backseat. The intensity of those models are a lot, and can be enjoyable. After that however, we were ready to end the day.

In conclusion; It was a great day. Hershey Park has a great collection of rides, and the inclusion of longer attractions such as WR, and Candymonium; the park feels more full. That being said, I did notice a lack of great flat rides. Both Dorney Park and SFGA really showcased a better variety in that department. Here, you have some good ones, but a lot of areas where you're looking for things other than kiddie rides and roller coasters. I think the inclusion of so many kiddie attractions is a good thing, but also feel like there should be a balance of thrilling flat rides too. Dark rides is another area that could use improvement. The Reeses' shooting ride is a step there, so is Lafftrak, but there should be a little more to do other than that. If not a dark ride, a show other than the Sea Lion show. I know people probably want more roller coasters, I think we just need some different additions to really help out the park. I do not think the boardwalk needs anymore expansion. I'm not a fan of the Boardwalk, and I feel like it's disrupted the flow of the park. Now with the lazy river, some slides, and a waterplay area; i think it's big enough for a tiny park-in-a-park. That's my take. 

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