Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures

[coastercrazy216]

Very interesting TR! I found the look at the Italian Trapeze ride really odd. Do they build a separate canopy over the ride for the off season?

[grsupercity]

Another nice report. I have been riding Wolverine Wildcat at MIA for well over 20 years and everytime I look at pics of the Phoenix it is all i can see. It was based on it but poorly lol. I really need to get to this park. I love family owned parks. They have a different feel about them. Did you ride the larson drop tower?

[Canobie Coaster]

Very interesting TR! I found the look at the Italian Trapeze ride really odd. Do they build a separate canopy over the ride for the off season?

 

I'm not sure. Usually when the ride is closed, it has been completely missing in my past visits.

 

Another nice report. I have been riding Wolverine Wildcat at MIA for well over 20 years and everytime I look at pics of the Phoenix it is all i can see. It was based on it but poorly lol. I really need to get to this park. I love family owned parks. They have a different feel about them. Did you ride the larson drop tower?

 

Thanks! Yes I did and it was fantastic.

[cfc]

Hmm--deep fried alligator sounds good. I like their deep fried pepper jack cheese, too . . . then again, I don't think I've ever had a bad snack at Knobels.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ The worst snack I've ever had at Knoebels were the pizza rolls, but even they were just ok and ridiculously cheap so it wasn't a real loss.

[Nrthwnd]

Great TR! And I love the look of the old style bumper cars. This (and the layout with the center part to "drive around") looks exactly like the original bumper cars building we had at Playland(PNE). Miss that, and glad Knoebels still has one like that. Also, the Roll-o-plane/Satellite going "sideways" (9 and 3 o'clock points) is great, too! The last couple of them I had been on, for some reason, didn't do the sideways maneuver. Which is a shame, since the cycle was made to include it.

 

And... Deep Fried Alligator? Hmmm. Worth a try, I suppose. Thanks for sharing your recent visit, there.

[prozach626]

Great Knoebels TR. It's a shame there weren't more food pics!

[Canobie Coaster]

Great TR! And I love the look of the old style bumper cars. This (and the layout with the center part to "drive around") looks exactly like the original bumper cars building we had at Playland(PNE). Miss that, and glad Knoebels still has one like that. Also, the Roll-o-plane/Satellite going "sideways" (9 and 3 o'clock points) is great, too! The last couple of them I had been on, for some reason, didn't do the sideways maneuver. Which is a shame, since the cycle was made to include it.

 

And... Deep Fried Alligator? Hmmm. Worth a try, I suppose. Thanks for sharing your recent visit, there.

 

Thanks! The Pacific Northwest does have a set of Lusse Skooters still in Seaside, Oregon, but they are toned down compared to the ones at Knoebels.

 

Great Knoebels TR. It's a shame there weren't more food pics!

 

Along with quite a few rides being closed, several food stands were closed. One of them was the roast beef stand for the legendary pierogis.

 

[JG-77]

Sad to see with the roast beef stand, it was open when I went in mid August

[Canobie Coaster]

^ I got pierogis on my first visit thankfully, but it was closed on my later two visits. At least it gave me the chance to try some new stuff like fried alligator.

[Taylor Finn]

Living vicariously through your TR. A year without Knoebels is a sad year for me. But, I'll have my site for PPP moved to next year, at least. Missing the food!

[Canobie Coaster]

I still need to visit PPP one of these years!

[CenturyFlyer]

Can't you still get pierogis at the Round Stand in front of the Haunted Mansion?

[JG-77]

Yes, but they're not the same as the roast beef stand pierogis, the ones everyone raves about.

[Zand]

Can't you still get pierogis at the Round Stand in front of the Haunted Mansion?

 

I think some of the food stands are hit or miss this year. I was there a couple weeks ago on a Thursday and the "good pierogi stabd" at the Oasis was open. But I see a lot of reports saying it's been closed a lot. The Round Stand was also open when I was there but stuff like Satellite was closed (which was open other days). Luck of the draw I guess.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ The days when the Roast Beef Stand were closed was when the park had extremely limited hours from 12-6, so I'm not surprised things were closed. I just wish that stand wasn't one of them!

[Canobie Coaster]

Hersheypark

 

2020 marked the opening of Chocolatetown, Hersheypark's $150 million expansion that included several new shops, restaurants, Candymonium, and a brand new entrance.

 

The latter has been a bit controversial. The old entrance was definitely more charming. However, I much prefer the new entrance. While it lacks charm, it has a grandness to it. The old entrance felt like I was visiting a European village. The new entrance feels like I'm visiting a major thrill park, which is what Hersheypark has become. I love the kinetic energy of the Hershey Kisses fountain and Candymonium.

 

But most importantly, the new entrance is far more efficient. The old entrance was cramped while the new entrance was much more spread out, which was definitely a good thing when visiting in 2020. The only downside to Chocolatetown is that you now have to exit Hersheypark through a gift shop. So while the entrance chokepoint was fixed, there's now an exit chokepoint.

 

Charming? No. Efficient and grand? Oh yes!

In general, Chocolatetown has a cohesive architecture. The exception is the relocated Carousel that feels a bit out-of-place.

The reveal of the fountain and Candymonium is a wow moment.

 

Let's talk about Candymonium. If you love B&M hypers, you'll love Candymonium. So it's no surprise I really enjoyed this coaster. It's probably my favorite B&M hyper in the United States. It has a first half that's just a hair worse than Mako, but unlike Mako that sort of stumbles to the finish line, Candymonium delivers airtime until you hit the brake run.

 

And unlike Skyrush that delivers some of the craziest ejector airtime in the world, Candymonium delivers copious amount of strong floater airtime. The highlights are the 2nd hill (every bit as good as the 2nd hill on Mako), the speed hill, and the sideways airtime hill coming off the helix. I'm glad B&M is now mixing in off-axis hills like RMC!

 

There are two trims on Candymonium, but they didn't hurt the ride experience for me. Yes you feel them; however, the airtime on the subsequent hills is still very sustained floater airtime so I don't mind them. But I could see them being a buzzkill if the tangible loss of speed really bothers you.

 

Candymonium is exactly the coaster Hersheypark wanted. While it may be odd to have two hypers in one park, this is a much different experience than Skyrush. It's a super reridable, glass smooth, floater airtime machine. This will likely be the favorite for non-enthusiasts. For me, it's a great compliment to Skyrush. 9.25 out of 10

Candymonium is an awkward name, but when the coaster is this good, who cares?

Going down.

This hill delivered 4-5 seconds of sustained floater airtime. It was glorious.

B&M should make a coaster of all speed hills. This gives the strongest airtime on the ride.

B&M should also have more off-axis hills. The airtime isn't as abrupt as an off-axis hill on a RMC, but it is more sustained.

There are trims, but the airtime was still good so I didn't mind.

Such a pretty sky.

I can't wait until the landscaping is added.

 

Since Hersheypark opened an hour early to resort guests (which I wasn't on my first visit) and season pass holders (which I am not), I used that hour to get some shots of Candymonium, Skyrush, and Comet from outside the park. Park Boulevard gives some amazing views of these coasters!

 

You can't get shots like this within Hersheypark. And there will be more to come!

 

The star for me is still Skyrush. I know this ride is probably more intense than Hersheypark intended, but it's a coaster enthusiast's dream. This is one of the few coasters that still genuinely scares me before every ride. Skyrush is that intense.

 

The first drop is violent. It feels like a car crash, but I mean that in the best way possible. While the restraints are certainly tight, the minimal contact makes the insane ejector airtime feel even wilder. Skyrush feels like it will sever your legs from your body on every single camelback. And on the stengel dives, it feels like you'll be flipped into the creek. Skyrush is exhilarating and one of the best coasters in the world. 10 out of 10

The way Skyrush dwarfs Comet makes it look even more intimidating.

Let the ejector airtime commence!

Skyrush is a sustained ejector airtime machine.

You don't realize how good this headchopper is during the ride since you're hauling through the course.

Now this is what I call an overbank.

 

Great Bear was temperamental in my visits this year, so I didn't get as many rides as I'd like. But it was running like a dream when it was open. Great Bear is still impeccably smooth, the funky helix start is absolutely leg-numbing, and the inversions pull some strong Gs. I especially love the wild snap on the zero-G roll and corkscrew. And I never noticed the floater airtime on the drop after the zero-G roll, but it was a nice touch. 8 out of 10

 

Sorry Great Bear, you are no longer my favorite coaster themed to a constellation. That honor goes to Orion.

But Great Bear is still a very good invert.

 

Hersheypark has a sizable wood coaster collection and my favorite one is still the Comet. In the back row, this coaster has some really nice airtime in the first half on the major drops. That's the magic of buzz bars. This is also among the smoothest wood coasters out there. It's hard to believe this coaster is 70+ years old with how smooth it is. 7 out of 10

 

It's funny to think this was once the biggest ride in the park. Now, it's a speck below Skyrush.

In the back, Comet is my favorite wood coaster at Hershey. In the front, it's boring and my least favorite.

 

The two GCIs are in the back of the park. Wildcat has better airtime, but it comes at a cost since the ride is very bumpy. 5 out of 10 Lightning Racer may be the tamest GCI, but the racing element makes it enjoyable. 6 out of 10

 

The highlight of Wildcat is the barking dog noise the brake run makes.

Lightning Racer is another coaster that is better to photograph from outside the park, but I didn't quite want to walk all the way down the hill.

 

I also rode LaffTrakk again since the early entry allowed me to beat crowds to the back of the park. LaffTrakk is a decent indoor spinner, but it's not worth the obnoxious wait it gets. It's similar to Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios in terms of how hard it is to ride with a reasonable wait and it also happens to be the same model. 5 out of 10

 

This ride's queue is no laughing matter.

 

Fahrenheit had the worst wait of all the coasters. And interestingly, they were running it with no changes from most years. Every seat was in use. And they were triple stacking trains without fail.

 

But I deal with this coaster's poor throughput because it's a very enjoyable ride. It feels like a Gerstlauer EuroFighter mixed with an old-school B&M looper. The beyond vertical drop and bunny hill give some excellent ejector airtime and the inversions are quite snappy. 8.5 out of 10

 

Such a weird coaster from Intamin, but I really like it!

I'm so glad Hershey repainted Fahrenheit last year.

 

I also spotted a wild enthusiast on Cocoa Crusier. I chose to point and laugh instead of joining him.

 

No shame!

 

The worst line in the entire park was actually for the dark ride, Reese's Cupfusion. This ride has a dismal throughput. For that reason, I made it my last stop on all my visits. Unlike LaffTrakk, which is passable for me, Cupfusion is a must. It's a really good dark ride that's a hybrid of Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Mania. 9 out of 10

 

After waiting 2 hours for this last year, I've learned to hit this last.

 

Hersheypark may also be home to the largest sweets/snacks of any theme park. Since I dislike sugar, I didn't purchase any of these gluttonous glories, but I still gawked at their sheer size.

 

I wish Hershey listed calorie counts. I'm morbidly curious.

Those donuts were the size of personal pizzas.

A candy bar as heavy as my girlfriend's kitten. That's insane.

 

In general, 2020 seemed like a good year to visit Hershey. Crowds were manageable and the operations were similar to past years. The one downside was that Storm Runner was closed for the year.

 

I'll be back next year!

 

Unfortunately, Hershey closed before sundown, but while I was waiting for my Primanti's sandwich downtown, I was able to admire the skyline one last time before departing town.

 

A skyline with two hypers is an enthusiast's dream.

Golden hour.

 

In my second visit to Hersheypark, I decided to splurge on one of their resort hotels. The extra hour tacked onto the preview plan and the hour of morning ERT was nice. And the indoor water park seemed to be a big hit among kids and families. But I probably wouldn't stay there again because of how pricey it was and two specific issues:

 

1) The noise. Either the walls were paper thin or the family next to me was obnoxiously loud. We called security, but it did nothing to stop the noise. It sounded like there were at least 7-8 people in the room next to us.

 

2) Every single toiletry item smelled like chocolate. I can't say I wanted my hands, hair, and body to smell like chocolate. And the front desk had no cocoa free toiletries in case you're wondering.

 

Hershey's Waterworks had two water slides. You can probably guess what candy they were themed to.

This is not what I want to wash myself with.

[gardyloo!]

Another amazing TR and as always, a great read. I had plans to visit hersheypark this summer but, you know, corona...

Skyrush has been near the top of my bucketlist for so long and I'm so curious to know whether I'll love it. I really liked Flying Aces and while normally, restraints that tighten during the ride hamper my experience, I didn't really mind them on FA. I loved the insane positive G's and the laterals but found the airtime to be quite lacking. Also, was kinda dissapointed with the first drop, so wondering if Skyrush's drop is any better since they look basically the same.

 

Herhseypark probably has the best top 5 of any park (besides Cedar Point) in the world, but often heard their operations are quite meh. I guess I'll have to wait (another couple of) year(s) to find out. Can't wait to read your next TR. Keep 'm coming!

[Canobie Coaster]

Thanks!

 

I actually really liked the drop on Flying Aces, but the one on Skyrush has a kink halfway down. You get strong ejector airtime cresting the drop and then get pushed even further out of your seat halfway down.

 

The restraints on Skyrush look similar, but the underside is profiled differently. The ones on Flying Aces are contoured a bit on the bottom while the ones on Skyrush are a flat bar that comes across your thighs.

[gardyloo!]

Thanks!

 

I actually really liked the drop on Flying Aces, but the one on Skyrush has a kink halfway down. You get strong ejector airtime cresting the drop and then get pushed even further out of your seat halfway down.

 

The restraints on Skyrush look similar, but the underside is profiled differently. The ones on Flying Aces are contoured a bit on the bottom while the ones on Skyrush are a flat bar that comes across your thighs.

 

Oh I though Flying Aces drop gave amazing floater, just not the ejector I was hoping for.

 

Ah I see how Skyrush's restraint are found to be more uncomfortable. Looks like Intamin however, has fixed that problem with their latest train design. Although, I still prefer the old school T-bar.

[Condor]

Great photos and reviews. My experiences on all of the coasters in July closely mirror yours except for Comet, which felt slower and rougher than my previous visit. Glad some people are still getting quality rides on it this year. Maybe I caught it on an off day!

[Canobie Coaster]

Thanks!

 

I actually really liked the drop on Flying Aces, but the one on Skyrush has a kink halfway down. You get strong ejector airtime cresting the drop and then get pushed even further out of your seat halfway down.

 

The restraints on Skyrush look similar, but the underside is profiled differently. The ones on Flying Aces are contoured a bit on the bottom while the ones on Skyrush are a flat bar that comes across your thighs.

 

Oh I though Flying Aces drop gave amazing floater, just not the ejector I was hoping for.

 

Ah I see how Skyrush's restraint are found to be more uncomfortable. Looks like Intamin however, has fixed that problem with their latest train design. Although, I still prefer the old school T-bar.

 

I love the new Intamin lap bars (like Taron or Red Force) and the old T-bars.

 

Great photos and reviews. My experiences on all of the coasters in July closely mirror yours except for Comet, which felt slower and rougher than my previous visit. Glad some people are still getting quality rides on it this year. Maybe I caught it on an off day!

 

Thanks! Comet ran just as well as it has for me from past visits, so it sounds like you caught it on a bad day.

[VegasBaby]

Love Hersheypark, it's probably my 3rd favorite park after Cedar Point and BGW. I really want to get back there next year to ride Candymonium and check out the new entrance. Thanks for sharing your trip report!

[Canobie Coaster]

Hersheypark is definitely up there for me as well. It's a beautiful park with some great coasters.

[prozach626]

Great TR. Hershey is one of my ideal examples of what a large modern corporate park can be.