Photo TR: Adam tackles Cedar Point, Kennywood and Hersheypark

[PKI Jizzman]

Jack Rabbit kicks asssss! And so does Exterminator! I never expected to have that much fun on one of those spinning coasters. 

[tanthonyam]

I think Black Widow has opened back up.

[jedimaster1227]

After our time at Kennywood we hit the road to have an early evening in Hershey, PA. We used this time as a chance to experience Hershey's Chocolate World and to grab some food and drinks along the way. The next morning, we woke up and started our day at Hersheypark--with a flight out of Philly later that night, we had a limited amount of time to accomplish as much as possible before leaving the park to drive to Philadelphia. For this reason we added Fast Track to our visit and it definitely made a difference for certain attractions.

Driving into Hershey, this is always a welcoming sight.

As is this.

It isn't a visit to Hershey, PA without a stop at Hershey's Chocolate World.

The main attraction...

Your hosts for the experience.

Singing cows (and now a singing pig and chicken) greet you at the start of the ride.

Cupcake is a newer addition to the farm, I believe.

Time to get broiled!

Some of the ride's effects are really impressive.

"Taste the love."

Just remember these icons when you eat their respective candies... Just think about them.

IMAGINATION!

After our time at Hershey's Chocolate World we tried to see if we could grab a spot at The Chocolatier restaurant in Hershey's new Chocolatetown area. Unfortunately the restaurant was fully booked and the bar had no seats available. We ended up grabbing a bite and a beer at Iron Hill Brewery, which was a solid choice.

After dinner we weren't quite done for the night, so we ventured over the Hotel Hershey for drinks and dessert at the Iberian Lounge...

A really solid selection of drinks and some nice food options to choose from...

The Chocolatier isn't the only place on property where you can get a chocolate martini... And this one was SO GOOD.

We couldn't resist the prospect of trying the Hershey's Cocoa Barbecue wings... The chocolate flavor was subtle but unique. Plus the serving size was really generous for a lounge!

We couldn't leave without trying the Strawberry Cheesecake and Italian Rainbow Slice Cake, both of which were exceptional!

The next morning while waiting for the park to open, we hopped back into Hershey's Chocolate World... There's edible cookie dough inside for those interested in partaking.

They had Jolly Rancher cupcakes, each color a different flavor. If it wasn't so early in the morning, I would've tried one.

You can bet I brought some home with me.

I absolutely brought these Key Lime Pie KitKat bars home with me too.

Always a pleasant surprise at Hershey's Chocolate World when free samples are being given out. 

Time to finally go into the park!

The last time I was here, this entire plaza was mostly dirt and was under heavy construction.

They hadn't even started installing Candymonium yet.

I do think the turnaround circling the "Kisses Fountain" is a nice touch.

Hersheypark's classic Carrousel was integrated into the new Chocolatetown section of the park.

Lots of floater air...

With three trains at opening, it was a little surprising how poorly managed the operations were for this coaster. By the time we boarded, the coaster had a 65 minute posted wait time (we waited about 30 minutes with our Fast Lane access). Dispatch times for the coaster were... Not great.

The interior of the queue is lightly themed to the many Hershey candies...

If you have Fast Lane, you link it to the HPGO system, which you get a printed wristband from a kiosk at the front of the park or inside of the park. Not unlike a Magicband, you tap your HPGO band at the entrance of the Fast Lane queue and merge point.

If you're eligible to ride, you'll be given the green light to proceed.

This looks like your standard B&M hyper coaster train... Which is pretty fitting.

Candymonium is a solid B&M hypercoaster... A decent amount of floater airtime and a ridiculously smooth experience. If anything, it feels like the family-friendly alternative to Skyrush right next door, which delivers insane ejector air, way more intense maneuvers and a generally less appealing experience for families... I prefer Skyrush over Candymonium, but I could understand why this was built as an alternative.

Sidewinder wasn't running during our visit, but that didn't feel like a major loss for the trip.

Now this on the other hand was a welcome sight.

Stormrunner had been closed during my last visit to the park, and only reopened for the first time in two years a few days before our visit. The last time I rode the coaster was with TPR on the 2008 East Coast Trip. 

Stormrunner is short but sweet. The launch is awesome and the top hat is quite fun.

Fahrenheit was also closed during our last visit, making it over 13 years since my last ride. 

I'll probably get some more flack for saying this but I absolutely adore Great Bear. 

I love the unique layout of this B&M invert and how it interacts with Sooperdooperlooper and Coal Cracker. 

Skyrush is an insane thrill and definitely one of the most intense coasters I rode on this trip.

Sooperdooperlooper was down for the majority of our visit, so I didn't get a chance to ride. I'll eventually get a chance to experience the coaster's new trains...

I rarely find myself wanting to ride a log flume but from the queue of Great Bear, Coal Cracker looked really fun. I'll be going out of my way to try this one next time.

Just so much going on in one frame and I love it.

"Laser Snake Horse of Fire Roll" I believe is how Robb described it recently...

I still haven't been on any of the Hershey Triple Tower yet.

Such a cool look.

Fahrenheit just looks great in person.

Especially when trains are running on it... I totally forgot how short these trains were.

Overall Fahrenheit is a fun coaster. Not my favorite or least, but right in the middle.

Now Lightning Racer... These two will always be amongst my favorites.

Still two of my favorites in the park.

And they never disappoint!

 

Up next is the final report, part two from my day at Hersheypark!

[jedimaster1227]

After some thrilling rides on Lightning Racer we moved to finish the last few rides in the park on our list, to leave time to explore Chocolatetown on our way out. First up was Laff Trakk.

Laff Trakk manages to take a pretty standard coaster and give it some fun dark ride elements.

Not the first Laffing Sal we saw on this trip!

The ride isn't super efficient when it comes to loading, but Fast Lane helped us to get through pretty quickly.

I do think the station theming is cute.

Proper representation found!

Wildcat is pretty rough at this point... If ever there were a candidate at Hersheypark for an RMC conversion, this would be it.

It is a shame that Hersheypark is a Pepsi park.

Seriously great to see Fahrenheit running.

Glad we got the chance to ride during this visit!

Socially distanced character meet and greets were still happening outside in the park.

Reese's Cupfusion was under construction during my last visit, so I was eager to try this one out this time around.

The last time I rode this, the attraction was still the super bizarre Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge.

Cupfusion is a serious upgrade from what came before, with a cute story, a far better digital target system (with targets integrated into physical sets as well as digital screens) and an overall more fun experience across the board.

There are some really clever uses of the ride space and the vehicles' ability to pause, rotate and change their speeds across the ride path.

I just barely made it onto the leaderboard for the day with 20th place!

Reese's Cupfusion gets two thumbs up from me!

Pour one out for the loss of my favorite treat stand, Makin' Whoopie, which was replaced with the less colorfully named, Cookies & Donuts.

Hyperdeck is an upcharge VR attraction in the Chocolatetown section of the park.

Unlike what The Void used to offer, it looks like your experience in Hyperdeck is a more stationary one.

Looking back at Candymonium...

For the love of Larry.

Again, a fun (albeit standard) B&M hyper coaster. Maybe it is exactly what the park needed. 

Another look at the signature "Kisses Fountain."

I really like the look and feel of the Chocolatetown section of the park... The only thing I don't understand is the decision to put the shops and upcharge attractions like Hyperdeck INSIDE of the park instead of in front of it. Chocolatetown feels like Hersheypark's take on Downtown Disney, but for some reason, you can only access the majority of it during park hours with park admission. I feel like this would have been more successful being accessible without a park ticket and not being bound by park hours.

Exiting the park through the new Chocolatetown shop, Hersheypark Supply Co, there is finally a large, main store for Hersheypark. 

Inside you'll also find The Sweeterie, home to lots of delicious chocolate and baked goods.

Lots of options to choose from...

And I mean lots.

So simple yet so enticing.

"Wowza" is all I'm going to say.

Flavors for every palate. 

Next to The Sweeterie is Milton's Ice Cream Parlor. 

Lots of fun flavors to choose from...

And lots of Hershey's candies to top off your ice cream!

I had to go with the Candymonium (Twizzler-flavored) and Toasted Marshmallow options (topped with Twizzler Bites).

Milton's also has more savory fare. The food actually looked really good!

We couldn't resist.

Hersheypark Supply Co features a few fun pieces of Hershey history on display.

So much merchandise! Hersheypark Supply Co is a much needed addition for Hersheypark!

We tried again to get into The Chocolatier restaurant and were once again told they were booked out, understaffed and the bar was full. But the place does look cool.

Clever design elements for sure.

I do like the lighting fixtures meant to represent the layout of three of Hersheypark's coasters.

A cool fixture at the entrance/exit of Hersheypark Supply Co.

I couldn't leave without stopping at Chocolatetown Treats.

This does look pretty picturesque. 

Yes you will!

Catching up on our ride photos from our visit, we were able to download all of our photos thanks to the photo package we purchased.

My side lost.

My love for Great Bear is real.

Absolutely wild. Hanging on purely by the pressure placed on my thighs.

Still quite fun!

As was Stormrunner!

Before leaving the town of Hershey, PA, we stopped at Troegs Independent Brewing for some beers and bites.

I tried quite a few of their options!

Togorashi Avocado was our first starter.

Beer cheese mega pretzel? Yes please!

Their braised duck was absolutely killer!

 Can't go wrong with brisket!

The Spring Onion Tart was a surprise and a delicious one at that!

After flying home from Philadelphia that night, I woke up the next morning to enjoy one last taste of Hersheypark... 

[SharkTums]

I agree that Cupfusion is a WAY better upgrade than I was expecting. Also, now I'm starving after looking at all of your food pictures!!!!

[bert425]

the food all looks pretty amazing (other than that Twizzler treat. . but that's just me not liking Licorice - yeah, not even red).

oh, and the Carousel looks FANTASTIC where they moved it.

 

 

nice report

[jedimaster1227]

On 8/9/2021 at 11:21 AM, SharkTums said:

I agree that Cupfusion is a WAY better upgrade than I was expecting. Also, now I'm starving after looking at all of your food pictures!!!!

Honestly so much better than I expected! A really enjoyable ride that I’d definitely do again in future visits!

On 8/9/2021 at 11:56 AM, bert425 said:

the food all looks pretty amazing (other than that Twizzler treat. . but that's just me not liking Licorice - yeah, not even red).

oh, and the Carousel looks FANTASTIC where they moved it.

 

 

nice report

I hadn’t realized that the carousel was moved to Candytown but it definitely fits the new location well.