Do you think Hersheypark is going in the right direction?

[CoasterEricHP]

I was at the Bears game last night (GO BEARS!!) and during the pause that ensued after an Albany River Rat was slammed into the glass so hard that it shattered.. I was thinking about Hersheypark next door..

 

In reality I was talking to my friend who happens to work for HERC(O) at one of the hotels and I'm sort of feeling kind of "Blah" about the next couple of years. She has a lot of friends that work at Hersheypark and know things that are going on.. here's what she said.

 

In '07 obviously they are going the route of adding water rides throughout Midway America. She said they are doing this simply as a "test" to see if a waterpark would work.. DUH! Then, in a few years they would be using part of the Fairview golf land to build a real waterpark. Now I know that that info is questionable but for the sake of this post lets just say it is an "experiment"..

 

Im still disillusioned about how crappy the Reese's Cup Challenge looks. I was even at the park looking at a what is going to be a very bland looking building and I could just picture the crappy glorified cardboard cutouts in blacklight lighting.. with guns.. I'd rather just move Garfields Frickin Nightmare out to Hershey! haha. A dark ride is definately something Hershey needs.. but it all seems so uninspired to me.

 

Hersheypark was one of the FEW parks to have a stagnant attendance this year. I doubt families are going to pay much attention to a big Reese's peanut butter cup with a red laser on a billboard this year in '06. Then, in '07 they'll hype up the 100th anniversary by adding a lackluster "temporary" waterpark and a few pools? Is anyone else excited about that?

 

I get the feeling that RECupChallenge will be "ehhh"..probably pretty popular amongst families.. but not teens. And then we'll see the '07 "waterpark" moved to Dutch Wonderland after Hershey decides to build a real one. Which means the 100th anniversary is a huge waste of time!

 

I think there's nothing that could beat a giant flat ride or two.. and a large "icon" coaster (that can be fine for families too.. B&M hypers are very family..) in Hersheypark. Build a waterpark seperate along with an indoor waterpark resort.

 

Eric

[disneygurlz2s]

This totally caught my eye because I have been mulling over the possibility of making Hershey my #2 choice for vacation destination if I can't swing WDW next summer. I have seen all the "Hershey" stuff on the Travel Channel and since we are all big fans of Hershey chocolate and amusement parks, not to mention that we could drive versus fly, I was thinking this might be a possibility.

 

Since I have never been there, obviously the park would hold more interest to me than for someone who calls HP their home park. I was on their website yesterday and thought that it looked like they had a fun collection of rides. I am especially partial to flat rides that you can't find in a lot of the "corporate" parks-like Tilt O Whirl and the Whip.

 

Shari "Always wanted my picture taken with a giant piece of candy" Shoufler

[YoshiFan]

I really am glad that Hershey is adding a dark ride so I am excited about their 06 plans. I'm not so sure about the theme but I really like Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger's Spin at WDW so having another shooting dark ride closer to home sounds great.

 

As for 07, I really don't care about the water park since it seems like it won't be that much more than a few play areas and a slide. Water slides have horrible capacity and if there are very few, then the lines will be ridiculous considering how popular rides like Roller Soaker and the other water rides already are. If Hershey wants to build a full size water park, then I think that's great but I think it should be away from the main park (even if it wasn't a seperate gate, then keep it like Dorney where it's away from the amusement area).

 

 

I also think you may be right about the water park going to Dutch Wonderland instead. They keep adding to that Duke's Lagoon area and that part of the park seems very crowded with the wet dry slides being popular as well so it would make sense if they added some real waterslides and other areas to make it a bigger waterpark.

[Scaparri]

I'm not so sure I would say that they are heading in a bad direction or anything. I think the dark ride will be good for the park. Yeah, it's probably not going to draw in the crowds like a major coaster, but parks are well aware of this. Every park I've been to that has added a Sally dark ride though, the ride has been a huge success.

 

It looks to me like the park is making a lot of smart decisions. They are expanding their ride variety with a dark ride, and exploring the possibility of a water park. If done right, a water park could do wonders. I live about 2 hours from both SFKK and HW, and about 2.5 from PKI. Often times, when I hear friends talking about parks, they say something like "yeah, but this park has such a better water park." From a coaster enthusiast perspective, it's disappointing, but in the long run it won't be. Plus, Hershey already has an "icon" coaster in Storm Runner.

 

I can definately understand why you don't care for the direction they are going, but it probably really is for the best.

 

-Scott "Holiday World has what it does today because of slowly building a stellar water park" Parrish

[Millenniumguy]

In my opinion, Hershey has enough rollercoasters vs the rest of the rides. Many people see Hershey as an up-and coming CP. Well, what Hershey desperatly needs are dark rides and more flat rides. I am surprised they are only adding a dark ride.

 

Besides,Hersheypark has expanded with coasters too rapidly in the 90s and 2000s.

[Rugged One]

I like the addition of the darkride in 06. I'm also not a huge fan of the theme but I have confidence that Hershey and Sally will pull off a fun ride. I think the competitive dueling aspect will really set it apart from a lot of other darkrides out there.

 

I'm not super thrilled about the 07 plans, considering that (like others have said) the water rides and areas have low capacity and are always packed. I'd really like to see them add another flat of some kind. I understand the park's stance that they want to continue to be the area's best family destination but they can't ignore the thrillseekers either. I think a drop tower (or heck maybe one of those new topple towers) would fit in pretty good.

 

I'll agree that what they have in store for the 100th anniversary isn't the most exciting but I have faith in the direction the park is going in. Heck, we'll keep renewing our season passes. I'm sure whatever the park has lined up past 07 (and I'm sure they're working on it as we speak) won't be dissapointing.

[Millenniumguy]

Personally, people started to complain because of lack of coasters. Well, I think they need more family rides. Besides, HP already has 64 rides and 11 rollercoasters so there is plenty of good rides there already.

[CoasterEricHP]

Alright, lets see here..

 

First off, Rugged One.. I hate driving in York on Fridays.. LOL.

 

Shari -- Aside from my feeling a little "eh.." about the next few years at Hershey, don't let that sway your plans for a trip there! Hersheypark still remains in my Top 5 parks.. no doubt about it! Especially if this will be your first visit to the park you wont be let down by any means! Hersheypark EASILY has one of the best overall lineup's of coasters... I think that's why Im sort of "eh"... I was expecting more than a cardboard cutout dark ride and quassi waterpark tester in the next few years.

 

I have another question.. personally, Ive never been on a Sally Dark ride... but yeah they do always have a huge line. I think in SFStL we were going to check out Scooby, but the line was crazyyy (and the Boss is an amazing piece of wood). So.. what makes them so great? The animation of the Reese's Cup is what make me feel like its a bland room where you shoot at glorified Mobiles circling around the room. Please tell me the animation doesn't go justice?! Or did I just work at Universal too long and get spoiled by MiB?

 

Also, just one more thought here. Do you guys consider a ride like.. MAXAir to be more thrill or more family? It seems like these days parks can build bigger and still keep the family atmosphere. What about Apollo's Chariot?

 

Eric

[Millenniumguy]

Well the point is that is an interactive advirtisement for Hershey Foods. I personally think since HP has very little for coasters and since the Turbulence screwup they are wary of coasters. But Hershey,if it get's a coaster, it will most likely be a hyper(isn't that what they need?). But the catch is that hypers take up a lot of space.

[YoshiFan]

 

Also, just one more thought here. Do you guys consider a ride like.. MAXAir to be more thrill or more family? It seems like these days parks can build bigger and still keep the family atmosphere. What about Apollo's Chariot?

 

 

I consider MAXAir to be a thrill ride. Same with Apollo's Chariot. What I consider a family ride to be is a ride that can be enjoyed by almost anyone, such as the new dark ride, the antique and sports cars, kissing tower, monorail, train etc.