Brit on your shores (June 2017)

If you decide on Knoebels (most bang for your buck) you can take I80 to the Ohio turnpike and save some money on tolls.

"Which would you do if you could choose between Dorney, Knoebels, Kennywood or Hershey?"

The only "easy answer" here is: not Dorney. Arguments could easily be made for any of the other three. Personally, my first coaster trip to PA involved Kennywood due to its importance in coaster history. But you can't go wrong with Knoebels (my "home park" 1,000 miles from home) or Hershey...

rollergator said:

The only "easy answer" here is: not Dorney.

I agree with this. Of the remaining three I think Hersheypark gives you a mix of a modern park with the classic Pennsylvania charm of the others so that's my vote despite living ten minutes from Kennywood.

If you're looking for classic wooden coasters and unique flat rides, choose Kennywood. (Avoid if it's looking like a rainout.)

If you're looking for modern coasters with a more theme park feel, choose Hersheypark. (Avoid if you have a chocolate allergy.)

If you're looking for enthusiast cred and you really like trees, choose Knoebel's. (Avoid if Kozmo hates you.)

But yeah, don't choose Dorney. It's just Cedar Point-lite, emphasis on lite, and you're going to the real deal on the same trip.

Depending on your tastes, you really can't go wrong with the first three though.

Rick_UK said: (which would you do if you could choose between Dorney, Knoebels, Kennywood or Hershey?).

I've never been to Dorney, but of the other 3 my vote is Kennywood

My vote is Hershey. There's just so much to do there, and even beyond the quantity of attractions, there's a great quality to the park as well, which seems to be almost a requirement for a Pennsylvania park. I could go again and again and never tire of the place. Besides, you won't find a combination like Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Lightning Racer anywhere else in the state.

However, I'll throw a little love in for Dorney, which would actually be my second choice. It certainly is Cedar Point lite, perhaps more so than any other park in the chain. However, it isn't crowded, several of the rides are good with Talon being especially so, and it's just a very pleasant, stress-free place to visit.

To add a note onto the Cedar Point lite thing, though, if redundancy is a problem for you, then put Kennywood here in its place. Kennywood is certainly very different and it has a different feel from the previous two, with an atmosphere similar to that of parks in days gone by as opposed to the more modern feel of the aforementioned two. As far as rides, Phantom's Revenge and Thunderbolt are exceptionally good and alone make for pretty good justification for choosing this one.

Knoebel's would be my fourth choice. It's really a unique experience, but as much as I enjoy Phoenix and the quirky nature of the place, I just wouldn't put it over the other three. I may be one of the few enthusiasts who doesn't rave about the place, but I went once for a few hours and I'm not in any major hurry to return.

Rick_UK said:

A friend of mine and I are going to hop the pond and hit up New York in June and follow it up with a road trip (flight trip?) to catch some of the parks

No offense but I'm moderately nervous for you for how poorly you seemed to have conceived this trip....

sirloindude said:

...Kennywood is certainly very different and it has a different feel from the previous two, with an atmosphere similar to that of parks in days gone by as opposed to the more modern feel of the aforementioned two.

Hence the reason I recommended it. He's already going to CP & Gr Adv, so why not a change of pace?

I have no problem with a change of pace. I just felt like somebody had to show Dorney some love. The chirping crickets seemed like they were getting lonely. ;)

Kennywood and Hershey are both great mixes of terrain, modern, and classic and steel and wooden. Knoebel's is one of my favorite places on Earth, but I actually recommend against it because it is really hit or miss. I can completely understand how some people see it as a glorified campground with a few rides - barely even worth the gas to get off the highway. I'd play it "safe" and go with a sure winner of a park.

While reading this, I've been leaning towards suggesting Hersheypark. You will find so much to do there, and it is modern, and classic, and huge. Also, just outside the front gate, is Hershey Chocolate World. It's a great place to go shopping, and ride the Chocolate Tour, and experience the many other unique attractions.

If you want more charm in a smaller package, Kennywood is a good choice. I always leave Kennywood happy. It's not huge, and they don't have a huge selection of rides and attractions like Hersheypark, but it is really fun.

And the same goes with Knoebels. That park is probably more comparable to the size and amount of attractions as Kennywood. It has its own kind of charm. It's not run down, but it isn't as modern as I like. I still always have a really good time there. They have an awesome dark ride (Haunted Mansion) and a sky ride that travels us a really steep, high mountain.

Dorney is fine. It's not huge either. The park is probably will offer you the same kind of experiences that you will already encounter at the big parks you are visiting, but will not have as much to do as they will. Dorney would be my last choice.

I'm sure that whatever park you choose, you will have a great time.

bjames said:

No offense but I'm moderately nervous for you for how poorly you seemed to have conceived this trip....

That's before we had booked anything - all is sorted now.

I don't worry about travel, I feel it takes the fun out of it a little. I usually take the 'What's the worst that can happen when you've got a credit card and travel insurance?' point of view. We've both lived abroad and travelled all over the place, you realise there's no real point in worrying too much after a few trips. At least you guys speak English and accept MasterCard, the only time I have really been in trouble was in the desert in Oman. Crazy place and only an hours drive from Dubai - never seen the world change so quickly.

Thanks for the insight guys, I think we're going to go for Hershey and perhaps do Knoebels on the way back as it is seemingly only 20 minutes off 80?

I would say Hershey park is the best one not to miss. Very nice layout and lots of roller coasters. Also you can go in the park the day before (I think it's about 2 or 3 hours before it closes).When I went in on the day before my paid visit I rode 5 coasters which surprised me.

I did this trip on my own from England in 2014 going from Cedar Point, across Pennsylvania into New Jersey and finishing up in New York over 16 days (and nearly 2000 miles)

We are at Cedar Point on Sunday & Monday, Hershey & Knoebels on Tuesday.

It appears to be due to rain on both our days at CP, should we prepare for a day wandering around the peninsula trying to find something that's open...?

It looks to me like you have the potential for there to be no rain at all or just a thunderstorm or two.

I'll be at CP the day before you and at Hershey 3 days after you.

I'll do a trip report on my return but spent the evening at Cedar Point last night. What a magical place. We were so lucky. Arrived at 6pm, rode every coaster once or more before close - we didn't wait for anything, crews were waiting for us!

Temps were in the low 80s so we also did Snake River, Thunder and Windseeker for the view.

My only upset was the amount of food to cost ratio. More on that another day.

Sunday looked like a great day for CP all those severe storms forecasted as possible that never came. I checked the webcam throughout the day the parking lot looked so empty but by the time my younger kid finished up his year end school projects it was evening and my older one had final exams this morning so we didn't make it.

Much busier today. Also, some kind of power problem affecting a fair number of attractions. Dragster down most of the day (like yesterday) but i think that's unrelated.