Great Hershey Park news.

I just wanted to let all fellow coaster enthusiast, and buzzers that Hershey Park will be offering something called the "Rain Guarantee" trough July 31st. If it rains during your visit, and one feels they don't want to be in the park during the rain. Guest can stop by guest relations, and with their ticket stub will receive a return coupon valid for up to 30days of the day issued.

I think that is a great idea, and one more reason to visit Hershey Park this summer, and it also shows the great quality of a park like Hershey offers. What's your thoughts, and do other parks offer this?

Doesn't BGW do this too? I seem to remember reading something about that.

------------------
www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 11

This doesn't suprise me. Hershey wasn't doing so well in May or June.

------------------
"If we knew how safe roller coasters were, we'd lose their thrill" - Daniel Keller

This is the "we lost our ass during spring coupon due to the persistent rains", so please come back and spend some money damnit. And oh yeah, BUY SOME CHOCOLATE! This of course refers to ever so sublte EPCOT-type ride they have called the Chocolate Factory Tour that exits into a giftshop/cafe that's full of Hershey's products.
------------------
If you have a problem with clones, the solution is real simple—Stop traveling.

Actually Several Parks do this. It's commonly known as a Rain Check.

------------------
"The Mountain Slidewinder. Voted The #1 Non-Rollercoaster Ride in America Amusement Business Magazine, 1991"

I thought that Hershey always did that....

------------------
-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

Just shows what a class act Hersyepark is. Can't believe some people are mocking this jesture, if a certain park in Ohio did it, there would be nothing but praise.

------------------
Coaster Grotto - Over 1,000 coaster photos and 80 theme park reviews now online!

I was just going to say the same thing, Grant.

------------------
Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"

Actually, I only know of three parks where return-visit tickets for rainy days were SOP. It was something like, if rain shuts all the major rides down for a half hour, you get a half-price return visit coupon as you leave. An hour's shut-down means a free return visit.

The parks that did it? The same parks that pioneered chain-wide season passes and super-cheap kids admissions: Geauga Lake, Wyandot Lake, and Darien Lake. Later the program expanded into a 'satisfaction guaranteed or you get to come back so we can try again' program called the "Funtime Guarantee".

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Actually, one of the most derided parks on this site does the same thing. If (as of last season) the top nine rides are closed for on consecutive hour due to weather they will "gladly offer rainchecks".

The park is none other than Six Flags Astroworld!
lata, jeremy

------------------
My current favorite home video game!

Wild Waves Enchanted Village would probably go out of business if it did that. :)

Intamin Fan said:
This of course refers to ever so sublte EPCOT-type ride they have called the Chocolate Factory Tour that exits into a giftshop/cafe that's full of Hershey's products.

Hmm... that sounds like SDC, too. They force you into a gift shop to enter and exit the park, plus some rides exit through a yet another damn gift shop.

------------------
Am I really that shy?

The Shy One said:
Intamin Fan said:
This of course refers to ever so sublte EPCOT-type ride they have called the Chocolate Factory Tour that exits into a giftshop/cafe that's full of Hershey's products.
Hmm... that sounds like SDC, too. They force you into a gift shop to enter and exit the park, plus some rides exit through a yet another damn gift shop.

Oh, poor little babies can't walk through a gift shop? Give it a rest. In the United States we have something called capitalism, and amusement parks are prime examples of this system. They, like everyone else, are trying to make a buck. If you don't like it, just walk through the gift shop and don't buy anything.

------------------
"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone

Yes, Black7, but there's also something called tact.

It's just tacky.

Can anyone here honestly say they ever had a severe lapse of willpower and actually made an impulse buy while exiting a ride?

------------------
www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 11

Lots of parks have done this. In fact, I have gotten them at SFA before. It depends on which park, and when they decide to close. They gave them out at SFA because rain was forcasted for rain all day. It was like 3pm and they sent all the workers home, so they had to give passes to everyone.

Black 7, I wasn't complaining. Obviously, when you go to Hershey, you're going to have their products shoved in your face constantly. Have you ever ridden the Chocolate Factory Tour? They even have a ride photo at the end.
------------------
If you have a problem with clones, the solution is real simple—Stop traveling.

I'm not saying that it isn't tacky, but it is how parks get the money to put in new multi-million dollar coasters. If even one person out of every thousand people that walk through that shop buys something, they are looking good. I hate having to walk though them too, but I do just that, I walk through them. The same with the on-ride photos, people buy them and they are very profitable.

I worked in retail for far too long, and can tell you, impulse buying is a big deal. It is usually very high profit. GL, it could be worse, that large gift shop at Dorney's entrance used to be the park exit.

------------------
"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone

Coming soon to your local park:

Merchandise: The Ride

Riders board their very own shopping cart 6 at a time and take a wild journey through the world's largest park related merchandise shop. Part dark ride, part interactive shopping frenzy - You will have the opportunity to grab anything that interests you as you pass by shelves full of great plush toys, cups and other souvenirs with our logo pasted all over it. A prerecorded track describing the items as you pass is delivered from each seat's state of the art sound system featuring full dolby digital surround sound coming from 7 speakers located around the rider - including an 18 inch, earth rumbling subwoofer located under the rider's seat. As you grab an item, be sure to scan it with your "fun gun" and watch your "score" rise on a high definition monitor positioned in the control pad in front of you. At the end of your journey just use the control pad to swipe your credit card and validate your total score. The player with the highest total wins!

Hmmm. I bet Disney would buy that idea from me ;)

------------------
www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 11

Check out the attendance figures kiddies... HP comes in at 21s most attended....Considering the top 13 are parks that are open all year round, I'd say HP is hardly losing their ass.

------------------
Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions

Lord Gonchar said:
Can anyone here honestly say they ever had a severe lapse of willpower and actually made an impulse buy while exiting a ride?

Um, *raises hand slowly so as not to make a scene...* ME! I'm an impulse buyer anywhere I go, and I've done this @ PKD, PKI, SFA, PCar, and SFGAm:)

------------------
President, C.R.A.P. (Coaster Rescurers And Preservationists).