Hershey and Wildcat’s Revenge, 9/3/23

My mother in law passed away on 9/2, so I wasn’t going to go to Hershey, but my husband insisted since the trip was already paid for. I think he wanted me out of his hair for some alone time. I get it. I still felt guilty though.

Anyway, the beginning of the day went fairly smoothly, and we didn’t even need a tram from our spot (although I still think the walk to most amusement park front gates is a bit excessive, but I’m fat, so…). There was no line entering the park despite it being around opening time, so that’s a big improvement from their previous gate performance. I’m guessing paperless purchases with most buying their tickets online really helps speed things up.

There were slow moving lines for Fastpass/lane/whatever bracelet stations, but my friend Babs had made acquaintances with the one attendant during our previous visit, so he grabbed us and put us at a station with no people in it and directed us through the process with minimal muss or fuss.

Babs and I then walk-sprinted to Wildcat’s Revenge, only to find an approximately fifty person wait outside of the entrance gate. I asked one of the attendants what was going on, and I admit I was probably a little snippy because this was my second trip to Hershey for this coaster, and I cannot afford to keep coming back. The attendant got a little nasty, saying, “guys, the attendants don’t want to be standing here dealing with a bunch of angry people either”, and although I was only slightly grumpy with him, I immediately felt bad. I apologized and asked if I could just try the seat to see if I even fit to begin with. Then I told the attendant he could smoosh me into the seat like Winnie the Pooh if needed, and I made a few jokes about barely fitting and pushing my fat around to get some rides on this coaster, and I got him smiling and cracking up. I think I made his day because he said people can get really upset if they don’t fit and they yell at him. I saw him much later in the day, and he was doing better. Poor kid.

Again I digress. WR wasn’t looking like it would open any time soon, so we walked over to Lightning Racer, did a lap, got a photo pass so we could have all the ride photos, and moved on. I talked Babs into riding Howler, but it turns out neither of us likes to spin anymore. Like at all. That’s new for me, so I was really bummed because I used to LOVE to spin. Next was Fahrenheit in the very back seat, and it was as good as it always is. It’s such a fun coaster, and I always forget about it for some reason. I hate the lift hill, but the drop is a blast, and there are some very cool moments throughout the ride experience. It’s not in my top 10, but it’s certainly a great coaster, and I’ve got to re-evaluate its placement on my list.

Next was food (Chickie and Pete’s for me, Subway for Babs). Chickie and Pete’s is not good at Hershey, or if it is, it’s not good at THAT C&Ps. They don’t cut the sandwich down the middle, and they just globbed on the cheese sauce and onions in a few spots, leaving other spots almost totally bare. Also, the guy did not seem to know what he was doing with the special cup for drinks, and he didn’t activate my cup correctly because it never worked for the day, so we had to keep asking an attendant to fill it and explaining why our refills were free. Subway was apparently good though.

Next up: Storm Runner! This is Babs’ favorite coaster in the park, and I think I agree. Nostalgia may play a part in my love for Storm Runner for sure because I have so many memories involving this ride, but it undeniably is a blast regardless of my history with it, so I definitely understand her love for it. We waited once for the front car so she could experience that (there’s not a bad seat on this whole ride, but everyone should do the front at least once I think), and then we saw WR was open, so we booked it back over to the ‘Cat.

With our STL bracelets, we basically could walk on to WR at this point, so we waited the extra five or so trains to ride in the front seats. This was both our first time on the ride and our first RMC respectively, so it felt like it had to be done that way. I am so very glad we waited. I am also still clueless as to what happened on that ride. I know we went upside down a few times. I know there was so much airtime. I know I laughed a lot. Could I tell you anything about the layout other than The Lift Hill That Could or the fantastic floaty first drop? Nope! I got off that coaster pleasantly confused, amused, and pretty beat up. This is indeed an aggressive coaster that is almost too much at once, and I wish the elements were a tad more spaced out, but it’s still a masterpiece and fairly re-rideable.

After two rides on WR, we hit Storm Runner one more time towards the back, and then we had to leave. We were going to hit Skyrush but it was closed, and then we were going to get on Candymonium but decided we didn’t have time (Babs had to be home early). Then I decided I would nearly pass out in a gift shop, and I had to be carted to First Aid. Babs was taking pics the whole time because we’re both medical professionals and she was finding this hilarious. I was not amused at the time but laughed later. Staff was so good to us both, and the driver who took us to my car was a bada** who did not like Hershey traffic rules and drove the golf cart like he stole it. We were both practically cackling with laughter by the end of our last wild ride of the day. He literally drove us right up to my car too. So very kind, all the Hershey medical and retail and security staff we interacted with during my little emergency. Everyone actually during the day were friendly and mainly knowledgeable.

So yeah, from 10:30ish to 3:00ish, the ride count was:

1 Lightning Racer

2 Storm Runner

2 Wildcat Revenge

1 Fahrenheit

1 Howler

For a holiday weekend, 7 rides in 3.5 hours was excellent I think. We also ate in there and rode the benches for a bit in between. If I could still power ride, I think we could have easily fit more Wildcat or Storm Runner laps before we left. The crowds were really insane walking around the park, but I don’t feel like lines for anything we’re all that crazy. Yes, the park was busy, but I’ve seen it SO much worse. I think perhaps we rode in a good order because most people hit up Candymonium and Skyrush and other coasters in the front of the park first and we did the opposite. Not really sure. In any case, the unlimited STL bracelet is definitely an asset, and Hershey tries their best to blend people fairly with it. They seemed staffed just fine as well, and I didn’t feel annoyed by any slow lines or unpleasant workers. It was an enjoyable day for being so crowded and hot, and I’d do it again like that anytime. Minus of course the passing out thing. I’ll hydrate even more in the future.