Hersheypark - 8/19/06

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NitroFan said:

Hershey could sure use a lesson from Knoebel's regarding their food quality and pricing.

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Why? If they can get their asking price, why lower it? Do you see hungry people NOT eating all day just cause of the prices? Do you see less people eating food at Hershey than at Knoebel's? I mean, I realize as a working man and consumer, you like low prices and to save your money, but Hersheypark is a business, and its about making money, so why make less money when you could make more? The rides are great so I dont think people will stop going just because of food prices. I don't see Hershey suffering in the attendance dept so IMO their food pricing is just good business practice.

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FballReimer11 said:

...but Hersheypark is a business, and its about making money, so why make less money when you could make more?

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You are absolutely correct.

Parking should be $15, admission should be $60 and they should charge an admission for Chocolate World.

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LdScotsman said:
I could never live there though, the whole town smelled like chocolate, I would lose my mind.

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You get used to it. I grew up less than a mile from the M&Ms factory in Hackettstown, NJ, and after a while you just don't really notice it.

(Different company, I know, but it still dumped out that same chocolate smell everywhere. I don't know if they STILL make the M&Ms there, but I note that on the back of this packet of M&Ms I happen to have handy, it does still say "Hackettstown, NJ"...)

(Edited to fix the quote tags)
*** Edited 8/23/2006 1:06:02 PM UTC by GregLeg***

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NitroFan said:
Parking should be $15, admission should be $60 and they should charge an admission for Chocolate World.

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Don't put words into his mouth. He is correct... you charge what the market will bare.

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needless quote removed -J

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I wasn't really.

SFGadv general admission $59.99 according to their website.

SFA parking $15

Both parks within the marketing area.

HP 2007 Season pass $130 (valid at one park) SFA 2006 season pass $45.99 (valid at 19 parks) *** Edited 8/23/2006 5:50:38 PM UTC by Jeff***

HP season pass, admission for 19 visits to one park = $130, parking = $0. Grand total = $130. Season pass valid for Halloween and Christmas events.

SFA season pass, admission for 1 visit to each of 19 different parks = $45.99. parking = $285. Grand total = $330.99.

It's true Hershey sells a lot of food and drink at the prices they charge (I wish it would be a bit lower), so they are charging what the market will bear. But the dozens of restaurants within a mile of the park aren't hurting for business either, so it appears there are some people who think the prices/value/quality could stand some improvement.

Re: Great Bear, I really like the layout of the course and how it interacts with other rides. Talon and Raptor, for example, both great rides, but they stay self-contained in their own little parcels.

A question: the spiel on the Monorail states that Great Bear has 7 elements to correspond with the 7 stars of the constellation. I figure you have 4 inversions and the helix. What are the other two? Do they count the drop?

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RatherGoodBear said:

But the dozens of restaurants within a mile of the park aren't hurting for business either, so it appears there are some people who think the prices/value/quality could stand some improvement.

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Maybe, but maybe not. Alot of people who visit the park do not live in the area, so its easy to stop and grab a bite on your way home. I think thats why the resturants do well. If Hersheypark was like Kennywood where the majority of the visitors are locals and the resturants were making more money than the parks refreshment stands, then your point is a good one. Still, the park doesnt care if people eat outside the park because they are making the profit they want to at the current prices. Their goal isnt to beat the local resturants out of business. They want to make money in the park. Plus, who wants to go to the park, leave and drive a mile away for a 10 minute lunch or 15 minute dinner and drive back to the park, find a parking spot again, and then re-enter? Just a pain in the ass that most people probably arent willing to put up with. Just try to put yourself in Hersheypark's shoes, or any park's shoes for that matter. Roller Coasters, rides, employee wages, salaries, power bills, sewage, etc... suck a ton of money out of the money that that bring in. And a park like Hershey obviously has much higher expenses than a park like Knoebel's, hence the higher admission and higher food prices. They are in it to make money. *** Edited 8/23/2006 5:45:22 PM UTC by FballReimer11***

Perhaps the S-curve at the end is one of them?

Hershey Park is near the top of my list as well. I've always been a fan of Lightning Racer, Wildcat, Great Bear, and Sooper Dooper Looper. I've only had one ride on Storm Runner, but it was indeed fun. The airtime through the zero-g roll was wicked!

Something I really like about the park is how there are giftshops and things outside the gate. You feel like you're already inside the park well before you reach the gate. And the other thing I really like which Jeff pointed out was how much detail they put into the stations for the newer woodies. It really adds to the atmosphere of the area and the ride. *** Edited 8/23/2006 9:01:13 PM UTC by Acoustic Viscosity***

I have ZERO rides on StormRunner, haven't been back to HP since it was built. That WILL be rectified next year, I promise... ;)

Still, one of my five favorite parks on the PLANET. :)
*** Edited 8/23/2006 6:44:16 PM UTC by rollergator***

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RatherGoodBear said:
HP season pass, admission for 19 visits to one park = $130, parking = $0. Grand total = $130. Season pass valid for Halloween and Christmas events.

SFA season pass, admission for 1 visit to each of 19 different parks = $45.99. parking = $285. Grand total = $330.99.

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But then again, if you have the money to travel to all 19 SF parks, the $200 isn't a factor. (and not all the SF parks are $15 parking, we just did SFKK and it was a measly $5 charge)

I think more realistically in terms of the comparison being made is someone who's generally equal distance (and equal cost) in making their way to either park and forcing the decision. If so:

HP season pass, admission for 19 visits to one park = $130, parking = $0. Grand total = $130. Season pass valid for Halloween and Christmas events and includes perks such as, "Season Pass Value Book of coupons, 15% off food and merchandise and more"

SFA season pass, admission for 19 visits to one park = $46, parking pass = $40. Grand total = $86. Season pass valid for Halloween event and includes perks such as, "2 free tickets for friends on selected days, discounts for friends, in-park special savings and much more"

Then with the $44 difference you could still visit 3 other SF parks if you happened to be in the area and pay maximum full price parking before you hit the same cost as the HP pass.

*** Edited 8/23/2006 9:13:24 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

^ However, this is probably one of the mistakes with Six Flags, especially the medium sized ones--giving away the gate with season passes. I still think gate prices should have stayed the same and season passes should have gone up (though HP's are a bit pricey--they shouldn't make them more than $100 IMO). This would help eliminate the "baby sitting" that SF has been doing.

As for parking, it does vary at different SF parks, but the reason SFKK is so low is because the lot is run by someone else--not SF. You can bet if Shapiro had his way, we'd see at least a $10 fee.

(note: for this post items preceded by a dash represent what I'm saying while items in italics represent what I'm thinking when I say it :) )

- I think SF is underpriced as far as passes too. Ridiculously so.

And don't forget, we're talking about SF - so when a price is low it represents a 'problem' rather than 'value'

- Oh, I'm sure SFKK's parking price would be $15 is they had control, but the point was that it's not generally as simple as 19 parks x $15 to come up with a number.

But again, we're talking about SF, so when parking is only $5 it's not a good value (even though you'd be hard pressed to park that cheaply anywhere), but rather it's something they would raise if they could.

-Actually, since the real subject here is HP, I personally don't think $130 is too much for a season pass *anywhere*, but given comparisons to others in the industry, $130 for access to one park is an abysmal value. No one outside of Orlando is charging that much for unlimited access to a single park.

*** Edited 8/23/2006 9:07:04 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

If I lived within an hour of Hershey, I would likely go at least 5 times a season if not something like 10. I figure an average of $20 a visit is acceptable (for me), so I wouldn't mind paying $150. It's a great value IMO.

SF season passes are a steal. Raising the prices may help minimize the babysitter effect, but it won't bring in families either.

Again, I agree. $130 is a very fair price for a season pass, I've often wondered why parks don't charge out the ying yang for these things.

For clarity, what I said was in comparison to others in the industry it is an abysmal value.

Offhand, I can't think of a park outside of Orlando that charges that much for a season pass...and those get you into multiple parks in most cases.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is there another season pass out there anywhere where the cost divided by the parks available to visit equals that much? Heck, is there another pass outside of Orlando that costs that much period? Even including parks that require and additional fee for a parking pass.

Or could the 'true' costs of HP's pass be something like $90 for the pass and a non-optional $40 parking pass included? :)

Just some thoughts.

I thought some of the smaller parks like Clementon cost over a $100.

Morey's season passes are something like $300! Sure that gets you into three piers, but it's really one park. *** Edited 8/23/2006 9:48:07 PM UTC by Acoustic Viscosity***

Wow, Morey's passes are that much...if you're under age 25.

Looks like their way of 'discouraging' the younger crowd from making the parks a hangout. Those under 25 years pay $325, but adults older than 25 (or children under 42") pay $230.

It's actually an interesting way to create 'value' for families (adults over 25, kids under 42") while making the unattended kids* pay more up front.

(*note: for Morey's purposes a 'kid' is anyone from 4 to 24 ;) )

Disneyland passes are higher, unless you are content to go only during weekdays in the offseason.

So how do they enforce that exactly? Each pass is varified with photo ID before purchase? So parents can't buy their 24 year-old a pass at the parent price? Interesting. Seems like that's what SF should be doing.

If I lived near Morey's, I could see myself getting my money's worth out of a $230 pass. It would be a great summer hang-out. Riding the flitzer all summer long; drool.... :)

Off the pass topic:
Great to read my own thoughts in someone else's trip report! :) Storm Runner's the bomb-diggity, and Hersheypark's the best out there. I got my first Golden Ticket ballot this year and you know what, the "dynasty" should come to an end this year as far as I'm concerned.

Sort of follows Gonch's line on the Intamin launchers at this point: Cali did it first, Ohio has the biggest, PA does it best ...

Now back to your reguarly scheduled season pass pricing/economic discussion.