Hersheypark: No more water rides needed

Unless of course they're going to build a totally separate water park such as CPs soak city.

They need to concentrate on more thrill rides. What about it?

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

True for us, but then they would be ignorig their key demographic. However, I wouldn't complain if they built the water park across the street, maybe building a tunnel under the roadway like some other great Pennsylvania park *cough*cough. However, Hershey's great. I could only ask them to build a hyper and floorless, it's pretty much all they need in my opinion.

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How many rides must a man go on, before you may call him a fan?

Well if you come to think about it, most "crowd pleasing" non-coaster rides at amusement parks are usually the water flumes. Whether it is the log flume or rapids, these are the rides the whole family can take, and they're fun too.

Hershey Park seems to be doing just fine in the way they are handling business. That park isn't supposed to be about thrills. Ok, yes, they have an inverted, but not as tall or long as other ones. Their key demographic is families, not enthusiasts. I think they are doin a great job, they got great wooden coasters, an excellent wild mouse, and a very nice inverted. They also have a wide array of flat rides, which are actually operational. Also, if you noticed, the park is getting quite jammed with rides. If you go down by Comet Hollow and that area, they are squeezing everything in. Only way to expand is into the parking, and that is hard with the old Hershey Arena there.

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Take a Virtual Ride:
http://badnitrus.coasterbuzz.com
Mike "Viper" Semtak

Well, with the construction of the new arena out away from the park in the parking lot, the old arena's days might be numbered.

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Scott W. Short
scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

The old arena will eventually be incorporated into the park for multiple uses. They have plenty of room to expand if they relocate to admission gate area to north of the arena, wheras you would enter next to that arcade that is in the dome. Just a thought.

ShiveringTim: Don't get your hopes up just yet about the Hersheypark Arena's demise. At the present, all plans are to keep it as a secondary venue. I have the feeling that the old barn will be there for many years to come.

Agent Johnson: Wouldn't that then isolate the areas of Tudor Square and Rhineland (and even Carrousel Circle to a certain extent) if the Main Admission gate was relocated to the north side of the HP Arena (sort of close to where it was in the late 1960's / early 1970's)?

But back to the water rides... Personally, one thing I think they should do... replace the old Coal Cracker. This has got to be the most boring flume ride ever. Nearing its 30th birthday, its starting to show its age.

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

*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 10/11/2002. ***

I have heard that the old arena is still going to be used for practice for the Hershey Bears and other small events.

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Take a Virtual Ride:
http://badnitrus.coasterbuzz.com
Mike "Viper" Semtak

Viper423: Current plans are for the old HP arena to be the practice ice for the Hershey Bears, "home ice" for Lebanon Valley Colleges Ice Hockey team, the Flying Dutchman, and as a secondary venue for smaller events.

Pre season games there on Oct 5 and 6 show that inside it is business as usual. Some of the ads on the boards and around the arena have been removed, but some have been changed to new ones since the end of last season.

The Bear's championship Calder Cup Banners, along with Frank Mather's retired #3, Mike Nykoluk's retired #8, Tim Tookey's and Arnie Kuhlman's retired #9, and Mitch Lamoureaux and Willie Marshall's retired #16 are to remaining hanging "from the rafters" of the Hersheypark Arena. New versions of these banners are scheduled to be raised to "the rafters" of the new Giant Center (I think as part of the opening game cerimonies on Oct 19).

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

*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 10/11/2002. ***

SLFAKE said:
But back to the water rides... Personally, one thing I think they should do... replace the old Coal Cracker.

Just because its boring doesn't mean that it isn't a popular ride. Besides, what would you be able to do with that space, anways? Its so wedge in with so many other attractions I don't know what else the space would be good for.

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

What else would the space be good for? Hmmmmm... let me see... How about a new flume? It could use the same basic path... but with a first, smaller drop somewhere in the course. Most flumes I have encountered have at least 2 drops (Kennywood, Knoebels, Clementon, Waldamere, BGT, BGW... even Dutch Wonderland). The only thing that makes Dorney's 1 drop flume more exciting is the fact that it is built on the hill side and at ground level. I am not even going to include IOA's Dudley-do-Right in this... with all the theming nothing could compare to that one.

I wasn't saying "get rid of the flume"... I was saying "replace Coal Cracker" (i.e. "replace it with a flume that is more than a "one drop pony" in the same location").

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

I wasn't sure if they were replacing the old arena with the new arena. I'm glad to hear that it's going to stay.

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Scott W. Short
scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

Yeah, I see what your saying about Coal Cracker, but from the park's stand point, there really is no point. They'd have a hard time marketing something like adding a drop or 2 to a log flume. "Hey! Coal Cracker used to have one drop, but now it has 2! Even more reason to come to Hershey in 2003!" There's just gotta be some sort of return on investment for something that would be that pricey, and I don't see where it would come from.

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

*** This post was edited by ravenguy98 on 10/11/2002. ***

I was under the impression that Hersheypark's next major addition/expansion was a waterpark. The working title, as I understand it, is Cocoa Beach.

I would suspect it to be a seperate admission with access to it via the regular park... ala ZooAmerica. P.S. Isn't ZooAmerica a seperate admission or have they encorporated it?

Shaggy

Admission to Zoo America has always been included in the admission to the park. HOWEVER... You can visit Zoo America all year round (even when the park is closed) by entering through a gate at Zoo America. I am not sure the policy during the time when the park is open. Not sure if you can visit simply Zoo America (at a greatly reduced rate of course) by the Zoo America entrance with out going through the entire park. (How would they keep people who visit ONLY Zoo America from walking across the bridge and into the park?)

EDIT: I just checked and was going to post it here... but it looks like RavenGuy beat me to it with the link.

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

*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 10/11/2002. ***

Shaggy: Looks like its included, which I didn't even realize when I was there.

http://www.zooamerica.com/admission.html

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

ZooAmerica is included with the park admission. When you cross the bridge they stamp your hand and then put it under one of those lights when you go to reenter the park so they know you came from the park and aren't trying to sneak in.

Duh! Why didn't I figure that out!

I was thinking that they some how stamped or other wise noted those people who entered from the Rt743 entrance so they could not get across the bridge (what a mess that could be). I over looked simplest solution... stamp those who enter from the park (similar to the "re entry" hand stamps at the main gate) so that they can get back in!

(Just goes to show how long it has been since I have been to Zoo America... 1982 I think)

All this waterpark talk... I know these things are popular... but I was never very enthralled by them (my wife and I went to the one of the water parks at Morey's Piers and after a day on the slides etc our aching bodies reminded us that "We're gettin' too damned old for this stuff!"). IF they do go the water park route... I would like to see them put it on land that is NOT adjacient to the park... create a separate attraction. I would like to see any available land near the park (like across Hersheypark Drive) be kept available for any park expansions in the future. Right now they are pretty much land locked.

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

*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 10/11/2002. ***

The only problem I see with the Coal Cracker is that it is to short. That doesn't keep me from riding it though. I think that HPs water rides are unmatched. They have every one there is, so that's why I say no more needed. Family oriented or not, coasters is where it's at and that's what keeps that green and white paper coming in.

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

Not really related, but yet kind of related:

The new GIANT Center looks great. Last night was an open house for Bears season ticket holders. Talk about a 1st class building... no cut corners here. Anyway, to link this to the park... not sure just traffic flow will be for the park... signs say "Hersheypark and Bus Traffic ----- " and are directed around the west side of GIANT Center. Are they changing the main enterance to the complex and routing everything through the GIANT Center's parking lots?

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