My family is planning a trip to hershey for the end of July, and I have a few questions.
1. How are the crowds at the park this that time of the summer? Keep in mind that I'm used to CP crowds.
2.Is there any type of plan for hitting all the coasters in one day?
3.Is there anything special in the park that I should be sure to try besides the coasters?
-----------------
my dumb little page
Proud supporter of Agressive Negotiations.
regarding ??s 2 and 3, I was just there yesterday, and it seemed to me that everyone went to 'comet hollow' first - my advice is to walk back to Lightning Racer and work your way up - there was NOBODY there for quite a while.
as for question 3, yes, there is something special in the park to try...CHOCOLATE!
-----------------
WARNING: May be habit forming
The crowds will vary depending on what day of the week you go...I was there this past saturday and it wasn't very crowded, but the forecast kept a lot of people away. If you go on a Saturday, expect some crowds...any other day and you shouldn't have a problem getting all the coasters in. The longest coaster lines belong to the Great Bear, Comet, Sidewinder and Wild Maus. If your main goal is to be sure to hit all the coasters, I would recommend doing Comet, SuperDooperLooper, Great Bear, Trailblazer, Sidewinder, Roller Soaker, Lightning Racer, Wildcat, and Wild Maus in that order (assuming that you get there at park opening). You will get most of the long lines done during the early hours when lines are shortest, you will be on Roller Soaker during long lines, but that's when the ride will be most fun with people everywhere getting soaked. LR and Wildcat have good capacities so you will be doing them during busy times and you should wait until the end of the day to hit Wild Maus and hopefully the line will have died down a little. I love this ride and highly recommend not skipping it. This plan of attack would hit the coasters in a good order and it minimizes the amount of time spent walking the park. If you were looking to skip a few to save time and get some other stuff done, then I would skip Trailblazer (decent mine ride, but just too short...the helix at the end is the best part) and Sidewinder (standard non-inverted boomerang that causes a big headache).
Obviously you should do the Chocalate tour (it's free after all) and I have heard good reviews on the new 3-D movie in Chocalate World. I am not sure if you are familiar with HP or not, but Chocolate World is a separate building. It is on the park grounds, but it is outside the gates. Inside Chocalate World is the free Chocalate tour (with a free sample at the end), the 3-D movie (add'l charge), and all the chocalate you could ever imagine buying (ie-lots of shopping and eating venues revolving around chocalate). If you like fudge, be sure to get some here.
Other things to do inside the park are Coal Cracker (log flume), Tidal Force (shoot-the-chute), The Whip, and Canyon River Rapids. For food, I highly recommend the Texas BBQ between Trailblazer and the Aquatheatre...the smell alone will suck you in.
Just to give you an idea of how much time you may have...on a slow Saturday (but still a busy day, just not as busy as most Saturdays), we got in all coasters except Comet, SuperDooperLooper, and Roller Soaker (just too cold). We left the park with 1 1/2 hours left in the day (we have season passes, so we will be back to do the stuff that we missed) because it was getting too chilly. And spent a lot of the afternoon and evening hours doing shows. If you skip shows, you should have plenty of time to get all coasters in. I recommend getting to the park early, say 9:00, and go right to Chocalate World to watch the 9:30 3-D show and then do the Chocalate tour...then head over to the park, you should be in the park by 10:15 and have plenty of time to do everything. I realize you are going with your parents, so you may not be able to set your own schedule, but I thought I would at least offer suggestions to help you out.
Happy Coastering!
Sean
-----------------
"Have fun stormin' the castle!"
Last summer I visited the park on a weekday in July and had about 10 minute waits on every coaster including Lightning Racer. You should have no problem hitting all the coasters in one day. If you'd like to see the pictures from my trip to Hersheypark visit my website at:
www.angelfire.com/extreme2/rollercoaster2/index.html
-----------------
I enjoyed the NightLights laser show very much, so catch it if you can. ZooAmerica is a lovely collection of North American Wildlife presented in a peaceful and nicely layed out setting. ZooAmerica is a great escape if the crowds become too much.
I am a fan of Ferris Wheels, and one of my favorites is the Giant Wheel near the Carousel. It is a unique double Ferris Wheel that gives riders a unique flying sensation as the arm rotates and raises/lowers at the same time.
I would also recommend checking out the evening show in the amphitheatre. There is usually a variety band or some kind of concert scheduled each night and they are most often a lot of fun. Most Sunday evenings the Amphitheatre features a somewhat famous performer and it is included with admission.
Chocolate World is not to be missed, but there is another "hidden gem" in Hershey. If you appreciate landscaping and gardens, then you should visit Hershey Gardens below the Hotel Hershey. It is a beautiful place to stroll for an hour or two, and it features an entertaining butterfly house. The gardens also located on a hill that offers a spectacular view of Hersheypark and the chocolate factory.
Enjoy your visit.
Nightlights was the biggest waste of 45 minutes that I experience in all my amusement park travels last year. Hell, the lines for Millennium Force were more interesting. The fact that they close down Midway America early for it really frosts my cookies!
But that is the ONLY negative thing that I can say about HersheyPark. It is truely a magnificant place and the only park that I really believe is a better FAMILY park than even DisneyLand (hell, even Mickey Mouse has been to Hershey).
As for a plan of attack, I used the PoA in this TR ( http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=13&TopicID=10072 ) 2 out of 3 visits last year and it worked well. I'm not sure how much RollerSoaker is going to throw it off, but my guess is not much. The one addendum I need to make is that if you "TAKE MY ADVICE" and avoid the NightLights show like the plague, use this time to get in re-rides on the coasters in Comet Hollow (Great Bear, SDL, Comet). The last time I was there, they were doing a patriotic salute in lieu of NightLights, but the premise was the same. Everybody flooded Midway America right before it shut down to "cop a squat" for a good view of the show. Meanwhile, Comet Hollow was dead so we were able to get some quick rides ( http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=13&TopicID=14249 ).
Three Quick Notes:
1) I do NOT believe (anymore) that Great Bear is as lame as Raptor
2) Lighting Racer is no longer hampered by a "just for fun" tag. It is outright my 2nd favorite woodie.
3) One other negative re HP, the parking lot leaving was a zoo. In the words of Mr. Horse from Ren and Stimpy "No sir, didn't like it."
lata,
jeremy
-----------------
Besides, if we were really shutting down people we disagreed with, would Jeremy (2Hostyl) still be around? :) I think not. - Jeff 1/24/02
Fishy is right..everyone hits The Comet first because its the first coaster you see when you enter the park.
We have season passes and Sundays are the deadest days..all the rides were WALK_ONS when we went early June. July does get a bit more crowded BUT go during the week.
Hit the Midway first..that is where The Wildcat and The Mouse are..then work your way to Lightning Racer..if you want to endure the long lines and WASTED time..you can hit Roller Soaker..it was a waste of my 45 minute wait even when they had the water turned OFF.
Great Bear is great to hit at around 6pm and you can hit The Comet then too with a 15 min wait..Super Dooper Looper NEVER has lines anymore..:)
Other then the coasters, Tidal force is great but usually has long lines..along with the Rapids...but Hershey just has your basic flat rides and a ferris wheel..I love the Giant Wheel though but go during mid-afternoon cause peeps hit that too upon entering the park.
Have a great trip!!
-----------------
Planned parks: Astroland, Knoebel's, Hersheypark, SFNE, SFGadv,SFGam,CP,PKI,PKD,PCW,HW,Indiana Beach,SFWOA,SFKK,SFDL,SFSTL,Lakemont,DelGrosso's... Need I say more?
-----------------
my dumb little page
Proud supporter of Agressive Negotiations.
"Lightning Racer isn't very lined up"
um..can you elaborate on this? From the 100+ times I have been on this from day one..they have always been "lined" up..dispatched at the same time with all 4 trains running...
Go to the county fair area in the back of the park first, there are virtually no lines there at the beginning of the day. Then move forward. You will be able to do everything and repeat some if you follow this path. We usually start there, go around the park, and end up back in the county fair section at night because the lighting is so nice there. However, at night, that section is most crowded and they do close the rides early because of the laser show. When the rides start closing there, you can move forward in the park and hit a few more rides.
We were there on a saturday in sept, and the parking lot was absolutely full. However, the longest we waited for anything that day was about 30 mins. Hershey has very good capacity.
Listen to Coaster Joe he's a smart man. Use the search here on the Coasterbuzz and read a few of the reports about Knoebels I don't think I ever read a bad one.
Either way Hershey or Knoebels both are great parks and you should have a great time at either.
-----------------
Knoebels visits in 2002. 4
*** This post was edited by coasterpunk on 6/19/2002. ***
-----------------
WOO! We're in the Quarterfinals! Take that world! Ole!
The "factory store" has the freshest candy you've ever had!
Eric
-----------------
That is alllll........
-----------------
Why do they report power outages on TV?
phydeux said:
"I'm a bit interested to know why lightning racer doesn't have longer lines though."
-------------
"To get inside this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do
You must be logged in to post