Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[coasterfreak101Gimme Some Candy!]

-Skyrush needs a single rider line, or at least better seating management from the ops. Each and every train had about 5-6 empty seats (sometimes more, and sometimes two together)...even in the morning when the queue was full.

-People seem to get more confused by the rotating bins than they actually help. Hopefully it's just a learning curve and the process will be mastered over time.

-The fact that people exit the same side they enter really slows things down. The crew has to wait until everyone has gotten their belongings and left the area to open the air gates for the next people to board the train (and of course you always have the people who fool around and don't move swiftly).

...

I also found this a bit odd today, and maybe someone can answer this for me. Every single coaster had one, two, or a few of its middle rows chained off, but they were still loading those seats. Why?

The rotating bins are great in theory, but terrible in practice. Half of them don't spin automatically, and people have no clue which color to put their stuff in. As a result, they end up slowing loading even more than the poor station design already does. Seriously, if the air gates don't even open until the other train is already rounding the turn over Comet's station, you have a real problem.

Once people were in their seats, the ride ops were usually pretty efficient. Essentially, they were getting trains out as quick as any other ride in the park. Now, that isn't saying much for a place where a 12-seat coaster double-stacks, but you figure if they can work out the station design problems, they can easily pump trains through Intimidator-style.

Also, those rows are chained off for the Fast Track guests, I believe. It's completely obnoxious to rope off entire cars, when you could just hold guests back if a group walks up the exit. I get that guests might get mad that way, but it slowed down operations everywhere.

Does anyone know if the SooperDooperLooper is running more reliably now. When I was there on 5/26 they were having some major issues.

It was running one train consistently all day, which gave it a line down the stairs and almost outside in the afternoon. The new trains are very smooth though, hopefully they get them both running sooner than later!

[AstrojackFull Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

I made my first trip to Hershey on Saturday and had a great time. Got to ride all the coasters except for Sidewinder and the Wild Mouse. Average wait for the rides were about 30-40 minutes, minus the hour and 40 min wait for Fahrenheit. Rode Storm Runner, Skyrush, and Lightning Racer twice since those 3 were my favorite at the park.

I won't go into to much detail about Skyrush since most of it has been covered. But if you want a more traditional coaster ride, sit in the middle seats. The winged seats really turn the ride into an out of control experience. I sat on the left wing seat for my last ride of the night, and it was a wild experience. It felt like my body was all over the seat trying not to fall out The mix of strong airtime followed by getting pulled down into a turn really felt like I was trying to get yanked out of the seat. The twisty airtime hill, my body kept wanting to go up, but the ride wanted me to get pulled down for the twist

I don't remember reading anything about this, but there's a bump in the middle of the first hill. It's noticeable in the POV how the camera jerks. Guess it was intended to make you eject out of your seat even more?

[coasterfreak101Gimme Some Candy!]

The jerk in the first drop is what makes it the best one out there, I think. Riding in the back, that drop is absolutely insane. It's almost El Toro quality for the first part, and then that extra jerk comes and it becomes the craziest thing that's ever happened to me like, ever. Way to go Intamin!

[NJCroMagI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Rode Skyrush for the first time yesterday...got to the gates 40 minutes before opening, beat feet to the ride once gates opened and waited less than five minutes to get on.

Was situated somewhere in the middle of the coaster and had a right wing seat.

I can't add to anything that's already been said, but the airtime is absolutely unreal, and my butt spent more time out of my seat than in it. Like many others, I hated the boarding setup, but I had no issues with the lap bar. Granted, I only rode it once, but I felt no pain/discomfort afterwards.

The lift is spectacular, and you are practically whipped over that first hill.

Was on a tight time schedule and only had two hours to kill yesterday, but right after Skyrush, we hit Great Bear (no line) twice, Storm Runner (5-10 minute wait) twice, Fahrenheit (no line) twice and the Claw (moderate line), and still got out of there before noon.

[Chain DawgI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

It was running one train consistently all day, which gave it a line down the stairs and almost outside in the afternoon. The new trains are very smooth though, hopefully they get them both running sooner than later!

Thanks for the info. Looks like with the magnetic braking there isn't that sudden jerk-to-stop at the end anymore. Good to hear the trains are smooth. I have 2 young girls that love that ride, and that is the one THEY care about, since they aren't big enough to get on Skyrush. SDL is a great starter coaster for young kids. Hershey has a good balance for young and old alike.

[AstrojackFull Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

On Saturday both trains were running on SDL when I rode. This was my first time riding it, but the sudden stop coming into the brake run was there as well.

[coasterfreak101Gimme Some Candy!]

^I have to completely disagree. Sure, the space you stop in on SDL is short, but the way in which you stop now is much more fluid. I can ride it now without bracing myself coming up out of the final helix.

Regardless, the rest of the ride is running outstandingly. Each turn just feels so much smoother, the mid-course brakes out of the tunnel are less jarring as well, and I don't think I was ever thrown to the side. Great ride before, even better now!

[ahechtFluffy, Fluffy, Donkeys Filled With Medicine and Goo!]

^I have to completely disagree. Sure, the space you stop in on SDL is short, but the way in which you stop now is much more fluid. I can ride it now without bracing myself coming up out of the final helix.

Regardless, the rest of the ride is running outstandingly. Each turn just feels so much smoother, the mid-course brakes out of the tunnel are less jarring as well, and I don't think I was ever thrown to the side. Great ride before, even better now!

The new trains also seem to have much more knee room. Back when I rode in 2004, the knee cushions were very close and obviously well used. Between the roomier trains and smoother stop, there didn't seem to be much need for the pads.

[TheAmazingCPCan I park my donkey here?]

SDL was running one train today. Line wasn't too bad- chewed through it in about 15 minutes. Looks very nice and spiffy, and the brakes are much smoother and fluid.

Skyrush was freakin amazing, and one of my new favorites. The second hill was one of the most insane moments of airtime I've ever experienced. But since everyone is probably sick of all the good things, I'll say the negative. Obviously, the lap-bar crushed my thighs. When we sitting on the brakes waiting to unload, I began to lose feeling in my legs. The outer seats seemed tighter and more painful. Queue will overflow very quickly on a Saturday in summer. Line was full today and it only took 30 minutes to get to the loading. Also, dispatches were pretty slow, with a train sent out every 3-5 minutes. The single side load/unload doesn't help either.

Everything in the park ran great, though. Storm Runner could use some paint, but Hershey is looking as good as every. Two thumbs up for Skyrush!

[UrbanLegendThe playground is where I spend most of my days]

After going yesterday, I figured I would add my two cents about Skyrush, and the rest of the park. We got there about 20 minutes after opening, and went straight to Skyrush, by way of the new path (which has magnificent views, by the way). The line was already completely full, and even despite pretty terrible operations, we got to the last row in about 45 minutes. I got the right wing seat in the last row; the ride op didn't staple at all, which pleased me. The ride blew my mind; the lift hill is scary fast - even faster on-ride than off-ride - the drop in the back has ridiculous air, as do all the airtime hills. The high-speed turns are fast and intense, the Stengel-ish dive throws you around in a really fun way, and everything is really smooth. I felt no pain during any moments of airtime, and I didn't realize that I was stapled until the reduction brakes, and then I had plenty of time on the brake run to wish I had circulation back in my legs. It really is a magnificent ride.
There isn't too much to add about the rest of the park. I don't remember the old SDL trains, but the new ones are comfy and roomy and make for a great ride, and the new magnetic brakes stop you really quickly without being uncomfortable like the old ones. Great improvement, even if only one train was running. What's not so great is the new fastpass/ single rider/ whatever the hell they are doing policy on all the rides. A row or two of the middle of each train on every coaster is blocked off, but I didn't see any fastpass holders get in. People would just slip into the chained-off rows when the airgates would open, and then ops would call out for groups of 2 or 4 to fill the rows. It's a pretty bad policy, whatever it may be, and I hope they improve it.
The sky opened up for 20 minutes around 4, which cleared up crowds even more; we passed the time with some Cold Stone; it was pretty strange seeing blue sky with thunder and lightning at your back.
Our last ride of the day was Skyrush, and this time I tried the left inside seat in the last row. There was an employee at the station trying to assign seats, but we were so vocal about the last row that she just let us go there . This time the ride was... different. The airtime on the first drop had more of an "Oh god I'm gonna die" element. And this time, I felt the pain on the hills. It was still a great ride, but less so than the first one. My girlfriend pointed out to me that ride 1 was on Train 2, and ride 2 was on Train 1. Many more tests will need to be conducted, but my current hypothesis is that the left side is more painful than the right side.
All in all, it was a great day!