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Planning a Hershey, Knoebels, Dorney trip


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Going to be in Johnstown, PA on Sat Aug 18th and the 19th, and having never been to Hersheypark I'm definitely going to go, and I'm also thinking I would like to hit Knoebels and Dorney since they're all pretty close to each other.

 

I have 2 plans.. I could hit Dorney on the 20th, and preview HP that night since I've heard you can do that with a single day ticket to HP. Then all day at HP on the 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. Or skip out of Johnstown early on the 19th and hit Dorney for a half day, but thats a Sunday.. Then 2 days at HP on the 20th and 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. I have to be hone on the 23rd..

 

 

I guess I'm wondering how busy these parks get at the end of August. I know many parks can be completely dead that time of year. Obviously nobody has a crystal ball, but some estimates would be helpful. The main thing I'm trying to plan is do I need 2 days at HP, or will a night preview and 1 full day be enough to get 4+ rides on the Intamin's, Lightning Racer, and Great Bear while hitting everything else at least once?

 

Then also, I know there is a crap load of stuff to do at Knoebels. Besides the coasters, what other rides are a MUST do?

Thanks!

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Dorney's dry park will not be busy. You could likely hit all of the coasters and adult flats in 4 hours. The water park, on the other hand, will have sizeable crowds if its a decent weather day.

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Just don’t end with Dorney. That will be the biggest let down of a roller coaster trip...

 

I’m currently sitting at the resort gate at cedar point realizing I’m taking someone who has never been to waldemeer and Darien lake after we leave here. Should be fun to listen to the “this place sucks” mentality!

 

Enjoy all three parks!

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Going on weekdays, especially as school is starting to get back in session, you'll be more than fine. I just recently did Knoebels and Hershey on a weekend, and still we had no trouble getting every single coaster in. Saturday night at Hershey was very busy, but again, a Saturday night. But we still got 6 total rides in. Fahrenheit will most likely be your longest wait, so if you want 4+ rides definitely hit that up very first thing. Lightning Racer will be a walk on, and Skyrush shouldn't be bad either. Knoebels on a weekday you'll be fine, and definitely with Dorney. Haunted Mansion, the flyers, and the chair lift are the musts for me at Knoebels. Have fun!!

Edited by bmo1616
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I did all three of these parks back in June. We got to Dorney kinda late, but we rode all the big coasters except Possessed in under two hours with multiples on Talon and Steel Force. The next day we went to Knoebel's and spent six hours there, the longest amount of time we spent at any one park on that trip. We did tickets and were fine, but if I went back I'd get the wristband with roller coasters if available that day and marathon Phoenix. Holy hell, what a coaster!

 

Then we previewed HP that night. In two and a half hours we rode all of the coasters except the boomerang, with multiples on Fahrenheit, and Skyrush. Laff Track was the only coaster with a wait of over 5 minutes.

 

It was pouring rain the next morning in Hershey, so we headed to SFGA. The lady at the ticket booth the night before just scratched out the 'P' for preview on our paper tickets and didn't scan anything, so we may go back to HP in a couple of weeks since our full day tickets should still be good.

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What kinds of things do you like?

 

Personally, I think Knoebels is the greatest amusement park to ever grace our humble planet but I see in a lot of your posts that you seem like (maybe I'm wrong) you're a "Maximum thrills or GTFO" kind of guy (see: "Witches Wheel isn't thrilling enough for me even though like... did you expect a crazy thrill ride?") so part of me feels like you'll probably just want to dedicate the majority of your time to riding Storm Runner and Skyrush at Hersheypark. Knoebels has an amazing collection of custom flat rides, cheesy dark rides, great "theme park food" and super old things that you rarely see elsewhere. They're not all going to thrill you but they're super cool. If you're into that then you'll love Knoebels. If you'd rather spend the most time riding the craziest rides possible then you can probably get away with doing Dorney and Knoebels in one day (though I don't suggest that for most people) and spending the rest of your time trying not to die on Skyrush.

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I have 2 plans.. I could hit Dorney on the 20th, and preview HP that night since I've heard you can do that with a single day ticket to HP. Then all day at HP on the 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. Or skip out of Johnstown early on the 19th and hit Dorney for a half day, but thats a Sunday.. Then 2 days at HP on the 20th and 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. I have to be hone on the 23rd..

I don't think you'll need two days or even a day and a half at Hershey. If you were to spend bonus time at any park, I would do it at Knoebels. We just spent a full 15 hour day at Knoebels and I walked away thinking that there were one or two things I could have done or could have done a second time.

 

At Hershey, I was pretty much done after about 3-4 hours.

 

But then again, we also had the front of the line pass at Hershey and we didn't do the water park. We did do Chocolate World, though.

Edited by robbalvey
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I see in a lot of your posts that you seem like you're a "Maximum thrills or GTFO" kind of guy (see: "Witches Wheel isn't thrilling enough for me even though like... did you expect a crazy thrill ride?") so part of me feels like you'll probably just want to dedicate the majority of your time to riding Storm Runner and Skyrush at Hersheypark.

See, this is really good information to know. I find that so many times people will ask for advice but not tell anyone what they like so many times the advice given and the person asking don't match up.

 

Remember, I am Disney > Roller Coasters. I would seriously rather ride Big Thunder Mountain or Pooh's Hunny Hunt any day over most of the roller coasters on this planet.

 

So Knoebels is a perfect park for me. If you're someone who isn't into casual rides, park atmosphere or moderate thrills, honestly, Knoebels may not be a good fit for you.

 

I agree with Bill and think that Knoebels is the best "amusement" park on the planet, and there is not a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park I'd rather be at over a day at Knoebels, but that's just how I prefer things.

Edited by robbalvey
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I could hit Dorney on the 20th, and preview HP that night since I've heard you can do that with a single day ticket to HP. Then all day at HP on the 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. Or skip out of Johnstown early on the 19th and hit Dorney for a half day, but thats a Sunday.. Then 2 days at HP on the 20th and 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. I have to be hone on the 23rd..

 

I think this is your best option. Dorney won't have any queues on the ride side. You have the coasters plus a good lineup of non-coasters (Demon Drop, Thunder Canyon, Whip, Log Flume, Meteor). You'll have enough time to hit everything and then get to Hershey for the preview. If you plan to do the water park, you may encounter some lines there unless you go immediately when it opens or at the end of the day.

 

Hershey shouldn't have bad lines outside of Laff Trakk. Even if the park is empty, that will be at least a 30-45 minute wait. I'd recommend riding Comet and Skyrush on the preview night since those two get the longest lines immediately after opening because of their proximity to the entrance. By the afternoon, their queues have died down.

 

Knoebels is the best of the three parks in my opinion. You're visiting on a weekday, which is good since the POP is available to you. Basically try everything at Knoebels. Even the flats that don't look special will run crazy programs.

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I went last year about this same time and all 3 parks had pretty good attendance. With Hershey, if you plan it right you can get to all the good stuff on preview night easily, then the next day re-rides and maybe branch out a little and try stuff.

 

Go into Great Bear with low expectations for intensity. She's just not that kind of bear. Let her tell you what she's into, and she'll show you a good time.

 

Knoebel's will be busy even on a weekday, but their operations are incredible and the wait will be shorter than you think it should be for that line length. Phoenix is for real. Knoebel's, as it's been said, it a park to relax in, not a park to be thrilled by. The more you conform to its pace, the more fun you'll have.

 

Dorney will probably be super busy as well. You may experience--are you sitting down?--FIVE. MINUTE. WAITS. I know, it's horrible. But you're going in peak season, you should expect this.

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Interesting thread, I'm planning to go to Dorney on the 20th and Knoebels on the 21st. I would like to try to hit Hershey but I think I'm going to go to Gettysburg on the 22nd (blah history, I know, I know) and drive back to Cleveland on Thursday to be at work in the afternoon. We'll leave CLE early on the 20th and hopefully get to Dorney around noon. I know Dorney is only open til 8 but 8 hours should be enough to hit everything right? And I definitely want to budget a full day for Knoebels, after all I have read on this forum.

 

Edit: I just realized I kind of hijacked your thread, I apologize. I can be a d*ck sometimes.

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What kinds of things do you like?

 

Personally, I think Knoebels is the greatest amusement park to ever grace our humble planet but I see in a lot of your posts that you seem like (maybe I'm wrong) you're a "Maximum thrills or GTFO" kind of guy (see: "Witches Wheel isn't thrilling enough for me even though like... did you expect a crazy thrill ride?") so part of me feels like you'll probably just want to dedicate the majority of your time to riding Storm Runner and Skyrush at Hersheypark. Knoebels has an amazing collection of custom flat rides, cheesy dark rides, great "theme park food" and super old things that you rarely see elsewhere. They're not all going to thrill you but they're super cool. If you're into that then you'll love Knoebels. If you'd rather spend the most time riding the craziest rides possible then you can probably get away with doing Dorney and Knoebels in one day (though I don't suggest that for most people) and spending the rest of your time trying not to die on Skyrush.

 

I'm probably 80% maximum thrills, 20% other. Aside from thrilling attractions I like rides that are unique, rare, old, etc.. and I hear Knoebels is full of rides like that. My thing with Witches Wheel is that it's not unique, or rare, and it just got really old for me.

 

 

 

But then again, we also had the front of the line pass at Hershey

 

Stupid question, but I assume they sell these in the park and not just online??

 

I see in a lot of your posts that you seem like you're a "Maximum thrills or GTFO" kind of guy (see: "Witches Wheel isn't thrilling enough for me even though like... did you expect a crazy thrill ride?") so part of me feels like you'll probably just want to dedicate the majority of your time to riding Storm Runner and Skyrush at Hersheypark.

See, this is really good information to know. I find that so many times people will ask for advice but not tell anyone what they like so many times the advice given and the person asking don't match up.

 

Remember, I am Disney > Roller Coasters. I would seriously rather ride Big Thunder Mountain or Pooh's Hunny Hunt any day over most of the roller coasters on this planet.

 

So Knoebels is a perfect park for me. If you're someone who isn't into casual rides, park atmosphere or moderate thrills, honestly, Knoebels may not be a good fit for you.

 

I agree with Bill and think that Knoebels is the best "amusement" park on the planet, and there is not a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park I'd rather be at over a day at Knoebels, but that's just how I prefer things.

 

It's all about expectations. Anyone on here should be able to enjoy any park as long as they have reasonable expectations. We just had our city fair and it was a blast because I expected a fair and not Cedar Point. SO with Knoebels I expect a fair like atmosphere with the possibility of Phoenix to possibly be thrilling, but I've lowered my expectations on that because aside from RMC's, all the great wooden coasters tend to leave me underwhelmed.

 

I could hit Dorney on the 20th, and preview HP that night since I've heard you can do that with a single day ticket to HP. Then all day at HP on the 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. Or skip out of Johnstown early on the 19th and hit Dorney for a half day, but thats a Sunday.. Then 2 days at HP on the 20th and 21st, and then Knoebels on the 22nd. I have to be hone on the 23rd..

 

I think this is your best option. Dorney won't have any queues on the ride side. You have the coasters plus a good lineup of non-coasters (Demon Drop, Thunder Canyon, Whip, Log Flume, Meteor). You'll have enough time to hit everything and then get to Hershey for the preview. If you plan to do the water park, you may encounter some lines there unless you go immediately when it opens or at the end of the day.

 

Hershey shouldn't have bad lines outside of Laff Trakk. Even if the park is empty, that will be at least a 30-45 minute wait. I'd recommend riding Comet and Skyrush on the preview night since those two get the longest lines immediately after opening because of their proximity to the entrance. By the afternoon, their queues have died down.

 

Knoebels is the best of the three parks in my opinion. You're visiting on a weekday, which is good since the POP is available to you. Basically try everything at Knoebels. Even the flats that don't look special will run crazy programs.

 

Honestly I would not be disappointed if I don't get on Laff Trakk. It's just another indoor spinning wild mouse, right? Like Exterminator at Kennywood and The Dark Knight at Six Flags?

 

I went last year about this same time and all 3 parks had pretty good attendance. With Hershey, if you plan it right you can get to all the good stuff on preview night easily, then the next day re-rides and maybe branch out a little and try stuff.

 

Go into Great Bear with low expectations for intensity. She's just not that kind of bear. Let her tell you what she's into, and she'll show you a good time.

 

Knoebel's will be busy even on a weekday, but their operations are incredible and the wait will be shorter than you think it should be for that line length. Phoenix is for real. Knoebel's, as it's been said, it a park to relax in, not a park to be thrilled by. The more you conform to its pace, the more fun you'll have.

 

Dorney will probably be super busy as well. You may experience--are you sitting down?--FIVE. MINUTE. WAITS. I know, it's horrible. But you're going in peak season, you should expect this.

 

5 minutes? They better let me bring my phone in the queue... Which actually leads me to a decent question about loose articles. Are these parks OK with phones, keys and wallets in a zipped pocket?

 

Interesting thread, I'm planning to go to Dorney on the 20th and Knoebels on the 21st. I would like to try to hit Hershey but I think I'm going to go to Gettysburg on the 22nd (blah history, I know, I know) and drive back to Cleveland on Thursday to be at work in the afternoon. We'll leave CLE early on the 20th and hopefully get to Dorney around noon. I know Dorney is only open til 8 but 8 hours should be enough to hit everything right? And I definitely want to budget a full day for Knoebels, after all I have read on this forum.

 

Edit: I just realized I kind of hijacked your thread, I apologize. I can be a d*ck sometimes.

 

No worries my man, Have fun!

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Which actually leads me to a decent question about loose articles. Are these parks OK with phones, keys and wallets in a zipped pocket?

Yes, in a zipped pocket, no problem. The only coaster in all three of these parks that even has a policy is Skyrush, and HP provides free lockers before you get in line and cubbies at the station. But if it's zipped they won't say a thing.

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I'm probably 80% maximum thrills, 20% other. Aside from thrilling attractions I like rides that are unique, rare, old, etc.. and I hear Knoebels is full of rides like that. My thing with Witches Wheel is that it's not unique, or rare, and it just got really old for me.

Knoebels is NOT a "maximum thrills" park. It's a "maximum fun" park.

 

Pretty much all of their "best" attractions are unique in some way. Phoenix with its buzz-bar-enabled airtime buffet, Flying Turns for obvious reasons, Twister with its inspired layout, the best sets of Flying Skooters AND bumper cars in the US, the cheesy-yet-still-wonderfully-terrifying Haunted Mansion... The list goes on. There is so much variety in Knoebels' selection of unique attractions that you'll be able to find something "new" and interesting pretty much immediately after you begin to feel like something gets "old".

 

Honestly I would not be disappointed if I don't get on Laff Trakk. It's just another indoor spinning wild mouse, right? Like Exterminator at Kennywood and The Dark Knight at Six Flags?

It's a Maurer spinning coaster. The same size as a wild mouse but with larger drops and twists as opposed to back-and-forth switchbacks. Steel Dragon at Waldameer and Whirlwind at Seabreeze are outdoor examples.

 

I agree with Bill and think that Knoebels is the best "amusement" park on the planet, and there is not a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park I'd rather be at over a day at Knoebels, but that's just how I prefer things.

Add me to this camp as well.

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Keep your expectations right where they are for Phoenix and Twister. If you do then you'll positively lose your sh*t when you ride Phoenix.

 

Otherwise, my only tip is to bookmark this pierogie map. You need to eat these but don't get them from any other stand. They are imposters.

 

 

... actually, just eat everything. DO NOT eat on the way to the park. Food is really cheap and really amazing. Eat one of everything throughout the day.

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Some of my personal Knoebels food favs:

 

Those pierogies, not the ones found elsewhere, sweet tea slushes, waffle ice cream sandwich, breakfast at the food court (it’s nothing crazy, but you can get it before rides open and it’s affordable), cheese-on-stick, warm roasted peanuts in the shell, and pork chop on a stick with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Eat it all.

 

And don’t miss the flats already mentioned. And maybe give Phoenix a ride in the 3rd row. It’s really great! If you’re going to go ticket route (weekends only option is tickets), stop at Weiss markets nearby and pick up $20 books for $16. Buy a bit more than you think you want.

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Knoebels is NOT a "maximum thrills" park. It's a "maximum fun" park.

 

Pretty much all of their "best" attractions are unique in some way. Phoenix with its buzz-bar-enabled airtime buffet, Flying Turns for obvious reasons, Twister with its inspired layout, the best sets of Flying Skooters AND bumper cars in the US, the cheesy-yet-still-wonderfully-terrifying Haunted Mansion... The list goes on. There is so much variety in Knoebels' selection of unique attractions that you'll be able to find something "new" and interesting pretty much immediately after you begin to feel like something gets "old".

Certainly looking forward to Flying Turns. Maybe even more than Phoienix. I LOVE Bobsled coasters! But Knoebels overall sounds like a great place and I can't wait to go! Thanks for the info.

 

 

It's a Maurer spinning coaster. The same size as a wild mouse but with larger drops and twists as opposed to back-and-forth switchbacks. Steel Dragon at Waldameer and Whirlwind at Seabreeze are outdoor examples.

 

Ok cool. If I can catch it with a decent wait time I will.

 

Keep your expectations right where they are for Phoenix and Twister. If you do then you'll positively lose your sh*t when you ride Phoenix.

 

Otherwise, my only tip is to bookmark this pierogie map. You need to eat these but don't get them from any other stand. They are imposters.

 

 

... actually, just eat everything. DO NOT eat on the way to the park. Food is really cheap and really amazing. Eat one of everything throughout the day.

 

LOL, P.O.S's broken... Sounds great man. I can definitely be counted on to clean up in the food department.

 

Also, this isn’t related to trip planning necessarily, but I strongly suggest riding Phoenix in the very front, especially for your first ride.

 

Ok, I'm usually a back first, but I'll take your advice!

 

Some of my personal Knoebels food favs:

 

Those pierogies, not the ones found elsewhere, sweet tea slushes, waffle ice cream sandwich, breakfast at the food court (it’s nothing crazy, but you can get it before rides open and it’s affordable), cheese-on-stick, warm roasted peanuts in the shell, and pork chop on a stick with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Eat it all.

 

And don’t miss the flats already mentioned. And maybe give Phoenix a ride in the 3rd row. It’s really great! If you’re going to go ticket route (weekends only option is tickets), stop at Weiss markets nearby and pick up $20 books for $16. Buy a bit more than you think you want.

 

Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich, wow... Now that sounds good!

 

I'm going to get the wristband. But thanks for the suggestion.

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Ok, I'm usually a back first, but I'll take your advice!

The back row is pretty freaking good as well, that double-down is terrifying. Pick your favorite but ride in rows 1, 3 and 12 at least once. You'll see numbers on the deck of the station that point you to where you need to go.

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I know it's been said, but don't forget to try the mundane looking rides. The park really does a good job of running rides as they were intended. An example, their Wipe-Out. It runs full tilt, at a good clip, both forwards and backwards, and a long cycle. Normally I skip Trabant style rides, but there was no line, hopped on and was quite surprised with this one.

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Ok, I'm usually a back first, but I'll take your advice!

The back row is pretty freaking good as well, that double-down is terrifying. Pick your favorite but ride in rows 1, 3 and 12 at least once. You'll see numbers on the deck of the station that point you to where you need to go.

 

I always went against the grain and preferred the back car of Phoenix. Every row is great though. It's also one of the only 3 bench PTCs where I have zero interest in wheel seats vs non wheel seats. The ride runs great everywhere because it's at Knoebels and that's just how they roll.

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I know it's been said, but don't forget to try the mundane looking rides. The park really does a good job of running rides as they were intended. An example, their Wipe-Out. It runs full tilt, at a good clip, both forwards and backwards, and a long cycle. Normally I skip Trabant style rides, but there was no line, hopped on and was quite surprised with this one.

 

the Super Round Up (kind of "hidden" back by the Eagles/food court area) runs a spectacular program too.

 

 

please do set your expectations for Flying Turns to be realistic.

 

it's a fun ride (and absolutely seemed to be running faster last week then it had when I'd ridden it a few years ago), but it falls way short of "thrilling". but it's a fun family style ride, that if the line is not nuts (but it always is), is worth waiting for. Hit it early, then move on to other things.

 

don't miss "Black Diamond" either. . . it's not really a coaster, tho it has a couple of "drops" . but a wonderful mish-mash WTF dark ride, that has 3 stories going on in the same ride. and it's right next door to the Miner's Museum, and Knoebel's history Museum . . .

IMG_5030.thumb.JPG.20378d40ee91aeae70a890461a3764f0.JPG

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