Here is a recap of my trip to Hersheypark on Monday, May 28 (aka Memorial Day).
My sister (age 12 and in the Jolly Rancher height category for the first time) and I arrived at Hersheypark at 9:00 AM after an uneventful drive (and a stop at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast). I had bought my season pass and my sister's one-day admission ticket online before leaving. One interesting note about the one-day admission purchase--I used the standard $14-off coupon found at Dunkin Donuts and Burger King. While checking out, I was asked if I wanted to upgrade my ticket to a 2 or 3-day flex ticket for a discounted price. Discounts for 2 and 3 day tickets are rare, and this one is definitely not advertised by Hershey, but it looks intriguing. For my June trip, when we will need to get a 2-day ticket for my husband, I am going to try buying a 1-day ticket first and then "upgrading" for the cheaper price. We'll see!
Anyway, I flashed my season pass voucher at the parking attendant to get free parking. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my season pass also lets me park in the preferred parking lot (when available), which is MUCH closer to the park. We were right next to the Hersheypark Arena and Tram Circle, and I've never parked so close before! My parking spot was also close to the season pass office, where I needed to go first to get my picture taken and official pass made up.
After I had my official pass, my sister and I waited in line for the gates to open. There was quite a crowd gathered, but we were pretty close to the front of the line. We hit a minor snag when our bags were checked--you are allowed to bring one water bottle per person into the park, but apparently, you're not allowed to bring FULL bottles of water. This seems pretty ridiculous to me--my sister and I had two generic bottles filled with water, not brand-names like Aquafina or Dasani. Plus, it's not like Hershey makes any money when we fill our bottles at a water fountain. We were told to dump our water before entering the park. I didn't.
At 10:00, the gates opened, and just about everyone (my sister and I included) headed to The Hollow via a new path near the stroller rental building in Rhineland. This is the quickest way to get to Skyrush. But halfway down the path, we were stopped--Skyrush apparently wasn't open yet, and the queue outside the ride entrance was backing up. We waited for about twenty minutes, but by this time, any advantage we'd tried to gain by hitting Skyrush early was gone. With no idea when the new coaster would be opening for the day, I made an executive decision--to head to the Boardwalk for some water rides and come back to Skyrush later. It was a risky move--if the ride opened soon after we left, we could be facing a LONG wait later in the day. But I didn't want to stand around and do nothing, either, so we headed off.
On our way to the Boardwalk, I noticed Storm Runner (the 0 to 75 mph in 2 seconds coaster) was running fairly empty trains. My sister and I decided to take advantage of the short line and hop on Storm Runner. The ride was practically walk-on, and I got to ride in the front seat on this coaster for the first time EVER. It was absolutely thrilling!
We next passed Fahrenheit, the 98-degree drop coaster, and noticed the line wasn't substantial for this, either--not walk-on, but certainly much shorter than usual. We queued up and rode Fahrenheit within twenty minutes. This time, we sat in the very back row for the first time ever, and it definitely added intensity to the already-thrilling ride!
It was finally Boardwalk time. To save money, my sister and I chose not to purchase a locker. I put all my money and valuables in a waterproof pouch around my neck. We used bag drops for all the water rides and coasters throughout the day, and ran into no big problems. Lockers are definitely preferable, but when you care about saving money, Hershey does make it easy to lug a bag around all day. (Not sure how easy it is on your back and shoulders, but that's a different issue.)
In the Boardwalk, we only rode four rides, even though the area was refreshingly not crowded and lines were minimal. We first rode the Whirlwind, a big funnel that is part of the four-slide Coastline Plunge complex. We next headed to the Roller Soaker, the interactive water coaster, but it was down for maintenance. My sister and I instead hit the next-door Intercoastal Waterway lazy river. We floated around three times, keeping an eye on the Roller Soaker each time. After our third trip, we saw the ride was open, so we disembarked and headed to the water coaster.
We hit the shortest line I have ever waited in for the Roller Soaker, which was wonderful, since this line can be very slow-moving. After the Roller Soaker, we headed over to the splash-down ride Tidal Force, which we got on quickly with another record-short line.
It was now time to abandon the water rides--my sister and I were both hungry, and still had Skyrush on our minds. We changed in the rooms near the Ferris Wheel and had lunch at our favorite Midway Munchies. Since they were right there, we then rode the two wooden coasters Lightning Racer and Wildcat with minimal waits (Wildcat was walk-on).
We decided to check on Skyrush's progress. I kept trying to see what was going on using the Hersheypark app I had downloaded onto my Android phone. However, the app never seemed to work right. I couldn't access closed rides or wait times, which is pretty much the whole point of the app for someone who already has a map of the park in their head. We therefore had to hoof it all the way across the park to see if Skyrush was open, but it was worth the walk--the ride was running! Not only that, but the queue was manageable--definitely the longest wait of the day, but I think we only waited about a half hour. For a brand new coaster on its third day of public operation, that wait is NOTHING. I think my sister and I would have waited longer if we hung out in the original line backup at the beginning of the day!
So, how was Skyrush? It was like nothing I have ridden before! I got more air-time on this ride than I have ever gotten on a classic wooden coaster. The lap bars are just that, in your lap instead of over the shoulder, which I have heard some complaints about. However, to me, they were perfect--they held you in comfortably but still made me feel like I'd be thrown from the ride at any second! The ride is also silent--it makes no noise as it zips through the track, which is one reason I had trouble knowing whether it was running or not. Standing in line, I couldn't tell when the train was on the lift hill unless I was looking for it!
I was very impressed with Skyrush. It is definitely the craziest, most thrilling coaster I have ever ridden. The wing seat (which I ride in) definitely made the ride even more exciting. The coaster is a great addition to Hersheypark!
After Skyrush, my sister and I rode the SooperDooperLooper, complete with the new trains and brakes. The new trains are very spiffy, and update a ride that is a classic without taking away any of its charm. The new braking system was impressive, really smoothing out some of the old, awkward brake spots, and made the ride more enjoyable.
After the Looper, my sister and I rode the Coal Cracker flume, then got an Icee at the next door Coal Cracker Pretzel stand. We took a break from the almost-90 degree heat and took our Icees to the nearby Minetown Restaurant, which was air conditioned. While in the restaurant, I noticed the Coal Cracker and Great Bear had closed. Since Great Bear was to be our next ride (and my favorite coaster of all time, by the way ), we were disappointed. It turns out that these rides, plus the Looper, Skyrush and Comet, were all closed because a circus train had come in, and the circus was worried the coasters would scare the departing animals. That made sense and was fine, but I wish Hershey had let us know ahead of time when the ride closures would be occuring.
Luckily, the rides were due to re-open later in the day, so my sister and I instead headed back to Pioneer Frontier, where we rode the pendulum Claw ride and the boomerang Sidewinder coaster. The Sidewinder has new restraints--not sure if this was a new addition this year or last, but they were very comfortable and made that ride more enjoyable, as well. My sister and I also rode the Kissing Tower, where we got to see some elephants getting off the circus train.
The coasters still weren't open yet, and I wasn't sure how much longer to wait--it was about 5:30, and I wanted to leave between 6 and 7. My sister and I went back to The Hollow and rode the Wave Swinger. While riding the swings, the Hollow coasters all re-opened, and we quickly rode the classic wooden Comet. Great Bear trains finally started running while in line for the Comet, so of course we next rushed back to Minetown to ride the great inverted coaster. It was our last ride before we headed back to our car.
The trip to Hersheypark on Memorial Day was one of my best ever. It was an unhurried, relaxed trip with almost no line waiting and minimal crowds. I might make Memorial Day a Hershey tradition--the crowds will probably be even thinner in a year where Hershey doesn't introduce a new coaster. I had a great time, but I can't wait until next month, when my family has a three-day Hershey extravaganza and I introduce my baby daughter to Hersheypark!
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