I managed to score two visits to Hersheypark in a two week time span. One was on the two for one deal they had earlier this summer and the other was courtesy of the park.
I hadn't visited this park since 2013 and its definitely changed a lot. The new entrance is beautiful. Entering the park is very smooth and the temperature checks were quick. I'm gonna miss the old entrance though as it was a lot more charming and it had a lot more cover around it. I wish the park could've kept it as a passholder entrance or something at least. Once you get past the main gate, the fountain and meet n greet area is nice, but I couldn't help feel that it was a little barren compared to the old Tudor Square/Rhineland area. It couldn't kill them to add some tree cover could it?
Candymonium is really solid. Apollo is still my favorite hyper, but Candy still has its moments. If you really like Mako, Candy is basically a bigger, faster, longer version of that complete with two trims instead of one. Unnecessary seatbelts are a big minus as well. While Skyrush is all about tossing you off the ride aggressively, the elements on Candy flow more gently. I can see why the public prefers this over Skyrush for sure. I really liked the strong floater, the wave turn at the end and the setting away from the park. The park should up the presentation at the entrance with a few trees to make it look a little livelier.
Laff Trakk has solid theming, but the coaster itself is weak. You don't get a lot of spin out of it unfortunately. I dunno why the park didn't vouch for a second track or something to bump up the capacity.
Skipped the Reese's dark ride both visits because the line was long. We had bigger priorities.
Triple Tower is insane. Reese's is obviously the best of the three. Kisses is tiny but it packs a good punch. Hershey's has the longest line and the best views but the ride itself is pretty weak.
Their wild mouse is one of the better ones I've ridden because it runs full speed around the course with little to no braking. You get some neat views of the water park too.
Sidewinder was running really smooth for a boomerang. Def one of the better ones I've ridden.
Sooperdooperlooper's train was sitting in the exact same spot I left it in 2013. Still haven't been able to ride it. Maintenance work was being done on Storm Runner. The train was sitting in the station in July, but it was sitting in pieces in August.
Operations were surprisingly good in July. Park was dead, so it helped out a lot. Because I visited the park on a Saturday in August, crowds were far heavier.
Park was hit-miss on COVID restrictions. Instead of loading every other row, the park decided to run all their coasters at max capacity to limit time spent in line. Sanitizer stations are everywhere. Mask enforcement in July was pretty strict with security guards telling people to keep their masks on over their noses. Enforcement in August was a bit looser, probably because the park is a lot more crowded so its harder to enforce. People mostly followed distancing guidelines early in the day but as it wore on, groups kept creeping closer and closer on the busier rides. Candy obviously had it worse as its at the front of the park and the entire queue is set up inside underneath the station. They had guards stationed outside to watch for masks but once you got inside, it was a free for all.
Pros
- Still a great park with a solid selection of coasters.
- Getting that free ticket in August was a huge bonus. Kudos to the park for providing that.
- Skyrush is still my number 1 8 years later.
- The new Chocolate Town area looks super nice.
- Operations are better than I expected
- Candy pulls people away from all the other rides. Huge plus
- Candy is a great ride in its own right.
Cons
- I'm gonna miss the old park entrance and the chocolate smell the town used to have for sure.
- Sooperdooperlooper is still closed after 8 years. Storm Runner being down is the other bummer
- The park layout still kinda sucks. I'm pretty sure I got lost trying to get to the boardwalk from the entrance a couple times.
- The wide pathways in the new area are nice but the tight pathways toward the back of the park are not.
- The hit-miss COVID restrictions. The park definitely made an effort to address the disease and I still felt relatively safe despite the crowds, but I wish there was a bit more enforcement in August when I went.
I hadn't visited this park since 2013 and its definitely changed a lot. The new entrance is beautiful. Entering the park is very smooth and the temperature checks were quick. I'm gonna miss the old entrance though as it was a lot more charming and it had a lot more cover around it. I wish the park could've kept it as a passholder entrance or something at least. Once you get past the main gate, the fountain and meet n greet area is nice, but I couldn't help feel that it was a little barren compared to the old Tudor Square/Rhineland area. It couldn't kill them to add some tree cover could it?
Candymonium is really solid. Apollo is still my favorite hyper, but Candy still has its moments. If you really like Mako, Candy is basically a bigger, faster, longer version of that complete with two trims instead of one. Unnecessary seatbelts are a big minus as well. While Skyrush is all about tossing you off the ride aggressively, the elements on Candy flow more gently. I can see why the public prefers this over Skyrush for sure. I really liked the strong floater, the wave turn at the end and the setting away from the park. The park should up the presentation at the entrance with a few trees to make it look a little livelier.
Laff Trakk has solid theming, but the coaster itself is weak. You don't get a lot of spin out of it unfortunately. I dunno why the park didn't vouch for a second track or something to bump up the capacity.
Skipped the Reese's dark ride both visits because the line was long. We had bigger priorities.
Triple Tower is insane. Reese's is obviously the best of the three. Kisses is tiny but it packs a good punch. Hershey's has the longest line and the best views but the ride itself is pretty weak.
Their wild mouse is one of the better ones I've ridden because it runs full speed around the course with little to no braking. You get some neat views of the water park too.
Sidewinder was running really smooth for a boomerang. Def one of the better ones I've ridden.
Sooperdooperlooper's train was sitting in the exact same spot I left it in 2013. Still haven't been able to ride it. Maintenance work was being done on Storm Runner. The train was sitting in the station in July, but it was sitting in pieces in August.
Operations were surprisingly good in July. Park was dead, so it helped out a lot. Because I visited the park on a Saturday in August, crowds were far heavier.
Park was hit-miss on COVID restrictions. Instead of loading every other row, the park decided to run all their coasters at max capacity to limit time spent in line. Sanitizer stations are everywhere. Mask enforcement in July was pretty strict with security guards telling people to keep their masks on over their noses. Enforcement in August was a bit looser, probably because the park is a lot more crowded so its harder to enforce. People mostly followed distancing guidelines early in the day but as it wore on, groups kept creeping closer and closer on the busier rides. Candy obviously had it worse as its at the front of the park and the entire queue is set up inside underneath the station. They had guards stationed outside to watch for masks but once you got inside, it was a free for all.
Pros
- Still a great park with a solid selection of coasters.
- Getting that free ticket in August was a huge bonus. Kudos to the park for providing that.
- Skyrush is still my number 1 8 years later.
- The new Chocolate Town area looks super nice.
- Operations are better than I expected
- Candy pulls people away from all the other rides. Huge plus
- Candy is a great ride in its own right.
Cons
- I'm gonna miss the old park entrance and the chocolate smell the town used to have for sure.
- Sooperdooperlooper is still closed after 8 years. Storm Runner being down is the other bummer
- The park layout still kinda sucks. I'm pretty sure I got lost trying to get to the boardwalk from the entrance a couple times.
- The wide pathways in the new area are nice but the tight pathways toward the back of the park are not.
- The hit-miss COVID restrictions. The park definitely made an effort to address the disease and I still felt relatively safe despite the crowds, but I wish there was a bit more enforcement in August when I went.
