RC98

It was open for parts of the day yesterday, I rode it in the morning and then was closed in the early afternoon before reopening again later in the day.

After over 2 months I finally got to go to the park again one more time before leaving for my freshman year of college on Thursday. I didn’t know what to expect going in but it was a great day with low crowds the whole time, and I got a lot of rides in.

 

I got to the park a bit later than usual, arriving at about 11:30. Upon arriving I saw that Joker was open with the line only out to where the single rider line starts so I went there first and waited about 20 mins. I got the purple side for the first time and it was better than I thought it would be even though it doesn’t have the full inversion on the first drop off the lift.

 

Next I went to Toro which was a one train wait for the second to last row. From the lift I saw that the waterpark parking lot was nearly full while the theme park lot was nearly empty. In the heat Toro was running really fast too. I went around and rode again in the same row and got to stay on when no one was waiting. Finally I went around again and waited about 3 trains for the same row and then moved on.

 

Next I went to Kingda Ka which also had a short line compared to the usual. It would have been about 25 minutes for the front row but a Zumanjaro car got stuck at the top with people on it and added about 15 minutes to the wait. After riding I saw that Ka’s line had gotten even shorter so I rode again, waiting 10 mins max for the second row.

 

Zum was back open by this point so I rode it twice with no wait each time. Even though it seems to have a lot of problems I still ride it anyway since it’s such a fun ride. I just wish there was some sort of shortcut for people who want to ride again when the line is short so they don't have to walk the length of Ka's launch track twice to get a re-ride.

 

After lunch at Best of the West I rode Bizarro, where I walked on to the back row. The ride op at the mic seemed to be having fun today. As I was walking into the station she was saying “Attention guests in the station, this ride is suffering a dispatch” to imitate the breakdown spiel, and then as I was leaving the area I heard her telling people to enjoy their ride on Runaway Mine Train.

 

After taking the Skyride over to the other side of the park I rode Skull Mountain in the back row, waiting about 5 minutes for it. After I went to Nitro which had about a 20 minute wait for the second row, for some reason I prefer this ride near the front even though most seem to like the back.

 

Next was Batman which had an empty station except for 3 people waiting for the front. This ride seems really underrated by most guests since it rarely has much of a line but it’s really smooth and intense.

 

After this I don’t remember the order I did things but I rode Congo Rapids, Skyscreamer, Skull and Nitro again, and Houdini before getting Rita’s for a snack. After I went back to Toro to ride one more time and then I left at around 6:30, happy with what is most likely my last trip to the park until HITP on Christmas break.

 

Final ride count:

El Toro 5x

Nitro, Skull, Ka, Zum 2x

Joker, Bizarro, Skyride, Batman, Skyscreamer, Congo 1x

 

Season coaster riding totals:

El Toro--18
Kingda Ka--8
Nitro--10
Skull Mtn.--7
Bizarro--7
Batman--7
Joker--4
Superman--2
Green Lantern--1
Dark Knight--1

 

I'm 18 and I actually use both interchangeably. I voted "Six Flags" since that's what I use a bit more often though.

I haven't seen the movie but would Six Flags want to have a ride name with Suicide in it?

In specific relation to the movie I wouldn't have an issue with it since the title refers to the 'suicide missions' they go on in the movie and that's it. Thinking about it the movie it would actually make a really good dark ride. Only problem is it might not be as family friendly as JL would be.

I choose spring since all the coasters are open and they generally have the shortest lines of the whole year. Second would be winter for HITP, I was really impressed with it when I went last year.

They're removing the condor? That's one of my favorite flat rides too, at least I got to ride it when I was there a couple of weeks ago.

They still missed a great tie-in with these drop towers lol

 

I like the idea of towers of different heights but I'm not sure I really understand the point of the middle "Reeses" tower. Anyone who would be comfortable going on it would probably just go on the tallest one.

Yeah the waterpark needs some improvement to better handle crowds...although for what it's worth the waits for the slides were a lot shorter at the same time the next day.

 

Second part is finally here:

 

Since I hadn’t ridden Skyrush yet I went to it first and got to ride it twice, with about a 5 min wait each time, once in a back row middle seat and once in the second to last row left wing seat. Since for some reason this ride doesn’t hurt me at all it’s one of my favorite coasters, its intensity is unmatched by anything else I’ve ridden.

 

Next I rode Comet which was about a 20 minute wait for a middle row, the ride was pretty fun although a bit rougher than I remember. Next was Sooperdooperlooper, which was about a 10 minute wait for a row near the back. The loop on this ride is really forceful and the rest of the ride, although nothing special, was pretty fun. It also felt a lot different going upside down with only a lapbar as the restraint.

 

Next up was the Claw, which seems to have really restrictive restraints. The ride only had a two cycle wait but every time multiple people had to be kicked off. After was a trip on the monorail, which was a walk on and a nice relaxing ride. I found it interesting that the monorail passed something that looked like a second station while off park grounds.

 

After I rode Storm Runner, waiting about 20 mins for the back row, I prefer this row on this coaster for the ejector air pop coming down the top hat. On another note the station for this ride is really disorganized, the queues for each row aren’t long enough for the amount of people who pile themselves in there.

 

After this I went to the Midway America area of the park, where everything except Laff Track was a walk on. I rode Wild Mouse first, which was pretty fun since they run it without any of the brakes and continuous loading to keep the lines short. Next was Wildcat in the front row which I actually liked, in the front row it was aggressive but not really rough and the layout itself is good with all the sweeping turns and hills. I can see this ride being a good RMC conversion one day.

 

Next was Lightning Racer, which is IMO the best of the wooden coasters here by far. It puzzles me why these coaster(s) aren’t more popular. I rode both sides in the back row and both were glass smooth, fun rides with pops of air and fun dueling. I also won both times! Other than Skyrush and Storm Runner this might be my favorite ride in the park.

 

After I rode a bunch of flat rides before leaving the park, most of which ran cycles that seemed kinda short, although that seems par for the course for larger parks. One that specifically felt short to me was the Music Express since it doesn’t go backwards like the ones at boardwalks.

 

Final ride count:

Skyrush, Lightning Racer 2x

Comet, Sooperdooperlooper, Storm Runner, Claw, Monorail, Wild Mouse, Wildcat, Music Express, Whip, Howler, Scrambler, Tilt a Whirl 1x

Although it would probably work for theming I wouldn't want VR on Skull since it would wreck the capacity. If they're gonna do it I'd like it if they had times at the start or end of the day where they don't use the VR so people who don't care about it can ride the coaster with a shorter wait.

Since I last visited Hersheypark 3 years ago, I had always wanted to go back. On this trip I was with the rest of my family so this trip was focused on more than just the coasters.

 

Upon arriving at the park the first day, I checked the park’s app which said Fahrenheit was still only a 15 minute wait, so I went to it first and waited slightly under the posted wait time for the last row. With a great first drop and strong forces throughout, I enjoyed this coaster a lot.

 

Next was Storm Runner, which wasn’t loading the back two cars on each train when I first arrived in the station. I waited about 15 mins for the front row, I might actually prefer this to Ka since it has a more complete layout, including that awesome last inversion.

 

Next was Sidewinder, which was a one train wait for a random row near the back. With the new style restraints this ride was actually really good.

 

Next I did a bunch of rides with my 10 year old sister—Frontier Flyers, Trailblazer, and the Howler. I came close to snapping the flyers, and the Howler is fun if you can handle a lot of spinning.

 

After was another ride that I had been looking forward to, the Flying Falcon. They used to have this ride in Wildwood (as the Condor) and it was my favorite ride before I started going on coasters. Even after going on much more intense rides this one is still really fun, and it was my sister’s favorite. With the signs of a new ride going in this area I hope that the Falcon stays.

 

Next was lunch at an indoor food court type place across from Great Bear’s entrance. I ordered chicken quesadillas and out of the four I got two of them barely had any filling in them. The ones our park makes at Macho Nacho are way better.

 

Next was Great Bear, waiting about 40 mins for the front row. This ride was a lot better than I remembered it, the first half is surprisingly intense and the way it interacts with its setting is unique.

 

After was the Kissing Tower with my whole family, where I took a few pics which are at the end of this post, only waiting for the cycle in progress to end. Next was the Coal Cracker log flume, which despite having a posted wait of 30 mins on the app was actually only 15 mins max. My sister sat in the front on this ride which impressed me considering the size of the drop. For some reason we barely got wet.

 

After this we went into the waterpark, where all the crowds seemed to be. We got in line for the slide tower and ended up waiting an hour to go down a single slide. They really seem to need more slides to better control the crowds. The lazy river line wrapping around switchbacks so we just went into the wave pool instead. Hopefully they add more slides and attractions for older kids to the waterpark so lines can be shorter.

 

After this I left the park for the day.

 

Final ride count

Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, Sidewinder, Great Bear, Trailblazer, Frontier Flyers, Howler, Coal Cracker, Kissing Tower, Flying Falcon 1x each

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This thread right now has me like this lol

 

In all seriousness I'm coming to terms with the idea of the JL dark ride in Old Country, although I would have rathered a coaster in that spot the dark ride with any eventual flats they might add will still reopen and bring life to this section of the park, which is what I've always wanted in the first place.

^^ Or what if the wooden planks are for a fence to go around a construction site like they did with Lakefront last year? We should look to see where it goes...

It seems like this pretty much guarantees that next year's new ride(s) will be in Old Country.

 

Also what exactly is the "Joker cam" going to be? It looks kind of disjointed with all the separate tv screens.

^ I have no doubt it's a fun ride and I wouldn't mind seeing it in the future, I just think plopping down another generic show building in the Old Country area would be a waste of potential for that space. I feel like that area is much better suited for the flat rides or a coaster.

Enjoy your trip!

^ Agreed, the SF system works well especially compared to my trip to Cedar Point a couple of years ago. I haven't been in HH to compare it to though, what do they do there that makes it so bad?

 

How does getting tubes work in the waterpark? Does each slide have its own tubes or is there a spot to get one to use for the day? I'm going for the first time on Sunday.

Would one fit in the open area where the grandstand used to be? That could give the effect you describe

 

If flats were scattered throughout the park it would make it more likely for a new coaster to eventually go in Old Country.

Happy birthday Owtoty!

Great photo, the view of the fireworks over the coaster is great.

 

Did they have the announced live music at the event?

^ That's cool that they have an actual prop from the movie at the ride's entrance.

 

I've always been a bit curious about Indy since it's one of the only unique thrill attractions to be in a conventional 'Magic Kingdom' style Disney park, at least in the US. I would have much preferred it to be in Florida over Dinosaur.

Throughout my visits to the park this year I've found that the food is a lot better than the park gets credit for, especially compared to other similar parks. I look forward to seeing what they do in the future, personally I'd like to see some more unique options at Best of the West.

^ Maybe they could put them throughout the rest of Old Country? Put a flat ride where the music express was and put another one where the old bumper car building is now. This plus a future new coaster where Chiller was would bring the whole right side of the park back to life.

^ I really hope they don't do the train wraps...

 

That new commercial is the best one I've seen them have in a while, I like that all the rides they show are from our park. Even though it's a small detail some people watching might not notice they still put in the effort for it.

Sounds like you had a great trip! I found that Millennium Force comes alive at night and is a much better ride, although I've never ridden Superman SFNE to compare it to.

 

I agree exactly with your opinion of Mean Streak, I would love to see what RMC could do with it.

I vote T:DK. The dispatch procedure means built-in time to get everyone set up with the headsets, plus they have the space to distribute the headsets in the indoor queue, and the theming to set up a potential story.

I agree with this, given all the problems the VR causes to operations at the other SF parks, this is probably the only option at our park that wouldn't drastically increase lines. If people get set up with the helmets in the queue, the fast dispatching cars wouldn't likely be a big issue.

 

I wouldn't want it on Skull Mtn. since its station is pretty small already and it would really bring down its capacity. Also, I sort of get a kick out of its completely random music and props although I'm probably in the minority on that.