Yoshi Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 I wasn't sure if I was going to get any new coaster credits this year and really wanted to try Candymonium. Before daily operations ended, I decided to go to Hersheypark and if I didn't like what I saw, leave after a few rides. The new entrance looks great and should help with the crowds the park gets at opening. I got there at 3:00 and there was no wait to get in but in past years, it could take 15 minutes to enter the park even with low crowds. There are now metal detectors where you can leave your phone and keys in your pocket. I went to Candymonium first. The app had a 45 minute wait posted and the sign at the entrance was 30 minutes. Both were wrong and it was only a 2 train wait. 2 out of 3 trains were running with all rows in use but they did not put separate groups in the same row. Rows were being assigned but requests were taken for the front and last rows. I have been looking forward to this coaster ever since it was announced. B&M Hypers are one of my favorite coaster designs and I had high expectations for this ride. There is a screen in the back of the station that shows the ride operators which seats are locked similar to Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion. Unlike Nitro, this coaster has seatbelts but they didn't seem to impact the air time too much. The layout was good with a hammerhead like Nitro and some highly banked turns. Unfortunately, there were 2 trims, one after the hammerhead and one before the helix that goes around the Hershey Kisses fountain. It didn't ruin the ride but you could definitely feel the slow down, more in the front of the train. It is my new favorite coaster in the park and is a top 10 steel coaster for me but before riding it, I expected it to be in my top 5 like Nitro (#2) and Diamondback (#3) but I prefer both of those coasters to Candymonium. I got 4 rides and like Nitro, I thought the last row was the best. Comet was next. The middle row of each car was closed off. I prefer Knoebel's method of keeping every row open and then allowing groups to ride in the rows without any spacing but then keep an empty row between groups. This is still my favorite wooden coaster at the park. The Triple Towers were closed so I went to Trailblazer. It was the same as Comet with the middle row of each car closed. Frontier Flyers had a 1 cycle wait, which was surprising even with the low crowds. Fahrenheit was the only ride where there was poor distancing in line and every row was being loaded. I thought the rows were too close together for every row to be in use. The ride operator in the station was not allowing requests for a specific row but I asked for the front because of the seating arrangements and he did allow me to wait for the front. Unlike past years, the rattling in the cobra roll wasn't too bad. Wild Mouse was a literal walk on. I was able to ride the whip this year without a problem. The last time I was at the park and the ride was open, I was told no single riders were allowed. I e-mailed the park and the e-mail stated the ride operators were wrong and they would be notified that single riders can ride the whip. Lightning Racer had both sides running with 2 trains on each side. Every other row was closed off. I was glad to see both sides running since it loses some of the fun when the trains aren't racing. After another ride on Wild Mouse, I went to Great Bear. It was good to ride a B&M invert again and was smooth as usual. I went back to Comet for another ride and was going to finish the trip at Candymonium but everyone else heading towards the exit had the same idea and it was a posted 45 minute wait with a lot of the switchbacks in the queue in use. I did not like the new exit setup. Instead of going through an exit gate, you have to exit through a large store. This caused everyone to have to go through a few sets of doors where you couldn't distance. The store was very crowded and the line to check out at the registers went right past the exit doors. I feel given the current situation, they should allow you to bypass the store and exit through the other gates. Mask usage was better than Knoebels but still more people were not wearing their masks properly or at all than I would have liked to have seen. People kept their masks on the rides more than at Knoebels but some still lowered or removed them on the rides. Overall, it was a fun visit to the park and I am glad I got to ride Candymonium. Ride Count: Candymonium, 4x Comet, 2x Great Bear, 1x Trailblazer, 1x Frontier Flyers, 1x Fahrenheit, 1x Wild Mouse, 2x Whip, 1x Lightning Racer Lightning, 1x Lightning Racer Thunder, 1x New entrance gate The carousel's new location right at the park entrance. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 Great trip report! It is nice to hear that you got on so many coasters. The entrance area sure looks a lot different than when it was a quaint little village. What did they put in the old Carousel location? Is the old canopy still there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyroger Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, 29yrswithaGApass said: Great trip report! It is nice to hear that you got on so many coasters. The entrance area sure looks a lot different than when it was a quaint little village. What did they put in the old Carousel location? Is the old canopy still there? Yes, it is still there, they added some tables, color changing lights hanging from the ceiling, and two big claw games for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, jollyroger said: Yes, it is still there, they added some tables, color changing lights hanging from the ceiling, and two big claw games for some reason. They need to add a new ride in there like Tea Cups. Also the new park entrace is broiling in the hot sun, it really really needs shade structures like the entrance to IOA. The old entrance used to have nice shade trees. Edited August 25, 2020 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyroger Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, The Master said: They need to add a new ride in there like Tea Cups. Also the new park entrace is broiling in the hot sun, it really really needs shade structures like the entrance to IOA. The old entrance used to have nice shade trees. Yeah, I liked the old entrance better (actually Tudor Square and Rhineland in general), is this new one more efficient when entering? Maybe a little, I just hope the trees they planted grow quickly, I also hope that they give you an option to bypass the shop when exiting when the park closes for the day, Covid or not, making that many people cram into a store isn't a good idea. It might be big, but it also doesn't have a clear straight path through the store either. A Tea Cup ride in the Carrousel pavilion would be nice, but the park seems to have issues staffing their rides as is, that is why the hours are shorter now so it is just one shift. Edited August 25, 2020 by jollyroger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted August 26, 2020 Report Share Posted August 26, 2020 Great report! Shame to hear there's no rule enforcement. The style of the new entrance plaza reminds me of the new SF Universe store at GAdv, as well as the bland new(ish) entrance to CP. I don't like this trend in theme park design -- things should look themed, not like a mall! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted August 26, 2020 Report Share Posted August 26, 2020 The theme of every retail location now days is warehouse. The remodel they just finished last year at World of Disney was the same thing, making it all generic background for the merchandise to stand out. This has been happening for the past 10-15 years with everything going generic. McDonald's looks like Starbucks, Disney Store looks like Gap. It's the trend at the moment to take away anything unique and interesting about the place so you focus on the product, I guess so it's more like online. The pendulum will eventually swing the other way again and everything will go over the top decorative/themed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 27, 2020 Report Share Posted August 27, 2020 8 hours ago, GAcoaster said: The theme of every retail location now days is warehouse. The remodel they just finished last year at World of Disney was the same thing, making it all generic background for the merchandise to stand out. This has been happening for the past 10-15 years with everything going generic. McDonald's looks like Starbucks, Disney Store looks like Gap. It's the trend at the moment to take away anything unique and interesting about the place so you focus on the product, I guess so it's more like online. The pendulum will eventually swing the other way again and everything will go over the top decorative/themed. One of the few advantages brick and mortar stores have over online is store atmosphere, and they are wasting it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2020 On 8/25/2020 at 12:00 AM, 29yrswithaGApass said: Great trip report! It is nice to hear that you got on so many coasters. The entrance area sure looks a lot different than when it was a quaint little village. What did they put in the old Carousel location? Is the old canopy still there? Thank you, I liked the way the old entrance looked but hope this will be better with crowds. On 8/25/2020 at 2:15 AM, The Master said: They need to add a new ride in there like Tea Cups. Also the new park entrace is broiling in the hot sun, it really really needs shade structures like the entrance to IOA. The old entrance used to have nice shade trees. A tea cup ride is a good idea. On 8/25/2020 at 1:44 PM, jollyroger said: Yeah, I liked the old entrance better (actually Tudor Square and Rhineland in general), is this new one more efficient when entering? Maybe a little, I just hope the trees they planted grow quickly, I also hope that they give you an option to bypass the shop when exiting when the park closes for the day, Covid or not, making that many people cram into a store isn't a good idea. It might be big, but it also doesn't have a clear straight path through the store either. A Tea Cup ride in the Carrousel pavilion would be nice, but the park seems to have issues staffing their rides as is, that is why the hours are shorter now so it is just one shift. Hopefully the staffing issues will be better in the fall and winter. I remember last year during those times, so many rides were closed. On 8/26/2020 at 12:52 PM, pashacar said: Great report! Shame to hear there's no rule enforcement. The style of the new entrance plaza reminds me of the new SF Universe store at GAdv, as well as the bland new(ish) entrance to CP. I don't like this trend in theme park design -- things should look themed, not like a mall! Thank you, rule enforcement could have been better but it wasn't bad enough where I would feel uncomfortable visiting again this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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