*FreeBird*
Posts: 8264
Registered: 8/29/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 7/15/2006 1:25:30 PM
Well its been about 2 years since I've last been there. Not a whole lot has changed which is probably a good thing because I love the park how it is. Finding the park was very easy and that's with me driving (I'm very bad with directions). As for the weather it was beautiful, well except for the scorching heat. 
Before entering the park we decided to hit chocolate world and go on the tour ride, which was a little different from last time. Looks like they added some singing cows and stuff.  So anyway, we got inside the park using our discount tickets which were $32 each, a lot better then paying the normal price of $44! We also smuggled in some drinks in my friends backpack, they only search the top so they never found them! 
For our first ride we hit the SooperDooperLooper, which is one of my favorites at hershey. It actually had a short line which was suprising because they were running two trains. The sudden jerks and stops at the end are still there, but it still doesn't detract much from the overall ride. After that we were going to ride the Comet but the line was a bit too long so we decided to ride Great Bear. For this we decided to wait for the front, which makes this ride so much better. I think this ride has one of the best beginnings to a rollercoaster I've ever been on. Too bad its just a little too short, but long enough to be considered a great ride. Also worth to note, the sound of the ride. I truly beleive this is one of the best sounding steel coasters out there, I mean you can just feel the intimidation of its loud roar.
After that we headed over to Coal Cracker which I missed on our previous trips. This log flume is pretty decent in length, though I wish it had another drop. The drop it had though was excellent. Around that time it was about noon so we decided to grab a bite to eat, which we knew would be very expensive. Good thing we brought drinks along. So then we went over to Trailblazer, which was broken down for whatever reason. Seems like it does that a lot. It was open later on in the day so we eventually rode it. We then headed over to wildcat which had a very little wait. The turkey call sounding break at the end of the ride brought back great memories from previous years. The ride is still as rough and wild as ever so I wouldn't advise riding it too many times in a row, unless you want a headache. Still good though.
We then went back to the Comet which had a much shorter line and rode that. I was thrilled to notice that they must have either gotten rid of the trim breaks or toned them down a lot. It was much faster and nothing seemed to slow down its speed. After that we rode the Wild Mouse which still remains my favorite of all the mice I've ridden. We then headed over to Lightining Racer but first hit the Whip. We only rode this ride once, idk why. It really has a great finish, and was fairly smooth as well. And finally we hit Storm Runner, which I wanted to save once we hit all the other coasters. That feeling you get from being launched 0-72mph in 2 seconds was very thrilling. The line wasn't bad either, we rode this a few more times throughout the day. Next up was the new attraction Reeses Xtreme Cup Challenge. Not a great ride in my opinion. The uncompetitive nature of the ride made it feel less thrilling. The design of the props were well done, but the inaccuracy of the guns made it very frustrating. A haunted house would have been a much better fit here.
We then decided to hit the water rides since it was so hot out, Tidal Force and Canyon River Rapids. I never rode Tidal Force before, it had a nice long plung to the bottom, you get soaked on this ride. The only negative I have for it is the splash protector thing on the bridge, kind of makes it worthless to stand up there unless you just want to get a mist. The Rapids was a great ride as well, rode this twice.
After that it was time for some rerides. Both the Comet and Great Bear are exc
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coaster05
Posts: 6207
Registered: 2/29/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/15/2006 3:13:04 PM
If you don't mind me asking where did the discount tickets come from and are they good with the preview plan. I am curious since I will be there in 2 weeks.
BTW great trip report with good detail.
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*FreeBird*
Posts: 8264
Registered: 8/29/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/15/2006 4:51:40 PM
I got them at my Township's Parks and Recreation Office, they have them for almost all the major parks in the northeast. As far as the preview plan I think you have to buy the ticekts at Hersheypark.
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coaster05
Posts: 6207
Registered: 2/29/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/15/2006 6:55:17 PM
Thanks. That is what I figured that the preview had no discount.
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RCGenius
Posts: 1180
Registered: 12/23/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/15/2006 7:10:34 PM
Great TR Freebird. It sounded like you had a great day at my home park. I agree with you about the Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge. Hersheypark finally got a dark ride, but I think that a haunted mansion type dark ride would've been better. The ride was just kinda corny & it's hard to even accumulate a lot of points.
BTW, what time did you stop by the Trailblazer because I was working at Trailblazer Catering that day from 12-8 p.m. If you recall ever seeing a black man there, that was me.
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*FreeBird*
Posts: 8264
Registered: 8/29/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/15/2006 11:23:24 PM
Yeah, there wasn't any real competitive nature to the game, which is kind of what the ride is all about. I guess it may be alright for kids, but for adults its just too corny. I doubt hersheypark will ever have a dark ride thats truly scary, just doesn't seem like its in there nature.
Its hard to remember, time really flys at amusement parks. Maybe around 3-4. We didn't go near Traiblazer catering though so I had to miss you. If I would have know before that you worked there I went I would have liked to meet you.
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hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/16/2006 8:51:30 AM
^i agree with the others. good work freebird. i'm glad you don't hate on wildcat.
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no cars go
Posts: 501
Registered: 4/7/2006
Rank: Gold Critic
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7/16/2006 2:43:57 PM
As long as I don't sit in the last seat, I think Wildcat is a great coaster.
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Enthusiasts only make up .000048% of the attendance at amusement parks.
My Coaster Count
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Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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7/21/2006 11:20:13 AM
Nice job, *Freebird*. I will be at Hershey in less than a month, and am really looking forward to it.
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