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VGplay Beaver Land Mine Ride User is Offline Joined: 03 Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Location: Akron, Ohio	Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:51 am    Post subject: Hersheypark and Kennywood: 6-9-08 and 6-10-08 · Quote Since this trip was a few weeks ago I'm not going to write up a full-detail narrative like I did for Waldameer, and that one took way too long to not finish. I hope you still enjoy reading it, anyways. The last time I went to Hershey was for three hours back in 2005. It was a stop during my eighth grade trip and I had a blast. Ended up riding most of the coasters with many rerides. But it really was only a teaser of the whole park, and I wanted to spend a whole day ever since. When I got my license Hershey was one of the first trips I thought of, and I could make it a brother trip with just Dimitri and I (thanks mom and dad!). Hersheypark 6-9-08 Weather: Hot, mid 90s, but not too humid which made it somewhat bearable. Mostly sunny. Crowds: Light. Everything was a one or two train wait except for Storm Runner and Fahrenheit. Storm Runner's line was only inside the station. I wanted to get to the park as close to opening as realistically as possible so we left at 5:30 in the morning. After a five and a half hour drive that kept going and going, we got to the park just after 11:00am. I got tickets ahead of time at AAA ($36! Saved $12) so we walked right up to the gate and entered the park. We went to Storm Runner first thinking Fahrenheit's line would be as long as it would get already. We were greeted to a line just on the station platform. Storm Runner: I missed this back in 2005 as it was the only ride with a line. I had high expectations after hearing so many good things about it. What a disappointment. The launch and top hat were fun, but the inversions were just awkward and painful. It was better without your hands up, but there's almost too much change of direction going on. After Storm Runner we walked past Fahrenheit towards the two (three?) GCI coasters the park has. Wildcat: I vaguely remember thinking in 2005 that I thought Wildcat was a better ride than Lightning Racer. I'm not sure I agree with that anymore, but it certainly was a good ride. Not rough by any stretch of the imagination and good pacing. I forgot hot compact it is, pictures make it look bigger than it is. Lightning Racer: I also vaguely remember thinking that although Wildcat might be a better ride, that I liked Lightning Racer more. It was just some of the most fun I had ever had on a coaster, and the racing aspect helps a lot. It still is a fun ride. Some good moments of air and it runs great for an eight year old ride. Wild Mouse: It was kinda funny how this was a literal walk-on. We walked into the station and sat down in the moving car, it never stopped. The bakes being barely used made it a lot more wild than other mouses. It was time for Fahrenheit. They had a single-rider line available though it was luck of the draw how long you would wait for someone to ride with. Fahrenheit: Holy cow this was amazing. The vertical lift is an element in itself and the first drop is crazy. The rest of the ride flows so well and the airtime hill is ridiculous. My brother agreed with me and it too is one of his favorite coasters. We couldn't get enough. The line was short enough that whenever we rode, we rode more time after that. It was time for lunch so we seeked out an air conditioned place to eat. Each of us got a personal pizza in the Minetown food court and it was some of the best pizze we have ever had in an amusement park. Great Bear was conveniently located nearby. Great Bear: I really like this ride. Very unique from other inverts and you get a cool sense of flying over the park. The helix before the first drop is pretty forcefull in the back. Down the hill and it was time for some classic coaster action. Sooperdooperlooper: The only Schwarzkopf I've been on and I can see why people like them so much. The loop certainly is sooperdooper and  the rest is a pleasant ride until the helix finale. Comet: It amazingly had no line and we rode towards the back. Not rough at all and it had a few good moments of airtime, but towards the last half, the train just didn't have enough speed over the hills to do a whole lot. Better than it was in 2005, however. By then we had done somewhat of a figure eight of the park and it was still only mid-afternoon. We made another lap around the park riding the flats and getting rerides on the coasters. For dinner we decided to go out of the park and where else? Wendy's! I got myself a Baconator and my brother got chicken nuggets and we enjoyed them in the shadow of Lightning Racer. We got back in the park at 8pm, exactly two hours to go. We grabbed a ride on Storm Runner, Fahrenheit, The Claw, and Wildcat. By the time we got to Lightning Racer it was getting dark and we alternated riding together and racing each other (I won the most). Hershey has racing lights during the entire course of all the wooden coasters so once it was dark, it was a sight to behold the tangled mess of lights Lightning Racer was. It really was beautiful. Three rides turned into five and five turned into eight. Our final ride was together in the front seat and we won the race. We bought the on-ride photo and headed for Fahrenheit for the last half hour. By now Fahrenheit was a walk-on. With the crew pumping out trains at a ridiculous pace (the train would be out of the station while the one on the course was just in the first corkscrew) we were able to ride at will. Even had two consecutive rides without leaving my seat. After some misjudgment on my part, we missed the last train of the night by one, we were on the train before it, darn. But we got something like eight rides in a half hour and it had to be around 15 for the whole day. The park was now closed and Dimitri and I still had a 20 minute drive to the campground. Though with my GPS it wasn't a very difficult drive at all. We got camp setup and went to bed for the night. Though my brother did not know what lay ahead on Tuesday. Hersheypark Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/vgplay/Hersheypark6908 Kennywood coming tomorrow pending I get up at a reasonable time.
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VGplay Beaver Land Mine Ride User is Offline Joined: 03 Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Location: Akron, Ohio	Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:57 am    Post subject: · Quote Pittsburgh is a three hour drive from Harrisburg and my brother and I were meeting my uncle for lunch at noon. So we had to get up at 8am to be on the road by nine. Once again the drive kept going and going and traffic in Pittsburgh was pretty bad. We ended up meeting up with our uncle at 1pm. After a filling meal at Bob Evans we exchanged hugs and we left for home. Or so my brother thought. Kennywood 6-10-08 Weather: It was mostly cloudy when we arrived which turned into showers. Before it was dark everything cleared up. Temperatures were in the low 80s. Crowds: Busier than I was expecting for an early summer Tuesday. Most rides had a line and Phantom had at least a 20 minute wait. After fighting traffic through Pittsburgh again I surprised my brother as we arrived at the park at almost exactly 3pm. We entered the first entrance which routed us to the paid parking lot. $5 and I wasn't any closer than parking in the free lot. Armed with our $20 tickets from AAA, we entered the park and headed for Phantom's Revenge. Phantom's Revenge: One train operation made for an unnecessarily long wait. While in line I noticed something new, brakes on the second bunny hill. The big drop still packs a punch but now the bunny hills don't have the ejector air they used to. It used to be a great ride, but with how it was running this night, have they downgraded it to a good ride? Also while waiting to ride Phantom something really annoyed me. KennyTV. Its Kennywood's in-park TV that shows videos of rides, music videos, and a few commercials. It wouldn't bother me had it not been in Phantom's station. Whenever the spiel wasn't going there was music blasting, I hated it. I could understand, maybe even welcome, them in line, but inside the station is a horrible location and I hope enough people complain to have them moved. My evening wasn't getting off to a good start and didn't turn around quite yet as we headed to the air conditioned comforts of Exterminator. Exterminator: Oops, did I say air conditioned comfort? It wasn't on. And it was hotter inside than outside. The ride is still fun and it runs fast since the brakes weren't being used. Afterwards we grabbed a ride on the Whip that didn't include a whole lot of whipping action. Then we played russian roulette with our legs and rode Pitt Fall. It too had an unnecessarily long wait with the park only running two sides of the tower. We started heading out of the Lost Kennywood section and rode Swing Shot. I do enjoy Screamin' Swings and wish they had a longer cycle, but I'm not sure that is possible being air-powered. We then walked over to Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt: The line was down the ramp and was about 15 minutes with one train operation. We sat down towards the back of the comfy NAD train and were off. What exactly makes the Thunderbolt so popular? There's the good spot of lateral forces but other than that, what? After Thunderbolt we were right by Ghostwood Estate so we got in the 10 minute line. The theming is very well-done and the trackless cars are pretty cool. I couldn't hit squat, though. Continuing down the midway we found ourselves at The Racer. The Racer: The wait was 15 minutes and they were running one train on each "side". No one was slapping hands which is the fun part. Without the racing aspect it would be a ho-hum ride. Where's the switchover? I can never find it. Close to The Racer was out next ride, Jackrabbit. Jackrabbit: Two train operation made the wait under five minutes. The double dip creates crazy airtime, the train feels like it separates from the track. We walked down the other side of the park, stopping at Cosmic Chaos which had a small group of people standing in front. Turned out someone puked and they closed it to clean everything up. We stood there for five minutes and everyone was let on. I'm not sure if I had different posture or something, but this ride was uncomfortable compared to my ride back in October. We took a walk through Noah's Ark and I had a thought of what the ride would be like if the operator did a bit of acting in the elevator. Got in line for Phantom which was still running one train. We eventually got into the station and in line for the back row. It is announced the ride is closed for inclement weather. Huh? The clouds are breaking and it is sunny out. My brother and I decide to wait it out since everyone in front of use got out of line. Ten minutes later and it does actually start raining. It soon stops and after 20 minutes of waiting they reopen the ride. I don't know why they closed it in the first place, it rained, but didn't even thunder. I thought maybe I took a wrong turn and ended up at Cedar Point. We make another lap of the park and it starts getting dark. After a ride on Jackrabbit we check the time, 9:40. Not enough time for anything else so we head for Phantom in hopes of getting a night ride and maybe the last train of the night. We ask the guy at the entrance when they close the line, he says it depends and if we want to ride to just get in line now. We do so and once in the station get in line for the front row. It gets closer to closing and there's still a few people behind us. Then they announce there will be only two more trains sent out. There's two people in front of us. Perfect! Everyone behind us fills the rest of the rows and the train returns. People who just rode without anyone waiting for their seat can ride again. The two guys behind us are telling the train to be "loud and obnoxious" and it seemed everyone listened. I'm not sure I've heard a coaster train be that loud. After a great night ride we step out onto the midway and the only people around are those who were on Phantom. It was kinda spooky walking through a dark empty park. We get to my car and decide to not wait in the line of traffic and exit through the gate at the top of the lot. While things were a bit disappointing in the afternoon, things turned around in the evening and we ended up having a great time. Got home just before 1am and went straight to bed. I'll be honest, Kennywood isn't my favorite park and I don't think it is the end-all-be-all traditional park everyone makes it out to be, but I've had a blast the three times I've gone and I look forward to going again next year. Kennywood Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/vgplay/Kennywood61008 Last edited by VGplay on Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:13 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Gunkey Monkey Site Admin User is Offline Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 839 Location: Cleveland, Ohio	Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:28 am    Post subject: · Quote Thanks for the TR and you got some great photos of my second most favorite park. You brought back a lot of great memories for me. Sorry to hear about Storm Runner. I didn't think the head banging was that bad when I rode it last. That ride literally blew me away three years ago. It's what a hydraulic launch coaster should do. When I was at Hershey in 2005 I remember the large emply plot of land that the Boardwalk eventually would fill in and it is quite a tight area. Rumor has it that Canyon River Rapids will be removed and the new wave pool will be located there. I also think Lightning Racer is better than Wildcat (and that was back when Wildcat was still using PTC trains). How is it with the Millennium Flyers now? And both coasters are stunning with the chaser lights on them. _________________ On September 21, 2007, a historic 119-year old amusement park had been secretly murdered. Never forget it.
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VGplay Beaver Land Mine Ride User is Offline Joined: 03 Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Location: Akron, Ohio	Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:15 pm    Post subject: · Quote Posted Kennywood. Gunkey, I suppose "painful" was the wrong word to use. I think "uncomfortable" would describe my opinion about the ride better. And Wildcat was running fine, if forceless. Though I didn't have a problem with it when it ran PTCs, I tolerate a certain degree of roughness with wooden coasters.
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Ray P Riptide Run User is Offline Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 337	Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:40 pm    Post subject: · Quote Thanks again for the great TR's VGPlay.  You have a good writing style and made some accurate statements.  I added a few comments below.   VGplay wrote: Crowds: Busier than I was expecting for an early summer Tuesday. Most rides had a line and Phantom had at least a 20 minute wait. There were only 6 advertised group outings that day according to the park website (as opposed to something like 18 on the day Gunkey Monkey wrote about)... so maybe that ad campaign is working!     Quote: Armed with our $20 tickets from AAA, we entered the park and headed for Phantom's Revenge. That is a steal for admission.  And if I'm not mistaken, it includes admission to Sandcastle if you are so inclined.   Quote: Then we played russian roulette with our legs and rode Pitt Fall. It too had an unnecessarily long wait with the park only running two sides of the tower. That line about the legs may have been in poor taste, but I laughed at it anyway.  Good one!   It seemed like there was always a problem with one of the sides on PittFall.  If there are now 2 sides down, that is going to definitely cause long lines all season.  Love those quality Intamin products! Quote: What exactly makes the Thunderbolt so popular? There's the good spot of lateral forces but other than that, what? Glad to see I'm not the only one that doesn't "get" Thunderbolt.  I haven't ridden since 1999 as I'm usually a single rider and I don't feel like getting paired with some sweaty rube that I don't know (especially during the lateral bowl section... ick!) and I guess I just never saw the appeal.  Yes it's novel that the ride's biggest drop is at the end, but when the rest of the ride is so lackluster, I really don't care that I don't ride it on my visits to the park.  Give me Jack Rabbit or Racer anyday.   Quote: We took a walk through Noah's Ark and I had a thought of what the ride would be like if the operator did a bit of acting in the elevator. Ummm... better than it is now?  Noah's Ark was great pre-1996 makeover.  The "elevator" and the big engine room finale are just lame in my opinion. Quote: I'll be honest, Kennywood isn't my favorite park and I don't think it is the end-all-be-all traditional park everyone makes it out to be, but I've had a blast the three times I've gone and I look forward to going again next year. And as I have asked many times before, isn't that what this hobby is all about?  As long as you leave a park happy and feeling that you had a good time, then the park did what it set out to do.   Again, thanks for the TR and sharing your pics. Ray P. _________________ "I'm a good-hearted, honest man... yet you all continue to boo me.  How DARE you treat me like that?"- Chris Jericho
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geaugalakeinexile Splash Landing User is Offline Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 104	Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:12 pm    Post subject: · Quote <SNIP> Quote: There were only 6 advertised group outings that day according to the park website (as opposed to something like 18 on the day Gunkey Monkey wrote about)... so maybe that ad campaign is working!     Ray P. I know that in Parma tickets for Kennywood are selling well. Discount Drug Mart sells adult tickets for $21.00 and logs the sales in a book. This one store on York Road was into the second full page of listings and into their second set of tickets. This was in the middle of May. Just about everyone where I work is planning a day at Kennywood sometime this summer.
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