Cocoa Cruiser | We Were Inverted

Hersheypark – Christmas “Catty” Land

Patrick Wagner — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 19:25:17 +0000

For months I was itching for a few more rides on Wildcat’s Revenge before the end of 2023. With it open for Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane, I figured I’d wait and head up on a Monday in December since my workplace is closed on Mondays. Well, with Christmas falling on a Monday this year, that left only Monday, December 18 on the park’s Christmas Candylane schedule. My date was picked for me.

As the 18th approached, the possibility of rain and heavy winds was slated for Sunday. And boy did it ever rain! I kept my fingers crossed that it would let up by 5 p.m. on Monday when the park opened. For the most part, it did. Some wind gusts were still prevalent, which saw Candymonium closed. I haven’t had much luck with Candymonium being open during Candylane since it’s addition, so that didn’t bother me all too much. Still, we had a great evening, cramming in more than 20 rides over a four hour span. Ten of those rides came on Wildcat’s Revenge, hence the title.

Heading Up Early

Tagging along for this trip were my friends Jen and Ethan who visited the park with me back in August. Ethan also brought a friend of his to the park who hadn’t been in a few years. We went up early to get a bite to eat at The Chocolatier restaurant and then head over to Chocolate World to do some shopping and of course, ride the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour ride.

Once we were done, we took my 50 lbs. of chocolate back to the car and got in line to enter the park. Hey! Don’t judge. There was a deal for four bags of candy for $20 going on. I took advantage of it for a chocolate tray I wanted to put together to take to my cousin’s house for Christmas.

Wildcat's Revenge

With Candymonium closed we made our way back to Wildcat’s Revenge. There was no one in line, so we made our way straight to the lockers and then up the steps. A back row ride came first, followed by a front row ride. Things felt very slow on these two rides. That was to be expected with the temperature in the upper 40’s and being the first few trains of the day.

We rode Wildcat’s Revenge three times initially before heading over to Laff Trakk. We’d jump back on for a fourth ride before making our way to the other end of the park. Once finished there, we came back for our final six rides of the night, putting us at exactly 10 on the evening. For those last six rides, Wildcat’s Revenge was indeed running a bit faster. It still wasn’t like my summer rides, but again, the temperature will do that to a coaster. Nevertheless, all amazing rides – my first ones at night too.

I’m glad this coaster is part of the Christmas Candylane ride line up and I know what I’ll be doing at least once a year moving forward around Christmastime.

Cocoa Cruiser

Yes. Yes we rode Cocoa Cruiser. Don’t judge. There was no line and I joked with Jen that we should do it. She said why not, especially since we did Grover’s Alpine Express at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) back in October.

Reese's Cup Fusion

This was our longest wait of the night. I’d say about 15 minutes, which is unheard of any other time you visit Hersheypark. I put up 250,000 points, which is the highest score I can remember reaching. I seriously don’t know how anyone can reach the 800,000 listed on the scoring chart when leaving the ride, though.

Final Ride Counts

Claw (1)
Cocoa Cruiser (1)
Jolly Rancher Remix (1)
Laff Trakk (1)
Mix’d (1)
Music Express (1)
Pirate (1)
Reese’s Cup Fusion (1)
Skyview (1)
Sooperdooperlooper (1)
Wild Mouse (1)
Wildcat’s Revenge (10)
Laff Trakk (1)
Exhibit: Santa’s Reindeer (1)
Exhibit: Treeville (1)

A Great Final Park Trip for 2023

While we only had four hours inside the park, I couldn’t have had asked for a better evening. Jen and I really run through rides when we visit parks together. On this visit we averaged a ride every 10.9 minutes and that’s including bathroom stops, us breaking for Ethan not feeling well, walks through both the Santa’s Reindeer and Treeville exhibits, getting pretzels, and traversing back and forth across the park several times. I can only imagine how many rides on Wildcat’s Revenge we could have gotten had we just stayed there all night. I also wonder how many we could have gotten had we not had to walk back around after every ride. That seems to be the only drawback of the separate loading/unloading station set up. I’ll take it though because in the summer, it’s a massive plus.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a great New Year’s. I’m debating on whether or not to head to a park on New Year’s Day. I have a few options, but I’m not sure just yet. The last few years I’ve been at Kings Dominion marathoning Twisted Timbers for both New Year’s Eve (2021 into 2022) and on New Year’s Day (2023). This year, however, they’re closed on New Year’s Day, but are open on New Year’s Eve until 1 a.m. With BGW open on New Year’s Day, I’m pondering doing Kings Dominion Sunday and then BGW Monday. I’m not sure yet. I guess you’ll find out soon!

Hersheypark Photo Gallery - December 18, 2023

If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.

CREW MANIFEST

The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:

Patrick

CAG

New Credit(s): n/a

Jen

Ensign

New Credit(s): n/a

The post Hersheypark – Christmas “Catty” Land first appeared on We Were Inverted.

Hersheypark – Wildcat’s Revenge Memorial Day Preview

Patrick Wagner — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 01:57:57 +0000

When it comes to both Memorial Day and Labor Day, I’ve come to avoid parks like the plague. So why was I at Hersheypark this year on Memorial Day? Well you see, Hersheypark decided to kick off its three-day long King-Sized Pass Holder Preview event on Monday, May 29. May 29 was Memorial Day and that meant I was braving whatever crowds would be at the park to ride Wildcat’s Revenge.

Originally Sam and I entertained the idea of going to Wildwood, N.J. to hit up Morey’s Piers, but when we received the email telling us we could reserve times to be among the first to ride Wildcat’s Revenge, our plans immediately changed.

As Memorial Day drew near, our friend Eric reached out to tell us that he’d be at the park that day as well. His 1:30 p.m. ride reservation time was the same as mine. I had some issues upgrading my pass and was unable to reserve for 11:30 a.m. with Sam. Oh well, it all ended up working out and we had a day better than we ever expected.

Not So Busy After All

Needless to say, between the Memorial Day crowd and pass holders event, we expected the park to be mobbed. We hoped we could land a few rides on our favorite in addition to our lone ride on Wildcat’s Revenge. What we didn’t expect, however, was to get in more than 10 rides. We could have had even more, but we stopped for some desserts and filmed some segments for the first impressions video. You can find below if you haven’t yet watched it.

Here are some highlights from our rides.

Wildcat's Revenge

I am not going to go into a ton of detail here since I recently published my review for Wildcat’s Revenge. Still, I want to make sure everyone checking out this trip report is well-aware of how amazing this coaster truly is. I titled my review, “Wildcat’s Revenge Review – This Kitty Has Claws,” for a reason. From start to finish, this coaster rips through its course and flings you every which way imaginable. I expected the ride to be good, but it’s so much more than that.

You all know how much Sam loves Skyrush and how much the two of us have ridden it since the site launched in 2020. Well, after our rides on Wildcat’s Revenge on Memorial Day as well as the Media Day Preview a few days later, Sam might have herself a new number one coaster. It’s a 1A and 1B thing for her right now. I think what she’s struggling with is all the awesome memories she has on Skyrush. That sentimental aspect makes moving a new coaster into its place a difficult decision. I also struggle with that myself sometimes.

Skyrush

Speaking of Skyrush, we were able to grab three rides throughout the day on this polarizing coaster. One of them came during Sweet Start and the final two came toward the end of the night. All three gave us the insane drop, airtime, and pinched thighs that we’ve come to love. I think I end up riding this coaster at least twice every visit, even on the busier days. Thankfully even here on Memorial Day, we didn’t wait more than two trains for any of our rides.

Storm Runner

One ride I expected to have a long wait was Storm Runner. When we walked over toward Jolly Rancher Remix, so Eric could ride it in its rethemed form, we saw there was little to no line. We jumped on and things moved quickly since both sides of the station were loading. My last few visits that was not the case.

I’ve always loved Storm Runner, but I find it odd how much more I’ve come to love it the last few years. I don’t know if I grew to miss it during it’s extended downtime throughout 2020 and the start of 2021, or if I’m just being more analytical in my old age. I just know that the launch, top hat, and the flying snake dive are some of my favorite elements in the park.

Since I have to revisit my coaster rankings soon for Wildcat’s Revenge, I think I’ll have to reconsider where I have Storm Runner. It will probably be launching up a bit. See what I did there? Launching? Up? Okay, I’ll stop. Now get ready…

Cocoa Cruiser

I just want to document here that in order to officially complete all the credits at Hersheypark, not only did Eric have to ride Wildcat’s Revenge, but he also had to ride Cocoa Cruiser. Did he do it? You bet’cha! And yes, he looked so happy getting experiencing all those laterals. It might be his new number one at the park since we’re talking number ones.

Final Ride Counts

Candymonium (1)
Coal Cracker (1)
Cocoa Cruiser (1: Eric)
Comet (1)
Fahrenheit (1)
Great Bear (1)
Jolly Rancher Remix (1)
Lightning Racer: Lightning (1)
Skyrush (3)
Storm Runner (1)
Wildcat’s Revenge (1)

Back for Media Day

After our one ride on Wildcat’s Revenge I was certainly looking forward to more. Thankfully We Were Inverted was invited to attend the Media Day Preview event as well. So just three days after riding Wildcat’s Revenge for the first time, Sam and I would be heading back for more. The invite said that everyone would be allowed one ride, but we ended up getting more.

I was also able to test out my brand new Sony A7 IV camera, so you’ll want to check out that upcoming trip report for lots of amazing photos. I spent some time walking around the park shooting some of the other rides as well.

I thank you for your patience in getting these trip reports and ride review onto the site. With my return just over a month ago to my old job, I haven’t had a ton of free time to sit down and write. The Media Day trip report along with a DarKoaster review, POV, and trip report for my most recent trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) are still yet to come.

Hersheypark Photo Gallery - May 29, 2023

CREW MANIFEST

The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:

Patrick

CAG

New Credit(s): Wildcat's Revenge

Sam

Admiral

New Credit(s): Wildcat's Revenge

The post Hersheypark – Wildcat’s Revenge Memorial Day Preview first appeared on We Were Inverted.

Hersheypark – Christmas Candylane Gives Us More Coal

Patrick Wagner — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 23:08:01 +0000

I usually try to stay positive for my trip reports here on We Were Inverted, especially in a year like 2020, where everything has been turned on its end and every amusement park has had to adjust. With that being said, I feel like I still have to be honest and share when I don’t have a desirable experience. This would be one of those times.

In 2020, my visits to Hersheypark for Christmas Candylane have not lived up to expectations. Thankfully, Sam and I both have both had numerous visits to the park prior and have more than gotten our money’s worth in 2020 overall. However, for those who have attended these holiday events with us and bought normal tickets, I think I’d be a little disappointed overall.

A Quick Recap of Our Last Christmas Candylane Visit

Two weeks ago, I wrote the blog, “Hersheypark – Too Cold for Coasters.” On that day, Sam and I were joined by our friend, Chelsey, her boyfriend, Wade, and their two children. Of the park’s coasters, only Laff Trakk and Cocoa Cruiser operated. Wild Mouse, Wildcat, Sidewinder, and Candymonium were all closed because it was too cold. While I knew going in that many parks will not operate coasters below a certain temperature, Wildcat ran in much colder weather during my 2019 visit and a few other parks out there seem to be running theirs in similar and even colder temps.

Thankfully, Chelsey’s and Wade’s kids were young, so Sam and I spent the day riding flat rides with all of them. It stunk not getting in a ride or two on Candymonium, but we figured we’d be back at least once before the end of the season. Well, yesterday was that day and even though it was 12-15 degrees warmer than two weeks ago, the coaster offerings were once again severely slashed.

Candymonium - More Like Can'tymonium

Since it was in the high 40’s yesterday and Hersheypark opened at 2 p.m., I told Sam and Greg that we should head straight to Candymonium and ride it over and over, knowing it’ll be the first to close for cold weather. As we walked into the park, we could already see that the ride was not running. Seriously?

We walked up to the two employees giving visitors the bad news and I asked if it was closed for the wind or the cold. They said it was due to the wind, although hardly any was blowing. They said they hope to have it up later tonight. That’s when I said, “Well, I know it closes for the cold, so I don’t have high hopes once the sun goes down.”

We turned around and made our way into the park. I had a funny feeling already that we wouldn’t be riding Candymonium and I turned out to be right on the money. In all honesty, I planned on going on a bit of Candymonium tangent during this blog, but I think I’m going to save that for a stand alone blog entry. Now that I’ve either ridden it or seen it go down countless times for various reasons, I want to expand my feelings on the park’s newest addition. For now, we’ll get into the rest of this lackluster day.

Editor’s Note: Hersheypark reached out to me after this blog was publish to inform me that Candymonium was closed for “wind for guest comfort.”

Cocoa Cruiser - Completing Coaster Credits for Greg

Since we were headed back toward some of the other coasters, mainly Wildcat, we asked Greg if he had ever been on Reese’s Cupfusion. He said no, so that’s where we were off to next. Well, that was the plan, but not what happened. It too was closed – hopefully not for the wind. It would remain closed all day too. At least this was open two weeks ago for the kids.

This is when we decided to head to Cocoa Cruiser. This kiddie coaster is the only one that Greg had yet to ride at Hersheypark. Being a bigger guy, however, he was unable to fit into the restraints when he attended the park with his mom a week and a half ago. This time, however, he fit. We made our two laps around the yellow track and things felt a little more uplifting. Well, for a short while.

Editor’s Note: Hersheypark reached out to me after this blog was publish to inform me that Reese’s Cup Fusion was “closed given the restriction on all indoor experiences set by Pennsylvania Department of Health.”

Wildcat - All 9 Lives Lived?

As we made our way back to Wildcat, we noticed that we never saw any trains leave the station. I knew in the back of my mind, Wildcat was also down. It was down two weeks ago for Sam and I, but during Greg’s visit, it ran while it was raining and there was far less visitors in the park. We hoped we’d see this open later in the day, but as with Candymonium, hopes only go so far.

Turning around and looking at Wild Mouse, I said we should just ride that instead. Sam suggested Laff Trakk, so that’s where we went. Get ready for it…

Editor’s Note: Hersheypark reached out to me after this blog was publish to inform me that Wildcat was “closed due to ice on the track.”

Laff Trakk - Turning For the Worst

Closed!

This was becoming the story of the day. That’s now two indoor attractions closed and the third of five coasters operating for the event that were closed. Oh, what a day. Looks like the Wild Mouse was going to be next on the agenda after all.

Editor’s Note: Hersheypark reached out to me after this blog was publish to inform me that Laff Trakk, like Reese’s Cup Fusion was “closed given the restriction on all indoor experiences set by Pennsylvania Department of Health.”

Wild Mouse - Just Like "Tom & Jerry," the Mouse Wins

What can I say about this? It’s a Wild Mouse. Nothing too memorable, but I have always enjoyed this ride, but with the day we were having, it felt like a participation trophy at the time. We got in our ride and made our way over to the Ferris Wheel. I wanted to grab some photos of Lightning Racer from up above, especially with the snow. This is when I snapped the blog’s featured photo. I also grabbed some other Lightning Racer shots along with some aerial photos of Wildcat, Wild Mouse, and Fahrenheit.

Sidewinder - Thank God for those New Trains Tonight

Greg had mentioned during our drive to the park that he wanted to get in a ride on Sidewinder. Thankfully this Vekoma Boomerang was open. Does it sound as weird reading it as it does for me to write it?

As you’ve probably read in countless other Hersheypark trip reports from We Were Inverted, I, along with other crew members, are happy that the park installed the new trains on Sidewinder. It makes for a much more pleasant ride. If they still had the old trains, this visit would have been even worse. I would have had to pick between actually riding a coaster and getting a headache, or skipping one of the few that were open.

Flat Rides - Not Like We Can Ride Coasters

After heading out of the park to visit Chocolate World and then sitting down to enjoy some hot chocolate and Yuengling’s Hershey’s Chocolate Porter, the three of us came to the conclusion that we should just hit up the flat rides and head out for a bite to eat. We wanted to try the Cocoa Diner, which is located down the street from the park. I just wanted to make sure Greg didn’t feel like he lost out leaving early since he paid for a ticket. He liked the flat rides idea, so that’s what we did.

While going from ride to ride, we hoped for a miracle with either Candymonium or Wildcat would open, but we should have known better. Neither were going to open, even though they had park employees on Candymonium’s ride platform until we left the park around 8 p.m. Strange… I seriously doubt the park would open the ride with an hour left of operations.

The flat rides that we ended up riding before we left included:

Dry Gulch Railroad
Ferris Wheel (Greg & Patrick)
Frontier Flyers
Hershey Triple Tower – Hershey (Greg & Patrick)
Hershey Triple Tower – Reese’s (Greg & Patrick)
Howler
Pirate (Greg & Patrick)
Wave Swinger

Future Christmas Candylane Visits Uncertain

There is not much time left to visit Hersheypark for Christmas Candylane, but I had planned on maybe visiting one of the few days the park is open in January. I thought it would be nice to start 2021 off with a visit to one of my favorite parks. Truth be told, however, the way things have been with Christmas Candylane here, I think I’m good.

I know the park advertised Candymonium for this year’s event, “weather permitting,” and a lot of us were so happy to see it. After seeing how temperamental the ride has been all 2020 for every little weather condition, I think next year they’d be wise to leave it off the ride list. The “weather permitting” warning does cover the park, but it still sucks going numerous times only to find it closed.

Perhaps the park might consider running Great Bear next year instead? Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) and Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) seem to be doing okay running their Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) inverts in the cold weather. Only Hersheypark knows if the ride could operate. Plus, riding Great Bear next to the light show along the river would be so memorable. Just my two cents after two lackluster trips to Christmas Candylane in 2020.

CREW MANIFEST

The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:

Patrick

CAG

New Credit(s): n/a

Sam

Captain

New Credit(s): n/a

Greg

Commander

New Credit(s): Cocoa Cruiser

The post Hersheypark – Christmas Candylane Gives Us More Coal first appeared on We Were Inverted.

Hersheypark – Too Cold for Coasters

Patrick Wagner — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 20:27:44 +0000

At 4:30 p.m., Sam, Renee, and I arrived at the Hersheypark parking lot. It was our first Christmas Candylane event of the season and we were eager to see all the decorations the park had installed. We have all been seeing countless photos from the park on social media and knew we’d be in for a treat.

It was in the high 30’s as the sun was starting to go down, but it didn’t feel that cold. Candymonium was testing and we were ready to make our way into the park. We were slated to be joined by our friend, Chelsey, her boyfriend, Wade, and their kids. They, however, were running about 45 minutes behind. We decided to get a head start and go straight to Candymonium to get in a few rides before they arrived. Then we could focus more on the kids after us enthusiasts got our fill on the park’s newest coaster.

Sadly, our plans did not turn out as we hoped.

Candymonium Closed, Even After Testing Minutes Prior

After entering the park, we made our walk back and took the right turn toward Candymonium. We could immediately tell that the ride was not running. People were walking away from the ride and we had not seen a single train go since we entered minutes ago. We kept our fingers crossed that it would open later on. I was doubtful, however, with the temperature dipping below 40 degrees.

Not wanting to go too far away from the entrance with Chelsey soon arriving, we walked down to The Hallow and rode the park’s classic Wave Swinger ride. It was a fun way to start the day. Flying around and around with all the lights in the trees only a few feet away really made for a scenic ride. We also went down onto the bridge by Great Bear for some photos of the lights.

About 10 minutes later, we began making our way back to the park entrance. Chelsey called me to say they were entering the parking lot. We told them we’d be up front and to meet us by the Kiss Fountain.

Candymonium: Still No Progress

On our way back to the front of the park, we all but confirmed our suspicions about Candymonium. All the lights in the building were off and the ride sign out front was also dark. We were really bummed because we were hoping for some night rides on the Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) hyper coaster. Hopefully if/when we go back, it won’t be too cold for the ride to operate.

After meeting up with Chelsey, Wade, and the kids, the rest of the night pretty much became a night of flat rides. Why? Well, only two coasters were running. Those were Cocoa Cruiser and Laff Trakk. Of course we made sure we got in some rides on the both of those, but I guess it was too cold to run Wildcat, Wild Mouse, or Sidewinder too? Odd thing was, Wild Mouse’s chain lift was running all night, but the entrance was blocked off.

Not Like Last Year, Which was Colder

In 2019, late in December, I went to Hersheypark for my first-ever Christmas Candylane event. On that day, it was a much colder night than it was last night. I even had to dress in Under Armour gear underneath my clothes to keep warm. Last night I was just wearing a heavy coat that I had partly unzipped at the top. Last year I was able to ride Wildcat four time. Last night, it wasn’t even running. Who knows?

Thankfully, All Our Tickets Were Free or Discounted

Although this turned out not to be a night of coasters, Sam, Renee, and I were to visit with our passes and/or a free entry perk pass from my account. It was a good night of free fun and Sam was able to load up on a bunch of goodies in the gift shop, including Coaster Dynamix kits for Skyrush and Great Bear. Still, had any of us paid $40, which is this year’s asking price for Christmas Candylane (2019 price was about $25), I think we might have been a little more upset. We did hear a couple by the Dry Gulch Railroad say how upset they were paying full price and having nothing open. While it is the chance we all take, it doesn’t mean you can’t feel a little underwhelmed by the experience.

Thankfully the the tickets I was able to secure for Chelsey and her family were also discounted via my account. Their kids had a ton of fun, so that worked out wonderfully for them. As for a coaster enthusiast, the temperature might be something you want to pay close attention to before booking this season.

Christmas Candylane Ride Tally

I’ll go ahead and close this blog with a ride tally for our first visit to Christmas Candylane at Hersheypark in 2020. With Candymonium, Wildcat, Wild Mouse, Sidewinder all closed, we still enjoyed the flat rides and holiday themed attractions:

Wave Swinger
Carrousel
Reese’s Cupfusion
Cocoa Cruiser
Fender Bender
Frontier Flyers
Hot Chocolate (seriously, get some)
Dry Gulch Railroad
Reindeer Exhibit
Mini-Donut Truck (don’t judge, these are amazing!)
Laff Track (x2)
Whip
Music Express
Chocolate World

CREW MANIFEST

The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:

Patrick

CAG

New Credit(s): n/a

Sam

Captain

New Credit(s): n/a

Renee

Lieutenant

New Credit(s): n/a

The post Hersheypark – Too Cold for Coasters first appeared on We Were Inverted.

Summer of Sam – Hersheypark: Labor Day Credits

Patrick Wagner — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 15:41:55 +0000

Last week I saw that Hersheypark announced on their Facebook page that on Labor Day they would be doing some extra perks for their King and Full Sized Season Pass Holders. Upon entering at the gate, each King and Full Sized Pass Holder would receive a scratch off ticket. Every ticket would result in a prize. In addition, 30 percent discounts on retail would be given throughout the park’s shops. I had no plans, so I went ahead and reserved myself a visit. I had planned to go alone, head in for the 10 a.m. Sweet Start (hour early entry), and stick around for a few hours.

A few days before Labor Day, however, I decided to ask Sam if she would be interested in coming along. I know she had just started college, but I figured even with online classes right now, they would still be off on Labor Day. I turned out to be correct. Still, I wasn’t sure if she would want to go since we had been three times already this year. In addition, we have plans to go to Fun Land Fredericksburg, Go Karts Plus Williamsburg, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg with Greg this coming Friday. To my delight, she still wanted to go to Hershey nonetheless.

With Sam coming along, I wouldn’t be able to take her into Sweet Start, but I didn’t care. I had sent Hersheypark a message asking about the scratch offs and if they’d be doing them all day. If not, I wanted to know if I showed up at 11 a.m., if they thought they would still have them available. I was told they were going to do them until they ran out, but entering at 11 a.m., I should have no problem. Awesome! I didn’t want to enter early and tell Sam to meet me in the park later. All sounded great!

Arriving to a Crowded Park

It was Labor Day. I fully expected there to be crowds. We pulled into the lot just before 11 a.m. and the Season Pass Holder lots were already full. This is my first of my seven visits where those lots were filled and the park hadn’t even officially opened yet, except for the Sweet Start event. Oh well, a little walking never hurt anyone. Plus, it was about 78 degrees at that time.

Upon entering the park, I asked the person at the gate about where to get the scratch offs. I was told they were already gone. It was 11:03 a.m. Wow! The members must have came in droves for Sweet Start. Instead, they gave all members a free game voucher card. I’m sure that probably meant that since all the scratch offs were a winner of some kind, this was probably the lowest tier prize and one that most people got anyhow. Oh well!

The Weird Smell at Great Bear

The day’s plans were to try to secure all the credits at the park that Sam did not currently have. Those consisted of: Skyrush, Fahrenheit, Wild Mouse, Sidewinder, and Cocoa Cruiser. She also needs Storm Runner, but it’s down for the 2020 season, so that will have to wait. Still, instead of going to those rides first, Sam wanted to jump on Great Bear for a ride that she knows she will love.

We entered the line and there was about a 20-25 minute wait. As we approached the turn around area after the final brake run, Sam asked me if I smelled a burning smell. I did. To me, it smelled like sparklers or fireworks. It was odd and came a couple of seconds after one of the trains rolled around the turn area leading back into the station.

The train that was in the loading station dispatched. They unloaded the train that had just passed us and let the next group board. This put us a few dozen people shy of going into the station ourselves. Then, ride ops forced everyone off the train and back out of the station. They were making everyone back up. About 20-30 seconds later, they yelled the ride is closed and everyone has to leave the line.

I thought it was weird as most parks will say you can wait, but there is no time table on when the ride we reopen. This is the first time I’ve seen a park say, leave the line. It created such a mess of people trying to pass the word along all the way back to the back of the line to tell them to leave. Since we were close to the area where the HP Go holders can skip the line, we exited out of that line instead. The rest of the line, however, was a mess!

I didn’t think about it, but Sam pointed out to me that the car that was in the station when they closed the ride was the same one that passed us when we noticed the fireworks smell. We both hoped the ride would open and claimed we kicked things off with a “Six Flags Day” at Hersheypark.

Obviously, rides will go down and parks will fix them. The whole “Six Flags Day” reference is an inside joke between some of the flight crew and myself. On numerous visits to Six Flags parks we seem to have our first coaster choice of the day either be down, or go down as we’re in line. It’s a weird coincidence, but it happens regularly at Six Flags parks for us.

One Down, Two to Claim

Knowing Sam wanted to try Skyrush, and we were close, I asked her if she wanted to do that instead, or wait a bit for that one. She said she’d prefer to wait. That’s when I said, “Let’s go get Cocoa Cruiser!”

We walked back across the bridge and waited less than five minutes for a ride on the park’s Zamperella kiddie coaster. I noticed how the ride shares the same paint scheme as Skyrush and said that I wished they had placed this by Skyrush and called it Ground Rush. That would have been awesome! Plus, putting another coaster in The Hallow would be amazing.

Once we finished up getting Sam her first new credit of the day, we were onto her next. Until this point, the Wild Mouse coaster had not been running during any Sam’s prior visits to Hershey in 2020. The first time I saw it open was during the August 23, 2020 visit when my brother and I visited the park. You can read about that day in the blog, “Hersheypark – Day Out with My Brother.”

Just like with Cocoa Cruiser, we practically walked up and onto Wild Mouse. Hershey’s Wild Mouse is nuts as it has multiple cars going at once and utilizes the constantly moving trains on the platform. It keeps the people moving.

A Ride Where People Weren't Moving... Literally

Since we were directly across from Wildcat, I asked Sam if she wanted to go ahead and ride it. She hadn’t been on it in years, and knows all too well how most enthusiasts wish Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) would rework the ride into a hybrid.

Sam’s last rides on Wildcat were rough, but we jumped in line and were greeted to seeing the train stuck on the lift hill. People were leaving the queue, so we turned around and left too. Sam secretly cheered inside, I know! She thought she was saved from the fun that is, Wildcat.

Back-to-Back Loses on Lightning Racer

When Sam was just an Ensign when this site launched, Lightning Racer was her favorite wooden coaster. As of August 20, 2020, however, she changed that to El Toro after her first-ever visit to Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv). Read about that day in the blog, “Summer of Sam – Six Flags Great Adventure.” Still, this ride is one she loves and has many memories riding. We were over on this side of the park, there was no line, so why not grab a ride on both sides.

When we entered the line and made our way into the dividing station, I saw someone had turned in two scratch off tickets for free skip the line passes for one ride. Wish I had gotten myself one of those! I digress.

We started with Thunder and lost before going back up and riding lightning. We also lost on Lightning, but only barely. It’s good to see the them back to being competitive now. At the start of the season, Lightning was smashing Thunder on every ride by about half a train’s length. Then, on a return visit, Thunder was doing the same. It’s more fun when you know the race is going to be even and down to that finish line.

You Can't Escape the Wildcat, Sam

Just when she thought she was going to get to leave this section of the park without a ride on the Wildcat, she was wrong. Plus, the line for Laff Trakk was spilling all the way out onto the walkway approaching the queue line. No thanks! It’s fun, but not worth that wait if you already have the credit. Wildcat it was!

Since we were over this section of the park early, I was able to get some footage of Wildcat without the sun being in the background and killing all the lighting. That has been the case all season for me. For Sam, that was about the only positive of the experience. I, on the other hand, didn’t think this ride on the Wildcat was the worst. It certainly wasn’t great, but the one I had with my brother a few weeks ago was much rougher.

Out of the Ordinary Things #1 - Zoo America

The night before this visit, I bought tickets for a 6:15 p.m. showing of the 4D Chocolate Mystery movie out at Chocolate World. I had always wondered what the movie was like, but I had never bought tickets to watch it. I figured, since I had been to Hershey six times already, why not give it a try on the seventh? I texted Sam to tell her and said I was game for whatever, even some things we normally don’t do. She had never been to Zoo America or been on Reese’s Cup Fusion, so I said if we had time, we should try those too.

After riding three wooden coasters in a row, we decided to go ahead and go to the zoo. We saw mostly vultures though, which apparently are invading the zoo’s exhibits. They’re literally everywhere! The zoo even has signs saying they are trying to find ways to get them out of the zoo. Strange, never had seen this in past visits to Zoo America. Wonder what is bringing them into the area?

Front Row Ride on Great Bear

Once we left the zoo, we ate and made our way to Great Bear. They were running both trains, so whatever happened earlier, they fixed. Sam was happy since this is still her favorite ride at Hersheypark. She was also wearing her Great Bear shirt and said it would suck to have worn the shirt and not be able to ride it.

We waited about 20 minutes this time around and weren’t turned away. What made extra special was Sam decided to try the front row. This is something else that she’s always back off from in the past, but on this ride she decided to go for it.

Much like something else that happened today, she learned how much she loved it. Now she’s eager to get a front row ride on Alpengeist later this week. I’m betting that Alpengeist might become one of her new favorite rides.

Out of the Ordinary Things #2 - Reese's Cupfusion

Once we finished our ride on Great Bear, I asked Sam if she wanted to do Reese’s Cupfusion, or try to get in Fahrenheit. We were keeping an eye on our time left due to having to be out at Chocolate World for the 4D movie by 6:15 p.m. Sam decided to do Cupfusion. I said okay and we made our way to the interactive ride. On the way, however, I told her she shouldn’t pass up on Skyrush this visit. She agreed.

The wait Cupfusion claimed to be around an hour. We waited about 45 minutes. We jumped into the front row of our car and I kicked Sam’s booty when the final scores were shown at the end of the ride. It was only my second time on this ride and Sam’s first. Since it normally has long lines, I don’t find myself wanting to wait with so many other great rides in the park. I do enjoy these interactive rides, however.

Sam Loves Skyrush!

All the times that Sam has been to Hersheypark, one of the rides that she just couldn’t bring herself to ride was Skyrush. Even earlier this year when she was first getting over her fear of coasters, Skyrush was one of the rides she was hoping to be able to build up to. Well, that build up has come to and end because Sam braved Skyrush and loved it!

We waited about 20-25 minutes for Sam’s fifth hyper coaster credit. We were seated third row from the back, which meant we were going to experience some of the whip this ride has to offer. We did just that going over the first drop. After we banked right following the turn, that’s when I began hearing Sam laughing. She was loving the ride and it was evident. By time we reached the final brake run, she was spilling her guts on how much fun she had and how she loves the ride.

Just Enough Time to Ride Great Bear Again

Since we made good time on Cupfusion and Skyrush, we knew we had enough time to get in one last ride on Great Bear. We didn’t wait for the front this time, but had another great ride on the Great Bear. It is such an under appreciated Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) invert. It’s not the longest, and it’s not the most intense, but it is unique in its layout and the setting is unmatched on all the other inverts I’ve ridden.

After leaving Great Bear, we grabbed a pizza and hit the Hersheypark Supply Co. Store. It’s no secret that I don’t care for this store’s haphazard layout. It’s a mess of people trying to shop, leave the park, and find their kids. With social distancing a thing, it can’t be in this store. They have merch stands in the middle of all the hoopla of these people being everywhere and you cannot move. I also feel like the merch isn’t replenished, unless all the roller coaster shirts managed to sell out when they first debuted in the store back in July. The same few shirts in XXXL have been on the shelves for weeks on end. Guess they were limited supply? Sadly, I never got my Skyrush shirt I wanted when they debuted them. And now that Sam loves Skyrush, she wanted one too. Luckily for her, she nabbed her Great Bear and Wooden Coasters shirts back in July while I was riding Candymonium with Elaina and Mailyn during our work trip. Read the blog, “Summer of Sam – Hersheypark: Work Trip” for info about that day.

Out of the Ordinary Things #3 - 4D Chocolate Mystery at Chocolate World

Generally, I always plan to hit Chocolate World upon leaving Hersheypark. I prefer to scoop up some chocolate at the end of the day because there is no way it will last out in the car if we go mid-day. This is why I booked tickets for the final show of the day, at 6:15 p.m. The movie page said the movie is 30 minutes in length, so that would be close to when the park closed anyhow. It was perfect.

It’s been years since I’ve been in a 4D theater. My last experience with one was in The Adventuredome in Las Vegas years ago. I saw a Happy Feet themed film. So yeah, it’s been a while.

This film was cute for what it was. They play off the Hershey chocolate brand and you have to help save their factory from an evil-doer and his robotic minions. It was worth the $7.95 ticket and kids would surely love it even more. I’d probably do it again if they change the movie at some point.

Now that Labor Day has passed, many of the parks in this region are moving to limited schedules, with most being weekends only. Still, I might venture out to the parks from time to time before it gets cold. I have the upcoming trip to Virginia with Sam and Greg Friday, but after that, should you head out one weekend, or for one of the holiday events…

You can be my wingman anytime! (Top Gun, 1986)
Patrick

CREW MANIFEST

The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:

Patrick

CAG

New Credit(s): n/a

Sam

Commander

New Credit(s): Cocoa Cruiser, Wild Mouse, Skyrush

The post Summer of Sam – Hersheypark: Labor Day Credits first appeared on We Were Inverted.