Hersheypark

Me and my family were planning on a trip there next tuesday. Driving up monday. I was just wondering, For anyone who has gone recently, or has knowledge, how crowded should i expect it to be, and what are some tips i should know?

All help is greatly appreciated!

The website has lots of info on that type of thing but Tuesdays are probably the best days to go. It won't be nearly as crowded as say, Saturdays. Also, if you are riding Fahrenheit, ride it first. I got there right when they opened and only had to wait in line for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Here are a few additional things I figured out.

-The Boardwalk is busiest around 2:30.
-The Roller-Soaker's wait is an hour when theres 30 people in line.
-The coasters are busiest at night when they're the most fun. [:D]
-Head straight to the back of the park early. Most people stick with the stuff in front first. You can only ride 1 or 2 coasters in the front before the back gets busy.

My friends and I managed to map out a route around the park that seemed to work pretty well if you want to ride all the coasters (except Trailblazer). It goes-

Fahrenheit
Wildcat
Lightning Racer
Tidal Force (if you want to)
Sidewinder
Comet
SooperDooperLooper
Stormrunner
Great Bear

*Stormrunner and Great Bear are not very close together but my friends and I saved the best 2 for last. If you go straight around the park, you won't hit them in that order.*

Yea on a Tuesday you will hit whatever you want when you want...I typically do it this way.

Fahrenheit
Storm Runner
Sidewinder
Trailblazer
Great Bear
SDL
Comet
Wildcat
Wild Mouse
Lightning Racer
Roller Soaker (Will be your longest wait on a hot day)

Tuesday like I said will be very easy to do w.e you want so I wouldn't worry too much.

I went on a Friday this june, and the waits were pretty much non-existent (with the exception of Fahrenheit).

I hit Comet first because I felt like it, and waited for about a half an hour, then went to Fahrenheit and waited an hour or so. The rest of the time, I waited no more than 10 minutes; mostly just 5. I did make it back to Comet later in the day, though, and it only had a 10 minute wait, so I definitely suggest waiting til late for Comet, based on my limited experience. But yeah...fun park!

--and one other thing. Don't wait very long for Stormrunner. IMO it's the single most overrated ride ever. It's bumpy, and the immelmann and barrel roll chop the poop out of your neck. It's worth the credit with a short wait, but not much more. Do what you want, I'm just warning you.

-Storm Runner will probably have the shortest line.
-You may wait a while for Great Bear, even though the first ques aren't in use. It depends on the attendants.
-Lightning Racers will generally have no line.
-Fahrenheit will have a long line.

Awsome feedback! Thanks alot. And Boneplaya, did you mean july? Just because of the context. As for stormrunner im gonna ride it near the front. I remember i hated kingda Ka in the back because it was unbelievably rough and then the front was smooth as glass. I think you may have rode near the back when you did.

So im just gonna make sure to hit Great bear and Fahrenheit first.

nope, I meant June. June 17th in fact. What context? lol

^^Smart move too...I went on a Monday and SR wait was way less than GB...Comet's wait is long in the morning cuz it's the first thing everyone does, but by afternoon you can basically walk on.

Is sidewinder a rough boomerang?

Sierra Sidewinder is a very fun spinning coaster at Knott's Berry Farm [;)] Sidewinder is a horribly rough boomerang at Hersheypark. lol

[sillyme][stoning] Ok ill take note of that and edit it.

I've been on 4 Boomerangs and 1 Inverted Boomerang and I think Sidewinder is probably the roughest of them that I have been on.

lol So Sidewinder is just taking up space distracting from stormrunner next door..
Great!

More or less that's pretty accurate lol. You won't wait for it though so I'd ride it for the credit lol.

Im sure i will. The same way i always end up riding mind eraser everytime i go to six flags. Even as much as i tell myself im not going to.

AHHH SLC's...those dang hang and bangs are awful. I rode Flying Ace Aerial CHase at Carowinds on Sunday and that was even worse! Roughest coaster in the park!

lol...when I rode Storm Runner, 1 and 3 years ago, front row rode absolutely perfectly smooth. Back was not at all bumpy, though it seemed a bit more aggressive on a couple of the elements. Great ride...I couldn't decide whether I preferred front or back (on a day with strong launches), because they were both really awesome.

So yeah, aggressive, yes. Bumpy, not even a little bit, IMO.

^That I would agree with.

I've been on six Boomerangs:

-Darien Lake
-Lake Compounce
-Six Flags New England
-Great Escape
-Hersheypark
-Canada's Wonderland

I've been on all of them in the back. If you keep your head back like they say, then it won't be nearly as bad. In fact, all six of them are very fun.

Go and head to Fahrenheit first. And when you are next to the entrance, take a look at that "handicapped entrance" - it's really a poorly labeled single rider line. (I don't know if they changed that since it opened. I haven't been there in two years.) It's your choice to get the single rider. I recommend to take the single rider line, as you'll have a 33% chance of getting the front or back (thanks to the tiny train) and it decreases the wait by a factor of 2 or 3. so instead of an hour to an hour and a half, you'll wait 20 - 30 minutes.

After that, head over to Great Bear and then Comet. After that, virtually everything in the park is usually under 30 minutes no matter what seat. Lightning Racer is usually five minutes or less, so you'll get lots of rides on that.

The water park is always PACKED, so that will draw a lot of crowds away from the dry rides.

Don't bother with Roller Soaker. A two hour wait for that is not worth it. I've been there four times since Roller Soaker opened, and I've never gone on it. (I got in line once, but a third of the way through I realized I'd be waiting 2 - 2.5 hours, so I gave up and went to Storm Runner.)

For some reason, Storm Runner's launch is significantly more forceful in the back, and ESPECIALLY if you look down during the launch. I have tried it multiple times on multiple coasters and drop towers, and it's always much more intense if you look down. I don't know why, but it works.

Ok ill try that.[approve] Thanks for the advice!