On Saturday, April 11, Sam, Renee, and I made our way up to Hersheypark on a day that was calling for rain and possible storms. Our friends Amber and Jason were slated to come along, but decided against it due to the weather. Thankfully, it didn’t take us long to find another date where the both of them could go. That day was yesterday. And while Sam wasn’t able to come along, Renee’s brother, Brady, was.
Who is Brady?
Before we get into the breakdown of rides and details of the day, I want to go into some backstory about Brady. Brady is autistic and absolutely loves amusement parks – namely roller coasters. Renee has always spoken about how excited he gets when visiting places like Sesame Place and Hersheypark. Since winning her season pass from the Facebook group, Coaster Appreciation Society (CAS), earlier this year, Renee has been looking forward to getting him back out to the park again.
In the days leading up to this trip, I spoke with Renee about Brady. I wanted to make sure we’d focus on rides he could handle and/or enjoyed. She assured me that he’d ride anything and everything and he’d love every single minute of it too. Renee wasn’t kidding! We began the day with Skyrush of all things. He was in awe of that giant lift hill from the moment we approached. He was so pumped to take his seat about 15 minutes later and head right up that hill too.
When we came back into the station, you could tell he had a blast, just like he did with every single ride we did yesterday. And speaking of rides, let’s take a look at some of the rides the five us enjoyed.
Just Shy of a Dozen Rides
My goal for yesterday, other than to ensure that Brady was having fun, was to try to get Jason and Amber on every coaster at the park. Some of the lines didn’t allow that to happen, but we still got on the park’s biggest coasters. Wild Mouse, Laff Trakk, and Trailblazer were the only ones we didn’t do. And yes, Storm Runner is still down.
In addition to those coasters, we also managed rides on the Hershey Triple Tower and Twin Turnpike following Great Bear. I don’t always bother with the drop tower, although I do enjoy it. As for the cars, I couldn’t tell you the last time I rode either track.
Wildcat
Amber couldn’t wait to ride Wildcat. It’s always been a favorite of hers, altohugh I’m not sure if it’s because she likes the coaster or because she is a massive cat person. Maybe a little of both? I told her to make sure she gets in some more rides on it in future visits too and then explained the whole RMC/GCI thing. She shrugged and might be that one person who’d be mad to see it re-tracked or turned into a hybrid.
As for Renee, she made the statement coming back into the station that Wildcat is her least favorite in the park, as far as coasters go. Yes, even more than Skyrush. After riding the Rush first thing yesterday, Renee made the claim that it wasn’t that bad. Of course I immediately texted Sam and we clowned on Renee for the rest of the day. If you’re confused, it’s because this entire year, Renee has made it well known to Sam and I that she thinks Skyrush is the “devil” and hurts too much. Embrace the ejector, Renee! Feel it through your thighs!
Fahrenheit
This was by far the longest line of the day. If we had went immediately to Candymonium upon arriving, however, it wouldn’t have been. Seriously, everyone runs straight to that ride and the queue line spills out in front of the station, all the way down to the bridge. We’ve seen it several times now and have learned to wait until the evening to ride it. Wait times later seem to range between a walk on to maybe 25-30 max. Feel free to steal that pro tip.
As for Fahrenheit, this was a coaster we all wanted to ride. It’s always a slow mover and we should have made our way back to this portion of the park first, instead of going to Skyrush. That’s another pro tip. Both Fahrenheit and Laff Trakk have way shorter lines first thing when the park opens. Go get them out of the way.
For the ride experience itself, it rode just as well as it has these last few years. I got a front row ride for the first time in a while, which was nice. I do prefer the back row, however.
Candymonium
Speaking of back row, our last coaster of the evening was Candymonium. Amber, Jason, and I took the back row. Renee and Brady were in Row 6, in front of us. Amber and Jason were looking forward to this ride, especially after riding Nitro last winter at Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) with Renee and I. They loved the floaty airtime of Nitro and I promised them that Candy had a ton of sustained airtime just like it.
As I expected, the couple loved the ride, even though Amber claimed it was kind of short. Coming from her, all 4′ 11″ of her, that’s great! Hey, I guess she’s a pro and called it as she saw it. Sorry, Amber. At least I didn’t post the photo of you not reaching the Jolly Rancher mark on the height chart. I’m going to stop before she kicks me in the shin the next time we hang out!
Final Ride Counts
Candymonium (1)
Comet (1)
Fahrenheit (1)
Great Bear (1)
Hershey Triple Tower (1: Patrick, Renee, Jason, Brady)
Lightning Racer: Lightning (1)
Sidewinder (1: Patrick, Amber, Jason, Brady)
Skyrush (1)
SooperDooperLooper (1)
Twin Turnpike: Classic Cars (1)
Wildcat (1)
An All-Around Good Day
Yesterday was a day that just hit a little bit different. I didn’t go to Hersheypark looking to maximize the number of rides I got on favorites like Skyrush, or taking 100’s of photos and video clips for the site. My main goal was to see Brady have a great time and to spend several hours with friends I don’t see as often as I like. It’s always a great time getting Renee out to the parks with her busy schedule. Then there was Amber and Jason, who can’t wait to get back out again. Knoebels looks to be on our agenda, hopefully in June. Neither have been, so I want to get them out there for that whole atmosphere. I think they’ll love it.
Days like yesterday are always a nice break from the usual “enthusiast” day and reminds me why I fell in love with amusement parks in the first place. That reason being, memories with friends and family. For my last pro tip of the day, don’t forget to include that in some of your trips too.
Hersheypark Photo Gallery - May 16, 2021
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your 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
Renee
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): n/a
