Never have I ever visited an amusement park 10 times in a calendar year. I’d venture to guess that the most I’ve done is maybe four visits for any single park. Having had little to no time for many years of my life due to my former job, I was limited to when I could go, if I could go at all. I’d always find ways to make my trips work, but it wasn’t as always easy as it is right now where I can just go on a whim.
Needless to say, I got my money’s worth out of my first-ever Hersheypark season pass in 2020. With the way the spring was shaping up with Covid-19 and me still working the job at the time, you couldn’t have convinced me that I’d visit 10 times when I purchased it earlier in the year.
I’m not done either. I will be going back a time or two during the park’s Christmas Candylane event. Those trips with of course be shared to here on the blog. This blog, however, focuses on this last visit – the final day of Hersheypark in the Dark on Sunday, November 1, 2020. A day that was broken up into three parts.
Passholder Bonus Time: 12-2 p.m.
Sam registered her 2021 Hersheypark season pass last month and in doing so, picked up the option to come to the park for the remainder of the 2020 season. Wanting to make use of that a few times, we thought the last day of Hersheypark in the Dark would be a good day to visit. The park was offering two extra hours to its King Sized and Full Sized pass holders before it opened to the rest of the public on the day as well.
It ended up being a rainy morning that was supposed to clear up by time we got to the park. Sadly, it continued to rain past noon. We still made our way into the park nonetheless, knowing that rain might keep some people who were planning on coming early either away until the rain stopped, or at home entirely. That turned out to be the case as we got in 10 rides in just two hours!
Reese's Cup Fusion
Up first was a quick ride on Reese’s Cup Fusion. This ride can get a bit of a line and since the rain was coming down pretty hard when the park opened to its pass holders, we decided to give it a ride. We waited about 5-10 minutes total and I kicked Sam’s ass just like the last time we rode this indoor shooting ride. It’s a fun ride and it kept us out of that rain for a bit.
Fahrenheit in the Rain... Ouch!
When we finished our ride on Reese’s Cup Fusion, we decided to head back to Laff Trak since it is also indoors. As we walked past Fahrenheit, however, we felt the draw to give it a try. I knew it was going to be a bit painful since the rain was still coming down pretty good.
Needless to say, I was 100 percent correct. I had to shield my face, mostly my eyes, for the entirety of the ride. It was still fun, and quite a different experience not being able to see where we were going. Maybe someone else should build one of these Intamin vertical lift coasters and make it an indoor attraction like a Flight of Fear? That would be wild! It sure would be better than Dollywood’s Mystery Mine. Sorry, I dig, I know. That ride just beats me up bad. I love the theming, but yeah… Not a fan.
Laff Trakk in the Dark
Sam and I wanted to ride Laff Trakk during our last visit to Hershey the previous Friday. The park runs the ride without its lights or effects during Hersheypark in the Dark. I have never experienced it in this manner either. Just like with many of our past visits, however, the line was so long and the ride does not move people quickly. We elected to skip it and hope we could experience it on this visit instead. We did and wow, it something I was not expecting!
This ride is disorienting enough with the lights on, but without any lights… Damn! My head was still spinning when we pulled back into the station. Without the lights on, this ride kicks it up a notch. If you ever get chance to experience this way, try it!
Lightning Racer, but Just Lightning
Thankfully the rain had died down once our ride on Laff Trak was over. Being so close to both Lightning Racer and Wildcat, we decided to give both a quick ride before heading back to The Hallow region for some of the other rides we’ve come to love.
We went to Lightning Racer first and rode just the Lightning side. We figured our friends, who were set to join us after the park opened (they’re non-pass holders) might want to ride it too. That turned out not to be the case, but we’ve had a ton of rides on both sides of this racing coaster in 2020. See you next year Lightning Racer!
Wildcat All Wet
Sam and I usually skip this unless we feel daring. I was curious to see if it would ride any better with the wood being soaked from all the rain that just passed through. Hell, the squeaky noise the ride makes returning to the station wasn’t happening either. I’m guessing that was because of the rain?
Well, long story short, this ride was a bit better, but it wasn’t amazing. I don’t think anything short of a re-track, a GCI Titan Track conversion, or the much-wanted RMC overhaul will make this a smooth ride. I hate to see any coaster go, but this one just doesn’t do much for me these days.
Fahrenheit Not in the Rain... No Ouch!
On our way over to The Hallow, we walked up to Fahrenheit and I saw there was still no line. I asked Sam if she wanted to get in another ride – this time, without our face being stung by the falling rain. She said sure and we got in a more pleasant ride the second time.
I also wanted to ride Fahrenheit again because I wasn’t sure how crowded the park was going to get once it opened to the public. Sundays haven’t been as busy as Saturdays, but they were still doing the Halloween events. It was the day after Halloween, however, so I wasn’t sure if people were going to want to come out for more Halloween stuff. It was also raining. It was hard to make any kind of predictions. I figured we’d play it safe and get in another ride. Lines can get long for Fahrenheit as many people know.
Great Bear in the Front
Like all of our rides thus far, Great Bear was a walk on. I asked Sam if we could ride in the front row because I do enjoy the unobstructed views. She said sure and we waited for just one train so the group in front of us to ride.
With all the rain that had just fallen, it was so weird seeing the river below Great Bear. Most of the river was very low, with mud everywhere. Geese were literally walking through water that was inches deep at most. It was weird to see and I don’t know why it was that way. I have never seen that before, especially on a rainy day.
Skyrush in the Front & Then Toward the Back
Walking down the path from Great Bear’s exit, it was time to ride Skyrush. We got in two rides back-to-back, with the first one being in the front. Just like on Great Bear, it was weird seeing the water in the center of Skyrush’s course being nothing but mud. Even as I was thrown all about with the ejector airtime, I kept trying to look down into what is usually water – and lots of it. Maybe the storm had sucked the waters dry? I have no idea.
After our ride, we went back up for a re-ride. We were going to go to the back, but someone was in line already. We went second to last row and had a slight delay so they could remove one of the trains from the track. I guess they figured it would be better to get more riders on one train than keep sending out trains with just a row or two filled. Neither Sam or I had seen a park move a coaster off the track before, so it was interesting in that regard.
Comet in the Front
With the park’s opening drawing near, we decided to start heading back to the front of the park so we could meet our friends when they arrived. Sam also wanted to change her shoes because, for some reason, she can’t see massive puddles and likes to step in them. Her shoes were soaked, but they’d have to wait. I saw there was no line for Comet, so we had to get in a ride. We got a front row ride too!
After we finished with Comet, we walked up to the front of the park. Things had just opened for non-pass holders and our friends were still about 30 minutes away. We looked over at Candymonium, but it looked like the line was spilling out into the area out front. Not knowing if they had the indoor queue open, we decided to wait until later to ride the park’s newest coaster. Out to the car we went so Sam could change her shoes.
Riding With Natalie & Allison: 2-7 p.m.
Once our friends arrived, we walked into the park and basically told them that we had ridden almost everything already. We would be game for whatever they wanted to do. Natalie admitted that she’d have to warm up for some of the coasters by starting small. Allison, not a massive fan of coasters, said she’d be fine waiting while we rode them. All that being said, we focused quite a bit on some flat rides and smaller coasters during our five hours with them. They couldn’t stay until close, but that was fine. Sam and I could get our night rides on the bigger coasters after they left. This turned out to be a nice break in the middle of the day.
Cocoa Cruiser & Seeing Conner Again
Since Natalie said she’d need to warm up with a smaller coaster, we walked up to Cocoa Cruiser as a bit of a gag, but everyone said “Why not?” and jumped on. We had one person too many, however, so I sat this one out and talked to the ride op, Conner. He recognized me from one of my previous trips in September, when I talked to him waiting to get onto Comet. He even said, “Hey it’s the inverted guy,” when he saw me.
We struck up a convo while the girls enjoyed the ride. He told me that he got off at 7 p.m. and he was going to ride Great Bear a bunch of times around 8 p.m. He said we could meet up with him if we wanted. I told him if we were still at the park, we most certainly would.
Howler Hijinx
Next up was a ride I have never ridden at Hersheypark – the Howler. This is a spinning ride (shown above) where you can also further spin yourself with your group to add to the craziness. Usually these rides are not my thing, but I said screw it and jumped on. We had a blast and I’m glad I got on.
Trailblazer Time
Sam decided that since we had done Cocoa Cruiser earlier, that Natalie should now move onto Trailblazer. This, along with Sidewinder and Wild Mouse, were not open during the first two hours, so it was nice to get on this ride here – its final day of the season. I’ve ridden this so many times as a child and although it’s nothing you’ll find among my list of favorites, it’s certainly got that special place in my heart.
Fahrenheit for the 3rd Time
I guess after Trailblazer, the next coaster you ride is Fahrenheit? I figured Natalie would prefer something like Comet, Wildcat, or Lightning Racer next, but nope… Fahrenheit it was. She rode with Sam while I rode solo. Allison waited for us on one of the benches below.
Natalie loved the ride and Sam won’t stop talking about it. This visit was only her second trip to Hersheypark where she’s ridden it due to her previous fears. I knew she’d love it. It’s even shot up to be among her favorites at the park.
Music Express After a Bucket of Donuts
Wanting to get a ride on Laff Trak, we began our walk back, but stopped for a bucket of donuts first. I raved about these donuts a little earlier and everyone said they sounded amazing. After splitting a bucket of 25, they all agreed that they indeed were. I swear Hershey has a hit with this donut truck and needs to have a few more throughout the park. Don’t make us have to walk all the way back by The Boardwalk for these amazing treats!
Sadly, after finishing our donuts, we saw the line for Laff Trak was quite long. We were limited on time with a 6 p.m. reservation for Chocolate World. We thought about hitting up Lightning Racer, but both Allison and Natalie saw Music Express and the Whip ride and that’s where we ended up instead.
Somehow Sam had never rode a ride like Music Express before. I guess I can see it since she wasn’t going to a bunch of parks prior to this year. She quickly saw how fun they can be when she slid all the way over and crushed me into the side of the vehicle. Guess it’s good that I’m a little pudgy!
Whip, Whip It Real Good
After Sam crushed me up against the carts on Music Express, she did the same thing on the ride right next to it, the Whip. She had ridden one of these last summer when our workplace did a trip to Knoebels. She rode it with Elaina and said it was a good time. I rode Hersheypark’s Whip last December during Christmas Candylane when Elaina, her boyfriend Austin, James, his girlfriend Kelly, and her kids all came to the park. I’m sure we’ll ride this again during Christmas Candylane 2020.
Chocolate World
Wanting to grab some chocolate to take home, the four of us ended our time together by hitting up Chocolate World. We rode the ride and then picked up lots of treats, all with our season pass discounts. I swear, if you live anywhere around Hersheypark, you should just go to Chocolate World and pick up boxes of your favorites. You won’t find them cheaper in stores and they also have a bunch of seasonal goodies and flavors from other parts of the world.
Once our shopping spree was finished, Sam and I said our good byes to Natalie and Allison and went back into the park. It was time to squeeze in a few night rides and see if we could catch up with Conner.
Nightcap & Night Rides: 7-9 p.m.
Candymonium, Then Gone With the Wind
After dropping off my candy purchases to the car, we went back into the park for the third time of the day. We made our way straight to Candymonium. Luckily, we had no line at all and walked all the way up to the station. We got second to last row and were on our way.
Last week when we rode Candymonium, the park advertised a light package for the ride. They had it under the initial drop, but the rest of the ride was totally dark. On this visit, all the airtime hills and the helix under the lift hill were lit up. It looked amazing . I’m not sure if some of the lights weren’t working last week, but it was neat seeing the majority of the ride illuminated from underneath.
When our train pulled back into the station, we realized just how lucky we were. The guests sitting down on the ride in front of us were told they had to clear the train and return to the line. Due to inclement weather, the ride would be shutting down until further notice. Since it wasn’t raining and there were no storms in the region, Sam figured that it had to be for wind. It was certainly starting to pick up at that point. We worried that other coasters would follow suit, but that would not be the case.
Comet Through the Night Sky
Since Skyrush was still sending trains, we decided to head there next. If anything else would shut down, we figured it would be the park’s other hyper coaster. As we came upon Comet, however, I saw there was no line. I asked Sam if she’d be up for a night ride, especially since we didn’t do one last week. She said sure and we rode Comet for the second time of the day.
Skyrush Back Row Wing Riders
Thankfully Skyrush was still running with the wind when we finished up on Comet. It never closed for the rest of the night either. We walked right onto the station and waited for a back row ride. I asked Sam if she wanted a wing seat this time and much to my surprise, she said yes.
That’s how it has been with her over these last several months. She gets up the nerve to do something and ends up loving it. She even picked the infamous wing seat everyone says is the worst. Guess what? She loved it.
Great Bear (x2), But No Conner
As we made our way off Skyrush, it was just about 8 p.m. We made our way over to Great Bear to see if we could find Conner. We didn’t see him, but went ahead and rode since we were there. When we were done, we waited around to see if we could see him, but no luck. We rode again and looked around for him one last time. Still, we didn’t see him. Not sure if he arrived later, but Sam and I wanted to try to get in another ride on Laff Trakk, if the lines were shorter.
Fahrenheit for the 4th Time
On our way back to Laff Trakk we were making good time. When I saw there was no line for Fahrenheit again, we decided to get in a dark ride on it before it closed for the year. We rode it as the sun was going down last week, but this for ride, it was pitch black.
Counting this ride, it made for a total of six rides on Fahrenheit between our last two visits. Sam has really taken to this coaster and I’m sure moving forward it will always be a must ride when the lines aren’t terribly long.
Laff Trakk, One Last Spin in the Dark
We played our cards right for Laff Trakk to end the night. It was a walk on and this ride was just like the first. I’m telling you, it’s crazy! I’m glad we were able to experience it and experience it more than once.
10th Time Won't Be the Last
With Hersheypark offering so many dates for Christmas Candylane this year, I know I’ll be heading up for a visit or two before the end of 2020. Sam and Greg have both expressed interest in going. I’m trying to get James to go up and ride Candymonium for his first time too. Another friend of mine, Stephanie, who I haven’t heard from in a while, mentioned how much she misses going to parks. I told her to pick a day and we’re going. That’ll be fun. Haven’t seen her in quite a bit.
There won’t be as many rides open, but it will still be nice to get on some of the park’s offerings for the holidays with all of my friends. I’ll be sure to share all of those visits with the rest of you too.
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): n/a
