After a fun day at Knoebels on Monday, June 3, it was time to enjoy some more awesome rides, this time at Hersheypark. This would be Day 2 of my birthday trip with my friend, Karah. Be sure to read, “Knoebels – 2024 Birthday Trip, Park 1,” to see how our trip began.
We arrived early for Sweet Start and I intended to bang out a few of the coasters early to beat the crowds. My intention was to ride Candymonium a time or two, then head over to Skyrush and Comet to experience the new restraints/trains found on both. While I didn’t get to both of them, I did get to ride the one I was most looking forward to in Skyrush. Comet would have to wait.
Not a Full Day, Sadly
Prior to arriving at the park, Karah had some things dumped into her lap that would require her attention back home. Since we were out of state and she was really looking forward to this trip, we decided to go for a few hours and get in what we could. We arrived at 10 a.m. for Sweet Start and ended up leaving the park around 2:30 – 3 p.m. I wish we could have stayed longer, but sometimes life gets in the way. Thankfully we made it for Sweet Start as that helped us get in a few rides before the crowds made their way into the park. We did manage to ride most of the big hitters when it came to the coasters.
Candymonium
Last year when Karah and I visited Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) she really enjoyed Nitro. I told her since she loved that so much that Candymonium would be one she’d enjoy. She’s been to Hersheypark plenty of times, but not since the addition of Chocolatetown and Candymonium back in 2020.
With no one in line during Sweet Start, we managed two rides within minutes of one another. We hopped in the back row followed by one in the second row. Karah loved the floater airtime and by the end of our visit, declared this as her favorite ride at the park.
Skyrush
Now for what I was most looking forward to during this visit – Skyrush. I had heard about the new restraints making the ride so much more comfortable. I had also heard how they killed the ejector airtime and the ride wasn’t as good anymore. So what did I think? I think both opinions are far fetched.
Are the restraints more comfortable? Yes. Are they drastically more comfortable? No. I think they feel slightly better due to their shape, but I still found myself feeling some tightness in my upper thighs coming back to the station. It was gone by time I walked off the train and down the steps, however.
I’m not trying to discount what others think about these restraints, but I also didn’t find the old ones to be terrible in recent years either. When the ride first opened, I certainly did, but those pads had been replaced in more recent times. The old posters showing you how to secure yourself in the seats featured the original pads, which were a different color. Those were the ones that used to hurt my legs, not the ones they just removed.
As for the airtime, the ride still had it in spades. I did feel a little more snug in my seat than I used to, but for those saying it zapped the airtime away, c’mon! I think that’s being a bit dramatic.
What I see people saying is it is harder to “flop” back and forth from side to side while riding. Okay, I guess? I don’t think many people other than a small handful of enthusiasts would do such a thing anyhow.
Final opinion, restraints are good, but nothing special. Where the ride truly shines now is in the station theming. Between the paint job and lighting and sound packages, it made riding this coaster more like an event than just a ride. Hersheypark has done this with all their stations since Candymonium’s debut. They upgraded Sidewinder’s when changing it to Jolly Rancher Remix and then Wildcat’s when RMC came through and turned it into Wildcat’s Revenge. I hope they keep this going as it certainly adds to the overall experience.
Lightning Racer - Lightning
Our final ride of our shortened stay saw us on Lightning Racer. For only the second time that I can remember during my visits, Lightning Racer was not racing. Only the Lightning side was running, but at least they were running two trains. The line was minimal and we only waited a few minutes to ride.
And ouch! I’ve always found Lightning Racer to run on the smoother side. People can debate its forces or lack thereof, but one thing I’ve always felt was the park took care of this coaster. It always ran much better than Wildcat did, but this visit hit different. This ride felt rough, just like Wildcat used to. There was quite a bit of bounce and jolts felt through the entire course. I can’t recall this ride running this way before. We were also riding toward the front of the train too, so I am at a loss. Hopefully the coaster gets some track work or hopefully we just had a bad ride.
Final Ride Counts
Candymonium (2)
Coal Cracker (1)
Great Bear (1)
Lightning Racer: Lightning (1)
Skyrush (1)
Storm Runner (1)
Wildcat’s Revenge (1)
I'll Have to Get Back Again Soon
With the limited time we had in the park, we made the most of the visit. I didn’t get to take many photos during the visit either, shooting everything on my cellphone. I’ll have to get back out to the park again soon and bring my Sony Alpha a7 to grab a few more shots. Thankfully Hersheypark isn’t too far away, and I can get there on a whim if I find myself with some time. Until next time, enjoy the few shots below.
Hersheypark Photo Gallery - June 4, 2024
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CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
