I have divided the October 16, 2022 Hersheypark trip report into two parts. Here in Part 1, you will find the standard recap of the rides we experienced with my stand out attractions. In Part 2 you will find mini-reviews for four mazes featured in the inaugural Dark Knights event.
One week ago, on Sunday, October 9, 2022, I visited Hersheypark. It was one of the busiest days I’ve seen in a long time. I rode only three rides before leaving at 6:00 p.m. With every coaster having a 45 minute-plus wait, I decided to use my time to film a vlog and take photos. You can check out both at the links below.
- (10.14.2022) Hersheypark VLOG | Renewing My Season Pass
- (10.09.2022) Hersheypark – Making the Most of Another Crowded Visit
While I was at the park last week, Renee texted me to ask if I’d mind going to Hershey on Sunday, October 16. Our original plan was to visit later in the month and to do the Dark Knights haunts. Some scheduling issues came up on her end, but I didn’t have anything planed for Sunday. So back to the park I went one week later. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as crowded as last weekend. We did a ton of rides as well as the haunts.
My Wingman, Brady
Back in May of 2021, I visited Hersheypark with Renee, our friends, Jason and Amber, and Renee’s brother, Brady. Brady is autistic, but if there is one thing that makes his day, it’s visiting Hersheypark. He loves rides, especially roller coasters. It doesn’t matter if it’s dropping off Skyrush’s lift hill, floating up of his seat on Candymonium, or zipping backward through Jolly Rancher Remix – Brady is smiling, laughing, and loving life when riding roller coasters. Yesterday he found out just how much he likes Storm Runner too. More on that in a bit.
Before moving on, I want to take a moment to commend one of the park’s staff members named Jake. Jake’s assistance in helping Brady with an accessibility pass was full of kindness and professionalism. He treated Brady like a friend and answered every question Renee and I had. He helped Brady have a memorable day. For that, we say thank you!
Storm Runner
Storm Runner was a ride we were looking anticipating for hours. It was the only coaster in the park Brady had never experienced. He missed it last year during it’s extended downtime. We were curious how he’d react.
According to Renee, the only other launch coaster Brady had rode before yesterday was Kings Dominion’s Back Lot Stunt Coaster. This was going to be a major step up in that regard. We had no worries though. Brady has multiple rides on Skyrush, and it’s one of his favorites. Apparently he also likes Intimidator 305, which he also rode the same day as Backlot. They don’t get much more intense than i305.
Long story short, Brady loved Storm Runner. He rode with Renee in the row behind me. She said he had the biggest smile during that launch and that he’s truly an adrenaline junkie. I agree. He just lights up on these rides. Even the mere mention of getting on a coaster, or going to Hersheypark for that matter, excites him.
Jolly Rancher Remix
Another ride I was looking forward to for Brady was Jolly Rancher Remix. We rode Sidewinder last year and he loved it. That drop got him excited, but what he enjoyed the most was going backward. I remember telling Renee how much he loved it last year. It didn’t surprise her either. She said he loves riding Tidal Wave at Trimper Rides in Ocean City, Md.
With all that in mind, I wanted to see his reaction to the flashing lights, loud music and sound effects, and bright colors that now canvas the entire region. Also, Renee and I didn’t ride Jolly Rancher Remix during our last visit. It was busy that day too, so we went with Mix’d instead. This would also be a new’ish experience for her.
As expected. Brady loved watching the bright lights, especially seeing the random flavors being picked overhead. And just like last year, that backward portion had him laughing. I truly believe Jolly Rancher Remix runs neck and neck with Skyrush for Brady’s favorite coaster based off his reactions alone.
Fahrenheit
I love Fahrenheit, but I don’t always get to ride it. That’s usually due to the lines being too long and the park not operating all three trains. I made the statement in last week’s vlog that it looked like the park was running all three trains. I didn’t see the third one sitting in the service bay that visit and just assumed it was. I can now say that wasn’t true. Only two ran yesterday and it I spotted some silver chassis laying down below the service tracks in the bay. Now I’m going to assume that is the third train.
As for the ride, I managed to get the back row. The whip throughout the course was phenomenal. The drops and inversions were forceful and that airtime hill had so much pop. What surprised me the most, however, was the several other ejector pops I experienced throughout the ride. I felt myself being tossed into the restraints several times. Maybe that’s always been the case, but I can say those moments stood out yesterday.
One thing that also stood out was the ride’s vibration throughout the course. There’s always been one portion of the ride where it was very noticeable, but Renee and I noticed it throughout much more of the ride. Perhaps it was because we were in the back? That being said, I don’t recall it being the case in previous back row rides. This was my first time riding it here in 2022, though.
Final Ride Counts
Candymonium (1)
Comet (1)
Fahrenheit (1)
Great Bear (1)
Jolly Rancher Remix (1)
Laff Trakk (1)
Mix’d (1)
Reese’s Cup Fusion (1)
Skyrush (1)
Storm Runner (1)
Trail Blazer (1)
A Delightful Day Become a Dark Knight
As the evening set in, we switched from rides to the Dark Knights attractions. That was the plan from the start, but we wanted to see how Brady handled the day before purchasing the $25 add-on. He showed no signs of slowing down, so we decided to go for it. He loves the Trimper’s Haunted House on the Ocean City boardwalk, so we had a good feeling he’d enjoy these as well.
Be on the lookout for the Dark Knights portion of this trip report coming soon. I’ll be reviewing all four haunts as I did last month’s Halloween Haunt event report for Dorney Park. This is Hershey’s first year running the haunts, so I am excited to share my thoughts with all of you.
Hersheypark Photo Gallery - October 16, 2022
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
Renee
Commander
New Credit(s): n/a
