Okay, we knew there would be no Storm Runner going in. We also figured there would be no Lightning or Thunder, as in the two courses of Lightning Racer. Hersheypark informed We Were Inverted last week that they are waiting on a part to re-open the ride. The Thunder side was testing, however. With all that known, what we weren’t sure of was if we’d have our day ruined by actual storms, with real thunder and real lightning.
In the days leading up to this trip, we debated on whether we should even try to go to the park. The forecast was all over the place, but generally showed more than a 70 percent chance of storms developing in the afternoon. A few people who were supposed to come did decide to wait until another day. I don’t blame them though. None of them were pass holders and just can’t come back as easily without buying more tickets. For Sam, Renee, and myself, however, we decided to give it a go and see what we could get in.
The Weather Holds
When I picked up Sam around 8:30 a.m., there was a light drizzle. By time we picked up Renee and got to the park, it was pretty much gone. It did rain again a time or two, but it was a slight misting at most. Nevertheless, a storm did approach about mid-day and shut down the park’s two hyper coasters for about an hour. Once that dark cloud cleared, it went from a hazy, humid afternoon to a bright, even kind of hot, evening.
The threat of rain most certainly kept people home. The lines weren’t mostly non-existent all day long. This allowed us to get in rides on pretty much every coaster. We decided to skip Sidewinder and Cocoa Cruiser. Wild Mouse wasn’t running when we were back that way and I’m not sure if it opened later or not.
Lots of Sweet Rides
Fahrenheit
Last week, on Easter Sunday, Sam and I also visited Hersheypark. We rode six coasters, but Fahrenheit wasn’t among them. Since it was much more crowded being opening weekend, we skipped it hoping we’d get to it today. And we did.
Fahrenheit was our first ride of the day. There was no line at all. We walked right up the steps and boarded the incoming train. Wanting to make up for not riding it last week, we also rode the coaster again about 20 minutes later. We were returning from rides on both Laff Trakk and Wildcat and saw the line was still short. It was only about a 10 minute wait and totally worth it.
Fahrenheit is a coaster I have always enjoyed, but the last two years my love for it has grown. It’s one of the rides I most look forward to at the park these days with that vertical lift, beyond vertical drop, all the inversions, and one of the best moments of ejector airtime in the park. That doesn’t get talked about enough. I wish there were another moment or two just like it on the ride. It’s that good.
Candymonium
Candymonium was the reason I bought my Hersheypark season pass for the 2020 season. I was so excited for it to open and I even attended the King-Sized Season Pass Holder Preview Event last summer to be one of the first to ride the Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) hyper coaster. After getting in a few more rides in July, I published the review, “I Like Candy(monium).”
What I didn’t know at that point in time was how many times I’d visit the park between July and December to see the ride constantly go down, or not even open for weather – mostly wind and cold. While I do know that those items play a factor in the ride’s performance and safety, it just felt strange seeing the new flagship ride go down all the time while all the other coasters were up and running.
If you’re asking why I went on this tangent here, it is because in 2021 we have been trying to make up for last year’s visits when the ride was down. Yesterday we managed two back-to-back rides. Sadly, I still feel the same about the ride. It has amazing, sustained floater airtime – some of the best. It’s just too short and those trim brakes need to be ripped off, at least the first one. You feel the yank of that brake right when you’re about to crest that hill and it is such a buzz kill.
Skyrush
Depending on who you ask, Skyrush was either amazing yesterday or the devil incarnate. You probably saw Sam flashing thumbs up and Renee, thumbs down, in the blog’s header image. The reason for this is Sam has come to love this coaster so much that she moved it ahead of Alpengeist. It is now her favorite steel and favorite overall favorite coaster. Meanwhile, Skyrush is coaster that Renee truly despises. She’s a one-and-done with it, which you can see in the ride count box below. To each their own. This is a coaster that is known to divide enthusiasts. For me, Skyrush saw a massive surge on my favorite lists since last year too.
Although Skyrush went down for about an hour due the storm that ultimately passed us by, Sam and I still got to ride it three times. We had some amazing ejector in all the typical spots, but during a row four ride, we got quite the surprise. About one-quarter of the way through the course, we got launched out of our seats. It happened in a spot where we don’t normally feel that much force. It caught us both off guard.
We rode the coaster again immediately afterward, but rode in the second row. It didn’t happen again, however. Maybe row four is a new sweet spot? Guess we will find out on the Members Preview Night on Friday, April 23. How about it, Renee?
Final Ride Counts
Candymonium (2)
Comet (1)
Fahrenheit (2)
Great Bear (2)
Laff Trakk (1)
Reese’s Cup Fusion (1)
Skyrush (3: Patrick, Sam | 1: Renee)
SooperDooperLooper (1)
Trailblazer (1)
Wildcat (1)
Some Sweet Sweets
Mini-Donuts
If you read any of my Hersheypark trip reports from last season, you know that I absolutely loved the mini-donuts the park added for 2020 by The Boardwalk. This season you can find them by the entrance to Coal Cracker, just up the path from SooperDooperLooper, in their very own permanent stand – no more truck. The prices are great and even better since you get a discount with your season pass. Don’t skip out on giving these a try. The cinnamon ones are my favorite, but they offer seasonal flavors that change every so often.
Cookies & Ice Cream
While on the subject of season pass holders, we were emailed barcodes to claim a free cookie from the Sweeterie and a free scoop of ice cream from Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor. Both these locations are brand new and found inside the Hershey Supply Co. building.
The three of us all claimed our cookie and it was delicious. I was eyeballing a couple of these sweets to take home for our upcoming Members Preview Night on Friday, April 23. Had we not had been claiming the ice cream and going out to eat after leaving the park, I would have scooped up a few of them on this visit. I didn’t want to chance leaving them in the car though.
When it comes to Milton’s, let me just say, the ice cream flavors all look like works of art. They’ll make your mouth water waiting to order. The three of us all ordered a different scoop so we could try a few different flavors. Those flavors were: Toasted Marshmallow, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Graham Cracker Swirl. There were so many others yummy sounding flavors too. Be sure to check out the parlor’s page for all of them and the different types of sundaes and selections they offer.
Hersheypark Photo Gallery - April 11, 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
Sam
Captain
New Credit(s): n/a
Renee
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): n/a
