 Hersheypark 7/2/2003
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Hershey is 50 miles from here and we planned to stay until the park closed at 10pm. Our day began with a stop at a nearby Turkey Hill Minit Market for discount tickets. Why pay full price when there's an option to save a few bucks? The coupon was for $7 off.
We hit the road, and construction was going on in what seemed like every other town along the route. It took about and hour and fifteen minutes to get to Hershey. Will they ever build a 4-lane highway to Harrisburg that goes around all the towns on 422? Mama Mia!
We arrived around 11am, paid $6 to park and went on the Chocolate World. We took the free tour ride and then it was on to the amusement park.
As we approached the gate I asked DH if he had the coupon. Why pay $20 more than you need? No, he had left in the car. Fortunately someone in front of us had a lot of extra coupons and offered us one, so we saved on admission for three. Our cost for entry- $87
Music Box Way
The first ride of the day was The Claw. I chose not to ride but DH and DD (12) loved it. It's a giant pendulum with 48 seats in a circle that spins as it swings. I was hot from the wait and suggested a water ride, knowing I'd be wet for the rest of the day.
Pioneer Frontier
We got in line for Canyon River Rapids and had a cup of lemonade. The wait wasn't terribly long considering they were sending out boats with as few as three people on board. Needless to say, we were drenched- there's no avoiding it on this rapid river ride. Lucky for DH I had packed him a change of clothes, DD and I were trapped in our wet rags all day. Why didn't I listen to the voice in my head that told me to take a change of clothes or swimsuit. (note to self: take change of clothes next time!)
We were too wet to get on another ride so we decided to eat. We skipped breakfast and we were starving. We went to Decades; where DH had a mushroom & bacon cheeseburger, DD had a bacon cheeseburger and I got a grilled chicken sandwich. We shared two orders of steak fries and each had a coke. The bill- $33!
Midway America
Our tummys were full, so we knew not to get on board one of the big coasters. DH and DD chose to ride the Wild Mouse. I don't ride the mouse because I don't like those sharp, hairpin turns; especially the ones up high. That done, we headed to Wildcat.
DD had a bad experience a few years ago, where she was slammed in to the side of the car on the last turn. She overcame her fear and was anxious to ride. The Wildcat does not disappoint. The final leg of the ride is so fast and seemingly out of control you would think that there is no control of it.
No spinning rides for DH; DD and I rode Musik Express. This is a classic and has always been one of my favorites. Finally it's time to ride Lightning Racer.
We had only been on Lightning Racer once before, the year that it opened. We rode Thunder that year (green train), this time we rode the red train called Lightning. We lost the race but had a blast regardless.
Minetown
The Trailblazer is one of the oldest coasters in the park. Surprisingly it had the longest and slowest moving line of any of the coasters we rode. After only a few minutes we bugged out of line and went elsewhere. DD went on the Flying Falcon by herself, I watched while DH went to play games. We needed a break from walking and watched the American Beat II show in the Ampitheatre. The show was lame to start but improved from there. We won't rush back soon to see it again. It needs choreography help and new music. Dr. Detroit? The Hooters gone country? Somebody please introduce them to the new millennium.
Great Bear was directly behind the theater. DD had been waiting forever to ride it. I never have been on a suspended coaster before, and I didn't think I would ride it knowing it inverted so often. But, I did it. It was thrilling! All the track is overhead and you're surrounded by the seat so that you can't see anything. All you can do is feel the ride. Great Bear is awesome and I can't wait to ride it or a similar coaster again.
DH wanted to go through ZooAmerica. I could have gone the day and not missed it. It was very warm so most of the animals were napping or hiding. Did I miss the bald eagle? I think the raven is in its cage now. The gray wolf was no where to be seen and the newest addition, the Canadian Lynx was hidden so well that he looked like a fuzzy log at the top of the hill.
We rode the Kissing Tower, a must-do. The countryside is so beautiful from the top.
Comet Hollow
DH and DD took another opportunity to ride without me. The rode Sooperdooperlooper. Then I thought DD could stump the game to guess her age, but he got in two years and she lost. Oh well.
We rode Comet, the old woodie. No thrills there, but a smooth woodie nonetheless.
Carrousel Circle
We skipped the Carrousel upon entry because it's the first ride as you enter the park. It's always crowded early in the day. I'm glad we waited until later. We didn't have to wait.
We shopped; it's was cool enough now to buy chocolate, and went back to Chocolate World for the 3D show. This was something new to us as Hersheypark. It was $14 to enter, whereas the tour is free. The worst was waiting 10 minutes to get in. Like we want to stand for 10 minutes in the lobby, then stand to watch a short film after a long day on our feet. Our legs were really started to feel the pain by this point. The show was fun, similar to the 3D shows at WDW if you've been to them. Then it was back to the park.
Music Box Way
We were so tired. We need to get off our feet for a while. We wanted to ride the monorail, but it didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Earlier there was at least two monorails running. There were a lot of guests in line and we probably would have waited for at least two trains before getting to ride, so we decided to go elsewhere. The sky was getting dark and we wanted to get in a few more rides before it rained.
We rode Pirat. It was funny because the two sides of the ship where having a scream fest each time the ship went up.
Still needing to sit and relax we got on the Dry Gulch Rail Road. We sat in the caboose because it had padded seats. Ahh, Relief.
We had dinner at Mama ilardo's Pizzeria in Midway America. A slice for each, 4 breadsticks and two medium cokes- $16.
We were tired and didn't want to do much of anything else. DH really wanted to stay for the light show, Nightlights, but the thought of the long walk to the front of the park and the drive home changed his mind. It was nearly 9pm and we decided to call it a day. It wasn't expected to rain at home (an hour east) until after midnight, but already we started feeling a drop here and there. We unpacked the umbrella from the backpack in case it downpoured before we got back to the car. We finished our shopping and took a tram to the parking lot.
Our day at Hersheypark cost us approximately $200, including souvenirs. We had a fantastic day at Hersheypark. We didn't have any problems with long lines or crowding. The longest waits were at Canyon River Rapids around noon, Trailblazer in mid-afternoon, and the monorail in the evening. Everything else was a wait of one or two turns and only a matter of minutes.
We were ahead of the rain most of the drive home. It eventually caught up with us about halfway home, but still it was a nuisance, enough to need the wipers occasionally. At least we didn't have all of the construction to deal with at night. We arrived safely at home at 11pm.  | 
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