I had the pleasure of going to Hershey Park today and trying out 99% of all the thrill rides (we couldn't find Jolly Rancher Remix for some reason). It has been 10 years since my last roller coaster ride (The Coney Island Cyclone), and I have been only on 2 coasters in my life (that one and Skull Mountain at Six Flags). So this was my first time going on actual thrill rides. These are ordered in the order I tried them out in and I did front row seat for all of the rides.
#1 Candymonium
It's right at the entrance of the park when you go into it so naturally it had to be the first one. The 4 seater carts are pretty comfy. The ride features an initial thrill drop followed by some light twists and turns. It doesn't go upside down and features no loops. If you are scared of those and want to experience what this "thrill" thing is, this is the ride for you. Overall entry level for a thrill ride but a nice fun one.
6/10
#2 Comet
I admit I had a bad experience with the Coney Island Cyclone and that has made me frown on wooden coasters since. They are jittering and a jolt toward the end when the coaster was pulling in hit my back in a way I would feel for the next 5 years. I might have mentioned it on the forums here at some point, dont remem. But anyway I was hoping this would change my mind. Unfortunately this didn't change my mind, but it was better. From the getgo the two seater carts were tightly spaced but at least cushioned. A skinny guy complaining about tight spacing is off to a great start. The ride could have been fun if it didn't shake my brains with the jittering. Honestly that's all remember about it
4/10
#3 SooperDooperLooper
The name could have hinted as much, but I had no idea this had a loop going on it. So this was my first introduction to loops. My experience was like "oh this is going in a weird path". But otherwise you don't really feel the upside-down feeling because the centripetal force acts like gravity pushing you out. Unfortunately this was the only highlight because the ride is pretty much over after that first loop. You can hear the confusion echo amongst the riders "that's it?". The 1h wait in line was definitely not worth this pathetic excuse for a ride. However, if you are scared of loops, I encourage you to go in this one so you can turn that fear into disappointment.
2/10
#4 Hershey Triple Tower
Not a coaster, but definitely a ride. I never did towers before so this was a first, and naturally what are you doing if you are not going for the highest one? Standing in line and watching the thing go is REALLY intimidating. If you never been on these things it may spook you. Right before the send off you can hear the pneumatic system screaming as if 100 souls are yelling from the ride. I am not exaggerating, it actually sounds like that. When I was strapped in and ready to be shot upwards I was expecting high Gs. I hyperventilated in preparation for that to have enough oxygen in my head not to pass out. And then it happened. Aaaand yea, Gs maybe but not high Gs. The view was pretty nice. Then when at the top it then shoots you down. Honestly shooting down doesn't work great because it ruins the freefall feeling. If you think about it, you should be feeling as if upside down but I didn't notice that. Go there for the view I guess.
5/10
#5 Great Bear
Immediately you notice this ride is not like others. There is no floor! Indeed you sit in a what I can describe is a car seat with you feet hanging off. The experience was unlike any other coaster I've ridden prior. It has twirls, loops, and everything to make you feel like you are superman flying throughout the park. This is definitely no longer entry level thrill ride territory. I wanted to go on it again just for the nighttime feel but the park was closing down.
7/10
#6 Fahrenheit
This is the staple roller coaster of the park. Fahrenheit is named as such because of it's 97 degree drop. No not 7 degrees slant, INWARDS. So I have a bone to pick with the seats because they are NOT comfortable by any means. No cushioning and awkward not-so-ergonomic seat design. Going up is really different. Most coasters have you go up at a slant. This one felt like you are being strapped in for takeoff. Now for the drop it's ehh you don't really feel what this 97 degree thing is about. Don't get me wrong it def packs a punch, but it's not the best punch of the day. As intimidating the whole thing looks like, it's a pretty short ride designed to give a spike thrill. Definitely go on this one just to have bragging rights, and then decide for yourself if you want to go again.
6/10
#7 Wildcat's Revenge
It looks like a wooden coaster, but it's a hybrid coaster. What does that mean? It used to be called "Wildcat" until it closed down and underwent repairs. Those repairs had added a new section of the ride you see in black that is not wooden. This modded coaster of the original is called Wildcat's Revenge. From the get go you start with a slightly drop before going up the black part. As you start going up you hear the metallic chain mechanism briefly go really fast and loudly TCK-TKC-TCK. You still go up normal coaster speed tho. As you go down you twirl into a slew of all various twists and turns. For being made of part wood, you don't feel the jitter at all. The ride is a respectable length as well, and you get all nice light and smoke effects when riding at night. Toward the end when the coaster slowed down to pull up I noticed I was dizzy. That's how I knew this is the real wild ride in the whole park. Out of all the coasters I've been on, this is the best one.
8/10
#8 Lightning Racer
Woo hoo another wooden coaster! You cant feel my sarcasm through your screen, get that checked. Up close this looks like a really old wooden coaster. So I was expecting to have my head's insides turned to mush. There is a gimmick with this one. It's two coasters in one. So "Lightning Racer" gets its name because there are to tracks with carts that race each other throughout the ride. Getting into the seats showed improvement over the other wooden coaster (Comet). The seats were not cramped and were comfortable. There is no divider between two person seats, but that's ok. The actual ride was surprisingly fun. It comparable to Candymonium, with some extra jitter but not too bad. My friend said this is comparable to El Toro in Six Flags. And of course my cart won the race
6/10
#9 Skyrush
This one's theme is a racing rocket. And for good reason: It's the fastest ride in the park, reaching up to 75 mph! The 4 seater carts give you two options: Go for the middle 2 and you get a normal experience, or go for 2 on the edge and experience flight over the park like Great Bear. Well of course I went for the edge, who do you think I am? Let me tell you, the send off itself packs a punch. You don't slowly go up. You are accelerated up. And once up you spend no time at the top going right down to reach those sweet sweet 70 mph cruising speeds. This has twists and turns, tho no loops, but that's ok because the ride is fun without them. If speed is your name, this one is your game.
7/10
