Hershey Lodge: this is the "moderate" resort in Hershey. There is also the extremely upscale Hotel Hershey and the campground. I'll say that if the Hotel Hershey is worth its price, it is truly great because the Lodge was really impressive.
Check-in was efficent, the room was well appointed with two queen beds, and service was excellent. We ordered room service numerous times and it always arrived promptly; ditto for the towels we requested. Regarding room service, you can order anything off the menu of the hotel's full service Bears' Den restaurant. This menu is as large as that of a Cheesecake Factory (a.k.a. huge), and it was good quality.
There is a concierge desk in the lobby where you can purchase discounted tickets to Hershey Park. As a result of this hotel discount, you don't need to get coupons in advance. Other perks of staying at the Lodge included free bus transportation to HersheyPark (they came on a regular schedule and the service was comparable to that at Walt Disney World), charging privleges at the park with your room key, and a Hershey version of Disney's Extra Magic Hours. Guests at the 3 official resorts get to enter the park an hour before it opens to the general public. This was great as I got to ride Skyrush twice with no wait.
Overall, the Hershey Lodge was an excellent hotel: I'd rate it 9/10.
Here are my reviews of the roller coasters I rode:
Comet: 6/10. This is an old wooden coaster. It was good for what it was, but it was not very thrilling and very rough. It's certainly worth riding if you like wooden coasters though.
Wildcat: 9/10. A very good wooden coaster with great views of the Pennsylvania landscape surrounding the park. I found it pretty smooth and thrilling. A winner in my opinion.
Farenheit: 8/10. Really good views from the launch hill. I found the intial steep drop pretty good though not that thrilling. The second half of the ride reminded me of Islands Of Adventure's Dragon Challenge with the inversions. I enjoyed this ride more than I thought I would.
Skyrush: 4/10. I'll say that I actually liked the ride for the most part. The launch up the first hill was awesome, and the track was well laid out. However, the restraint system was in a word..deplorable. I really don't know what else to say. The restraint is a lapbar with a seatbelt, and it is way too tight. On every hill, and there are plenty of them on this ride, the bar presses panifully against your thigh and really hinders the experience. My father and brother rode this later in the day, and they both hated it. They were really in a lot of pain because of the restraint and would rate it a 1/10. They did not think it was a pleasant experience whatsoever, and they both enjoy non-looping coasters.
There is more to Hershey that we did not experience-there is also a basketball/ice-hockey arena as well as a football stadium adjacent to the park. There is a museum in town and the chocolate tour outside the main gates to the park (it contains an omnimover ride through chocolate history, a 3-D film, and a gift shop). Overall, Hershey is a very nice destination for a short vacation and really does have something for everyone-while I wanted to go soley for the park, there is certainly more to do there.
Well, that's my report. Thanks for reading!
Interesting, your feelings on Wildcat and Comet. In enthusiass (not a typo, and I'm a part of that group) circles, Wildcat is considered a very rough coaster, although it has improved. Comet's a classic, and I've never found it particularly rough.
Hershey doesn't have a coaster called SkyRush. It's proper name is ThighCrush.
Thanks for the report..I love Hershey. One of my favorites.
I rode once in a wing seat and once in a middle seat. I found the wing slightly more tolerable, but that's what's known as "damning with faint paraise." I understand they have made modifications to one of the trains' restraints, but I don't know if you encountered them.
