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goofyfan4466
06-06-2007, 07:42 PM
anybody been to the boardwalk at hershey since it opened ? if so how is it ? my family is going june 14 th,and our 12 year old twin girls can't wait. this is their graduation present for finishing sixth grade heading to seventh grade. thanks fo info.

pluto40823
06-06-2007, 08:37 PM
Please provide an update when you get back. We were thinking of going there also now that the water park opened but were waiting to here some reviews first. Hope you have a good time.

snifflesmcg
06-07-2007, 11:02 PM
I just picked up my sister today from her 2 day stay at Hershey High Meadow Camp Ground. I had you in mind because I saw your post a few days ago. She told me that the Boardwalk is actually IN the park. It's included with the price of admission. She said they have some water slides, games and consession stands. Oh, and it's made of concrete, not boards. I wish I had more info for you, as I wasn't there myself. I just had a good time going thru "Chocolate World" and getting the Brownie Sundae that is right outside of Chocolate World. They have some cool stuff going on for the 100th anniversary of the park and the Hershey Kiss.

goofyfan4466
06-08-2007, 10:19 AM
that all sounds cool. we are also staying at the campground in a cabin.we stayed in a cabin in november for the xmas displays.we can't wait until next week as we have had to cancel the past 2 trips to the world because i got hurt at work! thanks for the info.

thrillme
06-08-2007, 11:14 AM
Oh please please please post a trip report about this when you get back. We're going to do it in July.

We'll be staying at a Red Roof Inn while there. Whew. I'd LOVE to stay at the Hershey Lodge or Hotel Hershey but OWCH.

LuckyMum22
06-09-2007, 12:18 AM
Hello everyone! I just returned home after spending the day at HersheyPark. I guess I needed a little Disney something before I turned in for the night so I came to the boards and found this post. My kids go to a private school in Hershey and with their final report card they get free park passes and are dismissed on the last day at 10:30 am! We picked them up and headed right over to the park. It was very crowded today and very hot! We had forgotten how far it is to walk from your car then to the park entrance then from there to the rides! We are all very tired tonight! The new waterpark area is in the fartherest out part of the park from the entrance so plan on doing a lot of walking before you get to where the "Boardwalk" is. The area around the waterpark and few water rides is the only place you are supposed to wear your bathing suits so there are locker rooms for changing and lockers to rent. You could also try to stake out a lounge chair for a meeting spot but they go quick! We continued to lose people in our group and it is very hard to keep everyone in sight. It might be a good idea to pick a meeting spot if you get separated or go thorugh the "what if you can't find Mommy & Daddy" spiel with the kids when you find a spot. I came across a small girl crying and asked her if she was ok and she told me she lost her Dad so I took her right over to the lifeguard and they went into action with a whistle alarm until security showed up. Very traumatic!!
We rented a small locker for $13. They give you a key with a number and after you change in the locker room area you head out the back door and there is a wall of lockers. The boys can meet up with the girls here after changing so you can share a locker. When we were done at the end of the day I actually had to stand in line in order to return my locker key and get my $5 deposit back so I "sold" my key to the family behind us in line for the same $5. They got a free locker for the day and our two familes got out of line! The water park is fun and I'm sure the kids will have a good time. Some of the slides were closed today. I'm not sure if they didn't open them yet or why they were closed. There was certainly enough to keep everyone entertained and wet! There are many areas for little ones and the wave pool is cute for wading. The lifeguards are on you right away if you try to sit in the water or get in beyond "wading". I guess the rule is that you must be on your feet. The older kids grow bored with this quickly and move on to the slides, so there are a lot of toddlers in this spot. We saw this neat area where you can try out a boogie board. I just saw this on the Travel Channel on one of the cruise shows and they have the same thing here. I watched for a while but no one in our group tried it but it sure looked like it would be fun and the kids thought it was cool.
I am somewhat new to waterparks and must say it is not a favorite of mine. I think HersheyPark did a fine job of staffing the place. There are lifeguards everywhere and they really worked hard today with the crowds. It was very hot today and I think everyone wants to check out this new area of the park. It was clean...enough... (I'm kinda grossed out at public pools so I won't get into this). Food is very expensive and they get you where they can. We paid $3.50 for a glass of lemonade but I was worried about my kids in the heat and bought two! The best thing we did was take a break around 3:30pm. The crowds were at a peak and there was a line to get into the fenced in area where the water slides are. They must have been at capacity because they got to a point where they were only letting people in when others left! We went home to shower and cool off and then came back into Hershey. We had a wonderful dinner at Houlihan's in the center of town and it was great! I highly recommend this place. This was the first time we ate here, it just opened within the last year. I had Idaho Trout Almondine and Tuscan Salad and 3 little sampler martinis! (Today's my birthday.) The menu is on the website for Houlihan's if you are interested just google it!
Anyway...
after dinner we went back to the park and did some rides and the park was empty! Everything was a walk on and it was much cooler. Highly recommend going back at night! Check out the entertainment at the Music Box Theater too. It was a good day (it is not WDW! but...:shrug:) One nice addition this year is Dunkin Donuts! There is one on the way into the park but before the gate, (so I can go there when I hit Chocolate World this summer!) and there is one in the Boardwalk area for those Iced Coffees! The Boardwalk itself I must admit I didn't notice. I think they just made the sidewalks look like wood or something and maybe some of the restaurants look like they might be found on the Jersey shore..maybe. The themeing is not Disney! I really couldn't see over the sea of people to really get the "feel" of being at the shore...although there were many sweaty people wearing bathing suits, smelling of sunscreen and paying way to much for a drink of water, so I guess if you squint at it real hard it might seem like a Boardwalk. Most noteably, it was very loud there. The music being played is loud and then the sound of the water and the screams of the kids. It was sensory overload for me after I helped that lost little girl so I guess I may be a poor judge of the place. I think it is fun but I'm not in a hurry to return. I definitely think the kids will have fun and it does make for a good day.
My special moment was when we finally told the kids at dinner tonight that we are going to WDW again in 82 days!!! They are now squealing with delight like my DH & I have been since we made the arrangements a month ago and kept it secret till school was out! It is so fun to be a "LuckyMum22"!

snifflesmcg
06-09-2007, 12:39 AM
that all sounds cool. we are also staying at the campground in a cabin.we stayed in a cabin in november for the xmas displays.we can't wait until next week as we have had to cancel the past 2 trips to the world because i got hurt at work! thanks for the info.

You are so welcome! I also found out that if you stay at the camp ground you get the "Sweet Start" (Hershey's EMH). I guess you are allowed to go into the park an hour early. Take the trolley over and you also save on parking. I have stayed in the campground before and I think it's so clean and beautiful. Have a great trip!

moobear67
06-18-2007, 02:33 PM
I was at Hershey this past weekend as well. The boardwalk area is nice, but it was extremely crowded. I would recommend going early or late to that part of the park. Ride the rides during the "heat of the day" (middle of the day). Since everyone was at the boardwalk during the heat of the day, the ride lines were not that long. You definetly need a plan as to where to meet if you get separated, as it is very easy to lose each other in the boardwalk area.

Now for those of you who plan to camp at the campgrounds, I highly recommend that you request a site neat the front of the campground. There is an active train track right next to the campground (near the back), and those trains run 24/7! We had a tent site about 20 feet from the train tracks, and I literally felt like the train was going to run over my head while I was sleeping. The trains came by several times an hour! Bring some good ear plugs!!! That being said, the campground itself is nice, and the benefit of getting into the park early was nice as well.

thrillme
06-18-2007, 02:50 PM
We had a tent site about 20 feet from the train tracks, and I literally felt like the train was going to run over my head while I was sleeping. The trains came by several times an hour! Bring some good ear plugs!!! That being said, the campground itself is nice, and the benefit of getting into the park early was nice as well.

How HOT is it camping at night? Are the showers nice? Mosquitos??? I've never been that far north before and I don't have a clue what it's like. I know down here in Texas camping in mid summer in a TENT can be uh...scorching.