Hersheypark Candylane Disaster
We visit Hersheypark Christmas Candylane almost every year after Thanksgiving going back about twenty years. It is a wonderful tradition that we enjoy as a family even now that are children are older. I think that today the longstanding tradition ended. Today was a Hersheypark Candylane disaster.
Tickets
We paid $44 each for tickets. For me, that was four rides all day. That’s $11 per ride. And, the rides were about four minutes which means I paid $2.75 per minute. I recall the tickets being around $25 each the last time we went. That’s almost a 100% increase.
Hours
The hours used to be 10am to 10pm. Now, they are 2pm-9pm. And, a lot of the rides started closing around 8pm. We were told that some of the rides needed to close because it was too cold. The temperature was hovering around 32 degrees. I recall being there when the temperature was about five degrees and no rides closed.
One of our traditions is to go on the Chocolate World ride. When we got there, the wait was an hour and a half. So, we decided to wait and go on our way out. Then, we learned that the ride closed at 7pm, and we missed it. This was not a great end to our day. My daughter did manage to get there on time, and she told me it wasn’t the same as in the past. Apparently, some parts of the ride were not functioning correctly.
Food
Everybody enjoyed the hot chocolate. But, you can only refill your refillable cup (for $13) at certain stands. So, when you want a refill, you have to search for an “approved” refill station. A lot of the food stands weren’t even open. And a lot of the food stands closed early. Of course, the lines were long and maddening. So, a food break took no less than thirty minutes and the prices definitely gouged you. For example, chicken tenders and french fries was about $12.
Crowd
We encountered a few firsts when it came to the crowd. When we got there, the wait to get in was about forty minutes. I bought my tickets online and had them ready on my phone to simply be scanned, and had to wait in a line to get in. The people who had tickets and the people buying tickets were in the same line.
We always enjoyed strolling into the reindeer display during our visit when we got to that part of the park. There was rarely, if ever, a line. But today, we had to stand in one of those serpentine lines and wait. I’ll never understand changing something that worked fine.
The Upsell
Your $44 gets you rides with long lines and slow service, and the zoo. The zoo is fun. But, everything else in the park is an upsell. Food, carnival games and arcades cost extra. Some rides cost extra. The shops cost extra. Pictures with Santa Claus cost extra. And now when you exit the park, you have to go through the gift shop. And, it’s busy and crazy.
The Final Word
Every member of my family agreed on the way home that our tradition is over, and that we need to find something new. I’m sad about that because we have been doing this for so long and we look forward to it every year. I know Hershey will never read this, so I’m going to write a review. This is yet another result of Biden’s inflation and work shortage. He is killing family traditions and fun. And I think this is just the beginning.
