Something Cooler for 2009

Just letting you know...today Hersheypark announced their new addition for next year. It%26#39;s Boardwalk 2 A SEAquel. They are taking out Canyon River Rapids and putting in a big wave pool and lazy river. HOORAY!!!! I know there%26#39;s been a lot of frustration over the crowded conditions in the Boardwalk area. I truly think they underestimated the popularity of a water play area. They do not call it a water park. BUT, they have quickly jumped on a solution, after record breaking attendance last year. The Canyon river area is HUGE so this should be a great addition.

I know many people are upset due to closing of the water attractions when there has been an *accident* in the water. 99% of the time, if parents would use the swimmer type diapers there wouldn%26#39;t be a problem. It is posted everywhere in the swim area and they sell them in the gift shops. My daughter lifeguards at the boardwalk, she knows what it%26#39;s like to have to shut down. Believe me, it%26#39;s no more pleasant for her than it is for the guests. But they have to clean and disinfect the circulating system. It%26#39;s for your benefit. Nothing could ruin a vacation faster than a bout with E coli.

As far as costs, we travel to Disneyworld every year. Hershey%26#39;s prices are inline with the industry standards. I hope everyone enjoys Hersheypark. My family feels fortunate to have this Jewel in our area. It%26#39;s summer, there%26#39;s crowds, try to enjoy. My best advice...visit before the middle of July and come during a weekday. Most of the time its a 10 to 15 minute wait for rides. Hope all of you will have Hersheypark Happy summer!

Something Cooler for 2009

I absolutely agree! We love Hershey Park and feel it is totally in line with industry pricing/standards For those who feel the need to compare it to Disney, just shouldn%26#39;t....they are 2 totally different entities!

Looking forward to Boardwalk 2!..thanks for sharing

Something Cooler for 2009

My comparison with Disney wasn%26#39;t the price but the overall attitude of the staff. Disney says thank-you when the rob you of mountains of cash and the staff realize that without the kids they would have no job - Hershey takes our money for granted (only real game in town) without as much as a smile. The customer service aspect is more appealing from the guy who says ';Thanks for shopping at Walmart';. No one expects to go to an amusement type park for free, there is an inherent cost associated with this type of recreation but as Americans we assign a satisfaction value to each and every dollar we spend and the point in my original post is that at Disney the satisfaction value meets, or at least comes close, to the dollar amount where as at Hershey, they fall way short.

I truly don%26#39;t mean to offend and I%26#39;m sure that many a visitor to Hershey go back time and time again (just look at the crowds) regardless of what I type on this site. I just feel that more effort needs to go into customer service training for all employees since many of these young people could very well work in the customer service industry for the majority of their working lives. Hershey isn%26#39;t the only enterprise in America where this is the case - go to any chain restaurant anywhere in the country and the level of customer service today (as opposed to when I was waiting tables in high school) has dropped so fast and so drastically that eating out is no longer enjoyable.

I hope that the new Boardwalk atracts huge crowds and the Hershey Corporation continues to make tons of money so that the good things done in Mr. Hershey%26#39;s name continue to be done.

I agree that other amusement parks could take several pointers from Disney (God knows I have been to several including sometimes to Hershey), but that%26#39;s what I meant by totally separate entities (I wasn%26#39;t just referring to cost), you just can%26#39;t compare anything to Disney...they have managed, in my opinion, to be top notch in the world of theme parks (hopefully, you%26#39;ll give Hershey another shot!)

I completely understand, they could use some work on the friendliness. Maybe Hershey should run some clinics for them, I honestly don%26#39;t think some of them get the whole social part of work. A generation that is growing up texting and IM%26#39;s, doesn%26#39;t do much for social skills. I know Hershey does reward employees, last year my daughter was one of their ';Outstanding Employees';. She received several gifts.

On to the latest. Here%26#39;s a link to the news in today%26#39;s paper. www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf…

And the Hershey website has an artist rendering, in the boardwalk section. It looks very nice.

I was telling my daughter about the friendly ';issue'; at HP, and her take on it is...';When you try to compare it to Disney, you have to realize that Disney employees work at a park that is open 365 days a year. For most of the people IT IS their only job. They better be darn sure they have guests that want to keep coming back. The average employee would not be in the 16-22 year old range. The majority at HP are kids working to make some gas $, college $, and fun $, for 3 months. That of course does not excuse it. Some of them don%26#39;t care and that%26#39;s their loss, and unfortunately, Hershey%26#39;s too sometimes.'; But... she hopes ALL of you have a SWEET trip to HERSHEYPARK.

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