Hershey Park Advice Needed!

[soccermom]

Taking 4 kids ranging from 1-4 yo (not all mine!) this summer during the week and planning to spend 1 night. I've searched this forum and got some ideas, but could always use more!

1. Is there any advantage to staying at Hershey Lodge over off-site hotels? For example, is there better transportation options, like Disney?

2. Any suggestions for off-site hotels that are close? Two kids still nap, so we may need to go back to the hotel mid-day.

3. Should we buy a 2 day ticket, or stick with the 1 day ticket that we can get at a discount?

4. We have a 2 hour drive from northern NJ. Should we leave early and go straight to the park for the day, or go the night before and then drive home after the park?

TIA -- I'm trying to research, but the kids just wear me out by days' end...

[Tinkerbell313]

I have stayed at both the Lodge and the Hotel (about a mile aways from each other). The Hotel is by far much cleaner and the staff much friendlier...but you pay for that (prices higher than the Lodge). Transportation to the park was free and valet parking for the hotel was free (we tipped though). I do highly recommend the Hershey Hotel (to me...there was nothing special about the lodge). We were just at the Hotel this past weekend...us Moms had a Chocolate Spa weekend and the Dads took the kids to the Park. The kids (ages 3/5/6/10) got so much attention from the bell hops/front desk clerks/waiters and waitresses/valet drivers/tranpostation drivers, etc. They loved it.

There are advantages to staying at the resort (lodge/hotel) but for one night...it would be difficult to take advantage of them (i.e. admission to hershey gardens)

If you are going for one evening and will be just going for the Park...I would look at a Hampton Inn or another chain (for pricing).

Regarding transportation, the Hotel provided free transportation to the park (right across the street). We gave a tip to the driver. However, honestly, parking is not a problem and its very easy to get in and out of the park with your own car on your own schedule.

Personally, if I were on a budget...and only staying one night, I would use a non Hershey hotel, if its less expensive, and just drive to the park. I believe there is a Hampton Inn (I think thats the chain)...closer to the park than the Hershey Lodge. It has an indoor pool.

Also, the park is running stimulus specials. You can view them at: http://www.familystimuluspackage.com/. For example, during the month of May and June (subject to availability), for $295 for one night/family of four, you can stay at the lodge/ get breakfast for the kids for free/ and inlcudes admission ot the park.

[soccermom]

Thanks to PP for response! Quick question -- with kids under 4 yo, is it meaningful to get to the park at 9am (only for hotel guests) rather than 10am? I hear that Hershey is mainly for older kids, so we may not even have many rides for the littler ones. So I'm thinking it's not a big deal to get there early, but not sure? TIA!

[LD92599]

We stayed at the Best Western that was a mile or so down the road. I'd leave NJ early in the AM and then stay over so you're not wiped out driving home, can stay as long as you want in the park, eat dinner, shop in the outlets, etc. Maybe on the way home the next day take a slower ride home and stop @ Cabela's for a bit....then Easton for the Crayola Factory or the Canal Ride?

http://www.cabelas.com/ (it's in Hamberg, PA)
http://www.crayola.com/Factory/

My DS loved this: http://www.aacamuseum.org/ BUT we're a "car" family....so the kids you take may or not not like it....then again, it is cars...!

Have fun!

Laura

[Tinkerbell313]

If you go to hershey park's website...look at the list of rides for Children...there are probably enough rides for the children to cover a day.
Here's the link (hopefully it will post)

http://www.hersheypark.com/rides/results.php?start=0&rh=99&pa=99&rt=3&rr=

I will be honest, I probably have never been there on a peak day and therefore cannot speak to the lines. But, you should have enough rides to ride once and then the favorites twice for little kids.

Also, ZooAmerica is attached to the park. As long as you enter through Hershey Park, you can walk right into ZooAmerica for free (it does not work the opposite...if you enter through Zoo America, you can not get into the Park).

Also, you will want to go through the Chocolate ride next to the park where they show how they make the chocolate...at the end of the ride, you will get a sample of chocolate...usually a mini bag or bar of something.

[soccermom]

Thanks for the tips! We're still figuring it all out, plus we've got a couple of months to see how the kids change (naptimes, etc.). I'll share any tips I come up with! =)

[maybeebaby08]

I would drive up the night before and get a good nights sleep, then start early the next day, and just ask for a late check out at the hotel so you can go back and take naps. I would stick with a one day ticket at a good discount, the other option is if you go to HersheyPark the night before (I think after five or seven) and buy a ticket for the next day you can go in for free that night. There is a nice ecomony hotel Hampton Inn I think, right down the road so I would recommend staying there. The restaurants right around there are McDonalds, Red Robin, Fuddruckers, and a Diner. Have you considered Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster? Hershey bought it a few years ago and its geared much more toward your age range then Hershey, although I think Hershey has a good selection of rides for your age group too. Don't forget to go to Chocolate World too! That might be a good activity if you drive up the night before.

[jayali]

We are from NJ (Hoboken) and did Hershey with our 4 year old last August. We stayed at the Lodge - no great shakes for the price. If we were to do it again we would stay at the Hotel. The only reason is our son is not much of an amusement park/ride kid and the hotel has a better pool. If you do stay at the lodge then DO NOT eat at the restaurant attached. Bad service, bad food and ridiculous prices. We got to Hershey in the evening (did a family visit on the way). The next day we did Dutch Wonderland - and I highly recommend it for your age range. It is no Disney, but they have good rides and cute shows for the little ones. We went back to the hotel in the pm for a nap. That afternoon/evening we did the Chocolate factory and something else (I can't remember). The next day we did Hershey. I have to say after being at Disney earlier that year I was completely underwhelmed. A lot of the rides for our age were closed for repair and I found the park more difficult to navigate. We ended up going to Friendly's for lunch and then back to the hotel for the pool in the afternoon. The next morning it rained. We did a trip to the game room and left early - we were back in Hoboken by 1. I would not do a two day ticket. I think 1 day is all you need in the park. We didn't do Hershey Garden, but I would have liked to if the weather had held up.
If this is just a quick trip something to do I would take the suggestion of pp and stay offsite at a less expensive hotel. If you are looking to make it into a vacation then I would say the Hotel is really a better value. The lodge rooms are old and small. I definitely think Dutch Wonderland is worth the trip. Absolutely eat off premises if you can. Skip the "character" breakfast. A complete ripoff.

[Tinkerbell313]

If you do stay at the lodge then DO NOT eat at the restaurant attached. Bad service, bad food and ridiculous prices.

There are four restaurants at the lodge...the Forebay, Lebbie Lechiters (sp), the Sports Den, and the Hershey Grill. Lebbie Lechiters (sp) is buffet. All the others are sit down with service.

We have only eaten at the Forebay and Hershey Grill. We had wonderful service at the Forebay both times and the food was above average. The waitstaff, management, bar tenders, wre great with the kids.

While the food was also above average at the Grill...I wasn't happy with the service.

All the restuarants at the Hotel and the Lodge have the same menu for the kids...with most every thing priced around 4.99 plus beverage. Mac and Cheese, chicken fingers, hamburgers, salmon, etc for the kids.

A PP mentioned a Mickey D's down the street from the park. Yep, its there...with 10 million flies flying around inside the restaurant. Disgusting. Its dirty and old looking. Customer Service sucks. I realize its a MacDonalds...I just expect it to be clean. I will never eat at that particular one again...and you would think, that being next to a park, it would get lots of traffic and it would want to keep up its appearance.