Since I have been to the two major theme parks in SE Pennsylvania, I thought I would compare their strengths and weaknesses and figure out which is the better park. Here goes.
Admission: Dorney Park is about $42 for an adult ticket, Hershey is a whopping $52. Parking is $10 for both parks. You can find discounts for both of these parks at different grocery stores and fast food restaurants around the area. Hersheypark is a little bit larger overall, but both parks have a lineup of world-class coasters and both tickets include admission to the on-site waterpark. Because the economy is so lousy and everyone is trying to save money, I will give the edge to the less expensive Dorney Park.
Coasters: This was a tough one. Hershey has 11 coasters, Dorney has 9. Both parks have an older woodie (Thunderhawk/Comet), and Dorney's Thunderhawk is the better of the two. Both have a great inverted coaster (Talon/Great Bear) and Hershey's Great Bear has the slight edge. Dorney is the only park with a 200-foot hypercoaster (Steel Force), and it's an awesome ride. Hydra: The Revenge is a great floorless coaster, which Hersheypark does not have. Hersheypark has limited space, so they had to be a little more creative. Storm Runner is a crazy launch coaster and is a wild, intense ride. Fahrenheit has a 97-degree first drop that goes beyond vertical, and is the best coaster in the park. Also, Hersheypark is the only of the two parks to have modern wooden coasters. Lightning Racer is one of the top woodies I have ridden, and I didn't ride Wildcat because it is supposed to be really rough. Finally, Dorney Park got rid of the Laser and replaced it with a stupid shuttle coaster. Because of its variety of coasters that can please casual coaster riders and daredevils alike, Hersheypark wins by a nose.
Other Rides: Dorney Park has 59, Hersheypark has 62. Both parks have a decent log flume, and a "shoot the chutes" ride. Dorney's White Water Landing has some theming before the big drop. Hershey's Tidal Force has no theming, but is really tall at 100 feet and has a great drop. Both rides will get you completely drenched. Both parks have a good assortment of kiddie rides and what I like to call "spin n' puke" rides (scrambler, pirate ship, rotor, anything that involves repetitive motion.). Dorney has a dedicated kid-themed area called Camp Snoopy. It also has a great River Rapids ride that is long, well-themed and very entertaining. Hershey tore their river rapids ride down to make room for a lazy river and wave pool. Even though Hershey boasts more water rides, Dorney's Wildwater Kingdom is a very large water park with lots of great slides and a long lazy river. The non-coaster rides are easily won by Dorney Park.
Lines: No contest here. During my visit to Dorney, lots of people were in the water park, so there was little to no wait on all of the coasters. Even Steel Force. There was a short wait (10-20 minutes) for the water rides (log flume, White Water Landing). I visited Hershey during the week, and the line times ranged from 5 minutes for Lighting Racer to over an hour for Fahrenheit. Also, there were signs at Fahrenheit for a single riders line (My wife didn't have the stomach for that one), but it was not open! Boooooooo! Thankfully, I encountered no line jumpers at either park. We got through Dorney in half a day and rode each coaster several times. Hersheypark was an all-day affair, and I could only ride each coaster once. Without question, Dorney Park wins here.
Food: Both of these parks have mediocre, overpriced food. If you want a park with delicious food that is reasonably priced, travel about 2 1/2 hours to Knoebels, a great park located in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, both parks have decent sit-down restaurants. I give an edge to Hersheypark because of a better variety of eateries (Subway, Dunkin Donuts, etc.)
Theming and landscaping: Dorney Park is a lot cleaner than it was in previous years, but it still looks rather plain, and there isn't much theming anywhere. Hersheypark is divided into several loosely themed areas, the hilly terrain and waterways throughout the park are scenic, and the landscaping is done well. A dixieland band was making its way around the park, and I made sure to give a shout out to the trombone player. Hersheypark is the easy winner here, but its theming still pales in comparison to Disney, Universal and Busch Gardens Europe.
Staff: Employees were consistently polite and friendly at both parks. The ride ops at Dorney seemed to do a better job getting people on and off the rides. One more complaint, considering the crowds and long waits I experienced at Hershey, they could have filled all the seats on the coasters. I saw Great Bear return to the station with two empty seats in the front row! Another person in line jokingly said that they must have fallen off during the ride. The only ride ops at Hershey who seemed to know what they were doing were on Tidal Force, the shoot the chutes ride. Dorney Park is the clear winner here.
Overall score: Dorney Park 4, Hersheypark 3. Dorney Park wins because of its short lines, semi-reasonable admission price and a good lineup of non-coaster rides. However, I highly recommend both parks. Hershey has a great lineup of coasters, and is very family-friendly. It is busier because many tourists from around the nation visit Hershey, while Dorney is marketed more as a regional park. As for the future, Dorney just had its zoning laws changed, so look for some taller, faster coasters to be built. Hershey is pretty much out of space, so they will have to do something drastic, like expand into the massive parking lot and build a garage, in order to expand. With the economy in its current state, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
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