Hersheypark Fast Track Unlimited Review

All set? All clear! 👌🏼 Aaron here bringing you a special trip report for Coasters & Coffee. Today I am going to talk to you about one of my home parks, Hersheypark, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. As Hershey is one of my home parks, instead of a traditional trip review I plan to do a year end review later this year. Today’s post will instead focus on the value of the fast track unlimited pass, specifically for roller coasters.

For my dad’s birthday present this year we decided to gift him a fast pass. I purchased a fast pass for myself so I could spend the day with him marathoning roller coasters. We went on a hot Sunday and spent nearly 9 hours in the park. The park was not crowded but also not a ghost town which wasn’t a bad thing for us, as we wanted to see the value of the fast track unlimited. One tip I have for purchasing the fast tracks at Hershey is to wait until you are in the park and then purchase it at a kiosk. This will let you evaluate the crowds that day. Additionally there is a fee when purchasing it online that is not applied at the in-park kiosks. The summer heat made for some of the best rides we’ve had on Hersheypark’s coasters. I will be doing a 2nd post specifically about the experience of each coaster, but for now let’s talk about the value of the fast track.

The Hersheypark entrance (Photo Credit: Rushing Thrills)

Wildcat’s Revenge Fast Track Unlimited Value: 10/10

The fast track unlimited for Wildcat’s Revenge provides great value. The 2 lines merge right at the lockers, and if you plan to ride it multiple times you can leave your belongings in the same locker for up to 2 hours. The merge point still requires you to wait at the base of the station stairs, but operations on Wildcat’s Revenge normally clears the stairs out fast, with a fast track pass I’d anticipate about a 5 minute wait on average. We saw another advantage for the fast track later in the day, during our second marathon we ended up in a line in the fast track queue that was about the same length as the regular queue. The fast track queue was given priority and instead of waiting we were able to get right to the station.

After forcing ourselves to walk away from our 1st marathon session on Wildcat’s Revenge we decided to head to the front of the park and ride Candymonioum. We tried to make this our 1st ride of the day, but Hersheypark’s poor execution of their sweet start pass holder perk sent us to Wildcat’s Revenge instead.

Candymonioum Fast Track Unlimited Value: 5/10

The fast track unlimited for Candymonioum provides some value. The merge point is at the base of the steps leading up to the station platform. This usually results in about a 20 minute wait due to the incredibly slow operations that are frequently an issue with this coaster. It is still astounding to me that most parks can pump out trains on their B&M hyper coasters in about 1 minute while Candymonioum tends to take around 3 minutes or more. While the fast track unlimited cut our wait time in half, we still experienced substantial wait times due to the merge point and poor operations. For being Hersheypark’s number 2 marquee attraction it is disappointing to see it run so slowly, especially after marathoning the seamlessly run Wildcat’s Revenge.

After leaving Candymonioum we made our way down to the part of the park known as The Hollow. We love the scenic pathway that walks along Spring Creek, the vine covered pergolas offered a nice break from the sun on some spots as well. First up for us in The Hollow was the recently updated Skyrush

Skyrush Fast Track Unlimited Value: 6/10

The fast track unlimited for Skyrush is a decent value. The merge point is at the bottom of the steps, which for Skyrush is much closer to the station than Candymonioum. The operations for Skyrush are not usually as slow as Candymonioum, but even with a fast track the merge point still results in a 10 minute or so wait. Skyrush is also prone to going down for maintenance. If you are passing by and have your fast track pass, or the line is short, I highly recommend getting on it.

After getting off of 1 coaster with updated restraints we made our way to the other that received an update, Comet.

Comet Fast Track Unlimited Value: 9/10

Comet usually has one of the longest waits of any coaster in the park. This is due to it being a family coaster. We only rode 1 time due to the ride being flat out boring now, but our fast track saved us approximately 30 minutes. The merge point for Comet is at the ramp leading up to the station. Typically only about 1 or 2 trains worth of people will be in front of you at this point. We found it to be a good value for Comet.

After departing from Comet we made our way to the last coaster in The Hollow, another historic coaster at Hersheypark, sooperdooperlooper.

sooperdooperlooper Fast Track Unlimited Value: 6/10

The merge point for the fast track unlimited on sooperdooperlooper is at the bottom of the stairs leading to the station. With a fast track, if there is a crowd you are likely looking at a minimum wait of 10 minutes. On a busy day this will save you substantial time, but much like Candymonioum and Skyrush, the placement of the merge point reduces the value. The operations for sooperdooperlooper tend to move at a decent pace which helps clear the station quickly.

Leaving sooperdooperlooper we made our way up Kissing Tower Hill to Great Bear. We took a brief detour to peak over the fence where the park is constructing a new attraction, but did not see anything noteworthy.

Great Bear Fast Track Unlimited Value: 8/10

The merge point for Great Bear lets you walk directly into the station. In my opinion this is how all fast track queues should be, especially for the price. Great Bear suffers from slow ops, possibly even slower than Candymonioum, so the line for this can take 30 to 40 minutes even on a slow day. There was a 30 minute wait during our first time stopping by and thanks to the fast track we waited about 10 minutes for each ride. This 10 minute average included waiting 3 trains for a front row ride while the rest of the station was empty.

At this point in the day we were pretty hungry so we stopped by the Spring Creek Smokehouse for lunch. This is perhaps my favorite dining location in the park and if you take advantage of the $30 platter deal you can get a filling lunch for 2 people without breaking the bank. The brisket and pulled pork are solid offerings and with the platter deal they certainly did not skimp on the meat. We each opted for the Mac and cheese which I thought was excellent. We opted to skip Trailblazer, as we have ridden it multiple times and while it is a good family coaster there is not much draw for adult riders who have a day away from their kid/grandkids. I will include Trailblazer in my year end review, but since we did not ride it during this trip I will just speak about the fast track aspect.

Trailblazer Fast Track Unlimited Value: 6/10

The merge point for Trailblazer is at the station entrance, which on most days lets you walk right up to the gate for your desired seat. On a busy day the stanchions in the station can lead to a long wait even with a fast track. Given that this is a family coaster, it is not a great value to still require a long wait, likely for a child, for the price that Hersheypark charges on days they anticipate being busy.

Skipping Trailblazer lead us up the hill to Storm Runner, which felt appropriate after eating at the Smokehouse as the station always smells like the Smokehouse and makes me hungry.

Storm Runner Fast Track Unlimited Value: 5/10

The merge point for Storm Runner takes you to the station steps. From here there is usually around a 20 minute wait depending on the operations. There have been a few instances where I’ve waited as much as 30 minutes from this point. On a busy day the fast track unlimited will likely cut your wait time in half, but to me not getting directly to the station platform is frustrating given the cost of the pass.

After a front and back row ride on Storm Runner we made the long trek over to Jolly Rancher Remix (for those unfamiliar with the park, their queues are right next to each other).

Jolly Rancher Remix Fast Track Unlimited Value: 10/10

Shuttle style roller coasters, like Jolly Rancher Remix, that do not have a switch track or turntable are capacity nightmares. While the operations on Jolly Rancher Remix were pretty good, it is a ride where the fast track unlimited provided great value. The merge point for the queues takes you up to the station platform and so you will only wait 1 or 2 cycles of the ride before getting to ride. For a ride like Jolly Rancher Remix if there is even a moderate crowd the fast track unlimited will save you a lot of time. We likely saved 20 minutes despite the light crowd.

Moving from 1 capacity nightmare for another we left Jolly Rancher Remix and made our way to Fahrenheit.

Fahrenheit Fast Track Unlimited Value: 11/10

Fahrenheit breaks the scale for fast track unlimited value. It is the absolute best value for a coaster in the park. The merge point is at the top of the steps for the station, meaning that with a fast track unlimited this becomes a walk on, or at worst a 1 train wait. A fast track on most days will be the difference between spending an hour or longer in the queue and riding multiple times. Fahrenheit typically has the longest and slowest moving line in the park, so unless you are willing to sprint to the back of the park right at opening (which is not safe to do), I recommend a fast track to get on it.

We choose to skip Laff Trakk and Lightning Racer, as we wanted to lap our preferred coasters, but my frequent trips to the park still allow me to give insight into these 2 rides from a fast track perspective. Cocoa Cruiser is not include with the fast track so we will not discuss that.

Laff Trakk Fast Track Unlimited Value: 1/10

Laff Trakk, without a doubt, provides the worst value of any of the roller coasters when using a fast track. The merge point is inside the main station building which still has 3 stanchions in addition to a long hallway. Even with a fast track expect an average wait of 30-45 minutes for Laff Trakk.

Lightning Racer Fast Track Unlimited Value: 6/10

Lightning Racer rarely has a wait, I have not been to the park in the last 2 years where it was not a walk on. It is almost a little depressing to see the station so empty after having memories of the queue being filled to capacity as a kid. Lightning Racer is a poor fast track value despite the merge point taking you directly into the station as there is just not often a need to have the fast track to ride this multiple times. On a busy Saturday day you may see some value, but even on the days when we have attended the park and it was busy the wait for Lightning Racer was never more than 10 minutes.

Fast Track Unlimited Value

For this trip we set out to see if the fast track unlimited was worth the cost. During our visit with the fast track unlimited pass we were able to get 30 total coaster rides. This included stopping for about 30 minutes for lunch and another 15 minute break to enjoy a drink at Revenge Beverages. The answer to this question is a resounding yes!

While it would certainly improve the value of the fast track to move the merge point on the marque coasters at the park, like Candymonioum, Skyrush, and Storm Runner there is still a lot of value in having the fast track even on a moderately busy day. Based on the time we saved even in short lines we likely added an additional 10 rides to our day. I would say without a doubt the fast track unlimited pass is a good value in the low to medium range of pricing. The pass costs $75-$225 depending on the day, I would say anything under $150 for the pass would be good value. Anything beyond that I would just suggest going to the park on a different day and hoping for less of a crowd. If you do intend to purchase a fast track pass I reiterate the importance of doing so once inside the park to determine if it is needed and also to save on the service fees.

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