How to Use Hersheypark Accessibility Pass for an Enjoyable Trip
When our middle son was diagnosed with Autism shortly after his third birthday, we knew his life and ours would never be the same. Slowly anxiety crept into our lives making it increasingly hard to do certain things, one of them was travel. Our first trip to Hersheypark was extremely difficult on him. I sat with him behind the kid’s water park area for hours because he was overwhelmed. Initially, I thought we would never be able to take him to the park again. I started looking for solutions and ended up looking the Hersheypark Accessibility Pass.
Disclosure: This post is apart of my Sweetest Moms Series of post in partnership with Hersheypark. Any opinions expressed are my own.
How to Sign Up for Your Accessibility Pass
Signing up is a breeze. It’s super easy to do, the hardest part was waiting in line at the Hospitality Services building once you enter the park. Once inside the building head over to the Accessibility Pass counter. One of the Hersheypark staff members will help you fill out a short application about any limitations your child may have that could prohibit them from riding certain rides. Don’t worry it does not ask any specific questions in regards to disability. The next step is to measure your child to determine the rides they are able to ride safely. Once those steps are completed the staff member will hand you the Hershepary Boarding Pass booklet with a listing of rides eligible for the program and a wristband.
Sweetest Mom Tip: Choose the best way to secure the wristband based on your child’s own individual needs. We keep ours stapled to our booklet since we know our son would pull it off his wrist. You need the wristband to gain faster access to the rides.
Hersheypark Attractions Eligible with the Boarding Pass
Surprisingly not all the rides at Hersheypark are eligible for use with the Hersheypark Boarding Pass. We, unfortunately, found a few of the rides for younger children were not included. We were quite surprised however we found it helpful to talk with the ride attendants asking for our pass to be used on the ride. It didn’t work all the time but most of the times it worked out for us. Here’s a listing of all the rides included with the pass including height restrictions and ride rating.
Rides with Fast Track Entrance
Comet – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (43″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated high thrill ride
Laff Trakk – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (43″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated aggressive thrill ride
Sooperdooperlooper – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (43″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated aggressive thrill ride
*Laff Trakk features intense sounds, bright neon lights and strobe lighting which may be a trigger for some children. I recommend watching the POV video prior to riding with your child with sensory issues.
Rides in Founder’s Way
Balloon Flite – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Ladybug – Kisses 36″ through Twizzlers 60″ and Miniatures (36″ & under with adult rider) rated children’s ride
Tilt-A-Whirl – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Trafic Jam – Kisses 32″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Scrambler – Twizzler’s 54″ and taller and Miniatures through Hershey’s (32″ through 54″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Skyview – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Mini-Himalaya – Kisses 36″ through Twizzlers 60″ and Miniatures (36″ & under with adult rider) rated children’s ride
Swing Thing – Kisses 32″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Dinosaur-Go-Round – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Space Age – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Carrousel – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Bizzy Bees – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Mini Pirate – Kisses 36″ through Twizzlers 60″ rated children’s ride
Coco Cruiser – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Helicopters – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Starship America – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Dizzy Drums – Kisses 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Monorail – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Rides in The Hallow
Tea Cups – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Comet – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (43″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated high thrill ride
Sweet Swing – Hershey’s Kisses through Twizzler’s 38″ – 60″ rated children’s ride
Sooperdooperlooper – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (43″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated aggressive thrill ride
Photo Credit – Hersheypark
Rides in Midway America
Ferris Wheel – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Laff Trakk – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated aggressive thrill ride
Granny Bugs – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Music Express – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Pony Parade – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Tiny Tracks – Hershey Kisses through Hershey’s (36″ – 54″) and Miniatures (36″ & under with adult rider) rated children’s ride
Merry Derry Dip – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Whip – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Rides in Kissing Tower Hill
Coal Cracker – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated high thrill ride
Kissing Tower – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Red Baron – Hershey Kisses through Hershey’s (36″ – 54″) rated children’s ride
Twin Turnpike: Sunoco Classic Cars – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Twin Turnpike: Sonoco Speedway – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
Rides in Pioneer
Frontier Flyers – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Livery Stables – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Hershey’s 54″ rated children’s ride
Mini Scrambler – Hershey’s Miniatures 36″ through Reese’s 48″ rated children’s ride
Trailblazer – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Pirate – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Dry Gulch Railroad – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with adult rider) rated mild thrill ride
The Howler – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Rides on the Boardwalk
Bayside Pier – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult supervision) rated mild thrill ride
Coastline: Riptide/Surge – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Resse’s (42″ – 48″ with adult rider) rated high thrill ride
Coastline: Pipeline/Hydro – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) rated high thrill ride
Sandcastle Cove – Reese’s & Hershey’s (42″ – 54″ and Kisses & Miniatures (36″ – 42″ with adult supervision) rated children’s ride
Tidal Force – Reese’s 42″ and tall rated high thrill ride
Intercoastal Waterway – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult supervision) rated mild thrill ride
The Shore – Hershey’s (48″ and taller) and Reese’s, Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 48″ with adult supervision) rated mild thrill ride
East Coast WW: Entry – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with supervision rider) rated moderate thrill ride
East Coast WW: Slides – Reese’s (42″ and taller) and Miniatures & Kisses (36″ – 42″ with supervision rider) rated moderate thrill ride
Shoreline Sprayground – Hershey’s Miniatures (36″ and taller) rated children’s ride
You can view the Hersheypark Rider Safety and Accessibility Guide online for a more information on rides.
Sign Up with Family Finder
Hersheypark has teamed up with PennState Health to offer the Family Finder Wristbands as an easy alternative to locating parent in the event of separation. We stopped by the booth right outside the Hospitality Services building to sign up and get our free wristbands for the kids. Each child has a wristband with our names and a phone number to call in case we get separated. Of course, we keep a very close watch on our children but things happen and in case of an emergency we want to make sure its easy to locate us if we are ever separated from any of our children.
Learn All the Rules
Having a Hersheypark Boarding Pass is just one step in making your trip more enjoyable. It’s worth learning all the rule associated with the pass. Each pass gives the pass holder and three other riders a fast track to the rides listed on the boarding pass. For larger families like mines, you are required to break up rides into two parts. The pass holder must ride at all times. You must use the ride exit for attractions that do not have a fast track lane. If you are visiting more than once in a thirty day period the staff at Hospitality Services will save application information for faster processing on your next visit.
Find the Quiet Areas
Our son gets overstimulated at times. Our summer in the park was hard for him and we weren’t aware of the quiet spaces for families like ours. If your child needs a break while at Hersheypark visit one of the designated quiet areas are located at Pioneer Frontier Guest Services inside the Family Health & Services Center and Kissing Tower Hill Guest Services.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
If you’re ever visiting Hersheypark with a child with special needs and you’re having problems with using your pass be sure to stop by the guest services building either outside the park or ask to speak with a manager at the ride. Ask any questions you have and a note of any concerns or suggestions for improvements.
Hersheypark is currently open for its shoulder season for Halloween and Christmas, you can also purchase your 2018 season passes online for a great price.
