Hersheypark’s 13th Coaster Laff Trakk Preview

Hersheypark’s 13th Coaster Laff Trakk Preview

Earlier this week my family and I were invited to the press preview of Hersheypark’s 13th Coaster Laff Trakk.  Despite being a school night we took the hour and a half drive from Baltimore to be amongst the first set of people to ride the roller coaster.  My husband’s birthday was the same day so it was something fun for us to all enjoy. After the kids got out of school we hit the road towards Hershey, PA.

The weather was beautiful that evening.  We ran into some traffic once we got closer to Hersheypark but the ride wasn’t bad at all.  We arrived and entered through service road.  Park staff directed us to where we needed to park and showed us where to enter the park.  It was a quiet and so tranquil.  Nothing looked the same because the park was pretty much empty.  I kept telling my husband how different it looked without the people.  Within fifteen minutes we arrived at the newest attraction at Hersheypark Laff Trakk.

When I visited the park during Sweet Welcome Laff Trakk was just a white building with no outside decorations yet.  We questioned would it be ready in time for Memorial Day Weekend and we were assured it would be.  I was so surprised to see how much they had accomplished in that five-week period.  My family and I missed the ribbon cutting due to traffic but we arrived just in time to get on the ride.

None of us knew what to expect when we got to the park to get on the ride.  Since we had our infant my husband and I split up to take turns.  I took the older kids to ride with me while he waited with our infant.  I didn’t take my camera or phone with me and you aren’t allowed to take loose articles on the ride with you.  You’ll have to leave those at the bins near the loading and unloading area of the ride.  Laff Trakk is an indoor, spinning, glow-coaster, it’s the first of its kind in the United States.  The ride has a fun house theme, so when your walking through the entrance of the ride it’s full of fun house mirrors and it plays loud carnival type music.  The ride is for riders in the Resse’s range and up, although riders in the Resse’s range must ride with a supervising adult.

Before entering the queue line you can try the seat to make sure you are fine with riding.  Each Laff Trakk car has four seats, two in the front and two behind.  Since I had to ride with our toddler because of his height, my oldest two rode on the back of our car.  My kids ages are 7, 6 and 3.  Our three-year old has Autism so I wasn’t sure how he would deal with the ride. He didn’t like the fun house entrance at all, the mirrors bothered him and the loud music upset him.  He kept his hands on his ears the entire time.  Hersheypark does have a separate entrance for riders with Special Needs if you’re visiting the park with someone with Special Needs visit the Hospitality Services booth at the front entrance of the park.  They are there to help you have the best time at the Hersheypark.  If a rider in your party isn’t a fan of loud music I would recommend you not walk through the queue line to ride the ride.  Another note is the lighting on this ride.  If black lighting and strobe lighting bothers you, I suggest you skip Laff Trakk.  Guests over 6’4 are not permitted to ride for safety reasons.

Now that I have given you all the safety specs I can get back to our experience riding the ride.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I got on the ride and taking our three-year old despite his height wasn’t the best idea for us.  He hated the ride.  He was terrified the whole ride, or at least it seemed that way to me.  Once you get in the car the and ride starts going up on the track.  The heights started to scare him and the first drop was backwards, he really didn’t like that.  My mama bear instinct kicked in and I put my arm across him.  Then I kept thinking the other kids would hate it because this was their first roller coaster ride.  I wasn’t long at all and honestly after the first dip it wasn’t bad.  I just didn’t know what to expect.  By the time we all settled in and started to enjoy the ride it was at the end.  LOL.  Overall my kids had mixed reactions.  Like I said it wasn’t a ride my toddler enjoyed.  Maybe when he’s older, my six-year-old loved it.  He even wanted to ride it again.  My seven-year old wasn’t too thrilled, she liked it but said she wouldn’t ride it again.  Honestly if she were with one of her cousins I think she would give it a try again.

After I rode with the kids my husband and my son got on the ride together.  They loved it.  The came off the ride smiling and wanting to head back on again.  My husband had such a good time with our oldest son he even forgot his phone in the storage bin when he exited the ride.  I could not film video of the ride but you can view this animated point of view of the ride.

See it isn’t bad at all.  I can’t wait to ride this ride again.  I think the second time will be much more fun, especially since I know what to expect.  If you’re heading to Hersheypark and you’ve ridden Laff Trakk let me know your thoughts.  It officially opens on May 23rd at 10 AM.

Our night didn’t end with just our Laff Trakk preview.  Hersheypark treated us to dinner and shared with us some of their new menu items.  As you can see the kids were more excited about dessert.

My favorites for the night was the BBQ Pulled Pork and the Chocolate Brisket.  In addition they also had Rainbow Pasta, Nachos, Boneless Wings, Sliders, Fruit and guests could also sample a variety of Whoopie Pies from Making Whoopie Pies.  In the food tent there was also a DJ playing live music.

My husband had a great day.  He really enjoyed his birthday and even played along when all the dads participated in a fun contest.  He didn’t win but he’s always a winner in our eyes.

After eating and entertainment we headed  out to the park to enjoy some of the rides they opened for us.  There were about eight other rides open.  Mostly for the kids but it was fun not having to wait in lines.

We ended out night on the Ferris Wheel at Hersheypark.  It was a very relaxing way to end our day.  Thanks for having us Hersheypark and we can’t wait to come back again for another visit.  Congrats on the addition of Laff Trakk it’s a great ride.

Related articles

• Hersheypark cuts ribbon on 13th roller coaster (wfmz.com)