Holiday World (HW) Discussion Thread

^^ Please keep GCI has far away from The Voyage as possible. For me, it's either RMC or nothing.

Voyage absolutely does not need the millennium flyer trains. They do not guarantee an improvement to a wooden roller coaster. Take it from Gwazi.

 

If you mean RMC coming in to retrack the coaster, then I'm totally fine with it too. But if you mean A complete topper track overhaul, then I'm not so on board with that. The ride experience will likely change drastically and require a huge amount of reprofiling to accommodate the new trains. You'd be looking at an entirely new roller coaster by then.

This is my perspective. I really don't think GCI would have a single clue what to do with a ride as big and as long as The Voyage. If they did get their hands on it and did a Ghostrider re-furb, I think it would be neutered more than it is now. So if they're going to do a overhaul of the ride, and it isn't done in house, I would rather them give it to RMC. At least that way, we still get some crazy intense ride. I mean don't get me wrong, I rather The Voyage stay as is, but the prospective of an RMC makeover is very intriguing to me to say the least.

Is a retracking by the Gravity Group out of the question?

^ I considered that in house because 1: They designed the ride. 2: The work would be done in-house by Holiday World anyways.

LOL so I discovered that we had this exact same discussion at around the exact same time in the season last year. Topics sure do repeat themselves around here.

The only reason I brought up the GCI retrack idea is because I was just looking at the ride from the park's perspective, not necessarily from my own enthusiast perspective. You've gotta wonder if Holiday World is really content with taking care of the Voyage the way they always have, by retracking the ride in house, section by section, while still using the tried and true PTCs. If they are, then more power to them. They've got a system that works for them as long as they don't mind spending the money for it. Whether they decide to implement a more long-term solution is up in the air for now as far as we're concerned.

You know what though? At the end of the day, Voyage is still a damn good roller coaster, and I will let go of all my speculation and ride the sh!t out of it this weekend at Holiwood Nights. Will be my first time back at the event since 2013. Can't wait.

I'm going to jump in a little late to that wing coaster discussion from a few pages back, but I have to say that I LOVED Thunderbird. That ride is perfect for Holiday World. The wood coasters are fun, but they all throw you around (some more than others). That's not a bad thing... it's what they're designed to do and it's fun but sometimes it's nice to mix it up a little from those types of rides and get on something like Thunderbird that's highly re-rideable and so smooth it feels like you're floating on a cloud.

I'm a big wing coaster fan and I think this one falls right between Gatekeeper and Wild Eagle for me. Thunderbird may actually be the most forceful (I really liked that first barrel roll... it had some kick to it) and the finale was really cool but I can't rank it above Gatekeeper just because I legitimately believe that Gatekeeper has the best first drop of any steel coaster I've ever ridden. That element really sets it apart for me.

But yeah... huge thumbs up from me on wing coasters. I love forceful, crazy rides with insane transitions and ejector airtime as much as anyone but I like the change of pace that these things provide and the flying sensations on the outer seats are super cool.

^ If you ever get back to the park, try the back left wing. That has some of the coolest/unique lateral forces I've ever expierenced on that zero-g roll.

 

In addition to the coasters we also got on Liberty Launch (holy airtime), The Flume (which was a great little flume by the way) and Gobbler Getaway which we rode more than anything in the park... first because it was the only thing open in the storm and second because Brit kept losing and kept demanding rematches.

Gobbler Getaway is the cheesiest dark ride shooter I've ever been on... and we love it. We have a lust for overly cheesy things that most people find ridiculous. Hence my appreciation for Adventure Express and my disappointment that the Singing Mushrooms weren't working on my one visit to KD.

I'm glad you guys had a good time. Thunderbird really is a great ride. Thunderbird, Banshee, and Fury give me hope for modern B&M, although I noticed how you didn't comment on Banshee in your quick KI Pre-TR.

Spreading the Gobbler Getaway love! From the official Holiday World YouTube page...

I'm going to jump in a little late to that wing coaster discussion from a few pages back, but I have to say that I LOVED Thunderbird. That ride is perfect for Holiday World. The wood coasters are fun, but they all throw you around (some more than others). That's not a bad thing... it's what they're designed to do and it's fun but sometimes it's nice to mix it up a little from those types of rides and get on something like Thunderbird that's highly re-rideable and so smooth it feels like you're floating on a cloud.

 

I'm a big wing coaster fan and I think this one falls right between Gatekeeper and Wild Eagle for me. Thunderbird may actually be the most forceful (I really liked that first barrel roll... it had some kick to it) and the finale was really cool but I can't rank it above Gatekeeper just because I legitimately believe that Gatekeeper has the best first drop of any steel coaster I've ever ridden. That element really sets it apart for me.

 

But yeah... huge thumbs up from me on wing coasters. I love forceful, crazy rides with insane transitions and ejector airtime as much as anyone but I like the change of pace that these things provide and the flying sensations on the outer seats are super cool.

I like ALL of this Wing Coaster AND GateKeeper love up in there! And yes, I agree specifically about how GK's first drop gives it a big head start on all other Wing Coasters, as it's a fantastic open to any coaster, let alone a Wing-Rider! But your point about the importance of Thunderbird and its smoothness among the rougher HW woodies is also very true, and key. It was a much needed balance for the park, and it fit the bill perfectly!

We visited the park on Monday, and I really don't have pictures to post because we were too busy having fun.

We rode Legend and Raven twice each, Voyage 4 times, Thunderbird twice (once in front and back and once on each wing), Mammoth twice, Wildebeest, and ZOOmbabe.

The park wasn't insanely crowded, but the water slides took a long time. We didn't get to really explore Holiday World too much or even go into a couple of the themed areas. People who say Holiday World is a quick in and out park either go on a very light day or skip the waterpark entirely.

Both water coasters were by far the best water attractions either of us ever experienced. Mammoth gets you SOAKED. My bf said it was his favorite because he's been on a lot of waterslides that don't actually deliver in the wet department. We probably waited at least an hour for it in the regular line, but part of that time it was broken down and we were watching staff running around and taking rafts off, evac'ing people from the lift hill, then sending them back up. I loved both but I think I liked Wildebeest a bit better, besides the slower moving line and frustration that they weren't completely filling most of the rafts despite at least a 40 minute wait. Is this common?

All three wooden coasters were a BLAST. I did not feel roughness on any of the three (including Voyage) and we rode every coaster in the front and back. I couldn't help but think that the people saying Voyage is too rough are just p*ssies (sorry not sorry?) or rode it before any retracking. I really liked Voyage and it was super fun!! Really did feel like riding a ship through a storm. I'd definitely say it's a top 5 woodie for me now, but I wouldn't rank it above Lightning Rod or El Toro.

My one and only complaint about all three wooden coasters are in relation to the seats. I wouldn't consider myself super "fluffy" but I have relatively thick thighs, and when I sat down, the restraints would pinch me down between the seat dividers and the edge of the lapbar in such a way to pinch my thighs during the entire ride and make the extreme laterals really uncomfortable. It was even worse if the employee (or the coaster) stapled me. I could see it giving me bruises if I were marathoning the rides. I'm the type to not care that much about painful thighs (Skyrush is my favorite steel coaster), but this side-pinching was uncomfortable. I've been on coasters with divided seats and I don't remember ever feeling pinched before. I'm not sure how people with even thicker thighs feel about these seats.

Thunderbird was fun and I agree it's not as good as Gatekeeper, but better than WIld Eagle. Not sure if I'd rank X-Flight or Thunderbird higher.

The one negative part of the day was my boyfriend losing his keys. By the time he realized they were gone, we had already ridden Legend, Voyage, Thunderbird, and both water coasters. We put in a report and had to wait it out after dark in the parking lot for the tow truck driver to tow us back to Louisville. However, the park called back the next day and said they found the keys! I have no idea which ride he lost them on, and I'm really curious, but I'm glad they found them so quickly!

^ Mammoth is by far the most the popular ride with HW's guests. So a 40 min wait is usually common on a normal day. They also don't force their guests to ride with other people if they don't want to. Sometimes not filling the raft up all the way also has to do with the weight limit each boat has. I beleive the weight limit for guests is 1050 lbs.

I have always immensely enjoyed Holiday World and I am dying to make it to Holiwood Nights sometime.

I love the Turkey Tilt-a-Whirl and gobblers getaway especially.

Call me crazy, but that last half of Voyage is what makes it for me. It feels like, even after the mid-course, it just gets faster and faster. The last third feels like it is just going insanely fast.

Raven at night was awesome, but I was kind of meh about it when my first ride was in the morning. Great coaster, but kind of "Beast-like" for me in that it really comes alive at night.

I also really enjoyed their flume and rapids rides as well.

All-in-all, just a great time for me and I look forward to getting back.

^ Mammoth is by far the most the popular ride with HW's guests. So a 40 min wait is usually common on a normal day. They also don't force their guests to ride with other people if they don't want to. Sometimes not filling the raft up all the way also has to do with the weight limit each boat has. I beleive the weight limit for guests is 1050 lbs.

I got extremely lucky on Sunday after the bad weather held off as both the water coasters were walk-ons. Of the two, I preferred Wildebeast. I found the air-time and drops better. I also didn't come off shivering like I did on Mammoth.

I couldn't help but think that the people saying Voyage is too rough are just p*ssies (sorry not sorry?) or rode it before any retracking.

Eh. I play a ton of ice hockey and I daily drive a rough riding rally car. I'm not implying that this makes me tough by any means, but I'm used to getting banged around and jarring rides. However, if me saying the Voyage is rough makes me a p*ssy, so be it. Voyage doesn't hurt by any means, aside from inducing a headache, but it's incredibly uncomfortable to the point where it's not enjoyable. I don't have a lot of built in padding, so maybe that has something to do with it. I put it in the one and done category. Last time I had to ride Voyage alone, since Emily won't have anything to do with it.

I know that there are some seats that are rougher, some coasters are rougher, but our experience on Voyage was just plain not fun.

When you feel like your getting your ass pummeled & you come off the ride woozy & with a headache then that automatically makes the ride not fun in my book. It also did my partner in the for the day with all coasters and rides, which in turn ended up being more of a downer because I really did want to go back and give it a second try on my own in the front.

To each his own though. As I have stated on several posts, I would be willing to go back to give it a few more shots to see if we just got an unlucky row or something.

Staying in the campground, having a couple of cocktails and "loosening up" just before a night ride might just give me an entirely different opinion of the coaster...ya never know!

The strangest thing about this whole "The Voyage" debate, is that I'm usually one of the more "pansy" coaster riders out there, quick to call out coasters for being rough. For instance, I blew off rides on The Legend when my friends rode, and wanted me to go on with them last time I was at HW, and there was ERT on it. I just didn't care for how rough it was... But yet, I can marathon The Voyage over and over and over... Go figure! It's just a matter of how every individual coaster strikes each individual person, I guess...

 

Staying in the campground, having a couple of cocktails and "loosening up" just before a night ride might just give me an entirely different opinion of the coaster...ya never know!

I can confirm this, Phil. When we got back from the German restaurant I took a ride on Voyage. It was much more tolerable and I had fun, after having a couple 24 oz beers in me. However, I wasn't in the mood for round two.

Jesus, these boards make me sound like an alcoholic...

For instance, I blew off rides on The Legend when my friends rode, and wanted me to go on with them last time I was at HW, and there was ERT on it. I just didn't care for how rough it was...

I can see where you're coming from. Legend's laterals are brutal and make it feel even more rough that Voyage in my opinion. It's probably becoming pretty easy to see why we continuously drive by Holiday World on our way to other parks... HW is one more steel roller coaster away from becoming somewhat desirable.

The debate has been had over and over again and the consensus is the same. Either the Voyage is tolerable for you and you love it, or it's just not worth the discomfort.

^ I know....me too!

Me three!

I love the Turkey Tilt-a-Whirl and gobblers getaway especially.

I really didn't think I would start this Gobbler Getaway love-fest but I'm not complaining. As for the Tilt-a-Whirl, that thing was really cute. We didn't ride it but I loved the turkey cars.

I noticed how you didn't comment on Banshee in your quick KI Pre-TR.

Honestly we had some awesome rides on it. It was a lot better than I remember it being (and I remember really liking it).

I've said since the first season they put in Gobbler Getaway that it is a highly under appreciated right. The thing is just down right fun and yet relaxing at the same time. It's in a perfect place in the park so it's great to hop on it after The Voyage to tame the adrenaline a bit and allow you to sit down and cool off while still have a blast... yet it is also a sort of "gateway" to the nearby Thunderbird as well. HW really nails these things in many ways. You can tell they put so much thought into all of this including ride placement within the park.

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I've said since the first season they put in Gobbler Getaway that it is a highly under appreciated right. The thing is just down right fun and yet relaxing at the same time. It's in a perfect place in the park so it's great to hop on it after The Voyage to tame the adrenaline a bit and allow you to sit down and cool off while still have a blast... yet it is also a sort of "gateway" to the nearby Thunderbird as well. HW really nails these things in many ways. You can tell they put so much thought into all of this including ride placement within the park.

 

 

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Honestly I thought the park's layout was really weird and the entire Thanksgiving section seemed like an afterthought that feels unfinished and desperately needs some trees. I'm also completely baffled by the placement of Hyena falls and the abandoned water ride is a huge eyesore.

It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the place but when I think about parks that put a lot of thought into the placement of things, I don't think Holiday World.

Me three!

 

But who is gonna deny that the TPR ...ummmm...."social drinkers"....are some of the more civil and outspoken on here...whether people give a sh%t about (or like) our opinions or not? I think that a lot of viewers get where we are coming from more than we want to give ourselves credit for.

And for anyone under 21 reading this, don't go thinking that drinking is cool - this isn't a site to condone drinking or to perceive that drinking is good. You must be 21 or older in the US to consume alcoholic beverages while at home or in amusement parks.

Respect the law!

Or at least try to do so until you're at minimum 16 years old...because that's how old you have to be to legally drink at Oktoberfest. But wait, this is the US...damn (I mean darn)!

From what I understand, Hyena Falls was added the year Pilgrims Plunge was renamed "Giraffica" in an effort to "relocate" the ride to the water park. I bet there were plans in place to add more water park attractions on that side of Voyage, but then those plans were probably put on hold when Plunge was removed, so now all that's left is this little slide complex just sitting all by itself. It also sits on a shallow hillside so it might be tough to relocate it to a new spot in the water park.

If I'm totally wrong here, feel free to correct me.

I've said since the first season they put in Gobbler Getaway that it is a highly under appreciated right. The thing is just down right fun and yet relaxing at the same time. It's in a perfect place in the park so it's great to hop on it after The Voyage to tame the adrenaline a bit and allow you to sit down and cool off while still have a blast... yet it is also a sort of "gateway" to the nearby Thunderbird as well. HW really nails these things in many ways. You can tell they put so much thought into all of this including ride placement within the park.

 

 

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Honestly I thought the park's layout was really weird and the entire Thanksgiving section seemed like an afterthought that feels unfinished and desperately needs some trees. I'm also completely baffled by the placement of Hyena falls and the abandoned water ride is a huge eyesore.

 

It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the place but when I think about parks that put a lot of thought into the placement of things, I don't think Holiday World.

Well the truth is, The whole Thanksgiving section is not that old at all.. especially compared to the rest of the themed areas. Thanksgiving opened in 2006 with The Voyage. It's a themed area that they aren't finished with at all. The Hyena Falls placement was weird, I grant you that, but that was also during that short time when the big question was who owns the park and who is running it. I guarantee you they have plans for the old Pilgrims Plunge area... and they probably also have plans that will make the Hyena falls placement make a lot more sense for them in the future. Trust that they DO have a master plan and in the end it all makes sense. They just tend to think ahead a bit longer into the future than what some parks seem to do.