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2013:

Happy Halloween Weekends Saturday, October 13, 2012 Useless stats: this was my 6th visit to Holiday World (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011). Saturday morning I packed up my wife, my 10 year old son, and my 7 year old son and we left Cincinnati bound for Santa Claus. This trip was originally set for last weekend, to coincide the Coasterbuzz fall affair. That was ultimately cancelled, and the weather was looking nasty, so we waited a week and were rewarded with a forecast of 70-80 degree temps all day. Fantastic for October in the Midwest. Around 10:30 local time the Holiday World skyline came into view. We promptly drove past and stopped at Santa's Lodge to pick up our park tickets. The Santa Claus attractions are really pushing tourism this month, and we paid $175 for a double queen room plus 4 park tickets (3 adult, 1 under 54"). A few minutes later and we arrived to a mostly empty parking lot, right near Ravens second hill. I like to walk near the Raven fence, comparing the "short" lift hill to the tunnel way down in a deep ditch. It's very deceiving. The hills visible from the parking lot look so gentle... As we approached the front gate, I saw a spunky little "witch" smiling and welcoming guests. She was doing her best to deal with a guest who was disgruntled about something, and who walked away in a huff. The witch, otherwise know as Pat Koch, sincerely and desperately called out... "Sir, this is a business. Have a great day". I don't know what the issue was, but I'm betting the witch was in the right. I shook her hand and then strolled with my family into Holiday World. It was nearly noon "our time", and we grabbed some pizza at Kringle's cafe. The pizza was decent, the breadsticks surprisingly warm and delicious. With the necessities taken care of, it was time for the real fun: a spin on The Raven. The line was just out of the Poe house. While in line my older son asked where the dive show was. "You can actually see it from this line, it's right over"...As a matter of fact it isn't. Totally gone. No concrete, no sign of the dive tank, nothing but a big hole. We did spot the bench lined up neatly near the woods, and a bulldozer nearby. Are they building a 400' tall WindSeeker there for 2013? Or perhaps a new dive theater? We'll have to wait and see. 20 minutes later we climbed aboard the middle of Raven's single operating train. I love the way the entire station shakes and rumbles as the train hits the breaks. It was a middle of the road ride by Raven's standards, which means it was still fantastic. Not rough, not as smooth as it can be, but just fine for an October morning. Raven strikes me as a normalish sized coaster taken at 3x speed. Drop, tunn... Did we just skim the lake..plunge.....leftrighthopleft...brakes. Slam, bamm, over just like that. We all loved it as usual. When I ride the Raven, I like to imagine riding along with Will Koch in 1995 on his first flight. What was he thinking? 1. That was an awesome awesome coaster ride! 2. This huge, risky investment of my family's money and reputation turned out better than I could have dreamed. 3. This changes everything for the future of my park! 4. I've got an incredible coaster in my own park! I believe he was thinking all of these and more, beaming from ear to ear, giddy as a child on Christmas morning, anxious to share the joy of his creation with the world. We all skipped down Raven's exit, jolted by the adrenaline rush and bad hair only a coaster can give. Next stop:Legend. Legend may be my favorite coaster of all. Unfortunately today, I could not have been more disappointed. On the bright side, there was no line. But it performed badly. Dispatch intervals were eternal, there was no grease on the track, and it was horribly understaffed. Instead of the typical crazy lateral filled out of control ride, today it was forceless and boring, a shadow of itself. My worst Legend experience in 12 years. Oh well, I'll have to wait until next year to get a decent Legend ride. Since KI removed their antique cars, at other parks we hop on them every chance we get. Holiday Worlds version, called "Lewis and Clark" is unremarkable but still fun, especially if you are 7 or riding with someone who is. 10 minute wait. Like KI's, these are set in a nicely landscaped area. Come to think of it, this is a big prime piece of real estate in the front of Holiday World. They could squeeze a great little Wooden Warrior style family coaster in there, and link it to 4th of July, Halloween, or Christmas. On the other hand, this is a nice quiet area, and it would be shame to tear it up. Graveyard Smash time. Somehow I'd never gotten around to seeing a show at the Hoosier Celebration Theater. We arrived just in time, finding a crowded theater, yet a few open seats in the front center row. We all loved it. My 10 year old son is getting dangerously close to being too cool for this sort of thing though, but even he got into the fun. You have about 10 monsters ranging from Dracula, Wicked Witch of the West, zombie bride, zombie punk rocker, zombie Jack Sparrow, and so on. All singing and dancing to Halloween parodies of everything from Dynamite to Thunderstruck. Hilarious and fun. Warning, the performers get in your face if you are up close or on the aisles. Next it was Sparkler time, or Spookler time to be precise. A great little ride, it fits this side of the park well. One cycle wait. It goes up, it goes around, and it doesn't give me the goosebumps that WindSeeker does. It also provides some new views, including a maintenance shed with all of Legend's trains neatly lined up outside. That dashed any hopes that Legend might just reopen today after all. To be fair, I'd read on Facebook and even on the map that Legend was closed for the year, apparently getting its winter spa treatment now instead of waiting for Happy Halloween Weekends to conclude. Still a bummer. Later that night we saw "Spookler" lit up in a monochrome yet neat white lighting display. My boys jaws dropped as I told them somewhere in Texas they were building a 400' version of this. I wonder if the entire tower spins on that one like here...I doubt it. We walked up the impossibly narrow ramp to the bumper cars. These are always a hoot despite the smart alecs who decide to drive the wrong way. 2 cycle wait. It was now the moment of destiny: The Voyage. Last year, both of my boys just didn't have the nerve to tackle this monster, the clincher being my report of nasty washboard roughness. It just wasn't that fun last year, for me anyway. Even the first three drops beat me up. Even though the new Gravity Group trains were delayed again, the track improvements were encouraging. One bummer was the one train operation today. There are few quieter, less exciting places than the Voyage station during single train operation. That train is gone Forever, and you begin to wonder if it will ever cone back. When you estimate a good 5 trains until you board, multiplied by the eternal dispatch interval, you get discouraged. But hey, this is one of the most amazing coasters in the world, so shame on me for complaining. It is kind of a miracle that the Voyage even exists. Think about all the stars that aligned: 1. A park (not called Kings Island) willing to build a 6000' long wooden coaster 2. A park with a large enough piece of sloping, wooded, available land 3. A park who really cares about the extras, like tunnels, tunnels, tunnels, station flyby's, tunnels, ridiculously excessive turnarounds and finales, tunnels... 4. A design firm competent enough to engineer the thing 5. A park willing to do whatever it takes to keep it running in top form If those weren't enough, add these improbabilities: 6. This behemoth is actually themed to pilgrims on a boat, in a section called Thanksgiving. Not a snake or something huge and intimidating 7. The fact that all of this happened just 3 hours from my house I got off track there, but my point is that Voyage might be the most unlikely coaster ever, built in a park that really didn't need it. But they built it and I'm so glad. So back to the ride. We were all pumped...my boys have been looking forward to this ever since they chickened out last year. The four of us took our seats in the third car, and off we sailed. In short, we were thunderstruck. What a ride. The only rough spots I detected were on the last sidewinding stretch under the lift hill, and part of the finale, but even these were not bad. Though I forgot to heed my own advice from 2006: don't try to brace yourself too much, instead just go with it and let the coaster have its way with you. It sounds counterintuitive for such a crazy ride, but it works for us. While we loved it, my boys and my wife debated if a second ride would happen, or if one was more than enough. They all leaned towards "one and done". They were stuffed, so why eat a second Thanksgiving dinner on the same night? Time for a breather. We lined up near Pilgrims Plunge, and 20 minutes later we were on a tram headed to the corn maze. There were two actual hayrides, but we got the vanilla tram both ways. The maze itself was interesting in that it was on uneven hilly land, and in some areas the stalks were barely 5' high. So in some spots you were deep in it with zero visibility, in others you have a commanding view of most of the maze. There were panic flags at various checkpoints, which also helped you navigate since many were visible from afar. Overall a nice diversion from the noise and activity of the park. We skipped the kiddie maze. Gobbler Getaway. A hoot as usual, though I never know if my low scoring is caused by my aim or a faulty gun...errr turkey caller. I also wonder if I am too distracted by the shooting/calling deal to miss the fun details of the ride itself. With the exception of Toy Story Mania, I'd rather just take in the view on my dark rides. What else...oh yes, we checked out the Halloween activities in the picnic grove. Face painting, pumping decorating, trick or treating, the usual activities aimed at families with little ones. Worth a stop if you if that fit that group, and very similar to what you'd find at your local fall festival. We did enjoy the many Halloween dioramas throughout the park. These were set up by park employees, using skeleton mannequins and a wide variety of props. Each won an award of some type, like "best use of theming", or "best use of bobble head Pat". All were tasteful of course, and added a humorous personal touch to the park. Another Halloween exclusive was the lone "haunted house", in glorious 3D, in the Holiday Theater. Again , no big scares here, save for a few surprise characters who come to life and startle the little ones. And even me. The 3d effects were outstanding. I am not usually impressed with 3d at the cinema. A great family haunted house, made better by the 5 minute wait. This is getting long winded so I'll try and cut to the chase. My boys are fans of night rides, so we scored another Raven ride (4 train wait), and my family "Thank"fully regained Voyage fever. Two more Voyage rides (front seat at dusk, third seat in total darkness). 20 minute waits for each. Breathtaking. The 2006 Voyage is back, for now anyway. Now it was for perhaps the best attraction of the day: pumpkin spice funnel cakes at Funnel Cake Factory, covered with some sort of cream cheese frosting. These are not as nutritious as you might think. But they are delicious. I will try to clone those for the scout campout next weekend. It's a good sign when you ask the workers in the food stand if these are any good, and they all light up with an emphatic, sincere, "they are sooooo good!!!!". They were right, and we got fat and happy. While munching we walked around the"back stretch" of Holiday World, near the Indian river ride and the "eagle's fright". I like these quiet, mature (tree-wise) paths in parks. This was made all the better by the glorious fall colors and the leaves literally falling by the hundreds and blowing in the breeze. Quiet and peaceful. Speaking of Eagles Fright, it was begging for riders, so we hopped on for a quick spin. We each got our own bird and enjoyed the peaceful flight in the cool, autumn night. We arrived at the Christmas plaza at 8, just in time for the laser show. It was a mishmash of funny laser animations projected on a big movie screen, fog effects, and the big cool real lasers that pierce the night and wiggle around, all set to Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters, and other Halloween staples. Fun show and a great way to end the day. So that was our day at Holiday Work. It was quite different without the waterpark and the Legend, but I think they did a fine job considering their family market, and taking their first stab at a "Halloween"event. It made for a nice 30 hour fall getaway from Cincinnati. Thanks to HW and the Kochs for a good time! PS: don't get a room at Santa's lodge near the banquet hall. Loud!

Mine is different - love all the above of course, but I truly miss the Wurlitzer 157 Band Organ that used to actually BE in the Grand Carousel.

Latest Son of Beast photos:

Thanks for the legendary trip report. It was delightful! I wish I could have been there, raving about the park witch I love! Unfortunately, that was a voyage not for me this year.

Hmmm... I have no idea who that might have been...

I would rather have a new big flatscreen tv in my house than buying a new front door-if you know what i mean.

One day it will, please see International Street, Boomerang Bay, and other KI areas. It should be noted that WaterWorks was the original water park later changed to Boomerang Bay.

Tears of joy.

But your mother-in-law will certainly criticize the TV over the front door.....

"Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got till it's gone"

Oh yeah, cause i want a giant seat in the middle of my room. I CAN FIND A VIDEO OF SOB, PLAY IT ON MY FLATSCREEN THEN PRETEND IM RIDING IT! YEAH!

I sense a diversion....

I never actually said I "rode" it. ;^) It was indeed closed all day, and for the season. Just my little attempt at a humorous spin of the truth. "Forceless and boring" = closed. ;^)

If I were a python, I would be upset that Coney Island has not one roller coaster.

Have you ever heard about the old expression, "if it's not broken, don't fix it?" As long as the current front entrance is serving its purpose, why replace it? Several years ago they rehabbed the current Guest Services office rather than have just window for people to inquire from.

Are you sure you want to KEEP the GATE untouched.

King Cobra entering the brake run was quite the acoustic experience when I was growing up. Especially in the queue!

All parks have master plans. Sometime, however, those plans can be quite fluid, and what is spelled out in a master plan ends up not being what actually gets built. Technology, tastes, economics, marketing, the target market all have impacts on influencing what the finished product looks like. Would the original buildings of Kings Island could have imagined what the park would look like today? Probably not. There was no such thing as a hyper coaster when they were planning the park. Not to mention coasters powered by linear induction motors. Water parks were not very prevalent, and certainly didn`t have the range of water slides that they have today. The park is constantly changing and evolving. It will be a different place five years from now than what it is today. Enjoy the park today, remember the past, but don`t hold onto it as if the past is the end all. Memories often are seen through rose colored glasses at times. Times change. Would I love to see the Sky Ride back at Kings Island? Absolutely. Same goes for classic rides like the Whip, Flying Eagles and Tumble Bug. But those rides aren`t going to be coming back. I am positive that the park will look different in the future and that a whole new generation of people will fall in love with the place, just like we have.

A tear? More like a smile

It is surreal to see this ride coming down. I remember watching avidly the ride get built the summer of 1999. To think it is coming down so quickly and ungracefully. Hopefully good things will be in store for that location in the coming years.

Now, I can see Firehawk, now I just need a path to get there. Anybody picking up, what I'm puttin down?

Why would they rename a major ride? And two things it could mean anything!

The chain of The Beast as I go up the hill. Carousel. Husband really liked hearing Sinatra and Darin on International Street. People screaming all at once.

The size if the area that SOB took up, there can be an ensemble cast under contract to take his place.

I think my favorites would be: Top Gun's brake as it goes back into the train. Invertigo's cable lift. Drop Tower's "Click" and drop sound. And who can forget, the annoying sound of Firehawk's chain as you're laying on your back getting burnt to death!

Modesty becomes you. So to speak. Woof!

Would you also want Beast, Flight of Fear, Diamondback, etc., gone? Change is inevitable. The park that doesn't change eventually shuts. Forever.

There once was a pair of noises in Coney Mall, back by the SR&R. One sounded like a car alarm, for when someone won a prize "boow, boow, boow, boow, boow, boow..." The other was a random, electronic noise from the "Strength Hammer" game (the one with the super-bright flashing lights), which sounded like the background sound on the classic "Galaxian" game. One favorite of mine is the boom from the salutes during the fireworks - how they echo through the valley behind the park. Awesome!

Flight Deck's Anti-rollbacks, which sound completely different from any other coaster in the park, including the other Arrows.

Close between King Cobra and the backwards Racer. I was at the park in high school when the park was empty and we rode both till the bus was leaving, i still remember it was a walk on every ride.The storms forecasted missed KI and the park was about empty!

Im not a fan of the hanging scene,i love zombies! lol

Have you seen the proposed model for the 12-inversion coaster, though? It truly does look incredible. (And I'm not really a fan of inversions...just for the sake of going upside down.)

I would like to go with CP passes next year even though its a longer drive, but if KI adds anything new that requires a 44 inch plus height requirement its back to KI. My 4 year old daughter somehow makes these decisions in my household and she loves Woodstock Express! She has a height chart she checks all the time to reach Diamondback,she's at 43 inches and the girl is already a coaster junky! I hope KI has big news for 2013,but if i were to guess its gonna be 2014? Im excited to hear what they will do next year

I would really like to see another launched coaster hit the park soon. Either that or another looper. When you put it into perspective, what rides have inversions? Invertigo, Flight of Fear, Firehawk, and Vortex. Not necessarily a wide variety.

There will likely be new employees. Aside from that, I expect nothing.

Ahh, the sounds of Kings Island...too much to choose from, but I'll try... Beast's "bada-bada-bada-bada-thud-bada-bada-bada-bada-thud..." as it approaches the first lift hill Vortex's lift chain, "woosh" as it goes around the track, and brakes Flight Deck's different-sounding yet similar "whoosh" and brakes Son of Beast's loud anti-rollbacks, which we shalt never hear again... Firehawk's high-pitched rollbacks that make it sound like the chain is going at 4X speed... Flight of Fear's launch Racer's anti-rollbacks and brakes, which are even better sounding when both trains are going at once Drop Tower & Invertigo's "Ka-Thunk" they make right before dropping That should about do it...

1.)DB's first Drop 2.)Firehawk's chain lift 3.)Train whistle, bell and chugging 4.)FOF's soundtrack 5.)background audio/announcements 6.)BLST's soundtrack as well as all the noise that goes on throughout the ride 7.)Water splashing at Soak City 8.)Fireworks 9.)Beast's chain lifts 10.)the rumble of Adventure Express around the sharp turns

That was me

All the chainsaws are over by Son of Beast helping with the demo.

FoF has a sort of dusty smell. All trashcans smell horrible at KI. LaRossas tastes great, smells like vomit.

Don't change the gate. I like it just the way it is: untouched

my mother has been bugging me about what I want for Christmas. I told her an SOB track section. She thought I was crazy but ordered it anyway

I know one thing I really hope you younguns see at Coney Island of Ohio 30 years from now. Terpy

I'll tell you what it isn't... BLUEGRASS BOARDWALK! ...har har.

The guy who doesn't wear deodorant on the 100 degree summer days.

My first coaster came at the age of 13. I was horrified of the things. My mom tricked me into going on Flight of Fear to break my coaster-virginity. She told convinced the group in front of us to tell me that it was just a room that spins around a whole bunch. Which was partially right. But I got off of it and was in love. So naturally, my dad threw me on Son of Beast without even batting an eye. Cause thats a good idea.. needless to say, it beat the snot out of me. I LOVED it. lol. Shocking right? Its just one of those things where adriniline took over and I got an attachment for the coaster. More so than Beast actuallly. But thats how my addiction started.

First, reading some of these posts makes me feel so old, lol. I grew up with a father who loved roller coasters. I, however hated them until I was 10 or 11. My first was the Scooby Doo (Beastie, Fairly Odd Coaster, Woodstock Express),when I was 4, and as a youngster I was forced onto all the coasters by my dad. The one coaster he never got me on (and I seriously regret this now) was The Bat. My first looper was Screamin' Demon (later, just Demon). I got the fever when we went to Geauga Lake and Sea World and I rode the Double Loop. Once I rode it, I was hooked. My oldest didn't like coasters until he rode Vortex, then he became a rider. My middle child is not much of a rider, though he keeps saying he will ride. Surprisingly, something always comes up. My 3-year-old daughter is a rider. She finally got to ride Woodstock Express. took her front seat for her first ride. She LOVED it. She would ride it over and over again if she could. She also very badly wants to ride the "loopty-loop" (Vortex). She just has 8 more inches to grow, lol.

My very first coaster was the now defunct "Roller Coaster" at the equally defunct Riverview Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

If you look at it, the highest/fastest which is really the granddaddy of the records is on hiatus if not gone industry wide. It jumped from 300' to 400' feet so rapidly and in a fashion that wasn't considered successful for the parks - so unless there is a new approach to 400' out there, I'm doubtful we'll see it pushed. Why push much higher than 300 even (see I-305, Leviathan). Beyond that, records can be considers either relevant or irrelevant to enthusiasts, marketers, and GP so that is what you get in today's world. What I'd assume is more relevant is a ride type master plan for a park that looks at the desired customer base (families, thrill seekers, and likely a bunch of other categories), and evaluates the different ride experiences (terrain, twisters, loopers, family fun, high G, airtime,betc...) currently available in both flats and coasters. From here - pick what makes sense for the next 1-3 additions and go look for options - if one of those options happens to be a potential record breaker, then it becomes part of the analysis at that point.