McSalsa

...and even if she was, wouldn't Kings Island medical staff show up and at LEAST get her to the first aid station or something? Much less a Hospital? This story seems iffy to me.

Just for the record, and something I kind of forgot to mention, is that Hyena falls requires you to carry your boat/slide thingy up the stairs like Otorongo does. Which I found odd, given that the biggest slide rivals Zinga in sheer size, so it's at least a good 60+ feet up. Hopefully somehow they can add some way for you to get your ride vehicle up to you without you carrying it up... You also apparently can choose from various different rafts, some for single riders, some for two riders... Also, I only rode the tallest waterslide...I'll need to check out the other 3 next time I visit Holiday World, hopefully after the Hyena Falls brand-new hype has faded and its wait time is more manageable (it had a huge line all day until the very end of the day- which is when I went to it).

I will probably have to try Voyage in 7-1 next time we go then. But that might be in 2014...and it might have Timberliners on it by then for all I know...then again, if that's the case, the roughness will be a non-issue if they work as well as promised (they are supposed to make corners smoother, and that's exactly where I saw problems, as the re-tracking the bottoms of the hills worked wonders there)...

^ To be 100% honest, I had thought about trying Voyage from the back as well, but stayed away from it due to how rough it was from the front alone, knowing the front seat is usually smoother...

Hello everyone! Need a break from the endless speculation that is the "Trying to Decode 2014" topic? How about a trip report from McSalsa to ease your woes, eh? WARNING: Trip Report is MASSIVE. You may want to get a drink or snack. You may need it. To start off: Terpy- I did not run into Matt Eckert, Lori Koch, Dan Koch, or Pat Koch- or anyone else involved with the whole legal battle going on at Holiday World, and thus had no questions to ask. I am sorry about this. The only employees I ran into were the normal seasonal ones, who were as usual very kind & friendly. Alas, how is the park itself doing during the legal battle? How good are the rides that are new since my last visit- mainly Mammoth (did not visit HW in 2012 so it was "new" to me) and Hyena Falls? Are the wooden coasters running better than their disappointing 2011 showings? Let's find out! Our trip had: Me, My Best Friend, His Girlfriend, His Girlfriend's Daughter (age 4), and His Girlfriend's Sister...but first, the ride rating system! MY RATING SYSTEM 10=Amazing 9=Excellent 8=Very Good 7=Good 6=Decent 5=OK 4=Kinda Bad 3=Bad 2=Very Bad 1=Awful 0=Superpoop IT BEGINS... Before our trip, we stopped at a local Wal-Mart to buy some food (we were stretching our budgets as far as we could, granted we never would need this food until the trip to Holiday World was over...) and sandals for the waterpark. We then hit a local McDonalds for breakfast, I had the 2 breakfast burritos combo and it was good, and then hit the highway. 1 1/2 hours and some nice scenery later, we passed Louisville, Kentucky where I thought "Somewhere in there is the rotting corpse of what used to be Kentucky Kingdom..."...and 1 1/2 hours after that, we arrived at Holiday World around 9:40 (Holiday World time). After I used the bathroom, applied sunscreen, and we went to the height station to see how big Girlfriend's Daughter was- 41 inches. 1 inch too short to do everything in the water park! D'oh! After that, we went to our first ride, which was... #1-THE RAVEN Wait: 5 Minutes Raven, the coaster that put Holiday World on the map when it opened in 1995. Sure, Holiday World existed before then, but there was no real reason to drive 3+ hours to visit until Raven showed up. My friend's girlfriend was a bit afraid of roller coasters, saying the height bothered her, but since she could handle Racer @ Kings Island which is 8 feet higher and 5mph faster than Raven, I figured she could probably handle Raven. Her sister went to ride some family-friendly rides with GF's daughter, which ended up being Scarecrow Scrambler. Sadly, I was dead wrong. She was terrified as soon as the ride hit the tunnel, and when the brakes hit, she was crying and breathing heavily...we had overdone it, and she will probably never set foot on a coaster again. We calmed her down, and promised her she didn't have to ride any more scary roller coasters. She was OK afterwards, thankfully. Anyhow, how was the ride for me? Solid. There was some decent airtime, not great but far better than my 2011 ride on this coaster. The laterals and speed were also pretty good. The track was kind of rough, though, so Raven may be due for a good re-tracking job this offseason. It wasn't too rough, though. Rating: 9/10 After riding Raven, we ended up heading to The Legend. Me and my friend rode it by ourselves, as obviously his girlfriend was done with roller coasters. #2-THE LEGEND Wait: 15 Minutes During our wait, as we came closer to the boarding area, my friend saw the sign "back row only" in the q-line, and as we looked we noticed a somewhat decent line for that seat. My friend was curious. "Do you want to try it?" "Umm...sure, why not?" A few minutes later, we were on. Legend climbed up its hill, and we were YANKED over the first drop. Killer ejector air FTW! We roared through the tunnel, and headed into the out-and-back run. Little air here, but then came the Spiral Drop, which was epic with good lateral forces and a 77-foot drop. The next hill under Zoombabwe had some decent air, but then came the 5th drop...more ejector air, plus a tunnel at the bottom! Then came the sharp turns into the helix...which was all-you-can-eat laterals! As if these laterals were not enough, the 4-corners finale dished out still more great laterals! As we hit the brakes, all I could do was smile...I was impressed. The ride was actually quite smooth, but all the laterals were sure to make it somewhat uncomfortable. But heck, I loved every second of it. Score: 10/10! Right before we got kick-butt ejector air on Legend, we looked over and saw that Splashin' Safari had just opened, and was not crowded. So instead of riding Voyage next, as we had done in all prior trips, we instead went to the water park. The new entrance area looks great and has some cool statues. I also noticed Holiday World and Splashin' Safari both have tons of trash cans...not sure if this is new, or if I just now noticed, but if it is me: why does Cedar Fair get ripped for this, and HW doesn't? Girlfriend's sister joined us for the first time. Our first ride was something new that was not there during my last visit... #3- MAMMOTH Wait: 20 Minutes When we were coming up to it in line, Mammoth had apparently broken down and was just re-opening. No problem, we thought. As we were coming up, my friend told me to cut in line under the q-line poles..."No!", I told him, but he pushed me and forced me over...then I found out the ride-ops were wanting us to line jump (WTF!?!?) so they could fill up a boat. Once aboard, Mammoth began to climb the lift...around 1/3rd of the way up, the ride stopped...apparently, two boats ahead of us had gotten too close together (due to weight variables) and the safety system activated... "OMFG!!! I AM STUCKETH ON DA MAMOOTH AT HOLIDAY WORLD! I AM GOING TO CALL THE NEWS MEDIA AND SUE HOLIDAY WORLD FOR DIS!!!" OK, anyone with half a brain will realize the above part was a joke, but I really did get "stuck" on Mammoth for around 15 minutes. The ride eventually started back up, and the ride began. Mammoth is a very different ride from Wildebeest, in spite of both of them being water coasters. The sense of speed is reduced just a bit since the track is much wider, but the ride still moves pretty quick, and the spinning factor really brings something extra to this ride. The drops are pretty intense, especially the 45-degree one near the end. The tunnels range from fairly well lit to pitch black, and the ride also has tons of hoses and nozzles spraying water everywhere. And there is a splashdown finale! Basically...Mammoth soaks you, and it soaks you good. Score: 10/10 After Mammoth, we decided to meet up with my friend's girlfriend, who was chillin' at the Bahari Wave Pool...and I took a dip, since ya know, it was right there... #4-BAHARI WAVE POOL Wait: 0 minutes After the ice-cold water on Mammoth, the fact Bahari Wave Pool had heated water was welcome. I enjoyed my time in this pool this time around, as for whatever reason the huge waves didn't bug me as much as they had in the past...did they turn them down this year or something, or was it just me? Score: 8/10 After the Bahari Wave Pool, we split up again. Me, My Friend, and His GF's sister headed for... #5-ZINGA Wait: 15 minutes Due to ride restrictions, I was forced to ride by myself...I was OK with this though. I was sent backwards into the dark tunnel, and came out into the funnel and slid around. Good fun, but after Mammoth, this was just a little underwhelming. (Not a knock on Zinga, but more "that's just how good Mammoth is", FYI) Score: 8/10 After Zinga, me and my friend decided to return to the dry park for the last of the 3 wooden coasters, Voyage, as the crowds had begun to build in the waterpark. We got ready, and headed out...some time later... #6-THE VOYAGE Wait: 25 minutes You are probably wondering why Voyage had a 25-minute wait, eh? Well...for whatever reason, Voyage was only running 1 train all day. Train #2 was on the transfer track, just sitting there. At least it had all 7 cars on it this time (my previous rides on Voyage had the coaster running 6-car trains). However, 1 train. 6,400 feet of track. So the 25-minute wait is actually a little better than I expected, especially considering we waited for the front seat. I was curious as to how much the 2012 re-tracking I had heard had done so many wonders for this ride had actually helped/held up this year. As we climbed the lift hill of the tallest traditional-style (no prefab or topper track) wooden coaster in the world (SOB is gone, Rattler is metal now) this thought did come into my head...and then the drop came...smooth! Up the hill... some good sustained floater air! Down the next hill...still smooth! Up...more floater air! Drop again into a tunnel...more floater air! Suddenly...BANG! Ouch! There was apparently some track that was not lined up 100% correct or something, because a sharp jolt shook our car...then, a few seconds later, another BANG! Ow again! This happened in the 2 tunnels after the initial airtime hills, and nowhere else. The train did its usual thing around the turn-around section, the 90 degree turns and whatnot, and then we hit the MCBR and entered the triple down in the dark, where we finally got a bit of ejector air on the 2nd drop (it had all been floater until here). Until this point, I was happy with the ride. The track was actually pretty smooth, save the two "BANG!" spots, and the airtime was pretty good. However, Voyage's 2nd half decided it was not going to be as fun as the first. No airtime to be found of either kind, and, almost like a switch was flipped, the roughness from 2011 suddenly roared back to life! The second half was still fun, but the lack of any air and the intense roughness made it pale in comparison to the excellent first half. Score: 9/10 (10/10 first half, 8/10 second half) The train hit the brakes, and we got off, and I started thinking. And I made my mind up: Voyage was no longer quite good enough to be my #2 favorite coaster. It simply is too rough in certain sections, and was not quite as fun overall as another coaster I had just ridden earlier that day, which has given me one awesome ride after another minimal drawbacks...the ride I had got on Voyage was very good, just not enough... Legend, you are now my favorite of Holiday World's 3 wooden coasters, and #2 overall (Beast @ Kings Island remains #1)! Hmm...ironically, you're the one most people put last of this trio of woodies, too...Voyage drops to #3 overall, just a tad ahead of Diamondback at #4 and Raven which sits at my #5 spot. After riding Voyage, we headed to the waterpark again and rode Bahari River, a lazy river ride. #7-BAHARI RIVER Wait: 0 Minutes Ahh, the Bahari River. Holiday World's lone surviving lazy river, after Congo River kicked the bucket this offseason for the new entrance. This was a great ride to ride after Voyage, as it gave me a great chance to cool off and relax, and recover a bit from that very-fun-but-also-very-rough ride. I like how they have the waterfalls and stuff positioned so you can avoid them if you wish...I did no such thing, aiming for maximum wetness! I succeeded. However, I couldn't get off my raft thing at first, so I just ended up riding two times in a row. Score: 8/10 After Bahari River, my Friend's Girlfriend was upset, saying she wanted to return to the dry park because she wasn't having much fun in the waterpark. We obliged, but first wanted to get some food. I got some Nachos w/cheese, which cost $3.30. They were average nachos. I also traded a few nachos for a piece of a pretzel...decent, also average quality. As we were walking back to the dry park, they played "Ready to Go" by Republica, which caused some rage in me to awaken if you know what song that is and where I originally expected to be on this day! After that, we walked into the dry park, and we spotted a ride the entire group could enjoy together... #8-RAGING RAPIDS Wait: 0 minutes (walk-on) Yay! No Line! We boarded Raging Rapids, which headed into its tunnel...or should I say it's sewer, as it smelled like dead fish. Eww. It headed out, and we floated down the rapids and got blasted by the geysers. My best friend managed to avoid getting wet on the waterfall section, and then did so AGAIN when we rode a 2nd time...because they let us stay on 'cuz there were no lines! Score: 8/10 After Raging Rapids, my Friend's Girlfriend wanted to ride Revolution, a HUSS Round-Up ride (that thing where you stand in it and it spins uber-fast and lifts you up). My friend, who has a weak stomach for spinning rides, passed and would watch his Girlfriend's Daughter for the rest of us as we rode. #9-REVOLUTION Wait: 5 Minutes (walk-on, but it had to complete a cycle before we could board) Having never ridden one of these before, I didn't know what to expect. The g-forces on this thing are so intense, it is hard to breathe...and then when it lifts you up, your entire world just goes bonkers until you don't know which was is up! Good fun...and it didn't give me Nausea like the GraviTron UFO ride I rode at a Carnival did. Score: 8/10 After Revolution, I pointed out that I had never been on a Flying Eagles ride before. So, we did that next. #10-EAGLE'S FLIGHT Wait: 0 Minutes (another walk-on!) Well, I did not realize you could actually have some control over this ride while riding! Being able to steer my "bird", while it went around, was cool. My first ride I didn't try anything too fancy, but upon a quick re-ride due to there being no line, I did try some more intense moves. However, my friend's girlfriend was going bonkers with hers, going completely sideways and stuff! Man, now that I have ridden a set, I see why KIC members are so mad at Paramount for replacing Flying Eagles with a basketball game! Score: 8/10 After Eagle's Flight, I had a crazy thought. I...I wanted to be...a Credit Hog. So we took the young one, and headed for Holidog's Funtown. I saw no sign of the old Freedom Train, which was SUPPOSED to be on display somewhere near the entrance for the new train. However, we still went in. This is actually a nice kids area, with a few kid-friendly rides, and a HUGE playground. The ride we were going for, though, was sort of hidden behind the playground... #11-THE HOWLER Wait: 5 Minutes (had to wait for a cycle to finish, otherwise a walk-on) My first kiddie coaster in years...I was not expecting this, but Howler has some good laterals! Wow...and then the ride-op let us ride again a second time! The ride is also a bit rough. A decent coaster for me, but a good one for kids, I suppose. I really just wanted a new coaster credit... Score: 6/10 After Howler, Holidog and Kitty Claws came out for a show, and Girlfriend's Daughter wanted to see them, but her mother asked her if she wanted to ride this with us...and she was OK with it... #12-KITTY'S TEA PARTY Wait: 0 Minutes (Still more walk-ons...) I, for the life of me, could not get my teacup to spin. I do not know why it would not, because I saw my friend's cup spinning like mad. Sigh. Because of this, my particular ride was boring...oh well. Maybe next time, I'll get it... Score: 5/10 (would have been higher if my cup would have spun!) After the Teacups, my Friend's Girlfriend wanted her daughter to ride... #13-DOGGONE TRAIL Wait: 0 Minutes (...and more walk-ons...) The least intense ride I have EVER been on, FYI. It just drives slow along a track...great for kids, but as an adult, I got bored. I only did it because I wanted to look cool to my buddy's girlfriend's daughter. Score: 4/10 After that, Daughter finally got her wish and hugged Kitty Claws and Holidog. Who says you need characters like Spongebob to make kids happy? After that, they went inside (those costumes must have gotten pretty hot in the warm weather) and we returned to the 4th of July section. Our next ride was something I was somewhat interested in... #14-SPARKLER Wait: 5 Minutes (waited for a cycle, otherwise yet ANOTHER walk-on!) For those who don't know, Sparkler is basically WindSeeker hit with a shrink ray that reduces it to only around 50-60 feet high, and with the classic chains instead of metal bars. The ride experience, I assume (have never ridden WindSeeker) is similar save the height difference...anyhow, for Holiday World, 50-60 feet is enough. You get a great view of the surrounding area while also feeling not too far from Earth, with the wind in your face to boot. A calm, relaxing ride I enjoyed- though even 50-60 feet made me a little nervous... Score: 8/10 After Sparkler, we headed for a ride chosen by Girlfriend's Daughter... #15-STAR SPANGLED CAROUSEL Wait: 0 Minutes (Uh, I'm losing track of all these walk-on rides!) Ahh, the Carousel. Good classic fun, but not too intense or exciting. Not really my cup of tea, but I still think it looks beautiful and every park should have at least 1 Carousel or Merry-Go-Round...it's a mainstay, for crying out loud! Score: 6/10 Here, we split up again. Me, My Friend, and His Girlfriend's Daughter went to Indian River Canoe Ride and Salmon Run so that his Girlfriend's Daughter could ride them both, which we enjoyed watching. (The Boats on IRCR as so slow!) Meanwhile, Girlfriend and Her Sister headed for the Bumper "Cars", Rough Riders. As they took some time to do so, I was sent back to check on them and watched the cars in Action for a minute. After that, we all met back up and headed for another family ride. #16-LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL Wait: 0 Minutes (Drive-on? LOL) Antique Cars...calm and relaxing...but so hard to drive, or at least these ones are! It is very hard to stay on the gas, as I had to force my foot down the entire ride, as I feared my friend, who can be a jokster, would ram me if he got the chance! (And yes, I know they would have yelled at him for it) It was OK overall. Score: 7/10 We then headed into the Christmas section, where I used the bathroom, cleaned up a bit, and discussed plans. We made a vow to ride Frightful Falls Log Flume, but I also wanted to take another lap on... #17-THE RAVEN, PART II Wait: 0 Minutes (Even the coasters now!!!) Having had such an awesome ride earlier in the day on Legend, I decided, why not try Raven in the rear car? So we did. And wow, what a difference seat selection can make. It was a bit rougher, yes, but the airtime was increased a easily noticeable amount, and the fun factor as well. The 5th drop had, what was to this point, tied Legend's 1st drop for the BEST airtime of the entire day thus far (yet both would be surpassed later! What ride could do such a thing? Keep reading...) An awesome ride, and I wasn't even bugged at the shortness this time. I still think Legend is a bit better, though...and Raven is still only #5, because all 4 rides ahead of it have also given me awesome rides...though if it keeps this up Raven is getting very close to taking #4 from Diamondback... Score: 10/10! After Raven, we saw some of the Dive Show, including the epic finale. It was cool. Then, we headed for the promised ride of Frightful Falls. #18-FRIGHTFUL FALLS LOG FLUME Wait: 0 Minutes The Dark Tunnel loomed ahead. We entered, and as I was riding with Girlfriend's Sister and Daughter, I heard the Daughter scream in the tunnel because it was black and scary...we exited, floated down the river, and bumped into the log flume walls. Ow. Then came the lift, which was uber-bumpy...and then the drop, which gave a decent splashdown- a perfect sized one too, not too massive or too small. A fun, classic water ride. Scared the young one a bit though, mainly due to the tunnel, but she was OK. Score: 8/10 After Frightful Falls, I wanted to ride Legend again, but they had shut down for a repair of some sort. My friends' girlfriend wanted to ride... #19-HALLOWSWINGS Wait: 0 Minutes Ahh, Hallowswings. A classic chair-o-swing ride with a beautiful exterior. The ride itself is nice and relaxing too. I still perfer this over Sparkler (no offense to Sparkler though) Score: 8/10 After Hallowswings, we returned to the waterpark. I spoke with my friend, who said they were just going to chill by the wave pool. I wanted to ride more stuff, so he allowed me to break off from the rest of the group and go solo for 30 minutes or so... The following is what came during that period. #20-WILDEBEEST Wait: 0 Minutes (...what...) Yes, the above line is true. I am not lying. I walked on Wildebeest, a ride notorious for 1+ hour waits. I used the single rider line, just for kicks, even though I did not need to. I also rode in a boat by myself, which...uhh...did something interesting. Remember how, during my Raven ride #2 review, I said the airtime I got on both Legend's first drop and the 5th drop on Raven was eventually surpassed? Yeah...this is where that happened. You see, Wildebeest uses LIM's to launch its boats, and normally it launches at least 400-500+ pounds of riders up a hill, and even then it gives good airtime. I, being alone, weigh around 200lbs. and the ride was still launching as if it were a full load of riders... Basically, I went airbone. I was still safe of course, as the ride designers did take this into account when building Wildebeest (at least I HOPE they did!). It was AWESOME. The quick dips, turns, tunnels, and water spraying added even more to the ride. This ride lived up to its name, as real Wildebeest can probably run fast and jump high too. I had a blast on Wildebeest...and, seeing how this was a walk-on... Score: 10/10 ...I walked quickly for... #21-BAKULI Wait: 5 Minutes (Freakin' Stairs!) There were a few people riding Bakuli, so I joined 2 random girls I did not know for our ride. I agreed to go backwards, as I had done that already on Zinga. Bakuli was great fun in the dark, and the bowl was fun and spinny as usual. Not as good as Wildebeest or Mammoth, but Bakuli is a great waterslide. Score: 9/10 I then decided to head for the "other" side of the waterpark, to ride one of the tallest rides at Holiday World... #22-GIRAFFICA (formerly Pilgrims Plunge) Wait: 0 Minutes (...you aren't surprised, are you?) They have done a good job re-theming this ride. There are pretty plants and giraffe statues around the entrance. I rode with a group of strangers again. The ride itself is the same as before, go up, tip, reach top, drop...SPLOOSH! I even had my hands up during the drop. I'm not afraid of this thing at all anymore. Score: 9/10 With a few minutes left until Splashin' Safari closed, I headed for the new-for-2013 attraction, Hyena Falls, for one last waterpark ride. I was the last rider of the day. I chose "laughs"- the biggest waterslide with the halfpipe element. #23-HYENA FALLS: "LAUGHS"(new for 2013) Wait: 5 Minutes (stairs again) I was a bit surprised that the tunnels are not pitch black...I thought this might be a family-friendly slide at first...then came the halfpipe, and I nearly had a panic attack- WOW is that part intense! My flip flops, which I had been wearing all day and had gotten that morning, even came off during it and flowed down after me! As I reached to grab one of them, my boat flipped, and I was dunked. I could swear I heard Hyenas laughing their butts off... Score: 9/10 And so ended my 30-minute rampage. I headed back through Thanksgiving plaza, and met back up with my friends...they planned to let the Girlfriend's Daughter ride a few more kids rides in the Christmas section, then we would buy fudge and go home. I was allowed, however, to ride one more ride by myself... #24-THE LEGEND II Wait: 0 Minutes (Did we pick a good day, or what?) I decided to sit in 5-1, since the very rear car was taken and 5-1 had no wait. The ride was a bit rougher, and the air was a tad weaker, but other than that it was the same as earlier. A great ride again. I will now talk about something I noticed...Raven & Legend seem to be the same ride, built twice, with Legend basically being "Raven 2.0";. Why do I say this? Well, I was reading on Rollercoasterphilosophy.com's Legend analysis the day before the trip, and he compared the layouts of both...and they are similar: Lift hill, turn at top, drop, tunnel, out-and-back section, downward right curve, hill, huge 5th drop, (Legend adds a helix here, Raven skips to next part), sharp turns with good laterals, end. Legend is just bigger, the first drop is curved, has waterslides over the out-and-back run, adds a helix, and makes the laterals much stronger- but Raven has more woods around it and a lake under the downward right curve. I love both rides, and just found this interesting, BTW. Score: 10/10! Legend was my last ride of the day. After we met back up, we got fudge, got in the car, and headed for home. I got the strawberry-vanilla fudge mix, it was good, though I liked the chocolate I got in 2011 better. And so ended our trip to Holiday World. Now, the pros and cons of the trip... PROS -Amazing Wooden Coasters -Amazing Waterpark -Fun flat rides -Great staff -Clean Park -Free soft drinks -Free sunscreen -Free parking CONS -Park Management is now behind-the-scenes, it seems... -Still needs a good steel coaster -Needs a coaster/ride in between Raven & the larger flat rides, the gap in intensity is too big! -Lots o' trash cans...is this a Cedar Fair park? And finally... TOTAL RIDES RIDDEN Raven x2 Legend x2 Voyage x1 Wildebeest x1 Mammoth x1 Girrafica x1 Hyena Falls: "Laughs" x1 Bakuli x1 Zinga x1 Bahari River x2 Bahari Wave Pool x1 Eagles' Flight x2 Star Spangled Carousel x2 Raging Rapids x2 Revolution x1 Sparkler x1 Hallowswings x1 Frightful Falls x1 Lewis & Clark Trail x1 The Howler x2 Kitty's Tea Party x1 Doggone Trail x1 Grand Total: 29 Rides (A new personal record! ) OVERALL While there is turmoil behind the scenes, the park itself is doing fine for now, and is the same as it has been the last few years- which is a great thing. I do hope that whoever is controlling Holiday World when this battle is all said & done keeps it on its current path, with its current values, so that people can enjoy this great park for years to come... Disclaimer: If you see any weird text or anything, it is because I accidently backed out of the text maker thingy and had to use the auto-saved text which had lots of errors and stuff... UPDATE: FUDGE! Don't you hate it when you ride so much stuff, you forget certain rides you went on for the trip report? Well, I did just that and forgot I rode Hallowswings in between Frightful Falls and Wildebeest. I have updated the TR and added it. I also fixed some errors, and added a "grand total for the day" rides ridden list.

Wow...just wow...I don't watch much of the Nationwide series, but remember he was one of the better drivers in that series. I figured some day, he might even have made it big in Sprint Cup driving for Roush Racing or something... So sad. Auto Racing is super exciting, and very thrilling to watch, but there is a huge risk involved...and this time, that risk became reality. I hope his family and friends can pull through this.

Nice trip report...I too will be going to one of those parks tommorow, Holiday World...

No it's not, Insane Speed at Janfusun Fancyworld doesn't have a zero-g roll either. Here's a picture of the roller coaster. I'll be honest here- that ride looks very fun. Makes me kind of want a floorless to be what pops up on the old SOB site...but then I remember what such a coaster would mean for Vortex's fate...they would only exist together for a few years, probably...

Umm...CedarPointer, that was only true in RCT2. RCT1 you could build a 250-foot Drop Tower (as high as that game allowed anything to go) without breaking the intensity meter. RCT3 also allowed this, but since that game had no height cap (with a cheat code) you could build a 100,000 foot Drop Tower and peeps would still ride it, as the intensity seemed to max out at around 8.5... Then you have RCT2's stupid roto drops, where you can make them up to 170 feet max. Beyond that, the intensity goes red...so re-creating Kings Island's Drop Tower means no guests will ride it. Yet the S&S Launch Towers can easily do 300 feet no problem... It's one of my few big gripes with RCT2. (Another one would be the 4-car limit for 3-row wooden coaster trains, even though real coasters around at the time had them, including all 3 adult wooden coasters at KI when RCT2 was released- Beast had 6 cars, Racer had 5, & Son of Beast also had 6...) As for this ride...I once had a dream of a Drop Tower like this, but instead of merely tipping out and you facing the ground...it did a full-on flip, and you dropped UPSIDE DOWN. It was called "The Piledriver"... A very fitting name, eh?

Ahem... I actually like Raven, Legend, & Voyage. A lot. And I also enjoy several of the smaller, non-coaster rides. And the Log flume. And Raging Rapids. I may eventually get bored, but by noon...no. 0% chance of that, unless a huge thunderstorm rages through on thursday and lasts until noon...which according to the weather is not very likely.

Hi Guys...yeah, it's me. I have a quick question. How crowded is Holiday World on a Thursday/Friday in June? We are trying to decide which day to go. Thursday has AM Showers (but no Thunderstorms) and a 30% chance of rain, Friday looks to be dry. Thanks for any help.

I would agree. Kings Island would probably have been fed up by now and given up on the Timberliners, and looked into other solutions to the ride's problems. Granted, they did look for solutions for a SBNO wooden coaster for at least 2-3 years before giving up... (and that timeframe is now coming up on the Timberliners, too...)

I would honestly not be too shocked if Holiday World did ditch the Timberliners idea in favor of Rocky Mountain's Topper Track, especially if under new management. If I were Gravity Group, RMC is one of my biggest rivals right now, as they appear capable of building world-class wooden coasters on a scale that competes with Gravity Group's biggest rides head-on (GCII makes great rides, but they can't match the size and scale of Hades & Voyage...yet...and Intamin's Plug N' Plays are a very different breed of wooden coaster), and they have shown the ability to do inversions... Perhaps Gravity Group did Hades 360 simply to defend themselves against RMC...("Hey, Mt. Olympus! You know how you wanted Timberliners and a re-tracking for Hades? Well, how about we throw a inversion in, just for kicks?")

Yeah, that kind of makes sense...Holiday World is one of their best customers, even since the CCI days. Some of their best and finest work is "on display" in that park in the form of the 3 wooden coasters...if Lori's new management ever decides to switch to another wooden coaster builder, it makes them look bad. I would panic if that happened and I was in a position of power at Gravity Group, because now we have to build a new "showcase" ride at a different park because Holiday World dumped us. And topping Voyage with their traditional construction techniques would be difficult.

Ooohh...snicker snicker...thanks.

Indeed...it's kind of sad that the family in that picture has been to reduced to this. The 2 Gravity Group dudes are the only ones from that picture who aren't in some way involved in this family fued. Also, it is very easy to tell Will & Dan are brothers...I had them "switched" and in the opposite order (Thought Will was Dan and Dan was Will, ). Dan looks kind of strange in those bulky glasses, too.

^ Hey...I was just wondering, I am having a bit of trouble "seeing" a layout like you guys are...can I get a hint? A crude paint/photoshop image? Something...? Not trying to be rude or anything. Just legit confused here.

I'm going to look up photos of her. Is she the one standing on the side of the Timberliner in this pic who is not Pat Koch, who I would instantly recognize? Also...what kind of questions to ask, should I bump into Lori? Her general plan for the park? Does she want to sell it? Etc Etc?

Thanks Terp...meh, I've kind of gotten over it. A trip to Holiday World is always a nice plan B. Although, something odd I noticed...I have only been to Holiday World twice before...(assuming this trip stays on)... 2010: My first ever HW trip. Will Koch was "in charge" of the park during my visit...I even saw him and had a very short convo: Will Koch (walking past): How are you guys doing? Me: Good! Will Koch smiles and walks past And that was my short, and only, time speaking to Will Koch...didn't even realize it was him until later though! However, a few weeks later, he died and Dan Koch took over. (On the dying, not Dan Koch taking over) 2011: Dan Koch was "in charge" of the park during my visit...I never saw him though. 2012: Could not make it to Holiday World...so Mammoth will still be new for me this year. Dan Koch was still "in charge" for a 2nd full season. 2013: If things stay the same as they are now- Matt Eckert is "in charge" of the park, and Lori Koch will be the majority stakeholder... 3 visits to Holiday World, and there has been someone different at the helm each time...kind of weird, huh? I'm assuming Greg Schied has been GM of Kings Island during all my visits there since 2009...probably not the 2000 visit though...

Ugh...I just did a quick search on youtube, and nothing even comes up for "Holiday World Ads"...so I'm guessing I can't. Which stinks too, because I enjoyed those ads, and would not mind watching them...I wonder if the legal battle has anything to do with it... UPDATE: I did stumble across this though...

^ I'm a few days late, but...good for her! And, since I have not much more to say...uhh...enjoy this awesome aerial photo of Holiday World I found. Looks like it's from 2012, and seems to be archived on Holiday World's web site...my guess is this was taken from those helicopter TV ads last year (which were AWESOME, BTW )...ironically, I'm 98.2% sure Pat Koch was in those flying the Helicopter...anyhow, the awesome HUGE (it's 5250x2006!) picture... Also, is it just me, or does Legend make Raven look "small" in this picture (granted Voyage appears much larger than both)...

Ugh. Well, I learned today that the CP trip is in danger. My sister, who was going with us, was going to screw over my best friend who was paying for the bulk of the trip (she wanted to pay 3 payments of $100, and that would not cover our expenses for the trip), and as a result he kicked her from the trip (I am, supposedly, still going if it stays on as we are very good friends and I did nothing wrong). He is going to try and get a loan, and work on cars to build up some cash (he's a good auto mechanic). However, if he can't get a loan or build up enough cash, he will have to take the cancellation fee and cut off the trip. Cedar Point...why u hate me so much? I hope he can get the loan, or do enough car jobs, and we still go. Thanks for the tips, anyhow... UPDATE: There was no way. CP trip canned. Instead, we are going to Holiday World, which is far closer and cheaper.

^^ Sigh, that is so sad but true...it's also a problem if 2 rides have the same or similar names. For example, Intimidator @ Carowinds would probably get some un-warranted flak if something major ever happened to Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. Beast/Son of Beast here at Kings Island is another good example within the same park, though thankfully most (but not all) park guests had the wits to tell the difference between the two rides, possibly because both were well-known locally. But I could see a tourist visiting KI for the first time from far away, who had only done minimal research and was coming for Diamondback or something, refusing to ride The Beast, thinking it was the one that injured 27 riders in 2006...

Hmm...if this was real... BREAKING NEWS A major accident occured today on Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas when 2 trains collided at high speeds, killing 19 riders and sending 26 other riders to the hospital, many of them with serious injuries. The cause of the accident appears to be that, due to heavy crowds, the ride operators were too eager to send the ride's trains out and dispatched a train too soon after a previous train had been sent out. The coaster's block braking system, for some reason, seems to have failed and did not stop the 2nd train. When the first train hit the final brakes, the station was being occuiped by a 3rd train that was being held up because a overweight man was trying to squeeze into a seat on the ride, and the 2nd train came into the station and smashed into the first train, causing the accident. Six Flags officials quickly shut down the ride, and soon after released a press report: "We do not know why the safety system on Superman: Krypton Coaster failed earlier today, and we are working with Bolliger & Mallibard to find out why. However, for the safety of our guests, we have shut down all of our B&M roller coasters at all of the Six Flags parks until the cause of this problem can be identified." Most rival park chains, such as Cedar Fair, Busch Gardens, and Universal Studios have also shut down their B&M roller coasters and are conducting their own investigations. Six Flags also revealed to us they plan to drop the Superman names from all rides that currently have them. "We have had enough s!&*@ with these Superman rides. First the Drop Tower at Kentucky Kingdom and now this..." Rumor has it most of the rides will be re-themed to Bizarro, Superman's Evil Counterpart. END NEWS REPORT B&M's reputation would be so ruined if this ever really happened...and possibly Six Flags too.

^ YOU HIJACK ME THREAD!?!?! I MUST KILL YOU! LOL, Just Kidding...feel free to "hijack" my threads. I don't mind, obviously. Also, jcglobe3, thanks for the advice. My friend did end up calling the hotel, and were told that yes, we can show up and get our tickets before 4PM. Can you imagine how much that would make staying on-site SUCK if that were the rule? One last question (well, for now): I was looking up CP rain policies around the internet, and read somewhere that Gemini is actually very sensitive to rain and has to shut down, same as TTD. Is there any truth to this? PS: Oh, Diamondback96, if it helps any, we are staying at Hotel Breakers...for 4 adults, 1 child, and 1 baby it cost us around $560 after taxes. We could have gotten a cheaper room, but they were all booked out by the time we had the money to even get the room...(checks web site and sees the cheaper room still offered) AGH! My friend must have made a mistake or something...oh well, my sister wanted a room with a beachside view anyway...