Joncars05

They are hitting the advertisments hard as usual. I remember when Mammoth was built there were two billboards within 3 miles of each other on the major road by my house. There were 4 billboards total along my 29 mile journey to work through Indy. I've heard multiple radio commercials already for Thunderbird and expect many more radio, billboard, and TV spots coming soon. They hammer the advertisment and that is why the small park in Santa Claus, IN draws over a million guests a year. Too bad we can't say the same about a closer park that was associated with a certain number of flags. I haven't heard a peep on the radio, TV, or seen a billboard for Lightning Run last year or T3 this year.

Good thing they fed the cheetahs earlier that day!!! HAHA In all seriousness I'm glad the kid is okay. My guess is the mom is not in the running for the 2015 mother of the year award

I don't have any advice for you as I have not been to either park but my wife and I will going to both parks in the last week of June this year as well. We are from Indy too. We are spending two days in each park and probably buying a Fast Lane plus pass on one day in each park. Any advice here would be great for us as well!

I thought that was a possibility as well. Especially since the first comment was about ASA employees receiving the same deal at HW. Also the response from ASA was really quick. But I really hope that isn't the case. And if they were taking a jab instead of being serious about a possible reunion then that shows what type of people ASA managers truly are. Its not a very good or professional look. Especially when there hasn't been anything said about ASA or their employees publicly from HW.

Wow that is brutal. This is a very good offer from ASA. I sort of hope this may be the beginning of some sort of reconciliation. I say that because maybe if a couple of people bring this to HW's attention (HW may or may not be aware of this offer since they just announced it) they may feel some sort of internal pressure to open their doors as well. I hope it does. I honestly hate that this whole situation has happened.

I think that is one of my complaints about this ride. The Left side is far more intriguing than the right side (especially for the keyhole on the barn.) The only other complaint is capacity. The ride only gets about 1100 pph. And it cannot be increased due to the trains being capped at 5 cars per train. Other than those two issues I really think this ride is a fantastic addition.

I only got 3 rides in because I left a little bit after the announcement because I had to go to work. But the line was at least 30 minutes each time I went through the line. That crowd was huge. But that is because Banshee is a world class ride and many people including myself took advantage of the media day invite. Plus I ate brunch at the park with a couple of buddies. I almost added an edit that I know media day is more than just riding. I talked with both Greg and Don for about 3 minutes as well. But most of the time you can have those side convos when you see them in the park on a normal day. Again I know it was a privilege (I was and still am thankful the park invited us to the event) and I had fun but IMO unless you were part of a news crew or a leader of a coaster club (get on the record interviews, separate food and entertainment, front row perks, etc) it was a some gifts, an announcment, and being among the first to ride a new ride. That's my opinion of the day. I know it's different than others on here but I'll chalk it up to "your results may vary." To me that's okay because different people can experience the same thing differently. I hope this didn't come off as rude because that is totally not my intention.

If you have a Facebook account (I know some people don't have or don't want an account) join the holiwood nights group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/325861871036/ Paula runs that Facebook fan page and she answers questions on their directly and promptly. (She answered my question about if Thunderbird could add a car to their trains if they felt the need) If you don't have a Facebook you can usually get a similar response on their twitter page as well. I think also with the limited capacity (1,140 PPH, 500 PPH less than Banshee) HW should limit it to only media members. I remember that the Banshee Media day was fun but I only got to ride Banshee 3 times the entire time I was there. I waited longer on Media Day than on a Sunday in July. It was a walk on for almost the entire day. Not that I am not unappreciative for CF allowing us to ride before the public but other than being part of the first couple thousand people to ride the ride it wasn't anything special if you were just a card carrying member and not a media member. As for the new leadership yes Pat and Will are no longer with the park. I for one hope that Pat is welcomed back and comes back at some point. But Paula, Matt, and Lori are constantly at the park as well. I have seen one or all of them every time I have been to the park. The change is different but I think it was the best one out of a terrible situation. You still have the people that were with the park at the time of Will's death in their same positions. Its just disheartening that money and greed for it caused this whole situation from the beginning.

Ah.... you can lock or delete this thread if you want. I didn't see the other section. Search should've been my friend... haha

Tony Clark has released this photo. https://mobile.twitter.com/TonyClarkCP/status/576064299401089024 What do you think is in the works?

Oh. I didn't see that message on either page that I signed up. Where was that message located?

I know I am going to get 'terped' for this . But does anyone know the exact reason why Cedar Fair doesn't send confirmation emails when registering for these events? You have to pre-register online for both Coastermania and Coasterstock events and you are told that you will not receive a confirmation email while signing up. I haven't run into this issue yet but I can't help but wonder if someone's registration somehow didn't go through would they be excluded from the event? I mean I know I wouldn't be happy if I bought tickets, drove 6+ hours to an event, and ended up being excluded from an event because of a technical error that could have been solved by an automatic confirmation email.

Man that's going to have a wonderful sound back in those woods. The echoing once the trees fill in is going to be awesome!

^POVs can be deceiving. Most people who aren't roller coaster enthusiasts wont notice the difference. Both Intimidator and Fury 325 were made by B&M, both have the same style of track, and both have similar clam shell seats. So they MUST be the same ride. That is what everyone said about Leviathan before anyone got to ride it. Now I bet if you go around Canada's Wonderland and ask people if Leviathan and Behemoth are similar they would say no way. They will definitely change their minds once they ride this monster called Fury 325.

That's okay Terpy. I love dive coasters, some think they are boring. I really love the airtime on Diamondback but my buddy says it might be the most boring B&M he has ever ridden. That's what I like about coasters, they can produce completely different experiences from two people.

I voted for turns and negative gs. My favorite coaster is The Voyage. It's is like 3 coasters in one. It's an airtime machine with 90 degree turns. The pacing of the ride is just fantastic. I feel like pacing is more important than speed. If the ride is paced well then it will feel fast no matter what. Theming isn't really important to me but leaving trees or bushes up around a ride are a must to me. Could you imagine Diamondback or Banshee with trees near it. It would make the rides even more intense. I think the way new rides are going in on great terrain but with the trees completely cleared is disappointing.

My wife and I will be there barring any other snow days. We have a one day cushion to be able to get up there and not have to miss the first part of the day. I will have to go under GOCC since CF stopped using Club Coaster Fusion for some reason.

Testing, Testing, 1...2...3...???

I know it is really hard to get a true feel for the coaster just based on POVs but IMO this may be one of the best coasters on the planet when it is finally completed. The high/lows (Parts where you are really high then come all the way down to the ground) look fantastic. Just like Banshee I feel the sense of speed of this ride will be fantastic, especially before the turnaround. I am trying to pull back my expectations so I don't set myself up for disappointment but man this ride looks amazing.

I am still surprised we haven't had any explanation from a certain member on here about why they changed the meal plan like this. Usually any small thing that has misinformation is explained or responded to when posted on the board. I have read through 3 pages of complaints from people who feel they have been duped and yet we still have no response. People worked hard for their money and spent it on a product expecting one thing and what they received is something different. I wonder if we will ever get an explanation or if people who purchased their plans in the fall will be able to recoup their money if they are unhappy with the new plan details. It just seems there is a lot of misinformation and confusion abound right now.

I just want to play devils advocate here. I agree with most of your points but I don't think this is just a Holiday World thing. I feel like all small parks tout their rides as world class or record breaking because it is what draws the general public in. How many people in the general public think TTD is without a doubt the best ride at CP? Why? Because its the biggest and fastest ride in the park and it is touted as such. -Silver Dollar City touts Outlaw Run as "the world's most daring wood coaster, with the steepest drop" and the only wooden coaster that "goes upside down 3 times." Also they tout it as the 2nd fastest wooden coaster and the first and only 720 degree barrel roll. -Mt. Olympus touts Hades 360 as the worlds first upside down wooden coaster (Even though that is not true) The advertising list goes on and on. Records, even the ones that aren't quite true records bring people in. Without paying customers there is no park. So you have to advertise your park as the best and brightest even when it is not. (Too bad KK can't seem to wrap their heads around that one... but anyway) As for the expansion of HW, I believe that was a given. I believe that Will wanted the Thanksgiving section to be the main focus of the park. I cannot find the interview but he also stated that he wanted HW to be a destination park. I believe he mentioned that he wanted HW to be viewed as a place where a family would spend 2-3 days there during the summer. Unlike some of the smaller parks HW is very large and will continue to grow. They are twice the size of SDC so they have room to expand. Even when they run out of room they basically hold Santa Claus, IN's economy together so they will be able to buy land if they see fit. They have averaged over 1 million guests the past 5 years. They are not a small park anymore. I still feel that the park is family friendly though. The prices for food are cheap, they have an extremely solid lineup of rides, and you still see the behind the scenes people walking around all of the time. Every time I have been there I have run into Paula, Matt, Lori, Leah, and Lauren. Every time I say hello they stop and have a conversation with me. The ride ops are by far the best and most polite crews around. They love their jobs (or at least do a very outstanding job of putting on the facade that they love their job.) To be honest outside of the enthusiasts community most people have no idea of the background stuff that has been going on. Change is inevitable. I hate the way that this whole thing went down but according to the courts this is all of the Koch Development Corp's fault. If they (and I say they because we truly don't know who's idea it was to do such a thing) never shorted Lori what was legally her's, this would've never happened. I feel as if this expansion of HW was going to happen. Will Koch was an ambitious man and I feel he had this all planned out. I truly believe that the Koch family (Minus maybe Dan, but that's a whole other story) is welcomed back to the park. I just feel like the divide is too much for them now to reconcile at this moment. I do truly hope it happens sometime soon because you never know how much time anyone has left in this world. I would hate for something to happen to someone and a family member be filled with regret because they didn't reconcile their differences.

Holiday World has extended their hours during the summer. Saturdays during the summer will have HW open until 10pm, while the rest of the week HW will be open until 9pm. http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/01/05/moonlight-becomes/ I like the idea because I always felt HW closed too early. This way you can possibly ride the rides at night during the summer without having to go to Holiwood Nights.

They have released a new hard hat chronicles video. They state that there are going to be new near miss elements added to the ride. I am hoping that they extend the last barn element with the in line roll for the right side. That side is really missing the near miss element. Also they are moving a ride to the plaza of Thunderbird. They will announce that move next week. Things just keep getting better and better for this ride! I cannot wait for Holiwood Nights next year!

You guys are both exactly right. As much as Dan seems to be energetic and all for the expansion of ASA, I feel like he comes off more like a used car salesman. I have a hard time trusting anything this man says especially after the ruling from the Indiana courts... He just doesn't seem genuine. I mean not only did he commit those offenses against his own family but he committed those offenses against his own brother's kids after they had to suffer through the tragic death of their father. I still can't get over that.

DB numbers being down we're due to a poor crew. We went on a Sunday in October the line barely made it past the stairs yet the crew continually let the trains stack. We only rode twice because everything else was a walk on. It was so bad the guy in the drive box said over the intercom that they were slow and letting the trains stack for everyone to hear. The crew didn't even try to speed up after him requesting them to perform better. It was pretty bad. I'm hoping they will be better next year.