Thunderbird has launched!

[Creed Bratton]

The only "issue" I have with this addition, it seems like the queue and path are way out of the way from anything else. Judging just by renderings.

[Tr0y]

I think Holiday World can afford way more than what there being credited for, the park is consistently packed. This purchase is no suprise, the fact that its a launched wing rider tho is a big suprise on B&M's part YAY For B&M! 2 decades later now we are catching up!

[Banshee Back VII]

The only issue I have is it is quite very short ride.

[Diamondback96]

Afford the move? Sure.

Handle the large crowds this will draw?

That we will soon see.

Hopefully this isn't a case like when Six Flags created Worlds of Adventure. Paths too small, insufficient food stands, rest rooms, employees, and on and on.

People visited once or twice. Attendance zoomed. Then after the insufficiently supported experience (compared to, say, Cedar Point), they didn't come back. In droves.

To be fair, Geauga Lake also had very poor access, which is not true of Holiday World. Both, however, are in fairly remote, relatively sparsely populated areas.

Keep in mind Terpy that by Spring of 2015, the next huge chunk of I-69 through Indiana will be open, so it will now be a straight shot from Martinsville to Evansville. That will make access to HW MUCH faster (shaves 30 min off the drive), so I'm sure HW perhaps wanted this ride to coincide with improved access next year. Having said that, welcome welcome welcome B & M to the great state of Indiana! I will be making my first visit to HW next season specifically to ride this.

If they make US 231 a limited access highway south of I-69, then that would be a straight shot to HW from Martinsville. And Indy when they finish up the last portion of I-69.

[Coasterama]

The only "issue" I have with this addition, it seems like the queue and path are way out of the way from anything else. Judging just by renderings.

Although the path leading out to the ride will probably become extra queue space on opening day.

[Joncars05]

The only issue I have is it is quite very short ride.

That is what happens when you don't have a lift hill! Banshee's ride time from first drop to brake run is only 58 second.

[Banshee Back VII]

Still, only 3,000 feet.

[thedevariouseffect]

It amazes me what little things enthusiasts nitpick and gripe.

The park is spending 22 million on something new and exciting for you to go enjoy yourself or with others to make lasting memories.

Last I checked none of you have 22 million and B&M's number on speed dial.

[Joncars05]

True. To be honest I hope they add on to that last shed. The right side is really missing that headchopper effect. I think the left side looks to be the best side as of now. I can't wait to ride this thing!!!

[Banshee Back VII]

I have to say, it DOES look better than Banshee.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

I have to say, it DOES look better than Banshee.

While this looks to be an awesome addition to HW, let's not get carried away here.

[Banshee Back VII]

But it does...

[JTW]

In your opinion it might. In mine, there's no way. It looks to be a high quality ride that will be quite fun but I don't think it will be better than our newest B&M.

[KI FANATIC 37]

I think this looks great for HW, but Banshee fits KI perfectly.

They are both good for the parks they are at.

[The Interpreter]

Ok correction to my post..a serious MAJOR Steel coaster..not a kiddie ride

Hey! Hush yo!

Firecracker may not have been as major a steel coaster as, say, Goliath at SFGAm, but like Goliath, it complimented its park and the clientele perfectly.

I miss it so.

[thegajone]

I'd hate to see it compete with KI & whatnot

Not me! Not that I ever think KI is going to be complacent under CF, but I think competition is a good thing for all involved.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jdawg1998]

I am more excited for this than I was with Banshee, yet I believe Banshee will still be better once Thunderbird opens. Although, I do love launched coasters.

[DJSkyFoxx]

I've searched all over their website, and maybe I am missing something, but they do not appear to have an online market place. I would LOVE to have one of those sweet looking Thunderbird shirts!

Might just have to wait until I am actually there to get one. Humph.

[bkroz]

Holiday World has responded to the lingering question of "What does Thunderbird have to do with Thanksgiving? Why does it fit in Holiday World?" with a full blog post. They even explain why the ride's barn station is thoroughly modern and looks nothing like a pilgrim's property. It's still a stretch, but it's cool that the park has heard the confused cries of its fans.

In it, Leah Koch says, "When I first heard the name Thunderbird, like some others, I cringed a bit. I didn’t see the fit." Also a rather ill-timed mention of trees that, I'm certain, she didn't mean to tie to the recent Ninja incident... One day, God forbid, it might turn into another "Assassin"-esque comment that media goes nuts for. Whoops.

Check it out: http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2014/07/25/legend-thunderbird/

[malem]

This looks like an absolutely fantastic addition to the park. I am convinced that the Wing Coaster is the right model for Holiday World. This type of coaster has delivered high thrills to a very wide demographic, which seems perfect for a "family" park that might not offer the same selection as bigger parks. With the unique launch, record-breaking loop and great near-miss elements, this should be a very special ride.

Meanwhile, Kentucky Kingdom's new ride is apparently not very accommodating and will look minor compared to Thunderbird. It will be interesting to see how Ed Hart & Co respond in the coming seasons, provided of course that KK remains operational as an amusement park.

I definitely want to make the trip next season to ride this. I'm also tempted to visit this season, which I wasn't planning to do, to get ahead of the many people that Thunderbird will draw into the park. Capacity on existing signature attractions is somewhat limited, so longer lines could become normal.

[homestar92]

I definitely want to make the trip next season to ride this. I'm also tempted to visit this season, which I wasn't planning to do, to get ahead of the many people that Thunderbird will draw into the park. Capacity on existing signature attractions is somewhat limited, so longer lines could become normal.

I'm not so sure the effect will be dreadful. Keep in mind, you now have one more signature attraction to eat up the crowds, plus the fact that with Voyage in particular (when running two trains), the line begins to spill into the midway when it is about 45 minutes long, and as Vortex will prove, lines spilling into the midway DO scare away people who don't know what the actual length is.

[KI Guy]

I'd hate to see it compete with KI & whatnot

Not me! Not that I ever think KI is going to be complacent under CF, but I think competition is a good thing for all involved.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

...And the same goes for Kentucky Kingdom, for me at least. I don't know about some of you. Competition makes parks better, period. Look at Camden Park. No competition within 3 hrs plus. I like the park a lot and all, but their most recent coaster installation was our old Screamin' Demon. There's little reason to add new things. The now gone LeSourdsville Lake decided to ignore new competition in KI. Even the Beach Waterpark, which sold for a paltry $3 million, has made Kings Island better. We have dive-in movies since The Beach re-opened and CF is probably less tempted to make KI's Soak City a separate gate.

[malem]

I'm not so sure the effect will be dreadful. Keep in mind, you now have one more signature attraction to eat up the crowds, plus the fact that with Voyage in particular (when running two trains), the line begins to spill into the midway when it is about 45 minutes long, and as Vortex will prove, lines spilling into the midway DO scare away people who don't know what the actual length is.

Banshee added significant capacity to Kings Island, yet wait times seem to be higher this season. The number of times that the average guest rides each roller coaster is very unlikely to go down. I'd actually expect it to go up, with a new headliner attraction in the dry park.

You're right, though; the length of built queues does cap wait times. However, if they overflow too often, more queue may become necessary. If people turn away due to an overflowing queue, they would likely return later when lines would have otherwise died down.

I'm actually most worried about waterpark crowds. That's currently the main draw for the general public, and waits for Wildebeest and Mammoth already become excessive. A new roller coaster may cause waterpark guests to spend more time in the dry park, but I would expect the effect of larger attendance to be much more pronounced.

[jcgoble3]

I've searched all over their website, and maybe I am missing something, but they do not appear to have an online market place. I would LOVE to have one of those sweet looking Thunderbird shirts!

Might just have to wait until I am actually there to get one. Humph.

The HoliShop (as it was called) was a casualty of the website redesign last year. To the best of my knowledge, they still have plans to get it back up, but it hasn't happened yet, and it's been almost a year now. Interpret that however you want.

[APE]

I'm pretty happy about this addition to Holiday world. I think it is a perfect fit for them and should be pretty fun too.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I've had a bit of a crazy weekend, but now that I finally have a chance to write about it:

I was at the announcement for Thunderbird. A few thoughts:

1. Coming out of the legal battles, I didn't really know what I thought of either Koch involved. If the plan is to have Leah and Lauren Koch eventually take ownership of the park, I think I'm now okay with the status of things, and not because of Thunderbird. I love Leah's and Lauren's passions and their dedications to their dad's vision for the place. We will see next year what moves the park makes to adapt to the increased business from Thunderbird, but for now, I will say that I'm very impressed with how they have stepped up and with their excitement for the future of the park. It was like watching Will all over again.

2. I was a little hesitant about the idea of a Wing Coaster at Holiday World before, as I haven't been enamored with the ones I have ridden. Tentatively, I do feel inclined to think that the launch and the terrain aspect of Thunderbird will make it a decent ride. My ultimate judgement, of course, will be withheld until I actually ride the ride, but the layout does seem to have more in common with Wild Eagle than X-Flight or Gatekeeper. I'm not particularly in love with Wild Eagle, but I do also realize that the park seems to be looking for more of a standard looping coaster (apart from the launch) than anything else. Unlike Dollywood, SFGAm, and Cedar Point, Holiday World does not have any other looping coaster in the area that its Wing Coaster needs to differentiate itself from. We'll see how it rides come next year!

3. I thought the "66 Days at Sea" blog was a cool idea, but I didn't see how relevant it could be to whatever they had planned, apart from confirming that the ride would be in the Thanksgiving area. That announcement video was incredible and gave me a whole new mindset for the blog. And also a boatload (heh, heh) of cold chills. It was an awesome announcement, and I'm pretty sure I felt Ed Hart cringing all the way from Santa Claus.

4. Is the path between the Splashin' Safari entrance in Thanksgiving and Hyena Falls going to be considered part of both parks at this point and in the future? It seems like the distinction between the two parks is lost at that point. Will Thunderbird allow riders to ride in swimsuits, or will there be a security guard placed at the entrance (like at the Splashin' Safari entrance in Thanksgiving?) It seems like that path is going to be a central part of future expansion.

EDIT: Not to mention: It's surreal going to an amusement park where the people making a new ride announcement can a small, indirect reference to a late owner with the words "Will Power" and instantly have the whole audience go "awww." I didn't realize just how well-known the Koch family was in and around southern Indiana. It was touching.

[Banshee Back VII]

I wonder if Holiday World will introduce a front-of-the-line pass for 2015.

[BoddaH1994]

I wonder if Holiday World will introduce a front-of-the-line pass for 2015.

Now, that's an interesting thought. A great opportunity to make money, but seemingly against everything they believe in.

[The Interpreter]

Who? And how do we know that?

Terp, who likes to ask questions.

[GamesAndRides]

Track Is Here!

From Holiday World`s Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/HolidayWorld