Thunderbird has launched!

[McSalsa]

From what I've heard they are using the MCBR really hard and the train comes to a near-stop in that area, slowing the 2nd half of the ride down considerably. They claim this is for rider comfort but it's pretty clear this was done to reduce wear-and-tear on the coaster. I'm not sure if they do it for stuff like Holiwood Nights or Media Previews, but they do it on public operating days. The ride needing major re-tracking every offseason had to have been a factor though.

 

Edit: Next-paged. D'oh...

 

Update:
Well, I thought about it a bit more and read some of the responses to that post. So some more thoughts...mainly, can Holiday World become a big park and still retain some of their charm? Well...

#1: Please don't ditch the free drinks or free parking. Those are 2 of the things that made you famous in the first place. Also don't raise prices to extreme levels.

#2: Also, most of the comments don't want fast passes of any type either. I'd have to agree- that may bring in some extra money but it also seems to anger people fairly easily.

#3: Don't nerf the other woodies. Raven & Legend have ran fine with standard retracks for 15+ years now, so by now there are clearly no major design flaws in those rides. Voyage's sheer size may make it a special case as most giant wooden coasters (140 feet+) have not led happy lives either.

#4: Space out the giant steel coasters. I don't want to see another $20,000,000 monster until at least 4 years from now. The reason? Geauga Lake. They added too much too fast and the small local community couldn't support them, so they died off- and this was in spite of the fact that for nearly 100 years they had been just fine as a family park. Holiday World would possibly face a similar fate as they aren't near any major cities. Let the hotels & stuff catch up. Possibly even one major addition a decade (Voyage in the 2000's, Thunderbird for the 2010's, ??? 2020's...etc etc...)

#5: Something like ERT in the AM or PM hours (I'd go PM since Holiday World closes way too early most days for night rides and thus that would actually be a decent perk) would probably be OK for a "Platinum" Holiday World pass and wouldn't hurt the normal passholders and ticket users. Also possibly un-nerf (aka run with MCBR off like from 2006-2014) Voyage for said ERT riders if possible. Discounts and stuff would probably also be OK.

 

Well, those are some more thoughts I had.

[The Interpreter]

Somehow, I don't see admission or co-operation with Alabama Adventure in the Park's future.

And that's sad.

Truly sad.

What once was is no longer, for good or ill.

[McSalsa]

Oh crud- I kinda spaced on that. If the Koch family can reconcile and fix their broken relationship, then a Holiday World+Alabama Adventure combo season pass would make a lot of sense in addition to the individual park passes (since not everyone could go to both). But considering it's still a fairly fresh wound (it's only been a few years now) and how fierce the fighting seemed to have gotten I don't see that anytime soon.

And I agree, it does stink.

[marth555]

I Doubt HW will go overboard with the premium passes, its most likely going to be small bonuses like ert or premium parking

[The Interpreter]

The past is no indicator of the future for this park.

That being said, I'm sure management won't overreach and kill the gate that laid the golden eggs.

[Oldschool75]

From what I've heard they are using the MCBR really hard and the train comes to a near-stop in that area, slowing the 2nd half of the ride down considerably. They claim this is for rider comfort but it's pretty clear this was done to reduce wear-and-tear on the coaster. I'm not sure if they do it for stuff like Holiwood Nights or Media Previews, but they do it on public operating days. The ride needing major re-tracking every offseason had to have been a factor though.

 

I rode Voyage at Media Day for TB and it was balls to the wall. I rode it July 2nd and yes, you about stop at the MCBR; but it does NOT slow down the 2nd part of the ride. It's still balls to the wall.

As for The Legend, it was my first ride, and last until they smooth it. Reminded me of the "jackhammer express" called SOB! I loved The Raven, short but packs a punch.

**Fixed for grammar, I hate posting from mobile devices, and their auto correct.  lol

Sent from a signal coming out of the Vega system.

[FoF96"]

The Legend was a lot more enjoyable to me than the Voyage a few weeks ago. I don't know what it is with the Voyage but every time I do it some part of me hurts. Last time I remember it felt like it was vibrating my stomach to its limits like it was going to rip out (idk how). The time before that (circa 2010) I felt like I needed a spinal realignment from the nations best chiropractor, and I am Young! Rides never have that effect on me!

[McSalsa]

^^
From what I've heard, Legend was just re-tracked this year. What you may have felt on Legend may not have been simple roughness: the ride is known for HARD, and I mean HARD laterals (aka side-to-side G-Forces) because the designers used as little banking as possible on most of the turns in the 2nd half. Holiday World (then under Will Koch) and CCI designed the ride this way back before it opened in 2000. As most of the GP doesn't really like Laterals too much, this was one thing they actually toned down when building Voyage (by greatly increasing the banking on the turns).

 

I've been on Legend a handful of times (5 or 6) and while the laterals did make my sides a bit sore, I don't think I've ever felt jackhammering or anything of the sort. Just said hard laterals. I've even rode it from the very back a few times (aka roughest possible seat) without much issue. Though a bad wheel or something could also have caused what you felt.

[The Interpreter]

Voyage:....most overrated wooden coaster in The United States of America, bar none....

--Terp, who won't be re-riding that thing any time soon, and couldn't possibly care less.

[FoF96"]

the Legend isn't the problem it's Voyage. That's the one that is rough to me and not enjoyable.

[McSalsa]

While I don't hate Voyage (I actually do enjoy the ride), the roughness has been a issue for me as well every single time I rode it.

 

2010: 2 rides on Voyage, both via The Raven train that was being used due to the infamous Timberliner fiasco. Probably the best rides I ever had on the coaster- though I still needed to relax for around 10 minutes after each as it made my back a bit sore.

 

2011: 2 rides on Voyage again...and these were nowhere near as good. There was zero airtime on either ride, and it was far rougher than even 2010 to the point where my group stopped doing intense rides afterwards (though I was up for more laps on Raven or Legend, they weren't). The 2nd ride was probably the roughest I have had on any coaster to date.

 

2012: Didn't go to Holiday World in 2012.

 

2013: 1 ride on Voyage, and it started out promising- a very smooth first half with decent airtime. Got my hopes up. Then the post-MCBR ride smashed them by being as rough as 2011 with no airtime once again. Since the ride was only running 1 train and had a 30+ minute wait when everything else was a walk-on, I didn't ride Voyage again that day. We did go and re-ride Raven & Legend again though...both from the back. And both of those were awesome.

 

2014: Didn't visit Holiday World, had a Kings Island season pass that year. (PS: Banshee AWESOME. )

 

2015: Have not been to Holiday World...yet...2015 isn't over.

 

As for Legend, I really never have noticed much in the way of roughness- said laterals can be a wee bit painful at times, but nothing compared to what Voyage was doing. Raven ran a bit rough in 2013 but again was still far better in the smoothness regard than Voyage. I do still enjoy Voyage for its airtime and intensity, but have hated the fact my back always needs at least a 10-minute breather before I can even think of riding something else even slightly rough, which knocks it from where it probably may have been (#2-behind Beast, mainly 'cuz night rides) to #5 (behind Beast, Legend, Banshee, and Diamondback...and it should consider itself VERY lucky that Raven isn't 500 feet longer...) Oh and it'll probably fall further down my list should I be able to get to other amusement parks like say, Cedar Point or something. Right now, it's really just Kings Island and Holiday World I have experience with (I went to Indiana Beach as well but that was in 1999 and thus I have no idea what that park is like now)...

[IBEW_Sparky]

McSalsa, Voyage is running as wonderfully this year as it was in 2010!  I cant even begin to say how happy I am with how it ran, and you are 100% on point about how lousy it ran in 2011 and 2013.  I dare say (and I hate to) that in 2011, it was just like that turd Son of Beast, in that it HAD to be ridden in 1-1 to be tolerable.  Now, as far as over-rated goes, nearly all of us know how parks win Golden Wallet awards.... so in THAT sense of over-rated I will agree.  However, I will say from now until the day I die that Voyage does what its supposed to do, better than The Beast does what its supposed to do.  If the penny-pinchers would lose the trim on the first drop, and maybe reduce how hard the one on the helix grabs, I might change my thoughts on that, but that will never happen (I am one of the few who tends to FULLY agree with the necessity of how hard the mid-course trim grabs).  Im sorry, but both of those rides are supposed to give a completely out of control "this train truly feels like its wanting to come off the track" feeling, and Voyage does that better.

[FoF96"]

Back in 2010 Voyage at least screamed through the second part of the ride. Now it basically stops drastically reducing airtime from the double down tunnel (I guess that's what it's called). Can this ride still lay claim to all the airtime it did when it opened? My guess is no.

[TheCandyManCan]

It still isn't that great IMO, I'll take Raven all day, over and over. Unless there's a rude ride op who utters a comment about holding up a nonexistent line to catch a brief glimpse of the high dive show. Seriously the only time I've ever been upset with an employee at Holiday World.

[IBEW_Sparky]

Back in 2010 Voyage at least screamed through the second part of the ride. Now it basically stops drastically reducing airtime from the double down tunnel (I guess that's what it's called). Can this ride still lay claim to all the airtime it did when it opened? My guess is no.

Its actually a triple-down element within the tunnel, and that is the only thing that is altered by the MCBR.  Once you get out of the triple-down, and past the very first rise after that, the ride experience is much the same as it always has been.

[Joncars05]

I never noticed a difference in speed between when the brakes are applied fully in the MCBR or when it slid through in previous years. I have noticed sometimes that the ride does develop "potholes" but I thought this year it was running really smooth. I agree with IBEW_Sparky, Voyage is a ride that is supposed to feel out of control, as if the trains will fly off the tracks and into the woods. It does an absurdly good job at that very similar to Beast once you get through the trim. Voyage feels as if it will never end, because the ride time from first drop to final brakes is extremely long (Same with Beast). I absolutely love that feeling. There are very few rides that are like that. But I know others wouldn't ride Voyage more than once (or at all if they have their credit). And that is okay too. I understand why as well because the same things I love about it are the same reasons why others don't like it (length, rough, out of control).

[Oldiesmann]

Still debating whether I want to make another weekend trip to Holiday World for Rock The World next month...

[McSalsa]

McSalsa, Voyage is running as wonderfully this year as it was in 2010!  I cant even begin to say how happy I am with how it ran, and you are 100% on point about how lousy it ran in 2011 and 2013.  I dare say (and I hate to) that in 2011, it was just like that turd Son of Beast, in that it HAD to be ridden in 1-1 to be tolerable.  Now, as far as over-rated goes, nearly all of us know how parks win Golden Wallet awards.... so in THAT sense of over-rated I will agree.  However, I will say from now until the day I die that Voyage does what its supposed to do, better than The Beast does what its supposed to do.  If the penny-pinchers would lose the trim on the first drop, and maybe reduce how hard the one on the helix grabs, I might change my thoughts on that, but that will never happen (I am one of the few who tends to FULLY agree with the necessity of how hard the mid-course trim grabs).  Im sorry, but both of those rides are supposed to give a completely out of control "this train truly feels like its wanting to come off the track" feeling, and Voyage does that better.

 

In a ironic twist, one thing I remember that as we hit the brake run on Voyage in 2011 my best friend looked over at me and stated:

"You wanna know what Son of Beast was like? Like that."

Later he did say SOB was a bit worse though.

[jcgoble3]

Back in 2010 Voyage at least screamed through the second part of the ride. Now it basically stops drastically reducing airtime from the double down tunnel (I guess that's what it's called). Can this ride still lay claim to all the airtime it did when it opened? My guess is no.

Its actually a triple-down element within the tunnel, and that is the only thing that is altered by the MCBR.  Once you get out of the triple-down, and past the very first rise after that, the ride experience is much the same as it always has been.

To be honest, the triple down has always been the one element of Voyage that I disliked, though I've never really understood why. I think the airtime in it just always felt awkward to me. In which case, I suspect the new trimming removing the airtime from the triple down might actually improve my opinion of Voyage (which I already rank as my #1 wooden coaster). Hmm...

[Tuskin]

Still debating whether I want to make another weekend trip to Holiday World for Rock The World next month...

 

I am planning my first ever trip soon. Can you tell me more about this "Rock The World" event? Maybe I will manipulate my plans to go that weekend.

[Oldiesmann]

It's a big Christian music festival on August 22nd. The park will be busy that day, but I still found plenty of time to ride things even though I didn't get there til noon or later last year. See http://www.holidayworld.com/shows-events/rock-world/ for more info.

Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

[jcgoble3]

So has this thread now transitioned into the General Holiday World Discussion Thread?

[IBEW_Sparky]

A Holiday World discussion thread isnt right without having Pat in it....

 

Oh, wait a minute.  

[The Interpreter]

I wish there were no need to go off on a Rampage just to see her.

Great tea, great friend, great park, great ride, and what has happened is a great tragedy. To put it mildly.

[TombRaiderFTW]

If it's true that she's no longer welcome at the park, it makes me uncomfortable and somewhat incredulous that they're still selling those "historical picture" books of Holiday World that feature her handwritten signature in the front and picture in the back. I witnessed them myself in Voyage's gift shop last weekend.

[The Interpreter]

Did you happen to look to see the year of printing?

[TombRaiderFTW]

I didn't. (I feel like I haven't really seen them at the park since 2010 or 2011. I know for a fact they were there in 2010, as that's when I bought mine.)

 

I did notice then that the signature appeared to be sunk into the page (the way your handwriting would be if you wrote on the page at the top of a stack of paper) because I looked at it at an angle to check--I was surprised to see it and wondered if it was a stamp or part of the printed page. It looked to be the real thing.

[The Interpreter]

I'm sure it's real.

I just wondered if they were already in stock when Ms. Lori Koch took over.

[TombRaiderFTW]

Ah. Yeah, I have no clue.

 

Next time I'm there, I'll be sure to check.

[NoChickens]

  I (we) absolutely loved Voyage.

  Legend on the other hand, ehh. I really don't understand the lack of banking in the turns.

  I guess that's why different coasters are built, to each their own.

  On a side note, I was amazed while in queue for Legend how close the ride supports get to the queue supports when a train goes by. It comes very close to being a pinch point should someone manage to get a hand through the fencing.