HandsUp Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 Planning 2 days at HW end of July (25-26 thurs/fri). Figured 2 days would be plenty but am really hoping for small crowds--esp. at the waterpark. I've heard Indiana schools are in session since they do year-round there. Anyone have a feel for typical weekday crowds out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoF96" Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 It will be very doable so long as you aren’t there on a Saturday. Remember to wear sunscreen if you’re going to the water park because you WILL burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsUp Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Heading over tomorrow-Weather looks great! Any last minute tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 If you get there at opening or within the first few hours, don't head to Raven first. Everyone does, and that ride will pull a long line because of it. Work your way from the back of the park (Thunderbird/Thanksgiving) to the front (Raven/Halloween). By the time you reach Raven, the line will have calmed down a little bit. If it's still busy, come back in the mid-to-late afternoon. Alternatively, if the waterpark is your goal, be in there as soon as it opens and hit up Wildebeest and Mammoth ASAP. They'll get and keep lines all day if it's even kind of busy, but you can beat the crowds if you stay ahead of them. Or, if there's a different slide you want to do first, head there. But if you're curious at all about those two, I'd recommend getting there first. Liberty Launch and Gobbler Getaway are both kind of underrated, in my opinion. They're both unique to the parks that people from this site typically hit up (although there's a similar ride to Liberty Launch at Indiana Beach--and no, Power Tower at Cedar Point really isn't the same, in terms of ride experience.) Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsUp Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Thanks so much! We're doing 2 days and springing for a cabana on Friday--but still planning to hit both parks both days. Mammoth and Wilbebeast look amazing. Very excited! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsUp Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 Great couple of days in a very unique park! Great advice from TRFTW! Got there close to open Thursday and was struck by how small the parking lots were and how quickly we got to the gates. A bit of a security line but very friendly and lack of metal detectors made it go quick. My daughter (5) is very close to 48'' so we 'modified' her shoes a bit and the attendant even encouraged her to breathe deep so she made it! We headed towards SS to get a locker for our water gear and then hit The Voyage. The line was criminally short and although I had high expectations-this thing really blew me away. Intense, but not too rough-amazing air time, head choppers, vertical banks and tunnels that seemed to keep going and going. I put this up there with the best I've ridden. It was my daughter's 1st 'real' coaster and after the ride, a guy in the car behind us noted, "That's really throwing her into the deep end!" I'm glad she liked it! We worked our way around and did their WWC as well as Frightful Falls which was a cool departure from KI's with the track on the final drop. My son and I did the swings and he did the revolution as my wife and daughter did the tiques. So very cool that there were sunscreen and soda stations everywhere-esp. on such a hot day. Nice to include water and gatorade-although it was tough to keep the kids off of the pop! There were also a million trashcans which added to the convenience and cleanliness. If there is one knock, I'd say the smaller rides are pretty low capacity due to being run by a single operator...same goes for food-took forever to get lunch. These seem to be just a symptom of a smaller park-and the benefits of the size made it totally worth it. We all met back up for the Raven which was a great wooden, wooded coaster-then hit up the waterpark. Loved the shade and the wristband-activated lockers--as well as the massive amount of great slides. Unlike KI, which is perpetually packed as slides are not running or not fully running-things were comfortable and moved along well. The 2 water coasters were longer lines, but the wide queues and shade made it not so bad. Both coasters were amazing. While I liked the bobsled feel of Wildebeast, Mammoth was intense and very disorienting since you were constantly sprayed in the face. Like the Voyage-both seemed to just keep going and going. The kids got some much needed running around time at Kima Bay which is a pretty amazing setup. I took this chance to check out Hyena Falls which were a great set of slides...also got to see the graveyard of Pilgrim's Plunge-I imagine it was amazing-hope they can put that space to good use. Left SS and my wife took the kids on the Mayflower as I went for front seat of Thunderbird. Not only was the line very short, but I had no problem leaving my big bulky beach bag by the exit. Another very cool part of the experience was no hassles about bags, backpacks, etc...and very accommodating taking phones, sunglasses, etc. This is always such a PITA at other parks-not here. Riding front row, left middle-Thunderbird may have been the smoothest ride ever. Very unique ride and once again-I love the wooded aspect. GateKeeper is the only other winged coaster I've ridden and this was definitely more intense. We hit Gobbler Getaway together and it was fun with a discernable narrative which my son got a kick out of (they had pizza for Thanksgiving!) To close up the day my son and I rode Legend front row. With the sun going down and the campfires filling the valley with smoke-it was the perfect scary setting for such a scenic and intense ride. I really wish it was just a bit smoother because it is an amazing layout-but it rocked me pretty good. I'll add now that seeing how all these coasters use the woods/terrain speaks to the mild disappointment when we see other coasters (Ki giga) with compact, clear-cut footprints that could really exist anywhere. Woods, lakes, terrain, and proximity to other rides gives coasters real personality-and all of HW's coasters have plenty. Loved the crazy rumble strips that make it feel like you have a flat tire if you go too fast out of the parking lot. We and many others pulled over to check our cars-such a great way to get people to slow down! Grabbed some carryout pizza and checked into Santa's Lodge...not the nicest place, but still charming. I loved the 'founders' portrait of Santa at the front desk-classic. Slept well after a few slices and few beers. On Friday we met up with another family from Cincy and swam at the hotel a bit before heading to the park. Same drill as Thursday for the most part. Hit up the bumper cars and the Liberty Launch this time-very unique and pretty intense for a ride that's not very tall. It really shot you out of your seat! Did Voyage again in 2nd last car and it was notably smoother than the front-this was my favorite ride of the entire trip (I'd later ride front row and was a bit disappointed that the front row was a bit rougher than the back). Since we had another family to split with, we rented a cabana at SS--it was overlooking the lazy river without any walkways in front and was amazing. Just having a nice shady home base and place to put all your junk was so convenient. The locker cabinet was nice but TBH I never felt too sketchy leaving my stuff out--the ability to have food delivered was a game-changer and saved tons of time and hassle. It was also just about as much $$ as the stands....what they said was for 4 people handily fed 4 kids and 4 adults. Ended up doing Zoombabwe and Zinga which were amazing and worth the modest wait. My son and I single-ridered the Mammoth and still ended up riding together which was cool-there was virtually no wait. Rode Thunderbird with my wife towards the back and while still great-not nearly as fast and smooth feeling as the front. We all rode Raven at twilight and called it a day and headed back. Overall it was clear that HW puts guest experience 1st and foremost. From free and easy parking, to free drinks/sunscreen, to general ease of getting around, it was great. Throw in the aforementioned no hassle bag/item handling policy and it's clear they see this as a core part of their brand. I was also extremely impressed with the park music. Tons of Beetles and classic rock and no obnoxious pop or country. Couple this ease and comfort with a handful of really good coasters, and a world class waterpark, and it was one of the better park experiences I've had. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 I'm so glad you had a good time! I always love reading about people's first Holiday World trips. It's such a nice little park! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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