1st Trip to Holiday World (fairly long)

[thejoker8388]

The first time I remember hearing about Holiday World was back in the late 90's because of the Raven. I was intrigued yet one coaster wasn't enough for me to justify a 4.5 hour trip. With the addition of Legend I was even more intrigued, yet it was still not quite enough to get me to the park. This year with the addition of the Voyage plus their great water park I could resist no longer.

The thing that first struck me as I was heading to Holiday World is that it's seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I had my dad with me and he kept asking "now how have you heard of this place" and "how did they decide to build this thing out hear". Plus the fact that the name Holiday World seemed to strike him as all too similar to Wally World and was half expecting the park to be closed when we got there.

As we pulled into Holiday World I noticed that the parking lot seemed fairly full and was very pleased about the free parking, although I already knew about it. Walking up to the park we immediately saw Raven and I was quite excited to ride the coaster that had been named #1 in the world 3 years straight.

Raven-The ride was a walk on and I my dad and I choose the very back. They were running both trains and I instantly noticed the speed with which Raven crashes into the final breaks. My over all feeling about the ride is mixed though. It was a fun ride and I found it very enjoyable, yet it was very short and left me wanting more. As I exited the ride both my dad and I questioned why this was voted the best coaster for three years. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed it, but I guess I was just expecting more and was a tad dissapointed. I rode the Raven several times throughout the day and found the back to be best.

Legend-The Legend was also a walk on and my dad and I again snagged the back seat. I found Legend to be much more of a complete ride than Raven. I found the double helix to be quite fun and in a small way it reminded me of The Beast with the covering, although I enjoy The Beast's much more. Legend also had a wonderful pop of air coming off the turn around by the water park that really surprised me. Overall I enjoyed it more than Raven but yet at the same time was still left wondering what all the hype about Holiday World was about. I'd place Legend maybe somewhere around tenth of the wooden coasters I've ridden, but I've only been on 30 some. With the first two coasters being somewhat of a let down I was really beginning to wonder if all the talk about Voyage was just hype as well.

Voyage-The first thing I noticed about Voyage was that the station was very nice. The plexi-glass fly through was really neat and the station was well ventilated which was wonderful because it was very hot outside. The themeing of nets and bags was also a nice touch. The wait for Voyage maybe 5-10 minutes and my dad and I took a seat around the middle of the train. As I got strapped in my anticipation built, would this ride live up to its billing or be somewhat of a let down like Raven and Legend? The first drop of the ride is wonderful and so are the tunnels, some of which make it seem like your going to lose your head. The ride never relents until the final breaks. It was a wonderful ride and left me quite stunned as to what had happened. It instantly shot to one of my favorite rides, yet I didn't notice all the air time that the map claims it has.

My dad gets nauseous fairly easy and after two rides on the Voyage he needed a break so we did the turkey ride, which for those who don't know what it is it is essentially like Scooby and the Haunted Castle at PKI. The building was nice as it was cool and gave a break from the heat but the ride itself was nothing too amazing. The purpose of these rides is to shoot targets and it just seemed like this one had too many spots without enough targets or any targets at all. Overall, I enjoy Scooby more because it has more targets, yet the ride is still a great family addtion for Holiday World.

Next we did Splashing Safari which is a great water park. The two most notible rides in my opinion were Zoombabwe and Jungle racers. The water park had by far the longest lines in the park.

Zoombabwe is a large enclosed family tube slide. As you turn the first corner it becomes completely black and you're treated for what is a very long and very fun ride. This instantly became my favorite water slide. Rode this twice despite the 45 minute wait.

Jungle Racers- I've been on the dry version of Jungle Racers before but never before a wet version. Jungle Racers for those who don't know are essentially those tall fair slides that have the two humps and you ride down on the sacks. Jungle Racers are the same except they've incorporated water. The ride had the shortest line and the ride was very fun, I even got airborne on the second hump. I rode this twice winning once and losing to my dad the other.

After the water park it was getting late but before we went I wanted to snag another ride on Voyage. My dad sat this ride out though due to his nausia problem. This ride I snagged a back seat and oh my lord, what a difference. Coming off the lift hill I was literally ripped out of my seat and didn't return until the bottom. Over every hill I was flying into the lap bar, it seemed as if I was going to get thrown from the ride. I was even catching air on the turns. The ride was furocious. At the end of the ride the man next to me commented "Man, that'll work the **** outta ya". I couldn't agree more. This is where the air was that I hadn't experienced before. Voyage instantly went from one of my favorite rides to my favorite roller coaster, wood or steel that I've ever been on; what a great ride. I snagged a couple more back seat rides and then headed home very happy.

My overall impression of Holiday World is that it's a great park and I can't wait to go back. The Raven and Legend may have been a little over hyped in my opinion but Voyage more than made up for it. I also loved the free drinks, it's nice to just walk up and grab something to drink when your thirsty, instead of having to wait in line and then pay an arm and a leg for it. I also noticed how clean the park was and can understand why Holiday World has been voted the cleanest park six years running. The staff was also friendly, although I didn't find them necessarily any nicer than PKI's staff. All and all I left Holiday World with a new favorite coaster and slide and can't wait to go back.

[bsktgrvy]

Great report!

[CoastersNSich]

I'm glad to see so many trip reports from Holiday World this year. Although I got to ride the Voyage 50 times, it was on media day, so I haven't had the chance to experience the rest of the park.

It's easy to want more after riding Raven. However, it's proof what a small coaster for just a few million dollars can do. I remember an old TV interview where Will Koch loved The Beast and wanted to have something like it, but being a small park, couldn't exactly build something of The Beast's scale. Thank goodness for some talented coaster designers and creative thought of a park owner.

Without the Raven, I doubt you'd see the Voyage or even Legend. But no doubt that Holiday World has been put on map with at least one of these creations. Honestly, though, I think Legend is more exciting than Raven: and the helices on it beat even The Beast's! There's few better coasters that throw you around, and that's part of what I'm looking for in a wild coaster, besides great airtime, of course. Voyage is, of course, the result of finding the best of everything, more money, and so on - and meeting (and creating some of) the park's demand for rides. The Voyage loading platform is very big, just as it should be! I don't necessarily think the Raven and Legend were over-hyped when they were newer, but it sure seems so, now that something even better is only feet away!

Splashin' Safari is another example of a successful water park: they've added new things for five consecutive years, especially duplicates of existing attractions, although bigger and improved.

And I can't say enough about the free parking. Sure, the parking fee actually part of your admission price, but it really eases things for the park, and for their customers. They don't have to staff tollbooths, and instead can utilize the staff for directing cars to open spaces. Not to mention, it actually entices guests to spend money in the park, especially for food - especially with free, included soft drinks! At most parks, I have to wait in line, even if all I want is a tiny cup of free ice water. Here, I don't wait, or get that "You're a cheapskate" stare, if I just want water. Hell, it frees up their first aid workload on hot days, since people find it much easier to stay hydrated.

Now if Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks would fold the parking fee into admission...

Most of all, I appreciate your trip report having paragraphs and being very easy and correct to read.

[BoddaH1994]

I agree... Legend kills Raven and Voyage kills the both of them.