Koasterking48

Yeah the park is having the same problem today. Thunderbird and The Voyage are still down right now. I'd assume it's just regular maintenance issues, but who knows. And I really wish I would've checked the events calendar to know that a lot of school groups are here for a music festival because it is pretty crowded. Edit: I've just gotten word that Thunderbird will not reopen and The Voyage is looking very unlikely. As I'm editing this Raven is closed too. The Legend is the only coaster (besides Howler) open...

Absolutely. SDC>>>>>SfStL no question. I cannot speak on behalf of those who have been to Dollywood (like yourself) but it is probably on par since they are sister parks. Outlaw Run is worth the drive alone. I'd definitely recommend a day in Branson for Silver Dollar City.

^^ That is huge news. I'd expect some Nintendo character meet-and-greets not too long from now and possibly a new themed area not too far off. Personally, I think this is bigger and more exciting news than Kong!

Nothing too bad, but fairly busy. Lines will be longer in the water park for most of the day, but the lines stay pretty short for the coasters, so it depends on if you are a water park type of person or not. If you aren't, at least ride Mammoth and Wildebeest!

From a couple of people I discussed this with at Media Day, the generators will likely be there all season, but it's unknown about whether they will be there for future seasons.

They are building shelves in the station, but since they weren't ready Thursday, they temporarily used little crates. They are easy to access before the air gates open, so there's less time wasted between dispatches.

I believe Holiday World may be painting Thundebird'd barn. If that's the case, then that's awesome since it was my only complaint about the ride, ha! From the Holiday World Twitter page

I thought I'd add my two cents about this discussion... The best way to describe the Voyage for me is a "workout." It can rigorous, intense, relentless, unforgiving, etc... Since Holiday World is my home park, I obviously visit here the most. I have become jaded to its intensity and accept the ride for what it is. I have ridden the Voyage more times than I have any other coaster (although my Thunderbird count is creeping up) so you could say that my brain has been smashed to smithereens from the ride. I still rode it anyway. In fact, I had yet to ride a better wooden roller coaster for many years... until this spring at Silved Dollar City. Outlaw Run provided everything I could ask for in a wood coaster without beating me senseless. I could take on Outlaw Run non-stop given the opportunity. I could maybe marathon Voyage 5-6ish times before having to take a break. Outlaw Run, even after two years, still ran wonderfully and is much less of a maintenance hassle from what I understand. The topper track there seems to be doing that ride wonders. So, I fully support reprofiling the roughest sections of the ride with topper track, that being the turnaround and certain parts of the spaghetti bowl. That being said, The Voyage is running excellent currently and the best start of the season condition I can think of since opening year. Of course, that won't be the case in a few months, but still. I am in support of whatever Holiday World decides to do with the Voyage. Whether they stick with its "pure" form or add some sort of topper track to the ride, either version of the Voyage is great to me. While it may not be my number 1 wood coaster for now, I still really like the Voyage even in its current form. However, I definitely wouldn't mind a topper track reprofiling. By the way, Raven and Legend are running excellently as well this year. I'm glad to see those two get some love on here.

I did not get a picture, but they are reusing Pilgrim's Plunge old Splashing Safari merge path and built a new stairway leading toward Hyena Falls. They moved the Splashin Safari entrance directly to the left of where it used to be. Looking at the park map may better explain what I'm talking about. They are only at the entrance. Ride operators are now more frequently using the school bell at the top of the station for the Legend, which is definitely nice to have.

The second group (a.k.a. non-media) on the backstage tour actually ran into the "problem" of having no riders for hardly any of our shots! Regardless, the tour was short, but sweet and the angles up-close were good. Plus, the lack of people means more re-rides! It was great to meet you by the way, and I'm glad everyone at the event liked the ride. It perfectly caters to the exact audience it was intended to be built for.

Yes the weather was very similar to Media Day on Thursday with few clouds in the sky as well as low level crowds. The Strike-U-Up (I think it was called Stars and Stripes Showdown) costs $5 to play, but it was not ready for operation just yet. Today I managed to get in another 10 laps on Thunderbird to bring my count to 46. It was a great day to be out in the park!

For those wondering about the Voyage, Paula's explanation pretty much lays out how it's running today. I'm at the park now and rode the Voyage twice, and the brakes were pretty heavily applied, but it did not come to a complete stop. Yes, the airtime was not as good in the triple down, but the last part of the ride still delivers well. It's still running wonderfully

Wait a minute... Hmmm...

Thunderbird is much better than Gatekeeper, but Gatekeeper is the only other one I've ridden before. However, others agreed that Thunderbird ranks as one of the best, if not the best of the bunch. I hope all goes well for Opening Day at Holiday World today. I will be back at the park tomorrow ready for more Thunderbird!

Right after you enter the fly through barn before the carousel.

Here is my reverse P.O.V. As others have said, the videos do not do the rides justice. Enjoy! [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/0FI5nunZJW0[/youtu_be]

Yes, Santa rode multiple times yesterday. He loves Thunderbird!

Thunderbird Media Day (4/23/2015) I had a awesome time yesterday at the Media Preview Day for Thunderbird, the Nation's First Launched Wing Coaster. This was my first media day and I was very impressed. The crowd size was very low, as many members of the media were coming and going throughout the day. I already posted my review of the ride, so I will reproduce it here: "My my what a ride. After speaking with other people who had been on many of the other wing coasters, it's safe to say Thunderbird is the cream of the crop. The launch, while not extremely intense, is really fun going straight into the immelmann. The loop was pretty forceful and the figure-eight section by the Voyage was really good. While nothing too memorable, I enjoyed the zero-g roll and its placement in the ride. After a quick s-turn, the fly-through barn approaches. The helix (carousel, whatever) provides good positive G's and the inline roll has LOTS of hang time. The near misses of the barn are very well-orchestrated. I spoke briefly with President Eckert about the ride. While he prefaced with saying that he may be biased, he thinks it's the best coaster Holiday World could've asked for. He said that it combines the best elements of a B&M wing coaster and does it better. I have to agree with this and his opinion of what side is better, which is the Front Left (although the right side seems to have a slightly better launch into the immelmann). You can call me out about being biased or a fanboy with Holiday World being my home park, but I truly believe Thunderbird is a fantastic ride and it exceeded many expectations. Will Koch would be so proud." I have added the video: [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/0FI5nunZJW0[/youtu_be] I think it is justified since I got in 36 laps today, riding each row at least once on every side). The overall hospitality of the park was excellent as they provided food (and obviously drinks) throughout the day and we even sampled Thunderbird ice-cream, which was very yummy. Yesterday was a very long day, lasting 12 hours. Even though I am exhausted, I'm very happy to have attended. Please excuse the quality of my pictures, because I do not own an DSLR or an expensive camera. Onto the pictures (which there is a LOT): The day started off promptly at 6:15 a.m. for check in. Early sunrise pic of The Voyage For perspective on where Thunderbird is located. I think the two compliment each other fantastically Approaching the monster. We were on our way to the "opening ceremony" for the ride Seriously this ride is much bigger than it looks in pictures The color scheme was well-thought out First test run I witnessed. Oooh's and ahhh's sold separately FYI you fly straight into this tree. Bonus points awarded to the one who hits the most branches with their face. I was on the first train of the day that followed the First Flight Auction winners. Sat first row, right wing For those wanting some pictures of Thunderbird's surrounding area: Thunderbird's gift shop was interestingly-named Hevron's Mercantile. You can find all sorts of Thunderbird merchandise inside and the shop is spacious. I loved the fact that the on-ride photos are not located in the back of the store like the Voyage, which creates much less of a traffic problem. Facing towards the direction of the rest of the park. The smokehouse is in the bottom right corner with an attatched Pepsi Oasis. Bathrooms, ya know, because they're like a necessity and stuff. The launch room features some neat special effects. When the train approaches and stops, thunder and wind sound effects are going on in the background with some strobe lights flickering everywhere. Lightning LOUDLY crashes as fog generates in the front, before you are launched 0-60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. I wasn't expecting the effects to be as good as they were, so I was impressed to say the least! Launch track for T-Bird. You enter underneath the barn into the queue. The station looked superb. Some theming in the queue. This was, once again, unexpected for me so I was surprised. This is the main queue area before you are split off and heading upstairs. Another angle, I am sure these will be filled with anxious people throughout the summer You can get this view heading up the right side stairs (Another note, you turn to the opposite way of what side you want to be on. So, turn right for the left wing and vice versa). Exiting the inline twist. The station from the right side. Yet another cool easter egg about the ride is when the train launches as the thunder cracks, all of the light in here and the queue flicker. What a neat touch! You can get a pretty good view of the end of the ride from here. Brake run One of my favorite pictures I took. The Crows Nest's queue provides excellent close up pictures of the Immelmann. Forgot to catch a train at this angle though... The launch in action. People (including me!) were still excited to be riding it after 15-20 laps Another favorite picture of mine. Thunderbird is just so photogenic. Loop-de-loop! Totally original angle is totally original. Nobody else has this exact same angle. Nobody! These people earned ten bonus points. The prize was a trip to Vegas to forcefully marathon Manhattan Express forever. All it takes is Will Power. Such a wonderful tribute to a wonderful guy. Glad I got to meet him years ago I did not pay close enough attention to the storyline to know what this steam engine was for. Regardless, at least it looks cool! Edit: I now realize that it correlates with the Steam Engine Company. Extended queues. These are very long and I assume will be full on Opening Day. Up the immelmann! Matt Eckert and I agree... The right side is better for the launch, but the left is the better side for the rest of the ride. If you sit on the left side, the windmill provides a short, but sweet near-miss element at the bottom of the immelmann. No bonus points for you! The weather for the day was just beautiful. While a little chilly in the morning, it warmed up to the 60's by the middle of the day. Another angle of the immelmann and the launch track. Sitting on the left side once again provides a near-miss element. Got the train all to myself. How wonderful At 1:30, the staff served us Thunderbird ice cream. I was expecting not to like it since pecans aren't my thing, but was pleasantly surprised. At 3 p.m. we received a backstage tour to get some great shots you cannot get on a regular day. Here is the final third of the ride in all of is glory. Me failing at getting a good shot #1 It was really neat to be able to walk right underneath the track... And I mean, RIGHT underneath. Like I previously stated, the Voyage and Thunderbird really compliment each other well. I love the interaction between the two. Fly-through barn up close. If there is one thing I am disappointed about, it's the fact that this was not painted. No worries, since it didn't detract from the ride experience and it is an incredibly petty complaint. The S-bend turn. It has a decent snap to it. It also stays pretty low to the ground, which gives a great sensation of speed. Here come the slew of barn pictures, so bare with me. Remember how I said we were directly below the track. Yeah... The park was actually having slight issues having riders in the pictures, but I think that problem isn't really that bad Is it a carousel? Is it a helix? Oh yeah, the Voyage exists It was a surprise that our tour guide included the Voyage too. Our tour guide was radioing Thunderbird's and Voyage's crews to dispatch the rides together. It proved to be quite a challenge. I only got one photo (this isn't it) of the two together, but I did get a video that I may upload later. The turnaround. The Voyage was running great as it always does. We will see how its doing late summer... The maintenance crews said that this off-season, they replaced more track than any year prior. The difference was noticeable! 90 Degrees! The backstage tour got up close to the Voyage too. This section of the ride was completely rebuilt in the off season. The Voyage was running one train ops with NO MCBR stopping. This section was replaced and rebuilt in 2012. The Voyage is verrrry tall. Wish I could have gotten both trains at the same time. These riders earned extra bonus points for hitting the Voyage. This shot will have a lot more leaves in it later on. Me failing at getting a good shot #2 and #3 These nets were installed to make sure no loose articles land on the Voyage or its riders. The net that is closer to me was not installed yet. The tour guide also explained that chainlink fences will be installed later this season and next off-season to the edges of the track for the Voyage to keep the deer out. Not joking. My timing is pretty off. The one interaction picture I got. It would have been great to have been on the ride at this moment. The last picture from the tour Me leaving the park. Yesterday (4/23) was an excellent day. The fact that only a select number of people were there meant that I could reride this bad boy 36 times, mostly without leaving my seat in the front row. I want to thank Holiday World for their excellent hospitality and would like to further congratulate the park on such a perfect addition. Thunderbird will be a huge hit! Lastly, my onride photo. Yes, I closed my eyes in it.

Here's my full review of the ride. I'll post a TR later: My my what a ride. After speaking with other people who had been on many of the other wing coasters, it's safe to say Thunderbird is the cream of the crop. The launch, while not extremely intense, is really fun going straight into the immelmann. The loop was pretty forceful and the figure-eight section by the Voyage was really good. While nothing too memorable, I enjoyed the zero-g roll and its placement in the ride. After a quick s-turn, the fly-through barn approaches. The helix (carousel, whatever) provides good positive G's and the inline roll has LOTS of hang time. The near misses of the barn are very well-orchestrated. I spoke briefly with President Eckert about the ride. While he prefaced with saying that he may be biased, he thinks it's the best coaster Holiday World could've asked for. He said that it combines the best elements of a B&M wing coaster and does it better. I have to agree with this and his opinion of what side is better, which is the Front Left (although the right side seems to have a slightly better launch into the immelmann). You can call me out about being biased or a fanboy with Holiday World being my home park, but I truly believe Thunderbird is a fantastic ride and it exceeded many expectations. Congratulations to Holiday World for such an awesome addition. Will Koch would be so proud.

6. They will sometimes add the 7th towards the end of the season.

Indeed but I think most enthusiasts would agree with me, would love ONE ride unrestrained! I'll take the beating Since it's so easily turned off, I think TPR needs to make a visit here and have Robb convince em Peter Griffin style to turn the MCBR off, "cmooooon" Yeah that launch was a thing of beauty. This is gunna be my first wing rider, and I'm gunna end up spoiled from it! The MCBR is not turned off today, but i did speak with a maintenance guy and he confirmed it. Btw, Thunderbird is fantastic and you'll really like it. I've had 8 laps so far and love it!

How would it compare to other wingriders? Way better than Gatekeeper IMO. I haven't ridden any others, but I briefly spoke with Robb and he agreed.

First impressions: excellent ride. Great launch. The fly though barn is my favorite part right now!

Looks amazing. Waiting for Launch...

If anyone sees a goofy guy in a dark blue jacket with no friends, come up to me and say hi!