LogBur

Damn! Appears to rip through the course with very nice speed. I think I'm gonna have to fit this in on the way home from HoliWood Nights.

Ditto, and it's 6 hours for me too. I crave the late night rides on Voyage that are just 2 1/2 weeks away. Those moonlit trips into the woods at Holiwood Nights are my favorite coaster experiences yet encountered.

Thanks for the update... The majority of my experience with the ride was during its media day. Took around 10 laps that day and they ran the gamut from very good to quite rattly and mediocre depending on seat position. I didn't get back to the park until HalloWeekends but I did notice things were a bit better then. I'll be visiting on Thursday and look forward to giving it another spin.

Holy hell, awesome photos! It sounds like you rode Gatekeeper last year - is it riding the same-ish or better? I enjoyed it overall last year but thought it kind of ran out of steam after the keyhole. Is the rattle still present on the outside seats?

1999-2013: Every new coaster from Woodstock Express to Gatekeeper - Cedar Point 2006: Voyage - Holiday World 2013: YOLOcoaster - SFMM 2014: Banshee - King's Island

^I believe it's 5/15.

A floorless beemer could be interesting because it would likely be somewhat compact in layout and potentially more intense as a result. Something like Nitro at Adlabs but with the new vest restraints would be a cool addition. That said, I think the park can get more coaster for their money from other manufacturers. Either way, it seems we might have something more substantial to discuss this time next week.

Having ridden Green Lantern at SFMM, I'll echo sentiments that these things don't ride that well. Sure, there are some interesting forces but my experience was downright painful in spots. I'm pulling for a Mack and think there's a decent chance that is what they have planned. Premier, Zierer or Intamin would be my other guesses in order of likelihood.

Banshee's drop out of the zero-g roll feels like a second 1st drop and from that point on the ride is intense and unmatched for me among inverts. The positive Gs on both batwing pullouts, the second vertical loop, the rising turn prior to the inline twist and the final helix are all on par or better with the best moments of Montu. Montu sustains intensity a bit better for the entire ride but Banshee's first drop and second half are enough to give it a slight edge for me. *Disclaimer: I haven't rode Montu in several years.

Banshee at its media day. Amazing ride. Probably new number 1 invert but it's been a while since I've been on Montu.

I agree with the gist of what you propose here but I think they'd have to do away with or relocate the (employee?) parking lot to make this more feasible. They could technically build around it but it would be pretty aesthetically displeasing. I am a big fan of connecting Thanksgiving or "Holiday to be named later" back up at Raging Rapids, Holidog's Funtown or even both. Thanksgiving is fine as a dead end for now but further expansion will provide a perfect opportunity to add additional people-flow to the park.

Your suggested game plan of starting at the back with Maverick and Millennium Force is spot on. This way, you knock out the longest potential waits and can decide later whether to revisit or not. As you alluded to, Gatekeeper and Raptor will typically be down to a pretty modest wait by 4pm or so - at this point the front entrance patrons are making their way towards the back of the park. It is not uncommon for Raptor to be a walk-on at this point (except peak season) so go crazy. The only must-ride you missed is Skyhawk in my opinion. Awesome flat with great airtime on the swings. Windseeker is cool enough if the wait isn't too bad, although I realize these are popping up at numerous parks so probably not essential.

^Pretty much this. We all know Cedar Fair's first transaction with RMC needs to be for a certain Ohio coaster 200 miles to the Northeast...

^Had it been opening the season running more or less the same prior to this year? I'm just curious if it got significantly worse after 2010 - as of then it was my overall number one (and remains so for now).

^Nice report and great pics. I enjoyed your detailed update on how The Voyage is running. I'm heading to Holiwood Nights in a few weeks and it's nice to have an idea of what we're in for. My last lap on The Voyage was during Holiwood Nights 2010 and I thought the ride was running great then. A little bit of shuffling and light roughness in the valleys but nothing to detract too much from the overwhelming awesomeness everywhere else. What is the consensus as to when it was running worst? I rode it every year from opening to 2010 and only noticed a very small decline in greatness.

While a family-friendly ride is as good a guess as any at this point, I wouldn't necessarily count on it. The Voyage, especially the second half, is as intense as they come and all of the most recent additions are family oriented (both water coasters, sparkler, mayflower, etc). The park may build something accessible for entire families, but I could just as easily see them building another extreme thrill ride in an effort to further their drawing reach. Regardless, I'm guessing the "steel gap" will finally be taken care of and I trust in the park's knack for picking awesome additions.

Regardless of intent, this comment only serves to cast negative light on the enthusiast community. It paints with a broad stroke and makes us sound like a bunch of entitled children. I wouldn't want officials from a park to read nonsense like this. Especially in light of parks being more gracious than ever with events, media day invites, etc.

Don't mistake my post for one supporting the necessity of seatbelts on B&M hypers. I know the rides are perfectly safe without them. I was merely calling out the comment that suggested one could simply take the seatbelt off if they wanted to - as if this is an acceptable action. What's the point of even bringing it up?

Ugh. Stuff like this is what earns enthusiasts a bad name. Stupidity of circumventing safety systems aside - if they don't hinder the ride experience, then why would someone break the rules and risk being thrown out!? Ugh.

Anyone visiting the park this weekend? If so, can you report back on The Voyage's track work and "upgraded" ride experience?

Every time I look at that massive first overbank it blows me away. Looks so incredibly "wrong" for a wood coaster - in a good way of course. This is not to take away from the zero-g stall and the dive loop, which are wacky too. There's just something about the overbank and how it seems barely supported with the bents angling up.

^ Very cool looking trains. They have a retro-futuristic look if that makes any sense.

Of course they do, they've already paid a significant advance on the ride that is beginning site work.

And it's truly a stroke of brilliance to take that input seriously. If you're already going to invest X dollars, you might as well make the most of them and deliver a ride experience that will create positive buzz and future marketing opportunities in the form of awards and accolades. Appeasing us in the niche may seem silly, but if you're aiming to delight the pickiest of the picky you may well strike gold and create something with even better drawing power.

As others have said, I think Holiday World takes pride in its reputation as a tremendous family destination while also being a park that can cater to us coaster geeks. I believe they have it in mind to build world-class rides and doubt this will disappoint. It could end up being on a smaller scale than some would like (eg Firechaser Express) but early signs point to something more substantial. From a business standpoint, the park is consistently topping 1 million in attendance but may view a high-tech steel coaster installation as a necessary measure to take the next step in attendance growth.