HolidayWorldFTW

I'm actually really happy to hear this. I always enjoyed the first half, but hated the second half. Roller Coaster 1 is too intense for me. I prefer my beatings to happen while playing ice hockey. I'm not sure it really changes the ride too much but I too am happy for this. For me it didn't take away from the triple down at all. Along with what seems like was pretty extensive work on The Voyage, it ran like a brand new coaster on Thursday! If it weren't for my limits due to the stroke I would have rode it more for sure. But for some reason The Voyage aggravated my vertigo worse than Thunderbird did.... Yet I find Thunderbird to be a more fun, intense(in a good way) ride. The Voyage was long my #1 in the park with The Legend being a close 2nd. Now Thundebird is clearly my favorite in the park. The truth of the matter is, each of the 4 coasters there are completely different beasts from one another. Coaster wise Thunderbird made Holiday World way more balanced. There is a coaster for everyone now. But yeah.. for me it was the best running I've seen The Voyage since its first Year!

Your review pretty much mimics mine exactly. All your photos pretty much look like mine so unless I run across something really different I'll refrain from posting mine. You caught part of my brother in one of your pics though, lol. I was the group that had that table right there between the dippin dots and the smokehouse buildings. EXCELLENT views! I agree that the whole Thunderbird plaza reminds you of a park with lots of benches. Did anyone by chance get a photo of the covered wagon in the queue building? I thought I did and was going to post it but I didn't find it. I thought the covered wagon was pretty cool. Also as we were leaving the park I noticed a small color guard group by the theater practicing. I was in marching band and a m a HUGE band geek so I stopped to watch. I figured maybe it was a local group but as I watched I heard one of them say something about getting setup to do Thunderbird all the way through. So I waited. And they did a color guard routine, with a few drums, themed to the Thunderbird theme music! Is was pretty freakin awesome and was a super cool sneak peak. I wonder if it will be in one of their shows this year, and if so which one? Maybe Paula could give us some insight? I would be really excited to see that again in a finished form! It was a quite exciting routine with the thunderbird theme and all!

I feel extremely lucky there were no lines yesterday! But I'd gladly wait in line to ride again no questions asked! I did notice yesterday that for the most part they had the loading and unloading process down pretty quick. There were a couple hiccups here and there but generally they operated the ride very efficiently and fast.

Santa yesterday was AWESOME btw! He has quite the sense of humor! He was trying really hard to get my 73 year old mom to ride Thunderbird lol it was awesome to see him ride the coasters and interact with everyone!

Just got back from Price Less foods in Newburgh and they are now carrying Thunderbird Ice cream! I was sure to buy some. After trying it yesterday I knew it would become a staple snack in my home lol. It's AMAZING!

I've got over 500 photos and many videos to go through and share as well, but yesterday was such a long exhausting day I don't feel like going through them yet, lol. Probably tomorrow I'll spend some time on that.

Front left outside I think is probably the best. However I honestly found it to be a very different ride in just about every seat I was in. There were no "bad" seats or seats were you didn't feel the forces. The right side was cool too because you got more of leg chopper effects from the supports and I felt the 0 G roll WAY more on the right. But seriously every seat is almost a different experience in a good way. The keyholes and near misses were spot on for either side honestly. A note on roll backs. When waiting to go back to the behind the scenes tour I brought up how I'd think it would be cool to be on the ride during one. Our tour guide agreed but said B&M told them to never really expect to get rollbacks at all. It was designed to really not have to worry about it, even though he mentioned they did have to put up the signs just in case for the public.

I don't see you having any issues at all. Also, the middle row on both trains have larger restraints for those that are bigger or need the extra room. I seen people who weigh way more than you ride today with no problem!

Ok so I just left the park. For those of you wanting video and pictures I took TONS. But to be honest during the downtime I did have I didn't really feel like fiddling with my phone uploading and and typing long reviews, lol. I promise tomorrow I will spend more time on that. But I'm so tired now that you won't get much from me tonight. Thunderbird ... And that whole plaza is just unreal. It's something you have to see in person to really appreciate it all. Locating it where they did was the PERFECTA choice and the colors and theming are second to none. They pulled out all the stops on this one. As I was walking back to Thunderbird from the Raven I walked and talked to Matt quite a bit. He said it turned out better than their wildest dreams. And that makes sense because as fanboy as I was about it before hand, and even I wasn't expecting it to be this awesome. The near misses and keyholes are just incredible. And that 0 G barrel roll at the end.... WOW! The speed of the coaster, the placement, and pacing of all the elements were SPOT ON! If you don't feel anything on Thunderbird, you need to be checked out by a doctor, lol. During the behind the scenes walk back (which was my first ever, and EPIC) one of the guides said that they are already working on "the next thing"... Amazing to me. I'm still trying to digest THIS thing, lol. Also, Thunderbird ice cream is FANTASTIC! Pick it up if you have it available to you. Also for lunch we got to try either the smoked BBQ, or the chicken friend steak that will be in The Smokehouse. My brother tried the BBQ and raved about how amazing it was. I had the chicken fried steak and it too was amazing. Heyena Falls really does seem out of place right now but I know that they have future plans so that's whatever. This last thing, and I'm sure having a stroke a year and a half ago has a lot to do with this, but the walk all the way back to Thunderbird is just super long and hilly. I think it's time they seriously consider some kind of transport to the rear of the park... Or maybe even opening a 2nd entrance on that end of the park. Over all it was an EPIC day. The Holiday World people were just amazing! So kind, friendly, approachable... What you would expect. Also the media and other invited guests were also a blast! Super fun chatting with people from all over. The general consensus from those I spoke too seemed to be that Thunderbird was WAY better than they thought it would be. That's about all I have for you all right now. More to come in the next few days!

To be completely honest I like the brief pause in the middle. There have been times in the past where making it to the end of the ride was almost impossible. This makes it a bit easier.

Two words - NAILED IT! In everyway. The theming, the whole plaza, the ride... The speed is PERFECT to feel all the forces. You can hear the roar from the front gates of the park!

I'm one of the idiots in shorts lol. It's very uhhhh chilly out here lol

Lots of dark blue jackets here! I'm the only idiot in shorts! Lol

We are just now entering Santa Claus!

Did anyone get any sleep? I know I didn't lol

This is my first ever media day as well so I'm just as curious as you are!

Good point lol

That article is really....weird. It kind of abruptly ends. I was looking for a continue button somewhere. Not a very well written article.

I know o can't believe it's already here either! I hope I am able to get some rest tonight!

Any one else notice the neat little finishing touches they have been doing to the queue/launch building? They have treated all the bare new wood to look like old rustic wood. Looks AMAZING! Looks as if they plan on adding a covered canopy to the outdoor part of the queue as well! Looks like LOTS of final touches being done now!

I plan on taking a TON of pics! I will Also, apparently I'm gathering from Holiday Worlds latest Facebook post that Thunderbird ice cream is a hit. A local news reporter here bought the last three cartons at the east side Schnucks store lol.

Mammoth and Wildebeest are MUST DOs even if you don't like water parks. If your ad version to water parks is how unclean and yucky most of them are, you will be overjoyed with Spashin Safari. It's EXTREMELY clean! Liberty launch is one of my favorite flat rides they have there as well. Gobbler getaway is a nice gentle ride that's good to relax and take a break in.... And let off so,e frustrations on some Turkeys, lol. For food you'll want to stop by Mrs Clauses kitchen for so,e epic fudge, Plymouth Rock Cafe has the best food as far as getting a nice reasonably priced good home cooked meal. The food at PRC is exceptional and by far my favorite. If you want pizza I think it's best at Safari Pizza in Spashin Safari. For snacks I love getting the "undderly blue" ice cream in the 4th of July sections. Of course this year you will want to try Thunderbird ice cream and the new eatery in Thunderbird plaza - The Smokehouse. Be sure to take advantage of all the free drinks you could possibly want, and if you forget sunscreen, no big deal, both parks have you covered there for free as well As far as their shows, well they have all improved dramatically in the past decade, but it depends on what you like. The Dive show is usually a favorite for everyone. It's very entertaining, and if you sit up close you WILL get drenched! The Gospel show, 80s rewind, Legacy (moves around the park), and the magic show are all winners for me. I don't ever visit the country show since I'm not a big country music fan but if you like country I've heard it's good as well. Really, there is something for everyone there and TONS of options for food and rides and shows. I suggest just grabbing a park map at the entrance and go exploring. It's one of those parks were exploring is actually very very fun and not aggravating like it is in most parks. But I will say splashi Safari really shouldn't be missed...I've heard from many who don't generally like water parks think completely different about Splashin Safari. It's an extremely pleasant experience compared to other water parks... So yea I would strongly suggest at least giving it a try, lol Hope you have fun! I want to hear about your day once you return!

This makes sense. I bet this was supposed to be a surprise to be discovered by the park. They waited to release the park map until they HAD too, plus it isn't listed on the map, just pictured. Added with the fact they are making it a game in trying to get the first pic from a fan, and Holiday World promising more surprises and a game opportunity to win front of the line passes for Thunderbird. I watched the IAAPA video demo on YouTube and this looks like a TON of fun. However the spin u win game/ride gets the "spin u win looks too intense for me" roller coaster tycoon treatment from me lol

I'll be there with a couple family members however I'm all for meeting TPR members! I don't know how many coaster rides my strokey self will be able to handle and I know I will at least need a break in between them!

Anyone notice that the light fixtures in Thunderbird plaza appear to look like old style lanterns? What an awesome touch! And the weather vain, it's REAL and it works!