Guy T. Koepp Posted August 12, 2008 Posted August 12, 2008 OK first and most importantly, I must say that Holiday World is an incredible value. It really was quite an awesome park. For the most part, Holiday World (I include Splashin' Safari when I say Holiday World) has a great collection of rides that cater to the entire family. We had an incredible, fun filled day experiencing everything they had to offer. The operations, management, food service and food quality are quite exceptional. I might add that the free drinks and sunscreen throughout the park was also a huge bonus. I also want to commend the entire staff on their ability to cater to their guests needs. I would definitely put them on par with the likes of Dollywood as far as service, politeness and efficiency goes. Not to mention that everybody seemed to really enjoy dealing with the public, and was so nice. Congrats! You all should be very proud. My family will definitely be back for a return visit if for nothing else but this fact alone. With that said, I have a couple of comments. The layout of the park is quite strange and I felt that sometimes you had to travel quite a long distance to get from one place to another. This was especially evident in the waterpark. Getting from one place to another sometimes felt as if you had to hike around a never ending trail of very hot pavement. Not always easy when your barefoot, and have kids in tow. While minor, it sometimes got annoying as it's difficult to have a paper map while you in a waterpark and searching for certain areas. Perhaps a separate map for the waterpark or a little better signage to help one get around. Also as there is only one path to and from the waterpark it makes it difficult to get back and forth between the amusement park and Splashin' Safari. We got by this by blocking out a set number of hours to spend in the waterpark and didn't head back that direction again. Anyway, as stupid as that rant is, I just wanted to point it out for families that will go in the future. Enough said. I am going to break this TR up into many little sections as I have many things I wish to say as I go along. Anyway, on to the pictures. Incase you didn't know where we were.
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 12, 2008 Author Posted August 12, 2008 For some reason, my camera battery was dead between leaving my house and getting to HW. (Cough! Cough! My son Jarett playing amateur videographer with it in the car on the way up burnt out the battery.) So I let it charge in the car as we traversed through the 4th of July land and Holidog land. I might add that both areas have a lot to offer in the way of flat family rides. We had an awesome time and spent the majority of the morning there as it was at times pouring down rain and this area provided the most cover. I ran and got my camera as the fam waited for the flyers. This short segment will take us up to entering Thanksgiving land. We briefly entered Halloween land and rode the swings to air dry a bit before our long trek to Thanksgiving land. My two midgets (Jarett & January) in preparation for mucho wetness! Hurray for the sun coming out and it warming up. The rapid ride called to us immediately! In case you were wondering, we are in Indiana. So apparently mullets and rat tails are still in fashion here. Not just corn! As far as adults are concerned, stupidest ride in the history of rides, but the kids loved it so it was awesome! So, Blah, blah, blah! Family on the flyers. Excellent Garth! Yeah, it was that cloudy when we arrived. I thought the day was going to be a complete wash out untill the sun came out around 11ish and dried up all the rain.
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 12, 2008 Author Posted August 12, 2008 Something massive in Thanksgiving land called to me! It taunted me with its immense size! It toyed with my emotions as it pulled me closer. And it wasn't the giant turkey leg at the restaurant. You guessed it. Gobbler Getaway! My God what a ride! Loads of rootin' tootin' shoot em' up... ...errrrr... ...turkey callin' fun! Between that, an awesome Thanksgiving lunch, and the Turkey whirl, we had eaten up Thanksgiving day land in a matter of an hour. OK! OK! YES! I rode the Voyage twice as well in that hour. Once in the back, and once in the middle. I would ride again in the front (thank God) later in the day but I didn't want to send my family back through Gobbler getaway for the third time without me. So with that said... ...The Voyage! This is an awesome ride to behold and watch! For the most part, I very much enjoyed it! The first three hills before the figure 8ish turnaround are fantastic! The triple down in the tunnel is the best part of the ride! However, the rest of it (especially in the back) was really just too harsh for me. I felt as if my kidneys were going to burst! This is going to sound weird, but honestly not long after the MCBR I was kinda ready for the ride to be over. I must mention that my ride later in the day in the front was much better. Not as much airtime over the hills, but a lot less jackhammering around anything resembling a turn throughout the course. It's just my preference, but I much more like a smoother ride around turns. Much more along the lines of El Toro. All in all, a really good coaster! Probably in my top 10 wood, however, honestly, it wasn't even the best coaster in the park. Definitely 2nd! The look on my face realy doesn't reflect this, but I just rode in the back seat, and my insides were still rattling. My ride in thefront and middle were infinitely better. Me likey the front! Easily a top 10 wood! Mmmmmmmmm! It looks delicious in all it's up and downy, twisty goodness! It calls to Me in all its huge glory! The Midgets and Granny go over the proper turkey shooting etiquette. Er... ...calling etiquette. I really enjoyed GG! This was a fun family ride that worked well in the themed area.
jarmor Posted August 12, 2008 Posted August 12, 2008 why did I read the topic and thought it said "obama" lol lol. Looks fun from what you have posted so far!
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 13, 2008 Author Posted August 13, 2008 Obama! That's awesome! The rest to come tomorrow.
PoisonedPirate Posted August 13, 2008 Posted August 13, 2008 I love how in the first picture your son is resting his arm on his sister lol! I've never been to holiday world so I was wondering in the Christmasland (if they have one) do they play like Christmas songs and stuff? Isn't it bad luck? Also what lands do they have?
Electerik Posted August 13, 2008 Posted August 13, 2008 This is going to sound weird, but honestly not long after the MCBR I was kinda ready for the ride to be over. That doesn't sound weird at all. It's exactly how I feel. The Voyage is all kinds of awesome for the first three-quarters, but then I'm ready to get off.
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 13, 2008 Author Posted August 13, 2008 ^I don't recall hearing any Christmas music. As a matter of fact, in recollection I don't really remember any music at all. Anywhere? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? I think they have Christmas Land, Halloween Land, Thanksgiving Land, 4th of July Land, and Holidog Land. However, as most TPR's know, I am retarded and can't be trusted with trivial information. Oh, I think they also have a unofficial Martin Luthor King Land as we did ride the freedom train. However, it was more of a trip through story book land, and not so much about equality and civil rights.
Raven Maven Posted August 13, 2008 Posted August 13, 2008 Oh, yes we play Christmas music. All day. Every day. A reporter with the Chicago Tribune asked me recently if there's a downside to "Christmas 24/7." My immediate response: Barbra Streisand scat singing Jingle Bells. 'nuff said. Glad you enjoyed your visit. Paula
mcjaco Posted August 13, 2008 Posted August 13, 2008 ^ That was actually a very nice article. Although they didn't cover enough of HW in it.
TheRapidsNerd Posted August 14, 2008 Posted August 14, 2008 Guy, I always enjoy reading your TRs. Quality stuff!
RCFreak Posted August 14, 2008 Posted August 14, 2008 awwwww your kids are so cute! Awesome trip report Guy and I can't wait for the rest!
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 14, 2008 Author Posted August 14, 2008 ^Thanks for all the awesome comments. The rest of this report is going to have to wait until tomorrow as I am exhausted and going to bed now.
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 17, 2008 Author Posted August 17, 2008 OK, so after Thanksgiving land, we made the trek back up the hill, then back down the hill to Splashin’ Safari for a few hours. Can I just say, this is an awesome waterpark! Filled with incredible family raft rides, awesome interactive play areas, and two of the biggest wave pools I have ever seen. My only two complaints (and they are minor) is that there is only one entrance, and the place is so spread out that you often have to traverse several hundred yards of hot pavement to get from one attraction to another. I would love to show you pictures, but based on my last trip to a waterpark, I realized that water and electronics don’t mix. (Have I mentioned I’m retarded?) So my brilliant wife Alana thought it best to leave the camera in the locker. Thanks HunnyBunny! Love ya! Mean it! After wading through the heat of the day at SS we decided to hike back into Holiday World and finish the park off. So off we went. We hit the Hallow swings again to dry us off before riding the log flume. (Yeah, my idea. Daddy’s an idiot.) It was fun. I like the tunnel at the beginning, but wanted something to be in there. Anyway, good flume ride, nothing major, but a lot of fun. We got re-wet. (Did I mention I’m an idiot?) Next up, The Legend! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm? The Legend? What can I say about this coaster? It really is like two different coasters all wrapped up in one. One half being an upy, downy, air filled ride that careens through all of the raft slides on the hill of Splashin’ Safari. Pure bliss! Then something goes terribly awry. You take a quick flat turn back into the woods and enter a mesmerizing double helix, followed by an S turn toward the station, followed by an under banked U turn, and finally the brakes. Pure pain! I rode once in the front and once in the back to be sure it wasn’t my location on the train that caused this extreme duality in the ride. Nope, pretty much the same varying theme on the same ride. Pleasure, and pain. As I said before, Hmmmmmmmmmm? I didn’t hate the ride because of the second half, however, I didn’t love it, because of it. After the Legend, we traveled further up the hill and caught the Diving Show. What can I say... ...Awesomeness! A great, fun filled, exciting show only made that much better by the fact that some chick lights herself on fire and jumps off a 50ft platform. Diving + Fire = Pure Awesomeness! As dusk approached we headed further up the hill to ride what I believe is hands down the best coaster in the park. The Raven! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! The Raven! A blazing excursion through the wooded countryside! I rode this bird 3 times in a row. Every ride was a different variation on excellent! If you have the means, I definitely recommend a dusk, or better yet night ride on this bad boy. Just an awesome coaster all round. In the dark of the woods you can’t see a thing and that just adds to the experience. Me likey Raveny goodness! Anyway, on to this round of pictures. But not as creepy as the mullet. More tomorrow. Oh, I couldn't tell, but is there something up in the attic of the station? Oooooooooooooooo! Creepy! We likey Raven! Alot! RAVEN ______ ___ _____! Insert TPR running joke here. Jarett & January are honorary divers. It's the little things that make a Daddy proud. FIRE!!!!!!! Everything is better with FIRE!!!!!! Oooo Oooo! Muff divers! I mean, scuba divers! Wait, no! Just divers. January doing her best angel impression. Trust me she's good at it. Jarett offered baby Jesus a Pepsi. He said he preferred Coke. Yay! Baby Jesus! Just didn't get the full experience, only half. I wanted to love it, but my back told me otherwise. Behold the Legend! Great 1st half then Bam! Free spine adjustmant. Only not the good kind where a smokin' hot Asian chick walks all over it.
DBru Posted August 17, 2008 Posted August 17, 2008 Great TR so far! I have the exact same opinion on the Legend... whose idea was it to not bank the turns??? And yes, I've always wondered what was up in the attic of Raven's station...hmmm...
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 20, 2008 Author Posted August 20, 2008 So I figured I'd finish this TR while watching the Olympics. We finished off the night with a couple of kiddie rides in Christmas Land and then one more night ride on the Raven. Thank you Holiday World for making our first vist a memorable one. We look forward to the new "tall" addition, and getting back to you very soon. Kiddie bumper boats. The ride op had to wade through the pool to get the kids back to the loading area. It was quite comical. I leave you with this. Raven at night. 2 enthusiastic thumbs up! THANK YOU hOLIDAY WORLD FOR A GREAT DAY! One proud (uber intellegent, smokin' hot) mamma! Look Ma! No hands! Yes, that's right... ...the magic flying seahorse ride!
jamesdillaman Posted August 20, 2008 Posted August 20, 2008 Glad you finally got out there! The kids look like they had even more fun than you did, Guy! -James Dillaman
mcjaco Posted August 20, 2008 Posted August 20, 2008 The rest of this report is going to have to wait until tomorrow as I am exhausted and going to bed now. Hot sex will do that to you.
ginzo Posted August 20, 2008 Posted August 20, 2008 Nice stuff Guy, but where are the puppets? I agree with you though. Raven is still #1 at Holiday World. It's one of the most consistent coasters I know of. And those night rides are difficult to beat. We haven't actually made it out to HW this year and probably won't. Too many credits to get elsewhere.
arrowfanman Posted August 21, 2008 Posted August 21, 2008 Oh my, how they grow up so fast! You're children have grown so much since I first met them, Guy! Anyway, enough semi-creepy comments from the terrorist--great update Guy! I'm glad you seem to have enjoyed yourself! -Jahan
silverstreak Posted August 21, 2008 Posted August 21, 2008 The Ohana's vs Holiday World? I think i missed something. Is there a ohana park? Or are you from Hawaii?
ratdogg68 Posted August 22, 2008 Posted August 22, 2008 Awesome Photo TR, Holiday World is my favorite park. I live a hour away from H.W. and 15 minutes from SFKK, yet I buy a season pass to H.W. Just a nice relaxing, yet exciting family park. I agree with you on the coaster's, the Legends first part is great but when you hit the helix, it becomes somewhat unpleasant. The Voyage is great throughout the ride, the triple down section is the best. But like you I also think the Raven is their best coaster, just flows til the end than kicks your a$$.
Guy T. Koepp Posted August 25, 2008 Author Posted August 25, 2008 The Ohana's vs Holiday World? I think i missed something. Is there a ohana park? Or are you from Hawaii? You didn't miss anything. My last name is actually Ohana. In fact my full name is Guy T. Koepp Ohana. And yes, as you can very plainly tell, Alana and I are of Somoan ancestry. Hence the last name Ohana. Guy "Ohana is Hawaiian for family." Koepp Ohana
silverstreak Posted August 28, 2008 Posted August 28, 2008 The Ohana's vs Holiday World? I think i missed something. Is there a ohana park? Or are you from Hawaii? You didn't miss anything. My last name is actually Ohana. In fact my full name is Guy T. Koepp Ohana. And yes, as you can very plainly tell, Alana and I are of Somoan ancestry. Hence the last name Ohana. Guy "Ohana is Hawaiian for family." Koepp Ohana cool! I think im the only one who noticed the Hawaiian word "Ohana" being used. Eh, I cheated. Im from Hawaii. lol! Aloha
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