PTR: My 2009 Ohio, Indiana, and Slightly Kentucky Trip!

coasterbilly · July 21, 2009

So I'm in my hotel 5 minutes outside of Kings Island after a very successful 4 1/2 hours in the park last night. Every year my family and I go on a vacation, but the best part is it's a roller coaster vacation! Since 2000 we have been hitting up parks all over the mid-east and eastern seaboard. 2009 brings me back to one park and gives me a chance to hit up 3 new ones.

Kings Island is the first, it's my 3rd time visiting and they all happened to be on years new rides opened (2003= Delirium, 2007= Firehawk, & now 2009= Diamondback). Next/today is Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, a park we have been talking about, Robb said the park has been great to them, but it's a park that hasn't gotten much attention from Six Flags recently. Then we head up to Santa Claus for Holiday World on Wednesday to see how good those 3 woodies are. Lastly on Sunday we will be up to Indiana Beach to finish out on some cool, unique coasters up there.

I have photos from Kings Island from last night with a report of how it went, SFKK is only open until 7 tonight so I'll get those up, and hopefully SFKK tonight as well. Tips would be appreciated for the 2 Indiana parks if you have any suggestions, otherwise, hope you enjoy my report everybody!

coasterbilly · July 22, 2009

Park #1- Kings Island

So, we got up at 6am Monday morning to make our 9 hour trek to Ohio to catch the twilight special the park offers. The ride was long, but full of sleep, which made the trip go that much faster. Little did I know, 5:30 strolled around and their was the skyline with the newly added Diamondback. We got in nice and easy, but the park wasn't exactly the same way because it was PACKED! So, we had to make a plan and stick to it, but plans don't always work at Amusement Parks so we had to improvise after the first ride and go from there. This is how it went...

Diamondback 10/10- So, of course, the first ride of the evening HAD to be the park's new all-star, the Diamondback. The entrance plaza is gorgeous, it's all themed to the ride and just gets you in the right mood for the experience. The entrance sign and logo are sick plus the queue is the right size for the ride too. While the line looked pretty big when my dad and I got there, it moved quite fast due to the awesome 3 train operation by Kings Island. I have to note too, that they have a person standing at the edge of the station assigning rows to people so the station doesn't fill up randomly, and they also have a single rider line to fill up every train, so perfect, go Kings Island! The trains are unique, similar to what Vekoma did the the Deja Vu rides, and it definitely makes a difference! So, we sat toward the front, row 4, in the middle 2 seats. The lift is steep, which adds to the anticipation because you can't see the top, and once you know it you are hurled down the 215 feet, 74 degree drop and the rest is history.

The ride is solid, the airtime on it varies on where you ride, toward the front it's all floater, and toward the back it gives you slight ejector into floater. I rode in the back the second time and liked it much better! The pacing of the ride is excellant and the forces on the hammerhead and upward helixes are perfect, not too forceful to wipe you out. The layout is simple but genius, plus the splash down at the end is cool too. Overall Diamondback is the best thing to happen to this place since The Beast and puts this park on the map even more. After my 1st ride, it was a toss up between this and Apollo as my favorite Beemers, but after my 2nd towards the back, this one took it and is my overall #5 steel coaster now, get here and ride it!

So, after this we headed to the 30 year old Beast. But, a long line outside the entrance showed us the ride was down. So we immediately moved on and decided to return later for a night ride. We headed to Firehawk/Flight of Fear area with hopes of riding at least one of them, but that didn't happen. Firehawk had nearly a full queue with the station crew working quite slow and Flight of Fear was the same when you got inside the hangar. With 3 hours to go in our night I just wanted to ride, not stand in line, so we moved over and found a ride that fitted our description for the evening, and that was the Racer!

Racer- (6/10)- So this was a 1 train wait, we took the blue side. I remember loving this ride the last 2 visits and it still stands true after today. While it definitely was rougher then I remember, it is a classic the is still fast and gives you some pops of air, you can never go wrong with this ride!

Next up we had to decided to head over to the Action Zone to see if we could get anything over there. Son of Beast stood lifeless, Drop Tower and Invertigo had lines that screamed stay away, which left us with 2: Flight Deck and Delirium!

Flight Deck (7/10)- Our 3rd coaster of the evening was the classic suspended Flight Deck. While I loved the name Top Gun, CF didn't completely suck at naming this one. All names aside, this ride still rocks! The station was empty and my brother came with us on this because he loves it too even though he doesnt ride many coasters! It's a shorter layout but once the chain lets the train go, it's nonstop speed, nasty turns that cause extreme swingage in the trains, and just overall fun. This easily sits right behind Big Bad Wolf as 2nd best suspended for me.

Delirium (10/10)- After Flight Deck, I wandered over to my favorite flat at the park and maybe even overall, Delirium. I went on alone because my dad isn't all about the spinning, but that was fine with me! It was around a 20 minute wait that concluded with a breathtaking ride. This ride is just sheer power, the speed, the angles it puts you at, and the spinning just make this ride so awesome. I love you Huss!

So, after Delirium we started making our way back to The Beast. Upon arrival, their was still a wait outside the line! They advised us to go ride something else and come back, they said then it would probably be open. So I went to Diamondback again, hit up the single rider line, and got my back of the train ride. Once I got back, we got in line for a night ride date with the 30 year old mammoth!

The Beast (10/10). So we waited around 25 minutes up to the station and what was supposed to be 10 for the front row. But, since Kings Island does a fireworks show everynight, The Beast closes at 9:45 and doesn't reopen until 10:10 after the show is over. We were the next train to board when they closed it, so we were forced to wait it out. Once the ride came back into operation, we were ready! We pulled out of the station into pure darkness, and that's all I can remember! I need to say this, people need to stop talking **** on this ride, it's 30 years old and is still cooking better then any ride built around the time it was made, and runs even better then some newer woodies these days! The ride was absolutely out of control, I didn't know when we went in and out of tunnels, my eyes teared from the speed, the track wasn't jerky at all! Plus, the final double helix ending cannot be touched, it's insanity at it's greatest. El Toro was my number 1 and Beast number 2, but that is now switched, this classic monster still reigns for me and is back to number 1 like it was until El Toro came around haha. The question is will it go down to The Voyage in 3 days? We will see! But, seriously, put down the negative comments, just come to KI and ride it guys, your opinion will be changed.

So, after that the park was closed, we took some pictures by the fountain and headed to our hotel. It was a great visit for 25 bucks and 4 1/2 hours. We got on 4 coasters (1 of them twice, and one a rediculous night ride!) and a great flat. Kings Island is one of my favorite parks because of its beauty, the way they operate the rides, and just the atmosphere is spectacular. I can't wait to come back again, the coaster roster is now even more complete with Diamondback there, not to mention how The Beast still rules after 30 years! Pictures are below, thanks for reading everybody! Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom is soon to follow!

I finish with the fountains and Eiffel Tower beautifully lighted. A very solid 4 1/2 hours, thank you again Kings Island for always giving me such great visits!! Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom is next!

I could sit there forever just watching

The lighting under the fountains make the plaza look stunning at night

Which brings out the true ferocity of this monster, not many photo ops as you all know, but that's what makes this ride the best! Retakes it's spot as my #1 woodie!

The sun sets on the new monster

Hmm, that must make mating quite boring...

Seriously though, this ride always has me laughing, I love this thing!

I'm Delirium, and I too don't hurt people and still am one of the best flat rides here!

It still flies and is completely out of control!

Swing swing!

Short wait= double thumbs up on a crowded night!

And I'm pretty sexy too

My name is Flight Deck, I don't hurt people, have a short line, still get riders, and give a fun ride despite how old I am!

But next door...

My name is Son of Beast, I hurt people and am in time out right now

Dun dun dun...

A little rougher then 2 years ago, but not unbearable, still a good ride! Plus a walk on= thumbs up!

Since everything was too long, we hit up the classic

From the side, nice touch B&M

Into the water!

Upward turn before the splashdown has nice forces!

Not to mention the uniqueness of the new trains, where you sit definitely makes a difference!

Over the camelback next to The Crypt, still filled with air!

Down the second hill, airtime on this ride rocks!

From underneath, right over the walkway!

Long way down, 74 degrees!!

Long way up!

not too bad! 3 train operation definitely helped keep the line bearable all night

ah, line, should I be worried?

lean back

The sign has some truth, the lift is steeper then the older B&M Hypers before it!

Welcome to Diamondback, get bit!!!

Classic KI entrance way, always beautiful

This is what's waiting for you as you go through the gates, awesome logo

Invertigo from the entrance, line way too long to bother today!

The new right side with Diamondback!

The left side skyline of the park!

This is definitely a true statement!

Crazy_Behemoth_Lady_Jess · July 22, 2009

Your captions literally made my day!

Love your pictures too.

Have fun at SFKK, hope Chang doesn't hurt your legs!

atem122 · July 22, 2009

The mating caption was the greatest thing ever!!!!

That was a great PTR for KI, I can't wait to see the rest of it man

EnglndPatriots6 · July 23, 2009

I guess you went yesterday? Thats when i went and how you described the lines for things was just about how it was yesterday.

I thought about riding beast but the line was way out of its queue so we just went on since we didnt have much time. Glad you enjoyed KI, Your gonna love SFKK, except T2 probably but its still bearable.

Oh yea and SFKK will be getting some love this off-season. Its the parks 25th anniversary and my friend that works there confirmed quite a few things to me. 1. the park will be getting some rides that are unique to SFKK for the 25th. 2. MHF is going to stay (the chain was gone because it snapped) 3. twisted twins is more then likely going to be gone this off-season if not this one, next off-season. And then we all know each park is getting something for the 50th anniversary for six flags in 2011. So things are really looking up for the park.

coasterbilly · July 23, 2009

Park #2: Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

So I'm sitting in my hotel in Indiana the night before Holiday World with my 2nd part of my 4 park trek here on my vacation. Kings Island proved to be another awesome visit, but it was time to go somewhere new. The drive was just 2 hours as we pulled into the SFKK lot full of coasters in the skyline. I honestly wasn't expecting a lot from this park, it isn't talked about very much and when I do hear about it, it's always an "eh" kind of story. But, since Robb said their last visit was great, I decided we should check it since it was so close!

So, parking was only $6 and we paid $24.95 a ticket for us to get in. I was pleasantly surprised by the nice little entry way with a mini fountain and a nice Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom being portrayed over it. I did have a slight concern, though, because Sean Kingston (a musical artist) was playing at the park tonight, so I wasn't sure if that would stir crowds or not. As we walked deeper into the park, it wasn't too bad, so everything was all good! Right as you walk in, 2 coasters are sitting there waiting, and those are Greezed Lightnin' and Roadrunner Express, so we started our new credits right there!

Greezed Lightnin' 7/10- The first we did was a classic, brilliant creation by Anton Schwarzkopf known as a Shuttle Loop coaster! This one has been relocated twice, and it still rocks! We waited around 10 minutes for the middle of the train. The launch is definitely more old school then what Intamin has mustered up recently, but it's still fast! The loop was quite intense and the spikes were different, especially the back spike for giving pretty neat airtime! Overall it was a fun ride to start the day on

Roadrunner Express 6/10- So up next was a 15 minute wait for the park's mouse. I put mouses at 5 usually just because they are standard, but for some reason this one was a tad better. The reasoning is the turns were taken a little faster which added laterals and the little hills gave some cool ejector air...on a Wild Mouse! Ha, another mouse, another credit!

So, once we finished down there, we crossed over the entry road to the bigger part of the park. Since it towers over the park, we headed for Chang first!

Chang 7/10- Expectations ran high for the park's headliner coaster since it opened back in 1997. It's one of a few stand ups out there so I was a little more excited. Unfortunately, the park from here on out ran 1 train on the coasters, which always irks me. They have 3 openings in the train house, but one is boarded off? So, even if that is closed, they have another train available for use right? Anyway, the line ended up being 30 minutes because of the 1 train wait. We hopped in the 2nd row and traveled up the 155 foot hill. The ride was in the middle for me, the layout is definitely better then Mantis, but it was a little too intense for a stand up because of the pacing. As weird as this sounds, I kind of wish their was a slight trim somewhere before the MCBR to make this ride a little more enjoyable. I say that because on the first loop, my left calf muscle tightened up because of the forces and killed the rest of the ride. Besides that, though, the ride was definitely above average and better then Mantis, but I guess that's not saying much

Once finished, I immediately stretched out my calf to try to loosen it up. I found myself doing this all day, which resulted in me deciding to not go on Chang again. We went right to T2 next.

T2 4/10- Like this was any better? Definitely not. I actually like SLC's I'm not going to lie, but this one is the worst of them all. The only good part about the ride was they added the 2nd train to make our front row wait go faster to a half hour. The drop was good, but every inversion had serious head banging, which actually did give me a headache (which rarely happens to me). Maybe if the ride got a touch up and the new trains Vekoma put out for these, it could improve.

Next up we got some dinner. Papa Johns is the best thing Six Flags has invested in besides Ben and Jerry's and Cold Stone. We ate by the carousel and the now closed off section where Twisted Twins stands motionless. Honestly, the ride looks sexy and looks like it was quite awesome, wish they would bring it back . Once we finished, my mom decided to join me for the small coaster credit!

Roller Skater 6/10- What a surprise! We got on in the back and somehow fit haha. The ride was pretty fun for a small family coaster! We got whipped around a little being in the back which made the ride that much more fun!

Following this we headed next door to my overall favorite coaster in the park, Thunder Run!

Thunder Run 8/10- So, I've been on both Hurlers at Carowinds and Kings Dominion, which made me not expect too much from this ride. Another 1 train operation made me annoyed again, but the ops did a good job getting the train out every time. The first major turn goes around the station, so I was trying to judge how rough it looked, and it didn't look pretty from the station. Eventually, around 10 minutes later, we hopped in the front and prepared for a rough, mediocre ride. But, I was WAY wrong! The drop was great, the curve was swift and quite smooth! The rest of the ride was flawless, the speed never let up, we got some crazy surprising airtime, the curves didn't hurt, and the brakes is the only time when we slowed down. It doesn't make a top ten list, but it's one of those woodies I could ride over and over!

After the surprise coaster of the day, it was about time to close up shop. We didn't do the water park, but it looked pretty decent. Before we left, we hit up the ferris wheel so I could get some last second photos. This ferris wheel was huge and beautiful, and gave some stunning views of the park. We played a few games in the arcade and called it a day, 6 new credits!

Overall, I'm not going to lie, this park was really neat. It might be one of the smaller Six Flags parks, but it's a secret gem. It has 6 coasters, all quite decent, good flats, a good waterpark, and very friendly staff! The only negatives were the 1 train ops on Chang, T2, and Thunder Run, and the closed off section where Twisted Twins is, hopefully they open it up back there. If you're in the area, go visit! It's cheap, it's got 6 worthy credits, and it is a park you can be leisurely in, you don't have to rush. Thank you SFKK for a great visit, hopefully another coaster is coming your way soon to draw more people to you so they can see what a nice park you are! Thanks for reading, heading to Wooden Heaven (Holiday World) tomorrow, so that report should be coming either Thursday or Friday night, enjoy the pictures, ciao!

We leave the following morning from our hotel with Chang waving goodbye! This park is pretty underrated, hopefully Six Flags brings another coaster there way soon!

DOH! Tweety messed up

Just in case you forgot where you were, the park reminds you if you sit down at one of their benches!

As we leave, the employees and characters do a little dance

Easily better then the Hurler's at both Carowinds and Kings Dominion

The surprise on the day!

Black is an evil color, irony?

Wild Mouses really do look cool for some reason haha

Weee!

Greezed Lightnin', thank you SFKK for saving this ride!

The nasty twisted structure!

The loop that did me in early

Droppage, no trim unlike Mantis!

Chang

Time for the ferris wheel to get some sexy coaster shots!

MMM sounds like a good energy drink

I'm doing more for this park then Twisted Twins is right now!

Anyone need to fill up? It's cheaper in Amusement Parks

peekabo! Airtime!!

Down the drop! Surprisingly smooth!

Lift, clickity clank!

Structure

Time for the only wood available in the park!

Carousel! This had a very annoying ride op who didn't shut up the entire ride, respect the classic merry-go-round music damn it!

Through the trees! Fun little coaster

Nothing like riding in a shoe!

Family coaster credit!

Before the double death roll, anyone got any tylenol?

This has pain written all over it lol

My name is T2, I hurt people but for some strange reason they still ride me

Ugh, time to get the SLC credit out of the way

And behind the sign!!

Corkscrew, honestly taken a little fast for a stand up

Dive loop, much better inversion!

Middle of the massive, intense loop, this is where my calf started killing me

Climbing the lift!

The coaster I am most excited about!

And up the back spike, if you sit towards the back you get some fun little airtime!

Backwards!!!

One of the most intense loops I've ever experienced!

Who knew such a simple layout could be so fun!

Time to get a shuttle coaster credit from Mr. Anton!

Except it's a bird , this one was pretty good!

First ride of the day: Another mouse credit!

Phew! Like crowds, Sean Kingston doesn't matter

Arrr Taz says "I have obnoxious vocal cords unlike giraffes!"

Nice little entry way

Welcome to SFKK! Sean Kingston in concert tonight? Hope he doesn't attract too many people!

I see a skyline!

EnglndPatriots6 · July 23, 2009

yea its small since they closed off 2 of the big rides but 1 is returning and 1 is being removed. But that section is being redone with new rides next season and the season after that both for anniversary's. next year for SFKK's 25th and the year after for SF's 50th.

Glad you enjoyed the park.

coasterbilly · July 23, 2009

good I saw the flume back there! I'm not exactly up to speed on what the situation with Twisted Twins is, why did it close?

EnglndPatriots6 · July 23, 2009

At first it was to save money from operating 2 coasters each year then i guess it evolved into being removed for that sections renovation. The twins were hardly popular int he years leading up to the closure in 2007 though so it was a smart move management wise. The official statement is they found something wrong on the Twins that would cost a bundle to fix and that it would be cheaper to just remove them. I mean they werent that popular for the last few years and again the ride can be sold for scrap due to the steel supports. So its money the chain needs.

Im excited for next season though.

coasterbilly · July 23, 2009

yeah I gotcha and I guess . I'm pretty excited too, to see what Six Flags does for them. It's seriously one of the parks that surprised me as being quite good, which I was thrilled about because it was one of the most leisurely days in a park I've had probably since Darien Lake back in 2005.

EnglndPatriots6 · July 23, 2009

Haha I keep hearing so much about Darien I guess ill have to bug my mom to us there next summer (got her to take us to CP last year and this year it was KI)

SFKK is good but when you get a pass each year and go and they just do stuff like repainting and adding in maybe a new game etc. it gets boring.

coasterbilly · July 25, 2009

yeah I gotcha, Darien Lake is awesome, it's got the typical coasters but Ride of Steel is definitely still one of the best steel coasters.

Holiday World was INCREDIBLE, I will post my report tomorrow I promise (and how my top ten woodies list was transformed majorly!)

coasterbilly · July 27, 2009

Park #3 Part 1: Holiday World. Sorry everyone I got started on this really late so it's going to be in two parts, I have intro pics, Raven, and Legend up right now. I'll be posting Voyage, Pilgram's Plunge, and my full written report tomorrow evening. So for now, enjoy!

Twisty, into the first tunnel, I love this ride, easily the surprise of the trip, what an out of control ride! The rest is coming tomorrow!

The beginning of one of my favorite drops on a woodie!

Peekabo! Through the trees

Faster then a fat kid running to an open box of twinkies!

Lift hill shot= yum

Next up, the surprise of the trip so far, the mighty Legend!

The best seat on the ride, this redeemed the coaster after my first ride in the morning Unfortunately it still didn't meet the hype to me, still a top ten woodie in my list, but I thought it would be higher

Airtime!!

ha two for one deal, did you know that raven only had a 1 train operation until 2005?

Up the lift from the station

The queue house, I love how all of Holiday World's coasters have this design

First and foremost, Raven, would the #1 ranking during that time period stand out to me?

Entering our first area, all the signs to the different sections of the park were great, unfortunately dumby me only got a pic of this one lol

Looky who was there in the front, Pat Koch! Taken with my dad, myself, and my bro on the right

Here's to you Bill, a legend in the great state of Indiana!

Finally! The park I have been waiting months for!

coasterbilly · August 1, 2009

Park 3 Part 2: Holiday World

So it’s now Saturday early afternoon after my trip, to my depressing surprise Indiana Beach had no communications to the outside world so I had to wait until I got home to do the rest of this park and Indiana Beach. So here is part 2 of my amazing time at Holiday World!

We arrive at the park a few minutes after the gates opened, unfortunately the parking lot looked pretty packed so I was expecting to wait to ride everything today. We are greeted with the sounds of Raven and screaming/laughing people, I don’t think I’ve been so excited to ride coasters this much since my second trip to Cedar Point in 2007 when I got to finally ride TTD, WT, and Maverick. The day also started us off with meeting Pat Koch at the front of the gates, which was a treat! What a nice lady she is, giving us a warm welcome and obviously pointing us to go to Voyage ASAP!

We go through the gates and head immediately into the Halloween section where our first ride of the day awaits, and that’s Raven!

Raven (7/10)- Alright, so people might ax me for this review but sorry I’m going to come right out and say that this ride let me down a little bit. The hype on this ride is pretty high so mine were too, but weren’t met exactly. My dad and I rode in the front the first time around and then in the back the second time, which definitely gave the top ten ride. The drop in the back is awesome, getting lifted out of your seat the entire way down, not to mention it seems much faster! The turn over Lake Rudolph is sweet and the swooping turns and air time induced hills bring the train into the brakes after a short sweet ride. Originally it wasn’t even in my top ten list after my front seat ride but now it’s in at #8 for a great, out of control back seat ride. The reason it’s only a 7 is because I expected there to be more to the ride, it was pretty much over when it started and I’m a lover of longer rides, therefore it gets a top ten spot for still being a crazy ride.

Next up we went into Splashin Safari, the park’s water park, to get some chairs to put our stuff. My mom and brother waited there as my dad and I booked it over to our next awesome ride!

Legend (9/10)- Ok, another axing might be coming, but flat out this was the surprise ride of the entire trip so far because of how AMAZING it is! We waited 40 minutes for it, which had me kind of nervous because I’ve heard of decent or hateful reviews of this ride, so I was hoping I didn’t waste my time. My dad and I love the front so we did this one both times up there, and holy crap what a ride! The drop is so unique with the twist to the left at the bottom into the first tunnel. What blew me away about this ride was the speed, the lateral forces, the surprise pops of air, and the sheer intensity of it, it’s seriously a wild ride. My favorite is the double helix in the middle of the ride, it reminded me of the Beast’s with the 2 tunnels, but this was tighter, which meant more laterals! The reason it’s not a 10 is because it is a little bit on the rougher side, but seriously, it’s a good rough. So, this blows away Raven to me because it’s definitely more out of control, there is more to it, and the surprise factor was simply stunning. This now ranks as #6 for me in my top ten!

Once we walked away super pumped after Legend, we put on our bathing suits and hit up the water park during the hottest hours of the day. Both parks were packed by the way, as I said we waited 40 minutes for Legend, and we also waited 30 for Raven in the morning. We did the Wave Pool right as you walk into the water park, we also did Zinga, the park’s funnel looking slide, and the newer Bakuli, which looks like a toilet bowl, and is easily one of my favorite water park attractions anywhere. All the slides were fun with considerable waits of course, but the highlight was the park’s brand new spankin’ Intamin flume ride, the Pilgrim’s Plunge!

Pilgrim’s Plunge (9/10)- So, this is a prototype flume yay! It was fascinating seeing how this thing worked with the double lift system bringing one boat up while one was coming down! They had 5 boats going, the line was 25 minutes even though the queue was pretty full, and the ride was awesome. You come out of the station and float down a little path that takes you to the boat platform, you slowly creep onto it and then come to a halt. The other platform then starts to descend and we then start to ascend, the design is brilliant as each tower has a curve going outward so the platforms can pass. We squeeze through the top and the platform is in place, we then slowly roll forward and speed down the breathtaking drop! We get to the bottom and skim the water then SPLASH, a nice tidal wave covers the boat, leaving us nicely wet and laughing to go again. This ride was excellent, it’s my second favorite still behind Tidal Force at Hershey, the only thing that would’ve made this better is if the splash was bigger. Hopefully Holiday World started a great trend, this ride is awesome and moves the line pretty quickly with the efficiency of the loading crews, you must ride this if you come to Holiday World!

Next up we all dried off, got changed, and headed out to the rest of the park. It was around 4:30 and somehow I still didn’t get my butt on Voyage, but don’t worry, that was first thing right when we exited Splashin’ Safari!

Voyage (10/10)- Well, the time finally is upon us! After making plans for this trip in November to come out and see what this place and this coaster were all about, it was time to find out. We waited another 25 minutes for the best woodie on the planet, Voyage. After my breathtaking night ride on Beast and all of my out of control rides on El Toro, I wasn’t sure what this would bring. We rode in the front and it definitely had me hooked, but I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t satisfied and it landed at #3 initially. But, we went back later in the day into the night and did the back back, and that is where it got me! Once you drop, all the ride is from there on out is relentless airtime, insane banking, and just blindness from the tunnels. This is everything a ride should be, it has the length, it has the speed, it has the banking, it has the airtime, it has tunnels that go underground, it has the triple down (which at night was unforgettable because you are completely blind and get thrown down it in the back), and it never lets up until the end. It’s a solid ride that definitely wins my #1 spot, but it doesn’t soar over Beast and El Toro, all 3 rides are incredible to me, but just the shear intensity and greatness of this ride puts it at the top. I don’t care where you live, get here and ride this coaster, its worth any amount of traveling.

So, as I said we rode each ride once, then went back. After my first ride on Voyage, Dad and my brother then went to dinner at Barbeque USA in 4th of July and my mom and I got food from Hot-Diggity Dogs in Holidog’s Funtown. The food was superb, especially my Chili Cheese Dog, which hit the spot. It was around 6:45 at this point, with only 1 ride on each woodie under my belt, I decided to skip doing some flats to go back and experience all 3 again because I wanted to see if the back would give me a better view of Raven (which it did), get another sick ride on Legend (which it did) and get on Voyage in the back to see if it indeed would win my #1 spot (which it did), and then rode it again at night night, which easily ranks as one of my best rides ever. So I got on Raven and Legend twice, and Voyage 3 times as we headed out the gates.

Holiday World is awesome, the Koch’s have themselves a very special and unique place for sure. The 3 wooden coasters and no major steel is a really neat touch, but seriously I hope they invest in a major steel coaster soon because they have the room, and I’m sure whatever they bring in would be quality. The only slight complaint is how the waterpark takes center stage. I say this because the rest of the park is around the waterpark, and that honestly gives the park a little less room to work with, I mean yes they have some decent flats, but I don’t know, I just like how Wildwater Kingdom and Boomerang Bay at Dorney and Kings Island are set up. They are included with admission, but are next to the park, not smack dab in the middle. Regardless, the park is great and I will definitely return back again whenever they add something major (hopefully that steel coaster!). Thank you to the Koch family for bringing such a great park to the world and I hope they keep it going for many many years to come.

My Old Top Ten Wood List

1. Beast

2. El Toro

3. Boulder Dash

4. Thunderhead

5. Lightning Racer

6. Wildcat

7. Coney Island Cyclone

8. Great White

9. Roar

10. Twister

My Top Ten after Holiday World

1. Voyage

2. Beast

3. El Toro

4. Boulder Dash

5. Thunderhead

6. Legend

7. Lightning Racer

8. Raven

9. Wildcat

10. Coney Island Cyclone

Thank you guys for sticking through my report, enjoy the photos and I’ll be back in a little for Indiana Beach coverage!

Oh, and one more thing, this was in the Santa Claus museum next to the park, insert dirty innuendos if you please lol Indiana Beach up soon!

And I depart with the awesome fountain that has pretty lights. Thank you Holiday World for bringing 3 spectacular woodies to the coaster world, hope to be back soon!