Holiday World (HW) Discussion Thread

[Diamondbacker27]

Well, I consider smooth family friendly.

It doesn't scream family friendly, it kind of whispers it

[ZeroGravity55]

^ Just because a ride is smooth doesn't mean it's family-friendly. It's how extreme the ride is that determines how family-friendly it is. RMC is known for pushing it to the extreme.

[Diamondbacker27]

The event is tomorrow correct? Or is it next weekend? Sorry I'm confused.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Or what about something like 7 Dwarfs mine train at Disney?

 

As long as it doesn't take them a half-eternity to build it...

 

 

Well since it's not a Disney attraction, It will get built within a year.

[mikeykaise]

Or what about something like 7 Dwarfs mine train at Disney?

 

As long as it doesn't take them a half-eternity to build it...

 

 

Well since it's not a Disney attraction, It will get built within a year.

 

I'm thinking a moto-x launched coaster but instead of motorcycles it will be themed with individual wooden sailing ship, that would be cool

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Or what about something like 7 Dwarfs mine train at Disney?

 

As long as it doesn't take them a half-eternity to build it...

 

 

Well since it's not a Disney attraction, It will get built within a year.

 

I'm thinking a moto-x launched coaster but instead of motorcycles it will be themed with individual wooden sailing ship, that would be cool

 

 

I always thought a Motor Coaster with Reindeer instead of Horse's would work for the Christmas section of the park.

[Fear&Loathing19]

You think this "new owner" will do things slightly different? Do you think we will ever see a small B & M?

[marth555]

With Bosque Magico getting a Superman Ultimate Flight clone and BGW rumored to be getting one what are the chances Holiday

World could get one?

Edited May 3, 2014 by marth555

[kyleparks77]

^ I just don't see that fitting the park at all

[LogBur]

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

[SFOGdude25]

^I'm there right now. Voyage is running very well! Raven and Legend are running a bit rougher in comparison, but not terribly rough. I'll post a more detailed report later.

[cal1br3tto]

^Looking forward to hearing more!

 

Not saying RMC couldn't design a family-friendly coaster, but that doesn't seem like their style.

I totally understand, but I wouldn't say they couldn't, either. I'm especially thinking of Gravity Group with Wooden Warrior and Roar-O-Saurus. And even B&M confused us all recently with that Vekoma Jr. Suspended knockoff in China.

[LogBur]

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.

[SFOGdude25]

I'm back home now. Here's my quick trip report from opening day.

 

The park was in great shape as always. The staff was friendly, the walkways were clean, and all the rides were open except for Liberty Launch (No sign of it opening at all. No ride ops, no maintenance staff, nada). This morning was cloudy on the chilly side, but the sun came out a few hours later and warmed up to the 70s. Crowds were very light all day. All the rides were walk-ons except for the new Mayflower swinging ship ride, which consistently had 1 to 2 cycle waits. Speaking of which, Mayflower is great! It's a smaller model, but that thing goes pretty high! Also, while riding Voyage, I did notice some land clearing going on, but it wasn't much. It looked like about a 40 to 50 foot diameter patch of trees was leveled, but that's all I saw. Those of you going to Holiwood Nights this year will probably get a much better view of what's going on back there.

 

How were the woodies holding up, you ask?

 

Raven and Legend were both a little on the rough side. Legend in particular had some pretty nasty jolts that gave my neck a bit of a workout. Both coasters were suffering from some high-frequency jackhammering (or high-level butt massage, if you will). That being said, both these coasters are still better than a LOT of the other wooden coasters in the US.

 

Now onto Voyage.

So yes, there was some heavy trackwork done throughout the ride this past off-season. The biggest areas that got worked on were the first two 90-degree turns and the last big airtime hill that goes over the brake run.

The two 90s had the standard top two layer replacement treatment. This section used to have really bad shuffling and jerking, and I'm happy to say that pretty much all of that is gone. The train glides through that section fairly nicely now. Even in the back car where it's normally really bad, the shuffle factor was pretty minimal.

The track in the final big hill that sails over the brake run was completely rebuilt. This section used to be arguably the worst spot on the ride in terms of roughness. Now, the new track feels rock solid and rides fairly smoothly up front. You still get knocked around a bit in the back, but not quite as bad as it was last year.

Quickly breaking down the whole ride:

The "out" portion overall was great. The valleys were pretty smooth (except for maybe going into the first tunnel), and those giant hills still deliver some great airtime, especially in the front seat!

The spaghetti bowl is riding almost perfectly now. I absolutely love the way that section just flows through each element effortlessly.

Finally, the "back" portion overall is still pretty rough, but it's mostly "hip-and-leg-bruising" rough as opposed to "neck-strain-and-headache" rough if that makes sense, and if I was going to pick one of those, it would be the former.

 

To sum things up, it's certainly better than last year, but it's still rough around the edges. It's still my favorite wooden coaster as of now, but that might change once I take a spin on Goliath at SFGAm later this summer.

 

Holiday World could really benefit from having a good-sized steel coaster that everyone can ride; one that is smooth and very re-ridable to contrast the three woodies that have a tendency to beat people up, so it would be pretty cool if these steel coaster rumors hold out.

 

ONE OTHER THING: I took a selfie in front of Voyage that made it on to the Holiblog! It's the last picture on the page.

 

 

Here are some pictures.

Some of the freshly laid track.

Here's something new. They've added a new viewing area that gets fairly close to the station turn.

So you can get cool photo ops like this now (although the screening doesn't exactly help things).

Another shot of the fresh track from the station. I should also point out that the entire brake run was also completely rebuilt. The brakes looked brand new, too.

All that's left of Giraffica/Pilgrim's Plunge is the station building and one giant pad of concrete.

Hey look! Shiny new ride!! Is it just me, or does the mast of the boat look unfinished?

Here's a good look at the emblem up top. Pretty nifty, don't ya think?

The Mayflower also has a pond! The whole ride area looks really nice and fits in well with the Thanksgiving section.

Here's about how high it goes maxed out.

[LogBur]

^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.

[SFOGdude25]

^From my experience, it typically rides the worst late in the season when it starts getting colder.

[LogBur]

^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).

[cfc]

I'm glad to hear that Voyage was running well, but it tends to run pretty well early in the season (at least based on my personal experience). I'm curious to see how it is during the Mini New Hotness Trip later this summer.

[ZeroGravity55]

The Voyage usually runs good until daily two-train operation starts. That's when the track usually starts getting beat up.

[cal1br3tto]

I'm glad to hear that Voyage was running well, but it tends to run pretty well early in the season (at least based on my personal experience). I'm curious to see how it is during the Mini New Hotness Trip later this summer.

This--very happy about the retracking news and early reports, but I know it's infamous for deteriorating even over a few months. Hoping this work can make more of a lasting difference!

[coasterfreak101]

Glad to hear Voyage is running well, I'll be taking my first rides at Holiwood Nights this year so here's to hoping it holds up at least until then!

[WildStangAlex]

Thanks for the great trip report! Great news for voyage, yet kind of sad for the other two coasters. Good thing I spend the majority of my time over at Voyage.

[simon8899]

Is it just me or are Swinging Ships having a kind of small revival? Djurs in Denmark also get one this year...

[linearinduction]

^ Chance Built a New One for Moreys a Couple Years Ago, One for Galvaston Pleasure Pier, and Huss Several for China over the last several years. I wouldn't call it a "Revival" as much as New Parks and those that didn't have one previously are adding a Classic Family Friendly Attraction.

[Raven Maven]

^ ... and what's a Thanksgiving-themed section without a Mayflower? Shortest ride-naming meeting ever!